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.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
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.
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