------------ Nanny Net
News ------------------
A newsletter for Parents, Nannies and
Agency Owners
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Vol. 4, No.
3
July 2003
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Deborah Smith, Editor
Parents With Nannies, Inc.
Deborah@4EverythingNanny.com
This newsletter is distributed by
subscription only.If you wish to unsubscribe, you can find
instructions at
the end of this newsletter.
Introducing our New Super
Nanny T-Shirt……
Faster than a speeding toddler,
More powerful than a day old diapie,
Able to leapfrog in a single bound,
It’s a bird, It’s a plane, It’s……SuperNanny
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IN THIS ISSUE
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> A Note from the Editor
> June Sweepstakes Winners and New July
Sweeps
> 8 Things My Kids Taught Me About Family
Vacations
> Ask the Experts Travel Q & A’s
**Welcome to our New Expert
> Great sites to help with Fireworks
fears, traveling and
more…
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A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Hi Everyone,
Well, it’s great to be back from the INA
conference and I was
thrilled to see so many of you there this year. Our
t-shirts were a big hit once again and we rolled out a new
SuperNanny T-Shirt that I think you are really going
to love. We are in the process of
getting it up in the Gift Shop
so if you want to order one, shoot me an email and I’ll
contact you when we’re ready to accept orders. This
issue is dedicated to traveling and to all the parents and
nannies that are looking ahead to summer vacations with
the kids. My family will be making a 12 hour car trip down
to Charleston, NC this summer to attend a wedding. As
you can imagine, I am looking forward to driving 12 hours with
a 2 and 5 year old about as much as I would a root canal. Actually,
a root canal would be quicker. I plan to put into action
many of the Car Games and activity ideas we have linked
below. I have also included some story telling links. During
the INA conference, Donna Robinson, better known as
"The Traveling Nanny" educated me on the many merits
of oral story telling and told me that
she uses her story telling talents
on long trips in the car. After hearing her explain how she
engages her charges in the actually creation of her stories,
I thought, what a wonderful talent
that every nanny and parent should
try to hone. So, I hope you enjoy the links I am including
and I am sure there are many more out there to explore.
We also have some helpful Q & A’s from
our experts on traveling with
your nanny. And, we are welcoming a new expert, Wendy
Sachs, who will be answering questions from Agency owners
on everything from starting an agency to insuring, managing
and growing one.
And finally, for all of you who have little
ones who may be afraid of
the big, loud boomers that start tonight in many areas and go
on throughout the weekend, I have
included a really neat link to a
"Virtual Fireworks" display. You can select your
Landmark and create your own
fireworks. Turn up your speakers and help your
charges get prepared for the festivities in a fun and safe way.
Ok, that’s enough from me. Have a great 4th
of July and see you in
August.
Deborah Smith, Editor
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June Sweeps
The winners of the Free One Year Nanny
Memberships to the National Association of Nannies are Lisa
Davis from Texas and Maryellen Jenkins of Maryland.
Congratulations ladies! A representative from NAN will be sending
out your new member packets shortly.
July Sweeps
This month enter to win a Mary Kay Gift Bag
containing 2 lip glosses, 2 nail colors and Velocity perfume 1.7
fl. ounces. A $50.00 value.
Click here to Enter http//4nanny.com/sweepstakes.htm
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We have 99 responses so far to our poll. If
you still have not logged in your response, please follow the link
below.
Parent Poll Question
Is your nanny paid on the book? Click here to respond.
http//debors1.freepolls.com/cgi-in/polls/002/poll_center.htm
8 Things My Kids Taught Me about Family
Vacations
1. Whether or not a motel has a pool is more
important than whether or not it has a vacancy.
2. It's possible to eat every meal at
McDonald's for 21 straight days.
3. We're not there yet.
4. No matter how fast you drive with the
windows down, the vent on high and a new air freshener each time you
fill up, the combined scent of dirt, sweat and Funyuns from the back
seat is stronger.
5. Listening to sing-a-long music to soothe
the kids will have the exact opposite effect on you...as well as
them.
6. Every toy in the car will be either broken
or the subject of several arguments before you back out of the
driveway.
7. At least 10,000 times every day you'll wish
you'd left the kids with grandma.
8. The first time you take a vacation and
leave the kids with grandma, you'll wish you hadn't.
-courtesy of www.desto.com
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Travel Q & A’s
Q
We work in the entertainment industry. Our nanny travels with us
often when work takes us away from home, (out of state and out of
the country). How do we compensate for this time? She travels first
class, all expenses paid. She is not a live-in when at home.
A In my opinion,
it is important that she work her regular schedule - as a general
rule and be paid her regular salary. However, it's not unusual for a
nanny, when traveling with her employer to work more hours, such as
several evenings, in addition to her usual schedule. She should be
paid time and one half for extra hours though. You are correct in
providing airfare, meals, lodging and any other travel-related
expense You may want to include a reasonable expense account to use
when she is caring for your children) so that she can take them out
and about. As far as her schedule while you are away, I can't stress
enough how important it is to plan, discuss and document what her
schedule will be before departure. Expect that your nanny can get
online and find out what kinds of kids programs/activities are in
the area as well as what kinds of things are available that your
nanny would enjoy on her days and times off. Planning ahead is
vital.
Keep in mind also that your child's routine
will be very different in new surroundings; some kids don't sleep
well when away from home. In general children, especially toddlers
& preschoolers, are harder to care for in a strange environment.
They don't have all their "stuff", friends, etc.
Keeping your child occupied and on as
consistent a schedule as possible, for naps, etc. is worth the time
it takes to plan for it.
Anne Merchant
Nanny/Employer Expert
Q We have an 8
month old boy. We are planning a trip to Europe this fall for 2
weeks, and are considering bringing someone to travel with us. How
does this work?
A
You will have to decide if you would like to
use an agency or find someone through word of mouth. Is there a
relative that might like to go along? Perhaps a friend has a nanny
who has a vacation due, who would like to earn some extra money
while traveling. Either way, before you hire the person it’s
important to determine what the hours, duties and salary will be.
Don't make the mistake of leaving things loosy-goosey. Since you've
decided to take on the expense of bringing a nanny with you, you owe
it to your family to be sure it works well. In order for it to work
well, you have to lay out a plan and stick to it. You should plan on
paying no less than $300.00 to $500.00 per week to the nanny, in
addition to her meals, accommodations, the cost of any excursions,
etc. Next you need to determine exactly what her hours/schedule will
be. Will you need her days only, evenings only, or a combination?
She should not work more than a ten hour day and she should have
some pre-arranged time to take off to sight-see and explore. If
there are misunderstandings about what will happen on vacation, it's
not unusual for people to become a little testy - which is the last
thing you need on vacation!
Hire someone well in advance and then have
then baby-sit as often as possible so that everyone can get to know
one another. This is especially important considering the age of
your son since between 8 to 12 months is the time when
"stranger anxiety" can be at its peak. Have fun on
vacation!
Anne Merchant
Nanny/Employer Expert
Welcome to our New "Referral Agency"
Expert,
Wendy Sachs.
Wendy is President and founder of The Philadelphia Nanny Network,
Inc. She is also a founding member and past four-term President of
the International Nanny Association, an organization she has also
served a Secretary and Treasurer and board member. As industry
spokesperson, she has appeared on national newscasts from NBC, CNBC
and CNN, including the Today Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Sachs
earned her undergraduate degree from Simmons College and her MBA
from the University of Miami.Her in-home child care industry
expertise has evolved since 1985. Her agency services families for
full time permanent, both live-in and live out nannies as well as
part time and temporary caregivers. Recruiting nannies is done
nationwide and referrals to are to families in CT, NY, NJ, PA and
DE. Wendy will be fielding questions for new and old agencies who
need answers to questions relating to the recruitment and placement
of quality caregivers.
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Traveling with Kids this Summer?
Here are some great sites to make your trip a
smooth one.
Health and Safety Tips for Your Summer
Vacation
Third Edition
Revised for the American Council on Science
and Health by Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D., Director of Nutrition
http//www.acsh.org/publications/booklets/summer.pdf
Travel Tips
including a Vacation Safety Checklist
http//www.luhs.org/depts/injprev/HomeLeis/vacation.htm
Car Games
Are We There Yet? Help get them there without driving everyone else
crazy.
http//www.activitiesforkids.com/travel/travel_games.htm
http//sites4moms.com/cgi-bin/go.pl?id=44
Other Games
Find hundreds of games to play with the kids. http//sites4moms.com/cgi-bin/go.pl?id=45
Telling Stories to Children
http//www.storydynamics.com/Articles/Performing/tell2yp.html
http//www.callofstory.org/en/family/how_to_tell.asp
Fireworks
http//www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/july4/safetip.html
Create your own virtual fireworks show. Turn
your speakers way up and you will swear you’re there. Sooo, cool.
http//www.aristotle.net/july4th/fourth4kids/
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T-SHIRTS New Sizes and Styles
Take a look at our terrific New "SuperNanny"
T’shirt just $15.99
Faster than a speeding toddler,
More powerful than a day old diapie,
Able to leapfrog in a single bound,
It’s a bird, It’s a plane, It’s……
SuperNanny
Order your’s today….
http//www.4nanny.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?
____________________________________________
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