Parent Gifts for any Season

by MaryAnn X. Meddish

2009 INA Nanny of the Year

reprinted with permission Regarding Nannies

Once again it is that time of year where we all start scratching out heads trying to figure out what to get our employers. I have been asked for ideas so many times over the years that I started keeping a list of ideas, it keeps changing so here are some tried~n~true and some new ideas for you to refer to all through the year as anniversaries, birthdays, Mother’s and Father’s days, Grandparent’s day, and next years holidays start to gang up on you. Craft gifts you can make with your charges: These ideas can also be used to make gifts for extended family members and the household staff (i.e. an apron for the cook, flowerpots for the gardener, a scrapbook for the Au-pair). Remember that the expense of craft supplies is usually covered by the employers or you can ask for a Christmas allowance for the children to make gifts.

Read the entire article at Regarding Nannies

Car Seat Safety - November Guest Speaker

Please join us at our November meeting. We will have a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician present us with the latest information on car seats and much more.

This course will help you learn which stage of car seat is appropriate for your child; when your child should be rear facing, in a forward facing harness, in a booster seat or adult seat belt. You will learn what to look for when shopping for a new car seat, and how to properly use it. You will learn how to tell if the car seat is properly installed, and where to find help if it's not.

You can RSVP to the meeting by:

• Replying to you member evite.
• Email us at events@dcareanannies.com
• Call us at 866.841.9139 Ext. 2176

All are welcome! Bring a friend.

Kathy Gutierrez has been a professional nanny since 2000, and a mother since 2006. In effort to keep her children and charges safe, she became a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) in 2008. After certification, she worked side by side with a CPST Instructor with 25 years experience, and continues to do so.

The Nanny Financial Corner

by Alice Shaffer @ The Financial Nanny

Getting Ready to Start a Budget
As I have mentioned, being a professional live in nanny has wonderful benefits and sometimes a downfall of falling into debt. I have been working with a budget lately and wanted to help others set one up so they can be as financially responsible.

Over the coming weeks, I am going to share with you how to set up a budget along with weekly homework assignments that help you get to the next step in making a budget.

This week we will gather money totals for everything - money coming in and money going out. I suggest getting a one subject notebook for your budget and keeping things together. We will eventually put the budget on a spreadsheet so that it will do the calculating for you.

Here’s what you need to get started:
For all of the following you need the amount due, payment due date, amount of loan/balances of accounts, and interest rates.
*Your last paycheck (preferably two) and a schedule of when you get paid (weekly, bi-weekly, bi-monthly, etc) with dates
*Credit card bills (most recent)- Visa, MasterCard, Sears, Discover, Kohl's - all of them
*Banking information - this includes checking, savings, money market, CDs, Savings Bonds including fees.
*IRA/401K/Brokerage account balances and information
*Insurance paperwork - car, life, health, pet, home/renter's, etc.
*Utilities –phone, cell, internet, cable/satellite, electric, rent, water/sewer, trash, and appliances etc
*Student loans or other personal loans
*Prescription & health care costs
*Subscription/Membership fees - Health club dues/fees, Netflix, union dues, etc
*Doctor/dentist visits

Daily living:
*Groceries, clothing, eating out, dry cleaning, salon/spa services, gas, snacks, bus/metro/subway/cab fares, movie rentals, concerts, purchase of music/DVDs/books/toys/birthday presents, pet supplies, magazine & newspaper subscriptions

Yearly/Semi Yearly expenses:

*car insurance, organization membership fees, conference fees, hotel fees, vacation, tuition, music/language lessons, charitable donations
*anything else that you pay for or collect interest on

This is a large list of items to work on. I promise you that when we get this budget together, you will feel great about yourself.

Homework
In addition, to gathering the above information I would like for you to track ALL of your EXPENSES for this week. You can carry an index card and write down all cash/credit/debit purchases or write them in a notebook. This will help us figure out where you money goes and what kind of budget you need to work with.

If you want a spreadsheet to report them on, here you go Monthly Expenses

To find out other steps in setting up a budget please visit: http://www.thefinancialnanny.com/
Part 2: Setting up a Budget

Part 3: Putting everything into your spreadsheet

The Maid Movie

The Maid won this year’s Sundance Film Festival Award and will be premiering in DC on October 30th at the Landmark’s E Street Cinema.

THE MAID is a Chilean film about a woman named Raquel, who works as a live- in maid for a wealthy family in Santiago. We see Raquel go through an emotional journey as she tries to find her way back to becoming loving and open to others as she has trained herself to be cold and distant.

This film touches on Chilean culture along with the roles women play within a household.

Please feel free to watch the trailer at http://www.themaidmovie.com/ .

You can also become a fan of THE MAID MOVIE on Facebook and follow us on TWITTER.

What, Exactly, is a Nanny?

by Christine Watson Holsen

ADCAN Board at Large

The big question was raised at the most recent monthly meeting of ADCAN members: What exactly is a nanny? What sets her apart from a babysitter, an au pair, a parent/mother's helper, etc.? ADCAN Vice-president Janinne Gardner had been thinking about that question ever since she attended the recent Nannypalooza Conference. A speaker at that conference offered a definition that did not satisfy her. At the meeting, Janinne first asked the members to jot down their own definitions on index cards, then she gave a brief list, from dictionaries, nanny agencies associations, and from Wikipedia. There followed a general discussion of how a babysitter or an au pair differs from a nanny. The members agreed that a babysitter provided "basic supervision," and "follows the parents' instructions." An au pair, they agreed, is "a foreign exchange student who serves as the mother's helper" and becomes "part of the family." Her primary interest is educational opportunity and international travel."

The members then split into three working groups for in-depth discussions, which were at times quite passionate. When they reconvened, a representative summarized the views within each group, and the whole group discussed them. There was consensus on some basic points, and difference of opinion on others. On the question of how much authority and autonomy a nanny should have, for instance: "I'm a great nanny because I can adapt to my family's needs," or "I have no say in consequences/punishment [for a child's negative behavior]," vs. "... and adult who co-parents and assumes responsibility for the children in her care..." In the end it was agreed that this was different in every situation.

The definitions submitted anonymously by each participant before the discussion started showed an even greater range of views, including: "...first of all an educator, not a housekeeper.... a guide, a counselor, a second mother, disciplinarian...", "...takes full care of children (no parent at home)...", "...searches for ... opportunities for professional development and has no other defined agenda besides child care.", "does not use TV as a babysitter", "Mom substitute -- all things related to child(ren) + field-related continuing education."

This "focus group’s” consensus definition of a Professional Nanny :
* Legal
* CPR/First Aid certified
* Makes it her career, not just a job
* Pursues ongoing training through meetings, conferences, etc.
* Has the experience and confidence to advise and direct parents. Has the ability to offer options, resources and recommendations. Teaches parents how to parent.

Your thoughts on this important and complicated subject would be much appreciated by the author, possibly to be used in a follow-up article. Please email Christine at McLeanBabyPro@gmail.com.

This article appeared in the November / December ADCAN Newsletter.