happy halloween

I'm writing this at 11:50, so by the time it's posted I can safely say...

Happy Halloween!!!

I've been a busy bee lately so I haven't been able to post- I have about a million things I want to write about but of course the obvious subject is Halloween.

It's been a rough week with our students parents- and a busy week at the school. We're counting the days to Thanksgiving. I also just moved into a new place today. I feel grown up...I think. Anyway, I feel all jumbled up so I'm going to list my Halloween high points for you. I like lists. They make me calm.

1) In the last family I nannied for the 2 youngest both hated costumes. Isn't that weird? The 3yr old went as himself, his parents tried for bob the builder (can we do it? yes we can! [he didn't though]). The 6 yr old doesn't hate them, but is just now fully embracing the concept.
Random.

2) At school Friday we celebrated "FestiFall". No costumes no big parties. Just icing some cookies and using candy to make faces. OH MY GOODNESS. It was the most spectacular activity ever. My 3yr olds just sat quietly and iced their cookies. They didn't even make a mess. We're icing cookies more often in room 118.

3) We did some dancing on the carpet after cookies, to work off the sugar of course. We were gettin' our grove on to 'twist and shout' when one of our kids caught a cramp from twisting to hard. She said "my stomach hurts" but was fine a couple of minutes later. It was hilarious. I told her that happens all the time when you're such a great dancer.

Alright folks, have a happy (& safe) halloween, wear a costume, ice a cookie, and dance the night away!

xoxo,
April

P.S. It's 12:07 as I'm posting this so you can go ahead and start trick or treating!

isn't this inappropriate

This Sunday when I babysat for desperate dad and crew I got the privilege to see all three children (for now that is- mom's due with number 4 in a few months).
The oldest (the gem I take some credit for) made yet another uniquely fabulous comment this weekend. We were coloring some pictures, she picked up this one

...and said, "Isn't this is inappropriate?".

That's right. She's 9. She followed with "She doesn't have any clothes on." I had to remind her that Ariel is wearing the purple bathing suit top and you can't see it because of the water. Her 4 year old sister sister said, "Yeah, the bra.".

Little girls: 1 Disney:0

xoxo, April

P.S. Turns out I'm not babysitting for one of my students just yet. When I do though, I'll be sure to share the experience! :)

sugar, sugar

This weekend I made these:

and these:

Courtesy of this gem's recipes. Baking is one of my favorite things to do. Ever. Baking with children is even better. It's definitely on my short list of favorite nanny activities. Sometimes it might be better to go with the box mix for the kids- but if you're feeling particularly adventurous go ahead and try a recipe from scratch. They mostly enjoy the opportunity to use frosting and sprinkles...what they put it on never really matters.

I also babysat for desperate dad and family on Sunday. There's a couple of good stories to tell and I'll do just that on tomorrow's post! Until then, sleep tight readers!

xoxo,

April

the hits just keep coming.

...in a good way of course...and in the form of babysitting jobs.
One of the three year olds I teach needs a babysitter in a couple of weekends. I obviously said yes.
This is a new experience (babysitting a student I teach) for yours truly and I am sure it will generate some material, so keep your eyes peeled faithful readers.

:)

xoxo,
April

coming through in a pinch

I got a phone call from one of my favorites a few minutes ago. Let's call him "desperate dad". Desperate dad and I go way back, in fact he gave me my first long term nanny job. I was maybe 13 or 14 and his sweet baby was around 6 months old. I spent the summer rocking her to sleep (and cleaning up the bottles they left lying around for days).
Come to think of it, desperate dad and his clan are probably why I love nannying. His first is beyond adorable. One of my favorite children ever, seriously, the stories I have could fill a book. Such a personality & the easiest of his children [I give myself a sound amount of credit there- this little one and I spent some serious time together].

Pause

Let me confirm, desperate dad does have a wife, but she has one of those fancy suit wearing really demanding jobs. She and desperate dad are both great parents, just a little flaky sometimes. Since I was in high school and then off at college they hired a full time nanny. I think they might have gone through a couple....don't know for sure. They're in a group of families where those details get fuzzy. You never know what's going on. I learned a lot about flexibility.

Anyway my point IS that desperate dad called me tonight for the first time in months. He said he knew I was available for weekends (i.e. he went through the list of high schoolers who usually come through). He asked for me on Sunday...for 2.5 hours...in mid morning. I said yes, because I'm soft. He just needs me for the youngest...who loved me once...but last summer hated me. So we'll see how this goes. I'll report back. I confirmed babysitting locations with desperate dad (because you can never assumes it's the house) and he said "Thanks for always coming through in a pinch April". I said goodbye, hung up the phone, and laughed.

Isn't that what a good nanny does?
Come through in a pinch?
I think for those families who mean a lot to you it is.

no weeks notice

I've had something brewing for a while now and it's time I address it...

Last year, when I worked for "the family who sucked my life away" (affectionate, I know) I also had a part time nanny job, to supplement the income [and restore my faith in humanity].

When I gave full-time family the ax, I continued working for part-time family for a while.
Then when I DID get another job, I gave part-time family a 4 week (-ish) notice. Completely respectable, correct?
I sent the notice right before I left town for a week. I came back, checked my email, and the mom graciously let me know they had found a replacement...who "needed" to start right away. So, I was out of a job. I had NO INCOME for more than a month.

Now, let me give a bit of background. Part-time mom knew what a hard time I had with full-time family and had always been a gem to work for (maybe that was just in comparison though). She also knew I was looking for a more permanent job & they could loose me soon. I promised I would give proper notice. I expected the same in return. Too much to ask I suppose.

I was so annoyed (ok, I was pissed) and stressed out that I actually never emailed back.

So now my dilemma is...do I send an email months later to let her know I felt disrespected and she put me in a tight financial spot? Or do I let it go and just move on?

All I know for sure is that they sure didn't need a whole 10 days to lose a nanny...

Let me know what you think :)

xoxo,
April

goin' to the chapel

This weekend one of my most cherished friends, became a Mrs. She was stunning (as usual).

This isn't a blog about weddings though (although it feels like I have enough material for one)...of course the weekend came with a good nanny story. Attending the beautiful North Carolina wedding weekend was Rachel's family babysitter. I've heard Rachel talk about her before, she just loves her to pieces, they're friends {I think she was more of a sitter for Rachel's younger brothers and cousins} - but the point is that it's clear she's a former babysitter and a friend. She attended as a dear family friend and from all accounts I heard, she was also incredibly helpful this weekend. The family was thrilled to have her there. She IS part of the family (who am I kidding though, these wonderful people make everyone feel like family). I unfortunately did not get much of a chance to speak to her but it was clear she wouldn't have traded anything to be there.
So instead of how to lose a nanny in 10 days let's talk about how to get a nanny to your wedding. There are definetly a few weddings I hope to attend one day.

xoxo,
April