2015 Day in the Life, #16

6:00-6:30 Up with baby first feed of the morning.
6:30-7:15 Lay back down, sleep.
7:15-7:30 Shower and dress
7:30 Wake up 10 year old, help him pick out clothing, put toothpaste on his toothbrush, soap on a washrag, set out his comb. Leave him alone.
7:35 Making breakfast for the whole family. Usually bacon and eggs or sausage and eggs. The parents usually leave the house with it on a roll or bagel.
7:55 Pack lunch and snack in bakpack. Make sure homework is there. Watch out window for bus. Send child out as bus is approaching.
7:55-8:30 The parents usually leave by 8, but sometimes, not until 8:30. At 8:30, the baby usually wakes back up. Until then, I sit and read the paper and eat breakfast and drink coffee.
8:40 The baby is up and the parents are definitely gone. Alternate playing with baby, giving baby cereal, starting both child's laundry, cleaning kitchen, baby in swing, singing to baby, mopping floor, etc.
9:45 Voice, "Is the coast clear" from the basement. I answer in the affirmative. My best friend Ellie has been staying with me for three weeks since getting fired from her job. She probably would have a job by now if the firing hadn't totally trashed her self esteem. She comes in the kitchen in my sweatpants and Notre Dame shirt. I ask her to make me a frozen coffee. She knows her way around the Espresso machine and the kitchen in general and in no time, I am sipping a frothy energizing beverage. "What's on today's agenda?" She asks, I respond, "fruit shopping, party supplies for Hubby's 40th,  going to Pool Store to get floats and toys for the pool, same old. She smiles and says, "Let me get dressed, Today could be the day".
10:30 The baby, Ellie and I are out running errands. Ellie is great with children and coos and plays with her while I select masculine decorations and sporty pooltoys.  I spy a giant metallic double raft and suggest to Ellie that I get this so we can tan during the afternoons. She agrees. I finish errands with my trunk loaded. I ask Ellie if she is coming home with me. "No, she says, I've got my binder". She's looking for a job, but she doesn't want to nanny again. She can't stand the horror of being owned by another and kicked out of their home. "Where should I drop you?" I ask. We agree that I will drop her at the Train Station. "Text me later and let me know," I say.
12:30 I am home unloaded the car with the baby. The baby is growing sleepy, but I want to stay up through her afternoon feeding and get good and full and get a good nap in. If she doesn't she will be cranky all afternoon. I've taken care of a lot of babies and she's easily one of the best.
1:00 I finish laundry and run the sweeper through the downstairs.I empty the garbage cans throughout the house and carry out the garbage. I put a pork loin in the over with new potatos and slices onions. I make a tossed salad and seal it in an airtight container. I decide to do a desert of German chocolate brownies. I make the 8 x 8 size and a tiny tray for Ellie. She doesn't ask for anything, but it's easy to feed her from leftovers and family supplies. Since she's in the city now, she'll probably grab a late lunch. Still, I make her a ham and cheese sandwich on 7 grain bread with Belgian mustard and put it in a ziploc. I through a clementine, a granola bar and a can of pepsi in a bag and carry it downstairs to my mini refrigerator.
2:40 The baby has slept so long that when the bus pulls up, she is still down. I always go with the rules of the parents. Some parents sleep train so the day schedule is regulated. This mother wants her down after first feeding in the morning and lunch and doesn't want her woken unless it's necessary.
It's a beautiful, sunny day outside. I stand in front of the front door and wave to the bus driver. 10 year old comes running up to the house. He always wants to know what day it is. "Is today Hockey? Is today soccer?" No today is free day. He double fist pumps and bounds in the house. "Homework first" I call. A rocket scientist in the making, he quickly and accurately plows through four sheets of homework and files it away in it's designated pocket. He shouts, "I'm going to Max's" I ask, "eat something first". He shakes his head, "Not hungry" and runs out the door. I'm sure he is hungry, but this is his one truly free day and he's not about to let snack detract from that.
3:10 The baby is up. I play with the baby on the floor. We listen to cute songs. We play with big balls. I make funny noises.
3:30 10 Year old has missed his first check in. I pick up baby, put her in the umbrella stroller and stroll down the street to Max's. I see 10 year old with a group of boys and a boomerang. Max sees me and runs toward me. "I was just coming, I swear". He says. "Okay, now you have a 20 minute window", if you miss the next check in, you're coming in. He sighs in agreement. These kids are good. He won't miss his next check in. He doesn't he checks in in twelve minutes. "How was that" he asks. "Very good, early. We'll restart the clock for 1/2 hour" I say as he backs out the front door.
4:15 I am outside swinging the baby in the her little swing on the swingset. I take a snapshot of her and text it to her Mom.  She immediately texts back, "I love it! Not feeling well, home by 5". I text Ellie and let her know. She informs me she won't be back by five. I tell her to take the train and walk to the Grill and we'll have dinner there.
5:05 The mom is home. She says she feels terrible. I offer her to stay. I am no hurry, I say. She asks how far dinner is and I let her know everything is ready to go. The table is set. She says, "no need to stay, I just want to lay down with "baby". I let her k now 10 year old is at Max's. I also let her know I will stop and let Max know that the clock is reset and he needs to check in with his mom by 5:35. She thanks me. I tell her I am going out for dinner and ask if she needs anything. She doesn't. I leave.
5:45 Ellie and I are having Daquiries and calamari.The bar side of the restaurant starts to fill up with lonely thirtysomethings and 40 and 50 year olds with shrill wives. How do I know? I've heard. Yes, truth. These men do not talk well of their wives. We are invited to join a group for a round. We thank them and leave. We decide to go see a movie.
9:50 I pull into the nanny spot in the three car garage. The garage is dark. I get out and walk to the mudroom which is just inside the garage door entrance. It's dark. Both cars are in. I indicate Ellie should come now. She comes in.. I check inside once again and send her down to the dark basement where my nanny suite is.
10:00 I lay in bed and watch TV. Ellie uses my computer to look for jobs. In the distance, a fire truck wails.
:) Nanny for 11 months in White Plains, NY.

Send your #dayinthelife submissions to isynblog@gmail.com.

The Nanny, the Thief and the Bracelet.

   

I have a very difficult situation. I am not a highly paid nanny and I need my job and cannot lose this job. I work in the Park Slope area and make $10 an hour cash. I live out. I have three roommates at my home. My boss never addressed having company at her house, and I never considered it until I was out and ran into a roommate getting ice cream with my charge. We walked back to my boss's townhouse together. She came in and had some water and played a bit with my charges and I. That was three months ago.      Over the weekend, we were going out to a club and my friend put on a bracelet that I recognized as my boss's because of it's uniqueness. I don't know the cost of it, I don't think it was over the top expensive, but I recognized it because I had noticed it when my boss wore it. I was frozen and I asked my friend, "where did you get that?" She stumbled with her words, but clearly she had taken it from the house I worked at. She apologized and gave it back to me. I didn't go out with her and hadn't spoken to her all weekend.
    This morning after my employer's left, I left the bracelet somewhere where the mother could eventually find it. I know where it is and I cannot stop thinking about it. I would never steal from anyone. I was on the fence about whether just admitting the whole truth of the story or leaving it when my roommate called me this morning to ask me if I noticed that Clare's stuff was all gone. Now,I am more nervous to tell them, because I don't know that she didn't take something else. I imagine that she didn't. I don't know the right thing to do.
    As we have rent coming up in two weeks and there are now just the three of us to split it, I am especially scared about losing my job. I have only been at this job since January 10. I seriously think I am having an anxiety attack over this.

Sprinkles Cupcakes on Lexington in NYC

When: 2/24/2015 approx 12:15 PM
Where: Sprinkles Cupcakes on Lexington in NYC
Child: White boy with reddish/blond hair, Sweater striped with three different greens, jeans, tan and navy hiking boots on a gluten free diet. Aidan or Evan.
Nanny: Large white nanny wearing yoga pants. Yoga pants were once black, but very fades to a soft black, there was a fold down, striped waist band. The nanny had short, bobbed brown hair and looked to be in her early 20's. She had a short, faded denim jacket on too.
Tweeker: Tall ugz, fleece pants,  blue and grey NorthFace jacket, darker brown hair, stringy, very thin, looked in her 30's.
Situation: Nanny arrived with child. Nanny had an envelope clearly marked "NANNY" with money inside, so their is no question that she is the nanny and that she was using house funds for this event. Nanny ordered two cupcakes. She sat down and things seemed fine. Then about five minutes later a third person joined them. She was a little older, skinny, looked like a tweeker. I say this because she kept scratching her forearms. She asked the nanny to get her something. The nanny handed her a $20 and the tweeker went to the counter and got a cupcake and a coffee and sat back down. I noticed she didn't return the change, but that isn't the crux. The boy was obviously very verbal. He kept himself engaged with his cupcake and a tractor trailer hot-wheel car, but the nanny and her friend began having a conversation about a rape, including graphic details and while the boy did seem content where he was, he was also one foot away from their mouths. The tweeker chick had a horrible vocabulary and not the best grasp of grammar either. Then when talk of the rape was finally over the tweeker was talking about needing a place to stay and the two of them concocted a plan of how she (your nanny) was going to sneak the tweeker in in the evenings to sleep there. They went over how they would work it. This is obviously not my business, but this is a character you don't want meeting up for cupcakes with your child and you certainly don't want SNUCK IN YOUR HOME!

Nanny sightings should be submitted to isynblog@gmail.com.