Nannypalooza on "Today".
The "Today Show" came to Nannypalooza this year. Today they aired the segment on "Cost Effective Childcare". I am the first Nanny to speak in the segment. Take a look!
Coming Soon!
9 years ago
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Time to take away the dairy?
Why Dairy Products are Harmful to Your Child
from: The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential
Children's health often improves dramatically when dairy is eliminated
Some of our favorite "comfort foods" turn out to be very uncomfortable for the human body. When mothers come to us for nutritional help, the first thing we do is eliminate all dairy products. This rarely makes us popular, but once mother sees the improvement in her children's health she becomes a strong advocate of a dairy-free nutritional program. Why are dairy products such a problem for the human body? Dairy products are derived from cow's milk, which is a highly specialized baby formula designed for baby cows but not for baby human beings (or adults). It contains special hormones for baby cows that are not good for humans, which is why even "organic milk" is not good for your child. Cow's milk that is not "organic" contains antibiotics and growth hormones to increase milk production. These are especially bad for very young human beings whose immune systems can be fragile. Cow's milk contains casein. This may react with the opiate receptors in the temporal lobes of the brain, which are involved with speech and auditory integration. This reaction can mimic the effect of opiate drugs and can negatively impact speech and auditory integration. It is worth noting that the peptide from milk is called casomorphin. Initially, mothers are afraid to stop dairy products, but they soon discover that noses stop running, chronic ear infections disappear, and those black circles under their children's eyes go away. The trips to the doctor decrease and appetite, sleep, and behavior often improve. For some children, understanding and language improve as well. Here is a challenge: Put a dot on your calendar today and another one exactly six weeks from now. Eliminate all dairy products starting today, and when you come to that second dot six weeks from now, ask yourself what changed. If there are clear changes for the better, you have your answer. You will have taken the first step in creating a much better nutritional program for your child. Keep it up, and let us know how you are doing.
First Books Fundraiser Information
I received this in my inbox today. What a GREAT organization! If you are interested in donating, please visit their site at: www.firstbook.org.
In the four years I've worked at First Book, I have had the privilege to work with a number of extraordinary volunteers and educators. Their stories, revealing the extraordinary obstacles so many children face every day, continue to amaze me.
Jennifer, a teacher in Washington , DC , told me that, before her school knew of First Book, her students had such limited access to books that she often bought books for them out of her own pocket. For her there was no question: books were the single most important educational resource and would not have been available to them otherwise.
I know there are thousands of you who feel the way Jennifer does. We created “Books for Kids, Books for Keeps” to make it easy for anyone who shares our belief in the value of books to invite friends and family to raise funds for First Book.
Every $10 raised provides four new books directly to a child in need. On the site, you can mobilize friends and family to support a cause we all care deeply about.
Will you start a team today to help get more books to kids who need them?
Jennifer did. Here’s why:
“Today I work in a new school that is blessed with resources. But I have never forgotten my former students and the impact receiving their first books had on them. I started a ‘Books for Kids, Books for Keeps’ team to say ‘thank you’ to First Book on behalf of all my former students. Remembering their excitement makes it easy to pay it forward and give to others.”
There are millions of children out there still waiting for us. Even the smallest action can make an extraordinary difference. Join us by launching a team or making a donation now:
http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=fuLRI5POIhJWJmL&s=apKHLQPrF7IKJUMvHnE&m=ffIMIYMvE7KTF
With sincere thanks,
Anna WilliamsonDirector, Community Development
P.S. Recently, we received the following thank you from Dorian, a First Book child. It may be my new favorite: “Thank you for the book you gave me. I will read it every day. I will keep it clean.”
Thursday, October 16, 2008
PREVENT ICE CREAM MESSES WITH THESE CONTRAPTIONS!
(Picture from the dripstiks website.)
I have to say that these are the cleverest "kiddie" contraptions that I have seen in a long time. I am going to pick some up for my nieces today! I got the information from "Nanny Adventures" blog. I felt that I had to pass it on. Check them out....
http://www.dripstik2.powersuithosting.com/home.html
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Halloween in Orlando
October is my favorite month in Florida. The weather begins to cool off and the "fall" (we all know Florida doesn't have a fall!) festivities begin to emerge. Be sure to check out one or all of the below events this month! (Click on Venue Name for a direct link to their site.)
MICKEY'S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN @ WALT DISNEY WORLD
Guests are invited to dress in costume and join Mickey and friends for a boo-free bash at The Magic Kingdom, featuring parades, storytelling and trick-or-treating throughout the park.. The evening ends with a bewitching fireworks spectacular. 407-W-DISNEY
SHAMU'S HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR @ SEAWORLD
A festive fall feeling sweeps through SeaWorld Orlando during a ghoulishly good weekends of trick-or-treating, children's costume parades and kid-friendly spookiness. It's a fun-filled family spooktacular, included in Sea World's General Admission Price.
ZOO BOO BASH @ CENTRAL FLORIDA ZOO
Trick or treat in the wildest neighborhood in town during the Central Florida Zoo'S Zoo Boo Bash. It’s a safe, fun, and a not-too-scary event for young and old alike. Kids are invited to bring goodie bags and wear costumes for trick or treat stations, and face painting. Take a haunted hayride, visit the Pumpkin Patch for a fun photo, and learn about the myths and realities of some misunderstood animals. October 18, 19, 25, 26, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Free with paid Zoo admission. Call 407-323-4450 for more information.
PUMPKIN HARVEST @ GREEN MEADOWS FARM
Take a ride on the train or a tractor drawn hayride at Green Meadows Farm . Everyone picks their own pumpkin from the Patch during the month of October. Call for dates and information 407-846-0770
GHOST STORIES @ LEU GARDENS
Friday, October 17, 2008 from 7:30 - 9:300pm.Enjoy being frightened by the Central Florida Storytellers in a dark haunted garden. You never know who is lurking in the woods. Bring a blanket and chairs for this family fun, outdoor event. Adults $9, children $6.
GET LOST IN CORN! @ SCOTT'S CORN MAZE IN MOUNT DORA
Each year a different themed adventure is crafted from the cornstalks - open October 4, 2008 through the end of November. Admission charge.
HALLOWEEN @ CRANES ROOST
Friday, Oct 31, 2008 from 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm Halloween at Cranes Roost is a community oriented door to door trick-or-treat alternative for kids, sponsored by the City of Altamonte Springs. The Annual Halloween event features local business sponsoring booths to hand out candy and trinkets to an estimated 15,000 kids. There are costume contests for all ages, inflatable games and live entertainment. No coolers or pets please. Free admission.
"SPOOKY HALLOW" IN SANFORD
Friday, Oct 31, 2008 from 6 - 8:30 pm at First Street & Magnolia Square - The City of Sanford Recreation Department invites children 12 & under to join them for a fun yet safe Halloween Event. Come trick or treat with their merchants, enjoy carnival games, music, tons of candy, surprises and a costume contest! For more information call 407-688-5120. Free event.
HELP CFN RAISE MONEY!
Holiday Shopping?
This Holiday season shop the below sites and help our group to raise funds to promote our organization and help serve the nanny community in Central Florida.
Online Magazine Sales and Renewals. You can buy and renew many popular magazine subscriptions through our online link. Visit the following site and when you buy/renew; a portion goes to our group fundraising account.
http://www.magfundraising.com/CentralFloridaNannies
Connect to Amazon.com through the below link and help us to earn a portion of each purchase.
October Group Meeting
Mark your calendars!
Central Florida Nannies will be holding our Bi-Monthly Meeting on
Tuesday, October 21st at 6:45pm.
Topics for this meeting will include:
*November Girls Night Out Event
*Holiday Party
*Holiday Charity Event
*Select Chairs/Officers (Secretary, PR/Marketing, Philanthropic, etc.)
*Organize Playdates
*Brief overview of Nannypalooza
*Open Discussion pertaining to Nanny Issues
If you would like to attend; please email us at: centralfloridanannies@yahoo.com for more information.
Types & Rates of Nannies
How Nannies Rate
compliments of: http://www.philly.com/
"Take care of kids" no longer suffices as a nanny's job description. Nannies with a range of skills, credentials and preferences fill varying needs for families; their fees reflect the particulars of the job. In general, the higher range would be for a very experienced nanny with many recommendations. In addition to their salary or fees, nannies may also receive room and board (for live-in), paid vacation, health insurance, use of the family car, telephone line (for live-in), and tuition reimbursement.
Temporary nanny: Works as needed, taking care of a sick child for 24 hours or a family of kids during the parents' weeklong vacation. $13-$17/hour daytime; $18-$35/hour overnight.
Newborn specialist: Has extensive experience with newborns and/or has received training as a doula, lactation consultant or registered nurse. May work daytime or overnights. $22-$35/hour; $250-$600/day for 24-hour care. (More for twins/triplets.)
Nanny for special-needs children: Has experience and training in autism-spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, Down syndrome, or other developmental/behavioral issues. $17-$22/hour depending on number of children, their needs and nanny's experience.
Traveling nanny: Goes on vacation with family. $275-$450/day plus all travel expenses.
Family manager: A live-in or live-out personal concierge, who handles family members' schedules, appointments, household repairs, gift-buying, grocery-shopping and errands, as well as providing care (usually after-school) for children. $45,000-$75,000/year.
Custom Nannies
Custom nannies
compliments of: http://www.philly.com/
Perfectly tailored child care can be on the way: Full time, temp, special-needs-trained, newborn specialist. Nannies are going niche.
By Anndee Hochman
For The Inquirer
Folona Stuart's workday - or rather, her worknight - is charted in diaper changes, foot-tickling, and occasional bouts of hiccups.
Last night was a good one. "Ms. Harper slept like crazy. This is her second power feeding," she reports, nodding toward six-day-old Harper Woolley and her mother, Katie Cameron, who are nursing placidly on the living-room couch.
Troy Woolley, otherwise known as Harper's father, sits nearby. Though it is 6 a.m. and their daughter is less than a week old, neither Cameron nor Woolley looks particularly haggard, and both are able to form coherent sentences. They credit their rest and clarity to Stuart, the newborn-specialist nanny they hired to hold vigil every other night for the first two weeks after Harper's birth.
Stuart, also trained as a doula and lactation consultant, is part of a growing trend in the nanny business. While the fictional Mary Poppins may have been able to handle any situation with panache and a bit of magic, real-life nannies - like real-life families - are not one-size-fits-all.
There are nannies, like Stuart, certified to care for newborns. Other nannies take over when Mom and Dad head for Istanbul without the kids. Some nannies have expertise with triplets or with kids who have autism; others work with divorced families.
"This is a very hot trend right now. Nannies are specializing and finding their niche," says Sue Downey, a founding board member of the National Association for Nanny Care and an organizer of the annual Nannypalooza conference in Philadelphia. The conference, held Oct. 4 and 5, will feature a panel on specialty nannies.
"As the [nanny] industry has matured, so have the experiences of people working in it," explains Wendy Sachs, owner of the Philadelphia Nanny Network, a 25-year-old placement agency. "Twenty-five years ago, you would hardly find someone with nanny experience, let alone experience in a specialized situation."
Woolley, 29, had never even heard of a newborn specialist. Then again, there was a lot he didn't know about babies: how to hold one, how to change a diaper. Despite the seven-hour class in infant care that he and Cameron took at Pennsylvania Hospital, he still worried. "When we walk in the door from the hospital, what do we do?"
Stuart arrived two days after Harper's birth. She coached Cameron, 27, on breast-feeding and taught Woolley how to swaddle his 7-pound daughter in a receiving blanket. All night long, she listens for Harper on the nursery monitor. When the baby stirs, Stuart wakes Cameron and sits with her in the living room during the hour or so it takes to nurse.
"Then Folona changes her diaper, reswaddles her and puts her back to bed," Cameron says. "I understand that sleep deprivation is part of the deal, but it's nice to limit it as much as one can."
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says 1.4 million people were employed as at-home child-care workers in 2006 - a group that includes nannies. The field is poised to grow 14 to 20 percent over the next eight years, and nannies have gotten the message. Nannies now have their own support groups and conferences; there's a move by two nanny associations to develop a national credential. What's more, a 2006 survey by the International Nanny Association showed that not all nanny jobs are created equal: While the majority of the 1,120 respondents were employed full-time, about 20 percent worked in part-time or temporary positions.
Temporary nannies may jump in for a day - when a child wakes with a fever, Dad has a deadline, Mom is out of town - or longer, filling in while their employers take child-free vacations or travel for business.
Three or four times a year, Sharon Anderson, 54, becomes surrogate mom to the Grahovec kids of Kennett Square - Stephanie, 17; Michelle, 15; and Sacha, 12. Stephanie thinks she and her siblings could manage alone when their parents decamp to Italy or Palm Springs, but Diane Grahovec feels calmer knowing an actual grown-up is in charge: someone who will enforce the family rules - no text-messaging at the dinner table - and remain calm during the unexpected crisis, such as the time, during an ice-hockey game, when another player skated over Sacha's hand.
"It was nothing," Anderson says of the incident. She drove Sacha to a nearby walk-in clinic, where she cracked jokes to distract him until a doctor could suture the gash.
The Grahovec kids have taught Anderson to navigate a cell phone; she has introduced them to her favorite oldies station, WOGL 98. "I've worked for the Delaware DMV. I drove a school bus for six years," she says. "Of all the jobs I've had, this is the most rewarding."
For specialty nannies, that reward can come in the paycheck, as well. Depending on the particulars - one child or three, overnights or daytime stints, the severity of a child's disability - specialty nannies can earn 20 to 50 percent more than their typical all-around counterparts.
That's especially true for nannies who work with special-needs children. "A generation ago, women with kids who had special needs would stay home because it was scarier and harder to find the right person to take care of your child," says Susan Davis, coauthor of Searching for Mary Poppins, an anthology of essays about the relationship between mothers and nannies. Now more people are aware of autism and similar disorders, and nannies can pursue targeted training by working as special-ed classroom aides, studying at community colleges, or taking workshops at national nanny conventions.
There are even two agencies - one in northern Virginia and one in the San Francisco Bay area - founded specifically to locate nannies for the growing number of kids diagnosed with autism, attention-deficit disorders, and other problems.
When Lindsay Gallagher was a student at Cardinal Dougherty High School in Northeast Philly, she did art projects with kids in the special-ed class. Later, while attending Community College of Philadelphia, she saw an ad seeking in-home therapists for twin boys with autism.
That led to a 21/2-year relationship with Mikey and Eddie Tuckerman, now 10. Gallagher jumped with them on the backyard trampoline and used their passions to help teach math and reading. "They loved the Wiggles, so I'd say, 'The five Wiggles are playing; two of them walk away, so how many are left?' "
Sue Tuckerman, mother of the twins and their younger brother, Tim, remembers that "Mikey didn't have a whole lot of language back then. I'd see him communicating with Lindsay, and I knew it was a really good match."
While Gallagher, 23, was never a nanny to the boys, she gained experience that, along with her studies of educational psychology, allows her to market herself as a nanny to special-needs children. She recently began a part-time job as nanny to a 7-year-old boy with autism, and she plans to start a master's program in occupational therapy at Philadelphia University.
Anie Tandler, owner of Special Care Nannies in McLean, Va., says some of her nanny candidates come with formal training or previous jobs working with special-needs children. Others bring their life experience - a younger brother with Asperger's, a niece with Down syndrome.
Personal experience is part of Kellie Geres' resume as well, though her niche as a nanny is not special-needs kids but the delicate balancing act of working with a divorced family. Geres, whose own parents divorced when she was 25, is currently with a family outside Washington: two parents, both lawyers; two stepparents; a 12-year-old girl; and a 14-year-old boy.
She keeps everyone's schedules - graduation practice, soccer games, school trips, business travel - in sync on her BlackBerry. Though Geres lives with the mother, she accompanies the kids to their father's house on nights they sleep there, to supervise their homework and start their dinner.
In a divorced family, Geres says, "the nanny is the one stable thing the kids have, the person who they see pretty much every day. . . . One night at 10:30 I went to bed, and the parent still wasn't home. This is not a 9-to-5 job."
Folona Stuart knows that, too. The sun is up in Center City, and she borrows the baby from Cameron for one final cuddle. "Hey, Mamacita," she murmurs, her hands cradling Harper's tiny head. She reminds Cameron to dab the baby's umbilicus with rubbing alcohol - her cord fell off just an hour ago.
"Want to go over and see Daddy?" she croons. "He's your buddy at this hour of the morning." This hour being 7 a.m. - time for Woolley to maneuver his daughter into a white T-shirt dotted with yellow ducks, time for Cameron to take a shower, and time for Stuart to clock out, because a long night of nannying is over, and all is well.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Bonuses and Raises
Bonuses and Raises
compliments of: www.bestnannynewsletter.com
Q: I am a parent that has employed a nanny for the first time. What is an appropriate Christmas bonus and end of the year (Anniversary) bonus?
A: American nannies expect one week salary for holiday tipping/Christmas bonus. If you cannot afford one week salary be sure to speak to the nanny about this so that s/he is not insulted. Nannies that do not receive at least one week salary for a holiday bonus will feel insulted or assume that the smaller bonus is due to poor work performance.
End of the year/Anniversary bonuses are great but American nannies expect a raise at the end of each year. Sometimes families cannot afford to give their nanny a raise each year. If you feel that you cannot afford a raise at the end of each year discuss this with the nanny or s/he will feel insulted or believe s/he did not get the raise due to poor work performance. Salary raises above the cost of living should be determined with written job evaluations. You can ask your nanny agency for evaluation forms or use the forms enclosed in the June 2006 issue of Be the Best Nanny Monthly Guide.
Keep in mind that the best incentive for good job performance and keeping your nanny is paying her/him a salary higher than average. Also remember that when giving raises and bonuses that no one wants to work for a cheap family.
INA Conference '09
The '09 International Nanny Association Conference has been scheduled. Stay tuned for further details.
24th INA Annual Conference, April 23 – April 26, 2009, in Dallas, Texas
Stress Management
compliments of: www.nanny.com
Time Out IS Stress Management!
Time Out as a means of changing children's behavior should never be used to punish, as in "Go to your room!" -- that's not what it's meant to do and won't work anyway. Used as punishment, Time Out is a power trip for adults that humiliates children and leaves adults thinking, "What am I doing wrong?" as the same misbehavior recurs and recurs.
Time Out is of course modeled on sports, where it provides a breathing spell, a break. When a coach calls, "Time out!" he's saying, "We need a moment to think this through."
Time out should create that same kind of breathing space for children, not to mention adults so frustrated by the child's actions that they can't think what else to do.…
Time Out as a means of changing children's behavior should never be used to punish, as in "Go to your room!" -- that's not what it's meant to do and won't work anyway. Used as punishment, Time Out is a power trip for adults that humiliates children and leaves adults thinking, "What am I doing wrong?" as the same misbehavior recurs and recurs.
Time Out is of course modeled on sports, where it provides a breathing spell, a break. When a coach calls, "Time out!" he's saying, "We need a moment to think this through."
Time out should create that same kind of breathing space for children, not to mention adults so frustrated by the child's actions that they can't think what else to do. Time out should be seen as a way to give both parties a chance to re-group. It works because it removes the child (and the adult) from the confusions of the moment, thus providing time to see a bad situation in a better light.
In other words Time Out is just another a way to redirect a child who's misbehaved, and a better way at that, as it gives the child time to think lovely thoughts without adult help. It also releases the adult from the obligation to create a distraction: when a child's thoughts get to redirect themselves, you get a breather and the child gets to find a solution independent of the one you might expect.
What a relief!
And Then…
Actually -- fortunately -- it's not quite that simple: while the first part of Time Out is removal from the situation, the second part is helping everyone to understand what went wrong and how it might go better. Like a football team, you and the child have to find a solution by communicating with each other.
Here's where you, the adult, learn a new discipline that exemplifies the discipline you want your child to learn. While your son or daughter is away from the situation, get yourself away from it, too. If you were so wound up that you couldn't find a better way to redirect things, then you need a breather. If you can, go somewhere else to relax, ratchet your thoughts back down to normal or shut them down altogether, and toss out the old tapes. You are listening for a new solution.
Some experts recommend that you pick up your sewing or dishwashing or rocking in your favorite chair, any non-intellectual pursuit that lets your mind work on a problem independent of your efforts, rather like sleeping on it. Such a retreat is always an option; there is no specific time when you must return to the matter to discuss it with your errant child -- sometimes it's better the next day, depending on the child and the problem. But at the appropriate moment you must. Don't succumb to the temptation to set a specific limit to the Time Out -- "Go to your room for ten minutes!" Instead, say "When you think you're ready to come out, call me." That way the child controls the decision to come out rather than being locked into an arbitrary timeframe. Allow him this; it primes him (or her) for thought.
Now comes the best part, because instead of lecturing your charge on how to do better, you get to ask him or her for a solution. "What do you think went wrong here?" tells the child that it's not only his responsibility, but his right, to do better. It says that being right is not the necessary prerogative of adulthood.
If the child counters with, "I don't know," be sure not to tell him.
Instead, say amiably, "Let's think it through together." Go over what he or she thought happened, and then, if it was different from what you thought happened, throw your view into the mix. Talk to each other, it needn't take long. Don't allow yourself any knee-jerk conclusions, and don't let your child off too easily either. If you're not both satisfied with the solution, it probably isn't a good one: you want to teach your child to think the situation through rather than let emotions take over. You want to show your child how it's done.
The Moral
How much saner this approach is than one that says "I know what's best for you,-- so don't bother to think for yourself!" Don't we want children to think for themselves? If their solutions surprise us, isn't that terrific?
Time out is an approach we should all use when we get into a jam. It's not, "Don't stand there, do something!" Instead, it's "Don't do something, stand there!" A solution will present itself if you let it.
Why do we all, both children and adults, think it better to cling tooth and nail to a position we've arrived at rather than see what solutions others might offer? I think we adults feel that we haven't the time; children think, from our example, that this is how it has to go.
But the time is better spent here than in repeating failure. Not only children ("out of the mouths of babes…") but maybe the janitor or your secretary or the elevator operator has observed a problem that's finally landed on your desk at work. Maybe he (or she) has a suggestion that you can flesh out together.
Give the other person's thought equal weight with your own, regardless of age or station, and take a load off! Stepping back to listen to others, to think before acting, allows new ideas to flow and shares the responsibility for finding solutions. Remember also to give credit, whether to your child, your janitor, and anyone who contributed to the solution. "Good work! We figured it out," reinforces the lesson and encourages future successes.
What a better way to live!
--
Questions for you:
1. How well does Time Out work for you?
2. Do you find that there's much variation in results as children get older?
3. Do you think adults need a separate space for their own Time Out? How long does it take you to unwind?
4. Can one come back to the situation two days later, or is there something critical about addressing it in full at the end of the Time Out period?
5. What other strategies have you found for preventing clashes/power struggles with children?
IRS RAISES MILEAGE RATES
IRS Increases Mileage Rates through Dec. 31, 2008
IR-2008-82, June 23, 2008
Downloadable Audio File: Mileage Rates
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced an increase in the optional standard mileage rates for the final six months of 2008. Taxpayers may use the optional standard rates to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.
The rate will increase to 58.5 cents a mile for all business miles driven from July 1, 2008, through Dec. 31, 2008. This is an increase of eight (8) cents from the 50.5 cent rate in effect for the first six months of 2008, as set forth in Rev. Proc. 2007-70.
In recognition of recent gasoline price increases, the IRS made this special adjustment for the final months of 2008. The IRS normally updates the mileage rates once a year in the fall for the next calendar year.
"Rising gas prices are having a major impact on individual Americans. Given the increase in prices, the IRS is adjusting the standard mileage rates to better reflect the real cost of operating an automobile," said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. "We want the reimbursement rate to be fair to taxpayers."
While gasoline is a significant factor in the mileage figure, other items enter into the calculation of mileage rates, such as depreciation and insurance and other fixed and variable costs.
The optional business standard mileage rate is used to compute the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business use in lieu of tracking actual costs. This rate is also used as a benchmark by the federal government and many businesses to reimburse their employees for mileage.
The new six-month rate for computing deductible medical or moving expenses will also increase by eight (8) cents to 27 cents a mile, up from 19 cents for the first six months of 2008. The rate for providing services for charitable organizations is set by statute, not the IRS, and remains at 14 cents a mile.
The new rates are contained in Announcement 2008-63 on the optional standard mileage rates.
Taxpayers always have the option of calculating the actual costs of using their vehicle rather than using the standard mileage rates.
Nannypalooza '08
Friday, October 3rd kicked off the 3rd annual Nannypalooza Conference in Philadelphia, PA. This year was yet... another success! This years day and a half conference included over 16 workshops to choose from, three meals, a goodie bag and a chance to meet/greet/network with other nannies from around the world.
Friday evening began with a quaint networking event in the Hilton restaurant. This time allowed for new and past attendee's to get acquainted with each other before the conference. Dinner was also followed by a short "cocktail hour" which provided for additional conversation between the nannies.
Let me tell you. It's amazing to walk into a room filled with women who have the same job as you and understand exactly what you go through every day. Most importantly... they all have the same passion as you! It's surreal!
Saturday morning; bright and early!; began Nannypalooza Day 1. At 8am, I registered myself for the conference and headed to the "Nanny Support Group Leader" Workshop. I was welcomed with "Cowabunga!" and joined together with other group leaders from around the world. We discussed how to promote our organizations and things to do to bring nannies into the group.
At 9:15am, I proceeded to the "Island Room" (aka: Grand Hall) to gather with the other 125 nannies who registered for this amazing weekend of "nannyhood".
The conference officially commenced at 10am on Saturday morning. The next day and a half was filled with 6 workshops. There were over 16 to choose from! I attended Baby Sign Language, How to promote your website, Personality Types/Dealing with Difficult People, Care for the Caregiver, Special Needs and Auxillary Services.
During lunch on Saturday we had round-table discussions. Basicly, this consisted of 6 women sitting around the table discussing topics (drawn from a chinese takeout box) while eating lunch. It was really interesting to hear others views.
Saturday evening allowed for yet another "Meet and Greet" in the "Don Ho Room". :) Can you tell that the theme this year was "Luau"? :)
Sunday allowed for two more workshops and a closing ceremony.
I was sad to say good-bye to all the wonderful nannies that I met this year at Nannypalooza. I look forward to returning to Philly again next year. Or... where ever Nannypalooza may go. "Palooz Booze Cruise"?! :) We'll just have to wait and see.
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