[Quick Tip Tuesday] Cook Prep

So, I feel like I am running a cooking show whenever I cook with the boys. All the items that we are going to use get laid out on the counters. This is not only to be prepared for the short attention spans and 6 little hands, but to inspire interest as they join me. I quickly name all the "ingredients" and all the "tools". If it is something should already know, I ask them to tell me what ingredients we are using! Always learning! Happy cooking.

High5 Friday: Hoppin' Crafts for Easter

I was on the search for some Easter crafts to enjoy with the boys next week and I found some really cute things. A few are from Family Fun, which is my new favorite resource, so check it out! I love bunnies if you can't tell.

I hope your Easter week is a hoppin' good time!!

High5: Hoppin' Crafts for Easter

5. Sock Hop

Use socks to make your very own bunnies. Very cute and can be made childproof for younger children. See more at Family Fun

4. Peep Cupcakes

Adorable kitchen craft! With everybody's favorite..... PEEPS! Go to Homemade Mamas Blog for the step by step!

3.Pita Rabbit

Turn your lunch into Bunnies! This idea is pita bread, but why not try pancakes, toast, or anything else you can dream up! See more at Family Fun.

2. Flower Pot Bunny

Make your own flower pot or easter basket into a Bunny. Use it to hold candy or gift from the kids to the parents.

1. Cotton Ball Faces

We did this one last year... well MOST of us did this, ha ha. Great craft for toddlers! Just dipping cotton balls in glue! Very easy and turned out really cute!!

[Quick Tip Tuesday] Color Cubes

For St. Patrick's Day, they boys and I made green ice cubes with food coloring. Then we dropped them in Sprite Zero to hear it fizz.... "Magic Leprechaun Juice". With very little effort we had a fun experience watching the color change. I plan on thinking up some other magic juices for special occasions in the future. Could also do blue and yellow cubes to make a green drink. Small cubes work the best as the give a quicker result!

High5 Friday: Add Some Spring in Your Step!

Well, I cannot believe it, but I am celebrating my 100th post on this CincyNanny Blog! I thought I'd do something to celebrate, so I caught a plane and I am writing from my lovely hotel room in Midtown, NYC! Actually, it's pure coincidence that I happen to be here with my best friend for a girls weekend of shopping and shows. This is definitely one of my favorite places in the world. Streets bustling with high-heeled beauties, knock-off sellers, and every ethnicity you've never seen and some you haven't. It's energizing and exhausting. It's harsh and joyful. It's expensive and worth it. Quality and Quantity - food, people, art, etc. Where else can you plan a trip around seeing three fabulous Broadway shows in three days? This picture is from our first NY trip in 2003!

I feel inspired when I travel. I love to be where I have not been, to see a different way and envelope ideas and expressions. I love to compare the to what I live to challenge me or to make me fell content. I feel refreshed here. Alive. Excited. Free. The amazing weather and warmth of the sun couldn't hurt either! I have a little "Spring" in my step.

So I hope to offer some freedom to the hum-drum of your daily grind. (I sure needed it.) What does this have to do with being a Nanny? Everything. A great Nanny will see the need to be balanced, focused, and whole. Who you are as a person, is the life your sharing with your kids. It is likely they are needing refreshment, too. Make sure to take time to refresh this spring. I came to NYC. What can you do this week, to embrace the season?

High5 Friday: Add Some Spring to Your Step

5. Stretch Yourself

Try Something new! It doesn't have to be skydiving, though that would surely change things. Seek out a new favored restaurant or museum in your city. Call that person you have been wanting to be your friend. Do something that is not typically you!

4. Create a Fun Fund

There are so many things that I want to do that are simply not in our budget...like this trip to NYC. When I have a dream, like this trip with my BFF, I begin putting money aside a little at time, saving my change. By the time it's time for the trip or whatever, I feel like I have earned it after saving for months rather then guilt from having something I don't need. Hang up a picture and get a old-school jar to see your progress as you save.

3. Out with the Old

Sometimes when I am dying to shop but don't have the money I will clean out my closet. Some times I find things that I forgot I had. Shuffle your clothes so that your bright, Spring-y items are in your view. Hang a cute purse on your door knob. Do the same in your office and kitchen. Give yourself more room and less clutter to live your Spring.

2. In with the New

Find a new outfit or even a small accessory - something with color! Pick up a new CD with happier lyrics and boisterous melodies. Get a haircut, massage, or a pedicure. Chinatown was nice enough sell me cheap sunglasses and a fruity perfume with an 80% discount. Now that is refreshing!

1. Relax

Take the time to go sit a park with a book. Get a massage or pedicure. (Can you say Nannies Night Out?). Find some water to watch. Go on a "ME-date" of all the thing that you like to do. Plan a girls spa or shopping day. CincyNanny will have one in April.

Post which one you will try this week...

[Quick Tip Tuesday] Port-a-Cups

Quick Tip: Port-a-cups! Always.

I like to be prepared as much as possible, although with triplets it is not always possible. I started keeping 3 plastic cups in my Nanny-pack for some of those unexpected moments. We take regular trips to our local grocery store where we collect snack (samples) through out our journey. At the checkout counter, I dump them out in the trash and store again. Occasionally we will need to have snack in the car and this size is great for their small hands to hold onto. I don't leave home without them!

High5 Friday: Ideas for Keeping a Nanny Log

If you have read any of this blog before, you have heard me rant about the importance communication between parents and nannies. Just as in any relationship there is bound to be miscommunication, so as professionals lets take a step toward "too much" rather than not enough communication. Think about starting a daily Nanny Log - a great communication tool!

The Nanny Log, is simply as it sounds. It is filled with highlights from your day: including but not limited to a child's health, development, and activities of the daily routine.

Here are some examples of logs found online:

Log 1 - Provided by All About Nanny Care

Log 2 - Provided by 4Nannies Log

Log 3 - Provided by 4Everything Nanny

One local Nanny uses a lined spiral notebook, and prefers to write out necessary things.

Our family team uses a binder with printed sheets, then hole punched. Ours has changed as the needs of the boys had changed. For example, the parents no longer need to know how many ounces of milk the boys consume and when. Early on this was important due to some feeding issues of one of the boys.

Whatever the specifics, this is a a great benefit to all.

High5: Ideas for Keeping a Nanny Log

5. Keep it Handy

It's best to keep you Nanny Log in a convenient location. If you spend a good deal of time in the kitchen (don't we all), that is a great place to have it up on the counter away from little hands. When it is located in a convenient place, you are more likely to check in with it... which is a benefit to the parents as well.

4. Keep it Simple

There are a million things that we could log and keep track of throughout a day. Figure out what is key and important in your specific case, and do that. As you view examples you may see things that are not relevant. Some families may be interested in the specific foods, times of meal as others may not need that information. Do the basics. After looking through some examples, you may think of creating your own log and making copies. The more that you can pre-type, the more time you save each day.

3. Keep it Balanced

It is always important to pass along injuries and challenges, but make sure that your log doesn't turn into a place to vent or complain. Share positive thoughts and observations as well as the negative. Praise the children's successes. Parents will be able to look for those when they are home and continue the validation.

2. Keep it Timely

If you are going to keep a "daily" log, then do just that. Try to have your log completed by the time parents are arriving home. If you have parents working from home, it may help to log throughout the day. It may encourage less disruption with you and the children if they can take a quick peek without being noticed. All of our days have distractions and "surprises", but if you are committing to do a daily log, make sure it is complete as you leave.

1. Keep it Current

Each Nanny Log should be specific to the family where they are at. Notes for babies may include different things than a toddler, and a preschooler. As the children grow, let your log change accordingly. If you go the "make your own" route, you can update them quarterly as you print more out.

For extended reading, check out these links. Great ideas for beginners!

4 Nannies

Childcare Magazine

[Quick Tip Tuesday] Hand-y Wipes

Quick Tip: Anti-bacterial Wipes in the Car

If you are out and about like we are, your kids' hands are everywhere before you can stop them. Why not get in the habit of disinfecting as you return in the car. I keep a jar in my drink holder. Whether it is passing around the sanitizer to older kids or taking a minute to turn around and wipe hands... a little time saves a lot of germs. Before you know it the kids will be reminding you!

INA Conference Scholarship!

Nannies! A great opportunity has opened up today! If you are hoping to make it to the INA Conference, the Regarding Nannies Blog is offering a scholarship for the winner of their essay contest. For the complete details go to Regarding Nannies. Deadline is Weds., Mar. 24th, so get busy writing!!

High5 Friday: St. Patty's Day Preschool Cooking Ideas

So, I was looking for some things to do with the boys the next 2 weeks leading up to St. Patrick's Day! I came across so many cute ideas, that I thought I would pass them on to you. We love to get in the kitchen to stir, dump, and lick, however, the boys' attention spans only last so long. I like recipes that are cheap, quick, and rewarding. I was excited to find these online at PreschoolEducation(dot)com - there are plenty more ideas! Have fun with these!

High5: St. Patty's Preschool Cooking Ideas

5. Shamrock Shake

Blend one banana, 2 c. of lime sherbet and 2 c. of milk.

4. Golden Coins

Need: 24 Ritz crackers
1 c. smooth peanut butter
2 c. butterscotch chips. Spread half of the crackers w/p. butter. top each w/a second cracker. In the top of a double boiler or a small crock-pot, melt butterscotch chips. Dip sandwich cookies into butterscotch. Place on waxed paper to set.

3. Magic Green Cookies

Mix Together:1 package instant Pistachio Pudding Mix, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 egg, 3/4 cup Bisquick mix. Roll into 1 inch balls. flatten gently on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Makes 15 cookies.

2. Leprechaun Dust

Need: 1 box jello instant pistachio pudding, one baby food jar with lid for each child, spoons, milk. 

Directions: Place one tablespoon of leprechaun dust (pudding powder) in each jar 
add 1/4 cup milk place cap on jar and have your little leprechauns shake away adding the milk makes the instant pudding turn green.

1. Magically Delicious Drink

Use Sprite, 7Up or ginger ale, green ice cubes. Pour each child one cup of Sprite, 7Up or ginger ale. Add green ice cubes. As the ice cubes begin to melt, the drink will magically change colors.

INA Service Award Pin - 25th Anniversary Celebration!

INA Launches Service Award Pin Program
...

Apply for INA Service Award Pin today!

In celebration of INA's 25th anniversary, it is with great pleasure that the association is launching the INA Service Award Pin program.

Individuals who have been employed as a nanny, nanny educator or business owner (referral agency or industry service provider) for 5 or more years and are currently an INA member in good standing may apply for the INA Service Award Pin.

The INA Service Award Pin will be presented to nanny educators, referral agency owners (or their staff), and business owners (or their staff) who serve the in-home child care industry.

The Harriette Grant Service Award Pin will be presented to nannies and specialty nannies. This award pin, named in honor of Harriette Grant, reflects Harriette's dedication to the nanny profession. Ms. Grant was a founding member of INA, a founding member of the Association of DC Area Nannies (ADCAN) and was selec

ted as INA's very first Nanny of the Year in 1990. Ms. Grant later went on to be a co-founder of the National Association of Nannies (NAN).

The Service Award Pin program originated within the National Association of Nannies. Thanks to the dedication and generosity of past NAN members, the Service Award Pin concept will continue on within INA and will share the same goal of recognizing those within the in-home child care industry for their hard work, dedication and commitment to professional excellence.

Must attend the INA Annual Conference to receive their award. INA Service Award Pins will be presented on Friday, May 21, 2010 during the INA Service Award Pin Breakfast sponsored by PFC Information Services, Inc.

To apply for an INA Service Award Pin click here 


All applications must be mailed and postmarked no later

than March 31, 2010.

http://www.nanny.org/pdf/INA_Service_Award_Pin_Packet.pdf

[Quick Tip Tuesday] Snowy Trees

Have you ever had raw, crunchy Asparagus? It is pretty tasty. Well, some kids hate to eat their Veggies, and our local grocery store gave me this idea. With the snow outside on the trees, why not make your own "Snowy Trees"? If they are wide enough stand then on end. Have fun!

INA Conference Registration Is Open!

Click on the links below for more information and to register!

Join us for the International Nanny Association's 25th Annual Conference May 20 - 23, 2010 Hyatt at Fisherman's Wharf 555 North Point Street San Francisco, CA 94133
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View Event Agenda
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