stories Archives - Talbert Zoo

Cascia Talbert for D47 Board of Ed

March 24, 2021March 24, 2021 Cascia Talbert

My name is Cascia Talbert. I am a professional writer, and I published my first book in 2018. I am also a mom to five amazing special needs children. 3 of whom attend D47 schools. My husband and I moved our family from Spokane, WA to Crystal Lake in 2014. We chose Crystal Lake because of the great schools. As a non-educator, I am quite different from all the other candidates. I am not running for board of education because it will look good on my resume. I am not…

League of Women Voters of McHenry County Hosts Candidate Forum for D47 Board of Ed

March 21, 2021 Cascia Talbert

I was honored to participate in a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of McHenry County. The forum took place over zoom and recorded last night at 6pm. The League of Women Voters were very professional and I learned a lot from participating. The biggest takeaway I got was that I am very different from all the other candidates and they are very much the same. I got the impression that some of the educators running feel like they are deserving of a position on the board…

D47 Announces Opening of Elementary Schools After Spring Break

March 4, 2021 Cascia Talbert

D47 Opens Elementary Schools Yesterday Superintendent Dr. Kathy Hinz announced in a video that the elementary schools in D47 will be open for full time in person instruction after spring break. There have been mixed reactions from parents. Most parents are happy for the elementary kids who will finally be in school for full time in person instruction. But once again the district has disregarded the needs of middle schoolers. The middle school students have been overlooked this year. They were the last ones to return to school in…

What Makes me Qualified to be a Member of the D47 Board of Education

February 26, 2021March 4, 2021 Cascia Talbert

I have been ridiculed, called a lunatic, slandered, and hated by people who don’t even know me. I am getting a taste of what President Trump went through. It hurts. I’ll admit I cried, I reached out to my friends and I prayed. I won’t know how it feels to have other’s do that to you for five years, like the former President. A week was long enough for me. People say that I am not qualified to be on the Board of Education, just because I sell Avon. They…

Parent of Special Needs Kids Running for Board of Education for Crystal Lake D47

January 27, 2021March 4, 2021 Cascia Talbert

My name is Cascia Talbert and I am running for Board of Education for the Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47. I was born and raised just outside of Madison, WI. I attended the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater where I studied music, history, and law. I graduated with a BA in History and a legal studies minor with paralegal certification for the State of Wisconsin in 2001. My husband, Chris and I were married in 2003. Our most recent move was from Spokane, WA to Crystal Lake, IL in…

I Can’t Do Everything

January 6, 2020March 15, 2021 Cascia Talbert

I can’t do everything but I can try. Stress seems to be an ongoing theme when I write a Talbert Zoo Story. It seems like it controls my life. Now that it is 2020, I need to try harder to prevent that. I always feel pressured to be the best at everything. I need to be the best sports mom and make sure Monkey is registered for wrestling tournaments every weekend. I need to be the best music mom and make sure Kitty and Parrot practice their instruments every single…

Is Tomorrow Really October 1?

September 30, 2019November 11, 2019 Cascia Talbert

Where has September gone? Just yesterday I was sitting out on the deck drinking a glass of wine while the kids played in the back yard. Actually that isn’t true. Yesterday it rained all day. I drank a glass of wine while I watched the Bears/ Vikings game with Chris. I am a Packer fan so I don’t even know who won that game. September flew by. The years seem to go by faster and faster as I get older. Sometimes I wish I could reverse time and be ten…

Depression is Real and I am at an All Time Low

September 23, 2019February 25, 2021 Cascia Talbert

Today is the first day of fall and I am falling fast. I feel like a failure and 2019 has not been a good year for me. I am about to just give up, or better yet dig a hole and crawl in it. I just want to disappear. My misery began on August 6, 2019. When I woke up the next morning I checked my bank account and noticed that someone stole $1,709 from me. This person left me with $5 in my savings account and 25 cents in…

Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

August 12, 2019July 8, 2020 Cascia Talbert

It has been a while since I have written here. Sometimes life happens. We get busy with kids, school, summer, vacations, deaths in the family and who knows what else. My life is crazy and busy. But, I am going to try harder to write on the Talbert Zoo more often. I have “Publish to the Talbert Zoo,” on my to-do list for Mondays. I promise to keep that schedule. Only time will tell if I can stick with it. Now back to the main topic of this post. Why…

Weekend Reflection #40 We are Going to the Moon

July 1, 2016December 2, 2019 Cascia Talbert

This was first posted to the Healthy Moms Magazine on January 11, 2009. Back then I was a mother of three children ages 11, 3 and 1. The Talbert family lived in Sacramento, CA in 2009. I’m sorry I’m posting this late. This week was pretty busy. I actually stuck with my work plan and blogged for 5-6 hours each day. I saw my traffic go up as a result. Now I know what I need to do to increase my readership on this blog. But, yesterday I decided to…