No meals???

Daycare #1, LL, is practically in our backyard, only costs $1/day more than daycare #2, and has all the same credentials as #2. They also have an indoor play village for when the weather is ugly, so the kids don't have to just stay in their room all day. They don't, however, serve any meals. They give a morning snack of fresh fruit, so I'd have to feed Stef breakfast before dropping her off, plus pack her a brown bag lunch. I was turned off by that and by the "strict schedule" the director says the teacher sticks to. The teacher is supposedly by-the-book-no-nonsense, which I wouldn't mind too much, but there should be some flexibility. They also do not use 1-2-3 Magic. I asked what do they do for discipline then. Basically, redirection with a choice between a different activity or going to the library for a cool down. Our neighbor 2 doors down was telling Steve last night that he was none too impressed with LL either.

Daycare #2, LP, is still on my way to work, serves breakfast and a hot lunch, is open til midnight for 2nd shifters, has separate playgrounds for the little kids and the bigger kids, uses 1-2-3, ensures hand washing and tooth brushing at meal times, has parent's nights out to raise money for field trips a couple times a year, and just seemed more in tune with the real world. Steve didn't go with me to see LL, but did see LP. We're going to talk about it a little more this weekend, but I think we're sold on LP. The only real drawback is that you have to cross 2 lanes of ugly traffic at the top of Chickies Hill for picking up and going home. If it's too ugly, I'll just drive on to Marietta and turn around, then go down Chickies and turn around again at the Burger King. Problem solved.

Next, Steve has to make his mom believe that we're for real about this. She will still get Stef one day a week and so will my mom, but it's daycare for the other 3 days. I don't think MIL thinks we're serious. Good luck with that one Honey!