GotchaBaby » Montessori monkey

Somebunny Followed Me Home

Michelle — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:13:53 +0000

I’m not exactly sure how it happened.

I was standing at the Fox’s school, waiting for him to come out on Friday afternoon, when an announcement was made- Freckles, the class bunny, needed a home for the weekend. Some how, this weekend was overlooked on the sign up sheet, and Freckles needed a place crash for the weekend.

I looked off into the parking lot.

One nanny said no for the family she picks up.

I looked down at my shoes.

One mom said they were already signed up for the following weekend.

I looked up- and people were looking at me.

“Um, I guess we can take the bunny. What do we have to do?”

“I’ll email you an instruction sheet! Let me go get the cage and the tote!”

The cage fit in the trunk of the van perfectly.

Rabbits don’t actually make any noise (more on this to come in upcoming post).

Their poo is small & non-stinky.

They don’t eat much.

But still. There was pressure.

There was pressure to be sure that Freckles was returned in the same condition (plus clean cage) on Monday morning.

Could we do it?

BgK and I, at times, doubted ourselves. We used twitter to enlist a professional in case we needed him.

Thankfully, all went well. We did learn a few things however:

That said, it was a fun weekend, and really not a huge inconvenience. And there were some adorable moments:

I’m pretty sure it’s moments like this one that keep Freckles welcome on the preschool circuit. Even if he did chew our wireless router/modem power cord on his way out the door this morning.

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Day Camp for Everyone!

Michelle — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 02:14:25 +0000

It is now officially summer, although summer weather’s been making an appearance on and off for the past few weeks. Summer time means a lot of different things, and now that I’m a mom to a near first-grader, summer means day camp and swimming lessons. Earlier this spring, I waded through the sea of options for MaM. It’s been two weeks, and it’s going well, which is a huge sigh of relief (today’s sunburn and lost glasses not withstanding).She’s come home tired and happy every day, and she’s even run into a few kids she knows from church and from school. She’s loving the rock climbing and swimming every day, and doesn’t even mind the imposed “quiet time”. She went to sleep tonight with dreams of their field trip to the zoo tomorrow.

Not all childcare plans pan out the way you hope, though. and that is why I’m interrupting this blog post with a PSA:

The YMCA of Greater Indianapolis offers programs for kids of all ages. I had the chance to speak to YMCA rep, Tangela Floyd, on the importance of the services the Y provides. She told me that their main goal is to keep kids of all ages busy while school is out. The YMCA is a dedicated to being accessible to all, so their fees are based on income, and financial assistance is available. Kids enjoy swimming, games and many other activities, all designed for them to have a happy and healthy summer, while their parents know they are in a safe environment. We talked about the challenge of finding a place for kids in the summer when parents are at work, and how it’s not easy. The Y can even accommodate young teens, because, as Tangela said, some twelve year olds can stay at home by themselves, and some really can’t. If you are finding that you need to make some childcare arrangements for the summer, see what the Y has to offer! There are still openings in their various camps around town.

Fine print: This is the first in a series of posts on what the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis has to offer. Next week, I dive into their Aquatics programs.

Countdown to Fall Break (and a giveaway)

Michelle — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:34:48 +0000

A Flashback: FALL 2008 Junior is more likely kick, rather than sit, on a pumpkin these days

Updated 10/23/10: This giveaway is now closed and the winner is Shelby! Thanks for playing, Shelby look for an email from me.

Five is apparently the age where you start understanding that a break from school is an anticipated event. Sunday night I was talking to MaM and she figured it out — “So I go to school for two days and then there’s FIVE at home days? That’s awesome!” And she’s been counting down ever since.

We’ve got some fun things planned — a visit to the Children’s Museum, a visit to Conner Prairie for the Headless Horseman, and a quick getaway to Brown County and the Columbus Children’s Museum. We’re even hoping to squeeze in a trip to a pumpkin patch (this week’s Savvy deal), and then there’s Trunk or Treat at church on Sunday. Phew. Should be fun!

In the spirit of all that is fall, I had the chance to preview a Taking the Scary Out of Halloween Kit by children’s author, Joy Berry. It’s a fun kit that includes glow sticks (one that’s a necklace! with a whistle!), a fun projection flashlight and book about Halloween. The kids have had a great time with the flashlight (are mine the only ones who are constantly playing in the dark bathroom? what? they are?), and the book is a good one. It’s filled with safety tips and also some good manners lessons that can make Trick or Treating go more smoothly. The book also has fun stickers and Halloween activities.

Want to win a Halloween Safety Kit of your own? Leave a comment here, telling me your fall break plans or a costume idea or whatever you feel is seasonally appropriate and I’ll randomly choose a winner sometime on Friday!

Happy Fall Break, Everyone!

(Disclosure: Joy Berry Books sent me a Halloween Safety Kit to review. Note: the first flashlight was jostled and broken during shipping, but its replacement arrived undamaged and worked great!)

Phew, Again…

Michelle — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:37:09 +0000

I don't usually wear a hat in class, but that tray of shapes? Use it all the time!

So three years ago I wrote Slowly Exhaling, where I summarized, without too much detail about the accreditation process/ evaluation my school goes through every three years. Three years, two kids and one minivan later, it was that time again this week.

Once again, I volunteered to go first, so my room was observed today and I had my consultation this afternoon. Our conversation was considerably shorter than last time–about 20 minutes total. Anyhoo, all is good. I got compliments up one side and down the other, and good advice/constructive suggestions that I can use. I must be getting soft hearted in my old age, because she told me I was too nice/ not strict enough, which made me laugh. I stop smiling tomorrow (an old teaching adage is not to let them see you smile til Christmas).

The nicest thing about today is that our evaluator gave a parent talk tonight. She sang our accolades to the parent body, which she didn’t have to do, but she did. She also recommended a website called Kids Talk News and I have to say, it is fabulous. Want to know more about the Montessori way of looking at the world? Go on and click through.

Next time our school goes through this process, I’ll be in the midst of my 16th yr of teaching and mom to a 2nd grader and a pre-K student.

Does time fly by this fast for you???

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A Montessori Kid’s Take on the Jewelry Store

Michelle — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:27:00 +0000

So I did get a lovely gifty in a small, professionally wrapped box this weekend for Mother’s Day. MAM helped Daddy pick it out on Saturday (before the fever of the century attacked). After I opened it, we had the following conversation:

“MAM, did you go to the jewelry store with Daddy to get my present?”

“No. Not the jewelry store. Mama, we went inside the pink tower!”

(it’s hard to tell from the photo, but the building is bright pink)

I see the resemblence….don’t you?!?!?

Seven Things You Don’t Ever Need to Store

School Days….

Michelle — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 03:03:00 +0000

for MAM (not me) have begun! Sweet girl has two weeks under her belt, and things are very, very good. She’s in love with her teacher, has no problem helping herself to her snack at the appropriate time, she’s sleeping during nap time, and she’s figured out the whole drop off/pick up thing.

And with a true Montessori spirit, she started singing, “My toes are on the line, my toes are on the line…” (to the tune of the Farmer and the Dell), interchanging body parts. She’s brought home her first metal inset paper. She talks about the pink tower.

And me? Well I get close to six hours with just Junior, which is heavenly. It’s heavenly when he sleeps, and it’s heavenly when he wakes up and I can just feed him. Feed him with two hands, not looking at anything but his incredibly blue eyes.

I’ve got seven weeks left of hanging out with the little man, and I intend to enjoy it. And after that, I get to go to work every day, in the classroom next to where MAM is. And Junior will be with our beloved Ms. L, who is still “the” infant caregiver at the daycare where MAM spent her days before she joined the school. As much as I know it will be hard to be away from him all day, I am completely comfortable with our childcare arrangement, which huge.

So far, the planets continue to align. How’s back-to (or starting-) school going at your house?

The Floor Bed: part two

Michelle — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:56:00 +0000

Over two years ago, I posted about our use of a Montessori-inspired approach to infancy–the floor bed. I have to admit, I love that post–I love looking back and remembering what a sweet baby MAM was. That post takes me back to that day–the day she couldn’t get back on her little bed that was maybe six inches off of the ground. She was such a love. My friend, sitemeter, tells me that many a mom is coming here to read about my floor bed. Because I wrote that post before the wee-one was mobile, I now feel obligated to tell you about the floor bed after mobility strikes. I will be honest–at times, it ain’t pretty.

In hindsight, as she became more and more mobile, we should have started to condition her to stay on her bed when it was time to sleep. With hindsight being 20/20, I can say now that we were stupid. The dear one started to fall asleep all over the room–after we’d put her down and rub her back, she’d be up the minute we closed the door. Sometimes she’d cry, but after a few minutes, she’d otherwise occupy herself, and eventually fall asleep. Sometime after her first birthday, she could reach the door knob, so we had to rig it so she’d couldn’t just walk out (since you know, she was walking around in her room, instead of napping). Here’s the thing though–she has just about always napped well and slept at night. Oh there were times we’d try to get her to stay on her bed to fall asleep, but she was much more strong-willed than I, and after an hour of putting her back on her bed each afternoon, I would just shut the door and walk away. Within minutes, she’d be asleep–on the floor, of course. There was a time this past summer where I’d sit by the door of her room every evening, pouncing on her should she get out of bed–but she would almost always outlast me. At 10:30pm, I didn’t care where she slept, I just wanted her to sleep. And sleep she would–on the floor, after I closed the door.

To this day, she likes sleeping on the floor. We recently bought her a Dora airbed for my parents’ house-she slept next to it on the floor all weekend long. Right now, as she sleeps off a fever, she’s sleeping on the floor.

Now that she’s 2 1/2, she’s starting to understand that concept a little better, and is understanding consequences as well, so she’s complying more often about sleeping on the bed. She understands when she gets in trouble after lights out and I walk in and she’s dancing in the middle of the floor.

Are you scared yet??? Should you be using a floor bed with an extremely mobile, somewhat strong willed child, good luck. I believe it has made her more independent, and I wouldn’t trade it for a crib, but I would definitely set stricter parameters if we do this again.

I would stay in the room or closer by until the baby fell asleep, to make sure she is sleeping on the bed. I think MAM never did this with me because she was used to me leaving (no problem when she was immobile). I would also take the time to get her to understand that even if she can open the door to her room, she won’t be opening the door to her room before she falls asleep.

Thanks for reading about our experience with the floor bed–it’s been quite the adventure!

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sans Sybil or: today is brought to you by the color blue

Michelle — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 21:58:00 +0000

Life without Sybil lurking around the school has been sooooo much better. Granted it’s only been two days, but it’s been so less stressful and nutty I can’t really even begin. Except to say that things are MUCH better. Which is saying a lot, because I came home covered in blue paint.

Ok, not covered. Not covered in comparision to the 3 year old who went hog-wild at the easel and ended up with paint in her HAIR,but more covered than your average 34 year old on any given non-game day here in the Circle City.

When I rounded the corner and saw my budding O’Keefe, I was really thankful that I didn’t put the red paint out today, or the art area would have looked like a crime scene instead of just a smurf-party gone bad. Seriously. She got the other side of the easel. The floor. The sink. The cabinet. The step stool. The fridge. Her socks and her hair.

It’s days like this that make me say, “to hell with the process, give me CRAYOLA COLOR WONDER!!!” But then I regroup and remember that it is a process, and while my little O’Keefe has a long way to go in the painting department, she did a good job of helping me to clean up.

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Sooner or later…

Michelle — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 17:34:00 +0000

Apparently, the virus will be leaving later. The rash is just a symptom of the virus, or that’s the speculation anyway. It amazes me that in say 50 years of “modern” medicine, no progress has been made in the way of such things as viral infections. Ok, I know that’s not really true, but come on! I was talking to a co-worker last night (the one I’ve called now, six nights in a row to inform of my absence) and she said that she had a similiar thing every fall as a kid. She asked her mom, and she verified all the symptoms, and what the doctor said about each one. I don’t know if it’s comforting or not that the course of treatment is the same as it was in 1977. Seriously. My other consolation is that my friend’s son seems to have gotten the same bug–he’s 4 1/2 so he was only waylayed for about 5 days, but his symptoms were identical, sans rash.

Today M slept in (again) , logging a total of 13 hours of night time sleep. She was up for about 3 hours, drank a little, ate a little (she’s partial to bagels these days) and then was ready for a nap. She’s going on hour four of said nap.

I took this opportunity to watch a movie, Akeelah and the Bee. OMG, such a GREAT movie!! Seriously, check it out. Very upbeat, uplifting, cute and funny, clean, all around family fun. Totally good movie for all. Slightly predictable, but not annoyingly so.

Tomorrow L is staying home with M–so I can make an appearance at work, get out of the germ-infested house and go to a dr’s appt. You know it’s sad when you are looking forward to having an EMG. Ok, that’s a lie, I’m not looking forward to the actual shock-treatment like test I’ll be getting, but I’m looking forward to solving the weird sensations that have been plaguing my right leg for awhile now.

Not much else is new today. I missed the balloon launch at school–we are beginning to count down the 100 days to the 100th anniversary of the Montessori movement. We even had speical staff t-shirts made and everything. I don’t live far from school, but didn’t see any balloons in the sky at the appointed time. The school is working on getting the funds to send the entire staff to San Fransico in February, where there will be the annual professional development course as well as a centenary celebration. Included will be a trip to the grounds where the “glass classroom” was on display at the 1915 world’s fair. How cool is that???

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Can you tell prime time doesn’t start for another 30 minutes?

Michelle — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 23:34:00 +0000

Sniffly monkey has been put to bed. I’m tired of housework. So here I sit. I’ve been reading a lot of blogs lately about Montessori at home–either home-learning families or just applying principles to your every day family life. Since I’ve been the one giving the enrollment tours at school lately, I’ve been trying to get that point across–that it’s not just a learning method, but a lifestyle. A lifestyle that embraces respect for all members of a family, big and small, as well as a respect for everyone’s place in society. (among other things)

M has definitely taken a turn in the expressive/receptive communication arena this week, and she’s showing me that she knows SO MUCH. So how else am I going to pass the next 30 minutes?? Bragging on my kid, of course. What else would any self-respecting MommyBlogger do??

The Top 10 Best Things about Baby Kahuna (this week)

1) Playing Mama. M’s dolly now has time in the booster seat, and the tray must be fastened on! Dolly also goes “na na” on a pillow, and gets covered with a blanket. She gets a bottle, and honest to goodness, she was trying to change her today with some junk mail I had around the house. (Putting her down on a piece of paper, covering the diaper area with anothe piece of paper) She also goes for stroller rides around the house, as well as on shopping trips in the shopping cart.

2)Going Bye bye. She takes me keys to the front door, tries to reach the lock and waves to me. Seriously.

3) Answering questions with the shake of her head. Walking over to her seat when she’s hungry. Going to the fridge for milk. Closing the fridge door and car doors every chance she gets.

4) Brushing her teeth and her hair. Helping to dress herself–moving her arms and legs to actually aid the dressing and undressing process. Taking off her velcro shoes. Untying her tie shoes.

5) Using a spoon and a fork. She gets quite irritated if I give her a bowl of food without a utensil. She’s also started handing me things when she’s done (rather than dumping the leftovers on the floor).

6) Using a few signs!! She can sign “please” when I ask her to (before food), she does the potty sign when I go, and does “all done” after she hands me her dishes. And she points to the sky for airplane.

7)The talking. We’ve got the new “na na” for night-night, “bu-bu” for butterfly, the two sounds for duck (one for duck, the other for quack quack), “ba ba” is universal for drink….it’s amazing how much she gets her point across with just a few words!!! She’s also a fan of ba-boo, and pi-doo….which can mean anything from shoes to pizza, depending on what’s in her line of sight.

The repetition. And the repetition. And the repetition. Open the drawer. Take out one playing card. Close the drawer. Bring it to me across the room. Go back to the drawer. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat until I have 10 playing cards. Then take back a card and do the whole thing in reverse. Seriously.

9) The fridge magnets. She LOVES our acrylic frames with pictures of her friends and cousins. LOVES THEM. Will look at them, move them around, talk to them…..

10) Her smile and hug in the mornings when I open her door. How can that not be the best moment of my day?

I’ll shut up now. But know there are probably 5 more top ten lists where this one came from.

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