INA Conference Scholarship Opportunity Offered to ALL Nannies

Here is your opportunity to have your INA Conference Registration Fee paid for.

For all the details, check out All Things Nanny.

The No-Cry Nap Solution by Elizabeth Pantley

Author Elizabeth Pantley has introduced her new book The No-Cry Nap Solution.

Will your child only nap in your arms, in a swing, or after elaborate rituals? Does your child take cat naps -- or none at all? Let world-renowned, trusted parenting author Elizabeth Pantley help you. She’ll guide you with the same sensitive expertise and gentle approach used in her other No-Cry bestsellers about sleep, discipline and potty training.

Research proves that daily naps improve health, mood, growth, intelligence and well-being. Yet children often resist the naps they need and parents don’t know how to make them happen. The results are fussy, crying babies and cranky, grouchy kids who also have trouble sleeping at night!In The No-Cry Nap Solution Pantley explains to parents of children ages newborn to kindergarten the importance of napping to both behavior during the day and sleeping during (and through!) the night. She then shares with you her gentle, loving child-friendly techniques--tested on families of all sizes and circumstances--and shows you how you can customize her solutions for your own family.

Pantley addresses issues such as children who resist naps, dealing with schedule changes, turning short naps into longer ones, helping a child go from needing motion for sleep to “stationery” sleep, nursing at naptime, daycare-related napping problems, newborn “in-arms” or “in-sling” napping issues, and much more.

Chili Recipe from January Meeting

Thanks to Deb Santamore for sharing this chil with us at our January Meeting. There were so many requests for the recipe, we've shared it with you all here. Enjoy!

Vegetable Chili

3/4 cup olive oil
2 zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch dice
2onions, cut into 1/2 inch dice
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 large red bell peppers, cored and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 can (35 ounces) Italian plum tomatoes, with their juice
1 1/2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut into 1 inch dice
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian(flat leaf) parsley
1 cup canned dark red kidney beans, drained
1 cup canned chick-peas(garbanzo), drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup sour cream
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
4 scallions(green onions) white bulb and 3 inches green, sliced on the diagonal

1. Heat 1/2 cup of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini and sauté' until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the zucchini to a large flame proof casserole or Dutch oven.
2.Heat the remaining 1/4 cup of oil in the skillet over low heat. Add the onions, garlic, red peppers. Sauté until just wilted, about 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the casserole, along with the oil remaining in the skillet.
3. Place the casserole over low heat. Add the canned tomatoes, and their juice, the fresh tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, basil, oregano,pepper,salt, fennel seeds, and parsley. Cook, uncovered, stirring often for 30 minutes.
4. Stir in the kidney beans, chick-peas, dill and lemon juice; cook for another 15 minutes. Stir well, and adjust the seasonings to taste. Serve with bowls of sour cream, grated cheese, and sliced scallions alongside.

Serves 8 portions.

Notes... I use Pam instead of olive oil and you can just use a pot or a crock pot. I don’t always add all the chili powder.. Better to start off with less and add then too much that you can’t take out.

This recipe comes from The New Basics cookbook by julee rosso & sheila lukins

Montgomery County Maryland Nanny Contracts

Kathy Webb at HomeWork Solutions has some great information and resources regarding the Montgomery County Maryland Nanny Contracts legislation requiring that domestic workers (nannies, housekeepers, maids, companions) be provided a written employment agreement effective January 18, 2009.

Nanny Contracts (also referred to as Work Agreements) are vital in our industry and there are many resources available to find one, including 4NannyTaxes.com.

Kathy will be joining us at our February 15 meeting (2:30-5 pm) at the McLean Community Center to discuss contracts with all attendees. Currently have a contract? Want to improve it? Don't have one and need to learn how to start one? Join us at this meeting and we'll answer your questions.

Please RSVP to this event by emailing us or call us at 866-841-9139 Ext. 2176

Penny's Candy Countdown

December first till Christmas
is the longest time of the year.
Seems as though old Santa
never will appear.

How many days till Christmas?
It's mighty hard to count,
so this little candy ribbon
will tell you the amount.

Remove a (candy of choice)
every night when the sandman
casts his spell.

And Christmas Eve will be here
by the time you reach the bell!


Supplies:

Hot glue, and glue gun
1 inch ribbon for the candy
a sewing needle
thread to match the ribbon
1/4 ribbon for hanging and attaching the bells at the bottom
small jingle bells
white paper for poem
red or green paper for backing
Candy of choice (individually foil wrapped) At least 24 pieces

You have to cut down the poem after printing and then attach it to either red or green paper before it is used on the candy ribbon.


To start, measure out your 1inch ribbon, for larger candy like Nestles Crunch Bells you need to cut a piece of ribbon 41 inches long. For candy like Hershey Kisses cut the ribbon 37 1/2 inches long. The 1/4 inch ribbon is to make the tie at the top and bow at the bottom, both need to be cut 4 inches long. You will need 3 small sized bells, needle and thread, and a hot glue gun. Before you start make a bow out of one of the 1/4 inch ribbons that you have cut.

After you have your ribbon cut, for the top you fold it over 1/4 of an inch, and again about 3/4 of an inch to make the loop to attach the remaining 1/4 ribbon to hang it. You stitch this across the back by hand.

At the bottom you make a double 1/4 inch fold, stitch it across, then keep the thread and needle intact.
Put the needle up through the center of the ribbon from back to front. Then take the bow you have made and put the needle through it, bringing the bow down next to the ribbon stitch through once (making sure you end up with the needle back out at the front of the candy ribbon again). Then take one of the bells, put the needle through the top of the bell and attach it to the bow, repeat with each bell.

Next you would take the poem, center it and hot glue it to the top of the candy ribbon. After I do this, I count out the 24 pieces of candy and place them on the ribbon so I can space them out evenly. Then I go back and glue them on one by one with the hot glue gun. After this put the other 4 inch piece of 1/4 ribbon through the loop you made at the top and knot it and your all done.

I hope these are easy to understand :) enjoy

Happy Holidays!

ADCAN nannies met on Sunday, November 16 to talk about the Holidays. We came up with some amazing holiday gift ideas for employers. Top of the list ... photos! Can never have too many photos. Ideas for photos? Mugs, placemats, frames, ornaments ... what are your favorite photo suggestions? Take photos of children's artwork and make into a book using Snapfish.

Kellie had some amazing ideas using pottery painting using children's hand prints and even their feet! Though don't comment on her drawing skills :)

We had a few ideas for making our own advent calendars using a hanging shoe organizer and one using scrapbook supplies.

Penny shared with us her mom's annual contribution of the Candy Countdown (see separate post for directions).

What do you give to your employers? Gift cards to nice restaurant, bottle wine, photos of children, book about the holidays, night of babysitting are just a few. What do you give to your employers?

What are your favorite holiday traditions? What do you do to make the holidays special for all?

Nanny as Parent Coach Workshop

ADCAN was please to offer Nanny as Parent Coach workshop at our October 2008 meeting. Led by Tara Paterson, this interactive workshop provided us with a general introduction to the basic principles of parent coaching and how mastering these principles enhances our skill sets as in-home child care providers. We also learned how we can expand our careers through the development of our own independent parent coaching business.

If you attended the meeting, what were your thoughts on this program? What was the best piece of advice you took away from the meeting?

We'd love to see your comments on the October meeting.