When I was a little girl, the Babysitters Club was THE series to read. I read them all and loved them all. I thought it would be so cool to be a babysitter. Play with a cute little kid, make some easy money...not.
I've watched kids before. Mostly my brothers, as I've generally been too busy to be a babysitter. I tried babysitting once in high school but I wasn't really very into it. I would rather have taught a kid how to show an animal than entertain one for hours. Now
that was something I was good at!
The last two days, my mom has been buy with a basketball tournament and substitute teaching. She has also been responsible for my little cousin, her niece, during the day while my uncle was at work. I happened to be off the last two days, so who got to play with the kid?
Me.
Yesterday started off okay.
We played Barbie games on the computer. She snacked. I got ready. She wanted cheese pizza. We went to the store to get it.
Then she saw the earmuffs.
They were those over the head, puffy cotton-ball looking earmuffs.
She
HAD to have them. I understood. As girls, we need beautiful hair (or in this case, ear) accessories. Luckily they were only a dollar, so no breaking the bank. She picked, after a long deliberation, a hot pink pair.
Last night, after dropping her off, Matt and I went to Stillwater for Bedlam basketball (
go pokes!). I told him about my day with Julie. His response: "she's got you wrapped around her finger."
Who, me?
No...
Today, I once again got the job of entertaining the kid. I also needed to go to Walmart.
Mistake #1.
I don't like Walmart (grocery buying) by myself. I don't like it with company. I don't know what made me think it would be okay to take a sassy little girl with me to Walmart. After sticking her in the shopping cart (I call it a buggy, deal), I found the groceries I was after (I'm terrible at finding things and went up and down the same isles a few times, as she pointed out). Early in our trip, we had the following conversation:
"Shae, can I have a toy?"
"Uh sure if you're good."
Mistake #2.
Matt can officially say "told you so!" (he already did, actually). Well, she was basically good. So over to the toy section we went. When I was little and good at the grocery store, my Barbies got new clothes, or I got press on earrings. Those were cool toys.
This kid wanted a leapster, a real microphone, a kitchen for her easy bake oven, a $50 doll, a cell phone, a talking Justin Bieber thing...excuse me?
We settled on Disney Princess cards - Old Maid and Go Fish. She was happy. Whew.
Then she wanted lunch at McDonalds.
Mistake #3
I ordered her chicken and French fries, then she asked for the one thing that can make me sick just by thinking of it.
Ketchup.
Ugh. Disgusting. She spilled it. She licked it. She dipped her finger in it. She loved it. I smiled, because I love her.
On the walk to the car, she sang "Wed soyo cup, I yift you up, yets have a party!" I was ready for naptime.
Then we came home, played Old Maid a few million times, and she learned some numbers! (counting 1-10, yeah!!) Thank you Disney for putting numbers on your Disney Princess Old Maid cards. I felt like I was being a great babysitter by teaching my little one something useful. Then we snuggled and watched TV, because that's what every great babysitter does, I've heard.
All in all, a great two days. I love my cousins and I am so blessed to have such a close, loving family. However, I will be very thankful when my head hits the pillow in about 30 minutes and I go to sleep. A great two days, but a LONG two days!
