Meatloaf Patties, Smashed Potatoes, and Pan Gravy

Cooking for Kids: Rachael Ray I cook dinner for my employers four days per week. By far their favorite meal is the meatloaf recipe pictured to the left and described below by Rachael Ray in her cookbook Kid Food: Rachael Ray’s Top 30: 30-Minute Meals. The gravy is the key to making this the best meatloaf the family […]

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Nanny and Child Homework Contract

Essential Nanny Paperwork The National Academy of Sciences (NAS)  shows that the defining factor in having academically successful children of parents that work outside the home is the household help that they hire. The NAS studies show that families that hire great childcare providers are in a stronger position to have children that are successful […]

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Get Ready for School Checklist

Wednesdays With Whitney:  Helping Kids Do for Themselves   Children need to learn to take care of themselves. Talk to the child about personal cleanliness and why it is important. Together make a list of what needs to be done to clean themselves and get ready for school in the morning. Each morning they should […]

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I Hate When Kids Whine “I’m Bored”

Nanny Confessions: Sometimes Kids Have to Be Bored to Stimulate Themselves I am reading A Spoonful of Sugar: A Nanny’s Story by Brenda Ashford and she explains that since she was born in the 1920s her days weren’t filled with television, computer games, and constant activities, which taught her to use her imagination to play. […]

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Professional Nannies Provide Quality Care Not Just Custodial Care

Respecting Professional Boundaries for Nannies and Parents All parents know they want to hire loving and caring nannies that can protect their kids. But, nannies must provide more than just custodial care: merely keeping kids safe, warm, and fed. Professional nannies, the best nannies, provide quality care. Parents want to hire caregivers that have a […]

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Setting a Homework Routine

Monthly To-Do List Angela Norton Tyler, author of Tutor Your Child to Reading Success explains that as with everything you do with children, setting a routine is important when it comes to homework. The whole point in establishing a solid routine is so that homework gets done with a minimum of stress and fuss. Homework should […]

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The Perfect Stranger by Lucy Kaylin

Weekly Trip to the Library I have never read a book in which I had so many “Aha” moments as I did when reading The Perfect Stranger: The Truth About Mothers and Nannies by Lucy Kaylin. The author who is the Editor in Chief of O, the Oprah Magazine, was an executive editor for Marie Claire, […]

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Patriotic Yogurt Parfait

thewordaccordingtoeggface Cooking with Kids It’s not hard to find healthy red, white, and blue treats for the kids to eat this Labor Day Weekend. For this snack we used fresh strawberries and blueberries and plain Greek yogurt. If the kids you care for don’t like plain yogurt simply use vanilla yogurt instead. You Will Need: Fresh […]

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How Well Do You Communicate With Your Boss?

How to Communicate Effectively With Your Employers Nannies must communicate to be understood. Effective communication with employers is essential so that nannies can avoid misunderstandings and develop trust. Nannies develop trust with parents when they listen to parental concerns, when they speak assertively, and when they keep sensitive and personal issues confidential. When individuals express […]

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Fun With Chalk Series (Part 3)

Wednesdays with Whitney Nothing means summer more than baseball. Finish off the summer strong by putting that sidewalk chalk to yet another use before the summer ends! Baseball Having problems teaching the kids the logistics of baseball without bases? Use chalk to remedy the problem. 1. Start by drawing each base. Make home plate look […]

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