A Healthy Balance

Patrick and I have been watching some of my family's old home videos. "You're exactly the same!" he said. "Except a little spunkier back then." Dagger to my heart.  It's true, though, whether through simple maturity or in quest for approval, my spunkiness wavered as I got older. As an adult, I know I can be quirky and opinionated ("strong willed" they say) but there's really no equivalency to a youthful spirit. What a wonderful mixture of carefree opinions and imagination, untethered by socialization (or hormones)!  As a teacher, I strive to expose my students to a variety of books and genres. We recently moved on from Dragon Masters to a realistic fiction series called  Ivy + Bean  and I simply adore the two female main characters. They are precocious, creative and imaginative, full of big ideas. We are currently reading  Ivy + Bean Take Care of the Babysitter , where Bean is being babysat by her older sister, Nancy, for the f

I like getting mail. I also enjoy an element of mystery. I want to try new beauty products without spending oodles of money and wasting unused product. All of these considerations led me to Ipsy, a subscription based service where you receive a "Glam Bag" for $10 each month. The package includes an actual zippered make-up bag along with five product samples tucked inside.  The samples are supposedly tailored to your personalized needs. When signing up, you complete a short quiz where you describe your appearance (skin tone, hair and eye color) and favorite types of makeup products/brands. You can also identify any skin or hair concerns (dryness, redness, etc.) and which colors you prefer for lipstick, eyeshadow, etc. The quiz was quick but comprehensive.  So were my preferences reflected in the products I've received? Eh. I'm really not sure. But has the overall experience been worth the price? Yes (so far). In my first bag, my favorite product by far w

Portobello and Cuban Tacos <3 Maybe it's because my name's Maria, but a thirst for queso runs through my veins. I try not to feed the addiction to much but sometimes you just gotta.  Enter  Zandra's Taqueria  - a newish restaurant on Center Street in downtown Manassas, near Okra's. The lighting is a little dark, the red paint on the walls and strings of lights a bit intense, but man, the food is tasty.  I'm a huge fan of the house mojito, skillet queso, and a la carte taco options. They have a range of tacos, from classic to adventurous, each offered on a flour or corn tortilla (or lettuce wrap). The tacos are stuffed generously, so after destroying mounds of chips and queso, I am usually content with just one (each is about $3-5).  Zandra's also offers skillet fajitas but I try to avoid those in general because they're smelly (Patrick thinks I'm crazy and says they're delicious). Overall I find the menu really refreshing compared to the

As summer comes to an end, I find it appropriate to transition my blog into a new name (don't worry, no pumpkin spice is involved). I've settled on A Healthy Balance , a mantra I've adopted as a goal for myself over the past several years. Finding a healthy balance is challenging. Work, fitness, friends and family...there are so many opportunities for action, and choices to make. Sometimes, I've learned, the best decision is saying no, and finding time to recharge. If nothing else, I hope that simply reading this blog title over and over again will remind me to strive for that balance, and that sometimes "having it all" involves rest. This fall I've begun a new job teaching third grade. I don't know how often I'll update the blog, but I'm excited to have it available as a quiet, reflective tool, a way to create a space of calm during all the action. Thank you to everyone who's kept up over the summer--I truly appreciate your comments an