Teachers work their butts off so when Teacher Appreciation Week comes up each year, I always participate and try to do some sweet things for N's teachers to show them how much we love them. Our daycare center participates and usually gives some 'guidance' for parents on how to show teachers some well-deserved appreciation. This year it was:
Monday: a card or note
Tuesday: breakfast
Wednesday: something sweet
Thursday: lunch
Friday: choose your own gift
Well, we participated in four of the five days. I can never think of something to bring for lunch that won't require them to cook, reheat, and put in effort to be ready. Maybe next year. I'll also throw out that none of these are my original ideas. I scrounged around on Pinterest and Google to find some cute, doable things. And I'm all about some cute puns!
Cards & Breakfast: Dunkin Donuts munchkins and handmade cards
Something Sweet: Hershey bars with a little love note
Choose Your Own Gift: Starbucks gift cards on an adorable and free(!) printable
Nate has been attending the Montessori preschool program at our daycare this year and I've been impressed with both the curriculum and his response to the program. Let's be honest: the first month or so was a bit of a struggle. N didn't understand the ebb and flow of the day and needed some extra hands on direction. He also wasn't the least bit interested in any of the 'work' that was available for him to do. Fast forward to (almost) the end of the year and he's doing really well. He is learning, he is excited to go to school every day, and his behavior has been pretty good!
One of the bigger events that the class does is an art show based on different artists and techniques that have been introduced to the kiddos. Each kid had their own display and N was pretty excited to show it off ... and eat the refreshments served afterward!
Now what to do with all of this stuff?! We currently have his art on display on a table in our house, but how are parents supposed to keep track of all of this? I'm usually the first person to purge, but I can't seem to pare down on anything yet. For now, we'll live with the ever growing stacks of drawings and paintings...and be thankful that we're starting to be able to decipher what he's made because it's more recognizable and that his 'masterpieces' even have some letters peppered in for fun!
I mentioned in my last postforever ago how we enrolled N in a Montessori preschool program this year. It's been a learning curve for him to have less handholding/instruction and more input on how he structures his day, but he is slowly growing into it. This week, N went on his first field trip! The class loaded up on their tiny little bus and spent the day at Ticonderoga Farms.
We actually took Nate there last year with some friends and had a blast! I really liked that it was less crowded than some other farm/fall/pumpkin patches that are in our area. N actually remembered going there last year, too, which was pretty neat. We're finally entering the age where long term memory is a real thing :)
I'm not sure about everything that they did during this visit. Nate mentioned the hayride, the slides, the big pillow, and the pumpkin patch -- and then asked me why he didn't get to wear his Halloween costume. I think he's trying to smush all of the good things about fall into one afternoon. He also showed me the little pumpkin that he brought home and asked, "Do you think you could make me a pumpkin pie?" Hilarious.
enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things
-robert brault
It's been busy lately, the tough kind of busy that makes you wonder: if you're burning the candle at both ends, is there anything left? Lately my days have turned into nights and my nights have gotten much shorter. It happens. We're all busy.
Pushing through. One thing that has been helpful, dare I say motivational, has been to pick a favorite moment of the day and capture it. I've been doing this for the past week and it's served as a needed reminder of thankfulness. In no particular order....
-1-
At our (drive-thru!) pharmacy:
Pharmacist: What is the last name pick-up?
Me: Darder. D-A-R-D-E-R
Pharmacist: And the first name?
Nathan: DADDY!
-2-
Nathan sharing one of his beloved cake pops with his GiGi for her birthday...and I use the term 'sharing' very loosely because he tried hard to get all of it. This was just such an adorable (and hysterical) moment.
-3-
Reading together has become one of my favorite things for Nathan and I to do. Lately, he has really loved the 'Little Dinos' books like this one. I bought them through the Scholastic reading club at Nate's preschool and they have paid for themselves many times over! When Nate gets the urge to slap something, he's gotten so that he looks at me and says "Mommy - little dinos don't hit". Amazing.
We just got a new book order delivery in today and we got TWENTY books! I let Nate circle what he wanted in the flyers (fine motor skills, plus interest!) so we ended up with mostly Mercer Mayer's 'Little Critter' books, with a few Doc McStuffins, Bubble Guppies, and Jake and the Never Land Pirates mixed in. We read them all in one sitting tonight! I may have no voice tomorrow but with little man cuddled up with me it was just perfect.
-4-
I've said it before and I'll say it again: my kid has a ridiculous amount of energy. On weekends, we generally keep him up and running all day, no nap, and he's still not falling asleep until late. We have the same struggle during the week. Case and point, the other night after a full day of school, playing outside, and running laps through our house, around 11:00 p.m. But hey, if you're going to be up late, why not go out with a bang?
-5-
We celebrated Chris's 34th birthday this past week! I got off of work early, bought a surprise cake and presents, and then conspired with Nathan to decorate before Chris came home from work. Nate picked out all of the decorations for the house (some tissue balls, crepe paper, plates, and napkins in Chris's favorite colors - Nate was especially emphatic about the napkins). He also picked out a few gifts for Chris
Our convo at checkout...
Nate: Today is Daddy's birthday!
Cashier: Oh, that's very nice. It looks like you are having a party.
Nate: Yeah, I am getting him these soldiers and a pirate sword. They are a present .... maybe we will share.
And of course, we had some fun in the party section in Target:
Chris never did get those soldiers or the pirate sword, but that's okay - I think he's pretty happy with his new PS4!
-6-
After muddling through a lot of rainy days, we got a nice little burst of beautiful weather. I got Nate a sandbox (pirate themed, of course), 200 lbs. of sand, and received bliss in return. On Saturday he played in there for three hours straight without so much as a peep. I've heard that sprinkling cinnamon in sand will help keep bugs out, so we'll give that a shot once it warms up a bit more. In the meantime, this little kiddo is having a blast.
-7-
Chris threw out his back over the weekend (cutting ice cream cake of all things) and he's been pretty miserable over the last few days. Let's be clear: this isn't the point of this "favorite moment" :) In times where one of us isn't feeling our best, I'm so happy and comforted by the fact that I have a partner in crime. This time it's me helping him, but come next migraine, I know that he's got my back.
find gratitude in the little things and your well of gratitude will never run dry
Nate's preschool puts on an annual Christmas concert where each class is able to sing a few songs for all of the parents and families. I cannot get over how cute these little concerts or how much they make me cry. Granted, I tear up at about anything that is celebratory or sentimental, but I love watching all of the little kid antics that pop up during these performances.
This year Nate's class dressed up like reindeer and all of the kids had a red Rudolph nose. I might be biased, but my kid is pretty stinkin' cute.
Also, posing for pictures is an ultimate act of cheesiness right now and we get the biggest hugs!
When we got home, I think Chris felt a little left out that Nate had a red nose and he didn't. Cute make-up took a whole new direction once my husband got involved and we ended up with what, in my opinion, looks like hobos:
I'm not very good at using my paid time off in normal increments, so I am finishing this year with a bang - the whole week of both Thanksgiving and Christmas off, no plans to go anywhere, and I'll still be rolling over about 80 hours of time off into next year.
So, since I'm home this week, I thought we would use one of our daycare "vacation weeks" so that we only pay half price. On one hand, my eyes want to pop out of my head that we have to pay at all, but I've talked to lots of people lately who have to pay full price, even when they are out. I'll count my half-blessing and keep going.
Yesterday, we went to our local House of Bounce and had a great time at their 'open bounce' time. With only five kids there, Nate pretty much had the run of the place and I even did all of the slides and bouncing with him! Side note: I am super sore today. We had a great time and I'm not sure who was more exhausted when we were done.
With Nate being home, I have a few comedic gems to share, that I'll likely add to throughout this week:
In the car waiting for open bounce time: Nathan: Mommy, I have to go potty - peep, peep! Me: I'm not sure if the building is open yet. Do you just want to go pee pee in this empty cup? Nathan: Yes!
[a few moments later after some crafty repositioning] Nathan: Mommy, you're going to miss! You're going to miss! Me: No, I won't. I'm holding the cup, just go. Nathan: It's on the wrong side. Me: [after a light bulb went off] Oh dear Lord. Let's go see if we can get them to open early. Stop! Do not do anything! Nathan: But Mommy, I want to poop in the cup!
Getting out of the car after driving in the rain: Me: Nathan, please do not lick Mommy's car. Nathan: But it's tasty!
While getting in some old fashioned pretend play time: Nathan: [pointing to a toy 3" away] Mommy, the crocodile is in the sea! Me: So are you in the sea, too? Nathan: [with the MOST condescending look I've seen from a 3 year old] Umm, no Mom. I am on the floor in my room.
About 10 minutes Chris accidentally stepped on Nathan's toes: Me: [poking my head into Nate's room to see if he's okay playing with his toys] You doing okay, buddy? Nate: No, Daddy stepped on my toes. Tell Daddy that I'm mad at him. Me: Okay, I can do that. Nate: Wait! [waving arms emphatically] No, no, no, no, no! Don't tell him. I'm not mad anymore.
Chris trying to get Nate to talk to him: Chris: I just want to talk to you. Promise you won't run away. Nate: Okay.[promptly leaves the room] Chris: Nate, you said you wouldn't run away. Nate: I didn't - I walked!
Nathan's preschool hosted a "Thanksgiving Dinner" earlier this week that Chris and I both rearranged our schedules to go to. Given that 'dinner' was at 3:30 p.m., we also skipped lunch :)
Nathan was very excited to see us but ate a 'dinner' that consisted of two rolls, one piece of cantaloupe, and three grapes. I'm starting to really wonder if he will ever eat "real" food! In any case, we got to sit at a teeny tiny table (unfortunately by the bathroom) to have our little family meal.
I'd like to point out that I dress my child much better than this for school. He must have known that I was going to take pictures because he sabotaged his entire outfit, down to his shoes, with a combination of peeing his pants (on purpose, ugh!) and wiping copious amounts of paint on his shirt. So our kid is in the toddler equivalent of workout gear with no socks or shoes. Notice, I at least was able to frame his bare feet out of the pictures!
All of the kids made these adorable little hats earlier in the week and I had been looking forward to snapping a quick photo of Nathan in his hat. Unfortunately, the hat was missing and I was convinced for a while that he threw it away (he HATES hats, unless it is the Woody hat from Halloween). We later found his hat literally being jumped on by three other kids, so it is toast. Fortunately, there are TWO kids named Nathan in his class and I was able to snag the other kid's hat for just a minute and then later edited out the other kid's last name initial. So much work for a silly picture, but it is just too cute!
Nate's daycare did this awesome "Splish Splash Open House" today for current and prospective families and we had so much fun! Love, love, love this daycare! Today's fun involved a sprinkler, water balloons, popcorn (Nate's favorite), snow cones, making visors, hot dogs, and swag (my favorite!).
Knowing that today was water-based, I purposefully did not put Nate in a swimsuit. That makes no sense, right? Pretty much. It's my experience that Nate strips down when his swimsuit gets wet (I don't know how they keep him clothed during water day each week!). I thought that we may have a better chance in real clothes with a set of dry clothes to go home in.
The progression: Nate was curious about the sprinkler but was determined not to get wet. His face is so intense here!
Kids started playing with water balloons and dunking buckets of water over each others heads. Nate couldn't lift the buckets, but he was resourceful and used his own method (toddler-sized party cup) -- after this, he was all about the water.
Lunch was served inside and was a welcome break to cool down. My child does not eat hot dogs...which baffles us. Don't all kids like hot dogs?! In any case, he ate a snack-size bag of Cheetos (and turned orange), a snack-sized bag of Fritos, and an unmentionable amount of popcorn. Maybe it was all the junk food that induced the silliness that was captured with this picture:
After cooling down, we went outside where all of the water buckets were empty. Nate seized the opportunity to run around with a bucket towards all of the adults and scared them. I could see the wheels turning as some of the parents thought "oh no ... cell phone, camera, water. NO!". Luckily he wasn't a real threat, but boy does he look mischievous!
Finally, I asked for another parent to take our photo together. Yellow is not a good color on me and Nate is doing his ultra-cheesy grin, but I realized recently how few photos I am in with him. I always take the pictures, so I'm not in very many. I'm trying to turn it around. All in all, a great time today! I really appreciate the little extras that this center provides!
I tell people that I live in a madhouse, but sometimes I don't think that the idea sinks in. Here is my day (and it's not over yet):
6:30 a.m. - Wake up, hit the snooze and try to sneak in ten more minutes
6:38 a.m. - Nate wakes up, two minutes before the alarm goes off
6:39 a.m. - Demands for cereal, Peter Pan, and juice begin. I pacify Nate with Disney Jr.
6:45 a.m. - Start getting myself ready, thank goodness it is a work from home day!
6:50 a.m. - More demands for cereal and juice and then Nate gets sidetracked by flushing the toilet and banging the lid closed
6:53 a.m. - I ask Nate if he wants to use his new Elmo potty. He tells me "no". I ask why and he said "I don't care". He may go to kindergarten in diapers at this rate!
7:00 a.m. - A new show comes on and Nate has a mini dance party
7:05 a.m. - Start trying to get Nate ready. He wants to wear pajamas to school...mini meltdown ensues.
7:15 a.m. - Successfully have dressed myself and Nate.
7:16 a.m. - Nate jumps on the dogs and starts all manner of barking and screaming
7:18 a.m. - We go downstairs and I try to move things towards the door
7:19 a.m. - Nate wants to tell all of the pirates in his pirate ship good morning
7:22 a.m. - I try to put Nate's coat on him. He screams bloody murder and demands cereal. I remind him that his teacher will have breakfast for him at school. More screaming.
7:25 a.m. - The coat is on, the child is screaming, and I am watching the clock.
7:26 a.m. - I break out the animal crackers to lure Nate to the car
7:30 a.m. - Chris helps me wrangle Nate into the car, more crying.
7:31 a.m. - Nate is happy, eating cookies, and singing "Old McDonald Had a Farm"
7:36 a.m. - We arrive at daycare. Nate runs inside and shows off his pictures of the dogs (it is pet week). Such a happy boy now.
7:40 a.m. - Jump back in the car and head home. LOVE working from home.
7:45 a.m. - Make myself and instant breakfast and a coffee to start my day.
7:46 a.m. - Realize that the milk carton has a hole and is leaking everywhere. Clean up and search everywhere for our glass pitcher.
7:55 a.m. - Admit that the glass pitcher is a lost cause, so resort to dumping the entire gallon of milk into 2 pots (with lids). Lovely.
8:00 a.m. - Start my work day, full of conference calls and spreadsheets
4:30 p.m. - Finish my work day
4:16 p.m. - Do the dishes, clean up the clutter, walk the dogs (who try to poop and chase cars simultaneously), put out the trash cans, check the bank, get a car snack ready for Nate
5:30 p.m. - Leave the house to go pick up little man
5:35 p.m. - Arrive at daycare. His teacher said how much fun Nate had telling his friends about his dogs and how much loves them
5:40 p.m. - Get home. Ask Nate if he would like to play outside and he said "no"...every answer is a no lately.
5:41 p.m. - Go inside, take off coats and put everything away.
5:42 p.m. - Nate asks to go outside. Bundle up, again.
5:45 p.m. - Nate asks to come back inside. He said it was "too dark". Picky boy!
5:47 p.m. - Nate dumps out his bins of toys and rolls around in them.
5:48 p.m. - Little man brings me a book to read, but quickly is agitated by the number of pages and takes it away.
5:50 p.m. - Demands for dinner begin. Nate asks for chicken and apple sauce, which is an easy fix.
6:00 p.m. - Nate climbs into his high chair by himself. He's much too big for it, but loves it so much. Dinner starts.
6:15 p.m. - Nate is done with his dinner and I wipe him off. He says that he doesn't want to get down. I ask him what he would like and he asks for peaches, changes his mind, and asks for a bowl of cereal.
6:17 p.m. - The next course of dinner is served. Nate looks at me like I am crazy, ladling milk out of a pot.
6:32 p.m. - All of the cereal is done. Nate asks to clean up and then play.
6:34 p.m. - Nate starts playing. Mind you, the bin of toys is still strewn around the living room. Nate begins inspecting the movie collection inside of the t.v. stand.
7:00 p.m. - The nightly request for Peter Pan, which is Nate's favorite movie as of late. I multitask between paying bills, reading for my class, and cleaning.
8:30 p.m. - Are we there yet?! Nope, not quite bed time. Nate asks for yet another bowl of cereal. Request granted
8:40 p.m. - Request for another bowl of cereal. This is the last one, buddy!
Okay, so maybe madhouse may not be quite exactly the right word, but things are never dull (or quiet) around here for long....and chances are, if it is quiet, then either we're not home or Nate is being mischievous.
Monumental, huge, ground breaking moment...or at least it seems so for the parent of a toddler. Nathan used the potty at daycare! I guess this comes as such a shock to me because we have not introduced potty training at all...I didn't even know that he knew what the potty was for! What a huge, awesome surprise to discover when I picked him up :)
Nate pulled a funny today when I went to pick him up at daycare this afternoon. After I told Nate 'hi', he grabbed the two closest kids, gave them huge hugs and (open-mouth) kisses, told them bye, and then was ready to go. We'll work on the kissing other kids deal, which is mostly my fault since I encourage it, but I'm so happy that he is having fun and adjusting well. I love that he has little friends!
We've broken some new ground this week. Nate will only be at the daycare center two days this week, because of the holiday, but we've hit a few milestones that are important to me. First of all, the child has cleaned up toys two days in a row! Hallelujah! I try so hard to get him to do this at home without too much luck, so hopefully the concept is sinking in a bit. Second of all, this morning Nate didn't cry at drop-off. I'm not sure who was more surprised, me or his teacher. Either way, I dashed out the door before he changed his mind. Our last milestone isn't a 'good' one, but it was handled well and that's all I can ask for. I received a 'courtesy call,' as the teacher termed it this morning, to let me know that Nate fell and bumped his head. Of course, he was fine...he didn't even cry. I really appreciated her taking the time to call me about it, even though I know it's protocol. I honestly can't even see the bump.
For those of you who either don't have a child or have not experienced daycare, let me tell you: there is a ridiculous amount of paperwork. Permission slips, applications, daily reports, lesson plans. It's not even preschool yet. The organizer in me came out tonight and I made Nate a daycare binder. This holds all of the tuition/policy information, lesson plans, and daily reports that I get for him. Confession: these are organized by month with dividers and everything is in sheet protectors. Why the heck does this matter? I'm not sure...but I sure as anything will keep it all together. Here's a look at my little project:
After a successful first day at daycare, I was feeling a bit more encouraged and optimistic about jumping into the rest of the week. Nate woke up early, of course, which actually gave us some time to spend together before I had to drop him off each day. Unlike day one, Nate cried and I didn't when I dropped him off. He seems happy when he comes home and I know he has a great time playing with the kids.
Because I am a big proponent of the pro/cons list, here goes my week one reflections:
Things that I like:
Nate playing with other kids
Learning new things, especially from the other children. One case in which peer pressure is a good thing! From eating at a table to nap time on a cot, Nate is taking in a lot of new habits
The perpetual daycare runny nose. Nate already has one after only a week.
I wish this center had live feed cameras. No, this isn't a crazy person wishlist item. I've talked with some parents with children in other centers that have them.
I would like more notes about what he does during the day. Granted, they are pretty comprehensive, but he is my baby and I want to know every last detail (again, not feasible)
Nate started daycare today. He's set to go three days per week to a center that's about a mile from our house. I won't lie. This decision did not come lightly and I'm not 100% sold on it yet, but I am so thankful for a good first day.
Six o'clock in the morning, my alarm goes off. By alarm, I mean my energetic little man announced he was ready for the day. I'm not sure why, but his little inner clock has been waking him up at six sharp every morning. Oh wait, except on Sunday when it was 5:59 a.m. Yikes! I hope earlier is not a trend -- minute by minute, it adds up!
After getting myself dressed and Nate dressed, I checked and double-checked his 'going to school' bag to make sure that we had everything on the list. His things are marked with his name in permanent marker and even the Ziploc bags are labeled with their contents. As we drive to the school, Nate gets quiet as he realizes we are going somewhere new. When getting out of the car at the daycare, he murmurs "oh my" and we start this new little journey.
I find his classroom -- it's for toddlers ages one through nearly two. It comforts me just a bit to know that he'll be one of the oldest kids in here. I hope the other kids are nice to him! After I set him down on the floor, Nate walks away without a backward glance. I got to chit chat with his teacher for a few minutes, trying to boil my little boy down to a few succinct and telling sentences. She of course noticed the painstaking efforts that I went through with his things and jokingly said I was OCD and loved it. Lady, you've got no idea what I can do with a list, some baggies, and a permanent marker. I could organize your entire life! When I got ready to leave, Nate didn't notice and I didn't draw attention to myself -- so I slipped out, no fuss no muss.
But as I get to the car, the sobbing starts...the guilt and fears take over for just a few minutes. I'm sure the people think I am a lunatic now. Fast forwarding through a day of worrying, pick-up went great. GiGi and I picked up a happy boy with a glowing 'report card' for the day. For my own benefit, things I'd like to remember about his first day:
Marked as having a cheerful and happy disposition
TOOK A NAP ON A COT! For a still crib-sleeper, this is an amazing feat
Didn't poop at all. No, he saved this for momma
Engaged in a ton of activities, ranging from looking at books, to water play, to playing with blocks. One item that did not make the list: clean-up. Truly genetic predisposition! I think which parent is self-explanatory :)
I'm sure that tomorrow will be a new adventure as Nate and I both get used to this...but for now, here's my 'before school' picture of Nate before his big day began:
