A Day in the LIFE 2015 #2

6:45 I wake up and put the coffee on, make the first bottle and leave it outside the parents door.
7:15 This is my official start time. I take over care of the 10 month old and 3 year old.  I make breakfast for the children and clean up the parent's mess. I am not a housekeeper and I don't get paid to do housekeeping, but the parents leave mail scattered everywhere, nursery school memos. I save what needs to be saved. Tack some things on bulletin boards, put other things in envelopes with labels like "needs signature" or "needs baby picture" or "needed $85 sign up fee.
8:00 After breakfast we hang out on the floor most mornings playing with sensory objects. I love to listen to music when playing with the children. Stravinksky and Rubinstein are on current rotation.
9:30 I put the baby down for a nap and get some one on one time with the 3 year old. Right now, we are into potions and doughs.  This morning we made Oodbleck which is tons of fun to play with, even for me.
10:00 The housekeeper arrives for her 10-2 shift. I stay out of her way, she out of mine. She speaks no English and this makes me happy.
10:30 After an hour, we get the baby up, usually feed him and go on an outing. During my initial interview the parents told me that we lived in NY, not Siberia, so with few exceptions, they want the children to get fresh air every day. Some days that means I take a walk to Grey's Papaya or Starbucks. This morning, we went to a park.  I chose a bench or sitting area near the three year old and park the little guy. He's not walking yet, so he stays in his stroller. The three year old exercises her independence and I can sit and coo to the baby. Sometimes I read to him. This morning we played with his sisters stuffed dogs, which she brought with her.
11:30 After an hour, my three year old says she is hungry and asks for an ice cream cone. I say no and insist we have lunch. She starts wailing that she wants ice cream. Her brother looks at her with big wide eyes. I give her two minutes to express her feelings, cry and scream. When she pauses, I ask her, "do you want to go home for lunch or to Subway?" She says Subway. She always choses subway.
12:00 We sit in a booth at Subway and share a foot long cheese and vegetable on 9 Grain Bread. I drink a diet soda and she drinks and they both drink organic juice from my Nanny backpack. Lunch is short and we are on our way home by 12:20.  My three year old asks again if she can have an ice cream cone. I promise her we will get ice cream on the way home from school.
12:55 After a quit change and some hair combing, we are off to her private preschool program. It is 2 hours and 10 minutes per day. For this ride, I put both children in the double stroller and head off. It's just easier to not get distracted and helps with the routine of getting out and saying good-bye. For the first three months, she cried when I dropped her off. She seems to love it now.
1:25 I am home now, changing and readying my little for his afternoon nap. I always read to him. I read him a story and lay him down under his mobile. He goes to sleep easily. He is a good baby.
1:40 I am in the kitchen making a sandwich from last night's leftovers, meatballs on a sub roll with some cheese. I put it on a paper plate and grab a bag of chips and bottle of water and baby monitor. The housekeeper who works until 2, never does. She is gone. I take my plate to my room.
1:55 My boyfriend arrives for his lunch hour. We greet and I usher him in to my room. We talk about the day as he eats the lunch I have prepared. We don't always have sex, but we have a lot sex today. He asks if he can take a shower before he goes back to work. I agree and we take a quick shower. I redress in a different outfit because it's warmer than it was this morning.
2:45 My boyfriend is out the door. I get on my IPAD and surf the internet. I'm looking for the perfect dress for a friend's May wedding and a tap class for three year olds. I find neither and flip on CNN.
3:00 The baby is still sleeping,but I wake him so we can walk to pick up his sister from school. I make a bottle and throw some things in my backpack.
3:25 We pick up his sister and she reminds me of the ice cream. We stop for an ice cream cone. She chooses plain strawberry on a cake cone. I choose vanilla frozen yogurt so I can share it with the baby.We stop for ten minutes so she can run around a smaller playground. She seems tired. On the way home she tells me I should have brought the stroller. She starts to whine.
3:50 We are home and the three year old is on the sofa watching PBS. She will last five minutes before her eyes close. I don't let her sleep for more than 1/2 hour.
4:30 The baby is rolling around the floor and often into our candy land game. When she gets bored with candy land, we get out a deck of sight word cards. This little girl is super bright. She loves to learn. We read some stories together and then we make up one of our own.  I start a sentence and she finishes it, adding in the details that suit her best.
5:15 I put the baby in his Exer-saucer and sit the three year old at the counter while I make dinner. I broil salmon and make boil in a bag brown rice. I cut up orange and red peppers and slice some pineapple and strawberries. At 545, the three of us sit down together.  The baby has his own eating regime, but we are at the table together.
6:15 The three year old helps me clear the table. We load the dishes in the dishwasher.
6:30 I put both children in the bath tub together and give them a bath. They play for 1/2 hour. I dress them for bed.
7:15-7:45 When the parents come home, we usually have a Disney movie on in the family room. They usually eat after the children go to sleep but for the next hour or so, they will spend some dedicated time with their children. They thank me for the day. I retire to my room to make plans for the evening, only to repeat the entire day again in the morning.
*E is a 23 year old live-in Nanny in the NYC area. She has been with her current family for 14 months and grosses $865 per week, with all taxes paid by her employers.

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