My Initiation

The family whose son I watch during the week call me their nanny.  I haven't ever called myself that with any other family I have worked for, but I suppose it's true.  I have a schedule 4 days a week with them.  They don't have to call me and tell me when to come over and I don't knock on the door or ring the door bell when I come in.  I just come in.  That's mostly because they aren't usually there when I get there.  I also do light house work for them and I wash their son's bedding and clothes weekly.  I know what foods he will eat and not eat.  I know how to put him to bed and know when he is ready for bed by the look on his face.  I could even tell you his evening poop schedule.  Don't worry, I'll spare you the details.

So I guess that makes me a nanny.  I'll take it.

Today Jacob, their son, decided to initiate me in to the nannying world by throwing up all over me.  And when I say all over me...I literally mean all over me.  It was on him too, and the floor, and the area rug, and the couch, my clothes, his clothes, his hair, everywhere.  One minute everything was fine.  We were discussing some very deep philosophical principles of Sponge Bob Square Pants, and the next minute I was covered in vomit.  We were covered.

His dad walked in about 60 seconds later.  He was already stripped down at that point and I was running his bath water.  He was hysterical, shaking, and drooling.  I was trying to be calm and soothing as I rushed but he just screamed.  He screamed in the bath too (which only lasted about 60 seconds total) and as I put him in his pajamas.  When we came out to the living room again his dad was cleaning up the vomit that I had left there when it all went down.  I rocked Jacob as best I could, trying not to get any of the vomit still on me, on his clean pajamas.  I gave him to his dad when he was done and I changed.  It just so happened I had brought my workout clothes with me, which I was going to change into anyways.  Thankfully not sooner.

Parents will tell you it's a smart idea to bring a change of clothes for your toddler when you are out and about.  They are the best at soiling their clothes, whether it be with bodily fluids or with mud or whatever.  They are little tiny professional at this task.  I would like to add that I discovered first hand that it is also smart to bring along a change of clothes for everyone involved.  Cause you just never know.

Thanks Jacob for the lesson.  The sounds, smells, and sights of it all have been tattooed on my memory.

Good thing you're so cute.  :)

Retail Therepy

I have been wanting to buy new makeup for some time now.  My current makeup is old and almost gone and I just wanted to switch up some of my colors.  I decided to go to Target to buy new stuff. I knew it wasn't going to be cheap to buy all new makeup, but I felt like Target would give me some good stuff without vastly overcharging me.

I was having sort of a sucky day when I had planned to replace my makeup.  I should just tell you that being in a bad mood and going to target are not good combinations for your wallet.

So I went to target and picked out some new makeup.  I expected to spend about $60 total.  But then I got caught in the dollar isle.  Then I decided to try on some clothes.  That made me more depressed.  Before I left, I found myself in the shoe isle.  That was my downfall.

New makeup, several dollar items, and 4 pairs of shoes later.  I was checking out with 200 less dollars in my pocket.  Yeah.  200!

I have been thinking of returning the two pairs on the right.  I have worn the two on the left already and I love them.  We will see.

Also, you see that lipstick in the top picture?  Yeah.  That was my bold purchase.  I got my inspiration from my good friend Amy who rocks bright red lipstick on occasion.  I thought why not?

Red lipstick rocks!

So there you have it.  Stay away from Target on bad days.  ha!

It's All Relative

The past few months have found me busy with lots of things to do.  Too much to do probably.  I have discovered amongst the craziness of it all, that I get done as much as I want to get done.  I prioritize things and I get done as much as I decide to do that day.  That may seem obvious to you, but when life is busy you feel like you "don't have time" for anything.  That's not really true.  You have time for what you make time for.

The past few months I have been "making time" for work, nannying, babysitting (for other families), a painting certification course, dieting (it takes time, trust!), working out, sleep (I guess), speaking in church, teaching RS (sunday school), institute class, family history class, a second (church) calling, making food (for said institute class), hanging out with friends...etc.

I thought I was busy.  There were moments when I thought, I just don't want to do this much anymore. I'm tired.  There were times when I thought, I can't do this.  Life is funny when you make statements like I can't.  It tests your limits sometimes.  It makes you see that you are much more capable than what you had previously thought.  I discovered this most recently when I got a text from a friend asking if I would watch her dog for the next week while she was out of town.  She seemed desperate and I don't really say no to people unless I genuinely cannot do what they are asking of me.  I clarified that this dog could go 8 hours without being let out to go to the bathroom.  Arrangements were made and 30 minutes later a white fluffy dog was at my apartment sniffing all the nooks and crannies.

A few months back I was sitting around talking with someone about jobs and finances when he said to me, "I am just now getting comfortable with what I make..."  I remembering thinking, if I only made what you make, I would be living the high life.  Before I could even make a face at him, he finished his thought, saying, "...for the life I have built.  It's all relative."  I have thought about that phrase several times since then.  He is comfortable with what he makes.  I would feel rich making that much.  And someone else who struggles to make much more than minimum wage would kill for my current salary.

I am just beginning to discover that we have the lives we build for ourselves.  Sure life can help you out with great experiences or opportunities.  You could be blessed with some amazing talent or ability.  Or life could be constantly handing you a crappy hand that has surely been stacked against you for some time now.  But in the end we all get to choose the life we make for ourselves.  We pick up the cards we have and we play the best we can with what we've got.  We create our own attitudes towards our situations.  We react how we choose to react.  We smile as much as we choose to smile.  We remember our blessings as often as we choose to remember them.

So I had this dog that I was now caring for who was making my life busier.  I was having to make multiple trips home a day in between my jobs and working out.  I was really beginning to resent living on the 3rd floor and just how tiring it is to walk up and down 36 steps a dozen times a day.  I was (for the first time since living here) annoyed with some distant neighbor who was letting their dog (faintly) bark at 1 am which was making "my" dog bark at 1 am and causing very little sleep to happen among anyone.  I didn't want to have to pick up poop from my floor or run up the 3 flights of stairs only to throw my stuff down, strap a lease to a dog and run back down the stairs and then pick up more poop from the grass.

I remember multiple times telling a friend that all I wanted was my busy life back sans dog.  Funny how the "busy" before was all I wished for after I got busier.

The dog did go home eventually and I felt relief for being back to my 14 hour work days and nothing else.