Boys?!?!?!

NO BOYS ALLOWED!!

I have noticed so many funny stages that kids go through when it comes to GIRLS and BOYS!  I was a nanny first for three boys, and that lasted 4 years.  I have some fun memories of things the boys said about girls.  The oldest, I can't recall ever saying much about the subject, but then he's pretty quite about personal things.  (He went from age 7 to 11 during my nanny years).  The youngest, who went from age 3 to 7, had a particularly charming period (though very brief) when he was in pre-school or kindergarten, I can't remember which.  But there was a little girl in his class that he just couldn't get out of his head, it was so cute!

There was one particular day when it was just me and him, his brothers were still in school, and we went to the park and he kept talking about her.  Then I noticed him looking a bit melancholy or something, so I asked him if something was wrong.  He just said he was thinking about the girl.  So cute!  And he was only about 5 years old at the time.  Of course, it didn't last.  More often he would say things like "I don't like this movie because there's a girl in it." Meaning there was a guy who liked a girl as part of the plot line.

NO, I don't like girls!  

And the middle boy - who went from age 5 to 10 during my nanny years - well, he is quite the feisty little spunk.  Sometimes he'd ask me questions about girls that left me saying "you'd better ask your mom about that."  :)  He only within the last year of my time being his nanny, had interest in a girl at school, and of course his older brother would tease him about it and then he would deny it.  Of course.

Now, I am a nanny for twin girls, age 4.  They have very unique personalities all their own, and while the one seems ready and willing to play with any other kids, the other is adamant, usually, that she only wants to play with her sister or maybe other girls.  NOT boys!  She has told me in no uncertain terms that she DOES NOT LIKE BOYS.

So - this past December, I took the girls to the library on Lego day.  The twins do enjoy building things with Legos, so it's a fun time.  They particularly want me to help them build houses or boats and such. Well, with Star Wars Ep. 8 now out in theaters, the suggested theme for this Lego day was to build Star Wars-type planes or ships and such. A boy came in who was very into Star Wars.  I think he was about 8 or 9 years old, so when I was sitting with the girls and talking to the kids' librarian about Star Wars, the boy joined right in and the twins sort of clammed up.  I think, though they didn't say it, they were thinking "How can you, Miss Tia, be talking to a BOY?"

Well, the one particularly anti-boy twin had to go to the bathroom, so I went with her, while the other kept playing, and when we were heading back to the Lego area we passed by a big gingerbread house display and I asked her if I could take her picture in front of it.  She said sure.

So just as I was getting ready to take the picture, here's the boy and he says "Can I be in the picture too?"

Silly me.  I say, "Sure, why not?"

And I believe her face says it all.

"Why are you letting a BOY be in MY picture?!?!"

All Things Shiny

I was reminded this morning that babies love shiny things! Things such as dangly little snowflake earrings. And believe me, it doesn't matter whether they are boys or girls. Oh, the look on the little guy's face this morning when his eyes latched onto them. Gold, glittery, sparkly... shiny.  Well, sorry little guy, I had to take them off to preserve my ears. But I'm glad you liked them.
There is much going on this time of year, so many wonderful things to see, songs to hear and sing, places to go and time to spend making memories with friends and family. I'm going to call these special moments the "shiny moments" of Christmas. So far this year there have been some extra sparkly ones!
The first that comes to mind is getting a second child care job, though I do miss the boys quite a lot since they moved out of town. Still nannying the twins, and now working one extra morning a week, I have been able to get closer to some precious kiddos that I already knew at least a bit, and to meet many others. Seeing their familiar smiling faces and missing them when they aren't there. Getting little hugs (or big hugs from little ones) or holding them if they are fussy. This morning as well, the same little guy who loved my earrings fell asleep in my arms after he had his bottle. That hasn't happened in a long time, not for me. It feels really sweet. A shiny moment.
Then there was all the little girls in the Christmas play, being angels and nativity animals. One of them enjoyed it so much that the night of the performance, she brought a card she made herself(she is 5) and she had colored it all in and written out her thanks toe for letting her have a part and for making her costume. Shiny!
There are many others, but the last one I'll share is the unexpected call I got today saying that one of the girls in my class had to bring a special guest to Awana, and she chose me, and made me a thank.you card. Shiny!!
Relationships are truly life's greatest treasures. Don't let them slip through your fingers, and don't miss those little Shiny moments pass you by.

When they don't know you're watching....

Ah, everyone who's had experience with little ones knows how differently they act when a camera is NOT on vs. when a camera IS on.  So when I noticed this cute little moment, I was fortunate enough to discreetly put the camera up and catch it!  We had read the book "The Little Engine that Could" twice, and here's this little one telling it to herself again, the way she remembered it.  :)

Good Choice Jewels

Time for a little reflection on good choices, encouraging good behavior.  It seems to me, from my experience, that kids need to understand the natural consequences of their behavior.  When they ask for things nicely, when they say please and thank you - pleasant words bring pleasant responses.  (within reason, of course.  You can't ALWAYS say yes, no matter how many PLEASE's you get.)  And on the other hand, yelling, demanding, hitting siblings, etc. bring negative consequences.  When they are old enough (maybe six years old) you can relate to them the natural consequences that life brings, and that you want them to learn about and realize that their choices really do matter.  If you choose to eat six cookies, you could get a stomach ache.  If you choose to not brush your teeth, you will get cavities or toothaches.  If you choose to cross the street without looking, you might get hit by a car.  And let them know that grown-up need to make good choices too.  If we drive too fast, we get a speeding ticket.  If we break the law, we go to jail.  If we don't pay our bills, the electricity gets turned off.  If we are rude to our friends, they might not want to be around us any longer.
    The same goes for them.  Now, sometimes a little positive reward is fun.  Bribery?  Maybe, maybe not.  But if negative actions bring negative results, shouldn't positive actions bring positive results? Especially for children, when FUN is such an important part of life.
   One thing I have done, not with the girls, who I think are now old enough, but I have done with the boys, is to have a Jewel Jar.  What I do is have a set number of jewels based on how many I think they have the potential to earn in a set time period, one color for each child.  For example, if I want them to get rewarded every week, and I think they have the potential to earn five jewels a day, I would have 35 jewels of each color.  By the way, these are chunky PLASTIC jewels that can be found at places like Michael's or Hobby Lobby.  I keep the "jewels" in a storage bag or plastic container, then when the child does whatever specific thing they are told or asked to do, and they do it without complaining or whining, etc., they earn a jewel.  Getting dressed for school, eating breakfast, doing homework, brushing their teeth, cleaning up toys, etc., as well as overall positive behavior during the day.  When the seven days are up, if they have earned their jewels, they receive the pre-determined reward.   Allowance, video game time, treats, whatever you decide.      If they do blow it on something, such as throwing a fit or complaining or having "selective hearing" when you ask them to do a task, they do not earn a jewel for that task.  If they see that they are falling behind, they need to have the opportunity to make up lost jewels.
    Now, I don't reward the jewel for whatever it was the child was SUPPOSED to do, if they threw a fit about doing it, even if they finally do it.  No, they've lost that chance.  So, to make up that lost jewel, there needs to be a list of options they can do, above their ordinary daily activities. (Age appropriate, of course.)  Such as - Windex the living room windows, vacuum, fold laundry, anything they CAN do and don't normally do.  Pull weeds in the yard or garden, so on.
    That way they either will still receive their reward on the "reward day" or they might be a few days behind.  Now, if the reward is allowance money and their siblings want to go to the store and spend their money, and one child fears they won't have any money to spend on that day, that is incentive to make sure they make up for lost jewels in time to have fun with their brothers or sisters.
    One thing we don't want is for the jewel jar idea to be exasperating or stressful.  If it's overly upsetting to the child that they don't get their jewels, maybe they are too young or too emotional for this incentive.  Take into account the child's personality traits.  Make sure that they understand how much you appreciate it when they make good choices and how much their kind words make the home a happy, peaceful place, and how great it is to have everyone who lives in the house doing their part to help take care of it and keep it clean.  They need to know that THAT is the real reason to want them to make those good choices, helping them grow into adults who will already know how to do the right thing and treat people kindly.
     Colors are fun - if you can find "jewels" in the children's favorite colors, they will always know whose jewels are whose.
Any ideas to improvise this plan, or to improve it?  Have you tried it?  How did it work?  What was your method?
I'm welcome to hearing other peoples' ideas on things!
Thanks for reading, and Happy Tuesday!

Making New Friends

I have noticed a definite trend when I take the girls places.

People notice us.

Well, they notice them.  They realize that they are twins, or they ask if they are twins.
And they say how cute they are, almost all of them.  Women and men alike.

I think seeing two red-headed energetic girls who are twins is a bright spot in their day.  It's amazing the smiles I see on people's faces, such joy.  They often make a comment about how they have a daughter or granddaughter about the twins' age.  It is a pleasure to see the joy the girls bring to others, though they themselves are usually too busy to notice.  Playing with the automatic door at the library or asking if we can ride the "alligator". (Elevator.)  Or just being kiddos, playing and giggling.

And oh, I love to hear their giggles, and so do a lot of other people we meet.

The girls have their moments of shyness, usually one or the other, but generally they are very outgoing.  At the bookstore, they meet Eli, who was working behind the counter.  One hid her face against my side while the other introduced the both of them and told him all about how they loved books and what they were doing that day, and so on.

At the library, there is Miss Ria, who tells stories once a week, and the girls made fast friends with her.  And - sorry, but I forgot your name - the man who works in the children's department there at the library as well.  They will go on about their day to him, telling him about their older sister and their dogs, even from the first day they met him, as if he already knew exactly who they were talking about.  

And just yesterday we had another day of making new friends.  Going out to lunch at Jack-In-The-Box after Preschool, the girls were being their usual giggly selves, and people took notice. Nothing much happened, though until one of the girls turned around and introduced herself to the man sitting in the booth behind us, who fortunately was very friendly and enjoyed the conversation with a 4-year-old.

Then an older couple across from us took note, asked if they were twins and so on.  The woman was enchanted by the girls, telling them she had a granddaughter their age, even showing them a picture of her on her iphone.  She even said to the girls before they left, "Can I shake your hands?"   And the girls did, with big smiles on their faces.

What fun!

So thank you, Doug, Lynn, and Kurt, for making our lunch at Jack-In-The-Box a fun experience!
I hope the joy the girls bring into your lives lingers.

Fun and Games

Yes, board games still can be fun!  No high-tech gadgets required.

Ha Ha - a Side Note - my thoughts are wandering.  Who remembers Jumanji?  Well, I think it's funny/interesting that at the beginning of the movie, when Alan and Sarah are kids and are playing the game by the fireplace, and the pieces jump onto their places on the game board, someone says "It must be magnets or something".  Then, later, when Peter an Judy are playing and the pieces move on their own, Judy says "It must by microchips or something".

From magnets to microchips.
Funny how the standard, normal ideas of how things work changes over time!
When I was three years old, I remember my family's Polaroid camera, and wanting to watch the pictures come into color.  Now, when I watch the three-year-old I nanny, and I take pictures, they want to see them on my camera, so I show them and they try to "swipe" through the pictures.  Now, this is just a camera, not an "i-anything" so you have to push a button to see the next picture.  No swiping.
But that's what these three-year-olds are used to.  When I was three, there was NO SUCH THING as an Ipad or an Ipod or a Smartphone and so on.  How a person's worldview can change with the changing times and technological advances and so on - what we experience when we're young sets us up for the rest of our lives!

So, that being the case, my thoughts, advice, are to keep things balanced.  Don't let technology take over your life or your kids' lives.  The natural world still goes on the way it always has.  Take time to go outside and listen to the sound of water on the rocky beaches, feel the tree bark and look way up into their top branches and feel dizzy.  Smell the warm pine needles on the sunny forest floor.  Look for butterflies!

Okay, I'm off topic.  I was talking about board games.  Play board games as a family!  Play Sorry, Monopoly, Life, Risk, even Candy Land!  There are TONS of board games or card games for kids of all ages, and it's a good way to UNPLUG from time to time.

I had the chance a few months ago to take a Ferry Boat ride with the boys, and we brought a game with us!  Yes boys, no computer games or Wii games or YouTube videos on the Ferry.  :)

It was fun, and it's a good way to remind the boys how to be PATIENT with each other.  Another story.
But we did play, and we had a good time talking and teasing and figuring out how to play a new game while we munched on some snacks and looked at the seagulls and the beautiful water out the window.

I encourage you all to take time for things like this, enjoy a slower moment in the pace of life, and build some memories.  You won't be sorry you did!

Just around the Corner

When you're out and about, you just never know when something fun or amazing is hiding just around the corner!  A great lesson to be learned when "hanging out" with the kids - don't be in a hurry.  Take time to stop and smell the roses.  Or in this case, the cherry blossoms.  Or apple blossoms.  Whatever kind of flower they are, they are sweet and beautiful, and in this case, the late spring (as it was when this happened) breezes had scattered tiny petals all across the wide brick area just outside the Depot Building.

It was magical!

And it made for a good hour of fun!!

Cute poses.... 

Silly poses!! 

Can I climb this tree?

Piles of petals ... "It's snowing!" 

"Okay, this is my pile, and that's your pile."

Sharing works!  (Sometimes) 

Water Balloons!!

What to do on a hot summer day?  Why, how about some good-old-fashioned fun?  Water balloons!!
While the boys were watching their morning cartoons, I sneakily began filling water balloons at the kitchen sink, then putting bags full of them out in the front yard.  I was about 2/3 done when I was noticed.  But there didn't seem to be much enthusiasm at first, just interest - mild interest.  So I was thinking, "Oh boy, the only thing they want to do it watch TV.  I hope I can get them to go outside."

When TV time was over, I encouraged the boys to go get on some shorts and grab a towel and head out front.  The oldest and the youngest went right at it!  Grabbing water balloons and chucking them at each other, even playing a bit of water balloon baseball.  The middle boy stood on the porch holding one balloon saying "don't get me wet!"

That will simply not do.

So I said, "if you don't get out there, I'm going to break a water balloon over your head!"

He just smiled and watched his brothers, so I made good on my promise.  :)

Now wet, there was no reason to join in the fun!  It was great watching them enjoy the balloons, going through all of the ones I'd filled rather quickly, then asking for more and doing double-duty, using the kitchen sink and the outdoor hose faucet to fill more balloons, then going at it all over again.

Fun times!  I'm glad some things never get old, in a world full of high-tech gadgets.
Water balloons are still a blast!!

Summertime!

Hooray! School is over!  Children everywhere are rejoicing!

..... Or are they?  Have you ever heard your child utter these words?

If so, you know it can become all too common over the summer.  What to do, what to do?  Well, in case you're short on ideas, I have compiled a list of (hopefully) helpful ideas.  Feel free to tweak them to fit your kids' interests and ages!  Most of all, have fun together!

Happy summer!!


Have a marshmallow fight

Build sandcastles

Make seashell boats --  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115052965457001019/

Bake cookies to give to a neighbor or relative

Learn to jump rope

Start a band

Play Capture the Flag

Have a dance party

Go to the zoo

Make snowflakes  ---  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115052965455798321/

Run through the sprinkler

Go camping in the backyard

Go fishing

Invite friends over to work a jigsaw puzzle

Make a paper wind sock

Go to a baseball game

Volunteer at an animal shelter

Do pipe cleaner crafts  ---  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115052965455923277/

Find a pen pal

Make garden mosaics

Make a time capsule

Walk dogs for neighbors

Start a neighborhood newspaper

Make firefly jars --  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115052965455757504/

Build a model plane, ship etc

Lie in the grass and look for shapes in the clouds

Make play dough

Set up a scavenger hunt for your friends

Make ice cream

Go on a hike

Make up a funny story and pose for pictures to go with it

Make a photo booth

Fly a kite

Go on a photo safari

Go lawn bowling ---  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115052965452858685/

Grow an herb garden

Make a movie

Have a garage sale

Watch fireworks

Make root beer floats

Learn a new language

Learn to yodel

Have water balloon pinatas  ---  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115052965451283023/

Start a book club

Raise money for a charity

Make S'mores

Walk down the street blowing bubbles

Go to a carnival

Make a rock collection

Make a sandpaper scrapbook  --  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115052965453104083/

Make a quilt

Write letters to God

Swim in a lake

Learn to hula dance

Make leaf art   ---  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115052965455399115/

Build a fort

Learn to identify star constellations and look for them every night

Collect bugs

Have a pajama party

Plan a family game night with snacks

Make cloud dough  --  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115052965453761203/

Tye-Dye T-shirts

Take a bubble bath

Create a new holiday and have a party

Practice Random Acts of Kindness

Make snow cones

Do Thumbprint Art

Have a Nature Scavenger Hunt  -- https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115052965457196534/

Pick wildflowers

Have an outdoor movie night

Dance in the rain

Have a lemonade stand

Make homemade popsicles

Have a paper airplane contest

Go berry picking





How's that for a good start??

Small-Town Favorites

Living on an island, there are not TONS of places to take kids to play, but our town does have some great places!!  Several parks, beach areas, and so on, have been quite frequented by myself and the kids I nanny.  Looking back over pictures I've taken over the years, I realized I have photos of the girls in some of the same places I've taken the boys!

Did you have a favorite place to play as a child?  What sweet memories do you have of your childhood?  Do you love the smell of sun-hot woodchips as much as I do?  I hope some of these photos bring back happy memories!

 

 "I'm king of the world!" On The Pirate Ship

 

(I snuck this middle picture of the boys, they were so nice, pushing some girls on the tire swing!)

Kisses for Ska-Atl, our Otter

 

The Park at the Library gets a lot of use ....

 

Looking at all of the boats in the marina, then heading off to look under rocks or play in the sand

  

And our bookstore elephant! 

The "Super Nanny" Bag!

Starting off with a cute little story - one day, when I took the girls to the library, we were in the activity room where another little girl was playing.  She must have asked if I was the girls' mommy, because I told her I was their nanny.  Well, she got a funny look on her face and said "Nanny?  You don't look like a nanny."  And it turns out the only concept of a "nanny" that she had was Mary Poppins.  Well, I do have a large bag that I carry with me, but I can't pull things out of it like lamps and houseplants!

No, I can't get those large sorts of things out of my bag, but it does come in very handy.  What I've done is made a large purse-style bag with five pockets on each large side (inside) and one pocket on one of the small sides (inside).  So, I made a list of anything and everything I thought a nanny might use/need throughout the day.  Here's a list that I came up with:

Batteries (AA and AAA), Bandaids, Neosporin, Tweezers, Candy, Krazy Glue, Pens, Pencils, Pencil Sharpener, Scotch Tape, Tissues, Gum, Scissors, Needle and Thread, Quarters, Crayons, Glue Stick, Comb, Wet Wipes, Hand Sanitizer, and Lotion.  The pocket on the side hold my own personal items like a hairbrush, chapstick, etc.

I'm sure that's not a complete list.  I'm sure I'll come up with more useful items!

The pockets aren't very big, so in the main part of the bag, there is plenty of room for snacks, a picnic blanket, books, spare clothes, a jacket or a blanket.

Now, I don't currently have all of these items in my "Super Nanny" Bag, but I have a good start.  Just the other day, tweezers would have come in handy (I don't have them in my bag yet) when one of the boys got a splinter.  I do have Krazy Glue, which I used when one of the other boys broke his wooden toy snake.

I felt like a hero! Nanny to the rescue!

I also used the needle and thread when the boys were exuberantly battling with mom's throw pillows.  A major no-no!  So there was an open seam with fluff sticking out, and I managed to sew it up rather quickly.

One never knows when any of these items will come in handy, so my goal is to have them at the ready.  I have plans to make improvements to my design as well - I will make a top flap for each pocket that will either velcro or button shut, so nothing falls out, and I will label each pocket so I know what's in each one.

It's a very simple design, easy to make, so anyone, feel free to "steal" my idea and make one for yourself!

Siblings

Ah, siblings.  One of life's most complicated relationships!!  "I love you" can turn into "you are the WORST person in my life!"  in a heartbeat. It's so great to see those (rare) moments when they are playing together completely peacefully, treating each other with complete respect and fairness and kindness.  Yes, they are rare!  Treasure those moments!
  Oh, to teach kids to treat their siblings the way they want to be treated .... it's not always easy.  And they know how to push each other's buttons, that's for sure.  They can tend to treat their siblings in a way that they'd never treat a friend.  (Egad!  Really?)
   And there is sharing laughter and inside jokes, memories, and toys (sharing toys??!! yes ...) and learning to treat others with respect and work out differences.
   Twins add another aspect to the whole "sibling" issue, as they will both be going through the same phases at the same time, and like to play with the same toys, being the same age. And at the age they are, things can be pretty touchy when it comes to "that's mine!!"
   Usually, the kiddos' interactions are a mixture of getting along and ... well, not getting along.   A little bit of both comes with the territory.

   You just know when you hear wailing, that one of the kids will coming running to you with the report that "he hit me!"  or some such thing.
   Which I follow with "why?  What happened?"
    -- "I don't know!  I didn't do ANYTHING!!"   (which is rarely true)

Although "I don't know" seems to be a perfectly valid reason for "why did you kick your sister?"  :P
   
   I love the pictures I managed to get of the boys, or the girls, while they were getting along great together and I managed to say, "hey, come sit together for a minute and I'll take your picture!"  They are some of the best photos.  (I always bring my camera, but it's not easy to get kids to take a break from playing to get their picture taken.)
 

We love playing ball together!  

Ugghhhh!!  My brother makes me so MAD!!  (Don't worry, this picture's posed.)

See?  I'm happy! 

I love my sister! 

Get off of that!!! I want it to be my turn!! 

It's great to capture these moments .... 

Reading a story to his brothers 

Sharing personal space (And headphones!! A miracle!!) 

Making silly faces 

Playing and laughing 

But it can all too quickly turn into .....  

You little pest!  I'll smack you!! 

(Yes, this one's posed as well.  The boys can be "hams") 

No!  I won't stand with her!  I want my OWN picture!! 

Don't worry, though.  More often than not, in 20 minutes (or less if the kids are younger) they'll be 

right back to playing together again.  When it all comes down to it, they really do love each other 

and don't like to be apart.  

Ah, the ups and downs of Nanny Land.....

Till next time!  

Enjoy!