A to Z Care

WARNING: This story is not for the faint of heart or those with weak stomachs!!

With 4 children, life can get a little, well, hectic to say the least. Our kids are 11, 9, 6, and 2 1/2. We are usually rushing in a very organized although seemingly chaotic way to get everything done in a given week. It would seem that weekends are for relaxing, sitting around eating bon-bons, and catching up on a few loads of laundry.

Not around here. We primarily spend our weekends at many of the kids’ sporting events changing spirit shirts in the car so that we can show up ready to cheer on each team. Somewhere in the middle of running to games or practices, we have to manage to eat a few meals, go to the grocery store, and restore the house to livable conditions without the use of hired help.

Well, on a given Sunday a few weeks ago, the absolute unthinkable happened. It’s a chain of events that will forever haunt me in my mind, thoughts, and memories.

We had a busy day ahead and scrambled to get out the door to begin our day of activities. We dropped one of our children off at a friend’s house so we only had 3 children (11, 9, 2 1/2) with us on that unforgettable day. We proceeded to the children’s favorite place, the grocery store. After hearing all the whining and complaints about “It’s going to take forever” and “How many things do we need because you always tell us it won’t take long, mom” we entered the store.

Things started off fairly well until about 30 minutes into the shopping excursion, our 2 1/2 year disappears around the corner to find a “hiding spot.” “Hiding spot” is code for going poop. We all give each other the “Oh, great” look realizing that this is not only taking up time, time that we don’t have because we still need to finish shopping, squeeze in a bite of lunch, then rush the 11 year old to football practice in about an hour.

While the toddler proceeds to do his business and my 11 year old is complaining that we need to hurry or he will be late to practice which would mean the world will come to an end, I instruct my husband to pick up some baby wipes. Of course, in the midst of rushing earlier in the day, I neglected to grab my diaper bag. I did have a spare diaper in the car, but no way of cleaning the mess.

Now, here is where it gets really fun! While my husband checks out, we realize we really are cutting our time close so I take the kids over to the nearby McDonald’s to pick up lunch. While waiting for the food, I placed our poop infested child on a seat next to my daughter. While she complains about the offensive odor, I decide to check the damage. Just my luck. I no sooner pull the diaper gently back before I am fingertip deep in, yes, you guessed it: poop! My now horrified and shocked face is enough to communicate to my children that we have a problem. I rush to the restroom to perform a surgical scrub on my finger. I used all available soap in the soap dispenser, but, lucky for me, the water pressure was severely lacking and it took 5 minutes just to generate a single bubble.

Disgusted about the potential e. coli making a home under my fingernail, I inform my husband that it is now imperative that we find another bathroom where I can change “stinker” and re-wash my hands. However, time was moving at hyperspeed and it is now apparent that we must leave right now to get the 11 year old to practice on time. So, off we go, poopy diaper and all.

Upon arrival at football practice, I look back and see that the little Poopinator has fallen deeply asleep in his warm steaming stench. My husband and I decide to give him a few minutes to rest before disturbing his sleep and suffering the wrath of a prematurely awakened child. After about 15 minutes, we decide we have to change him, it’s do or die.

Keep with me here, the best is yet to come. As I lifted him from the car seat, I realize we have a serious situation on our hands. The compressed poop has now risen over the top of the diaper and is now pancaked into his shirt and pants, not to mention the Picasso like picture that is painted all over his back. This is not good! We decide that this is going to require some serious intervention. Another shopping trip, but this time for a set of clothes, a clean bathroom, and a fresh start.

There is a major retailer nearby. Notice, I did not give the name of the retailer for I am so ashamed of the circumstances I am about to reveal at this major retailer. Still being a little drowsy, the 2 1/2 year old wants to be carried in the store. However, this is completely impossible and, while I do love my children with all my heart, I just can’t bear the thought of wrapping my loving arms around all that poop. So, I scoop him up and place in the cart standing up and let him hold on to the seat back. Today of all days, he doesn’t want to ride like this and screams the whole way through the store about wanting to sit in the seat, drawing attention to the fact that I’m such a terrible mother for letting my child stand up in the cart.

I try to scan the clothing options quickly and tell my husband to go grab diapers and wipes because we inadvertently left them in the car during this whole ordeal. While my husband is off diaper browsing, my 2 1/2 year old is about to spontaneously combust if he doesn’t sit down in the seat, so I finally give in to his hysteria. I pick him up and set him in the seat. Should be a simple process right?

Well, the whole seat contraption collapses and falls inside the basket with my child still sitting in it. Now, here’s the best part. As if in slow motion, the impact of the seat hitting the inside of the cart causes enough force to be placed on the delicate poop filled diaper and allows about 1 cup worth of slimy poop to go flying into the air and then land in the bottom of the cart.

Stunned, speechless, and hoping I’m really in the twilight zone, I stand motionless unsure if I can really believe what just happened. My daughter that is with me is laughing so hard she can hardly speak or move. I quickly try to assess the situation and determine my next move. I try to steady my son in the cart while pushing the cart over to the diaper aisle to get my husband’s help. Only, to my continued horror, as I am moving the cart, a path of poop is being generated on the carpet of the little boy’s clothing section. The movement is causing the poop to seep through the holes of the cart on to the ground. Did you get that all on camera, Mr. Major Retailer?

Time to abandon cart. Just about this time, my husband returns thinking all is status quo. As he approaches, I am giving air traffic control signals to keep him from stepping in the poop trail. We grab our child and run for the nearest check out counter.

We decide that the changing process would be a 2 person job and make way for the family restroom. Of course, the family restroom was occupied. However, it was strangely quiet for a family restroom so after a minute or so we knock. There was no response, but we continue to wait determined to gain access so that we can have privacy as we bathe and clothe this sweet mess of a child. After 10 minutes, the sound of the flushing toilet and subsequent water running from the faucet indicates that our time is near. Finally, the click of the lock and the door opens. Emerging from the “family” restroom is a 70’s something elderly women who proceeds to walk into the women’s restroom as though maybe she needed a little more bathroom time. I’m not sure if there was some Alzheimer’s involved, but we just needed to get into that bathroom.

While attempting to clean our son, he is not at all cooperative. He is shouting at the top of his lungs, “I hate you” and “Why you do this to me?” We are certain that security is going to bust through the door at any moment to accuse us of child abuse and for causing a store-wide health hazard by abandoning the poop cart. However, after several minutes, we are back in the car vowing never to show our faces in that store again.

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Have you praised your child today? 

Parents are faced with the task of disciplining their children when behavior gets out of control.  That’s the not so fun part of being a parent.  However, my favorite part of being a parent is pointing out to my children each and every day all the good things they have done or said as well as celebrate their “fantasticness.”  There is nothing better than seeing the faces of my children light up when I praise them for something special.  Be sure to take the time to praise your child and remind him or her how special, spectacular, and amazing they are.  Praise does not have to come in the form of a novel, just a simple one word statement can be enough to raise a child’s self-esteem and help him to realize that someone is acknowledging his great behavior or attitude. 

Here are 50 ways you can praise your child:

You are so special!  Great work!  Way to go!  Keep up the great work!  You are such a hard worker!   You are a spectacular brother/sister!  I love being your mom/dad!  You make me/us so proud!  You are so smart!  What a great idea!  You are so kind!  You are so talented!  What a big heart you have!  What a great helper!  You are so responsible!  I can always count on you!  You are always a winner to me!  Super Star!  You Rock!  You gave it your best!  Outstanding!  You are my superhero!  You are such a great friend!  You are an excellent student!  Thanks for being Mommy’s/Daddy’s little helper!  Thank you for being so special!  I’m proud to be your mom/dad!  You brighten my day!  You make me smile!  You’re going places!  Great attitude!  You are so much fun!  You are such a wonderful gift to me!  You are my everything!  I like the choices you made!  Super!  With that winning attitude, you can do anything!  What a beautiful picture, I love the colors!  You are so brave!  That is so nice of you to help your mom/dad/brother/sister/friend!  I always enjoy spending time with you!  I believe in you!  Fantastic work!  You are such a great leader!  You are a fabulous role model to others!  Way to hang in there and not give up!  Thank you for showing your me respect!  Thank you for being such a wonderful son/daughter/child!  I love you! 

As a mom, your children are your top priority and every moment you spend with your children is priceless.  However, that time comes with sacrifices, most likely financial sacrifices.  I would like to show you how I, a stay at home mom, found a way to successfully earn an income from home.  Click on the banner below, to see how Site Build It can help you achieve your goals and stay at home with your children.  It’s my passion to share how this amazing company has helped me have the opportunity to stay involved in my children’s lives by working from home doing something I absolutely love.  This is not a get rich quick opportunity and does take time, effort, and good old-fashion hard work.  However, if you choose a subject you are passionate about, you can’t help but fall in love with the work you will be doing, especially when that work gives you the opportunity to spend more time with your children.  Please feel free to ask any questions or contact Site Build It! with any questions you may have. I am happy to serve as a mentor, just ask!

I am a busy mom of 4 amazing children and a WAHM (work-at-home mom) who operates an in-home child care 4 days per week.

In April 2008, I decided that I wanted to do “something” more, but I wasn’t exactly sure what that “something” more was. I felt like I had a lot of useful information to share from my experiences as a mom and a childcare provider, but I wasn’t sure how I would go about sharing it.

First, I began to share my thoughts and ideas in parenting and family forums. I really enjoyed being able to interact with others online and exchange ideas as well as gain insight about various family, parenting, and motherhood issues. One day, I came across a site on the internet that had a small ad about how to build a website. I was curious so I decided to click and find out more. Read about how a stay at home mom can build her own website.

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SBI! is truly committed to helping its customers (moms, students, retirees, infopreneurs, e-commerce businesses) achieve success. I was already a WAHM before I started with SBI!, but I know there are many moms that would like to work at home for many reasons. Or, there are some stay at home moms who would like to contribute financially to their family’s income. SBI! gives you a way to do just that while also offering you:

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Planning and organizing a variety of child care crafts activities for the children in your care is essential to their development. While doing arts and crafts activities is extremely fun, it is actually very educational for toddlers and preschoolers. It helps to develop fine motor skills, language, social skills, listening skills, creativity, and self-expression.

Fine motor skills involve the coordination of small muscles of the body that enable us to do such functions as writing and grasping. Holding a pencil, crayon, paint brush or other instrument used for writing and drawing helps to strengthen a child’s fine motor skills. Usually a child begins with scribbling, then moves to more intentional stokes to make various symbols and shapes such as circles or x’s. Eventually, the child will gain more control and coordination to write and print as well as draw more detailed pictures such as faces. At around 4 to 5 years old, most children draw a complete human with a head, facial features, body, arms, and legs.

Child care crafts activities help to strengthen children’s language development. Children are exposed to so many descriptive words, color words, shape words, and names of all the materials used in making child care crafts and art projects. They learn how to use these new words, what context to use them in, and how to apply them in the real world. Children use language to describe and define their artistic creations as well as learn how to politely critique the works of fellow students. Children develop great social skills while doing child care crafts because they have to learn to share supplies, take turns, and work together.

Give step by step instructions with pictures or have pre-made child care crafts activities showing how the project should look at various stages as well as a finished project so the children can grasp an understanding of what their completed craft should somewhat look like. Being able to follow the directions given by the child care provider or teacher during the child care craft activity helps children develop good listening skills.

Don’t forget that it is not necessary to always have organized child care crafts activities. Children love having the opportunity to work freely with a variety of art products that allow them to experiment and explore the world of art. Give children blank paper or coloring pages with crayons and markers and let them decide what colors to use or what shapes and images to draw. They can further decorate their coloring pages or one of a kind pictures with stamps and stickers. Children also love to use dry erase boards with washable markers and an eraser. They can create, erase, and then create all over again. Painting is another fun activity that allows self-expression. A blank canvas, some finger paints, watercolors, or bowls of paint with sponge shapes opens up the creative mind. For some outdoor fun, there is always sidewalk chalk and other great drawing products from Crayola that can be used to paint on sidewalks. Of course, what child doesn’t like working with playdough or other modeling clay to form all kinds of shapes while using his imagination. Children love having control over their own choices which develops their self-confidence and independence.

Be sure to allow for enough time to adequately work on child care crafts activities. Some children will work very quickly while others will relish in taking their time to meticulously complete a craft. To save time on set-up, have all necessary craft components ready to go in a Ziploc bag or box so that you can hand everything out quickly. This should also help keep you from forgetting anything, then trying to scramble around looking for any last minute supplies. Prepare the area that you plan to use by laying down newspaper or using an old plastic tablecloth that can withstand unintentional paint spills or brush strokes. It’s also good to have each child wear a smock or old T-shirt to protect their clothing even if the children are using washable paints or markers. It is helpful to keep wet wipes or damp paper towels, trash can, and/or broom nearby to clean up any messes quickly and without having to leave the children unattended. Also, be sure to allow for enough time to clean up after working on any child care crafts activities.

Most important of all, make sure everyone is having fun while making child care crafts activities! If you would like some ideas or free worksheets to use at your home daycare or child care center, check out my site at www.atoz-childcare-directory.com.

A valuable parents resource is having the contact information for reporting violations and complaints. At times, you might find the child care facility is neglecting to follow all the licensing standards and regulations. If it is a minor infraction, it could be an oversight and should be brought to the child care provider’s attention or the director of the child care center. See if the necessary changes or improvements are made. If not, you will need to file a complaint with the appropriate department. If you see neglect or abuse, you need to report this inexcusable behavior immediately. For the contact information to report violations and complaints, please click on your state below. Keep in mind that these departments do not settle personal disputes. Their job is to investigate violations and complaints in regards to abuse, neglect, and standards infractions.

Although most states require all child care homes and centers to be inspected and monitored, there are some states that allow child care homes to operate without a license and without any inspections if they only keep a couple of children. Be sure to keep all eyes and ears open. Even though these homes are not monitored, they are still expected to follow the rules and regulations. It is ultimately your responsibility to monitor your child’s welfare while he is in the care of someone else. Please help keep the children safe by reporting unsafe practices in child care homes and centers.

Choosing where to place your child and with whom can be one of the most difficult choices for a parent. This section will give you suggestions and tips that will help make it easier for you to choose the right child care solution. You will also be able to find out about child care subsidy programs in your state and the contact information that you will need to access those programs. Additionally, you will be given information about where to report violations or make complaints so you will know what to do should a problem arise at your child’s daycare center. The information in this parents resources page will give you the tools you need to make the best decision for you and your child.

There are several factors to take into consideration when looking at different child care programs and comparing different facilities and there will be many questions that you will want to ask. First and foremost, you will want to know if a program is licensed, as most states require. Click on your state below to find out if the facility you are interested in is licensed. You will be given a website that has a searchable database of all licensed child care programs or a phone number to contact a representative. If you find out that the program is not licensed, find out why? Some programs, such as church programs, are exempt from the licensing requirements in certain states. Also, some states allow programs to be exempt from licensing if they keep a low number of children.

Once you determine the licensure status, you will want to more closely examine the program itself, the facility, and the staff member(s). Parents Resources offers a checklist for parents to use:

• How many staff members are there and are there enough to adequately supervise the children?
• Are the staff members CPR and First Aid certified? What other qualifications do the staff members have?
• If this is a child care home, are there any other adults or children in the home during the hours of operation?
• Is the area clean and safe with clear exits in case of emergency? Is there a clearly posted emergency exit plan or can the staff member sufficiently demonstrate the exit strategy?
• Are first aid supplies and fire extinguishers readily available?
• What kind of discipline philosophy is followed at the child care facility (verbal warnings, time-out)?
• Are there stairs? Are the stairs gated to prevent accidents and falls?
• Are precautions taken to maximize safety such as covering outlets, putting latches on drawers and cabinets where chemicals or medications are stored?
• Are toys, games, and play areas clean and how often are they cleaned? What chemicals or method of cleaning is used to clean the toys, games, and play areas?
• Are toys appropriate for the age of the child and are the toys separated by age so that younger children do not have access to small objects that can cause a choking hazard?
• Are there any weapons on the premises and where are they stored?
• If this is a child care home, are there any pets? If so, will children have contact with the pets? Are the pets current on rabies and vaccinations?
• Do children have access to clean toilets? Is there an area for handwashing with soap and individual paper towels for drying hands?
• If there is a pool, does the homeowner have a fence around the pool, a self-latching gate? What precautions are taken to ensure that a child cannot gain access to the pool?
• Playground equipment must be anchored and surrounded by a shock absorbing material.
• What types of meals and snacks are served? Are they nutritious? Does the child care center participate in the child care food program?
• What types of activities will your child be participating in? Are they educational and allow for playtime indoors and outdoors during the day? Do they go on any field trips, walks to a park, swimming and what precautions are taken to ensure safety if they do?
• Can the program adequately accommodate special needs and how so?

After these questions have been answered, it is time to observe the program in action. Find out if you can bring your child for a trial day to see how he or she does at this facility. Then, ask to observe your child to see how staff treats your child, how they treat other children, see what activities they do, and most importantly, to see how well your child fits in to the environment. Does the staff seem genuinely happy to be there with the children and are they actively engage in activities with them? How does your child act at the end of the day? See if you can ascertain any feedback from your child if they are old enough. Did your child have a good time? If you decide that his is the place for you and your child, continue with the enrollment process. If not, move on to the next program and start the process over again. Remember, even if you decide to enroll your child, you should periodically drop in to observe the program and your child to make sure it is still the right fit and meeting your child’s needs.

Welcome to A to Z Care.  Being a mom of 4 amazing children and an in-home child care provider, I love to share information with other moms and other child care providers about topics related to parenting, children, and the caring of children.  Please share your thoughts and ideas with me!