IN THIS ISSUE:
Message from Kim | 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 Dallas and Fort Worth areas. 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!
On a personal note, some of you may know that my husband and business partner Jim was recently activated from his reserve status as a Lieutenant in the Navy, and has been deployed to work with Special Warfare teams in Iraq. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers while he is away. Yours,
Kim Winblood, Owner
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
| | | | | | | | |  | Shanae is a former teacher who recently moved to Texas to attend Texas Women's University. Shanae is extremely creative and has years of experience in creating age appropriate lessons and projects.
Shanae has a friendly demeanor and she can be playful and firm with all her charges. She specializes in positive reinformcement along with the latest behavior tactics in helping children with learning disabilities and ADHD.
| | Linda worked with the agency several years ago and recently began working with us again. She is constantly requested and has several families that will only use her!
She is able to win over children of all ages. They lovingly refer to her as "granny". It has been so wonderful to have Linda back with Mom's Best Friend, she definitely enhances the temporary division. | | Susanna is a delightful nanny who was placed with an MBF Permanent family 6 months ago. Prior to her placement, Susanna had provided childcare for a number of families, and she has her bachelor's degree in Communication and Family Studies from Samford University.
Her current family noted "Susanna has a fantastic attitude and helps us in so many ways. We like the way she interacts with the children and trust her to keep them safe and the house running smoothly!" Susanna also received an excellent evaluation. Keep up the great work.
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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 Dallas, we have families 54265 and 58095 looking for two excellent part-time nannies, as well as family 20667 looking for an energetic and loving nanny for their 2 beautiful girls. We are always in need of incredible full-time and part-time caregivers!  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, we have great jobs 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.
MBF also has some amazing Executive Housekeeping positions with families 6967, 6290 and 6352. We would love to have more qualified household staff candidates, so please let your friends know that we have really great positions opening up and would love to help them find that perfect fit! Also, don’t forget to check out the job board for all of the amazing opportunities we have available!
Heroes for Children
We just want to say thank you to all of you who volunteered your time to make the Heroes for Children event so special!
Top Row: Kari Maddox, Jennifer Hoover, Karna Haro, Meredith Sapp, Ruth Sapp, Carolyn Morrison, Kim Winblood Bottowm Row: Deante Preston, Elisabeth Terry, Krysten Nance, Jennifer Johnson, Courtney Coker, Amber James 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 together!
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