Morning's first photo - Toddler with crown

Ready for photo shoot at school.
(Photo by Dad)

Morning's first photo - with my teacher

Teacher Fransie
Photo by Dad (on request by Mum)

It's Friday, and I like my teacher!

Morning's first photo at Day Care #6

First day back at day care in 2011. The toddler was all smiles, and started playing with lego blocks immediately. No crying at all! *Huge sigh of relief!*
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Morning's first photo at day care #17

It's Thursday! It does not look like I was a ball of beans last night, does it?
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Morning's first photo at day care #23 - My sister!

The Toddler was extremely pleased this morning. Her sister came with her to day care...
The Teen is going to help out for a few days!

Sunday night cupcake conundrum

Why do I always remember on a Sunday night of something that needs to be done or bought on a Monday morning? I totally forgot about buying (note: not making) those cupcakes for day care. They take turns in the classes to sell it to generate funds. I am sure the idea is for the mums to make to themselves... But I don't see anything wrong with Spar or Woolworths cupcakes. They are yummy as well, and my stress levels stay way down low...

When we went in search of the cupcakes, it turn out all the other mums have already done their cupcake shopping. I had to make do with bought muffins and my own homemade icing. The sprinkles really did the job, and Toddler helped me with putting it on. I think it looks really swell for a Sunday night fix! (I hope somebody like Shayne at Yummy Mummy Cupcake does not read this!)

It's the end of another weekend.We are missing the Teen who is now visiting my sister in London. It seems she is having a great time...

The Toddler kept us busy, and I was thinking tonight that they really teach you about resilience. If she wants something, she will keep at it. Again, and again, and again... "No!" does not have any effect. She wanted to play with a water spray toy, and although we kept telling her that it is evening already, she kept on asking. She did not get her wish, but we had to explain for over an hour that the sun has already gone to sleep...

The Toddler fell asleep in a shopping trolley and slept quite comfortably through most of the shopping trip to the mall on Saturday.

The Toddler was not impressed with the Easter Bunnies at the mall. I seems they are in the same untrustworthy league as the Red Beardy Man!

Good night, Weekend! It was a blink, but it was GRAND!

Related post:
Morning's first photo at day care #18 - Cupcakes

Morning's first photo at day care #29: Happy face!

Hello Monday!

Morning's first photo at day care #29 - Visiting Little School with my sister

The Toddler was so excited this morning to go to her previous day care, especially since it is with her sister who works there during the holidays!

Her princess shoes on (with back-up shoes in the bag).

She was not that impressed to be separated from her sister later, but she could go to the class of last year's teacher.

This week her pre-primary school is closed, and we had to make a plan for each day of the week!
Thanks to a nearby grandmother who also helps a lot!

What do you do with the children when the schools are closed?
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Morning's first photo at day care #19 - "Plane, not school today!"

Mieka with much-loved Teacher Lee-Anne

The Toddler had other plans for this morning. She wants to go on a plane! NOT to school! I totally agree with the Monday morning sentiments!
I don't know where the plane idea is coming from. She has never been on a plane, and there has not been any discussions of us going on a plane trip...

I promised! We are going on a plane trip in the future! I like the idea!

She is also now saying the word plane in Afrikaans correctly. She used to say "vlieghuis" (fly-house), but now the correct "vliegtuig"! (That's why we need to write down theese cute word creations before they are not heard anymore...)

Morning's first photo at day care #24 - Happy smile!

The Toddler had a good night's rest (Thank you!!!!!), after a few nights of sleep battles...
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Day Care – a bright new year!

I am so glad I did not fire the day care last year! This year everything has changed, and I am leaving the toddler with a light heart every morning! She also goes with open arms to the new teacher!


The toddler has moved on to the next class. She is two now. The teacher speaks Afrikaans, and she is there already in the mornings. I can give her feedback about the toddler, and what to expect. When I go to pick up the toddler, I get feedback again about how the day went… It makes a world of difference in a working mother’s composure for the rest of the day.

Two seems to be a challenge this year! Did I mention the Terrible Tantrums! It is terrible and happens e-v-e-r-y five minutes! Eek!

“NEE!” (No!) is the favourite word of choice!

Now I also remember why my teen used to go to day care without any ponytails. We are struggling our arses off to get a ponytail in the toddler’s hair! I love the two ponies, but we are back to one pony in the mornings! (See Morning’s First photo at day care #7) Hats off to all you Moms who are able to sent daughters to school with hair all up and shiny with bows and clips! You are real magicians! We are trying to let the hair grow out without cutting a fringe. I have had it with fringe-cringe cover-ups after a visit to the hairdresser… (The teen, of course.)

I blame the New Year and a new class on the toddler being very insecure at night at this stage. We have done two nightly sleep drives in a row to get her to sleep, and she awakes again and screams at the top of her lungs. Very upset that we could have put her on her own in her bed! I definitely hope it is the reason, or we have a new sleeping pattern to overcome… I also want to get to bed by ten at night! Please, Toddler, please!

(Photos by her Grandfather James last week when Mieka stayed with them. This morning she told me: “Ouma kuier.” (Gran visit.) She loves going to them!)

Morning's first photo at day care #22 - Wardrobe tantrum

We had a full-blown wardrobe tantrum this morning. The Toddler has been wearing the dress over her clothes since the previous night, and she did not want to put on a jacket. (See the hand wanting to pull down the zipper...)

I wonder for how long that jacket stayed on at day care?
No shoes also today. She wanted the soft ones!

The cute things she does

A couple of cute things The Toddler is doing at the moment. It is all connected with her command of acquiring new uses of the language...

Saying all Teacher-like: “Dis reg!” (It’s correct!), when we are doing or saying something that she approves off!

She uses the “Yes!” in a tone which says: Of course! (What else?)

She saw a plane passing by over the play ground, and told the teachers at day care the “vlieghuis” (fly house) broke the clouds.

I thought she said yesterday that her nose is bothering her. I gave her a tissue, and told her to blow her nose. She literally blew on it with her breath, and chucked it over her shoulder... A giant miscommunication! We had to smile! But it made me realise how trustworthy she is. She does something just because I told her to do it, without questioning me...

Today when I went to pick her up at day care, she started to run to me. But stopped abruptly, and turned back to the teacher: “Sweeties!” They had made a cookie and Smarties autumn tree in class today, and she had remembered to ask for it when going home!

She is afraid of heights! She does not like walking on the high beams or jumping into the sponge pit at the gymnastics class. But she loves playing on the jungle gym at our local mall where I sometimes cringe when she climbs onto the slide from the bottom or climbing up a rock climbing-looking wall...  It is a good sign that she only needs a bit of time to get used to the heights!

She holds the top of her bottle hold over one eye, and tells us to smile. Just as I tell her in the mornings to smile at my cell (Morning’s first photo at day care).  See the photos of this morning where I had to tell her to smile again, because she was giving me a really skew smile.

I love this age! (Huge smile!)

Morning's first photo at day care #11

Happy Monday!
The Toddler's teacher was there to receive her... Definitely a good day!
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Morning's first photo at day care #20: Monday morning sleepy

Not a good way to start on a Monday... The result of not going to sleep at 8 last night. Although Mom and Dad tried!
I was thinking of the "Go the fuck to sleep" book that was a topic on last week's blogs via Reluctant Mom... It really helped!

(Book: Go the f to sleep - Adam Mansbach)

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Morning's first photo - the sun is too bright!

I need my shades!
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Morning's first photo at day care #8 - Toddler fending for self already

The toddler with her own sports bottle that she now has to keep at the day care. It is the end of the baby bottles! (I know, I know! She should have been off them long ago... But we still give them to her at home! Guilty!)
I can only send one milk bottle on a day with her bag, and yesterday they did not even use it.

She also now has to eat with the bigger children in the hall. They have to eat all by themselves!

My poor Baby Toddler! She has to fend for self! She looks so small when walking on her own in the play ground! They have to grow up so very quickly when we, working mothers, have to leave them! Maybe it is a good thing! Yes, it's a good thing! (Powerwoman says it definitely is a good thing!)

And then I read MamaPoekie's post at Authentic Parenting about The paradox of individualism, and I totally agree with her. We push our children away from us as soon as possible, giving them bottles, sleeping in their own rooms as soon as possible... Having to fend for self at day care instititutions! The Guilt!

Sometimes, I wish I could have kept her for longer in my arms...

Morning's first photo at day care #12

I've got stickers! My stickers!
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Morning's first photo at day care #25 - Yawn!

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Morning's first photo at day care #13

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