Bribery

When my sister found out that I had taken this nanny position, she had a few tips for me. Tips that I have learned are very useful.

1. Pick your battles. Every issue is not life-altering. Some things can slide, others cannot. Know the difference.
2. Stay busy. Plan crafts, play dates, and parks! You know, the whole "Idle hands are the devil's playground" (She didn't use that phrase, for the record).
3. Bribery works.

Let me tell you: that last one is gold. Take it to the bank! When I started this job, I was anticipating saying things like "if you eat all your chicken, you can have a cupcake later!" and "if you finish your chores, you can watch a tv show!" Here's something I didn't anticipate: "If you go potty right now, I'll let you leave those pants on your head. If you stand here and argue with me, I'm going to make you take those pants off your head and you will still go potty!" He went potty immediately.

Whatever works, right?

The Purse Game

I've heard before that the contents of a woman's purse can tell you a lot about her life... So let's talk for a second about my purse. Brace yourselves.

-- Fossil wallet. Very cute and functional. Good start.
-- Day planner. If you know me at all, this doesn't surprise you. I LIVE by my day planner.
-- Lotion that smells like a grandma. I hate the smell, but it's travel size, and it was free. I'll stink for soft hands.
-- Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. If I'm ever stuck in a line at the DMV, I'm ready. I have no plans to go to the DMV, but I'm prepared.
-- 2 chapsticks. Same brand. I'm not really sure what happened. I might have stolen one of them accidentally. If you're missing chapstick, it was me. I'm sorry. And thanks.
-- A dozen coupons, some of which I have no intention of using. I've started couponing, and it may be getting out of hand. "A dollar off men's shampoo?? I'll take it!"
-- 4 different kinds of medicine. My entire family has an allergy problem. I'm prepared for any sort of symptom. The Benedryl is particularly important.
-- Baby socks. No, I don't have any kids of my own.
-- Headphones... And nothing to plug them into. Why not?
And last:
-- Toothpaste. No toothbrush, just the paste.

Now I'm wondering what this says about my life... Anyone else want to play and make me feel better about myself?

My Life These Days

I've been really busy lately, and haven't had a whole lot of time to myself. That's why I haven't been blogging. I'll try to do better. This week, my sister let me take Little L's 1 year pics, and Sweet T's 3 year pics. It was so much fun! Here's a tease (Keep in mind, I'm not a pro):

This was before we started officially shooting, but I love the face!

SUCH a cutie!

If you can't tell, I love these boys! My sister took this one.

The idea for this picture came from Pinterest. I LOVE Pinterest.

Yoga-itis/Whooping Cough...

I've been sick for a solid week. It started really bad, and I'm now to the point where I can spend most of the day off the couch/bed (I did take a nap today when the kids did, though...). I still have this nagging cough, runny nose, and low energy, though. The coughing is accompanied now by a sharp pain to the rib cage. Awesome. I have realized that the only position that decreases the pain to my ribs is this yoga position:

Yep, that's right. I am currently lying on my bed in a similar position. Move the arms up, and raise the head, and you've got me right now. Of course, to cough, I'm in full yoga mode. There's the exercise I've been missing this past week (ok, and the previous month...)!

Another side effect of this illness-- earlier bed time. In the past few years, I've had the "What in the world did we do after 10 pm every night in college??" conversation numerous times. I've upped the ante, folks: "What in the world did I do up after 9 last week??"... I am a grandma. A yoga-ing, sweat pant wearing grandma. And I'm embracing it. Bring on the bifocals!

Anyway, My boss went to the doctor last week because of a sinus infection. He gave her an antibiotic that has done nothing to heal her. She got a call today. The family went on vacation with her cousin a few weeks ago... He was diagnosed today with Pertussis (whooping cough). She's getting tested on Saturday to see if she has it. We're praying she doesn't (and that I don't) since there's a baby in the house. If she has it, I'll get tested. Until then, I'm quarantined.

Boys: Gross

I got out-poop storied today... True story. Only one person should have a poop story per day. Today was my day. Or so I thought!
I've started my new position as nanny to 2 little boys and I'm loving it so far. One is 3 (B-- potty trained), and the other is 9 months (little T--clearly not potty trained). So fun!
Today, I had a screaming baby on my hip for 2 hours straight. Thankfully, it was during B's nap time... As I'm walking, I hear "Miss Stacy... I pooped in my underwear" coming from upstairs. Of course you did. I only have one hand to take care of this. Apparently this hasn't happened in a long time before today...
As I called my sister to tell her about it, I hear this on the other line: "What is on your hand? Tell me that is not poop on your hand! Oh my goodness! That is poop on your hand!"
Her child found his way into the bathroom and decided to play in the toilet... While it had the 3 year old's poop in it... She wins. I bought her a caramel frappuccino as her prize. She deserves it. Her kid plays in his brother's poop.
Boys: Gross.

Love/Hate

I've heard about this game from a few different places: you're given a category, and you have to decide if you love or hate it. Since there's a lot going on right now, and none of it is particularly funny, I'm going to play this game.

• New job- complete with newly crawling baby and story loving 3 year old-- love




• The virus that has kept me in bed for over 24 hours-- hate




• The fact that I have an excuse to lie in bed and watch movies/sleep all day-- love




• Nephew's first birthday-- love




• Progress (or lack thereof) on my bucket list-- hate




• Bananas-- hate




• This blog-- love




• This game-- love (sometimes, I make my boyfriend play with me. He secretly loves it, too.)

Irene

Well, I'm sure you've all heard all about (experienced) Hurricane Irene... She, in true female fashion, was quite the drama queen. Had everyone preparing for her arrival (a friend and I were actually making fun of over-enthusiastic milk purchasers and the bread aisle in the grocery stores were empty). Much like most dramatic women, her bark was worse than her bite (at least here).

In all honesty, though, I'm so thankful for the Lord's protection. We've made it through two natural disasters in the past week with minimal damage. If that isn't the hand of the Lord, I don't know what is! Don't forget to say a quick prayer of thanks today, because the damage was expected to be so much worse across the east coast.