Feel The Love

Happy Valentine's Day! We are all a buzz here because after Christmas, Valentine's Day is the kids absolute favorite day of the year. Kids have such an innate sense of love. I'm blessed that I get to work with kids and see it all the time. Kids love, love, love to help. They love to feel useful. They are very often kind and sympathetic. Last week I decided to jot down what the kids said whenever I witnessed an act of love or kindness. Here is only part of the list:

1. "Let me help you turn on the water, the faucet sticks."
2. "Oh my gosh, you are doing so well on that puzzle!"
3. "Oh no, are you okay?"
4. "I'm so sorry! I was running so fast I couldn't stop."
5. "Let me help you carry that basket of blocks, it's really heavy?"
6. "Thanks Mrs. Alida, you're the best!"
7. "Surprise! The table is all set for lunch!"
8. "I'm making a card for my brother, because he's been sick."
9. "Maybe we could all put our money together and then buy a toy we can all share."
10. "Hurry let all clean up so we can play outside."
11. "Oh thank you for the extra napkin."
12. "Mrs. Alida, did you see how well "D" is writing his letter L?"
13. "Good job!"
14. "Yay, we did a great job on these muffins!"

This is a snippet of the conversations the kids had. Yes, there were moments of frustration and even anger, but for the most part, the kids rally behind each other, encourage each other, root for each other. The anger and frustration doesn't last long and in most cases they work it out without very much intervention from me.

While I do believe that kids tend to be loving and thoughtful, I also purposefully create an atmosphere where love is at the center of most things we do. In the morning there is always classical music playing when the children arrive. In fact, throughout a good potion of the day, music is playing. At lunch we always say a prayer, eat family style and quite often we eat by candlelight. All this sets the tone for reverence and appreciation of the many blessing we enjoy. Where there is true appreciation, love abounds.

I think I may make a habit of jotting down all the wonderful things that are said throughout the day. It really keeps me aware of how wonderful children are and how grateful I am to share my day with them.

Are You Ready?

Tell me your story. How did you become a parent? Did things go as planned? Are you comfortable in your role as a parent? Are you overwhelmed? Do you think you could feel better, have more fun, enjoy your children and your life, but don't quite know where to start?

Are you ready? Are you ready to make 2012 the year where you start living your life with purpose and joy? Are you ready to be the parent you know you can be? Are you ready to face the challenges with vigor and anticipation?

I'm offering five (5) one on one coaching sessions at no cost to the first five (5) parents who contact me. The coaching will take place the month of February with one session a week. Each session will be catered to the individual family situation. Each week will focus on a specific topic. By the end of the five sessions you will be able to notice a wonderful difference in the atmosphere in your home, in your attitude towards your children, and you will notice a difference in your children's attitudes.

Week 1 -- Identify the parent you want to be.

• Work to set manageable goals for you, your home and your children.

Week 2 -- Declutter your environment.

• We will work to declutter your physical environment and your also to declutter your mind of ideas or goals that are no longer working for you.
  

Week 3 -- Start your Action Plan

• Implement the goals and expectations from you first week. Learn how to bring your kids on board without a struggle.

Week 4 -- Review, Adjust and Thrive

• Look at what's working, what needs to be changed or challenged. Continue to grow into your role as a parent.
  

Week 5 -- Plan for Change

• Your child will not be a toddler or adolescent forever. Plan and guide yourself into the adult relationship you'll have with your child someday. (This is my favorite and most exciting class)
  

The coaching will be one on one. NO ONE else will be listening in on our conversation so it's completely confidential. It can take place in person, if you are local or via a teleconference if you are from out of town. These sessions are limited to only five parents so don't delay in scheduling yours today. Go to the Contact Me page on this blog to get started. I'm so excited! I hope your ready!

Santa Baby

The excitement of the Christmas season is palpable in young children. Unfortunately, the stress of parents can also be palpable. This holiday season I invite you to sit back for a moment and consider the realities of the season and to make a leap of faith that this year it will be truly memorable and magical, the kind of Christmas that every child deserves.

Let’s start with a simple Christmas task. Make a list and check it twice. What and who is on your holiday gift list this year? Is your six year old asking for an I-pad? Have the number of people on the list grown exponentially through the years? Will buying everything on your list for everyone on your list leave you in debt until next Christmas or beyond?

Parents so often express disbelief when their children rip through the packaging on Christmas morning only to complain a few minutes later that they are bored or worse, they play with the boxes, not the toys that came in them! Yet, year after year, we do the same thing expecting different results. Isn’t that the definition of insanity according to Einstein? So this year instead of expecting different, let’s do different. This year make the holidays really meaningful by scaling back, relaxing and enjoying the time we spend with our loved ones.

Change one thing this year. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

1. 1. Instead of going shopping one night, stay in and bake cookies with your kids.

   2. Instead of buying another plastic, noisy toy, make a toy for your child.

   (Check these out. If you don’t sew, try this or this and throw it in a Christmas Gift Bag.)

   3. Think outside of Target or mall stores and give your kids something really great!

   (I got my kids plastic pipes from the hardware store. They played with them ALL summer long, just add water)

   4. Forgo gifts and have everyone over for Christmas Dinner or cook for someone who can’t.

   5. Consider a donation in someone’s name.

   6. Buy a memory, instead of a toy. (Tickets to the Nutcracker Ballet, a weekend camping, a day off school to spend at the aquarium, museum or painting with your child or significant other.)

   7. Open only one gift on Christmas day. Stretch the gift giving until the 6^th of January (Three Kings Day.) Each day the gift gets smaller, such as favorite card game, a candy bar, coins from different countries.

.

See how it feels to do one little thing differently, but consciously. Give yourself and your kids credit. You’ll be surprised that their excitement won’t diminish because the gifts are small or there are less of them or they are handmade. Children delight in the change of routine, the staying up late and drinking hot cocoa. They delight in the stories, in the family. They delight in knowing that this handmade gift is one of a kind, no one else will have one. Christmas is not about shopping or checking off a to do list, it’s about coming together in the spirit of rebirth and celebration. Children intrinsically get it. We adults should let them enjoy it, without spoiling it for them with our worries or expectations.

Merry Christmas to you and yours and may the peace of a newborn baby forever live in your heart.

Alida

Happy Mother's Day!

Easter and New Beginnings

This week we are celebrating Easter. Religious celebrations have lost their soul in many public institutions. Schools are off for Spring Break and they no longer even fall within Easter Week. Easter is all about chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs. Oh alright, I'm the one obsessed with chocolate but you get where I'm going. It can be tricky to do a curriculum around Easter even if all the students are Christian because there are so many different denominations and while the story is the same, the meaning varies from person to person. I remember being quite young and already being immersed in Catholic doctrine. Christ died for our sins. As a teacher, I don't feel comfortable discussing this particular topic with children that come from so many varied backgrounds. I tend to get very philosophical about Christ's death and about "our sins". I do however want to remain true to the celebration and meet children where they are.

We celebrate Easter and we talk about rebirth and new life. When the children bring up that Jesus died and resurrected, I let them do the talking. It's wonderful to listen to them make sense of such complex concepts. Children sometimes have an innate understanding of things. I do always include some Bible stories from a book called Bible Stories for Children. It was given to my husband when he was a boy by his grandfather. It's a cherished book around here. We talk about what makes the book so special and how the memory of those who have died lives within us.

Of course we will have chocolate bunnies and Easter baskets. The kids are growing real grass for their baskets. There will be an Easter Egg hunt and we will be baking Madeline's, a favorite cookie any time of the year. We will hold this time of renewal and new life sacred. Starting on Easter Sunday we will be closed for two weeks. It will be a time of renewal for me. It will be a time to purchase and get all the things we need for the wonderful summer program.

I do hope you all enjoy your Easter Sunday. I hope the sun shines upon your celebration. I hope you take the time to renew yourself and your goals.

Peace,

Alida

Spring Equinox

You would hardly know that spring has arrived except for the beauty of the daffodils. Daffodils always manage to cheer me up just in the nick of time. The bright yellow smiling faces of the Daffodils stand in for the much awaited sunshine that's not quite ready to make it appearance. Today we begin our Spring celebration. Somehow children make each season so special. As spring arrives, I realize how much the children have grown and changed. I see what special friendships they've forged and I am reminded daily how exciting learning can be.

For the next two weeks we will be learning about spring and more specifically the weather. I'm hoping for enough dry weather to go out with the kids and dig up our garden. This weekend I'll be picking up seeds for our pizza vegetable garden. I'm picking up tomato, bell pepper, zucchini, onion, and garlic seeds and bulbs. I can't wait and I can feel how excited the kids are.

Today we are working on a play. Each child has a part to play. One is the sun, one is rain, one child is the wind, one is the seeds. Each child works on the props for his or her part. I read the verse and the each child acts out his/her part.

A Seed Needs

I see you are a seed,
Tell me what do you need,
I need some soil to grow,
And then the sun to glow,
Water to make me wet,
Air for my leaves to get,
Space for my roots to spread,
Now I'm a plant.

Iram Khan

Everyone is looking forward to the play, but especially to warmer weather, sunnier days and lots of outdoor activities.

To The Old Year Adieu...

...Great joy to the new. Happy 2011 everyone. We have been back at school for a little over a week. It's been great to see all our students who have been with us since we opened and to greet some happy new faces. Christmas break was wonderful for me and my family. We had my parents stay with us for Christmas and we were able to enjoy each others company, relax and I was able to recharge for the new year.

I participated in Inner Christmas for the first time this year. What a wonderful calming centering experience it was. Basically, each night for the twelve nights of Christmas you have something to meditate on, pray about or simply ponder. I felt for the first time in many years that Christmas was more meaningful than a mad rush to buy things for people.

Now we focus on the year before us. How wonderful to have a nice clean slate, but the foundations that I've been working on for years to guide my teaching this year. This year started off with new challenges. It seems all the children in my care are now too old for naps! Everyone still needs rest and to disengage for awhile, so we still have rest time. We still lay out the mats and everyone grabs a book or two to peruse while resting. Then the kids lay on their mats and speak softly to themselves. I love to see them working out or repeating things we did during the morning. It's so important to give them time to process information and new material.

We've been fortunate so far this year the rain has given out to sunshine almost everyday. The kids still run out and play even in the cold weather. We make sure they are bundled up, but the fresh cold air is so refreshing and I'm convinced it keeps those nasty flu bugs at bay.

We've been busy working away with the alphabet and numbers, but also doing a lot of hands on science projects and tons of art projects. I leave you with a few pictures of what we've been up too. Also be sure to check back because sometime this week I'll be adding the first video class of the year.

Stay warm,

Alida


Community Helpers











New Year Banners

And the Winner is...

Congratulations go out to Debbie Moreno. Debbie is the lucky recipient of Kitten's First Full Moon.

I'm hoping for a give away a month plus I'll be posting more videos in the new year.

From all of us at Ivy League-West Preschool and Daycare,

Merry Christmas!
We wish you many wonderful blessings in the New Year!

Simplicity Parenting

Kim John Payne is much more eloquent than I am.

The Gift of Peace

When I say Christmas or holidays how does that make you feel? I'm playing armchair psychologist today. This time of cheer and good will, is not for so many. For so many of us the holiday season is synonymous with the season of stress. How many of us really stop to ask ourselves what it is that is stressing us out? Go on ask yourself why.

Is it the shopping? Is it family obligations? Is it a financial issue? Is it just plain overwhelming? How can we preserve the sacredness of the time of year and make it extra special for our children while maintaining our sanity. I'm asking myself these questions. I'm also trying to figure out what to get the kids that is fun and useful and won't end up broken or at the Goodwill in three months. Not easy questions to ponder especially given our busy schedules that are about to get even busier!

(Deep Breath...Deep Breath)

So this year I did a few things differently and I thought I would share them with you.

The kids get new clothes every year for Christmas. Usually pajamas, socks, underwear and any other winter essential that they may need. So this past weekend I went through their closet. Mismatched or holey socks made their way to the trash or the craft bin. Too small underwear in good condition went in the Goodwill bag along with shirts, pants and t-shirts and dresses that have been outgrown. Nice sweaters or jackets go to friends with younger kids. It feels so good to have cleaned out and to have room and hangers for the gifts they'll be receiving.

To help with our budget and because I know the kids get gifts from family, we have chosen to buy them only one toy. I can't say what it is exactly, because both my kids read this blog. Let's just say it'll be in the sports equipment or art supply category.

I went to Costco and bought a huge bag of meatballs. I love these as I can make quick meatball sandwiches for lunch, or a quick pasta and meatball dinner. If friends drop by, they make delicious appetizers when drizzled with Teriyaki sauce. I also made sure I'm stocked with essentials such as canned tuna, spices, rice and potatoes. I have frozen veggies and homemade frozen soups at the ready. Being able to make dinner quickly is a blessing to our health and our pocketbook.

I've let go of a lot of the expectations this year. For instance, instead of Christmas Cards for everyone in my address book, I will be sending out just a few to friends and family far away who I don't see as often as I'd like. I've also given myself permission to send the cards out as late as January 31. It's always a good time to let people know you are thinking of them.

I've carved out a few minutes in the morning to focus on all the blessings that have been bestowed upon us this year. They have been many. This is important because as Christmas gets closer, I usually start to panic with thoughts that I haven't "bought" enough, or people won't care for what I'm getting them or a million other useless things start going through my head that have nothing to do with Christmas. It's important to me to be able to focus on the gifts of family, friends, health and many other blessings.

Most importantly I want my kids to learn from us that the best gifts cannot be neatly wrapped and placed under the tree. Sitting together on a frosty morning sipping hot chocolate. Enjoying grandma and grandpa's company as they listen to the funny stories about when I was a child. Everyone helping to make tamales while we listen to Christmas carols. Playing board games late into the night.

Every moment is a teaching/learning moment. It's a chance to create memories that will be cherished or a huge effort will be made to forget them. The best gift we can give our children, family, friends and ourselves is the gift of peace.

Wishing you and yours many wonderful blessings. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!



Alida

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I woke up this morning to gray skies and rain, which is completely normal for this time of year and then I realized that this time of year is December! December is quite special around here. It's the month of my sister's birthday. It's the month of the Winter Solstice and Christmas. It's the time of year that I love to curl up with a hot cup of tea and a good book. It's also shopping season for many. On our Christmas list we always include a book. Children or adults, a book is on the list.

We've been reading quite a few books at Ivy League-West. In fact, today we read our 100th book. Do you know what that means? Among other things it means a pizza party on Friday. It also means each child will be presented with a certificate and a very special book chosen just for them. I would love to include each and every one of you in our celebration, but I can't possibly make that much pizza! So instead we are doing a give away. We are giving away a very special book.

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

To enter all you need to do is leave a comment here or on our facebook page. I'll announce the winner on December 13th. As part of our gift we will pay for shipping. This book is the perfect addition to any child's library. Wishing you all the best of luck!

Celebrating the Harvest

I did mention we like celebrations, right? Well we are super happy about Thanksgiving being around the corner, followed by Christmas and all that entails. Wohoo! We will be celebrating until 2011 comes around. My favorite part of celebrating is the joy and the getting together. My second favorite part is the food. It's not even so much about the food (I lie.) It's about preparing the food. I love planning the menus, trying new recipes, tweaking the old ones and sometimes by pure accident, creating new ones. (I'll have to share the Moroccan Chicken story and recipe with you soon.) One thing I discovered this year is that I make pretty good pies. I like pies, but I had never ventured into actually making a pie because frankly it intimidated me. Then too, there are my kids. Whenever I venture into the kitchen, they follow to see what I'm up to and frankly, trying to make a pie with their help seemed daunting. We can do bread and cupcakes and cakes just fine, but pie! That just didn't seem like a one bowl kind of thing. The whole process seemed so much worse in my mind than it really ended up being. Last week, I ventured forth into this untamed horizon and made not one, mind you, but two (that's right) two pies! I found that they were easy and delicious, even with the kids helping me. I still want to try to change the apple pie recipe a bit before I post it. Luke and Isabela had the brilliant idea to do a gingersnap crust and I'll let you know how that worked out next month. In honor of Thanksgiving, I give you my ultra simple pumpkin pie recipe. Enjoy!

1 16 oz can of pumpkin (or of course you can use fresh, but that's not so simple.)
1 12 oz can of condensed milk
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of ginger
1/4 0r 1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves (this depends on your taste. My husband likes cloves.)
3 eggs

Mix all the ingredients and pour them into the pie crust (of course your crust will be in a pie plate.) Bake at 350 for 40 minutes to an hour. (depending on your oven.) Viola! I loved this recipe because it's not too sweet. Notice I didn't add any extra sugar, only what's already in the condensed milk.

I made my own crust too, but I'm looking for a new recipe. The one I made was as follows:

1 cup of butter (be still my heart.) diced into small pieces
2 cups of flour (sifted)
1/2 cup of cold water
1 teaspoon of salt

Cream the butter with your finger into the flour and slowly add water until it's firm enough to roll into a ball. With the rolling pin spread it out until it cover the bottom of your pie plate. I found this crust to be a bit too buttery for my taste, but I can't say it tasted bad.

For Thanksgiving the kids and I will be serving up pies in little individual servings. I'm buying those little Keebler pie crusts. Let me know how yours turns out.

Enjoy,

Alida

Prizes Galore

If your child attends Ivy League-West you may have noticed that they don't usually go home with stickers on their shirts. I'm not a sticker giver. I don't have anything against stickers per se, it's just that I prefer not to bribe children into good behaviour at school. Sometimes I do it at home, in the case of a dire emergency where I need the kids to be extra wonderfully patient and then I'll bribe them with an ice cream from 31 flavors or a stickers, whichever seems most feasible at the moment. There are moments when the kids will come across a sticker book and ask for one and I usually give it to them because there is no reason not too, since they are not a sacred reward for good behaviour. All that being said, we do love celebrations around here. We celebrate birthday's, holidays, haircuts, storms, sunshiney days in the fall...yep, pretty much anything we can think of.

A few months ago Ms. Jamie had the brilliant idea of keeping a chart of the number of books we read. I jumped all over it. We found a 100 number chart and have been diligently keeping track of the books we read. So far we've read 79 books! We decided that once we reach 100, or every time we reach 100 books read, we will have a pizza party. What I didn't tell the kids is that they will each receive a brand new book to take home. No doubt the kids love pizza, but really, the pizza is the prize for Ms. Jamie and I reading all those books.

So, we aren't giving away prizes in order to instill a love of reading. A love a reading is prevalent around here. There are books everywhere. They are a part of not just the curriculum, but of our lives. What we are doing is celebrating an accomplishment worth noting.

Welcome Autumn

Today it feels like Autumn. I know it officially started the 21st of September, but we've been having some nice weather and it seemed even the leaves were holding on to summer for as long as they could. Today it rained and I sat watching the leaves rain down too. I love Summer, but I must admit I really, really like Autumn.

I am excited thinking about all the leaves in the back yard. It will be so much fun to rake those up into a pile and let the kids jump in. It's a great time for science lessons. During Autumn we get to view nature in a blaze of glory. It's last hurrah before going dormant for winter. This is the time of year kids learn to classify. We classify leaves by shape, by tree, by color. We measure rain water. We talk about the wind. We get to feel all three caress our cheeks. This is the time of year for baking healthy treats. I can almost smell the cinnamon in the pumpkin bread now. This is the time of year for pumpkin patch visits and for jumping in puddles.

It's also the time of year were as teachers we are at our busiest. Autumn means more rain, it means winter is approaching quickly. It mean more time indoors, more planning on our part.

Well, we've got it covered. Through this season I'll be posting ideas and projects to keep little hands busy and moms and daddy's sane. Be sure to check often for inspirations and don't forget to jump in a pile of leaves or at minimum a puddle or two.

Peace,

Alida

Transitions

Happy Labor Day. Today marks the informal end of summer. Many of us marked the occasion by the ritual grilling and get togethers so often associated with Labor Day. I feel autumn's approach in the crisp cool morning air. Tomorrow marks the beginning of the school year for many children and for us it's the beginning of our new adventure.

Rituals and rhythms are such an important part of life. In marking the passage of time we often stop and reflect on the blessings, perhaps the hardships of our life so far. Each time we have the chance to begin anew. Each morning is a fresh start, as is each meal, each season, each milestone, each birthday.

For children rituals are especially important. They create cherished memories that they can hold on to as they make the slow transition into adulthood. Rituals need not be elaborate or time consuming. They may be as simple as a story read at bedtime or a special kiss to greet the morning.

Remember that as your children head off to school, rituals help mark the occasion as special and also give them a sense of security as they head off on their own. For ideas on creating rituals and daily rhythms for your family I recommend this wonderful book.

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday and am looking forward to tomorrow and to welcoming autumn with all it's exquisite colors.

Blessings,

Alida

Success

How do you measure success? If you measure it by the depth of your friendships, I would have to say that our Opening Celebration was a huge success. If you measure it by the number of blessing that have touched your life, then last night was a huge success. To all the wonderful friends, old and new who came out to support us last night...THANK YOU! I truly enjoyed spending time with each and everyone of you. The night went on a little longer than planned which I hope is an indication that you all had a great time too.

I meant to take and post pictures, but as usual I got so excited and was truly living and enjoying the moment, I completely forgot to take picture to share. Thank you also to everyone who sent blessings, flowers and good wishes. You were missed. A special thanks to the many, many inquiries I've received during the past couple of days. I can't wait for the start of our program.