The Things Being A Nanny Has Taught Me...

All so very cliche but all so very true!
And for about 95% of my day I will look like this....

I cannot believe it but I have been a nanny for a year and a half now...
and the things I have learned, whew!...lemme tell ya!  Kids are crazy!
Fun...but crazy and SUPER messy:)

Pretty sure this is Miles on a typical day:)

It has by far been the most rewarding job I have ever had though.  I love every moment of it but it has definitely started to put some wear and tear on this ol' gal :)  Am I really getting THAT old?  Yikes!


I hope this isn't me yet...

Grandma Mandi?
"Nooo...I'm still young and fun...right?!"

Time truly goes by way too quickly and it's been so much fun watching these kiddos grow up and go through the many stages of life.  I still have to say my favorite age is between 6months-2 years though.  Anything before that just makes me nervous and anything after that...well, they just get sassy and beat up on me ;) haha!

Owen just turned 4years old a few weeks ago and he is all attitude and has a mind of his own.
And Miles, my sweet lil' gerber baby will be turning THREE in April!  Where did the cute lil' babies go?!  Must be time to find a new family with new babies;) haha juuust kidding.  Kinda;)

"Hey Lady..wanna be my nanny? Yeah, I'm lookin' atchu!"

When I went into this nanny thing I thought, "I got this...this is going to be sweet!  Getting paid to go to the park, color, and play all day!  No biggie."  And, don't get me wrong...we do all those things and so much more (and I swear I'm more of a kid than they are half the time and play twice as hard as they do) buuuut...there's a lot of discipline, hard work, and responsibility that comes with it all.  I also try to make sure that we have many educational experiences too and that we stay busy.  I refuse to be that babysitter who just turns on the tv (although we do watch a lot of Disney and Pixar movies...how can we not?! They are so cute!).  So, at the end of the day I am completely tuckered out.

So much for being the "Mary Poppins" I thought I could be....the kiddos have taught me that I am not perfect.  I am not Super Woman.  And, I really can't do it all.

Mandi= practically perfect in every way?! (dream on sista!)

In my mind I'd like to believe I AM Mary Poppins....except maybe a lil' more 'hip' and better clothes ;)
I mean, who doesn't like to talk to birds and fly around by just using an umbrella?!  Right?

creepy:)

weeee!!! haha!

 In reality this is me by the end of the day...

Please, just one hour of sleep?!

Sooo maybe I'm not Mary Poppins....I am just a normal college girl trying to get through these confusing (oh my god I'm a grown up and what the heck is gonna happen next) years.  

Speaking of which, I started UMKC in January and my schedule is CRAZY busy! (as if it wasn't before?!)
I LOVE UMKC and truly think it's the perfect fit for me...but it is pretty exhausting.  It feels so wonderful being back on a "real" campus again though and working towards that gosh darn degree! 

***side note: I have a paper due for my class on Friday and instead of working on it I decided to blog instead:) oops!  And I will wonder why I'm so stressed out and mad on Friday morning.  I really shouldn't procrastinate:) Maybe I really didn't learn much my first few years at college...haha!***

Anyways, working part time, nannying full time, and taking 8 hours is insane (there's no way I could do 'full time' plus I am paying for everyting outta pocket which is awful financially.  It really is practically impossible....-note to self: hello student loans in the Fall!-)  I don't sleep...like...EVER.  It's silly.  But, it's what I gotta do for now until things settle down.  I want that degree...I want to keep nannying...and I need to keep my part time job.  I don't really have too many options at the moment.  However, I will keep dreaming for the day everything in life is FREE or I win the lottery :D  That has to happen soon...right?
Dream coming true or not...this will all be worth it someday.  I have to remember that:)

Back to the main point of my blog today...
Nannying has taught me that I'm not "perfect".  That I'm only human and I really cannot "do it all".
The best thing to do is breathe, know that everything will be ok, and go play at the park instead :)
(ha! this is why I have procrastination issues and why my paper for Friday isn't completed yet!)  But really, it's ok if the laundry doesn't get done immediately or that my house isn't perfect (sorry Ben!) or that I am not always 100% a big ball of energy.  It's ok to be 'exhausted' and need to take a nap (you're never too old for nap time!)  I just have to keep doing my part and look at everything with a positive outlook.  Nannying has taught me to love and enjoy every moment in life and to appreciate the small stuff.   
-Thanks Miles and Owen for reminding me of that every day!-

Even though those boys can make me want to pull my hair out from time to time...they really do bring the biggest smile to my face and so much fun and laughter to my day!  I am very lucky and who would of thought instead of me trying to teach them how to read and tie their shoes and the little things in life...they would actually teach me a thing or two in life as well :)  Now THAT is something a $500 textbook doesn't teach you every day....that is a wonderful life lesson for free!  (Maybe some of the best things in life really are free?!  Now that is a very pleasant thought for the evening!) I like that:)

Anyways, thanks for following in my lil' nanny world for the day.
Lesson to be learned....those lil' shits are smarter than we think;) haha! (oops! can a "nanny" really say stuff like that?!)

Life is Beautiful; Life is Love!
Miss Mandi the Nanny :)