Current mood:
deviousBut she'll just have to get over it because I'm just not capable of that. Plus, I don't want to. She is just too fascinating to me. I have her site in my favorites and if it were at all possible to burn out a link, I would have already done it.
*a little off subject, because I'm a little writing machine today:*
CoCo just started preschool at my firm in the daycare my firm put on the first floor of our building. It is an absolutely wonderful place (save the current organic milk debate). Everything is so structured and so pleasant at the same time. Even the bathrooms have been designed for small children. EVERYTHING in there was built for little people. If I were to use the toilet in there, my knees would be at my ears. Washing my hands would mean bending over to knee level for me. Her preschool has stations every day. They start by singing the morning song and talk about every child's name. They have:
* the dress up station;
* the 'momhouse' station as Chloe calls it;
* the music station;
* the art station;
* seat work station; and
* the reading station.
I first must say that I absolutely LOVE the reading station. It has several bookshelves at toddler level and a freaking kick ASS toddler-sized couch, all of which are located in this little alcove with windows for walls with blinds installed which are only used for naptime. In fact, the entire front of the classroom is nothing but floor to ceiling windows. After breakfast, the preschoolers are put into small groups and they have to rotate the stations in 15 minute intervals. After they have rotated the stations and finished their lessons, they are then pretty much free to enjoy the stations for play. They then have circle time where their teachers have these AWESOME floor level seats so they can be with the children but not hurt their backs (they are picking kids up all day long, so they deserve it). Then there is lunch, followed by nap time, followed by outside time in the gated park attached, weather permitting. There is NO down time save for nap. There is NO TV. It's awesome.
Since I work for the firm who gives the daycare the space, I get a great discount. In fact, when I needed to get CoCo in that day care with less than 24 hours notice, my firm's inhouse PI and one of the partners made certain that happened because I am an employee.
Speaking of which...
Another great thing about this daycare is that our inhouse PI, who used to be be President Reagan's secret service agent, is incharge of security in our building. This means he is in charge of security of the daycare. Let me tell you, there is NO getting in that daycare without everyone who needs to know knowing. You have to buzz the center to get in, even if there's a tsunami outside. There is a way to get into my firm from the daycare, but the only person who can let you in the daycare from inside the firm is the director or the PI.
There is also one more benefit to this daycare, which puts us back on topic:
The secure realtime webcam!!!
I can sign on to the secure website and watch CoCo do everything she does, except of course bathroom time. I can watch her eat, do stations, play, nap, and play on the playground. And. I. do. If I am lucky enough to have work that doesn't have to be done on my computer, I've got CoCo pulled up. If I get my lunch and bring it back to the office, I pull CoCo up. I have her schedule memorized so I don't miss anything I want to see. When I come in early to work, while everyone else is socializing and having some coffee while watching TV in the kitchen, I'm watching CoCo eat breakfast. Other people listen to music while working or take their paperwork/laptops into the kitchen to work while watching TV... I stalk my daughter. And you want to know the wierdest part about it? My productivity has gone UP. I find that I get more things checked off my to-do list than I did before.
But, there is a downside. At the end of the day, *I* tell CoCo about her day. I wish I could have taped and then uploaded the end of her first day as I told her everything she did. You could actually watch her get more and more shocked and aggravated at the idea. She asked me, in shock and aggravation, "How you do dat?? How you see me?" So I told her and she said, "DOOOON'T SEEEEE MEEEE!"
Guys, it is so bad, I've actually told her that I would prefer her to play in certain areas in her classroom and on the playground because I can see her better there. Of course, she doesn't listen... but it has gotten so bad, I actually tell her this. I'm so addicted that, and Martha can attest to this, I've seen CoCo playing on the playground in ways I'd never let her because I deem it unsafe and Martha has had to convince me NOT to call and tell them that CoCo is currently doing something I'm not comfortable with.
Honestly, I really feel blessed to have such a great job with great people and a great firm who truly means it when they say they are family-oriented. This daycare is just one of so very many perks we get just in the family-oriented department. There are also so many other wonderful perks we get which are geared solely at making the firm members connected, such as social functions during the day and firm sports teams. Plus, we are involved in charities and community events. The building is maintained beautifully,with an open 3rd floor patio for grilling and a 2nd floor open-ceiling atrium. We have a gym we can use when we want. It is truly like working at home. I've had to bring my daughter in a couple of times for an hour or so and instead of people acting put out... they go out of their way to come see her and take her to their offices.
It is a big-city firm in a small-town city. And everything, save my discounted preschool, is free. The partners certainly didn't have to do any of it.
I guess I'm just a really lucky gal and so are all my girls because they get to enjoy all these perks right along side me AND I still get paid!!!
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