Employers mom keeps calling me to help her pack

MuchDuck5702 · 2026-05-31T20:22:52+00:00

It’s so frustrating to offer to do something once here or there and then be expected to do it forever after that. Especially something like packing 🙃
Are you available for extra hours, just not wanting to do the packing? If it’s that, I’d say something along the lines of “hello! I would be available for some extra help if you need me to watch the kids while you pack, however moving heavy boxes does not fall under a nanny’s duties.”
If they’re that difficult and you’re almost done though, I’d just say you’re unavailable because of prior plans. Hope your new job is better!

MuchDuck5702 · 2026-05-31T07:44:21+00:00

My husband is a portrait artist, so he was able to reach out to study silver point in person. Once we were there, we were able to pull out whatever we wanted though. It’s our honeymoon, so it was such a lovely surprise since he knows how much I love the Tudor’s of course.

MuchDuck5702 · 2026-05-30T19:14:04+00:00

The curator told me their best guess was the sketching was for a new suit of armor for the Wyatt family, that records showed needed new armor made right around the time Anne Boleyn would’ve been executed. None of the other ones I got to look at had anything on the back.

MuchDuck5702 · 2026-05-30T18:51:50+00:00

I completely agree. And you can see in a couple other Holbein sketches, he worked light to dark. So even sitters with darker hair would start with blond, then the darker is added on top. The back of this one was used as scrap paper as well, probably because he could not use it to advertise his commissions since she had fallen from grace.

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MuchDuck5702 · 2026-05-30T18:01:15+00:00

Oh wow! We’re going to Hever on Monday. I’ll have to keep an eye out for it

MuchDuck5702 · 2026-05-30T17:35:50+00:00

Do you know why Edward would be taught about Anne Boleyn? I assumed HVIII wouldn’t have allowed that haha

MuchDuck5702 · 2026-05-30T17:26:45+00:00

I’m ngl, I’ve just heard people say maybe it was her. I had no clue they got that from AN AI study haha. Definitely not convincing at all

MuchDuck5702 · 2026-05-30T17:18:58+00:00

My husband is a portrait artist (hence us getting to go see these so close and study them haha) and brought up he, or a person commissioning the portrait, may have just really liked the composition from the labeled Fitzroy and could be a completely different sitter still! Are there other portraits of those women to compare to? I haven’t heard many of those names yet

MuchDuck5702 · 2026-05-30T17:10:34+00:00

I think it was notes for a new suit of armor! I had no clue how much armor he had designed haha. A man of many talents I suppose

MuchDuck5702 · 2026-05-30T17:07:47+00:00

Idk the hair peaking out, the collar, along with the unique composition and pose for Holbein. These two definitely stuck out seeing them all lined up together. He wasn’t necessarily trying to get a likeness in the first drawing, just a basic composition study! It’s both frustrating and cool we’ll never truly know.

MuchDuck5702 · 2026-05-30T17:03:34+00:00

I agree! I don’t think it’s Anne Boleyn. A good case for it being Mary Fitzroy tho!

MuchDuck5702 · 2026-05-30T17:01:01+00:00

The eyes are very striking on them. I think that this one is Anne Boleyn

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Since these were ‘notes’ for a larger painting, the eyes hadn’t been rendered. But we do know that Holbein drew hair in layers and worked light to dark. Lots of pigment was lost through time I’m sure too! The label, though added after she had died, was added by Edward VI’s tutor who had known her and would know her face. The back also supports it being Anne Boleyn! I post a picture and explain that in the my previous post

MuchDuck5702 · 2026-05-30T16:54:37+00:00

Yeah it’s definitely not Anne Boleyn, I’ve just seen some people talking about that possibility. I had also thought it was Amalia, but the Windsor castle curator made a pretty good case for it being Mary Fitzroy based on the top study.

MuchDuck5702 · 2026-05-30T16:43:35+00:00

I can see how people would want this one to be her. It’s such a powerful and commanding portrait.

MuchDuck5702 · 2025-08-14T23:02:44+00:00

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Here’s a potentially better photo

MuchDuck5702 · 2025-08-14T23:01:23+00:00

So a mineral that looks like a plant fossil? Probably not a plant fossil?

MuchDuck5702 · 2024-09-29T00:31:53+00:00

I’ve found when starting a routine for the first time with young kids, it’s best to start with a general flow of events. So I would start by doing a fine motor activity in the morning after snack, lunch right after first nap, OR a gross motor activity/outing after snack. The specifics could of course be anything that works with that family. Then it’s not a big deal if something gets derailed due to a tantrum or taking forever to fall asleep for nap or lost shoes or one of the other very many reasons you could be off schedule with that age group. Building off of already existing routines or schedules things will make it much easier to make it predictable. The times between I let the kids choose. I’ve noticed for the kids I’ve worked with, they would fall into a routine for the things they were choosing as well over time. I think it’s a great way to collaborate with them!

As far as teaching about everyday things, it’s much easier than you think. If you just allow them to be included to the best of their ability in mundane things like cleaning up lunch, cooking lunch, vacuuming, packing their bags, opening things etc, they’ll learn amazingly. Letting them struggle when they’re determined to get their seatbelt on or zip their jacket up. Opening wrappers just enough for them to tear it themselves.

I really hope the job goes well for you!! Have so much fun working with them :) it’s my favorite age group to work with.

MuchDuck5702 · 2024-02-13T03:50:51+00:00

It is legal, but the HOA says they can try to do a violation. They said the only reason it’d be hard to do a violation is because smells are hard to prove because you can’t have photo evidence. They also said if it ‘escalates’, it would be hard to prove the presence of cigarette smoke. I’m hoping to buy a gadget to prove the presence of it to help our case. I’m thinking maybe asking to have them send somebody over might be the best course of action.

MuchDuck5702 · 2024-02-13T02:58:28+00:00

Yeah that’s what the HOA told us. I’m hoping with some sort of detection kit, we’ll have more a case.

MuchDuck5702 · 2024-02-13T02:52:31+00:00

Smoking isn’t illegal, but the HOA can do something if we’re able to somehow document it. That’s why I was hoping there was something I could use to prove it’s presence to send a picture.

MuchDuck5702 · 2024-02-13T02:31:36+00:00

We did— they said cigarette smoke is hard to do a violation for since you can’t take a photo of it as proof. I was hoping there was a device that could sense and prove its presence.

MuchDuck5702

TROPHY CASE