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It is preschool decision time at our house. The plan is to have Maya to start preschool next fall. Since her birthday is in November she will be almost 6 when she starts kindergarten so by starting her in preschool next fall, when she is almost 4, that will give her 2 full years of preschool before she starts kindergarten. Most of the preschools in our area have pretty long waiting lists so we need to get cracking on deciding which one(s) to get her name on. There are too many options, I don’t know what to do.
I heard that our school district had a booklet of the area preschools so I called them up and had them mail me one. Would you believe there are 21 preschools within 5 miles of us, 21! How am I supposed to choose between 21 preschools? Top on our list is the preschool run through our school district, it comes highly rated and I like the idea that she’ll be starting out with the same teaching/education philosophy that she’ll encounter once she starts kindergarten. However, I’m also really interested in the Montessori approach but I don’t know a lot about it other than what I’ve read. Hmm, decisions, decisions.
Our first step is to narrow it down to a 2 or 3 schools and then schedule tours so we can base our final decision on what we think of the teaching philosophy, the environment, the facilities and the teaching/administrative staff. However, getting to that point is tough.
Here is where you guys come in. Since this is my first go around with preschool I’m afraid of over looking something, not asking the right questions, etc. So, I’m turning to you guys for guidance. Do you prefer traditional or Montessori preschools and why? What do you love most about the preschool your child is going/went to? What questions do you think are most important to ask a prospective preschool? I need your help!
Do you keep your kids on a routine while you are away on vacation or do you just go with the flow?
My daughter is a routine loving of kid. She thrives and is at her best when she eats at her normal times, gets a good nap at her regular time and goes to bed around her regular time. This goes for when we are home or when we are away. As a result I do my best to keep her on some sort of familiar routine when we are on vacation. I can’t keep things exactly the same as at home but I can certainly do my best to establish a routine that works for her.
With Maya it becomes very obvious, very fast when she hasn’t gotten enough sleep, has had enough fun and just needs to chill out. When I see the melt downs starting, when I see her emotional side start to make an appearance I know she needs some rest. Being on vacation can sometimes mean a lot of go, go, go and forgetting to eat and sleep at regular times. Even I get crabby when I’m hungry or haven’t had enough sleep so it isn’t any surprise that my kiddo does too.
To help keep things in some sort of balance when we are away from home I try to:
- Stick with a decent bedtime for Maya. The thing that throw her off the most is not getting enough sleep so enough though it may mean we have to miss out on a few things I try to stay firm on a bedtime that is reasonable for a 2 year old.
- Make sure she gets a nap every day, or at least most days. 2 year olds need their sleep and Maya just gets really crabby, irrational and over tired if she doesn’t get a nap most days. Again, it may mean missing out on a fun activity, but what fun would it really be if it only resulted in mega tantrums. Naps are important and I try my best to keep them in the schedule.
- Eat our meals are pretty regular times. Maya, like me, gets crabby if she doesn’t eat so I make sure that while we are on vacation breakfast, lunch and dinner all happen are pretty regular times.
- Listen to the cues from Maya. If she is getting extra crabby, extra emotional, or just plain out of air I make sure that she gets down for a nap or for bed early that day to help her regroup, or I make sure our schedule for that day is a quiet one.
It isn’t always easy to keep some sort of routine going but I try my best because I know that is what is going to make our vacation for the most fun for Maya, and as a result us. No one wants to be super crabby and tired while on vacation, that’s not fun.
So, what about you? Do you have go with the flow kids or routine lovers? How do you handle them when your on a family vacation?
When I found out I was having a girl I was so excited. Growing up the only girl with 4 brothers I felt like I had had my fair share of boys and wanted a little girl. Finding out that my first baby was actually going to be a girl was a wonderful surprise. I started imagining the beautiful clothing I would dress her in. I started imagining the fun we would have playing with dolls and barbies and my little ponies as she grew up (all favorites of mine when I was little). I wondered if she would be like me, a mix of tomboy and girlie, or all tomboy. I never for moment imagined she would be 100% girlie, I don’t know why, I just didn’t.
I’m not particularly girlie, and I’m not all tomboy either. I would definitely consider myself a mix. I do, occasionally, love to look pretty and get all dressed up, but for the most part you’ll find me in jeans and a t-shirt with my hair pulled back in a ponytail and no make up on. The idea that I would find myself the mother of a 100% girlie girl never crossed my mind. However, that is exactly what I am. Maya is currently in a phase of being 100% girlie. She is very opinionated when it comes to what she will wear, mostly dresses. Shoes are a bit of an obsession of hers. I bought her a little pair of pink ballet flats the other day and she put them on and pronounced that she was going to “wear ‘em everyday, mommy!!” And she has.
I have to admit it’s kind of fun. She is all about having pretty bows in her hair, or her new sparkly tiara! She’s started wanting me to paint her toe nails. I did it for the first time a couple of weeks ago and would you believe she sat perfectly still the whole time. Afterwards she had to show everyone her “torable” (adorable) toes 
Love my little girlie girl and I’m having so much fun being her mom.
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During pregnancy there are, of course, the obvious things you need to avoid, like drugs and alcohol. For the most part though, things in your life can stay fairly normal. You can carry on like usual eating the foods you love, exercising, etc. That being said, there are a few other things that are big no-no’s for pregnant women. Things that need to be avoiding during pregnancy for your safety as well as the safety of the little person growing inside of you.
Things to avoid when pregnant:
- Contact Sports – You can continue exercising during pregnancy (unless advised not to by your doctor) but that doesn’t mean you can still do everything you could before you got pregnant. If you partake in contact sports like kickboxing, martial arts, skiing, football, soccer, etc you should stop during you pregnancy. The risk of injury to yourself and your fetus is too great with these activities. Talk to your doctor about what sports are considered safe for you during pregnancy.
- Hot tubs and Saunas – Water activities are great for pregnant women. Swimming and water aerobics are great ways to get your exercise without feeling the extra weight and pressure from the pregnancy. However, it is not safe to use the hot tub and sauna at your local pool (or any where for that matter). The high temperatures are unsafe. A rise in your core body temperature can lead to fetal abnormalities.
- Raw Seafood, Sushi – Seafood, if cook and eaten in moderation, is considered safe during pregnancy. However, sushi is not. Raw seafood can carry parasites which could cause you to become ill or affect the fetus. So if you have a hankering for seafood go for the cooked variety and skip the sushi.
For the most part the list of things you need to avoid is usually short. There are more things you can continue doing versus those you need to avoid. Be sure to talk at length with your doctor early in your pregnancy to determine what is considered safe and what you should avoid. Be prepared for things to change during your pregnancy. If complications arise your doctor may add a few things to that list of things to avoid.
Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we will hop in the car and hit the road for our annual summer trek up to the great white north. Every year we spend two weeks up in Ontario, where both Lorne and I are from, to visit our families and partake in a little R & R. Aside from the ridiculously long car ride to get up there and the ridiculously long car ride to get home, it is always a very fun and relaxing trip.
Last year we decided to forego the ever unpopular road trip aspect of the trip and we flew up instead. Maya was still under 2 at the time so could fly free and we managed to get tickets for a steal. This year we are back to road tripping it. It should be interesting, to say the least, to be stuck in a car for 12+ hours with a 2 and a half year old who is potty trained. I foresee a lot of pit stops along the way. All I can say is thank goodness for portable dvd players and my daughter’s love for reading and coloring, they are likely to be our lifesavers tomorrow.
I’m really looking forward to seeing my family, watching Maya play with her uncles and her cousins and just chillin’ for the next couple of weeks.