Thursday, August 9, 2012

GRRR

I recently unknowing volunteered myself to babysit regularly for FREE.

I find myself in a hard place.  I feel selfish for thinking I should be compinsated some how for the 3.5 hours per week I watch a 4 1/2 and an almost two year old.  But at the same time the time is a time when my kids would normally be taking naps so it is a lot more work than I'm used to.

When I was going to school I always felt so grateful to people when they would watch my kids for me and felt like they deserved to be paid.  Honestly they deserved to be paid more than I gave them, but still I did pay them. 

When I started watching my friends kids she messaged me via Facebook and asked if I knew anyone that could watch her kids one day a week for a few hours between they time her husband goes to work, and she gets home from work.  She said she could pay.  I volunteered, thinking sweet now I'll be able to put the money towards an awesome swing set I've had my eye on, but have never received payment.  I guess could pay doesn't mean she would pay.  I'll have to make that more clear in the future. 

I feel like I'm in a hard place because I'm her visiting teacher (however her husband is our home teacher) and feel like I should be willing to serve her, but at the same time I don't want to become the free sitter in the neighborhood.  I don't mind watching someones kids for a few hours every now and then, but when it is weekly I think that deserves some sort of compensation,

I tried to call her to take my kids (I only gave her about 2 hours notice) for a few hours while Troy and I go do something, but she said she already had plans so no luck there.  I'll have to try again when I'm able to give her more notice.

Recently another person in the neighborhood approached me about watching her 2 1/2 year old for 1-2 days per week.   I told her I could do it and hopefully made it clear that I plan on getting paid for it.  When I start watching her little boy I'm going to approach the other person and say that I recently starting watching another little boy and to keep things fair and to prevent being the dumping grounds for kids if she wants me to continue watching her kids she need to start paying either by taking my kids one night a week so we can go out or with cold hard $$$.

Why do people think they should pay when other people watch their kids on a regular basis?  What are your feeling about this (and telling me I'm out of line for wanting payment is perfectly ok)?

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Night Training Parker

I wanted to catalog this for future reference.  Sometimes I think I remember the easy parts and forget the hard parts of life.  This is so maybe I'll have the same patience with my future kids.

I decided just over a week ago that I was going to stop putting diapers on Parker during the night.  Prier to this Parker finally started WANTING to go potty by himself, and most of the time would stay dry during his naps.  However he would ALWAYS wake up with a wet and poopy diaper.  I was expecting the worse, and although it wasn't an instant success I think it has turned out pretty well.

MONDAY- I put a Pull-Up on Parker and told him if he kept it dry I would give him a sticker and a piece of candy. It DIDN'T work, he soaked it, and his PJ's.

TUESDAY- Woke up wet, and Parked didn't like it. He wanted a bath and clean clothes/bedding when he got up.

WEDNESDAY- Woke up wet, but it didn't seem to bother him.  He didn't even want me to take the wet clothes off.  I thought for sure this was a bad sign.

THURSDAY- Wet his underwear while brushing his teeth that night. Woke up crying at 5am.  I could tell he must of wet his pants, but they were only damp so I figure it must have been pretty early in the night.  I changed his clothes and bedding while he went potty.  He went back to bed, and woke up dry.

FRIDAY- Parker woke up at 2am crying.  When I walked into his room he was standing next to his bed. There was wet spot on the floor, his pants were wet, but his bed was dry.  I brought him to the bathroom and stood him next to the toilet while I cleaned up the mess and got him a new change of clothes.  When I came back into the bathroom he had pooped, but since I hadn't sat him on the toilet I had another mess to clean up.  When I brought him back to bed he said his stomach hurt (which he never says unless he is about to throw up).  I decided to lay with him in his bed for a little while.  That only lasted a few minutes, because he started throwing up.  Needless to say the rest of the night we were down stairs watching movies.  Through all of this his bedding did manage to stay clean though.

SATURDAY- I woke Parker up at 11pm had him go potty, and then he went back to bed.  He woke as well around 1 or 2 and starting crying so I went in his room and showed him to the bathroom. He went potty and then went back to bed.  Woke up dry.

SUNDAY- I tried to wake him at 11pm to go, but he was so out it didn't work out.  I decided for us this wasn't something I'd try again.  He woke up at 2 am crying.  When I went into his room he ran out and wanted me to read him a story, but was still dry.  I told him to go use the potty which he refused to do.  I was finally able to bribe him with a story.  After he went potty I read him a story and then sent him back to bed.  He was dry when he got up for good.

MONDAY-  (I put a diaper on him because he had had A LOT of liquids that night) woke up at 5am with a soaked diaper and PJ's.  After I changed him into underwear and clean clothes he was up for the day :(

TUESDAY - Woke at 1am ran through the house screaming.  By the time I got up to help him he was standing by the toilet so I let him finish and helped him wash his hands and brought him back to bed.  He was dry when he finally woke up for good.

WEDNESDAY- Wanted a diaper when he went to bed, but I told him he was a big boy and he wore underwear to bed like mommy and daddy.  Woke up dry (and as far as I know didn't wake up during the night).

I think the worst is behind us, but I'm sure we still have awhile before I won't have him wear a diaper when we don't sleep at home.