I Stand Corrected

Well, since it's been so rainy out this week, the girls and I haven't had much chance to get outside.  So, that being the case, we watched Frozen the other day. Now, I've seen it twice, and the girls... I don't know how many times they've seen it, really.

But this post isn't really about Frozen.  It's about my terminology being corrected by a three year old.  Thinking about it last night, I could not stop chuckling about it.  It happened during the movie, the scene where everyone was arriving in Arendale for Queen Elsa's coronation.  One of the girls asked me, "What's Anna doing?" and I said, "She's watching the boats coming in."  Then the other twin (the one who loves Frozen) said "Those are ships."

Ships, not boats.  And I just think this is so funny because my dad was in the Navy, and I'm a big fan of NCIS, and this sounds like something either someone in the Navy or a character on NCIS would say (a very Gibbs-y thing to say), but I NEVER would have expected it to come from a three-year-old.

Fun times!

The Mysteries of Food

Ah, the mysteries of food.  It's quite a complicated subject.  You can fill a whole room floor to ceiling with books on the subject, I'm sure.  And when it comes to kids, it gets even more complicated.  When you're the nanny and you're making dinner, you can either be a hero (Yes!  I love this! Thank you!!) or a flop (Ugh!  Gag!  I hate that!!).  One boy will inhale it (almost literally) while the other barely picks at it. Even with the twin girls, one likes it while the other doesn't.  Then there's the all-too-common --

"I'm too full to eat this."
- "Okay, let me take your plate."
"Can I have dessert now?"
- "Umm ... no."

And try convincing kids there aren't "dinner" portions and "dessert" portions of their stomachs. :)

Here is a sampling of other food truths I've experienced:

* Kids who say "I'm not hungry" at snack time will have a complete meltdown if they can't have snack an hour later at bedtime. 

* For dinner, beans and melted cheese on tortilla CHIPS is entirely different and SO much better tasting than beans and melted cheese on tortilla SHELLS. 

*A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is better if you take it apart and eat the piece with jelly on it, THEN the piece with peanut butter on it. 

*It's really difficult trying to please three brothers with dinner when one is practically a vegetarian (but will eat just about anything if it's smothered in melted cheese), another wants steak and mashed potatoes, and the third just wants hot dogs. 

And, just to finish up -- here's an interesting quote I overheard at the snack table.  A 7-yr-old boy who has been playing "army" is now eating his toast with butter and honey on it, and the honey has started oozing off the toast and onto the plate.
 
-- "You, honey!  You're trying to betray me! I'm going to cut off your escape route!" 

Braids!

Yesterday, I felt privileged to do something I haven't done in a long time ... braid someone's hair other than mine!  I just love braiding hair.  I'm not sure why, but it really makes me happy.  So when the girls wanted to be Elsa and Anna, and asked me to braid their hair, I said "Of course I will!"
Now, it's not the easiest thing in the world to braid a 3 yr old's hair, much less two of them, but after several reminders that they needed to hold their head still, I managed to do a fairly decent job.  They were happy with the results, that's the main thing, and then they went into full theatrical mode!  It was so cute and so unexpected!  They became Elsa and Anna and proceeded to act out scenes from Frozen.  I was treated to a show, and "Anna" was particularly convincing, as well as persistent, since this "Elsa" didn't run away one time, but three times.  :)

And it all started with some braids.

Sick Days

I assume most people have seen the commercial that says "parents don't take sick days". Well, it's almost as hard for nannies to take sick days, I've discovered.  After all, a person's body doesn't usually give much warning before deciding to cross the line from healthy to sick. When the parents are counting on you, most of the time, you've just got to be there.  I've nannied when I was sick, and I've nannied when the kids were sick, and I've nannied when we were both sick.  Last weekend I did have to take a sick day, as I had what must have been a stomach bug.  This weekend, I have a cold, but with an extra day's rest I'm sure I'll be good to go. So, have a peaceful evening everyone, curl up with a blanket and a cup of tea, stay healthy, and have a good week.  Find a bit of joy every day!

Beginnings

Yes, it's time to start a new blog! Yay!

I've been a nanny for about 4 years now, and SO much has happened, I've experienced so much, learned so much, survived so much, and have gathered up so many fun and interesting stories about the kiddos (boys AND girls now)  that I just needed a place to put it all, and share it with you!  I'll try to post once or twice a week, sharing tips, fun quotes by the kids, crazy moments, etc. as well as fun ideas what to do with kids to prevent boredom or liven things up, let you know about great kids' books, movies, craft ideas, recipes, etc.

This is going to be a fun space!  I hope you enjoy hearing about My Life in Nanny Land!