Summer of Nannyhood

I've been blessed to have a summer job for the past two summers. It involves babysitting my adopted niece & nephew, hanging out with one of my best friends, & making some good extra money!! I think it was when I was a Nanny over spring break a few months ago, within the first 30 minutes Matias had fallen & busted his lip on the windowsill, then Alex had tripped over something & fell on her hand & started crying a bit. I was thinking 'what did I get myself in to & can things just calm down?!' Let me think of what has happened so far this summer....let me start with today since it is most recent. I fed the kids yogurt for their afternoon snack that had expired a week ago. How was I to know I should read the date on the package since it hadn't even been opened yet??? By the time dinner rolled around, the kids didn't have diarrhea & weren't throwing up, so I think I'm safe on that one. Too bad today was a day that Alex had only a few bites of lunch so she was STARVING for a snack & then she & Matias both ate 3 bowls of yogurt! lol

On one of my first days there, or maybe it was my first day, I broke "Sissy". Sissy is a blow up inner-tube thing you put in the water. It had a monster head on it or something..was it a swan? But it was green...anyway the kids always got inside it & I guess chillaxed. Well they were both in it & I used my freakishly strong muscles to drag them across the floor & I heard the thing rip on one of the seams. I'm lol now, just watching it happen again in my mind as the kids slowly dropped a few inches to the floor as the air went out. Lol!! Too bad Alex is old enough (3) to know something wasn't right. At least with Matias I could change the subject or something!!

I was happy to see today that Alvaro broke one of their toys by trying to put it on his head, as if it were a hat. I noticed he quickly avoided my eye contact, put the toy on the ground, & "went back to work" downstairs (it was a 'work from home day' for him). I guess we grownups all have to have a little fun with the kiddie toys, eh? :)

I was thinking I would have more to write about, but I can't think of anything else. Alex & Matias both are so much easier to watch this summer, as opposed to last. Alex is potty-trained. Matias is ALWAYS calm & still for me when I change a diaper (he NEVER was still last summer-he tried wriggling around as much as possible! Not fun when you have turds in the diaper!!). Meliss & Alvaro may be able to remind us all of a few funny Nanny moments of this year...

A Sad Day...

Last summer while Nanny-ing for Meliss, she broke the news to me that Estelle Getty had died - I think indirectly from dementia (?). Anyway she was the first of the four girls to go & Meliss & I were shocked & really sad about it.

Saturday night, while in Graham, I heard the sad news about one of the Golden Girls passing away. Bea Arthur, AKA Dorothy Zbornack. What a sad, sad, piece of information to learn. She died from cancer. I had no clue she even had cancer! :(



You all know how much I love the Golden Girls. I can say I have seen every episode & I can quote from almost every episode as well. No silly, not the whole thing, but random phrases one of the girls says. Meliss is the same way. You know how it is when you watch something over & over, maybe you just feel like you know the person (never mind that they are playing a character!) better...maybe that's it. Anyway I just can't imagine having another of the girls pass! :(

I bought Meliss season 1 of the GG & that is what she watched while going through contractions, before giving birth to Alex. :)

I have a GG t-shirt that I wear sometimes! :)

Here are some of my favorite phrases from GG:
*I'm as jumpy as a virgin at a prison rodeo!
*Uh, Mr. Pfiffer..(then Mr. Pfiffer says) - "no, the P isn't silent, it's Mr. P-fiffer"
*Dorothy gets mad & then tells Mr. P-fiffer that she's going to punch him in the p-face.
*Rose: I just had a thought...
Sophia, Dorothy, Blanche: Congratulations.
*Silly Rabbi, tricks are for kids.

Ok, I could go on & on, but I digress... lol another phrase from the GG! :)

May you rest in peace, Sophia Petrillo & Dorothy Zbornack!

What I've Learned Lately

I haven't written a post lately, but have found humor in what I've learned lately so I decided to share this with my 3 readers.

The other day I was sitting in our office area, eating lunch with Mr. L & the English teacher on my team. I made the simple comment "Wow Johnny is on a terror today!" & started talking about what he was doing & saying in class. Then I noticed Mr. L & English teacher looking at me very strangely. Of course Mr. L couldn't let it slide. He had to inform me that the correct phrase is "he is on a tear". I was totally wrong. I can call a person a "terror" or I can say he is on a "tear". I had no clue. Of course after lunch we all had fun emailing each other different internet links from urbandictionary.com, etc. It was funny to see people's faces as they would come into the office on their lunch break & I'd ask them which is correct & no one was really sure, but when they had to choose, they'd choose "tear". CRAP!

The other thing is about chiclets. Have you ever heard the phrase "wow that person has some chiclet teeth on him!" When you hear this, do you picture someone with oversized teeth or undersized teeth? Well, I always pictured someone with tiny square teeth, like Ben Affleck. Over the weekend, spending time with the Wilson family in Graham, this came up. My brother was insistent that I was wrong & he was right. Well, we went to the #1 source of information, Google. Sure enough, I was wrong, AGAIN! CRAP! It's meant for people with big teeth. I had no clue.

There's so much to learn....so little time....

The Trip Has Been Planned!

Yep-it's that time of year-time to plan for the annual Wilson Sibling Vegas Vacation! The only difference this year is that Aunt Lisa is now joining us! What a fun aunt she is! The Wilson Siblings bonded with her while in Vegas 2 years ago, when we were all there for my sister's wedding. Last summer I wasn't able to go to Vegas b/c I had to go & buy a house. Talk about sacrifices that had to be made! :)

So, the plan is we will be there for July 4 weekend this year! How fun will that be?! This will be my 2nd holiday to be there (I was there for Halloween last October).

I just got off the phone with the ticket office at the Wynn (no silly we aren't staying there, only going to see La Reve). We will be staying at Planet Hollywood & will be there 4 nights.

What is it about Vegas that I love so much? You all know I don't like change & I don't like being out of my comfort zone. All that is true. But I don't know that this really has much to do with the fact I want to continue going to Vegas forever & ever...? I still am sort of touristy about it all (I like getting random pictures made in front of the different buildings, etc.) Scratch that--I like to make my brother pose for crazy pictures! & by "make", I mean I simply say, "Hey Justin, why don't you stand in front that statue & pretend to hug it?" & he says, "ok!" & does it! It's really so easy. I really don't even think alcohol is involved, he just is ok with doing these things.

Back to my infatuation with Vegas. It's not the main reason most people go: gambling. I've never spent more than $30 in gambling in 1 trip. It is just such a waste to me! I'd rather go shopping & have something to show for my money. Of course my mom says it's b/c I haven't ever won. True! Last time my sis & I were in Vegas, we so badly wanted to play roulette but were scared! We weren't sure what to do or say, etc., so we chickened out. My sis & I bought our brother a Craps set for his birthday & he started showing us how to play that. It was really fun, but we were using chips & not my real, hard-earned money! Wow can that game be confusing too-there's so many different ways to bet! Maybe my sis & I will be brave on this trip & try something.

The reason I love Vegas so, has to be b/c of all the excitement in the air. I can stop & have a drink any time I want. I'm not even a big drinker! (Hush all you people that knew me in college & my early 20's-you should see me after having ONE drink now! It's crazy ridiculous how cheap of a date I am!) Everything's always open (I can't even stay up as late or party as hard as my Aunt Lisa!) I guess it just never gets old. Usually by my last day there, I'm ready to come home, but I'd always be ready to go back after going back to 'normal' for awhile! I also love the hot weather without the humidity!

Now let's talk about what I DON'T like about Vegas: FLYING to get there (oh so scary), the sometimes long lines to get into a club, & how expensive those restaurants can be! I never got to experience the 'cheap eating' in Vegas. I think on my blog I wrote after I went for Halloween, I had mentioned that I ate in the food court at MGM & spent maybe $12 (?) for a drink, chili dog, & french fries. Oh well... :)

I haven't posted a blog in awhile, but now I have something exciting to look forward to, so now you know!

PS-on a stress note, the TAKS test is 2.5 weeks away! Yikes!! Stay tuned for that... :(

Spring Break Nanny-time

You all know I just think the world of Melissa's kids. They are, as I say, my adopted niece & nephew. I can't get enough of them! I got especially attached to them last summer, "Nannying" them 3 days a week for about 7 weeks. Well, I came back for more for my spring break this week! I'm writing this entry, mainly just about my first 30 minutes or so alone with the kidson day 1 of Nanny-time.

I got here on Monday morning around 9 a.m. Meliss & I had some breakfast & coffee together. Once she started her conference call, I took the 2 kids upstairs to play. Wouldn't you know that the 2 kids & I are at the window, looking outside & then having toys on the window sill, playing, talking, singing, etc. I'm sitting on the floor & the 2 kids are walking to get toys & coming back. Well, Matias falls& starts crying like crazy! I pick him up & he immediately hangs on to me like he's really hurt. I keep hugging & trying to soothe him & his cries get louder. I pull his head off my shoulder to look at his face & I see some blood coming down his chin! WTF?! I look around & there are no Kleenex, paper towels, etc. up here. I look to my computer, but it's not hooked up to the internet yet b/c I didn't get to ask Meliss for the code to get on her wireless. She was on a conference call. CRAP!! I was just starting to get Alex's hand so we could walk downstairs together so I could get a towel or something & Meliss meets us on the stairs. She knew her baby's cry was something real. So-Alex says she needs to 'tee tee'. I take her to the potty while Meliss takes care of Matias. Meliss brings Matias back to me with an ice cube & instructs me to have him suck on it to help w/ the swelling on his lip (he did bust his lip open, poor thing!). She goes back to her conference call & Matias is sucking on the ice & Alex is getting ready to get on the potty.

I didn't know, but she does this little kick thing with her panties on her ankle to kick them off, before sitting on the potty. Well wouldn't you know that as I'm holding the ice for Matias I look over as she does her kick-move & she falls off the stool, next to the toilet! She kind of hurt her hand & my mouth just dropped open! Her face started to crumble a bit but I quickly started talking to her & distracted her, kissed her hand, & she got on the potty & did her thing. No big deal! Whew!

THEN I go back to Matias & the ice. Wouldn't you know (I'm really liking this phrase!) he sucks the ice out of my hand & into his mouth. I freak about that, thinking he's going to choke on that & I'm just having some back luck, in so little time! :(

Anyway I got the ice out of his mouth, Alex got dressed again & we all went upstairs for a full day of playing & singing & such. Whew!

Now as I write this, I have completed day 2 of 3. Today was pretty uneventful, which is good, after the start I had yesterday! Of course I'm even more attached to these kids, if that's possible. I can't wait to hang with them 3 days a week this summer as well!

Best Club Ever!

I've been meaning to write an entry about this night for awhile - because I went to the BEST CLUB EVER 3-4 weeks ago. Yong is supposed to write her version of this night on her blog. She's just now learning how to use Facebook, so it may be awhile before she does that. ;)

So Mr. L & I go to downtown Dallas & eat at Iron Cactus, & planned to go to Obar, my favorite bar ever! (They play some dance music & have fashion shows on the TV screens). Yong & Stan met up with us for dinner-& by that time Mr. L & I found out that Obar had closed! WTF!? I was so sad. I really liked that place. Well, Mr. L had heard of a new place down the road - walking distance - called Plush. While we were waiting in line outside, I heard some remixes of 80's music. YES! That is just my style! We are waiting in the long line..waiting...& the door guy sees Yong in her gloriousness & asks how many are with her, blah blah, & lets us in. YES! Then I realize this place is more like a club than a bar. I thought I was too old for clubs, unless you are in Vegas, but whatever! Then the guest DJ, STARKILLER, comes on, & plays house music! Well, I had to hurry & drink my wine. Then I got another glass. I had to hurry & drink that b/c I didn't want to keep holding it. Then the 2 kicked in & I started dancing the night away! I had to have Mr. L hold my purse for me so I could dance more!

Yong & Stan decide to explore the new place. I was wishing she'd come back & dance with me. Once she came back with her 2nd glass of wine & asked where mine was. I made fun of her for being so slow (finally I beat someone at drinking!). Then she & Stan walk off again. I keep dancing..blah blah...then it turns to techno music apparently (Mr. L tells me this later). Maybe that's when I started dancing harder. Anyway, Mr. L & I stayed in the same basic spot all night. I was so sad Yong wasn't around me. I did get a text from her that they left. :( What a loser, leaving so early when I was having so much fun dancing by myself.

Later I speak to Yong on the phone & she & Stan had some drama which is really hilarious. I'll let her tell you all about it. I seriously can't believe we were all at the same club!

So - my story about this is boring. It's just the best club ever b/c they played DANCE music & not stupid rap music!

Now, Yong, HURRY UP & write what happened to you!

Me, Take a Sick Day?!

I'm writing this at my house, as I take a dreaded sick day. You know I HATE missing work. Maybe it's the control freak in me. Maybe it's the fact that it's more work for me to leave work than to just stay at work & do my job. Anyway-I was left no choice when I thought I could really contaminate all the innocent students at my school.

This started last Monday night, after a shower, I noticed my tummy & back were so itchy & red & sort of blotchy. The next day was the TAKS test (perhaps I'm just allergic to the test!!), & after work I bought some Dove soap, for sensitive skin. That didn't help b/c still the next 2 nights, the same thing - really itchy in the shower & so red after. As the days went on (ok, I'm only on day 3 now) the rash has moved up to my neck & is starting on the inside of my elbows. I decide to use the school nurse to my advantage & get her (free) advice. Well, when I raised my shirt for her to show her my tummy, her mouth fell open. Then I showed her my back & her mouth got even bigger! She told me to go to my Dr. She then asked for my name (she's new & I don't think I've ever spoken to her before) & wrote it on her list of kids she sees for the day, "just in case". CRAP! I don't want the fall of my school to be traced back to me & the mysterious rash!! In the meantime, I have been slathering on the Gold Bond anti-itch cream. Ohhh how nice that stuff is! Too bad I smell like a grandma b/c it's soooo 'medicine-y' smelling! :(

I woke up this morning around 1:45 scratching my neck like crazy. It was so itchy! I decided it would probably just continue spreading & I sure didn't want it all over my face, visible to everyone!

So I got a Dr. appointment for this morning. I proceeded to tell the Dr. before he saw it that, "in my professional opinion, based on my research on Google, I think I have scabies." Then I show him & he is taken aback for a second, gathers his thoughts, & says "no, that is not scabies." Ok...great...so what is it, & how did I get it, & am I contagious? He said it looked like something internal was going on in me & it's like I had an allergic reaction to a food I ate. Well, I haven't tried anything new - you know I don't like freak food, so I guess I'll never know what it really is.

Are you wanting to see a picture? I'm glad - b/c I have one to show you! Yes, I took it myself. I'm great at self-portraits! :)



Then I met up with Regina & Nicole for a lovely lunch at McAllister's. How nice to pretend to be a part of corporate America & take an hour lunch, or maybe just a bit longer, & not worry about anything! It was fun to hang with them, even if only for a short while. I did show them my tummy & they both did the gasp sound. :) Yep, I have that effect on people! ;)

So, here I am, writing about it & showing you some self portraits. I have 6 days of steroid pills to take. The Dr. assured me it wouldn't bulk me up. Too bad ;).

Let me know if you want to see more pics - I'll email them to you, lol