Prelude: At the end of July I packed my bags, kissed my ever so loving hubbo goodbye, and headed off to Belgium to spend some quality time with my brother’s family. Although we did do some traveling, the majority of this trip was spent just living life.
For those of you who have yet to embark into “Aunt or Uncle-dom" let me give you a few hints on how to succeed.
#1: Get a zoo membership. Or Aquarium. Or playground. Whatever’s closest to you. But do it. It’s fun for them, it’s way fun for you, and it tuckers them out. Win-win, I say!
Honestly- isn’t she just the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen?
The main difference between zoos in the States and zoos in Europe? Touchability! And I’m not just referring to the petting zoo section. Monkeys will jump on you, birds sit on your shoulder, and I swear a bat touched my ear when we were in their cave. (Seriously though, the bat cave is kinda creepy. Its basically a huge room that you walk though with hundreds of bats flying around freely. It sounds like its no big deal, but the room is pretty dark and these big creatures are whooshing around your head. I dare you not to jump the first time.)
#2: Stake a claim on your favorite chair, because, if you are at all lucky, you’ll find yourself curled up with a few munchkins reading books. Reading time is key: not only do you get to rehash the adventures of Pooh, but you also get some snuggles (hard to come by when little ones are so wiggly) .
#3. Bust out some dress up clothes!
Also, don’t be afraid to embarrass yourself in public. Cinderella plays are way for fun for everyone when you are dressed appropriately.
#4. Hone your manicure skills.
"Aunt Britt, you missed a spot"
"Oh sorry Allie. Is that better?"
"Uuuuuummmm, now this finger has more sparkles than that finger."
"We’re going to be here a while, aren’t we?"
Funny side story: can you see all the disney tattoos on Allie’s arms? Those darned temp tattoos refused to come off regardless of how much we scrubbed them. About a week after the first one was put on Allie gets out of her bath, looks down at her arms, fearfully turns to Lindsey and says “But Mommy, I don’t want these tattoos to still be here on my wedding day!" Needless to say, we laughed, and reassured her that they would probably be gone by then.
#5. Know when to pass the little one off to Daddy.
Timing is everything. Kids go to dad when they are in the mood to be thrown through the air for an hour or so.
This rule also applies for gum stuck in the hair, large messes and of course, the dirty diaper. These are the times when it is extraordinarily sweet that you are just the visiting auntie and not the parent. (Ahhh, life is good)
And one last bonus hint:
Learn how to snap a photo. This ensures that you get invited over more often.
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