babysitter tips

make your babysitter a part of your family. have them over for dinner or movie nights or game nights with your whole family-not just the kids. you're gonna get better childcare that way because your babysitter will have personal investment in your life and in your kids lives. they'll care more.

call and ask how your babysitter is without asking about childcare. ask about school, about their family, their job, their dating endeavors or whatever it is he/she is into. show that you care about their life too.

don't introduce the babysitter as "my little friend". OR. don't act as if the babysitter IS truly your friend and then introduce everyone else and then mutter, "oh yeah, that's the babysitter" as fast as you can. if you act like they're part of the family at home-don't treat them like hired help when you're out. just treat them the same all of the time.

Christmas, birthday, graduation and special occasion gifts are appreciated. chances are-the babysitter has your gifts waiting already. not giving a gift when it's a time when you probably should (christmas or birthday) makes you come off as inconsiderate. even if it's a card with a ten dollar starbucks gift card in it. do something to show that you appreciate their hard work. cause you know that taking care of your child (children) is not always a walk in the park. in fact, it's rarely a walk in the park.

okay, that's all for the moment. i'll update this later on.

yes, i believe it

i believe in letting your kids make their own decisions while you're still right there to help them recover from their mistakes. i don't mean things like letting your fifteen year old become a junkie or an alcoholic. but things that will let them learn life lessons. and things that just aren't your choice. like a piercing or buying a certain car or making a huge school decision. as your child, we need to know that you are here for us and that you still believe in us and support us one hundred precent, even if you disagree with our choices. i think that's pretty much it for now. oh yeah, and my grammar is horrid. 5:30 is not a good time for me to post...

i'm not your pet

so yesterday night. like. around ten-ish maybe. i rang these two guys up. they were probably in their twenties or maybe even thirties. i didn't pay that much attention. anyways. i rang them up and they went down to subway in the store. so i'm walking the registers taking the returns back and all that good stuff when i hear someone whistle. and again. and again. so finally i start looking around. it's one of those guys from inside subway. he said something like "looking good" or "hey cutie" or something dumb like that. i forget what it was. anyways. i just gave him the "eat dirt" look and kept on going.

HELLO.
whistling at girl to get her attention is NOT attractive. i am NOT your pet. at least walk up to me and use your stupid pick up line to my face. i wear a name tag at work-don't whistle at me. just read my name and then shout your degrading comments.
and then i'll have the chance to politely tell you to get out of my face. or try again later. whatever. that's so dumb.

short and sweet

boys:
don't tell a girl you really like her and then pretend like nothing changed at all. don't say you have no feelings for your girlfriend and stay with her. don't quit sending her nice texts. don't stop hanging out with her. don't stop being nice. don't stop talking. at least still be friends like you were BEFORE you went and opened your big mouth. especially if you have to see this person everyday. "the worst thing a guy can do is make a girl fall for him with no intentions of catching her."

girls:
don't be stupid. and don't tease a boy with your words and actions like this either. it's ridiculous.


what are we in? middle school still?

quick post

if you want your groceries bagged well put like items together. ie: cold, frozens, boxes, cans/bottles, produce, bread, chips, etc.


and

take the groceries off of the carousel as they come around. if you have too much. go and get another cart at the beginning of your transaction. this is higly effective and considerate of everyone around you.



thanks,
your friendly neighborhood walmart cashier

6-30

if you saw another church member buying alcohol in the store what would your reaction be? what about tobacco products?
what if it was a deacon? or a pastor or their wife/family? maintenance staff? bfg leader? staff? celebrate recovery attendee or leader? senior? college/single? married couple? newly weds? hope network counselor? security team?
now.
why is it any of your business? why did you have the thoughts you did when you read those questions?
i mean.
alcohol is used for recipes and all that kind of stuff. and you don't know that they are going to go home and get trashed. maybe they'll have a glass after dinner and that's it.
who are you (and i) to judge ANYONE?
what does it matter if they wanna buy tobacco?
who cares?
personal preference is not something you can consider a standard to judge others by.

some of us were talking about that last night. just thought i'd throw it out there.

the calm before the storm

no, i don't mean a tornado.
i'm referring to children.

word of advice to newbie babysitters (or mothers).
when you leave (an older) kid in a room for a few minutes to do something "really quickly" and the child gets really super quiet. you had better run back in there as fast as you can!! if the kids doesn't answer or you can't hear them playing at all you had better go and see what's up cause they're into something they shouldn't be-and it's usually REALLY messy.


once, i let "my" three year old go potty and it took her a sec but i thought she was probably just having problems with her clothes. yeah she came out with dripping hands and told me "my hands are clean now"-she washed them in the toilet.

another time she got into her moms perfume.

once, in the car, she didn't make a sound when she woke up so i just thought she was sleeping the whole time. no. she was picking her nose and wiping the buggers all over the window.

i also found a two year old little using his moms electric toothbrush to smear her broken lipstick all over the sink.

same kid once smeared my phone and glasses in yogurt.

anyways.
just thought i'd point that out.

life investment

calendar quote for the day: we become great when we birth greatness in others.

this is why i love kids. kind of selfish, i know. but i love seeing them finally "get it" or watching their success after pouring myself into them. i guess it's some strange sense of self worth for me. but i just love children. obviously, my selfishness is not the only reason for investing in their lives. i think it's really important. people say our kids are our future right. well. our teens is what you usually hear. well that's me. i'm the future. and i'm the right now. i don't really see the point in being "america's leader(s)" if i'm not investing in what's going to be the future. in my mind it would be pointless to be working for a "better tomorrow" and that "stuff" if i wasn't also being active with younger kids. they are already watching every move i make. if i make good decisions and if i teach them and help them learn from my mistakes than it helps the future to stay "good". or something like that. this all makes sense in my mind but my words aren't coming out so well. i guess a good example is recycling. if i teach kids about recycling now they can recycle for the rest of their lives and teach others about it too. or if i teach them how to be polite, read, multiply, spell, tie shoes, make the bed, etc they can help others. it may seem like a "simple" or stupid idea. but just think about it.

*new thought:

i just love seeing the look on a kids face when they've been successful. it's PURE joy. i want them to excel in everything they do and i'll be a part of that in any way that i can.



anyways. just had that on my mind this morning.


EDIT:
calendar quote for june 27: some people, when launched into their destiny by your hands, will not look back. don't consider it a thankless job when this happens. know that your accolades come from a higher place. take satisfaction in the fruit that is being produced.


i'm pretty sure that quote sums up what i was trying to say in this post. i don't have to gift of explaining myself that concisely and eloquently at the same time.

re-do

so i decided to re-do my blog. i'm just gonna post random bits of information and (possibly) helpful tips and ideas.
these tips/ideas probably come out of a frustration in my life.
or maybe just something that i enjoy or think i might enjoy.
who knows.
i might just make some of it up. :)
but all my life i've been told that young people think they know it all. so i'm just gonna post it all, since i already know it ;)


#1 don't complain indirectly to your cashier/bagger. if you have a problem with the way they are packing your bags ask them politely "hey could you please...blah blah blah...?". trust me. when you make stupid comments "to yourself" or the person standing beside you about how your bags are being packed-it's going to get worse. A cashier/bagger can't say anything back to you about it but most of them will bag your groceries so that things are smooshed and the bags are busting and everything is incredibly wrong. but if you say something nicely and politely-most will probably do as you ask. no problems.

#2 if you prefer your items bagged in a reusable shopping bag instead of plastic, be ready to stand and bag your own items. this makes your transaction ten times faster and it keeps the cashier from being stressed over trying to get those bags to stay in the right place and to stay open while keeping a decent pace. the idea of the bags is a brilliant one. just help out a little. your shopping experience will be much nicer.

#3 if the cashier doesn't know how to do something-do NOT insist that they do it anyways. ask if there is someone around that can help or show them how instead of telling them to "just do it". that is calling your cashier a liar. take it from me, if they knew how they wouldn't waste time trying to make you see that they don't. it's not lazy. it's just honestly not knowing.

#4 call the cashier by name and speak to them in a friendly manner. most people don't do this and it can be a huge bright spot in my day when someone nice comes through my line. just calling your cashier by name and speaking to them politely can make a big difference. (and, you're probably going to get out a lot faster and your bags will probably be packed nicely).

i think that's it for now.
you know.
work stuff today.
work for me.
shopping for you.