Austin

IN THIS ISSUE:
Message from Kathy | Calendar | Ask the Expert
Organizing Tips | MBF Superstars | Craft Activity
Fun Summer Recipes | What Clients and Nannies Are Saying
Job Openings at MBF

A Message From Kathy

Welcome to our Summer Newsletter!
Summer is just around the corner! As with each year, the initial excitement of days looking forward to the freedom will wear off and if we let ourselves, we can start to let boredom set in. However, you also have a great opportunity to take on the challenge to keep your charges entertained. As summer heats up, there are many indoor and outdoor activities that you can plan in order to make this summer a memorable one.

A great way to spend some time with children outdoors is to take them on a field trip to show them some of the types of activities you did when you were their age, and afterwards you can introduce them to your favorite summer restaurant. You also have many unique museums to choose from in the area, as well as local parks and zoos. After walking around in the summer heat, the kids can cool off in a local pool (as you know, always make pool safety a priority!).

Some great indoor activities include making a summer craft (see the included craft below) or creating fun summer recipes (two fun ideas are also included in this newsletter). You can also encourage your charges to continue reading by getting them involved in a summer reading program at a local library or a book store such as Barnes and Nobles.

Whatever you choose to do this summer to keep the kids entertained and cool, don’t miss out on the opportunity to create fun summer memories!

Yours,
Kathy Dupuy, Owner and Founder

Nanny Picnic!
It's time for a fun pool party for You! Please bring your charges, and join us for a picnic on Wednesday, June 11th from 10:30am - 12:30pm at Kathy Dupuy's House at 4713 Mirador Dr. Mark your calendar and more details will follow.

Continuing Education Opportunity!
Nannying Terrific Toddlers and Twos: Continuing Education Opportunity: Claire Flynn with For Kids Sake will speak on nannying terrific toddlers and two-year-olds on Thursday, July 17th from 6-8pm as part of MBF Agency's continuing nanny education. Claire Flynn, M.Ed., trained and taught as a parent educator at Stanford University’s Children’s Health Council. She has two grown children, and has taught infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children in school programs. She has also trained early childhood and elementary teachers at the college and graduate level for the past 35 years. She is the founder of For Kids’ Sake, and is a nationally recognized author of three books for parents. We are excited to offer this opportunity free of charge. We hope your nanny can attend. Please RSVP to Candace Durden at candace.durden@momsbestfriend.com. Pizza will be provided. The location will be owner Kathy Dupuy's home at 4713 Mirador Dr.

Playgroup will be held wherever it is scheduled unless it is raining, has rained and everything is muddy, or winds are excessive. Please don't try to change our location at the last minute. It is unfair to any nannies that weren't called about the change. Non- weather related changes should be SUGGESTED to the group, via the nanny network yahoo group, no later than 24 hours prior to the event.

• May 21:  Central Market Playscape - 38th and Lamar
  Alternate: Inflatable Wonderland, Lakeline Mall
• May 28:  Lost Creek - They should be done with their big remodel. Directions- going south on 360 from Bee Caves, turn right onto Lost Creek Parkway. (two lights south of Bee Caves). Go about one mile on Lost Creek parkway to Quaker Ridge Dr. The park will be on your left at the corner.
  Alternate: Toys R Us Playscape, South Capitol of Texas Highway and Lamar

If you know of anyone who would like to receive this schedule and is not currently getting it, let us know. Also, if you haven't signed up for the Austin Nanny Network, PLEASE do so. It is the easiest way to keep in touch and hear about any upcoming events. Send us an email, and we'll add you to the group.

 If you have any question or comments, please email ctaoftx@aol.com or call 512.554.3412.

A: I’m so glad you have a great job lined up. Just because there might be a camera, doesn’t reflect their trust in the great job you will do. It is important to note that it is legal in all 50 states to have hidden cameras in homes. However, audio recording is not permitted without the nanny's consent, and parents are never allowed to put cameras in private areas such as your nanny’s bedroom or bathroom. In any case, Mom's Best Friend encourages families to advise the nanny about the camera from the start.

There are many reasons why families put up nanny cams. The first is to make sure that their children are safe. Sadly, there have been enough incidents with seemingly perfect nannies to make any parent nervous. Their children are the most important people in their lives and they are right to be concerned for their well being.

Some families simply have cameras up for the first couple of months, and then turn them off after they feel that they have built the trust with their nanny. Other families put up cameras so that they can see what their child is doing during the day. Parents who work long hours or travel often might want to set up a camera to be able to virtually see their kids when they can’t physically be present. Being able to capture any milestones or even watch their child happily play with their nanny can help a parent feel connected. Technology is amazing and there are several websites that allow a homeowner to log into a website that receives a secure feed from the camera in the home, and watch what’s going on. Several daycare centers use this technology as does my neighbor - to watch his dog during the day!

I understand your confusion about the camera. No one wants to feel like their judgement is being questioned, and some nannies are simply worried that they don't want their employer to see their poor dance moves! Another way to look at is to welcome a camera into the home. You do such a great job and go above and beyond what you are expected to do, so it is to your benefit for your employer to see this! We know that all of our Mom's Best Friend nannies are doing a great job and are treating the children right, so don’t worry about the camera and show your employers how lucky they are to have you!

It might give you piece of mind to find out why the employer is going to have a camera. I encourage you to set up a time to talk to your boss about it. Be sure that you are honest and open about your feelings, and are willing to hear your employer's reasons.

A camera is a great tool to keep a parent informed about what is going on but it should never replace open communication between you and your employer. Don’t let this put a damper on your enthusiasm for this job. You will do a great job and good luck!

Cecelia Zapalac, Austin Nanny Network Coordinator

Top Ten Tips for Organizing and Decluttering your Employer's Home:

1. Communicate first about organizing anything for your employer. Some people are very particular about how they want things done, and even if you think an area is messy, they may know exactly where things are and like it that way. After you’ve discussed this issue and understood how they like things, you can feel more free to pursue these kinds of projects independently.
2. If your role gets you involved in organizing any paperwork for your family, be very careful about throwing anything away. There can be legal and financial reasons to keep certain papers, even if they are very old or don’t look important. If you are not sure, create a box or pile of “probable trash” to have them review it before throwing it out. You also need to shred anything you are throwing away that could be damaging to your employer’s identity, finances, or reputation.
3. Organize from a “kids’ eye view.” What are their favorite toys? You want to put those at a level that is easy for them to reach so they won’t have to climb for them or get frustrated.
4. Consider safety always, especially if you have multiple charges of varying ages. You will want to organize spaces considering the choking and poison hazards of the younger children, yet make it easy for older children to reach things they need as well.
5. If you help your family with their laundry, ask your employer if you can use the “dot system” to help you identify clothing. It’s often difficult to sort and put away laundry for siblings of the same gender. Use a permanent laundry marker to make a single dot on the tags of the oldest child’s clothing, then the next oldest child gets two dots on their tags. The younger child from there gets three dots, and so on. When clothes get handed down, you just add another dot to know which clothes belong to whom.
6. Discuss with your employer a system of managing hand-me-downs and out of season clothing. Kids grow fast, and you need to know where to put the clothes that are outgrown or out of season when you identify them. Does your employer want to save them for other children? Give them away for donation? Or possibly give them to a friend? We recommend storing hand-me-downs in clear containers by gender and a range of sizes (like 0-6 months, or sizes 4-6).
7. Consider clear containers vs. baskets or opaque containers. Sometimes storing things inside clear containers is perfect so you can see items inside the boxes before opening them. Other times, it’s advantageous to hide the items you are storing. If you’re not sure, ask your employer his or her opinion, since some people like everything to match and to camouflage their storage. Other people are “out of sight, out of mind!”
8. Use a label maker to establish homes for items you have organized. Particularly when many people are sharing a space, this makes the organizing work official and keeps the space organized longer.
9. Label with pictures and words together to help with reading skills. You can label toys containers with both a picture of the toy and a written label, so this associates the words with the toys and helps with learning to read. If your employer’s household is bilingual or just trying to learn another language, you can also label items in both languages to help everyone learn more.
10. Many children are overwhelmed by too many choices. More messes get made because kids dump out everything to find what they want. Many of your charges may be blessed with an abundance of toys and belongings, but this blessing may actually be a curse and may cause confusion. Ask your employer if it’s okay to start rotating some toys in and out on a regular basis and store 1/2 to 2/3 of them away to simplify choices and cleanup.

EXTRA BONUS TIP: Ask your employer to buy you an annual subscription to the Clutter Diet® so you can help manage the household with easy weekly project plans. The organizing plans are designed to cover the entire home over time and keep you current on what you should focus on seasonally for holidays, schools and vacations. This is one more thing you can do to make their lives easier, and it gives you and the family access to a team of Professional Organizers to directly answer your questions that may arise.

Lorie Marrero, 512.301.2426, www.livingorder.com

Paper Caterpillar

Supplies

• Construction paper
• Glue
• Hole Punch
• Pipe cleaner
• Markers, paint, crayons, glitter

Instructions

1. Cut out circles from your construction paper
2. Glue the circles together making a chain of circles
3. Use the hole punch to insert pipe cleaners for legs and antennas
4. Use the markers, paint, crayons and glitter to make each caterpillar unique (be sure to make a face on the head)

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

• Fresh strawberries
• Mini chocolate chips
• Black decorators' icing
• Almond slivers
• Toothpick
• Red lace licorice
• Wedge of Cheese (Your choice)

For each mouse, slice a small section from the side of a strawberry so it sits flat.

Press a mini chocolate chip into the tip for a nose, using a small dab of icing to secure it in place, if needed.

Add icing eyes and stick 2 almond slivers into the top of the berry for ears.

For a tail, use a toothpick to carve a small hole in the back of the berry and push the end of a piece of licorice lace into the hole. Serve these berry cute treats with small triangles of cheese.

Tropical Piñacoladas
Keep your kids cool this summer with a refreshing, easy to make smoothie!
 
RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup milk/soy milk
• 1 to 2 tsp. shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup chopped or crushed pineapple (fresh is best, but canned works too)
  

In a blender combine ingredients.Blend. Pour into a fun glass and garnish with a fresh pineapple wedge.

• Mom's Best Friend is an excellent,
  efficient, professional and wonderful
  agency to work through. The families I
  have nannied for have been great as
  well and my full-time family is so lovely and wonderful! Thank you for everything!
  --Rebekah, Nanny
  

• I selected MBF because of their well-documented, thorough process, attention to detail and speed. MBF should be commended for it's excellent communication and guidance throughout the process.
  --Dana Brown, Executive Housekeeper Client
  
  
• I appreciate the people you have been able to send to help out over the last two years.  Your agency has been an amazing resource and my contact with you has always been professional.  It is one resource that I have in my pocket, that I can always depend on.
  --Beth S, Client

If you know someone who is looking for part-time work, send them our way! We are seeking Temp Nannies with lots of availability!  Corporate Back-up childcare is also a great way for our nannies to meet wonderful families and help out working parents while getting in some great hours!  Please let us know if you know anyone who might be interested in these types of positions.

Also, don’t forget to check out the job board for all of the amazing opportunities we have available!