Mariana
Mariana loves sandwiches best, although going 95% vegan two years ago means having traded in ham and swiss for eggplant and roasted red pepper. Her boys, Santiago (5) and Sebastian (3), agree that sliced bread is the greatest thing since sliced bread. The boys are native Spanish speakers despite the fact that neither of their parents is, which has made raising them in Spanish a labor of love. Her commitment to raising bilingual children was made possible by being a first-generation Chilean-American born and raised in New York City, and by having spent two pre-kid years living abroad in Mexico City and Salamanca, Spain. Mariana moved to the RGV in 2010 and never wants to live anywhere else. While the kids are at school, Mariana is a full-time Assistant Professor of Philosophy at UTRGV. She has written for the New York Times, Womankind Magazine, and Yahoo Parenting.
A Hard Day — Better Yet, a Chance to Focus on Relationships
Today was a hard homeschooling day. For those of you who’ve got kids at home, even if they are learning remotely and you’re not technically their teacher, I know you’ve had hard school days...
The Best Piece of Parenting Advice I’ve Ever Gotten
In all my years of parenting, this is the best piece of advice I've ever gotten: Keep nap time even after the kids stop napping.
Best. Advice. Ever. Seriously
My older sister suggested it. Her five...
Stories from a Homeschooling Newbie
It’s October now, and, like many others, I’ve been homeschooling my 6- and 8-year-olds for over six weeks. My partner and I made the decision to homeschool when it became clear that the public...
At Home, but Not Really: Attention and Focus in a Digital World
Are you having trouble paying attention to simple tasks like I am? For a long time now I have subscribed to digital minimalist philosophy and have even taught it in my classes, but I...
Proximity Learning in the Age of Quarantine
We've all become accustomed to distance learning in the last few weeks. But I have a proposal. What if we try a little (or a lot) of proximity learning?
We may all be RGV moms,...
El programa de Lenguaje Dual en el Valle
Este es el momento en el que tienes que pensar a que escuela mandaras a tus pequeños. Aquí tenemos información importante sobre las escuelas Del Valle que ofrecen el programa de Lenguaje Dual. Lee...
The DL on Dual-Language Education in the RGV
Now is the time to think about where to send your little ones for school, so here is some helpful information on which schools in the Valley have a Dual-Language program. Read this and...
Parent, Playmate, or Friend?
My boys are playing baseball outside, one in an old soccer uniform and the other in a shirt he’s outgrown. They are five and seven — perfect and perfectly positioned. I can hear and...
Living a Small Life: Stick to the Schedule
Somewhere along the way during the summer, my life got too big. Between camp and activities, trying to rest and work, cooking and barbecuing, exercising and keeping the house clean, it was too much....
Summer in Review
In June I made some micro-resolutions for the summer. Now is the best time to see how it went, whether my expectations were still too high, despite trying to keep them low.
Puzzle in...