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Saturday, January 4, 2014 A new year! Last year, evidenced by the lack of entries in my weblog, was a little more chaotic than I would have chosen. Compared to the large tragedies and traumas of the world my year was not tragic, not traumatic, but just a little too syncopated, a little too busy, a little unproductive and had a little more sadness than I would have chosen. I can't foresee if 2014 will be different, any more than I could foresee all the bumps and twists and detours that 2013 brought. But I can hope that there will be smoother, more peaceful sailing and I wish the same for all of you! The holidays were kind to us and we've had a good rest. With low expectations, all are fulfilled! I only hoped to get a little housework done (check,) play the piano at least once (check,) eat some treats but not too many (check,) and get my website relatively caught up (check!) The rest of our two weeks of was, well, rest. We return back to work with renewed energy, new resolve and resolutions, missing our little charges and their bright energy, ready to cuddle up and keep warm with them through these cold days in the forecast. With single digits and minus zero temperatures coming up we'll be staying indoors, but just in case the weather forecasters are wrong (no!) be sure to send all the appropriate outerwear! In all the flurry of holiday preparations, we also had two surprise inspections in December, one from the food program and one from our licensing consultant. While we're genuinely surprised, these unannounced visits are just part of the job, so we always try to be ready for them with all our paperwork up to date and all our details in compliance. The visit from licensing was for my renewal and we passed with no problems. Our consultants are such nice, sweet women that we're happy to see them and regard them as co-creators of quality child care. Thanks to all of YOU who got your paperwork back to me on time; it makes these visits a lot less stressful when I don't have to make excuses for my clients! I've posted your recipe for January! It's a yummy one, so be sure to try it. Also, a new poem for the solstice season. Whew! Time to go enjoy the last few hours of the weekend! I'll see some of you on Monday, others of you around town, some of you on Facebook and the rest of you, back here another day. Stay warm and step into the New Year with balance and integrity! Sunday, January 12, 2014This last week was a busy one around here! Temperatures hovering around zero closed the schools so kids wouldn't have to risk frostbite at the bus stops, which meant Aaron and Mason could join us on Monday and Tuesday! They were so excited because then they got to help us smash the gingerbread stable and boy did they show us how it's done! Those years of experience sure pay off. The gingerbread stable is the last little bit of Christmas left around here and smashing and gnawing of it give us some delightful closure to the holidays that the kids look forward to from the minute we mix up the dough for it way back at the beginning of Advent. It's a true communion! By Wednesday, school was back in session but we decided it was still too cold to take our little ones out. Thursday morning too, the temps were still hovering in the single digits during the morning, so we were busy with all the things that we can only do on indoor days. Finally on Friday we got them all bundled up and out the door, but it only lasted about fifteen minutes and they were cold and ready to come back in. Looks like this coming week will be kinder to us and we'll try again to get a little fresh air and bigger exercise. In the winter time I strongly encourage parents to try to take their little ones someplace where they can run and climb and jump a bit without the bondage of their winter gear. Find a gym, a barn or an indoor play structure and plan to spend a half hour or more there. It will do them so much good and the rest of us too! A frequent visitor at our house is my friend Sue, or "Miss Sue" as the children call her. If you hear the children talk about her it's because she's been stopping in on a regular basis to get her "baby fix," since her grandchild is so far away. Sue is a wonderful person whose life has been devoted to children and her presence is a wonderful asset to our daycare family. Wednesday was Connor's birthday and now he's six! He's really growing up fast and getting to be such a nice big boy. His Mom is expecting a new brother or sister this summer, so if you see her trying to balance on the ice, be sure to give her a hand! Sunday, January 26, 2014Brrrrrrrrr! Another cold week with more cold weather to come! From the looks of the forecast we're going to be having a lot of 'inside days' in the coming week! We won't take our tender little ones out when it's below 20° because they're too susceptible to wind child and frost bite. If the older kids want to go out, they can, but we keep a close watch on them and they're usually back in within five or ten minutes. Whew. Just as in the summer we have to guard them against heatstroke, at this extreme season we also are super vigilant. There are lots of fun things to do indoors so we keep busy and the day flies by. I will remind parents that it's up to you to make sure they get to a large place indoors where they can run and climb and jump. I don't usually recommend fast food joints, but one of those around here has a great kids room and you can always get a salad and some white milk and a cup of coffee take advantage of it. Also one of our malls has a jungle gym area; just make sure you make your child WALK to it; don't give them a ride in a cart or stroller for Pete's sake. It's a nice peaceful time in the daycare world right now. A lot of wrapping up of the books and filling out tax forms and getting our land legs back after the holidays. These snowy weekends are perfect for that! The only news or change that I have to report this week is that we've switched bread companies for our daycare supplier. I was always so happy that Pleasanton Bread, a local, wholesome bakery, could be what we served the children. I constantly recommended them to all of you. However, lately the quality of the bread has made it impossible to continue serving it; it's full of large holes and falls all apart when I slice it. A letter to the bakery elicited no response so we've moved on. We're now serving Stone House Bread which is organic, sourdough and local as well. I got into the attic this weekend and started cleaning out stuff. The good news is; it wasn't half as bad as I thought it was going to be! The bad news is, because of that, I have no more time to write here. Give thanks that you are warm and lucky enough to be reading this. Please remember those less fortunate than you and help them any way you can in this harsh season. back to top Sunday, February 2, 2014 Winter is officially half over now; time to get started on all those projects you were going to accomplish while holed up and hibernating. Or maybe just curl up with a child on your lap and a good picture book! Regardless of how you spend it, winter is meant for finding balance and rest and peace, so look for it in any small way you can. I've swept the cobwebs off my book review page this weekend and given my two cents about Dan Hodgin's books. I know some parts of the website are gettiing pretty dusty, but that's what I'm hoping to balance out in the next couple of months! That and about ten other things; and only six weeks of winter left! I better keep busy! Now that we're back up into the double digits around here the kids are back outside for a few minutes each day so make sure we have those snowpants and boots and everything else needed to enjoy our beautiful snow. We have some spares but the three-year-olds are starting to outgrow them so we need to make sure they have their own stuff. Again, please put names on them. We're increasingly confused as new mittens and hats are making appearances; even the children don't recognize their own things lately. We have new book orders going out, due back in a couple of weeks. There's no pressure to order, these are just a chance to pick up some inexpensive books if you want them or a good chance for grandparents to get gifts for birthdays. If nothing else, it's just fun to see what books are out there! Even if it's cold, find some time to enjoy the amazing gifts that winter brings us. Find a frozen pond to walk on, feed the birds, make a snow angel. Our children are so lucky to experience this magical season and if you find wonder in it, so will they. Sunday, February 9, 2014Another weekend has gone whizzing by! I've dusted a couple more corners of the website and also posted the recipe for this month. Be sure to try it and let me know the creative changes you made. This one is going to show up on our table on a regular basis! On the topic of food, Consumers Reports has just come out with a story on rice, arsenic and the FDA study that has put me at the tipping point as far as the food served at Joyful Noise. For awhile now, in an attempt to reduce the amount of gluten going into the children we've been serving rice pasta more than any other kind. This is now going to stop and we'll be back to whole wheat unless a child here develops a documented gluten allergy or sensitivity. While the FDA says there's no need to change our eating habits, I've found that they don't always give the best advice and I always like to err on the side of caution when working with children's small bodies. We may from time to time serve whole grain rice if they ask for it but I'll try to steer them toward quinoa or barley instead, which they're usually just as happy with. You may want to glance at the calendar page as we're starting to solidify some vacation plans for spring. I've added one new day so far with more to come in the (hopefully) near future. While this week ends with Valentine's Day, our children are way too little to have any comprehension at all about the meaning of this day or why we celebrate it, so we don't. Some parents, however, like to send Valentines to daycare for their children to pass out anyway, and this is fine but it is certainly NOT necessary. There's plenty of time for that when they get into school and it becomes a classroom activity. Don't feel guilty at all about saving this for a few more years from now. There's more cold weather coming up this week, but it looks like we may be able to get the kids out toward Thursday. We're having lots of fun with our indoor activities this winter though and the snow is so beautiful this year, we're really enjoying every bit of our northern winter. We're so grateful for our warmth, inside our hearts and homes. back to top Sunday, March 30, 2014 Well, after being gone for so long it seems like there should be a lot of catching up to do, but I think mostly it's been just the normal, winter peacefulness around here. Getting the taxes done and filed takes up a bit of time and this year I had to sign us up for healthcare on the newfangled website which took the better part of a couple of weekends as well. We had to experience the stomach bug and two or three stuffy-nose-coughing-sore-throat bugs so that took up a few precious weekends, and then we still got the errands done and a couple of social obligations fulfilled (the kind we could go to and still be blowing our noses.) Be sure to check the calendar page so you're not surprised by the days off we're taking in April and May. Most of today was spent making sure that the new recipe will be posted promptly on the first of the month. And then the sun was shining so brightly with promise of higher temperatures tomorrow that Ben and I took one last walk on the frozen bay while we still felt confident that our knees would stay dry (we're not sure enough about our ability to walk on water to get too far out.) While we were walking we ran into Emory and her Dad riding their bikes up the sidewalk! Now that's a sure sign of spring! back to top Monday, May 26, 2014 Two months is a long time to be gone and I'm SO happy to be "back in the saddle" again after a less-than-fun April and May. For those of you out of the personal loop, in April my Dad passed away after over two months in hospice care and so my body decided that was a good time to get sicker than I've been in a long time. Right after Mother's Day we had a beautiful memorial service for him here in Traverse City with over 100 people attending, many of them friends and family that I hadn't seen in years, including all my siblings together in one place at one time. The alternating tears and laughter, hugs and shrugs over several days were exhausting! But we made memories that are now part of our family history. Thanks to all our clients for their support as we took a few extra days off to get us through that choppy time. Speaking of extra days off, as my Dad's funeral was scheduled EXACTLY for the dates that we had planned to go visit them in Wisconsin, my Mother reminded me several times while she was here that I now still owed her a visit. I too felt the loss of that time with her and now more than ever it's important to make sure those visits still happen, so we're trying to pin down some dates at the Labor Day break. Once we get confirmation from all involved parties we'll give official notice, but those of you who read the weblog have the first head's up that we're trying to plan a week and a day at the end of August/ first part of September. Stay tuned. Some of you who have been following my posts on Facebook know that my latest research project has been water fluoridation and I'm not very happy with what I'm discovering. I've always been skeptical of our city water and have filtered it through a charcoal filter for all household uses. And I've always known that a charcoal filter will not filter out fluoride, and that the fluoride that our city adds is of questionable value to the citizens and would be better removed with the choice left to the individual. But as I got involved with actually walking my talk and supporting our city commissioner who tries to advocate for the citizens who believe it should be a personal choice, I started to educate myself a little more and was appalled at what I found. The most disturbing fact for me, as a provider, was to find that the Center for Disease Control AND the American Academy of Pediatrics both advise doctors that while it's "safe" to use fluoridated water to reconstitute infant formula, that parents of infants who drink only formula and no breast milk (which I will tell you are the majority of infants of working mothers once they get past about 12 weeks) should avoid using only fluoridated water for that formula. If they do, their child runs a 30 to 40 percent risk of developing fluorosis. What is fluorosis? It's a permanent discoloring of the teeth that can only be fixed by cosmetic dentistry. And 41 percent of teenagers have at least mild to moderate fluorosis. I was extremely upset that in all my years of child care I have received not one piece of information from any health department, dentist, or doctor that tells me to make sure parents know this. And believe me, I get LOTS of information from them about all kinds of other things. Not one parent has ever come to tell me that their doctor advised them about this. I felt terrible and still do! While I realize that it's the parent's responsibility to be informed and inform me of any special needs that they might have, I still strive to keep abreast of TOXINS in our environment. Fluorosis occurs when a child has too much fluoride for their body weight, and the amount of fluoride in our city water is much more than an infant should have until they're about one year old. And since there are some two year olds that still don't weigh as much as some one year olds, I would say that we should err on the side of caution with our smaller, more vulnerable children. I felt a little less guilty when I read that some municipalities who fluoridate their water have begun to put the CDC information about formula on their city websites or water bills because they feel that the health care professionals in their communities have not been doing a sufficient job of informing the public of the potential risks. As the controversy about fluoride becomes more real with each bit of research and skepticism, municipalities have more concern about possible litigation and they perhaps are feeling some pressure to make the gesture toward informed consent. Another major concern I have is the possibility that some of my children may have a sensitivity or allergy to fluoride. While the conventional medical organizations will deny that there is such a thing, except in the case of toothpaste, those of us who deal with children and allergies know that conventional medicine always has to take the most conservative route and is always the last to admit what those who question authority have known for quite awhile. In my circle of friends there is a person with a fluoride allergy, so I have no doubt that such a thing exists. While there are many more good reasons to be concerned about government putting additives in our water "for our health," I'll get off the soapbox for today. I'll give you more of my reasons in small doses in future weblog entries, but for now know that we've started buying water filtered by reverse-osmosis which does remove all but trace amounts of the fluoride from all the water we use for the household. We can't afford the thousands of dollars to buy and install the filter ourselves, but the fluoride supporters point out that we all have a choice to not drink the water and we are now exercising that choice. While I know some parents want their children to have fluoride, it's easily and cheaply obtained in fluoride toothpaste, once your child is old enough for it. But be careful to only use a small amount and try not to let your child swallow it. back to top Sunday, June 15, 2014 Happy Father's Day to all the fathers, grandfathers, women who both mother and father, mentors, supporters of families and those who protect children in any true way. One definition of the word father is to accept responsibility for which extends far beyond gender or parentage and is the meaning that I hold dearest. Maybe we should say Happy Day, oh Responsible Ones!" This is the season of very full weekends. We stimulated the local economy at the farmer's market on Saturday while discussing politics and renewing old relationships; never passing up a chance to muti-task! We did some daycare purchasing at the yard sale of some old (really old...and TALL) daycare kids, then spent the afternoon celebrating Father's Day with some of our beloved elders at Bay Ridge. I rounded out the day by discussing more politics and child care issues during a meeting that evening at the home of a neighbor. Today we attending the renewing of vows of some old friends way out in Beulahland and stopped for ice cream on the way home. Once home we took our daily walk to try to keep in some sort of shape and after that we got busy with laundry, bookkeeping, posting the recipe for June (finally!) and fighting the good fight for cleaner drinking water in our city. You may have seen Ben on t.v. news or quoted in the local paper this weekend as the fluoride debate heats up before the commission vote tomorrow night. Here's another article that was in the General Dentistry magazine about how much fluoride is already in our food, which is one of the several reasons that we think adding it to our water is not a good idea. And after all that, we've run out of time and are ready for bed, though this late night sun would have us believe we could keep going forever! Sunday, June 29, 2014Last days of June already; where did it go? This is that time of year when we pack in all the weddings and showers and parties and movies that we didn't want to go to when the roads were icy. This weekend was like that for us but I'm finding a few moments to chat with you before our Sunday dinner of popcorn. Right away before we go any further I'm going to break some bad news to you about Joyful Noise. We're going to have to raise our rates a little on January 1 , 2015. The infant rates and part time rates will stay the same, but the full time rates are going to have to go up $2.00 per day, or $10.00 per week. I work really hard to keep our rates low and affordable for working class folks, but we haven't raised them since January of 2013 and several of our operating costs have risen to the point where I have to pass them on to you. I try to give our clients plenty of notice so if this increase is a hardship for you, you will have time to find other child care, but we hope that you feel we're worth it and will stay. Of course, as always, if our funding from the Food Program goes down we will also have to raise our rates to accommodate for that loss, but at this point there's not a threat of that and you'll be the first to know if there is. So for now we're hoping that this small bump up will help us stay in business and keep offering you this nurturing, creative and healthy home for your children to thrive in. Speaking of people coming and going, we're having some scheduling changes for the summer! Adelaide will only be here two days a week now but we'll be seeing a little more of Emory some weeks. Aaron and Mason will be here every day now and Andi Joy will be here two days on some weeks. And little baby Cole will be popping in to visit now and then in preparation for joining our family in the autumn! There will be even more changes after Labor Day, but right now we don't want to think about that, do we? Another piece of sad news is that finally, after more years than I can count, my trusty Polaroid camera has died. Or rather, the film has died and is no longer available. So all the pictures in our cubbies now will be digital, starting with Andi Joy's summer picture. The end of an era. Tattling is always an issue when you have groups of children together and our house is no exception. This good article about it came across my desk this month so I'll share it with you. Some of these suggestions we already follow and a couple others I plan to start! Sitting here in the 80 degree weather it's hard to believe that just this last week we needed jackets for the kids to play comfortably outside! I think it's going to be one of those very typical Michigan summers, where the weather forecasters will be seriously consulted daily! But nonetheless, summer is here! back to top Sunday, July 20, 2014 Well our birthday vacation time is almost over and wow did we pack a lot into it. We helped usher out Cherry Festival, visited Lake Michigan, got in touch with some old friends, got a lot of necessary catching up work done around the house, went to the farmer's market, helped Ben's Mom throw her annual summer party at the Boardman River and in all the spare moments worked on our latest health issue, getting water fluoridation on the ballot for city voters to weigh in on this November. That meant that we walked a LOT and had the pleasure of meeting more of our neighbors than we had known before. Going door to door is distasteful work, but I feel so strongly about this issue that I spent vacation time doing it anyway. It's a lot like going to school; a lot of work, a little fun, some bright moments, some dark moments and you learn a LOT about people. One of the things that came across my desk lately is this article about heat stroke and children. This is a serious topic, especially in the summer; please read and don't think that it can't happen to you. Take steps to make SURE it doesn't happen to you. Another nice article is this interview with Dr. Penelope Leach about child care. I have to admit that I've read very little of Dr. Leach before this and what little I've read I don't agree with all of it, but I do think what she has to say in this interview is very good. What do you think? Now that our summer break is over we're ready to roll full tilt into the six weeks of school vacation that we have left. We have a lot of changes coming up in September: Kai will leave us to go to kindergarten and Adelaide will leave us to go to preschool Ellie will also start preschool but only part time so we will see less of her but we won't have to say good-bye yet, thank goodness! Baby Cole will take Kai's spot in September, so he will start coming for some get-acquainted visits soon, and then later in the autumn we'll start interviewing children for Adelaide's spot. So with all that on the horizon it's important to make the most of these July and August days. If your child doesn't have a swimsuit that they can leave here for water table and sprinkler play, be sure to try to round one up. Babies of course can just wear diapers and if you want to bring some swim dipes those are very handy. We've got a bit of sunscreen here and bug spray, but if you want to supply your own we appreciate it; be sure to write your name on it, since in the heat of the moment we can become very confused about which bottle goes to which child. Tomorrow promises to be a hot day and we're ready for some fun! back to top Sunday, September 7, 2014 Wow, time to dust off the weblog and check back in with everyone! As usual, summer blew by in a whirlwind of sun, rain, parties, weddings, yard work, company and festivals. And as usual, now that September is here I feel like the air is a little clearer and I can breathe a little better and there are more days on the calendar with clear open space (soon to be filled with canning tomatos and getting ready for, dare I say it?, Christmas.) As we turn the page we see that we've said good-bye to our dear Kai who is now off to kindergarten, and to sweet Adelaide who has left us for full time preschool. (Though both of their Moms have promised we'll see them on some snow days and next summer. We're counting on it!) We'll see a little less of Ellie and Bode as they spend part of their time in their own new preschools, but we're so happy to greet little Cole who's been waiting since January for a chance to become part of our day care family! My heart always does flip flops this time of year. Ben and I spent Labor Day weekend visiting relatives in IIllinois and Wisconsin, helping some of them move from one state to the other and witnessing others leap into college classes. It was an emotional trip full of beginnings and endings for all of us and we came back exhausted and grateful for our humble home. Now we've had a couple of days to catch up on the grocery shopping, the paperwork, the lawn care, and now the website so we'll be ready with open arms tomorrow morning for all our little angels. I'm not organized enough to have much more to share with you today, but I DID get the recipe for September posted, a yummy blueberry buckle that my Mom always made whenever company came. So in the absence of any words of wisdom or interesting articles to share, you can whip up some buckle and enjoy the last few days of summer and our beautiful, peaceful September as it unfolds in all it's bountiful glory. back to top Sunday, October 19, 2014 Finally a weekend that presses the "reset" button! So I vacuumed the dust bunnies out of the basement, got some of the inventory organized, got some paperwork done, restocked some supplies and caught up on the never ending paperwork. Whew. Baby Cole is settling into our family very nicely, crawling all over the place and practicing his walking. Tripp said a couple of weeks ago, in his little man voice "It's good to have a baby around the house again Chrissie." I agree. A baby brings out the nurturing tendencies in most of the kids. Even Emerson has overcome her displaced sibling feelings and started playing with Cole and greeting him cheerfully when he arrives. Ben will soon be working here a little less and Rose will be stepping in one day a week to relieve him. This will free him up to better maintain our rental property in Interlochen and also around the house here. The children are so used to Rose that this won't be any sort of transition for them at all, so we all feel very happy and comfortable with it! The paperwork is almost completed so you'll be seeing this very soon. The cold wet weather means get out the warmer clothes! Jackets are a must, as are sturdy shoes that will keep out the dampness on the morning grass. So far we haven't needed gloves or extra hats but if your child is prone to ear problems you may want to start sending them as I see the temperatures are going to be dipping down into the 40's this week. We have spares but they're still in the attic; I didn't get THAT far down my to-do list this weekend. If all stays calm and "normal", it will be accomplished Saturday. We hosted Dr. Paul Connett here at our home during the last part of our week off. He spoke in Boyne City and Traverse City on the dangers of municipal water fluoridation and was a lovely and gracious house guest. We had a VERY interesting time following him around and met some wonderful committed people in both cities. We continue to practice caution in this area and use filtered water for the children here,respectful of the parents who do not want their children exposed. We are convinced that if parents do want their children exposed to fluoride they can get sufficient amounts with better control of the dosage from toothpaste and other topical sources. One more week of the downtown farmer's market, so our back porch is getting full with apples and squash. We are so deeply grateful for all our farmers who provide us with our beautiful food and for this market that makes it possible to easily find it for your children. The indoor market will pick right up in November, but with less vendors, so we'll be missing some of our noble friends until next May. We still have one more week though! Look for the big pumpkin to show up then, ready to carve for our annual Jack! back to top Sunday, November 23, 2014 Well, since my last post we've graduated from "sturdy shoes" to boots, hats, mittens and snowpants! While the grown ups grumble about the snow, the children here are delighted to have a play space transformed and the sleds brought out of retirement. We've already had the wrong pair of boots go home with someone so please take a moment to mark your outerwear clearly. Not only does it make it easier for Ben, Rose and I to sort them out into the correct cubbies, but it also helps tired grandparents and parents at the end of the day to walk out the door with all their own parts and pieces. Suddenly we've come up on the holidays! This coming week is a short one for us, with Thursday and Friday paid holidays. Then we're open three full weeks before taking two full weeks off for the end of the year. Remember that at the beginning of 2015 the full time rate for children two and older will go up slightly. Notice of this went home months ago, so it may have slipped your mind! During the next weeks we'll be baking and trying to make the house smell good with spices and during the last week, a big spruce tree. It's no secret that I love this time of year and it's especially fun with little children in the house. There's been a lot of press about whooping cough in our area in the last month. Unfortunately, the press is very good at raising emotion and not very good at disseminating useful information. There are a lot of misconceptions about how whooping cough, or pertussis, is transmitted and one rumor being perpetuated is that if someone is up to date on their pertussis vaccination then not only are they immune to the bacteria but they also cannot transmit it. Nothing is further from the truth. The pertussis vaccination is not a magic force field that causes the bacteria to bounce off you! Not only can you still contract whooping cough if you are vaccinated, but even if you do not become infected, you can still transmit the bacteria to someone else, vaccination or not! The FDA issued a press release last year on this very subject. We are often very naive about our medical care, especially in the area of immunizations. We are allowed to believe by their very name that they render us "immune" to disease, when that is simply not the case. Take it upon yourselves to research and learn, especially before repeating any criticism of other parents or children. Please. Until I check in again, know that when I count my blessings, at Thanksgiving and every day, that the children I care for are among them. While this work is considered by most to be a dead end job, I consider it an honor and a privilege. Thank you. 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Current weblog |
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