Aunty Nanny

Behind every working mom going it alone is a good (hopefully) daycare provider. I so seriously lucked out on the fact that my sister watches my kids while I am at work. And while I sleep during the day because I work nights. She is unbelievably amazing, and I know that I am extremely lucky that I have her in my life. But things weren't always so great between us.

My sister, K, is 7 years younger than I am. And for most of my life growing up, we had to share a bedroom. I'll spare you the details on the disaster that was, but suffice it to say that we didn't get along. When I left for the military, she was this scrawny, annoying 11-year old little girl, and I couldn't wait to be rid of her. I'm so not kidding. She was a pain in the a$$, but mostly I was looking forward to having my own room, with my own things, and everything was mine all mine. I remember coming home to visit one time about 3 years later, and it was about that time that I realized what a cool chick she was. She was outgoing, funny, and always down for something ridiculous. She was a pretty neat little sister. And when I was 9 months pregnant with Baby Girl, she agreed to come live with me and watch my kids while I went to nursing school. I truly thought I had it made. A live-in nanny that would love my kids unconditionally, and I didn't have to worry about how my kids were being treated while I was at school. What I didn't count on, was how little we had in common. I have a type-A personality with an extreme neat streak, and she is obnoxiously messy. I wanted the kids to stay clean, and she would get the paint down and let them become little Picassos all over my kitchen. I like cooking, and she is the master of Mac 'n Cheese.

I was stressed, tired, breastfeeding, doing homework, cleaning, and trying to keep up with every day demands of life. She was chill, relaxed, stay-in-your pajamas for days, eat whatever was available, and hooked on VH1 shows. In all reality, we probably wouldn't be friends if we weren't related. But as much as we got on each other's nerves, we really did become friends. We talked about anything and everything, and adapted to each other's crazy quirks. She really was my best friends for those 5 months. Then she left. I missed her like crazy, but I knew she needed to go be a regular teenager, not a cooped-up nanny for my kids.

After I moved down to Texas and got a job, she agreed to watch my kids again while I was at work. I am more than thankful for her every single day. We call her Aunty Nanny, Handy Nanny, Aunty K, Pretend Step-mom, and sister. But the best name I have for her is Friend. She loves my kids like crazy, even when they act like heathens. My daughter is madly in love with her boyfriend, and Punkin-head loves playing with her rambunctious dogs. I can't wait for the Hubs to come home, but for now I love having her be a part of my life and helping to raise the cutest kids in the whole world.