What We Have Been Doing...

It has been kinda hard to write on the blog lately.  You see, I am closing Kozy Kids Family Childcare down.  I have received an offer to assist in a transitional kindergarten class next year, and I decided to take the position.  Although I know I will enjoy this new adventure, leaving behind this one has been hard for me.  Knowing that I will not be here to greet the kids after summer is over has been very sad, and I have been avoiding the blog as it reminds me to much of what I am giving up.

Family Childcare is just that, an extended family.  Each child I let through my door, invariably becomes part of me and wiggles their way into my heart.  I will miss them more than I know how to admit. 

How Lucky Am I??

I was sitting in my living room last night thinking over my day yesterday... You see I didn't sleep well Sunday night and when I did finally fall asleep the alarm went off way to fast.  So making it through a Monday would haved been hard enough, but I also learned my teenage son didn't finish an assignment he had all week to do, that baseball skills night for my other teenage son was at the same time as my 6 yr old's new ACROFITNESS class, and that  my coffee creamer was running far to low, all before 7am, let's just say it was going to be a long day.  

But it wasn't.  It was a wonderful day.  The kids cooperated, there was laughing, silliness, happiness, and not so many tears, bickering, or tattling.  

How lucky am I?? I ask myself.  I am not only lucky to have a group of parents that appreciate what I do and how much I love their children, but I have a group of GRANDPARENTS!!!  Especially one Grammy that is absolutely wonderful!!  She not only reads my posts, she comments to let me know how much it means to her to be able to see her Lil Bit each day.  That had me thinking I was luck enough!!!  Yet, she had more to give, look at how happy these TUTU's have made EVERYONE... 

Even siblings took a shine to them!!!

First thing this morning he grabbed a tutu and wore it all morning.
(he did play a little basketball with it on too, which was a sight to see ;) )

I've always said, "Everything is better wearing a tutu!!"

So I would like to give a huge THANK YOU to Lil Bit's Grammy!!!  I cannot express how much I appreciate all the work that went into making those sweet tutu's for the kids, how much I appreciate the thoughtfulness for thinking of us and sending them to us!!  They will not only be well loved, but worn daily.  

THANK YOU  for thinking of our Little Man and Big Guy and sending them their Pirate Wear!!  Again, it has already crossed gender lines and has been used by all the kids throughout the day!!  Our Costumes now have that boost it sometimes needs to keep things from getting boring!!!  

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

Now friends... do you see how lucky I am???

I introduced the Weather Unit yesterday, today we talked about the Sun, how hot it must be, where it is, when we can see it, and what color it is.  There was a lot of yellow, red, and orange (well, orange was more my guess really) so we decided to put all the colors together and see if we could make our very own Sunshine.  The kids will be making a weather booklet, and this will be our first page.  I love how different they all look.

We have more than this, these are just the first ones to be done, so the first to be photographed.

Little Man put his little finger in a whole on the other side of the sponge.
He thought it was pretty cool to be able to paint like that ;)

Scamp has learned to say cheese... how proud she was!!!
Her little voice is so cute.

I sit here as I write and really feel how lucky I am to be right where I am.  I love seeing these little ones learn and grow.  I love being a part of their lives and helping them to become the fabulous, creative, strong, smart, loving, caring, and beautiful people they will grow into.  Thank you all for that privilege.

Learning When You Don't Even Realize It

I know, everyone thinks Kozy Kids is a place for only arts and crafts, games, fun, hugs and kisses, singing, or dancing... but we do a whole lot of learning and growing too.  I realized that I don't really talk much about some of the daily learning we do.  I think it is because it is so second nature to us that I don't think of it as "worthy" blog material ;)  So, today when Little Man was getting such a kick out of using his big boy cup I thought I better get a few shots of this, then I thought, look how big this boy has gotten, using his own glass cup at Shell's.  I knew I had to include it in our post today.  Self help/Independence skills not only help me, and believe me I start teaching them as soon as I can ;) but they help the child who is learning them.  They feel so independent, in control, proud, successful, and BIG.  

The little ones not only learn from me, but watch the big kids closely, and learn from them,.  Little Man has been watching Sprout and Roo put their cup on the counter everyday since August, and he watched his sister and friends last year, so when he finished his breakfast this morning he made sure I knew HE was going to put his cup on the counter and his bowl in the sink (which was the cutest thing ever, since he can't reach either one) I had to put the stool next to the counter, but with little help from me he accomplished his task and without waiting for the fanfare I wanted to bestow on him, he ran off to get ready for nap.  As much as I know it is inevitable that these little ones will grow up, it doesn't stop that little bit of loss I feel when it happens, okay, I'll be honest, A LOT a bit of loss when it happens.

You are right though to conclude that we do accomplish a lot of fun stuff during our time together.  If it isn't playing dress up or house, it could be building with blocks or train track.  Today we happen to introduce the letter Ee, the color PURPLE, a Square, the number 6 and VALENTINE'S DAY!!!  

We read Purplicious by Elizabeth Kann, at the end of the book it talks about how if you mix blue and pink you get PURPLE... so we decided to see if this book was really telling us the truth.  What fun we had investigating this hypothesis ;)

We started with BLUE first...

Then added RED...
and what do you think happened???

It turned PURPLE!!!
Right in front of our eyes!!!!

I love how Lil Bit is stretching to get to the top of her paper.

These two were very funny together...
They would continually touch one another's papers, but act very put out when it happened.
That didn't stop them though :)

Today, yeah we learned that blue and red make purple, but we also learned to share our space, to take turns with materials and toys, and to communicate with each other.  Miss Michelle learned that Little Man has learned things that she didn't even realized she'd taught him.  It was a good day.

Love...

In Family Childcare the children in your care will usually squeeze themselves not only into your heart, but into your whole families heart.  Little Man did just that the day he arrived into this world, he captured all of us, with his little tilts of his head when he wants to be shy, the silliness in him when he wants to play, but most of all when he finally was able to say all my children's names.  One of my boys in particular has captured Little Man's heart as well, Cal.  He asks about him when he comes in, he looks for him up the stairs all morning, and he points to his picture on the cabinet a million times a day.  But what really got me... I was cleaning up from lunch and I turned around and here was Little Man, with Cal's boots on, pointing to his picture saying his name.  

Now that's Love!!

Providers are only human

"Do you need a hug Shell??"

After yesterday's post, I thought I needed to provide a little more description.  As a Childcare Provider for children under 5 (3 and under at my house this year) some days can be more stressful than others.  Most providers (and teachers) I know use lots of de-stressing tools to keep themselves sane each day, but sometimes they don't always work.  The kids just get the better of you :)  (or I LET them get the better of me).

What does that mean exactly??  Well, for me, this week at least, it meant lots of noise.  Lots of mess.  Lots of crying.  Putting out one proverbial fire after another.  No one child was behaving worse than another, heck, they weren't even behaving out of their age appropriateness.  It just got to me more this week than most.  Could it be I didn't get much sleep (what, providers sleep?), could it be my teenager is testing his limits a lot more lately (what, providers have kid issues?), could it be that getting a family of 6 ready for Thanksgiving (turkey included) has been harder than I anticipated??  I'm thinking, YES!!!  And my little angels are just were feeding off my own anxieties.

I am VERY lucky that I have the BEST families!!  I have always had the most understanding, most accommodating, and the most fun families ever.  I just want them to know that I LOVE their little angels with everything I have in me.  Each day I grow to love them more.  Their smiles outweigh their cries, their hugs outweigh their tantrums, their laughs are literally the sound of angels.  So Parent's, please know I am only human and I sometimes have a bad day, bad hour, bad morning, or bad week... but I'm excited to open my door each morning, with a smile, ready for a new day, what ever that day may bring.

I just want to end with a poem that I absolutely LOVE from Patricia Dischler.  I found it in her book, From Babysitter to Business Owner.  A book I highly recommend to EVERYONE who is thinking of opening a Childcare Home or anyone who would like to take their Childcare Home to the next level.  Patricia Dischler is full of wonderful stories, great advice and lots of motivation to be the BEST provider you can be!!

Remember Why

Bridget screaming, her vocal substitute for "I'm hungry!"

Peter is crying because, "Sarah hugged me!"

Mikey's drooling and has soaked his shirt.

Bridget eating a shoe, covered with dirt.

Bret took Katie's doll and threw it out the door.

Sarah's in the bathroom wiping her poo poo on the floor.

Rachel is telling them each what to play.

The gate was left open and Bridget is on her way.

They're all screaming now, some for fun, some are sad.

Some scream 'cause they're hungry, some scream 'cause their mad.

They're leaking from everywhere, I wipe but there's more.

Brian's running naked, Peter's peed on the floor.

I wish I could go somewhere quiet and green.

The room is as messy as I've ever seen.

But I'll pick it up, wipe the noses and floor.

Give everyone hugs and catch Bridget at the door.

I'll give Katie her doll, tell Bret and Rachel to be nice,

Take the shoe out of Bridget's mouth, probably twice.

I'll feed them and hug them and tell them I care.

I'll chase after Bridget whether it's here or it's there.

I'll do what I can and if I'm real lucky,

When I serve them their lunch I won't hear, "That's yucky!"

And when I sit down to rest, and get attacked by the mob, 

Between hugs and kisses, I'll remember...

I Love My Job!!!

by Patricia Dischler

December 1996

So, you see, I know I'm not alone and it is nothing a hug, or kiss, or cuddle won't fix!!

Who am I?

Welcome back after our 3 day weekend. What a morning it has been. I don't know if it was the heat, the 3 days off, or if my little friends had a lack of sleep this weekend... but, we had lots of heated discussions, redirection, and lots of reminders of how we act with our friends. I think the end of the year jitters are upon us. The fact that some of us will be leaving and not coming back to Shell's house can create some anxiety. Which, in turn, makes some of us a little irritable, grumpy, and out of sorts.

Each June I pose the same questions to myself... "Who am I?" "Where do these little ones tuck me away to when they leave for the day, summer, forever??" "Have I done the best job I could have?" "Will I see them graduate high school, college, get married?" "Do they know how much I truly care about who they become??"

As a Family Child Care Provider, each child becomes mine when they are in my care for those 9 or 10 hours a day. I know their looks, their likes, dislikes. I know how to redirect a melt down, I know just where the tickle spot is. I know I am not the Mom or Dad, even the Nana, Grandma, Grandpa or Papa... but I have a unique job, one in which there is no actual words to describe. A Parent gives me this awesome responsibility to care for, and in essence, help raise their child for a short time. They hand to me on that first day, the most precious and important person in their lives. They trust that I will make their child feel safe, loved, special, and as important in this world, as they are. I hope I have lived up to that trust.

Instead of bickering, yelling at each other or getting mad over small things... I hope that tomorrow will be a better day, one in which we can cuddle up together to read one more book, joke about our day, run in the sun, splash in the water, and enjoy each others company, you see our time is getting short.

Forming Friendship over the Soil Tub

While talking about the letter Zz and the Zoo kept us busy today, it was the tub of soil, tiny dinosaurs, buckets and shovels that was a favorite for another day. While there is a bit of soil on the floor, on a constant basis, it's not to bad. I thought with Little Man and 2 toddlers that the mess would be a whole lot worse. Yet, it hasn't been to bad. It has given each child a wonderful sense of freedom and independence when they are able to get the mini broom and dust pan out and sweep the dirt off the floor. Even Little Man tries, although he usually ends up trying to eat the broom, so we have to watch him carefully :)

These three little ones are learning to work together each day. It is hard work for them to maneuver through this part of growing up. Sharing is really, really hard. Today was an interesting day. I watched as Little Miss M and Sprout did the sharing dance all day. It was a lot of testing, pushing the limits, and "tattling." Yet, in the end, both of them worked through it and were actually playing wonderfully together, as well as with Little Man.

Having a small home child care gives me the opportunity to work with each child individually, as well as in a small group. I am able to give words to situations, model correct behavior, praise positive outcomes and help them work things out when tempers get a little ruffled. With only 5 children at any given time, I will see almost everything and I can help them work through it. The good and the bad :)

Why I Do Childcare...

There is a poem out there, 22 Reasons to do Childcare, and sometimes I need to reread it. I need to remind myself that what I am doing is indeed important. I am responsible for such special, important, loved little people, someone's EVERYTHING. The children in my care have found their way to me for a reason. Whether they are here for years or just a few months, our paths have crossed for a reason. Me teaching them something, or them teaching me something. So, I decided to come up with my own Reasons to do Childcare...

1. I don't have to fight Rush Hour Traffic
2. I don't have a Boss
3. My kitchen always has my favorite foods
4. What office co-worker will tell you that they love you 20 times a day
5. I am here to get my kids off the bus
6. I am here when my family wants to visit
7. I make my own hours
8. I don't have to compromise on the dates for my vacation
9. I never have to look at the beautiful weather over a cubicle wall
10. I can go outside and play whenever I want
11. If a child doesn't learn something here, I know they will get it in Kindergarten
12. We can just have fun learning
13. I get Pajama Day, any day I want
14. I can wear anything I want to work (within reason)
15. I get to play all day
16. I am here to put my kids on the bus
17. Naptime!!!
18. The goodnight kiss of a child before Naptime
19. There is no late meetings to get to or rush home from
20. We can just play outside ALL day if we want
21. Flexibility
22. Stability
23. Cuteness almost all the time (have you ever seen a toddler with a basket on their head?)
24. Caring for, loving, enjoying an infant... then sending him home and getting a good night sleep
25. Getting Paid to do all this!!!

This is where I belong. I forget sometimes that I am good at what I do for a reason... I love what I do. Family Childcare Providers are special people, who have a special gift. To all you Family Childcare Providers out there... Thank You for What You Do!!! It isn't always easy, but goodness the rewards are many!!!

What are your reasons??? I could go on, and on... but that would make my post way to long I think. Have a Wonderfully, Blessed Day!!