Preschool: Not as easy as 1 2 3...

I knew upon relocating that finding a good school for the kids was going to be a high priority on our list. My boys do well with structure and a schedule so I knew the longer we went the harder it would be to get them back into a routine.

Now, our school back home was top notch in my books. It had everything I wanted for the kids, it fostered their development without having too many boundaries and had just the right mix of learning through play. Their rooms had themes each week and each center in their room incorporated the theme. They had the freedom to move around the room and discover on their own through out the day, but they also had various group activities that taught them how to listen and work together as a class. I loved that place and I loved their teachers. The staff were very attentive and always gave us great updates on the kids progress and participation. The kids loved it too! The majority of our dinners in the evening were spent talking about what they did at school. We got on the waiting list for that center when I was 12 weeks pregnant with Mitchell and didn't get in until he turned 4. So, leaving after only a year was pretty hard, we had it good.

Once we started looking at preschools I soon learned how different they are from the States. Now, there are always going to be the top notch places and the bottom of the barrel places in any place you live and with my background in Child Development I may also be a bit pickier in what I was looking for. South Africa is on a year round school system so school age is based on how old you are in January and what age you are turning that year. So, Mitchell will essentially be starting our equivalent to kindergarten in January then transferring to the American school kindergarten in August.
I was really intent on the boys going to school at the same place.  I felt that if they went together in the morning then the transition to a new place might of been easier. Ultimately, I picked a school that I felt the most comfortable after the tour. The teachers seemed engaged with the students, they had a loose curriculum for each week, the place seemed in general safe, and the kids running around appeared to be  happy! The only hiccup was that there were no other Americans there so I was going on my own intuition and not on a recommendation from the other expat Americans.

The cost of child care here is much different as well, and in a good way. When the boys were in school we paid almost $400 a week for their school, here we pay almost $600 a month! So on just one income we are able to keep the kids in school full time. Most of the teachers I have talked to at the school have been there for a long time, so it's reassuring to know they have a low turn over in staff. The teachers also speak both English and Afrikaans it's been interesting to hear what the boys have been picking up. They have only said a few things here and there in Afrikaans, but it for sure catches my attention.
Before we started at the school we had an interview with the principle. She asked about the children and what their interests are  and how they interact with others. However, they also asked me questions about their infant milestones like "when they took their first steps" and "what age they started talking". I really had to think about those. They even asked me about my labors with the kids and she explained that sometime traumatic labors can have affects on development. I had never been asked this before by a teacher and thought it was a little odd to be talking about my deliveries in an interview for preschool.

The school building itself used to be a farm and horse stables. So each classroom opens up to a large play yard with several different playgrounds for the different ages of the kids. The playgrounds themselves have trampolines built in the ground which I thought was pretty cool and slightly more safe and a variety of playground equipment. Now the playground equipment for sure would not meet America's safety standards for schools, but the kids still love it all the same.

This first building on the left used to be the barn and to the right are all the classrooms which used to be stables

They have a huge yard that they use a lot. We like the outside learning

Just another piece of African playground equipment all metal. Remind me of some things that used to be at Cosmo Park in Columbia, MO. 

The entire school is guarded by a fence and you have to have a magnetic chip to get inside. So I feel that the boys are pretty safe during the day. At the back of the play yard are farm animals that get incorporated into the children's learning. They currently have baby ducks so Spencer's class has been checking on them often. The school also offers a lot of extra curricular activities during recess time. Mitchell takes golf lessons once a week from a gentleman who comes to the school. He could also do rugby, soccer, gymnastics, art, and dance lessons too. They even had a lady come and give hair cuts to the children. Of course, you have to pay extra for all those things but, they are just a small extra fee. Once a month they also bring a horse to the school for the children to ride, that was a highlight for Spencer, he talked about that horse all weekend.

The boys classrooms are very different from their school back home. Before, they had large rooms with centers around the rooms to explore. Here the rooms are just one open room about 10X10 in size. They have toys that they pull out during free play and then tables that stack up on one side of the room that they pull out for various activities. The teacher has a desk in the room and they do circle time through out the day. A lot of schools here are Christian based so they also learn a few bible lessons.  Back home Mitchell's classroom talked about the day of the week each morning and practiced writing letters and their names and had even started very simple reading and math skills. The majority was child focused and the teachers really fostered what the kids were interested in. They did science experiments and really engaged the children in learning in fun ways. I asked Mitchell's teacher if they practice writing at all and she said no not until age 5. the school occupational therapist said that it's bad for a child's motor skill development to hold a pencil before age 5. That was a new one to me, but I just went with it.  The teacher went on to tell me that there is no big push for reading or writing here until Kindergarten and Grade 1 that before that they want kids to be kids and they focus more on how they interact with others. She told me that they really want to foster the way the get along with other people before they focus too much on the school subjects. At first I was worried that Mitchell wouldn't feel challenged enough.  He likes to engage in activities like "guessing what object is heavier and why" or showing off his counting skills. I also worried that he would somehow be behind other American children. I quickly realized that's a pretty ridiculous way to feel, and obviously these children are doing just fine.  I also know that we can always practice those things while we play at home. So, I decided to just go with the Africa way and see how things go.

Mitchell's classroom

However, I soon started doubting my choice in a school after the first week.  Mitchell started having trouble and I got worried.  He started saying things like "I hate this school" and "I want to go home". When I would ask him about what he learned at school he would say "nothing, it's boring".  He started crying when I would drop him off in the morning, and this was something he hadn't done since he was two years old. It broke my heart to see my little man who usually loved school be so upset about it. I became worried that we had made the wrong choice in schools and maybe he should be somewhere with some of the other American children he had met.   I decided to wait it out a little longer. I gave him another week and figured that part of his attitude may just be adjusting to the move and new school. I think we were all realizing that the "vacation" period of our move was over and that this is life. After another week and lots of ups and downs in moods he started improving. I tried everything to focus on the positives of his school and how many neat things he could do there. Thankfully, he now says he likes school and even though he mostly talks about playing on the playground it's nice to see him getting settled. He has friends, and was especially excited to take cupcakes to school for his birthday!

Mitchell has become a pro at climbing, he is slowly turning into a monkey! 

They eat snack outside

Over all the school has been very accommodating and I know the children are safe and happy! The teachers could tell that I was really nervous about having the kids in school and have kept up on communicating to me about their days. They have sent me lots of pictures of things that they are doing which has been great. Mitchell is excited to move classrooms in January and Spencer asks to play with "my Joan" (his teacher) a lot.  I also decided to keep the boys home with me one day a week so that we can still have our time just the three of us. I was starting to miss my days with them! I am happy that we stuck with it and have found a good little place for the kids. We will just keep on rolling with the changes of Africa as they come! :)

They have a small circle track for the kids to ride bikes around

They have a pretty view too!

Home Sweet Home

The first two days we were here in Pretoria we started house hunting. Black & Veatch is paying for our housing and gives each family a set amount of money for rent while you are here based on the size of your family. So everyone is basically on even ground when it comes to house hunting. Still jet lagged we set out to find our home for the next couple of years. We looked at four different neighborhoods and about 10 different homes, it was completely overwhelming to say the least. Since our house still hasn't sold in Lees Summit, it was very important for us to stay within the Black and Veatch budget. Though, it's very common for people to spend a little extra to get more in a home. Depending on what you need and where you want to live it can sometimes be tricky to stay in the budget. Homeowners here have caught on to the fact that there are a lot of expats in Pretoria and have started raising rent prices. We knew we wanted somewhere we could easily meet people and enjoy some of the things we loved, like golf. We narrowed our search to two homes and finally chose ours based on it's location. We had heard horror stories of people putting in several  offers on different homes and being rejected, so we knew we needed to make a quick choice, and be ready to go with our second choice if needed. The house we chose ended up not having any issues and we were very lucky. Our home came unfurnished and was under our budget so we were able to use the remainder of our budget to work with a furnishings company who could rent us the furniture we would need for the home.  So without any further build up here is our home. Also, please ignore the bars on the windows those are not common in the neighborhood.

We are nestled off the main street of our neighborhood on a cold-a-sac or as they call them here a "close". It's a nice four bedroom home with an open floor plan that we love. I like to be able to cook dinner and see the kids at the same time! All the bedrooms are upstairs so we keep all the toys downstairs so everyone is usually on the same level at all times. 

Most of the homes here have either tin roofs like ours or thatch roofs. I suppose a thatch roof would make you feel more like you are living in Africa, but I think it is hilarious to see some of these giant homes in the neighborhood with thatch roofs... they for sure are not living in a hut.

When you walk into our front door you kind of walk into the dining room table, it's a little awkward but there really isn't any other place for the table. We figured this isn't a big issue. As you can see behind the table is wall of doors that opens to the patio. I love how you can open the whole wall to the outside

 We have a covered patio with a large table, the first week we were here we had no table inside so we ate all our meals outdoors, it's really lovely.

Our backyard. It's been too chilly to swim, but we plan on using the pool a lot! I'd also like to start a small garden in this dirt patch here... it already has spinach. 

 The living room, just on the other side of our table

Just on the other side of the living room are the stairs. Under the stairs we've made a play area for the kids. It's right in front of the Kitchen. 

The Kitchen

I enjoy the built in wine rack! ;) 

Most of the homes here have a room off the kitchen known as the scullery. Some of you may know this as a Butler's Pantry. It's a multi purpose room to do laundry, dishes and it holds our refrigerator. I enjoy being able to put dirty dishes in there and not look at them until I know I have to! 

Upstairs are all the bedrooms. The boys rooms are connected by a balcony that we keep locked. There is also a gate on the balcony that you can lock so if you want to open the door and let in a breeze you can. 

Our Bedroom

Just had to show the Master bath... I haven't enjoyed a bubble bath yet, but plan on it for sure! 

The guest room is down the hall.. I'll leave it as a surprise for my guests (plus it still needs bedding) ;) 

Finally, I just wanted to show these old school keys! All the interior doors of the house lock with keys like this, we have to be careful not to lose them. 

So that it, our home away from home for the next two years! 

A Child Friendly Place

It's been three weeks since we landed in South Africa, and since then it's been very busy. We've been house hunting, coordinating furniture, and adjusting to this new amazing culture. I will talk more about house hunting and where we live soon, but I thought today I would talk about my very first impression of South Africa which I suppose comes from me being a mommy, but this place in incredibly "Kid Friendly". In America when I think of a restaurant being child friendly I think "Do they have a kids menu?" and "Can my children be loud without receiving dirty looks from staff or other patrons?" then it's a bonus if they offer crayons or cups with lids. Here they take being child and family friendly to a whole new level.

Our first night here we got off the plane, unloaded our luggage and we were taken to a restaurant just outside the gates of our neighborhood. The restaurant is called Papachinos and it is top notch when it comes to being a family restaurant. Not only do they have a great kids menu, but kids can run around the place freely. The restaurant has two playgrounds with large play structures on either end. You can get a table right next to the play structure so that you can sit enjoy your meal and still see your kids running around. However, if you don't have a table near the play structure don't worry, because they have "Play Attendants" at each playground to not only help keep an eye on your child, but to play with them too. It's been hard for Chase and I just to let our children go play, but we are easing into it. The restaurant also has a "Make your own Pizza" area where children can put all their toppings on their pizzas and watch the staff put them into the wood burning oven. My first thought was well this place is great, we will probably be here a lot, and we have. However, I quickly found out that having a playground at your restaurant is a common theme. Almost every restaurant we have been to so far has had some sort of play structure or a bounce house. Bounce houses are everywhere here, if there is any sort of special event you will see a bounce house.  We love that our children can have fun at a restaurant and we can enjoy our meals without constantly messing with the kids, but I am pretty sure we are going to have trouble eating in America when they have to sit at a table again.

Just a few pics of our favorite restaurant... Papachinos. 

Restaurants are not the only child friendly areas either, the mall has a special play area just for kids too. For 45 Rand (or $4.50 in America) you can drop your children off in the play place for one hour. For multiple hours it cost more. The play area has several Little Tykes, Fisher Price play structures, different cars for the kids to drive, building blocks, and of course a ball pit. The place is very clean and always has at least two play attendants. They lock the door so you have to be let in and out, and they take down your name and phone number as well. I have also seen moms sitting in there checking emails and drinking coffee while their children play. I have used this place once while I ran into the bank real quick. My children were the only ones there, not sure how I would feel about dropping them off there if it was busy, I would be a little concerned for their safety.

Much like Kansas City there are many things to do with your children if you are looking to get out for the day. We have been to an outdoor play area already called Cedar Junction it had a couple play grounds and a train for the kids to ride. There is a place across the street from our neighborhood called The Farm Inn, where you can interact with Animals, Play on the playground or bounce house, and take a Game Drive.  I will talk about all the Animal interactions soon, but as far as I can tell there aren't many rules when it comes to interacting with animals.

Finally, a few other things we have noticed so far safety may not be taken as seriously as we take it back home. We see children and adults constantly riding bikes, and scooters with out helmets. There aren't any car seat laws either, or if there are they aren't enforced. We have seen young children climbing in backseats, sitting in the front seat, and even sitting in the drivers lap! Finally, children here are constantly bare foot everywhere. My kids have picked up on this quickly and are always kicking off their shoes, but I draw the line in stores, restaurants, and especially bathrooms! Being an active family we love how much there is to do here, and want the children to experience as much as possible.

First Class Travel

On Tuesday morning we loaded up Chase's mom's mini van with our luggage and headed off in two separate cars to the airport. Our luggage had to ride solo because there was quite a bit. Black & Veatch really does it right when you move over seas. For mobilization and demobilization they provide your family with  business/first class tickets and pay for 1 extra bag for each person. Chase also has silver status with Delta so we each received a free checked bag as well. So our luggage looked some thing like this: 10 Rubber Maid Action Packers, 2 large suitcases, 3 small suitcases, 1 duffel bag, 4 backpacks, and 1 set of golf clubs. We had 14 checked items and 7 carry-ons, plus two car seats and a stroller which we also carried on. We were quite the site getting through the airports. It took us a bit to get checked in at Kansas City, but the lady helping us seemed like a pro and had us going in no time.

We first had to fly to Atlanta, the flight went well. We took off right at noon so the boys hadn't really had any lunch. Spencer's only meltdown of the trip came during this flight. He didn't like being confined to his seat and being hungry didn't help. However, I had packed a large variety of snacks and apparently in business class things really are better because the minute he started crying the flight attendant ran to him and provided him with a basket of treats to choose from,  she also did everything in her power to make him laugh so that he wouldn't scream. I was trying to decide if she was really that nice or if she was trying to make the other business class passengers happy.

Mitchell thought it was pretty awesome to sit in the captains seat! 

Once we landed in Atlanta our first mission was to find food. We found the food court and everyone seemed to be a little happier. Since we had the first class tickets and because of Chase's silver status we had access to the Delta Sky Club. We thought this would be a great opportunity to sit down and let the kids stretch out a bit prior to boarding the 15 hour flight... we were wrong. The sky club was a quiet bar like atmosphere with lots of world traveling business men who didn't seem to appreciate my children's Kung-Fu moves in the middle of the room. Someone came up to us at one point and said "Mam, we CAN'T  have this here!" I was tired and grumpy and wanted snap at him and spit out something about having every right to be here and there being no rules about children, but my better self held it in. Instead I spent the time trying to engage the kids in quiet activities with no success. We finally gave up and headed to our gate.

The boys being boys in the Sky Club

We boarded the big plane about 5:30pm Atlanta time and I immediately started getting anxious. The way the first class is set up on these planes is that everyone has their own pod. The pods include a seat the reclines fully into a bed, your own TV, a soft pillow, and blanket, as well as a tray for meals, and of course your own lights.  The pods are angled and the pods in the middle angle out toward the sides and the sides angle in toward the middle. So essentially there are four pods across with two aisles on each side. Well, when we got on the plane the first thing that hit me was that Chase's seat was supposed to be in the middle facing toward the opposite wall so he wouldn't be next to me facing and the boys. I started getting stressed, I had visions of the boys having break downs in the middle of the flight, the surrounding passengers getting irritated, and Chase not being able to be much help. Chase asked a gentleman if he would change seats with him, and at first the man said no. I could feel my anxiety build and as we started getting settled the flight attendant asked me about snacks for the kids. I then asked her if they had kids options for dinner and she said "didn't you order it?" " You have to special order the kids meal". This did occur to me earlier in the week, but in all the bustle of packing I totally forgot to call Delta. That's when I lost it and the tears just came. I was tired, I had been packing like a made woman all weekend and I just wanted to get to Africa already. She was very nice and helped calm me down. She said she would send someone out real quick to pick one up. I of course immediately became embarrassed and tried to back step the tears. I didn't need everyone around me thinking I was having a mental breakdown on the plane. The gentleman beside me finally gave in and told Chase he would switch seats after all, he assured me that my tears had nothing to do with it, he simply said he couldn't separate us, and if his wife knew he had refused to switch she would be very upset. I thanked him and we then found out he was a fellow Black & Veatch employee and we soon all started chatting about South Africa.  My anxiety soon subsided and we were finally ready for take off.

Once up in the air things went amazingly well. Spencer fell asleep immediately, and Mitchell just LOVED the first class treatment. He was amazed by the seats, the TV, and loved his cheese pizza. He even got an ice cream Sunday at the end of his meal and got to choose his toppings. Chase and I both enjoyed our food and a glass of wine helped take the final edge off for me. Mitchell fell asleep shortly and both boys slept through the night. Spencer did end up in my seat with me during the night, but I expected that much.   We had one lady even come over after the second meal and complimented the boys on doing so well. I am sure most of the surrounding passengers weren't thrilled to see us board in first class... and I am pretty sure I heard a passenger even say "Well, that's a waste!", but I was happy they proved the other passengers and myself wrong.

Mitchell loved his TV and complimentary noise canceling head phones! 

Spencer snug as a bug in his car seat strapped into his pod seat

Once we landed in Johannesburg we had the task of getting through passport check and picking up our ridiculous amount of luggage. We got all our bags without a hiccup and had several nice gentleman help us out the door to meet our party. Chase's bosses picked us up in a shuttle bus and we came right to the guest house we are staying in temporarily. They then scooted us off to dinner, which sounds like a lot after that long flight, but it was good because it helped the kids burn off some energy so they could sleep through the night. Over all the trip over was pretty smooth, and though we have had a busy couple of days getting settled, everyone has been more then helpful and we are doing great!

Almost There

So here we are one week away from departure. It's been a crazy whirlwind of a month, lots of "see ya later" festivities mixed with packing and visiting our favorite KC places. It's been crazy, but I believe that's been a good thing, because now I am so tired that I am just READY TO GO!
Two weeks ago I quit my job of 6 years, it was surprisingly hard to let go of that part of my life. I am a Child Life Specialist. Just in case you want to know what this actually means here is the formal definition: I provide developmentally appropriate support (social and emotional) to patients and families in the hospital. Basically, I help children deal with the hospital setting, procedures, and illness in a way that they understand. I do this in a variety of methods using play, preparation, and coping techniques. I had been fortunate enough in the last several years to work part time so that I can be home with my kids while they are young. It's been great, I worked three days a week, and kinda felt that I had the best of both worlds. I love my kids and I think only the highest of stay at home parents (my mother was one, and my sister, and two of my brother in laws currently hold this title), but having my job brought a good balance to my life. I felt challenged daily and enjoyed meeting so many new people. I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support I felt from my coworkers at the Hospital. I received a couple of incredibly thoughtful gifts that I will cherish and of course will be bringing with us to Africa. I am hoping in a couple years if there is a fit I may return to the world of Child Life, but right now I have to focus on our future in Africa and try not to get caught up on the "When we get back" statements.

My adorable Child Life co-workers! Love these girls and for sure going to miss  these faces. 

Since leaving work two weeks ago we have been trying to do it all. We have fit in a bounce party, a trip to Deanna Rose, a trip to the Zoo, and a few dinners with friends. Then on top of that we have been finishing up packing. The house is a complete disaster and I have actually been happy that we haven't had any house showings (even though that means no one wants to buy our house) at least I haven't had to worry about cleaning up. On Tuesday of this week we had a fabulous day with my parents and said a final "See you later" to them and our dog Dottie. Dottie is a 9 year old beagle/ border collie mix and though we would love to take her to Africa, we fear the trip and time in quarantine would just be to rough on her. So, she is going to be well taken care of by our good friends the Sadowski's for two years.

Mitchell and friends at his Bounce Party! 

Mitchell and his teachers from Bright Horizons

Mitchell and his cousins at Deanna Rose

Deanna Rose

with friends at the KC ZOO

Love our Miss Dottie

I am sure that there will be more tears to be shed, but right now I feel a little cried out which is probably a good thing. I am ready to get the rest of our stuff out of the house and get on the airplane. We have the moving truck rented for Saturday, we are selling my car on Monday, and then we are off to the airport on Tuesday.  My next post will be from South Africa and you all can hear all about the awesome 15 hour flight we had with our two and four year old!