Adventures in Nannying

I started my new job on Friday. I'll be spending June and July with two precocious kids. We have big plans of tearing apart Frontier City, White Water Bay, and crafting til Hobby Lobby runs out of glue. This is my first experience with consistent babysitting. It's like a real job; 7:45 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday. But it's got a lovely real paycheck to go along with it. Which is awesome cuz Tyler's birthday is coming up and I have NO idea what he's getting yet...


The kids are boy and girl, 8 and 10 years old. They are probably the most well-behaved children I've ever met. Not to mention, SMART! I met them for the first time at the end of Christmas break so that the parents could make sure I wasn't an axe murderer in disguise and the oldest (the boy) casually wove several SAT words into conversation on our way to the park. I stared in awe. They refer to each other as "brother" and "sister." As in, "sister, let's swim!" and "brother, wait up!" Somehow I can't see me and Oakes utilizing those terms. That would require too much talking on his part.  

Tip Over

I got there around 7:30 am this morning and found both kids wide awake; I wasn't. But I made them breakfast (frozen chocolate pancakes zapped in the microwave, sprinkled with more chocolate chips, and doused with maple syrup; I cringed at the thought of that in my mouth and was even more thankful that I had eaten before I arrived). After consuming countless calories, they taught me how to play a Turkish card game (oh yes, they are Turkish by the way. And spent some time conversing in that native tongue. I felt left out and contemplated breaking out my french skills). If they hadn't cheated I would have won that game. But I let it slide for the first day. At 8:45 they decided that it was prime playground time. So we trekked over to the park where they convinced me to play tag. I'm too old for tag. And when I say old, I mean, too out of shape. I should have skipped the 5:45 am morning workout because I got another one during this ridiculous game. Their rules dictated that if you took a knee while being chased and shouted out the name of movie, you were "safe." Did you know that Cinderella 2 exists? I'm not sure how a story that ends with "and they lived happily ever after" would continue...but apparently Disney made it happen. 


Rain ended our outing and we retreated indoors to play a horrible game called Tip Over. It's basically a giant 3D brain teaser. I was humiliated, "Oh I see exactly what you have to do! It's so easy!" Thank you Brother, wanna help a girl out? 

High fashion

"Want to buy property with the money you don't have?"

After lunch (soup poured into bowls and microwaved--my kitchen skills are really being tested), I did a word search with Brother, beaded bracelets and bookmarks with Sister, and watched both kids play Wii. While I sat on the couch I read all 8 books in the Rainbow Magic Fairy series that Sister had conveniently left nearby. Could have had something to do with the size 48 font that greeted my eyes. I'll definitely need to bring my own reading material. Sister joined me for some book bonding and thought it was utterly hilarious to put her freezing cold feet on my thighs. I chose not to be so amused when I was already bundled in several blankets to ward off the chill of the A/C. We ended the afternoon with a rousing game of Monopoly City. At this point, Sister had decided I resembled a jungle gym and commenced climbing various appendages. Their dad walked in just as she crawling up my back. Surprisingly, he still wants me to return on Monday. 


I went back and forth today on deciding if I was going to like this job. I've decided to love it. It's not hard. I get to be carelessly immature for at least 7 hours a day. I get to practice my cooking skills. I get to do work on the 44 oz. bag of skittles I found in the pantry. I get access to a backyard pool. And I get 10 dollars an hour. 


Both kids gave me a hug when I left. It's safe to assume that they are just as excited to spend their summer with A Very Lucky Girl as I am to spend it with them.