why sitting on a balance ball has changed my life and gotten me a lot of "who's the weirdo" looks

so, i'd read about balance balls years ago as a sort of ergonomic way of sitting. as if i could even say ergonomic. i also read it was good for your core.

then, when i went from 10 hours a day on my feet teaching, walking around, going up and down stairs to get to the copier or a half mile down the hall to use the restroom, i panicked. me, sitting at a desk? access to snacks? i worried i would pack the pounds right on.

so, i made a plan. and i became the weird girl doing jumping jacks in the conference room at least once a day. but i postponed buying a balance ball for fear of looking like a freak. (not exactly logical, i know.)

three months went by, and my lower back ached. (cry about it, i know.) i was tired of sitting around. there was one other girl in our office and a dude who sometimes used balance balls, so i bit the bullet, went to target, and blew up my balance ball.

so now, i'm that girl that everyone asks "does that really work?" or "do you actually like sitting on that?"

the answer is, i do. i think you should go out and get one too. it totally works. at some point i have to slouch and sit in a chair for a while. but do i think it's ergonomic? absofreakinglutely. do i think it works your core and improves posture? yep. do i think other people think i am a weirdo? you betcha. but my grandmother and mother taught me that life is too short to worry about what others think of you (hence their "she's crazy" reputations)

go on. stop reading this nonsense and head to your nearest marshalls, target, or amazon.com. buy a large balance ball (doesn't matter how tall you are, you need a large) pump it up, and get to balancing. you'll thank me, i promise.

great teachers in houston

First off, I should say that I love my job. Though not perfect, I have a never ending list of things to be thankful for, not to mention brand new office space that is uber swanky. My favorite thing? The water filter faucet and ice maker - I'm easily pleased (and well hydrated.)

Ferris Bueller was really smart when he said "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop to look around once in a while, you might miss it." This is so true. I have no idea how four years have passed since April 2008, when I said "yes" to a job offer with the W. Bush administration in DC. First the WH internship, and then a job that led to experiences vastly different from what I envisioned for my senior year at Texas A&M, which led to me joining Teach For America, which rocked my world and shook up my life and thinking and passions. Exhausting and exhilarating, humbling and rewarding, my two years in the classroom with students led me to an incredible job. I get to meet with teachers frequently, have visited more than 20 Houston public school campuses, have heard about excellent administration and crummy principals, and have witnessed first hand the success and continued need for excellent teachers in all classrooms.

Enough of me rambling about how I love my boss, and the flexibility of my job, and the culture of the organization for which I work. I'll now direct you to a story about a Teach For America alumnus working here in Houston to get low income, minority students to and through top colleges. His story and the statistics he's researched are jaw-dropping. It's still sinking in that less than ten HISD students went to Ivy League schools last year. Ten. Our district serves over 200,000 students. How can we have just ten students attending some of the historically best colleges in our country? Why is that okay, for low income or not?

Anyway, I encourage you to read Rick's story that I compiled here. I dare you to finish reading it and not want to be involved. :)

Thanks for reading, and remember - this blog is purely my own opinion, and has no connection to the official organization. Thanks & gig em.

i heart the hiz-eights (heights)

i love the heights because...

we recycle.

i know some of my neighbors. (bible study meets across the street. they are awesome. landlord lives next door. she's had me inside and forced me to sit down and tell her about KIPP. she's in her eighties.)

flowerbeds.

the porches.

bike rides.

old trees.

my grandfather grew up here. literally, a few blocks away, he graduated high school and lived in a small house with his parents and older brother.

i can walk to the hardware store. and restaurants. and a few parks.

it's community based. and let's be honest: it feels like austin.

and right now, at 12:23 a.m. on a wednesday (i guess technically thursday), i just saw someone out our front window who was skateboard with three neon flashlights in the pockets of his khaki shorts and reflective wristbands. they do NOT do that in memorial, or midtown, or anywhere else as far as i know.

this is the heights. and i love it.

cooking lessons

we get into a lot of trouble together. and she gives me great recipes.

Tonight I bring you several new recipes!!! I've been cooking a lot more than this time last year - something about the fact that I'm not focused on getting kiddos 4th grade ready and able to pass the high-stakes state test. Something about not working 60 hours a week leaves energy to make a mess in the kitchen and then clean it up. Have I mentioned I admire teachers and principals and counselors times a THOUSAND? I do. Clap for teachers right now. (Clap, clap clap..)

Speaking of mess...

My friend Caitlin is a younger, cooler version of Martha Stewart. She is a great source of recipes and always makes cooking/entertaining seem like a piece of cake. (Even if she's not serving cake.)

So she heard I was having brunch, she sent me some recipes. Those are what I will share.

I'll also share an embarassing story because, who does not love to laugh at my expense every and now and then? Remember the time I wore a name tag that said "Clint" and also fell to the floor while two stepping?

I digress. Here's the gist:

I found a recipe in the Whole Foods magazine/flier thing that seemed delicious, not horribly unhealthy, and simple. No eggs. No milk. No oil. Just dry goods, 6 tablespoons of butter, and VIOLA, chocolate chip soda bread.

I read the ingredients. Check. I got out ingredients. Check. I follow directions. Check. Everything in the bowl looks funny. I reread directions and ingredients. Check. I continue, unfazed by the funny looking dough stuff. I bake accordingly. I check on it a few times: looks odd, smells great.

My roommate comes home. "Smells good!" Check.

I remove soda bread from oven. It is hard as a rock in some places, gooey in others, something is wrong. I reread recipe. Can't figure it out. I taste it, not horrible, but something is off.

I get in bed and am reading a book when this cute boy I know calls me. (He should have his own cooking show. The first time I saw him cook he made chicken enchiladas from scratch - as in, the sauce was made in a food processor and stuff. We call in enchiladas for "pick up" around the Robinson house.)

Anywho, so I'm telling the cute chef this story so he can laugh at me too, and I visualize the ingredients on my shelf. I think about the cute girl on my baking powder bottle. And then i realize: baking powder. So I ask the chef, what's the difference between baking powder and baking soda?

"One is a base," he says calmly. "And one is an acid. Totally different things."

Well, pardon my french Julia Child, but. Crap. I have used absolutely zero baking soda whilst making SODA BREAD. apparently three tablespoons of baking powder will NOT do the trick.

Oh. My. Good. Gracious. Embarassing? Yep. Ridiculous? Yep. But did I learn something? Yep.

Also, because the cute chef taught me to butter a pan (my lovely mom just douses pans with cooking spray, I had no idea you could butter pans) the whole loaf came slid right into the trash can real nice. So I got that going for me...

Happy cooking & love to all! crob

I highly recommend this recipe, and I used less sugar & butter. Yum-my. Thanks Caitlin (and sisters)

Cranberry Apple Crisp

Fruit Mixture

5 c. (5 med.) sliced peeled apples

1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen cranberries (I used part dried cherries and part crasins)

1 c. sugar

2 T. flour

1 t. cinnamon

Topping

1 c. rolled (whole) oats

1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 c. flour

1/3 c. margarine or butter

1/2 c. chopped nuts (I used toasted pecans)

Heat oven to 375 deg.F. Grease 12x8 in.(2 qt.) baking dish. In large bow., combine all fruit mixture ingredients; toss to coat. Spoon into greased baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine rolled oats, brown sugar and 1/3 c. flour. Using pastry blender or fork, cut in margarine until crumbly. Stir in nuts. Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit.

Bake at 375 deg. F. for 30-40 min or until golden brown and apples are tender. If desired, serve with ice cream, whipped cream or topping. 10 servings.

And this is great

Spinach Frittata
1 c onions, chopped
1 10oz package frozen spinach, thawed
5 eggs
2 c grated cheddar cheese
1 jar artichoke hearts, chopped
2 c shredded hash browns

Sautee onions and potatoes in olive oil. Beat eggs and combine with
cheese. Add the rest of the ingredients and bake at 350°F for 30
minutes.