Tuesday, January 29, 2008

AUGH!

How do you explain to a three year old the dangers of potential drowning??
Not 15 mins. ago we were outside and things were going fine. I look up from my reading to make sure I know where he is and what do I see but him running up the hill BUTT NAKED! Normally this would be a funny thing, but not 15 min. ago, for two reasons. 1) It's not summer, and even though it's a nice day, it's still too cold to be naked outside. 2) The yard guys are here and one of them was in the backyard!!
OK, maybe I'm over reacting a little bit, I'll admit it, but after questioning him, turns out the reason he wanted to be naked was because he went in the pond! I could not see the pond from where I was sitting, but he knows better than to play in the pond, because he's fallen in multiple times, it freaks him out, and then he gets into trouble. But how do you explain to him, when he's seen his 10 yr. old sister playing in the pond, that he can't play in the pond because he might slip and bump his head and drown? I think that's why I was so livid, because if something had happened I couldn't live with myself.
I was also irritated because he's become very rebellious lately, and that's not something I tolerate, no matter how old you are. It was just how I was raised. And this just adds to the list of things he's done out of that rebellion. He doesn't like it when I come, because that means mom leaves, and so he acts out. Sometimes in full temper-tantrum mode, and other times by doing things he knows better than to do. I don't take it personally when he cries when he sees me, and it normally only lasts 10 mins. or so, and then he's asking me to play with him. But we have our days where I have to say, "You have to be nice if you want me to be nice."
So, no backyard for 2 days is my verdict. We'll see if I get vetoed when his mom comes home and I tell her about our day. Stay tuned for more adventures!

Inquisitive minds ask . . .

Lots and lots of questions!
I have really seen the vocabulary of the 3 year old grow in leaps and bounds over the past few months, and each time the family went away over the holidays, I noticed new phrases he learned. Right now he is always asking questions, of course, but now, when you give him the answer he'll say, "And. . ." For example if he asks where mom is going and I tell him, "Mom is going to the store." he'll say, "And?" So normally I'll add something like, "And she's going to buy milk." Once again he'll say, "And?" He will continuously ask, "And?" until you have no idea what to say next! I guess he just wants to be 100% informed, but really, after his mom leaves the house, I really have no idea what she's going to do! So that's be interesting.
His newest thing that makes it so hard not laugh, happens when his mom leaves. She'll say bye and head for the garage door and he'll run after her yelling "NOOOO! DON'T DO IT MOM, DON'T DO IT!!" One time, after asking her if he could go to, and of course being told no, I heard him say, "Come on Mom! Why are you doing this to me?!" You can't help but laugh, and know that dramatics most definitely run in the family. :)
But back to the questions - Yesterday I picked him up from school with my car, and he doesn't really ride in my car much, so he's always asking, "What's that?" Yesterday we got on the subject of the air (A/C) and which button made it work, and I had to go through the entire area of the consul that controls the A/C and explain everything to him. Of course this was all while driving in the car, so that made it much more interesting. Think we got ourselves a future engineer? If not that a race car driver for sure!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

My heart hurts today for Matilda.

I know this isn't nanny related, but I was really shocked to hear about Heath Ledger's death today. He was only 28, and left behind a beautiful 2 year old daughter, Matilda. My heart just aches for her, and that she will grow up without her father there for the big events of her life. My thoughts and prayers go out to her and the rest of his family.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Snow day again!!






Wow twice in one week! We're never this lucky! Here are some pictures of us playing in the snow earlier today. Everything is so white, it's amazing! The best thing about the snow - it gets the kids outside playing like crazy and wears them out! LOL Bedtime is much easier and we all sleep very well.
Go outside and enjoy today!

Thursday, January 17, 2008

SNOW!


So, yesterday we had our yearly snow fall, yes it snows in Georgia, believe it or not. It was so much fun to let the kids go out and just be silly in the snow. Snow brings out the kid in everyone, and we had a huge snowball fight in the backyard. Six kids from the neighborhood came over and we pelted each other!! A few of the girls made a snowman, and it looked really great when they were finished with him. I learned a valuable lesson though, and I wanted to pass it on - NEVER have a snowball fight with boys who play baseball, even if they are only 11 or 12!! LOL I became the target for some reason, and believe me I'm paying for it. I am sore from the waist down and a little in the shoulders too, but it was completely worth it! The pictures are of two of the kids I nanny for. Since their parents are out of town, I had to take a picture to send to them.

The life of a ten year old.

I am not a live-in nanny, but occasionally I have overnight stays, and this week I am doing one of those Wednesday - Saturday, and only a day and half in I'm ready to convert to "mean Christin," as I like to call myself. I try to be the fun nanny, but I don't let the kids get away with anything. Sometimes I think I'm stricter than some of the parents. Maybe it's the way I was raised, or maybe I'm just embarrassed by the way kids act these days.
One of the children I take care of has been complaining of a stomach ache all week, and has only been to school for two hours this week. We were hoping that today she would go back, but that didn't happen. Want to know why? Because she has two bad habits - one of those being sneaking junk food/snacks. Her other bad habit is lying. Full out, to your face, get mad if you don't believe her, lying.
I discovered yesterday that she had been sneaking food while she was sick, even though all week when she'd ask for something to eat, her mother and I both would tell her she could only have the plainest things. Yesterday I found a package of M&Ms "hiding" in the basket on the stairs. I took them and hid them somewhere I thought was safe. Then later I find an empty package of gummy snacks in the pantry. So, I'm a total softy and of course I don't want to send a kid to school if they are really sick, but this made me think that she was trying to stay sick! What am I supposed to do? Well this morning she's crying 'cause she's in pain but knows that she really should go to school, so I was completely honest with her. I told her that I knew she'd been sneaking food and that if I let her stay home today there would be absolutely NO FOOD SNEAKING! We would stick to toast, crackers, broth, and ginger ale. She agreed to this and I kept a good eye on her, or so I thought.
After doing so well all day, not sneaking food and sticking to what I told her she could eat, what do I find this evening, but the torn corner of the M&Ms bag (that I had hidden) and a missing M&Ms bag. So of course I confront her and she gets all mad and defensive and says, "It wasn't me! I don't care if you don't believe me, it wasn't me!!" I know, in my gut (you don't have to be a mom to have mother's intuition), that she ate them. She'd been holed up in the room I'd hidden them in for hours and no one else was in there alone. But I ask the older sister, who knows nothing, of course, and I know that if her 3 year old brother had opened that bag they'd be all over the floor. What can I do though? I have no proof and I'm not in the mood to get into a screaming match and have her stomp all over the house and wake up her brother, who I just put to bed. So I left it alone. Sure enough not 30 mins. later she comes, apologizes and confesses to the entire thing. Never underestimate the power of the intuition, y'all!!
She's going to school tomorrow, no ifs, ands, or buts about it, and I told her I didn't want to hear anymore about a stomach ache, 'cause if she's well enough to eat a bag of M&Ms she well, period. There are to be no calls from the nurse tomorrow asking for her to be picked up, because I will tell them that she has to stay. I hate being so suspicious of someone. Yes, she knows the story of the boy who cried wolf, but I don't think she really gets it. Her mom has tried to nip it in the butt so many times, but I really just think it's something she'll have to grow out of, and let's pray that she does grow out of it.