Houston

A Message From Kathy

Welcome to our Summer Newsletter!

Summer is just around the corner, and as always, this time of year presents ample opportunities either for persistent stress or vital restoration. Think about it: you can spend the summer chasing the kids around the house, shuttling them to summer camp, and herding them around the Schlitterbahns of the region—leaving you constantly stressed and exhausted until the next school bell rings—or you can strike just the right balance between family and personal time to ensure a pleasant summer and a rested fall. Here at MBF, we’re committed to helping you find the peace of mind you deserve this season.

Our nanny managers can offer you indispensible support over the summer months, from handling those tricky half-day day camp pick-ups to planning meals and sticking a couple loads of laundry in the washer, freeing you up to spend quality time with the kids or simply savor an afternoon of peace and quiet. MBF nannies can also bring a virtual summer camp directly to your home—with stimulating games and activities as well as consistent attention for your children—or they can ensure this year’s vacation actually feels like a vacation by providing you and your spouse with the flexibility to play around with the kids and enjoy some much-needed alone time when you want it. And, if bringing your nanny on vacation is not a feasible option for your family, we can still support you on those anticipated getaways. Since your MBF membership is good for all of our locations in the state, as an MBF member you are guaranteed quality childcare during that weekend at Fiesta Texas or that overnight trip to see an Astros game.

No matter your childcare needs, we’re committed to helping you find the space and peace of mind to make this a relaxing and memorable summer for your entire family. Contact one of our representatives to find out how we can serve you over the next few months.

Best,
Kathy Dupuy, Owner and Founder

Summer is Coming!
As you start planning your summer, remember that Mom's Best Friend nannies can be a great option to provide full time care, including taking your children to a variety of activities such as parks, museums, water parks, art exhibits, and more! You can also use our temporary nannies (sitter service) to supplement care and provide transportation to camps and activities.

Summer nanny showcase: Amy C. has recently completed her teaching certification. Before she begins work as an elementary school teacher in the fall, she's very interested in working as a nanny over the summer! Amy has a great deal of experience as both a preschool teacher and a nanny. She's worked with infants through elementary-aged children. Amy sees her work as more than just playing with children. She notes that "Any activities that allow the children to explore, create, imagine, express themselves, and thus learn, are very important to me in my work."

Summer 2008 School Holidays
Don't forget to book your backup childcare!

• Friday May 23rd- Springs ISD
• Monday May 26th- Magnolia ISD, Tomball ISD, Klein ISD, Conroe ISD, Humble ISD, Spring ISD, Aldine ISD, Sheldon ISD, North Forest ISD, Galena Park ISD, Cypress- Fairbanks ISD, Spring Branch ISD, Katy ISD, Alief ISD, Houston ISD, Ft. Bend ISD, Pearland ISD, Pasadena ISD
• Thursday May 29th- Last day of classes for Cypress- Fairbanks ISD, Spring Branch ISD
• Friday May 30th- Last day of classes for Tomball ISD, Aldine ISD, Sheldon ISD, Galena ISD, Katy ISD, Alief ISD, Houston ISD
• Tuesday June 3rd- Last day of classes for Humble ISD, Spring ISD, North Forest ISD
• Wednesday June 4th- Last day of classes for Magnolia ISD
• Thursday June 5th- Last day of classes for Klein ISD, Conroe ISD, Ft. Bend ISD, Pearland ISD, Pasadena ISD

We strive to provide a positive, encouraging, and family friendly environment where dance is taught with the finest quality and utmost integrity. We work to teach coordination of mind and body, cooperation with others through group training, and instill confidence and self assurance.

Please join us as we open our doors for classes on August 18, 2008!

By Stephanie Breedlove, founder of Austin-based Breedlove &Associates, the nation’s leader in tax & payroll services for household employers

Q: Is my nanny entitled to the income tax rebate the IRS is sending out soon?

A: Yes!  This is good news for nannies – and another one of the many benefits of being paid legally.  The U.S. Treasury Department will be issuing tax rebate payments (as part of the economic stimulus package) to all taxpayers who 1) have a valid Social Security Number, 2) earned income between $3,000 and $75,000 in 2007 (up to $150,000 for married filing jointly), and 3) cannot be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return.  The timing of the payments will be made based on the last two digits of the filer’s Social Security Number (see schedule below).  Your nanny should get her payment no later than mid-July.

Last 2 Digits of SSN            Payment Mailed by:
00 – 09                                  May 16
10 – 18                                  May 23
19 – 25                                  May 30
26 – 38                                  June 6
39 – 51                                  June 13
52 – 63                                  June 20
64 – 75                                  June 27
76 – 87                                  July 4
88 – 99                                  July 11

To receive this tax rebate your nanny must file her income tax return.

If both of you have fulfilled your tax obligations, your nanny will automatically receive the rebate of up to $600 (individuals) or $1,200 (married couples).

If you or your employee have any questions about the tax rebate process – or the other benefits of legal pay – please don’t hesitate to call.  We’re here to help.
 
Founded in 1992 — by household employers for household employers — Breedlove & Associates is a full-service, full-support tax & payroll service.  They have served more than 11,000 clients and processed more than $1 billion in household payroll. For more information or a free phone consultation compliments of MBF, call    1-888-273-3356 or visit www.breedlove-online.com.

A: What is true about any job candidate search is true about the search for your perfect nanny: The more your search criteria, the more you limit your chances of finding the right person for your position. So, my advice is, since so many highly-qualified, professional nannies in our candidate pool are looking for full-time work, it might behoove you to consider opening up your search to that field as well.

Of course, since you’re looking for a part-time nanny right now, I assume your childcare needs are strictly on a part-time basis, begging the question: “Why do I need a full-time nanny?” Well, there are several reasons, and they depend primarily on household and other needs. Say, for instance, you are a small business owner; in that case, you might want to hire a full-time professional with the qualifications to take on two part-time positions—as a nanny and as a personal assistant. This will save you the trouble of having to pay two salaries while, at the same time, benefiting you with support in two key areas of your life.

Or, if your family’s needs are solely limited to the household, consider all the demands that might be met by a full-time nanny manager when she is free from her childcare duties: planning meals; organizing your home; running errands; coordinating home repairs and maintenance; and generally acting as the be-all and do-all for your household while your children are at school. If this solution seems financially untenable, just think of all the losses you incur in terms of opportunity cost every time you have to wait at home for the cable guy or run around town to pull together a last-minute meal for your family—losses that can translate into lost earnings and lost quality time with your family.

And, opening up your search to full-time can do more than provide you with expanded possibilities, it can also make your position much more attractive to top-tier candidates looking for extra challenges and responsibilities. This truly is a win-win situation.

Hope that helps! Best of luck on your search, and please contact one of our representatives to help you work out a solution that’s right for your family.

Kathy Dupuy, Owner and Founder

Top Ten Tips for Organizing and Decluttering for Nannies (we encourage you to pass this along to your nannies):

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 store1/2 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

Houston Permanent Nanny Rosanna		Houston Temporary Nanny Julie
Rosanna is a wonderful caregiver who has a special gift with toddlers. She was previously a preschool teacher, and parents have called Rosanna a “compassionate,” “sensitive,” and “flexible” caregiver who demonstrates “strength,” a “creative” side and a “great personality. Rosanna loves working with kids and is seeking a long term position. She strives to provide a clean and safe environment for her charges, providing meals, serving their needs, and engaging in any types of physical or learning activities. In addition, Rosanna has received training in EMT basic.		A student of early childhood development at Houston Community College, Julie is also a certified medical assistant and seasoned caregiver. For over a decade, Julie has worked as a nanny in a variety of capacities, from full-time to temporary assignments. She has been complimented for her “great rapport” with children, and Julie became “part of the family” according to one former employer. In addition, Julie is a proud mother herself of a beautiful little girl!

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

Strawberry Mice
These mischievous mice will have your kids happily nibbling on a healthy snack in no time!

• 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.