"You can have the rest of the night off"

When we got home from karate tonight at 5pm, both parents were home. Promptly Aliya and Matthew both released me from my nanny duties. "You can have the rest of the night off" Matthew said. Aliya piped in with "you can go call your boyfriend!" :) I love these kids!

Some of my favorite memories from Twitter

What a difference a year makes...the boy just told me 'You make a great dinner Tosha!' 5:14 PM Sep 14th

The children and I are currently circling the things we want in the American Girl catalog we got in the mail today :) 5:33 PM Sep 8th

Aliya: I broke a pencil in class today to see how strong I was. The teacher didnt say anything she just GLARED at me! LOL 2:59 PM Sep 8th

Matthew just asked which we were going. When I pointed toward 495 he said "No I dont want to go on the spedway, it makes me tired!" 1:09 PM Sep 2nd

Matt and I are calling Davis Farmland to ask about the alligators. He swears they are real but he is 4 and I know these things!!9:25 AM Sep 1st

Dear Santa, Matt is now making good choices. He wants me to x out the last text, but let’s just say this one cancels that one :) 10:23 AM Aug 11th

Dear Santa, FYI...Matt is being grouchy, telling me he doesnt like me and saying he isnt going to do what I say.9:43 AM Aug 11th

Aliya: I saw a scary commercial on TV, dont they know kids are watching that? If she only knew how beyond her years she is...12:53 PM Aug 10th

"Tosha are your slivers all gone from your walk?" Matthew just asked me :) He meant blisters!2:49 PM Jul 29th

I love these kids...and to think they are my job!!!3:10 PM Jul 27th

Aliya wanted to know when i was going to get a massage for walking 60 miles and not complaining :)2:49 PM Jul 27th

He was so sweet he didnt want to hurt my blisters but he wanted to cuddle :)2:48 PM Jul 27th

Matt and I had a nap cause he is going to his Red Sox game with his Dad.2:47 PM Jul 27th

The Berenstain Bears get the Gimmies was just purchased at Walmart and a certain little man just told me 15 times that I am MEAN!11:43 AM Jul 22nd

I just told Matt mini golf cost extra money and he replied with " I dont mind if it costes extra money!"2:49 PM Jul 20th

The children are so tired they cant even be grouchy anymore. They r currently eating lunch & staring off into space chewing to stay awake1:34 PM Jul 16th

Aliya lost another tooth and she brought it to Maine with her. I hope the toothfairy finds it in Maine. Aliya informed me she would.12:03 PM Jul 14th

Aliya heard about MJ's Neverland Ranch and now shes convinced Neverland, where u never grow up, is a real place!10:24 AM Jul 9th

Aliya to Robbie-neighbor boy:Do u like me or like like me? Robbie: I like like u. Do you like me or like like me?Aliya:I like like u!1:34 PM Jul 6th

Matt:Are u a teenager Tosha? Me:No teenagers r 13,14,15. Im in my 20s. Matt: Oh so ur gonna die first?!11:08 AM Jul 6th

LOL Aliya just told her dad that she needed his help to the car because she has 6 bags! She is going to her grandparents for 2 nights.5:26 PM Jul 3rd


Matthew has a mohawk!!7:58 AM Jul 2nd

"Santa"(aka Twitter) has been added as a favorite on my cell and is now receiving text updates on behavior and diet for a certain lil boy!5:18 PM Jun 30th

Dear Santa, Aliya and Matt just ate green peppers and celery. I wanted you to know how proud I am of them. I bet you are too.1:50 PM Jun 30th

Aliya:Obama will probably be in the hall of fame too. He might stop the war, which would be a miracle!12:24 PM Jun 30th

Leaving VBS:Aliya- God is the coolest but Elvis is pretty cool too! Elvis was famous entertainment. Hes probably in the hall of fame.12:22 PM Jun 30th

My sleepy bookends :)4:29 PM Jun 29th

Matthew just told me he is going marry Sam and she is going to have a baby. Can I be their nanny?9:48 AM Jun 26th

Matthew wants to know if Michael Jackson knew God and if he grew wings. :)8:57 AM Jun 26th

So the boy just told the lady behind us in line, after I told her I was the nanny "She IS mine!" :)8:57 AM Jun 25th

Hehe...We are sleeping under the T. Rex! I have assured the children I will give them a million dollars if things come alive :)7:09 PM Jun 24th

Sitting in Boston traffic listening to the children talk: Aliya thinks she sees the Eiffel Tower and Matthew says he is allergic to wind.6:10 PM Jun 24th

Gearing up for our very own night at the museum! MOS in Boston tonight :)2:47 PM Jun 24th

After some bad choices and subsequent consequences, a certain little boy I love told me Santa wasn’t going to bring me any presents.3:45 PM Jun 23rd

Matthew: Owen hit the ball so hard it went in the water. He had to get it with his golf hitting thing.5:25 PM Jun 22nd

Aliya: How many times do I have to tell you I'm sorry Matthew? I was just a little grouchy!5:19 PM Jun 18th

Oh the boy...he sure is stubborn! He just held out for an hour before he would eat some celery!1:35 PM Jun 18th

Matt just asked his Dad if Arack Obama plays golf. "l think I seed him play before."7:30 PM Jun 17th

Matthew walked in my room when I had my sports bra on. He politely told me "oh that shirt is toooo small for you!"4:25 PM Jun 17th

Matthew:I like the Halo song Tosha. I wanna hear it! Me:Im sorry Matt, its not that songs turn on the radio. We'll have to wait its turn.9:49 AM Jun 17th

Shes 7 so I left out the alcohol and gambling parts...ya know what most people associate with Vegas :)4:46 PM Jun 16th

Sometimes people go to Vegas and have so much fun they decide to have someone who looks like Elvis marry them. And Vegas is very glittery.4:43 PM Jun 16th

Aliya: Is this Lady Gaga Waking Up in Vegas? Whats this song about? Well....4:02 PM Jun 16th

Matthew: A lot of men died at War. But God made new ones. We need to pray for them.9:37 AM Jun 16th

Dear Santa, FYI Matt says he will make good choices after this day, hows that work for you?4:56 PM Jun 15th

Matthew: I sleeped in my own bed all night! Can we go to IKEA now?11:38 AM Jun 14th

Taking Matt and Aliya camping in ME for their 1st time. Rain rain go away, Matthew cannot wait another day! He MUST.SLEEP.OUTSIDE.TONIGHT!2:36 PM Jun 12th

Matthew: My dad plays golf and works. Is it his work?! But he is still a dad when he plays golf.2:10 PM Jun 12th

Dear Santa, Matthew just fed Jazzy from the table after we went over the fact that this is unacceptable. Just wanted you to know.5:49 PM Jun 10th

Matthew: when I grow up I am going to be a major baseball player for the Red Sox. NOT the Yankees. We dont like them.1:14 PM Jun 10th

By the way, we are currently at Walmart getting a spring jacket,not registering for Matt's Christmas wish list. He doesnt know that though!8:30 AM Jun 10th

The list is growing for Santa (in June?!) Nerf, transformers, matchbox. He says thats it, moves 2 another aisle saying well maybe this 28:28 AM Jun 10th

Downhill raceway, color blaster, zero gravity micro, crash gage. These r toys Matt wants for Christmas. He wants me to write them down!!8:23 AM Jun 10th

Both children are convinced Jazzy the dog can smell the meat they are having for dinner! I caught Aliya trying to break off a tiny piece.4:44 PM Jun 8th

Matt and Aliya are arguing whose bike ride booboos are "badder". Matt is sure his are, but Aliya declared hers the most stingy.3:56 PM Jun 8th

Matthew: Wow its rocky out today! (He meant foggy)7:43 AM May 29th

Aliya just informed me that when she is about 18 she will be singing on the radio probably Karson & Kennedy our morning radio personalities6:53 PM May 28th

Aliya just told Matt not to call people fat, you should call them chubby. I'm not sure which is better? Maybe neither?5:39 PM May 26th

Aliya: I wasn't born to play sports. I pretty much just like the Red Sox, even though I am not a sports fan.11:56 AM May 22nd

Headed home to read: Dinosaur books for Matt, American History (including American Girl stories) for Aliya and Nora Roberts for me :)3:08 PM May 14th

Matt just informed me that "the Red Sox ALWAYS win!"8:06 AM May 13th

While repeatedly singing 'Love Story' - Aliya said "its my favorite song, but in real life, its a tragic love story!"6:44 PM May 12th

Aliya just told Matt not to sneeze into his hand because he could catch the swine flu.3:56 PM May 11th

Matt thinks they need a stop light at school because we usually have to wait 30 seconds. And I thought I was impatient!2:46 PM May 7th

Aliya: My (loose) training wheels are trying to tell me something. Its time to take them off!7:06 AM May 5th

I told Aliya the real estate people check for clean houses. She said, Your kidding, cause you have a mysterious smile. She was onto me!6:32 PM Apr 24th

About muffins Tan made that Aliya didn't like, "I didn't mention it cause if u don't have anything nice 2 say, u shouldn't say it at all!6:29 PM Apr 24th

Just left (Maine) and Aliya asks " Are we near home yet?"11:21 AM Apr 23rd

At 5:15am Matthew woke me up saying "I slept for 100 minutes!" I wish he had slept for 100 more minutes.8:28 AM Apr 22nd

Matthew just told me that I should have brought him soccer clothes! Good thing I'm on my A nanny game and DID bring them!1:47 PM Apr 21st

TypicalAliya trademark...8:00 PM Apr 17th

LOL Matt wants to know how our rental car got all my favorite songs in it!?2:33 PM Apr 17th

So apparently Aliya has 'retired' from soccer at age 7

Wordless Wednesday

York's Wild Kingdom

Thats how she rolls rides...

Riding her bike in a mini skirt and cowgirl boots! What do you wear?

Our very own Night at the Museum

The view of our beds (in the top left) below Mr. T. Rex!

Couldn’t make it through the 11pm lightening show…


Tired kids on the Musical stairs

Mr. T. Rex – we slept right underneath him!

Bright and early the next morning we were up for a planetarium show!

Camping

This is the scene from Saturday. We slept in the tent with our new LLBean sleeping bags and Thomas the Train/Dora lanterns on Friday night. I was awoken at 5:50AM to a bright sun and two children eager to embrace the day! The children rode/fought who would drive the Gator for hours. They rode their bikes too, caught frogs, searched for snakes, played in my Dad's bus turned motor home, and made s'mores! Matthew even went to my nephew Issac's t-ball game. I had some tired and dirty kids when we left after 14 hours of playing.

Wordless Wednesday

Piano Lessons

Aliya started piano lessons today. We talked about it yesterday afternoon and she asked if we would be coming home before the lessons. I said we could and didn't think much of it. This is what I found this morning, from the girl who doesn't organize anything!

Note how everything is strategically placed, right down to the ring and shoes! She came home from school and burst inside. She changed her clothes, washed her face, and brushed her teeth! We were out the door in record time and off to piano lessons. She enjoyed the lesson and Katie (my friend who is her piano teacher) said she got it quickly.

Pizza + Patio = Picnic

Who says you need a special basket filled with delectable dishes for a picnic? We got pizza, went out on the patio and had ourselves a picnic! Today was sunny and 70 degrees here in MA! It was Aliya's idea for the picnic and she narrated the directions for what we needed. She was very helpful and got most of it. :) Matthew just wanted to be outside and take his shoes off!

Tonight we had a movie night, play date, and slumber party all wrapped up in one. I had the children tonight while Peter and Annie went to the Red Sox game. We had Robbie over (the neighbor boy who Aliya plans on marrying) watched Velveteen Rabbit, and then I let them both fall asleep in my bed. They argued about the middle, so I declared it! And I'm not sure they quite understood they were only falling asleep in my bed, not spending the whole night. But you can bet once I was sure they were asleep, I scooped their limp little bodies up and placed them gently in their own beds. Not that I minded their excitement about the slumber party, but I had an elbow in my rib cage, sweaty legs kicking me, and NO room. Matthew told me twice he didn't have enough room, that I needed to push over and move my computer. Remember, I was in the middle and he had six inches on the other side of him, he just wanted to be thisclose to me! :)

Tomorrow is Aliya's birthday brunch at American Girl in Natick. Then Allison and Damon are coming down from Maine, Tracy and Ben are coming from Beverly and we are all going to the Amazing gRACE event I helped plan with my small group. It should be a grand time!

Biking 101 with Beauty and the Boy

On training wheels:
Matthew (Boy): "I don't need them because Connor (cousin-age 8) doesn't use them."
Aliya (Beauty): "I don't need training wheels because I trained last year."
(Note: Regardless of a cousin needing them or not and said training last year, both have and need training wheels, I just don't mention them!)

On bike choice:
M: Red Lightening McQueen Race car look-a-like
A: Blue Puppy Love brand with blue/white/silver tassels hanging from the handle bars and a bell, of course

On ant hills:
M: Must get off bike and walk it until a completely (as in no sign of an incline/decline) flat part
A: Must go as fast as you can, not a big deal if you fall off

On falling off:
M: Must immediately start crying your eyes out and looking for battle scars
A: Must immediately get up, straighten tassels on handle bars and get back on

On helmets:
M: Must match bicycle
A: Must match bicycle

On bicycle clothing/gear:
M: Would wear elbow, knee and wrist guards if he had them
A: Would wear a dress (and probably heels) if asked to

On distance from Tarsha:
M: Would prefer leading, but following behind and braking OFTEN works
A: Leading the pack while singing your heart out is preferred

This is what I have learned from taking the bikes to the Rail Trail for three days and biking 9 miles. Who would have thought that this is the way it would go with the Boy and the Beauty?! I'll leave you with the site I see as we come within 200 feet of approach anything that resembles inclines/declines.

Look who got bikes...

So Miss Aliya is fearless. She was riding ahead, going up and down ant hills like a trooper and singing to her hearts delight! She fell off a couple of times but rebounded nicely. Matthew, on the other hand, was a bit more leary. "I like flat places Tosha!" he said. They biked and I walked three miles! Matthew fell asleep on the way home. :)

You Are My I Love You - Maryann K. Cusimano

I love this book so much! It essentially describes a day with a child. As a nanny and aunt, I can understand these connections and feelings, and I can only imagine what it must be like when this child is your own flesh and blood. Enjoy!

For Aliya, Hannah, Isaac, Matthew, Drew, Liam and Damon ~ You are my I Love You!

I am your parent; you are my child.
I am your quiet place; you are my wild.

I am your calm face; you are my giggle.
I am your wait; you are my wiggle.

I am your carriage ride; you are my king.
I am your push; you are my swing.

I am your audience; you are my clown.
I am your London Bridge; you are my falling down.

I am your carrot sticks; you are my licorice.
I am your dandelion; you are my first wish.

I am your water wings; you are my deep.
I am your open arms; you are my running leap.

I am your way home; you are my new path.
I am your dry towel; you are my wet bath.

I am your dinner; you are my chocolate cake.
I am your bedtime; you are my wide awake.

I am your finish line; you are my race.
I am your praying hands; you are my saying grace.

I am your favorite book; you are my new lines.
I am your night-light; you are my star shine.

I am your lullaby; you are my peekaboo.
I am your goodnight kiss; you are my I Love You.

Wordless Wednesday

The Girl... and the mean nanny

The Girl: I am thisclose (showing me a small space between thumb and pointer finger) to being a princess, but once I heard about Rock Stars, I think I am one of them!

Me: Oh, so your a rock star now? What kind of music do you sing and what do you wear?

The Girl: I play the piano and (long pause).... Tarsha what do rock stars wear?

Love, love love this girl's creativity and imagination! She can perform impromptu and tell a story like its her job. She's brilliant, talented and I think she belongs on stage.

She can also make a mess. And when I say a mess folks, I don't mean leaving some toys or clothing out. I mean leaving a tornado in her wake like mess with toys from several games and clothing from several days. This girl takes toys out from 10 different outlets and proceeds to the next stop. She takes her clothes off and leaves them where they fall. I don't like picking up toys I didn't get to play with and sassy dresses/shoes/boas I didn't get to wear. So, in the true Drill Sargent fashion I burst on the sense with last fall, I formulated a remedy/consequence/plan to this TOYS EVERYWHERE problem. In fact, this should kill two birds with one stone. You see, this very smart girl also needs some help with her penmanship. What better a consequence for leaving toys out and writing messy than having to write 5 times NEATLY: I will pick up my toys when I am done playing?! If she doesn't pick up her toys again or writes messy, she has to write 5 more each time. I delivered the news on Thursday and had her sign the page with all the info to show she read and understood the consequenses. I figure either way, we both win. If she cleans up the toys, YAY! If she doesn't clean up the toys, she'll practice her penmanship and maybe start cleaning up her toys! There has to be a lesson learned here folks, right?! Please pray! :)

Look who can...

Tie his shoes!

(notice the cute haircut)

This is a huge success for both Matthew and I. I told him that when he learned to tie his shoes, we would go get sporty new sneakers that tie. I have been teaching/having him practice about every other day. He has to tie it 5 times, usually taking him about 10 minutes. I got a Melissa and Doug shoe back in October for the children to learn on. It has bounced around and been used for other things, until lately. I went online to learn 'the best way to teach children to tie shoes' and didn't find anything to be that helpful. I got some advice from a friend and Matt and I tried a couple different ways. His little fingers seem huge when he is trying to get the lace through the opening, but he was patient. I think he was also eager to do something before his big sister! Princess Aliya said she has tried, and that she can't, tie shoes. Why should a princess have to tie shoes anyway? I mean isn't there someone to do it for them? Actually don't princesses wear shoes with straps and buckles? Yeah, never mind! So, on Thursday he was really fast at tying them. I also noticed that he did better when I wasn't watching. On Friday he did it all by himself and brought it to me. It was tight and neat. That's when it hit me; he can do this, he tied his own shoe and I taught him! :) We celebrated momentarily before going to walk at the mall and planned to do some shopping after for sporty new sneakers that tie!

And look who is getting a school uniform! Is this not so cute? I went to order Aliya's school uniforms (for next year) and saw a doll sized version of it. I asked the clerk where to get them and she steered me to a website.I checked it out when I got home and just had to purchase one for Samantha. After all, Aliya will be turning 7 years old on April 6 and this will make a great birthday gift! I think it will be great for them to have matching uniforms and she will have it forever to remember her elementary school uniform!

Here is Princess Aliya in her uniform.

We went to the library for a special activity about money. The first activity was to match the presidents to the coin they are on. Aliya knew most of them and learned the rest. The second activity was to fill in a Needs/Wants paper (seen above) with pictures they could cut from flyers and magazines. We talked about needs verses wants and she went to town cutting and pasting. Note that there is a cat and dog under 'Needs'. According to Aliya, no matter which way I explained it, she insisted "Me-maw and Pop-Pop cannot live without Jazzy!" The third activity was to make a piggy pank with construction paper. They earned 'library dollars' to purchase toys once each activity was completed.

I helped Aliya cut some pictures out, but my hands were otherwise unavailable. You see, a certain cranky pants needed a nap, and it simply couldn't wait any longer. I decided against waking him when we got to the library, due to said crankiness of the pants, and so I just held him. While my arms were heavy, my heart was full. Something about the innocence and peacefulness of a sleeping child!

Fair

Fair, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary means marked by impartiality and honesty: free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism, conforming with the established rules.

Fair, according to Matthew Larkin means Matthew must score a touchdown, homerun, or goal when playing football, baseball, or soccer at Teamworks for it to be deemed a 'fair' day. It is not fair, however, if his friends score but he doesn't. That's not a fair or equal day at Teamworks people! OK?

Do you understand fair now? PHEW! I'm glad we got that out there.

Golf, Green and Good times

The girl NEEDED a new green dress for St. Patrick's Day, so we went shopping. After all, one must go all out when it is an out of uniform day at school. One dress she had wasn't green enough, another was to small (so she claimed), and still others were just not right. Apparently this one (shown here trying to sell it to me in the fitting room) at Walmart was green enough, the right size, and just right for this Princess on St. Patrick's Day 2009!

Here is Matthew, waiting ever so patiently, for his playdate to arrive. His concept of time isn't quite worked out yet, so he kept asking me how long, and then showing me with his hands as if he were showing me the size of the fish he just caught, how long it would be until William S got here. William arrived 10 minutes late for the 9am playdate, and those are very LONG minutes when you are a 4 year old waiting for a much anticipated playdate. Matthew is a great host and I see more playdates in his future!
Here is what our days have been filled with most recently. Indoor sports, including mini golf - Larkin House style. You see, if you have tees, you must use them!! Even if you don't REALLY need them, you improvise. It worked well enough, except when he would hit the plastic golf ball as if he were hitting a real one, so hard that the tee would go flying! He would go retrieve both and I resumed setup.

And FYI, Matthew says I am a Larkin now, seeing as I have lived here for a while and spend so much time with them. Just thought I'd share :)

We have been going outside to play soccer. We have also been playing soccer, football, and basketball inside. How do I play basketball with a 4 year old and a 4 foot high hoop? Easy...I just sit cross legged at the free throw line and shoot hoops, when I'm not guarding the little man and pretending to block shots. It brings him great pleasure and we giggle and count points.

We are in week two of 3 Day Breast Cancer Walk Training! When I say we, I mean Matthew, Joy and I! We meet Joy at the mall and walk for about 3 miles. For being patient and cooperative, Matthew gets to play on the floor game after. We are working out a system of what to bring, how many times we pass the Disney store, and when its time to play. I will be posting more on this and asking for your help! :)

The Rodeo

I give the kids a bath once a week as part of my job description. We do it in the late afternoon before dinner and I have always just put them in their pajamas after. Last week was a little different, for a few reasons.

You see, we have a bit of construction going on here. Two out of the three bathrooms are no longer in order. Last week while the family was away at Disney, their bathrooms with the bathtubs were torn out to make way for new and improved bathrooms. Sounds kind of like Extreme Makeover huh! :) My bathroom, which only has a shower, is now the go-to bathroom. (I grew up in a house with 7 people to one bathroom, so this doesn't bother me. However, Annie and Peter are a bit skeptical.) Anyway, I have to give the kids a shower now, as opposed to a bath. I had to explain to them that I didn't need a shower and I didn't want to get wet. We have the removable shower head, so this is possible! Also, we couldn't have a half hour shower like the usual half hour baths because that would waste A LOT of water. The kids didn't take to this idea very well, but we made it work. I managed to only get a tiny bit wet and they had a grand time (as per giggling quota)! Once out of the shower, as usual, I had pajamas ready for both children. Aliya protested saying, "I'm not wearing pajamas. I am going to the rodeo with my boyfriend!" She raced past me and headed upstairs. I finished getting Matthew in his and we headed upstairs. This is what we found.

You can't see it, but she has on a little jean skirt with cowgirl boots along with her suede jacket and cowgirl hat. She came to me with the bandanna and asked how cowgirls wear them. Meanwhile her parents called and were coming home to get the kids and take them to dinner. So I have one child in pajamas and one dressed in full on cowgirl gear. Aliya keeps insisting that she is going to the rodeo with her boyfriend (Eric the imaginary one I am assuming) and now has added a horse and lasso into the mix. (Have I mentioned before that she is so much like Bernice Matisse from Hope Floats! Such an imagination!)

I changed Matt into regular clothes and transferred watch of the boy and the cowgirl to their parents! I love my job! :)

Maine Cherubs meet Massachuseets Cherubs

And for a moment, they shared a couch for Nanny Tarsha/Aunt Tarsha/Tosha to snap a picture! (Even if half of them were hiding their face or trying to get down.)
The children all played together nicely (for the most part). They got up extremely early and made us all laugh several times throughout our stay. A certain someone had to be informed about guests and etiquette and a certain guest must have been listening! The children were playing upstairs and we could hear them downstairs. We heard some banter and then heard Matthew say, "I am your guest and you need to be nice to me!" We figured he was right and they should move on. A few minutes later Matthew came half way down the stairs, and peered through the rails. "That girl is being rude to me!" He forgot their names a few times, but he sure didn't want to leave. He asked me "When can we come back Tarsha? Let's come back on your next day off!"

We played outside in the snow and Isaac shared his snowboard with this little guy who has been eager to get a ride on one!

The girl got her hair curled and was able to utilize Hannah's flower girl dresses. She looked gorgeous but I didn't get a picture. :(

Introducing all my cherubs was a great experience and I look forward to bringing them back for more fun. Thank you Tanya for being such a great hostess!