Thursday Thirteen

For my previous Thursday Thirteen post, please click here.

Here are thirteen things that I consider to be noteworthy (out of a billion, gazillion!!)

1. It's adorable how Noah is stabbing with a fork now. Today, we had peas and coin carrots. He got the carrots okay, but was frustrated at the little green peas that were not stab-able!
2. Noah knows fingerplays and songs very well. Once in a while, a new one will come to my mind that I don't think I've done with these kids in a long time (recently, it was 1 little 2 little 3 little Indians - except I use "boys and girls" instead of "Indians" to be politically correct, hehe) and he catches on every single time. I think he has a really great memory and a love for all things music!
3. Noah's favorite thing to do when he's here at Miss Maggie's is to swing. I think it's impossible for the child to get pushed on a swing and NOT laugh. He giggles every time and I adore it!
4. Savannah is growing into a beautiful little girl. The waddling toddler that I once knew is now wearing "big girls" all the time and loves "write letters" with Julia.
5. Savannah's belly laugh is contagious. When she gets to laughing, everybody gets to laughing, and that just makes her laugh even more. It's hard to NOT have fun when she's in a giggly mood!
6. Savannah would have me read her books all day long every single day if she thought I would do it. She loves story time, loves picking out books, loves guessing plots by analyzing pictures, and enjoys hearing the words read.
7. Julia is starting part-time preschool this August and is very nervous! She tells me, "mom? I am only going to go to school on the days when you are going to come there with me, k?" Sweet Julia, mommy passed preschool long ago, and now it's your turn. You'll be fine without mom.
8. Julia is taking dance classes on Monday nights! Sometimes, during our music and movement time, we practice dance moves - from ballet to tap and even tumbling. It's fun!
9. Julia has her mom's sarcastic sense of humor. She loves it when we pretend and play opposites. "Mom? Is it not okay to eat my green beans?" she'll ask with a coy smile... "am I gonna be in time out if I eat my green beans?" She wants me to play along and say - yes, dear - you'll be in BIIIG trouble if you eat those veggies!
   
10. Rebecca is crawling everywhere and loves to walk with her walker. Just this week, she has started "creeping" along the furniture. She'll be catching up to Noah in no time - a feat she very much looks forward to.
11. Rebecca is learning a lot of new sign language. It's great how quickly she catches on!
12. Rebecca does not care for water play. Well, I take that back... she LOVES when we have water play - but wishes to sit on the sidelines watching everybody else, rather than jumping in and getting wet.
    
13. I love my job. This week, it has been hard because I've been so tired. Vacation Bible School at the church is coming to a close tonight - and I am looking forward to getting to bed a bit earlier each night next week. But, even when I'm exhausted and have so much to catch up on with journaling, blogging, putting laundry away, and everything else - I still love my job. And I wouldn't trade it for anything!

There are many, many pictures that need to be uploaded. Perhaps this weekend I'll steal an hour or two from my family and update the flickr page. I'll be sure to let you know when they're up! Thanks for stopping by. Hope you're having a great summer!

Staying Busy

As always, we've been staying busy here. With the summer upon us, it's hard to resist trips to the park and play days in the pools. Luckily, we have a fairly flexible crowd - it's usually easy to keep everybody entertained.

Yesterday, we played in the pools - but it wasn't the same without Noah and Rebecca (They were snoozing - perhaps they figured it better to nap than deal with the heat?). Savannah and Julia had a blast, though - and I was surprised at how quickly they "jumped" right in despite the freezing cold water. I have to admit, it does feel pretty good since it's been so hot and humid around here. I even got wet up to my knees. :) Fun!

Today, we took a walk to the park. Cornerstone Park isn't that far from here, but I prefer to venture to the park at the Greenbelt. It's a bigger park, tends to be less crowded with field trips (Cornerstone is right by the swimming pool) and sometimes we see a class from our old friends at Open Arms there. When we do run into old friends, it's great fun to play with other kids and it's wonderful for me to get some adult conversation! Plus, the extra walking is good for all of us, and it gives us a chance to appreciate nature a bit more.

Unfortunately, we didn't stay at the park very long. We had snack and then played for just a few minutes. I got worried about the weather moving in. Despite the great forecast, the sky was darkening and I could smell rain. So, we jetted out of there quickly. The girls were good sports - even Savannah picked up the pace a bit and we enjoyed talking about weather all the way home. It's too bad, really, because by the time we got halfway home, the sky cleared and it was hot and sunny again! Oh, well. Better safe than sorry!

There are tons of new pictures up at flickr. Enjoy :)

Oh, by the way - we are going to visit the Deanna Rose farmstead tomorrow, and then I'm hoping we'll get to the library for story time next Thursday! Busy fun!!

More young people wanted!

The best advertising for any small business is word of mouth! I'm on the lookout for two more buddies! I would love to have a part-timer and a full-timer. Part-time care is defined as 29 hours per week or less. And, well - full-time is anything over that! Minimum age requirement is that the child is an accomplished stair-traveler! There is no age maximum, though I won't be able to transport kiddos to/from school.

Our friends would LOVE to have more friends join us! Do you know anybody looking for some TLC?

( By the way - I'm so flattered and humbled by the referrals I'm getting for babies!)

Our "fans" really do rock. I love my job - I hope it shows. Thanks for helping get the word out!

Summer Fun! Pool days

We had SO. MUCH. FUN. today! It was our first water play day, and it was a blast! I have to admit, I was a wee bit nervous about it... who wouldn't be with an 8 month old, 11 month old, 2 year old and 3 year old? But, everything was smooth sailing and, did I mention? It was SO MUCH FUN!! I wish I had the time and patience to give you lots of details - about Savannah and Julia's pretend play - about Rebecca's quick retreat from the water, about Noah's splashing ... but, alas, I have work to do. Here are more pictures to oogle at! And, feel free to check out the other pictures from today over at flickr. :) God has blessed us with another wonderful day!

Our Daily Routines

I'm a stickler when it comes to having predictable routines. I strongly believe that having a routine that everybody can predict makes the days easier on everybody. Please keep in mind that a routine is very different from a schedule. I think of a schedule as something you must follow so as not to go off course. Schedules are dictated by specific times of day, and restrict activities (such as creative play) or necessities (such as potty time) to a certain amount of time. Routines, on the other hand, suggest a flow from one part of the day to the next. It's an order in which things happen. Without a routine, activities and programming is unpredictable.

As I've said (some things are just worth repeating), I'm a stickler when it comes to having a routine. I insist that each day begin and end in the same way. Of course, I must always be flexible. Life would be boring if I insisted on a stringent A, then B, then C routine. Not only boring, but impossible. I like to plan some variation in our weeks now and then. In fact, I'm hoping the summer will be filled with variations - such as going for walks, visits to the park and library, etc.

But, predictable routines are easy to jump into or out of when needed.

So, I know you're just dying to know what the routine is like around here, aren't you? Well, you are in luck...

Start of day:Explore the living room. During this time, I try to find some "different" or "favorite" toys to keep the children's attention for a while. This is the time of day when we are all just trying to wake up and get going.

Morning Routine: We move down to the playroom, where we sign and rehearse many of the things we've been learning. For a while, it was the parts of the calendar (including the 7 days of the week, 12 months of year, etc.) and then it was reciting the Lord's Prayer, and then it was a song called "The Seven Day of of Creation" ...and these days, we just kinda do the alphabet, numbers, opposites, colors, and whatever else we dream up. It's a fun time for everyone who wants to join us. Nobody is required to sit and play in this way - the kiddos are free to roam about the playroom if they wish.

Care routines and Morning Snack: When we're done having casual conversations after our little "circle time," we go to our care routines... going potty, washing hands, cleaning the table. I serve snack, we say a quick prayer, and the kiddos munch. :) Even the babies are in on this part, now - as their feeding routines fall right into place with our morning snack time!

Creative Play: After snack, we wash up and then head back down to the playroom for creative play. This is the time when we are pretending or painting or coloring or dramatizing, or doing anything else that is fun and inclusive! This summer, this will be the time when we enjoy summery things - like pool time and walks to the park. Horray for warm weather!

Outside Play: Usually by now, the babies are wiped out and are ready for a morning nap. So, the bigger kiddos and I (and even the babies, if they don't wanna sleep) head outside for some fun in the sun! I strongly feel that children need to be outdoors every day, regardless of weather conditions. Unless, OF COURSE, it's below freezing out, or tornado-ey or soaking wet rainy/muddy, etc. :) My point is, fresh air is good, and good is fun. We even went out in the snow once to catch snowflakes on our tongues. Even if outside time only amounts to 5 minutes, it's worth the trouble of getting everybody out.

Group Play/Lunch fixin: At this point, we go with the flow and hang out upstairs while I fix lunch. The girls are usually in Julia's room with the Barbies or little people - Noah and Rebecca are roaming the hardwood floors, enjoying their own play time.

Care routines and lunch: The girls are so good when it's time to clean up. They love to hurry and clean quickly so they can surprise me by saying "the rooms already cleaned up!" (I will go see the room and have a big dramatic smile and say "oh my goodness! How did you get this cleaned up so fast!? .... it never gets old). Then, we go potty, wash hands, and sit down for lunch. As luck would have it, the babies are usually hungry again by now, too! So, we all eat together as a "family." I love it.

Care routines and Storytime: The deal is that you are asked to stay at the table until everybody is done eating. (This way there's no rush or "competition" to get done first.) Then, the older kiddos take their plates to the sink, put their cups in the fridge, and then head to the bathroom, where we wash up, brush teeth, and go potty once again if needed. When they are done with these tasks, they always go to Julia's room and pick a book to look at until I meet them in there for story time. They are so good about quietly "reading" books to themselves while I'm cleaning up from lunch and helping the babies get washed up. :) This is probably my favorite part of the day. I enjoy reading two books - one that Savannah picks out, and one that Julia picks out. Soon enough, it will be three - one for Noah!

Naptime: When the books are done, everybody gets a quick hug and then they go to their beds. I turn on music in everybody's rooms and tell them goodnight. The girls almost always fall asleep immediately! This is my much deserved break time. I usually spend nap time chilling out with the babies - or, if they sleep too, I'll read a magazine or catch up on other cleaning that needs done.

Care routines and afternoon snack: After nap, we go potty, wash hands, and have our snack. On nice days, we like to eat snack outside!

Outside Play: Honestly, by the time everybody wakes up, I'm missing the kiddos so much and they sleep for so long! So, I'm usually the one with the MOST energy during afternoon play time. I tend to get really silly and have lots of fun!

Music and Dance: When it gets close to pick-up time, we like to come inside and wait for moms and dads in the living room. We usually have the music on and get to "free dance." The girls are learning to dance with each other now-a-days (instead of off doing their own things separately) and Noah has some great rhythm!

So there you have it - a summarized look at our day. Don't you wish you could play with us?

Pictures!

Pictures are worth a thousand words, right? Did you know that all of my pictures are on flickr? You can find them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/richandmags/tags/daycare/ I encourage comments here as well as over at flickr - as your thoughts, questions, compliments keep me up on my blogging and photo taking!

My disclaimer: You'll find many many pictures of my own kiddos - it's just easier to upload my recent pictures all at once, and so sometimes the photos get tagged under "daycare" even if they're not. :) I'm sure you understand!

Enjoy this preview:

Unit on Creation

This week (and possibly next), the children and I are learning about God's Creation of the world. It's a series that I love, because there are so many things children can do and sing and play that help them to understand just how special they are.

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

In a recent bible study class at my church, we talked about how, when God created all of the parts of the Earth, he said that "it was Good" and after creating man, He said "and it was very good." Amen.

So, today the children are learning a basic, age-appropriate version of the story of Adam and Eve. We talked about how our fingerprints are unique to us - that nobody else in the world shares a fingerprint like ours, and so that is a constant, attached reminder of how special we are. We'll be doing a few things with our fingerprints today, as learning continues.

I had originally planned to focus on body parts and nutrition for these next few weeks, but on Friday night, my husband and I treated ourselves to a movie and dinner. The movie we picked was Expelled with Ben Stein. I highly recommend that you look into seeing it! It's a documentary covering Stein's view of the controversy over teaching children and adults that the world may have been created by Intelligent Design (God) rather than through Evolution (Darwinian theories). The movie reminded me that I'm so blessed to be submerged in a community where I can speak openly about my convictions and I can use my gifts to help communicate the beauty of faith to God's little people. So, rather than just going with your basic boy parts for these kiddos, I'm going to go back to the basics - and help the children understand just how those body parts got here in the first place. :) I'm so thrilled that I have this opportunity and that God is guiding my work.

So, parents can look forward to seeing some wonderful crafts and notes coming home this week and next. Today, they are coloring a homemade book about Adam and Eve. Later in the unit, we will trace our bodies and color them to our likeness (while learning body parts, hehe). Also, we'll find some scripture to frame. We'll talk about "forbidden" things and "temptation"... Sure, it may go over their heads, but if they might understand parts of the concepts. We will talk about fruits and which things we eat that are good for our bodies and which things aren't so good for our bodies. I'm just so excited to see where this unit leads us! Already, I've mentioned things that use all five senses.

Alright, that's all I have for now... this journal needed to be updated. I'm glad I've stolen some time to post. Thanks for reading! I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day - whether you are a Mother or not!