A Very Lucky Girl

dragonfly...? trash can diary key Do you remember the adventures of Brother and Sister (E and C) from last summer? (If you need a refresher, you can look back on the months of June and July from 2012 in the right side bar).  They're back. And I'm back. And we're already sunburned. I also add two of their friends (Mc and Mk) to the mix on Tuesdays and Wednesdays after swim practice.  They never cease to keep me laughing (at least inwardly) and I'll highlight the best of the week in a post every Friday. Quotable Quips: "Are we there yet?"-C. "Has the car stopped moving?" You may think I'm sassy for a nanny, but I like to think I'm real.  "How far away are we?"-C. "Everytime the tires move we get a little bit closer!"  When C was eating her lunch on Thursday (turkey and cheese on crackers), she asked, "was this cheese already sliced?" Yes, that was what was in your fridge. "Oh." She set do...

August 1st signaled the start of school for my young charges so Tuesday was my last day of work for the summer. Monday and Tuesday were as action packed as possible, sprinkled with neighborhood mama drama. Brother and Sister are participating in a miniature triathlon on Saturday morning so their mom encouraged me to include some training in our outdoor activities. I invited the three right-side neighbors to train and their mom and I held a trial triathlon on Tuesday morning, complete with a stopwatch. It was a nice way to blow off steam, especially considering that Monday was overwrought with emotion.  The right-side neighbors invited me and my kids to go bowling with them on Monday afternoon (since when did bowling become so expensive?! For two kids to bowl two games I spent 24 bucks!). Alas, the left-side neighbor girl was over at my house on Monday when we received the invitation, and I, being completely oblivious to any neighborhood tiffs, mistakenly told her she could tag al...

This was a glorious week filled with half days. I arrived after they had finished soccer camp around noon, Monday through Wednesday, and got to leave at 5 or 5:30 every afternoon. No complaints here...except for that one time she was late when Tyler was waiting for me at home. So inconsiderate! So...to the highlights! After ferrying them around all week the gas in my tank was a little low so we drove through a 7/11. I used a credit card to pay (a concept they have yet to grasp, I believe) which caused Brother to pipe up as I drove off with a full gas tank, "um Taylor, did we pay for the gas?" No, dearest, we are gas bandits! They were all out of the lunch staples of life at home (Kraft Mac&Cheese and hot dogs) so I had to get creative. I served tacos in the shape of a dragonfly/butterfly, using fruit for the eyes and tail, on Monday and whipped up a batch of homemade macaroni and cheese on Tuesday. The tacos went well..I suppose. Although, they asked why they were sha...

The kids came back from vacation at the beach this week. I walked in on Monday morning, expecting to be bombarded with hugs and exclamations of, "we missed you!" Instead, my kids sat like two slugs in the giant bean bag until I said, "uhhh, THIS is the welcome I get?" After that they clung like a psycho ex-girlfriend.  I've made them do Rosetta stone, violin scales, and soccer drills all week. I'm always looking for time fillers. While they kicked soccer balls around I decided to use my time wisely and get a second workout in. I always hit up the treadmill before I head to their house every morning, but some extra crunches, jumping jacks, and squats never hurt anybody. The squats were a big hit. My thighs wouldn't agree, but the kids laughed and laughed at the workout I did in their driveway as they meandered around with a checkered ball.  If you act really excited about something minuscule, the whole attitude in the house is amped up. So I made a ...

I'm more than halfway through the summer of learning that I probably don't want kids. I love being able to give these children back to their parents at the end of the day. It's my favorite part. Especially since this week was sass city in this household (I'm reluctant to say that I could be the cause of this...I'm pretty free with my sarcastic conversations). Regardless, it pissed me off.  We started off the week with a surprise visit from pest control. I was unsure if he was there for the vermin or the children (they seem to synonymous this week), but either way I had not been informed of his impending arrival. So when a strange looking man showed up on the front porch, I was wary. I felt bad for being so suspicious, but his opening words were, "So how's everything looking inside?" No mention of his occupation. Um, things are great sir, thanks...move along. He saw the terror-stricken look on my face and recognized his blunder. "Oh! I'm...

I have not been in the mood for immature shenanigans this week. I think lack of sleep is catching up with me and breeding irritability. Unfortunately, the kids are up and at 'em within minutes of my arrival at 7:45 AM every morning. I creep into the house and shut the front door as quickly as possible, removing my shoes, and whispering to talk to their mother, hoping to catch a few more childless seconds. Twice this week she assured me that they had stayed up late and would more than likely sleep in. Both times one or the other kid woke up within 3 minutes of being issued this statement.  On one of these mornings Brother quickly realized that I wasn't going to be engaging in any sort of activity before 9 AM (I cuddle up on their giant bean bag as soon as I arrive and definitely plan on investing in something of the sort when I move out of the dorms) and resigned himself to some Wii time. He tried to play a Hot Wheels racing game and the disc wouldn't read. He brought it ...

These kids are so out of my league. I had enough material for an entire post just after Monday of this week. But I saved everything up for a mega post. And I plan to make it a weekly thing. This was the week of the soccer mom. I literally took Brother to soccer practice every morning and watched him from the bleachers with Sister. It is unreal how much more cautious you become with other children in the car. I asked my mom if she still feels like that when me and Oakes are in the car. She said no. I guess Oakes and I's value decreased as we got older... I kept both hands at ten and two. The radio at an acceptable decibel. And constantly checked all the mirrors. Monday. The kids greeted me with a "we missed you over the weekend!" when I arrived on Monday morning. It was adorable. But their constant chatter was not. I brought Advil for the rest of the week. We had our first casualty. It was my own. It's all fun and games until an 8 year old crash lands on your foo...