Tanya's Big House News

The older I get the more I have discovered how little I actually control.  In fact, the only thing I can have complete decisive control over is………my own attitude!

Isn’t life interesting.  You plan, save, buy insurance, look to the future with optimism, feeling fairly confident that you have prepared for every eventuality – and then life happens!  Stuff that you never expected, didn’t know existed and had no idea could actually impact your little corner of the world decides to make an appearance.  And now, what do we do?

One of our dads lost his job at the beginning of the summer and he had a very interesting perspective.  He told us that they saved an amazing amount  of money this summer because he didn’t have to spend much of anything on gas, meals and other superflous expense that comes with being employed.  He is an avid gardener and has enjoyed expanding their vegetable gardens this summer, supplying the family with fresh veggies.  He even lost 20 pounds because he was eating in instead of out.  Now, while being unemployed was not a permanent solution for their family, his attitude was optimistic and positive!  What a perspective!

It reminds me of this little story.  There was once a small child riding in an elevator, standing beside her daddy.  As the elevator went up story by story, more and more people got on.  Pretty soon the elevator was very full.  The air became stuffy and the little child could not see anything worth seeing.  She was crowded  and had no place to move.  Maybe the elevator was stuck,  because she could no longer see the numbers above the elevator door!  She wasn’t even sure where her daddy was.  In fear she called out and held up her little hands.  Her father heard her voice, looked down and saw the distress on her face.  He gently reached down, picked her up and held her in his arms.  Suddenly, there in her father’s arms, she saw over the top of the heads of people in the crowded, stuffy elevator, discovered the door was still opening and closing and knew it would soon be their turn to exit.  Perspective makes all the difference!

There is a little saying, “It takes a community to raise a child”, but I am here to tell you what it really takes to raise a child is Parents!  The community is a poor substitute for Parents!  The community is here to support, encourage and provide resources.  But the best thing we can do for children is help parents be loving, strong, confident and secure as they parent!

So here’s to parents!  No-one knows your child better than you!  Don’t let “generally accepted practice” convince you that your child is better off at day care or school.  That these experiences are in your child’s best interest!  It is up to you, the parent, to decide what is best for your child! 

We “the community” are here to provide parents with options for their children.  We, “the community” provide an assortment of TOOLS for parents to help their children become whatever they would like to become.  Parents are here to help their child BECOME!

So, again I say, here’s to Parents-to all those who parent.  Be interested, involved, supportive, guiding, instilling your thoughts and hopes and dreams in your children.  As Grandpa Meyers used to say, “Children are messages we send to generations who will never know us.”  Aspire to send messages of strength, confidence, compassion, self-assurance and love!

Love, Tanya

“Taps” written by Wendell Meyers – May 9th, 1968

I heard them sounding Taps today, o’er quiet fields where breezes play,
Where raindrops fall and poppies nod, where soldiers rest at peace with God
And a mother kneels to pray.

I heard the bugle call again across the fields to marching men,                                                                                                                                     Whose flashing steel and colors bright secured my land from tyrant’s might
And made the slave my friend.

Hi Everyone,

Michael and I sat in on the first meeting of the board established to determine the feasibility and need of K4 in the Verona School District.  This board will explore a number of areas, concerns, advantages etc. and present their findings to the Verona School Board in October.  I would be interested in your thoughts on K4.  You can reach me at tanya@tbh4kidz.com.  This program will have an impact on our children, our families, our taxes and our child care centers.  Let me know what you think!

Love, Tanya

The news is rampant with the heralding of a new epidemic – childhood obesity.  While I am aware that children do not, for the most part, play outside in the neighborhood in the same way I did when I was a child and they have access to a LOT of technological distractions that I did not have as a child, I would like to be a voice of balance as we assess our children’s health.

Continue reading Childhood Obesity

Many of you may have read the annual article in the State Journal on Sunday regarding child care centers which received fines this last year.  As you may remember, we here at Tanya’s received a fine when one of our little 3-year olds was inadvertently left in the room as the rest of the group went down the hall to lunch.

We self-reported the incident to licensing, called mom and dad immediately and set about to talk with every family in our center.  The support from the parents of this child was overwhelming and made me extremely humbled!  You invest great trust in us each and every day and we never take that for granted.

For families who may have joined us since that time, if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to call me, email me or stop in to see me.  We believe that trust is built on the combination of transparency, communication and relationship!  Thank you for being a part of my family at Tanya’s Big House 4 Kidz!

Love, Tanya

Another week is almost through and Valentine’s Day is on Sunday.  We have been making preparations for Valentine’s parties in all our classrooms here at the center.  I’m even in on all the fun!

I just wanted to thank you again for all the wonderful input from the Parent Surveys.  We are very excited about some of the new things we are putting into place to help you know more about your child’s day while they are here with us.  Each classroom now has their own email address, which makes sending out newsletters, pictures, updates, classroom reminders, invitations and so on much easier.  Please make sure your child’s teachers have the email address to which you would like to receive this information.  Some of my staff are more adept at the technology already than some of the rest of us, but we are looking forward to making use of the “less paper” way of doing things!

Continue reading Happy Valentine’s Day – Almost!

Here it is – another Thursday and the first week of February is almost gone!  It is so nice to have the weather warming up a bit so we can get the children outside again.  They love being outside even more than I do!  Snow just makes outdoor play even more of an adventure for them!

Thank all of you who have returned the Parent Survey forms!  Next week will be our staff meeting to discuss your input and the directions we should go with the program here at our center.  If you have not yet turned in your survey, feel free to put it in the box that is still on the sign in table.  Your insight and ideas mean a great deal to us!

Next week is also our Pennies for Patients week.  Each year we do a fund raiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  This fund raiser is near and dear to our heart as we have had a couple of children at the center who have had to deal with cancer in their young lives.  There are usually activities each day of the week.  Watch for more information or visit with Nicole in the infant room – she organizes this drive for me each year.

Next week on Wednesday, we have a group called the Jump Bunch coming to demonstrate their activities with our groups.  It looks like it will be great fun!  We are hoping to offer it as our mid-winter enrichment program.  Check them out on www.jumpbunch.com.

Have a wonderful day!  See you all this evening!  Love, Tanya

Sometimes, I think, in the middle of the week – on those off days, like today – we should all take a moment and celebrate!  It’s not Friday or even Wednesday, but it is a day worth taking note of!  We have much to be grateful for, including the great nation we live in.  No matter what our political persuasion, no matter where we stand on current issues, this nation, established under God, is second to none in her might, her compassion and her willingness to stand for right.  While we may not always be perfect in our execution or our methods, the roots of freedom for all, equal opportunity for all and pursuit of happiness for all are still strong.

So, here’s to Thursdays!  A great day to celebrate!

Love, Tanya

Here we are at the beginning of a New Year and already a decade into the new millennium!  It seems like just yesterday we were putting up extra jugs of water and making sure there was food in the house and a way to keep warm, just in case the Y2K bug really did put things out of commission for a while!

Continue reading Welcome 2010!