June 10, 2003 - 10:02 p.m.

Hanging In There

I have survived my first two days of working 11.5 hours straight with almost no adult interaction! Go me! So far, the key has been keeping busy. It keeps the kids from having the oppurtunity to whine about being bored or start throwing dog doo at one another, and it makes the time pass more quickly.

Yesterday, the weather was quite drab, so we took a trip to the craft store. We bought supplies for making a Father's Day gift for the kids' dad. For lack of better inspiration, I settled on a sort of desk set we'll decoupage with pictures of sports cars from magazines. Does that sound dreadful? It's so hard to think of something the kids can make that a father who is not at all into crafty things might like or, heaven forfend, actually use!

Anyway, after the craft store, we headed to the play area at the nearby mall. It's really best for the toddler set, but M played with some friends from school who happened to be there, and B made a friend, so they actually had a good time. By the time we had lunch at the Food Court and played a couple of rounds of skee-ball in the arcade, it was time to head back so I could put B down for a nap. Rainy day at loose ends conquered!

Today the weather was much better - gorgeous even - and I was much more ambitious. I took advantage of the oft-elusive sun and the rare boon of only two children in tow and took my young charges into the big city. Being ambitious but not insane, I decided to take the T in rather than driving. Driving and parking in downtown Boston is a real nightmare! The kids, apparently, had never been on the subway before, so they viewed it as a sort of adventure. We went to the Children's Museum where they got to experiment with bubbles, balls and ramps, jets of air, and nuts and bolts. I love hands-on museums! It's just refreshing for all concerned to not have to inhibit a child's natural curiosity and inclination to touch and explore.

There's a wharf outside the museum where we sat and had lunch by the water in the glorious sunshine. We were all getting a bit tired at this point, but being the ice cream fanatic that I am (and the children being fanciers of frozen delights as well), there was no way I was leaving Boston without a visit to the Scooper Bowl. For a modest entry fee, we got to sample an unlimited amount of ice cream of many varieties, from 10 different companies. Considering that this experience was for me akin to throwing a shopaholic onto Rodeo Drive with a platinum card and no credit limit, I was remarkably controlled. We sampled five different types of ice cream, but overall I had no more than two medium sized scoops. Still, my indulgence helped motivate me to run a couple miles on the treadmill at the gym tonight. :) Yummy ice cream on a hot, sunny day was the perfect ending to our outing!

So, so far so good. We've had fun, I haven't gotten irritated with the kids, and we haven't done anything so outrageously fun that H, who is still in school, has thrown a jealous fit! :) Hopefully I haven't jinxed the rest of the week by raving about how well the first two days have gone! I am a bit starved during the day for adult conversation, so tomorrow I am getting together for lunch with a couple of other nannies. I am not sure what we'll do with the rest of the day, though. Best get started on the decoupaging for Father's Day, though... It's difficult to be enthuisastic about a project he may inwardly cringe over.

today's project: babes in the big city

musing about: getting to see Sam in less than three days!

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flutter back - fly ahead