Aurora Thinks Produce Is Worth the Trip

I love this scene of K-Pax. I can't even remember how the movie ends, but watching him eat that banana makes me happy. I heard it was completely impromptu and that Jeff Bridges didn't know he was going to do it, which makes it even funnier.

Anyway. I have a big fruit basket on my table, and at night when we eat dinner it ends up on the floor behind the table because it inhibits eye contact and conversation. Depending on whose job it is to clear the table, sometimes we forget about it and it's still on the floor in the morning.

Nothing makes Aurora happier.

The word K-Pax has turned into a verb around here, as in, "Oh, get Aurora, she's trying to K-Pax a tangerine!" She never fails to notice when the fruit is down, and apparently she is not deterred by peels one bit. :)

Thanksgiving Prep Work

Tomorrow is our big feast and we've been working on things for almost a week now. My fridge is crammed and we still have to do the dressing and the corn and the turkey.... yum. I can't wait for some good eats tomorrow.

Today we finished making the caramel apple cheesecake, but we began it a few days ago- everybody got a hammer (or a cell phone or a saw, as the case may be) and helped to pound the graham crackers and shortbread cookies to make the crust.


We've also been working on coloring Thanksgiving placemats for everyone. Bianca mostly wants to try to eat the crayons, but she had a good time being included with the big kids.


There are 2 huge pans of mashed potatoes all ready to bake tomorrow- Ariel and Sebastian were fabulous mashers.


I didn't get very many pictures of the potato-fest, but everybody had a job. Counters, washers, driers, peelers, mashers... and then everyone got to be a taster, of course. They have all pronounced it yummy.

Hmmm.....

My Princess Aurora is crying. Granted, it's nearly lunch time, nearly nap time... two good reasons for a small girl to feel cranky. I was in here fixing lunch and she started up, so I went into the playroom. She was just standing there and all six other big kids were watching Magic School Bus and not paying attention. I asked Ariel if she knew why Aurora is sad and she didn't. Which is amazing, actually, because she pretty much knows everything that is happening in the playroom at all times. Therefore I was leaning toward one of the hungry/tired reasons.

Enter O'Malley.

He leans over to me, holding his favorite plastic hammer and says, "I know why she sad. Because I didn't hit her. Ummm.... I think Mulan hit her....."

Poor Mulan- she looked very startled. It wasn't her. I'm just not sure if it was O'Malley. He definitely sounds guilty though.

Thanksgiving!

We are getting ready for our third annual feast! :) Lots to catch up on and no time to write. Evites went out to families today- if you didn't get one, please make sure I have your updated address. I know for sure I'm missing Tinkerbell and Bianca.

Gross Motor Skills at Work

It's Dress-up Day! Pumpkins! Spiders! and all kinds of other woodsy things to finish out our Treehouse Club unit for October. This morning Spiderman, Wubbzy, Rocker Girl, and I spent a LOOOOOONNNNNG time hammering golf tees into a pumpkin. They had a great time! I was impressed with the fact that they also connected it back to porcupine day from last week and said we were making our pumpkin look like porcupine quills. :) Such smart kiddos.


Boo takes her job very seriously. :)

Friends

I am such a sucker for pictures of the backs of cute kids walking. Not sure why.

Here's Boo and Mulan.... :) They had such a good time that day.

An Average Day at Giant Steps

What can you expect when you bring your child to Giant Steps? Kids thrive on consistent routines and like to know what's coming up next, so I try to arrange our day in a predictable order. Having said that, I also believe strongly in child-led activities and am flexible on a day-to-day basis. The kids are going to spend many years in structured school where they change topics when the bell rings. I try to avoid that here whenever possible. If they are loving something and having a wonderful time, we'll do it all morning. If I had planned something to go all morning and they're not interested, we'll change to something else. This routine is loosely based on the ages and interests of the individuals in my care at the present time, and therefore is subject to change if I get new kids with different likes and dislikes.

• Doors open at 7:30. Kids generally arrive between 7:30 and 8:30 or a bit after. They have free play time while we wait for all the friends to get here and I am cooking breakfast.
• Breakfast is usually between 8:30 and 9. I try to cook hot meals several times a week and fill in with cereal or yogurt. A fruit is also served, along with milk. Infants ready for fruit or rice cereal are also fed during this time period.
• After breakfast: infants are taken care of based on their individual schedules. Most take morning naps, and we try to include them in circle time before they go to sleep if possible. While they sleep, it is activity time for the older kids. We have story time, singing/circle time, calendar work, and a graph about what color shirt everyone is wearing. If the weather is nice we try to spend some time outside, either in the yard or taking a walk. We do painting throughout the day, one at a time at the porch easel, and do art and games relating to our current Read It Once Again title.
• Around 11:30 we tidy up the playroom and turn on a short movie so the kids can watch it while we fix lunch. Lunch will be a protein, a carb, two fruits/veggies, and milk. A majority of the time it's a hot lunch and I try to avoid processed food whenever possible.
• For about the next hour and a half it's a cycle of lunch and naps- the babies get up and want to eat, the big kids want to eat and then need to nap.
• The late afternoon is more flexible as the kids wake up one by one. Unless asked by a parent to wake them up at a certain time, I don't wake sleeping kids. My feeling is that if they're sleeping, they need it. We choose art activities and small toys and games that can be done with different numbers of kids while everyone finishes nap. Then we have snack and prepare for the end of the day.

We try to include the kids in household activities such as cooking, cleaning, and planning whenever we can. We talk all day long and try to foster the interests of each individual.  I don't want anyone to be lost in the shuffle and make sure I spend time hugging and holding each one, talking to them and finding out more about them. I also work very hard on polite manners- table etiquette, dealing with friends, and speaking nicely.