I can’t tell you how happy I am to be able to say that Maya loves school. Given her propensity to shyness and her antics last winter when I tried to send her into her gymnastics class alone, I was really worried that it would take her some time, perhaps even a lot of time, to adjust to going to school. Deep down I knew she would love it once she got adjusted, but I didn’t know what to expect from her at first.

We are in week number 3 of the school year and Maya is just in love with going to school. When she gets up in the morning she always asks if she “gets to go to school this day?” Other than a few tears, that according to her teacher only lasted a couple of minutes, on her first day of school drop off has been a breeze. Thursday when I dropped her off she barely said goodbye before running into her class room. It is going better than I even could have hoped. I never imagined that on her 3rd day of school she’d already be at the running into class with barely a look back stage, I love it.

She is getting so much out of it too. Every Tuesday and Thursday when I pick her up from school at lunchtime she is full of stories about all the things she did in class that day. She sings the songs they have been learning in class all day long. She talks about her new little friends and all the things they played with. She adores her teachers. She is so proud of her little art projects at the end of the day. Not to mention that she is constantly playing school at home now too, either with Lorne and I or her dolls as her “students”.

The smiles on her face when I drop her off and the bigger smiles on her face when I pick her up just melt my heart.

Today was a big day for Maya, it was her first day of preschool.

She has been filled with excitement and nerves about the whole idea of starting school for weeks. Most days she went back and forth between liking the idea of starting school and kind of wanting to go and saying she didn’t like school and just wanted to stay home with me. We spent a lot of time talking about what she could expect and really talking up how much fun she would have. As the big day drew closer we took her out to pick out a first day of school outfit and a new backpack. It all helped to increase the excitement and decrease the nerves.

This morning at drop off I could sense her nerves and was a bit worried about how the drop off would go. She cried, as I expected, but I stayed positive and said my good byes. Her teacher did a great job of diverting her attention and I walked out the door. When I went back to pick her up a few hours later she was all smiles and full of stories about what she did. Ms. Melinda said she stopped crying pretty much right after I left and had a great day.

I’m so proud of her. Her first day of school was a huge success and she can’t wait to go back and do it all over again next week.

This month, around our house, is going to be all about routine change. In less than three weeks Maya starts preschool (still can’t quite believe it). With the start of preschool comes the need for a few bad habits to be changed around here and the need for a new quick, manageable morning routine that will allow us to get out the door in time for school drop off.

When I signed Maya up for preschool last fall she was definitely a morning person. She was consistently waking up between 6:30am and 7:00am every morning. The morning was her most cheerful time and she was still napping most days in the afternoon. So, given what our routine at the time was I figured morning preschool would be the best for her. When we found out, in May, about our Tuesday/Thursday morning spot opening up for the new school year I started to regret my decision to go with mornings, but it was too late. A lot has changed in our lives and in Maya routine since last fall when I first added her to the wait list. She no longer gets up as early. Some mornings she sleeps until 8am or so and it takes her forever to get going in the morning. Plus, she is no longer napping in the afternoons.  Not to mention, of course, I now have a newborn to get ready to go in the morning too. But, since no afternoon spots were available, we’re just going to have to make it work. I foresee some crazy frantic mornings in our future while we adjust.

In order to control the chaos that will be the first few weeks of school as we adjust to the new schedule I am implementing a few routine changes around here over the next few weeks.

The first big change is how and where we eat breakfast. Maya has never been a fan of eating as soon as she gets up, she would rather play for a bit. And, we have developed this nasty habit of eating in the family room so she can play/watch television while she eats. I admit this is totally my fault, I should never have started this bad habit in the first place. It was just easy because it allowed her to eat breakfast at her own pace and play at the same time. However, now we won’t have time for that on school days. So, we are starting a new routine of eating breakfast as soon as we get up at the dining room table. This morning was our first go and it went pretty well. She only ate about half her breakfast before claiming she was full and getting down to go play. It didn’t take long before she was hungry and asking for snacks though. It’ll get better I’m sure. Hopefully, by the time August 18th rolls around she’ll be eating all her breakfast, quickly, at the table every morning.

Next week our big routine adjustment is going to be wake up time. Lorne gets up every morning around 6:00am (ish) to get ready for work. My plan is to get up at the same time and shower and then wake Maya up around 6:30am to get our day started. I want to make sure we have plenty of time in the mornings so that we aren’t too rushed. At first I’ll make her do this every day so she gets used to it. Over time, as she adjusts to the school days schedule, I’ll let her return to waking on her own on non-school days.

The wrench in all of this, the unknown, is Anna and when she is going to want to eat. But, we’ll just have to take that as it comes and hopefully I’ll be able to get her into a good routine that works around Maya’s school schedule.

It’ll all work out, I just have to keep telling myself that.

Who knew that enrolling your child in preschool required practically as much paperwork as buying a house!

Maya will be starting preschool in August when the new school year begins.  The school district we live in has an amazing preschool program and we had her added to the wait list last fall for the half day program hoping for 2 or 3 days a week.  While we were in Australia we got the call that a spot had opened up for her in the new school year.  After a little interesting phone tag across very different time zones and finally an email exchange I was able to secure her spot in a two day a week half day program.  The assistant principle said they would mail the paperwork to our house and set the due date for 2 after my return to the US so I didn’t have to worry about it until I got back.

I returned home to a mountain of mail, one of which being a very thick envelope from the school district that I knew contained the enrollment paperwork.  I figured it was a few forms and the handbook.  It never dawned on me that majority of the thickness of the envelope was the paperwork I would need to fill out and the handbook took up a mere 10 pages.  The amount of paperwork I have had to complete the last couple of weeks just to get my daughter enrolled in a preschool program is seriously ridiculous.  I feel like I’m signing over my life, similar to how I felt when I was filling out paperwork to buy our house! I’ve been buried in a mountain of preschool enrollment paperwork for 2 weeks now and finally dug myself out. After much running around to get the necessary documentation to prove I live where I said I lived and to get all the medical forms (4 of them) completed by Maya’s pediatrician, and lots and lots of time spent sitting at our desk filling out form after form and signing permission slip after permission slip I am finally done.

Today I had a meeting with the assistant principle to drop off my mountain of paperwork, get a tour of the school and talk about our expectation for next year. Can I just say I love this school. The preschool is currently in summer classes and camps mode. It was nice to get to see some of the teachers in action and see how comfortable the kids are in the environment and how much there is for them to do. The school is adorable but also very well stocked in the necessities of early childhood learning, including some pretty fantastic tech gear like an interactive activity station that allows kids to use their bodies and movements to learn things like reading and math skills. The program seems to offer everything I was hoping for.

I’m excited for Maya to start preschool. She is definitely ready for this next big step in her life.  The program is very child led so her learning will be broad and based on what she is ready to learn and wants to learn while being guided by the teacher.  I can’t wait to see how she changes and grows from the program. That being said it seriously freaks me out that my baby is already old enough to be in school. Who told her she could grow up so quickly!

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!

It is back to school time in our neck of the woods.  Over the next week or so kids will be waking up early, getting dressed in that cool new back to school outfit, getting their backpack ready and heading out the door to board the bus for their first day of school.  It is both a very exciting time and a very nerve-wracking time.  I can remember being filled with first day of school jitters during the days leading up to the start of school.  The first day of school means big changes.  Meeting a new teacher, new classmates, figure out what this year brings in terms of knowledge, getting used to a new routine, it is all enough to make our kiddos feel very nervous, and us parents too.

There are several things you can do to help ease your child’s back to school jitters and nerves.  You won’t be able to alleviate them entirely, nerves are part and parcel of going back to school, but you can help ease their minds a little and make them feel not so alone.

• Acknowledge your child’s fears and give your child a chance to talk about what is making him nervous.
• If your school has an open house before the school year starts be sure to attend.  Meeting her new teacher, seeing what her class room will look like and walking the halls of the school will all help alleviate some of her worry.
• Accentuate the positives. Talk about your child teacher, the school bus, and school in general in a positive manner.
• Bring your child along when picking out school supplies and let them help decide which ones to go with.  They will be more excited if they know school will mean they get to use that cool new backpack they helped pick out.
• Buy a few “back to school” books to read with your child.  If their favorite character has one pick it up to help show your child that going back to school is fun, even for (insert favorite character).
• Buy your child a special going back to school outfit.  Having a special new outfit to wear on the first day of school will help make your child feel special and help get them excited about the first day.
• If you are packing a lunch for your child include some of their favorite lunch foods and a special note to remind them that you are thinking about them and hoping they are having a wonderful first day of school.
• On the first day of school make the day all about your child(ern) cook everyone’s favorites for breakfast, make a big deal about taking first day of school photos and plan a special dinner of everyone’s favorites.

Usually after the first few days your child’s nerves will calm down and their fears about starting school will be gone.  Just be sure to continue to give them a chance to talk about their day, their fears, their ups and downs at the end of every school day.

What do you do for your kids to make them feel special on their first day of school?  What do remember from your childhood about your own first day of school jitters?

This morning, while Maya and I were at the nursery picking up a few flowers for our garden, we were having a pretty in depth and detailed conversation about flowers, colors, gardens, and what we were going to plant where.  I hardly  noticed the other mom and her son until Maya turned around and said something along the lines of “that silly boy is hurting the flowers” as the little boy was pulling blooms off of a marigold plant.  I looked up and smiled at the mom as she was trying to reprimand and teach her son about being nice to the plants, trying to show my support and letting her know I’ve “been there, done that”.  Maya started telling the little boy all about the flowers, what color they were, showing him how to gently smell them, etc.  The mom sighed a very deep long sigh and asked me how old Maya was and where she learned to speak so well.  When I told her she was 2 and a half she told me in a very disappointed sounding voice that her son was almost 2 and a half as well but didn’t have near the vocabulary or concept of language.

I tried to reassure her as best I could.  It is hard when you start comparing your kid to other kids.  There is a reason we shouldn’t do it, it usually just makes you feel bad.  No two kids are alike, they development and learn and grow at their own pace.  Her son seemed like any typical two year old.  Although he didn’t have a huge vocabulary he seemed to be doing just fine.  He talked back and forth to Maya just fine.

The whole experience got me thinking about the things we have done with Maya to help her with her language development.  Things I’ve read about online and in parenting books about language development in toddlers and preschoolers.  There are lots of ways you can help your child with their language development, little things you can do in your daily life that will help their vocabulary and language skills grow.

• From the very beginning talk to your child often.  Even something as simple as narrating what you are doing is a great way to show your child how language is used, teach them different words, etc.
• As your child begins communicating back, even when just babbling back to you, engage them in conversation.  Respond back to their babbles as if they are real words.
• As your child begins using words be sure to hone your listening skills.  Sit down and listen carefully to the stories your child tells you.  Engage and respond to encourage your child to continue the conversation.
• Help your child grow their vocabulary by pointing out new things as you go about your day.  Practice how to say new words together.
• Sing songs.  Singing is a great way to encourage your child to use the language skills they already have and to build their vocabulary.
• Read.  Read.  Read.  The more you read the better.  Children learn so much from reading, including the proper use of language, new words, how words sound, etc.
• Encourage your child to read to you.  Even if they can’t actually read the words yet, get your child to make up a story as you go along flipping through a book.
• Correct your child’s grammar and mispronunciations.  Be consist and discreet.  A good way to do this is to simply repeat the phrase back to them using the proper pronunciation and grammar.

Basically the more your child hears language in use the more familiar they will be come and the faster their own language skills will develop.  Remember that children develop at different rates.  Just because your friend’s child who is the same age has a huge vocabulary doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with your child.  If you are concerned about your child’s language development be sure to discuss your concerns with your child’s doctor.  If there are speech and language development issues the earlier your child begins speech therapy the higher the rate of success.

Talk to your child, read to your child, engage your child in conversation, encourage your child to tell you stories and before long you’ll forget what it was like before you kiddo could talk your ear off.

Children learn about money, especially young children, by observing what their parents and other respected adults in their lives do.  The information the soak up in watching us with our money will greatly impact their own opinions of money down the road.  Whether they are spenders or savers, logical with money or irrational with it will depend in large part on what they learn about money growing up.  Even if you don’t actually talk to your children about you will still be teaching them something about it.

Sadly, there isn’t much teaching going on when it comes to money, especially in school.  Unless parents sit down and talk to their children about money, make it a point to share what they know, what they’ve learn, children will likely only have those observances from their childhood to fall back on.  Most schools do not specifically teach children about money, about the value of money, about what spending versus saving means.  Although this is valuable and necessary life information it often gets over looked.

There are many things you can do as a parent to help teach your children about money.  Things like:

• Taking them to the bank or ATM with you so they can witness and learn about some of the different transactions that take place involving money.
• Taking them shopping with you and teach them about spending wisely.
• Giving your child a little bit of money and teaching them about saving versus spending.
• Giving your child a means to save money, like a bank account of their own, and teaching them about the importance of saving up for big purchases.
• Letting your child watch you pay bills and talking with them about using the money in our accounts to pay for our expenses.
• Teaching your child about spending wisely by clipping coupons, looking for sale items, etc.
• Talking candidly with your child about money and not making it a hidden, secret topic.

There are some great online resources that include activities you can do with your child to help teach them about money.  Here are a few:

• The American Credit Union Association
• Sesame Street.org
• Family Education

By teaching your children about money, sharing your financial experiences with them, you are giving them some of the tools they will need to be successful in their own life.

Maya is currently in a love affair with a new book.  It is by far her favorite book right now.  She reads it at least a dozen times a day and it is always one of the books she picks for our before bed story time.  The book is the Dr. Seuss classic, Green Eggs and Ham, better known around our house as the “Sam Ham” book.

I’ve talked before about Maya’s love of reading.  Everyday when she gets out of bed the very first thing she does is run over to her book shelf and starts looking at her books and asking me to read her a story.  One of the very first books she goes for these days is “Sam Ham”, which is fine by me because it is such a fun story to read  She loves everything about the book, the pictures, the story, everything.

Not only does Maya love to have us read this book to her but she loves to read it to herself.  She will turn each page and examine the pictures while saying “no like sam ham”, this goes on for forty odd pages.  When she gets to the second last page she says “oh, I like sam ham” with a big smile on her face.  On the very last page she says “thank you thank you sam ham” before closing the book and starting all over again.  It is the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.  I’ve tried my darnedest to get a video of it but she always stops reading as soon as she realizes I’m filming her.  This is the best I’ve been able to get so far.  She loves her “Sam Ham” book

If you can’t see the video please click here.

One of my very favorite things to do is to curl up somewhere comfy and spend hours lost in the pages of a good book.  For as long as I can remember I have loved reading.  As a little girl my mom used to read to me all the time.  We had shelves and shelves of books to choose from.  When I was able to read on my own I would spend great amounts of time with my nose stuck in a book.  I joined every reading club in school.  I used to love those summer reading lists that the teachers would hand out to get us ready for the next school year.  The library was one of my favorite places to go with my mom.

This love of reading that I developed at a young age resulted from my mother’s own love of reading and her desire to foster a love of reading in her own children.  She encouraged us to read, she challenged us to be better readers by engaging us in discussions about the books we were reading and she made sure we always had access to lots and lots of reading material.  One thing that used to bug me at the time but that I understand now that I am older, was that if she felt like I didn’t know enough about the book and couldn’t tell her enough about it if she asked questions she would make me go back and read it again.  Which was fine if I enjoyed the book, but man did I hate that if I didn’t like the first time around.  I get now that she was just trying make me a better reader and helping me to have better reading comprehension, but boy did it bug me.

As a mom I am embarking on my own quest to foster a love of reading in Maya.  Already I can see the fruits of my labors.

She loves books.  She loves reading by herself, loves sitting with me reading books.  She will choose to read a book over playing with toys almost every time.  At the Science Center here in St. Louis they have a little reading corner.  That is the first place she ran to when we got to the Science Center the other day and she spent half an hour there contently reading their books on dinosaurs and weather, it was adorable.

Everyday, at least once, I’ll realize that she is being very quiet and I look in her room to see her sitting quietly in front of her book shelf reading away.  She used to just flip through the books and look at the pictures, but now that she has started retaining and memorizing some of what I have read to her I will actually catch her “reading” the books too.  As a mom who is also an avid reader this just warms my heart.  To see my daughter already loving books and reading and learning is just so awesome to me.

She even reads to the cats

Reading to your child from the very beginning is so important to their cognitive development.  They learn about language by listening to the stories you read to them.  They will learn things like the alphabet, new words, the meaning and concepts behind the words they hear and, of course, will eventually learn to read as well.  So grab a book and read to your child, it will be the best thing you do all day, I guarantee it.