Reading Corner Flannel Board

I made a neat thing in my playroom recently. I call it a Reading Corner Flannel Board. I had been intending to paint a tree in this corner for quite a while. Well, I made a few changes and now it is a multipurpose tree!

There are a few small shelves behind the center tree section for storage of flannel board story pieces. Also, two small shelves in the trunk are perfect for highlighting a specific story or theme material. Now, I need to create or buy some stories to use!

My local child care resource is going to use this idea in their next provider newsletter. One of provider friends told them about it.

Blog Jam

I keep coming up with ideas that I should blog...but I am not at a computer. Then, when I have computer time, I keep forgetting what it was! Sorry. There is a lot going on for me right now, and I don't always like to share the serious stuff...I want fun & happy to shine through on the blog, and not weigh anyone down with the difficulties of day-to-day life. I figure you all have enough of your own.

So, in my attempt to keep it light, and to let you laugh at me, I'll tell you about something I did recently.

I went to Walmart. Woo hoo, I can hear the excitement now! hahah! I did go...a couple of weeks ago. I was out of many pantry staples, and I also needed some fabric for a craft project. We have no other place to get the fabric locally...so I went. I was kind of trying to hurry, as shopping on Saturdays gets a little crazy due to the influx of vacationing families in our area. I bought a huge container of grape jam. I love jam because it spreads so easily. Went home, unpacked, and got on with my day.

The following week, I went to make pb&j for lunches. I realized I bought jelly instead. Now I have this five thousand serving size jar of jelly. It just is not the same. When all I wanted was jam :)

Any suggestions on how to use it up quick? I am too frugal to just get rid of it!

4 stars

For my non-facebook followers :) I am so excited to announce that my child care has recieved on increase on the state scales...to a four star childcare home. It has been two years since I licensed my home. I have been doing childcare for seven years so far (september 2002). I started out as a legally-operating non-licensed home. I kept 2 children plus my family. Then I had another baby. And somehow, I ended up with a child in my care who was going to have a baby brother. And I had no legal spaces. So, I jumped on the paperwork bandwagon. I wish I had gone ahead and gotten a license at the beginning, since it really hasn't been as terrible as I thought it would be. Anyway, when you start out, you can only have one star for the first six months. Then I started taking early childhood college classes. After that, more paperwork, and I got a 3 star license. I recently had the consulant come visit again, did the paperwork, and have the extra star. There are only 5 stars available, and I am not eligible to get the fifth star until I have the famil child care home rating assessment completed. This is a pretty intensive undertaking, so I am not planning on having it done soon...but eventually.