Ditching a twin

Boo is starting preschool NEXT WEEK and I am starting to FREAK OUT! The large majority of my anxiety is of course that my baby, my first baby, is starting school. This is the beginning of the rest of his life without me. Yes dramatic, but you cannot say it isn't true.

Back to the subject at hand. So now that Boo will be going to school twice a week, Bubbi will be in sorts left behind. Yes, I know this is a great time to spend some good regular one on one time with her for the first time. This is going to be a good thing...eventually.

However, it is going to suck.

Bubbi has had Boo figuratively up her ass since the day she was born. The eight times (yes, I know exactly how many times) she has been separated from Boo have been somewhat stressful for her.

One time poor Bubbi had to stay home while Boo got to go to a baseball game with grammy and papa. THE ENTIRE FIVE HOURS were spent randomly asking about him and confirming he would be coming home.
The next time mommy and Bubbi had a girls day while Boo and daddy had a boys day. We're enjoying lunch and all she can do is confirm that we'll see Boo when we go home.

Six more times, same situations. You get the point. And beyond asking for him, she acts completely different. In some aspects, she's great. She listens and behaves like a freaking ANGEL (I know...Bubbi an angel?). In other aspects, not so great. She is a shy, timid little flower. That's fine and all if a kid is a shy, timid flower...Bubbi is not and never has been. Without him she looses her self esteem or something. It is really quite sad to watch.

So as preschool begins, so does a new era for Bubbi...the ditched Irish twin. This is a good thing for her, it is just going to be a very defining period in her little life thus far....and mommy's....and Boo's. I hate change.

Let's Teach Together: The ABCs

Ok parents. We all know how hard it is to try and teach our kids everything we want to because of well, life! You have more than one kid or your house is dirty or you need to go to the gym or you work full time...lots of not valid, but real excuses! Maybe you have the best intentions, but you get overwhelmed with trying to teach your child ALL the letters or ALL the colors at once.

This is what I do at home and I thought you may all like to join me as we are just starting over!

I do a letter a week. I go in alphabetical order and then start over. I have these super cute Nerdy Baby ABC Flashcards for Very Young Scientists that I use along with your standard magnet alphabet letters. You can by nice ones like Melissa & Doug Magnetic Wooden Alphabet or the cheap ones from your local Dollar Store (just don't let your younger children play with the cheap ones because they have exposed tiny magnets in the back that can pop out and be a chocking hazard).

This is how you do it. Monday morning you show your child/ren the flashcard and letter of the week. Tell them the letter and have them repeat. Say a few nouns that start with the letter (think airplane instead of amazing...much easier for young children to understand nouns, parents). Put it on the fridge and continue your life. Every morning point out and say the letter. Every time you see that letter (ok, maybe not every time) throughout the week on a sign you are walking by or in a book you read, point it out.

Next week, go onto the next letter and so on.

No child is too young for this. You read to your newborn, may as well engage them more by pointing out some letters...plus it might keep the new, first time mom from going as insane! If your child is older, consider adding a vocabulary word or a multiplication family (think 2 x 1, 2 x 2, 2 x 3 etc).

Teaching your child in this non forceful, no stress manner will give your child the knowledge they need to succeed and the confidence they need to thrive without the pressure to preform. It is the least we can do for our children.

Preschool: How I chose Boo's

First of all, sorry if this post looks like crap - the program is being lame and won't save my spacing on some browers...WTF?

Being a stay at home mom, I decided pretty early on that I would most likely have Boo start at an at home preschool. I thought being at a home over a large "scary" center would be an easier transition for him. However, I didn't really like the idea of the "school" being someones living room.

Since Boo was born I have been on the lookout for an awesome preschool. I went to a local preschool fair before he was two. I met tons of teachers in one place and was quickly able to knock several "options" off the list after just a few minutes talking with some of the teachers (you feel that way? scratch. cold hearted bitch? scratch.).
 

But I left the place even more confused when I got there. How could there possibly be over 30 preschools within 20 miles of my house in such a suburban area? WTF?

So I toured one or two and just kept my eyes and ears open. At one point I started asking every parent who toted a child who looked about preschool age where they sent their child for preschool. Most were very casual in sharing their preschools.

Then one day I asked a victim at Bouncetown. Her eyes lit up as she gushed about a local preschool where her daughter was going. She gave me all the info and demanded I at least go check it out. Why hadn't I heard of her/the school? Well, she doesn't need to advertise because she fills up solely on referrals!

I checked out their website and had an hour long conversation with the director/teacher that night (oh yes, I am that mom).

The school was an entirely separate addition to her home (omg! a home preschool not in someones living room...love!). The director was the head teacher with one assistant who had been with her for several years (not too into the director not actually being the teacher like at the larger schools...makes me think of them like a used car salesman). Her focus was on play and socialization with just enough educational aspects to be prepared for kindergarten (no specific title like montessori or reggio ). Basically, MY WET DREAM!

The catch? There was already a long waiting list even though Boo wasn't two yet (she only takes 12 three year olds on tue/thur and 12 four year old onm/w/f)! BUT, she said many were siblings from students who didn't get in prior years. CRAP! Ok, so I put both kids on the waiting lists for their years and well, waited.

I checked out a few other preschools and found a great second option. However, I didn't think I was going to send him at three to this one...just wait until he was four and then start him as it is a larger center.

FINALLY Boo got in! I took Boo to tour the place and my second choice, the larger center. He told me how he liked "the big house school better" so we signed him up and haven't looked back. We are all super excited for him to start in August. And yes, Bubbi got in for her year.

 

Preschool: Not a yes or no question

In my opinion, preschool isn't a yes or no question...its a must.

As a parent you can teach your child all the book smarts they would learn in a preschool. Sure you might need to buy supplies and make a written plan to cover all your topics (so basically be a total type A), but a parent could definitely teach a kid their colors and ABCs.

It is a fact in Child Development that socialization facilitates learning. Now something a parent cannot do with their kids at home is provide comparable social benefits of preschool. I am that type A mom when it comes to socializing my kids. We go to group play dates with kids the same age, we go to group play dates with a kids of ranging ages, we go to one on one play dates, we go to art classes, kids gym classes etc.

None of these can truly offer what iVillage describes as "learning to live in a classroom; they learn to follow a routine, and to get along with people who aren't their relatives". Kids need to learn to listen to authority figures beyond family and friends (isn't that what we do most of our lives in school and work). I truly believe preschool is a necessity for emotional, personal and social development.

Beyond the pure social benefits, preschool provides large language benefits. Mommy is usually the translator for the rest of the world when a young child is talking. Without mommy at their side, students are forced to work on their pronunciation.

I could go on and on about the benefits, but these are my personal main selling points.

I do however have what I will call a "stress benefit clause". If you start your kid in preschool and they just scream and cry the whole time even after a few weeks, the harm from the stress it is causing is outweighing any good. They aren't ready so don't force them!

I also have a strong opinion on one verse two years and how to pick a good preschool, but we'll save that for another day!