IN THIS ISSUE:
Message from Kathy | Ask the Expert
MBF in the News | MBF Superstars | Craft Activity
Job Openings at MBF |
Serving the Community Welcome to our Spring Newsletter!
 We are so proud that Mom’s Best Friend nannies are always the highest caliber in the Houston area. As we approach summer, one way that our nannies can demonstrate their excellence is by being proactive in gathering options and information on available camps and activities. Most kids/family magazines and directories are full of ideas this month, and the internet is also a great source for additional details such as pricing and schedules. Your employer will be delighted if you come up with a proposal and budget for their family. What a time saver and a value add to their busy lives! You can help your family out tremendously by mapping out a complete summer schedule. Don’t forget to include holidays and vacations in addition to camps and activities. Our Ask the Expert section below also includes some fantastic summer travel tips that I encourage you to read if you will be traveling with your family. Thank you again for all that you do both for your employers and as Mom’s Best Friend ambassadors! Yours,
Kathy Dupuy, Owner and Founder
Q: My employers have just asked me if I would travel with them during the summer. I’m really excited but a bit nervous since I’ve never traveled as a nanny before. What should I do to ensure we all have a smooth trip? A: Traveling with families can be really great. With a little bit of preparation, the trip can be both relaxing and enjoyable for everyone and your employer will never want to travel without you again. There are several things you must know and do before you leave to ensure everything go smoothly.  The first and most important thing to do is have a one-on-one meeting with your employers well before your trip! This is crucial! Discuss all aspects of the trip so that you don’t have any misunderstanding about anything later. Remember, If your employers have never traveled with a nanny before, they might not know about things like proper compensation and time off. Here are the four most important areas to discuss in you meeting:
- Expectations: Discuss and come to an agreement about the expecations each of you have for the trip.
- Accommodations: Will the children be in your room or will you have your own room for some down time?
- Compensation: Discuss any extra paid hours or time that will be off while traveling.
- Discipline and rules for the children: Sometimes it’s hard to know what the standard practices are while traveling, and it's a great subject to address.
You should also keep the mindset of a nanny and think about any obstacles that may come up away from home, so you can prepare for them. Don’t leave all the planning for your employers. Try to come up with ideas for activities to do with the children during down time in the hotel or airports. It’s always a good idea to books, pack games, videos, coloring materials, or small toys. Remember to be professional while traveling. Just because your vacationing doesn’t mean you can underperform. Your employers will still be expecting you to act appropriately. Some things to remember: - Be on time when on the clock
- Try to keep your things and the children's things organized and ready to go
- Be patient with your employer as well as the children
- Everything might not be perfectly planned out so go with the flow and be flexible
Lastly, don’t forget to have fun and pack lots of sun screen! Thanks!
Cecelia Zapalac, Nanny Network Coordinator
Ways to Help Find a Good Nanny
KVUE News Austin turned to Mom's Best Friend in a story about how to avoid nanny hiring issues. Mom's Best Friend Gives Back
Child-friendly publication Parent: Wise Austin described the details of the Mom's Best Friend Charity Program.
Parent: Wise Austin, February, 2008 How are Austinites Connecting with each other for child care?
The Austin Business Journal solicited several local families regarding their childcare preferences, and several noted Mom's Best Friend as their nanny / sitter agency choice!
Austin Business Journal, January 25, 2008
| | | | | | Margaret has 13 years of professional nanny experience. A “very engaged” caregiver, according to former employers, Margaret is described as “someone you want to have around.” Parents who have seen her at work “really trust her,” with one mother in particular lauding the way that Margaret “challenged her daughter” by reading and singing with her when she was only six weeks old.
Margaret is completely fluent in both English and Spanish, and she enjoys engaging her charges with activities such as arts, crafts, reading and outdoor games. | | Temmie has been a nanny and educator for most of her life. She has previously worked as an elementary school teacher, volleyball coach, and special needs science teacher. In her free time, she loves cooking, baking, taking classes and expanding her large list of Mom's Best Friend clients. She is a highly requested nanny and is welcomed into homes with a large smile! |
Egg Carton Tulips
Materials:  - Egg carton
- Paint
- Popsicle stick or pipe cleaner
- Glue
Instructions: - Cut out a few egg carton cups
- Cut each cup to look like tulip petals
- Poke a hole in the bottom of the cup and insert and glue a pipe cleaner or Popsicle stick as a stem
Exciting Job Opportunities!
 MBF is always offering amazing opportunities with great families! Currently in Houston we have family 1111/1112/1113 who is in need of 3 nannies for their family of 8! We also have family 4748 looking for a family assistant/nanny to help out in the mornings only. In the household staffing department, we have some amazing opportunities with families 24314 looking for 2 domestic assistants and family 58284 looking for an Executive Housekeeper on the lake in Conroe! If you know of anyone seeking employment in North/Northwest Houston, please let them know we have some wonderful positions! We would love to have more Temp Nannies who are available all day to help out our amazing families. If you know someone who is looking for part-time work, this is a great job for them with really flexible hours! Corporate Back-up childcare is also a great way for our nannies to meet wonderful families and help out working parents! Please let us know if you know anyone who might be interested in these positions. Also don’t forget to check out the job board for all of the amazing opportunities we have available!
Creating Keepsake Boxes at the Settlement Home
 Each quarter, our staff looks forward to our time with the girls at The Settlement Home. In February, we worked with 25 girls on an afternoon when they were off from school. We decorated and transformed shoe boxes into fabulous keepsake boxes! The creative juices were really flowing as the girls spent over an hour creating little masterpieces to keep in their rooms to remind them of fun special memories.
Mom's Best Friend Charity Program
Mom's Best Friend continues to donate $25 of every membership fee to local child-related charities. What a wonderful partnership we are making with our client families and the community!
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