Day care mishaps today

Today certainly didn't start out well for my day care.

We went out the front yard to pick some flowers and just as we were about to get back into the house, Miss 2 was bitten by a green ant. They are ferocious, these ones. The last time she got bitten, she has nose bleeding the whole night and a swollen finger that required antibiotics. Today she was bitten thrice in a span of a few seconds. All on the same big toe. She cried. Poor girl. Half an hour of crying. Applied ice, white vinegar, banana skin and panadol but they didn't work. Finally had aloe vera rubbed on her and that soothed her down greatly. Maybe it was from all of the above, but it didn't matter. So long as she's playing and not crying, I'm glad.

So, while all the crying was happening, the other 2 day care children were having their morning tea. After settling Miss 2, I cleaned up the morning tea crumbs and one of the day care girls told me that she had done a wee. On my couch cushion and the carpet.

Off I went then to clean her up and to my horror, Miss 2 decided that it was water play time, so she stomped on the wee on the carpet. Had to get her feet washed as well. Removed the cushion into the bath tub and covered the wetted carpet with salt to absorb the urine. I found that effective for me. Blocked off the area, but Miss 2 decided that she would like to have a taste of urine and salt and licked some off the carpet.

That sent her to the bathroom for some mouth rinsing and a good talking to.

That was all within an hour. I was exhausted by the end of it and my day was not even half gone. It is afternoon sleep now and I am off to my bed too. Sphere: Related Content

Fine motor skills activities

Some fine motor skills activities to develop your child's fine motor skills and build relevant strength and muscles.

1. Play dough - strengthens muscles, strengthens fingers.
2. Cutting - hand-eye coordination and gripping skills.
3. Clothes pegs - hand-eye coordination, strengthen finger muscles and working on fine gripping skills.
4. Weaving - hand-eye coordination, focus and concentration, gripping.
5. Finger Painting - it gets them to have a sense of what their fingers can do.
6. Hammering / Paintbrush painting - these build the co-ordination between their eyes and hands and get the movements going to help with fine motor skills.
7. Picking toys / coins / flowers - When they pick these up one at a time, their little fingers need to grip and co-ordinate. Builds strength and finger muscles. Sphere: Related Content

Miss 2 woke up with a dry nappy!

Woo-hoo! She had a dry nappy this morning, from 8pm last night when she went to bed. Sat her on the toilet seat and she actually urinated within 5 minutes! So proud of her! Wonder if I can start my toilet training this weekend?

Tried to get her to the toilet last December, when it was nice and warm and we didn't have to wear lots of clothes, but I ended up cleaning the floor, the rubbish bin, carpet, chairs, etc.. Stayed home with her for a week in the hope that she could be out of nappies, but it didn't work. By the end of the week, I was cranky and impatient and disappointed in her and myself. So, we decided to leave it till later. Could this be the later?

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Alright afternoon edit : Don't know how ready she is.. She would do a poo or a wee, get to the toilet and take off her nappy.. sigh.. if only she had a toilet-ready sensor. Sphere: Related Content

How safe are child-safe locks?

I run a day care and almost everything in the house is locked or child-proofed. We just added a new lock to the house - the linen cupboard. I was told to either put a lock in or remove all the plastic bags from the cupboard. Took the lock.

Anyway, Miss 2 discovered that she could 'unlock' the fridge door. Yup, fridges also have locks. They are the stick-ons with a clip. You know, those that have double sided-tapes on both ends with a clip-on lock in the middle? The double-sided taped ends are the ones that are to be stuck onto one side of the fridge and another to the door. They're so child-safe that I always struggle to unlock them. They're the most annoying locks I've ever come across.

Back to Miss 2, well, she discovered that if the lock cannot be unlocked, guess what!, she could jolly well peel off one end from the double-sided tape that was stuck to the fridge. So there! Just when I thought that my house is free from harm's way.

I find that child-safe locks are just a deterrent. They're not all-encompassing protective, but they give children a bit more effort and time in getting to what they want. Unfortunately, I reckon that people who designed child-safe locks hardly ever considered the locks from a child's point-of-view. Children have this knack of getting around rules and achieving what they want in a totally different way.

Hope your child-safe locks lasted longer than mine! Sphere: Related Content

I love newborn babies

I really love newborn babies. They're such fragile sweet-smelling creatures. I love the way they peek out at you with their sleepy eyes and the way they yawn and struggle to get out of their wraps.

Visited a friend who just gave birth last week. Didn't get to carry bub. Was a little disappointed. There were grandparents hovering over my shoulders. It's understandable, that being the couple's first child and the first grandchild of the family.

Looking at the newborn reminded me of my birth with now Miss 2. That was 2 yrs ago. She was a very placid baby. Curious about everything. Didn't mind being carried and passed around. I didn't mind people carrying her either. They're tough, these little people. She was jaundice though, so slept through a lot of the times. But doesn't feed well at the breast, so needing to use the breast pump and giving her formula at the same time.

Anyway, I love newborns. Yes. Love to cuddle them, kiss their soft cheeks, feel their soft tender skin and just be with them. Could smile endlessly at a sleeping child in my arms. Sphere: Related Content

The Rules of Parenting by Richard Templar

Just blogged about this book on my online bookstore's blog. Wanted to share with you this post.

I found this book really handy and helpful because it covers a wide range of topics and in very easy to read snippets. 100 rules in all, and each only taking up 2 pages. I don't know about other mums, but I struggle to even finish a book. Reading a chapter of a novel a night can be challenging. But 2 pages? No problem.

The Rules of Parenting by Richard Templar Sphere: Related Content

Pantry must-haves

For me as a mum and a working one too, getting food ready is always a challenge. My sister-in-law posted a pantry must-have some time ago on her blog and I do have some of my own to share too.

These are my must-haves for the pantry :
1. Rice - a very hassle free carbohydrate that goes into the rice cooker.
2. Oats - a very quick snack in the microwave that fills up the stomach.
3. Potatoes / Sweet potatoes - Perfect size for a toddler's meal time carbohydrate cooked in the microwave when in a rush.
4. Pasta - Add some milk, cheese and frozen vegetables for a vegetarian pasta bake.
5. Milo - Energy drink that fills the empty stomach on days where I have no time to catch a proper meal.
6. Honey - Energy booster for me.
7. Seaweed sheets - Perfect snack, or put some rice and tuna on it for a tuna sushi dinner.
8. Tuna cans (either flavoured or those in brine/springwater) - very versatile in pastas or fried with eggs.
9. UHT milk - in case the milk runs out during the week (which it very often does with a milk-drinking toddler). Cheaper alternative to fresh milk.
10. Baked beans - great as a protein and fibre source. Good on its own, or with rice or toast.
11. Creamed canned soups - very easy with pasta for a creamy pasta bake.
12. Canned tomatoes - I like them diced and they go well with scrambled eggs, pasta or soups.
13. Gravy packs - they're a great help when it comes to cooking meat and having no idea what seasoning to use.

What are yours? Sphere: Related Content

Playing mummy

Had day care children yesterday and by the end of the day, I was exhausted, as usual. It's strange what children can do to one's energy levels. Mine seem to get sucked away so quickly.

During our indoors play time, the three 2.5year olds decided to role play doctors and mummy and made me the child. While my girl was busy instructing me what to do, the other two were happy to be her assistants in "torturing" me.

So there I was, following instructions as to what to do.

"Mummy, lie down!" commanded my girl.
"Needle for you," she said, and generously jabbed me on the arms and legs.
"Mummy cry, waah waah." I did and it brought laughter all around.
My girl left my side. There was a period of silence and I heard running feet and sounds of paper rustling. My little girl came back to my side with tissue in her hands and repeated her instruction again, "Mummy cry, waah, waah." I did and this time, she dabbed my eyes with the tissue in her hand.
"Mummy, blow your nose." I did and she wiped my nose too.

Sweet. =) Sphere: Related Content

Did weeding today!

Ok, I have to confess that the garden and myself are almost not on talking terms. I leave the back and front yard to husband.

Used to do weeding before we had our own kids and before I started Family Day Care, but since then, we've been using the weed killers.

This morning, while taking my children (day care and my own) out the back for a morning tea picnic, I decided to do some weeding with them. The children were very good at keeping away from the insects and creatures that appeared from within the weeds. We had some squeals and laughter over the weeds.

Maybe it's the company, or the children that make weeding seem so much more fun, but I think, I'll be doing a bit more with them around. Gives me a chance to learn about the good and bad greenery in the garden and the children to help around the house too. Somehow, children just make everything seem more fun. Gotta love them. Sphere: Related Content

Reason for this blog

There seems to be a reason for everything and so, there is a reason for this blog.

It's more a diary and collection of my life as a mother. Motherhood does not end after children enter adulthood. There's still the adult child to parent, though at a different approach, then there's the grand-motherhood that is to come.

I am also a day care mum, so this also qualify as part of motherhood, I suppose! Sphere: Related Content