Hello guys! Here’s what I have been wasting my time on(lol) this month. Enjoy!
TV Show/Series
48 Hours- My sister and I have been watching an episode a night and have almost got through one whole season. On to the next season!
The Last Kingdom- I think it was last month when I talked about how obsessed I had become with English history and this show has definitely fueled my obsession! The first two seasons were spectacular. But the third season has almost been too gory for me. I’m going to push through as Netflix released another season just this month. (Though it’s supposed to be the goriest season yet so we shall see)
TheHollow Crown- We just started this series and it is so beautiful. The scenery the costumes the acting… The actors. I feel like they do William’s plays justice.
Movies
This Beautiful Fantastic– Which is currently on Prime and just barely made the list. My sister and I watched it last night. It is just a sweet, feel good film with many actually meaningful moments. Jessica Brown, Tom Wilkinson and Andrew Scott make the film with their little family unit. And I think it should be a definite watch for acozy late night watch.
Star Trek Reboot- You know the ones by J.J. Abrams. Anyway I hankering to watch them and so I did. I mean I had the time. It was weird seeing a yet unknown Chris Hemsworth as Chris Pine’s dad.
Independence Day- An oldie but a goodie. I remember watching this movie as a kid and thinking it was so cool.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels– This movie is so funny! We watched it the other night and about died from laughter. Steve Martins facial expressions and physical humor were hysterical. Though I think the twist ending made the film for me. So if ya need a good laugh this one is a gem.
The Book of Eli- Now this is not a feel good film. But kinda flowing our end of world movies we rewatched this film and it is still very good. Not necessarily a movie you’d watch several times in a row but definitely a very good movie.
Music
Easy Lover and One More Night by Phil Collins– Or anything by Phil Collins really. This month he has been my go to late evening, dinner cooking partner.
Complicated by Avril Lavigne– I feel like this song was everywhere when I was a kid(in a lot of movies anyway) I heard it on the radio the other day and have been jamming to it ever since.
Wake Me When it’s Over by Faouzia– Faouzia was first mentioned here on my site and has been a favorite of mine since then. She has been very activity these quarantine days and released two songs this month. But this first one is my fav of the two. (I like the other song Secrets too)
Greatest Hymns by Selah- If Phil has been my nighttime tune than old hymns have been my morning go-to. While breakfast for the kids or making coffee for myself I have been listening to all the old church songs. Definitely starts one day off right.
Books
A Short History of England by Simon Jenkins– I cannot recommend those book enough! Ah man it is so good!! It is exactly what it claims to be a mad gallop through English history. So if you’ve wanted to know what order the kings and queens of England fall into than this book is for you.
Empires of the World: A Language History of the World by Nicholas Ostler– So I may have bitten off more than I can chew with this book(it is academically above my head and very technical) But from what I can understand it is a fascinating idea. Telling the history of great empires through their languages. And why some languages survived and spread and others died out. I’m gonna keep toughing it and see if I can’t finish it.
The Great Mortality by John Kelly- So I just started this book this week(along with two other English history books I will mention on next month’s post) but this book is amazing! With the pandemic it got me curious about the most infamous Black Plague. If you’re interested in learning more about that sordid time in history than I can already recommend this book.
So what have been up to this week?? I’d love to here down in the comments below.
Hello everyone! I’m so sorry for my prolonged absence from the blogging scene. I got a little unmotivated and decided it would be totally okay to take a week or so off just to regroup. I am totally doing fine and I hope you all are too. I plan to get back on track with my regularly scheduled randomness next week and then go from there.
Speaking of randomness I thought if you guys would be interested in a like a questioner style post where ya’ll ask me questions and I answer them… I don’t know. But if you have been dying to ask me any nanny related questions(or questions about anything really) maybe you could leave them in the comments below and I could answer some of them.
In the meantime please go back over my old posts(there are a lot of them) and I will see you next week bright and bushy tailed!
With the wonderful adaptions of Little Women and Emma that have come out recently, my mind has once again turned towards my favorite Jane Austin novel Mansfield Park. I believe(and I think few would disagree with me when I say) that it is the only(or at least one of the few) Austin novels that has never gotten a fair shake as far as Hollywood goes.
The reasons for this are many, but they basically boil down to the issue the novel had when it was first printed; Fanny Price is not Elizabeth Bennet. In fact she’s the exact opposite. Where Elizabeth is out spoken and strong willed, Fanny is quiet and seems to bend to everyone else’s will with little or no fight. I’m sure her character is a puzzle to many. But where most people see her being a door mat to introverted, people-pleasures like myself I see someone we can relate to. Did I mention she’s also very perceptive? She saw the faults in the Crawfords, where everyone else only saw their beauty and charm. Fanny takes the belittling of her extended family and never stands up for herself against personal affronts, but she won’t compromise when it comes to principle. (Case in point marrying Mr. Henry Crawford) Despite her ill treatment she still seeks the good in everyone, even her rival for Edmund, Miss. Crawford and her aunt Mrs. Norris. She refuses to participate in the play even with intense peer pressure(for those of you who have read Mansfield Park you know of which play I speak) She faithful takes care of all those around her with no regard for repayment.
Another reason Mansfield Park has trouble is because Edmund Bertram is not Mr. Darcy. Poor Edmund held up to such high standards. Edmund is presented as this upstanding, uncompromising figure of virtue that is until Miss. Crawford arrives. Then he seems to lose all reason and falls head over heels for a lesser woman. But he’s a young man(and last time I checked men can be stupid) And remember we are largely seeing him through Fanny’s eyes and she’s desperately in love with her cousin, so his faults aren’t as apparent at first. Besides in the end Edmund finally sees the light and stands up when it counts. I think people have a hard time with the male lead not being perfect, but this makes him human yes?
Another thing is people try to make Miss. Mary Crawford a villain, which she’s not. She’s just beautiful, self obsessed, worldly minded and of small character with no figure of virtue to model her life after. She even admits this to Fanny and how she wishes she was more like Fanny. She’s not wicked or intentionally after the shattering of Fanny’s heart. I honestly think she loves Edmund as much as she can share her heart with someone other than herself and her brother. So she’s not a villain.
Basically Fanny is ignored by her whole circle until by the end of the book they find her the most faithful, loving and sweetest of them all. She’s intelligent and thoughtful, resourceful and unselfish. In the same way Fanny is ignored and overlooked by her family and friends, she has been overlooked by Hollywood. They can’t seem to leave her fully rounded character alone. They have to make her spunky or sarcastic. They have to add a sex appeal or… something! She can’t be quiet and faithfully diligent in good, cause no body gets what they want by waiting for it. She has to be assertive! But in doing this they ruin her. They ruin the people around her and they ruin the whole story.
Anyway I have always thought, since first reading and falling in love with this story when I was fourteen, that this book had the tremendous potential to be a great film! Thus below is my dream cast and crew of…
Mansfield Park
Let’s kick it off with the chief protagonist, Fanny Price played Ella Fanning. Casting the lead was hard for me but when I finally thought of Ella I was like, “YES!” I think she could definitely pull off the sweetness of Fanny and her face is so expressive she could convey a lot with saying little. Audiences would instantly be drawn toward her and be unable not to care for her out come. Or at least not be able to ignore her.
Fanny Price played by Ella Fanning
Next up is our male lead Edmund Bertram played by William Moseley. When casting Edmund I needed someone the audience could/would like easily. And after watching Carrie Pilby a while back I thought William would be a perfect fit. He could give Edmund a sense of maturity and yet keep that playfulness of youth most actors have failed to bring to the role. (In my personal opinion)
Edmund played by William Moseley
Mary Crawford was a little harder to cast. As I mentioned above a lot of people try to make her the villain of the story, so I needed someone you couldn’t all together dislike. Someone charming and of course beautiful. When I hit upon Caitriona Balfe I knew instantly she’d be perfect. She would add sophistication to the role, while keeping Miss. Crawford not all together bad and not all together good.
Miss. Crawford played by Caitriona Balfe
So this is a shout out to one of my fav actors(Merlin fan here! #notashamed) Colin Morgan. Again I wanted you to not totally hate Henry Crawford at the first and almost pity him at the last. I needed someone(like Mary Crawford) who could be charming and attractive, but with actual character so you could see what Fanny saw; that glimmer of potential. Even if that potential is sadly never realized.
Mr. Crawford played by Colin Morgan
Sir Thomas Bertram had to be intimidating and frankly I could think of no one else than Charles Dance. I thought since he is so serious and… Well scary. That his overbearing personality would throw some humor into the pompous character of Sir Thomas.
Sir Thomas played by Charles Dance
Lady Bertram had to be lovably idiotic and Imelda Staunton has pulled off that kind of character off before. I draw your attention to Sense and Sensibility– love her in that movie! I think she could pull off the hypochondriac Lady Bertram with her little pug dog and needlework very well.
Lady Bertram played by Imelda Stauton
After casting William Moseley as Edmund I had a hard time finding someone to play Thomas Bertram. Someone who wouldn’t all together get lost in the thus assembled cast. In the book Tom is a gambler and a drinker and has a very redemptive story arc. He’s actually one of my favorite characters in the book. I finally settled on Eddie Redmayne. Knowing he had the kind of range it would take to pull of Tom’s evolving character.
Tom Bertram played by Eddie Redmayne
I think I had the most fun casting the Miss. Bertram’s. I knew I needed two young ladies, who could play the ugly-step-sister role without being ugly nor unsophisticated. They needed to be handsome, well breed but as mean and cunning as sneaks. AnnaSophia Robb as Maria Bertram is absolutely the best! I think she’d have fun playing the vain and pretentious Maira.
Maria Bertram played by AnnaSophia Robb
Casting Maria’s fiancé(and future husband) Rushworth was very important to get right in my opinion. As a rich, imbecilic bore Rushworth is a side character, who I felt could add some of that outlandish humor. Harry Melling almost instantly came to mind and I love him as Rushworth.
Rushworth played by Harry Melling
Julia Bertram as played by Bel Powley. She could hold her own against AnnaSophia and add some of the air-headed silliness to any conversation. Can’t you just picture the afore mentioned cast traipsing about Rushworth’s estate? I certainly can.
Julia Bertram played by Bel Powley
Ah Mrs. Norris who could ever play your cruel, gossiping, miser of a character? (The true villain of the story by the way) Glen Close… I mean I think it’s perfect. As the sister to Lady Bertram and Fanny’s mother, Mrs. Price, I think Glen would be absolutely phenomenal!
Mrs. Norris played by Glen Close
William Price was my final character to cast. I needed someone heroic that could be everyone’s older brother, so I choose Dean-Charles Chapman. He could pull of that lovable rogue, who pops in everyone once and awhile to keep poor Fanny sane.
That brings us to Mrs. Price the youngest sister to Lady Bertram and Mrs. Norris. I needed a strong willed woman. Having just finished Sherlock I thought Amanda Abbington would be just that woman. Marrying a penniless soldier just to spite her family, Mrs. Price is the poor mother of many children. Her character is super interesting to me and would be fun to flesh out.
Mrs. Price played by Amanda Abbington
Mr. Price needs to be somewhat laughable and yet not all together repulsing. I think Mark Heap would be perfect. He could add the whimsical goofiness to the role and yet also be somewhat depressing as being a penniless man, who will never amount to anything.
Mr. Price played by Mark Heap
Finally if I could choose anyone to direct this film, who I would trust to do an amazing job and to do justice by Jane Austin’s story and characters, it would be Greta Gerwig. She wouldn’t see Fanny as some weak heroine, who’s character needed to be added to. She would see her quite strength and faithfulness and would finally give Fanny and Mansfield Park the justice in film it deserves.
Directed by Greta Gerwig
Yeah so this is how I’ve been spending my isolated hours. I hope you enjoyed this post. Do you agree with my casting? Who would you have casted differently? Would you see this movie? I’d love to discuss!
Basically this post is just an excuse to take pictures of my food. I hate following the fad of constantly posting pics of food on my instagram(which you can follow above and which let’s be honest I have been posting quite a few pics of food on) So I decided to make this post in order to share all my pictures and to make you all extremely hungry. You’re welcome. Also with all my spare time I’ve been baking/cooking a lot. #anxietybaker
In the same vein of my mood boards, I have made a dream house board on my Pinterest account. It has been a fun little distraction with all this extra time. I hope you enjoy the pretty pictures as much as I do!
So basically the Bennet home from the 2005 Pride and Prejudice. I’d love to live there. In a stone cottage with a big English garden and creaky floors. Ah it’s so pretty.
So I thought of this idea the other day and thought it could be a fun post. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to condense my life into a playlist. Probably should have seen that coming, but whatever. Anyway I set strict parameters for myself, so I didn’t over think this assignment. I broke my life up into four sections: baby, child, teenager and adult. Then allowed myself to pick four songs for each section. Maybe I will add to each list later on but for right now this is what I came up with(the full playlist will be at the end of the post if you want to listen to it):
~baby
Precious and Few by Climax– this is my Dad and I’s song. He has told me numerous times that I was not a great nap taker as a baby and that the only way he could get me to fall asleep at all was by singing this song to me.
Jesus Loves Me- my Mom would sing this song and Jesus Loves the LittleChildren(substituting my name for “children”). There are so many videos of me singing this song! If there is even the remotest chance of me singing a song on tape(which being totally honest even as I child I was always singing) I will be singing this one.
I’m a Believer by Smash Mouth- I know strange pick, but let me give you a little back story. We watched a lot of movies growing up: Disney, Dreamworks, etc. And we knew all the songs to all the movies but none like the songs from Shrek. My sister and I(and my older siblings too) could do the whole end credit performance form Shrek complete with the choreography. We were known to randomly belt out “she’s got a big butt” in the supermarket.
Veggietales Theme Song- like the afore mentioned song we also knew every Veggietales song. We had the Christmas tape and various other tapes of their songs. My brother and I performed a pretty entertaining duet of “sport utility vehicle”. We drove our poor parents insane!
~child
Indian Reservation by Paul Revere& The Raiders- the next four songs all play a very important part of my childhood. They remind me of a summer, when my brother, younger sister and I lived outside in our family’s garage. My Dad would blast the old records from his teenage years and we would ride my Mom’s swivel chair up and down our inclined driveway. I actually have a whole playlist on my phone called “the summer of 2004” with these songs listed and the numerous others I didn’t have the space to include. It’s so cool how a song can instantly transport you back in time.
Never Been to Spain by Three Dog Night
More Than a Feeling by Boston
Livin’ On a Prayer by Bob Jovi
~teenager
The Phantom of the Opera- so if my Dad taught me 70’s rock’n roll my Mom taught me show tunes and musicals. Fiddler on the Roof, the Sound of Music; but her favorite and the one we blasted in the car on the way to the store was the Phantom of the Opera! We listened to it so much the CD broke and we had to get another one. When I was a teenager and started making my own money I bought other musicals: Les Miserables, Secret Garden, Anastasia, etc. And I love musicals to this day.
I’m a Believer by December Radio- if I could have just one song that incapsulates me this would be it.
Thankfulby Caedmon’s Call- or this one.
Strong Tower by Kutless- I mentioned this one in a post two weeks ago(here). It takes me back to my freshman year of high school(as mentioned in the above linked post) and reminds me just how great and faithful God is.
~adult
(Just a precursor- this section is still evolving. I don’t know which songs will stay with me for years and which are just here for a time. So my list might change rapidly but I picked songs that I felt showed where I am now)
First Burn- it’s song covered from a musical. And it’s beautiful.
Shut Up and Dance by WALK THE MOON– is it wrong to want to play this song at my wedding(ya know if I ever get married)? This is one of the handful of songs on my “I-will-dance-in-public-and-freak-everyone-out playlist”(which doesn’t actually exist anywhere but in my head) This song just makes me want to smile.
Believer by Imagine Dragons- I am a big Imagine Dragons fan, while kind of. There are some of their songs of which I am not a fan. They are however on my short list of artists I would like to see in concert.
Vienna by Billy Joel- so I picked this one, cause I felt like it describes where I am right now and how I view my life… In a way.
Anyway I hope you guys found this interesting. I’m curious what would be on your “life playlist”? What songs take you back? And let me know if you would be interested in me doing another post like this. Until next time!
With everything that’s going on at home and board I thought it would be interesting for you guys to see how this crisis has effected my job and presumably fellow nannies. I imagine my circumstances, while having slight difference are still somewhat standard for others in this same line of work. Anyway in this brief post(well it was supposed to be a brief post) I will cover how my job has changed and how it hasn’t changed since Covid-19(CCP).
Different but the same…
First off as a live-in nanny(which is different from a live-out nanny and which I have covered here) has been very good in the since that I haven’t had the learning curve that many of you have had to go through in regards to working at home and juggling everything that means.
Learning how to prioritize what needs to get done when; how to work 9-5 alone and in the confines of your own four walls. To wear pj’s all day, or get dressed and actually attempt to look human. How to still get exercise and not gain the dreaded pounds with the TV and fridge so conveniently located next to you. And since you’re not seeing anyone for the foreseeable future who cares if you eat all the pizza??(Not that wearing pjs all day is wrong. Nor that eating all the pizza is bad, but maybe not wise??)
Being spared these troublesome questions, since I have worked where I live for the last two years now, has left me somewhat out the loop of my friends. They are all struggling to find that balance and productive contentment in an “at home” setting. With that being said I thought I would just briefly share a few things I have learned about working at home. (These things have helped me so I’m not going to say that they’ll absolutely work for you. But if you’re a morning person with a bit of OCD and an obsessive people pleaser they might work for you!)
Set a routine- Now you could do this in your head like a sane person. Or write out a calendar and write down everything you need to get done just so you can have the thrill of checking it off, like me. Whatever floats your boat. My daily routine basically looks the same everyday, because I’m obsessive like that.
Get dressed- Or at least change from your pjs to your sweats. I feel totally gross and super unproductive if I wear me pjs all day. Even if I get a lot of stuff checked off my to-do list, if I’m not wearing actually clothes it feels like all my accomplishments are null and void. And I have randomly selected Wednesday as the day I actually get dressed dressed and put on makeup(which I haven’t been doing at all to be honest) I’m not sure exactly why Wednesday, but… I’ll go with it.
A daily to-do lists- Sort of attached to the above point, but every work day I make a list of things I need to get done. This ensures I have tasks to get done over my 6:30 am to 4:30 pm work day. I tend to get my biggest tasks done early just because that’s when I have my peak of energy. But I want to make sure I have productive activity to do all day, which to be honest is normally never a problem.
So what’s different?
School work- Having the twin, six yr. olds attending 5k five, full days a week and then suddenly not has been a bit of a challenge and has probably been the biggest change. However since my boss already home schools her two older boys and being a homeschool kid myself it hasn’t been too bad. In fact we’re having fun. Maybe I’ll do a crash course post on homeschooling for all you haven’t had to do it before. Let me know if that is something you would be interested in.
Off hours- I am a homebody and enjoy my me time, so I don’t mind the solitude too much… except at night when I’m tired of talking to myself. It has been fun though hanging with my sister(so blessed she’s here with me) and my work family. We’ve been playing games and just hanging out.
Pay/employment- A big change that hasn’t happened to me, but definitely could be looming ahead for any nanny. My position as a nanny is a luxury in a way, so I can imagine that me and my fellow nannies know that our jobs depend on our bosses and in the end might not be considered a necessity. My boss owns several businesses and with the way the economy has stopped it has made all small businessmen worried. I am so thankful for my employers and how they have been very transparent with me and so far so good. I know some who are not so fortunate.
These have been the biggest changes for me personally. I hope this was at least interesting a killed a few minutes of your time.
Hello everyone! Hope you are happy and healthy. This month’s media favs is gonna be a bit extensive, which is to be expected when one is stuck inside. I hope you enjoy!
TV Shows/Series
A Letter for the King- Let me first state that I have never read the book this show was based of off. So I have no preconceived notions or attachment to the original story. Maybe that is why I liked it so much. The biggest complaint I could find against this Netflix original was that it was a huge departure from the afore mentioned book. I would give this show a 7 out of 10. There were a few times that the horse chases(there are a handful especially in the first episodes) that got a little monotonous. But the characters were interesting and well rounded enough to keep me interested. Plus Netflix put some money into the production and there are a few surprise cast members I wasn’t expecting to see.
Sherlock- Don’t hate me but until this month I have never watched Sherlock. I know, have I been living under a rock? I greatly enjoyed the show- It’s obviously beautifully edited and shot… Plus Benedict and Martin are amazing. However the last season… It was great… But different… And I’m not sure I totally liked it. Does that make me evil? Does that even make sense? I’m still not totally sure how it rubbed me. I mean, cause the stories were so well thought out and you can tell they weren’t half baked… But yeah I can’t say I loved them.
Movies
Mary Queen of Scots- This movie was brilliant! If you remember last month I was on a Queen Elizabeth kick and so it was only natural to let that follow of history connect to Mary Queen of Scots. I think the story capsulized both Mary and Elizabeth perfectly. Saoirse Ronan was brilliant(as she normally is) but Margot Robbie I felt really stole the show. However that might just be because I am a Queen Bess fan. Anyway if you haven’t seen it; it’s a great film.
Emma- So my sister and I saw this in an empty theater when it first came out, ya know before the world ended, and it is superb. I went into it with low expectations however it is now my official favorite Emma adaption. All the cast was pitch perfect but Anya-Taylor Joy just steals all the attention with her unique and beautiful looks. Johnny Flynn who I hadn’t heard of before this is so charming and exactly what Mr. Knightly should be. I’m kinda obsessed with him right now, as you will see him appear later on in this list. This will be a definite purchase of mine when it comes out. However I still think $20 to rent a movie for 24-hours is a bit pricey. So I will leave that up to you, however it is a great movie.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy(extended edition)— Stuck inside? Nothing is better then watching the 5 hour long editions of these masterpiece films. If you have never seen the extended editions than you’ve never seen these movies at all. Sorry not sorry. I am not going to go into depth here cause ya’ll know these movies are great. Next we are going to start on the not as great, but still pretty awesome Hobbit Trilogy.
Music
Wonderful World by Butterscotch- So this month’s music has definitely gone to the ladies. Probably my favorite find this month came from watching a Wired YouTube video(here) about beatboxer, super awesome woman Butterscotch. I’m not gonna spoil it but watch the video and then get this song. Now if she would only keep mixing up old blues and jazz songs.
Better Days by OneRepublic- I am slowly becoming a OneRepublic fan. And one of their newer songs is so relevant to what’s going on now. So here’s to better days!
The Game of Cards by Maddy Prior&June Tabor- Remember the movie Emma from up above? Well the soundtrack for that movie is so folky and adorable. This song is been on repeat this month.
Fever by Peggy Lee- Told you this month went to the ladies. Peggy Lee is a fav of mine and I love her take on Fever.
He’s a Tramp by Peggy Lee- But this song from Lady and the Tramp is my jam!
Head up High by We McDonald- An old school sound that just makes you walk a little taller. It’s been my workout track this month for sure.
Queen Bee by Johnny Flynn- Here’s Johnny! (sorry for the movie reference. I’ve never actually seen the Shining) He’s charming, good looking and can sing. He definitely deserves a few looks.
Strong Tower by Kutless- If I could pick one song to sum up this whole month… This would be it. It puts everything that is going on into perspective. God is still King.
Books
Bridge Over River Andau by James A. Michener- This book was recommended to me by my boss, who lived several years in Budapest. It’s a great book and gives you a peek into the Cold War, Hungarian culture and communism. It’s also gotten me hooked on world history books. Which isn’t too much a departure for me, but this has gotten a bit crazy… Even for me. You’ll see next month on media favs what I mean.
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring King by J.R.R. Tolkien narrated by Rob Inglis- Stuck inside? Never read the Lord of the Rings? Now is the time. I read the books and the Hobbit when I was in junior high, I think and I got a hankering to reread them. However I can’t very well have five books going at the same time so I turned to audible, which is totally acceptable and counts as reading a book. And this unabridged reading of the Fellowship is… beautiful.
Far From the Maddening Crowd by Thomas Hardy- I have got like 15, 17 chapters left to go and I am still enjoying, it’s just… World history and Lord of the Rings.
Board Games
Funko POP Strategy Game- Yes my sister and I have been playing with kids toys but this game is actually lots of fun and can get somewhat complicated. It’s not a half baked game concept. So it’s worth a try.
So what are some of the things you guys have been enjoying? What’s been your distraction these weeks? I might need to check it out. Until next time…
Being a nanny(as previously covered here) requires one to have great communication skills and the ability to work well with a team while also being a self started, who can still accomplish goals on your own. You will normally find the above listed skills in almost any ad in some form or another.
I am best working on projects or tasks alone, simply because I am perfectionist and hate to be micromanaged. That being said working in and with a team is a vital skill for anyone pursuing this kind of work.
You will be expected to work with the parents and let them, well, micromanage you. They get ultimate say in whatever, since they are the parents and these are their kids. You will also be expected to work with other staff if they have any. Cooks, cleaners, house managers, other nannies(if any) etc. This again requires strong communication on your part.
If you are the “lead” or head or only nanny, it is your job to know what the kids will need from all of these other staff members. You will also need to learn how the chain of command works. In the household I work in everything goes through the mom’s personal assistant. She handles what meals get made, when the cleaning lady comes to the house, family appointments, and any workers for house maintenance. If I need something or have a suggestion it all run first by her.
Now there exceptions, like a kid is sick or having trouble in school. These things (9 times out of 10) I will take directly to the mom. So one of the first things I would consider mastering when you land a new position is how the chain of command and communication works. Don’t be afraid to ask! Who do I ask about an extra cleaning of the kids’ rooms? Who do I talk to about making a special meal for the kids? Johnny needs his teeth cleaned do I have to go through anyone to make this happen or can I handle it myself? You get the gist.
A final point which has come up lately(namely with covid-19) is being able to wear other hats of the team. With the desire to quarantine and keep the traffic in and out of the house to a minimum has meant the remaining staff to perform other duties. Like cooking meals and cleaning bathrooms. This can happen for other reasons of course, so being prepared and willing to flex into other roles is a good skill to have.
Anyway I hope this was informative, or at least interesting. As always if you have any questions do not hesitate to DM me, or leave a comment down below.
I just made paper dollhouses for the kiddos. And we had a blast creating our houses and families. Did any of you make paper doll houses? For the uneducated a paper dollhouse is normally created by taking/making a binder and then cutting out furniture, decor and sometimes even people from magazines. Or if one is very creative and patient drawing it all by hand.
My Mom used to purchase JcPenny’s yearly catalog, which if anyone remembers was absolutely ginormous! After she was done perusing it I was given an extra notebook, scissors and glue to create a world with. My Mom made paper dollhouses when she was a child and I loved making them. Every year I made a new one. My last paper dollhouse however was undoubtedly my favorite. I still remember it.
In honesty it was more like a paper village than a dollhouse. My Mom also used to get a Victorian magazine of some kind and inside was a page of Victorian style, little furniture and gorgeous glass dolls. I carefully cut out the tiny piece and drew a house in which they could fit. Next I drew other houses and other tiny people. Before long I had an entire village. Logically I made up my own Jane Austin type story revolving around four, poor sisters: Anastasia, Mary, Jane and Elizabeth.
They were much like the sisters from Little Women. Anastasia was the eldest and had fiery red hair. She was an aspiring artist and also the prettiest of the sisters. Her love interest was the neighboring Lord’s son, who every girl in the county was after but who only loved her. But Anastasia wasn’t perfect. When her widowed father was dying and only she and Mary were at home to care for him, Anastasia could not take her grief and fled from the home. Mary sent her to live with the afore mentioned Lord and son until their Father had passed. Now her sisters never blamed her for this, but Anastasia always saw it as a failing and never forgave herself for not being with her beloved father when he died.
Mary was also a red head and had a very fiery temper. She could be crass and had a good head on her shoulders. After the untimely death of her father, Mary really came into her own. Anastasia quickly married her wealthy husband, so Mary took over the running of her family’s small farm and with the help of her father’s shrewd lawyer turned a profit. Unfortunately her strong will and merciless tongue kept her from love, cause honestly she was a little too hot to handle. In my story her happy ending didn’t come to the very end. After watching all her sisters eventually settle down and have children, Mary longed for her someone to call her own. That’s when her long time friend and lawyer, who had stuck with her through thick and thin finally confessed his feelings for her. He hadn’t wanted to slow her down and he was a good deal older than her, plus they fought so much he thought their marriage would be disastrous. But he could no longer hide. How romantic is that?
Jane being the third sister was very quiet and dreamt of being an author. She was delicate with soft blonde hair. She was the first sister to marry, marrying her life long love and moving to the city. She tried her hand at writing, while her husband tried his hand at business. Neither endeavor was very successful. Not long after the birth of their son the family fell ill. Jane’s husband died and she would remain sickly for the rest of her life as would her son. After the death of her husband Jane moved back in with her sister Mary. Her depression and grief lasted long and was very bitter, but she ended up challenging all her pain into a book for her son, so he could know who his father was. The book ended up being very successful and made her somewhat wealthy in her own right. After this she was able to move on and eventually fell in love with the county doctor, who had been her husband’s best friend. And they lived happily ever after. (After many dramatic close calls of course)
Finally Elizabeth. She was dark headed and for most of her character arc very fool headed. She almost eloped with a solider but thankfully Mary and the family lawyer were level headed enough to stop her. She took a year long trip as a companion to her wealthy friend to London and Paris and New York. She tried her hand at acting and singing. This is where she met a wealthy American manufacture and finally settled down. Incidentally her future husband was one of Mary’s biggest investors. Small world isn’t it?
These are just the main characters. I had many side characters and subplots going as well. It was very intricate.
How to make your own paper dollhouse…
Anyway… so I don’t know if you guys wanted to know all that, but hay. When it comes to making your own paper dollhouse all you need is a notebook, scissors, glue, a magazine and a healthy dose of imagination.
anannysnotebook.wordpress.com 