Nanny for 2 kids F is a 2.5 (almost three) year old girl and M is a 23 month old boy.
7:00 - Arrive at work. Sometimes I am greeted by MB, DB or both who are eating breakfast, packing their lunches or sometimes still sitting in their pajamas and watching TV. We discuss anything of importance going on with the kids and go over any special instructions for the day. If no one is downstairs when I arrive, they'll catch me in the kid's rooms before they head out to work or leave me a note in my nanny book (a book where i keep track of my hours, when the kids get up in the morning, when and what they eat, when and how long they nap, if they needed any medication and when they took it and when they went down for the night).
7:15 - I go upstairs to F's room and try to peel her out of her bed to get ready for preschool (She and her brother are great sleepers and normally on the weekends will sleep a good 12-13 hrs and get up between 8-9 but preschool doesn't allow for it during the week). She's the worst in the mornings, it takes her a while to wake up and be her normal joyful self. I'm usually greeted by an, "Noooo, I hate preschool" upon entering her room. She actually loves preschool but she hates waking up, I explain to her there is a difference and carry her to the bathroom. She goes potty while i take her pajamas to the laundry room and gather any clean clothes for her and put them away. I go back to the bathroom to find her smiling from ear to ear because she pooped on the potty, a feat that we conquered with regularity about 3 months ago. It's been 3 months without an accident but she's still just as proud of herself and I play in to it and let her know she should be. I help clean her up and assist in helping her wash her hands and brush her teeth before heading back to her bedroom. F assists me in picking out her clothes and I aid in getting her dressed and doing her hair. I tell her she looks beautiful before she runs over to pick out princesses she wants to play with. I remind her she's going to preschool so she can pick out two to take on the car ride but she'll have to leave them in her car seat once she gets there.
7:25 - I head into the laundry room and grab any clean clothes for M before heading into his room. He is already awake (probably heard F and I walking around) and greets me with a smile while asking where F is. I tell him she's in her room picking out princesses and he requests that he wants Ariel and Prince Eric. F runs into M's room holding Hans and Snow White (Her normal choices as of late) and I ask her is M can play with Ariel and Prince Eric. She agrees and runs to her room to find them and tosses them on to the changing table with a, "Here you go M!" and continues to play and dance around in M's room. M yells a, "Thank you, F" back to her as I take off M's pajamas and change his diaper while making silly noise that he cracks up at. I hand F M's pajamas and ask her to to take them to the laundry room and put them in the hamper, she does so willingly. M helps me pick out his clothes and I get him dressed and brush his hair. I ask him who the most handsome boy in the world is and he points to himself and smiles before I kiss him on the forehead and put him on the ground.
7:35 - I head into the laundry room and switch over any laundry that had been started the night before and start a load of kid's laundry if there is enough. If not, I throw their laundry in and fill out the load with MB and DB's laundry. MB and DB's laundry is not part of the job description but I know it's a huge help so I usually try to make the time if possible.
7:40 - We get downstairs to find that MB and DB are ready to head out the door if they haven't already. They kiss F and M goodbye and tell them to have a fun day. I ask F and M what they want for breakfast, to which F replies that she isn't hungry. That is pretty standard so I move on to M and he requests eggs. I tell him we don't have time for eggs but that he can have them for lunch and he agrees and asks for french toast. He loves Eggo frozen cinnamon french toast which i pop in the toaster with a cinnamon waffle for F (she hasn't agreed to eat but she will and waffles are her favorite). I cut up some fruit and split a yogurt between their two plates. The toaster pops and i cut up the waffle and french toast while asking M and F to climb into their seats. I gather their water bottles and bibs while asking what color forks they want, F wants orange and M wants purple. M starts devouring his plate and is usually done in 10 minutes, while F is pokey and tells me she doesn't want yogurt. I tell her to eat as much of her plate as she can and to leave the yogurt if she doesn't want it.
7:50 - I grab shoes, coats (if needed), F's backpack and the diaper bag. I check her backpack to make sure it has a change of clothes and restock the diaper bag with diapers, pull ups, a change of clothes, snacks and full water bottles. M has finished his plate and I clean him and his chair up while asking him to carry his cup and fork to the counter. I follow with his plate and I rinse them and put them in the dishwasher while reminding F that she needs to eat or she will be starving when I pick her up for preschool. She giggles and responds with, "I'm starvinggggg", an imitation she does of me imitating her. I smile at her and point to her plate, she takes a bite of waffle and says, "Mmmmm delicious!", their new favorite saying.
8:00 - F is still picking at her food and I put her shoes on while she continues to eat. M's find his shoes and brings them to be begging for them to be put on too and I insist to him that he's next. I get M's shoes on and run upstairs to switch the laundry from earlier into the dryer and start a new load.
8:10 - I clear F's place and clean her up before starting the dishwasher. I put my wallet and water bottle in the diaper bad and grab F's backpack and head to the garage. I open the door and they kid's get excited when they see my blue car and F asks if we can listen to her CD. I tell her of course and ask her what song she wants to listen to. New Romantics by Taylor Swift, as always, and M asks to listen to Aladdin after. I strap them in their seats even though M insists that he can buckle himself him. I let him try while I buckle in F and put the backpack and diaper bag in the car, open the garage, start the car and put the CD in. By this point he asks for help and I strap him in and head for preschool.
8:30 - We arrive at preschool and I remind F that she needs to leave her Hans and Snow White in the car and we head inside. F is excited and drops her backpack and coat in the middle on the hall, I call after her to please come back and pick them up. I sign F in and talk to her teachers and some of the other kid's moms while F hangs her things up and M plays with the classroom train set. I retrieve M and we say goodbye to F and tell her we will see her in 3 hours.
8:45 - We are back in the car and ready to go, at this point our day changes depending on the day of the week. Mondays are usually set aside for grocery shopping and M doesn't mind, he loves to ride the 1 cent pony at the store and help me shop. Tuesdays are music classes where he sings, dances and plays with instruments, he talks a lot for his age (he's been a chatter box since about 16 months) so he loves this classes. Wednesdays is a free day but in the fall he will start a soccer class, which is going to be a huge hit! Thursdays is also a free day and it's usually spent at the park, the children's museum or at an indoor playground. Fridays are an open gym gymnastics program that will end in a few weeks as soon as the public schools are on summer vacation, more park days for us :)
9:00-11:15 - We do are scheduled activities or run errands and M has a good time. He loves going on car rides and singing a long to all of the songs on their cd. Anything that keeps him out of the house his a plus in his book. At 11:15 we head back to preschool to pick up F.
11:30 - We go inside and M can hardly contain his excitement, he loves his sister and is so excited to see her. I sign F out while he runs to F and gives her a big hug. F comes and sees me to ask if Hans and Snow White are still taking a nap in her car seat, I tell her they are still there and I ask her about her day at school. She tells me all about the book they read, what she played with and the craft that they did, which i pick up off the counter and put in her backpack. We chat with her teachers and the other moms before retrieving M from the train table again and we head home.
11:45 - On the drive home F informs that she is starving, guess how much I'm not surprised... I ask her what she wants for lunch and she tells me chicken nuggets, her favorite food as of late. I ask M is he still wants eggs or if he wants chicken nuggets too, he is set on eggs.
12:00 - We arrive at home and I unload them from the car. We head upstairs and I put away the diaper bag and F's back pack and ask them to take off their coats and shoes. I help M get his shoes off, though he is pretty sure he can do it alone and F asks for my help even though I know that she can do it herself. I put away coats and M's shoes and tell F to try to get her shoes off again. I help M wash his hands, hand him his water and he climbs up into his chair. I throw F's chicken nuggets in the microwave and start cooking M's eggs. F finally got her shoes off and puts them in the closet and I help her to the potty. I take the chicken out of the microwave to cool and cut up some fruit for the two of them and throw some turkey sausage in the microwave to go with M's eggs. F is done in the bathroom and I clean her up and wash our hands before sending her to the table. I plate the eggs and turkey sausage with some fruit and the chicken nuggets with some fruit and a cheese stick before handing it to them. I ask F is she wants water or "sparkle juice" (apple juice watered down with sparkling water) and she picks sparkle juice, of course. I hand her a cup reminding her that when it's gone she's done for the day so try to make it last. It's gone in less than 10 minutes and I give her water.
12:15 - I empty the dishwasher, restock the diaper bag, wash the pans I used and switch the laundry while the kids are eating. If the kids are still eating when I'm finished I'll eat my lunch with them. M loves to try anything that I bring for myself and usually loves it. F on the other hand is a little more apprehensive about it but will try stuff every now and again. I clean the kids up and wipe down the table and their chairs before loading the dishwasher.
12:45 - We head upstairs for nap time and I gather any clean clothes from this morning's laundry and put it away. We go in M's room first and I let him pick out some pajamas and get him changed after a quick diaper change. I give him his pacifier and grab his favorite blanket before sitting down in the rocker and the three of us sing Winnie the Pooh and The Reindeer Song from Frozen. Then I let him pick out a book to read, it's usually Oscar the Grouch or his Nanny book. We read his book and I lay him in his crib and tell him to have a good nap and I'll see him when we wakes up, he's out in less than 10 minutes.
1:00 - F and I head to her room and she picks up a pull up and pajamas. I change her and we sit in her rocker and read one of her favorite books. Lately her favorites are Tangled or The Lion King. The Lion King is my least favorite, its 96 pages and takes forever to get through but I've realized I can read every other page and the story stays the same. After we finish her book she asks to sing Winnie the Pooh just the two of us and I comply. I have her climb into her bed and she snuggles with her Rapunzel doll. I tell her to have a good nap and that I'll see her in a little while.
1:15 - I check on the laundry and continue to do finish as much as I can throughout their naps. If it's Monday I leave one load of laundry dirty to throw in with the kids wet swimsuits and towels when we get home. I make sure that the swim bang is stocked with their towels, shampoo, lotions, swim diapers and everything else for swim lessons. Usually this is a pretty free time, besides packing the swim bag and switching laundry, I'll vacuum the kitchen and dining room if I won't be here for dinner. If I'll be here for dinner then I'll wait and vacuum after that. Usually while waiting for the laundry to be done I'll sit on the couch and watch Criminal Minds on my phone and just relax.
3:00 - If it's a Monday I'll wake the kids up at 3 for swim lessons, if not, I let them sleep till 4. M gets woken up first since he is less cranky about having to wake up. I change him into a swim diaper and let him pick out his bathing suit, Sesame Street or Cars usually wins out. I dress him and ask him if he wants his rash guard or not, reminding him he will be inside and doesn't need it. He wants it on and tells me I'm silly for suggesting otherwise. I put any clean clothes from the laundry away, grab his clothes to throw in the swim bag and we go to F's room. F wakes up and is happy it's swim day, I have her go to the bathroom and I put away her clean laundry. I help her clean herself up, wash our hands and let her pick out her bathing suit, Ariel or pink stripes wins lately. I dress F in her bathing suit and put her clothes on over it reminding myself to grab her underwear to put in the swim bag for after swimming.
3:15 - We head downstairs and I throw M's change of clothes and F's underwear in the swim bag along with my wallet. I ask them both what they would like for a snack and remind them that they get to eat it in the car, always exciting for them. They debate on what to have while I put on their shoes. They both agree of yogurt melts and I pack them in no spill containers hoping that they will actually work :)
3:30 - We walk to the garage and go through the process of getting in the car. I put the swim bag in the trunk and let them both climb in while opening the garage and starting the car. I strap F in while M attempts to do it himself. He asks for help and I strap him in and we head to swim class.
3:45 - We arrive at swim class, scan in and get settled at a table. I take off F's shoes and clothes and put them in the swim bag while digging for her goggles. I retrieve them and ask if she needs to go potty before getting in the pool, she replies with, "No, I tell X" and i remind her that she can't tell me and she needs to tell her teacher, she agrees.
4:00 - We head into the pool and walk F over to her lane, she's excited to see her teacher and I tell her to have fun and learn a lot. M and I head out to the lobby and play while F swims. If this wasn't a Monday and we weren't at swim class I would be waking them up from their naps and getting them dressed, situated with a snack before heading the park. We'd play their for 45 minutes or so before heading downtown for an afternoon walk. We usually arrive home from our walks between 5:45-6:00.
4:25 - The deck supervisor come out to tell the parents that they can come and watch what the kids have learned today. I gather M and take his shoes off and hand him his goggles before grabbing F's towel and shampoo. We head over to F's lane and she's excited to show us what she's learned. I grab my phone and catch it on video to send to MB and DB. I tell her what a big girl she is and she is excited she learned so much and tells me all about it. Her teacher tells me all about her lesson and says she's gaining more confidence in the water. I wrap her in her towel and we head over to M's lane. I drop him off and hope that he doesn't scream and cry for me not to leave. We've been talking about going to swimming all day and that usually helps. He doesn't cry and I text MB to let her know that he is staying strong like a champ, she hopes he does the same for her next time she takes them. It seems he likes to scream and cry the entire class if MB takes him but only cries once in a while for me.
4:35 - F and I find an open shower and I wash her hair attempting to get all of the chlorine out of her pretty blonde hair, we really don't want green hair :) I dry her off and we head to a changing room and I get her dressed and have her use the bathroom. Once F is all changed we head to the blow drying station and dry her hair and put in back in a ponytail.
4:45 - We go back to the lobby and check on M who looks like he is still going strong. F and I play at our table and I sneak peeks of M when I can while sending MB updates. I learned from week 1 that if he can see me he starts to cry, better to be out of sight.
4:55 - The deck supervisor comes out again to tell the parents that they can come and watch what the kids have learned. I grab M's towel, the shampoo and F and I head inside. M starts to cry when he sees us and asks to get out of the pool. F insists to M that he is okay and I encourage him to show me what he learned today. He calms a little and I video him blowing bubbles and swimming with his teachers assistance. His teachers insist that he is getting better and only cried at the very end. I pull him out of the pool, wrap him up in a towel and hug him tight, telling him that I'm so proud of him for going to swim class. He assures me next week he won't cry.
5:05 - I sit F down on a bench near the showers and ask her to wait for me to shower M off. I wash M's hair and let him play for a few minutes, I swear this is his favorite part of swimming.
5:10 - I towel M off and we head out to a changing room, I dry M off and change him to a regular diaper and his clothes. I grab everyones wet items and throw them in a plastic grocery bag and toss it in the swim bag. I put away the shampoo and run a comb through M's hair before we head out the door.
5:25 - We head to the car and I let them climb in while putting the swim bag in the truck and starting the car. I strap them both in and we head home for dinner.
5:45 - We are home and upstairs (usually the time we are home from our afternoon walk if not a Monday, so at this point the schedule goes back to normal). We put their shoes and swim bag away and I grab the wet clothes out of the swim bag and head upstairs to start the last load of laundry. At this point I put the kids in their pajamas and throw their clothes from the day in with the last load so their is no laundry in the laundry room, it's a beautiful site and I know that MB feels the same. I change M into his pajamas from his nap and change his diaper if needed. I ask F to grab a pull-up out of her drawer and she debates over Rapunzel or Ariel. Finally she decides on Ariel and I put her in her pajamas from her nap.
6:00 - Usually this is when I would be getting off. I'd tell MB or DB, depending on who was home, that their is one load of laundry that needs to be switched to the dryer and that they can feel free to leave it and I'll fold it in the morning. I let them know what we did that day, how any lessons went, or any funny things that happened throughout the day. I let them know that the kids are ready for dinner and what they had for lunch so they can get some variety. But some days I work till 8 if DB is out of town and if MB has a late shift.
6:00 - I ask F if she needs to use the bathroom and we wash up for dinner. I ask them what they want and they insist on pasta. I cook the pasta while they free play in the living room. M runs into the kitchen every few minutes asking to see the pasta, so I lift him up and he watches it boil. A few minutes before the pasta is done I ask them to clean up their toys and climb in their chairs.
6:20 - Both kids are giggling at me from their seats and asking me for cheese of their pasta. I tell them there is cheese in the pesto sauce and stuffed into the tortellini with the chicken but they don't care so I sprinkle a little bit on top of their plates. While they eat I put the rest in tupperware and text MB to let her know that we made pasta if she wants the leftovers. I run upstairs and throw the load of laundry in the dryer.
6:30 - I do the dishes as the kids finish their plates and I ask them if they want anything else. M wants a mango applesauce pouch and F wants fruit snacks. I give M his applesauce and tell F that she can have fruit snacks if she eats a fruit or veggie first. She agrees on celery but only with peanut butter and I comply. She finishes her celery and M his pouch and they are both full. They carry their plates to me and I load them in the dishwasher after cleaning M and F's faces and hands.
6:45 - I wipe the table down and vacuum the dining room and kitchen while the kids decide on what movie to watch before bed. I let them know that they can also watch an episode of Sesame Street instead of a movie but they want to watch Ariel, again.
7:00 - I set up the movie and turn the lights down in order to get them settled. F sits in her chair and M waits for me to finish cleaning up so he can sit with me on the couch.
7:30 - M asks for his blanket so we venture upstairs and check on the laundry while were up their. It's dry so i turn off the dryer and M pulls everything out onto the floor and hands it to me. We fold everything and put the their things away before grabbing his blanket and heading back downstairs.
7:45 - F hasn't moved, she loves this movie. M and I settle in on the couch and he starts to drift to sleep. I try to keep him awake until MB comes home because I know she will want to see him for a little while before he goes to sleep. M falls asleep in my arms and I keep him downstairs knowing he'll wake up when MB walks in.
8:00 - MB comes home and F is so excited. She tells her all about her day and MB tells her she saw the video from swimming and what a great job she did. MB asks me about their day and I tell her everything went smoothly, the laundry is done and that the kids are ready for bed when she's ready to put them down. She asks if M is out and I tell her that he is and that I can put him to bed if she wants but she want to hold him for a few minutes and I can't blame her but he wakes up on the transfer. He is happy to see mom and they talk about his day until she is ready to take them both upstairs. I hug and kiss them both before saying I love you. F gives be a hug back and tell me "see you tomorrow" while putting in a request for me to paint her nails. M gives we about a hundred kisses and says "love you" before I give hand him a pacifier and give him back to mom and they head upstairs for bed. I write my hours and anything else I haven't written down yet in my nanny book, gather my things and head home.
