From Nanny Pants to Business Casual

Today was the day. The last day of my nannydom.

I started today knowing that this was the end of a chapter in my life, but I hadn't realize how integral a part.

Nine months ago, I started nannying for Wes. He was a 3-month-old blob who wouldn't take a bottle, would only sleep when he was held and made you work for a smile. Since then, he's grown into an adorable 1-year-old with quite the personality. He knows how to sign for the stuff he wants and can kick a soccer ball like a fiend. He growls and babbles, and is generous with kisses and hugs. He eats everything and nothing at the same time, but has an affinity for blueberries. He takes long naps and makes a 'vroom' noise when he pushes his car around. I have had a blast being his nanny, and I will miss seeing him grow up!

Six months ago, I began the journey of the Three. Cooper, Addie and Tori were fragile, little babies (well, Cooper not so 'little') and it wasn't a stretch to call what I did 'watching'. The last six months have seen a landslide of milestones, and I have loved every step forward. From getting a smile from Addie, to seeing Cooper hold his own bottle, to watching Tori crawl...it has been a humbling and exciting experience. 

I love the reaction I get when I tell people I nanny for triplets, mostly because they don't realize how ridiculously rewarding it is. They only see 3x the diapers, 3x the crying and 3x the formula. I look back, and I see 3x the laughs, 3x the accomplishments, and 3x the excitement. I can't wait to check back in and see how much bigger, smarter and awesome they've become.

As of August 15, I will be the Marketing Coordinator for Stark & Associates in St. Louis. I am genuinely thrilled for this opportunity, but I am also grateful for everything I've experienced this past year...it's made me a better, more patient, person.

You want work experience, enter the corporate world. You want life experience, be a nanny.

Childminder...Babysitter...Nanny

I wear many hats as a college graduate-the beret of butchering Martha Stewart recipes, the baseball cap of pointless movie trivia, the fez of proper semicolon usage-but the most flattering has got to be the Revolutionary War bonnet of child care provider.

Sure, it's a rough job, but someone's got to do it, and who's more capable than a woman in her early twenties with a Bachelor of Journalism of her very own? Thanks to my ill-named BJ, I have the power to claim more experience than the tweens starting their very own Babysitter's Club, and therefore get to charge $1.50 more per hour for my wisdom.

(Sidenote: Why didn't the original BC (not that little sister crap) ever cash in on their tsunami of business knowledge? They could have franchises sweeping the nation by now. Note to past self: jump on this.)

As a nanny, I have two consistent 'clients'. There's the 11-month-old, Wes, who I've been with for almost nine months now, and the 9-month-old triplets, Addison, Victoria and Cooper, who I've been with for four months. It's been an adorable, boring, fun, exhausting, disgusting whirlwind of birth control that I would love to share with you.

Along with my tales from the nanny files, I'll also be sharing some of my successful cooking endeavors. My most recent accomplishment was Snickerdoodle Cupcakes, and booyah (is that still a thing?) they were good!

I'll also slip in some of my observations about life...just because I can. You won't know until you read it and you'll be like, "Crap. Why did I just acknowledge her inane thought processes?" Because I tricked you...that's why.

So come with me on this journey of mediocrity in the midwest, as I lay out the ten things to do with a journalism degree.