Trouble

Not too long ago it seems, i worked for a young family of a 9 month old little girl who was sweet as pie. I fell instantly for her and couldn’t wait to nurture her, teach her and watch her grow…unfortunately her parents were immediately strange about the whole arrangement  but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

I thought things were odd immediately when I was asked to  use the back door only on my very first day. I assumed it was because the front door was broken or stuck….but no….everyone else I would come to realize used the front door, and I was to use the back door.
I came and went and did my job with nary a complaint even though it was awkward….mom and dad were always both home even though they were supposed to be working partly from home and partly from their work places. I never showed any sign of any feeling except utter joy to spend time with this little angel, even though it made it very hard for me to do my job as they kept grabbing her from me, and discouraging us from bonding.
Everyday they meddled more, and even though I followed their ‘written’ schedule/rules for their daughter to a ‘T’ they constantly suggested to me that I wasn’t doing it right…I started to feel very frustrated but kept on.

This went on for months….

Then one day, it was a Monday, I had come into work with a couple of cloth books that I had spotted on the weekend on sale…I immediately let baby play with them and she loved them…we had our usual day…filled with lots of giggles and love.

At 5:30 promptly, Dad came down to relieve me which wasn’t uncommon if Mom was busy, except this time I caught a quick glance of an envelope he had in his hand,  labeled ‘goodbye’ which he handed to me with a smile and wished me a good night…

Put on my coat and boots, scarf, hat and gloves, wished them a great evening and off I went with a sour taste in my mouth and a sudden uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. I got just far away enough from the house and couldn’t wait any longer to see what was in the envelope. Took off my gloves and ripped open the envelope.

A note:

“(my name) it has been lovely meeting you and our daughter has grown very attached to you, you seem to have a very special gift. However at this time I feel very jealous of your relationship with my daughter and feel as though you bought her new toys to hint at us that we are incompetent parents.”
Find enclosed two weeks pay,
we wish you well,
good bye
(Family)

I cried all the way home my tears freezing to my face…

I had never experienced anything like this in all my 20+ years of working with children and their families, I was shocked! and yet had known all along that something was off…it was the little things….
In time I came to realize….they just weren’t ready.

Have you had any similar incidences you’d like to share?

urban nanny

And so another weekend is done…

I trust everyone had a fabulous weekend, took time out for themselves, enjoyed time with family and friends and maybe even rewarded your hard work with something nice for yourself.

I managed to fit in all of the above and then some!

Just as the meme suggests, one of my favourite things about my job especially on those “hard to get out of bed monday morning blahs” is looking forward to all the snuggles and excitement when I walk through the door and am face to face with my darling, smiley, excited to begin a new week, twin charges.

It really does make it a great start to every week doesn’t it?!

I’d like to know…how do you get through the monday morning ‘blahs?’
Have a great week friends!

thanks for stopping in!
urban nanny

The Best Me…

The Best Me…

Being the best we can be takes work…and it’s work, because if you’re anything like me, you work anywhere from 40-50 hours a week or more and then come home and run errands, grocery shop, do laundry, cook dinner, clean up, parent your own children by helping with homework etc…and that’s just the average week night.

Then the weekend comes around and it’s pretty much all the above mentioned, with the added, social obligations, shopping with the kids, visiting parents/ in-laws and trying to get in some couple time…

It’s no wonder we feel tired and overworked sometimes!

What I have had to work on over the years  is taking care of me…FIRST… When I set aside time for myself daily/weekly, it helps me re-group, re-energize, and re-focus myself.
Daily, when my charges ( the twins ) nap I carve out a half hour for myself to eat my lunch (chewing slowly) make a cup of tea, meditate, stretch or just read a few pages of a good book before I get into the tots laundry, clean up, and set up for afternoon activities,  This half hour (although truth be told sometimes is only about 20 minutes) is a wonderful way to re-gain some patience and calmness, I couldn’t do my job well, without it.

Some days however, I don’t get that break, life happens.  This just means that I have to make even more of an effort to fit that half hour in for myself at the end of the day. Now that my kids are in their teens, and my husband has become quite proficient in the kitchen over the years, things have gotten a little easier. I am home last, so dinner is usually started or waiting for me, it’s a big help! I sink into a tub or take a shower and then either head out to the local coffee house or the health food store for some treats, or a book store ( my favourite!) for some relaxing “me” time. If I don’t feel like heading out, a little reading, sewing/knitting is great for the soul. The kids both do their own laundry and aren’t attached to my apron strings…it’s alot easier these days.

Twice a week I pop into the gym…it helps shake off any negative energy and makes me feel like Wonder Woman. REALLY! it does…

And then…the weekends….the glorious…fabulous…how I look forward to them, weekends.
It all starts by sleeping in until 8 am….CRAZY I know! 🙂 Followed by breakfast sitting down, not forced down my throat on the go like every other day and then some cleaning, organzing, catching up on loose ends, planning curriculum for the tots for the following week, some laundry and then…SHOPPING! or a movie…or a bookstore…or lunch/dinner with hubby or friends/family.

Sounds wonderful doesn’t it!? Trust me when I say, it wasn’t always like this. There have been years where I didn’t know if I was coming or going. Nannying, raising my own kids, doing it all…I was stubborn, I never asked for help and I wanted everything to always be PERFECT!….DUMB!  It took me a looooooonnnnngggg time to learn and figure it out. It was well worth it. No matter how much I wanted to be great at my job and great at being a mom, wife, friend, daughter…I found it really hard to give them all my very best. I was spread way too thin.
I know everyone is in different situations… just remember it takes work, and planning but most of all you have to want it, love yourself enough to be good to yourself.
Make this your ‘mantra’
“It’s good to take care of ‘me’ and know that when I do,  I am the best that I can be.”

How do you juggle it all? How do you manage to carve out ‘me’ time?

thank you for coming by!
urban nanny

Welcome!

Glad you stopped by! I will visit often and share with you the good days and not-so-good days, the exciting adventures, and new crafts…and let’s not forget all the learning we’re doing through it all!

So, grab your beverage of choice, take a load off and enjoy the always fun days in the life of an Urban Nanny.

See you soon!