Beautiful Chaos

In anticipation of Maryam's 1st birthday, we baked cupcakes. In the photo above, Maryam has not yet arrived at the daycare for the day, but we do have a few extra kids than usual, due to a P.A. day: Riley and Aidas!

The other kids quickly got bored of making cupcakes....but not little Leila. She stayed at the table until the end. It was wise of her, too, since she got to lick the beater. (Thank goodness nobody else even noticed!)

We stopped to play at the upper part of Lithuania Park this time. It was completely iced over.

And this was perfect to skate around on (it wasn't quite as slippery as a real ice rink).

Also, we had brought a few hockey sticks and balls. It was great practise for Noah, who has just joined the ball-hockey house leagues at school.

I have to admit I was really into it. I used to play hockey in high school, and I love ball hockey too. A great perk of my job is getting to play! I mean, yeah, um, er, it's strictly for the kids. ;)

Aidas had an Angry Birds hat on, and seemed to be engaged in his own pretend play....so it followed that we began to play "Angry Birds Hockey." This consisted of trying to shoot the ball at, and have the ball touch Aidas's legs. Whenever the ball touched Aidas's legs, he would collapse to the ground. I gave a commentary, as I was trying to figure out just what this game was all about. This had Noah in hysterics, and Aidas fully into his role as the angry bird.

Here's a cute pic of the angry bird trying to block my photo of three little munchkins behind him.

I finally succeeded. These guys had been on the sidelines with my helper, and were apparently playing "Frozen Hide and Seek." (As in the movie Frozen).

Angry birds get hungry for cheese rice cakes. Ahhh...I always love Alumni Day at the daycare. :)

Even though we weren't celebrating Maryam's birthday yet, the kids got to add icing and sprinkles to a cupcake; and then eat it of course! Riley and Aidas wouldn't be here for her actual birthday, so it hardly seemed fair that they shouldn't get a cupcake. Actually, funny little story: Aidas originally stated, earlier in the morning, that he was not going to eat a cupcake because "they are not healthy." How old is he?! I told him he still needs to live a little, that once in a while is okay. He later changed his mind.

I love the myriad of things going on in the photo below. Notice that Tom is in mid-flight. (It's not the first of such photos I've taken of him. That kid loves to jump!)

Picnic time again. :)

Here's a cute photo of Leila during circle time (music time). If you are very astute, you will be able to figure out the song we are singing.

And here is Maryam as we are singing to her, and presenting her with her cupcake. She looks a little concerned. Haha! What a cutie-pie.

Everyone approved of the cake.

Happy birthday, dear, sweet, Maryam! We are delighted (and SO lucky!) to have your lovely little spirit in the daycare. Have I mentioned that I am already in love with her?! It's amazing how fast the bonds grow. I adore her.

Okay, so I save the most exciting news for last. Get ready for it......Thomas is a BIG brother! And a VERY proud one!

Baby brother Drew was born on Sunday, healthy and beautiful as can be! I didn't even realize how excited and emotional I would feel about someone else's new baby, but I am overjoyed for this family! What a precious gift.

Thomas insisted that his parents bring over his little bro, on Tuesday, to meet everybody. Leila had been super excited to hold the baby too!

TWO days old!! He looks like a little doll, but I can assure you, he is real. How is it that we forget, every time, just how small they are when they are brand new? He is absolutely beautiful. (Yep, already in love with little Drew too.) I don't even know what to say about these pictures except, are you seeing this? Are you getting how wonderful this is?! Okay, I'll settle down now. :)

When he is much bigger, and stronger, I get the honour of caring for this little dude! I am truly looking forward to it.

We were sledding at Lithuania Park yesterday, and this lady walked by and offered to take our picture. Thomas didn't cooperate, but I can't say I blame him. He has the camera in his face enough of the time. Besides sledding, Thomas also did a lot of rolling down the hill, and rolling across the ground. Seriously, at one point I think he did about 30 rolls in a row. He even inspired me to roll down the hill, and I am alive to tell about it! We even taught Leila to roll. It was her first time. (She is more of the cautious sort). I love how everyone inspires, and also learns from, everyone else. It doesn't matter how old. Even little Maryam inspires us. And I can still remember B. inspiring Noah and I to really enjoy one of the coldest days of the year, last winter.



But back to baby Drew, and his awesome big brother. I had to finish the blog with this!

Oh, and if you're wondering about the title of this blog, it's just the term that often comes to my mind when I think about life as a mom, and life as a home daycare provider. (But I think any parent can appreciate this.) Here are some more words: crazy, busy, peaceful, quiet, messy, happy, screaming, laughing, boo-boos, tantrums, love, joy, learning, silliness. But most of all, there is beauty. To sum it up, it is beautiful chaos. :)



#homedaycare #unlicenseddaycare #ontariodaycare #daycare #beautifulchaos

Shaving: 101

We went to the library drop-in again this week. There was a big tub of shaving cream for the kids to muck around with. Only the brave Thomas ventured in (though I'm sure little miss Dea would have joined him if she was at the daycare). How fun is this?

Maryam loved the drop-in. Her favourite part by far was the parachute. No surprise there!

Who says you can't have a picnic in the dead of winter? Thomas and Leila set up a feast of play food on a blanket, in the warm comfort of our living room. Not sure if they ever actually got to sit down to pretend to eat. Their focus was on getting as much food as possible onto that blanket. They are such work horses. ;)

I asked them to sit for a picture, and this is the best I could get. You might be wondering, "Is that a potty on the couch, in the background?" Why yes. Yes it is. Leila has started potty training, and it's not pretty, folks. Because of her initial fear, and continuing apprehension with potty training, I am simply trying to get her more comfortable with it by having her sit on it whenever possible. In the living room. Sometimes with food. I know. Gross. It is everything you probably shouldn't do. But I am pulling out all the stops here. I realized long ago that my daughter might just be more stubborn than me, so sometimes, as a parent, you just have to do what you can to survive. So go ahead, judge. I am too busy here in the trenches to worry about what's proper right now! :)

You might be wondering, "Does she use the potty on the couch though!!?" No. We're not that crazy here. (Even I would SO judge people for that! Geesh!) It's just that, even though I always clean it out after use, I still would prefer baby Maryam not to play with it. You see? We still have some standards.

Leila likes to pat Maryam's head as a sign of affection. Maryam loves this, as you can see.

....aaaaaand....she's off to indulge in the picnic.

Maryam really adores Thomas. He is the only one, so far, who has made her laugh. She loves the silly sounds he makes. Just as kids learn so much intellectually from older kids, I really believe that they also learn invaluable social skills from interacting with the younger ones. Caring and empathy are probably just the tip of the iceberg.



Also, I'm convinced this baby is a genius. She can copy almost any sound! AND I've heard her sing! She's not even 1 yet! But most important of all, she is a sweet, happy and engaged little girl, and we love her already.

Toronto Home Daycare Life

I got to play one-on-one with this handsome dude yesterday. (Leila and Noah had gone to the dentist, Maryam had not yet arrived, and Dea's on vacay!) He was incredibly sweet. At one point he said to me, "I like spending time with you." He also often says, "I love you." He really knows how to make my heart sing. :)

Later, Maryam organized my pots, pans, and tupperware for me. She is often in the kitchen with me when I clean up from meals, and of course, loves to explore! The blue straps you see hanging are so that I can lock two larger cupboards that are off limits. And I have had to lock these for Maryam. Even though I'm there with her, and try to keep those cupboards closed, she insists (as all babies do), and it's impossible to hold them closed while washing dishes! 

Babies (and older kids, if they wish) are allowed to go through the tupperware cupboard, and two bottom drawers. It's great to be able to say "yes" to some of this exploration. There are enough "no"'s in the kitchen area! Plus, I prefer to keep the wee ones closer to me during clean-up, if possible.

Daycare selfie! I was getting water for these two munchkins after nap time one afternoon, when they insisted on immediate hugs. So, we sat on the kitchen floor, cuddled, and looked at some pictures of them on my phone. Thomas wanted to take more pictures, so here you are. 

There is just enough snow for tobogganing at Lithuania Park. We have had limited days to enjoy it though, because of the extreme cold. Here are the kids on one of the 'warmer' days.

Maryam got a little sleigh ride around the park with her new friends. She so loves to be with the gang! I am truly amazed at how fast children bond.

Little angel. :)

These two are apparently having something to eat after driving to (using the little bike and little car) and shopping in, Walmart. Thomas has his wallet on his lap. Leila has her car keys, and a piece of play lettuce, of course.

We do not teach religion at the daycare. We did do Christmas and Hannukah crafts. Is this why it looks like Santa has converted to Orthodox Judaism? Has Thomas integrated the two? Ahhh...wouldn't it be great to integrate all religions? You are clearly ahead of your time, wise Thomas. Remember where you first saw it, folks. Never underestimate the dress-up bin. ;)

Baby Maryam's First Day at Daycare

So, she was only with us for half a day today, but baby Maryam is already quite comfortable joining our daycare family, and all of us are thrilled to welcome her!

After snack, I brought Maryam into the kitchen and gave her a basket of toys to look at, so I could keep an easy eye on her while I cleaned up the dishes. The other children quickly joined her. I love this sequence of photos, because Amadea had just noticed (or perhaps remembered) that she had a boo-boo on her hand. I could not see even a scratch, but she was very concerned about it.

I kissed it for her anyway, and she was finally able to resume playing, despite her wound. ;) She sometimes gets concerned over a loose piece of skin, so this was not abnormal behaviour for this little munchkin! (Oh the daycare dramas!)

But back to our newbie...isn't she beautiful and precious?! She is a very good crawler, and an even better talker! The kids love her already!

We did music circle together. Maryam sang and danced a little, but her focus was on exploration. In the bottom right picture, Leila is holding our Mr. Sun prop and gently touching Maryam's head for the verse "These little children are asking you..." It was very endearing.

At one point Thomas was making silly sounds and Maryam was having a good laugh! I tried to capture it on camera, though I didn't quite get the precise moment. I think Maryam is especially interested in Thomas. (But who isn't?!) She kept staring at him like he's a rock star. :) Anyway, here's a little clip of our music circle. What a beautiful little addition to our gang!

Home Daycare 2015 - Style!

One thing I've always loved about running a home daycare, is that many kids get to enjoy the presents my children receive for Christmas, birthdays, or whatever! Above, Riley is playing with a new doll and castle that Leila got from family members.

On top of that, I notice that my kids enjoy their own toys more when they see others' interest in them. Neither of my kids has ever really been attached to any toy, blanket, etc. Okay, I lie. Noah is very attached to media of all sorts (which can be both good and bad. After all, the T.V. Guide did inspire him to teach himself to read!) Leila is more about the social interaction. She only likes playing with her toys when others are playing with her. In any case, neither of them are very attached to the multitude of toys they have, which makes them very good at sharing with the daycare kids. They see their toys as everyone's toys. And since they are spoiled rotten by family and friends, it is so great the toys get so much use.

In other news, Leila has finally moved into her "big girl" bed! Her Oma bought her Strawberry Shortcake sheets for Christmas, so she is all set.

These pictures are of her first night in the toddler bed.. Her big brother helped her get used to it. She LOVES it!

We made Oobleck for the first time at the day care, this week. It is made by mixing corn starch and water. It's really cool because it acts as both a liquid and a solid. Guess who was the only one brave enough to even touch it? Amadea the artist. :)

As you well know it has been FREEZING cold this week in Toronto! We made it out for a walk every day except Wednesday. Usually the kids get out of the wagon and walk a little, but not this week. They didn't even talk much. I guess they were just praying for me to get them back to our warm home quickly! I was relieved though, today, as we were walking in between the buildings, when there were enormous, almost frightening wind gusts (almost knocked me off my feet!) and heard them laughing! Well, Leila and Thomas were laughing. Amadea was purely focused on holding her hood onto her head. We have been enjoying hot chocolate with marshmallows twice a week since early December, upon our return home. It makes braving the cold a little more worthwhile, to them!

We did finger painting today. It's been quite a while since we've done this, as we were so focused on holiday crafts for the past month or so.

Here, Amadea is delighted that the paper is sticking to her hands. :)

In case you were wondering, Book Club has resumed for the year 2015.

Remember, I have nothing to do with this. They organize it themselves. During free play, they just decide that this is their activity, and set up shop. I do, of course, show delight when they do this. It's just adorable. AND a good habit for them to get into.

They changed location part way through. Can't say I blame them!

We are very excited to welcome a new baby (1-year-old) to the daycare next week!! Thomas is already on the look-out for items that are too small to have around, and could pose a choking hazard for the little one. He brings me little pieces of paper to throw in the garbage, and has reminded me a few times to take the smaller magnets off the fridge. Great practice for his upcoming role as a big brother! All three of them are my little helpers!

Jackson and the No-Good, Terrible, Very Bad Morning at Daycare

(Jackson is a fictionalized character used to describe some very real happenings at the daycare this morning. It is told from his perspective.)


My first morning back at the daycare after Christmas break was brutal.

When I arrived this morning, Leila informed me she had moved into her big girl bed. She had new sheets on it and everything. I said that I got a new bed too, but nobody could see it because it was all the way at my home. Charla said I had new sheets to sleep on for nap time, because Noah got Lego Movie sheets for Christmas (and I sleep in Noah's bed at nap time). But I wanted MY new bed to be there. At the daycare. Charla said we couldn't bring my bed to the daycare. I could tell it was going to be a horrible, terrible, no-good, very bad morning at the daycare.

While I was playing with Noah's new knight's castle that he got for Christmas, I told everyone that I had a new baby boy doll in my backpack. When they asked if they could see it I said I didn't want to share it because it is SPECIAL TO ME. Then Noah said that if I don't share my doll with Leila, he wouldn't share his knight's castle with me. I let them see the doll. But I was not pleased.

Amadea's dad told Charla that Dea had a very sore neck. Charla gave her some medicine to make it not hurt so much. I said I needed some medicine too, but Charla said you can only have medicine when you really need it. I said "Poor me, because I have a bit of a cough". But Charla wasn't convinced that I needed medicine. This is NOT fair.

At snack I spilled a drop of water on myself. I screamed and demanded that Charla change my clothes, but she said she couldn't change my clothes every time I got a tiny speck of water on them. I was so mad at her. Isn't this what my mom and dad pay her for? I think I'll quit the daycare tomorrow.

After snack I kept saying hi to Dea, but she didn't say hi back. So I said hi louder. She still said nothing. So I said hi really loud and moved right up to her face, just to be sure she heard me. She got mad and walked away. Leila kept saying hi to me, but I didn't want her to say hi! I angrily told Leila that I was saying hi to Dea. Geesh.

At potty time, Dea tried to go pee but nothing came out. Charla said she could try again later. As I rode a bike past the bathroom, I informed Charla that I also could just try later. Charla said I should try now anyway. Why on earth should I have to try the potty when Amadea didn't go pee?! This is unjust.

When it was time to get our snow pants on, Charla put Amadea's snow pants on first, and I wanted to be first. Charla said we had to take turns being first. I was so mad I kicked and screamed and threw things. Charla put me in a time out for a minute. I hate time-outs. But then she gave me a hug. That was alright I guess.

Leila was not being nice when it was time to go out. She pulled Dea's hair, and was hitting Charla. Leila didn't want to go outside, but the rest of us wanted to go out, just for a little bit. Leila still said no. Even after a time-out, Leila was still being violent (I wonder if my parents even know about this). I told Charla the only way we could go out was if we strapped Leila into the stroller. Charla said I was right. I'm glad she knows how clever I am.

I said I wanted Charla to pull me in the wagon, because I was tired, but she said she couldn't pull a wagon and push a stroller at the same time. I wish I hadn't given her the stroller idea.

In the lobby, Leila kept throwing off her mitts. Charla kept telling her she needed to keep them on because it was freezing cold out. I showed Charla my mitts, still on my hands. "I'm being good." I reminded her. She agreed.

We didn't stay out for long because it was freezing cold, (and I think I overheard Charla say something about us being too crazy to take far). I was so good walking with Charla. I'm the biggest kid at the daycare, you know. That's why I'm so well-behaved.

Not like Leila. She still fusses a lot because she's two. I'm three. And I'm fine right now. But oh, that naughty Leila....