Andréa and I headed to St. Remy de Provence today. He was commissioned to be the photographer at an Olympique Marseille trainer's wedding while I was paid to be the babysitter. The bride and groom were so sweet and inviting. I thought 150 euros for a night of babysitting would be alright. I'm not the greedy type and I knew what I was saying yes to. I didn't expect them to be angels by any means but I knew that it'd be okay as long as I could keep them contained. I was supposed to get a room next to the reception hall so that I could keep the kids in one location and all of the kids were supposed to bring their own games.
When the maid-of-honor aka Andréa's cousin aka Stéphanie arrived, she had no idea what was going on. Not only was she late, but she had no details on what I was supposed to do or where I was supposed to go, and she was the one that gave me the job! I decided I'd just chill out and go with the flow though. Stressing doesn't help. I knew Stéphanie was stressed so when she dropped her two boys on me, I gladly took them. The boys stayed outside with me while the couple was being married. Joey and Fabio are naturally loud and have no respect for sacred ceremonies as they don't understand them yet so I kept them distracted as long as possible. Luckily, there were pigeons, fountains, and lavender petals on the ground to help me. Before I knew it, the ceremony was over and we were all on our way back to the hotel for the reception.
The kids and I ate during aperitifs and this is where I met everyone. The girls latched onto me quickly while the boys were more standoffish. I didn't really care. The moms came to help during this time and used it as an opportunity to stuff their faces. The appetizers they were served were few and far between. Not only that but they were microscopic, so I understand. I tried to get Joey to eat but he threw a fit and wouldn't so I really wasn't able to eat either. I got maybe two bites in. I was kind of irritated because I knew I had at least 8 more hours ahead of me.
The kids and I took off to the garden labyrinth after dinner and played for awhile. I still had no word on the kids' room. I had 10 kids for your information so it was difficult for me to keep track of all of them. I knew the work officially started when I heard Shanna screaming. The 3 year old had gotten a splinter. Her aunt, Natéa, who is a mere 12 years old took her back to her mom. During this time, the rest of the kids took apart the paper flowers that were up for decoration. I don't know how many times I said "no!" but no one listened. Shortly afterward, Lucas' older brother who is my age arrived with his two goon friends. Vincent, the flamboyant one, called me 'The Nanny from Hell.' He would be the annoying mosquito for the rest of the night. The three of them knocked down the paper lanterns and destroyed all of the feather-filled globes that were hanging on the trees. Immediately after they left, the hotel manager walks up with Andréa with his jaw dropped in horror. 'This cost a fortune...' is all that came out of his mouth. The manager pointed to Joey and told Fabio that he needed to keep an eye on his brother. Joey was apparently walking around the hotel grounds alone, but he was left with his mother...I decided not to bring that up though. I spoke to Andréa in English and told him that it was impossible for me to keep the kids under control without the room. The hotel manager then asked me in English if I wanted him to find me a room. Obviously, no one ever reserved a playroom for the kids. So, I was lied to. Not only that, but not a single kid brought an activity along with them.
The hotel manager put the kids and I in a sitting room with candy, coloring books, utensils, and a TV. The kids were calm for a bit but then the boys started to rebel--running off any chance they got. I got sick of chasing after the kids, especially since their parents saw them being hellians and said nothing. Bad parenting...Why would you bring your kids to a wedding anyway? There were four good kids: Natéa (12 y/o), Romy (8 y/o), Zoë (4 y/o), and Lucas (4 y/o). They helped me keep the kids under control and yelled at them when they were being naughty. I've never done a one-time babysitting job so I haven't gotten the disciplinary methods down for that yet. Joey kept on coming and going throughout the night. The kid is nearly 3 and doesn't speak yet so I don't know why his parents would trust him to venture off alone. Every time he came back to me, Fabio would follow up behind him and say 'Oh, mom told him to go find you.' Grr...If you're going to send your young child somewhere more than a building away, accompany them. I've never understood parents who didn't follow that rule. There were plenty of pools and ponds around that Joey could've fallen in. The last time he tried to leave, I made Fabio go with him and tell their mom that he wasn't allowed to come back. I had had enough of trying to keep track of kids here and there.
When the dancing began, the kids took off to join the adults. Natéa kindly left me her IPAD filled with season 3 of the Vampire Diaries. Lucas came back and kept me company since his aunt decided to leave me her sleeping baby. Zoë came back around 1h00 and passed out to a Mickey Mouse movie around 2h00. She fell asleep in an armchair so I picked her up and laid her down on the couch and took off her sandals. Her mom came for her around then. For the last hour, I just had the baby who was sound asleep and Fabio who occasionally visited after downing a cocktail. He was completely drunk! It was disgusting! According to the other kids, it was given to him by his parents. I don't understand that either, but I don't know if the kids are lying or not. Andréa brought me Mojitos and checked on me all night even though I had been mean to him. I felt like I was conned into this job but honestly, it was my fault for not meeting with everyone and confirming the specifications of the job. Though I really couldn't have because they met while I was with my normal kids.
Around 4h00, the baby's parents finally picked him up. I cleaned up a bit, downed my mojitos, and went to bed. Our room was right above the reception hall so I passed everyone partying as I went up. I completely neglected to say anything to Andréa because I was absolutely dead. We made eye-contact across the ballroom as I was unlocking the door. I just turned and walked into the room. I got into the shower to clean all of the crud off of my body and as I was finishing up, Andréa climbed in. I had nothing to say to him. I wasn't mad at him, but I knew he would want to talk because of my attitude the entire night. I wanted to explain but sleep was more imperative. His job as a photographer might be exhausting but I just had a 12 hour day with a dozen kids that had no boundaries. I was completely out when Andréa crawled into bed, but he woke me up with his kisses. I think I fell asleep again when we were making out. Oops...
When the maid-of-honor aka Andréa's cousin aka Stéphanie arrived, she had no idea what was going on. Not only was she late, but she had no details on what I was supposed to do or where I was supposed to go, and she was the one that gave me the job! I decided I'd just chill out and go with the flow though. Stressing doesn't help. I knew Stéphanie was stressed so when she dropped her two boys on me, I gladly took them. The boys stayed outside with me while the couple was being married. Joey and Fabio are naturally loud and have no respect for sacred ceremonies as they don't understand them yet so I kept them distracted as long as possible. Luckily, there were pigeons, fountains, and lavender petals on the ground to help me. Before I knew it, the ceremony was over and we were all on our way back to the hotel for the reception.
The kids and I ate during aperitifs and this is where I met everyone. The girls latched onto me quickly while the boys were more standoffish. I didn't really care. The moms came to help during this time and used it as an opportunity to stuff their faces. The appetizers they were served were few and far between. Not only that but they were microscopic, so I understand. I tried to get Joey to eat but he threw a fit and wouldn't so I really wasn't able to eat either. I got maybe two bites in. I was kind of irritated because I knew I had at least 8 more hours ahead of me.
The kids and I took off to the garden labyrinth after dinner and played for awhile. I still had no word on the kids' room. I had 10 kids for your information so it was difficult for me to keep track of all of them. I knew the work officially started when I heard Shanna screaming. The 3 year old had gotten a splinter. Her aunt, Natéa, who is a mere 12 years old took her back to her mom. During this time, the rest of the kids took apart the paper flowers that were up for decoration. I don't know how many times I said "no!" but no one listened. Shortly afterward, Lucas' older brother who is my age arrived with his two goon friends. Vincent, the flamboyant one, called me 'The Nanny from Hell.' He would be the annoying mosquito for the rest of the night. The three of them knocked down the paper lanterns and destroyed all of the feather-filled globes that were hanging on the trees. Immediately after they left, the hotel manager walks up with Andréa with his jaw dropped in horror. 'This cost a fortune...' is all that came out of his mouth. The manager pointed to Joey and told Fabio that he needed to keep an eye on his brother. Joey was apparently walking around the hotel grounds alone, but he was left with his mother...I decided not to bring that up though. I spoke to Andréa in English and told him that it was impossible for me to keep the kids under control without the room. The hotel manager then asked me in English if I wanted him to find me a room. Obviously, no one ever reserved a playroom for the kids. So, I was lied to. Not only that, but not a single kid brought an activity along with them.
The hotel manager put the kids and I in a sitting room with candy, coloring books, utensils, and a TV. The kids were calm for a bit but then the boys started to rebel--running off any chance they got. I got sick of chasing after the kids, especially since their parents saw them being hellians and said nothing. Bad parenting...Why would you bring your kids to a wedding anyway? There were four good kids: Natéa (12 y/o), Romy (8 y/o), Zoë (4 y/o), and Lucas (4 y/o). They helped me keep the kids under control and yelled at them when they were being naughty. I've never done a one-time babysitting job so I haven't gotten the disciplinary methods down for that yet. Joey kept on coming and going throughout the night. The kid is nearly 3 and doesn't speak yet so I don't know why his parents would trust him to venture off alone. Every time he came back to me, Fabio would follow up behind him and say 'Oh, mom told him to go find you.' Grr...If you're going to send your young child somewhere more than a building away, accompany them. I've never understood parents who didn't follow that rule. There were plenty of pools and ponds around that Joey could've fallen in. The last time he tried to leave, I made Fabio go with him and tell their mom that he wasn't allowed to come back. I had had enough of trying to keep track of kids here and there.
When the dancing began, the kids took off to join the adults. Natéa kindly left me her IPAD filled with season 3 of the Vampire Diaries. Lucas came back and kept me company since his aunt decided to leave me her sleeping baby. Zoë came back around 1h00 and passed out to a Mickey Mouse movie around 2h00. She fell asleep in an armchair so I picked her up and laid her down on the couch and took off her sandals. Her mom came for her around then. For the last hour, I just had the baby who was sound asleep and Fabio who occasionally visited after downing a cocktail. He was completely drunk! It was disgusting! According to the other kids, it was given to him by his parents. I don't understand that either, but I don't know if the kids are lying or not. Andréa brought me Mojitos and checked on me all night even though I had been mean to him. I felt like I was conned into this job but honestly, it was my fault for not meeting with everyone and confirming the specifications of the job. Though I really couldn't have because they met while I was with my normal kids.
Around 4h00, the baby's parents finally picked him up. I cleaned up a bit, downed my mojitos, and went to bed. Our room was right above the reception hall so I passed everyone partying as I went up. I completely neglected to say anything to Andréa because I was absolutely dead. We made eye-contact across the ballroom as I was unlocking the door. I just turned and walked into the room. I got into the shower to clean all of the crud off of my body and as I was finishing up, Andréa climbed in. I had nothing to say to him. I wasn't mad at him, but I knew he would want to talk because of my attitude the entire night. I wanted to explain but sleep was more imperative. His job as a photographer might be exhausting but I just had a 12 hour day with a dozen kids that had no boundaries. I was completely out when Andréa crawled into bed, but he woke me up with his kisses. I think I fell asleep again when we were making out. Oops...
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