PLAY TIME!

The Essential Toys of a Florida Child of the 70's into the 80's~

You had to change into "Play Clothes", and of course your mother had to redo your hair before you went out....

In Florida, you better be near a pool..

Family Support of Play

 I wasn't encouraged to play. I was ordered to play. When we all arrived home from school, it was a standing order to change our clothes and GET OUT! We had boundaries in our neighborhood, and we stayed well within them. Mom locked the door, and we went to her window when we needed something. It was blissful! She called us in near dark, and we went in and straight to the bath..Supper after, and a little bit of family time, then off to bed. We loved our friends and all of the parents made sure that no one was left to play on their own. We were a big gang of muck lovers, and are still friends to this day!

It's rare to see kids outdoors like it was when I was a child. My family is lucky to live on a child filled cul-de-sac, so my girls do play outdoors. With families not knowing their neighbors, and living in apartments the physical landscape of homes is so different. Kids now a days live for television and video games.

I was a busy child. Always outside, always doing something "pretend." My parents encouraged us to play and enjoy being outside, even if we only had our bikes..

Personal Relationships

Personal Relationships

Family Is First

       I attended a workshop in Richmond, Virginia last year. In order to make it a field trip for my girls, my mom came and took the girls on a tour of the hotel. The hotel is full of historical value, and yes that included the pool. My relationship with my mom is very close, and we work on it. She yells about our messy house, we buy her treats to make her forget!! She is a more than a grandmother as she watches my girls before and after school each day. We are constantly working on plans and outings with the girls. My mother adores my daughters and helps me tremendously!

My dad is a vigilant helper as well. Although he lives in Florida, he makes a trip to the Nova area at least every 4 to 5 weeks. We maintain our relationship with him through his monthly-ish visits and our summers in Florida with him. The girls think of South Florida as their second home. On his latest trip, he did something huge..She is a Town and Country, and we named her “Milkshake.” My former SUV was ten years old, and he couldn’t stand the idea of my little ones being in a vehicle that could possibly break down…Now that is a good visit!!!

 The girls are with their “Dadushka” last summer on the fourth of July-

 And my sister….Sometimes I want to punch her in the head for being too intrusive, but she loves my girls so much. She thinks nothing of keeping the girls for the weekend, taking summer vacations together, and teaching my girls how to do all the “outdoorsy” stuff I am not great with…My sister and I have the most challenges in our relationship. She is single with no children and therefore she feels responsible to parent mine. It all comes from a loving place, but again, sometimes….

.

                                                             Just Kidding!!!

Daughters
The one, or should I say two, elements in my life that keep me going are my girls. I do nothing that somehow doesn't either directly or indirectly affect them. We are intertwined in a way that I cannot explain. They are the only people in the whole world who I would die for...They are growing up and becoming wonderful young ladies and I simply adore them. We are settled into our new schedule of "mommy's school" and they are helping me to complete my graduate work by giving me the time to ready, study, and write. They know this will only take a little less than a year longer and promised to CELEBRATE when I have completed my studies. We are always together as a family, in that I don't go anywhere that wouldn't have my daughters on the invitation. I am blessed to afford what we need in our life and with the help of my family, we actually get to do a few trips and special events each year.

New York City for the Thanksgiving Day Parade

In the coolest little pedi-cab-

Personal Relationships

Friends

My dearest and favorite friend has been so since the 7^th grade. She is in Florida but we chat on the phone a lot. (Not so much lately, grad school is more time intensive than I expected!) But I adore her. There is nothing that could ever come between us. Nothing. My girls used to make her videos when they were little, but they are too cool for that now. Here is one from a few years ago. We love you Aunt Lee and I promise, really, I will call you soon!

Professional Relationships

Teammates

The Ties That Bind…..I teach with an amazing group of women. One has been at our school her entire 2o years of teaching, and her heart is in early childhood education! Three are new to our school, but have joined in as if they have been here forever. First we are friends and care about each other as people and not just coworkers. Secondly, I respect each of them for different reasons. Each lady brings to the table a unique and respectful attitude about teaching, learning, and children. I learn from each of them, and this impact my teaching. We meet twice weekly, one formal CLT collaboration and one less formal planning meeting. We leave both meetings giggling and whispering about something or other that made us laugh! Two of our newbies are young, very young. I say that with admiration and love. We balance our team’s relationship through support of each other. And honestly, when you like someone, it’s easy!

            

   I need a cohesive team in order to feel confident and less anxious about the current requirements. I need support, ideas, constructive criticism, and friendship. They say, “If Momma’s not happy, nobody is happy,” well I think that applies to Kindergarten Teachers as well!