Lily's Three Days @ My Office
At the end of August, and the beginning of September, our daycare provider closes down for “in-service days”, which must mean something, but I have no idea. Maybe it’s to get ready for the new school year. Maybe it’s to retrain the teachers. All I know is that I gotta find backup childcare for the kids for three days straight.
Last year, I tried to use a backup childcare center that we have access to through my employer, but it turned out that August and September are months where they receive a high number of requests. Maybe the other daycare providers shut down too? Is there an association where they all agree on this stuff? I tried last year, but there was a long waiting list, so it never worked out.
This year, I was smart. I made sure all the paperwork was updated and ready, including medical forms. I found out that I can only make requests for backup childcare within 30 days or less. Beginning July 31st, I called each consecutive day. There was no way I was going to get screwed two years in a row.
Starting Monday, Josh and Lily were up and ready each morning, and we did the drive to my office. Josh liked it, but Lily apparently didn’t, as she did a lot of crying whenever I dropped her off. I don’t understand why — it’s an excellent facilty, and really nice. Professional staff, lots of toys and activities, and they are fully-stocked with all the fun stuff (even computers!) They even take photos of the activities your child did each day, and attach them to the status summary sheet you get at the end of the day. Well, Lily has always been a little high maintenance.
On Monday, I let the kids eat lunch at the facility in their own classrooms, then take their naps. On Tues, we ate lunch in the cafeteria with two of my friends/coworkers. Today, we and a friend/coworker of mine ate at Burger King for lunch. Overall, it was nice change of pace, and I hope the kids didn’t hate it too much. Josh liked it a lot, and the folks at the facility stated that Lily was basically fine the rest of the days. She just didn’t want me to leave her in the mornings or after lunch. Josh and Lily certainly had full days, as they usually slept on the commute home.