Today was a fun day. W had a playdate with a girl that looked like she could be my daughter. She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and freckles. If people saw us together they would think she was mine, I'm sure. She was very sweet. I didn't get to play with them much because the mom left Mercy and me a schedule for the week which instructed me to help M with her homework while Mercy advised the playdate. I made the girls a snack and then left them with Mercy to go help M with her homework. I miss helping her with homework. I really liked doing that. It reminds me why I've always wanted to be a teacher and it feeds that passion. W and her friend played dress up and spent the whole playdate in ballet tutus and butterfly costumes. It was rawther cute.
Then once W's playdate left it was time for M to go to her book club which I didn't even know she was a part of until I saw it on the schedule. She goes to a girl's house and they talk about the book they all read ('Clementine') and they eat dinner there. It was supposed to go from 5:15-7...well, I'll mention what happened later.
I heated up dinner for me and W, and me, W, and Mercy ate dinner in the kitchen. It was fun eating all together. Mercy was telling me how she's always too shy to eat in front of the parents and how she'll always take it to another room, even when they're on vacation. I got over my fear of squeezy yogurts and tried one for the first time. It wasn't so bad! It's just weird to eat yogurt in that way.
W got really tired and cute and clung onto me. I was actually full for probably the first time ever there. W and I have started picking out books to read at bedtime from the library because she's tired of all the ones in her room. I found 'Eloise' and decided that's what I was going to read. It's a good thing I picked a long book because Mercy and M didn't end up getting home until 8:00pm. I read 'Eloise' the entire time and W played with my hair. I didn't get to read to M because it was so late and she was coming from book club, so I left early.
Another weird thing today- everytime M hugged me around my waist she would kiss my nipples. I don't know what to say to that. "That's not appropriate"? Then when I tucked W into bed and was leaning over her to hug her she was peering down my shirt and asking what was down there. I told her and she wanted to pull my shirt down to see but I didn't let it get that far. They have become so curious it scares me.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Playing Catch Up
Today was the first day I picked up W from school at 2:35 instead of her usual 2:50 dismissal time to get to Beth's on time. I picked her up from her classroom and her teacher (whom I adore) already had her ready outside the classroom. I had gotten her a small cookie with chocolate sprinkles on it from a bakery and gave it to her in the cab for a snack. I normally wouldn't indulge in the sweets for snacks but since the mom does it every day I don't see why I can't go along with it to make them happy. She brought home the first Harry Potter book from her school library and wants to start reading it. I think it's a little too mature for her but we'll see...
She and M have started fighting over which one I'll take home after Beth. Since Mercy normally takes M home I took her home today which was awesome because I got an extra 45 minutes of reading/relaxing time. We're going to switch off every week. I love that they want me to take them home but I feel bad because they're asking right in front of Mercy and I don't want Mercy to think they don't want her.
I got a new coat and the only thing I was worried about was if the pattern was too busy. I asked M if she liked my new coat and she said it was too patterny. I was like, "it is, isn't it?? I was worried about that!" but then she said she liked it. I thought that was so funny I was getting fashion advice from an 8 year-old.
M was in a great mood at Beth's and on the way home but once she was in the bath she got in her sad mood again and said she felt like a horrible person. W and I went over all the reasons she's not horrible but she had a hard time believing it. I need to talk to her mom about these mood swings. She has such low self-esteem. W's dad wants her to start doing addition flashcards now but she doesn't have to be timed like M does. W wants to time herself though to be more like M.
I was excited to finally get to eat with the girls at dinner because the mom is in Tokyo until next Wednesday. Naturally, the dad came home while I was eating with them at the table. I got up and brought my plate into the kitchen. M called me out on being too embarrassed to eat in front of him. I don't know how she knew that. He went to exercise in the gym downstairs though so I continued to eat my dinner in the kitchen. The girls had milk with their dessert and I had the idea of giving them chocolate milk by adding a chocolate sauce to it. They were so excited. They both said I was the best babysitter ever and I felt in that moment like I was. The only thing is W said, "Emma! you're the best babysitter ever!! Other than Joelle...". I didn't know what to say to that so I didn't say anything. I just smiled.
M is such a tomboy. She was sitting on the toilet with the door open like she and W always do and she said she was making a people dung. She waited awhile and then warned me by saying "it's coming out!" Earlier, she was showing me a picture in her Smart Opedia in the reproductive section of a naked man covering his genitals. She said she wished the book showed the hairy man parts. I just can't believe 8 is the age where all this excitement happens. Even worse, W was BEGGING me to tell her if my private part was hairy. She asked me before bedtime and kept begging me to tell her. I told her I would tell her when she was older and she asked how old and I told her 13. I was insistent on the fact that I would not talk about that but she kept asking! Oy, it was awkward.
On the cute side, M taught W how to jump rope. She was a really good teacher! W was so happy when she got it and M was really proud to have taught her, I could tell. Then at bedtime M mentioned that she was fat and there went all her happy, child spunkiness she had earlier. I told her she most definitely was not fat and she insisted that she was. It breaks my heart. Eight year-olds should not be worried about these things.
She and M have started fighting over which one I'll take home after Beth. Since Mercy normally takes M home I took her home today which was awesome because I got an extra 45 minutes of reading/relaxing time. We're going to switch off every week. I love that they want me to take them home but I feel bad because they're asking right in front of Mercy and I don't want Mercy to think they don't want her.
I got a new coat and the only thing I was worried about was if the pattern was too busy. I asked M if she liked my new coat and she said it was too patterny. I was like, "it is, isn't it?? I was worried about that!" but then she said she liked it. I thought that was so funny I was getting fashion advice from an 8 year-old.
M was in a great mood at Beth's and on the way home but once she was in the bath she got in her sad mood again and said she felt like a horrible person. W and I went over all the reasons she's not horrible but she had a hard time believing it. I need to talk to her mom about these mood swings. She has such low self-esteem. W's dad wants her to start doing addition flashcards now but she doesn't have to be timed like M does. W wants to time herself though to be more like M.
I was excited to finally get to eat with the girls at dinner because the mom is in Tokyo until next Wednesday. Naturally, the dad came home while I was eating with them at the table. I got up and brought my plate into the kitchen. M called me out on being too embarrassed to eat in front of him. I don't know how she knew that. He went to exercise in the gym downstairs though so I continued to eat my dinner in the kitchen. The girls had milk with their dessert and I had the idea of giving them chocolate milk by adding a chocolate sauce to it. They were so excited. They both said I was the best babysitter ever and I felt in that moment like I was. The only thing is W said, "Emma! you're the best babysitter ever!! Other than Joelle...". I didn't know what to say to that so I didn't say anything. I just smiled.
M is such a tomboy. She was sitting on the toilet with the door open like she and W always do and she said she was making a people dung. She waited awhile and then warned me by saying "it's coming out!" Earlier, she was showing me a picture in her Smart Opedia in the reproductive section of a naked man covering his genitals. She said she wished the book showed the hairy man parts. I just can't believe 8 is the age where all this excitement happens. Even worse, W was BEGGING me to tell her if my private part was hairy. She asked me before bedtime and kept begging me to tell her. I told her I would tell her when she was older and she asked how old and I told her 13. I was insistent on the fact that I would not talk about that but she kept asking! Oy, it was awkward.
On the cute side, M taught W how to jump rope. She was a really good teacher! W was so happy when she got it and M was really proud to have taught her, I could tell. Then at bedtime M mentioned that she was fat and there went all her happy, child spunkiness she had earlier. I told her she most definitely was not fat and she insisted that she was. It breaks my heart. Eight year-olds should not be worried about these things.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Snow Day #326
Guess who didn't have school AGAIN because of snow? I'll give you one guess.
Snow days are fun because there's no schedule, but they're also harder because there's no schedule. The girls spend all day together inside and therefore get cranky and fight more easily, and I have to come up with more things to do so that they DON'T fight. I came over at 12:15 today and M had her friend, O, over. O is the one who went to F.A.O. Schwarz with us the last big snow day when they made their own muppets. She's very sweet and quirky. The mom wasn't home when I got there but O's nanny was. She stayed at the house for the whole play date so that she didn't have to travel back and forth in the snow. She was really nice and stayed in the kitchen reading 'Eclipse' the whole time while I watched over the girls. They were there for awhile too. Their play date was about 4 hours long. They were speaking in Tagalog (Filipino) to each other so I guess O's nanny is Filipino too.
As soon as I got there we played hide and go seek using the whole house. Those girls picked some creative hiding spots! I was helping the seeker find the other 2 but there was one time I wanted to surprise them and hide myself. I had the best hiding spot ever. I hid in the dad's closet in between his shirts. I should not have been there but it was a brilliant spot because it was so small one wouldn't think to look there. I don't think they ever realized I was hiding because once they found the other 2 girls they started over again. This went on for about 3 rounds before I finally came out because I was bored and hot.
Next game was the sleeping bag race. We had 2 sleeping bags and 3 girls, so I would pull one sleeping bag with M and O on it and they would hold onto the other sleeping bag with W on it. They loved it and then wanted me, O's nanny, AND Mercy to pull the 3 of them....so we did! Then they wanted to pull US! So the 3 of them pulled us adults and we all laughed and laughed. It was hilarious and only made possible because the mom wasn't home.
Once the adults got tired of pulling them around, M and O decided to make a fort, reminiscent of the one that W and her friend made yesterday. In this case, however, M didn't want her sister involved in the making of the fort. W wanted desperately to play with them and M wanted her alone time with her friend. W had a hard time understanding this but I came up with ways to distract her. She settled on coloring her calendar and ended up getting pretty into it. M eventually came in and told us we could play with them but I told her we were fine doing what we were doing. Then M got totally upset because she thought we didn't want to play with them. I mean, come on....you can't please anybody no matter what you do or say. I am so over this. M had her tantrum and fought back the tears and refused to talk to me about why she was upset. So I ignored it and she was fine 15 minutes later.
So then the mom comes home. This is right about the time M asks me to make them a snack, so I go in the kitchen to prepare them blueberries and healthy snacks. Ohhhh nooooo. The mom has just come back from Whole Foods and thought it would be nice to give them strawberries dipped in chocolate. I think healthy, she thinks sugar. Great, thanks. I'll be the one to deal with it when they smear the chocolate all over their faces in attempts to make chocolate mustaches and I'll be the one cleaning up the table when all the chocolate drips on it and gets on their clothes. The girls, of course, LOVE this treat and eat the remaining chocolate with spoons.
Then they got the idea to pretend they were injured and scare Mercy and their mom into thinking they broke their elbow or were cut. Then they wanted to do fake blood on their arms but couldn't find anything realistic enough. I realized I had red lipstick in my make-up bag and I let them put it on their arms as if bleeding. It looked so fake but they thought it was brilliant.
The second after O left the girls wanted to go play in the snow. I love the snow and think it's gorgeous, but I am over playing in it. M was being very impatient and very pissy when her mom said we could play for 20 minutes instead of 30. They were realllly testing my patience in the snow. They were purposefully taking a long time to walk back home because they didn't want to leave. The mom was VERY clear about only 20 minutes and I didn't want her to be mad at me, but what am I gonna do? Drag them by their feet? M even said something about being with "strict Emma". I said, "HEY! The only reason I'm strict is because I love you guys and I'm worried about your safety." I wanted to say, "how dare you? Do you realize your lives are in my hands and I will be the one getting fired if anything goes awry? Of COURSE I'm going to be strict about rules".
We made up by the time we got home and they took quick, separate baths. While W was in the bath, M was working on her valentine card for me. So what if it's February 26th? It's never too late for a valentine. She started singing "Apple Blossom Time" which is the song I sang all goofily that they recorded on their camera and watch over and over again. M has watched the movie so many times that she has memorized the song! I had no idea she knew all the words and the tune! So I had her sing it on the camera for me to send to my friend who knows the song.
Baths complete, we were just hanging tight at the table, coloring away, when the mom said they were leaving. It was only 5:40! They normally leave at 6:30! I didn't mind this at all but we were not ready because it was so early! We went through the process we go through every Friday of me asking them if they have everything packed that they'll want for the weekend and rushing to put on their coats as we're waiting for the elevator.
This time, I stayed behind in the apartment with Mercy while they all left. I liked being in the home alone with no noise. It's a much different atmosphere with no kiddies around. Mercy walked around and drew the shades, and I walked out 20 minutes behind the mom and girls.
Snow days are fun because there's no schedule, but they're also harder because there's no schedule. The girls spend all day together inside and therefore get cranky and fight more easily, and I have to come up with more things to do so that they DON'T fight. I came over at 12:15 today and M had her friend, O, over. O is the one who went to F.A.O. Schwarz with us the last big snow day when they made their own muppets. She's very sweet and quirky. The mom wasn't home when I got there but O's nanny was. She stayed at the house for the whole play date so that she didn't have to travel back and forth in the snow. She was really nice and stayed in the kitchen reading 'Eclipse' the whole time while I watched over the girls. They were there for awhile too. Their play date was about 4 hours long. They were speaking in Tagalog (Filipino) to each other so I guess O's nanny is Filipino too.
As soon as I got there we played hide and go seek using the whole house. Those girls picked some creative hiding spots! I was helping the seeker find the other 2 but there was one time I wanted to surprise them and hide myself. I had the best hiding spot ever. I hid in the dad's closet in between his shirts. I should not have been there but it was a brilliant spot because it was so small one wouldn't think to look there. I don't think they ever realized I was hiding because once they found the other 2 girls they started over again. This went on for about 3 rounds before I finally came out because I was bored and hot.
Next game was the sleeping bag race. We had 2 sleeping bags and 3 girls, so I would pull one sleeping bag with M and O on it and they would hold onto the other sleeping bag with W on it. They loved it and then wanted me, O's nanny, AND Mercy to pull the 3 of them....so we did! Then they wanted to pull US! So the 3 of them pulled us adults and we all laughed and laughed. It was hilarious and only made possible because the mom wasn't home.
Once the adults got tired of pulling them around, M and O decided to make a fort, reminiscent of the one that W and her friend made yesterday. In this case, however, M didn't want her sister involved in the making of the fort. W wanted desperately to play with them and M wanted her alone time with her friend. W had a hard time understanding this but I came up with ways to distract her. She settled on coloring her calendar and ended up getting pretty into it. M eventually came in and told us we could play with them but I told her we were fine doing what we were doing. Then M got totally upset because she thought we didn't want to play with them. I mean, come on....you can't please anybody no matter what you do or say. I am so over this. M had her tantrum and fought back the tears and refused to talk to me about why she was upset. So I ignored it and she was fine 15 minutes later.
So then the mom comes home. This is right about the time M asks me to make them a snack, so I go in the kitchen to prepare them blueberries and healthy snacks. Ohhhh nooooo. The mom has just come back from Whole Foods and thought it would be nice to give them strawberries dipped in chocolate. I think healthy, she thinks sugar. Great, thanks. I'll be the one to deal with it when they smear the chocolate all over their faces in attempts to make chocolate mustaches and I'll be the one cleaning up the table when all the chocolate drips on it and gets on their clothes. The girls, of course, LOVE this treat and eat the remaining chocolate with spoons.
Then they got the idea to pretend they were injured and scare Mercy and their mom into thinking they broke their elbow or were cut. Then they wanted to do fake blood on their arms but couldn't find anything realistic enough. I realized I had red lipstick in my make-up bag and I let them put it on their arms as if bleeding. It looked so fake but they thought it was brilliant.
The second after O left the girls wanted to go play in the snow. I love the snow and think it's gorgeous, but I am over playing in it. M was being very impatient and very pissy when her mom said we could play for 20 minutes instead of 30. They were realllly testing my patience in the snow. They were purposefully taking a long time to walk back home because they didn't want to leave. The mom was VERY clear about only 20 minutes and I didn't want her to be mad at me, but what am I gonna do? Drag them by their feet? M even said something about being with "strict Emma". I said, "HEY! The only reason I'm strict is because I love you guys and I'm worried about your safety." I wanted to say, "how dare you? Do you realize your lives are in my hands and I will be the one getting fired if anything goes awry? Of COURSE I'm going to be strict about rules".
We made up by the time we got home and they took quick, separate baths. While W was in the bath, M was working on her valentine card for me. So what if it's February 26th? It's never too late for a valentine. She started singing "Apple Blossom Time" which is the song I sang all goofily that they recorded on their camera and watch over and over again. M has watched the movie so many times that she has memorized the song! I had no idea she knew all the words and the tune! So I had her sing it on the camera for me to send to my friend who knows the song.
Baths complete, we were just hanging tight at the table, coloring away, when the mom said they were leaving. It was only 5:40! They normally leave at 6:30! I didn't mind this at all but we were not ready because it was so early! We went through the process we go through every Friday of me asking them if they have everything packed that they'll want for the weekend and rushing to put on their coats as we're waiting for the elevator.
This time, I stayed behind in the apartment with Mercy while they all left. I liked being in the home alone with no noise. It's a much different atmosphere with no kiddies around. Mercy walked around and drew the shades, and I walked out 20 minutes behind the mom and girls.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Caterpillar Races
Today is Thursday which is the day W is supposed to have ballet meaning the day I get to relax for 45 minutes and the day I see Benny in the car. For some reason, W didn't have to go to ballet today. Instead, she got a playdate with her friend, O, who's in ballet with her. For the first time we got to use their service car coming home from school. Mercy had come in it and picked us up in the car and she and M got dropped off at B's and then the 3 of us went home.
I love O. She's a hilarious girl. She's so outgoing and will talk to anybody. It's funny though because once we got to our house she became more reserved and W was very outgoing and being so generous with all her stuff. They reversed roles once we were on W's territory. I made them tea and gave them their snack. I'm glad W has a friend who loves playmobile as much as she does because she was finally able to play the game with someone who invests a lot into it. M came home once they were done with their snack and the 4 of us played together. They made a fort in W's bedroom and we played monsters/cats. The girls were cats who could change into whatever animal they wanted to and I was the big monster who was chasing them. I actually had a lot of fun. I was running around so much and picking them up and got really hot and sweaty. We made a mess of the room because they took all of W's stuffed animals off of her shelf and strewn them on the floor. I helped Mercy clean up later, I felt so bad. Eventually O's mom came to pick her up but we were supposed to meet her downstairs. M, W, and I escorted O down to the lobby and waved goodbye to her.
Because of the playdate they had very quick baths and a quick dinner. The mom finally sat with them again so I could have a minute to scarf down my apple. When they were brushing their teeth they were fighting like crazy and driving me even more crazy. M accidentally hit W in the cheek with the mirror and W started crying and M hid under the bed. I'm so tired of the sibling drama. I don't get it- they used to get along so nicely and now they fight constantly. M was in another one of her moods tonight and I could see the tears coming on so I tried to get her to talk to me about her feelings and why she was sad but the mom asked me to clear their dinner plates off the dining room table. I guess it IS a lot of work to clear the plates yourself. I understand you have absolutely NO time to clear them into the kitchen while I'm consoling your troubled daughter.
When I came back M started sulking again and said she doesn't feel like her normal self. I asked her what she meant and what her normal self felt like and she said her normal self feels happy. She said she doesn't feel pretty anymore either. This girl needs therapy and she's 8 years-old.
We lightened the mood by having caterpillar races in their sleeping bags down the wood-floored hallway. They both have Disney princesses sleeping bags and they raced like caterpillars on them the length of the hallway and got several laughs through that.
Because of the nasty snow and weather, T was 15 mins late for tutoring M. The mom had retreated to her bedroom right after dinner and I never saw her again for the rest of the evening. She went M.I.A. and I thought she went to bed super early. She was lounging around the house all day in her pj pants that look just like mine and her cashmere sweater. She looked so comfortable and it made me mad that I'm working like crazy to keep her kids occupied and happy and she's just lounging around in her comfy clothes.
It was weird that the mom didn't come out to say goodnight to the girls or read with W like she normally does but I didn't mind. I had my regular bedtime routine with them. After I read to M and said goodnight to her I went to get my stuff together to leave. Before I did though I went back in W's room to turn out the light and make sure she was going to sleep. She told me she's been having bad dreams about there being a fire in their house. She's brought up her fear of fires lots of times and it's very clear that she's very scared of them. I sat down on her bed and talked her through why she doesn't need to be scared of that happening. She asked a lot of questions and I explained the batteries in the smoke detector, etc. I told her the main reason fires start is when people leave candles burning and then forget to blow them out. She got concerned and said "what if people light the Hanukkah candles and forget about them?" I thought that was so cute and told her I've never forgotten to blow them out and that they go out really quickly on their own. She was calmed by that answer.
Then she said, "what about burglars??" I told her she was in a very safe building and that the doormen would never let a burglar in. Then she got concerned because their house in Purchase has no doorman. Then she told me she doesn't like going to Purchase because it's too scary. She and her sister don't share a bathroom and her sister's room is farther away. She said she bumps into things when she wakes up to go to the bathroom and I offered to get her a night light to remedy that. She seemed into that idea.
I must have sat with her for a good extra 15 minutes trying to calm of her fears for fires and burglars. Then I tucked her in, kissed her on the forehead, and told her to have sweet dreams.
Not that I mind, but where is the mother for all of this???
I love O. She's a hilarious girl. She's so outgoing and will talk to anybody. It's funny though because once we got to our house she became more reserved and W was very outgoing and being so generous with all her stuff. They reversed roles once we were on W's territory. I made them tea and gave them their snack. I'm glad W has a friend who loves playmobile as much as she does because she was finally able to play the game with someone who invests a lot into it. M came home once they were done with their snack and the 4 of us played together. They made a fort in W's bedroom and we played monsters/cats. The girls were cats who could change into whatever animal they wanted to and I was the big monster who was chasing them. I actually had a lot of fun. I was running around so much and picking them up and got really hot and sweaty. We made a mess of the room because they took all of W's stuffed animals off of her shelf and strewn them on the floor. I helped Mercy clean up later, I felt so bad. Eventually O's mom came to pick her up but we were supposed to meet her downstairs. M, W, and I escorted O down to the lobby and waved goodbye to her.
Because of the playdate they had very quick baths and a quick dinner. The mom finally sat with them again so I could have a minute to scarf down my apple. When they were brushing their teeth they were fighting like crazy and driving me even more crazy. M accidentally hit W in the cheek with the mirror and W started crying and M hid under the bed. I'm so tired of the sibling drama. I don't get it- they used to get along so nicely and now they fight constantly. M was in another one of her moods tonight and I could see the tears coming on so I tried to get her to talk to me about her feelings and why she was sad but the mom asked me to clear their dinner plates off the dining room table. I guess it IS a lot of work to clear the plates yourself. I understand you have absolutely NO time to clear them into the kitchen while I'm consoling your troubled daughter.
When I came back M started sulking again and said she doesn't feel like her normal self. I asked her what she meant and what her normal self felt like and she said her normal self feels happy. She said she doesn't feel pretty anymore either. This girl needs therapy and she's 8 years-old.
We lightened the mood by having caterpillar races in their sleeping bags down the wood-floored hallway. They both have Disney princesses sleeping bags and they raced like caterpillars on them the length of the hallway and got several laughs through that.
Because of the nasty snow and weather, T was 15 mins late for tutoring M. The mom had retreated to her bedroom right after dinner and I never saw her again for the rest of the evening. She went M.I.A. and I thought she went to bed super early. She was lounging around the house all day in her pj pants that look just like mine and her cashmere sweater. She looked so comfortable and it made me mad that I'm working like crazy to keep her kids occupied and happy and she's just lounging around in her comfy clothes.
It was weird that the mom didn't come out to say goodnight to the girls or read with W like she normally does but I didn't mind. I had my regular bedtime routine with them. After I read to M and said goodnight to her I went to get my stuff together to leave. Before I did though I went back in W's room to turn out the light and make sure she was going to sleep. She told me she's been having bad dreams about there being a fire in their house. She's brought up her fear of fires lots of times and it's very clear that she's very scared of them. I sat down on her bed and talked her through why she doesn't need to be scared of that happening. She asked a lot of questions and I explained the batteries in the smoke detector, etc. I told her the main reason fires start is when people leave candles burning and then forget to blow them out. She got concerned and said "what if people light the Hanukkah candles and forget about them?" I thought that was so cute and told her I've never forgotten to blow them out and that they go out really quickly on their own. She was calmed by that answer.
Then she said, "what about burglars??" I told her she was in a very safe building and that the doormen would never let a burglar in. Then she got concerned because their house in Purchase has no doorman. Then she told me she doesn't like going to Purchase because it's too scary. She and her sister don't share a bathroom and her sister's room is farther away. She said she bumps into things when she wakes up to go to the bathroom and I offered to get her a night light to remedy that. She seemed into that idea.
I must have sat with her for a good extra 15 minutes trying to calm of her fears for fires and burglars. Then I tucked her in, kissed her on the forehead, and told her to have sweet dreams.
Not that I mind, but where is the mother for all of this???
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Hump Day
I couldn't think of a clever title for this entry and it's Wednesday, so that's all I got. Sorry.
W's dismissal is now only 15 minutes earlier than M's, so I picked up both girls today. It worked out well- I met W in the lobby where I always do and then we waited around for 15 minutes until her sister came out. She was so excited to see M, it was so cute. One of my favorite scenes is watching the girls come out of their classrooms at the end of the day and run up to their moms/nannies and grab them around the waist looking so happy to see them. I wish W did that with me but at least she doesn't waddle out to me anymore.
Again, we had another hour to play before bath time. It's really not bath time anymore, it's shower time. W has grown partial to taking showers now and I'm not sure why. I'd rather them bathe by themselves because then they don't fight and I don't mind if they shower as long as they really clean themselves. They're so cute- they both wanted to surprise me by getting out of the shower and dried off and in their pj's without me having to ask them. They told me to close the bathroom door and leave W's room so they could get ready, and then when they called my name it meant I was able to come back into their room. I would come in and they would be sitting in their pj's, hair all wet and scraggly, smiling and giggling. It makes me so happy that they do it because they know it makes me happy.
Neither of their hair was curly today so I braided their hair while it was still wet and then blow-dried it in the braids. I think their hair will actually be curly tomorrow!
I sat with the girls at dinner again because the mom was watching a special news report on TV. She didn't even tell me she wasn't going to sit with them like she always does; she just stayed on the couch and I took the initiative to sit with the girls. That's 2 nights in a row she hasn't had dinner with them. I don't think they mind but I think it's sad because that's the only time of day they spend quality time with each other.
They didn't eat most of their dinner so I snuck the leftovers off their plates when I cleared them into the kitchen. If I wasn't going to be able to eat the apple I brought, I can at least eat their nice beef.
W did my hair and ended up doing 2 pigtails and said I looked like Edwina. That's nice, I guess. Edwina is like 10 years old, but whatever.
Sadly, there is nothing new or exciting or interesting to report. It was a normal day. We did our bedtime rituals and that was that. I did fall asleep while reading to W though and she said "come on!" and I felt awful and snapped awake really quickly. I had 2 coffees today too....it must be the weather.
Hopefully I won't be as boring tomorrow.....
W's dismissal is now only 15 minutes earlier than M's, so I picked up both girls today. It worked out well- I met W in the lobby where I always do and then we waited around for 15 minutes until her sister came out. She was so excited to see M, it was so cute. One of my favorite scenes is watching the girls come out of their classrooms at the end of the day and run up to their moms/nannies and grab them around the waist looking so happy to see them. I wish W did that with me but at least she doesn't waddle out to me anymore.
Again, we had another hour to play before bath time. It's really not bath time anymore, it's shower time. W has grown partial to taking showers now and I'm not sure why. I'd rather them bathe by themselves because then they don't fight and I don't mind if they shower as long as they really clean themselves. They're so cute- they both wanted to surprise me by getting out of the shower and dried off and in their pj's without me having to ask them. They told me to close the bathroom door and leave W's room so they could get ready, and then when they called my name it meant I was able to come back into their room. I would come in and they would be sitting in their pj's, hair all wet and scraggly, smiling and giggling. It makes me so happy that they do it because they know it makes me happy.
Neither of their hair was curly today so I braided their hair while it was still wet and then blow-dried it in the braids. I think their hair will actually be curly tomorrow!
I sat with the girls at dinner again because the mom was watching a special news report on TV. She didn't even tell me she wasn't going to sit with them like she always does; she just stayed on the couch and I took the initiative to sit with the girls. That's 2 nights in a row she hasn't had dinner with them. I don't think they mind but I think it's sad because that's the only time of day they spend quality time with each other.
They didn't eat most of their dinner so I snuck the leftovers off their plates when I cleared them into the kitchen. If I wasn't going to be able to eat the apple I brought, I can at least eat their nice beef.
W did my hair and ended up doing 2 pigtails and said I looked like Edwina. That's nice, I guess. Edwina is like 10 years old, but whatever.
Sadly, there is nothing new or exciting or interesting to report. It was a normal day. We did our bedtime rituals and that was that. I did fall asleep while reading to W though and she said "come on!" and I felt awful and snapped awake really quickly. I had 2 coffees today too....it must be the weather.
Hopefully I won't be as boring tomorrow.....
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
I'm Rubber, You're Glue
Today was such an eeyore day. It was pouring rain all day and I didn't have an umbrella for me or W, but she didn't mind because she said she likes when her hair gets wet because it gets curly. It's hard to imagine her with curly hair.
In the taxi on the way home she pouted and said, "I had to sit by myself on the bus this morning". I guess her sister normally sits with her but today she sat with her friends so W sat alone. We came up with games she could play by herself to keep her occupied. I taught her how to use her knuckles to tell which months had 30 or 31 days and I taught her the "johnny, johnny...." game on her hands. She really liked that one. We talked about different mind games she can play and hand games she can play by herself.
M didn't have any after-school activities so the 3 of us had an hour to hang out and play at home. We listened to 'Dear Edwina' which I have to admit, I sort of missed a little, and colored in their Disney princess coloring books. I think it's funny they have those because every time they color in them they make a point to talk about how much they hate princesses. Then I recorded them dancing to 'Dear Edwina' because it really was too cute. They continued on with their recent obsession with pregnancy and pretended to give birth. It was really funny but felt weird to see them pretend to give birth at 5 and 8 years old. They put the small exercise ball under their shirts and laid on their backs on W's bed and then would replace the ball with a baby doll. I recorded it all on the camera and pretended I was documenting the birth.
Then, out of NOWHERE, M asked me if my private part was hairy. I freaked out and asked her why she asked that and she said "that means it probably is". I asked where she learned about that and she said "because I saw my mom's once". I was so stunned I told her she wasn't allowed to talk about that until she's older and made her get in the bath.
While she was in the bath she expressed her concern about her class bully, May. She told me she had a bully and she seemed really upset about it so I sat on the toilet seat and talked with her about it for awhile. I had already been through this with W but M seemed more upset about it. I tried thinking of more things she could do to remedy her evil bully. I told her she should talk to her in Japanese because she wouldn't understand what she was saying. M said defeated, "but SHE'S Japanese". There goes my brilliant idea. M said, "I feel like I have the curse of May. I can feel myself getting mean when she's mean to me." I told her not to let that happen because then May wins. I told her she needs to be the bigger person and tell herself that she will not let May's bad attitude ruin her kind heart. She said it was really hard to do. Then I felt awful because for the rest of the night any time M said something sassy or threatened me and I told her that wasn't nice, she would say, "see?!" and then I had to say "no, no, no! You're not mean, M!!" I wish I could go to their school and tell May off personally.
Their parents went out tonight which I love. I never even saw the dad but the mom left around 6:45. She was getting ready during dinner so I sat with the girls to keep them company. That meant I didn't get to eat my dinner or have my quiet time, but they couldn't eat dinner by themselves. I sat where the mom usually sits at the head of the table and I felt so weird about doing so because the mom was home. She was doing her own thing though, so whatever. During dinner the girls told me about a "festival" they're having at their house that I should be invited to and asked if I would come if I was invited. It's basically a large cocktail party with everyone they know. They said there are so many people there it's hard to walk around. M said they get cooks that come and cook in the kitchen and they get servants that work the event. They said I could stay over that night if I needed to because it goes until 9:00pm. I thought that was so cute they involved me in it. M told me I'm basically a part of their family. We decided I was like their older sister and they loved that and so did I.
After dinner the girls helped me do the dishes which was so darling. M put on big rubber gloves and washed the dishes and W stood on a chair and dried them, and I put them away. We had an assembly line going and the girls actually enjoyed it. It was THEIR idea, after all.
Before she left the mom gave me a list of the dates that W has playdates and told me that she's going to Tokyo on Monday until March 10th. Aaaalriiiiight.
W really wanted her hair to be curly tomorrow so I gave them braided pigtails to sleep on. They were very excited about them.
Despite the fact that W hates princesses, we read a few stories from her big book of princess stories in bed. She gave me eskimo and butterfly kisses and huge hug leaps. M had tons of energy after T left which rubbed off on W. I had a really hard time getting them to settle down and get in bed. W's mom wasn't there to read to her after I leave (which she does now) so I had to try to get her to keep occupied while I read to M. I kept checking on her to make sure the lights were out and that she was settling down.
I talked to Mercy for awhile before I headed out because we get along. Then I said a final goodnight to the girls and crept out.
In the taxi on the way home she pouted and said, "I had to sit by myself on the bus this morning". I guess her sister normally sits with her but today she sat with her friends so W sat alone. We came up with games she could play by herself to keep her occupied. I taught her how to use her knuckles to tell which months had 30 or 31 days and I taught her the "johnny, johnny...." game on her hands. She really liked that one. We talked about different mind games she can play and hand games she can play by herself.
M didn't have any after-school activities so the 3 of us had an hour to hang out and play at home. We listened to 'Dear Edwina' which I have to admit, I sort of missed a little, and colored in their Disney princess coloring books. I think it's funny they have those because every time they color in them they make a point to talk about how much they hate princesses. Then I recorded them dancing to 'Dear Edwina' because it really was too cute. They continued on with their recent obsession with pregnancy and pretended to give birth. It was really funny but felt weird to see them pretend to give birth at 5 and 8 years old. They put the small exercise ball under their shirts and laid on their backs on W's bed and then would replace the ball with a baby doll. I recorded it all on the camera and pretended I was documenting the birth.
Then, out of NOWHERE, M asked me if my private part was hairy. I freaked out and asked her why she asked that and she said "that means it probably is". I asked where she learned about that and she said "because I saw my mom's once". I was so stunned I told her she wasn't allowed to talk about that until she's older and made her get in the bath.
While she was in the bath she expressed her concern about her class bully, May. She told me she had a bully and she seemed really upset about it so I sat on the toilet seat and talked with her about it for awhile. I had already been through this with W but M seemed more upset about it. I tried thinking of more things she could do to remedy her evil bully. I told her she should talk to her in Japanese because she wouldn't understand what she was saying. M said defeated, "but SHE'S Japanese". There goes my brilliant idea. M said, "I feel like I have the curse of May. I can feel myself getting mean when she's mean to me." I told her not to let that happen because then May wins. I told her she needs to be the bigger person and tell herself that she will not let May's bad attitude ruin her kind heart. She said it was really hard to do. Then I felt awful because for the rest of the night any time M said something sassy or threatened me and I told her that wasn't nice, she would say, "see?!" and then I had to say "no, no, no! You're not mean, M!!" I wish I could go to their school and tell May off personally.
Their parents went out tonight which I love. I never even saw the dad but the mom left around 6:45. She was getting ready during dinner so I sat with the girls to keep them company. That meant I didn't get to eat my dinner or have my quiet time, but they couldn't eat dinner by themselves. I sat where the mom usually sits at the head of the table and I felt so weird about doing so because the mom was home. She was doing her own thing though, so whatever. During dinner the girls told me about a "festival" they're having at their house that I should be invited to and asked if I would come if I was invited. It's basically a large cocktail party with everyone they know. They said there are so many people there it's hard to walk around. M said they get cooks that come and cook in the kitchen and they get servants that work the event. They said I could stay over that night if I needed to because it goes until 9:00pm. I thought that was so cute they involved me in it. M told me I'm basically a part of their family. We decided I was like their older sister and they loved that and so did I.
After dinner the girls helped me do the dishes which was so darling. M put on big rubber gloves and washed the dishes and W stood on a chair and dried them, and I put them away. We had an assembly line going and the girls actually enjoyed it. It was THEIR idea, after all.
Before she left the mom gave me a list of the dates that W has playdates and told me that she's going to Tokyo on Monday until March 10th. Aaaalriiiiight.
W really wanted her hair to be curly tomorrow so I gave them braided pigtails to sleep on. They were very excited about them.
Despite the fact that W hates princesses, we read a few stories from her big book of princess stories in bed. She gave me eskimo and butterfly kisses and huge hug leaps. M had tons of energy after T left which rubbed off on W. I had a really hard time getting them to settle down and get in bed. W's mom wasn't there to read to her after I leave (which she does now) so I had to try to get her to keep occupied while I read to M. I kept checking on her to make sure the lights were out and that she was settling down.
I talked to Mercy for awhile before I headed out because we get along. Then I said a final goodnight to the girls and crept out.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Precious
I saw Mercy at school again today. I know this is stupid but I get mad when she tries to bundle up W or ask if I should take her backpack for her because it's too heavy for her. I ALWAYS bundle up W very well and I ALWAYS carry her backpack for her. I love Mercy and I know she just wants the best for W, but she worries so much about everything.
I took W to her tutor, B, today, but the mom hasn't adjusted the time of her lesson and with the late school dismissal, W only got half an hour instead of 45 minutes. I feel as if W is really opening up though. She's much less shy with me when I pick her up at school and she's more enthusiastic about things she's done at school. She even went as far as to say "school is so fun!" today. I think my jaw hit the floor of the cab.
I had gotten a bagel before I picked up W as a quick bite to eat. I love bagels but I know how bad they are for you. The only problem is there's a really good bagel place right by the girls' school and it's the only quick food around there so I've been getting bagels more often than I normally would. I saved the bagel to eat for when I was waiting at B's but Mercy and M came after I had only had 2 bites. M told me she didn't get to eat all of her lunch so I shared my bagel with her since I knew she was trying to tell me she was hungry. It used to be that Mercy would bring W home when she was done and I would wait for M to be done and bring her home. I loved that because I would get an hour and a half to read and have quiet time. Now W's been asking me to go home with her and Mercy stays to bring M home. It gives Mercy about 45 minutes to nap in the lobby though and she deserves those 45 minutes.
I gave W a bite of my bagel at home but she had her own snack so that's all she got. I saved the last few bites of my bagel for M for when she got home and it made me feel better that I hadn't eaten the whole thing by myself. W was being a sweetheart again. She was being funny and attentive and respectful and said all her pleases and even put her clothes in the hamper by herself without waiting for me to do it. She told me about this crystal pin she lost that she was really sad about and when I asked her how long it had been lost she said 10 years. I looked at her with this grin and whispered, "you've only been alive for 5 years".
W reminds me a lot of myself in the sense that she always knows exactly where everything is and she makes lists all the time. She does what I did when I was a kid- she writes all the words she knows how to spell. She also has a photographic memory and can tell me which bag her plastic fish are in that I've never seen before. When she listens to her books on CD, she remembers the words and can read through it in the book so much more quickly. I'm amazed at how much she retains from hearing it.
I gave the girls their bath together once M came home. They fought the entire time and it was so hard to get them to get along. M is really good at sassing and W is really good at whining and yelling, so the combination makes for a splendid evening. I want to stop giving them their baths together because they haven't been able to take a bath together without fighting recently. They used to play together so nicely. I'm not sure where we went wrong.
I've been noticing that M has been really glum lately. She's always saying how today was a bad day and that she's not sure why she's feeling so sad. Once she and her sister start fighting she gets in this bad mood that can't be shaken and she points it out. I have to pinch her cheeks and get up in her bubble and tickle her to get any sort of smile out of her.
She was fine once dinner was ready. Even though her mom doesn't do any of the cooking, she's really good at making it look very presentable. She does a good job of displaying the food on their plates to make it pretty. I told her so and she said they eat more when it looks nice. She's really growing on me. She's not as bad as I made her out to be. The girls were showing me things and telling me stories throughout dinner when I would walk through to clear their plates or peel their apples. It seems as if they want me around more and that's nice. They got very curious about their parent's wedding during dinner so we looked through the photo album of their wedding pictures. That was really neat to see their parents back then. Her wedding dress was HUGE. She honestly looked like a wedding cake topper or like a huge cupcake.
When they went in the bathroom to brush their teeth, M sat up on the window ledge which always scares me. One would have to physically unlock the window for it to open but it still frightens me when they lean against it in fear of it opening and them falling. M sat up there and said, "I feel like jumping out the window". Considering how gloomy she's been lately that really upset and scared me. I told her to never, ever, ever say that. I went over to her and grabbed her around the waist and told her she was too special a person to talk like that. I told her she was precious and she said she didn't feel like it. She said, "I feel opposite of everything. People tell me I'm precious and smart and I don't feel precious or smart". It broke my heart into a million pieces and I wanted to smother her in hugs and kisses and make her feel amazing. I swear I could see little tears in her eyes.
Then she smiled and asked me to brush her teeth, so I did. Then W wanted me to brush her teeth so I did. I tried to forget about what M had just said but it was hard for me to.
Then T came and W and I did our activity workbook sheets. I gave her 6 scholar dollars tonight, she did so well. She did a great job reading in bed too. I love when she reads and I love helping her sound out the words. It feels really good to know you're helping someone learn how to read. She snuggled against me again while I read Cinderella from her ballet story book. W and I are forming this sweet bond that feels so full of love. It's changed so much from what it used to be like.
For my goodnight hug she told me to stand back from the bed and she ran off of the bed into my arms with a huge leap. Then she wanted to do the elephant which I taught her and her mom walked in while she was hanging upside down and freaked out. I told her I had her and she was fine but I can see why that would look scary. While her legs were wrapped around my waist and I was holding her up, we did our eskimo kiss and our butterfly kiss. She said "eyes" which was butterfly kiss and then she said "nose" which was eskimo kiss. It's something small that I share with her that makes me feel closer to her. I should teach M those kisses too.
I read Harry Potter to M and she was in a much better mood than she was earlier. Before I left for the evening I made a point to hug her and tell her I wanted her to be happier because it made me sad when she was so down. I told her she was one of the best people I knew and she lit up and said "really?!" I told her yes, she was one of the most kind-hearted people I knew and it made me sad when she was sad. She said, "I never thought of it that way before". She told me she would start smiling more and talking less sadly. I hope she does because if she doesn't I might need to tell her mom about her behavior because I want to make sure she's OK.
My heart full of love again, I am ready for a new week.
I took W to her tutor, B, today, but the mom hasn't adjusted the time of her lesson and with the late school dismissal, W only got half an hour instead of 45 minutes. I feel as if W is really opening up though. She's much less shy with me when I pick her up at school and she's more enthusiastic about things she's done at school. She even went as far as to say "school is so fun!" today. I think my jaw hit the floor of the cab.
I had gotten a bagel before I picked up W as a quick bite to eat. I love bagels but I know how bad they are for you. The only problem is there's a really good bagel place right by the girls' school and it's the only quick food around there so I've been getting bagels more often than I normally would. I saved the bagel to eat for when I was waiting at B's but Mercy and M came after I had only had 2 bites. M told me she didn't get to eat all of her lunch so I shared my bagel with her since I knew she was trying to tell me she was hungry. It used to be that Mercy would bring W home when she was done and I would wait for M to be done and bring her home. I loved that because I would get an hour and a half to read and have quiet time. Now W's been asking me to go home with her and Mercy stays to bring M home. It gives Mercy about 45 minutes to nap in the lobby though and she deserves those 45 minutes.
I gave W a bite of my bagel at home but she had her own snack so that's all she got. I saved the last few bites of my bagel for M for when she got home and it made me feel better that I hadn't eaten the whole thing by myself. W was being a sweetheart again. She was being funny and attentive and respectful and said all her pleases and even put her clothes in the hamper by herself without waiting for me to do it. She told me about this crystal pin she lost that she was really sad about and when I asked her how long it had been lost she said 10 years. I looked at her with this grin and whispered, "you've only been alive for 5 years".
W reminds me a lot of myself in the sense that she always knows exactly where everything is and she makes lists all the time. She does what I did when I was a kid- she writes all the words she knows how to spell. She also has a photographic memory and can tell me which bag her plastic fish are in that I've never seen before. When she listens to her books on CD, she remembers the words and can read through it in the book so much more quickly. I'm amazed at how much she retains from hearing it.
I gave the girls their bath together once M came home. They fought the entire time and it was so hard to get them to get along. M is really good at sassing and W is really good at whining and yelling, so the combination makes for a splendid evening. I want to stop giving them their baths together because they haven't been able to take a bath together without fighting recently. They used to play together so nicely. I'm not sure where we went wrong.
I've been noticing that M has been really glum lately. She's always saying how today was a bad day and that she's not sure why she's feeling so sad. Once she and her sister start fighting she gets in this bad mood that can't be shaken and she points it out. I have to pinch her cheeks and get up in her bubble and tickle her to get any sort of smile out of her.
She was fine once dinner was ready. Even though her mom doesn't do any of the cooking, she's really good at making it look very presentable. She does a good job of displaying the food on their plates to make it pretty. I told her so and she said they eat more when it looks nice. She's really growing on me. She's not as bad as I made her out to be. The girls were showing me things and telling me stories throughout dinner when I would walk through to clear their plates or peel their apples. It seems as if they want me around more and that's nice. They got very curious about their parent's wedding during dinner so we looked through the photo album of their wedding pictures. That was really neat to see their parents back then. Her wedding dress was HUGE. She honestly looked like a wedding cake topper or like a huge cupcake.
When they went in the bathroom to brush their teeth, M sat up on the window ledge which always scares me. One would have to physically unlock the window for it to open but it still frightens me when they lean against it in fear of it opening and them falling. M sat up there and said, "I feel like jumping out the window". Considering how gloomy she's been lately that really upset and scared me. I told her to never, ever, ever say that. I went over to her and grabbed her around the waist and told her she was too special a person to talk like that. I told her she was precious and she said she didn't feel like it. She said, "I feel opposite of everything. People tell me I'm precious and smart and I don't feel precious or smart". It broke my heart into a million pieces and I wanted to smother her in hugs and kisses and make her feel amazing. I swear I could see little tears in her eyes.
Then she smiled and asked me to brush her teeth, so I did. Then W wanted me to brush her teeth so I did. I tried to forget about what M had just said but it was hard for me to.
Then T came and W and I did our activity workbook sheets. I gave her 6 scholar dollars tonight, she did so well. She did a great job reading in bed too. I love when she reads and I love helping her sound out the words. It feels really good to know you're helping someone learn how to read. She snuggled against me again while I read Cinderella from her ballet story book. W and I are forming this sweet bond that feels so full of love. It's changed so much from what it used to be like.
For my goodnight hug she told me to stand back from the bed and she ran off of the bed into my arms with a huge leap. Then she wanted to do the elephant which I taught her and her mom walked in while she was hanging upside down and freaked out. I told her I had her and she was fine but I can see why that would look scary. While her legs were wrapped around my waist and I was holding her up, we did our eskimo kiss and our butterfly kiss. She said "eyes" which was butterfly kiss and then she said "nose" which was eskimo kiss. It's something small that I share with her that makes me feel closer to her. I should teach M those kisses too.
I read Harry Potter to M and she was in a much better mood than she was earlier. Before I left for the evening I made a point to hug her and tell her I wanted her to be happier because it made me sad when she was so down. I told her she was one of the best people I knew and she lit up and said "really?!" I told her yes, she was one of the most kind-hearted people I knew and it made me sad when she was sad. She said, "I never thought of it that way before". She told me she would start smiling more and talking less sadly. I hope she does because if she doesn't I might need to tell her mom about her behavior because I want to make sure she's OK.
My heart full of love again, I am ready for a new week.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Park Avenue = Hell
I'm getting stressed out and mad just thinking about today. I thought today was going to be awesome...I could not have been more wrong.
I picked up M from school at 2:45 and it was just us gals because W went home with a friend for a play date. I had an hour with M in which I thought it would be nice to let her play before T came to take her to the museum for a field trip. I gave her her snack and changed her into comfy clothes and before I knew it T was there to take her to the Museum of Natural History. She was early and I thought it would be a good idea to get her math flashcards out of the way before they left since they were going to their weekend home later and there might not be enough time. T offered to do them with her and I got very territorial because that's MY job with her. I timidly said, "OK" but thank goodness M said she wanted me to do them with her. Damn right, M!
They left for the museum at 4:10pm and I had to pick up W from her play date at 4:45pm. I didn't know what I was going to do for all that time so I left at 4:15pm to get an early start. The mom had texted me their address earlier that day so I google-mapped it on my blackberry to know where to go. The map showed me that 150 Park Ave was at Park Ave between 32nd and 33rd streets. That's pretty far from their house on the Upper West Side, especially during rush hour. It was a good thing I left when I did because it took me 45 minutes to get there by taxi! $21 later, I'm at 32nd and Park Ave and do not see the address 150 anywhere. I go inside somewhere and ask why I'm so turned around and the guy told me google maps messes this up all the time and that 150 is actually around 41st St. I'm not about to walk that distance since it's already time for me to get her, so I take another taxi to 41st St. I still don't see #150 anywhere. I see 120 Park Ave and 200 Park Ave but there is no 150 to be found. I stopped and asked several people and they told me to go through Grand Central Station to get there....so I do. Twice. It seemed as if 150 was right in the middle of Grand Central. How can this be?! I asked several people and none of them seemed to have an idea of where it was.
I had called W's mom when I originally got to 41st St telling her the map gave me the wrong direction and I was very close to picking up W and asked if she could call the girl's mother and let her know I was close by. Well after I had walked around, through, and behind Grand Central for a good 15 minutes, I was sweaty and freaking out because now I was a half hour late to pick her up. I finally called W's mom again and said, "I feel really stupid but I cannot find their building anywhere." She says, "1150 Park Ave??" And I said, "1150?! I thought it was 150." She says so calmly, "oh no, it's 1150. I texted it to you". I informed her that I received that text and that it said 150 but not to worry....I would find 1150 right away. I look it up on my phone and it's at 92nd and Park Ave. My family lives at 81st on the other side of the park. I was SO close to them from the very beginning but had gone all the way down to 32nd and then back up to 41st, only to take a THIRD taxi to 92nd. I had spent about $50 at this point in taxis and wasn't sure I would have enough to pay for the taxi home with W.
Humiliated, I got to their apartment an HOUR late to pick up W. She, of course, didn't mind because she got an extra hour to play with her friend. But this would mean she wasn't getting a bath and she would hardly have any time before she had to turn around to leave for Purchase because they leave at 6:30. W was being a darling on the way home and very clingy for the rest of the afternoon. When I got back to their apartment all sweaty and tired at 6:00pm (mind you, this is 2 hours after I left originally), the mom told me she had checked her text she sent me and confirmed that she had, in fact, written 1150. My phone can't receive more than 160 characters in one text message so it had split up her message into 3 different texts and it split up the numbers so all I saw was 150. I could not believe it. Thank G-d she was really understanding about it and said she would be more careful when sending long texts or would text me the cross streets. *sigh*
I got the girl's bags packed for the weekend and bundled them up, and before I knew it, they were off! I took the elevator down with them and W asked if I could come with them to Purchase. She even asked if I would wait with them in the lobby until their dad pulled up in the car. Where did this sudden affection come from?? I don't know but I love it.
I am ready for the weekend. No more Park Avenue adventures for me!!
I picked up M from school at 2:45 and it was just us gals because W went home with a friend for a play date. I had an hour with M in which I thought it would be nice to let her play before T came to take her to the museum for a field trip. I gave her her snack and changed her into comfy clothes and before I knew it T was there to take her to the Museum of Natural History. She was early and I thought it would be a good idea to get her math flashcards out of the way before they left since they were going to their weekend home later and there might not be enough time. T offered to do them with her and I got very territorial because that's MY job with her. I timidly said, "OK" but thank goodness M said she wanted me to do them with her. Damn right, M!
They left for the museum at 4:10pm and I had to pick up W from her play date at 4:45pm. I didn't know what I was going to do for all that time so I left at 4:15pm to get an early start. The mom had texted me their address earlier that day so I google-mapped it on my blackberry to know where to go. The map showed me that 150 Park Ave was at Park Ave between 32nd and 33rd streets. That's pretty far from their house on the Upper West Side, especially during rush hour. It was a good thing I left when I did because it took me 45 minutes to get there by taxi! $21 later, I'm at 32nd and Park Ave and do not see the address 150 anywhere. I go inside somewhere and ask why I'm so turned around and the guy told me google maps messes this up all the time and that 150 is actually around 41st St. I'm not about to walk that distance since it's already time for me to get her, so I take another taxi to 41st St. I still don't see #150 anywhere. I see 120 Park Ave and 200 Park Ave but there is no 150 to be found. I stopped and asked several people and they told me to go through Grand Central Station to get there....so I do. Twice. It seemed as if 150 was right in the middle of Grand Central. How can this be?! I asked several people and none of them seemed to have an idea of where it was.
I had called W's mom when I originally got to 41st St telling her the map gave me the wrong direction and I was very close to picking up W and asked if she could call the girl's mother and let her know I was close by. Well after I had walked around, through, and behind Grand Central for a good 15 minutes, I was sweaty and freaking out because now I was a half hour late to pick her up. I finally called W's mom again and said, "I feel really stupid but I cannot find their building anywhere." She says, "1150 Park Ave??" And I said, "1150?! I thought it was 150." She says so calmly, "oh no, it's 1150. I texted it to you". I informed her that I received that text and that it said 150 but not to worry....I would find 1150 right away. I look it up on my phone and it's at 92nd and Park Ave. My family lives at 81st on the other side of the park. I was SO close to them from the very beginning but had gone all the way down to 32nd and then back up to 41st, only to take a THIRD taxi to 92nd. I had spent about $50 at this point in taxis and wasn't sure I would have enough to pay for the taxi home with W.
Humiliated, I got to their apartment an HOUR late to pick up W. She, of course, didn't mind because she got an extra hour to play with her friend. But this would mean she wasn't getting a bath and she would hardly have any time before she had to turn around to leave for Purchase because they leave at 6:30. W was being a darling on the way home and very clingy for the rest of the afternoon. When I got back to their apartment all sweaty and tired at 6:00pm (mind you, this is 2 hours after I left originally), the mom told me she had checked her text she sent me and confirmed that she had, in fact, written 1150. My phone can't receive more than 160 characters in one text message so it had split up her message into 3 different texts and it split up the numbers so all I saw was 150. I could not believe it. Thank G-d she was really understanding about it and said she would be more careful when sending long texts or would text me the cross streets. *sigh*
I got the girl's bags packed for the weekend and bundled them up, and before I knew it, they were off! I took the elevator down with them and W asked if I could come with them to Purchase. She even asked if I would wait with them in the lobby until their dad pulled up in the car. Where did this sudden affection come from?? I don't know but I love it.
I am ready for the weekend. No more Park Avenue adventures for me!!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Butterfly Kisses
I am digging this 2:50 pick-up time. When I got to the school today I saw Mercy there! That was fun seeing her at school. M gets out at 3:05 now, only 15 minutes after W gets out. It seems silly that there's 2 of us to pick them up but today M had to go to Beth and W had ballet.
We had 40 minutes between school and ballet. That seems like a lot of time but when you have to get a snack and get them changed into their ballet clothes, that time goes by veeery quickly. Especially since today I also brought W's friend, O, to ballet. O is the one whose house W went to 2 weeks ago and who has the cute personal driver, B. I like O because she's very outgoing and will talk to anyone, but she's also a smart cookie and can be a smarty pants. O said her mom always gives her a cupcake before ballet and I didn't see what was wrong with a little cupcake before class (and I wanted to look cool) so I took them to a little bakery/cafe right across the street from their ballet class. They didn't have cupcakes so I got them a chocolate muffin. For myself, fresh fruit with fat-free yogurt and granola. Not exactly a chocolate muffin...
I felt bad but I really had to rush them along or else they'd be late for ballet. W told me it was bad to eat too fast because the food may not have digested yet. She's so smart. I had nothing to reply to that because she was right. Then I heard W whisper to O that she should take her time in the bathroom because they wanted to be late for ballet! They don't like the class and therefore wanted to be late. So then O says, "I have to go to the bathroom. NOW." I thought this was part of her ploy to be late so I said she would have to wait until we got to ballet. She said she couldn't hold it and needed to go right then, but I didn't believe her so I said we were right across the street and she could wait 2 minutes. Then she said, "if I go in my pants it's all your fault". Then I started to worry, what if she really does have to go and she goes in her pants? So now I'm starting to panic but I only have 10 minutes to get them across the street, changed into their clothes, and into class, so I hurried them along. Turns out I was right, thank goodness, because when we got there O didn't go straight to the bathroom and she was only in there for 1 minute. Sneaky child.
I was rushing them along so badly trying to get them both in their clothes at the same time and they were not helping. They were dragging their feet walking to the classroom but I managed to get them in only 4 minutes late when they were just starting their circle. I needed a drink after that. I went back into the dressing room and cleaned up the bomb that had exploded of their clothes. I felt like such a bad nanny. I pride myself on always being early for things and always planning enough time to not have to rush. I failed that today. I was finally able to kick back and take a few deep breaths. It was funny- there were only 2 dads there waiting and they were both highly involved in their iphones. After W's class ended and we were walking back to the dressing room, one of the dads stopped me and asked if I knew anyone that could nanny for him in the afternoons. I told him about the agency that I was with shortly and gave him that name so he could find someone from there. I told him I would also ask around my friends and let him know next week at ballet. I felt bad for him but also felt good that he was asking me as if I would have good references.
O's mom met us at ballet to take O home. I get bad vibes from her. She seems so fake and un-involved in her daughter's life. She did offer to take us home though which was very nice of her. I accepted that invitation since that meant B would be driving us home. She asked if it would be alright for him to drop them off at their place first and I didn't mind at all. She asked if we could work out the same situation next week of me bringing both girls to ballet and her meeting us there afterwards and I didn't mind at all. So then it was just me, W, and B driving home. It was nice because B and I talked about our jobs but I had to censor it because W was there.
By the time we got home it was 4:45 which is normally when I get them in their bath for a 5:30 dinner. After kicking back for a little while I realized it was 5:00 and the mom still wanted to give them dinner at 5:30. I should win a medal for giving the girls separate baths AND drying both of their hair in 25 minutes and being ready for dinner before the mom was. It helped that I timed M to see if she could take a bath under 5 minutes. She did it in 3' 47". That's pretty fast. It only took her 1' 17" to get dried off and in her pj's. W rewarded her with 2 silver medals that she had earned for ice-skating and we held a small Olympic medal ceremony for her. It was funny.
The girls finished dinner really quickly so I didn't even get to finish my dinner before they asked me to peel their apples for their dessert. The mom left at 6:30 for a dinner date so it was up to me to make sure everything ran smoothly but I prefer it that way. M got one of her mom's small yoga balls and put it under our shirts to pretend we were pregnant again. I don't know where all this pregnancy obsession is coming from all of a sudden but it's funny.
While M was with T I did W's activity sheets and we colored a little bit too. While we were coloring W asked me if I thought there would be a fire in her place tonight. She's so concerned about fires. It reminds me of when I was really worried about death when I was a kid. I soothed her fears for tonight, at least, by assuring her it wouldn't happen but telling her how they would fix it if there was one and she seemed satisfied with my answer and let it go.
I was so grateful that for reading time I didn't have to read a fairy book tonight. I get so tired of those series. I read a ballet book and then part of the story of "Swan Lake" from a collection of ballet stories. She layed against my arm while I read and it felt so relaxed and she was really listening and not getting distracted. When it was M's turn to read I put on the audio CD of the Swan Lake story and she looked at the pictures from the book in bed while she listened to it. It was a good way to wind down. I went back in later to tuck her in and turn off the lights and she gave me the sweetest goodnight hug ever. I taught her eskimo kisses and butterfly kisses and kissed her on each cheek a few times. It was the most affection she's ever let me give her. When her mom left for dinner she didn't even hug or kiss her goodnight. She just told her to keep her bedtime.
I read to M until 8:25 and then made sure W was really tucked in, and crept out. I like bedtime. It's cozy.
We had 40 minutes between school and ballet. That seems like a lot of time but when you have to get a snack and get them changed into their ballet clothes, that time goes by veeery quickly. Especially since today I also brought W's friend, O, to ballet. O is the one whose house W went to 2 weeks ago and who has the cute personal driver, B. I like O because she's very outgoing and will talk to anyone, but she's also a smart cookie and can be a smarty pants. O said her mom always gives her a cupcake before ballet and I didn't see what was wrong with a little cupcake before class (and I wanted to look cool) so I took them to a little bakery/cafe right across the street from their ballet class. They didn't have cupcakes so I got them a chocolate muffin. For myself, fresh fruit with fat-free yogurt and granola. Not exactly a chocolate muffin...
I felt bad but I really had to rush them along or else they'd be late for ballet. W told me it was bad to eat too fast because the food may not have digested yet. She's so smart. I had nothing to reply to that because she was right. Then I heard W whisper to O that she should take her time in the bathroom because they wanted to be late for ballet! They don't like the class and therefore wanted to be late. So then O says, "I have to go to the bathroom. NOW." I thought this was part of her ploy to be late so I said she would have to wait until we got to ballet. She said she couldn't hold it and needed to go right then, but I didn't believe her so I said we were right across the street and she could wait 2 minutes. Then she said, "if I go in my pants it's all your fault". Then I started to worry, what if she really does have to go and she goes in her pants? So now I'm starting to panic but I only have 10 minutes to get them across the street, changed into their clothes, and into class, so I hurried them along. Turns out I was right, thank goodness, because when we got there O didn't go straight to the bathroom and she was only in there for 1 minute. Sneaky child.
I was rushing them along so badly trying to get them both in their clothes at the same time and they were not helping. They were dragging their feet walking to the classroom but I managed to get them in only 4 minutes late when they were just starting their circle. I needed a drink after that. I went back into the dressing room and cleaned up the bomb that had exploded of their clothes. I felt like such a bad nanny. I pride myself on always being early for things and always planning enough time to not have to rush. I failed that today. I was finally able to kick back and take a few deep breaths. It was funny- there were only 2 dads there waiting and they were both highly involved in their iphones. After W's class ended and we were walking back to the dressing room, one of the dads stopped me and asked if I knew anyone that could nanny for him in the afternoons. I told him about the agency that I was with shortly and gave him that name so he could find someone from there. I told him I would also ask around my friends and let him know next week at ballet. I felt bad for him but also felt good that he was asking me as if I would have good references.
O's mom met us at ballet to take O home. I get bad vibes from her. She seems so fake and un-involved in her daughter's life. She did offer to take us home though which was very nice of her. I accepted that invitation since that meant B would be driving us home. She asked if it would be alright for him to drop them off at their place first and I didn't mind at all. She asked if we could work out the same situation next week of me bringing both girls to ballet and her meeting us there afterwards and I didn't mind at all. So then it was just me, W, and B driving home. It was nice because B and I talked about our jobs but I had to censor it because W was there.
By the time we got home it was 4:45 which is normally when I get them in their bath for a 5:30 dinner. After kicking back for a little while I realized it was 5:00 and the mom still wanted to give them dinner at 5:30. I should win a medal for giving the girls separate baths AND drying both of their hair in 25 minutes and being ready for dinner before the mom was. It helped that I timed M to see if she could take a bath under 5 minutes. She did it in 3' 47". That's pretty fast. It only took her 1' 17" to get dried off and in her pj's. W rewarded her with 2 silver medals that she had earned for ice-skating and we held a small Olympic medal ceremony for her. It was funny.
The girls finished dinner really quickly so I didn't even get to finish my dinner before they asked me to peel their apples for their dessert. The mom left at 6:30 for a dinner date so it was up to me to make sure everything ran smoothly but I prefer it that way. M got one of her mom's small yoga balls and put it under our shirts to pretend we were pregnant again. I don't know where all this pregnancy obsession is coming from all of a sudden but it's funny.
While M was with T I did W's activity sheets and we colored a little bit too. While we were coloring W asked me if I thought there would be a fire in her place tonight. She's so concerned about fires. It reminds me of when I was really worried about death when I was a kid. I soothed her fears for tonight, at least, by assuring her it wouldn't happen but telling her how they would fix it if there was one and she seemed satisfied with my answer and let it go.
I was so grateful that for reading time I didn't have to read a fairy book tonight. I get so tired of those series. I read a ballet book and then part of the story of "Swan Lake" from a collection of ballet stories. She layed against my arm while I read and it felt so relaxed and she was really listening and not getting distracted. When it was M's turn to read I put on the audio CD of the Swan Lake story and she looked at the pictures from the book in bed while she listened to it. It was a good way to wind down. I went back in later to tuck her in and turn off the lights and she gave me the sweetest goodnight hug ever. I taught her eskimo kisses and butterfly kisses and kissed her on each cheek a few times. It was the most affection she's ever let me give her. When her mom left for dinner she didn't even hug or kiss her goodnight. She just told her to keep her bedtime.
I read to M until 8:25 and then made sure W was really tucked in, and crept out. I like bedtime. It's cozy.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Bathtime Pornos
Today was a much, much better day, I'm happy to announce. Today was the first day of the 2:50 pick-up time which is amazing because I get an extra hour and it makes the day go by much more quickly. I talked with that nanny who's about my age and a dancer/actress as well today while waiting for W. I was talking to her about how she juggles her career with the nannying and she said she's just teaching dance now and doing the nannying but she's happy with just that. I'm still not satisfied with my situation. There's not much I can do about it in the moment, however. When W came out she snorted at me! I thought, what the?? But then she said "put it in the piggy!" which is one of the songs from 'Dear Edwina' and they snort in the song. That gave me a good laugh.
There's this one cashier at 7-11 that loves W and calls her his little Japanese girl. It sounds creepy but he just thinks she's really cute. He always says "konichiwa" to her and she never responds because she's really shy. Today before we went in I told her it would be really nice if she said it back to him because that would make him really happy. She didn't do it.
She was hilarious in the cab today. She pointed to a traffic sign that someone had graffitied, leaned over and whispered in my ear, "crazy people draw on signs", with great concern and seriousness. I tried not to laugh and said that the people that do that probably don't have very good manners and she said, "yeah, they probably didn't go to school". I'm glad she knows school is good for you.
We had a lot of fun today. Neither of the girls had after school activities so we had extra time to goof around. I didn't make M do her math flashcards until after dinner because I wanted her to be able to play and her dad wasn't around to tell her to do work. I showed them how to do the elephant lift by wrapping their legs around my waist and falling backwards through my legs. They laughed and laughed. We listened to 'Dear Edwina' AGAIN and sang along and danced. Every free moment they have they put on that CD. They are obsessed and I'm starting to get the songs stuck in my head. While we were coloring and listening to the CD, M told me she liked my friend that played the lead boy. I asked if she thought he was cute and she went "ewww, no!!" but I think she did. :)
M has been doing this weird thing where she gives me a big hug around my waist and then pretends to nurse on my nipples. I'm not sure how I should react to this but instinctively I go "hey!" and push her away because it's so weird. Same goes for when either of them tickle my butt. I'm not sure if I should tell them it's inappropriate to touch other people's private parts because they do it to each other all the time and it's not inappropriate to them, just funny. They were obsessed with the idea of pregnancy tonight which was funny but strange. They would stick out their stomachs and say, "Look! I'm pregnant!" I do a really good pregnant belly so I showed them and then they wanted me to do it for the camera. M told me it hurts a lot when the baby comes out of the mom's belly and that it bleeds a lot. She told me her mom told her that. She also said that you shouldn't go to the bathroom when you're about to have a baby because you might flush the baby down the toilet. She said that almost happened with her. I said I sincerely doubted that but it was funny all the same. M also said that diabetes makes you fat. I don't know where she heard that but I didn't know what to say to that one.
She and W have been on a filming kick lately and film me on their cameras all the time. They film me even when I don't know they're filming. M filmed herself a lot today. She filmed herself singing along to 'Dear Edwina' and then she filmed herself in the bathtub. She propped the camera on the edge of the tub and washed her body and her hair in front of the camera while talking to it giving it a tutorial. It looked wrong to my adult eyes but it was completely innocent to her. When they were eating dinner and I was taking my 20 minutes in W's room, I went through all the videos they took on their cameras and watched the one from M's bath. It was actually a really artistic video. Her camera is waterproof so she took it under water while she rinsed her hair and her hair was floating all around her face and she looked like a mermaid. The girls are actually pretty good at making videos. They zoom in a lot and make it look very artistic.
I've really been enjoying my dinner break. I get roughly 15-25 minutes to be by myself and eat what "dinner" I brought. That's been consisting of an apple and soy crisps lately. I don't get the entire time to sit and relax because I'm also picking up their toys and washing the dishes and refilling their water, but it's a nice change of pace. The mom played 'Dear Edwina' throughout the house while they were eating dinner which I thought was really nice that she did that because she knows how much they love it.
I did flashcards with M between dinner and T because her dad asked me to do them with her every day. I'm supposed to time her on the stopwatch and record her time and how many mistakes she makes. It's rough. While we were running them I heard W slip in the bathroom and I asked if she was OK and she said yeah but then I heard her crying so I abruptly ended the flashcards and ran in the bathroom. She had slipped off the stepstool and hit her knee on it. She was fine but crying pretty hard. I cheered her up by making sure she could still dance to "Hola Lola", one of the songs in 'Dear Edwina'. Then while M was with T, I did activity sheets with W so she could earn her scholar dollars. She had to draw a sheep in one of the exercises and she said, "this is not a work of art". That seemed like such a mature phrase coming from a 5 year-old.
Today was fun and a good mix of work and play. The only thing that really has been bothering me is how often W brings up J, their old nanny. I know I've mentioned this before but I really hate when W says, "Well J let us do this...". She'll show me a picture of something she drew and say, "I did this with J" or show me something she wrote and J's name will be on it. I understand they were together for about 6 months and now it's like J is the ex and traces of her are showing up everywhere. Isn't it silly that I'm getting jealous of an old sitter? I'm the jealous new girlfriend who feels as if my lover is still in love with their ex. I don't want to be that person.
There's this one cashier at 7-11 that loves W and calls her his little Japanese girl. It sounds creepy but he just thinks she's really cute. He always says "konichiwa" to her and she never responds because she's really shy. Today before we went in I told her it would be really nice if she said it back to him because that would make him really happy. She didn't do it.
She was hilarious in the cab today. She pointed to a traffic sign that someone had graffitied, leaned over and whispered in my ear, "crazy people draw on signs", with great concern and seriousness. I tried not to laugh and said that the people that do that probably don't have very good manners and she said, "yeah, they probably didn't go to school". I'm glad she knows school is good for you.
We had a lot of fun today. Neither of the girls had after school activities so we had extra time to goof around. I didn't make M do her math flashcards until after dinner because I wanted her to be able to play and her dad wasn't around to tell her to do work. I showed them how to do the elephant lift by wrapping their legs around my waist and falling backwards through my legs. They laughed and laughed. We listened to 'Dear Edwina' AGAIN and sang along and danced. Every free moment they have they put on that CD. They are obsessed and I'm starting to get the songs stuck in my head. While we were coloring and listening to the CD, M told me she liked my friend that played the lead boy. I asked if she thought he was cute and she went "ewww, no!!" but I think she did. :)
M has been doing this weird thing where she gives me a big hug around my waist and then pretends to nurse on my nipples. I'm not sure how I should react to this but instinctively I go "hey!" and push her away because it's so weird. Same goes for when either of them tickle my butt. I'm not sure if I should tell them it's inappropriate to touch other people's private parts because they do it to each other all the time and it's not inappropriate to them, just funny. They were obsessed with the idea of pregnancy tonight which was funny but strange. They would stick out their stomachs and say, "Look! I'm pregnant!" I do a really good pregnant belly so I showed them and then they wanted me to do it for the camera. M told me it hurts a lot when the baby comes out of the mom's belly and that it bleeds a lot. She told me her mom told her that. She also said that you shouldn't go to the bathroom when you're about to have a baby because you might flush the baby down the toilet. She said that almost happened with her. I said I sincerely doubted that but it was funny all the same. M also said that diabetes makes you fat. I don't know where she heard that but I didn't know what to say to that one.
She and W have been on a filming kick lately and film me on their cameras all the time. They film me even when I don't know they're filming. M filmed herself a lot today. She filmed herself singing along to 'Dear Edwina' and then she filmed herself in the bathtub. She propped the camera on the edge of the tub and washed her body and her hair in front of the camera while talking to it giving it a tutorial. It looked wrong to my adult eyes but it was completely innocent to her. When they were eating dinner and I was taking my 20 minutes in W's room, I went through all the videos they took on their cameras and watched the one from M's bath. It was actually a really artistic video. Her camera is waterproof so she took it under water while she rinsed her hair and her hair was floating all around her face and she looked like a mermaid. The girls are actually pretty good at making videos. They zoom in a lot and make it look very artistic.
I've really been enjoying my dinner break. I get roughly 15-25 minutes to be by myself and eat what "dinner" I brought. That's been consisting of an apple and soy crisps lately. I don't get the entire time to sit and relax because I'm also picking up their toys and washing the dishes and refilling their water, but it's a nice change of pace. The mom played 'Dear Edwina' throughout the house while they were eating dinner which I thought was really nice that she did that because she knows how much they love it.
I did flashcards with M between dinner and T because her dad asked me to do them with her every day. I'm supposed to time her on the stopwatch and record her time and how many mistakes she makes. It's rough. While we were running them I heard W slip in the bathroom and I asked if she was OK and she said yeah but then I heard her crying so I abruptly ended the flashcards and ran in the bathroom. She had slipped off the stepstool and hit her knee on it. She was fine but crying pretty hard. I cheered her up by making sure she could still dance to "Hola Lola", one of the songs in 'Dear Edwina'. Then while M was with T, I did activity sheets with W so she could earn her scholar dollars. She had to draw a sheep in one of the exercises and she said, "this is not a work of art". That seemed like such a mature phrase coming from a 5 year-old.
Today was fun and a good mix of work and play. The only thing that really has been bothering me is how often W brings up J, their old nanny. I know I've mentioned this before but I really hate when W says, "Well J let us do this...". She'll show me a picture of something she drew and say, "I did this with J" or show me something she wrote and J's name will be on it. I understand they were together for about 6 months and now it's like J is the ex and traces of her are showing up everywhere. Isn't it silly that I'm getting jealous of an old sitter? I'm the jealous new girlfriend who feels as if my lover is still in love with their ex. I don't want to be that person.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
"Follow the Chinese Silk Road"
That title was supposed to be sung to the tune of "Follow the yellow brick road". Did you get that? I thought that was clever but then realized that probably didn't translate.
The girls didn't have school AGAIN because of the snow, even though there wasn't enough for school to be canceled in my opinion. I arrived at their house at 12:30 again. The second I arrived, the mom informed me that W's friend was coming over in half an hour and they wanted to have a tea party using M's nice tea set which I could find in her room and she told me that she had laid out sweets for them. The girls were eating lunch (chocolate croissants) at the kitchen table and watching "Arthur" on TV. They NEVER watch TV. I look at what the sweets are that the mom has put out for their tea party and it's brownies and cookies. Here they are eating chocolate croissants for lunch and they're going to have MORE sugar and chocolate in half an hour. Does she not worry about their diet at all?! She lets them eat so unhealthily it makes me upset. Nevermind the fact that I'M the one who's going to be dealing with them once they've had all that sugar.
The mom is really giving me a lot more responsibility. I'm glad she's trusting of me and lets me take charge of situations more than she used to. Instead of feeling like the fourth wheel I feel as if I'm turning the wheel. Did that make sense? That was pretty poetic and deep in a bad way.
W's friend, D, came over and the girls made a fort out of blankets while I made the tea and set it up nicely on a tray. They wanted to have the tea party on M's floor and I let them as long as they were careful with the crumbs. M's tea set was a beautiful china set that looked as if it had never been touched before.
I took pictures of the snow from the dining room windows in the meantime because the park and trees were blanketed in snow and the view was beautiful.
After their tea party my girls wanted to color in their coloring books but D wanted to play with playmobile. I could tell D wanted someone else to play with because playmobile's no fun to play by yourself. I told W she needed to play with D because she was her guest and that's what's polite. W whined about it and I told her that was rude because D was her friend and she needed to cater to her wants. Teaching her basic manners....these are important things that will serve her well for her entire life. She'll thank me later.
Once D left M said she wanted to go to the Museum of Natural History and I thought that was a great idea because I was anxious to get out of the house....and because I had never been and really wanted to see it for free. The mom renewed their family membership online and so we were able to just walk across the street and go for free. (It's crazy how much I had to bundle them up to prepare them for walking literally right across the street). There was a special exhibit on the Silk Road that they wanted to see. The next time they were letting people in was at 4:30 and I figured that would be too late because their bathtime is at 4:45 and dinner is at 6. I called the mom anyway because they looked like they were about to cry when I said we couldn't do it. M actually did start tearing up. The mom, to my surprise, said that was fine and they perked up immediately. They were really testing my patience because M kept running ahead and I was scared I was going to lose sight of her. They would whine about taking pictures and about certain places within the museum they wanted to see. I was ready to go home because I was hoping they wouldn't be acting like spoiled brats at home. The exhibit was cool except I didn't get to read much about it because the girls weren't interested in reading about any of it; they just wanted to skim through and see the main attractions.
They acted much better once we got home. W is obsessed with me doing splits every time I wear leggings. Whenever I wear them she asks me to do the splits and makes me hold it there until she says "go". It sucks.
Everything from then on was normal. The mom asked if I would stay until 8:20pm from now on because T has been leaving late and M hasn't had her whole half hour of reading time. I don't mind. I like Harry Potter.
The girls didn't have school AGAIN because of the snow, even though there wasn't enough for school to be canceled in my opinion. I arrived at their house at 12:30 again. The second I arrived, the mom informed me that W's friend was coming over in half an hour and they wanted to have a tea party using M's nice tea set which I could find in her room and she told me that she had laid out sweets for them. The girls were eating lunch (chocolate croissants) at the kitchen table and watching "Arthur" on TV. They NEVER watch TV. I look at what the sweets are that the mom has put out for their tea party and it's brownies and cookies. Here they are eating chocolate croissants for lunch and they're going to have MORE sugar and chocolate in half an hour. Does she not worry about their diet at all?! She lets them eat so unhealthily it makes me upset. Nevermind the fact that I'M the one who's going to be dealing with them once they've had all that sugar.
The mom is really giving me a lot more responsibility. I'm glad she's trusting of me and lets me take charge of situations more than she used to. Instead of feeling like the fourth wheel I feel as if I'm turning the wheel. Did that make sense? That was pretty poetic and deep in a bad way.
W's friend, D, came over and the girls made a fort out of blankets while I made the tea and set it up nicely on a tray. They wanted to have the tea party on M's floor and I let them as long as they were careful with the crumbs. M's tea set was a beautiful china set that looked as if it had never been touched before.
I took pictures of the snow from the dining room windows in the meantime because the park and trees were blanketed in snow and the view was beautiful.
After their tea party my girls wanted to color in their coloring books but D wanted to play with playmobile. I could tell D wanted someone else to play with because playmobile's no fun to play by yourself. I told W she needed to play with D because she was her guest and that's what's polite. W whined about it and I told her that was rude because D was her friend and she needed to cater to her wants. Teaching her basic manners....these are important things that will serve her well for her entire life. She'll thank me later.
Once D left M said she wanted to go to the Museum of Natural History and I thought that was a great idea because I was anxious to get out of the house....and because I had never been and really wanted to see it for free. The mom renewed their family membership online and so we were able to just walk across the street and go for free. (It's crazy how much I had to bundle them up to prepare them for walking literally right across the street). There was a special exhibit on the Silk Road that they wanted to see. The next time they were letting people in was at 4:30 and I figured that would be too late because their bathtime is at 4:45 and dinner is at 6. I called the mom anyway because they looked like they were about to cry when I said we couldn't do it. M actually did start tearing up. The mom, to my surprise, said that was fine and they perked up immediately. They were really testing my patience because M kept running ahead and I was scared I was going to lose sight of her. They would whine about taking pictures and about certain places within the museum they wanted to see. I was ready to go home because I was hoping they wouldn't be acting like spoiled brats at home. The exhibit was cool except I didn't get to read much about it because the girls weren't interested in reading about any of it; they just wanted to skim through and see the main attractions.
They acted much better once we got home. W is obsessed with me doing splits every time I wear leggings. Whenever I wear them she asks me to do the splits and makes me hold it there until she says "go". It sucks.
Everything from then on was normal. The mom asked if I would stay until 8:20pm from now on because T has been leaving late and M hasn't had her whole half hour of reading time. I don't mind. I like Harry Potter.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Do You Have Some Cheese To Go With That Whine?
The girls really tested my patience today. They didn't have school because it was President's Day and they fought with each other and whined ALL day. The day didn't start off badly, at least. When I got there they were both wearing frilly, ballerina-looking skirts with aprons over top. They were making "garbage soup" which was their own concoction of stuff in the kitchen. Their cook was cooking in the kitchen and they were running around her making their own soup. It was pretty cute and reminded me of when I made "potions" in the bathtub when I was a kid.
That didn't last too long before they wanted to go play. I'm happy to see how much they really love listening to the music of 'Dear Edwina'. We literally listened to it all day and M was singing the words to all the songs. It's amazing how fast she learned some of the songs by heart! I kept turning down the volume because I was worried the parents (who were both home!) would be annoyed with the music. M was singing along really loudly and instead of being happy that she liked singing I'm sad that I was more worried about the parents not wanting her to sing. I feel as if they would never let her pursue a career in acting or singing because they wouldn't think it paid enough. I feel as if the dad wants her to be a doctor or a concert pianist/violinist or something honorable.
I had a fun time singing and dancing with them to the soundtrack though. We played that game where I'm the ballerina and I dance for them while they make my desserts. I had so much fun doing it today though because I danced full out to one of the songs on the 'Dear Edwina' recording and it felt really good! I'm teaching them some ballet steps and they're really into it. Then I took videos on their cameras of them dancing to the same song. They got so into it!
It all went downhill after that. I think the dancing tired them out and they became whiny and fought each other on everything. I suggested we get outside because it was really sunny and beautiful despite being cold. I suggested we go to a museum and they couldn't decide on one they both wanted to go to. I said we could just walk around the park and they shot that down too. The dad came in while we were trying to think of places we could go and he said they needed to do some work. M had to read an entire book and her addition flashcards and W had to do 10 pages of activity workbook sheets. Seriously?! It's their day off and that's more homework than they would have on a school night! Their dad makes me mad. Let them play, geezus! M could not have been more upset about this. She did NOT want to do any work and whined about it the entire time she read to me.
I had gotten a text from the mom earlier that said it sounded like we were having so much fun she didn't want to interrupt to say bye but that she left and would be back in 2-3 hours. Then when I was reading with M the dad left to go to the office, so we were left home alone. For some reason Mercy wasn't there today so on top of doing their homework with them and doing all my normal chores, I was cleaning more than normal too. I was changing their towels and wiping off the tables. This was a very stressful day on many levels.
Meanwhile, it's almost 3:00pm and getting too late to go anywhere now because they have to take their bath at 4:45. Once M is done with her work I switch and go help W with her worksheets. Only 2 worksheets in, the dad calls the house to tell me it's really nice out and I should take the girls for a walk in the park. So what is it? Make them do the buttload of homework you assigned them or let them get fresh air? I was really pissed off about that. He tells me they need to do all this work and then calls to tell me I should take them outside. It would be one thing if I didn't have to do all that by myself, but I do. They didn't even want to go outside but I was hoping the fresh air would eliminate the funk that was in the air with them all day.
I got them changed into warm clothes and we went to Central Park for half an hour. There was still a lot of snow on the ground and I didn't think about that so I didn't put on their snow boots. They were wearing tennis shoes and cotton pants and I didn't want them walking in the snow in that because I thought they would catch a cold. M was really mad at me for that one. I think she was really tired all day and so she found something to complain about every step of the way. They ended up having a good time in the part of the snow I would let them in and I took videos of them making large snowballs.
When we got home they started fighting with each other right away so I made them take separate baths which they were fine with. W wanted to shock me with another super fast bath which I didn't mind at all. We colored in coloring books between bath and dinner which I had missed doing. The mom and I have been very chummy with each other. I feel so much more comfortable around her for some reason and we were really getting along while she was heating up their dinner. I'm realizing she's really not a bad mother, she's just never around them. Ok, so that sounds like bad mothering, but when she's with them she's really good. I'm realizing it's the dad that's so strict. After dinner the mom asked if they wanted to play 'Dear Edwina' on the speaker system that would play it in every room in the house. That is a cool feature. She couldn't figure it out so we couldn't do it, but I thought that was so cool of her to try and do that.
T came for M and W and I did our reading. I feel closer to W than I do M because I'm with her so much more. I let W take bites out of my apples and I share chapstick with her. I've also resorted to clipping her nails since it doesn't seem like anyone else does it. Her nails grow really fast and she kept cutting herself with her jagged nails. I've cut her finger and toe nails on two occasions now because they grow so fast. She gets nervous but she's pretty brave about it.
W was telling me how her grandma gave her and M diamond necklaces in the shape of a heart for Valentine's day. It's not even like she's bragging about it; she's just happy to have a diamond necklace. It's special to her. She showed me the pearl necklace her dad got her for her birthday last year too. I think it's nice she's not bragging about it...she simply thinks it's beautiful and wants to show it off.
I hope tomorrow is easier. They've already cancelled school because of the predicted snow and I'm hoping it won't be a repeat of today.
That didn't last too long before they wanted to go play. I'm happy to see how much they really love listening to the music of 'Dear Edwina'. We literally listened to it all day and M was singing the words to all the songs. It's amazing how fast she learned some of the songs by heart! I kept turning down the volume because I was worried the parents (who were both home!) would be annoyed with the music. M was singing along really loudly and instead of being happy that she liked singing I'm sad that I was more worried about the parents not wanting her to sing. I feel as if they would never let her pursue a career in acting or singing because they wouldn't think it paid enough. I feel as if the dad wants her to be a doctor or a concert pianist/violinist or something honorable.
I had a fun time singing and dancing with them to the soundtrack though. We played that game where I'm the ballerina and I dance for them while they make my desserts. I had so much fun doing it today though because I danced full out to one of the songs on the 'Dear Edwina' recording and it felt really good! I'm teaching them some ballet steps and they're really into it. Then I took videos on their cameras of them dancing to the same song. They got so into it!
It all went downhill after that. I think the dancing tired them out and they became whiny and fought each other on everything. I suggested we get outside because it was really sunny and beautiful despite being cold. I suggested we go to a museum and they couldn't decide on one they both wanted to go to. I said we could just walk around the park and they shot that down too. The dad came in while we were trying to think of places we could go and he said they needed to do some work. M had to read an entire book and her addition flashcards and W had to do 10 pages of activity workbook sheets. Seriously?! It's their day off and that's more homework than they would have on a school night! Their dad makes me mad. Let them play, geezus! M could not have been more upset about this. She did NOT want to do any work and whined about it the entire time she read to me.
I had gotten a text from the mom earlier that said it sounded like we were having so much fun she didn't want to interrupt to say bye but that she left and would be back in 2-3 hours. Then when I was reading with M the dad left to go to the office, so we were left home alone. For some reason Mercy wasn't there today so on top of doing their homework with them and doing all my normal chores, I was cleaning more than normal too. I was changing their towels and wiping off the tables. This was a very stressful day on many levels.
Meanwhile, it's almost 3:00pm and getting too late to go anywhere now because they have to take their bath at 4:45. Once M is done with her work I switch and go help W with her worksheets. Only 2 worksheets in, the dad calls the house to tell me it's really nice out and I should take the girls for a walk in the park. So what is it? Make them do the buttload of homework you assigned them or let them get fresh air? I was really pissed off about that. He tells me they need to do all this work and then calls to tell me I should take them outside. It would be one thing if I didn't have to do all that by myself, but I do. They didn't even want to go outside but I was hoping the fresh air would eliminate the funk that was in the air with them all day.
I got them changed into warm clothes and we went to Central Park for half an hour. There was still a lot of snow on the ground and I didn't think about that so I didn't put on their snow boots. They were wearing tennis shoes and cotton pants and I didn't want them walking in the snow in that because I thought they would catch a cold. M was really mad at me for that one. I think she was really tired all day and so she found something to complain about every step of the way. They ended up having a good time in the part of the snow I would let them in and I took videos of them making large snowballs.
When we got home they started fighting with each other right away so I made them take separate baths which they were fine with. W wanted to shock me with another super fast bath which I didn't mind at all. We colored in coloring books between bath and dinner which I had missed doing. The mom and I have been very chummy with each other. I feel so much more comfortable around her for some reason and we were really getting along while she was heating up their dinner. I'm realizing she's really not a bad mother, she's just never around them. Ok, so that sounds like bad mothering, but when she's with them she's really good. I'm realizing it's the dad that's so strict. After dinner the mom asked if they wanted to play 'Dear Edwina' on the speaker system that would play it in every room in the house. That is a cool feature. She couldn't figure it out so we couldn't do it, but I thought that was so cool of her to try and do that.
T came for M and W and I did our reading. I feel closer to W than I do M because I'm with her so much more. I let W take bites out of my apples and I share chapstick with her. I've also resorted to clipping her nails since it doesn't seem like anyone else does it. Her nails grow really fast and she kept cutting herself with her jagged nails. I've cut her finger and toe nails on two occasions now because they grow so fast. She gets nervous but she's pretty brave about it.
W was telling me how her grandma gave her and M diamond necklaces in the shape of a heart for Valentine's day. It's not even like she's bragging about it; she's just happy to have a diamond necklace. It's special to her. She showed me the pearl necklace her dad got her for her birthday last year too. I think it's nice she's not bragging about it...she simply thinks it's beautiful and wants to show it off.
I hope tomorrow is easier. They've already cancelled school because of the predicted snow and I'm hoping it won't be a repeat of today.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Dear Edwina
You may be wondering, it's Sunday!! What is she doing updating on a Sunday?? Well...I took the girls to see my friend in an Off-Broadway musical called 'Dear Edwina'! It's a children's musical and only an hour long. I had always wanted to take them to see it but they've been in Purchase every weekend so I was finally able to bring them. I texted the mom yesterday to ask if I could take them and she thought it was a great opportunity and was very keen on me taking them!
I met them at their place this morning and they were all dressed up. They looked so beautiful and ready to see a show Off-Broadway and I was in my normal jeans attire. W wore her new pink heart-shaped ear muffs that were huge and adorable. The mom gave me $100 for taxi fare there and back. Sucker. They were so excited. On the taxi ride over there I was telling them that my good friend from college is in this. M asked if he was my boyfriend. When I laughed and said "nooo" she raised her eyebrows at me in that Joey from Friends sort of way, insinuating that he was. I explained that I did not have a boyfriend and that he was JUST a friend. The taxi driver found that very amusing. I couldn't exactly go on telling them that my friend is gay. THAT's a conversation I should not/do not want to have with them.
W has been asking me for the Valentine's Day fairy book ever since I took her to Barnes & Noble 2 weeks ago. I told her I would get it for her for Valentine's Day and she's been reminding me. As of this morning I still didn't have it but I couldn't show up at their house ON Valentine's Day without that fairy book! So I got up earlier to go to Barnes & Noble before I went to their place to get the fairy book and a Junie B. Jones Valentine's Day book for M. I also made them cards this morning so I was well-equipped. I gave them the cards and the books in the taxi ride over and W was so excited about her fairy book even though she knew it was coming. M was very polite and thanked me for the card and book.
When we got to the theatre I was going over basic theatre terms with them, such as program and intermission. I know M has been to a show before but I didn't know if W had, and I wanted to teach them proper theatre etiquette because it starts when you're young. M couldn't stop talking about how skinny the picture of Edwina was on the program. I told her the picture was really skinny but that the actress wasn't that tiny. The picture was basically a stick figure. I think M's a little self-conscious about her weight because she's not thin. That makes me so sad; she's 8 years-old!! They were so excited to find their seats and tear their own tickets. I got them both booster seats so they could see. Halfway through the show though W sat on my lap because she couldn't see over the heads of the adults cuddling in front of her. Ugh.
It was so much fun seeing it with them. I had already seen it but it was more fun seeing it with kids since that's who it's aimed for. They kept asking where my friend was from the second the show started. Once I pointed him out to them M raised my hand up as if to show him I was there. I was like, no, no! After every song W asked, "is that it? wondering if the show was over. I kept saying no and she would say "phew!" She didn't get the concept that there were lots of songs in the show. They laughed throughout and W kept asking me questions. I had to keep "sshhing" her because she was so loud.
They really loved the show which I was really glad about. They loved the music so much they said they wanted the music so I got them the CD. They got to meet my friend who was in it today and got his autograph, and they also met one of my roommate's who's the swing in the show. I'm glad my friends got to meet the girls. They were on their best behavior for them too.
W was humming "Inch By Inch" in the taxi on the way home which sounded adorable. Then all 3 of us sang the song together even though none of us really knew all the words. I had planned on leaving as soon as I dropped the girls off at home because the mom had told me the dad would be there. He was in the gym when we got there though so I stayed with them until he came back. I changed them into their comfy clothes and helped clean up the stuff they were playing with this morning. I was in normal nanny mode, I couldn't help it. The dad finally came up and he said he would shower and then I could go. M wanted to put the CD on right away so we put on the 'Dear Edwina' recording and listened to it while they made their fake pastries. They remembered most of the songs and M tried singing along to them. I'm glad they liked it so much.
The dad tried to give me money for the time I was with them today but again, I refused it. I said today was my gift to them and I wasn't expecting to be paid. Just like his wife, he didn't force it upon me! Even though it was my gift and I had absolutely no intentions of being paid for today, I thought they would still insist I take it since they had it ready to give me. I could have made so much extra money this week from the money I turned down.
All in all, today was really fun and special. They were the best valentines ever and I'm glad I got to spend my Valentine's Day with them.
I met them at their place this morning and they were all dressed up. They looked so beautiful and ready to see a show Off-Broadway and I was in my normal jeans attire. W wore her new pink heart-shaped ear muffs that were huge and adorable. The mom gave me $100 for taxi fare there and back. Sucker. They were so excited. On the taxi ride over there I was telling them that my good friend from college is in this. M asked if he was my boyfriend. When I laughed and said "nooo" she raised her eyebrows at me in that Joey from Friends sort of way, insinuating that he was. I explained that I did not have a boyfriend and that he was JUST a friend. The taxi driver found that very amusing. I couldn't exactly go on telling them that my friend is gay. THAT's a conversation I should not/do not want to have with them.
W has been asking me for the Valentine's Day fairy book ever since I took her to Barnes & Noble 2 weeks ago. I told her I would get it for her for Valentine's Day and she's been reminding me. As of this morning I still didn't have it but I couldn't show up at their house ON Valentine's Day without that fairy book! So I got up earlier to go to Barnes & Noble before I went to their place to get the fairy book and a Junie B. Jones Valentine's Day book for M. I also made them cards this morning so I was well-equipped. I gave them the cards and the books in the taxi ride over and W was so excited about her fairy book even though she knew it was coming. M was very polite and thanked me for the card and book.
When we got to the theatre I was going over basic theatre terms with them, such as program and intermission. I know M has been to a show before but I didn't know if W had, and I wanted to teach them proper theatre etiquette because it starts when you're young. M couldn't stop talking about how skinny the picture of Edwina was on the program. I told her the picture was really skinny but that the actress wasn't that tiny. The picture was basically a stick figure. I think M's a little self-conscious about her weight because she's not thin. That makes me so sad; she's 8 years-old!! They were so excited to find their seats and tear their own tickets. I got them both booster seats so they could see. Halfway through the show though W sat on my lap because she couldn't see over the heads of the adults cuddling in front of her. Ugh.
It was so much fun seeing it with them. I had already seen it but it was more fun seeing it with kids since that's who it's aimed for. They kept asking where my friend was from the second the show started. Once I pointed him out to them M raised my hand up as if to show him I was there. I was like, no, no! After every song W asked, "is that it? wondering if the show was over. I kept saying no and she would say "phew!" She didn't get the concept that there were lots of songs in the show. They laughed throughout and W kept asking me questions. I had to keep "sshhing" her because she was so loud.
They really loved the show which I was really glad about. They loved the music so much they said they wanted the music so I got them the CD. They got to meet my friend who was in it today and got his autograph, and they also met one of my roommate's who's the swing in the show. I'm glad my friends got to meet the girls. They were on their best behavior for them too.
W was humming "Inch By Inch" in the taxi on the way home which sounded adorable. Then all 3 of us sang the song together even though none of us really knew all the words. I had planned on leaving as soon as I dropped the girls off at home because the mom had told me the dad would be there. He was in the gym when we got there though so I stayed with them until he came back. I changed them into their comfy clothes and helped clean up the stuff they were playing with this morning. I was in normal nanny mode, I couldn't help it. The dad finally came up and he said he would shower and then I could go. M wanted to put the CD on right away so we put on the 'Dear Edwina' recording and listened to it while they made their fake pastries. They remembered most of the songs and M tried singing along to them. I'm glad they liked it so much.
The dad tried to give me money for the time I was with them today but again, I refused it. I said today was my gift to them and I wasn't expecting to be paid. Just like his wife, he didn't force it upon me! Even though it was my gift and I had absolutely no intentions of being paid for today, I thought they would still insist I take it since they had it ready to give me. I could have made so much extra money this week from the money I turned down.
All in all, today was really fun and special. They were the best valentines ever and I'm glad I got to spend my Valentine's Day with them.
Friday, February 12, 2010
TGIF
Today was very low-key. M stayed home from school because she's still sick, poor thing. The mom had texted me and asked if I could be there at 12:30pm and asked if I could bring 2 bottles of children's tylenol. I got a bottle of strawberry flavored and one of cherry so she could have options. She asked if I could give M 2 1/2 tsps when I got there. I also got M a pack of playing cards because I didn't think she had any, and I got 2 pages of stickers to give to them when they were acting really good or when they did something I liked. That was popular because I told M I would give her a sticker if she drank her medicine and she did...reluctantly.
W had a short day at school because of the Valentine's day crafts fair so she was home too when I got there. I got another nice greeting at the door from W running out and saying "Emmmmmma!" They were both going through their bag of valentine's from their classmates and saying "ooo, look Emmy!". It brought me back to those days of when everyone received a valentine. Those were the days. M was quarantines to her bedroom because she was sick and W wasn't allowed in, so the whole day was me bouncing back and forth between their bedrooms trying to keep them both occupied and happy without them being in the same room. I had to come up with a plan to spend half an hour with one of them and then switch so they would have equal play time. I tried to spend more time with M though because I felt bad she couldn't leave her bedroom.
Despite her daughter being sick, the mother left to have lunch with her friends. Emma to the rescue! Once I get there she's free! I went through their valentines with them and separated the candy from the cards and threw out all the envelopes. The good thing about W is that she doesn't like starbursts, so she said, "Emmy, would it be alright if I gave you all my starbursts?" How could I refuse?? :)
I gave W lunch (rice maki) but M didn't have an appetite so I put on an audiobook for her to listen to. She ended up falling asleep while we were eating. I took that time to do some of W's activity book worksheets that her mom set aside because she wanted her to do them. I forgot the scholar dollars at home (my bad) so I had to keep track of how many she would get for next time.
M woke up not too long after that so I read Harry Potter to her. I ended up reading Harry Potter to her for about a total of 2 hours that day. I read, read, read. She didn't have the energy to do anything else but lay there and listen to me read and I didn't mind. I have a lot of fun doing the character's voices. I decided that Seamus Finnigan needed an Irish accent and I surprised myself with my Irish accent. It wasn't that bad! M said, "why are you talking like that??" While I was reading she started to doze off so I stopped reading so she could take another nap.
While she napped I gave W a bath, but I didn't even give it to her because she wanted to surprise me again by taking a really quick bath all by herself. She told me to go into the bathroom and close my eyes and when she said to open them she was shampooing her hair. I think it's so sweet that she does this because she knows it makes me happy. Either that or she gets a kick out of watching me so shocked at how fast she is. I pretend that I'm not even prepared for her to be done because I don't have her pj's layed out and she laughs and laughs.
Out of the blue, the mom gave me a chocolate lollipop in the shape of a heart with beautiful, intricate designs on it. She said it was for Valentine's Day and I was like, "this is for me?!" I was so surprised and touched that she thought of me!
When W was really sick, M made her a card with a get-well poem on it and W had the brilliant idea to re-write the poem on a card for M. I thought that was so sweet. She made a card that looked exactly like the one M made for her and was so excited to give it to her. She left it on the bathroom sink for M to find when she went to the bathroom. unfortunately, M was so out of it that she didn't want to read it and W was so upset. I told W later that M read it and loved it.
Side note: I've noticed that W seems to have a big fear of her house catching on fire. She talks about fires all the time and how she's worried her room is going to catch on fire. I remember having fears like that as a kid but all I can tell her is that that's not going to happen and she's perfectly safe. It's interesting though that she says when she hears an ambulance when she's not home that she worries it's going to her house because it's on fire.
I took M's temperature throughout the day and her fever never came back which is good, but I gave her 2 doses of medicine in the time that I was there. She looked so weak and tired and hot. I cracked the window for her and changed her into cooler pj's. I think she was really sad when I told her I was leaving at 6:30 instead of the normal 8:00. That broke my heart. They weren't going to their weekend home because she was sick but I still needed to leave at my normal time. I read more Harry Potter to her and she started falling asleep again right at 6:15, so I turned off the lights, kissed the top of her head, said goodnight, and she was out for the evening.
I liked how relaxing the day was even though I felt bad for M that she was sick. I'm really falling in love with these girls.
W had a short day at school because of the Valentine's day crafts fair so she was home too when I got there. I got another nice greeting at the door from W running out and saying "Emmmmmma!" They were both going through their bag of valentine's from their classmates and saying "ooo, look Emmy!". It brought me back to those days of when everyone received a valentine. Those were the days. M was quarantines to her bedroom because she was sick and W wasn't allowed in, so the whole day was me bouncing back and forth between their bedrooms trying to keep them both occupied and happy without them being in the same room. I had to come up with a plan to spend half an hour with one of them and then switch so they would have equal play time. I tried to spend more time with M though because I felt bad she couldn't leave her bedroom.
Despite her daughter being sick, the mother left to have lunch with her friends. Emma to the rescue! Once I get there she's free! I went through their valentines with them and separated the candy from the cards and threw out all the envelopes. The good thing about W is that she doesn't like starbursts, so she said, "Emmy, would it be alright if I gave you all my starbursts?" How could I refuse?? :)
I gave W lunch (rice maki) but M didn't have an appetite so I put on an audiobook for her to listen to. She ended up falling asleep while we were eating. I took that time to do some of W's activity book worksheets that her mom set aside because she wanted her to do them. I forgot the scholar dollars at home (my bad) so I had to keep track of how many she would get for next time.
M woke up not too long after that so I read Harry Potter to her. I ended up reading Harry Potter to her for about a total of 2 hours that day. I read, read, read. She didn't have the energy to do anything else but lay there and listen to me read and I didn't mind. I have a lot of fun doing the character's voices. I decided that Seamus Finnigan needed an Irish accent and I surprised myself with my Irish accent. It wasn't that bad! M said, "why are you talking like that??" While I was reading she started to doze off so I stopped reading so she could take another nap.
While she napped I gave W a bath, but I didn't even give it to her because she wanted to surprise me again by taking a really quick bath all by herself. She told me to go into the bathroom and close my eyes and when she said to open them she was shampooing her hair. I think it's so sweet that she does this because she knows it makes me happy. Either that or she gets a kick out of watching me so shocked at how fast she is. I pretend that I'm not even prepared for her to be done because I don't have her pj's layed out and she laughs and laughs.
Out of the blue, the mom gave me a chocolate lollipop in the shape of a heart with beautiful, intricate designs on it. She said it was for Valentine's Day and I was like, "this is for me?!" I was so surprised and touched that she thought of me!
When W was really sick, M made her a card with a get-well poem on it and W had the brilliant idea to re-write the poem on a card for M. I thought that was so sweet. She made a card that looked exactly like the one M made for her and was so excited to give it to her. She left it on the bathroom sink for M to find when she went to the bathroom. unfortunately, M was so out of it that she didn't want to read it and W was so upset. I told W later that M read it and loved it.
Side note: I've noticed that W seems to have a big fear of her house catching on fire. She talks about fires all the time and how she's worried her room is going to catch on fire. I remember having fears like that as a kid but all I can tell her is that that's not going to happen and she's perfectly safe. It's interesting though that she says when she hears an ambulance when she's not home that she worries it's going to her house because it's on fire.
I took M's temperature throughout the day and her fever never came back which is good, but I gave her 2 doses of medicine in the time that I was there. She looked so weak and tired and hot. I cracked the window for her and changed her into cooler pj's. I think she was really sad when I told her I was leaving at 6:30 instead of the normal 8:00. That broke my heart. They weren't going to their weekend home because she was sick but I still needed to leave at my normal time. I read more Harry Potter to her and she started falling asleep again right at 6:15, so I turned off the lights, kissed the top of her head, said goodnight, and she was out for the evening.
I liked how relaxing the day was even though I felt bad for M that she was sick. I'm really falling in love with these girls.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Nurse/Psychiatrist/Housekeeper Emmy
I've been feeling really lucky because this past week has been really great with the girls. They've been acting so well and I feel like we're really bonding. I'm seeing traits in them that I know will be a lasting part of themselves as they grow up and am noticing the differences between the two of them. Those kind of things are really special to get to observe.
The mom texted me this morning to inform me that because the weather is nicer W can go to ballet. I wasn't aware that she wasn't going to go if the weather wasn't nice, so I'm glad she told me that! Is it weird that I got excited about this because I wanted to see B, W's friend's personal driver? R, the personal assistant that I bonded with at ballet last week, came to pick up her friend and I was hoping he would invite us over to their house for a playdate again but he didn't. Poo.
Now I have this hour and a half to kill with W before going to ballet. I don't know the Upper East Side very well except for the area where I go to the gym, so we went to Barnes & Noble which is right across the street from where I go to the gym. I'm glad we went there because it was really chill and fun. We did have an awkward/funny/scary moment descending into the store, however. She was holding my hand to go down on the escalator, and I stepped on and she let go of my hand! So I started going down and there she was standing at the top of the escalator by herself. I tried coming back up but couldn't get back to the top, so I ran down the escalator all the while telling her to stay there and step back. Then I ran up the up escalator to meet her. I felt like such a bad nanny but she let go of my hand! I told her this time to hold onto my hand really tight and to hold onto the railing. We counted to 3 and she jumped on tentatively. Phew!
We had to go down another escalator to get to the cafe and we did the same thing and she was much better. I told her if I was holding her hand she wasn't going to go anywhere. Children really do need to instill a lot of trust in adults when they tell them it will be OK if they do what they say. For her snack W got an Izze drink and a large chocolate cookie that she ate entirely! Because NY posts the calories in everything, I knew that that cookie was 480 calories, and she ate the entire thing!! She is a growing girl so I guess those calories don't effect her like they would me. I'm hoping...
We sat at a table and I ate my naked pita chips while she nibbled away at her giant cookie. This cookie was sort of a bribe to get her to go to ballet. She didn't want to go to ballet so I thought if she had a cookie beforehand she would be more willing to go. I didn't tell her this though...I let it happen subconsciously...and it worked! Out of nowhere, she asked if I had a husband! I laughed out loud. I said, "W, how old am I?" She said, "23". I said, "yeah, that's pretty young to get married, don't you think??". She told me her friend got married when she was 3 and that she wore the diamond ring on her finger to prove it. I was waiting for the "I'm just joking" to come but it never did. Ohhh boy. I told her that people normally have boyfriends before they get married. She said her mom just got married and I said, "your dad was probably her boyfriend before he was her husband" and she said "eewwww! I have to tell my sister!!" It was the funniest exchange we've ever had. Then I heard a little girl sitting at a table behind us ask her nanny if she was married and her nanny had the same reaction I did.
I let W walk around the children's book section for a few minutes but I told her we weren't getting any new books today and she whined about it for a minute but then let it go. Good...I'm teaching her. She needed to go to the bathroom so we went and she insisted on going into the stall herself which was fine because she always goes to the bathroom by herself. She walked in and came out a few seconds later saying, "Emma, what do I do?" I told her it was the same thing she does when she goes at home. I guess the stall threw her off? Haha.
I think I mentioned this in my last entry, but I'm really noticing how W is needing me more. She is still pretty stubborn and likes doing things on her own, but she's constantly saying, "Emmy! Emmy!" and wants me to come see something. The biggest difference I've noticed between the girls is that M is very touchy-feely and shows affection physically and verbally. W does not show affection. She doesn't like physical contact and doesn't hug as often as M does. She'll show her affection by leaning against me when she's tired or offering me one of her fruit snacks. It makes getting affection from her that much more special. That's not to downplay my hugs from M; I love getting big bear hugs and hearing how much she loves me.
Off to ballet! We got there in plenty of time to dress and hang out a little before class started. I hung out with the coolest little boy outside her class today. I've seen him every week and I always admire his amazingly blonde hair, but today we talked! His name is Aiden (which is one of my favorite boy's names). He is 3 years-old which he demonstrated by holding up 3 fingers awkwardly, and then we counted through the rest of his fingers to see how old he'll be on the next 7 birthdays. I wish I could babysit him everyday.
W complains about not wanting to go to class every week but once she's there I know she has fun because she comes out with lots of energy and smiling. That is a question I've had for awhile that I can't seem to get a good answer for. What do you do when the child tells you they don't want to go and they seem pretty persistent on that? If they're near tears and they're at the building and changed but then they don't want to go into the classroom, do you make them go anyway and tell them they'll have a good time? Or not make them go in and leave? I'm among the belief that you should try everything to get them to go in and if they start a crying, screaming fit then you can move on. It hasn't gotten to that point, thank G-d, but I feel almost guilty for forcing her to go in when she says every week she doesn't want to. I know she has fun once she's there though which is what I tell her will happen because that happened to me in ballet class too.
I noticed today that I'm the ONLY white nanny at that ballet studio. There are tons of white parents, in fact, most of the parents are white. But I am the only white nanny. The nannies are African-American, Caribbean, Mexican, Filipino, you name it. It's just like my book I'm reading right now draws it out to be. I'm reading 'The Perfect Stranger: The Relationship Between Mothers and Nannies' and I find it fascinating. Most of the nannies the author has stories about are not Caucasian and she talks about the pros and the cons of having a nanny from another part of the world that grew up culturally different and has a different set of beliefs for how the child should be raised. It's really interesting.
They were amazing for their baths today. They wanted to take separate baths which I told them was fine as long as they took quick ones. W went first and she wanted to surprise me by doing everything without me having to ask. I was sitting in the bathroom like I always do while they're in the bath, and M was sneakily taking videos of me on her camera. W would tell me to close my eyes and tell me when I could open them, and every time I opened my eyes she would have finished washing her body or her hair and was on to the next thing. It was so touching that she was trying to make me happy by surprising me with how she could do it on her own. She got a real kick out of it every time I gasped in astonishment at how fast she was and it encouraged her even more. She got in her pj's all by herself without me even having to ask which normally is a long process of me putting them on for them. Then while I was blow-drying W's hair M went and did the same thing and was out and in her pj's in no time at all. I was so touched. I told them I wanted to give them each 8 gold stars. I need to go get gold star stickers so I can start giving them stars when they do things like that that make me happy.
That reminds me- M's tutor, T, gives M Scholar Dollars which she earns when she does her homework. M has gotten really excited about it and I think W was getting jealous, so T gave me a scholar dollar to make copies of so I can start giving them to W when she does work or does a good job reading. It's so sweet how excited W got about it. I spent awhile cutting them out and W ended up earning 5 Scholar Dollars at the end of the day! She did several pages in her math activity book and I gave her $2 for that because she never does work in her activity book.
M was complaining of a tummy ache once I started drying her hair and she didn't have an appetite so she didn't have dinner. I hung out with M in her room while she layed down on the bed. Then the mom told me W needed to make one more butterfly valentine for her teacher and asked if I could help her make that. She said she needed another envelope for it. We canned the butterfly idea and she made a large heart valentine. I made another brilliant envelope out of paper and W was very pleased with her valentine.
W gave me a big hug when we were done with reading which was really nice. When I got to M's room to read to her she was already tucked in bed which was SHOCKING because that child normally has so much energy she's bouncing around all over the bed while I'm reading to her. She said she was really tired and she was going to close her eyes while I read. That was fine by me! I told her it was OK if she fell asleep while I was reading and I thought that she had! I was reading really quietly but then she started stirring. She said she was going to be sick so I got her sat up and tried to get her to the bathroom before she puked but we didn't make it in time. She threw up all over the side of her bed and on her carpet. I was like ooooh, shit. So I quickly ushered her to the bathroom where she puked some more into the toilet. I pulled her hair back which already had vomit in it and tied it back in a pony. The things we do...
I felt so bad for her. The mom went straight to the bedroom and started cleaning right away leaving me to tend for M. I took off her pj's because she got throw up on them and put her in the bathtub. I washed her hair again and got her in new pj's. The mom was reprimanding her for eating too much snack at B's. She said she was sick from eating too much goldfish on an otherwise empty stomach. I was like, are you serious right now? Your daughter just got sick everywhere and you're reprimanding her for eating too much snack?? I was impressed that the mom even cleaned up the puke. Mercy had gone home for the night so it was just me and the mom to deal with it. I dried M's hair again and got her in new pj's. Then I washed her puky pj's in the bathtub with woolite and hung them to dry. M felt much better after she threw up, she just needed to get that out of her system. I ended up being there an extra half hour to take care of everything. When I left the mom tried giving me extra money and I wouldn't take it. I told her she didn't need to and she didn't force it upon me! I was surprised she didn't just give it to me anyway. That would have been the appropriate thing to do. Oh well. I just felt bad for M, I'm glad I was there to help.
These children and getting sick...I swear. I can't deal with these throw ups anymore!!
The mom texted me this morning to inform me that because the weather is nicer W can go to ballet. I wasn't aware that she wasn't going to go if the weather wasn't nice, so I'm glad she told me that! Is it weird that I got excited about this because I wanted to see B, W's friend's personal driver? R, the personal assistant that I bonded with at ballet last week, came to pick up her friend and I was hoping he would invite us over to their house for a playdate again but he didn't. Poo.
Now I have this hour and a half to kill with W before going to ballet. I don't know the Upper East Side very well except for the area where I go to the gym, so we went to Barnes & Noble which is right across the street from where I go to the gym. I'm glad we went there because it was really chill and fun. We did have an awkward/funny/scary moment descending into the store, however. She was holding my hand to go down on the escalator, and I stepped on and she let go of my hand! So I started going down and there she was standing at the top of the escalator by herself. I tried coming back up but couldn't get back to the top, so I ran down the escalator all the while telling her to stay there and step back. Then I ran up the up escalator to meet her. I felt like such a bad nanny but she let go of my hand! I told her this time to hold onto my hand really tight and to hold onto the railing. We counted to 3 and she jumped on tentatively. Phew!
We had to go down another escalator to get to the cafe and we did the same thing and she was much better. I told her if I was holding her hand she wasn't going to go anywhere. Children really do need to instill a lot of trust in adults when they tell them it will be OK if they do what they say. For her snack W got an Izze drink and a large chocolate cookie that she ate entirely! Because NY posts the calories in everything, I knew that that cookie was 480 calories, and she ate the entire thing!! She is a growing girl so I guess those calories don't effect her like they would me. I'm hoping...
We sat at a table and I ate my naked pita chips while she nibbled away at her giant cookie. This cookie was sort of a bribe to get her to go to ballet. She didn't want to go to ballet so I thought if she had a cookie beforehand she would be more willing to go. I didn't tell her this though...I let it happen subconsciously...and it worked! Out of nowhere, she asked if I had a husband! I laughed out loud. I said, "W, how old am I?" She said, "23". I said, "yeah, that's pretty young to get married, don't you think??". She told me her friend got married when she was 3 and that she wore the diamond ring on her finger to prove it. I was waiting for the "I'm just joking" to come but it never did. Ohhh boy. I told her that people normally have boyfriends before they get married. She said her mom just got married and I said, "your dad was probably her boyfriend before he was her husband" and she said "eewwww! I have to tell my sister!!" It was the funniest exchange we've ever had. Then I heard a little girl sitting at a table behind us ask her nanny if she was married and her nanny had the same reaction I did.
I let W walk around the children's book section for a few minutes but I told her we weren't getting any new books today and she whined about it for a minute but then let it go. Good...I'm teaching her. She needed to go to the bathroom so we went and she insisted on going into the stall herself which was fine because she always goes to the bathroom by herself. She walked in and came out a few seconds later saying, "Emma, what do I do?" I told her it was the same thing she does when she goes at home. I guess the stall threw her off? Haha.
I think I mentioned this in my last entry, but I'm really noticing how W is needing me more. She is still pretty stubborn and likes doing things on her own, but she's constantly saying, "Emmy! Emmy!" and wants me to come see something. The biggest difference I've noticed between the girls is that M is very touchy-feely and shows affection physically and verbally. W does not show affection. She doesn't like physical contact and doesn't hug as often as M does. She'll show her affection by leaning against me when she's tired or offering me one of her fruit snacks. It makes getting affection from her that much more special. That's not to downplay my hugs from M; I love getting big bear hugs and hearing how much she loves me.
Off to ballet! We got there in plenty of time to dress and hang out a little before class started. I hung out with the coolest little boy outside her class today. I've seen him every week and I always admire his amazingly blonde hair, but today we talked! His name is Aiden (which is one of my favorite boy's names). He is 3 years-old which he demonstrated by holding up 3 fingers awkwardly, and then we counted through the rest of his fingers to see how old he'll be on the next 7 birthdays. I wish I could babysit him everyday.
W complains about not wanting to go to class every week but once she's there I know she has fun because she comes out with lots of energy and smiling. That is a question I've had for awhile that I can't seem to get a good answer for. What do you do when the child tells you they don't want to go and they seem pretty persistent on that? If they're near tears and they're at the building and changed but then they don't want to go into the classroom, do you make them go anyway and tell them they'll have a good time? Or not make them go in and leave? I'm among the belief that you should try everything to get them to go in and if they start a crying, screaming fit then you can move on. It hasn't gotten to that point, thank G-d, but I feel almost guilty for forcing her to go in when she says every week she doesn't want to. I know she has fun once she's there though which is what I tell her will happen because that happened to me in ballet class too.
I noticed today that I'm the ONLY white nanny at that ballet studio. There are tons of white parents, in fact, most of the parents are white. But I am the only white nanny. The nannies are African-American, Caribbean, Mexican, Filipino, you name it. It's just like my book I'm reading right now draws it out to be. I'm reading 'The Perfect Stranger: The Relationship Between Mothers and Nannies' and I find it fascinating. Most of the nannies the author has stories about are not Caucasian and she talks about the pros and the cons of having a nanny from another part of the world that grew up culturally different and has a different set of beliefs for how the child should be raised. It's really interesting.
They were amazing for their baths today. They wanted to take separate baths which I told them was fine as long as they took quick ones. W went first and she wanted to surprise me by doing everything without me having to ask. I was sitting in the bathroom like I always do while they're in the bath, and M was sneakily taking videos of me on her camera. W would tell me to close my eyes and tell me when I could open them, and every time I opened my eyes she would have finished washing her body or her hair and was on to the next thing. It was so touching that she was trying to make me happy by surprising me with how she could do it on her own. She got a real kick out of it every time I gasped in astonishment at how fast she was and it encouraged her even more. She got in her pj's all by herself without me even having to ask which normally is a long process of me putting them on for them. Then while I was blow-drying W's hair M went and did the same thing and was out and in her pj's in no time at all. I was so touched. I told them I wanted to give them each 8 gold stars. I need to go get gold star stickers so I can start giving them stars when they do things like that that make me happy.
That reminds me- M's tutor, T, gives M Scholar Dollars which she earns when she does her homework. M has gotten really excited about it and I think W was getting jealous, so T gave me a scholar dollar to make copies of so I can start giving them to W when she does work or does a good job reading. It's so sweet how excited W got about it. I spent awhile cutting them out and W ended up earning 5 Scholar Dollars at the end of the day! She did several pages in her math activity book and I gave her $2 for that because she never does work in her activity book.
M was complaining of a tummy ache once I started drying her hair and she didn't have an appetite so she didn't have dinner. I hung out with M in her room while she layed down on the bed. Then the mom told me W needed to make one more butterfly valentine for her teacher and asked if I could help her make that. She said she needed another envelope for it. We canned the butterfly idea and she made a large heart valentine. I made another brilliant envelope out of paper and W was very pleased with her valentine.
W gave me a big hug when we were done with reading which was really nice. When I got to M's room to read to her she was already tucked in bed which was SHOCKING because that child normally has so much energy she's bouncing around all over the bed while I'm reading to her. She said she was really tired and she was going to close her eyes while I read. That was fine by me! I told her it was OK if she fell asleep while I was reading and I thought that she had! I was reading really quietly but then she started stirring. She said she was going to be sick so I got her sat up and tried to get her to the bathroom before she puked but we didn't make it in time. She threw up all over the side of her bed and on her carpet. I was like ooooh, shit. So I quickly ushered her to the bathroom where she puked some more into the toilet. I pulled her hair back which already had vomit in it and tied it back in a pony. The things we do...
I felt so bad for her. The mom went straight to the bedroom and started cleaning right away leaving me to tend for M. I took off her pj's because she got throw up on them and put her in the bathtub. I washed her hair again and got her in new pj's. The mom was reprimanding her for eating too much snack at B's. She said she was sick from eating too much goldfish on an otherwise empty stomach. I was like, are you serious right now? Your daughter just got sick everywhere and you're reprimanding her for eating too much snack?? I was impressed that the mom even cleaned up the puke. Mercy had gone home for the night so it was just me and the mom to deal with it. I dried M's hair again and got her in new pj's. Then I washed her puky pj's in the bathtub with woolite and hung them to dry. M felt much better after she threw up, she just needed to get that out of her system. I ended up being there an extra half hour to take care of everything. When I left the mom tried giving me extra money and I wouldn't take it. I told her she didn't need to and she didn't force it upon me! I was surprised she didn't just give it to me anyway. That would have been the appropriate thing to do. Oh well. I just felt bad for M, I'm glad I was there to help.
These children and getting sick...I swear. I can't deal with these throw ups anymore!!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland
The girls didn't have school today but we spent the whole day creating the perfect snow day.
My day normally starts at 2:00pm but I went to their house at 12:00pm today and stayed through until 8:00pm, working 8 hours instead of 6. The only thing that upset me about that was that the mom asked me to stay only until 4pm because of the snow, but after their bath she asked if I could stay through to the normal time to put them to sleep. I didn't mind, but 4 extra hours is a lot. I got a much more pleasant greeting today than I normally do. I rang the doorbell and the girls opened it. I was greeted with "Emmmmaaaaa!" and a huge hug. It was nice to know that they were happy to see me. They followed me into the "nanny's room" where I take off my shoes and coat and we made videos and took pictures on my camera on the nanny bed. There was lots of giggling and excitement around the snow.
We had lunch in the kitchen while they waited for W's friend, O, to come over for a play date. Shortly after she arrived, we headed off to F.A.O. Schwarz to build their own muppets! It was snowing so hard and blowing sideways which made it the perfect day to go to FAO Schwarz. Their driver picked us up and took us there and we were dropped off right in front which I always manage to find so bad-ass. They each had their designs which they created today and it took 20 minutes to make the dolls. I found out they were $130 each and the mom bought 3. That's one expensive doll. I took some really cute pictures of them creating them. It was really fun being inside FAO and looking out of the huge windows at the snow storm.
While the dolls were drying the mom let them peruse the FAO Schweetz section where they got $58 worth of candy. It's unreal. I actually got red and pink starbursts because you can pick out the flavors you like and I thought that was awesome. The mom said "I will put it all together" (meaning paying for my starbursts), and I said, "oh no, that's OK. You don't have to do that" and she simply said, "Ok." Not that I couldn't afford them, but she just spent $58 on candy for them, what's another $3.11 for the nanny?? That just irked me.
I've been reading a new nannying book called 'The Perfect Stranger' and I read a bit today about how the child will become so used to the nanny being around that they will call and reach for the nanny before they do the mother if they're both in the room. I found that happening today. W kept calling for me to come see things and for me to see what her doll was looking like. I liked knowing she wanted me there but I did start to feel bad that she wasn't asking for the mom and she was right there. That was the first time I'd been faced with that situation.
With a custom-made muppet slung over their shoulders and a full tin of candy in hand, we left FAO to head back into the blizzard and back to their home.
Not long after being home I took the 3 girls to Central Park to play in the snow. It was so much fun. We ran after each other and had a snowball fight and started to make a snowman. I got so much cute footage of them playing on my camera. The sound of kids playing happily and laughing is a great sound, but when I know it's because of playing in the snow it makes it all the better. W looked adorable lugging around a huge chunk of snow that she was calling her snowball. Their cheeks turned pink but they had smiles on their faces and we were surrounded by other smiling people who were happy to be playing in the snow too.
After half an hour of getting pink and frostbitten, we headed back inside. They put on a muppet show and I took more pictures and videos. O left and the girls had tea. Then I gave them a warm bath and it felt like the perfect ending to a perfect snow day.
My day normally starts at 2:00pm but I went to their house at 12:00pm today and stayed through until 8:00pm, working 8 hours instead of 6. The only thing that upset me about that was that the mom asked me to stay only until 4pm because of the snow, but after their bath she asked if I could stay through to the normal time to put them to sleep. I didn't mind, but 4 extra hours is a lot. I got a much more pleasant greeting today than I normally do. I rang the doorbell and the girls opened it. I was greeted with "Emmmmaaaaa!" and a huge hug. It was nice to know that they were happy to see me. They followed me into the "nanny's room" where I take off my shoes and coat and we made videos and took pictures on my camera on the nanny bed. There was lots of giggling and excitement around the snow.
We had lunch in the kitchen while they waited for W's friend, O, to come over for a play date. Shortly after she arrived, we headed off to F.A.O. Schwarz to build their own muppets! It was snowing so hard and blowing sideways which made it the perfect day to go to FAO Schwarz. Their driver picked us up and took us there and we were dropped off right in front which I always manage to find so bad-ass. They each had their designs which they created today and it took 20 minutes to make the dolls. I found out they were $130 each and the mom bought 3. That's one expensive doll. I took some really cute pictures of them creating them. It was really fun being inside FAO and looking out of the huge windows at the snow storm.
While the dolls were drying the mom let them peruse the FAO Schweetz section where they got $58 worth of candy. It's unreal. I actually got red and pink starbursts because you can pick out the flavors you like and I thought that was awesome. The mom said "I will put it all together" (meaning paying for my starbursts), and I said, "oh no, that's OK. You don't have to do that" and she simply said, "Ok." Not that I couldn't afford them, but she just spent $58 on candy for them, what's another $3.11 for the nanny?? That just irked me.
I've been reading a new nannying book called 'The Perfect Stranger' and I read a bit today about how the child will become so used to the nanny being around that they will call and reach for the nanny before they do the mother if they're both in the room. I found that happening today. W kept calling for me to come see things and for me to see what her doll was looking like. I liked knowing she wanted me there but I did start to feel bad that she wasn't asking for the mom and she was right there. That was the first time I'd been faced with that situation.
With a custom-made muppet slung over their shoulders and a full tin of candy in hand, we left FAO to head back into the blizzard and back to their home.
Not long after being home I took the 3 girls to Central Park to play in the snow. It was so much fun. We ran after each other and had a snowball fight and started to make a snowman. I got so much cute footage of them playing on my camera. The sound of kids playing happily and laughing is a great sound, but when I know it's because of playing in the snow it makes it all the better. W looked adorable lugging around a huge chunk of snow that she was calling her snowball. Their cheeks turned pink but they had smiles on their faces and we were surrounded by other smiling people who were happy to be playing in the snow too.
After half an hour of getting pink and frostbitten, we headed back inside. They put on a muppet show and I took more pictures and videos. O left and the girls had tea. Then I gave them a warm bath and it felt like the perfect ending to a perfect snow day.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Dude
I'm proud of myself for updating on time. I'm back on track!
I found out upon entering the school today that school is cancelled tomorrow for the upcoming snow storm! I was like, does this mean I don't have to work tomorrow?? But I had 2 days off so I really need to work tomorrow. I've gone 4 days without seeing the girls. That's a long time! W didn't seem really happy to see me at school (like usual) but she was really outgoing and sweet today which was a nice change. She held my hand which is a rarity, so I hope she missed me!
For my snacks at 7-11 I got an apple, a hummus with carrots and celery thing-a-ma-bob, simply naked pita chips, and a greek yogurt. I needed this all to last me for the whole day. W broke into my carrots and hummus in the taxi before she even started eating her snack. I feel bad saying this but it makes me mad that she always eats my snack before she even opens hers. That's so selfish of me. She's 5 years-old. I'm just like, "get your own healthy snack!"
She and her mom made her valentines for her classmates yesterday. By made, I mean put the pre-made valentines in the envelopes and attached a chocolate to them. She was one envelope short and said we needed to make one. Well....I had never made an envelope before...I am NOT crafty. But I made my first envelope out of paper and it came out well! I was pretty impressed with my craftiness!
When M came home she screamed my name and gave me the longest hug. It warmed my heart. I guess she did miss me. She said she felt so sad for me and I told her it was OK. She asked if I cried and then asked me how much I cried. She's a very sympathetic person.
I asked the mom about her wanting me to come over tomorrow since they don't have school and she said she would like me to come over around noon if I can make it through the snow. Ugggggh. That's 2 hours earlier than I would normally go which means I won't be able to make it to the gym! She said she got the girls tickets for a make-your-own muppet thing at F.A.O. Schwartz which we could do tomorrow if we can get out of the house. THAT would be worth going for. I really hope we can do that because it sounds awesome. She came back with this packet for the girls with 3 different body choices for the muppets and then sheets of possible eye, hair, and outfit choices for it. It looks so cool. I want to make my own muppet!
I heard W saying "dude" a lot today. It's the first time I've ever heard her say it and she says it all the time now. She must have picked it up from someone at school. It's really funny.
Today was nice because we got to play. True, actual, little girl playing. We did supermans where they rest their stomach on my feet and I lift them into the air. I used to love doing that with my dad when I was a kid. They giggled a lot and tickled me and played with each other under the comforter. It was nice to hear them laughing so much and getting along with each other. I didn't make M do any homework until T got there because she was able to play with her sister for the first time in forever.
One of my favorite things about them is that they sing all the time. Even if they don't know all the lyrics or the tune, they sing.
I did make W do some of her homework for B before playtime after dinner. She's distinguishing between present tense and past tense verbs. I love that when W does homework she starts to crawl on top of me. She starts leaning on me and then she ends up sitting on my lap. I really enjoy listening to her read. It's really cute when she breaks down the sounds to figure out what the word is.
I definitely spilled some coffee on W's white sheets when we were in bed reading. I played it off really well and blotted it with a wet paper towel right away so I don't think it stained, but I was so scared she was going to tell her mom.
I feel as this has been a very spastic entry. My thoughts were all over the place. Well, it was a good day. Let's see if I can get to their house tomorrow in all the snow! And then if I do, pray for me that we get to go to F.A.O. Schwartz...otherwise, I'm stuck inside with them all day.
I found out upon entering the school today that school is cancelled tomorrow for the upcoming snow storm! I was like, does this mean I don't have to work tomorrow?? But I had 2 days off so I really need to work tomorrow. I've gone 4 days without seeing the girls. That's a long time! W didn't seem really happy to see me at school (like usual) but she was really outgoing and sweet today which was a nice change. She held my hand which is a rarity, so I hope she missed me!
For my snacks at 7-11 I got an apple, a hummus with carrots and celery thing-a-ma-bob, simply naked pita chips, and a greek yogurt. I needed this all to last me for the whole day. W broke into my carrots and hummus in the taxi before she even started eating her snack. I feel bad saying this but it makes me mad that she always eats my snack before she even opens hers. That's so selfish of me. She's 5 years-old. I'm just like, "get your own healthy snack!"
She and her mom made her valentines for her classmates yesterday. By made, I mean put the pre-made valentines in the envelopes and attached a chocolate to them. She was one envelope short and said we needed to make one. Well....I had never made an envelope before...I am NOT crafty. But I made my first envelope out of paper and it came out well! I was pretty impressed with my craftiness!
When M came home she screamed my name and gave me the longest hug. It warmed my heart. I guess she did miss me. She said she felt so sad for me and I told her it was OK. She asked if I cried and then asked me how much I cried. She's a very sympathetic person.
I asked the mom about her wanting me to come over tomorrow since they don't have school and she said she would like me to come over around noon if I can make it through the snow. Ugggggh. That's 2 hours earlier than I would normally go which means I won't be able to make it to the gym! She said she got the girls tickets for a make-your-own muppet thing at F.A.O. Schwartz which we could do tomorrow if we can get out of the house. THAT would be worth going for. I really hope we can do that because it sounds awesome. She came back with this packet for the girls with 3 different body choices for the muppets and then sheets of possible eye, hair, and outfit choices for it. It looks so cool. I want to make my own muppet!
I heard W saying "dude" a lot today. It's the first time I've ever heard her say it and she says it all the time now. She must have picked it up from someone at school. It's really funny.
Today was nice because we got to play. True, actual, little girl playing. We did supermans where they rest their stomach on my feet and I lift them into the air. I used to love doing that with my dad when I was a kid. They giggled a lot and tickled me and played with each other under the comforter. It was nice to hear them laughing so much and getting along with each other. I didn't make M do any homework until T got there because she was able to play with her sister for the first time in forever.
One of my favorite things about them is that they sing all the time. Even if they don't know all the lyrics or the tune, they sing.
I did make W do some of her homework for B before playtime after dinner. She's distinguishing between present tense and past tense verbs. I love that when W does homework she starts to crawl on top of me. She starts leaning on me and then she ends up sitting on my lap. I really enjoy listening to her read. It's really cute when she breaks down the sounds to figure out what the word is.
I definitely spilled some coffee on W's white sheets when we were in bed reading. I played it off really well and blotted it with a wet paper towel right away so I don't think it stained, but I was so scared she was going to tell her mom.
I feel as this has been a very spastic entry. My thoughts were all over the place. Well, it was a good day. Let's see if I can get to their house tomorrow in all the snow! And then if I do, pray for me that we get to go to F.A.O. Schwartz...otherwise, I'm stuck inside with them all day.
Monday, February 8, 2010
For your reading entertainment...
I know it's Monday so I should be updating about my day with the girls, but because of the funeral I didn't have to work today! I'm updating from the airport so I thought I would give you something else to read instead of my fascinating blog....
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/garden/04nannies.html?pagewanted=1&em
Thanks to my friend, Meg, for sending me this. I think it's really interesting and relevant.
Have a good Monday, all.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/garden/04nannies.html?pagewanted=1&em
Thanks to my friend, Meg, for sending me this. I think it's really interesting and relevant.
Have a good Monday, all.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Catching Up Continued!
Now for week 2 of my catching up. Are you ready for another long entry? Here goes...
Back to a normal work week, I picked up W from school and took her to B (her tutor). I was worried that because of the incident we had on Friday that she would still be mad at me but surprisingly she was really sweet with me. She even asked if I could take her home from B instead of Mercy! I did and let Mercy stay at B's and take a 45 minute nap in the waiting room.
It was a normal day. Bathtime, dinner, bed. There were some nice moments interjected though. M said to me, "I'm so glad momma picked you". That made me cheer up. Because of the rough day we had on Friday and because I'm a nice nanny, I gave W a little box of gum today that I got at a sushi place. It was little orange gum balls and I thought it was childish enough that it would be OK. We made a deal not to tell her parents that she had it though. The girls and I were in good moods all around, I'm pleased to say.
When I was blow-drying their hair I was singing "Apple Blossom Time", a 1940's standard that I sang in the cabaret in Binghamton. It's a beautiful ballad of a woman singing about how she'll be with her loved one "in apple blossom time" and how they're getting married in May, yada yada. W said it sounded too sad, even though I told her it was a happy song. I thought I would pep it up for her so I sang it upbeat using the hairbrush as a microphone, and dancing all the while. The girls could not stop laughing so it encouraged me to go even further with it and add my own throaty "yeahs" every now and then. It reminded me of the scene from "Stepmom" when Julia Roberts is singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" with the kids. The girls wanted a reprise at dinner and made me do it in front of Mercy. Neither parent was home all night so it was another night with just the 4 of us.
W made me a valentine which I thought was really sweet but when she gave it to me, on the back she wrote (in her spelling, mind you, so I had to make it out myself), "I hope J is back. I'm sorry I hope J is back. Love W". "J" is her old nanny, in case I haven't mentioned her before. I didn't really know what to say! That made me so sad! I said, "so do you want her to come back and replace me? Do you want me to leave?" She said no but I was so sad about that. I guess it's understandable that the nanny she had for a long time left and she misses her sometimes. That's perfectly normal and fine. But she wrote it on my valentine! Hmph.
On a side note, I finished "White House Nannies". Really good.
TUESDAY....
I picked up M from school because W had a playdate and went home with her. We swung by the fruit/produce stand again and got more mangoes for snack. When we got home, her mom was back but she was sleeping in bed. M knew she could go in and get her gifts from her mom so she did just that. She came out carrying 2 boxes of toys and 4 new sets of pj's, all from Petit Bateau. I love that store and did not realize they had that in Japan.
There was a moment tonight after dinner when the girls were playing with my earrings and I taught them how to take them out and put them back in. They felt very grown-up doing so and so I let them each take one out and put it back in.
I'm gonna jump straight to bedtime...as I was laying in bed reading with W, she mentioned that because she's a fairy she can go "upstairs", meaning to heaven. I told her my great aunt "went upstairs" last night and asked if she could say "hi" for me. She said she would and I thanked her, got very teary-eyed, and continued reading. It was a very tender moment that felt very profound considering I was sharing it with a 5 year-old. That's probably why it was so profound.
I am worried that I use my phone too much in front of them. Compared to their parents I'm sure that I don't, but I keep my phone in the room with me in case I get an important call or to check the time, but I use it for texting too. I feel like most of the time we're in the taxi or when we're playing in W's room it's vibrating. I don't want them to think I'm not paying attention to them but I guess they're just used to it doing that. I think I worry about that kind of stuff too much.
I didn't see their mother ALL day because she was sleeping from jetlag, except for when she was up for 2 minutes saying bye to her husband who left for Japan that night for a week and a half. They just missed each other in Japan! I asked her if I could have off on Friday to go home for my Aunt's funeral and she was very willing to let me have the day off. That was very nice of her but she wasn't concerned about it at all. She said she could manage. Ha.
WEDNESDAY....
We had a fun play time today. The gifts their mom brought back for them were boxes of a Japanese fake dessert set where you decorate plastic pieces of cake with "icing" and plastic pieces of fruit. It was very bizarre. They were pretending they were the pastry chefs, making me special desserts because I was a famous ballerina who came in everyday for sweets. They asked if I would perform for them while they were baking for me so I obliged. I did a full-on ballet class in their bedroom in my socks while they laughed. They were surprised I was actually pretty decent at ballet. M was like, "you're really good!" It was really fun but I was sweating because their house is always boiling hot. The thermostat is never under 81 degrees.
I gave them nicknames at dinner tonight. Since W loves holding her breath underwater in the bath, I gave her the name of Seal. Because M has so much energy and is always bouncing off the walls, I gave her the name of Roo. Seal and Roo I shall now call them.
Speaking of M having a lot of energy, she told me that she wishes she were a boy. I asked how come and she said because they don't have to act proper and wear nice clothes. I thought that was very interesting. She sure is a tomboy.
I remembered that W had a playdate with her friend between school and ballet tomorrow but that we hadn't worked out the details yet, so I looked up her number in W's class directory and gave her a call right before dinner. W's mom was still sleeping all day and I didn't want to wake her so I took the initiative to set it up. We worked it out that she would take W home with them and take her to ballet and I would meet her at ballet. I filled out and signed the change of dismissal form and put it in W's backpack. I couldn't believe I knew what to do and where those forms were. I guess I've been paying attention better than I thought.
Jumping to bedtime...before reading with W, I wanted to see the videos we recorded of ourselves playing playmobile on her camera. We layed down with our heads together at the foot of her bed and watched the videos. It was very cute.
I still didn't see their mom once all day. She didn't leave her bed. Mercy was worried...I told her it was just jetlag and that she was fine. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.
THURSDAY....moving right along...
I got a text from the mom in the morning saying she would like me to meet W and the other mother at their school and accompany W to the playdate. I did not understand the reasoning behind this. The mother would be perfectly capable of taking care of the 2 girls so why did I have to be there? I was excited about not needing to be anywhere until 3:30. I met them at school and the mother didn't realize I was going to be going home with them (because that's not what we had discussed) but I couldn't go against the mom's wishes. The mother asked , in that case, if I could take the girls to ballet because she was organizing the raffle at her son's school and had a lot of work to do for it. Turns out, they have a personal driver too, and I was pleasantly surprised (and shocked) to find that the driver was a young, cute guy.
We went to their townhouse on 86th and Madison and let me tell you...their place makes my family's place look like a SHACK. I thought having the whole floor of an apartment building overlooking Central Park was deluxe! This family has a house with 6, SIX! floors! The mom said, "don't worry, you don't have to walk them". They have an elevator. Of course they have an elevator. I walked in and it was just a huge space with sculptures and art work and marble floors. It was magnificent. We went straight to the coat closet which impressed me and put their coats and shoes away. Then to the kitchen which was massive with a see-through refrigerator. There was even a back patio with a gorgeous sculpture on it. There were no expenses spared in this house. The housekeeper (or nanny or laundry person, not sure which) came out with her cell phone and was asking all these questions of the mom. For their snack she put out a silver platter with fruit. I wanted to eat it all.
Then we went up the stairs to where the living room/entertaining room was, complete with a grand piano and sexy seating and lighting. Then up another flight to the kid's rooms floor. The dad's personal assistant then came up to let us know it was time to head downstairs because the driver was waiting to take us to ballet. The personal assistant was about a year or 2 older than me and had a bright red mustache and thick red glasses, wearing black dress pants and a colorful striped button down. What?! This is straight out of a movie. R (the personal assistant) escorted us to ballet which I was sad about because I wanted time to flirt with the driver and to read at ballet. R was very nice though and it was nice sharing stories and experiences with each other over ballet class. He said the parents do nothing. They are unemployed yet they have 5 people that work for them. The driver and the housekeeper live with them on the 6h floor and they also have himself, a nanny, and a laundry person. I could not believe it. Then the driver gave us a ride back to our place which was nice. This is not my life. Or is it??
The rest of the day felt normal compared to that. The mom was actually awake today and had dinner with the girls so no dinner for me tonight. Back to reality and cleaning the dishes.
I had to say bye to the girls for the whole weekend because I have off Friday for the funeral.
Now we are up to date and I promise I will try to find more time to update every night like I had intended to from the beginning.
Happy weekend.
Back to a normal work week, I picked up W from school and took her to B (her tutor). I was worried that because of the incident we had on Friday that she would still be mad at me but surprisingly she was really sweet with me. She even asked if I could take her home from B instead of Mercy! I did and let Mercy stay at B's and take a 45 minute nap in the waiting room.
It was a normal day. Bathtime, dinner, bed. There were some nice moments interjected though. M said to me, "I'm so glad momma picked you". That made me cheer up. Because of the rough day we had on Friday and because I'm a nice nanny, I gave W a little box of gum today that I got at a sushi place. It was little orange gum balls and I thought it was childish enough that it would be OK. We made a deal not to tell her parents that she had it though. The girls and I were in good moods all around, I'm pleased to say.
When I was blow-drying their hair I was singing "Apple Blossom Time", a 1940's standard that I sang in the cabaret in Binghamton. It's a beautiful ballad of a woman singing about how she'll be with her loved one "in apple blossom time" and how they're getting married in May, yada yada. W said it sounded too sad, even though I told her it was a happy song. I thought I would pep it up for her so I sang it upbeat using the hairbrush as a microphone, and dancing all the while. The girls could not stop laughing so it encouraged me to go even further with it and add my own throaty "yeahs" every now and then. It reminded me of the scene from "Stepmom" when Julia Roberts is singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" with the kids. The girls wanted a reprise at dinner and made me do it in front of Mercy. Neither parent was home all night so it was another night with just the 4 of us.
W made me a valentine which I thought was really sweet but when she gave it to me, on the back she wrote (in her spelling, mind you, so I had to make it out myself), "I hope J is back. I'm sorry I hope J is back. Love W". "J" is her old nanny, in case I haven't mentioned her before. I didn't really know what to say! That made me so sad! I said, "so do you want her to come back and replace me? Do you want me to leave?" She said no but I was so sad about that. I guess it's understandable that the nanny she had for a long time left and she misses her sometimes. That's perfectly normal and fine. But she wrote it on my valentine! Hmph.
On a side note, I finished "White House Nannies". Really good.
TUESDAY....
I picked up M from school because W had a playdate and went home with her. We swung by the fruit/produce stand again and got more mangoes for snack. When we got home, her mom was back but she was sleeping in bed. M knew she could go in and get her gifts from her mom so she did just that. She came out carrying 2 boxes of toys and 4 new sets of pj's, all from Petit Bateau. I love that store and did not realize they had that in Japan.
There was a moment tonight after dinner when the girls were playing with my earrings and I taught them how to take them out and put them back in. They felt very grown-up doing so and so I let them each take one out and put it back in.
I'm gonna jump straight to bedtime...as I was laying in bed reading with W, she mentioned that because she's a fairy she can go "upstairs", meaning to heaven. I told her my great aunt "went upstairs" last night and asked if she could say "hi" for me. She said she would and I thanked her, got very teary-eyed, and continued reading. It was a very tender moment that felt very profound considering I was sharing it with a 5 year-old. That's probably why it was so profound.
I am worried that I use my phone too much in front of them. Compared to their parents I'm sure that I don't, but I keep my phone in the room with me in case I get an important call or to check the time, but I use it for texting too. I feel like most of the time we're in the taxi or when we're playing in W's room it's vibrating. I don't want them to think I'm not paying attention to them but I guess they're just used to it doing that. I think I worry about that kind of stuff too much.
I didn't see their mother ALL day because she was sleeping from jetlag, except for when she was up for 2 minutes saying bye to her husband who left for Japan that night for a week and a half. They just missed each other in Japan! I asked her if I could have off on Friday to go home for my Aunt's funeral and she was very willing to let me have the day off. That was very nice of her but she wasn't concerned about it at all. She said she could manage. Ha.
WEDNESDAY....
We had a fun play time today. The gifts their mom brought back for them were boxes of a Japanese fake dessert set where you decorate plastic pieces of cake with "icing" and plastic pieces of fruit. It was very bizarre. They were pretending they were the pastry chefs, making me special desserts because I was a famous ballerina who came in everyday for sweets. They asked if I would perform for them while they were baking for me so I obliged. I did a full-on ballet class in their bedroom in my socks while they laughed. They were surprised I was actually pretty decent at ballet. M was like, "you're really good!" It was really fun but I was sweating because their house is always boiling hot. The thermostat is never under 81 degrees.
I gave them nicknames at dinner tonight. Since W loves holding her breath underwater in the bath, I gave her the name of Seal. Because M has so much energy and is always bouncing off the walls, I gave her the name of Roo. Seal and Roo I shall now call them.
Speaking of M having a lot of energy, she told me that she wishes she were a boy. I asked how come and she said because they don't have to act proper and wear nice clothes. I thought that was very interesting. She sure is a tomboy.
I remembered that W had a playdate with her friend between school and ballet tomorrow but that we hadn't worked out the details yet, so I looked up her number in W's class directory and gave her a call right before dinner. W's mom was still sleeping all day and I didn't want to wake her so I took the initiative to set it up. We worked it out that she would take W home with them and take her to ballet and I would meet her at ballet. I filled out and signed the change of dismissal form and put it in W's backpack. I couldn't believe I knew what to do and where those forms were. I guess I've been paying attention better than I thought.
Jumping to bedtime...before reading with W, I wanted to see the videos we recorded of ourselves playing playmobile on her camera. We layed down with our heads together at the foot of her bed and watched the videos. It was very cute.
I still didn't see their mom once all day. She didn't leave her bed. Mercy was worried...I told her it was just jetlag and that she was fine. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.
THURSDAY....moving right along...
I got a text from the mom in the morning saying she would like me to meet W and the other mother at their school and accompany W to the playdate. I did not understand the reasoning behind this. The mother would be perfectly capable of taking care of the 2 girls so why did I have to be there? I was excited about not needing to be anywhere until 3:30. I met them at school and the mother didn't realize I was going to be going home with them (because that's not what we had discussed) but I couldn't go against the mom's wishes. The mother asked , in that case, if I could take the girls to ballet because she was organizing the raffle at her son's school and had a lot of work to do for it. Turns out, they have a personal driver too, and I was pleasantly surprised (and shocked) to find that the driver was a young, cute guy.
We went to their townhouse on 86th and Madison and let me tell you...their place makes my family's place look like a SHACK. I thought having the whole floor of an apartment building overlooking Central Park was deluxe! This family has a house with 6, SIX! floors! The mom said, "don't worry, you don't have to walk them". They have an elevator. Of course they have an elevator. I walked in and it was just a huge space with sculptures and art work and marble floors. It was magnificent. We went straight to the coat closet which impressed me and put their coats and shoes away. Then to the kitchen which was massive with a see-through refrigerator. There was even a back patio with a gorgeous sculpture on it. There were no expenses spared in this house. The housekeeper (or nanny or laundry person, not sure which) came out with her cell phone and was asking all these questions of the mom. For their snack she put out a silver platter with fruit. I wanted to eat it all.
Then we went up the stairs to where the living room/entertaining room was, complete with a grand piano and sexy seating and lighting. Then up another flight to the kid's rooms floor. The dad's personal assistant then came up to let us know it was time to head downstairs because the driver was waiting to take us to ballet. The personal assistant was about a year or 2 older than me and had a bright red mustache and thick red glasses, wearing black dress pants and a colorful striped button down. What?! This is straight out of a movie. R (the personal assistant) escorted us to ballet which I was sad about because I wanted time to flirt with the driver and to read at ballet. R was very nice though and it was nice sharing stories and experiences with each other over ballet class. He said the parents do nothing. They are unemployed yet they have 5 people that work for them. The driver and the housekeeper live with them on the 6h floor and they also have himself, a nanny, and a laundry person. I could not believe it. Then the driver gave us a ride back to our place which was nice. This is not my life. Or is it??
The rest of the day felt normal compared to that. The mom was actually awake today and had dinner with the girls so no dinner for me tonight. Back to reality and cleaning the dishes.
I had to say bye to the girls for the whole weekend because I have off Friday for the funeral.
Now we are up to date and I promise I will try to find more time to update every night like I had intended to from the beginning.
Happy weekend.
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