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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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!

The best present ever from Father Christmas

We thought that this year would be different. She is nearly 3 and the promise of a Father Christmas with presents made her very excited before the time...

But when the Toddler's name was called, she refused and screamed again! (I did not even get a photo with her near Father Christmas, because she was clinging to me and pulling me in the other direction!)

Shame, even Father Christmas asked me if it's the beard...

Maybe next year?

But she loves her present from Father Christmas. It is the perfect gift for a little princess!
The Toddler has been walking around all weekend with the dress-up shoes and her tiara.

With the the friends waiting for Father Christmas

The previous year's posts about Father Christmas:

The red beardy man a a crying toddler

The red beardy man

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.)
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Morning's first photos at day care #27 - week in pictures

Monday - not a good start for the week - Sleep fail

Tuesday - had to drop her off sleeping!

Wednesday - it was a good night!

Thursday - it was a good night! She bumped her head!
(The Winnie the Pooh plaster is her own doing. There is no blood involved!)

Friday! She only woke up now, but the sweets money in her hand helped a lot!

Happy Friday!

Morning's first photo at day care #25 - Yawn!

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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

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!

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 #16 - Toddler with Grandfather

The Toddler loves her Grandfather James.

She is very lucky. She also has another grandfather Dries that she is also very fond of. I think it is the greatest gift to children when they have the company of the grandparents!

Grandfather James  helps to drive the children around for the day care, and the Toddler gets to see him almost every day of the week. First she used to cry every time he had to go, but she has now become used to saying goodbye when he has to leave her for another round of picking up kids.

She usually walks around the play ground, and goes to the teachers, saying: "Oupa nie hier nie?" (Grandfather not here?) An she gets very excited when she hears he is around!

I think it is great that she gets to see him on a regular basis!

Lending Tasneem's Movie Clip Mondays on MumDrum.

Morning's first photo at day care #21 - Toddler slinky eyes



Skew smile with skew eyes

 Hello Monday! I can manage a smile! For sure! ;-)
I am very interested in the Minnie Mouse doll on my teacher's table... That's why I am giving Mommy a skew smile!

Wordless Wednesday #78 - New crawling doll at day care

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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 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...)

What to do with a strict teacher?

The Toddler is going to get a strict teacher the following year. I was hoping and planning that it would only happen when she was four, but the day care has decided to move her into the strict teacher’s class when she is three.

I am planning to move her to a new day care when it happens...

I have been so happy with the day care this year. I had some issues the previous year, with the Toddler getting hurt, and being in a class with only an assistant teacher.

They started this year in a new class! Only six of them, and I could see that it made a difference in the Toddler’s life. She started to sing and scrabble more at home! (Some more “lights” came on!)

During the holidays they moved her to a new class because it was felt that the six should be more up to date with the rest of the group. The reason is to integrate better next year. The Toddler is now with a group of about 15. She is extremely happy there!

The problem is the strict teacher next year!

From the beginning I said I would not let my child go to her. She screams at the children. She gives them hidings (although it is not allowed!). She has also said some pretty disturbing things to children, such as when we drop them off: “Your mother still loves you very much!” (WTF!)

She has told a friend’s girl that she makes the worst sketches in the world!

The day care owner is aware of this lady’s shortcomings. She told me that she has sent her home on a couple of occasions when she heard her screaming at the children. But she feels that this teacher is very good with keeping to the learning guidelines. She also spends lots of her time helping some of the children to catch up.

My question is: Do I allow my child to be subjected to this lady’s inability to control her own anger, and also her seemingly lack of insight into the child’s psyche? The other questions: Does learning take place in a place of hostility? Or should my child learn to handle different types of authority figures? Is it too soon to subject her to this at the age of three?

While writing this, it seems I have made up my own mind already...

What are your thoughts about strict teachers? Do some children handle it better than others?

Related post:
Day care woes and first report card

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.