January 7, 2011

So today was a pretty good day! The kids were just absolutely adorable! it was a little hard though working for another 9 hour day when the last two weeks we only had four work days. In that sense it was long, but it was still great. I had charge of my preschool room again with the help of Natalie, so that was really fun. I love the kids so much. Yarelix had an episode right when she got there though and ended up throwing such a bad fit that her mom didn't even leave her there with us. She looked pissed. I would have just made my kid stay no matter what kind of fit they were throwing, I mean the parents are shelling out a ton of money for this care. Whatever though. So we ended up only having six kids again, which was fine, because they play a lot better that way and things don't get crazy. Eli though, who is a super sweet kid, was like not that nice today. Bella tried to help him put away some toys and he wacked her across the arm with this huge magnet because he said he wanted to clean himself. What kid doesn't want someone else to clean up their mess?! But at least Haiden ate better than he usually does. Although he wouldn't eat the veggies. But i snuck some of them (I'm actually not sure if they were veggies or potatoes or a mix. I mean like sweet potatoes. They smelled nasty whatever they were) onto his ham and he didn't know. Then when he was chewing I was like see you can't even taste them. Why were you freaking out? And he flipped out and made the nasties face and started like going "mehhhhh" in a squealy voice and spit it out. The face he made was just priceless and it wasn't nice to trick him, so I gave him a bunch of fruit, which he liked. I don't know why none of my kids will eat. And then later in kinders, Josephine, asked for two animal cookies. Really? They are the size of my thumb or less. They are so small. What kid only wants two cookies? She is so tiny too and never eats. I heard its because of her medicine she is on, but still. There is something wrong with her (not like in her head but for reals) and she looks sickly on top of the fact that she is weird. The rest of the kinders were pretty good today though. It sucks only being with them for two hours and getting off at five, because then I have to wait half an hour for the bus to come anyways. So I just went into Jesa's infant room and played with a baby and talked with her for half an hour. I did that on my lunch break too, otherwise I fall asleep. I wish I worked with Jesa, Jessica, or Sarah. My days would be even more fun and go by way faster. I also took a couple of pieces of chalk today so we could write on Juliet's Wall in Verona. That will be Sunday. Hope tomorrow is fun! Ok, i'm like dying, so i'm going to go to bed even though it is only like not even nine

January 6, 2011

Today was a really good day! I was in charge of the Part Time Preschoolers and it went really well. There were only six kids, I think in part because they knew Silvia was gone and because it is an Italian holiday, but they were really sweet and for once actually basically ate everything. Natalie worked with me and the room, and that was nice, but I really liked being in charge. It almost makes me wish I was an elementary major, but I don't know if for reals I could do it all the time. The holiday is something, and I don't remember the name I will try to get back with it, but it is about a witch that finds all of the lost presents that santa and the parents leave behind and then bring them to the children. This is also the day that they hang up their stockings over the fireplaces. It signifies the end of the holiday season and was actually originally the story of the three wise men bringing Jesus gifts. I let them play with the model magic again, and it was awesome. We made little people with it. Then I found blue moon sand! They got it everywhere, but it kept them entertained for like ever. So cute. Lunch today was nasty though. It was like tuna and noodles. Bleh. Hopefully it is better tomorrow. The kinders were good. Riley sat in my lap and read me a bunch of books. he didn't actually read them, he kind of had them memorized and didn't want to sound out words he didn't know. I'm pretty sure everyone I knew read in preschool, I don't know why these kids are just learning in kindergarden. Mine will definitely learn before that when i have them. But it was cute. He was much better today. Forgot to say that yesterday he threw this nasty fit where he was screaming and like flailing all crazy like. Ms. Angela had to like restrain him. But he was cute today. I think he acts better when he doesn't play with Tyree. Little Kyle was super sweet today too, and like fell asleep in my lap while other kids were playing card games. I love these kids. Til tomorrow!

January 5, 2011

So today is a Wednesday. The kids were all kind of nuts today, but still super cute. I was back to my regular schedule so I started at 8:30, which was nice. Although I was in the kinder room by 2:30 after my lunch, and they don't get in there until almost three. So....I was bored and tried to find something cool to fill the time. I ended up finding Moon sand, which is my new favorite thing in the world. It is kind of like a mix between playdough and sand. It molds, but it crumbles all up. I played with it for like thirty minutes before the kids got there and then for another two hours with them. In the preschool room, we played with Crayola model magic, which is like marshmellow playdough that dries. It was just such a good art day. Tomorrow I am in the preschool room with out the lead Ms. Silvia and I am in charge, so I hope it goes well. Have a good night!

January 4, 2011

Today was a pretty good day. I can't really think of anything of consequence that happened. Just kind of blah. Sorry its not more interesting. Except that I worked at 9:15, which was super lame because I didn't get off until 6:15. Usually I get off at 5:30. It really sucked being there that late, but I walked there and back with Jesa rather than waiting for the bus since she has that same shift. I hope I never have towork that late shift again. I think I had to work it becuase they moved the kinder lead into a preschool room and needed me to close the room. i'm really glad Josephine left early though or I don't know if I could have made it through lol. Night!

January 3, 2011

Today was so good. I loved being back with the kids. In both the kinders and the part time preschool there were some new kids I had not met before. They were so adorable. We don’t’ have Maria anymore because the other cdc center is open again cuz the holidays are over. So thank goodness there. I couldn’t stand that girl. And I got Tyree back in the kinders. He is such a handful, but I love him. I about kicked Josephine today in the face. She was whining so much and I couldn’t even believe it. Whining about the mats, whining about the swings, whining about the toys, the paper towels, the snack. And she’s not even one of the cute ones who can like get away with it. It is just super annoying. Sigh. I am the lead in the classroom tomorrow and Friday, and I’m so whipping that girl into shape. Worst whiner I’ve ever seen, which after last summer is saying something.

New years in Florence and Pisa! 12/31/10-1/2/11

So this weekend was awesome!!!! It started out a little rough, which was basically because of our lame travel planning. We didn’t really understand how to work the regional trains versus the fast trains, so we kind of screwed ourselves over. We went to the train station at eight so we could catch a train to Florence. There were four of us who had eurorails, and two people who did not. So unfortunately we kind of had to cater to them so that we could all try to get on the same train. We didn’t understand though that the tickets the two who didn’t have them were buying were for the fast train, which we would need a reservation for. We were intending to take the regional slower trains so we wouldn’t have to pay for a reservation. So they were buying what we thought was tickets for the regional train, and the earliest one open was two thirty, which I guess we should have seen as weird since regional trains like don’t have reservations, you just buy tickets. But regardless. The four of us with eurorails were a little pissed they were all sold out for that long. So we come back to the train station at that time to leave, and as we go to the gate where our train is supposed to be, we realize that it is a Eurostar, which is the fast ones that need reservations. Sigh. It was such a hastle. Because Kayanne and Michael had already bought the fast train ticket, they had to get on it. We ended up having to figure out the regional trains and getting on those instead. There were more transfers and there were some delays between stops and stuff. Kayanne and Michael had to wait at the Florence station for us for like four or five hours while we took the slow trains. We finally got there around like eight or so. Such a long day. After we all met up in Florence, we had to then take a train to Pisa so that we could stay at our hostel. We couldn’t get there until like eleven o clock, and by the time we walked to our bed and breakfast, it was almost time for midnight. I think it was like thirty after at that point. The lady who we had to call to let us into the bed and breakfast, which was called Welcome Bed and Breakfast, was really nice. She left the party or whatever she was at to check us in (we were supposed to have been checked in at like 2pm originally). She then gave us a bottle of wine and told us we should go to the bridge to watch the fireworks. It was only like a ten minute walk to the bridge from our hotel. People were nuts. I’m glad actually that we didn’t end up staying the whole time in Florence because we saw on the tv at a restaurant the next day that there were like zillions of people there and they were nuts and people ended up like in the hospital. Pisa was scary enough on its own. These punks were like throwing fireworks at people’s feets and like popping firecrackers in their own mouths. Nasty. It was super fun though and the fireworks were really cool. We were all uneasy at first, but we were glad we stayed and grew more comfortable as the night went on. The next day we got up and went to Florence for the whole day. It was such a beautiful city. We saw the Duomo, the church of St. Maria Novella right outside the train station, the square thing with all the statues, and lots of other stuff. I don’t really remember all of the names. But it was amazing. Our group got separated for a little bit, which made everyone aggravated and kind of pissy. But food always makes things better right??? We ate lunch in this little pizza restaurant. It wasn’t the best lunch I’ve had in Italy, but still amazing. This place was so cool. In the basement of it where we went to eat, there was writing on the walls everywhere. Everybody and their mom had signed this wall and put like their names or so and so plus so and so and then the dates it was signed. Every inch of this place was completely covered. It was absolutely amazing! After we ate, we kept looking around at stuff and we went to the old bridge, which is a bridge that has like little houses and shops built into it. It looks so cool. On this bridge, there were tons of people selling stuff. A lot of the shops weren’t open because it was the first, but there were tons of people selling illegally, like knock off purses and wallets, watches, souveniers, necklaces, paintings. Basically everything. I would have loved to get some of the paintings, but I would have absolutely no idea how to transport it. I actually might get one, because I have been regretting not getting it. We went back to Pisa around seven or so and ate dinner. The place we went for dinner was AMAZING!!!!! I got pizza again, and it was the bomb. For 5 euro, I got this like huge huge pizza that was probably the size of like a large from pizza hut. The crust here is a lot thinner though and feels like lighter and less greasy. So so good. I finished the whole thing so quickly and they were making fun of the, the rest of the group that is, not the people at the restaurant. Lol. I wish I could get pizza like that for that cheap in America. That night, Michael Jesa and I walked to the leaning tower of Pisa. Not all of the group wanted to walk there in the dark, but it was completely worth it. We took amazing pictures of it. The tower itself wasn’t as big as I had expected it to be, but it was still of course really big. We took lots of pictures, and it was so much fun! The walk was only like twenty minutes from our hotel thing. The next day, we got up to explore Pisa a little. The learning tower was gorgeous too in the daylight. I almost preferred it at night though. There were lots more people there during the day and it was harder to take cool pictures. Also, the way the light was hitting the tower of Pisa was way more gorgeous at night. We took crazy pictures of holding up the tower and stuff. I loved it. The shopping next to there was also awesome. It was the cheapest souveniers I have seen the entire time I have been in Italy. Thank goodness, because I was able to get a lot more. After we were done with Pisa, which took a lot longer than we thought it would, we went to Florence to go to the Galleria Accademia, the museum the David is in. The first floor of the museum was closed, so the fare was way cheaper, which was nice since the main stuff there is basically the David. We only had to wait like half an hour to get in. We weren’t allowed to take pictures of the david, which was super lame, but of course that was only technically. I got pretty awesome pictures throughout the entire museum because I’m just cool like that. We ten had to take the trains home, which again took forever but since we made all of our trains it didn’t take quite as long. We left after four and still got back around eight. Which is two hours less than the first time. Thank goodness. I was so exhausted by the time I got back to my hotel, I about died. Such a good weekend though!

December 30, 2010

So today was quite a day. I was by myself with the little preschoolers, which wasn't that bad because there was only five of them but still. Haiden is my favorite and is so cute, but for some reason he refuses to eat ANYTHING. I mean even when we had Macarroni and cheese. What kind of kid doesn't like that. Anyways, during lunch when I was trying to get him to eat this like microscopic piece of chicken he was crying and whining and it was just frustrating. I ended up giving him this little tiny piece of cantelope after almost an hour of trying to get him to eat anything besides a bite of rice. none of the kids in my room are big eaters. I was picky as a kid, but I have always been a really big eater, so it is odd to me that so many kids aren't. There is this other girl, Maria, who just gets on my nerves because like every two seconds I am sternly telling her to stop hitting or stop ripping things out of other kids hands. I don't know why she is such an awful kid. Her dad seems nice, although her mom doesn't. Maybe that is why. Like Nilanie and Mariana from this summer. Bad news. The second half of the day I was with the kinders again, and they were combined with preschool C room. They were so awful! Usually even the kids that are really good were for some reason out of control. Probably because it was the last day before break and they are crazy. Well this one kid Landyn usually is such a sweet heart but when I asked him to sit on the carpet he literally ignored me. Like not just not doing what I asked, but ignoring me and not talking or answering. I was so frustrated. I told him whenever he sat on the carpet quietly he could get snack, but he didn't, so no snack for him. And it was soft pretzals and carrots too with ranch. I think that is a bomb snack. And so then we took all the kids outside after snack, and there are just these awful little kids. In Pre school C there is a kid named Jeremy who doesn't listen to anything, but is the most adorable kid ever. He screamed in Xavier's face and then I asked him, "Jeremy, would you like it if I screamed in your face?" He said, "No, I would like some chocolate ice cream" I was bewildered. This kid is such a cute little space case who completely missed the point. Then Aymani, this little boy from Preschool A or B (they also came out) was walking behind a parent kicking his feet every time he stepped. And then he just drops to the floor crying when he doesn't get his way. And Gregory and Aiden, (Gregory is the bad influence. Aiden doesn't want to be bad, he just is when he hangs out with Gregory) were hitting kids and kicking and punching. One of the people who actually works there and isn't part of camp took these boys into another room and ripped them a new one and was talking to them like all up in their faces. They were better behaved after that. But this was the first day I had to write up an incident or accident report. Altogether it was just crazy. I was very glad it was the last work day this week. Although I absolutely love the kids and have been having so much fun with them! Tomorrow off to Florence!