View Full Version : Good morning Wednesday
Mouse
28-04-2021, 08:32 AM
Just time for a quick post before the children arrive.
We've got another wet and miserable day, but I did message the parents and tell them to send coats, so hopefully it won't stop us going out today.
What's everyone got planned for today? We're going to do the traditional butterfly pictures - paint half the paper and fold it over. I haven't done that with any children for ages. I'm always trying to come up with new ideas, but sometimes the old crafts are still as good. I'm going to laminate some of them so I can hang them up outside - once the rain stops!
A reminder for Sewing Bee tonight. I have enjoyed the episodes so far, but I'm obviously not fully into it yet as I can't remember what they made last week or who went home! It's still nice to chill out to on a Wednesday night though.
Enjoy your days everyone.
It's Wednesday today Mouse :laughing:
Today, we are carrying on with the gingerbread man. I usually do it at Christmas time but there are enough sensory related activities out there to do it twice! I have a Christmas gingerbread man story which I did in December so now I'm focusing on the original traditional tale. This morning, we made some paste/paint using ginger (had a pot in my out of date spice box). It smells nice but it doesn't look nice - I had printed out a cute gingerbread man shape and I am going to use Loocyloo's string idea from the other day and attach some to his head so that mindee can make him run around. Now though, he looks like he has had poo smeared all over him! :panic:
Today is our 21 year wedding anniversary. Mum asked yesterday if she could collect mindee early today as she has managed to book him a haircut. We were so happy - not that he is any trouble at all, and not that we are going anywhere to celebrate, but we were still excited. This morning though, she said that the hairdresser has had to cancel, so she will be collecting at the normal time.
Mouse, you're right - sometimes the old activities are the best. I think we probably all have memories of doing the butterfly paintings as children. Also, do you remember making the butterfly fairy cakes? I used to love making those with my nanna.
Mouse
28-04-2021, 09:57 AM
It's Wednesday today Mouse :laughing:
Thank you Maza! I knew it was Wednesday so don't know why I put Thursday :laughing:
Mouse
28-04-2021, 10:28 AM
Happy Anniversary Maza. 21 years is a real achievement!
I do remember making butterfly cakes as a child. Somehow they tasted so much better than a normal cupcake!
Dragonfly
28-04-2021, 12:19 PM
We used to call cakes fairy cakes or buns never cupcakes when I was a child. But I do remember there were butterfly cakes, they were the posh ones with buttercream.
21 years is an achievement nowadays. Interesting subject.
How long has everyone been married?
How long have you been a Childminder and does your husband enjoy all the clutter ( whoops! Toys and equipment) that goes with the job?
Happy anniversary Maza!
I was a childminder for just over five years, and then I took a break for five years. I started up again almost a year ago. I kept Ofsted informed the whole time I was on my break and they let me extend the usual three years that you are allowed, so I never had to go through the awful process of renewing my registration. In that time, I had two 'no children on role' inspections, and I kept up with my cpd, as well as paying all the usual red tape stuff that you have to pay, so I feel like I never really left.
My DH is great with all the clutter and always has been really. He has mellowed on other things. For example, he used to give me 'advice' on how I should put my foot down with parents. Now that he also works from home though, and sees the parents most days, he can see how it is not as easy as it sounds, and that you have to just let some things go.
loocyloo
28-04-2021, 01:06 PM
Afternoon.
It started off cold and damp but it's quite bright now, not that warm though! We've been to the zoo and saw the lions being fed and chatted to the keeper.
2 asleep now and 1 watching something special as she rests.
Butterfly prints are on my list of activities for this week, and probably will be done later! I like the idea of having some outside. Oh Maza, that made me laugh with your 'poo' covered gingerbread man!
Happy Anniversary Maza and Dh!
DH and I have been together 30 years and married for almost 23! I was a nanny when we met and have been childminding 18 years, so he's quite used to the clutter! Occasionally he has a moan, but generally is OK! He does prefer me to keep everything in playroom, but as he's spent last 19 years ( DS is 19 ) with toys around, he's oblivious really! He likes chatting to the minded children and will happily chat/ play/ read to them. He has arranged a delivery of gravel and other stuff for a working day, because he knows the minded children will enjoy it! Then he has plans to use them as slave labour to transfer the gravel! :laughing:
He would rather the garage didn't have 4 buggies and 8 or so carseats in it, but accepts they are non negotiable! He has a workshop, shed and garage of his own though!
Mouse
28-04-2021, 01:58 PM
We’ve been married for 32 years (I was very young!) and I’ve been minding for almost 25 years. Our eldest is nearly 30 so we’ve had child paraphernalia around since then. I don’t think either of us can remember a time when the house was completely child free.
DH has his own home office (the spare room!) so doesn’t mind too much that I have childminding stuff everywhere else.
While he’s been furloughed and at home he’s seen for himself what I do during the day. Even after all these years I still think he thought I had an easy job. He knows differently now!
Pixie dust
28-04-2021, 04:20 PM
Happy anniversary Maza. We celebrate our 13th anniversary this year but it's a second marriage for both of us.
I have been childminding for 12 years now but have always worked in early years, I have been a nanny, worked in settings as a practitioner and ending up as a manager where I ended up being stuck in an office rather than being with the children. I absolutely love what I do and can't imagine doing anything else but it does make me sad that childminders still do not get the recognition they deserve and are still seen as stay at home mums who babysit :mad:
Anyway we have had a lovely day out and about in the sunshine, we went for a walk and have been out in the garden.
Mouse I haven't watched any of the sewing bees yet, its on my list to catch up with but as each week passes thats another episode to catch up with.
Dragonfly
29-04-2021, 07:47 AM
I’ve been Childminding 25 years , I’ve fostered and been a nanny too .
I’ve been married 36 years.
I’m not allowed pushchairs etc in the garage loocyloo but I can understand that as childminding stuff seems to multiple!
I bet the children loved helping move the gravel.
It’s interesting that most of us are long term childminders, seems pretty rare nowadays. I think we’re a dying breed unfortunately.
Oh, I said I was in the process of becoming funded. And after a lot of stress I am now a funded childminder after all of this time!
Mouse
29-04-2021, 08:51 AM
It’s interesting that most of us are long term childminders, seems pretty rare nowadays. I think we’re a dying breed unfortunately.
Oh, I said I was in the process of becoming funded. And after a lot of stress I am now a funded childminder after all of this time!
We definitely are a dying breed. Of all the childminders who were about when I started, I think there are 3 of us still going.
Well done on getting your funding sorted. Personally, it works well for me and I like having a mixture of funded and paying parents.
Well done Dragongfly on the funding. I've resisted so far but am toying with the idea.
I really hope we are not a dying breed. I try not to bag off nurseries, but the other day when I was walking with my mindee, we saw a nursery doing the same walk, but it just didn't compare to the experience that my little one was having (or other mindees with a minder). They were moving as a group and couldn't all stop to watch a snail for as long as we did, or run up and down a little hill as many times as each child wanted and then go home to a lunch which has been prepared with the individual's preferences in mind. I wonder if the new development matters will help to lure/keep more childminders - with the emphasis moving away from paperwork.
loocyloo
29-04-2021, 12:18 PM
Well done Dragongfly on the funding. I've resisted so far but am toying with the idea.
I really hope we are not a dying breed. I try not to bag off nurseries, but the other day when I was walking with my mindee, we saw a nursery doing the same walk, but it just didn't compare to the experience that my little one was having (or other mindees with a minder). They were moving as a group and couldn't all stop to watch a snail for as long as we did, or run up and down a little hill as many times as each child wanted and then go home to a lunch which has been prepared with the individual's preferences in mind. I wonder if the new development matters will help to lure/keep more childminders - with the emphasis moving away from paperwork.
I bumped into a local 'ex' childminder the other day who said she missed the children and if there was less red-tape she'd be back .. I told her the new eyfs has less .... but I don't think she'll do it! She works as a carer for the elderly now.
The 'newest' childminders i know have been doing it for 6/8 years. And I know a couple who are at 30 years plus!
Dragonfly
29-04-2021, 03:53 PM
It’s sooo different from social services days. Yes, think all the paperwork etc does put people off a lot . 9 childminders here once now only two of us.