Yey! The Day is Over!

[Dayhome Mamma]

My last child just left, and it got me thinking, what do you ladies normally do as soon as your daycare ends?

[Spixie33]

Clean up, cry over my poor house and how messy it is while I vacuum, mop, wipe everything down

then see if my own kids are doing their homework and feed them because they are no doubt complaining that they are dying of hunger

and then trying to grab a few bites of food myself...maybe cook ahead for the next day

Then if we have activities for my own kids (3 days a week) we rush out in a mad hurry.

After a couple of hours - (like now) I manage to get online while trying to get my kids calmed down and into get-ready-for bed-time-is-coming mode and then I will head into the shower to wash the daycare germies away until tomorrow

Later I fall asleep and analyze how the day went and what to serve and do tomorrow with the daycare.

It is a glamorous life for me :o all thrills and whistles
:laugh::laugh::laugh :

[Mamma_Mia]

HA! Start dinner for Mr.Grumpy.......

more details? play with DD after cleaning up we watch some tv then bath & bed time for DD. More tv for DH and I or chill in the backyard before he goes to bed at 10 (has to be out the door at 5am) and I have some "ME" time, tidy up and bed. LOL

Only Wednesday's have a twist when it's DD's swim class....We're pretty boring but now that the weather is getting better we'll go for ice cream or park visits after dinner.

[Inspired by Reggio]

To be honest - I try to have every thing 'cleaned up' daycare wise before the last kid leaves unless for some reason they all go home 'early' all at once .... I try to end they day outside' so that the playroom is cleaned up, the kitchen is cleaned up after snack cause I do that while they are 'attempting to be dressing' themselves and than come and help them as needed. However if we are inside as soon as I am down to 1-2 the playroom gets cleaned up are they are doing 'kitchen table' quiet activities while I do 'clean up' activities needed, do up my daily logs and so forth and at 4:30 if I have any children using 'extended hours' care they read a couple books at the kitchen table and I start prepping my dinner, complete my daily log of the day and check emails and so forth until they go home ... at 5 pm I finish cooking dinner and we eat.

After dinner - dishes, laundry, personal hobbies until there is something on TV I might like to watch ... however joy of having no wee kids at home my nights are basically MINE ;)

[Cocoon]

While they are having their snacks I start washing up and tidy the toys, books etc. But it is useless as after snack they take toys back and start playing again:) So I kind a have to wait until everybodys gone so that I can clean, tidy the whole house.

[Momof4]

I go directly upstairs to my bedroom and put on my jammies! Unless I have to out of course. Then I clean my house and watch tv and surf on the net and scrapbook and surf on the computer and basically goof off as much as I can.

I vacuum every morning before the children arrive to make sure the cat hair is gone for the day. I get the children to help me clean up the toys before they go home. There is still enough to do every night including prepping for the next day.

[apples and bananas]

I try to have everything cleaned up before I close as well. My kids start to leave one at a time around 4, so as they leave we start cleaning up the daycare room. Then once it's cleaned, outside we go so it stays clean! (or to the craft table)

Dishes are my husbands job at night, so as long as I do my share after lunch, he does the rest when he get's home.

I also have a 9 year old daughter that enjoys helping, and she get's a special bump in her allowance for doing that.

[mlc1982]

Reggio, what is your daily log of the day?? Do you keep personal notes of how your day was, what you did, etc??

[Crayola kiddies]

I too have everything done by the time the last child goes home. While I'm getting lunch ready the playroom is being tidied, while the kids are eating lunch I start the dishes, as each one finishes I wipe hands and face, change diaper. Once all are in bed I finish up any last few dishes, pick up any missed toys. My kids start leaving at 3 and I have about 15-20 between each departure so no toys come out, only puzzles or coloring. While the kids are sleeping I get my own lunch read the paper and get my dinner going so when the last child leaves we are eating within 15 mins. Then the evenings are for my own kids, if no extra curricular program then they enjoy being outside

[Inspired by Reggio]

Reggio, what is your daily log of the day?? Do you keep personal notes of how your day was, what you did, etc??

Yup ... I do not do 'what I did today sheets' for clients like some do but I do I keep an electronic log on the computer (allows me to do it in a small font and store on a 'disc' for tax reasons that takes up minimal space for those seven years we have to keep business crap) this is a 'habit' from working in centre care - a daily log is mandatory in the Day Nursery Act.

I track for my own personal reflection - this is never 'shown' to clients:

Attendance (who was here and drop off and pick up times so that these match my 'contracts' in an audit as well as my income claimed in regards to days open verses closed in a year for shared space and so forth)

Program tidbits (if we went on a field trip - where for tracking KM use of vehicle or any cost associated with it that I have a receipt for, if we did something 'consumable' that there is a receipt somewhere for aka creative art, science, baking, sensory as that extra proof or balance and check so to speak)

Meals and Snacks served (again to match 'receipts' on file in an audit but also to be able to use as reflection if a child has 'behaviour changes' or 'allergic reaction' to look back at what was served also 'note' if a child refused something on any given day or ate an 'abnormal' amount - no note means that everyone ate normally for them)

Rest / quiet time of children (this is should a change occur with a child rest patterns and parent want to know if they are sleeping enough or if they are sleeping more is it because they are 'coming down' with something as a pattern of behaviour)

Washroom notes (again for tracking 'changes' in children's BM habits or potty training success / failures cause an increase in accidents of a potty trained child could mean 'urinary' track infection or what not or constipation could also be in relation to FOOD ALLERGY and so forth )

Accidents / Incidents in program (again this is both for reflection as well as in a child is having serious 'accident prone' is it due to balance issues or if 'behaviour' incidents become consistent or a pattern develops can use my log to reflect what did they 'eat' that day, how did they sleep and so forth to get a 'better picture')

Medications - what child, what given, how much, comments ... this is also great for reflection if needed if you notice a child has chronic ear infections is there a pattern to what was eaten before hand or sleep patterns change before hand and so forth.

Messages from parents or other noteworthy things (this is where I would record if a child had an been to the Dr, if a child disclosed something that 'happened' at home I might want to remember later or monitor if a pattern emerged, any 'conversations' with parents I might want to remember later about having discussed behaviour of their child or whatever.

[Cadillac]

I try to have the house cleaned too. As soon as all the kids are gone I turn the T.V on for my little one so I can zone out while I make dinner. Hubby comes home and talks my ear off during dinner. Then it's play, bath, and bed for the little one before I fall onto the couch and watch some T.V. myself. . . .
Wow . . . . my life is simple LOL

[michellesmunchkins]

I used to wait until the last one was gone before doing any cleaning/tidying up etc...but my hours are 6-6 and then to spend another hour cleaning before even getting to our dinner and nightime activities were just too much. So now...at 5:00 I usually only have 1-2 left and that's when the TV goes on in the playroom. While they watch a little treehouse, I vacuum up the playroom, mop the floors, wipe down the toys and tidy up the kitchen and start getting our dinner ready. This way, we eat at 6 when the last one leaves and then have the rest of the evening. This will change once soccer/baseball season starts though as we will have to eat and be ready to walk out the door at 6:01 to make it to their games on time....I think I need to change my hours to end a little earlier...last year was stressful!

[mom-in-alberta]

We are quite often heading out the door to the kiddos' sports or dance. So normally I am throwing everyone into the van as the last kids are leaving. If not, then we are usually eating dinner right away.

[Momof4]

:DOh I forgot to admit my guilty little secret: The Y & R at 4:30. That's what I'm watching every day while I eat my supper and I come on this site to catch up after I have put on my jammies.

[dodge__driver11]

I love that show!!! @ mom of 4 totally off topic, but do you don't you think Victor is such a meddler?? GAH..... he lets me release all my angry energy if I am having a bad day. :laugh::D:p

[Inspired by Reggio]

I love that show!!! @ mom of 4 totally off topic, but do you don't you think Vicor is such a meddler?? GAH..... he lets me release all my angry energy if I am having a bad day. :laugh::D:p

Yes ... many adjectives that describe that ASSHAT include hypocrite ... the villain you love to hate!

[dodge__driver11]

haahahaahahahaha Teee hee asshat!!! Another guilty pleasure--the sims, yep I know I have crossed over the border to lamesville

[Momof4]

I love that show!!! @ mom of 4 totally off topic, but do you don't you think Vicor is such a meddler?? GAH..... he lets me release all my angry energy if I am having a bad day. :laugh::D:p

I think yelling at the people on the tv is cathartic and a good way to get your frustrations out, haha. But it's also good if nobody else is around to see you do it. Hey, men yell at the sports, so why can't I yell at the soap opera, right?;)

[lunademiel]

Reggio how do you keep an electronic version? Is it just a word doc? I'm starting to think I would like to have a copy of the daily journal that I write to parents everyday. I was thinking of just typing it out on the computer so I have my own copy. I was thinking it might be more time consuming to type it all out and attach it to an email. I don't want to print because printer ink is just so darn expensive! Or does anyone know if you can get carbon copy notebooks?


Yup ... I do not do 'what I did today sheets' for clients like some do but I do I keep an electronic log on the computer (allows me to do it in a small font and store on a 'disc' for tax reasons that takes up minimal space for those seven years we have to keep business crap) this is a 'habit' from working in centre care - a daily log is mandatory in the Day Nursery Act.

I track for my own personal reflection - this is never 'shown' to clients:

Attendance (who was here and drop off and pick up times so that these match my 'contracts' in an audit as well as my income claimed in regards to days open verses closed in a year for shared space and so forth)

Program tidbits (if we went on a field trip - where for tracking KM use of vehicle or any cost associated with it that I have a receipt for, if we did something 'consumable' that there is a receipt somewhere for aka creative art, science, baking, sensory as that extra proof or balance and check so to speak)

Meals and Snacks served (again to match 'receipts' on file in an audit but also to be able to use as reflection if a child has 'behaviour changes' or 'allergic reaction' to look back at what was served also 'note' if a child refused something on any given day or ate an 'abnormal' amount - no note means that everyone ate normally for them)

Rest / quiet time of children (this is should a change occur with a child rest patterns and parent want to know if they are sleeping enough or if they are sleeping more is it because they are 'coming down' with something as a pattern of behaviour)

Washroom notes (again for tracking 'changes' in children's BM habits or potty training success / failures cause an increase in accidents of a potty trained child could mean 'urinary' track infection or what not or constipation could also be in relation to FOOD ALLERGY and so forth )

Accidents / Incidents in program (again this is both for reflection as well as in a child is having serious 'accident prone' is it due to balance issues or if 'behaviour' incidents become consistent or a pattern develops can use my log to reflect what did they 'eat' that day, how did they sleep and so forth to get a 'better picture')

Medications - what child, what given, how much, comments ... this is also great for reflection if needed if you notice a child has chronic ear infections is there a pattern to what was eaten before hand or sleep patterns change before hand and so forth.

Messages from parents or other noteworthy things (this is where I would record if a child had an been to the Dr, if a child disclosed something that 'happened' at home I might want to remember later or monitor if a pattern emerged, any 'conversations' with parents I might want to remember later about having discussed behaviour of their child or whatever.

[Inspired by Reggio]

Yes - I keep my log in a Word Document ... I stopped doing 'what I did today sheets' to parents because I felt it was not a valuable use of my time - unlike in centre care I open and close my program and am the only one caring for them so I see them TWICE a day and know exactly how their day went and can just verbally tell them how they ate, slept. pooped if that is a priority of information for them .... parents do not ever 'see' my log because it contains other clients personal information as well.

For parents and children I choose to do authentic photo documentation on my members only section of my website ... because as a 'written record' I think it is more valuable to see how the children spend their day 'engaged' verses mundane things of eat / sleep / poop which unless there is an 'issue' we should assume they are doing. ;)

So I do photos with a blurb about what was going on at the time, reflections on what might be being mastered so for example 'Little Johnny has been fascinated with the blocks lately - this week he mastered a steadier hand as well as spatial awareness to keep the blocks centered and as a result created a tower more than 18 blocks high before it toppled over on him'....these are memories that I think both the child and parent will find more valuable 1, 5, 10 years from now reflecting back on childhood verses a sheet with 'Johnny ate X for lunch, pooped twice, slept 1-3 and colored at the table' ... and to be honest I can do up a photo documentation on the day in the same time it would take me to write 5 'what I did today sheet's' and either email them or put them in a cubby!

Here is a sample of one documenting progression in creative expression...at one point I did both the electronic upload to the website for parents to read at home or work on their own time AND I printed out copies for the children in a portfolio book for them to reflect on in the playroom - however it got expensive so now I just do the electronic version and give them a 'flash drive' disc upon graduation with all the documentation on it ... if parents want a hard copy they can print it off the website as they go or at the end when they get the disc!

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn214/totallyawake/March25016.jpg

sorry keep trying to shrink the image but it is still big!

[Inspired by Reggio]

Oh finally it shrunk!

[momof2cuties]

I clean throughout the day too when I can. I try to have the house clean for when parents come it don't look terrible. We have our outside play before pick-up so I clean up before we go outside. If the weather is bad we do craft time the last 45-hour before pick up so I clean while they wrap up craft time. When they are gone I just have the craft to clean up :) I only do part-time right now so I try to make my own supper in the slow cooker on those days.

[mimi]

I do the "my day at daycare" sheets. I hate doing them but the parents love them. I always add a note at the bottom about something xxxx did that was cute, or said or an achievement. The parents are addicted to these little notes. I have a couple of Mom's that save them in a binder and another that should she forget hers comes back for it! My husband just shakes his head at me as I growl doing them. He tells me I have only myself to blame having added the comments.

[Dreamalittledream]

I do the "my day at daycare" sheets. I hate doing them but the parents love them. I always add a note at the bottom about something xxxx did that was cute, or said or an achievement. The parents are addicted to these little notes. I have a couple of Mom's that save them in a binder and another that should she forget hers comes back for it! My husband just shakes his head at me as I growl doing them. He tells me I have only myself to blame having added the comments.I've started doing these in Word Format (I just adjust the details throughout the day) & just before pickup I email them off. I try to minimize what the parent has to bring/take home other than the child.