Appreciation

Being a child care provider is the joy of my life, but there are trying times with both kids and parents.  I am willing to be fairly flexable with to parents schedules.  Unlike a normal daycare both private or government run, many are only opened for certain times, I am willing to open early and stay open late if need be.  There is even times when I am willing to work weekends.  But with this I kinda expect a little appreciation and maybe a thank you from the parents.  Is this wrong of me?  I don't feel so.  I have one set of parents that are so good with their appreciation, with them being younger parents and not many child care providers around that are so happy that I am here for them and am willing to help them out.  But on the other hand I also have some that tell me when there child will be here and when they will pick them up, and not really ask if its OK with me even if they are really early mornings or really late nights.  This is when I would like to say no, it kinda hurts that I bend over backwards for these children and parents and don't even get a thank you out of it.  I have my own family that also needs me and when I am always looking after other children they don't get alot of just family time.  My children are and have been really understanding with all of this but at the same time I feel bad for them too.  I am not one to say no to parents, because I have been in there situations myself, with having to find a sitter when I was working.  Its not an easy thing.  I run my daycare the way I wanted the ones to be run when I had my own children in them.  I only ever found one amazing child care provider that went above and beyond what alot of others do.  I was so thankful for her, and  that is what I try to do to.  I don't have alot of children in my care at one time, because I feel each children needs so much attention and they are fairly young so trying to teach them things at the same time its all that easy if you have to many in your care. 

All I am really wanting is a thank you once in a while.  Is it that hard? Or am I just thinking wrong?  I am thankful for those who do say thank you and who care that I bend over backwards for them.  At the same time, there is times I don't want to do the extra mile for others whom don't really care that I go over and beyond for them.

Baking up a storm!

Wow, its been a while since I have blogged last.  Things have been crazy here, with Christmas activities in full gear along with a lot of life challenges putting some hick-ups in there too.

Well today I decided that I needed to get some Christmas baking done.  I am running outta time.......  With only having one extra little one with me today, I thought it might be a good day to do some.  We started out with the good old sugar cookies.  We will be using these next week for our Christmas party.  Then on to the many, many other new and creative goodies I have decided to make this year.  I have been trying to make healthier food choice for my family and the kids in my care.  So with that, I did some (OK alot) of research on healthy Christmas baking, along with the research I also did a number of tweaks to many of my recipes.  These tweaks come from a good friend of mine that has showed me that you can make a everyday recipe a little healthier by exchanging some ingredients for others.  With all this the kids and I ended up making 8 different baking goodies through out the day.  We were tired, a mess, but had such a blast doing it.  With my little man crawling on the floor eating as much of the batter droppings as he could get, to my daughter feeding the other boy icing while I am taking cookies out of the oven and have my back turned to them.  Hehehe, they don't think I know!!! MOMMY has eyes in the back of her head, she can see and hear everything!  (I remember my mom saying this to me and number of times when I was young).  So in the end it is so much fun cooking and baking with little ones, and ya its a mess but hey, they get to learn new things and well make that mess.  What are kinds for!?!?!?  A decoration? Nope, surely not (at least not mine, they can't sit still for more then 2 minutes at a time).  After 10 hours of baking for me, I thought that is it, no more!  Well then I look at my kitchen, ummmm ya there is more! Not baking now but doing the dishes, putting away all the baking ingredients, and sweeping the floor.  It was much needed that's for sure, I think what the little one didn't get the dog did, but after a while, they both were a little to full to eat much more, so that leaves me with the job of sweeping up too, I don't like sweeping!!  So all is made now just to let them set over night and cut them all up and package them tomorrow.  Yummy, that means taste testing!

Family Photos

This past Saturday I had a family member take our family photos for us.  Wow, its such a worry for me!  I am a perfectionist in some ways and when I want something done or plan something I worry or don't like when things don't turn out right.  I was so worried taking our 3 children somewhere to get their pictures taken, I wasn't sure it they would behave, if they would smile, cry, be grumpy.  Man I had every situation go through my head and how I would try to deal with it, if it did happen.  We lucked out and the kids were pretty good, my daughter sometimes has a mind of her own and she didn't want to do one of the suggested photo shoots but hey we moved on and I didn't make a big deal over it.  I tried to get her to smell a flower and she just wouldn't, normally I would get upset because its something that should be done and she wouldn't do it.  This time I took a deep breath and we just went on to a new pose and all was fine.  I was prepared for all too (except the good old hair brush! Darn it!).  I packed the lint roller, make up, tide pen, milk and water for the kids, toys, a blanket and even extra shoes.  When you have three kids and all who seem to make a mess with themselves even if they don't have something to eat, I was going prepared and nothing was going to stop these pictures from being taken.  After all said and done I didn't need anything but the blanket really. 

I think its great to have photos done every couple of years at least.  It updates everyone on the growth of your children, its great gifts and will you can't forget the treasure memories!  I like photos that are more natural and not just a still pose with a boring back ground or fake one.  Sure those were nice in the good old days but there are so many talented people out there that take amazing pictures and its nice to see people in a more relaxed setting.  At least this is what I find looks the best, there is nothing wrong with those that go to the well known photo shops and get their pictures taken, some of them turn out great too.  This is my view and I so wish I could take great photo's of my own, as I love pictures of kids and even adults at play.  One day maybe I will take a course or something, but my plate is just a little to full.

So just remember if you decide to take a family or just your child's photo that they are kids.  They might not what that picture taken or do what they should be doing.  Don't stress over it try something else or another time.  You can't make them do it if they don't want to, because it wont turn out or when you look at that photo afterwards it just might break your heart to know how hard it was to get that little smile out of your loved one. 

credit to Angela Klaassen

Keeping it clean

I have two wee ones in my care one of whom is my own and one that comes in for care.  These two little ones seem to always be sick.  If its not one its the other.  We have had so much go around the daycare since I have open in the beginning of September.  I have dealt with the cold, flu, teething, ear infections, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, and a whole lotta pink eye (both of them have had it twice now).  I clean, clean, and clean and they still pass it around.  As a caregiver and love children it breaks my heart to see one sick.  My oldest son is 6 and between him and my daughter I don't think the two of them together have been as sick as my youngest have and he is only 8 months.  Its been such a task to keep these kidlets healthy.  I thought of not taking sick ones, but I know as a working mom for a few years its hard to always take time off, you need the money, you need the job, but you don't know what to do with your poor little one who is sick and just wants to be held or sleep.  I love the fact that my parents know they can trust their children in my care when they are sick.  I use Lysol almost nightly to try and clean the toys they use, I don't know if I can even count the number of cans I have gone through the last few months just trying to keep up with illnesses.  I thought it might be a good idea to let others know of a few good cleaning tips also.

Choose toys carefully. Look for washable toys and throw out items that won't come clean, Where possible, avoid porous, stuffed or otherwise difficult-to-scrub items.


Wash 'em regularly. You don't need to scrub toys weekly, as many day cares do, but perhaps once a month or at least when toys are visibly dirty. Throw toys into the top rack of a dishwasher or the washing machine, or hand wash them in dish soap and water or if plastic you can use bleach and water. Not all toys indicate whether they're dishwasher safe, so use your judgment. If you're concerned that something might melt, wash it by hand.


Blast germs when required. Disinfect toys and other surfaces (say, toy boxes or crib rails) if you, your child or a visiting playmate has been ill. A bleach-water solution or non-aerosol disinfectant such as Lysol should do the trick (Be sure to read ingredients and labels carefully.) Note that if your dishwasher or laundry machine uses 130-degree water, disinfectant is unnecessary, but if you feel the need to use it, go ahead, its not going to hurt anything but those bad old germs.


Give stuffed toys the deep freeze. If your child has tested positive for dust-mite allergy, put their stuffed toys in a plastic covering and freeze them for three to five hours once a week. "This kills most living dust mites," These microscopic, spider-like mites are one of the most common allergy and asthma triggers. To find out if your child has a dust-mite allergy, ask your family doctor for a blood- or skin-prick allergy test.


Ditch bath toys with holes. Sure, you can and should squeeze water out of tub toys, hang them to dry in a netting bag and wash and disinfect them as above. But bath toys with holes can become a breeding ground for mold, so why not avoid them altogether? I don't always agree with this right away, but once I notice any toys getting that lovely black guck in them then I toss them at that time.  I do know people that will not allow any such things to be used by their child because of the mold, but I also find my children enjoy the good old plastic sour cream contains or the used up bubble bath containers just as much as the actual bath toys themselves.


Keep washing those hands. This is important especially after school or visits to the playground. A recent University of Arizona study found that children's playground equipment and daycare centers were the most frequently contaminated public places of over 1,000 surfaces tested. Washing hands before kids play with their home toys can keep them from spreading bacteria around. "The average child has up to six colds a year, but regular hand washing can cut that in half".  Good news though is that we are more aware of illnesses these days and most people do proper cleaning and hygiene to keep them away.

I have all children in my care wash their hands before and after every meal, after we come inside and of course after they use the bathroom.  I don't always agree on being 100% clean because then your child doesn't get immune to anything and will get sick when out in the public, but at the same time, I do believe in a safe and healthy environment for all.  Kids will be kids and you can't blame any one person on your child getting sick, it just isn't right.  Its not fun to deal with a sick or icky child but take the right measures and most are able to recover with in a few days and are back to their normal busy selves.

MR. MOM!!!

Well today I had to head to the city for an emergency doctors appointment and I left my husband in charge of the kids.  He did well I must say and I was thankful he was on holidays this week and was able to stay with them.  What a great time for him.... he takes holidays to have a break from work and I make him work at home for me, lol (he gets to do it again on Wednesday too, while I go back for the test results).  He was lucky today, as I only had one extra kidlet, but on Wednesday I might have to make sure he has some back-up (like my mother-in-law!) as for I have 3 extra kids then.  Once I got home from the great drive from the city (I was being sarcastic!  I hate the winter driving) I was surprise to hear that the girls and our little one where good and there really wasn't any fighting or problems with any of them. Although he wasn't to happy about changing the "poopie" diapers!  I made it a littler easier on him before I left for the city by making sandwiches up for their lunch and set out the desserts for him.  All in all I am glad to have a great husband that is willing to take on a handful of kids for me, I was in severe pain and it just helped out that I didn't have to go looking for someone to take care of the kidlets for me.  Just wanted to put a great big THANK YOU, out there to a wonderful hubby! Men really can do a great job as Mr. Mom.  Now if I could only get him to do the laundry, clean the bathrooms, dust, vacuum.... oh wait he helps me out with those too.