A Messy Day

This was the scene at my house yesterday :) I don't know if you can see, the top left corner of the first picture, the kids have filled every available container with sand from the sand table... and yes, the majority of them fell to the floor before the morning was out.

I don't know how the rooms got so messy, but the kids were very engaged, busy and interactive yesterday morning. The rooms just seem to come alive. It rained most of the day, so we were couped up inside... so I guess it could have been worse.

The kids love making messes, but usually hate picking up. It takes us almost as long to clean up as it does to make the mess. The fun along the way is just an added bonus. It stopped raining, but it is still wet and muddy in the yard, even to much mud for Ms Michelle. We went outside in the front today and rode bikes before lunch. It was nice to get some of those wiggles out. I am looking forward to the dryer weather coming tomorrow :)

Sand

Kozy Kids is very lucky to have such wonderful families!! One of our families donated a truck full of sand for our sandbox!! Thank You Jada & Richard!!!! It was not only needed very badly... but we LOVED playing in it and moving it today!!!

First... we went to the Iredell Partnership's Smart Start for a Family Child Care Playgroup!! It was a lot of fun for the kids and Miss Michelle got some much needed work done :) The kids get to play in an awesome playroom, while I get to go to the resource room to laminate, use the die cut machine, and look at the lending library. A win-win situation!!! I would like to pass on a little tidbit to all my Mom's & Dad's because I was sooooo proud of our kids.... I was told by the Teacher in the Playroom that when a baby was crying during playtime... ALL of our kids went over to her and began singing to her to make her happy. Is that the cutest thing you have ever heard. I was so proud of them for taking care of the littlest in the room.

This little guy was very intent on digging holes to put his flowers in. It was one of those projects that he was so focused on the task at hand, he didn't pay any attention to anything else.

All my friends couldn't wait to get their hands dirty and "help" move our sand from the bed of Ol Smokey!! They worked very hard!!

Ok, so I didn't actually MAKE her push the wheelbarrow all the way to the yard :)

(Though she would have tried if I let her)

Hard at work!!

Dumping!!!

I got it all Shell!!!

Teamwork at its finest!!!

I had the water source going again today... and even though we were hard at work for most of the morning, my friends found time to get busy with the fun stuff!!

Our Mud Hole from yesterday seems to be getting bigger...

This is where our clothes have been ending up at the end of the morning... wet & messy!!

I guess I should invest in a clothes line :)

Ok... My favorite photo of the day!!!

Ya think she had fun??? She couldn't decide what she liked more...

the water, the sand, or the mud :)

Little Miss M ran back and forth from the water table to the sand pit to the garden. She couldn't get enough of it all. The exploration and investigation going on today was exhausting.

Organize My Space

I have been reading a lot about office space for the Family Daycare Provider. This usually happens around Tax time since we need to get everyones invoice together and out to the appropriate people... and usually we have to look for it under a huge pile of "stuff" that has accumulated throughout the year.

Having our business in our home we have to carve out a space for the paper part of it. Important Files, Applications, Extra Applications, Supplies, Printers, Computers, etc... you get it!! Yet, when your in your home you don't want to give over every piece of it to your business, especially since you need it for the kids. I am finding that I don't want to take anything away from anyone else (the kids, the family, the household) so what to do. I have been watching Bev, at A Part of Our Day, working in her home office and making it use able again. I just wish I had a big enough space like that.

Yup, like Bev I can't believe I am showing my mess... but I need some ideas. I haven't even showed you the actual computer/printer area upstairs since I am not allowed to go on the second level of the house while daycare is in session. I hate that because during nap I would like to get some of my printing done while the kids sleep I just don't know where to put it so it doesn't take up kitchen space and the kids can't get at it.

I have all my supplies for the kids in the garage on large shelves my husband built for me. It is great until we have to clean out the playroom and I put it all in the garage with the intention to sort through it immediately (yeah right). I have stuffed my papers in a cupboard near the stove and than anything I kinda use on a daily basis or don't want to put away yet because I MIGHT use it is located in a jumbled pile on a kitchen counter next to the fridge. ARGH!!! I need to get organized.

(yes, my parents see this pile... I try to organize it every weekend... but it lasts a few days)

OK, Friends who stop by... what do you do?? Do you have a small space for yourself that you keep relatively neat and organized?? I want to make the business end of my Childcare Home easy so I can just spend time with the kids, I won't need to worry that when my Consultant comes, "Do I have everything she needs??"

I know I am not alone... I belong to a forum of Childcare Providers and I read the threads about organization. There are a lot of us in this situation, I am going to begin today sorting through that jumbled pile of mess on the counter... and maybe repurpose that area?? I'll keep you updated.

Veterans Day and Rain

Thank you Veterans... and every Soldier out there who fights everyday for my freedom!! Thank You!!

It's a rainy day here, the kids are off of school and the house is pretty quiet... I'm not used to quiet. My littlest one and I spent the day reading, singing, using toys she doesn't normally use when the house is busy, and having fun making the big boys crazy.
I used this time to swap out a lot of the older trays and more boring unused toys. I set the kitchen up a little different, shooed the dogs away from the wooden Melissa & Doug toys (they love to chew my most expensive toys!!) and actually looked at my November Lesson Plans. I am looking to find some home daycare providers that use lesson plans and have a more structured set-up for their kids. It seems that my days flow so much better when I have it planned out and we are singing, doing circle time and calendar, & moving from center to center. I don't know how people go through the whole day without a plan. Without the excitement of the Good Morning Song, or the Weather Song... that smell of Play doh (homemade or not) on a rainy day... It has to be so boring if you don't structure your day... that interaction with the kids really makes my day.

We will be starting our Thanksgiving Unit next week. I am looking forward to the next two months. So much to do and learn. The Songs alone!!! Anyone with any great, off beat ideas... I'd love to hear them and try them... I only have 5 or so kids so we can do and try just about everything... even though we are in my home... as long as it doesn't require a whole lot of space, I don't care about mess!! I actually Love Mess!!! Mess = Happiness/Fun!! Kids love Mess!! Mess is a whole nother post!! I stray!! Sorry...