Hi!

Hello Everyone! I finally figured out that having a blog for the childcare would be a wonderful idea for the parents, potential clients, and myself. I'm really excited about sharing all of our wonderful experiences here.

If you don't know me, I am the childcare provider for Aunt Kelli's Christian Family Childcare. Long name. It's really "Aunt Kelli's" and the rest is a tag to describe the type of childcare I have. I chose the name Aunt Kelli because I like the families I work with to feel like I am kind of an extension to their family. I'm never as important as the parents, but I am close to the kids, like an aunt.

The "Christian Family" describes a couple different things. First, we are a Christian Family. Since I have other children here for most of my own children's waking hours, I wanted to be able to continue our lifestyle during childcare hours. This means that we pray before meals and incorporate some Bible based themes into our day. The other reason is because I want to share God's love with the children and their families. I believe God has put myself and these families together to have a relationship. Am I going to try and spoon feed you religion? No way! I don't even like the word "religion". I like to think of loving, kind, empathetic relationships in my life. You don't have to attend church or have any certain beliefs to come here. I will never pressure you or your children in any way. If you want to see what kind of church I attend, the web site is http://www.mykcc.org/.

Aside from the Christian part, the "Family" in my tag line basically describes the setting for the childcare. We are a family. You are a family. This childcare is in our family home. It's cozy, warm with love, and has a family feel. I am passionate about families, which is why I'm studying Family Life Education at Spring Arbor University.

Speaking of families, I have a big one! My husband, Brad, and I have 7 children between us. We have three children at home who are 3, 10, and 12. I also have 4 step children who are between 15 and 23. We love having a big family. It's also a diverse one, since we are a blended family. Our house really isn't that full because most of the children don't live here, or are in school.

Aside from childcare and school, I love spending time with my family and friends. I also love photography, crafts, nature hikes, bicycling, geocaching, reading and writing. In the next year I'm hoping to learn some rock climbing, with the help of my son. My husband pretty much has the same hobbies too.