Twins Tuesdays: Naps

When Gurlicue and Mr. Mischief aren't running around trying to find trouble the can get into, they usually look like this:

 

Yes, that is Gurlicue falling asleep on my chest; it was as adorable as it sounds. The best part of seeing the twins fall asleep isn't the fact that I get a reprieve from the commotion that they create when they're awake, although that is a nice added bonus. The best part is seeing all the weird places they accomplish this feat.

I am the type of person who really needs a bed in order to fly off to dreamland, but these two are an entirely different story. One would think that the corner of a couch, and on top of the babysitter would be pretty unconventional places to fall asleep, but the pictures above are actually pretty tame, compared to where I've seen them.

Here's a few examples:

off the edge of the couch

I still don't know exactly how Mr. Mischief fell asleep this way. However, my suspicion is that he was angry (probably with me) and in his attempt to not look at me, he threw his head onto the cushion, but simply did not have the strength to lift it again. (Sorry for the poor quality of this photo, it was the only one I could take before on of the other kids pulled me away.)

on top of a pile of coats and laundry

This one was taken after a jaunt out into the snow. I don't think she made it five minutes before succumbing to the need to nap.

in the highchair

When I first started babysitting for this family, the twins were not yet two, and sometimes they didn't make it all the way through lunch. I can't imagine how his neck would've felt if I hadn't moved him.



















And very rarely, they fall asleep in their actual beds.

Gurlicue and Mr. Mischief are a lot of fun to run around and play with, but they're so incredibly cute when they're sleeping, and sometimes even snoring a bit.

I promise I will introduce you to the oldest two of my charges, but for now, what are your funny sleeping stories? And what do you think of mine? Leave your stories or opinions on adorable sleeping toddlers in the comments.

-Lyndsey

Twins Tuesdays

Lucy and Indiana, 2 years

Welcome to the first weekly Twins Tuesdays. I know what you're thinking, "But Lyndsey, it's Wednesday, not Tuesday." Yes, I know, but I had a family medical emergency yesterday, which prevented me from posting until now.

These lovely two-year olds are Indiana and Lucy, or as I like to call them, Mr. Mischief and Gurlicue. They are adorable little jumping beans of energy, and they're the subjects of this theme day.

Every Tuesday I will post something about the twins; whether or not it will sufficiently entertain you is yet to be seen. For the sake of full disclosure, I must inform you that I myself am a twin. Therefore I pretend to have a lot of insight into twins, even though I know nothing more than my own experience.

But enough with all of that, and on with the story. A few weeks ago I was watching Mr. Mischief and Gurlicue playing with their cars. They spend a lot of time doing this, especially when their brother isn't home to steal the cars away. They also spend quite a large amount of time throwing things, sometimes at each other.

I am currently convinced that this incident was actually an accident. Nevertheless, while the twins were throwing a few of the cars across the room, one of them catapulted from Gurlicue's fingers and landed square on Mr. Mischief's forehead. 

This too, is not a novel occurance, but what happened next was.

I immediately opened my arms to offer comfort to Mr. Mischief, who had already started crying. It was after about five seconds of this, when I looked over at Gurlicue to see her crying as emphatically as her brother and holding her forehead in her hands. 

They both went on like this for a little while; actually Gurlicue was upset for longer than Mr. Mischief. And though I have never been a believer in the idea that twins have telepathic powers (it has never happened with my sister and me), this did make me laugh.

Now that I've finished with my little story, I'd like to hear what you guys think about twin telepathy, or some of your own stories.

Also, if you want to see a few sets of twins testing their telepathy skills, check out Jack and Finn Harries, and the Merrell Twins. I also found a video of stuff people say to twins that I found hilarious and truthful.

-Lyndsey

What Does It Really Mean to be a Babysitter?

David, 15 months

I've been babysitting for this Little Man since he was less than a month old, and his siblings for five months before that. But it only took five minutes for me to absolutely fall in love with every single one of them. This fact brings me to my question: What does it really mean to be a babysitter?

When I first started, I expected babysitting to be an opportunity to gain experience with young children, a chance to earn a little extra cash between classes, and maybe even a way to try out some of the teaching techniques I was learning at school. All of these expectations have come to fruition, but I've also found something more, a connection.

I have no idea what being a parent feels like. I do, however, know what it feels like to watch these kids run up to me when I walk in the door or "heal" bumps, bruises, and hurt feelings with whispers, hugs, and songs.

Pictures such as this one could be capturing just how engrained into these children's lives I am, and they in mine. However, they could also represent a simple request for a drink or a diaper change.

I recently found a video on Vimeo of Doug Sterbenz describing the differences between parents and babysitters at a leadership conference. Sterbenz works within the business world, not that of childcare, but I found his take on babysitters interesting. His perspective on babysitting has not equaled my experience; however, I realize that I am different from most babysitters. I am not a teenager looking for a way to bolster my allowance; I am seeking a meaningful experience.

In contrast to Sterbenz, I also found a post about the top ten reasons why babysitters love what they do. I will admit that this list comes from a site that connects babysitters with parents and is therefore most likely biased, nonetheless, I believe these statements are true for some babysitters.

To me, this is more than a job, but I'm interested in other views. Therefore I'm asking all of you to write your opinions in the comments. What does it really mean to be a babysitter?

-Lyndsey

(image credit: provided by author)

About This Blog

 As a babysitter, I have a million and one stories about my charges. Okay, I may be exaggerating just a bit, but seriously, it's a lot. Since I have all of these stories and no one really to share them with, because my family is sick of hearing them, I thought I'd write them down here.

Primarily this blog will serve as something of a journal of my experiences. Nevertheless, it is imperative that I inform you that I am a college student, studying to become a teacher, and therefore there will most likely be times that I analyze my own stories for their implications concerning my future teaching career.

For the past year and a half, I've been babysitting almost exclusively for a couple with five children, at one point all under the age of five (there is one set of twins). Therefore, most if not all my posts will involve this family. Don't worry though, I have the parents' permission to post about their children.

There's a good chance that if you keep coming back to this blog, you'll see stories that will hopefully make you laugh (because kids are hilarious) and maybe even cringe (because I tend to make a lot of mistakes), as well as some pictures and videos of these five amazingly adorable kids with whom I have irrevocably fallen in love.

Lastly, I promise I'm almost done with all this expositional humdrum, as we are all at the very least sons and daughters, if not parents or babysitters, I highly encourage comments and discussion. If you're reading this (first of all, thanks, you're awesome), I greatly value your opinion, even if it differs from mine. Feel free to respond to my stories and tell me your own.

I'm looking forward to this journey, we'll see how it goes.

-Lyndsey

 P.S. I have a little bit of housekeeping to which I must attend. Credit for my background image goes to layoutsparks.com.