R. Kelly found Not Guilty.

Not having actually been in the courthouse, is it awful that I am shocked and disappointed in this verdict? I think he's guilty. There I said it. Maybe I bought into the hype, or maybe he really was framed. I guess the only thing we'll really know was that there was enough doubt for the jury to find him not guilty.
Care to discuss/share your opinion? Please do, I'm all ears.

*Warning*

*The following is me, venting. I admit there are other things *cough*hormones*cough* going on with me right now, but this is how they manifested, so I'm venting.*

You know, I try to let little comments roll off my back, mainly because they're coming from a toddler and so I recognize that he is venting his frustrations the only way he knows how, but turning four made things worse. I hoped things would get better, but turning four has gone to his head. He thinks he's all grown up now, Mr. Independent, and therefore takes tones when he speaks, does things without telling anyone, and yeah basically acts like he's twenty-four. The way he talks now is what is very irritating. He's so rude! Not foul mouthed, yet, but just the tone of his voice and the way he says things, it's like having a sulky teenager in the house.
I didn't let the running away when he saw me pull up to the house, effect me, because I knew he was just upset that the parents were leaving, but you know when he looks right at you and says, "I don't like you" it kind of hurts, especially when it happens not 5 minutes after walking into the house, and you haven't even spoken to him. Honestly it makes me want to quit right now. Who cares if I have another job lined up, screw it all!! (OK I'm too "responsible" for that, but seriously, would you stay at a job where you're put down?)
I know, I know, tomorrow is another day and sure enough he'll do something completely sweet and win me over again, but I just needed to vent, and not keep it inside. So I hope all you out there are having a wonderful day, and just know, even if I don't know you, I like you. :)

Too sad for words.

For those of you familiar with the world of Christian music, the name Stephen Curtis Chapman will be known to you. Sadly, his youngest daughter was hit and killed by a car yesterday. As if that couldn't get any worse, the car that hit her was being driven by her teenage brother. Those of you that believe in prayer, please pray for this family. She was only 5 years old, and one of the three little girls the Chapman family has adopted from China.
My hearts and prayers go out to them.

Mother's Day

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! Mine was excellent. Everything I had planned for my mom went smoothly, and I was completely exhausted afterwards! LOL The entire weekend was rather busy for me. The two older kids had multiple sporting events, and Sunday was not only Mother's Day it was also the little one's 4th birthday!
Monday was the 14th birthday of the oldest, and we all celebrated with a dinner out. Do you know how difficult it is to shop for a 14 year old? It's that age where everything they use to like they hate, and everything they want to like is not quite age appropriate for them yet. Thankfully in times like this, girls always love jewelry!
Well I hope y'all enjoy the rest of this month, as school ends and summer officially approaches!

Tag!

Rachel tagged me, so here it goes. :)


What I was doing ten years ago: I was 15, back from the mission field for 7 months, hating high school and wishing I was back in Kazakhstan. Not a great year for me. Had my first "emotional breakdown."

Five things on my to-do list today: Work, e-mail Crystal, get M to bed on time with minimal fuss, get organized for Mother's Day, watch Grey's Anatomy.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Pay off bills, buy new cars, buy own place, and travel.

Three of my bad habits: Reading late at night, "grazing" (a.k.a mindless eating), running late.

Five places I've lived: Abbeville, AL; Karaganda, Kazakhstan; Columbus, GA; Cleveland, TN; Athens, GA.

Five jobs I've had: PK/MK (oh yeah, it's a job), TA at a day care, babysitter, cashier at Garden Ridge, and nanny.

Five people I want to know more about: Anyone who wants to post this on their blog.

WWWAT - Self portrait

Ok, so here I am. *side note: the books in the picture are the three I'm currently reading.*


To view the other AMAZING entries go to American Mum and check them out.

So over it!

So, I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but the 3 year old (he'll be 4 next month! maybe things will get better?) has an issue with his pants. This has been going on for about a year, and it started with his shoes. They had to be SUPER tight and if they weren't tight enough he'd go into full temper tantrum mode. Now he'll only wear his Crocs and he has to wear socks with them. So then the "issue" moved to his pants/shirts. First he wanted to wear the pants that were so tight I almost couldn't button them, and for his shirts all the buttons had to be buttoned (yes even the top one on polo shirts). Then he decided he didn't like any shirts and pants that buttoned. So now all he'll wear is t-shirts and pants with elastic waistbands. His mom and I thought it was a control issue, since before her or I would pick out his clothes, so we started letting him pick out his clothes, but he still only wants to wear certain pants/shirts. Recently though even the pants that he loves, and would wear every day if we'd let him, have made him start to freak out and he says, "They're falling down!!" and collapses onto the floor into hysterics. It's really becoming ridiculous, because they fit him perfectly and we're not going to put him in stuff that is going to fall off of him.
Now with the warmer weather coming we're trying to get him in shorts (because all of the pants he likes are lined jogging pants that are winter wear, and not suitable for these GA summers) and even when he picks out the shorts it's like all hell breaks loose. His poor mom has had to tell him she's going to make him go to school in his underwear, just to get him to put on clothes that are warm weather appropriate. Yes, he'll complain about being hot, when playing outside, but when I suggest that maybe he should put on some shorts, or take off his socks, he's like, "NO." and I say, "Well I can't do anything for you then." The other day I fought with him for 45 mins about it, because he wanted to go outside and the only way he could was to wear shorts (which he picked out and then freaked out over.) I know, I know pick your battles, but this one was started earlier by his mom and I felt like I needed to follow through with it, because he already tries to play us.
So, now I'm not even sure it's a control issue, but just him being stubborn. I don't know, but it sure is getting old fast! LOL If you're reading this and have any suggestions, please comment, 'cause his poor mom and I are just dying here!

The Colors of Vacation.

This is my first time participating, but I thought it would be fun. So, enjoy!



Green:



Alligator




Blue:

Kite

Life

Life is pretty normal right now, however this also equals boring and therefore nothing super interesting to post on this blog. The kids have been fine, although it's always a struggle with the 3 year old. Right now Nana is visiting so that makes for occasional interesting events. Yesterday we engaged in a full out tickle war with the 3 year old, me, the 13 year old, and Nana. At one point the 3 year old was so exhausted from laughing he said, "Oh I think I'm going to die!" Needless to say we got a great laugh from that. Other then that I've been filling in for the mom driving the kids to different sport activities. Like I said, life's pretty normal. Scary. . .

Hippity Hoppity!

MySpace Graphics at GlitterBell.com
Easter Comments

To all.

The heaven that is cuddling.

So, I decided to juxtapose my last title with today's, as I talk about the lovely day that was today.
This afternoon about 3:30, after the exhaustion of school and play hit him, the three year old fell asleep on the chair watching TV. His mom came in from and errand and decided to cuddled with him for about an hour. She put him on the couch as she was leaving, and I waited until her and the older two kids had left before I tried to wake him up. So I gently go over there and tell him it's time to get up, and immediately he's diving into my arms going, "cuddle first" and falling right back to sleep. It was so sweet! It was like he was a baby again, just so calm and non-aggressive. *sigh* He's the best when he's sleeping - LOL. So we sat like that for 20 minutes. It was quiet and the rain and the wind was going on outside - I seriously could have fallen asleep myself, because he generated so much heat and the weather. It was blissful. :)
Then I finally got him up, and made dinner, and decided that he and I would make our own movie night, since his mom and sisters left us at home. So after dinner I checked the movies, and Firehouse Dog was coming on. He loves movies with animals in it, so it was perfect. I popped some popcorn with his help, because he asked to help (I let him punch in the time on the microwave), and we turned on the movie. It was a perfect night, really. The movie was great, I really enjoyed it myself, and he had seen it before, so it was fun to listen to him try and tell me what was going to happen next (he has a pretty amazing memory for this stuff).
Honestly it's the days and nights like this that make it all worth it.

The hell that is Chuckie Cheese!

Okay so maybe it's not exactly hell, but it is chaos, that's for sure.
On Tuesday night we all went to Chuckie Cheese for the elementary school's PTA Fun Day. Surprisingly it wasn't that crowded by the time we went, but seriously, do they pump sugar in with the air? It's like sensory overload!! And of course, the three year old wants to run around like a crazy person jumping on every game and trying everything. This was actually his first time there, so boy was he excited!! We let him play whatever he wanted to, even if he wasn't old enough to get the concept. He loved hitting the hippos as they popped up, trying to kick the soccer ball into the goal, and of course "driving" everything! We did actually get him to eat one small slice of pizza, but he was crawling all over the booth, he was so antsy!
The most frustrating part, of course, was just keeping up with him. As soon as one ride/game was over, POW he was off to the next thing! Pushing past people, jumping in front of people - oh my goodness. Like I said, sensory overload. Now I understand why the mom hasn't wanted to go there. It's insane! The guy working the prize counter was very nice though - he basically let the three year old have two prizes that were 60 tickets more than what he actually had (so sweet).
Of course now all we hear is, "We go to Chuckie Cheese?!?!" Oh dear . . .

Future Me?

This week I had another overnight stay at work, while the parents were away. I usually enjoy these overnights, but am completely wiped out at the end of them, even if it's only 3 days (as this was). Something always happens during these overnights that make me reevaluate my behavior, reactions, or expectations, and this time was no exception.
I usually have one day of these overnights where I get so irritated at every little thing and blow my cool. Usually I can blame it on PMS, or sheer exhaustion, but whatever the situation I always regret it 2 seconds later. I want the kids to enjoy being with me, yet not feel they can take advantage of the fact that I'm not their parent, but I was also raised a certain way that makes me have high expectations of them, age appropriate of course. I won't go into detail, because it's very frivolous and only makes me feel worse, but this time it involved the three year old. I lost my cool with him over not listening, even though it was such a minor thing that was more irritating to me, than harmful. I've been trying so hard to be as pleasant as possible, yet firm, because we've been dealing with the issue of him screaming and running away crying every time I show up. Even though I don't take it personally, I want to do what I can on my end, to help him get over this phase, or whatever you want to call it.
This time it just got me thinking. Will I be like this when I become a mom? Are my kids going to have to worry that once a week I'm gonna blow up at them over something stupid? Or will I be different because they are my kids? Will I be worse because they are my kids? I feel like I've learned a lot about myself over the five years I've been a nanny. Most of it positive, but then you have those days that make you question whether or not you're fit to be a future parent, no matter how strong the desire of your heart.
I know we've all been yelled at by parents, and the simple fact is no one is perfect and that parents will yell and get mad at their kids. I just hope that I can start not letting the little things get to me so much, and recognize when I need to step away from the situation, no matter how much I want it to be done my way.

Love day!

Just wanted to wish everyone a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Hope it is full of love in all shapes, sizes, and forms!

Not too much new going on here. Working hard and trying to keep a positive attitude, even on the days when I walk in the door and the the three year old goes running and screaming to the other room! LOL Guess we all know who he loves!
Anyways, have a great week!

Teenage life.

For us it was *NSYNC, Hanson, and The Backstreet Boys. Today it's The Jonas Brothers. Every generation has its own "boy band" that has the little teeny boppers going crazy.
"Oh, I'm gonna marry that one!"
"No, I am!"
LOL it's always the same.
I was on IMDB.com reading some message boards, and found this hilarious signature on one of the posters posts, and it sums it up brilliantly:

"If Joe Jonas were to say that breathing wasn't cool, 95% of teen girls would be dead."

Are we that predictable at that age? I think so. ;) You can deny it all you want, but 10+ years ago, that would have been me and you.
So, keep breathing or you may miss your next "teeny bopper" moment.

Happy Mardi Gras!!!

Today the three year old classes at the preschool held a Mardi Gras parade for parents and the other classes. I've been staying overnight since Wednesday, because my boss had to have lasik on one eye, so I got to go and watch the 3 year old. They were all so cute! They wore green, gold, or purple and they wore crowns and masks that they had decorated this week. The teachers handed out beads, and the kids got coins too. They seemed to have a lot of fun! Here's a little video clip of the festivities! Sorry it's grainy, but it's from my cell phone. Enjoy, and HAPPY MARDI GRAS!!

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!

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.