Building a Work Ethic: The Role of Chores

How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims I am reading How To Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims. The book makes a great point that I have often thought about working as a nanny for affluent children. Compared to their less-advantaged peers, children in middle-and upper-middle-class families often have the tasks of daily life […]

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“The Dancing Dragon” by Marcia K. Vaughan

Weekly Trip to the Library Today starts the Chinese New Year — the Chinese festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar. The Dancing Dragon by Marcia K. Vaughan is a great book to share with your Nanny Kids for Chinese New Year. It is a rhyming tale in […]

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Chinese New Year Mandarin Orange Muffins

Cooking With Kids Chinese New Year is the most important Chinese holiday of the year. To celebrate the event with my Nanny Kids I made these absolutely delicious muffins. To the Chinese, oranges and tangerines represent wealth, luck, and abundant happiness. Due to the bright orange color, mandarin oranges are used in the ceremony to […]

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Egg Carton Card Holder

Creative Wednesdays My Nanny Kids and I love playing card games. But it’s difficult for little kids to hold cards in their small hands. So we recycled egg cartons to use as card holders. The children can add or remove cards without messing up the rest of the cards. Although the card holder pictured in […]

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Why I Don’t Leave Bad Reviews on Social Media

Nanny Confessions: Protect Your Online Reputation I recently saw the quote, “Treat anything you might post online like a tattoo. Will you like it five years from now? Would you want your boss, future employer, or mother to see it?” I confess last week I really wanted to leave a bad review on Yelp and […]

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A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson

Weekly Trip to the Library for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day This is a great book to read to children in honor of MLK Day and civil rights day. In A Sweet Smell of Roses there’s a sweet, sweet smell in the air as two young girls, Minnie and her sister, sneak out of […]

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Swedish Meatballs

Cooking for Kids It is winter here in New Jersey and my Nanny Family is craving some warm comfort food. Pasta is always a comfort food for the little ones and they absolutely love this Swedish meatball recipe we found on the epicurious web site. My Nanny Kids love Swedish meatballs served over wide egg […]

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Thumbprint Fun

Creative Wednesdays By using the kids’ thumbprints as a starting point, come up with all sorts of silly art creations with your Nanny Kids. Draw eyes, ears, whiskers, tails. spots, legs, and antennas on finger prints. Try using the kids pinky or index fingers for fingerprints of different shapes and sizes. Be creative and have […]

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Our 9 Favorite Fidget Toys

Products Nannies Love Many kids need to constantly be moving or touching something. If you notice your Nanny Kid constantly fidgeting at inappropriate times, that their legs are moving when seated, or if she has high anxiety and worries a lot — fidget toys may help. Fidget toys can also be used to help break […]

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Pasta, Sausage, Garlic and Wine Sauce

Cooking for Families My Nanny Kids love pasta. But I’m so tired of serving marinara sauce on pasta. Since my Nanny Family likes sweet sausage, I added the meat and some vegetables to a light wine sauce this week instead of serving a red sauce. The alcohol cooks off so no worries serving wine sauce […]

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