Personal Dilemma

Not a rant but more of a personal dilemma. We have family photos scheduled for Saturday. I look forward to new birthday photos for Cole and family photos for Christmas. I have been reflecting lately on the family. I really enjoy Cole and she is growing up so fast. I know Rob really wants more kids and I have been really against it. It is exhausting to for 12 children during the day. The idea of having an infant again scares me. The daycare kids are so demanding. I don't have time to sit down to eat lunch or any other time. The only thing that is saving me is the kids are all walking now and can go up and down the stairs on their own. Last year I had 6 kids in diapers at once. I only have 3 in diapers now and NO BOTTLES. For the first time in three years I have no baby bottles, it is huge.
I guess my biggest frustration is the economy and Rob being laid off. He will find a job and then we can explore our financial options. If I don't have to replace kids as they start going to school, I might be able to think about having more of our own. I really can't think about it right now. Financially we are doing fine as long I run at near full capacity. I really don't want this large of a group forever though.

Pumpkin guts, beautiful pumpkin guts...

Ok, so I am a freak, I think pumpkin guts are cool. Cleaning the pumpkin out for craving is fun. I feel like I have accomplished something when the inside is nice and clean and ready for carving. I like how the insides vary from pumpkin to pumpkin. Your hands get messy but it is a clean messy, it washes right off. Dirt gets under your finger nails and into your skin and it takes forever to get you hands clean. I was pleasantly surprised to see that our 3-year old daughter really thought it was cool too. She dug right in and didn't stop. I am glad she is not a totally girly girly and doesn't mind getting her hands dirty.

On Friday, Rob and Nicole went to a daddy-daughter dance and had a great time. She really didn't get the concept of dancing with daddy all the time but she still had fun. She really enjoyed raiding the snacks- cheese balls where a huge hit. We don't have them at our house so it was a new experience for her. Every kid needs to eat cheese balls until they are sick at some point in their life.

Saturday was Nicole's B-day party. It was smaller this year, 27 people instead of over 40 like last year. Ok, we like hosting parties. Rob will say I love having lots of people over but he is just as bad as me. He made up the guest list not me! 'Cole had a great time. She really is a little socialite. She loved every minute of her party!

Major Rant

Oh today was one of those days where I could just scream! The kids were off the hook. They were so good yesterday and today I swear they were abducted by aliens and returned with wild animals inside their little bodies. So it got even worse- I had to send one home with pink eye and another one fell and broke his clavicle (collar bone). I was shocked that it was broken, he was trying to throw leaves at his friend from the top of the slide (friend running by below the slide), lost his balance and fell off the side of the slide. This is the same kid who has jumped off the top on purpose. But it is all about how you land. So I have to file an accident report with the state, less the one week after my inspection. I really think the inspector jinxed me! She said everyone has to file a report sooner or later. But really what are the odds of her saying that less the one week ago! So tonight I have been worrying about my injured little daycare boy, bleaching my entire house to prevent the spread of pink eye and writing my "incident report." Tomorrow WILL BE BETTER! Or I am calling all the parents and sending the monkeys home BEFORE anyone gets hurt. Mommy needs her sippy cup of vino

Need a life...

I really need a life! I come up with these great ideas, they turn into projects and I end up spending two or three days working on them. I decided to paint some decorations and make some games for Nicole's birthday birthday. Well, it took me way too much time but we have "pumpkins for sale" and "pin the nose on the pumpkin." Either I need a new hobby or to turn my brain off. I think there are meds to do that. The nice thing I make for her party, I can use for a halloween party for the daycare kids. Still wonder why I take on these projects. Oh well, Nicole loves her pumpkins....

Yikes- time flies!

It just dawned on me that I will have a three year old in less then two weeks! Some days, she seems older then that, her vocabulary and abilities are far beyond that of a three year old. Her toilet training, emotional reactions, and unwillingness to listen to mama are very typical three year old. She can be so fascinating and frustrating at the same time.

Her birthday is exciting and scary to me at the same time. Three! Off to school in just a couple years. I don't know if I should be overjoyed and saddened. A bit of both. She will love school and will probably listen to her teachers. :)

Friday-TGIF!

So I made it to Friday again! I was so exhausted this morning I seriously considered making my instant oatmeal with coffee. The kids said I was strange but they always think I'm strange so I'm not really concerned. Would is taste like coffee flavored oatmeal or just be gross? If things get any crazier I just might try it.
Still waiting on pins & needles for my daycare inspection. I would bet she will be here next week. And there is no school on Thursday & Friday so she will probably show up then. The kids are off the hook when the big kids are around. It is like they are all high on caffine or worse! I wonder how much trouble I can get into for using child labor- have them rake all the leaves, sweep out the garage, scrub the floors, etc...

My Rant..

I have been challenged to rant on my blog, really let loose. Thanks for the challenge Super J! Well my biggest rant is the absolute chaos that is my life. I have been putting crazy hours in getting ready for my daycare relicensing inspection. The state requirements are absolutely ridiculous. She could come through and demand I remove all my landscaping shrubs because many of them are listed as "toxic" IF YOU EAT THE ENTIRE PLANT. I watch special needs kids who are smarter then that and at some point you do need to be watching the kids. How long would it take a kid to eat an entire shrub? And just how stupid does the kid have to be? I do feed the children, I don't think they are wandering around going "yummy tree bark", they are more likly to chomp on each other. Hey- biting each other- that's a bio hazard- better muzzle the children to prevent contamination. At what point do we have to use common sense? (The picture is a giant crab at the San Francisco Bay Aquarium)

I really think the biggest problem is the state needs to do a better job of educating parents and be a little less ocd with the provider. Teach the parents some of the regulations- most parents do not even realize the number of children a provider can care for. The most a daycare provider can watch is 12 children by themselves, 14 if there are two providers. If you are dropping your child off at daycare and he/she is number 22 maybe you should be looking for a different provider. Parents need to take some responsibility for the daycare they choose. The state can not legislate everything. I could pass all the daycare licensing requirements and be the worst provider out there. Many good providers are quiting because the rules and regulations are too much. The paperwork for the state, the food program, and for my taxes takes so much time to do, I could spend all day everyday doing it and ignoring the children. All the required paperwork would be done, but the children would suffer because of it. There has got to be a balance somewhere. OK, that's my rant, I'm done. I'm off to eat one of my shrubs...