Birthday Bash and Hanukkah Party

On Saturday December 13th, there was a big party at the house for the kids birthday and also to celebrate Hanukkah which starts this year on Dec 21st at sundown. It was crazy. There were so many people and presents. Sammy and I were very overwhelmed by it all. I don't believe I have seen a kid get so many presents as I saw these kids get. I guess it helps to know lots of wealthy people. Sammy refused to have anything to do with the party and spent half of the party outside and the other part hiding. Something interesting that happened during the party was when they lite a candle on the menorah. After they lite the candle they then sang a Jewish song. It was all so very overwhelming for me. And I sure had a mess to clean up after the kids at the party got done playing down in the play area!

PJ Party

Last Friday, the kids and I had a little PJ party. The kids put on their matching pj's and had their new fleece blankets with them that my mom and me had given them for their birthday (mom made them of course! They are adorable). I got lots of cute pics of the kids.

Christmas in NYC!

On Saturday Jamie and I went to NYC to go to the Rockefeller Center to see the big Christmas tree. We bundled up and hopped on the train to New York. We didn't bundle up good enough though because I ended up having to buy a hat to keep warm and Jamie had to buy gloves. The Christmas tree at the Rockefeller was absolutely amazing. I couldn't believe that it was real. I also couldn't quite believe how many people where gathered there in that one place. It was all Jamie and I could manage to be able to snap a few pictures. Trying to get out of the Rockefeller Center Plaza was a story in itself. We were packed like sardines on the sidewalk. We weren't even moving. It was not even cold because we were smashed against so many other people. Jamie was starting to get a little claustrophic and was ready to jump over the railing into the street to get out of that mess. I was a little worried that he might lose his mind and do something crazy haha. I couldn't help laughing some during this whole thing. I found the situation quite amusing. After that we went to try and find something to eat but everywhere was so packed that we ended up waiting till we got back to New Jersey to have dinner. Jamie did take me to a nice Italian restaraunt though that was very yummy! I was very grateful that Jamie put up with the crowds in NYC for me. It was worth the hassle to see the tree and all the beautiful lights. So thanks Jamie!!!

Girls night out!

On Wednesday, Lauren and me spent the day and evening together in New York City. We went and saw the Broadway play, 'Hairspray'. It was great and very funny! We bought us matching shirts from the play and wore them the rest of the night. After the play, we went to this interesting restaurant that is one of Lauren's very favorites. It was called 'Mars 2112'. It made it seems like you were on the planet Mars and they had aliens walking around greeting the kids. In order to get up to the restaurant though, you had to go on this space ride that was like one of those rides that they have at Disneyland and it makes it seem like you are really flying. It was a pretty pricey place but it was a fun atmosphere. After dinner, we walked down towards Times Square and stopped at Toys R Us store that has the big Ferris Wheel inside the middle of the store. Lauren and me rode it and she really loved it. They had some pretty cool things at the Toys R Us store that you would not usually find at other toy stores. Like the gigantic T-Rex mechanical dinosaur. Lauren and me had a great girls night out and hope to do it again soon!

Halloween!

The kids looked so cute on Halloween! Lauren was a witch, Joey was a skeleton, and Sammy was a race car driver. Here are a few pictures.

mother/daughter trip

Mom and me had a great trip together this last weekend. I was so excited that she flew out here to see me. We had lots of fun. I did my best to show mom as much stuff as possible during her stay here. We enjoyed going to Ellis Island, Liberty Park, Philadephia, PA, and New York City. Luckily I only managed to get us lost a few times. But I didn't get us lost once in NYC haha. I'm getting good! It was great to see mom's reaction when we got into NYC and also when she rode the subway for the first time. She was very brave about it all. Good job mom!!! It was really hard for it to come to an end and have mom go back home. But I look forward to seeing everyone come Christmas time. Thanks again mom for coming to spend time with me and letting me drag you around everywhere.

Birthday Party!

On Saturday, I took the kids up to Tenafly, NJ (in the Northern part of Jersey) to go to their cousin's birthday party. It was held outside so I froze the entire time. I got these cute pictures taken though of me and the boys that I wanted to post.

Autumn Time!

The last few weeks I have been able to witness and experience a New Jersey fall. The trees and leaves are absolutely gorgeous here in October. I wanted to share with everyone a few of the pictures I took of the trees.

Jewish Holidays

Being back here living with a Jewish family has taught me lots of stuff I didn't know about the Jewish religion and their many different holidays. Yesterday was the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur. In the evening, I went with the family to a friend of the families home. It was in their big house and were lots of people who I didn't know. This house even had an elevator in it. They had lots of fancy food. They had bagels with different meats and cheeses, plus a bunch of other stuff that I didnt know what it was. Either because it was Jewish food and I am not Jewish, or because it is rich people food and I am not rich haha! I am definitely learning and seeing some interesting stuff being back here!

NYC

On Sunday I spent the day in New York City with my friend. It was fun. We had a chance to go up to the top of the Empire State Building and then rode the subway over to Central Park. We had lunch at Planet Hollywood and did lots of walking too! While there we happened to run into the Polish day parade going on in the street right in front of the empire state building. By the evening, I was pretty beat!!!

Princeton University

On Saturday, September 27th, I went with the family to a Princeton University football game. This was a new experience for me because I had never been to Princeton before, let alone any Ivy League school. We meet up with Jed's father there who actually graduated from Princeton. The whole time it rained. It was a very light misty rain, though, so it was kind of cool. We only stayed until half time because it was getting late and we had to get the kids home. When we left though the score was tied 7-7 for Princeton and Lehigh. So I don't even know who ended up winning. It was really cool though to be there in Princeton. So much history. It was awesome to think about that school having been around since the 1700's. It also made me wish that I would have been smarter and had the desire to go to an ivy league school when I was younger. I have a few pictures listed above that I took. I am going to try and get a hold of the pictures Shelly took at the game and put them on here as well. But those will come at a later time!

Jersey City anyone.....

On Tuesday and Wednesday I got the 'opportunity' to get lost in New Jersey and in New York just trying to find a simple Honda Dealership in Jersey City. Seriously, how hard can it be. Well, obviously, in New Jersey they like to make things complicated and confuse the daylights out of newcomers with the way their road system works. I had directions from map quest and told myself as I started out on Tuesday that I could do this, that it was only like 30 miles away. I was told that during the trip I wouldn't be going through any toll booths, so when I came to a toll booth, I started to freak out just a little! (Luckily I had cash on me, which is a rare thing). I went through the toll booth and then called Shelly to help me out. (Also, luckily I had just bought a bluetooth headset to use in the car because in New Jersey it is illegal to talk on the phone without a hand free device. That thing saved my butt). Then things just got worse. I kept finding my way to all these different toll booths. At one point I was in a part of Jersey city that had a lot of industrial stuff and was right by the water. All of a sudden I look out to my right and the statue of liberty is right there in the water across from me. That was a pretty cool surprise. Finally in Jersey city, Shelly was able to talk me through to how to get to the dealership. On my way back, it was a piece of cake!!! But the adventure doesn't stop there. Oh no! On Wednesday, I had to go back into Jersey City to the dealership to get more stuff taken care of. Shelly explained to me better on how to get there. I told myself this time I would do it. So off I was and I realized the mistake I made the day before that got me lost. So I was feeling pretty good and thinking I was actually gonna make it. Well I spoke to soon. Before I knew it, I was going on the Holland Tunnel to New York and passing by Jersey City. I call Shelly and say 'ummm I think I'm lost and am now in New York'. I ended up having to stop at a gas station to get directions. Once I got on the correct road, again Shelly had to walk me through the directions. I did eventually get there, though I arrived a lot more exhausted and frustrated than when I had left haha! All I know is that the third time is the charm. So next time I go to Jersey City I will get it down!!!!

A Glimpse into Parenthood

It started with something as simple as going to dinner at Stewart's for a quick bite to eat. I had the two boys, Sammy and Joey. Everything seemed to be fine as we ordered our food and ate it. It was when we were done eating and waiting to order ice-cream and get our check that the problems all began. Joey kept talking about the balloon man and about wanting a silly hat. I could not figure out what he was talking about. I soon realized that there was a man in the restaurant that was making balloon animals and shapes, etc. He was going around the place making balloons for all the kids. Joey started getting irritated with the waiting. I told him he had to wait until the balloon man came around to our table and that he needed to eat his ice-cream first. While this was going on, Sammy was making a mess with his cotton candy ice-cream. Everything was blue and sticky! Then right before the balloon man got to our table, Joey started to whine and freak out because he had spilled ice-cream down his shirt and he was getting ready to rip off his shirt and run out the door while having a tantrum. Luckily, the balloon man choose that moment to arrive and he got Joey distracted with making a balloon. He made Joey and Sammy silly hat balloons, but as soon as he did that Joey started freakin' out again about something. He kept trying to take Sam's balloon away from him. I hurried them outside and the whole time Joey was fighting Sam for his balloon. Once we got to the car, I was trying to get out wipes to wipe off the boy's hands because they were really sticky. Sammy then started to grab the balloons and destroy them, while Joey was freakin out about it and screaming. Then Joey started whining that he left his 'Dora' book inside the restaurant. I tried getting the kids in the car but they kept running in different directions Once they were in the car, I ran back inside to get Joey's book. By the time I was back outside I heard someone screaming like they were dying. I ran to the car and Joey was screaming and bawling his head off. Sammy had taken Joey's balloons and destroyed them again. It took a minute to calm him down but we got there. This must be what it is like to be a parent all the time. I think after this year is over I will be more than ready to be able to deal with kids of my own one day. And I hope to never see another balloon again lol!!!

So on saturday, we went to the Bronx zoo. It is huge! It was the perfect day though. It was pretty cloudy so it wasn't too hot at all. It was way crowded.

At my new job as a nanny for triplets, two who are autistic, there is always so much going on. Lauren and Joey will talk your ears off for hours and Sammy can't get a word in. Not that he cares too, though. Joey is obsessed with Mario Kart on the Wii. He plays for hours a day. He is truly a pro at it. He is almost impossible to bet, though I will brag a little and say I have bet him a few times. Joey is also very loving. He loves to come up to you and tell you he loves you or misses you. He loves smelling your hair as well. Sammy doesn't have a whole lot to say, but he loves to be tickled and you can get him laughing like crazy. Lauren is very outgoing and has a million things going on in her life, from dance lessons, to cheerleading, to book clubs. They are all great kids and they have great parents who are very good to me.

So where do I start. I am not very good when it comes to writing about anything. But everyone has been insisting that I start to. So I guess here is my first attempt. Lets just hope it isn't too confusing to follow! So lets start....the reflections of an East Coast Nanny!