April 25, 2012

Made cookies with 2 kids last night. I think more dough ended up in their hair than on the cookie sheet.

April 23, 2012

This morning, a little boy standing on a blanket reached down and yanked it out from under himself, falling on his back. I made sure he was ok before I died laughing.

April 22, 2012

Worst Game Ever Invented: "Miss Holly, guess which sports team I'm thinking of. No hints, just guess!" - every little boy ever

April 20, 2012

Only a 3 year old would need to choose between identical packs of pudding. 

April 18, 2012

"Tonight I'm going to be the queen of the fairies! And the princess. And the bride." - girl, 4

April 14, 2012

Putting this toddler's cup together feels like I'm assembling an Ikea desk. What happened to sippy cups?

April 13, 2012

A girl suggested I get a dog so I can have a little taste of parenting. I refrained from comment. 

April 12, 2012

Giving a bag of teddy grahams to a group of toddlers is a good way to start Hunger Games Jr.

April 11, 2012

Why pronounce it "ketchup" when you can call it "kaypotch"? So much more fun.

April 2, 2012

Spent most of the night chasing down and tickling 5 children who thought it'd be funny to run around yelling "Holly-want-a-cracker!"

April Fools 2012

Only in 2nd grade can April 1st last a month. You have early April Fools, April 1st, and then you get 2 weeks of late April Fools.

Mar 30, 2012

One of those days when the toddler wants to ride a horse and the dog just won't play along.

Mar 28, 2012

For an 8 year old boy, everything is categorized into what he's already climbed and what he has yet to climb.

Mar 26, 2012

I'm realizing that nap-time is more for the benefit of the adults than the kids. 

Mar 22, 2012

"You know when you get a song stuck in your head? That's radio waves. They were going to a radio but they got stuck in your head first." - boy, 8

Mar 21, 2012

Children can be persuaded to do almost anything if it's made into a game. Even put on sunscreen.

Mar 20, 2012

Toddler panicked this morning when he couldn't find his belly button hidden by his onesie. 

Mar 19, 2012

"I blessyou'd on you!" - girl, 4, just after she sneezed all over me

Mar 18, 2012

"I think a girl in the choir is in love with me, she was staring at me all through mass. And they're in high school!" - boy, 8

Mar 16, 2012

Stood on the street corner with a toddler and waved at trucks for an hour today.

Mar 14, 2012

To this toddler just learning to count, every number is either 3 or 6.

Mar 13, 2012

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"Single." - boy, 8

Mar 11, 2012

Two year old handing over plastic pancakes he just "cooked" for me... "Don't eat them; they're not real. It's just pretend."

Mar 8, 2012

Two little girls last night wanted to know what "going into labor" means. I told them to ask Mommy. 

Mar 6, 2012

"So. We just gonna stick me in front of the TV now?" - girl, 4, hand on hip. An interesting way of asking to watch Dora...

Feb 29, 2012

Was educated on the dangers of alcohol by my young friend today. I'll keep it in mind.

Feb 27, 2012

Six year old sticking his stomach out as far as he can... "Does this make me look fat?" Why, yes. Yes it does.

Feb 25, 2012

Lesson learned: Taking both a toddler and a dog for a walk only ends in the nanny tangled in the leash.

Feb 21, 2012

While on a walk, it's always polite to greet each and every mailbox.

Feb 18, 2012

Ok, it's fairly normal to accidentally call a kid by their sibling's name. But when you start calling them by the name of kids in other families, you know you have a problem.

Feb 17, 2012

On the ride home from school yesterday, my 8 year old friend and I discussed his groundbreaking theories on self-driving cars, economics, and song lyrics.

Feb 16, 2012

The diagnosis of our 4 year old doctor in residence after checking her brother's heart - "Yeah, he doesn't have a heartbeat. I think he might be dead."

Valentines Day 2012

My valentine this year? A 6 year old with a gap where his two front teeth should be. And I have the red heart sticker on my cheek to prove it. 

Feb 13, 2012

It's so cute and all when little ones start wanting to feed themselves; it just makes lunch about 5 times longer.

Feb 10, 2012

Ok little boy, let's get this straight. Yes, I do take care of kids. But that does not mean I'm a nun.

Feb 9, 2012

So apparently it's legal to record your nanny without telling them. This opens up so many opportunities to scare the pants off the parents who decided to hide it from me.

Feb 6, 2012

A little 3 year old tried to postpone bedtime tonight with, "But I wanna read my Bible..." Nice try.

Feb 4, 2012

Nothing beats dancing around the kitchen with a giggling 1 year old.

Feb 2, 2012

Almost passed out last night after blowing up an entire inflatable "teacher's chair" for pretend-school.

Jan 30, 2012

A golf club, even a plastic one, is always dangerous in the hands of a toddler.

Jan 29, 2012

That creepy moment when the kids are in bed and one of their toys starts giggling in the next room. And you can't figure out which one it is.

Jan 28, 2012

Little boy went out with his parents this morning while I stayed behind with his sister... He refused to take any of his toys with him to the zoo, "so the monkeys won't get them."

Jan 25, 2012

I never realized before just how entertaining a down comforter can be.

Jan 24, 2012


Apparently "but he stepped on my foot!" is supposed to justify tackling your own teammate to the ground during church basketball practice.

Jan 21, 2012

A 2 year old last night tried to convince me that she wasn't ticklish. It took all of three seconds to debunk that claim.

Jan 20, 2012

"So guess what?! I get to spend the night in two really cool places next week! Sea world and heaven!" - girl, 4

Jan 19, 2012

I'm curious. How do you get, "Let's have a screaming contest!" from "Guys, let's keep the noise down."

Jan 17, 2012

I can't ever tell if this toddler is excited or upset - his laughing and crying sound exactly the same.

Jan 16, 2012

This little boy is so used to his dog's reaction to strangers that when cars drive past, he barks and waves.

Jan 14, 2012

That moment when you think surely it's time for lunch. Then you check and it's 9am.

Jan 13, 2012

A boy and his dog, licking the early morning condensation off the windows...

Jan 12, 2012

Well this is new - a two year old who reprimands himself. This morning he stopped mid-scream, put a finger to his lips, and said, "Shh. Baby sleeping."

Jan 11, 2012

"Look at all this money I have! You know what I'm gonna do with it?! I'm gonna buy cookies and peanut butter. And chocolate syrup. And kale." - boy, 5

Jan 9, 2012

Best part of my day - spinning a toddler around the room then setting him down to watch him dizzily stumble into walls before collapsing into giggles on the floor.

Jan 6, 2012

Playing go fish with two little girls using sea creature cards, I told the older sister "Go fish! Draw a sea turtle!" When she failed to draw the sea turtle card, the younger sister disappeared only to reappear two minutes later with a picture of a sea turtle that she'd drawn. "Here sissy, I drew a turtle for you."

Jan 5, 2012

"Oh my gosh. What if people saw that? They would be hilarious-ed!" - girl, 7

Jan 4, 2012

In the spirit of the renovations going on in her house, a two year old last night decided to measure her room. I held the tape measure, she ran the width of her room, looked at the zero-end of the tape and with a sigh went, "14 years."

Jan 1, 2012

There's nothing like a box big enough to fit into to make kids forget the expensive toy that arrived in it. 

Dec 28, 2011

May or may not have thrown out my shoulder tonight while getting beaten in Wii baseball by a 7 year old.

Dec 27, 2011

Spent an entire conversation speaking with a 2 year old solely in "meows."

Dec 20, 2011

Pulling the "Santa is watching you" card makes December by far the easiest month to work with kids.

Dec 18, 2011

There's nothing like building a huge fort out of furniture, cushions, and blankets on a winter night...until they want to spend the night there.

Dec 16, 2011

Spent a better part of the morning shining a flashlight on the floor for a toddler to chase. Between the two of us, I can safely say I was far more entertained.

Dec 14, 2011

Best morning ritual ever - as soon as I walk in the door, we run into the living room and rediscover the Christmas tree.

Dec 13, 2011

How is it babies instinctively know the exact science of grabbing just enough hair to cause the most excruciating pain?

Dec 12, 2011

"If you don't let us stay up later, we'll tell our parents you let us watch tv the whole time." They're getting smarter...

Dec 7, 2011

This morning I mentioned something to a one year old about changing his diaper... He promptly grabbed every diaper in sight and hid in his closet.

Dec 3, 2011

Witnessed the strangest battle the other night - 4 kids pointed plastic wands at each other and shouted "Bippity Boppity Boo!" all at once. Still not sure who won.

Dec 1, 2011


Dear adorable little girl, 
Analyzing the lyrics of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer will not trick me into delaying your bedtime. Nice try - I do applaud your creativity but I'm onto you.

Nov 30, 2011

"Careful! I'm getting ready for my wedding." - girl, 4
"Who are you gettin married to?" - boy, 5
"To you!"
"Fine, but you gotta catch me first!"

Nov 29, 2011

How is it that double chins on babies really are that cute?

Nov 28, 2011

A toddler's #1 requirement in viewing his first Christmas tree: every ornament must be touched. Every. Single. Ornament.

Thanksgiving 2011

I'm so thankful for the chance to spend so much time with such sweet little ones. I'm also thankful I'm not yet a mother.

Nov 23, 2011

"It's your birthday? Cool, how old are you? O, 24... Are you ever gonna get married?" - girl, 7

Nov 22, 2011

Spent my day watching a baby talk to his toes. He had a lot to say.

Nov 21, 2011

Today I let a toddler play in my parked car. Climbing around in the front seat, he leaned against the steering wheel and accidentally honked the horn. He nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise and I nearly fell out of the car laughing...

Nov 19, 2011

It never ceases to amaze me how chatty and full of compliments children suddenly become at bedtime.

Nov 18, 2011

The highlight of my day? Watching a toddler try to call his dog by slapping his thigh and shouting gibberish. Cute but completely ineffective.

Nov 16, 2011

"Can I tell you a really big secret? You can't tell anyone. I hate babies. All of them. Also, brides." - boy, 5 

Nov 15, 2011

Dear Baby, I'm willing to put up with a lot, really I am. But trying to eat my nose crosses a line. 

Nov 14, 2011

That awkward moment when the baby goes down for his nap and you're left chillin with the grandpa...

Nov 10, 2011

There's nothing more cutely maddening than a baby laughing and peeing in your face at the same time.

Nov 9, 2011

The one goal of this toddler's day? To get into the one place in the entire house he's not allowed - the dog crate.

Nov 8, 2011

"I can't find my _____ and I can't sleep without it." The sentence I dread every time I put kids to bed. 

Nov 7, 2011

Note to self: If you give a baby a hairbrush, he will beat the dog with it.

Nov 5, 2011

The girl I watched tonight hid her brother's Halloween candy and told him the dog ate it all. The look on his face? Priceless.

Nov 2, 2011

Little known fact: A one year old has the energy to circle the earth twice before nap time.