Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner

My job is to run an in home daycare.  It's not always what I wanted to be.  When I was a little girl I wanted to be a hairstylist named Debbie.  Then as I got older, a secretary, and then finally a photographer.  I thought I would have a big career doing something amazing somewhere wonderful.

But...when my daughter was born, I first worked 3 days a week.  My 4 days at home with Tatum were pure bliss.   I had a 4 year old step son who would come over and I felt so complete, so full of love.  Exhausted, but it's funny how you don't remember that part so much.  When I opened our home to watch other people's children, I thought every day would be magical.  Full of sunshine and shadow puppets.  Kids sitting in little chairs in a row listening to me and being quiet while I read aloud my favorite children's storybooks.  Everybody being good and getting along and staying clean and relatively quiet.  But the reality is...

I wake up early every day.

Next I take the dog out and then it is home for kids to start arriving. They usually get dropped off in relatively good moods.  They are sometimes reluctant to see their parents leave until they see the other kids that are here on that day, and then they have to run into the house to do 1 of 3 things.  1.  Run in and say hi to their friends and join the fun! 2. Run in and immediately take something interesting away from someone. 3. Run in to try to establish dominance.  Once that 's settled, we can start the day!

We eat a lot of snacks.  Toddlers don't eat much at a time, so we sit down several times a day for very small micro snacks.  I always crack up how sometimes kids will act crazy - almost like Animal from The Muppets.  But at snack/mealtime, i get out the little table with stools and they turn into guests at a tea party.  Perfect little ladies and gentlemen - I have no idea what it is.  They start drinking from their sippy cups with their little pinkies out:)  Not everyone likes the formal sitting down to eat at set times however.  I couldn't help but notice a certain 3 year old walking around all day with a Barbie carrying case on her shoulder like a purse.  But after literally the whole day of not putting it down, I decided to take a closer look.  And that is when I discovered that she had emptied the box of her favorite snack crackers into the Barbie case to stop for a cracker break whenever/wherever she wanted.  Ingenuity!

I always try to get something around the house done when the toddlers are occupied.  The most glaring mess that needs wiped up every single day is the glass on our french doors which lead into the playroom.  I try to wipe them off every day, as if it were that easy.  On my days off it takes me about 30 seconds to wipe the fingerprints off. But with their aid...5 minutes just to wipe them down.  The toddlers love to help!  They like to use their fingers to immediately get right down to business making fresh smudges on the windows.  But the really industrious ones will lick the freshly cleaned glass, and then draw designs in the saliva on the window.  And lets not forget just the full mouth on the glass.

After snack time we likes to play games!  Everybody likes games, and they love to make up their own games.  Like...help Miss Jayne unload the dishwasher.  Or...find the cabinet that has plastic appliances including vital parts that if they get lost - the whole appliance doesn't work.  Aka, whirly pops and plastic ice cream and pop cycle makers.  They love to figure out how to jimmy the childproof lock on the cabinet and get into the crafts!  Shakers of glitter - pure joy!!!

So I try to stay on top of the games.  I try to plan games like, everyone blow air through a straw to blow a paper ball across the table.  But they usually can't blow hard enough:)  Or jump through a hula hoop.  Another favorite one is to stand at the end of the hall while trying to throw a ball into the bucket I am holding.  The kids don't always have good aim, so this is a tense game for Miss Jayne.    A favorite is hide and seek.  Every time the mobile toddlers like to be on one team, while myself, holding the baby who can't walk, and the dog are on the opposing team.  My team never wins.  Every single place I try to hide - the  baby doesn't give me away actually - the dog does.  Picture a large chocolate lab lying in front of the front closet staring at it.  A large chocolate lab laying in the dining room floor wagging her tail and staring under the table.  Where could Miss Jayne be?

And speaking of memorable hide and seek games.  In the summer, a lot of the babies stay home with their parents who are teachers.  So I end up with more school age kids.  Last year I had 6 elementary/jr. high kids one day.  They were playing hide and seek while I cleaned up.  The great thing about hide and seek is how quiet the house is!  I decided to take a bathroom break.  When I walked into my bathroom I noticed that our large linen closet door was open just a tad, but I thought nothing of it.  I did my business then just hung out in the bathroom for a few minutes - just to enjoy some silence.  And that is when the linen closet door opened more.  All by itself.  On further investigation I realized that their had been 5 children hiding in that closet the entire time I was in there.

Another memorable game occurred at my house between 2 elementary age girls, at like, 8:00 in the morning.  Again, I was cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast and headed to my room to get dressed.  Again, I lingered a few minutes in the quiet bedroom -  changed out of my pajamas, brushed my teeth and hair.  It was as I was making my bed that the girl underneath it got bored and decided to come out and talk to me.  I did not know their was a child under my bed, and was very startled when something started to vibrate my bed and appear out of nowhere.

Thought I was going to die.

After our game segment of the day is over, I'm usually pretty tired, so it's nice to take a rest in my recliner.  Until the a baby comes and pushes the lever down throwing the chair backwards into recliner mode.  Did you know that a 12 month old can work that lever?  I didn't know that either.  Fun surprise!

We have a lot of fun here, and I cherish every single moments I can spend with these kiddos.  But at the end of the day - it sure is nice to be able to rest!

Where your treasure is,

There your heart will be also

Matthew 6:23