Party games

Charlotte had a great time at her sister's party this weekend. She took a while to warm up, but that is not surprising considering her recent disruptions with nursery visits. Once she did warm up, she ran around the room with the older kids, played pass the parcel and joined in a ballon catching game. It was really sweet - I love seeing the sisters look out for each other and enjoying each others company. She refused to wear her "brights" so she squinted the entire time. I have conditioned her into putting her glasses in a safe place every time we get home which means she won't wear any glasses indoors. I must talk her into wearing a different pair indoors.

Nursery no-show

Nursery didn't work out quite like I planned last week. Long story short: she's not attending nursery at present. I had a couple of reservations about this place: the staff were nice but it seemed more like a daycare than an educational environment and there seemed to be an atmosphere that was a little too relaxed (staff not in the room, sticking children in front of toys without guidance, incomplete toys, not knowing all the children's names). I was keeping an open mind because I am happy for Charlotte to be in an environment that isn't too ordered or pressured and it did seem very friendly. When I collected her on Wednesday, she seemed quite happy but she clutched her lunch bag all the way home. I know she likes the bag but I was a little surprised. Then I got home and opened the bag and there was her lunch, untouched. I knew she had been upset when I dropped her off and the fact she didn't eat lunch isn't a dealbreaker for me. What I was surprised about was the fact that they hadn't mentioned it when I collected her. I phoned and left a message, asking them to call me and explain what had happened. I didn't hear back from them for two days. I called again on the Friday morning when she was supposed to be attending again that afternoon. My message was that I was unsure if I should bring her in or not. No answer. I finally heard back from them on Monday afternoon. They said it wasn't a big deal, she was upset, she refused her lunch, they forgot to mention it and the person who collects the phone messages was out for two days last week so they didn't get my messages. I pointed out that there seemed to be quite a breakdown in communication here and it was concerning to me. When the teacher said that normally this wouldn't happen, I pointed out that this is all the experience I have of them so this is my reality, my normal, she didn't really have an answer. I am hopeful that Charlotte will be offered a place at another nursery so I decided that it is better to keep her at home rather than send her somewhere and then move her after a few weeks or months. I wanted to keep the door open so I asked her if I could take some time to think about it and send her next term. She said no, we're either in or out so I said out. Back to filling out application forms...

Nursery prep

I've barely thought about her first day of nursery on Wednesday. I've got her a new lunchbox and bag and I'll put a spare pair of sunglasses in there. We met the teachers and played for an hour a month ago but that's about it. Poor second child: so neglected!