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?
Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!

Last last day

Presents for my teachers!

The final day at her day care...

It has been nearly three years that my toddler spend more of her time here during the day than I had to spent at my work-place. (I drop her off an hour before I start at work, and fetch her half an hour or more after work.)

She started here in the baby's section when she was nearly 5 months old, end now she is turning three...

For the most part, she has been very happy here, and I did not have problems leaving her here. She loves her teachers!

I don't think she realises that this is the last time... We tried telling her, but it has not clicked yet!

I am the one sad on her behalf!

She had friends here whom she spend many happy hours playing with...

The end of a chapter, and next year she will go to a "big school"! That's what we are going to call the new pre-primary school that she is going to next year!

I know that we are doing the right thing! There is going to be more structure, with qualified teachers!


An ending...

I don't like goodbyes!

Wordless Wednesday #101 - Concert Angel

A night at the ballet - Don Quixote

We took the Toddler to her first classical ballet, Don Quixote, at the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City on Friday night.

We were worried about the show starting at 8:15, which is her usual bed-time. Also that she would not be able to sit still for the duration of the show.

The Toddler loved it. She sat transfixed for most of the first pat, with only her legs rhythmically moving to the music.

The second part of the show got a bit more challenging.
The Toddler was so impressed with some of the moves, she wanted to practice them right there and then. I had to push down the little legs flying past our heads, and hoping the people in the back did not mind the legs and arms flying up in the air.

She sat through the whole show, and was skipping away after that. I am planning to put up a Movie Clip Monday tomorrow to show her happily walking with her dad after the ballet.

She was up at seven the next day, and there was no problems at the school concert.
She told us she is a sheep, and we were checking all the little sheep on stage...

It turns out she is an angel in the concert! (What's up with that?)

Of course, she was very cute, singing and clapping away on stage.

She saw me once in the audience, and we could see her mouth "Mamma!"
We realized again that she is definitely older, because there was no sign of the crying of the previous year with her first concert!

She is a big girl now!

A mother's job: Phoning the school

The toddler this morning

I am shaking right now! I phoned the day care!

I have been planning to phone them now for over a week... I do not like complaining at all, but sometimes you've got to make that call!

I am glad I did! (Why should I not expect the best care for my daughter. I pay them!)

I did not mention names, although I have some... I have seen some of the misdeeds from the teachers in action when going to fetch my little one... (Why do we not call them out on the spot?)

I have seen a difference in my toddler, who hides in my neck when I drop her off in the mornings...

I hope it will help!


In the meantime: I have made an appointment at another school...

(Photo: See the demeanour of the toddler: Hand on mouth, unsure...)

Weekend plans

It's Friday!
What are your plans for the weekend?

Our weekend:
- Family time - to make up for the week where we rushed past each other...
- Time with the Toddler!
- Breakfast with friends.
- The Teen is celebrating two years with her boyfriend, and they are planning a special day!
- Sunday 7:00 am: Rugby - the Springboks are beating the Wallabies. ;-) I have to be up by then! (edited... Sorry, if you've seen my rugby faux pas)
- Visit to a dear Grandmother whose birthday we missed recently...

I LOVE weekends!

(Photo: friends at day care on Wednesday. The Teen worked there for the week, and she had to send a photo each day.)
Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!

Some Toddler stuff

Latest news in Toddlerville:

I love listening to the Toddler with her verbal skills at the moment.

She uses full sentences, such as "Mamma, het jy my bottel saamgebring?" (Mom, did you bring my bottle?)
I just want to eat her up when she uses the right words in the right context!
"By wie gaan ons kuier vandag?" (Who are we going to visit today?) - Yesterday morning preparing for the first day of the week
"Wat is verkeerd?" (What is wrong?)
"Voel jy sleg, Mamma?" (Do you feel sick, Mom?) - While I am panting exercising on the stationary bike.


Yesterday morning went off real smooth because she could take cupcakes to day care. They sell it for some extra money, and luckily Hubby got some in the shops the previous night. Not the same as the previous time when I had to make a plan with muffins when no cupcakes were left (Sunday night cupcake conundrum)...

The Toddler made her first stick figures on paper over the weekend. I definitely want to keep the evidence!



Potty training is going very slow, but over the weekend she announced that she was going on her own to the toilet, and proceeded to climb onto the big toilet. We were not allowed to help her...
Slowly, but surely! ( I hope!)

She had a nightmare about Bambi the other night, and woke up crying about Bambi's mother. We can only read the first part of Bambi, before it comes to the part in the story where the mother gets shot... She pages back in the book to the beginning when we read her the story now!
I think we can put the book away for a while! (I find it upsetting myself!)

What an adventure... enjoying the milestones with our Little O!

Please, please don't grow up so quickly!

But, we love seeing you reach another milestone!

(The constant ambivalent feelings... ;-) )

Monday secret

The Toddler was nowhere to be found this afternoon when I went to pick her up. She was not outside with the rest of the children...

I found her in her class, all on her own! Playing alone.

Sometimes it breaks a mother’s heart when they have to fend all by themselves. I don’t think anything bad or untoward happened, and I am not worried...

But she ran to me, and buried her face in my neck. She was extremely glad to see me on the Monday afternoon!

I wish I do not have to leave her there for so many hours every day!

She did not want to tell us what she was doing there, and the Teen joked that she had swallowed her tongue. Which she promptly stuck out of her mouth!

She’s growing up, and already she has a world I have no part off!





 
But, it is still the best part of my day as well: Picking up my daughter from day care!

Each and every day!




Photo: Patrick Pretorius Photography


Related post:


Ways to deal with the guilt of being a working mother

A mediocre report

Report card coloured in by the toddler

The Toddler got her middle-of the year report yesterday! Except for receiving very good marks on her relationship with her teachers and fellow class mates, she got very mediocre scores!

She was moved to a bigger class  a couple of months back, and most of the children in her class are older (nearer to 3) than her. (What to do with a strict teacher)

She is two and a half years! I am thinking they are evaluating them on things that is way too early!
I will try to focus on some of the issues, such as balance and colouring in, but I am not going to be too worried now!

Or should I be? Should I already go and try to address these issues?
Maybe I am too complacent because I am an older mom, and tends to think that things will sort itself?

What are your take on a report card for the two year olds?

This morning at day care: Look, Mom, I've got my R5 coin for the sweets today!

I am linking up with Kristi at Live and Love Out Loud and her Crazy Days of summer theme. (Yes, I am jealous!) Her theme this week is yellow!
The report card is yellow! Can't you see?

Movie Clip Monday #13 - Fetching the toddler at day care

My best time of the day is when I go to pick up the Toddler at day care. That happy face when she finally sees you... There is nothing that makes it worthwhile more than this!

Lending Movie Clip Monday from Tasneem at MumDrum.

Thank you, Friday! You are a lekker day!

You have arrived! I am very glad this week that Friday is here!

I told the Toddler this morning: “Today is a lekker day!” She repeated: “Today is a lekker day! I will not cry at the school!” The last part was her insertion.

She wanted to pull the lip this morning at day care, but Sindy and I “bullied” her into smiling.

We had a bit of a sleep fail last night when the toddler did not want to go to sleep at her usual bedtime. We did the whole reading-breastfeeding-in-the-dark routine, but then she wanted to get out of bed again… To Daddy (“Pappa gaan!”) who was not there last night. It does not help telling her he is in Namibia for work! Luckily she was fine with me in bed for the rest of the night.

Hope you have a great Friday! It is going to be a lekker day!

Wordless Wednesday #67 - Toddler refusing to leave day care playground

Mornings First Photo at Day Care #15

Look, Mom! My picture!
All the dots in one spot! So creative!

Valentine's art work to parents

The toddler with the very creative art work for Valentine's Day! The teacher put in a lot of effort. I love the hand prints!

Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!

Morning's first photo at day care #13

Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!

First homework

I got my first homework for the Toddler last night.

I had to search for pictures of families. I was paging through magazines with a scissor at half past nine. Wishing I was in a hot bath or bed already!  It was one of those nights when the Toddler did not want me to leave, waking up each time I wanted to get up next to her on her bed...

I even wrote a message to the Teacher: “Pictures of any family, or pictures of us?”

Homework starts very early this time around... 
When is homework for Mom supposed to start? Did I miss the notice?

(Photo: Mieka fell on the paving at day care yesterday)

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...

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 #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!*
Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!

To keep the toddler safe from harm

It sometimes hits me straight in the pit of my stomach! The depth of how you want to protect your babies and your children! The knowledge that you can’t be with them all the time...

If you let the feeling fester, it can become very scary!

I am talking about the previous day when Mieka got hurt at the day care. Accidents happen, especially where the toddler is involved. She is busy, busy, and busy! It happens all the time that she gets hurt, even when we are right there. I remember the time when I was taking a picture, and she had a fall right in front of me...

It happens! But we feel angry that our toddler got the big scratch on her face. And now the day care is telling a different story than the previous day. (Their days are limited! I am beginning to look at other options.)

Thanks to all of you who have commented yesterday. Yes, I know we have to listen to our gut feelings!


I don’t want to over-react, and I know that there are always some issues that make one uneasy when you ask somebody else to look at your child. I also don’t want to take Mieka out of the security of a well-known environment if it’s not necessary. But, I need to feel secure in my knowledge that she will be safe.

I know and believe that they have “angels” looking after them! How many times do they fall and get hurt, without really getting hurt?

Now I am done complaining. There are more options to explore, and lots of day care centres!

(Powerwoman to the rescue!)

(Photo: Mieka on Sunday)