Change is Good

tonite i begin a new journey in blogging. i am using another site that i think will meet my growing needs a little differently. please come see, and let me know what you think! nanapittypat.wordpress.com

welcome back!

yes, i am welcoming back...myself! i have become distracted of late and neglected keeping my blogs updated. much has happened since writing last, but i will keep the subject of this entry on the wonderful life of being a nanny! the last time i wrote the triplets were still tiny little sweethearts, growing and thriving but still pretty stationary. How that has changed! they are now ten and a half months old, and all over the place! every day is a new adventure as they learn something new, or become more confident in something they already know how to do. we marvel each day at how their different personalities are emerging.

baby A is becoming more and more adventurous. he explores every corner of a room as if he is taking on the journey of a lifetime! baby B is mr. mellow! he loves books, focuses at times for what seems like amazingly long periods of time on toys he is playing with and often keeps himself busy when his brothers are clamoring for attention or to be fed first. baby C, who was the smallest and had the biggest risks at birth has flourished to become the fastest, and delightfully the most agressive at reaching toys...and keeping them from his brothers! all in all this has been a wonderful experience for me. i feel so lucky to have been the caregiver chosen to love and educate these little angels!

there is some unfortunate news in the future, however. this fabulous family is relocating out of state for job purposes. so i am once again on the job market! so begins the torrent of emails, postings, ads, and interviews involved with choosing a new family to work with. this weekend i am updating my blogs, digging out the portfolio, printing some recent work photos, and all around preparing for the process finding a new position. its always exciting to meet new potential families, and of course all meetings are valuable, for even if they dont become my new charges, they could possibly become side job clients. but it is also sad to leave each set of kids i have worked with for an extensive period of time.

and on that note, we have our work cut out for us over the next couple of months! while mom and dad balance the art of full time jobs and full time parents, they are also focused on relocation duties. my job will be to help out wherever possible, and keep the kiddos on a great schedule and enrich their lives each day with games, songs, and general happy babyhood. we have set some goals, and will try to acheive a couple of specific things before they go, one of them being possibly getting off the bottle. no pressure of course, and being that they did arrive early we have to adjust for where they are in their milestones, we are going to just feel things out and see what they are ready for. all in all, im very proud of them and all of the things they are doing now!

laughter is the key

How many times have we had those days when nothing seems to go right! The kids dont want to cooperate, mom or dad is under pressure, and just when you are headed out the door you remember you forgot schoolager's homework folder or toddler's drink, or worse, baby's pacifier! On these days our little charges look to us to see how to handle the stress of the moment. I'm sure we have all seen the difference of how the kids behave when we are in a good mood as opposed to a poor one.

This is also true for daycare classes. As teachers, we dont know what the child's home life is like. We may be providing the only smiles and love that child will experience during this phase of their lives. Laughter is so very important to a child's well being and how they develop self esteem and coping mechanisms for daily stress.

As the caregiver in charge, laughter and positive energy is also important in carrying out activities. Just last weekend, I attempted a wonderful music/painting activity i saw on The Creative Nanny blog. I painted the bottoms of the kids feet and we danced around the yard and on the back of wrapping paper. (was supposed to be butcher paper, but i did not have what i thought i did, ha!) Several things went "wrong" as we worked on this art project. All we could do was laugh...and improvise. Setting the right mood kept the evening easygoing and fun. The little ones had no idea things were not going as they technically should have, rather they had a blast and went to bed with smiles, which to me is my favorite report card of a job well done!

Whether a teacher in a classroom or a nanny in the home, never dismiss what an important role we play as caregivers during these tender years. Every smile, every laugh and every hug counts!

Rowdy Mealtimes

This is my very first blog entry, and I am so excited about this project! Today I want to talk about the benefits of adding classical music into the daily routine with kids, no matter what age. When I taught a daycare class of about 12 to 15 two-year olds (i had a co-teacher, but still, ALOT of two-yr olds for one room!) we often had an issue with lunch time. by 11:30, the kids were tired, hungry, and had very little patience to wait for everyone to get served. Of course we had our share of picky eaters as well. What saved the day? Classical music.
Playing the music helped focus the kids' attitudes and generally relax the overall tone of the classroom. The kids ate better, the teachers were calmer, and they even seemed to drift off to sleep easier. As an added bonus, playing the music looks quite impressive to visiting parents and observing supervisors!
I have also used this technique as a nanny in several different instances. I currently nanny for 3 month old triplets, and I did baths for the first time yesterday. We had been outside beforehand so they were tired, hot, and a bit cranky. I played the music in the bathroom with us. The babies were happy and I was calm. We all know that our attitudes set the tone for the classroom or the day. Playing music that calms me makes me a better caregiver for these little angels, and as a bonus seems to help me to work more efficiently! Needless to say, bath time went well, we were bathed, lotioned, dressed and in bed in just under 45 minutes!