*shakes head sadly*

Yet another case of somebody mistaking me for a mom. And telling me I would be happier if I spent all day with "my" kids instead of working (away from home, I presume - staying home *is* work).

Listen up, folks. Much though I love my nieces, and like spending time with them, and like watching them - I love giving them back at the end of the day.

If watching children isn't making me amazingly happy when it's only about 60 hours out of the week (little less, I think) - for sure I wouldn't love it more if I "quit my job" (my imaginary job, I suppose) and "stayed home". As it is, I get to sleep at night, don't have to do a l l the cleaning, don't have to wrangle grocery or clothes shopping with multiple children, don't have to pump bottles (well, I suppose Jenn wouldn't either if she stayed home, but then I shudder to think how she'd pay the bills), get to sleep late on the weekends, don't have to hang out with the kids on the weekends if I don't want to, and get several hours a day kid-free.

And life's not easy.

I don't know about anybody else, but I can tell you this - much though I love my nieces, I still don't want any of my own. Yes, I know it'd be "different with my own kids" - it'd be a hell of a lot harder, for one!

Of course, said silly in question also doesn't have any kids of her own, and isn't taking care of children as her job either, so I don't even want to know whose ass she pulled that line out of. She'd better try it before she goes on and tries to convert me to parental paradise again, that's all I have to say on the subject....

Rachel's new apartment...

I remember when she was looking for apartments, and I read over her shoulder that one she was looking at was in the "trendy St. George area of Staten Island". Because St. George is trendy now? I guess.

Anyway, it's a very nice place she's picked up. The kitchen's a weird shape, very long and boxy. Used to be a staircase there. A staircase with a door on top.

Yes... they have a door on the second floor that leads to a one story drop into the kitchen. I happened to look up while in the kitchen and spent the next few minutes lying on the floor laughing.

They door isn't blocked off yet - I don't even know that it's locked - so it makes perfect sense that Rachel told the kids to stop going up there "because it isn't safe, guys". Besides, they're doing some sort of work up there.

And I was so mad at Ana. We see Rachel all the time, she knows Rachel, and she knew that this was Rachel's new house. But she didn't listen to Rachel, she only listened when I told her she had to come. down. stairs. NOW.

Pulled that nonsense later when Rachel asked her to give a choking hazard to her. Stared for a minute until I told her to "do what she said" and then tried walking over to me and giving it to me instead of the adult who made the request. (Which would not have been bad in and of itself, it just struck me as terribly rude on top of originally completely ignoring Rachel's non-arbitrary request. Rachel always is careful to explain why she wants things done.)

I do not like this trend. Well, now Jenn and 'dul have seen the report, and if it happens again I'll tell them again.