YOU'RE NEVER TOO OLD

You are never too old to have a babysitter.  Am I right?  I think yes.  This past week my mom went out of town so her old teaching partner, Magen, came and watched us.  We've known Magen for a long time, and there are always new adventures.

Rubie and Magen.
Photo Courtesy of Mama Claire 

My family's dog, Rubie, always gets very depressed when my mom leaves because my mom and Rubie are best friends.  Rubie gets so delusional that she even lets ME hold her.  Usually she bites me.

Anyway, there are many responsibilities that my mom has.  Magen does her best to do the following:

• Clean-up after meals
• Feed and take out the pets (Rubie-dog, Henry-dog, Max-dog, and Willie-cat) 
• Make dinner
• Make sure I get up in the morning
• Drive me to the bus stop
• Keep the peace between Mimi and me
• And much, much more

The cutest little Henry
Photo Courtesy of Mama Claire

This week wasn't too busy in regards to my lacrosse schedule, so Magen's responsibilities were even less than usual.  The most odd job she has is to make sure that the little dogs sleep on her bed (Rubie and Henry).  My family coddles our animals a tad too much, but they are just so cute it 

is hard not too.  On Wednesday, I came upstairs after showering and getting ready for school, and Henry was sleeping on the coach.  All alone.  I went and picked him up and noticed that his "spot" was very warm and it indicated that he had slept there all night.  It made me so sad to think that Henry was alone upstairs.  To be honest, Henry is not the sharpest tool in the shed.  He is partly deaf and really can't understand anything.  

After that incident, everything else went smoothly.  Magen is super fun, and I was sad to see her go.  But, it is always nice to have my mom back home!

"A Day for Hot Coke (Cocoa) "

Today, I had the best babysitting job EVER.  And I mean EVER.  I have been dying to babysit the cutest kids, L and L2 (code names).  Back at the beginning of January, I gave my number to their mom and hadn't heard from her until this morning when she needed a babysitter after school.  I, of course, said yes even though I had a lacrosse scrimmage around the same time.  Nonetheless, it was so fun.  I already knew L because I was a TA in her preschool class last year and this year (mentioned in "A Teacher in Training.")  However, I didn't know her younger sister, L2, and boy did I have fun getting to know her.

Their mom picked me up after school and we drove to their home where I played with them while she worked.  First, I read "The Velveteen Rabbit" to them, which is a great book and I highly recommend it for everyone.  Then, we snacked and I made hot chocolate for the L2, who told me afterward that she doesn't like hot cocoa.  Don't you love when kids claim to like something and then you waste your time to make it for them and in then, they don't even want it?  Yeah, I do too. *Sarcasm*

My favorite event of all was when L did my hair and told me it looked, "SOOOO beautiful."  It certainly was quite the hairdo.

Please pardon the poor quality, it was taken by a five year
old who claimed to know how to work and iPhone camera.
Photo Courtesy of Mana Claire

Later on, I really wanted to go on a walk, so we voyaged on the road to visit my friend, Samantha, at her house.  I thought the walk would be short, but it took about 20 minutes to get to her house... Mostly because I was carrying L2 on my hip and holding L's hand.  

All I heard the whole time from L was, "Are we there yet?"  "When will we be there?" "This sure is a long walk."  "Claire!  My hands are cold!"  "It sure is a day for hot coke (cocoa)."  

We made the best of it, and Samantha was so excited to see us and even brought us cupcakes :).

We made it back home just in the nick of time and off we went to drop me off at my scrimmage.  L was so interested in my uniform that exactly what I was wearing, and I had a great time attempting to explain it. 

Overall, it was the most fun I've had babysitting in a long, long time.  Mostly because I LOVE these kids and they are so nice and sweet.  If you can't tell how excited I was to babysit them, just as my friends.  It's all I could talk about today. 

Until next time. 

Mama SWAG

Hello there!  This week I have a rather interesting story that comes from my experience at the Teton Science Schools.

Here is the story that made me call myself, Mama Swag....

March 7, 2013

My school, Treasure Mountain Junior High, had to share the campus with fourth, fifth, and sixth graders from a school called “Wheaton.”  These Wheatoners appeared to be snooty, smart-aleck, little children.  

Every day we would have to answer a question in order for our table group to get in line for all meals.  The first few days, the children from Wheaton would beat us to the line and take all of the food.  They would also take THIRDS of the meals when all we were allowed was SECONDS.  This seriously ticked-off many of the Treasure Mountainers.  Many tables, including my own, would plot against the little kids just so we could get our meal first.  

However, on the morning of March 7, that all changed.  I was in charge of reporting the weather to the people in the cafeteria. 

I got up in front of everyone and said, “Goooooood morning Teton Science School! Today’s weather is.....”  And I continued to tell them about the days forecast.  

Afterwards, I sat down in my seat and talked with my friends.  It was then that I heard a little girl say, “Excuse me... You’re the bests weather lady ever!” 

I was so shocked that the Wheaton kids were complementing me and, quite frankly, I was flattered.  

(L TO R) Mama Claire, Nicki, Ava, Loretta
Photo Courtesy of Emma Louden 

That evening at dinner I took my picture with them and they were so excited.  

Also, the next morning, Loretta, Nicki, and Ava asked if they could sit with us.  We of course said yes and had a great time talking with them.  My favorite quote from Loretta (who was quite sassy) was, “Don’t mess with the flava of the bacon or I will get you.”

Letters that they wrote to me on the last morning: 

Overall, I shared this story because I thought it was so funny that I made friends with these kids from Chicago.  It may sound like a stupid story to you, but I thought it showed that all kids want is to be friends with someone older.  I remember the days that all I wanted was to have a best friend in high school.  

With all this being said, I'm sure it's obvious why the name, "MAMA SWAG" has come to be mine.  I mean, who doesn't want to be my friend? :)

A Teacher in Training

This week, I wanted to write a post about my dream/hope for my future.

Not a day goes by that I don't want to be a teacher.  Ever since childhood, I've wanted to be in the field of education.  I guess you could say it runs in the family as my grammie, my uncle, and my mom are all teachers.  I appreciate my personal teachers because they put so much work into their jobs.  Not only is it one of the most rewarding jobs, but it requires so much energy and love.

A common remark I get when expressing this is that I won't make any money.  To me, this is so stupid to say.  I don't care about money as much as I care about making a difference.  With this being said, I do think that teachers are extremely underpaid for all of the work they do.  After all, they're the ones who supply the workforce with knowledgeable, well-rounded, hard-working workers.  Money may make some people happy, but it is not what makes my world go round.

On another note, I am so lucky to know Kathy Anderson.  She is the Park City School District Preschool Coordinator and also teaches three year old preschool at McPolin Elementary.  In eighth grade, I was able to be her "TA" (teacher aid).  I spent 130 minutes on every white day in her classroom, and I would eat lunch during their snack; it was the best time I can remember.  

It was practically project based learning because I was able to have a look on what it's like to be a real teacher.  Kathy taught me so much about patience, differentiating, and most importantly love.  She loves her job so much, and it's so obvious because the kids adore her.  During my elementary years, I had Kathy as a reading teacher and to this day I remember how much fun it was.

McPolin 3 yr. old class '11-'12
Photo Courtesy of Kathy Anderson

Myself and "L" during recess
Photo Courtesy of Kathy Anderson

As you can see above, I LOVE these children.  I invested my whole heart in their wellbeing and understanding of the lessons, games, etc.  This led me to take online PE this year so I could have an open period...  You can already guess what I did with that; TA for Kathy!!  Unfortunately, I am there for fifteen minutes of the morning class and twenty-five minutes with the afternoon.  Yet, I have decided to look on the bright side and remember how much I want this to be my future job.

Overall, I cannot wait until the day that I can make a difference in the lives of children.  What more is there to life?

Back with the Boys

It's has been a while since I have babysat Pierre and Smiley.  If I am can remember correctly my last time was on New Years Eve.  It was a long, long, long, night.

This past Saturday I was at their house from 5:15-10:45.  I wouldn't call it a late night considering New Years was around TWO IN THE MORNING.  Good grief how long can a person really party???  Anyway, I prefer getting there around 6:30 because the boys are in bed by eight at the latest.  This time, they were barely starting to eat dinner.

Rainbow (their mom) said to me before leaving, "If they don't finish their dinner, no dessert.  They've been pretty naughty tonight..."

Mama Claire at age 5-ish.
Why can't everyone just take a nap once in a while?
(Photo by my mother.)

Well, thanks for sharing.  Truly, I appreciate being forewarned that my evening will be less than pleasant. NOT!!!  After being told this, Pierre was acting like a joyous little boy.  He recited French numbers, finished his meal, and even sat in his chair.  Thank you for making my job just a little easier.  On the other hand, Smiley was having one of those bad days we all have once in awhile.  Let's just say that I don't really want to discuss the rest of dinner.

Later on we played Temple Run and then slowly gravitated toward the television.  This particular night they selected two shows that I don't really remember.  Once the shows were finished, I used my new tactic and said, "BOYS! Whoever can brush their teeth the fastest wins!"  Pierre listened but Smiley was not as convinced of this "winning."

I don't really remember how this all started, but Smiley started screaming and then threw a blanket at my face (check that off the bucket list).  This really put me over the edge.

I got up and said, "Smiley, that is enough!  You're going to bed without a book."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he furiously screamed at me.

At that moment, I realized I had made a blind threat.  There was no way in heck he was going to quietly and obediently go to sleep.  You can probably imagine how the rest of this went.  I don't think I have ever felt so bad for parents before.  Now I know how annoying it is to make a threat and realize that it will not and cannot happen without twenty times more chaos.  I do feel a bit of shame because now Smiley knows that he won't be punished for poor behavior.  Lesson learned.

In reflection, my new goal is to followthrough with what I say.  I will let you know how this goes at a later date....

10/10

This past week I babysat for a new family.  I'm always excited to get a new family because it means more jobs, new kids, and of course a little more money.  Although I love my "job," getting paid the big bucks is a nice perk.  What teenager doesn't love that?

Me in second grade
Photo by my mom

Anyway, this family has two kids, Ski Bunny (girl, seven years old) and Sniffles (boy, three years old).  Ski Bunny is in my mom's second grade class this year, and is the sweetest little thing.  For now I will be referring to their mom as Fancy because she works for a jewelry company.

I went over for the first time on Thursday, and I had been looking forward to it all week.  Right when I got into the mom's car that evening, Ski Bunny said, "Oh my gosh, Claire!!!!! I am going to teach you how to play Wii. We are going to have so much fun!!!!"  That pretty much says it all.  I never stopped moving until Ski Bunny "taught" me how to play Wii.

Before my Wii experience, I played with Sniffles (he had a cold at the time) and Ski Bunny tagged along.  I put him to bed right after dinner which was quite nice.  Immediately after I was taken downstairs to play Wii.  I sat on the couch watching her play this game called "Vancouver 2010."  Honestly, I thought I was going to pass out from fatigue.

I almost dozed off, but she looked at me and asked, "Claire?  Are you falling asleep on the couch?"

"Oh my goodness... Of course not!" I murmured back although I almost did.

I was watching my cellphone the entire time, and right when 8:15 appeared on the homescreen I told her it was, unfortunately, time for bed.  From there I put her into bed after reading a few chapters from an awful children's chapter book.

Home at 10:30 on a school night.  AWESOME.  You can probably imagine me the next morning.

Fancy saw my mom the next day and told her what Ski Bunny had said about her experience.  Ski Bunny rated me a ten out of ten.  Woooooohoooooooo!!!!  Fancy said that they haven't had a ten since they lived in New Hampshire. Aren't I cool?  Also, I went over on Saturday night.  When I went through the front doors, she came screaming and running at me while saying, "CLAIRE!!!!!!!!!!"  A huge hug was followed by my grand entrance.

This pretty much sums up why I even bother babysitting.  Little kids don't judge you for your faults, but the things that they recognize as interesting and unique.  If you're ever looking for an honest critique or heartfelt compliment, find a little kid.

Babysitting Tips

Recently, I got a request from my friend, Miceala, to post babysitting tips for aspiring/struggling/confused babysitters.  So, I am going to give it my best shot.  The youngster featured below is one of my favorite kids, Cutie.  She reveals her true identity in the video, but I decided to give her a code name anyway.  For future reference, her brother's name is Goofball.

FIVE TIPS FOR BABYSITTERS:

A CHILD'S PERSPECTIVE

                  

The tips said by Cutie are quite honest, and believe me, she had NO time to think about anything she was saying.  It was honestly the first thing that she could think of which shows what kids really want and notice.

From a babysitters perpective, these tips are not so helpful.  So, here are some of my tips...

Entertainment
Question: How do I keep the kids happy?

1. Be safe.  Safety is the most important thing.  Don't ever do something that you think could have the possibility of a dangerous outcome.  
2. Board games are a great way to keep attention.  However if the children are beginning to argue and cry because they aren't winning, it may be time to put them away.  
3. Go outside.  If you're over watching the kids during the day or while it's light out, take them outside and build a snowman or shoot some hoops. 

Parents

Question: What are things I should always do and things to avoid?

1. Always have BOTH the mom and dad's phone number so you can contact them for any reason. 
2. Try as hard as possible to not call them during their dinner, movie, party, etc.  Parents have you over so that they don't have to worry about their children.  If you call that will most likely put a damper on their nice evening out. 
3. Before they leave for dinner ask what time they'll be home so you can have the house clean and make sure every child is sound asleep in their bed. 

Bedtime

Question: How do I keep the children in bed and quiet?

1. Make bedtime a simple competition.  Here is an example, "Hey, boys!  Who ever gets into bed first wins!"  This is a very easy way to get everyone asleep quickly.  Thanks for that, Maddy.  
2. Read one or two books.  Reading is a great way to calm the children down, but more than two books gets to be a little too much.
3. Another friend of mine, Jackie, asked how to get the children to not kick and scream before bed.  This is different for every family.  For me, I count down from five and then put them in timeout if they don't stop because that is what their parents do.  Believe me, about 70% of the time this works. 

Okay, that is all for now!  I hope you learned a little something from me.  If you have any other questions please feel free to comment on this post and I would love to answer them for you.  

Bacon and His Sidekick Batman

Today, you will be introduced to the new and exciting characters of my blog: Bacon and Batman.  I must say that they are quite entertaining. Their family is so great to be around, and I love watching these boys.  I'll be referring to their mom as "Petit," and their dad as (El) Jefe.  In Spanish, this means boss.  I'm sure being the intelligent person you are, you can figure out why he has this code name, but it's not attached to a negative connotation.  Watch the video below to learn a little bit about Bacon and his sidekick Batman.

With full permission from their parents, I introduce you to: 

BACON AND BATMAN

NOTE: NO ONE WAS HARMED IN THE MAKING.

Moving onto my night babysitting Bacon and Batman.  Petit picked me up close to five.  Her dog, V, had been bitten (full on puncture with blood) by another dog, so we had to get her medicine at the store.  (Lucky me, I got to pay extra attention to a puffy haired dog with a puncture.  Woo.)  While she went shopping, I sat in the car thinking about what I was going to make for dinner.  Then upon her return, Jefe called notifying her that the boys were eating dinner to save me the trouble.  However I had not eaten yet!  So, she bought me a chicken.  Yes, a chicken.  It was my own pre-cooked gourmet dinner in a plastic tub, and I was totally content.

Back at there house, the adults rushed off for the symphony.  Lucky for me, the boys were happy. Beforehand, Petit had told them about my blog, and said that we would make videos for it.  They were so excited, and very used to the idea of being written about because their mom is a professional blogger.  For a few hours, we played on Photo Booth making action videos (therefore the video above).

With the videos set aside and bed time approaching, Bacon looked at me and said, "That was SOOOOO fun!"

Of course this made me smile because my main goal is to temporarily be their parents and have a fun time.  To do this, you need skill and the likable "fun factor." He made me feel like I'd accomplished my main goal as his babysitter.  Then there's Batman.  Practically every time I go over, he cries for his mom.  Believe me, I want to cry for my mom because I have to try and make him forget about his sadness.  Usually this means an extra book or two.  Sometimes the tickle monster makes and appearance, but it is never an easy task.

Overall, babysitting Bacon and Batman has made me wonder, what kind of an impact am I making on these children?  At age twenty, will they remember the babysitter that spent her endless Saturdays sitting on the coach watching Despicable Me for the millionth time?  For now the question remains unanswered, but my desire to make a positive impact will never end.

Observation Diary #1: The Sweet Ignorance of Childhood

Is ignorance bliss?  Some of you would say no, yes, or (like myself) would say sometimes.   Looking back at my childhood, I remember being so ignorant.  This is for the simple reason that I was not aware of the true struggles life throws in the mix of other things that cause a great deal of stress.  As a young girl, I thought that everything would work out perfectly in the end.  However, I know think that it is better to have all of the knowledge possible.  By knowing, you can understand why things happen the way they do.  You can also have a realistic grasp of the world.  Now I will share with you one of the most angering experiences I experienced while babysitting Smiley and Pierre which so clearly explains what I am talking about above...

Here in Utah the air is extremely dry which causes many people to have dry skin.  Pierre happens to be one of those unlucky people.  We had gotten back from swimming and I remember that Rainbow told me to apply lotion on Pierre's cheeks. (Note, Rainbow is the code name for their mom because she is happy, and loves to change her hair color frequently)

Being the responsible person that I am, I said, "Pierre, we need to put lotion on your cheeks so that the dryness will go down."

Original Graphic by Claire

"WHY!!!!!?????" was his response.

Through a deep breath I explained, "You don't want your skin to get red or irritated!"

"But your skin has a bunch of bright red dots everywhere," Pierre beamed proudly at me.

In case you didn't already figure out what these "red dots" are, they are acne.  Like many teenagers, I am acne prone.  The frustrating part about it is that I have tried so hard to get "rid" of it.  Nothing has worked for my red dotty skin.  Yet, everyday I put a false smile on my face and pretend it isn't there.

When Pierre said this I was fighting back tears and put on my infamous false smile.  Afterwards, I really thought about why he had said this to me in the first place.  For starters he is ignorant to other people's feelings as most six year olds are; a fourteen year old would never say this!  During childhood, you don't bother to think about how your words can effect others in the long run.  I really wish Pierre had thought before he spoke because every time I look in the mirror I remember his words.

Overall, that simple conversation between us has never left me.  I carry the rude message everywhere I go.  I've also learned that childhood is so great because you aren't thinking about the impacts of your actions.  Little kids rarely over-think the context of their sentences.  Also, I realized how badly I want to go back to being six were I didn't have hours of homework, social drama, having to play sports for graduation credit, writing essays, memorizing countries and so much more.  Man oh man, I miss the sweet ignorance of childhood.

The Tale of the Cat (Pun Very Much Intended)

They say dog is man's best friend.  What do they say about cats? Huh? That's what I thought.  Nothing.  There is no information out there on whether or not cats are friend or foe.  Just so happens that I think cats are great, except for one.  Her name is Squeaky and she resides at Pierre and Smiley's home.  Do not get me wrong here, I enjoy her company some of the time.  Let me begin my tales of Squeaky the cat so you will understand my distress.

Willie, my loving and not crazy cat.
Photo by Claire

Although this is not a story about the children I watch, I am still responsible for the well-being of all living creatures which happens to include Squeaky.  Every single time I go over to this families house, Squeaky hisses and meows at me.  Whenever I try to be nice to her, she runs away.  I don't know about you, but I take this as hint that I need to get the heck away from her, or else.  She has even bit me and scratched my chest.  I mean seriously.  What did I ever do to her.  The answer: NOTHING!

Now, I will retell the most stressful event I have ever experienced while babysitting.  It was last Saturday night, and I was watching Pierre and Smiley.  My good friend Maddy was with me, thank goodness.  Anyway, we live up the street so my mom rode her bike over to give me my dinner.  When she rang the doorbell all of us got up, including Squeaky.  We talked to my mom for a few minutes and just as we were shutting the door, out she ran!  My heart literally fell onto the floor.  It's one thing to not put the dishes into the dishwasher, but to lose the family cat is unspeakable.

With everyone on the side path, we had her cornered.  My mom was about to grab her, but she scampered away from her reach.  Gone, as if she had never even been there.  Pierre had told me not to worry because she always returned.  However, this did not calm my sizzling nerves.  Maddy and I both kept a watchful eye on the front door to see if she crept up.  After an hour, she still wasn't back.  Imagine this senario: parents come home, you small talk for a minute or two, they pay you, and then ask how it went... "Oh, your cat ran away, but other than than it was perfect!"  There was absolutely no way I was going to allow this to happen.

Finally, after much suspense, Squeaky came home.  Pierre and Smiley taunted me and said that they knew she was coming home... But what if she hadn't?  I pondered the moral of this experience, and came up with this: even if things go wrong, if you worry enough it will fix itself (most of the time).  Before I could even sum of the night, I looked over and saw Squeaky happily on top of my computer.  She was home and back to the old cat that I love to hate.