I SAW YOUR NANNY

By Anonymous Nanny
A Day in the Life of a Live-In…..

7:00 – Get up and come downstairs to help MB get kids ready for school. Pull out iron and begin ironing clothes picked out the night before. Give to E & C a piece at a time while they are “warm” so they can put them on immediately. (you have no idea how many times I have ironed underwear, simply for the fact that they want them warmed up before putting them on)
7:15 – Throw toast or bagel in the toaster for E & C. Pour a bowl of cereal for youngest, G, with a glass of milk on the side (so it doesn’t get soggy). Finish breakfast for E & C, call them to let them know it’s ready.
7:24 – Let the dogs outside.
7:25 – E & C come downstairs and eat breakfast while I pull out their jackets and get their backpacks ready for them, making sure all homework is in there.
7:35 – MB comes downstairs, I give kisses to E & C as they head out the door with MB for school.
7:40 – Go upstairs with bowl of cereal and milk and wake G by snuggling into her ear with kisses and whispers. G wraps her arms around my neck as she slowly awakes from her slumber (this is, by far, my very favorite part of any day). She smells of delicious sleep and watermelon shampoo.
7:55 – G finally relents and we drag ourselves out of the bed. First stop, the potty. Her nighttime pull-up is still dry, wahoo!
8:00 – Pour milk in G’s cereal, she eats as I iron her clothes and help her put them on a piece at a time, do her hair and help her brush her teeth.
8:15 – G and I make our way downstairs and let the dogs in. G puts on her jacket and we talk about what she is going to do in school today while I feed the dogs.
8:30 – Out the door, we are on our way to school.
8:50 – Arrive at school, we go in, hugs and kisses, G runs off to play with her friends.
9:20 – Back home. Let the dogs back out. Tidy up kitchen from breakfast while eating my own breakfast. Pick up pajamas from the morning, make all beds (including MB’s) and tidy up the house as needed. Throw work-out clothes on in hopes of getting a quick 30 min jog on the treadmill today.
9:50 – Let dogs back in, start a load of laundry on my way to the treadmill.
10:00 – Hop on the treadmill with my ipod and a killer playlist.
10:15 – School calls, C forgot her _______, needs me to bring it to her right away. Oh well, at least I got half a jog.
10:30ish – Out the door with said forgotten item after a quick shower. Sippy cup, goldfish, and dry cleaning in hand. MB calls while I’m in the car. Add stop at store to pick up stuff for dinner and shoe repair store to pick up DB shoes to today’s list.
10:45 – C’s forgotten item dropped off, headed to finish remaining errands for the morning.
11:25 – Back at school to pick up G, dry cleaning dropped off, shoes in the back seat. Greet G on the playground and watch her do the monkey bars, 3 times. She’s so proud of herself as I cheer her on.
11:35 – Headed to the grocery store while G eats her goldfish and tells me about her day at school. She painted a picture and had storytime. We sing the ABC’s, and she remembers almost all of the letters.
11:45 – At the store. Pork chops, fresh green beans, corn, rice, salad and more milk. (we typically go to the store for dinner stuff every day, rather than shop in advance. MB prefers this, as the food is “fresher” this way, I don’t argue).
12:30 – Home again, groceries unloaded, dogs back outside. G watches her favorite TV show while I make her lunch and change the laundry.
12:45 – G eats lunch and we talk about random things like why cat’s have rough tongues while I get the afternoon bags ready. We talk about weather we want to go swimming at the club this afternoon , or go to the Zoo since it’s a nice day. We settle on the Zoo. Diaper/activity bag, check. Soccer bag for C, check. Chaps, boots, jeans and helmet for E, check. Let the dogs back in.
1:15 – Throw the bags in the car. The Zoo is only a couple blocks away, so we decide to take the stroller and walk. MB calls to remind me that she has a hair appointment after work, and that C needs to wash her hair tonight, then she talks to G about how her morning went at school. We have a great afternoon at the Zoo, the Lemurs are out today, and we got there in time to see the elephant show (which we’ve seen a hundred times). G falls asleep in the stroller on the way home, so I walk slow, and then let her continue to snooze while I swap the laundry again, and let the dogs back out for a quick potty.
3:25 – Off to pick up E from school. G is a little cranky about getting woken from her cat nap. Dora fruit snacks quickly fix that problem. C has soccer practice so we drop her bag off as we pick up E, headed to the riding ring for her lesson.
3:45 – E tacks up for her lesson, I remind G not to run through the barn, she might scare the horses. We settle in the viewing room to watch E’s lesson. E does great, as she always does, she’s a natural. I text a couple nanny friends to see if they want to plan a playdate this week while G builds a giant wall out of wooden blocks. I am not allowed to enter her new domain. I say please, but the answer is still no.
4:50 – E is done, horse is untacked, cleaned, and put away. Headed home, we pick up C from soccer on our way.
5:10 – Everyone at the kitchen island working on homework. Dogs back outside. I start making dinner while homework is being finished up. G helps me wash and spin the salad in the salad spinner and then asks for a wet rag to “clean” with. She proceeds to wipe the cupboards, the fridge, the fish tank (note to self: windex the fish tank later).
5:45 – Homework is done and checked, spelling words gone over, dogs back in, dinner is almost ready. E sets the table for me, G is still “cleaning” and decides to wipe the dogs down because they are “yucky”.
6:00 – DB is home, hugs and kisses, we all sit down to eat dinner. MB will be late tonight, I make her a plate of food for later. We quiz states and capitols over dinner, and end up telling fart jokes with DB, since MB is not around to disapprove of such talk. :o)
6:40 – All 3 kids head upstairs with DB for some special time with him while I clean up from dinner and start the dishwasher, windex the fish tank, unload the day’s activity bags, and feed the dogs. I grab the clean laundry on my way up the stairs.
7:00 – Put G in the tub while I sit with her and fold laundry. We decide to go to the pottery painting place tomorrow. C’s birthday is coming soon and she wants to make her a fish, or a frog, or a cat. Tough decision. MB comes home, G wants to get out and go see her. I wrap her in a towel, which is quickly discarded as she runs down the hall. I put the laundry away as I tell E & C to hop in the shower, reminding C to wash her hair tonight. C ignores me, she’s watching TV.
7:45 – E has picked out her clothes for tomorrow, and is nearly done in the shower. I tell C to go hop in the shower….again, I am ignored….again.
7:50 – Turn the TV off, and tell C she needs to hop in the shower NOW. She grumbles and scowls at me as she heads off to get in the shower. “Wash your hair” I remind her as she shuffles down the hall.
8:00 – Chat with MB about the day, and tell her about our plan to do pottery tomorrow. She is taking E to the dentist after school so I will only need to pick up C.
8:20 – Hugs and kisses for E, C, and G. They are ready to go to bed, I am ready to go back upstairs to my cave. It’s been a long day. I let the dogs out and remind DB to let them back in. I get a “Goodnight” and “Thank You” from both parents as I climb the stairs to the 3rd floor. I smile, knowing I will probably be asleep before the kids.