Monday, March 30, 2009

Tiger Faces and Black Easter Eggs






Hey Everyone!

I'm making an effort to blog more! Last week was the best week I've had in a long, long time! Every day was really great. The weather was beautiful, the kids were happy every day and everyone was just in a good mood! We watched Jurassic Park Friday night, which was awesome. I really loved that movie as a kid (and I still do!). On Saturday, the weather was kind of gross, so we went to a Japanese restaurant for lunch and then came home for a nap. We finally had our time change this weekend, so we're all getting used to it. It's amazing how one hour can make such a huge difference!

I'm starting to get ready for coming home. I still have a little over 6 months, but I guess it's okay to prepare ahead of time. My friend Steve has been helping me search for apartments, well he's actually been doing most of the work haha. It's greatly appreciated though! I'll start the job search in a few months too, so I hope that goes well. I'm worried about keeping a full time job and going to school as well, but I'm sure I'll make it work somehow.

I'm really determined to do all of this without any help from my parents whatsoever. Whenever I talk to them, it seems as though they're just waiting for me to screw up with something and it's really depressing. I know I'm not perfect and made a lot of mistakes at home. I'm not on the path my parents want and my Dad keeps trying to make my decisions for me, or he disapparoves of them when I share my thoughts and ideas with him. The more my parent's divorce progresses, the more ridiculous they both get and I am SO tired of it. I know I'm not the only one and it must be worse for my sisters. It gets old fast and I'm really worried that my relationship with my parents will be even worse over time. I thought that being away from home for a year would help everyone "forgive and forget". My parents, sisters and myself included. I'm still being blamed for a lot that goes on at home, which is funny since I'm not even there. I talked to my Dad a little over a week ago and he said half the problems at home were because of me. It seems like he thinks he does no wrong, well I think he's screwed up the most, so he has no say in it. It's not like he's been around for most of it lthe past few years anyway. I'm not too worried about anyone reading this either, they know how I feel and it's not like they even come here anyway. So, I'll end that little rant :)

Charlotte and I have become really close and I love it! She has finally stopped testing me and I guess she accepts me. Whenever I drop her off at her daycare/pre-school, she always has to run towards me so I pick her up and throw her in the air, and she gives me a HUGE kiss in the cheek and says bye. It's so sweet and I'm happy she feels like she can depend on me when she needs to. Nicholas and I have been getting a long more as well! He talks to me more and it's really nice. He asked how long I was staying and I told him until October, and he got a little sad. I hope I make a good impression on them, so they don't compare me too much with their next au pair haha. I mean, I think things are going well. We have a nice routine set up and we stick to it. I can goof off with them too.

Charlotte is pretty hilarious. I think it's so funny how a 3 year old can come up with the craziest sayings. I can't imagine the thoughts swirling around in her head. At her daycare, they colored easter eggs last week. I was getting everything out of her cubby to take home and I saw this black piece of paper. I glanced at the other cubbies and saw all these cute, colorful easter eggs. Hers was jet black! What kind of demented 3 year old colors an easter egg jet black?! It was pretty hilarious. On Friday, they were having their faces painted when I went to pick her up and all of the girls were made up to look like Princesses. Except for Charlotte. She decided to have a Tiger face like many of the other little boys there. She was growling and crawling all over the place with them. She is so fierce and I think it's hilarious how much she shows it. Okay, so I didn't think her fierceness was so hilarious at first, but now I do. She's a really unique little girl :)

That's about all I have for now. Tomorrow is our last class so I might post a blog with a few pictures! I hope everyone is doing great!

-Jess


Monday, March 23, 2009

March Update


Hey guys!

I guess it's about time for an update. I need to blog more often, I've been slacking a lot lately! Things are going much much better around here! Graziella and I have been getting along well this whole year! We've had a couple iffy days, but for the most part, it's pretty awesome. Charlotte is better too! She listens more and her temper tantrums are short lived. I can't believe I've been here for like 5 months already. I feel comfortable here, so that's nice.

German class is going well, next Thursday is the last day! I'm not sure if I'm going to take a follow-up course or not. I feel pretty content with my German right now, and it'll get better the more I use it. I can understand pretty much everything I hear, or bits and pieces and I can just put it all together. Speaking is still the hard part, but I'll get there.

I am feeling a vacation pretty soon. Things are better, but having a routine like this is getting kind of old. I do like being in a routine, but the weeks just go by so fast when you do the same thing everyday. I'll have to see what I can do. I may have a small break next month if the family goes away for Easter or a short vacation, which would be awesome! I need some alone time! Sorry I have nothing too interesting to report, I'll have more to share next time! Later guys


Jess

Horses!




Guten Tag!

I went on a fun walk with Charlotte on Saturday, the weather was beautiful and we saw several horses. Here are a few I took. It's always so fun to see Charlotte get excited whenever we see them. I was able to get them to come over the fence, and I helped her pet them. It always makes me nervous because they're cautious animals and I don't know how they would react to a 3 year old being too aggressive or something, but she always listens when I tell her to be gentle with them.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Thank God for The Beatles.. Seriously


If it were not for The Beatles.. I would probably be in prison right now. I would have lost my temper several times and maybe even murdered a couple of kids I watch.

30 Minutes of screaming non stop, biting, kicking, dirt throwing, and hitting...
Ticket to Ride saved me!

A 9 year old telling me to shut up and go away after I tell him to turn the TV off after 3 hours of cartoons...
Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da life goes on!

The lady of the house going through my room and getting in my face...
Happiness is a Warm Gun

I'm sure you all get it now. Whether it's John and Paul's soothing voices, or Mr. Harrison's uplifting lyrics, they get me every time. I can listen to

"Little darling the smiles are returning to their faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, Here comes the sun
and I say
It's Alright"


and I feel much better! All of the angry feelings and thoughts escape and I feel calm. I'm pretty happy that it works every time, no matter how bad the day is. I even have lyrics from The Beatles picked out for my tattoo, and I know I won't regret it when I'm older. I think hell would have to freeze over a thousand times before I disliked The Beatles!