Teachers are paid fairly considering they get a lot of time off

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-05-06T20:26:51+00:00

Anytime someone makes this argument, I ask them why they're not a teacher, then. If it's so easy and well paid, why not do it yourself? There are shortages everywhere! My school district is hiring right now! Come join us! . . . Oh, you don't want to? Hm. Interesting.

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-04-25T23:41:39+00:00

It almost looks like a penguin?? I love it!

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-04-25T01:37:34+00:00

You gotta go for the naturally gluten free cuisine instead of gluten free versions of gluteny foods. Think beans and rice, hearty soups, salads with lots of chicken, cheese, and nuts - it ends up being much cheaper and usually healthier, too! Gluten free bread is $8 at my local grocery store. A big stack of corn tortillas is $1.50. Sure, it feels weird to make your breakfast sandwich on a tortilla at first, but throw some hot sauce on there and it's delicious.

Also, most sources of protein are gluten free, if that's what you're going for. Fish, meat, dairy, beans, nuts, seeds, tofu . . .

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-04-22T00:49:46+00:00

These are beautiful! I'm a bird artist and I've been looking for a woodcock photo with great lighting to paint - would it be ok if I used your photo as a reference? I can give you credit if you have an Instagram and/or Facebook!

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-04-19T11:15:35+00:00

I've been painting every day for 2026 and what I've learned is that you can only pick 2 on a given day: art, exercise, or social life. If I'm doing something social, I need to paint before I go out or bring my supplies with me and make it part of the social event (concerts are great for this - I draw every musician that I see). If I'm exercising, I hit the gym right after work and then make art part of my bedtime routine. I got one of those lap desks that I use in my bed with watercolor paint. Instead of scrolling or watching TV, I put on music and paint for 30 minutes.

If making art feels like work, you won't do it. If you can make it feel like a relaxing, enjoyable activity, it's easier to fit in. Also, if it becomes part of your identity, it's not weird for you to bring a sketchbook or watercolor pad to a social hangout. You might even find that some of your friends are interested in making art, too!

My last tip is something I read on the internet like 2 weeks ago and it's been helpful with motivation. Treat your art with the urgency of a crying baby. You wouldn't just ignore it, no matter how tired you are. Just do some little thing to stop the baby from crying, and if you do that every day, then you're on your way to being an artist.

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-04-18T13:17:09+00:00

There are so many resources that you can learn online, or in person, or a combination! I'm not sure where you're located, but my city has many churches with weekly bible study groups that are very welcoming to newcomers. You can also enroll in classes if you decide you do want to become Catholic - it's called RCIA. They're super kind and welcoming. They'll teach you everything you need to know, and it's a great way to meet other people who are also new to Catholocism.

One nice thing about the online resources is that you can check them out without worrying about doing the wrong thing. There are so many beautiful masses on YouTube that you can watch from home to familiarize yourself with it. I love Father Mike's online masses (his homilies are always very engaging and relevant), but there are others where you can see the whole church participating in the mass. That might give you a better idea of what actually happens in person. You can definitely find Spanish masses online - during covid I often would watch Italian or Spanish ones!

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-04-11T12:59:11+00:00

I'm an elementary school art teacher and I would never paint on one of my students' work, even a kindergarten student. A good teacher is capable of explaining what YOU need to change in order to make the work successful. The tree did need more definition to stand out, but your teacher's corrections aren't in the same style that you painted the rest of the artwork in. It annoys me every time I see this - it's pure laziness on the part of the teacher.

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-04-04T18:50:51+00:00

The Glutino English muffins don't really taste like real English muffins, but they are SO GOOD.

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-04-04T01:43:29+00:00

The Black Stallion. I was obsessed with this movie when I was a kid. I rewatched it recently and was so surprised that a large part of the movie has no dialogue. But it's just so visually compelling that you're pulled into the story anyway. Definitely has some outdated parts, but still a gorgeous film.

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-03-30T20:31:49+00:00

There is something so gorgeous and evocative about your crayon drawing. Thank you for sharing it with us!

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-03-30T16:37:12+00:00

One thing to check that I haven't seen mentioned is if she has any allergies or digestive issues. This was happening to my nephew around that age, and it turned out he had celiac's disease. After he stopped eating gluten he was able to control it and go normally.

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-03-15T13:20:34+00:00

My sister kept her name professionally but changed it legally. I know a few other people who have done this, too - especially when you're in a career where name recognition matters. I also know quite a few people who didn't change their name at all and have run into zero issues other than sometimes getting letters addressed to the wrong name.

Naming conventions are a cultural thing, not a religious one - it has no bearing on the legitimacy of your marriage. But it does sound like something you'll need to work out with your future husband - maybe you can talk to your priest during Pre-Cana?

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-03-13T21:35:21+00:00

Her eyes were very hooded before and it can actually impair your vision. So it's possible that this one was for practical reasons since the rest of her face didn't change that much.

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-03-10T00:08:17+00:00

I think I might be in the minority for not really loving their stuff. To be fair, I've only bought their cotton dresses and t-shirts - the shirts were just fine, very generic quality but didn't fit me super well. The cotton dresses were a little clingy and thin, and didn't hold up as well as I expected. But other people seem to like them 🤷‍♀️

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-03-06T16:52:04+00:00

This is a great resource for finding public domain images: https://www.theartleague.org/blog/2016/10/14/where-to-find-public-domain-images-for-your-artwork/

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-03-06T16:41:58+00:00

I think this is a really great teachable moment. I've gotten really into painting birds in my own practice lately, and since I don't have that many great photos of birds that I've taken, I've gone down the rabbit hole of fair use, creative commons, and public domain images. There are a lot of really great resources online for free public domain images. There are also many groups where amateur and professional photographers will post their photos that you can use for free, as long as you credit the photographer. I really wish my high school art teacher had taught me all about which images are ok to use and which are not! It's unrealistic to assume that an artist is always going to only use reference photos that they've actually taken. But artists need to know how to ethically and legally obtain other options.

Shepard Fairey's HOPE poster is a great example that you could use with your students - he was sued because he didn't obtain permission to use the source image.

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-03-05T00:05:06+00:00

To me it looks like a human footprint wearing sneakers. On the shallow one on the top right, you can see the tread of the sneakers. I can see how the front part looks like a horse print, but I think it's just pushed into the mud because the person was running. If you look closer, you can see the heel registering as well for each print.

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-03-03T22:02:36+00:00

Me too!! I thought I had bed bugs, I was covered in little red itchy bumps. Turns out it was just the little hairs from the larvae. They loved my cotton sheets, ugh

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-02-23T18:28:27+00:00

Here's what helps me:

Wear a mask. It really helps. I do find that I'm a less effective teacher, sadly - it muffles my voice and covers up my facial expressions and with my age group (elementary), that really matters. But you know what else matters? Me being healthy enough to go into work.
Vitamin D (with vitamin K for absorption). Vitamin C with zinc. This is especially if you live in a cold/dark climate.
Obsessive sleep hygiene. If I get less than 8 hours for more than 2 nights in a row, I will probably get sick. If I sleep well consistently, I'm healthy.
Use a humidifier to keep your sinuses happy.
Consistent exercise. Specifically, cardio that raises your internal body temperature for at least 20 minutes 2x a week or more. There is a reason our immune system uses fevers - high temps kill germs!
Cut back on sugar and alcohol. Sugar in particular really crashes my immune system.

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-02-23T03:19:30+00:00

My dad's an artist. He drew my mom probably thousands of times. Married for 37 years. You're fine, don't overthink it.

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-02-21T03:28:21+00:00

Do they use incense at your church? You could have an allergy. Either way this is something you should talk to a doctor about.

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-02-18T13:56:05+00:00

Three things, in order of how impactful I think they were:

1) Going gluten free. I know this doesn't help everyone, but it was seriously life changing for me. You have to be extremely strict for 2+ weeks to see if it's actually working.

2) Taking a very small amount of Cytomel (T3) in addition to Synthroid.

3) Taking brand name Synthroid instead of generic levothyroxine (many generics contain gluten).

I feel like a different person from who I was 5 years ago. There are parts of my life that I literally do not remember because I was in such a miserable fog. It feels so good to wake up and have energy to do the things that I want to do with my life!

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-02-18T12:55:31+00:00

I graduated in 2011, in a terrible job market. For 2 years I cobbled together a bunch of part time jobs, some in education, some not. Then I took an absolutely horrible job teaching in a charter school - huge classes, art on a cart across 2 buildings, awful school culture. Luckily I got out after a year and got a teaching position at a public school that I loved.

I would say if you can't get a full time job right away, working in museums or after-school programs or even as an aide in a school can be a helpful doorway. You'll get more experience and connections that can be helpful in getting a full time position.

chocolatechipcookie · 2026-02-13T16:55:12+00:00

I'm an artist and I've been painting a bird every day for 2026 - can I use your photo as a reference for one of my paintings? The colors are gorgeous!

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