A Reprieve of the Not Wanted Kind...

This week may have been one of the most blistering weeks I have ever experienced in my life as I near my first year living "on my own" in New York. And folks, I don't just mean the rando-heat wave.

On Tuesday morning, I received an early phone call from my paid internship, saying that I had been replaced. {pause with me as we reflect on my life...how exactly does one get replaced at an internship???} Why? Because I apparently didn't give them enough notice about my having to leave for two weeks to do overtime whilst the parents were both shooting. Which ladies and gentlemen, I did in fact. So while I had every intention of going into work on Monday for a full two weeks of making up time I took off, well...that plan is now shot to hell.

I apparently then made it down to Tarturus (just so you know...I've been reading a lot of Percy Jackson. Which I HIGHLY recommend.) when the family I sit for decided on a whim to head to their beach house a week early before their trip to France. I may have actually balked. This therefore comes to mean...that I am literally out of work for 3ish weeks (I still work part-time as a B&N barista, but picking up spare shifts is hard to come by). This is also on top of that month long vacation in August.

After working as a professional babysitter/nanny for the past 10 months, been fired from a job (back in December) and replaced at an internship (this past week), there have been many many MANY lessons that I've learned. And many things that I wish to point out for some parents who decide to hire a personal babysitter/nanny.  Here is my list, let's call it the "Babysitters' Amendments Or: Ways to Not Get Cussed Out":

1) Please respect that sleep is necessary. I like it. You like it. I need it if I am supposed to look after your kids.

2) If you don't plan to actually listen to how I'm doing with my life when you ask me, then for the love of baby Jesus DO NOT ASK.

3) If you hear me talk about struggles of making it on my own, it is NOT adequate to say "okay" or "that sucks". That is not empathy, that is privilege.

4) It is important for you to realize that while there are a growing number of young post graduates who become nannies/babysitters/mannies/etc., please know that there are many life goals we wish to accomplish before middle age. And staying with your family for a long time is not really in the cards.

5) I am not an accessory. Period. If you really have no reason for me to be with you while you are with you child/ren, I would like to leave.

6) While having an internship is swell, being able to have a job to pay your rent and bills is better. And it is a really-tall-roller-coaster-sinking-gut-feeling when you are out of work.

7) Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet when life is telling you to take a break and refigure some stuff out.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not the type to really sit on my a** and mope. I just happen to search for more jobs and mope. No sense in being unproductive.

When All Else Fails...Chuck Some Water.

Yesterday and Tuesday turned out to be one of those days where many things went wrong at once.

Tuesday I wake up from a fitful slumber (it started getting hot man....good lord) to find a barrage of emails and phone calls which I promptly rubbed the sleepies from my eyes (who's really going to see me??) and cleared my throat (tres sexy). After making a second phone call, I spoke with one of my managers with my internship.

Conclusion: I had been "replaced". Replaced means fired in case you are unawares.

All I could think was...this is a load of bullsh*t. Why you might be asking was I replaced? I supposedly gave not no notice about my having to work a crazy amount of hours because the parents were filming. Mind you...I did.

So what happened next? I pouted. A LOT. I mean holy cow really? Just when I was starting to get somewhere with my life. And of course...the folks I babysit don't actually care about what happens in my life. Mostly because I'm only 22 and "hey you'll make it, we have better things to do than make sure you can pay rent and stuff oh by the way can you pick up June at..." So they don't actually know I've been fired. Also...turns out they are leaving for their family trip a week earlier than they told me. Oh...did I not mention that before? Yeah...they're awesome. {eyerolls hideously at the complete lack of consideration}.

Anyways, with the start of the random-a** heatwave, I realized I was getting overwhelming sad (again), anxious (not the first time) and overheated. Which is why I took March to the Waterpark near Chelsea Piers yesterday. And I tell you....I had a lot of fun. Throwing water at a child and having beaucoup amounts of H2O propelled right back at you while running around like a manic, helped sort some things out. Like how to dry your denim shorts really really fast. So while we were sitting under some shade, eating Turbo Rocket Pops (okay...for all of those born BEFORE 2000...we know them as Firecrackers- the red, white and blue pops), I realized that eventually, we're always coming back to square one.

Finding A Dodgeball...

I swear March is a masochist at heart.

Let me start at the beginning....

Because both of March and June's parents are filming, I was asked to put in some overtime with them. This means that I am doing two overnights with them. Anyways, today being the first day, I spent the majority of my time with June (March had a half-day so Producer Lady went to pick him up after an early morning meeting). And if you are new to this blog, you will learn that secretly (and moreso openly) I think that June is an awesome kiddo. She's 11, super smart and ridiculously funny. Like...Tracy Ullman funny. Anyway, I was supposed to figure out ways to occupy her time while March was in school. Taking her literally around the world- by that I mean all over Greenwich Village and Union Square- to stores ranging from Old Navy to J-Crew (did anyone else know J-Crew was HELLA expensive?!?!?!) and my favorite stop: Barnes and Noble.

So with an excess of books in tow, we came back to the apt and played a serious amount of Uno which is my staple as a babysitter! It's super easy to play and kids pick it up really fast. I noticed it also fast tracks young kids to learn matching, colors, adding and sportsmanship. Note that we also made sock puppets! (photos coming soon!) So we were playing and of course, G still had Hebrew homework to do so I played with March. And I kid you not...this child demanded we play Dodgeball.

I wish I could say I adamantly said "No, of course we can't play Dodgeball. It's too dangerous".
Clearly I didn't.

I also wish I could tell you that I didn't intentionally throw the ball at him. Hard.
....Not all the time.

There...I said it. -shrug- I say it builds constitution.

Since I'll be with them for 24/7 just about, we also started working on their homemade Father's Day gift. I threw around some ideas with the kids because their dad (Daddy Camera)  has pretty much everything. So I mentioned mayhaps doing a photo collage with pictures of the two of them together around the apt, outside, as well as old pictures with a letter in the center. They loved the idea and so did Producer Lady so that's what we've been working on on and off during the day (with me acting as paparazzi!)

Needless to say we are excited about how it will turn out. And so we shall end the day watching Finding Nemo.

Parties are fun...

...especially when you're not invited.

That's actually part true. Now you see, Friday was June's birthday party, even though her birthday isn't until the end of the month (for those of you who don't know she turns 11). For her actual birthday- June and her family will be in Europe for two weeks. Take time to process this. *solemn head nod* Welp, I had the good fortune of "helping" set up for the birthday party at this shwanky restaurant where many of the dishes were not only made of or with chocolate, but were also at least $18 a dish. Yes...again this girl was turning 11.

Anyways, there is something to be said about walking down the street with 11 helium-filled ballons. It made me feel vaguely like this...

                                                 (image is by British graffiti artist Banksy)

And it was WINDY down in Union Sq. Of course, with balloons in tow- or rather lead-, we rendezvous at the restaurant. With 8 seriously chatty 11-13 year old girls and Producer Lady looking highly frazzled, I had to go upstairs to tie a balloon to every chair. By the time I got to the 7th chair I about needed SEVERAL stiff drinks. Mainly because I was tying balloons while girls were moving around chairs. (the heart on the mirror ...not my doing. I don't get paid that much)

At the end of this incredible ordeal, I sat down with March who was beyond moody that day (moreso than usual- in all likelihood it was probably because the day wasn't about him which is something he's NOT fond of...) and drank a glass of water. To which Producer Lady asked me to bring home some gifts. Damn. REALLY?! Like...five minutes woman please! I was offered to come back to have dinner with them for fun, but being that English major I was/am, I read between the lines which were the same as high school- "Like...you can come if you want, but you don't really have to so... you don't have to come back. If you want". So...I left for my weekend to visit my parents in Jersey. But not before I had myself a delicious doctored Mojito.

Lesson of the day: Some invitations, aren't invitations, and while being 11 was awesome when you WERE 11, being around them is an awful sight to behold. *shivers*.

So sometimes my job equals

AWESOMNESS!

*coughcough* only sometimes.

But there are days I leave the family I babysit for really happy (and not just happy to leave). Today is one of those days. You see, I believe I mentioned a few posts ago that the mom was a producer. Hence Producer Lady. I may have failed to mention that the father/the husband is a cinematographer. *waves* Hey Daddy Camera. Daddy Camera is very good at what he does- which is why he's never really around. But we shall get to that later.

So when I picked March up from school, I had a busy day at my internship. And it was gooey out. Foggy, misty, monsooning you name it. I was really ready to go back to the den and hang out with March, perhaps try baking those cookies I royally f***ed up two days ago by putting far too much baking power. Bleh. Anyways, March saw me and started to grin. "Aw he's happy to see me!" was not the response I should've had (though he actually WAS, he was more excited about what comes next). I get to him and he tells me he wants to visit his dad on set. Me being who I am, I never trust those kids as far as I can throw 'em. So I checked in with Producer Lady and she thought it was a swell idea.

Let me now mention that Daddy Camera is the director for the USA show White Collar. Yes-you may take a pause, cause I know I did when I found out. *moment of omg sanctioned*

So March and I walked our way over to the set. March was excited about seeing papa bear. I was quietly thanking all my baby Jesuses that this could happen. Now let me come correct- this isn't the first time I've brought the little man to a film set, and I tend not to be starstruck. But have you SEEN the man who plays Neil Caffrey aka Matt Bomer? Holy craaaap. If not...that's him. Down there. Yes...scroll to the bottom of the page. I can wait. {Waits} All I can really say is that meeting him...was almost like watching some serious HD tv. I think I might have kept going cross-eyed. I know I didn't look at him very much. But damn is he pretty. And as my sister Le Leo told me "that man has some SWAG!" Definition of swag for those of you who don't know is the following courtesy of urbandictionary.com- yes I quantify UD as a legitamate source- (my favorite definition attempt):

Swag adj: the way one carries thyself, especially in sexual appeal or "go get 'em" style. (I added the last part which I'm so adding to UD)
Favorite example:
.....
"I'm digging that strut son, I like your swag"
"Thanks Dad"
.....

Either way, Neil Caffrey touched me, looked deep into my eyes, I forgot I got a college degree, and internally woofed at how awesome my day was. Yup. Just another typical day...

Legos My...Legos.

So I spend a lot of my time with March. By a lot I mean probably 15+ hours a week, give or take a weekday or few hours (note: I don't do the babysitting on the weekends. It's called I need time with "grown ups").

So what does this mean?

This means I spend a lot of time getting in touch with my inner 7 year old boy.  Usually, I have to figure out a way keep the little guy occupado- meaning I bust out my array of awesome quasi athletic abilities (he saw me finally throw a football full out across a blacktop at the park and he was enamored!), artsy-craftsy type ingenuity and most of all, my completely lack of architectural genius when it comes to building legos.

Now the thing about legos is that they're small. Yes we all know this D.Babysitter, why are you talking about it? Well...my hands are rather large in comparison to a six year old's, SO- those little f**king legos are and have been my worst enemy. Until recently. Now you see, I have to somehow be bury this growing animosity for legos like the lost city of Pompeii (this means violently and rapidly). But after about 8 months of being forced to play with legos, I've learned a few things:

1) March is kind of an architectural genius...for his age. The things he thinks about building are pretty awesome, and besides they're mostly Star Wars related and EVERYONE loves Star Wars. It would also explain a great deal about his being socially awkward...the artist soul young one has [Yoda voice].

2) That legos are actually pretty damn cool and so is the stuff people build with them. Especially this guy here...

3) Lego building...is REALLY cathartic. Seriously.

Now...I'm no pro, and don't really do the whole architecture thing, but alas, I'm starting to find that I have a good time. And I built this. Don't ask me what it is...cause I don't know. -shrug-

So THIS is what I do????

I had a dawning moment yesterday.

While I was at the kids media company that I work for, I sometimes Google. Mainly work for them...but like the devil it is...I google stuff that tickles my fancy. ANYWAYS. I was googling for a holiday we're doing, and lo and behold I came across an article for moms, about what a nanny is.

Now being the delightfully charming skeptic I am, I only thought "what's the difference?!" So I looked with gusto. I almost wish I hadn't. Now, I tend to post a lot of articles which I KNOW most of you won't read. Not that you can't. But really why, you're already reading, that's an extra click yaddyyaddaya....I'll paraphrase the article from eHow.com (now whether I trust the validity of eHow, but they taught me how to make a delicious macchiato so I'll run with it)

They defined the difference between a nanny and a babysitter as follows.
Nanny: "A nanny usually is more involved with children for a major part of the day on a regular basis. The Nanny Network website says the responsibility of a nanny is to “partner with the parents to help raise their charges to be responsible, competent young men and women."

Babysitter: "Sitters are typically more focused on child care rather than home management, and you can run into problems when you try to make your baby sitter perform duties outside of her normal routine."

Now...what dawned on me is that I have somewhere over the last few months, especially the last 4, have straddled the line between nanny and babysitter. Which is kind of difficult especially if there are "roadblocks" as to what I can and can't do with June and March. So does that make me a nannitter? or a banny? Oh whatever....*insert grumpy face*