A Monday

Today is over. It was very good for good for a monday. Especially considering I had kids on saturday and sunday.

Once again, a fellow day care provider said to me, "It's a mind game." Perhaps she's right. It's not to say that I won't have my share of bad days. This week's late nights are monday, tuesday, wednesday and friday.

Right now, I am sitting at my desk with all the kids laying on their beds on the floor writing this blog entry. I have my pj's on and the room is dimly lit with one small lamp. The kids are very quiet as they watch "Jungle Book". My grandson is toddling around but he's pretty concentrated on a small toy truck. I think it is very important to stay organized with a steady routine (these are not actually my kids in this picture, but it's pretty much how my family room floor looks about now...lol).

The morning started off a tad rough, but I simply went with the flow rather than try to resist. I had planned to have the kids do their lesson first thing in the morning. However, my daughter came in with lots of happy energy and prepared breakfast, my son was on his laptop at the kitchen table and Ms. G from across the street came over to borrow my computer.

So, after everyone left, I prepped lunch for the kids, let them play a bit more before feeding them, then put them down for nap. I got them up an hour early and did lesson with them. When my school aged boy arrived, I had him do his homework while the little ones finished up their work. Then every one had snack and went outside to play. By dinner time, everyone was pretty exhausted. The early kids went home and I fed the rest dinner. They played some more before settling in for the night.

I know, why am I so excited? Boring huh? Unfortuantely, I count on each day being a success, primarily for myself. Because I am prone to depression, I challenge each day to be some form of success, especially with a housefull of children. Other than the day care, I have to life....sad huh? So, I have determined within myself to make the best of what I have.

Sorry if my life is so boring. I really know it is.

Took Friday Off

I did it! I did it! I took yesterday off from the daycare :). I planned it two weeks in advance. I felt horribly guilty until today, after I returned home.

My son was such a huge help. He took all the kids' carseats out of the van. He vacuumed it out, loaded up blankets, the lawn chairs, and a kitchen box. I drove up to Oceanside Habor, stopped at the store for a few items of food supplies and then to the beach side. I got there about 11:15am. There was a marine layer but the temperature was perfect with a nice cool breeze!

A platonic friend met me up there. Been knowing him for years. He's been pretty stressed out. He bought t-bone steaks that he cooked...yummie!! Then we made a bonfire and talked for a very long, long time. I stayed the night and came home midmorning today.

I had intended to stay till sunday afternoon, but I had two weekend daycare kids. My daughter and my sons took care the daycare. They were champs! I felt guilty because my daughter works at night. When she came in from work in the morning, she received and took care of the two day care kids with the help of my boys. I felt bad. So I came home saturday.

It was so worth it. I feel great. Waking up to the sound of the waves...there's nothing like it! Morning coffee sitting on the beach....awwwwhh! Now I'm really anxious to get my motorhome finished!

A Shout Out

I want to send a big, big shout out to my friend Polly! She is such a warm, caring and tender hearted friend whom I met through the world of blogging. She has sent me an award that I am in so much appreciation of. She has termed me the "Comment Queen"...I happily accept...:)

Unfortunately, I feel like a silly because I have no idea how to transfer it to my blog!...lol! I have tried and tried. Please! If anyone can help, I am all ears!

Ooooh! Look! My son just showed me how! Yes, it was quite simple!

Thank you soooo much Polly! In my appreciation, here's a teddy bear hug for you!

Now, as Polly has demonstrated, we are to extend our award onto a fellow friend. I have chosen that friend to be Linda and Her Twaddle I love how she expresses her normal, everyday thoughts. She's so realistic while being so tactful with the truth. Good going Linda :)!

Weekend with New Kids

I had my first saturday with the new kids this weekend. It gave me a chance to really see what L., the 4 year old was made of. Although he has been through some trauma in his life, I think he does what he does because he can get away with it. I don't mean to imply that he was not affected by the trauma. I absolutely believe he is. Let me explain a little bit.

During his stay at our house on saturday, he was a very good boy. I mean, kids will be kids and they will have their moments. He did nothing extreme such as hitting, punching, kicking or pushing. For the first half of his time here, I was at the salon getting my hair done. My daughter was here with him and she said he did fine. It was his first time with my daughter too. When he first stayed with me, last week, he tried me left and right, with small behaviors but nothing extreme.

Now, in preschool, his behavior is very extreme. This does not reflect on the teacher whatsoever. I believe she is a wonderful teacher. In fact, I feel sorry for the teacher. In preschools, the teacher is not allowed to place a child in timeout. If a child misbehaves, a teacher can only "redirect" that child to another play area or another toy. So, really, there are no consequences for the child to learn that his behavior is unacceptable.

His behavior with him mom is so-so, according to her. I think she mainly deals with the two of them being jealous for her attention and their sibling rivalry which is normal.

While he was here playing, we spent time talking about little stuff he would bring up. He has quite a silly side to his personality, very cute. He ate well and took a nice nap. Overall, he did quite well.

My Hair

I finally got my hair done! I am truly very happy with it. I was so excited about getting it done that I couldn't sleep last night. Due to finances and having moved to a new area, I really was not able to do it. I had a fair amount of anxiety this morning as I was getting ready to go.

I found the idea of anxiety behind getting my hair done a bit uncomfortable. It seems I have let myself go, in terms of my appearance, until I have become an introvert. I think the idea of going out into public, for something besides picking up a kid from school,

After neglecting myself for so long and beginning to feel very run down, I decided to do it for ME. To my surprise, my hair is still pretty healthy. She said I did have a little breakage in some spots, but overall it was good. I wanted to do something a little different so she offered to put a little color in it. I like it a lot. It will definitely take some getting use to. I don't wear my hair down. I am a ponytail girl.

First Few Days

Thanks girls for your encouragement! I am quite excited. The kids are working out well so far. At the same time, I am a little overwhelmed. I just like having the little ones together. They learn so much from each other.

The mom spoke to me alittle bit about their background. Quite a bit of legal drama and a quite a bit of trauma for the little boy. Apparently, the house was raided with police last year. He tends to have nightmares from time to time and to act out in preschool by hitting and kicking others (I pick him up from preschool at 11 am). This mother has been very good about seeking help for him with therapy and assessments.

Overall, I think time will have to heal him. I seems to be a good boy but very likely suffers from anxiety. It may be a loud noise or a song or a familiar face that triggers his anxiety. He doesn't understand what he is feeling. I would like to set up a behavioral chart for him to allow him to kind of monitor his own behaivor. His reward will be gaining a sticker and his consequences will be loosing a sticker. When he gains so many stickers, he gains a small prize. This will not "heal" his anxiety, but hopefully will make life just a teeny bit more pleasing for him. I would also like to use art with him. Drawing, painting, etc. just so he can learn to express a little bit. I can't imagine what he must feel being such a little guy.

This is where I feel overwhelmed. There is sooooo much I want to do with him alone and with the other kids in terms of lessons!...lol! With finances so thin, it's difficult to purchase as many supplies as I'd like to as well. I do have some. I plan to arrange things in advance so things will flow easier. The kids will have fun either way!...lol!

New Kids

The new kids came by to visit yesterday. I like them alot. Mom says the she likes my facility because I offer structure. That made me feel really good. I am a very routine person. I think kids so better when they know what's coming next.

Once mom arrived and the kids started playing, we decided to see what would happen if she left for a few minutes. The kids seem very well adjusted and experienced no separation anxiety. In fact, she had done such a good job of preparing them that her son said, "I know you. You're Ms. Lori!" All I could do was laugh!...lol! The little girl is only 21 months old. She redirects very well :).

With a full house now, I will be extremely busy, but it will be so worth it to my finances. I won't get my first "full" payment until about the second week of Novemeber. The subsidized program she's on only pays once per month. I will get a payment for the last few weeks of this month. That will be helpful also. I can pay off some small things that have been lingering for a while.

I'm very excited to have kids that are easy to work with. It will be an adjustment for me energy wise, but that will only be for a little while. I'm very excited :). Lesson time will be a bit more of a challenge. I will probably do them a few at a time rather than a large group. I'm sure I will be very exhausted for a few weeks until I adjust. Small price to pay for peace of mind and a bit of happiness :).