Here's what bugs me about daycare...

If you've been reading TAA for a while, you know that Shaun and I decided to send Penelope to daycare starting when she was 6 months old. Though we love it and know it was the right choice for our family (for a number of reasons), it still ranks as one of the hardest things I've ever done. Overall we are very happy with daycare. She is such a happy kid, she is loved, she is excited to go to 'school' (most mornings), she is learning so much and she is able to play with other children her age. I'd say I'm mostly very happy with the current situation.

But here's what bugs me. When daycare centers - because technically Penelope is in daycare, not in school - have events and other parent-mandated occasions during daycare hours. And not at the very beginning or the very end of those hours...like right smack in the middle of the day events for which parents are expected to be present.

This morning, I found out that today is "school uniform measurement day." When the new daycare session starts in August, Penelope will be moved up to the next room and that age group wears uniforms each day. I have lots of thoughts on uniform-wearing, which is a post for another time, but I was informed that measurements are from 3-5pm today and a parent needs to be present.

Um, what? Daycare hours are until 5:30 and we pay extra for late pick up at 6. So now Shaun or I need to leave work early to be there for measurements. And this is on top of Penelope getting sick last week, resulting in Shaun and I each taking a day off of work to be home with her. Add to that that I've been sick for the last 2 weeks and have already been in and out of the office on sick days and for a multitude of doctor appointments...and well, I just can't swing it.

So what are we parents to do? And this isn't the only time this has been an issue.

In October, daycare started their Halloween party - for parents to join - at 1:30pm. I'm sorry but even if I'm leaving early for trick or treating, a 1:30 family party at daycare is just not going to happen. That's a half day at work at best, and for me, if have to leave the office by 12:30 to make it in time and at that point, it's really not even worth going in at all. It was a similar deal for the Christmas and Easter parties. All the kids in these classes have working parents...so why are parent events scheduled during work hours? And midday work hours no less?

It's hard enough to be a working parent with a child in daycare without these other events that are seemingly designed to either make us crazy or make us feel extreme guilt about not being there. I missed the Halloween party last year (because it was on another tail end of P being sick and skipping so much office time), but knew she was so young she probably wouldn't know the difference. I did make a note though that this year, I need to be there and so I have a half day penciled in on the calendar.

So I'm not sure what I plan to accomplish with this post, other than to say that sometimes being a working parent with a child in daycare really sucks. It's hard and guilt-ridden and there is seemingly always something to deal with or work into the schedule. And thus I ask, daycares...please, can we schedule parent events for before or after hours?

And so parents I ask you...have you ever dealt with this? Do your daycare centers or schools schedule events in the middle of the work day?

Mother's Day 2015

Today it feels as though we've skipped right over spring and ran right into summer. It's very warm and humid out and I'm wishing that I took the time this weekend to switch my winter and summer clothes because I really had a hard time finding something to wear this morning. How was your weekend? We had a really nice one. All I really wanted this weekend and for Mother's Day was to spend as much time as possible with Penelope and so that's what I did. Saturday was spent catching up on life. I spent some time reorganizing Penelope's toys which was long overdue and I finally have a reduced sense of anxiety over how cluttered our apartment feels. Shaun made steaks for dinner and it was glorious to just be home, drinking wine late at night and watching TV.

On Sunday, we had a packed day of visiting family. We started the morning with brunch at my parents house. We dined on bagels, cheesy scrambled eggs, cheese blitzes and more. We played outside with bubbles and chalk and just enjoyed a casual day with family. My aunt, uncle and cousins joined us and our best family friend was in town from Poland. After brunch, we hopped over to visit Shaun's parents for the rest of the afternoon. We grilled burgers and hot dogs for our first grill of the season. I'm so ready for a long summer filled with burgers and hot dogs! We spent more time outside playing with bubbles and even got a little soccer going with Penelope.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! I'm so thankful for this wonderful weather that allowed us to have so much outdoor time :)

Tips for Dining Out With Kids

Before Penelope was born, I swore to myself that we would do our best to keep doing things that we loved doing as a family of 2. Like going out on a Saturday night, attending parties and gatherings and dining out. We just decided we'd be one of those families who continue to do things - and not miss out on life because we had a child. It's easier said than done, but in the 2+ years since P was born, we've gone on road trips, camping trips, vacationed in Aruba (twice), vacationed in Siesta Key, and gone out to countless restaurants for meals. This past weekend we did it again for Shaun's birthday brunch and it was happily another success! Today I'm rounding up some tips that have helped us when dining out with P!

Bring a snack that you know your child will eat. We order food for P, or share ours with her, but I always have a pack of fruit snacks or string cheese in her bag so that I ensure she is occupied by some sort of food.

Pack coloring books & crayons. It's an old standby and it works. I keep a small container of crayons and a Sesame Street coloring book on hand specifically for on-the-go. Even better, bring a sheet of stickers.

Order food you know he/she will eat. On Sunday, Penelope got an order of mixed fruit, a side of fries and a cup of orange juice. Not the most conventional, but trying to enjoy a meal at a restaurant is not the time for arguing about healthy food choices. I know that P will never ever in a million years turn down fruit or juice and so that was a no brainer and she was immediately excited to be at the restaurant. She also asked for fries and I obliged. Also we ordered the juice as soon as we were seated so that she could immediately enjoy it and be occupied!

Bring your own plastic plate and kid utensils. P is pretty good with real forks and glass plates, but I like to bring her own stuff just so that no one has to worry about it.

Be willing to get up and walk around. Even kids with the greatest of attention spans get antsy sitting for a long period of time. We let her take a trip around the restaurant to explore and I even brought her to the ladies room with me. She loved getting to wash her hands. And then she was ready to sit back down when we got to the table.

Bring out the big guns. I'm talking about the technology - the iPhones, iPads, tablets. I never go out to eat without my iPad fully charged for Penelope. This is a last resort, but one that works if it is needed. I have a bunch of games downloaded for her as well as a few movies. In a worst case scenario, I'll pull it out for her to chill for a few minutes with a movie while we finish eating. I don't love doing this because it feels like just parking my kid in front of a screen, but the reality is that she doesn't use the tablet all that much these days, and I'm not opposed to it for 10-15 minutes while we finish a nice meal.

So those are the rules we live by while dining out. What do you think?

Do you dine out with your kids?

What are your tips for keeping them - and you - happy in the process?

also: do you eat with your kids? and what do your kids eat?