Playgroup is now daycare business; rehab up and down

Our experimental playgroup for our daughter Joanna has turned into a full-blown daycare business, albeit a small one for now. I was under the impression that my wife was inviting a a couple of moms and their toddlers over for daily visits to improve Joanna's social skills and interactions.That may have been the initial intention, but now the children come at 8 a.m. and stay until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Oh, at 4:30 all the kids leave our house and join us at the park.  Our growing group -- consisting of kids, brothers, sisters, moms, and dads who show up after work -- hangs out at the park and finally heads  home around 6 p.m. The White Monkey is in the middle of all the action and the three children who come to our house seem to have taken a shine to me. I guess everyone likes to play with a White Monkey once in a while. Phuong and her friend Nghi have worked incredibly hard to make our house very kid-friendly. Phuong has set up a "safe" area where toys and such are located, and she's purchased large sheets of paper and crayons for art. Nghi has obtained some great toys and games; and all the moms contribute their best efforts to make their kids happy. I'm the group DJ, playing background kids' music in the morning on my laptop; Bluetooth amplifies the sound. Joanna, the oldest of the group by a few months, is an avid dancer to the music. Her temper has cooled off since the children have been coming, which is a result I wanted. While positives abound, life in the daycare world is not a bowl of cherries. Children will cry for extended lengths of time -- three hours in one case -- when moms must leave. The crying kids seem to prefer being held by the White Monkey ... instead of anyone else. Maybe they just want to scream in my ear for a while. That's good in a way because it gives the hard-working moms a break. Really, the kids are wonderful even when crying. Working with groups of kids means working with groups of viruses that work their way around the group. Everyone has gotten a stomach virus and fever, leaving the kids more whiny than usual, meaning they're spending more time being held by me than usual. None of the moms, including my wife, are willing to hold a whiny White Monkey, however. One of the hazards of the job, I guess. Other than being exhausted 99 percent of the time, I enjoy the work and play and, of course, the children. And I'm really enjoying my limited free time.

* * *

Rehabilitating my torn plantar fascia is pesky business. Improvement has been infinitesimal while frustration has been infinite. I can stand pain-free; walking is a mixed bag; running and tennis are not in the equation. I do stretching exercises for the foot every day, but some days I'm lazy or busy, and the exercises lack the elan they should have to be more effective. I remain committed to soaking my foot in ice three times a day -- this one's easy because I read Jack Vance books with headphones on for the 20-minute sessions. I remain cautiously optimistic because I've been able to do the tai chi form in its entirety with only occasional bouts of pain. However, pain and chi don't mix. I injured the foot 21 days ago. Dr. Internet says it takes at least three months to heal (or is it heel?) and I'm inclined to agree with the good doctor.