The film The Nanny Diaries had been on my radar for some time. I read the book several summers ago and was excited when Netflix delivered it last week. Scarlett Johansson plays a nanny for an upper east side dysfunctional family. Can you guess what her character's name is?
Annie.
Good lord.
Aside from that, it is a fun, easy to digest movie. Good for a Friday night after a long week when you just want to relax and not have to spin your brain too hard.
I love discovering that I am more mature than someone else. It's even sweeter when that person is older than me. I showed up on time at Chad the Dad's house this morning, since I never heard back from him as to whether he wanted me to come today or not. A recreation for you (with the exact transcript):
Knock, knock. Door opens. Chad the Dad glares at me and doesn't say anything for a few seconds. "Oh, you're here." "Well, yes, I didn't get an email back from you, so I wasn't sure..." "We aren't going to invest anymore time in you." Door starts to close. "Okaaay...?"
What?!? Are you kidding me?!?! That's how you're dealing with the situation - ignore a perfectly polite email, force a person to drive 45 minutes unnecessarily, then act rudely to them? I'm sorry - are you a 3rd grader? Good grief. No, I take that back - 3rd graders don't deserve that slam. Well, Chad the Dad, I am done with you and your crazy family. I am taking my pride and my REAL name, and heading out the door.
Adios.
Argh! Chad the Dad didn't return my email. Did he get the email but choose to be spiteful and not respond, forcing me to show up at their house tomorrow and explain myself? Did he get the email but choose to play dumb and act like he didn't get it, so that he can force me to reshingle his roof and clean his bathroom tile grout with a toothbrush tomorrow? Did the email get lost in cyberspace, so he has no clue that I won't be working for him after tomorrow, and I have to show up and explain the whole thing to him in person? Argh.
On top of that, I forgot to call my Grandma today and it was her birthday and by the time I remembered it was too late because of the time zone ridiculousness and now I have to wait until tomorrow to call.
Argh.
Except for the great visit from my college roomie, it's been an argh kind of day.
Awww... I knew you guys would give me good advice (e.g. Run Annie Run!) concerning my Mary Poppins nightmare. I just emailed the dad (we'll call him Chad the Dad) and explained that I had received other job offers in town that would be better for my schedule and gas tank, and that I'd no longer be able to sit for the girls. I offered to still come on Thursday like we'd discussed, but we'll see how he responds. Hopefully he'll be understanding (and maybe he'll start to rethink his penchant for renaming employees).
Thanks for the lightning quick and thoughtful responses!
P.S. I have an interview today for a different babysitting job in town, so my email wasn't totally a lie - and yes, I've learned my lesson. I confirmed with the mom ahead of time that there will be no vacuuming or toilet scrubbing or car waxing or landscaping involved. And I'll get to keep my name.
Alright - you guys decide (based on the list of tasks below) which job description would be more appropriate:
- picking up toys
- dusting
- swiffering kitchen floor
- feeding baby
- moving furniture
- watching toddler sit on dad's lap
- vacuuming
- folding twelve bins of baby clothes
How many of you said maid? Cuz, that's how I'd describe my first full day of "nanny-ing." This family (the one who renamed me Annie the Nanny) would be better off calling me Annie the Maid (or Jade the Maid). The list of items above is what I did all day Monday. I spent more time cleaning than I did caring for children, mostly because the toddler is scared of me. I did not realize that "light housework" would entail so much heavy lifting! My back was screaming by the time I got home from shoving furniture around the playroom and livingroom so I could vacuum every square inch of carpet while the kids slept. Mom and Dad are home all day so the toddler never wants to leave their side, and they don't force her to interact with me. The baby has no problems with me, but she sleeps all the time - leaving me lots more cleaning time. Oh goody...
Seriously - has anyone else ever been expected to do this much housework as a nanny? I really thought the main priority would be taking care of their kids so they could get work done. Picking up toys and maybe doing a few dishes here and there was the most housework I was expecting. Thoughts? I'm not sure my back (and self-esteem) can take much more of this...
(Plus, how weird is it that they changed my name? Or that the dad jokingly - I hope - offered to show me the home video of the wife's C-section?!?!)
Before I fall too far behind in my blogging, I thought I would catch up on what's been happening around here the last few days.
Last night, I had a babysitting job for a 14 month old while her parents were going to be gone to an election night event. When I arrived at their house, the baby was already asleep, so I basically just had to make sure the house didn't burn down around her. Which was fine, because I really wanted to camp out on the couch and watch election returns, but of course, I managed to stick my foot in my mouth before the parents had even left. The dad and I were chatting in the livingroom while mom finished getting ready, and I was trying to make small talk, so I asked him what he did. He modestly explained that he had a position with an energy company, and also served in the Washington State House of Representatives. Ooops. Guess I should have read the names on that ballot a little more closely.... (turns out I did vote for him, and he won overwhelmingly, but he probably thought I was the most obtuse, unaware person around.)
Additionally, he kept telling me about how they did "baby sign" with their daughter, which I assumed to be regular sign language, but for babies. I didn't want to ask if the baby was deaf, because it felt rude, but I was thinking: "Crap. The kid's asleep. How will I know if she's actually deaf or if I just misheard him? Maybe I could go in her room and make some clucking noises and see if she stirs. Oh jeez, how do I get myself into these ridiculous situations." Luckily, I was talking with my mom later while they were gone and happened to mention this dilemma. To her credit, she did not laugh for more than a minute at my unawareness; apparently, "baby sign" is a new communication trend that parents are using with their babies. Before they actually learn to talk, the babies are taught a few basic signs (more, milk, etc.), so that they can communicate better. Having no children myself, I'll refrain from venturing too far into this hot button child-rearing issue; here is the official website - feel free to develop your own opinion. Anyway, long story short, it was a good babysitting job except for the tiny social gaffes. :)
Today was spent interviewing for another babysitting job. If it pans out, it'll be more of a 3-days a week nanny position for two young girls. The only weirdness afoot is that their youngest daughter has the exact same name as me (even spelled the same!). So, the parents would prefer to call me by my middle name to avoid confusion, therefore I would become "Annie the Nannie." For the hourly rate they offered though, I'd let the kids call me dirt. I should hear back from them tomorrow or Friday - cross your fingers! I might have some income again :)
The remainder of the day was spent running errands in Mt. Vernon. NavyGuy needed some unmentionables (underpants... tee hee hee... why don't they make Superman tighty-whiteys in adult sizes?), and so that's how I ended up in the men's department of Macy's with an 85 year old man perusing the boxer briefs. (Ew.) I also saw an old woman pushing a dog... in a stroller... with the dog actually strapped into said stroller. People who go to the mall on a Wednesday afternoon are odd.
Where were you when you heard the election results? What were you doing? I was sitting in the basement of a local Washington politician's home, wondering if his daughter would hear me if I screamed.
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