Best job title I've ever had: Aunt

I've held many different jobs throughout my life, but none I enjoy so much as being an aunt. I don't get paid a monetary salary, but I don't care, because the benefits are fantastic: sweet hugs, cherubic smiles and a ton of laughs. We follow the age-old contract: My siblings generously share their offspring with me and in return, I unabashedly adore their kids. It's a good deal for me. Currently, I have nine nephews and nine nieces, ranging in age from 13 to six months.

An aunt doesn't have to be the enforcer or the disciplinarian (at least most of the time). I can just bask in the glow of sweet baby smiles and gap-toothed grins. I don't have to make sure vegetables get eaten or beds get made. I share ice-cream cones and sleep on couches and sleeping bags.

When the kids spend time with me, we make crafts and watch movies. If they spend the night, I don't make them brush their teeth. I have an area in my house devoted to the nieces and nephews and toy boxes filled with old telephones, outdated purses and plastic play food.

Oh, I've had my share of mishaps. One nephew fed a long string of green mardi-gras beads down my tub drain. I've gotten peed on more times than I can count and I recall a particularly odious prune juice burp on my favorite cashmere sweater. Once, one niece took it upon herself to color the window trim. But in the grand scheme of things, it's a small price to pay.

One of my nieces had a conversation with my sister about what she was going to do when she grew up.
"I'm going to be like Aunt Jill," she said. 
"Where are you going to live?" her mother asked her.
"Oh, with you and Dad," she said.
"You do realize that Aunt Jill doesn't live with Papa and Grandma Leener, right?" was my sister's sardonic response. When my sister relayed this information to me, I laughed.

In all seriousness, it's one of the best compliments I've ever received.

Last day of school

Ahhhhh. That sound you hear is me, releasing a deep breath. Yesterday was the school picnic.

Temperature-wise, it was a cool day for May, but the sun was out in full force. I stayed on the sidelines as an observer for most of the day, watching kids of all ages revel in their anticipation of a summer free from homework. However, I did get in a game of sand volleyball. Plus, I couldn't resist the epic water balloon fight despite the crisp air. (Literature adverse students took their best shot at me, seeking revenge because Johnny Tremain was required reading for the fourth quarter!)

I discovered that it's tough to pick up balloon pieces dressed in soaking wet Levis, but the plastic confetti scraps do make a pretty picture.

Shell Answer Aunt

When I was a kid and I peppered my mother with questions, she would sometimes say, "What do I look like? The Shell Answer Man?"  I've never seen any of those old commercials from the 60s and 70s, but still, I find myself saying the phrase occasionally when I'm exasperated with a barrage of questions from a pint-sized person.

There are times when I don't mind being considered an authority on a subject. Take yesterday, for example. I received a phone call from my eight-year-old nephew Daniel.

"Aunt Jill, I have a Star Wars question. How did Padme Amidala die?"

I thought for a moment and finally arrived at this answer: "She died of a broken heart." (I know, kinda complex for a kid, but how do you say she gave up all desire of living because her husband turned to the dark side and tried choking the life out of her when she was almost nine months pregnant with twins?)

Daniel's response? "Ohhhhh. Luke (his older brother) told me she was hit by a space ice cream truck."

Block party!

Inspired by a story by Jewell Parker Rhodes, I had a block party for my seventh and eighth grade literature class. Rhodes wrote about her childhood experiences in Pittsburgh in the 1950s-60s, notably that her neighbors were "family" and how it felt to be able to call for a summer block party. The students jump roped, played jacks and hopscotch, shot baskets, hula hooped and ate vanilla ice cream drenched in punch, all to a soundtrack of 60s music like Diana Ross and the Supremes and The Temptations.

It was a great celebration of spring and a reminder of the fun of old-fashioned games.

Easter treats

For Christmas, my friend Sarah gave me a little something called a "bath candy." When I used it, I became hooked. Made by a little company called Blissful Bath in Woodbury, Minn., it was a wonderful indulgence, a fizzy, fragrant and fabulously moisturizing bit of relaxation. I decided to give Blissful Bath's fizzy cupcakes to my mom and sisters for Easter. They were so pretty, I had to take a picture. Don't they look springy?

My philanthropic week

It's easy to take some things for granted, like good health, family, friends and even my faith in God. I've noticed that when I focus on someone else, my heart is more full and life's little annoyances somehow get a little smaller. To that end, I'm helping raise money this spring for two worthy causes.

The first is the MS Walk 2011 on May 1. Multiple sclerosis affects the brain and spinal cord. People who suffer from this disease must deal with the unexpected because episodes can cause symptoms in almost any part of the body. Currently, there is no cure for MS. 

The second event is Bowl For Kids for Big Brothers Big Sisters on May 5. I can't imagine what growing up would have been like without caring adults and mentors. Every child needs that kind of support.

So, I'm asking for your help. Would you be interested in supporting one or both of these causes? I appreciate any donation (tax-deductible) to either organization. To donate by credit card, simply click on the links to be directed to the secure site. Or, you can send me a check if you're more comfortable with that.

A special thank you from me
I've created a special thank you gift for helping the cause. I designed this colorful handmade set of bottle cap magnets based on I Cor. 13 to celebrate springtime.

I will send a set to every person who donates to one of these causes by the end of April. If you're a friend I haven't met yet, please e-mail your address to me: jilltiefel-at-yahoo.com.

Plus, if you share this post via Facebook or Twitter, or on your own blog, you will be entered into a drawing to win a bulletin board made from recycled wine corks. Just add a comment and let me know you helped spread the word! Thank you!

Book sale!

Library book sales shatter my self-discipline. I have to go into the sale with a set amount of cash, sans ATM card or checkbook, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous. I can't rush through the sale either. I have to have enough time to properly look through the stacks of books or I will feel as if I missed something critical.

I am pretty excited about one of my finds at the recent library book sale: The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. I began to peruse it and couldn't put it down. The book answered questions that I never knew I had. For example, where did the expression "the real McCoy" come from? When can one properly use the phrase "comme il faut?"

This experience reminded me of one of my favorite television shows. Unfortunately, Sports Night only ran for two seasons. The dialogue was sharp, the characters were complex and the humor was pitch perfect. In one episode, Natalie consults the dictionary to confirm the proper usage of "momentarily" and gets hooked.

Natalie: Aha!
Jeremy: What?
Natalie: According to the dictionary, "momentarily" means "both for a moment" and "in a moment."
Jeremy: Well done.
Natalie: "Monad," by the way, is "an elementary individual substance which reflects the order of the world and from which material properties are derived."
Jeremy: Thank you.
And later...
Natalie: "Monestrous" means "experiencing estrous once a year or breeding season."
Will: What's "estrous?"
Natalie: Let's find out.
Jeremy: Give me the dictionary.

Yes, I do have a dictionary-reading obsession. No, please do not schedule an intervention. At least not yet.