Good morning Tuesday

[Mouse]

It’s my busy day today - 2 children instead of just the one :laughing: I do think this enforced break has made a lot of childminders realise how hard they actually work. How many of us normally do long days with the maximum number of children and end up exhausted by the end of the week? Of course, that’s not even taking into account the out of hours training, preparation, planning and paperwork. I know a lot of childminders who are using this opportunity to reassess how they work and trying to strike a better work/family life balance.

What have you all got planned for today? It’s another minded child’s birthday today (one who’s not coming back yet) so we’re going to make him a birthday card this morning and drop it round. He only lives a short walk away so we won’t be venturing too far. His mum has made some cupcakes so we’ll do a socially distanced exchange of card, present and cake :D

Have good days everyone :thumbsup:

[loocyloo]

That sounds nice Mouse.

today is my busy day! .... 4 children !!!! one little one has come back after being at home with Daddy shielding for past 2 months. a few tears, but generally ok!
just busy outside playing, I've collected laptop, and am sitting watching the children whilst i print out a fact sheet and create a colouring page for the children to take home about the fact that we have some red tailed bumblebees living under the toyshed !!!! There is apparently NOTHING i can do, and unless we annoy them, they won't sting, so we're just busy watching them going in and out! They are a 'social' bee and live underground, in old burrows or under stones. We did have mice living under the toy shed, so i suspect that is where the bees are living!

have fun everyone.

[Maza]

Loocyloo, our neighbour has white tailed bumblebees in her roof/gutter and were also told to leave them. They also have visit our flowers at the moment and ignorantly I would have just called them bees before the pest control man enlightened us. My general knowledge of bees is improving at the moment!

Pixie dust, Cookie hasn't been for a drive since I last posted. He will now sit in the car with me on the drive way and doesn't seem to tremble any more, but I can tell he's not relaxed either. I always offer him a treat in the car but he won't eat it until we get out. The day he is relaxed enough to eat it in the car will be a big breakthrough. He was absolutely fine before lockdown in the car, so we were shocked to see him so afraid of it when he had his first short journey out again after having not been in the car for a good few weeks. His last journey before lockdown was to/from the vets for his final check-up after his attack, so maybe he associates it with that. How is your puppy doing with the mindees?

Mouse that's so lovely of you to make a fuss of your mindee even when he is not at yours.

Today I am doing loads of laundry amongst other things. DD has to have different clothes on each day for school (not allowed uniform) and she hardly has any clothes which fit her at the moment, so I absolutely have to be on top of laundry so that her Monday outfit is ready to wear again before the end of the week. We haven't watched last weeks sewing bee yet either, so we'll have to try and watch it tonight.

It's getting hot already!

[FloraDora]

I’m having a laundry day too Maza!
I’m trying to get all the laundry done and line dried before the good weather arrives so that I can sit in the yard, the area with the most shade, without washing around me- though when I was a childminder and it was a heatwave I would deliberately wash and hang out sheets and duvet covers as it then gave more shade to our old garden.

Some of my mums from baby and toddler have suggested a meet up, a picnic in a field. One mum has said she wouldn’t come however because her LO will want to rush up to me and hug my legs like he normally does, she wants that to carry on As normal in his life as he isn’t a child that often expresses emotions...so she said she’ll wait until the normal group can start, when it’s safe to not be 2m and when hugging legs can be possible for him again. It got me thinking about my role and I think I understand. If the children can’t interact with me as usual, if I can’t lead an activity( though I could do a forest school activity in the field) then should I go? It isn’t vital childcare, it’s an opportunity for the parents to meet ( which of course could be vital for mental health) and chatter and the children to play ( they are happy for children not to keep to the 2 m rule) as most are only children. I have no need to chatter and be social. So I have said I am still self isolating ( DH is shielding) as I can keep the distance from the parents but it doesn’t look like I will be able to from LO’s. Now I feel bad, it’s the start ...I am being persuaded and in the nicest way told I have to get back to real life. It reminds me of the times I didn’t want to drink alcohol and was often guilted in to joining in the Prosecco toast, when I was trying to eat a healthy diet and I was teased at not eating a cake...social persuasion is so powerful ...and lingers on my mind.

It got me thinking about all of you - taking that step to be normal for your families who need vital care and I am in awe of you all. You are doing a vital role in what is still an uncertain world. 1 metre plus Boris is telling me....closing non essential social places at work....the ease of the lockdown is not easy!

[FussyElmo]

Good afternoon everyone.

Its looks like I have the rest of the week off. Mum sees no point in just sending her. She did her big shop this morning so we went for a walk played pooh sticks. Planted some plants painted some rocks and helped clean the hamsters out.

It was my birthday yesterday dh and children did good got me some chimneys so I can plant them. I was also taken to a garden centre for some plants. It felt also surreal to be out and not food shopping.

However dd2 took a tumble on the trampoline and has hurt her arm. 2 and 1/2 hours at the walk in centre wearing masks.
The xray was unconclusive so treating it as soft tissue but her elbow is so swollen and she is in pain :(

[loocyloo]

Good afternoon everyone.

Its looks like I have the rest of the week off. Mum sees no point in just sending her. She did her big shop this morning so we went for a walk played pooh sticks. Planted some plants painted some rocks and helped clean the hamsters out.

It was my birthday yesterday dh and children did good got me some chimneys so I can plant them. I was also taken to a garden centre for some plants. It felt also surreal to be out and not food shopping.

However dd2 took a tumble on the trampoline and has hurt her arm. 2 and 1/2 hours at the walk in centre wearing masks.
The xray was unconclusive so treating it as soft tissue but her elbow is so swollen and she is in pain :(

Oh Fussy, hope your DD is ok. Can you immobilise it in a sling?

Happy birthday for yesterday ... enjoy planting up your chimneys :D

and that's a shame that your mindee isn't coming. I've only got one tomorrow and thurs. Mum would rather i had others here, but i said i couldn't make the others return! but she could ask !!! ( they all know each other! ) LO has to come as both parents at work.

Hope everyone has got all their laundry dry!

[Maza]

Oh no Fussy, your poor DD. Hope it feels better soon.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY for yesterday! Glad you had fun at the garden centre. The things we used to take for granted!

[Pixie dust]

Pixie dust, Cookie hasn't been for a drive since I last posted. He will now sit in the car with me on the drive way and doesn't seem to tremble any more, but I can tell he's not relaxed either. I always offer him a treat in the car but he won't eat it until we get out. The day he is relaxed enough to eat it in the car will be a big breakthrough. He was absolutely fine before lockdown in the car, so we were shocked to see him so afraid of it when he had his first short journey out again after having not been in the car for a good few weeks. His last journey before lockdown was to/from the vets for his final check-up after his attack, so maybe he associates it with that. How is your puppy doing with the mindees?

Hopefully he will get more used to it and settle soon....our little one is doing great, the children love him and he gets super excited when they all talk to him through the stair gate. He is pretty good most of the time, when we are busy in the playroom he goes and lies in his crate or will sleep on the sofa(we didn't encourage this it just sort of happened) when we are outside he has his part of the garden and we are in ours I do keep in separate as he is a bit bouncy and I don't want him sending any one flying. They all have times when they get to stroke him and make a fuss under close supervision.

[FussyElmo]

Thank you.

Mum isn't working at the moment so no real reason to send her. I think mum is aware that mindee is going to school September so wants to spend some time with her.

Do is still struggling with her arm fine line between resting it and not using it