Tales From the 10th: En Corse!

Hello all! Sorry I have been seriously slacking in the blogging department, but life has been taking charge lately! I have officially been in Corsica for one week now and I am tanned (and a little burnt), tired (7 kids here!), and relaxed (despite the previous statement). There are 3 families here for a total of 8 adults and 7 kids. You would think we'd be crammed, but HA dream on. We're living luxuriously in an amazing 3 story mansion with 6 bedrooms with amazing ocean views. For the first week, Ally and I were sleeping on a futon in the 3rd floor home gym, but tonight we spend our first night in our own bedroom, with our own bathroom (and a door that leads straight out to the hammock in the garden). We just now get our own room because one family has departed and a new one has arrived, so there are only 6 kids now, and 2 are toddlers. The new family that arrived is the family who I will be working for, essentially they are the reason I am here. They have two girls, 4 year old Anna and 2 year old Juliette. Cutest things ever. Much different than the last family, where all the kids were older and we could occupy them with card games and movies. These girls are uninterested in everything, except what they can't have, of course. It means much more work for me, but they are so cute and sweet that I don't mind...just don't ask me how I feel in a few days when their cuteness disappears as they wake me up for breakfast at 7am daily. The days are long for Ally and I, as our main duties are at morning, lunch, and night time. We have been awaken daily at 8am on the dot by Ally's 5 year old, Baptiste, who then proceeds to wake up every other child. Yes, we have considered putting sleeping pills in his dinner, but that one was over-ruled by our consciences. So, we crawl out of bed, feed them their overly chocolately cereals, and then spend the next 2 hours trying to keep them occupied and quiet so the parents can sleep in. Around 11 they make their way to the pool or beach, and as long as the kids are ready to go with sunscreen and all, we are essentially off the hook until lunch time. The adults generally cook all meals, so we are just in charge of serving them, tending to their needs, cleaning them up, and clearing the table. Then my favorite time of day comes--naptime. The young ones sleep while the older ones rest, and Ally and I proceed to the garden to eat delicious, healthy meals with the adults. After lunch we generally have a bit of time to ourselves to read, tan, or nap, before the kids begin waking up. Once they are up, it's snack time and then back to the pool or beach for the rest of the night. There is random game-playing, coloring, and play-doh-ing thrown into the mix some days, but this is generally a day in the life. Around 6:30, the kids get out of the pool, we give them all their baths, and they eat dinner around 7. After dinner it is typically a movie or game to calm them down, and then bedtime around 9pm. Now after such a long day, all I want to do is crawl right into bed after them, but no. Because Al and I eat with the parents, and because the parents are French, they don't eat until about 10pm. So bedtime for the kids means waiting time for us...aka suffer to keep our eyes open just to have a quick bite and go straight to bed. I hate that, but the dinner's are always enjoyable so it's something we don't want to miss. Tomorrow night we are heading to the beach in the evening to have a picnic dinner in the sand (sounds like a bad idea, but hey). Tuesday we are going on a little roadie to some *apparently* amazing waterfalls about an hour away. Wednesday yet another guest arrives to pack the house some more, and Thursday Al and I are stuck at home with the two bebe's while everyone else gets to go enjoy a day on the water in a speed boat. I really can't complain, as I have the sun and the pool at my fingertips, but I would love to get out and explore this place a bit! Oh well, still have 2 more weeks here! You probably won't hear from me again for a long while, as this alone took me a while to make happen and "a while" is something I don't have here! So until then, enjoy these pictures, and enjoy your summer!