Is this parenting?

I am on week four of my summer nanny duties with my nephews. I think the novelty and loveliness of it all has officially worn off.

My nephews tried every last nerve today. They were bored, tired, irritated and irritating. They were sitting too close, too far away, touching too much and breathing too much of the same air – all at once. At one point on the ride home from swimming lessons I actually flung my arm in the backseat to see what I could grab to get their attention so they would shut up. I think I got a leg, which of course started a new round of arguing of whose leg I should squeeze but each was convinced his brother was really the culprit.

Jordy is pretty easy to take care of. He’s hyper, but at 7 he just wants you to spend time with him. Mikey, at 10, is adopting to his pre-teen ways a little early. He has all the answers. You can’t tell him anything and he doesn’t listen AT ALL. There are moments of fun, sanity and cuteness with him but they are getting fewer and further between the moments where I just want smack him.

The hard part about all of this is that I have no authority. My brother is still in the house, albeit sleeping, so they want to run in there everytime they disagree with me. Today Mikey actually called his mother at work because he wanted his own way. The sad part is, his mom gave into him. UGH!

It has never been established that I’m actually in control and they actually have to listen to me. I’ve tried to bring this up to my brother but he doesn’t get it. He just says I’m getting a taste of parenting. So I wind up just feeling like a glorified maid to make sure that they’re getting fed and don’t hurt themselves. If this is parenting let me stock up now on condoms and the pill. At least with my own kids I get to set the rules.

Tomorrow is a new day. My hope and prayer is that then there will be more moments of cuteness than moments where I want to roll under a moving vehicle out of frustration.

Filed under: Mi Familia , brother, discipline, nephews, parenting, rules

Happy Birthday Mike

Today my brother turned 31.

For the first time in 13 years I actually got to be with him on his birthday. The last time was when he turned 18. He had just gotten into an accident and was in ICU. Memorable, yes. Festive, no.

This year, I think I was more excited about his birthday and the fact that I was here, but that’s ok I didn’t care. I’m choosing to believe that deep down he was just as thrilled.

We didn’t really do anything monumental. We went to lunch as a family. Then that night he had a birthday party with some of his friends. It was supposed to be a surprise but because he’s got a nasty sinus infection and was home all afternoon we had to tell him. Still a fun night. I got the chance to meet all of the people he talks about all the time.

It’s nice to be apart of his life on a more daily basis. Although as he finishes his degree it is very reminiscent of high school. He constantly needs help with homework. LOL. Somethings never change. In fact he asked that his present be help on a research paper. I really don’t mind. I get to be at his house, hanging out with him and his family.

This next year is going to be one full of changes for him. I pray for guidance, wisdom, clarity, vision, strength and endurance for him as he leads his family.

Filed under: Mi Familia , birthday, brother

Day 1:Out of CA

After a crazy week of saying goodbye, packing and working full time Mike and I are on our way to Ohio.

It was a lot harder to pack up, prep to move and work full time than I imagined. Sometimes you just can’t do everything. I know I left some loose ends, things undone and I didn’t get to see everyone I wanted to before I left. But the ending was still good.

I really don’t think I would have made it without my brother. He was quite the support, helping me to stay on track, load boxes, get stuff shipped out and make sure all of my crap actually fit in the car. I am so glad he was there with me.

Last night I had a great prayer time with Tina and Janine as we left our apartment. Then Lisa graciously let us stay at her house last night. It was fun to hang out with her.

Today I had my exit interview, where I was very honest about why I was leaving the organization, worked a few hours, packed up my office, closed my bank account in CA, went to lunch and THEN we left. LOL. It was insane.

We got on the road at about 3:30. It took us about two hours to go about 50 miles, but then we sailed on through to Flagstaff, our first stop. We arrived at midnight to about a foot of snow. It was odd. I really didn’t recognize it. It is really cold here.

Overall, the drive today went pretty fast. I was still overwhelmed, sad and stressed. The first few hours were the hardest emotionally.

Mike asked me an interesting question, has the sense of adventure kicked in yet? I don’t think it has. Now I need to fight to live in this moment with him, experience the trip, have fun. Hard to balance all the emotion at once. Some moments I’m happy, energetic and excited, other times I’m sad and think I was crazy. It really is a crap shoot to see which emotion wins in any given second.

But overall I know it will all be okay and this will all eventually subside and I’ll get back to a status quo.

Filed under: Travelling , brother, road trip