The Wheeler Family Adventure: Finding Fun in Your Own Backyard

Good babysitters are a scarce and therefore unnatural resource, in my opinion, and great ones are even harder to find. I know because a) I was not one of those good babysitters (and that's all I'll say to avoid any chance of litigation) and now, as a mom, I have had nine years experience in hiring (and even firing) babysitters let alone trying to schedule them.

So when a great one comes along, his or her identity becomes something of a guarded secret so the sitter's availability is at a maximum.

When we moved to Fairmont, we were blessed with a set of sisters who could tag-team when babysitting for my girls as I did my writing. Alas, that was short-lived as the older sister felt the need to continue her education in college--two hours away.

Fortunately, the "little" sister enjoyed the kids and stayed with us that summer, and the next, and the next. Having the same sitter-nanny for three years is a luxury, let me tell you. And the kids adore her and her creativity. You may know her as Gertrude McFuzz from Seussical the Musical. My kids are probably the only people on the planet that now call her Cait, an abbreviation of her given name, Caitlin Parsley, and she's exceptional at finding fun right at home.

Em, Erin "Green Bird" Bankson, Meg, Caitlin "Gertrude" Parsley,
Annika and Lauren after Seussical the Musical

As I began writing this, Caitlin had my four daughters (ages four to nine) at her house for a water carnival that Caitlin and her mom had created. Water carnivals, of course, include water, squirt guns, relays and shaving cream. Two of Caitlin's nieces are in town so each relay team had six members. Hearing Megan, my four-year-old, give me a play-by-play of the shaving cream relay after the fact was pretty cute.

A few weeks ago, Caitlin helped the girls create their own restaurant in our home: Figlie's (which means "daughter" in Italian). The menu choices were pizza or fettucini--and Caitlin brought the necessary ingredients with her. The girls chose pizza, complete with mini pepperoni. That means the fixings for fettucini were available for the girls to make for me and my husband while he was home for his lunch break.

Meg, Annika, Caitlin Parsley, Lauren and Em

Great shot of Annika's crimped hair...Meg's face? Not so much.

The girls were totally adorable as they did their best to mimic every waiter and waitress we've ever had, complete with refilling drink glasses. And then, of course, there were the bonus services you typically don't get in restaurants like the back massage from Emily and Lauren climbing on Daddy's lap while he ate. Great service when it's your kids; awkward when it's a regular server!

And Caitlin isn't afraid to jump right in when dress-up is involved. Over the years, Dan and I have been to various masquerade parties. Dan has a seriously awesome vest and suit pants from the 1970s complete with white Italian loafers. I have some unique gowns, including a knee-length, gold lame' dress from the 1960s.

Anyway, tucked along with those great wigs, cigarette holder, and elbow-length gloves was a crimper and some fabulous silver shoes that fit Caitlin. She got all the girls dolled up, complete with crimped hair (which may make a re-appearance in school this year), and they created their own storyline to accompany their wardrobe. It never ceases to amuse me that playing dress up in our home requires a British accent.

Meg modeling her dress-up gown

Em doing her best Jackie O impression with the
dress-up sunglasses.

Perhaps one of my favorite memories of this last summer with Caitlin is the tea party the girls had with her and Erin Bankson and a miniature tea set, because history is starting to repeat itself. Caitlin and Erin come from families which only had daughters, like ours. And, on Facebook, Erin posted a picture of the Bankson and Parsley sisters also having a mini tea party. For some reason, that just connects with me--the past being mimicked in the present. I'm excited to see the future.