A week in the Hamptons

After a week in the Hamptons with 4 kids, I'm preparing to go back to the city tomorrow morning.  It's amazing to think about how two completely different places are only a two hour Jitney ride apart. My lives in the two places are also completely different. In Quogue, I am responsible for four kids 24/7, and in the city I am responsible only for myself. Pretty soon the worlds will collide, when the family I'm working for moves back to the city to begin school.

Driving over to the beach in the topless Jeep wrangler.

Quogue itself is absolutely beautiful. It's like a model town, complete with a miniature library, post office, and a market! The town is very green with large trees and lots of grass...very refreshing after being in the city for a week. The beach is wonderful as well, and most days the high has been in the 80s with low humidity.  Other than some rain at the beginning of the week, the weather has been delightful.

The beautiful beach.

Quogue Field Club

Lovely family pool and hot tub.

Being a nanny for four kids is far more work than I expected. I was thinking about the situation, and I realized that most parents start with one child, and learn as they go along.  I did not have this option. With this job, I "inherited" four children all at once, at the age of 23.  It is lots of responsibility, and at times challenging. This week, I've gone to bed around 10 pm every night, absolutely exhausted. The kids are great though, and I'm quickly learning how to be very domestic. When I have my own children, I should be exceptionally prepared. 

I'm so lucky to have Alex, the family's current nanny here in Quogue as well. She has been here all week, thank goodness! Throughout the week she taught me the kids' favorite recipes, showed me how the family operates, and shared her words of wisdom about the job. We have become great friends as well, and have had lots of fun talking and getting to know each other when the kids were occupied.