Monday, January 31, 2011

On Interviews, Question 1

Most of my nanny positions began with friends. People I knew in real life BEFORE I became their nanny. In these situations the interview appointment is often moot, but for the occasions that I have actually interviewed for a position, there are questions that seem to be the norm. I thought you might be interested in reading my answers and possibly what I think about the questions.

Question #1: How long have you been a nanny?
I began babysitting when I was 9 years old. I suppose you could say I was a bit of a "mother's helper." I would watch my cousin's 2 kids (toddler and infant) while she was cleaning, doing laundry, or just generally somewhere else in the house. That being said, I would not have considered myself a nanny until about 8 years ago. It was then that I acquired my CPR certification, child abuse clearances, and had my first background check. Also, I was older -in my twenties. In my opinion, there is a difference between a person who comes and "sits" (often while the children are sleeping) and a Nanny who is with them all day, cooks meals, teaches, and otherwise has a greater impact on a child's life. I believe a nanny has more of a parental role than a babysitter. Often (though not always) s/he has an education or child psychology background. There is a closeness and a bond that I'm not sure all babysitters develop. This isn't true of all babysitting positions, and I admit, I have done A LOT of babysitting in my time, but at it's core I think this is the difference and hence the turning point I underwent from babysitter to nanny. 


Obviously this is an important question to ask. Past experience is often what seals the deal in any job situation. However, I feel it is important that the distinction be made between what I do and what a high school babysitter might do. Thus, when I am asked, I make my beliefs perfectly clear.

Friday, January 28, 2011

On Other Blogs With Great Ideas: Episode 2, The Boon Spoon

In honor of my recent interview for a nanny position with an infant, I just had to blog about this incredibly nifty utensil for feeding little ones. May I present:
The Boon Spoon!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001IJYNMI?tag=22word-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B001IJYNMI&adid=1B96S6RY484X1B36G5WB

Fill it up with baby food, squirt the desired amount onto the spoon, and you're ready to feed. Plus it comes with a cap to make it readily portable.

How I wish at this moment I was able to take that other job and use this crafty little tool. Oh well, there will be other babies to feed in the future. Thought you all should know about it.

I discovered this neat little gadget on another blog I read. This wondermom is currently feeding twins and has two older children. You can see a video of her using it here.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

On Slips of the Tongue

Apparently I'm getting a little too comfortable at the Cs house. Momma C was working late, so I was helping G get all four of the kids dinners plated. As he was distributing the feast, in an attempt to be helpful, I headed to the kitchen for the oft requested red condiment that is a great accompaniment to the french fry.

"I'll get the ketchup, sweetie." I said.

I have no recollection of using that term of endearment, but I wouldn't put it past me. G and I had a good laugh about it later, but I can't wait to hear what kind of ribbing I get from P when he tells her!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

On Acrostic Poems

H and I were snuggling on the couch recently. He turned to me and said:

"I wish my name was Sam."

Being utterly confused I stuttered, "W-w-why?"

"So it would be shorter when you do those name poems. You know the ones where the first line is your name and the next line starts with the next letter of your name." He replied.

"Oh! An acrostic poem." I supplied, finally understanding his desire to go from a name with 8 letters to a much shorter, completely unrelated moniker.

"So yours would be...N-ora. O....ummm...what would we do for O?" He quieried.

"How about O-rnery?" I laughed.

"Ok, ornery." He said, fumbling slightly over the unfamiliar word.

"N-ora, O-rnery," He tried again.

"R....ummm...R-eally nice. A....Absolutely really nice!" He finished proudly.

I laughed, thanked him, and being my nanny-with-the-mostest self sought to make this a teaching moment.

"Do you know what ornery means?" I said, cocking an eye in his direction.

"No, what?"

"Grumpy."

He jumped up at that. "That's not true!" He shouted.

"We have to change that. Ummmm....O....Awesome!"

So obviously I should be working with him on spelling AND vocab, but I can't say it doesn't make me smile that he thinks I'm more Awesome than Ornery.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

On Being In Demand

Not to toot my own horn, but I get a lot of job offers. Some are in passing when I first get to know someone at a playgroup. Many are by word of mouth. Some families are desperate and when I politely decline they ask: "Do you know anyone else?" Sadly, not being part of an agency, I know of no other nannies in the area. Couple this with my frequent inability to say "No," and nanny.nora is incredibly busy. I like it that way, but I also hate not being able to help EVERYONE.

I have received 2 job offers in recent weeks. Both families know that I am not looking to leave the Cs. I made that perfectly clear. But I also have to think about my future. The triplets will eventually be in school full time. The Cs will need me less. I hate to burn any bridges in case I need more work in the future. Sadly though, keeping this option open means less nights and weekends free for nanny.nora. I haven't agreed to anything. They will keep my name on file and I will say yes when I can. For right now, the Cs come first.

It's simultaneously a burden and a blessing to be in demand.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

On Books (Boynton Style)

Stomp your feet. Clap your hands. Everybody ready for a barnyard dance?

http://www.sandraboynton.com/sboynton/index.html

One of my favorite children's authors is Sandra Boynton. Undoubtably, the entire Boynton oeuvre amuses, but Barnyard Dance brings home the bacon.


Imagine you're a sqaure dance caller as you read. Then stand up and do the actions with your children. I promise, you won't be disappointed. 


I've tried rapping it, singing it, and even silent charades-style versions. This book never fails to result in giggles for my charges, and more importantly, for me. (A happy nanny is a GOOD nanny.)


When the dance is done? Take a breather and turn to the front to read it again! 

Monday, January 17, 2011

On (Classic) Movies

I watched part of "Mary Poppins" (ie. "Mary Puffins") with the kids today.

A: "Oh! She's a nanny like YOU, Norie!"


I love seeing the children  make these type of connections. Too bad *I* don't have a magic carpet bag. Think they sell them at TJMaxx? I wonder if it comes with a bottle of that cold medicine that tastes like "Rrrrrrum Punch," though I'd prefer strawberry...

Friday, January 14, 2011

On Delurking Day 2011

I just stopped over at one of the blogs I read daily/weekly (whatever time permits) and she had a post about Delurking day. I have been an avid reader of her blog for at least a year, for many reasons, and I often felt compelled to comment, but never did. I know we ALL do this. Sometimes we feel like what we have to say isn't important. Sometimes it feels like we're jumping into a private conversation amongst friends. For whatever reason we lurk and enjoy anonymously. 

Well, let me be frank. I really hate the word lurk. I hate the way it feels on my tongue, in my mouth. However, I don't hate all my little NannyNoraSays lurkers out there, so don't make me say that word anymore-even in my head as I type this. I know my blog is relatively new, but I ALSO know (via analytics) that there are readers out there, and some of them aren't my 3 followers! (Yes, I know I have 4 followers, but one of them is me, so I don't count, but yes, I follow myself, cause yes, that's how I roll, so get over it.) So press that comment button and let's start chatting. I'm really quite nice! (Ask my Mom. She follows my blog. And lurks. Maybe she'll talk to one of you.) :-)

Here's a link to a post by the author *I* used to be a lurker of. Feel free to say hi to her too. I finally did. 

On Stupid Accidents, Poor Choices, or Career Pitfalls

I recently found myself tweeting this:

Stuck my finger in poo. Serves me right. She warned me (with many tears and wailing):  "Norie, I have a big problem. I pooped!"

Unfortunately, I didn't believe her. Little lady A has some constipation/gas issues. Next time I won't rush to discredit her. NEXT time I'll be sure to be more careful when I try to prove her assertion. Call it an accident, a poor choice, or a pitfall--whatever it was, I'd say it was just plain gross.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

On Minnie Pizzas

Yep, you heard me right. Not Daisy, not Donald, and certainly not Mickey-pizzas, but Minnie. That lovable gal with the bow in her hair....

One terribly important aspect of life is finding ways to get my charges to be self-sufficient. Call me lazy (see my Manual Labor post), but when working with triplets, it's even more imperative that they learn to fend for themselves. This often translates into my encouraging them to set the table, clean up their toys, and even help me cook on occasion. I admit, it takes a LOT of patience to allow them the freedom to help.  We have to leave copious amounts of extra time because things always take 3 times as long when I don't do them myself. However, it's worth it. They gain a sense of accomplishment, something to do, and learn a new skill. I feel that this is part of my job as a Nanny. I want to see them grow and thrive. I will not say it is always the easy route, but I can content myself in the knowledge that they are learning and acquiring skills that will be incredibly useful in the future.

One of my favorite easy recipes to do with kids is: Mini-Pizzas. I'm sure you know the one. Slap some sauce, cheese, and toppings on an English muffin and bake at 350 for 15-20 min. Yes, it can be messy with 3 toddlers wielding a spoon covered in red marinara sauce. Yes, it can be frustrating when there are 3 sets of little hands grabbing and pulling and trying to "help." Yes, nanny.nora eventually has to lay the smack down in order to get it done in an orderly fashion. (It is a must for my sanity that they wait their turn and learn to do things with the least amount of mess possible.) However, when we finish, they have had a blast and lunch is all prepared. I find they like it a lot more too if it's something they've worked on.

A is currently obsessed with Minnie Mouse. She was ecstatic when she heard that we were making "Minnie-Pizzas."  Thankfully she wasn't too awful upset when she realized the semantics error.

Monday, January 10, 2011

On New Hobbies

I've taken up a hobby: sewing. 
Sew So far I have created: 

Stuffed Pig and Chicken


Kleenex Cozies 
(with added back pocket. Take that Martha Stewart!)

Baby Lounge Pants

Pacifier Clips

Purse
"Easy" Crafts project bought at JoAnn Fabrics
(The quotes are mine.  It said: "Make this in less than 3 hours," and it took me 6.5)

Another Purse
"Easy" Crafts project bought at JoAnn Fabrics

Coupon Clutch
http://theobjectproject.typepad.com/the_object_project/2009/04/coupon-clutch-tutorial.html

Personalized Pencil Pouch
(A larger variation of the coupon clutch)

Wallet

http://lolanovablog.blogspot.com/2009/07/summer-wallet-tutorial.html
Scarf
My (first) own personal design.


Although I am extremely slow and teaching myself mostly, I'm having a great time. It's amazing the amount of "how to" videos you can find online these days! I have so many plans of projects I'd like to accomplish, lots of things for kids and babies, so I'll be sure to share here. Currently I'm working away at a pile of shower curtains I'm hemming for my mother. The math is frustrating, but it's giving me good practice at tricky materials and sewing straight. 

I apologize for the terrible photography. I realize if I want to showcase my creations, I need to take better pictures of them. Funny, at one point in my life, 5th grade, I was convinced I wanted to be a photographer. :-) Guess it's time to stop using the camera on my phone and pull out my ACTUAL digital camera. (And learn how to use it!)

Friday, January 7, 2011

On Surprise Scribbles

A has always been the most interested in learning of the triplets. I know there is much to be said about the learning styles of boys and girls (I don't really want to get into THAT now), but I really think she is exceptionally intelligent. She may have walked and talked last, but I think it was her stubbornness and wanting to do it on her own time table that caused that. She's smart enough to know that if we'll do it for her, she needn't bother. ;-) 

On Dec 22, the kids were at the kitchen table "doing homework." They like to draw and do stickers when older brother, H, does his actual homework. All of the sudden A passed me her paper and said: 

Look, Norie, my "A."

Sure enough she had written the first 3 letters of her name. (She only needs to learn 1 more to have it all down. Guess it pays to have 3 repeated letters in your name.)


It is obvious she pays attention to detail. She has these ceramic letters in her room that we have been going over to help her recognize her name. They are artsy and have flat tops. Hence, her A's here have flat tops. Barely 3 and she writes like a kid in kindergarten. I know I'm biased, but I'm also impressed.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

On nanny.nora fail: episode 2

I know you were all looking forward to another installment of: nanny.nora fail. Cause let's face it, who DOESN'T like to hear confirmation that they're not the only one who does silly things in this world. Yesterday I took the kids to school and back. When we were getting out of the car R was playing with the overhead light switch. We have talked many times how this is a "no, no" and in order to ease the temptation, we generally keep the override switch on "off" to avoid a dead  battery. (This HAS happened before, but not to me.) Unfortunately, when we do that, it's really hard to see as the garage is windowless. It's just plain dark.

So R and I have our talk and I proceed to the front of the car to make all the lights be permanently off. I must have gotten distracted and forgotten to check that they went off, because when we came down today NOTHING would work. The automatic doors were frozen shut and the engine made absolutely no sound when I turned the key. So there I sat, realizing my error and feeling like a dolt.

Thankfully the Cs have AAA and within an hour they had the car running again. (STILL feeling like a dolt.)

When we called they asked:

"Isn't this the car we've serviced here before...?"

How embarrassing! All I can do is laugh and shake my head. It's just one of those days...

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

On Our Challah-day

I meant to get this out around Chanukah, but it just didn't happen. Now that both Jewish and Christian holidays are passed, I thought I'd share a little conversation I had with the boys during the festival of lights.

R: They DO have a menorah. 
n.n: Who does?
R: You norie. 
n.n: I do? Are you sure?
D: No, norie. You can share mine. But they're not for playing with. They're for the "hollow-day." We play with then on Chanukah and then we put them away. 
R: (begins to sing) Dreidle, dreidel, dreidle, I made you out of clay...

First off, I find it interesting that they are barely 3 and they realize our differing religious traditions. We don't stress it, but I am always eager to learn about their traditions, so it seems they picked up on that. I love that D offered to share his Menorah with me. He knows they are breakable though (all the kids have a ceramic one), so that is why we don't play with them.

Last year, the children learned the words Challah and Holiday as we were talking about Chanukah. Every time they saw the special bread (D especially) mistakenly called it "Hollow," a silly mix of the words Challah and Holiday.  Apparently Chanukah is no longer the festival of lights, but a day about bread. I suppose I wouldn't complain about that.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

On books (and Vampires)


I'm a sucker for a book about vampires. (Get it? "Sucker." Har, har.) I just couldn't pass this up when I read the title. It combines two of my favorite genres, vampires and children's stories. In case you didn't know, I collect children's books, mostly in foreign languages. I own copies of fairy tales in Spanish and Italian, as well as editions of "The Little Prince" in all of the romance languages. I even have a great copy of "Un Pez, Dos Peces, Pez rojo, Pez Azul." 

Though I don't own the original "Dick and Jane" series (yet), being familiar with it, I enjoyed perusing this comical adaptation. Like it's counterpart, "Dick and Jane and Vampires" is easy to read with many repeated words and sentences. (Great for beginners!) 

I'll admit. It's a little creepy at first. The vampire, unintentionally I believe, scares the children. However, he is soon a normal fixture in the house, going so far as to be in Dick's way by hanging in the closet, sleeping upside-down, while the young man is trying to clean his room.

Not surprisingly, Father surreptitiously disappears half way through the book. (I'm not laying blame, but it seems kinda shady.) The vampire eventually becomes accepted. (Even receiving a bottle of blood from the milk man!) And with the children's help, he finds a girlfriend who is pale and sickly looking like him. (Poor Mother! I bet she thought she was going to live with him forever.) Though unconventional, the overall message of "Dick and Jane and Vampires" is great.