Mini Lasagnas Made in Cupcake Tins

Cooking With Kids Kids love anything that comes in the shape of a cupcake. The Grandmother of the kids I care for visited and made these adorable mini lasagnas in cupcake tins. They are easy to make and even easier to eat. I even pack mini lasagnas in school lunch boxes, which I never did with lasagna […]

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Is it Ever Okay for a Nanny to Curse?

It’s Not Cute When Kids Curse Cursing got a rookie anchorman fired on his first day of work. Profanity on radio or television used to be verboten. Increasingly, an acceptance of coarse words has infiltrated the media. Usually the profane words are presented as the “F” word or the “S” word, or the even more […]

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Ice Cream Chore Chart

Wednesdays with Whitney Introducing chore charts to little ones can sometimes be difficult. All the check marks, words, and undefined rewards can be complicated for a three- or four-year old. A much better approach involves lots of relatable visuals and clearly defined (and realistic) rewards. The Ice Cream Chart explained below is a perfect combination of these […]

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Nannies Don’t Want to Clean Up Their Boss’s Messes Monday Morning

Nanny Confessions By Stephanie Felzenberg, Nanny and Editor of How to Be the Best Nanny Nannies work in a service industry and they are at-will employees. Although caring for children is their priority, it is normal for nannies to do some housekeeping, even if they do not want to. The best nannies try to keep […]

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What Are You Cleaning With and is it Safe for Families?

Earth Day: EWG Guide to Healthy Cleaning Ever wonder whether your green cleaners are actually green? Unfortunately, you can’t just check the label to find out what’s in the products under your sink or in your laundry basket. So as we all gear up for some spring cleaning, the Environmental Working Groups (EWG) wants to […]

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Alphabet Soup Sorters

Product Review Sunday   My three-year-old charge loves the Alphabet Soup Sorters by Learning Resources. It provides her hours of entertainment and learning. Each can holds one uppercase and one lowercase letter, plus five object cards featuring real-life photos on one side, with words on reverse. Playing the game supports alphabet awareness, letter sounds, and recognition of letter […]

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Are the Organic Foods You Buy Actually Good for You?

Weekly Trip to the Library: Foodopoly by Wenonah Hauter Do you or the parents you work for try to buy only organic food? Do you only shop at the organic market for food? Do you support the local farmer? Do you ever think the fruit, vegetables, and the chicken you eat tastes different than it […]

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Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pulls

Cooking With Kids I have teen-aged boys come to the house after school to play soccer, hockey, and basketball each day. They need big snacks with a lot of sustenance to have enough energy to play their sports. That’s why I constantly search the Internet for snacks for the back of high-energy teens. Luckily the […]

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Do You Serve the Kids Organic Produce?

Why I Think Organic Fruits and VegetablesTaste Better With Earth Day celebrations coming up this weekend I want to urge nannies and parents to serve children organic fruits and vegetables. I believe fresh organically grown foods taste better. Think about the tomato sprayed with Windex that Jacqueline Astete described on our blog last year and […]

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Painting With Bubble Wrap

Wednesdays Projects Today’s craft was much more about the process than the final product. The unusual texture of bubble wrap is fun to touch and this activity gives little ones an excuse to do it for hours at a time. Supplies Bubble wrap Paint (washable tempura paint) Paper Directions 1. Simply add the paint to the […]

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