The Un-Packed Suitcase...

After about 2 months of living out a black suitcase, caring it from one house to the next, to camp and to conference...it finally gets un-packed and the contents inside get folded and placed on a shelf. The bag gets pushed into a corner for right now until the next time to travel.


As I looked at the empty suitcase and what was once an empty shelf now contains my neatly folded clothes, I feel a sense of accomplishment. I will no longer be living out of the suitcase nor going from house to house but staying in my own home, with my un-packed clothes.


When you look at a suitcase, many thoughts and emotions probably come to mind, such as; excitement, adventure, vacation, seeing and experiencing new things, peace, happiness, relaxation, family, friends, traveling to a new place, and memories...
These are what I'd consider common thoughts we think of when we see a suitcase...but this time, when i un-packed the suitcase, with the feeling of accomplishment still there, i felt other emotions, such as; nervousness, excitement for this journey, fear of the unknown, sadness, and thoughts of, "What is going on!", "This is for real!", "This is my life!", old memories, the past and the time before I left.
All these things went through my mind when I looked at the shelf filled with clothes and the once packed suitcase, that was with me the last 2 months...


As all these emotions went racing through my brain, the knowledge that God has me here for a reason comes racing faster then the other emotions. Yes there is fear of being here and sadness and nervousness... there is the feeling knowing that God brought me here for a reason...He has a purpose for me being over here and as hard as it is, God is growing, teaching and maturing me. He is helping me grow in who I am and in my relationship with Him! 


So as we all go through different things in our lives, He is molding and teaching us through them...and as hard and as scary as it is, there comes a time in all of our lives when we have to "un-pack' our suitcases. So whatever hardship you are going through now, know that God is with you and it is okay to "un-pack" and step out of what we know...God is with you through it all!           Joshua 1:9


Sincerely;
Miss Melanie

Loving Europe!

Well I decided to change my blog, so that I can share some of my adventures in Europe, just in case anyone is interested or cares!

Well let me start off by saying that Germany is BEAUTIFUL, if you ever have been here or get the chance to, you so should, it is well worth it.
It is definitely different then the states, but its definitely exciting, and each day comes with a new adventure. Ive always wanted to travel to Europe, and I've had that opportunity when I went to England when I was little, and when I went to Slovenia a few years ago...but I never ever thought that I would move to Europe, I just thought that it would be a place to visit...but now I find myself living here, how crazy is that!

Its funny how you "think" your life will go but then you have to remember that ONLY God holds your future, and I would rather have Him hold my future then it go the way I would "want" it to.

Anyways its crazy that I just moved all the way over here, leaving my family, my friends, my church, my kids that I work for...but even though that was extremely hard on me, I know that God has a big adventure for me here, and I'm excited to see what that adventure is!

It's very interesting here, I being a picky eater have had to as I've been told by family members... "Put my big girl panties on" And I have definitely done that, I have tried lots of new foods and done new things here! being partly nervous while doing that, I feel that I have done very well on trying new things!

*First off trying new sauces on my Schnitzel was a baby step, to trying new things!
*Second eating a slice of tomato, no not a big slice, but still a slice...we cant expect big things from me only a few weeks in!
*Riding a roller coaster was an adventure...and an adventure that I truly love and will continue to do, when given the opportunity!
* I was able to accomplish something off by bucket list, thanks to the help of a new friend here, I was able to ride a train, and did I love it!
*Also I've done other things, but right now cant think of them.

It definitely is interesting and different here, but I'm learning to adapt to it, they do things different then what I was use to, but different is good! You learn to get use to some public bathrooms not having a toilet seat, but being motion censored, so that it flushes and water sprays all over, and it startles you and you partly fall over..haha...Life can be crazy, but exciting!

So that's just a little snapshot of whats been going on lately in my life, since I moved over here!
I will continue to post about different experiences and moments that I have over here, just in case you want to follow what is going on!

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more interesting adventures that happen in Europe!

Sincerely;

Miss Melanie!

Kids say the cutest things!

It' very entertaining to hear what comes out of small children's mouths, some good, some funny and sadly some not good things, that's why we always have to watch what we say. Anyways that brings me to the topic of what was said the other day at work. At my day care it is all boys except for the newborn baby, so the following conversation was what was said between me and one of the 3 year old little boys!

So two days ago i was sitting in the classroom building a tower with another kid, and across the room i heard this:

Boy: Yells "BABY JESUS!"
Me: Looking up confused and surprised "What?"
Boy: Yells "BABY JESUS!"
Me: At this point wondering if he is saying that because he has heard it said in the tone before "What is wrong?"
Boy:  With such excitement and passion "BABY JESUS...I FOUND HIM!!"
Me: Smiling at this point, and partially laughing "Really?"
Boy: Still excited and with passion "YES, i found baby Jesus...He was lost and NOW He is found!"
Me: Smiling and still partially laughing "Wow i am so glad that you have found baby Jesus!"
Boy: With enthusiasm "I'm glad that i found baby Jesus!"
Me: Smiling and laughing "Good job!"


So the reason this conversation happened, is because while i was building a tower with one kid, the little boy had gone over and found the nativity seen in the corner and had pulled it out to play with.

It's just so funny what kids say and how their little minds think!! I never go a day without laughing at the things that my kids say to me! I love my kids and I pray that everyone finds Jesus!

Sincerely;

Nanny Melanie!

Friendships!! They change our lives!!

This is a paper that i had to write for school about friendship! The 3rd paragraph is my own original defenition, that i made up that i truley feel describes freindship, Enjoy and feel free to leave a comment!

FRIENDSHIP 

Friendship is such a powerful thing and it’s so key to life. Friendships can change your life either for the good or for the bad. Friends come into your life and they can stay for a long time or stay for the momentary time that they need to be there. Each friend comes bringing something into your life and getting something from you. Friends impact your life and leave footprints on your heart. They are the people who change your life and make you a better person!

UCLA did a study about the friendship between women and how they help fill the gaps that are there. They are the people to talk to when your life feels crazy and you don’t know what do. We go through ups and downs daily in our life and our friends are the ones that are there to pick us up. We tend to be stressed out all the time and when you’re stressed who is the first person you call? You call your best friend, so that you can talk and vent.

Friends are the people who when you want to talk non-stop, they will listen. When you are so irritated and you want to scream, they will hold the phone away and plug their ears and say “Go.” They are the ones who will lend you their shoulder to cry on. Their the person, who if you get your heart broke, they want to beat the guy up. Friends are the ones who make you laugh till you cry and pee. And most importantly friends are the ones who love you no matter what.

Dr. Klien did a study and discovered that when a women gives birth and bonds with a child. Or spends time caring for children Oxytocin is released, which is a natural hormone of joy and excitement. In her discoveries she realized that when friends get together Oxytocin is released, which is such a good thing. While with friends your usually happy and smiling, which is just amazing!

Studies have showed that women who have friends and it doesn’t have to be a lot, just close friends. Have a lower blood pressure level and tend to be healthier overall. Having friends makes you happier and when you’re happier you tend to live longer. People say that friendships affect your life, and that is so true!

So friends can bring you down or up, sometimes those rare friends come along that don’t really know how to be a good friend, so they bring you down and that relationship doesn’t last long. But we have the rare opportunity to have and meet those friends that God truly sends are way to bless us and change our lives for the better. You can tell who your real friends are compared to those who will not last very long. But from every friendship we give and take and learn how to be a better friend to someone else who needs it. True friends teach us things and shape us into becoming who we will be forever. True friendship will last through the thick and thin!

Tips for being a good nanny!

This blog is just some helpful tips for being a good nanny!

When working with children they exhaust you and take out all your energy so if you feel Hungry, Angry, Lost or Tired HALT this can help you:

• Nanny sometimes needs a timeout
• If you are starting to get stressed, irritated, or overwhelmed, STOP and take 6 deep breaths.
• Always have good food on hand, for those incidents when the children are getting on your last nerves.
• Do quiet time for 10 minutes but NEVER fall asleep.
• Be willing and open for change in your plans.
• If the kids are going crazy, take a break and do something else.
• Have special activities planned that are for the times when the kids are getting on your last nerve.
• If you get lost for what to do, ask the kids what they want to do.
• If lost or confused ask the parents for advice, talk to them, always have open communication it is very key to being a professional, know what is important to the parent.
• Bring indoors out and outdoors in.

Nannies always need self care:

• Have 8-10hrs of sleep at least 3x a week
• Eat 3x a day with one hot meal a day
• You need protein, so always have some vegetables or nuts or some type of protein with you.
• Take showers
• Exercise
• Do something that makes you happy.
• Remember to laugh!
• ALWAYS drink water!! 

Have me time: sleep, ignore face book and phone, read, listen to music, watch a special movie, take a bath with scented candles, throw blanket in the dryer, and always be prepared.

These are just some helpful hints in being a good, fun, professional nanny! 

Sincerely:

Nanny Melanie!

Helping Children Deal With Their Feelings!

This is taken from my book: How to talk so kids will listen, and listen so kids will talk! By Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish

This is a really great book and anyone that has children or works with children in any capacity, if you work at a day care, or at your church nursery or you have nieces and nephews or you are a Nanny like me! This is a great book for you to read! the first chapter talks about helping children deal with their feelings, which is a huge thing.

Children need to have their feelings accepted and respected
1) You can listen quietly and attentively.
2) You can acknowledge their feelings with a word.
    "Oh...Mmm...i see..."
3) You can give the feeling a name.
    "That sounds frustrating"
4) You can give the child his wishes in fantasy/
   "I wish that i could make a big box of cereal appear for you right now!"


All feelings can be accepted.
Certain actions must be limited.

Recognize that your child has feelings, and MAKE sure that you RESPECT those feelings!
I hope you try these this week!

Sincerely:

Nanny Melanie!

A day in the life of a nanny!

You may think that being a nanny is real easy.  Maybe you think that all we do is baby sitting and we are just an over-rated baby sitter.  Well, we are actually trained in many different areas of child care, parenting and child development.

For instance, we learn about how to deal with hyperactive children, children with behavioral problems and many other things.  We learn how to deal with different types of families and the dynamics of a family.  We learn proper etiquette, professional dress and how to behave as a professional nanny.

Most importantly, we learn how to love, respect and care for every child that we come in contact with.  This is what I love to do and am good at.

I have always loved children and am really enjoying the schooling as well as the opportunity to nanny already.

Sincerely,

Miss Melanie