Let's see...Who am I? Well, for starters I am a 27 year old who is married to the love of my life. We have no children yet but we do have a cat, Ellie, who is LIKE a child to us. I live in rural Ohio and I am a Christ lover and follower. I have the BEST job! (In my opinion, of course..) I will go into this more in a second, obviously. Anyway, I also love to sign, write, listen to music, spend time with family, ski, and work with children. I am a Godmother to my best friend/sister's 4 amazing boys. I think that's enough facts about me for now. We have to leave SOME for a later time, right? ;)
So, onto my job. I have been a nanny for a little over 5 years now and I love this profession. I used to be a daycare worker and, while I loved the children, I really wanted to be able to work with just a few children at a time so I could really focus on them. My first nanny gig was a busy one that lasted 2 years! By the time they didn't need my services anymore I was caring for a 10 year old, an 8 year old, a 4 year old, and a 1 year old. Leaving them was one of the hardest moments I've ever experienced. Even though I still see them from time to time at parties and sporting events I knew it wouldn't be the same. This is the single HARDEST thing about being a nanny. You become extremely attached.
Once I knew that I wouldn't be needed much longer I began the job hunt for a new nanny position. As I stated, I live in a rural area in Ohio and I wasn't very optimistic that I would find a position close to home or one that would match my previous salary. (My previous job was a 30-minute drive.) However, I diligently checked the local paper and at the same time left myself open to jobs that I would have to continue to commute to. Not long after I began my search I found what seemed to be a perfect opportunity for me. I immediately e-mailed the mother and said a good prayer. It was local, they would pay for all of my health insurance, and I would have paid holidays and sick days. She replied and after a few days of communicating back and forth she set up an interview time at their house.
When the day came for the interview I pulled into the driveway and was taken aback a little. It was an average looking house and I immediately started to wonder if they would be able to match my pay. It may sound funny but I was comparing it to my previous employer's home which was a new house, almost 3,000 square feet, and brick worth around 500,000. There is NO way I was going to just turn around and not try so I went in and had the interview. It turns out that they are related to some family friends of mine and I believe that and my experience gave me a leg up on the large competition because they offered me the job! And my worry about the pay? Not necessary. The pay they were offering was only a few dollars a month from what I was getting before. I was so excited to start!
Now that I have given you a VERY thorough background of my nanny career at this point it is time to introduce the kids. When I first started they were only 2 1/2. These absolutely adorable, fun twin boys who I will be referring to as J and L from here on out, are two of the greatest kids ever. They light up my life. They are smart, polite, funny, and sweet.
In the Spring, after almost 3 years with them at that point, I thought I was going to lose my job this fall due to them starting Kindergarten. They were planning on sending them to a Christian school and I would obviously no longer be needed. I couldn't even THINK about the dreaded fall season ahead of me without bursting into tears. These two boys are so important to me. I began praying very hard that the Lord would guide me to whatever path I was supposed to take in the fall.
The summer brought a wonderful, unexpected surprise for me. They decided to have ME homeschool their boys! I had just finished up the Horizon's PreSchool curriculum with them and they were impressed with how it went. Also, they realized the boys would have to get up at 6 a.m. every morning to go to school and that is really asking a lot from them at such a young age. They also travel for business at times so they needed flexibility. So, the rest of the summer their parents and I researched curriculum (their mom spent HOURS and HOURS) and then by the end of July we were set! So then, in mid August, began this grand new adventure in my career: Becoming a Homeschooling Nanny.
