Picky Eating

Almost every single time I'm in the great company of friends who are also parents of young children, the topic of eating and picky eaters comes up.  It never fails -- one way or another, a part of our conversations seem to mention our children's eating habits.  I admit, this probably has something  to do with the fact that we are usually eating when my family and I join another family in fellowship.  :)  Anyhow, it's clear to me that a lot of parents have their most stressful parenting moments at the table over a meal. And this is very sad to me - because meal times should be a pleasant experience for everyone - a time when the family congregates, eating, talking, sharing, and spending the time together consistently and predictably every single day.

My  husband and I have been blessed with really great eaters.  Both of our kids are healthy and happy and at or above the average height/weight for their age... according to the American Pediatrics Association.  I know that God has everything to do with that, but I also love to entertain the idea that their good eating habits have something to do with the way they are raised.  So, it's my intention to put my two cents out there about this problem of picky eaters and stressful mealtimes for families.

Before I share my secret with you about how we got our girls to be great eaters, I need to ensure you that I am a fairly credible source of information. So, let me toot my own horn here for a minute.

As I already said, I have two girls that are fabulous eaters.  They are 6 years old and 3 years old. From day one, they have both loved food from all the different food groups.  Besides that, I have been in the business of providing quality care to children since even before I graduated high school in 1996.  I have ten years of verifiable experience as an employee in one setting or another.  And, throughout those ten years, I've served a bazillion meals to children of all ages and abilities and not one single mealtime has ever been super stressful for me.  I current have 8 kiddos in my care, and we share breakfast, morning snack, lunch, and an afternoon snack every day.  My own kiddos eat well at home and on the go... whether they're under my supervision or staying with a friend.  They have meals they don't like and won't touch - but that never makes meal times stressful.  My kids know and understand the purpose of food.     ... Does this make me a credible source? I hope so!

Ok, so here's my big magical secret for making meals stress-free.  It's simple (and yet, so hard!).  Here is my big advice: Kids will eat if they are hungry.  They will never starve to death!  At least, not in this country, anyway. 

You see, we parents have such guilt and so much anxiety over throwing food away that we refuse to throw any away without putting up a fight first.  We value food so much - for many of us, it's the biggest expense in our budget every month.  Some if it is just so delicious, or so nutritious, or so sinfully tasty that it seems criminal to throw any away.  But, let me tell you - food will be wasted if you want to raise children who are not picky eaters.  Why? Because research shows that kids need to be exposed to new foods 10-15 times before they're likely going to try it.  Ten to FIFTEEN times before they'll even try a bite!

At my house, children are given the food that I had planned to prepare for that meal.  They've heard me say time and time again, "eat what you like and don't eat what you don't like" and "you get what you get, and you don't throw a fit!"  :)  It's okay with me if they don't touch it.  Here are some very important pointers to make this basic rule of thumb work:

• If you eat it, your child will try it someday.  Children learn best from watching their parents. If you don't eat your green beans, it's not fair for you to expect your child to eat them.  
• Have empathy if your child really dislikes something.  Did he try the asparagus and almost gag? Offer to let him spit it out in a napkin or paper towel, and then verbally show your child that you understand. "Oh - asparagus doesn't taste good to you today?  Maybe it will next time. I understand - sometimes I don't like ______ but then I try it again and like it the next time!"  Empathy is a powerful tool.
• Unless you plan to be a short order cook in your own kitchen for your own family, I advise against offering the food that you know your child will eat instead of the meal you plan to prepare for the whole family.  My Mother-in-Love used to always offer my girls cottage cheese (which they LOVE) if they didn't eat what the rest of the family was having.  As tempting as it is to let her feed and nourish my girls in this way, it was necessary for me/us to speak up and ask that she not do this.  I don't want to have to have cottage cheese on hand every day in my house and prepare meals for only myself and my husband. I want my kids to eat with us, enjoying the foods we enjoy. So, we had to ask her not to do this. (I love my MIL so much, and asking her to stop this was super hard!)
• Understand that nobody likes to be force fed.  If you've never in your life had calamari (squid! eww!) and someone bigger, stronger, and more powerful than you was begging, pleading, and insisting that you take "just one more bite!" of it at the dinner table - that wouldn't be a very pleasant experience for you, would it?  I agree that broccoli is not the same as calamari, but it's the same principle.  Respect your child's desire to not eat.
• Please always make an effort to eat together at the table at least once a day. More times a day is ideal - but at least one meal together is recipe for a positive experience where your family has the time and space to share important news, information, ideas or plans with each other. 
• Here's a lesson my husband and I just recently learned and started to practice....  let your child have dessert (if it's a dessert day at your house or if you usually do desserts everyday anyway) even if he doesn't eat or finish his food!  Making the joy of dessert a conditional luxury instead of just part of the meal plan puts too much value on the dessert itself. Your child is likely going to eat for a reason (to get dessert) instead of for a purpose (to nourish her body) if there's a motive behind the eating.  At our house, we don't offer dessert every day - it's kind of a rare treat for us. But if we decide if today happens to be dessert day (ice cream is a favorite here!), then our kids will get dessert whether they eat or not. Yes, even if I throw a whole plate of chicken enchiladas away.  Sad, I know! But it makes sense!
• Know that your child will not starve to death!  You eat three times a day, right? If your child eats nothing on his plate for dinner - don't worry!  We will get to eat again in the morning.  Seriously. Do not let this stress you out.  It's okay to feel hungry - that's a feeling God gave us for a reason!  Your child will not starve to death.
• Most importantly, please NEVER use food for discipline.  Food should never be given for great behavior nor should it ever be withheld for not-great behavior.  Withholding a routine snack because your child made a bad choice will only make her relate her emotions to food.  The days of going to bed without your dinner are not behind us - but using that as a form of punishment is setting your child up for issues in the future.

Now that I've written so much and sound like I might know what I'm doing or talking about, let me make an important confession.  At our house, we don't adhere to all these suggestions 100% of the time.  There are some occasions (especially on some weekends) when my husband and I will order Chinese take out for ourselves and let the kids pick their dinners (usually a hot pockets or a corn dog.. something easy and not very healthy like that!).   This allows them to have the things they love while we have the things we love, and everybody is still happy go lucky at the dinner table together.  Likewise, I will sometimes withhold the barbecue sauce on our pulled pork sandwiches, just because I know our kids don't like it.  But these examples are exceptions to the rule.  They're rare treats or rare considerations.  Everything in moderation, right!?!

Whether you agree or disagree, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. What works for you in your home? Do you think it's awful that I'm so willing to throw food away?  What stresses you out about mealtimes?

Frugal Fun with lots of science and imagination!!

My kids love sledding! I had to include these pictures!

A couple of weeks ago, we had so much snow and freezing temps that school was cancelled three times in just 10 days or so.  That makes my job kind of stressful: not only do I have "extra" kiddos (two school agers) but all the kids are HYPER and excited about the snow, and it's too frigid to go play outside!

Thanks for letting me share these pix, even tho they're not related to the childcare business aspect! :)

So, I brought the outside IN!  We played in some buckets of snow. Unfortunately, those pictures are on a different camera and I can't upload them right now.  But, we had large shallow buckets that I took outside to fill with snow. I brought them inside and the kiddos played with it with mittens and gloves on.  When they grew tired of that, I brought in the toys from the sandbox. This was fun!  Raking, shovelling, filling buckets, dumping buckets.. making igloos instead of sand castles...   endless possibilities!  When they grew tired of that (as in, the next day), I filled a $1 spray bottle with a tiny bit of powder paint and lots of water, then I sprayed the snow!  They watched our snow turn from bright clean white to pretty purple, then pink, then blue..     Then, we sprayed the blue part with the yellow mix and watched it turn green.  Again, endless possibilities!  So sad that I didn't take enough pictures with the good camera!

Well, when the kids are tired of all that, I needed a place to pitch the snow in a hurry so we could put our supplies away and move on to the next thing, so I just put the filled containers outside.  To be honest, I kind of forgot about them until today. ...which is cool.

We discovered that the snow must have melted some (or maybe it froze?) to make a nice, clear sheet of ice!  Now we had a nice big, shallow container filled with a layer of pretty ice  (only the light purple - all the other colored buckets were dumped).  The kids spent a few minutes driving the small cars and trucks on the ice and exploring it with their bare hands.

When they tired of that, I allowed them to break it and "squish it" and make a mess of it.   Then, I had a brilliant (to me) idea!

We used the floor for this, because other kiddos were busy at the table and I don't have the patience to wait on a good idea.  Plus, my floor is very easy to wipe up with a paper towel.
I gave the artist a piece of construction paper with his/her name on it.
Then, I sprinkled powder paint on the paper and them go to town with a big chunk of ice on the powder. They loved seeing the colors transform!  The powder looks so much different dry than when it's wet.
Each child finished quickly - but they're still talking about the project, hours later.  Fun!!

Dried up Markers

Did you know that dried up washable markers are nothing to cry about? I used to get so mad at the kiddos for leaving the caps off the markers and letting them get dried out so quickly. In fact, markers were banned from the playroom for a really long time because of that.

But now they're a favorite thing here!  One fun activity is to paint with them on coffee filters.  Just get an old ice cube try (less than $1!) and put some water in it... I don't even fill up the cubes - maybe 1/4 full in every space.  Then, the children can dip the dried up markers into the water and "paint" with them on paper.  Coffee filter are extra fun because the wet colors blend together.

There's lot of science here - you're teaching them sequencing (okay, so that's math) by encouraging them to dip the marker in the water THEN color with it. You're teaching color blending (obvious!) and you're even creating color in the water...   with an ice cube tray, there are more possibilities. (When you use a bowl or cup, all the colors quickly turn to mud but with an ice cube try, you'll see the children learning on their own as they dip one color into another color - often finding new combinations to make without your prompting.)

Fun stuff!

I will post pictures another time - right now I'm typing from the playroom computer, and guess what - there's play to be done! Bye!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

We have been so busy here!  The month started with each child decorating their very own advent calenders. The calendars are very simple, but every morning we get to glue another picture on today's date, and when we run out of pictures, we know it's finally Christmas Eve!  I actually stressed out about how to do advent calenders this year...  I'm glad I kept it very simple. The kids don't mind - they still love discovering pictures in their own little envelopes every day and deciding which one to glue on this time. :)  I wish I had a picture of these easy calendars for you, but I don't!  Oops.

We've also been busy making wreaths, snowflakes, snowmen, tree ornaments, and even a cotton-ball bearded Santa!  Today, was the busiest and most fun we've had all month, though - we spent the entire morning in the kitchen.

Morning snack was Reindeer Bread!  Check out these fun pictures. :)

After snack, we got busy with holiday treats for other people.  We started with the treats we're making for moms and dads this year.  Now, I know it's not right that I'm about to spoil the surprise... truth is, I've never been good at surprises anyway - especially when it comes to gift giving. :) Just ask my husband - we usually have whatever gift we bought each other long before Christmas is here.  I stink at holding out! So - if you want to be surprised, I guess you should just stop reading now and ignore the adorable and fun pictures below...



Here are the M&M treats we made this morning:












Kudos to my friend Judy who got the idea from another blogger.  What a perfect treat to make with these kids!  They really enjoyed laying out the pretzel squares, and of course they were super helpers when it came to unwrapping all those kisses.  By the time we were half done with the tedious job of squishing those M&M's down, the kids got tired so they scurried off to wash hands and go play while I did the rest. (Shhh, I'm totally okay with that!!) :)   Anyway - what a fun project it was.

Don't tell the kids, but they did a lot of learning during this too.  They used their small motor skills to get those Hershey wrappers off (muscles we need, to improve cutting with scissors and writing with pencils), and they had to use their cognitive thinking to decide what comes next (first the pretzels then the kisses) and of course they had match one-to-one. Let's not forget the task of working together. I had them work in pairs. (We missed Noah and Caleb today! They went to spend time with Nana...)  There's a lot of other lessons that went into this, too - like social skills and science discovery.

 

After the treats were made and the kids got some playing out of their systems, we got busy with old fashioned cookie cutter cookies. :)  This was SO MUCH FUN.   I'm so proud of how well we all worked together. In pairs (we made two batches), they took turns adding ingredients to a big bowl, then stirring, and kneading. (I should have snapped a picture of them stirring!)

Then, they shared their favorite cutter shapes with one another and they waited patiently as I scooped the shapes with my spatula to put them on the baking pan.  This task included pre-math skills as we had to figure out how many shapes we could fit into the dough before rolling up the used dough to start over again.














This afternoon, the plan is to ice and decorate these cookies. I love the holidays!!

(P.S. Thank God for naptime!)

Handprint Turkeys

This is probably my favorite craft of the whole year!!  I cheated this year, though - usually I use the child's foot for the turkey's body. This year, to save time, I pre-cut the bodies and shapes for the children.  There's so much to do and catch up on around here - we've all been so sick for the last few weeks and today it feels so good to be back to "normal" around here with everybody in attendance.  To be honest, I'm kind of sad that this is a really short week for the holiday - but that will just make our Monday back that much sweeter. :)  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Rainy day in November

The first rain of the Fall is here and instead of sulking about it with nothing to do, we decided to roll up our pant legs and enjoy it!

Typically, it's hard for us to enjoy the outdoors on days like today. It's pointless to go out with a towel to wipe down the swings/slides, because the forecast isn't promising dryness anyway.  There was a break in the rain, but I'm not anxious to let the kids play because it's not easy to stay dry even if it's not raining....  we almost always end up with wet bottoms, wet pant legs, and soaked shoes, socks and tootsies.

Luckily, the temp today isn't unbearable.  We only stayed out until the first comment was made about the cold.   :)  It was FUN!  And, the kids really enjoy the chance to go puddle jumping and not getting in trouble for it...  at least, my own girls do anyway.

And when the feet are cold, warm towels are retrieved from the dryer (Yes, I'm that nice!) and we put our socks and shoes back on to resume our regularly scheduled indoor play.
What a better way to spend a rainy morning than by creating things with Play Dough!

When it rains...

When it rains, we find other ways to expel energy!   And, it just so happens that we recently upgraded our TV. (Don't get the wrong impression: my job isn't one that rakes in the money and pays SO MUCH that we are able to run out and buy the newest, latest, and greatest.  This purchase was carefully planned and saved up for. We are proud to be a family - and a business! - that pays for everything with cash.)

Anyway...
I knew this box was going to be an exciting new plaything for the kids!  I saved it and kept it hidden all last week just so I could introduce it at just the right time. And what a more perfect time to bring out the big box than on a rainy Monday, when the school-agers are out of school!  Perfect. :)

This box will become a beautiful house, I think. We'll break out the box cutter, paints, maybe even fabric curtains sometime next week.  But, I'm going to savor this exciting box while I can. So, babysteps! First, we simply enjoy the simplicity that a big box is:

Caleb approves of the bigger-than-life size box!

The big kids get "thrown" inside the box.

The addition of balls!

Hiding from Caleb, the "monster"

And the initiation of a ball fight!

Laughter, running, throwing, and even screaming!

I'm with you Caleb: Let's box 'em up and ship 'em out! :)

Tea Time

Four cute kids, a sunny afternoon, an old tablecloth, a new teaset, and some free time....   this is what it makes!

Full House

I really love my job! I'm thankful that many of my employers/clients/parents tell me regularly that it shows that I love my job. :) I try not to take for granted how lucky of a duck I am to be at home with my daughters while playing all day long, every day. Even our challenges are fun for me - most of the time.

When I first started this business 3 years ago, I knew I would be more into the small group playtime opportunities than the large business opportunities that were presented. I've always said that nobody ever does this for the money. Big money can be made in this business if you play your cards just right, but that's not the kind of card player I am. I'd rather enjoy my work and improve the quality of life for myself and my family than to make the moo'lah to buy more stuff that we don't need. To me, a full house isn't reaching licensing maximum capacity and charging top pay for mediocre childcare. Instead, a full house is having just the right amount of kiddos in care, all of whom have a fabulous, healthy chemistry with each other and with my family.

This work I do is no joke - it's a lot of work. My days are long, and I don't get overtime. I work 5 days a week, often 11 hours a day, and when all the kiddos go home to their families, I have my own family to spend time with - which happens to include two young children as well. I am super lucky to have every day with my Rebecca, and to be home when Julia gets home from school. But, that kind of privilege comes with extreme sacrifices. Often, using the bathroom by myself with the door shut is a challenge during business hours. Let alone enjoying a quick mid-day snack or a break of any kind. Don't forget that this career of mine also comes with zero job security, no health insurance, very limited vacation days, and taking a sick day is a ridiculous thought. Every household/family decision I make affects many more than just myself - how I keep the yard, whether or not to own a pet, even what kind of furniture to buy. (Incidentally, one reason I can't wait to retire is so that we can get new carpet! I'd be crazy to do that now, with 8 kiddos and a puppy tromping around daily.)

The popular misconception about this job is that it's all play all day with a luxurious naptime in the middle. Yes, naptime is indeed luxurious around here - but that's because I make very wise use of my time. I do the lunch dishes and clean-up, and I sanitize toys, as well as plan activities and crafts for the week during our naptime. Without this precious time, our learning space (and my house) is constantly dirty and in a state of chaos. I would like to humbly admit that lately naptimes have been short and random. So, yes - there have been days when lunch dishes pile in the sink until dinnertime. That just comes with the job. And the play is fun, but it's also structured. If I don't have lesson plans and materials for crafts and activities, the kids get bored and wreak havoc - just like adults do in the corporate world.

With all that said, I'll say it again - I love what I do. And I feel lucky to be grounded in the reality of this job, never wishing to reach maximum capacity just for the sake of making money. I spend my money on crafts, supplies, cleaning equipment, dish soap, copy paper, sunscreen, and ... maybe wine. ;)

I love my job. I'm blessed to have a full house by my standards.

Happy Friday!

The class pet

My good friend over at Little Feet Daycare posted some cute pictures of her kiddos making bird feeders. Right away, I loved the idea of learning about birds for a week or so and was sad that I didn't have any birdseed on hand.  We run a tight budget around here (to keep the rates down and be financially responsible!) so the purchase of necessary birdseed will wait another week. In the meantime, we decided to make some birds. Aren't they cute? 

I must confess, the birds were supposed to be finished with pretty feathers and bright beaks - but I lost my motivation towards the end of this.  The painting, folding, stapling, and gluing has taken us more than a couple of days and I always lose interest in a project after it takes that long...  Oh well! :)

In other news, the kids discovered something very exciting!  We have  new class pet named Mr. Hoppy!  He appeared in our gas fireplace, and how we got here - nobody knows.  He has been the topic of many conversations and we have learned a little about the green hoppers along the way.  We talked about how he got in there, how he was (eventually?) going to get out and what happens if he doesn't eat.  Sadly, Mr. Hoppy died sometime between 3pm yesterday and 8am this morning.  (I think we now know what happens when grasshoppers don't eat.)  His livelihood will be missed greatly, but for now we have to see the dead critter every time we go into the living room.  Now, I need to devise a plan to get him out and properly dispose of his remains...  your suggestions are welcome. :) 

Busy Busy Fun!

Sorry to have dropped off the blogging bandwagon! We've been very busy around here.  For Easter, we had a small egg hunt in the backyard - it was such a treat to find all the eggs in and around the playground. :)  For Mother's Day, we made a DVD with pictures and video.  Now it's the beginning of June already, and I'm trying to figure out where Spring went!?! Summer came HOT and QUICK.  But, we manage to stay cool.  Here are some pictures from today's water play fun. :)  It was Caleb's first time having water play at Maggie's house!

Things I have learned on the job...

(In no particular order.)

• Art and Crafts time comes a lot less often when  you throw a 4 month old into the mix of preschoolers.
• Kids are okay with missing Arts & Crafts time once in a while.
• Having a baby in the house makes my job easier, not harder.
• Sanitizing toys is fun for everyone (more fun for me when I get to delegate the job to others!)
• Pouring lakes of Elmer's glue on regular printer paper can actually make the paper stick to the table, even though there was no glue on the table until after the project dried.
• Glue sticks aren't so bad! (I used to refuse to use glue sticks, adamant about teaching children to use bottled glue correctly without the expensive, wasteful convenience of glue sicks.)
• Scissor practice can entertain a group of 2-3 year olds for almost a whole hour at a time.
• If you teach 2-3 year olds how to properly and safely carry scissors from the drawer to the table (and vice versa), the children will practice this with diligence and will demand almost as much positive affirmation from such an exercise as from potty training.
• Paint washes out of everything - even the t-shirts we created that were supposed to stay that way forever.
• Generic fabric medium doesn't really work. Buy the good stuff.
• Peeling the paper from the crayons is sometimes more fun than coloring with them.
• The PBS TV show "Between the Lions" makes for a great babysitter when lunch requires complex cooking and leaves little time for direct supervision. 
• The show "Between the Lions" comes on at precisely at 11am every weekday. Reminding children of this will help them get motivated to clean up the playroom quickly at clean up time.
• It is possible to have a successful nap time with a 4 month old, 2 two year olds, a 3 year old and a 5 year old all under the same roof. (Hallelujah!)
• It is possible to work on our gross motor skills during freezing weather - if running in the house counts (and yes, I do completely and totally allow this... sometimes).
• Hide and seek with this age range of kids is more fun than duck duck goose.
• Cooking projects can be lots of fun and stress free if you keep it simple. Kids are very happy just stirring in a cup of sugar - they don't need to feel involved with the whole entire process to feel some ownership in the final product.
• Home-made play-doh is way more popular with the kids than the store bought crap.
• When making home-made play-doh, never skip the Cream of Tarter ingredient - thats what keeps it fresh for longer.  
• When serving a new fruit or vegetable to children, it's smart to let them try it raw before cooking it. (I was really surprised at how well the kids will eat raw broccoli, as opposed to cooked!)
• Vinegar and water is not only a cheaper cleaning solution, it's also more effective than a lot of the store bought crap.
• Song and Dance play is so much more fun when there's a camera in the room too.
• The train set I bought 5 years ago on clearance is the most popular item in the house, and must be kept away at all times when 3 or more children are present. (I'm shopping around for another one just like it so we can better share!)
• Watching for the trash truck to come on Thursdays is exciting when there are 2-3 year old boys watching for it too.
• Little kids can hear sirens outside, even when the sirens are miles away and we are in a closed playroom dancing to music.
• A princess can play superhero's almost better than the boys can - she helps the heroes rescue and save each other, whereas the boys like to find trouble for the heroes to get into.
• Learning never ends on the job. Every single day, it's something new. I could never capture it all - but it's fun to try!!

Trash Day!

Thursdays are special at Miss Maggie's house. Thursday is trash day! Usually one or more of the kiddos sees the trash containers out on the curb when they arrive on Thursday mornings, and so they come in excited saying "trash truck?! trash truck?!"

Occassionally, we'll miss the trash truck. It usually comes during our transition from circle time to morning snack - and when we're lucky, we'll catch it without trouble. But, when we do miss it, the rest of the morning is typically filled with toddlers' voices singing "oh noooo! missed trash truck! oh mannn!"

It's really cute.

And maybe I'm a dork, but Thursday mornings at about 9:30 are usually one of my favorite times of the whole week.

I wish I could still get excited about the simplest, most predictable things. Something as simple as the city trash truck coming to haul away our garbage is exciting and wonderful in itself.... the guys can lift lots of heavy trash, the trash goes into a really big, loud, interesting truck, and they drive off with all our trash to get rid of it for us.

I know the kiddos will grow out of finding joy in Thursday's trash haul. But, for now - I am enjoying it every week, as the kiddos run to the windows and wave at the trash guys who have learned to smile and wave back at us. It's a lot of fun to see the kids' faces light up!

New School Year!

The end of summer snuck up on us and now all of the sudden it's back-to-school time!! I seriously did not even see that coming... how did I miss it? It happens every year, it's not like it's supposed to be a big surprise or anything.

Ah well, that's okay. We're still plugging away at Maggie's House! Our oldest friend, Julia, started her second year of preschool yesterday. We all loved waiting for her bus to come and waving goodbye as it drove off.

The learning and opportunities around here didn't stop when summer began, but they still feel fresh and new with the back-to-school season. This morning at circle time, I felt like the kiddos were really connecting with our songs and conversations. I was able to spend an extra 5-10 minutes with them - and we talked about the Bible! I felt led to (re)introduce the bible to the children, and our circle time ended with a short but very very sweet little prayer! I loved this, and it was probably my favorite part of this whole day so far. Of course, it's only noon - but, still!

I've been meaning to blog about our new "job chart" system, but have neglected to do so because I want to include pictures or video to share it with you. Perhaps my next post will explain the jobs we have been taking on around here.

In other news, we have lost a good, dear friend but gained another fun companion! The Truitt beagle, Daisy, passed away in July, and Annie - a full grown weimeriner/lab mix has been introduced! While we still talk about Daisy and miss some things about her, Annie has been such a HUGE blessing to us. She's very patient and loving - she lets the kiddos play on and around her... she loves to fetch balls and dog toys outside and she guards the house for us during the day. We love our new Annie dog! I really need to find more time to upload pictures.

Well, as you know - we stay busy around here with never a dull moment. I promise to be a more faithful blogger now that school is back in session and we'll have more organized planning around here. :) Thanks for reading!

Germies!!!!!

We just survived a week of the icky sicky germies. Well, the week isn't over yet, but the germs are gone! It was an ugly doozy of a germ-fest here on Monday. Seems that all the kiddos contracted the same virus late last week, let the virus grow and fester over the weekend, and then came to play on Monday morning only to be sent home an hour or so later with fevers!

Since opening with an official registration two years ago, this past Monday was my worst day ever, by FAR! I had to call three parents and have them come pick up their sick kiddos, and one kiddo didn't even make it, as his fever hit over the weekend. On top of all that? Monday was our buddy Aaron's very first day here as a full time attendee!

Luckily, Aaron and Julia managed to stay healthy - this little virus bug musta been one that only likes the little tots. And thankfully, it was a quick virus - today is Thursday and everybody is back and playing like nothing was wrong!

I do a lot around here to try and keep the germs at bay. We have a "soapy bucket" that we keep right on the other side of the baby gate. This soapy bucket is handy for tossing in toys that get mouthed or dirty. Most of the kiddos know that if I see them (Or if Julia sees them, for that matter) put a toy in their mouth or something, that the toy will go right into the soapy bucket as soon as they are done with it. At the end of each day, I wash the soapy bucket toys and spray them with Lysol cleaner, and let them dry overnight so that I can return them to their homes the next morning.

We are also good about sanitizing groups of toys regularly... We bring out different things to play with during our Shaving Cream fun times - because the shaving cream helps the toys get clean, and then of course, it's always fun to wash the cream off the toys at the end of play time! Or, we'll take toys outside and really wash them, with warm soapy water and wash rags. We've taken our tables and chairs outside a few times for sudsy rinses as well.

Likewise, I'm pretty good about throwing the dress up clothes and stuffed animals in the wash at the end of the week. It's easy to just add them to our weekend laundry of blankets/pillow cases, etc.

We also are pretty quick to cover our mouths with sneezing and coughing. The kids have been learning "The Batman!!!" which is something that I say quickly if I see they are going to sneeze - and they've learned that "the batman" is just a fun way to cover your mouth - you put your face into the nook of your arm, sneezing/coughing into the shoulder.

Ahh, I guess what I'm trying to say here is that we really do keep the germs down! But, I guess no matter what we do, no matter how much we clean, sanitize, wipe, scrub, suds the toys, the furniture, the things in the house... no matter how careful we are to share everything except the germs, getting sick is bound to happen. When you have five toddlers and a preschooler in the same room - germ sharing is bound to happen!

Hopefully our next virus won't wipe out the entire enrollment... Hopefully it will come and go without us adults noticing anything much out of the ordinary at all!

Because healthy kids? Kids that are happy and joyful, playful, excited, eager and ready to learne? Those are the kinds of kids that we want in the house all the time!




Oh, and by the way - Aaron? He fits in perfectly here! He's already brought so much joy into our family. He has the best sense of humor, cracking me up every minute of every day! I can't wait to share more pictures and videos of both him and Matthew (a new'ish part timer!) ...they're both already a part of our little family here!

The Hippo Song - Concluded!

Here is our final project from the Hippo Song. Finally, the books are done and are ready to be taken home. :) We've been talking a lot about farm animals lately... maybe an Old McDonald book will come next?

New Friends :: Announcement!!!

I *STILL* haven't sent home the "The Hippo Song" books. I guess not having that ink cartridge was only a good excuse until it finally arrived last week. Now, I just need to find another hour or two in the day!

But, busy-ness and work won't keep us from having TONS of fun this summer!

I'm SO INCREDIBLY EXCITED to announce that we have two new friends!! Matthew is 2 - he is a friend of our family and we are going to play with him for 2-3 days a week this Summer until September or so! He's super cute and his favorite activities are eating (hehe) and being outside! I can't wait to have water play with this little man!!

I'm also SUPER DUPER EXCITED to announce that our newest full-time friend, Aaron, is officially starting this Wednesday! Two-and-a-half year old Aaron will join us on Wednesdays for a couple of weeks until he goes full time in July. Aaron's favorite activities are (well, I don't know him that well... so I'm just guessing here..) talking (hehe.. he has an exceptional vocabulary!) and being outside - rain, snow, sleet, or humid. I can't wait to play with him everyday!!

With the boys being outnumbered here for the last two years (Noah has been the man of the house... even the dog is a girl!), it's time that they catch up and overtake! Have I mentioned yet that I'm REALLY REALLY EXCITED!?!?! I love it when the kids make new friends. Having someone different in the house really changes the dynamics around here. Such fun!

Deanna Rose Farmstead

We've been talking a whole lot about farm animals around here! We're learning their sounds, what they look like, how they walk, and what they do for us.

So, isn't it befitting that we managed a trip to the Deanna Rose Farmstead today! To truly appreciate this field trip, you should know that trips do not happen without a wee little bit of planning. On field trip days like today, the following three ring circus must take place in the morning:

Pack snacks

fill water bottles/sippy cups

pack diapers/wipes/hand sanitizer/kleenex/change of clothes

check first aid kit

install extra car seat

take the wagon apart and stuff it in the trunk

change diapers/visit potty

apply sunscreen and bug spray

get camera, cell phone, emergency backpack that has children's important records

load STUFF into the car

load the kids into the car one at a time, while the kids who are left to wait their turn are crying and sad because they're not currently being loaded into the car nowrightnow

buckle everybody's seatbelts and crank the air conditioner, check fuel level, scan tires/car's condition and GO!

And then, once arriving at the destination - almost all of the previous is reversed in a specific order:

Unload the wagon, and assemble

Unload the STUFF (backpack, snacks, diaper bags, etc.)

Put camera and cell phone in easily accessible pockets.

Unload the kids one at a time, while the kids who are left to wait in the car for their turn are crying and sad because they're not currently out of the car and in the wagon.

Pass out ice waters because it's hot and humid out.

Load kleenexes into easily accessible pockets.

Check car for random contents (Rebecca's shoe, how did I get her from the car to the wagon without noticing that one of her shoes fell off?)

Lock the car, pull the wagon in and have fun!

It should go without saying that trips outside the home that involve someone else's kids are exponentially more stressful. Not necessarily as in hard-work-stress-me-out kind of stressful, but stressful in that I worry more about my performance. Am I driving carefully enough? Did I apply enough sunscreen? Will we have any major injuries? What if someone gets sick? It's hot and humid - did I pack enough water? Will we SURVIVE?

Our trip today to the farmstead was 150% worth the preparation, prayers, and sweat that went into planning it. We had a wonderful time! My favorite part was hearing the roosters crow. I think the kids enjoyed seeing the cows give milk. It was magical being at the farmstead with two toddlers and a preschooler. I love it when they are all experiencing the same things and I love seeing how each child is gaining something unique from the experience.

Julia made more of a connection between animals and humans. (We use the animals for food and shelter.)

Rebecca learned the "real" sounds that animals make. A cow doesn't actually SAY "moo" ... it kinda goes, "mrrraahhhhhhhh." (that's fun to type!)

Noah loved show off his vocabulary the whole time we were there - and we practiced saying the names of the baby animals (lamb is a baby sheep? kid is a baby goat? foal is a baby horse?) ... this is especially meaningful as Noah is going to have a baby brother in his house soon!

Ahh - it really was such a blessing of a trip. I absolutely loved today.

After the farmstead, everybody was wiped out. Julia loved being my assistant, and helping me keep the toddlers awake in the car so that we wouldn't spoil their naptime. She was naming stuff that she knew each child would like - pointing out trains and big trucks out Noah's window - and finding airplanes and birds out Rebecca's window. Things were going so well - I couldn't resist stopping for happy meals on the way home. I didn't have to cook, I barely had to clean up after lunch, and right now the kids are happy, safe, sound, and content from today's trip as they are sleeping at naptime. I really do love this job.

Check back soon for pictures of the trip - I will get them uploaded some time this weekend!

Library Day

Today, we took a little field trip to the library. I'm so proud of the kiddos, they're getting the hang of being "out" with Ms. Maggie. My trips out with the kids are far less stressful than they used to be. It helps that they're all of an age now where they have a better understanding of rules and of my general disposition. They can sense when I get stressed out - which, honestly, when I'm out in public is quite often.

Today at the library, we encountered two other field trips there at the same time as us! Two different vans/buses in the parking lot almost made me cancel out trip inside. What if my three kids get mixed up with their 30-something kids? What if someone gets confused and grabs the hand of one of my three kids on accident? What if my three kids go on a book-off-the-shelf spree and I can't control it? What if I can't control anything that happens inside!?

Really, though, I should have known that "my" three kids were well trained, super well behaved and just as nervous about the whole thing as I was. Julia is my big helper - she really helped me stay sane the whole time we were there! Julia held the hand of her little sister, Rebecca while I held onto Noah's hand. Rebecca and Noah did no protest at all - and stayed right by our sides the whole time. Julia was so concerned about making mommy proud, that she didn't give into her preschool instincts and follow some of the other, bigger kids around. Instead, she was my assistant teacher - the second in command, Hah!

We had a great time. We even found a little corner of the library to sit down and read some books. We ended up bringing four books home, plus one video, and a teacher's kit about farm animals. I'm really excited about our haul!

I took advantage of the day, and popped in the borrowed video (Elmocise!) when we got home so that I could make lunch worry-free. The kids were glued to it, and even played along during some of the exercises.

What a great day. What a great group of kids. What a blessing!