Hello IPS families! I wanted to give you all little update on what's happening with me and how surgery went. The surgery went well and they actually found less than they had expected! They removed what needed to be removed and thank God it was not cancer! I came home the same day and my recovery has gone faster that we had initially anticipated. I am released to return to work next week. We are working on a plan for me to be re-integrated into the school with all of our kids and families new and old. I am super excited to get back to school and do what I love.
I want to thank all the families who brought us delicious dinners while I was healing. It was a big help to not have to worry about what was for dinner and who would cook it for 2 weeks! It was a great blessing. That is one great thing about being a part of a co-op not only are we helping each other at school but we help each other in life. It's like being a part of a second family and IPS is my preschool family.
Also thank you to everyone who said a prayer, sent a Facebook message or post, sent a text or any other support. Its very meaningful to know you thought about me. Also my fellow teachers who all prayed for me before I left and while I was gone, and continued to check on me while I was home.
I also want to send a big thank you Ms. Tamara who filled in for me. She did an amazing job of setting up outside, making lesson plans, cleaning the yard and integrating the new areas of the playground. I know being outside all day and working in the heat is not easy and the outdoor teacher position is not a traditional classroom setting and she has stepped in and done an amazing job in my absence. I couldn't have asked for a better substitute teacher.
I will be seeing you all very soon and meeting our new families in person very soon.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Not so good news
I have some not so good news to report to everyone. While it has been great to see everyone I have to tell you I will not be in school the first 4-8 weeks. During summer vacation after my tonsillectomy I had some pain and went to see the doctor. After an ultrasound and some blood tests they found I have a growth between the size of a lime and a small orange on my ovary. I have to have surgery to remove the ovary, and a possible hysterectomy.
While I am gone outside will still be open and there will be a short term sub working for me. I have plans to visit as many times as I can while recovering, that way I can meet the new children so that when I come back I am not a total stranger. I can also see the returning students and families as well. I will also be writing all the lesson plans and helping to set up for the first weeks of school. I will also remain available through email, blogger and Facebook.
I know that God has a plan for what's going on. I am hoping its a quick and easy process and I'll be back in 4 weeks ready to go and play (which I miss so much) I will miss everyone and I will be thinking about IPS while I am out.
While I am gone outside will still be open and there will be a short term sub working for me. I have plans to visit as many times as I can while recovering, that way I can meet the new children so that when I come back I am not a total stranger. I can also see the returning students and families as well. I will also be writing all the lesson plans and helping to set up for the first weeks of school. I will also remain available through email, blogger and Facebook.
I know that God has a plan for what's going on. I am hoping its a quick and easy process and I'll be back in 4 weeks ready to go and play (which I miss so much) I will miss everyone and I will be thinking about IPS while I am out.
Monday, August 5, 2013
The first days of school.
It has been great meeting all of our new students and parents joining our school this year I hope your enjoying getting to meet everyone, and getting familiar with our school. As for our returning families it was great seeing you again and seeing how much the kids have grown over the summer.
Just wanted to give you an idea of what the outside will be like as you start off the school year. We play outside every day unless its pouring rain! With that said when school starts its usually pretty hot so please send your child in clothes that will keep them comfortable. Also sunscreen, we are not able to put sunscreen on your child so please put it on them before you get to school in the morning. When its hot we usually have water play, it may be in a sensory bin, it may be a hose run in the sand box or a water game. Please make sure your child has an extra pair of clothing in their backpack if they get too wet to stay in them. I would also suggest that shoes be easy for your child to take on and off, we allow the children to play outside barefoot (except on the bikes of course.) It would help the teacher and parent helpers if you could mark their shoes and socks with initials or their first name. The same goes for jackets in the winter time. We do encourage the kids to drink plenty of water and watch to see if anyone is getting too hot and we help those that need reminders.
The children also come outside for snack time so please make sure we know about any special dietary needs, food allergies, and such before school starts. We do post a list of these needs in the kitchen and a copy is outside as well. I am very well aware and watch very carefully the students with allergies and sensitivities my daughter has a dairy protein, casein, and lactose sensitivity so I completely understand.
When you arrive on your child's first day of school I know it can be a bit emotional rather its your first child or last some of us get a bit teary. I know it can be tough but fight back those tears it makes the kids a bit nervous to see a parent cry. I usually hold it in then have a good cry in my car afterward. Show your child that you are confident in them and in the school that you chose.
Before school starts its a good idea to set up a morning routine, kids like structure and knowing what comes next gives them a sense of security. Let them know a few days before what the first day of school will look like if your child is a visual learner maybe make a sheet with pictures. In my house we have a picture and time for both of my children since I have one that can read a clock. Ours is pretty simple wake up, eat breakfast, get dressed, brush teeth, grab backpacks, go to school. It has helped my house run pretty smoothly in the mornings, also having backpacks, lunches, and clothes picked out and ready makes the morning run smooth.
For the end of the day try and let your child know who is picking them up, and as we tell them parents always come back. Check their cubby daily we send home notes, artwork, book orders and all in the cubby. When you get home ask them about their day. Its always fun to get their take on how the day was and they are very proud of any art, writing or thing they have made. Even if they didn't have anything to bring home and show you I promise they learned a lot! And they will have something to say.
If you ever have a question about the things we do, why we do them and how please feel free to ask any teacher any time. We have spent a lot of time studying child development, and working with children and we love to share what we know. We also have all the recipes for any of the things we make at school like slime, oobleck, and play dough. We also take suggestions. No one knows your child better than you do so any thing you can tell us is always helpful.
I hope you and your child are as excited for preschool as we are to have you with us this year.
Just wanted to give you an idea of what the outside will be like as you start off the school year. We play outside every day unless its pouring rain! With that said when school starts its usually pretty hot so please send your child in clothes that will keep them comfortable. Also sunscreen, we are not able to put sunscreen on your child so please put it on them before you get to school in the morning. When its hot we usually have water play, it may be in a sensory bin, it may be a hose run in the sand box or a water game. Please make sure your child has an extra pair of clothing in their backpack if they get too wet to stay in them. I would also suggest that shoes be easy for your child to take on and off, we allow the children to play outside barefoot (except on the bikes of course.) It would help the teacher and parent helpers if you could mark their shoes and socks with initials or their first name. The same goes for jackets in the winter time. We do encourage the kids to drink plenty of water and watch to see if anyone is getting too hot and we help those that need reminders.
The children also come outside for snack time so please make sure we know about any special dietary needs, food allergies, and such before school starts. We do post a list of these needs in the kitchen and a copy is outside as well. I am very well aware and watch very carefully the students with allergies and sensitivities my daughter has a dairy protein, casein, and lactose sensitivity so I completely understand.
When you arrive on your child's first day of school I know it can be a bit emotional rather its your first child or last some of us get a bit teary. I know it can be tough but fight back those tears it makes the kids a bit nervous to see a parent cry. I usually hold it in then have a good cry in my car afterward. Show your child that you are confident in them and in the school that you chose.
Before school starts its a good idea to set up a morning routine, kids like structure and knowing what comes next gives them a sense of security. Let them know a few days before what the first day of school will look like if your child is a visual learner maybe make a sheet with pictures. In my house we have a picture and time for both of my children since I have one that can read a clock. Ours is pretty simple wake up, eat breakfast, get dressed, brush teeth, grab backpacks, go to school. It has helped my house run pretty smoothly in the mornings, also having backpacks, lunches, and clothes picked out and ready makes the morning run smooth.
For the end of the day try and let your child know who is picking them up, and as we tell them parents always come back. Check their cubby daily we send home notes, artwork, book orders and all in the cubby. When you get home ask them about their day. Its always fun to get their take on how the day was and they are very proud of any art, writing or thing they have made. Even if they didn't have anything to bring home and show you I promise they learned a lot! And they will have something to say.
If you ever have a question about the things we do, why we do them and how please feel free to ask any teacher any time. We have spent a lot of time studying child development, and working with children and we love to share what we know. We also have all the recipes for any of the things we make at school like slime, oobleck, and play dough. We also take suggestions. No one knows your child better than you do so any thing you can tell us is always helpful.
I hope you and your child are as excited for preschool as we are to have you with us this year.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
New School Year
Wow time flies when your busy. I can't believe the 2013-2014 school year is about to start, and I am about to start my second year as the outdoor teacher at Inland Preschool. For those of you who are new to our preschool welcome! I can't wait to meet you and your family. For those of you returning I can't wait to see you and hear all about your summer.
For new families let me give you a brief introduction. My name is Ms. Charlee and I am 33 years old, I have been married to my husband Bradley for almost 11 years and together we have 2 children and one very spoiled dog. I graduated from MSJC in 2005 with 2 Associate degrees one in Sociology and the other in Humanities, with a concentration on Early Childhood Education. I was a stay at home mom for 6 years when I first came to Inland Preschool as a parent helper in 2011. Shortly after joining as a parent I knew I wanted to work at IPS and finished up my parent work hours and worked as a parent sub until I was offered a job as a part time teacher's aide and substitute teacher in 2012. In the fall of 2012 I was offered to become the outdoor teacher in a unique position at IPS which I took without hesitation. Today I work at IPS, I take care of my 2 children Breven(8) and Aubree(5) and all the after school and extra curricular activities, I cycle, knit, read and work at the local Jazzercise 2 nights a week. I also teach early childhood classes at my church on Sunday's as well.
As I said earlier my job is a unique position. I mean how many schools do you know that treat outdoors as a classroom and as an important part of education not just a place to have recess? And that's how I see it the outdoors are not just a great place to have fun but a great place to learn and explore all areas of learning in a different environment. How cool is it to read a book out in the grass? How fun is it to kick a ball in an open field? How exciting is it to explore science as you hunt for bugs in a garden? How interesting is it to explore how many cups are in a gallon with a tub of water and a measuring cup with no worries about what's spilled? And that's just some examples of what we do outside. Our unique approach to play based curriculum allows the children to explore all areas of learning in the environment that they enjoy most be it in the traditional classroom setting or in the back yard of our preschool.
I have taken to calling the outdoor space the back yard because it sounds fun! In spring of last year our back yard was expanded to include a very large grass space that was needed and very much appreciated by myself, the staff and the children of IPS just having more room to run was an amazing blessing that our school was able to get thanks to some very hard working parents and board members. Now that we have had that space for some time now it's time to use it to its fullest potential and that is my plan for this school year. To put more activities to stimulate learning outside for everyone to enjoy. There are also some plans to renovate and make some changes to some of the existing areas of the back yard as well. So come back to my blog to see what's new and what's next taking place in the back yard.
August 2nd is our meet and greet day I can't wait to meet all the new students and see all our returning students its been a long summer and I have missed all the kids. Enjoy the last day's of summer break and I hope to see everyone soon!
For new families let me give you a brief introduction. My name is Ms. Charlee and I am 33 years old, I have been married to my husband Bradley for almost 11 years and together we have 2 children and one very spoiled dog. I graduated from MSJC in 2005 with 2 Associate degrees one in Sociology and the other in Humanities, with a concentration on Early Childhood Education. I was a stay at home mom for 6 years when I first came to Inland Preschool as a parent helper in 2011. Shortly after joining as a parent I knew I wanted to work at IPS and finished up my parent work hours and worked as a parent sub until I was offered a job as a part time teacher's aide and substitute teacher in 2012. In the fall of 2012 I was offered to become the outdoor teacher in a unique position at IPS which I took without hesitation. Today I work at IPS, I take care of my 2 children Breven(8) and Aubree(5) and all the after school and extra curricular activities, I cycle, knit, read and work at the local Jazzercise 2 nights a week. I also teach early childhood classes at my church on Sunday's as well.
As I said earlier my job is a unique position. I mean how many schools do you know that treat outdoors as a classroom and as an important part of education not just a place to have recess? And that's how I see it the outdoors are not just a great place to have fun but a great place to learn and explore all areas of learning in a different environment. How cool is it to read a book out in the grass? How fun is it to kick a ball in an open field? How exciting is it to explore science as you hunt for bugs in a garden? How interesting is it to explore how many cups are in a gallon with a tub of water and a measuring cup with no worries about what's spilled? And that's just some examples of what we do outside. Our unique approach to play based curriculum allows the children to explore all areas of learning in the environment that they enjoy most be it in the traditional classroom setting or in the back yard of our preschool.
I have taken to calling the outdoor space the back yard because it sounds fun! In spring of last year our back yard was expanded to include a very large grass space that was needed and very much appreciated by myself, the staff and the children of IPS just having more room to run was an amazing blessing that our school was able to get thanks to some very hard working parents and board members. Now that we have had that space for some time now it's time to use it to its fullest potential and that is my plan for this school year. To put more activities to stimulate learning outside for everyone to enjoy. There are also some plans to renovate and make some changes to some of the existing areas of the back yard as well. So come back to my blog to see what's new and what's next taking place in the back yard.
August 2nd is our meet and greet day I can't wait to meet all the new students and see all our returning students its been a long summer and I have missed all the kids. Enjoy the last day's of summer break and I hope to see everyone soon!
Friday, November 30, 2012
Christmas is coming!
Yes that title is correct Christmas is coming soon! We here at IPS are super excited like the kids about the upcoming holiday season and we have a lot of fun planned for you and your children.
Outdoors we have some games planned and everything we do outside is now dependent on the weather. As you all know the season is changing and so if its raining hard we will be inside. On those days we will be playing a lot indoors. But if its just cold we will still play outside so everyone (Mom's, Dad's, Grandma's and Grandpa's too) should bring a jacket!
Its also that time of year that we think of gifts for our kids. I want everyone to remember that outdoor toys make great Christmas gifts too! Physical activity at home and at school helps to develop motor skills and self confidence. I know outdoor toys are always a hit in my house! Some of my favorites are playground balls, hula hoops, sidewalk chalk, bikes, and scooters are all fun. Even outdoor games like bean bag toss, ladderball, bocce ball, and bowling are all fun.
We will also be on Christmas break this month which means the kids will be home with us for a little over 2 weeks. I know for me when the weather is nice its easy to keep my kids busy we can play outside, take walks, and enjoy each other's company. But when it rains and we are trapped inside its tough to keep them from getting bored. On those days we try to play some indoor games to keep the bodies moving and the eyes off the TV. Some times we play ......
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas season and please remember the true reason for the holiday is the Birth of Jesus Christ our savior and share that special story and truth with your children. I hope you all carve out a little time to spend time together as a family and do something out of the ordinary to have fun this season. I appreciate all the parent helpers that come to school and especially those that help outside I know some days it can be a big challenge. I love getting to know your children and help guide them on their journey into learning.
I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!
Outdoors we have some games planned and everything we do outside is now dependent on the weather. As you all know the season is changing and so if its raining hard we will be inside. On those days we will be playing a lot indoors. But if its just cold we will still play outside so everyone (Mom's, Dad's, Grandma's and Grandpa's too) should bring a jacket!
Its also that time of year that we think of gifts for our kids. I want everyone to remember that outdoor toys make great Christmas gifts too! Physical activity at home and at school helps to develop motor skills and self confidence. I know outdoor toys are always a hit in my house! Some of my favorites are playground balls, hula hoops, sidewalk chalk, bikes, and scooters are all fun. Even outdoor games like bean bag toss, ladderball, bocce ball, and bowling are all fun.
We will also be on Christmas break this month which means the kids will be home with us for a little over 2 weeks. I know for me when the weather is nice its easy to keep my kids busy we can play outside, take walks, and enjoy each other's company. But when it rains and we are trapped inside its tough to keep them from getting bored. On those days we try to play some indoor games to keep the bodies moving and the eyes off the TV. Some times we play ......
- We freeze dance which is always more fun when Mom and Dad play too.
- We build pillow forts
- We play minute to win it games (you can find a lot of ideas for them on pintrest)
- We build with non traditional items
- We make playdough
- We picnic in different areas of the house
- We play twister
- We play mother may I
- We do mirror movements
- Bean bag games (you can make beanbags yourself with old socks bean or rice and a good rubber band)
- Scavenger hunts
- Hop scotch (you can make a grid using masking tape or painters tape)
- Balloon games (ping pong, 4 square, and others)
- Paper airplanes (tons of instructions available online)
- Stringing pasta or cheerios
- Marshmallow toothpick building
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas season and please remember the true reason for the holiday is the Birth of Jesus Christ our savior and share that special story and truth with your children. I hope you all carve out a little time to spend time together as a family and do something out of the ordinary to have fun this season. I appreciate all the parent helpers that come to school and especially those that help outside I know some days it can be a big challenge. I love getting to know your children and help guide them on their journey into learning.
I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Some changes outside
I know I am a bit behind on blogging but I wanted to make sure all you parents were aware of some changes that are taking place in the outdoor classroom, now and in the coming weeks.
First off fall is here and the weather is cool in the mornings and half the playground is in the shade in the morning so a light weight jacket in your child's backpack is something they could relay use. Unless its pouring rain, blowing wind so hard we can't play or there is a crazy weather catastrophe we have the outdoors open for play time. I have a lot of friends who love to be outside and will stay out all morning so if your little one is one of those kiddos I would defiantly make sure they have a jacket. This goes for parent helpers too! If you think you may end up outside bring a jacket as well I personally always have one in my car for emergencies so I am never without one. Also some mornings the playground is a little wet so if you work outside please help me check the slides, plastic cars and picnic benches to see if we need to wipe them down.
We have made some schedule changes in how our mornings run after free play is over and the the Orange Owl's and Green Dragonflies are separated into their small groups. Then snack begins for the first half of the children. After they are finished eating the children will be allowed to do activities at the tables. There will no longer be extra free play time after snack. There will be 2 activities set up at each group of tables for them to choose from. Some will be art, some will be math, some will be play dough and so on.This is to help aide in the transition from the outdoor time to the group time inside, and help the children to have a more productive small group time when its their turn. So parent helpers will stay at the tables and help with these activities when they are outside.
There have also been some changes made to snacks. Beginning in October the state has placed new regulations on schools as a part of their campaign to encourage healthy eating and proper portion sizes being served. From here on out there are portion sizes posted on the snack calendars and there are no exceptions to those sizes we are held accountable to make sure your little ones are eating proper portion sizes for their ages. We have also stopped putting the milk in the containers for the kids to pour a lot of our friends love to pour drinks and we were tossing a lot of milk down the drain. So from here on the water will be self serve and the milk will be served by a parent helper, with a limit of one half cup of milk per child. If they are still thirsty we can assist them to rinse out their cup and they can have water.
We have also designated 2 days a week as bike days. The bikes will be out for sure on Thursday's and Friday's unless there is a special event taking place those days. This will help some of our friends to visit more centers during free choice time. You can encourage your child visit different centers each morning before school. I always talk to my daughter every morning about what centers she likes and what ones she likes to visit and I also encourage her to visit the centers she doesn't visit often(like science and math) I talk it up over the breakfast table or on the ride to school. On days you work let them know whats going on in each center and encourage them to visit your center you are working as well as others. As the year goes on I know the kids will all adjust to this center rotation and they will get a lot of enjoyment and a lot of learning from visiting different centers and different classrooms as well as teachers. I encourage you as parents to do the same if you always work the art center venture out of your comfort zone and try cooking or blocks who knows you may learn something new as well!
I want to thank everyone staff, parents and kiddos for all your support, encouragement, kind words and the fantastic poster! The MS ride was a great success and once all the donations clear I raised $1575 for the fight against MS! And my husband raised over $2600 for MS as well. We are already looking forward to training for next years ride!
As always if you ever have any questions or suggestions for outside feel free to visit or send me an email I love new ideas!
First off fall is here and the weather is cool in the mornings and half the playground is in the shade in the morning so a light weight jacket in your child's backpack is something they could relay use. Unless its pouring rain, blowing wind so hard we can't play or there is a crazy weather catastrophe we have the outdoors open for play time. I have a lot of friends who love to be outside and will stay out all morning so if your little one is one of those kiddos I would defiantly make sure they have a jacket. This goes for parent helpers too! If you think you may end up outside bring a jacket as well I personally always have one in my car for emergencies so I am never without one. Also some mornings the playground is a little wet so if you work outside please help me check the slides, plastic cars and picnic benches to see if we need to wipe them down.
We have made some schedule changes in how our mornings run after free play is over and the the Orange Owl's and Green Dragonflies are separated into their small groups. Then snack begins for the first half of the children. After they are finished eating the children will be allowed to do activities at the tables. There will no longer be extra free play time after snack. There will be 2 activities set up at each group of tables for them to choose from. Some will be art, some will be math, some will be play dough and so on.This is to help aide in the transition from the outdoor time to the group time inside, and help the children to have a more productive small group time when its their turn. So parent helpers will stay at the tables and help with these activities when they are outside.
There have also been some changes made to snacks. Beginning in October the state has placed new regulations on schools as a part of their campaign to encourage healthy eating and proper portion sizes being served. From here on out there are portion sizes posted on the snack calendars and there are no exceptions to those sizes we are held accountable to make sure your little ones are eating proper portion sizes for their ages. We have also stopped putting the milk in the containers for the kids to pour a lot of our friends love to pour drinks and we were tossing a lot of milk down the drain. So from here on the water will be self serve and the milk will be served by a parent helper, with a limit of one half cup of milk per child. If they are still thirsty we can assist them to rinse out their cup and they can have water.
We have also designated 2 days a week as bike days. The bikes will be out for sure on Thursday's and Friday's unless there is a special event taking place those days. This will help some of our friends to visit more centers during free choice time. You can encourage your child visit different centers each morning before school. I always talk to my daughter every morning about what centers she likes and what ones she likes to visit and I also encourage her to visit the centers she doesn't visit often(like science and math) I talk it up over the breakfast table or on the ride to school. On days you work let them know whats going on in each center and encourage them to visit your center you are working as well as others. As the year goes on I know the kids will all adjust to this center rotation and they will get a lot of enjoyment and a lot of learning from visiting different centers and different classrooms as well as teachers. I encourage you as parents to do the same if you always work the art center venture out of your comfort zone and try cooking or blocks who knows you may learn something new as well!
I want to thank everyone staff, parents and kiddos for all your support, encouragement, kind words and the fantastic poster! The MS ride was a great success and once all the donations clear I raised $1575 for the fight against MS! And my husband raised over $2600 for MS as well. We are already looking forward to training for next years ride!
As always if you ever have any questions or suggestions for outside feel free to visit or send me an email I love new ideas!
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Ms. Charlee's ride for MS
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/CASBikeEvents?px=10005872&pg=personal&fr_id=18684
I know several of you have seen the link on facebook and the Inland Preschool website about possibly donating to my charity ride for the MS society. I wanted to share a little more about that ride and how my wonderful families at IPS can support me.
My husband we will call him Mr. Brad was diagnosed at age 31 with MS which means Multiple Sclerosis its an autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks the covering of ones nerves along the nervous system. Mostly in the brain and spinal cord but it can go to other areas of the body as the disease progresses. There is no cure for MS, but there is treatment to help slow the progression and symptoms. My husband (Aubree's Dad) is lucky it was caught early and he only has 4 lesions visible on MRI. He was told to make major lifestyle changes which meant diet and exercise. He discovered that his usual forms of exercise were no longer an option as they hurt his joints or caused him to over heat(a very difficult thing with MS is overheating can cause symptoms to be worsened) so he started cycling. Through his employer we found out that they participate in the MS Bay to Bay tour as a team and he joined and started riding in 2011 and finished the 2 day 100 mile event last year.
When he was diagnosed the MS society was right there with assistance for us in dealing with the diagnosis. I wanted to help the society that has helped us so that they can continue to do what they do. I decided in January 2012 to train myself and join the event in 2012. Which I have done.
On October 20th I along with my team and thousands of others will leave the starting line in Irvine and pedal a little over 50 miles to our day 1 stop in Carlsbad. The next morning I will get up again and pedal another 50 miles to the finish line in Mission Bay San Diego.
I am issuing a challenge to my fellow Inland Preschool Families. If you can help me out by donating $100 dollars(school wide) I will wear an Inland Preschool Play button shirt for a part of the ride. If you can help me raise $200 I will add a tutu yup you heard me I will have a custom made grown up tutu in honor of all my little friends who helped me raise the funds necessary to participate in the event. I have to raise $400 just to ride! So with $200 you would have helped me with half of that requirement and that would be amazing!
How else can you help me? On Thursday and Friday October 18th and 19th wear orange to school! Show me your moral support. If I make the $200 dollar mark I will preview the tutu at school.
Thank you to everyone in advance for all your help.
I know several of you have seen the link on facebook and the Inland Preschool website about possibly donating to my charity ride for the MS society. I wanted to share a little more about that ride and how my wonderful families at IPS can support me.
My husband we will call him Mr. Brad was diagnosed at age 31 with MS which means Multiple Sclerosis its an autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks the covering of ones nerves along the nervous system. Mostly in the brain and spinal cord but it can go to other areas of the body as the disease progresses. There is no cure for MS, but there is treatment to help slow the progression and symptoms. My husband (Aubree's Dad) is lucky it was caught early and he only has 4 lesions visible on MRI. He was told to make major lifestyle changes which meant diet and exercise. He discovered that his usual forms of exercise were no longer an option as they hurt his joints or caused him to over heat(a very difficult thing with MS is overheating can cause symptoms to be worsened) so he started cycling. Through his employer we found out that they participate in the MS Bay to Bay tour as a team and he joined and started riding in 2011 and finished the 2 day 100 mile event last year.
When he was diagnosed the MS society was right there with assistance for us in dealing with the diagnosis. I wanted to help the society that has helped us so that they can continue to do what they do. I decided in January 2012 to train myself and join the event in 2012. Which I have done.
On October 20th I along with my team and thousands of others will leave the starting line in Irvine and pedal a little over 50 miles to our day 1 stop in Carlsbad. The next morning I will get up again and pedal another 50 miles to the finish line in Mission Bay San Diego.
I am issuing a challenge to my fellow Inland Preschool Families. If you can help me out by donating $100 dollars(school wide) I will wear an Inland Preschool Play button shirt for a part of the ride. If you can help me raise $200 I will add a tutu yup you heard me I will have a custom made grown up tutu in honor of all my little friends who helped me raise the funds necessary to participate in the event. I have to raise $400 just to ride! So with $200 you would have helped me with half of that requirement and that would be amazing!
How else can you help me? On Thursday and Friday October 18th and 19th wear orange to school! Show me your moral support. If I make the $200 dollar mark I will preview the tutu at school.
Thank you to everyone in advance for all your help.
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