A few things for Friday and many words about toddler homework.

Erin asked, and I felt I should talk a bit about daycare homework and why we have it. The boys attend (Spencer still does, as after school care) a home daycare that they have gone to since Spencer was 4 months old. The woman who runs it lives in a lower income area although it is nice and clean and the neighborhood is nice and clean. She is subsidized by the county to take some children whose families do not make enough to pay a proper amount for daycare (we pay full price). In return for these subsidies, she is HIGHLY regulated. A lady comes to the house several times a month to make sure everything is in order and the kids are doing well. One of the regulations is that she works on their motor skills and learning before kindergarten to make sure the kids are completely prepared for school. A part of that is a daily worksheet that has to be completed at home.

I think the reason for the worksheet, frankly, is to make sure the parents are involved in the learning process. While we don’t have a problem with staying involved and I think he’s learning plenty at home without a worksheet every night (and honestly sometimes we opt out of doing it), I do like that it helps me gauge where he is. Henry is a completely different child than Spencer – S was a SPONGE and although the worksheets were HORROR for us w/ him on a focusing, he was always wanting to learn and do more. H … eh. I think we’ll need to do more to get him interested in learning.

But overall, despite the headache that comes with homework, I do like that he’s working on his fine motor skills now, slowly but surely. I hope that he is as prepared for kindergarten as Spencer was and can really ENJOY school instead of being upset because he doesn’t know what the other kids know. I don’t mind the homework most of the time, and I don’t consider it mandatory – if we don’t get to it or just don’t want to do it, it doesn’t get done. There will be time for that when regular school starts (like when Spencer forgets his folder at school and doesn’t bring his Thursday math worksheet home, ahem). But when we start a worksheet, by Jove we’ll do it.

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I have a bunch of boxes of stuff to mail to friends and I’m so excited about it:

I have one more box that I’m still working on because I can’t find exactly what I want for that friend. Sigh. Shopping is so difficult (heh).

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I bought cheese for tonight’s dinner (grilled eggplant sandwiches a la Jonna) and I thought I left the cheese at work. I’m always leaving the cheese in the refrigerator at work. Nope, it turns out I specifically put it in my purse so I WOULDN’T forget it at work. Instead, I left it in my purse overnight, not realizing until this morning. Goodbye, mozzarella. And hello, stopping again at the store on the way home today.

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Remember last weekend when I was going to be making a Hook costume for Spencer? It’s a good thing I didn’t, because now he wants to be Peter Pan. There will be no changing now, though, because I bought the fabric yesterday and this sucker is getting done. I’m going to loosely follow this blogger’s instructions and make it this weekend.

And it will be awesome. Right? Right? Bueller?

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We’re still working on the sleeping through the night thing with Henry. Monday night was the bad night – four times. Tuesday night he slept through, I assume because he was just dog tired. Wednesday night – two times. Last night, slept through. We have been doing pep talks before bed: “if you wake up and need to go potty, then go. Otherwise, stay in your bed and don’t wake mommy and daddy”. This morning I think it sunk in a little, because we were conversating while he pottied (he likes guests just as much as he likes to join you while you have your own potty time) and I asked him if he woke up last night and he perked up and said “I didn’t wake you up!” I don’t know whether to take that as he didn’t wake up or he just didn’t wake me up, but I think I’ll take it.

If it doesn’t work, we’re getting that darn OK to Wake clock. Because this biznizz has GOT to stop.

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We have zero plans for this weekend. I’m thrilled. I might just sit around in my pjs all weekend. That’s a lie, because I’m absolutely terrible about resting, but at least I tried to lie to myself.