Friday, April 19, 2013

Seven Quick Takes: Adventures in Babysitting

Linking up with Grace for Seven Quick Takes:

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me and not my kids

A Prayer

Admittedly, often my prayer life majorly consists of whining. This fall left me for the first time in nine years not falling under the title "Homeschool Mom." And while the bags under my eyes and my unbrushed hair (actually, that is its usual state of things) attest, I am just as busy.

But I am terribly lazy. And a procrastinator, and disorganized. So the life of family ease I had envisaged for this year was trumped by my inability to shower before nine and learn to make a complete grocery shopping list. 

So I turned to God with my whines about having too little strength to tame my own wild self and organize a day properly. And He answered with... 


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A Baby 

NO, not my own baby. A teacher at the school where my children go, and that is just down the street, was looking for a family-type sitter situation for her nine month old. The little guy had not been thriving in the day care setting, and was for the present being shuffled between grandmothers while Mom taught. And another teacher, in inexplicable misinterpretation of character, thought I might do a wonderful job. So out of the blue, just before the last nine weeks of school was to start, she gave me a call, and I heard on the other end of the line the voice of God, saying, "Yes or Yes?," all Matthew Kelly style. 

But when the Lord gives, He gives in great abundance, and that same week, another mom-teacher called...duh-duh-duh-dun...


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A Brother and Sister

...And asked if I would watch her two little ones for half the day, before Momo goes to pre-k at noon. The other half of the day they stay home with grandma and nap.  So I answered, why the heck not? Don't ask if you don't want to be given!


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Book Club

Being the resourceful and brilliant baby-master that I am, I now spend my mornings encouraging such activities as "Book Club." An excellent game that consists of pulling the coach away from the wall, filling it with books and pillows, ushering the little ones in, sitting myself down on the coach part, and I don't know...blog.



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Backyard Nature: Find it and Glue it to a Box

Another favorite activity, all Charlotte Mason and whatnot, is called "Find it and Glue it to a Box." Guess what you do? You go outside, find stuff, and glue it to a box. It is a huge hit with the toddler crowd, if you don't mind combing Elmers out of many heads of blond locks for days to come.



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The Payoff (Other than Spiritual)



But guess what the crazy part is? No, none of the above is the crazy part. The money I am earning from this (yes, in an insane twist of fate, I am actually being paid to learn to run a successful and productive day) is exactly equal to what a ticket costs from here to Rome this summer. And guess who is going to Rome?   

MEMEMEMEMEMEME!  

True story!   

One of my oldest and absolute dearest friends, my little sister of the spirit, is actually the newly minted editor of L'Osservatore Romano, weekly English edition. She has been living in Rome for, I don't know, nine years or so? Ten? And I, a card carrying amante de Italia, has visited her a total of never. Mary Nolan, sto venendo!



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Unrelated Fascinating Story and Call for Prayer

used without permission, oops! source at their blog listed below

Enough of babytalk. Kinda.

A friend from way back in middle school, Dave Fantz, and his astoundingly brave wife Kristy, are currently in China to pick up their two adopted two year olds, Jia and Jude (a a name so, so, so close to my heart) to add to their family of six. They have brought two of their children with them, and the story and the hardships they are experiencing is just so enthralling, and they are generous to blog about it on their site: Born Anew in our Hearts. They could certainly use all the well wishes, encouragement, and prayer on this amazing journey. Here is just a snippet from yesterday:
 I have been praying for wisdom for our little Jia. Her behavior has been very much overwhelming and I have been questioning whether I was even capable of handling it. She is still so much on edge. For example, last night in the middle of night, Caroline woke me up and said, "Mom Jia thinks I am you". I look over and there was Caroline sitting up in the bed, Jia had her legs wrapped around Caroline's waist and her arms around Caroline neck for dear life like a little Koala bear. I tried to talk to Jia to come to me and pull her away....remember Caroline was the sick one. Jia starting screaming uncontrollably when I picked up her. Caroline reacted and said, "Mom, she is fine, so Jia reattached herself to Caroline and Caroline fell asleep with Jia on top of her. She was once again clinging for dear life.

St. Thomas More, St. Clotilde and St. William, patron of adopted children, pray for Jia and Jude and all the Fantzes.

8 comments:

  1. So many comments in my head! Roma and Mary Nolan combo = amazing. All those babies are so lucky to be cared for by you during the day. I need to try the glue to a box game. Can one glue live things, such as the slugs and caterpillars that Sam seems to have crawling all over his hands half the day? I've been following the Fantz's story, incredible, happy, heartbreaking, so generous. I will pray for them!

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  2. ROME! You'd better spend as much time blogging about the trip as you do enjoying it.

    And I will for sure go check out the blog and add them to my (also mostly whining) prayers.

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  3. Glue it to a box...newest pin to my board titled "ways to keep the kids busy long enough to pee or clean up a major spill"!

    Working in a ministry that takes on so many children from failed adoptions keeps adoptive parents and children close to my heart and always in my prayers.

    And what a payoff to your adventures in babysitting! I am totally J!

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  4. Glue stuff to a box is a classic game...and it's good up through age 8 or so here.

    Rome!!! Color me jealous! Can't wait to bloggy-read all about it.

    My prayers are mostly whining too...but I'll pray for that family Adoption is a wonderful thing, but it can be so, so hard at time.

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  5. Oh how wonderful to go to Rome, and it looks like your daytime kids are enjoying their time with you!
    Going to check the other situation, having read your little snippet definitely got me wanting to pray for all of them!

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  6. Ohhhh come babysit my kids!!! Okay, you would probably want to quit after a day... But they would love you!

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  7. ROME! YAY! And so jealous, honestly.

    And totally going to use your kid wisdom on my own, love the "Book Club". Glue+my kids scares me tremendously. Not sure I'm brave enough yet.

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  8. You going to Rome: "best news of the year!" I'm inspired and elated to see God's good work.

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