A Comfortable Home

Banana Bread working on a collage this week

Since I started running family daycare last September I have been working to find ways to make life more efficient.  I LOVE working from home, but because we are here so much it gets messy. Really quickly.  In the past, I can remember leaving for my day job, dropping the kids at school and returning to an untouched, tidy home at the end of the day... happy sigh...




To give an honest assessment of how the house looks right now:

• George is starting paper mache for his Science poster presentation at the kitchen table. Muffin Mouse if there too working on math.
• Banana Bread is playing (messing things up) quietly in her room.
• The lunch stuff is on the kitchen counters still.
• A half-folded bin of laundry is on the couch in the livingroom.

Science project underway

Over the past year I have found some strategies that work toward my goal of achieving a comfortable home. For me a 'comfortable home' is one that is reasonably clean, tidy (only current projects are out), and well organized.

Oh, and I should mention that I did not replace my housecleaner who came a couple of times per month when she moved. I'm using that money to pay for my horse riding lessons instead... so things are more "comfortable" and less clean than they have been!

• The daycare kids and I tidy the toys and play space three times a day (before outside time, before nap, and before stories at the end of the day.)  This advice came from a long-time family daycare provider and it is so important. It creates an atomsphere of order, but allows for freedom in play (I'm not tempted to tidy as they play.)

• My bi-weekly toy rotation is a big help. I re-create the play space every two weeks (move livingroom furniture, set-up a new dramatic play theme etc.) This routine prompts me to clean under the couches, find lost toys, and dust areas that otherwise go unnoticed in the day-to-day living.

• I pretty much do all the laundry one day a week. If I don't prioritize it on one day it becomes a nasty, drawn-out process for the week (forgetting stuff is in there and rewashing etc.)

• I know I've mentioned it before, but I always come back to it - Flylady is the basic structure I return to when things feel out of hand around the house. Hot darn, it just works.

I've also become a huge believer in home delivery!! 

• Our dog is groomed in a mobile pet grooming van every 2 months for the same price I paid to drop him somewhere in town. This saves me from spending one of my days-off running the dog around town.

•  I have my groceries delivered to my door.  There has been some trial and error with this system, but I now have it fine-tuned.  I have an organic food bin delivered every two weeks from Share Organics. I also have other groceries delivered every two weeks from Thrifty's.  This frees me to spend my time menu planning, and eliminates the couple of hours spent shopping on the weekends.  I do still make a couple of trips to Costco in a month, but I find that more fun than work!

OK. I've got to go put the lunch dishes away before the little ones wake up from nap!

Joyfully comfortable,
Caz.

Finding Our Groove

Banana Bread collecting treasures on our daily walks.

Good heavens, where have I been for most of September? Well, obviously not blogging! It has been a great month - the daycare kids are happily adjusted to their new routines, and my older kids have found their groove with home schooling.  I've developed a nice rhythm to the days - enough to do that things aren't boring, but not so much that they're overwhelming. A lovely balance.

So what to touch bases on first?  I think we'll tackle homeschooling in this post.  I'm so grateful for the planning I did in early August as the start to the year was pretty seamless as far as what to work on. This freed us to focus on fine-tuning our schedule in September - figuring out where we had overcommitted, and where we can reassign some things.

Some highlights this year:

•  Muffin Mouse (Grade 7)
• With Bus Pass in hand Muffin Mouse is out-and-about 4 days a week. She has incorporated a couple of volunteer shifts into her schedule this year, and I managed to shuffle music lessons to a daytime slot to free-up our evenings a little.
• Her Science class is going really well. She is working through the BC science curriculum with this group, meeting weekly for an hour and a half.  We're using her home-school funds to help cover the $235 cost for the year.
• Dance has taken a new path too. Due to a rescheduling of a Highland dance class which didn't work for us we have found a wonderful new dance home at Dance on IT studios.  Muffin Mouse is now doing ballet (Grade 2/3) and Jazz on Thursdays.
• Of course, she'd say the highlight of her year is the inclusion of horse riding lessons.  She is riding twice a week, volunteering at the stables once a week, and taking online equestrian courses this year. Our goal was to mirror the sport institutes that many of the highschools offer now (in hockey, soccer etc) with an equestrian theme.

• George (Grade 6)
• George is also toting his new Bus Pass and cell phone as he commutes around town this year. He is pumped about his first job volunteering with Beacon Hill Childrens Farm.  Essentially on poo-patrol he and Muffin Mouse spend a couple of hours a week helping care for the animals. After their shift they also try and catch an IMAX at the BC Royal Museum before heading home.
• We made a switch in music teachers this year. George is continuing with his second year on the Alto Saxophone and has really connected with his new music teacher, Joe Hatherill.  After splurging on some music books by contemporary artists music practice is significantly more motivating - no more watching the clock!
• Hockey continues to be a main focus for George, although he is showing an interest in being a Farrier.  We are fortunate that he can volunteer with his horse stables when the Farrier is visiting to get some hands-on practice in this field.
• We're trying a new French program this year through Rosetta Stone. It seems great - an immersion experience online which is more engaging than the pen & paper approach last year.  We got a discounted rate with our school district for the annual access.

• Banana Bread (Preschool)
• Banana Bread is delightfully motivated in her home-schooling. Most days I don't have a chance to eat my lunch before she sits down to do her work.  Her reading is coming along and she loves to identify the sounds she hears in the words and songs we work on .
• Most of her days follow a typical preschooler pattern: free play, snack, outside time, lunch, home school, quiet time, free play. Add some art activities, a dance class, and swim club and that's her week.

We have scheduled our annual home school retreats (I take each child on an individual weekend retreat) in October and November. These are my chance to develop a clear vision for the year ahead with each child, and together we identify the areas of character development we'll each focus on. We really look forward to this time one-on-one - can't wait!

So, here we are.  I hope this doesn't seem overwhelming (I know I can be a bit scary with my spreadsheet!) But, my intent is to share a snapshot of our week for other home-schoolers. I know it was a burning question for me when we started last year - what will our days look like? And, particularly now the kids are older, what does home schooling look like in the middle and high-school years?

Joyfully scheduled,
Caz.

Here's our current schedule:

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2012/13 School Year
		Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
				George Hockey
06:00 AM				5:30 – 7:35am
				(Caz run)
07:00 AM
08:00 AM
			George Book Club			TRANSIT
09:00 AM			8:30 – 9:30am			9am – 11am
			- Math	- Reading	- Horse Council	George & M. Mouse
10:00 AM			- Writing	- Music Practice	of BC online	Horse Stables
			- Socials Project		- Reading	Volunteer shift
11:00 AM		- Weekly Goals			- Music Practice	11am – noon
		- Math	TRANSIT
12:00 PM		- Personal Planning	Noon – 2pm	TRANSIT		Horse Riding
		- Writing	George & M. Mouse	12:30-2:00
01:00 PM		- Reading	Beacon Farm	M. Mouse Sc. Class	- Math
			Volunteer shift	George – French	- Writing
02:00 PM		TRANSIT	TRANSIT	TRANSIT	- M. Mouse French
		2:30-3:30pm			- George Science
03:00 PM		George & M. Mouse
		Music Lessons	- Music Practice				Sunday
04:00 PM		TRANSIT	- Reading				B. Bread Swim
					B. Bread Swim Club		4:30 – 5:15pm
05:00 PM		5-6pm	5-5:30pm		4:30 – 5:15pm		(Caz run)
		George & M. Mouse	B. Bread Dance		(Caz run)
06:00 PM		Horse Riding		- Writing	4:45 – 6:15
			6:30-8:00pm	- Math	M. Mouse Ballet
07:00 PM			M. Mouse Highland		6:15 – 7:15
		George hockey			M. Mouse Jazz
08:00 PM		7:45 – 9:05pm
		(Caz run)

Writing Curriculum

I think I have just about everything prepped for the start of the school year.  We're camping for a couple more weeks in August and I dedicate the final week before school starts to daycare prep - so having the school stuff ready to go early creates peace of mind.

Our school district advances a portion of the 2012/13 budget in the summer to help cover the costs of school supplies and books - such a bonus!

Now, I must admit, I did not put a ton of research into choosing a curriculum provider.  My sister is a dynamite researcher and did a lot of the ground work for me.  She helped me narrow it down to Evan-Moore and then I reviewed the curriculum to find a good fit for our goals this year.  One of the pluses of the Evan-Moore curriculum is that there is continuity in format across the grades which helps when teaching multi-grades. Also, the programs are generally set-up with a "daily M-F" format building in practice.

Banana Bread - PreK

My preschool program during daycare hours is primarily experience and  play-based. My goal is to provide responsive, reciprocal, respectful care.

As she is showing a readiness to learn to read and write I plan to spend about 20 minutes per day (while the older kids are doing independent work & the daycare kids are napping) teaching Banana Bread to read and write.

We will be using the Evan-Moore Everyday Literacy: Reading & Writing.  This program does a great job of presenting letter recognition and phonics in a unified approach.

I've also photocopied reading books for her.  The books are levelled with the Reading Recovery Program - a well-researched reading intervention program for students in early grades.

George & Muffin Mouse - Gr 6 and Gr 7

I'm so excited about the Evan-Moore Daily 6-Trait Writing Program.  It combines all the elements I am looking for: practice, grammar & conventions, editing, and organizing. 

It covers the following lessons:

Ideas
Choosing a Strong Idea; Writing Topic Sentences and Supporting Details; Developing Character, Setting, and Plot Ideas; Elaborating on Ideas and Details; Maintaining Your Focus
Organization
Sequencing; Organizing Information Logically; Organizing Information to Compare and Contrast; Organizing to Persuade; Choosing Which Way to Organize Your Writing
Word Choice
Writing Precise Descriptions; Writing About Action; Using Figurative Language; Choosing the Right Words for Your Audience; Getting the Reader's Attention
Sentence Fluency
Combining Sentences with Conjunctions; Writing Complex Sentences; Parallel Structure Within a Sentence; Beginning Sentences in Different Ways; Writing a Smooth Paragraph
Voice
Identifying Different Writing Voices; Using Different Voices for Different Purposes; Using Voice in Poetry; Writing from Different Points of View; Using Voice in Persuasive Writing.

Each day has the lesson objectives laid-out.

The weekly format builds on a skill and concludes with a writing assignment.  The assignments vary, and include:

• Editorials for a paper
• Book reports
• Short stories
• Descriptive paragraphs
• Letters
• Personal narratives
• Compare and contrast articles
• Speeches
• Formal reports
• Biographies
• Reviews
• Responses
• Poetry
• How-to paragraphs
• Persuasive paragraphs.
  

It would be a lie to say I can't wait to get started - I'm still in holiday mode:) But, I am looking forward to a successful year!

Joyfully prepared,

Caz.

Year-End Memory Books

I made a memory book for each of the daycare children this past week. My goal was to create a small photo book with some labels that the child can enjoy during the summer break. 

I know the memory book I have from Muffin Mouse's days in infant care is still special to me and I wanted to be sure to share this with my daycare families too.

It took more time and research than I anticipated so I'll share some things I learned for those of you interested in creating one:

• I used Walmart's online photo site.  I've used Superstore and Costco in the past for other projects, but Walmart came in with the cheapest option for a hard-cover book.  I chose the 4X6 photobook - one picture per page with room for a label at the top and bottom of each page. $12 each and they are ready in one hour to pick-up at your local store (no S&H fees).

• I went with the black cover and black background on each page.  There are a wonderful array of options for colour and format in the more expensive books, but this was simple and met my objective.  

• Each book allows for 20 photos. I organized my top 2 pictures from each month Sept 2011 - June 2012 in a folder on my desktop for each child. I tried to ensure there was a balance of activities, friends, individual, and memory shots.  Each child's first picture was a group daycare shot with labels highlighting the daycare name and year.  Having the photos for each child organized on the desktop saved time when I uploaded them to Walmart's site.

• My labels were generally chronological with quotes such as; "Learning through nature", "Learning through art" etc. as other titles.

Learning through nature.

• The front inside cover is black and I plan to write a personal note to each child in a metallic pen before wrapping it for them.  There is a plastic page between the front cover and the first photo.  The photo books are literally 4X6 photos bound together so there is not much room to personalize within the book itself once it is printed.

It took about an hour per child from start to finish so plan to work on a couple of books per day to allow yourself time to get the project finished before your due date.  It was a satisfying experience looking at all the pictures from the year - seeing how they've grown, and all the fun we've had together.

George at the recent Track & Field meet at UVic.

I also created books for my homeschoolers. These Year Books are a simple way to document their year and highlight some of the major projects and activities completed. I'm not a huge collector of sentimental stuff, but the books are small and having them frees me to recycle all their school work for the year guilt free!

Studying electricity at Science World.

The girls at their May dance recital.

Joyfully reminiscent,
Caz.

A Key to Success: Daily Study

While in Prince George recently I had the opportunity to attend Timbers Community Church with family. The congregation are currently studying Rick Warren's book 40 Days in the Word.   The key point for the sermon I attended was on the study habit of taking time each day to pray and study.

I know for me taking time to study each day has been critical in learning to live the Principles in my life that matter - making spirituality more about doing, than wishing!  I have consistently started my weekdays with an hour of quiet study time for the past year.   This has been a goal for many years, and there was a slow evolution to form the habit (well-intentioned starts and stops:)

Some of the things I found that support this study are:

• A genuine desire to be disciplined and prioritize my time. As I get ready for bed I take the extra few minutes to complete tasks that may distract me from getting a start on my study in the morning (clear the kitchen counters, program the coffee pot, pick-up toys etc.)

• As I fall asleep at night I consider my gratitude list for the day and say a little prayer about how I am so looking forward to my study time in the morning!  As my alarm clock awakes me, I take a moment to acknowledge how grateful I am to have this time to study and pray.  I know, this is sounding a little idealised... but with practice the prayer becomes genuine, and in the meantime it distracts me as I haul my tired butt out of bed!

• I don't have a fixed agenda when I study, but I do have an idea of how it will unfold.

• Monday - My Bible Lesson, and prayer for church.
• Tuesday - Work on my annual Association assignment (assigned by my Christian Science Teacher.)
• Wednesday - My Bible Lesson, and preparation for upcoming Sunday School class.
• Thursday - My Bible Lesson.
• Friday - My Bible Lesson.

• I keep a journal. It's not a "Dear Diary..." type of thing, but it's pretty and it motivates me.  If I don't have a particular idea in mind to study, I choose an intriguing statement from My Bible Lesson and make notes in my journal about questions, or dictionary definitions that relate. 

• Don't turn on the computer, or check voice mail until after my hour alone - OMG, where did the time go?!  Also, my kids are not aloud to interrupt me if they wake up early.  They check-in and go find something to do until 7:30am (read between the lines... turn on the TV...)

Before I started this habit, I would wonder; "What's the point?" But, I guess the point is that a typical day can be inundated with needs, pressure, distractions... all of which transform from 'big problems' to 'opportunities' when I am in the right head-space. It only takes a few days to notice the benefits of morning study time, and about a month to solidify it into a habit.  I can't tell you what a positive influence this has on my days.

Joyfully studious,
Caz.

Family Daycare: Why Part-time Works

I can honestly say that I love Monday mornings.  I look forward to them for a number of reasons: 1) My house is orderly as I'm prepared to get back to work, 2) I enjoy hearing what the daycare kids have been up to when I greet them, 3) Monday mornings at home are a gentle start to the week after a busy weekend of family activities.

A date with Banana Bread on a day off.

I'm not sure I would feel this way if I did daycare full time.  In the past when I ran family daycare Monday - Friday I found it more isolating; never having time to get to the bank; grocery shopping on Sunday night; being unable to schedule appointments etc.

Recognizing the pay-offs to this model of care (I currently run daycare Monday - Thursday with Winter, Spring & Summer breaks) is important to keep in the forefront of thought so that I intentionally appreciate it.  Here are some things I've learned to make this model successful:

1) Interview daycare families. Family daycare is a business in which I learn a lot about another family, and they in-turn learn alot about me.  I don't take this lightly.  When selecting children to care for I prioritize families that are referred by family and friends because they feel we will be a good fit.  When a family comes to check-out the daycare it is a two-way process.  They need to feel confident with my service, but I also need to feel confident in their fit. It is easier to say "good-bye" to a relative stranger after an initial meeting, than it is to deal with months of difficulty later. As a rule I do not accept families into daycare at the initial meeting (even if I feel good about the fit.) I suggest that we both take a few days to reflect on the meeting, encourage families to visit other daycares, and contact each other later in the week.  If the family is not a good match, I then contact them the next day to let them know.

Getting to dance class on time.

2) Be clear on your operating hours.  I think many people feel catering to part-time families is a scheduling nightmare - having fewer children spread-out over the week. I have not found that to be the case. Often part-timers have considerable choice in their work schedule. If I have a vacancy on Monday & Tuesday, a part-timer is often able to make their work schedule fit.   I am not very flexible on providing care beyond my operating hours (Mon-Thur 8-4.)  Although I do not want to unreasonably cause daycare families difficulty, I also want to be confident scheduling family activities around my work day knowing we can participate.

3) Adequate orientation. I practice a gradual entry process.  The week before the children return to daycare in September I have them visit the daycare (at no charge) for progressively longer periods of time. This allows me to learn each child's routines, and take some time to connect with them. I also consider offering more care for the first few weeks (working Fridays, for example) to help the children transition and develop an attachment with me as they adjust to their new routine.

4) Keep work at work. With the exception of organizing my home on Sunday evenings, I do not think about daycare when I am not working. I have daycare groceries delivered to the house so I am not doing additional shopping; I shop for daycare supplies online during quiet time; I have a basic curriculum developed so I can easily update templates for parent sheets during the work day; I run daycare laundry through the machine during work time; I exchange my toy bins at the local daycare resource centre right after work on Wednesday and do not open them until I start work on Thursday morning.

A Friday hockey trip.

5) Do not do driving field trips.  I discipline myself to stay home-based during daycare time. I do not drive the daycare kids to the post office or run errands; I do not sign them up for enrichment activities (gym time etc.); I do not drive to playgrounds away from my neighbourhood. I DO devote myself to providing quality care while I am working.  Part-time families often participate in enrichment activities (dance classes etc.) with their children on their days off so this is not a service I need to provide. I only visit playgrounds in my neighbourhood which we walk to so I can be confident in the location (fencing, hazards, proximity to washrooms etc.) As I am providing daycare part-time, I am then in a position to do all the away from home trips with my children on days off as family time.

6) The reduction in pay pays-off.  I feel well compensated for the work I do, and appreciate the balance in my life significantly more than I would favor a few extra dollars.  I have a rich life, and daycare is one of a couple of sources of income for me. I choose to do daycare because I love doing it - this is priceless.

Joyfully part-time,
Caz.

Being Disciplined and Getting Things Done

"Yes!" finally a post about discipline and whipping those kids into shape!  Ahhh, if only :) As I thought about children this week the idea of 'discipline' kept coming to mind. But, not so much in the context of how to discipline others, and more about how my being disciplined allows me to do more of what I want (much more self-serving!)

I have been really working to be more disciplined this past year. As a simple definition, I think of being disciplined as 'doing what needs doing first, then doing what I want to do.' Interestingly as I practice this principle, I have found it makes me happy, and more efficient.  I think it's because doing what needs doing first allows me the mental freedom to then do what I want without distraction, guilt, regret etc.  Often the things that need doing don't take so long - it is just a matter of getting started.

Some things I've discovered as I work on being more disciplined:

• A friend shared an idea which changed my point of view about evening chores. She suggested that evening is a time of preparation for the morning, and not a time to unwind from the day. I love to wake up knowing I'm ready for the day:)
• A few years ago I started following the Fly Lady 31 Beginner Baby Steps to help me learn to be more disciplined with housework.  The Fly Lady starts with an assumption that you live in chaos and gives you baby steps to learn how to manage your housework.
• A simple time management technique is to ask myself; "What is the best use of my time right now?" It creates mental space to complete tasks that can pile up. "8 minutes until we leave for swim club? Perfect, I'll run the laundry piles to each room." I'm embarrassed to admit that I may have taken this to an extreme... It takes 60 seconds to make my smoothie in the Vitamix in the morning and I often race to get the dishwasher unloaded in that time:)
• Simple, but effective, write a list and cross items off as you complete them.

 Although it seems counter-intuitive at first, being disciplined creates more order in my life which frees-up time and head-space to do projects which are priorities for me (read with my kids, volunteer, watch a movie with my hubby etc.)

Being disciplined creates time to do what I want - like walk in the snow with Muffin Mouse.

Thanks to my friend, Jodi, for inspiring this post today. A true friend who texted me a flattering message after my horrifying re-telling of my run on the treadmill today. Girlfriend, I may not always look pretty doing it, but I get it done:)

Joyfully disciplined,
Caz.

Organizing: Paperstuff

Having a lovely Snow Day here!  Just a quick post about organizing before I head off and tackle some chores on my to do list...

I've learned to be pretty ruthless with paper stuff while running daycare and home school. I contain all our homeschool supplies and most daycare craft stuff in one cupboard in my kitchen.

Basket on top: Hole punch, extra pens, paper folder....

Top shelf: Novels and books. Most of our reading is from the library, but some friends passed down a few book series' which the kids are hoping to read.

Middle shelf: Pink container with craft supplies for daycare (stickers, glitter etc.)

Lower shelf: Binders (each child has a homeschool binder and I have a daycare one), textbooks, reference materials.

Closed cupboard: Paint & playdough supplies.

This is the complete system with a basket on the kitchen table to hold the IPads, keyboards and some puzzles.

Joyfully paper-free,

Caz.