The last week has seen a few developments with Pip learning how to climb so much better that she can now reach the window sills and open the latches. Given that we live on the third floor, then obviously this is extremely dangerous, so we've now wired all the windows shut to prevent her from taking a nose diveout into the blue yonder. Having her own small table that she can move into position sort of helps her as wll, but this new found agility has also taken its toll and the poor Snoos has bruises and red patches on her face almost constantly. Its rapidly becoming apparent that she has no fear of anything, but the vacum cleaner and the front door bell (its very loud and she knows it portends an approaching stranger)Today, Mette and Anya from downstairs had all the kids in the building to the library where they have a small childrens department. Freja came back soaking wet through from playing in the (horrible) water dragon sculpture in the city's central plaza. Such a monstrosity!.
Unfortunately, today was the last day we'll see little Andrea from the ground floor since tomorrow her family is moving to the city of Viborg. She came up with her mother jut as Freja was eating her lunch and Freja gave her a big hug. Its a shame because the two were similar in age and were just beginning to get to know each other. Freja is a bit starved for the company of her peers and isn't set to start kindergarten until November.
Den sidste uge har set Pipsen lær hvordan man kravler helt op i vindues kammen, så nu har vi bundet alle vinduerne til med stål tråd. Hun er også begyndte at bruge andre ting til at hjælpe med at kravle op, såden som hendes lille bord som hun elsker at klatrer op på og danse... hun er nemlig meget glad for at danse!
Desværre er hun lige så klodset som sin mor (hee hee hee) og held uden frygt og det har medført en masse blå mærk of bumps.
I dag har Mette været sammen med Anya (fra første) og alle de andre børn fra opgangen været en tur i byen, og på biblioteket. Freja kom hjem plask vådt efter hun havde været ned på Stor torvet og leje i alt de vand der pisser ud ad vand dragen. Kors hvor jeg dog hader synet at den skrot bunke!!!
Desværre var i dag den sidste gang Freja ser sin veninde Andrea (fra stuen) da de flytter til Viborg i morgen. Andrea og Jeanette kom op for at sige farvel mens Freja spiste sin frokost og Freja gav Andrea et stor kram. Vi kommer til savne Rasmus og Jeanette. De er rigtig sød og har været sjovt at vær sammen med. Nu skal deres lejlighed selvfølige gøres 'i stand' så huslejen kan sættes op og der kommer nok nogle rigtig idioter til at bo derned... nå, intet var evigt.
Freja skal først nu start i vugge stue til November, så nu har vi en månede tilbage før alting forandres for evigt og vi skal dele vores lille Snus med en masse andre menneske.
7 comments:
Just out of curiosity, how is the Danish school system set up?
We have a kindergarten as well, but it begins at age five, so it appears that it's not a parallel class.
Is the school system entirely public from that young of an age? (If it is, I think that's fantastic. I wish they would create a system like that here...)
er... I'm not entirely sure.
The child care system seems to be available from very early on with even babies being catered for. The parents pay for the service, unless they are unemployed (as we both are at the moment).
Freja is set to join vuggestuen which translates to the Cradle Room, on Nov 1st, but this, depsite the name is in effect a play school for what the Brits call 'toddlers'. This costs about 2½ - 3,000kr per month. Mette is searching for a job now though so although we might not have to pay the first month or two, it won't last. (3,000kr =$510US). At some point Frej will 'graduate' to regular kindergarten, but I'm not sure when that takes place. Mette knows...
In the summertime, my neices both attend a daycare program, and it averages around $1200 per month for the two girls. As I understand it, the state of Colorado has some financial assistance programs, but they're difficult to qualify for.
I've long wished that the state would incorporate "preschool" into the actual public school system. I think it's really important for young children to have that sort interaction with their peers, and unfortunately, there are a lot of kids who don't get to attend preschool because of the cost. I realize that this would raise my taxes, but I'm okay with that in regards to education.
Interesting. Tax vs child care services is the big political battle over here at the mo. The gov is trying to save and cut back and the socialists and a whole load of parents are up in arms. Yesterday saw the biggest public demonstration in the history of Århus on the subject.
Where do you stand on it?
I'm divided (as usual)
I can see the gov position, that the money we have no must be made to last and 'breed' to avoid the upcoming problem's brought about by the generation difference (the baby boomer strain on the economy) but I think they're being too hardline and using the problem as a pretext for pushing through their own particular brand of ultra capitalist world view.
I can also see the socialist position in that its a bitter irony that as rich as Denmark now is (and we're currently the fourth richest people on the planet) then why are we incapable of providing decent services for our children?
Many of our schools are in dire need of renovation and yet we are sending ever increasing amounts of cash in to the bottomless pit of Arabia.
Aid to Africa I can understand. Those people don't have anything much to call their own, but Arabia? The Arabians are swimming in revenues and yet we're supposed to send them cash whilst our own children's care services are being closed down?
Sounds like bollocks to me. Actually the whole thing is a bit 'iffy' in my opinion. A typical rich man's problem with neither side having any great moral weight over the other. The socialists piss me off the most though because they are such blatent hypocrites.
I'm divided (as usual)
I can certainly relate to that.
Many of our schools are in dire need of renovation and yet we are sending ever increasing amounts of cash in to the bottomless pit of Arabia.
That's where I run into problems, as well. If there's going to be money spent, certainly education is an important way to spend it. I can't remember the exact figures, but our military expenditures dwarf our education expenditures. I'm not suggesting that we don't need to put money into the military, but it would be nice if things were prioritized more efficiently. Even within the military, it seems that our soldiers don't have the supplies that they need.
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