Why preschool?

As you might realize by now, I am an early childhood educator.  Meaning?  I taught preschool and I now coach teachers who teach preschool and kindergarten.  I have my Masters in early childhood special education.  I am a HUGE supporter of preschool for all children.  I have heard people say to me that preschool is just babysitting, or playing all day.  This is for them.

I received this infographic through a professional group I am involved in and it is used with permission by EducationNews.org


Please Include Attribution to EducationNews.org With This Graphic

Celebrate with Crayola on their 110th birthday!

Did you know that Crayola has been around for 110 years?  Neither did I, at least not until recently.  Crayola contacted me to ask me to let all my readers know about the excitement they have planned. To celebrate, the original 8 crayons are throwing a birthday bash at the new Crayola Experience in Easton, PA.  Right now they are out on a colorful adventure and they want you to follow along.  You can do so by heading to the facebook page to see where they are right now! Visit the Crayola facebook page and enter to win a trip for 4 to celebrate their birthday and the Grand Opening of the Crayola Experience in May 2013.  You can enter once a day to win a 3 night, all-expenses paid stay and be one of the first to experience the fun of the colorful, interactive exhibits and attractions. I have never been there myself but Lilly has gone with her grandparents who live in Pennsylvania.  She raved about it and cannot wait to go back.  She was able to be creative, have fun, and it was set up in a way that allowed her to be independent while she played!  Even if we do not win the tickets, we will absolutely go to to the Crayola Experience once they re-open. What's your favorite Crayola color?

Reading sad things

I am a reader of blogs.  Kind of a lot of them.  Sometimes they are very funny; sometimes they are informative.  And sometimes they are sad.  Recently I have been following the story of Kate and her son Gavin in her blog Chasing Rainbows.  I cannot possibly do her justice, so I will let you read about her yourself.  Please do, because her grace is well, amazing.  Last week something incredibly sad happened.  Gavin died.  He was 5 years old.

I have been asked why I read sad stories like Kate's.  I have been asked if they affect me.  They do affect me.  I am deeply saddened, yet unable to stop reading the stories that are written.  I have asked myself why, because other people ask me why.  This is my answer.  If someone (like Kate) has been brave enough to write her story down and allow me (and others) to read it, then I feel I owe it to her and to her beautiful son to read it.  I will cry for her, her husband, her other son, for Gavin.

It helps me feel connected to women who are just amazing.  I am learning how to have grace and courage from these other women who are not afraid to share their stories with the world.  So  I read them.  I try to learn from them.  

Today was Gavin's funeral.  I wrote his name on my hand, along with a a little rainbow.  I held space for Gavin'd family today.  I prayed and held them up, mentally, every time I saw his name.  And maybe that is why I really read blogs.  So that I can be reminded to not give up hope.  And I can, in my own quiet way, hold space for another.  

How to take a relaxing bath...or not!

Last Friday night I decided that I wanted to take a hot bath.  I was feeling a bit stressed and just needed to feel that hot water sooth and relax my muscles.  I have always loved baths but somehow it is hard to find the time these days.  What transpired after the decision to take a bath was made was either going to make me laugh or cry.  I decided on a good laugh (more stress relief) and thought you might like it, too.  Enjoy!

How to Take A Bath
Decide to take a bath and walk into the bathroom. 
Hear 5 year-old crying for Momma.
Calm her down and put her back to sleep.  Realize that running the water in the tub will keep her awake.
Go to sleep instead.
Wake up to aforementioned child crying again.  Bring her into your bed.

Next evening decide to take a bath, again.
Make sure the cat is in the bathroom so he doesn't meow outside the door and wake the child.
Put a moisturizing fascial mask on to soak in while you are bathing. Smart multitasking!
Get into bath and allow the hot water to envelope you and relax your muscles.
Close your eyes and lean back. 
Feel the furry tail of the cat pull all the way across your face, leaving cat hair in the moisturizing mask.
Sigh and take mask off with warm washcloth.
Close eyes and lean back again.  Remember that bathtub is barely long enough for 5 year-old, let alone 5'11" grown woman.  Attempt to relax anyway.
Get scared out of your mind when the door bursts open.  Wish your bathroom door locked.
Try to shoo dog out.  Be satisfied that she stops whining so she doesn't wake 5 year-old.
Diffuse potentially tricky situation between cat and dog in small bathroom space while still in the tub.
Realize bathroom door is now wide open.  
Feel freezing cold air coming in.  Give up on relaxing hot bath.
Get out of bath and immediately get rubbed on by cat on the left leg and the dog on the right, leaving long orange and white hairs and short gray hairs on each respective leg.  
sigh....

Jello Memories

In my last blog post I wrote about making new memories.  I think one of the things I love most about making new memories with Lilly is how it often brings me back to my own childhood memories.  I am pretty darn lucky that my memories are so wonderful.  I know how blessed I am to have had such a childhood because I work with children who do not always have good memories.  Or their good memories are so far from how I define good that it saddens me.  While I know that my childhood was not perfect, I have very few bad memories.

Yesterday I was making jello with Lilly.  A few years ago I tried making it but she refused to eat it.  I ended up eating an entire pan of orange jello.  It was more than a little sickening.   She has now decided that she likes jello.  She picked out grape (hello, purple!) and raspberry lemonade or some such newfangled flavor.  She was very excited to make it with me.  I obviously stirred it initially since it requires adding boiling water, but then she helped stir the jello powder until it disolved.  We talked about how it would not be ready until tomorrow (today) which is why we made it at night.

Waiting is a hard thing for kids.  Scratch that, waiting is hard!   Lilly was pretty okay with it.  She understands what finished jello looks like so she knew that this was NOT finished.  Without telling her what I was doing, I got out a spoon and scooped a bit of the cooled jello mixture just before I put it in the fridge.  I told her that this is what Nanny used to do for me and I gave her a taste.  It brought me right back to 188 aka Nanny's house, where she would give me a little taste of the not-yet-ready jello from the fridge.  Watching Lilly's face light up at the taste of the warm liquidy goodness was fun.  Watching her smile as she thought of me as Nanny's little granddaughter was priceless.

And you know what?  Knowing that I look back and see the good memories gives me hope that Lilly, too, will someday look back and see only the good, and forgive me for my mom-mistakes.