Trick-or-Treat Safety Tips

Happy Halloween

Last week we shared safety tips for Halloween costumes and carving and displaying pumpkins and a safe home for trick-or-treaters. Here are safety tips for trick or treating tonight from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

For Trick-or-Treating:

• A parent or responsible adult should always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds.
• If older children are going alone, plan and review the route that is acceptable to you. Agree on a specific time when they should return home.
• Only go to homes with a porch light on and never enter a home or car for a treat.

Because pedestrian injuries are the most common injuries to children on Halloween, remind Trick-or Treaters:

• Stay in a group and communicate where they will be going.
• Carry a cell phone for quick communication.
• Remain on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk.
• If no sidewalk is available, walk at the far edge of the roadway facing traffic.
• Never cut across yards or use alleys.
• Only cross the street as a group in established crosswalks (as recognized by local custom). Never cross between parked cars or out driveways.
• Don't assume the right of way. Motorists may have trouble seeing Trick-or-Treaters. Just because one car stops, doesn't mean others will!
• Law enforcement authorities should be notified immediately of any suspicious or unlawful activity.

Healthy Halloween:

• A good meal prior to parties and trick-or-treating will discourage youngsters from filling up on Halloween treats.
• Consider purchasing non-food treats for those who visit your home, such as coloring books or pens and pencils.
• Wait until children are home to sort and check treats. Though tampering is rare, a responsible adult should closely examine all treats and throw away any spoiled, unwrapped or suspicious items.
• Try to ration treats for the days following Halloween.

Reference: Photo and information from American Academy of Pediatrics.

Healthy Halloween Treats

Fun, Candy-Free Ideas

The one thing I hate about Halloween is the amount of sugar the kids eat. So, I decided to search the Internet for some quick, easy, and healthy Halloween snacks to feed the kids. Please check out the links where I found these recipes.

Ghost Eggs:

Hard-boil a dozen white eggs and let them cool. Then, use a permanent marker to draw silly or scary faces on each egg. You can also dye the eggs orange, yellow, or any other Halloween-themed colors you choose before applying the faces, if you like. From pinterest.

Spooky Mummy Pizza:

Maybe the best way we know to entice your kids to consume an actual dinner before they head out for trick-or-treating. Lightly toast slices of white or whole-wheat bread under the broiler. Top with pizza sauce, slices of white cheese (any kind) cut into bandage-like strips, and black olive eyes. Return to the broiler for just a few minutes to soften the cheese, and serve.
Spooky Mummy Pizza Idea from parentsociety.com  Image from ElizabethStreet.com

Broom Sticks:

This is a healthy, quick and easy snack to make for the kids. You will need three sticks of string cheese, six pretzel sticks, and chives. Using kitchen scissors, cut the ends off each string cheese stick (about 2 inches long). Cut one end of the cheese into strips, being careful not to cut all the way to the top. Fan out cheese strips as best you can. Take one side of the scissors and gently stick it into the uncut side of the cheese, to make a little hole for the pretzel. Slowly twist the pretzel stick into the hole, careful not to tear the cheese. Tie a string of fresh chives around the top of each cheese piece. This recipe and photo are found at www.navywifecook.com 

Ghost Peanut Butter and Jelly:

A simple but spooky ghost sandwich makes a lunchtime staple into a fun Halloween treat. For multiple hungry goblins use a variety of Halloween-theme cookie cutters such as pumpkins, witch hats, and cats to make a festive and tasty sandwich platter. Make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Use a ghost-shape cookie cutter to cut the sandwich into a ghost shape. Press two raisins into bread — use peanut butter if necessary — for the ghost’s eyes. Reference: http://chippersblog.com/

You Have Been Ghosted

Try this fun game in preparation for Halloween this week. Visit our new blog address to see how at bethebestnanny.com

Give the Parents Private Time to be a Couple

Respecting Professional Boundaries for Nannies and Parents

Parents need time alone to nurture their personal relationship. Hiring a nanny the parents can trust to care for their kids, so they can go out on dates or have some private time without the kids, makes nannies invaluable to parents. And parents in a happy relationship helps kids be happier as well.

Most nannies are privy to a lot of private affairs of the parents. Nannies may overhear parents argue and complain about one another. But it's unprofessional for in-home childcare providers to discuss their employer's partnership or marriage with others. It's in a nanny's best interest to remain neutral when the parents argue or disagree. Nannies aren't marriage counselors and should do their best to stay out of their parents private issues.

Nannies must be sensitive to the fact that the parents might want to have private discussions. Employees should make a concerted effort to not overhear their conversations. To respect the parents' privacy nannies should make an effort to take the kids into another part of the home and play with them to keep them busy so parents can have some private time.


Anything nannies can do to help the parents have more free time to nurture their own relationship makes the nanny priceless to the parents. Be it helping kids in with homework, starting dinner, or just keeping the kids busy so the parents can speak privately nannies should support giving parents private time to to be a couple.

Mint-X Trash Bags

Product Review Sunday

Please see our product review at our new blog address at bethebestnanny.com

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Book Reviews by Kids for Kids
Review by Max R. 10-Years-Old

To see this book review please visit our new address at bethebestnanny.com

Cranberry Orange Mini Muffins

Cooking With Kids

Cranberries are North America’s most historically significant native berry. Kids love cranberries and mini muffins. These cranberry orange mini muffins from food.com make a great snack or after dinner treat. Make a double batch and stick some in the freezer to throw into school lunches.




What You Need:

1 cup sugar
1 orange, juice of ( about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

What To Do:

1. Preheat oven to 375º. Grease miniature muffin cups.
2. Mix sugar and orange juice. Set aside for dipping after muffins are baked.
3. butter and sugar. Add sour cream alternately with the dry ingredients, just until moistened. Fold in orange peel, raisins and nuts (batter will be stiff).
4. Bake at 375º for 10-12 minutes. While still warm, dip muffins in the sugar-orange juice mixture.

Reference:
food.com
Photo by Stephanie Felzenberg

Autumn Hand Print Tree

Wednesdays With Whitney

There is no better time to do crafts with the kids then in Autumn. All you have to do is take the kids outside and collect brilliant red and orange leaves that have fallen from the sugar maples trees to use in crafts. If you live in an area in which the leaves don't change colors and fall to the ground, you can still do some Autumn leaf crafts by tracing hands onto colorful construction paper to represent leaves. Here is how to do one of the easiest craft projects you can do with kids and you will always love the results.

What You Need:

Hands
Construction Paper in Autumn Leaf Colors
Pencil
Safety Scissor
Paste

What to Do:

1. Simply trace the kids' hands onto different colored construction paper and cut out the hand shapes.

2. Cut out a brown rectangle to be the trunk of your tree.

3. Have the kids paste the hands to the top of the brown trunk to represent Autumn leaves.

Reference: 
Project and photo by Stephanie Felzenberg. I'm not sure when I first learned how to do this project but I've been doing it for over 10-years with the kids in my care.

I Want an Affectionate Nanny Above all Else

Parent Confessions: I Don't Want a Strict, Mean or Demanding Nanny

I am a parent and I confess above all else I want my kids to be happy. I want them to truly live a life of peace, love, and joy. To help me achieve this I want to hire a nanny that is kind above all other moral characteristics. When choosing a nanny, I confess, I want someone that is warm and affectionate, not strict and demanding.

Of course when choosing a nanny for my kids I want someone who can do more than just feed, bathe, dress, and keep my kids safe. I want to hire a nanny with experience, that is responsible, and is CPR/First Aid certified. I want someone who respects my home and our belongings. I want to hire a caregiver that respects my child rearing decisions about potty training, when to wean off bottles, and bedtime routines. Since kids learn by example I look for a caregiver that is respectful and well mannered.

I also want to hire a nanny that makes caring for my kids more important than anything else while she is working. I don't want her being disturbed by calls from friends on her cell phone or preoccupied with texts.

But, above everything listed the most important character is that my nanny just be nice to my kids. I don't want my nanny seen scolding my kids in public. I want my childcare provider to be gentle and nice even when kids have temper tantrums. I need my nanny to have patience with my kids even when they whine. I want my kids to be carefree and have a lot of joy.

Do You Ever Pay for the Kids Out of Your Pocket?

Respecting Professional Boundaries for Nannies and Parents

It's tempting to buy the kids in your care a little gift, an ice cream cone, or a ride on a carousel at the mall from your own pocket sometimes when you are working as a nanny. But, it's a bad habit to get into and parents don't (or shouldn’t) expect you to do that.

Parents should provide petty cash for you to use when out with the kids and their friends. It's also useful when parents get a credit card with a limit on it so you can easily buy groceries or have it in case of an emergency.

In return, you need to keep receipts for all purchases made with their money while working. Typical costs you may need petty cash or a credit card include tolls and parking, food, and entertainment.

Don’t get in competition of trying to buy the best birthday gift for your charges because children don't really care how big a gift they get from you. Kids don’t need expensive gifts from you. In fact, kids don’t even really care how big their house is, if they eat lunch at home or at the pizzeria, or how much their clothing or toys cost. They won’t remember you bought them an ice cream cone with your own money but they will remember that you gave them your undivided attention, you listened to them, played with them, and appreciated them.

Before pulling out your own wallet to pay for outings with the kids remember professional boundaries -- you are working as a nanny and it isn’t your place to spend your personal money on the kids.

Travel Baby Bottle Warmers

Product Review Sunday
To see this product review please visit  http://bethebestnanny.com/2013/10/20/travel-baby-bottle-warmers/

When working as a nanny I don't like using baby bottle warmers to heat up the baby's bottle. Just running hot water from the kitchen tap over the bottle is the easiest way to warm a baby in my opinion.

But, it is great to have a travel baby bottle warmer when out and about town with an infant. There are bottle warmers that can plug into an outlet at home or in a hotel room, there are warmers which heat up by being plugged into a car lighter on a road trip, some bottle warmers have you pour in hot water into a flask, and others use heating cells.

To see our review of travel baby bottle warmers please visit us at our new blog address at at at http://bethebestnanny.com

League of Denial by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru

Weekly Trip to the Library

It' is football season, so no better time to read League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truthby Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru. It is vital for all nannies to be aware of the symptoms of concussions and the possible causes of brain damage of their charges that play sports.

Please visit our new blog address to read the rest of the book review at bethebestnanny.com

Apple Butternut Squash Soup

Cooking with Kids

For the past month I have been posting recipes using apples to make with the kids. This week I made a more grown-up recipe using apples and butternut squash. While most kids love chicken noodle soup, not all toddlers will appreciate the texture of a squash and apple soup. But, if your charges are like the kids I cook for each day, they are used to eating the same foods I serve their parents, and they will love this recipe I found at Food.com.


What You Need:

2 1/2 lbs butternut squash
4 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
3/4 cup apple, chopped (one green and one red one)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon sea salt
ground black pepper
ginger powder
nutmeg

What to Do:

1 Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2 Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
3 Cut squash in 4 pieces and remove seeds and membrane.
4 Lie pieces skin side down on baking sheet.
5 Lightly grease top of squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and the tsp of thyme.
6 Cover with foil and roast for 45 minutes.
7 After roasting peel and cube the squash.
8 In a stock pot, with medium heat, add oil, onions, garlic and apples Sprinkle with some salt and sweat between 2-3 minutes.
9 Add rosemary, pepper, squash and vegetable stock.
10 Bring to boil.
11 Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
12 After simmering add a dash of ginger and a dash of nutmeg and puree using stick blender.
13 Let it sit and thicken for a few minutes before serving.

Reference:
Food.com
Photo by Stephanie Felzenberg

What is the Best Way to Treat Teething Pain?

Amber Teething Necklaces: Helpful or Too Dangerous?

Please visit us at our new blog address bethebestnanny.com to see this article.

Flying Moody Ghosts

Wednesdays with Whitney

The little three-year-old I care for is just learning to use scissors and to draw happy and sad faces. I took her new obsessions and had her cut out pieces of white paper into ghost shapes and then she drew happy, sad, sleeping and surprised faces on the ghosts. We glued the moody ghosts onto wood clothesline pins and hung them in the curtains in her bedroom to make them look like they are flying.


What You Need:

White Paper
Safety Scissors
Markers or Crayons
Clothesline Pins and Glue (optional)

What to Do:

1. Draw a ghost shape on white paper.

2. Allow the kids to cut out the shapes.

3. Draw happy, sad, scared, surprised and sleepy faces on the ghosts.

4. Glue each ghost to a clothesline pins. Once dry, hang in curtains.

Reference:
Project ideas and photos by Stephanie Felzenberg

Nanny Confessions: I Hate Being Around Nannies that Yell at the Kids

Study Shows Yelling at Kids Hurts as Much as Hitting Them

I confess it makes me uncomfortable to be around other nannies that yell excessively at kids.

It is only natural that kids will occasionally "get under our skin"and all adults make mistakes when they are frustrated with kids at times. But, if you want to provide quality care to children you must avoid yelling at them. Speaking respectfully to children is the only way to help build their self-worth.

In fact, a study from the University of Pittsburgh published by the journal Child Development shows that yelling at kids and insulting them in response to bad behavior can have as much of a negative effect on them as hitting them would.

While earning my Psychology degree I learned that when adults yell at kids it's the adult's problem, not the kids problem. Think about it -- when you yell, you are losing control. You only yell when you are frustrated.

Yet, God forbid a child were to yell at you in the same manner -- they would be punished. Shouting at kids models inappropriate behavior. If you don't want kids to yell at others then you can't shout at them.

Before responding to children in anger, take a deep breath and count to ten. Give yourself a few minutes before responding.

In the book 365 Ways to Raise Confident Kids, Sheila Ellison says, "Yelling at a child who is trying to annoy you gives the child the upper hand by getting a reaction out of you. Instead, calmly tell the child what you have to say. Constantly reacting to behavior contributes to misbehavior for the sake of getting attention."

Instead, Ms. Ellison recommends letting the consequences of their actions teach children. If you have a reward and punishment system in place let the rewards and punishments modify the children's behavior rather than yelling.

For example, if the child knows they get a star on a star chart for making their bed and lose a star if they don't, you don't need to yell or criticize the child. Just give them the start they earned or take away the star they lost. If kids know they will lose a privilege if they yell at their siblings, then enforce the discipline instead of yelling.

Although kids need discipline that doesn't mean that adults have the right to be disrespectful and yell at the kids. Great nannies use positive discipline. Professional nannies speak with kids with kindness and respect, just as they do with adults.

Great nannies know how to get the best behavior from kids. Yelling at children is disrespectful and only hurts their sense of well-being and self-esteem.

Have the Parents Ever Argued in Front of You?

Nannies are Not Marriage Counselors: Respecting Professional Boundaries for Nannies and Parents

Does it feel awkward when a parent you work for complains to you about their spouse? Have you ever felt uncomfortable when the parents you work for have argued in front of you?

It’s inevitable if you work as a nanny that you will overhear a lot of intimate, personal conversations between the parents. It’s difficult to not take sides, especially if the parents argue within earshot. But, it’s important to remember that you are the nanny and not a marriage counselor. And if you feel anxious and uncomfortable when the parents complain to you about their partner, or argue in your presence, you can speak up.

Although you can’t make other people do what you want them to do and you can’t make them stop fighting, you can set your own boundaries. You can ask them not to argue in front of you.

You can say:

"I hate to interrupt, but is there any way you guys could talk about it later? I hate to see you guys argue because I like you both. It just makes me very uncomfortable.”

“It’s hard to bring this up and I want you to know that I like working for you and I like you both you. I don’t want to embarrass you but I feel uncomfortable when you complain about your wife (or husband) to me. I just want to let you know that I like you both and I won’t ever take sides.”

Remember, it's normal for nannies to overhear arguments between parents occasionally and it is okay to just keep quiet and ignore the situation. But, if a parent complains to you about their partner often, or if it makes you uncomfortable when the parents fight in front of you, you can speak up and ask them to respect your professional boundaries and argue in private.

Stop by next Monday for more advice about Professional Boundaries for Nannies and Parents.

Omega-3 and DHA for Pregnant and Nursing Mothers and Infants: Help or Hype?

Product Review Sunday

There is a huge market for pregnant and lactating mothers and infants to take Omega-3 and DHA, known as healthy fats and an essential brain foods.

To see our article about DHA and Omega-3 visit our new blog at bethebestnanny.com 

Warm Apple Crisp

Cooking With Kids

It is apple harvest time and no apple treat is more loved and easier to make than Apple Crisp. Let the kids mix up the dry ingredients to make this quick and easy dessert. It's so yummy my charges and I made this Betty Crocker Apple Crisp recipe twice this week! The kids can help you wash the apples, measure the ingredients, stir the ingredients with a fork, pour the apples into the baking dish, and sprinkle the topping over the apples.

If you haven't yet seen how to make some of our favorite apple recipes be sure to click the following links to check out how to make candy and caramel apples, apple cake, and apple pizza.

What You Will Need:

4 tart cooking apples  (4 cups)       
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 inch square pan
Whipped cream or ice cream, if desired

What to Do:

1. Heat oven to 375 F degrees. Grease bottom and sides of an 8-inch square pan with shortening.

2. Layer apples in pan. In a medium bowl, use a fork to stir the remaining ingredients (except cream) until well mixed. Press the butter with a fork until the dry ingredients are moist. Allow kids to sprinkle the topping over the apples.

3. Bake about 30-minutes or until topping is golden brown and the apples are tender when pierced with a fork. It's best served warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Makes 6 Servings

References:
Betty Crocker Recipe
Photos by Stephanie Felzenberg

How Nannies and Parents Must Sell Themselves During Job Interviews

Nannies and Parents are Sales People
By Jessica Eulo, Professional Nanny

No matter what it is you are looking to purchase or obtain, whether it is health insurance, a latte from Starbucks, a pasta dish from your local restaurant, or choosing a childcare provider you come in contact with sales people on a daily basis. Your server at your local restaurant is trying to sell you the specials of the night, your barista at Starbucks is trying to sell you the flavored drink of the month, nannies are trying to convince parents they are the best caregiver for their kids, and parents use salary and kindness to impress childcare providers to care for their children.

In my field of work, I am a nanny. I take care of two handsome boys. When these children “outgrow” me I will have to begin my search for a new family looking for someone to care for their children. I consider myself a sales person because I have to sell my personality, values, experience, and ability to care for children to the parents. If I do a good job at selling who I am, then the family will hire me to take care of their family. If not, they will pass up my resume for someone else.

In a similar fashion, parents have to sell themselves to job seekers by creating an appealing job description, offering an attractive salary and benefits package, and by highlighting their cute kids and that they are a nice family so that nanny candidates will want to work for them.

It's also important to remember that just as you wouldn’t go back to a restaurant that provided you with terrible food or bad service, parents and nannies won’t consider hiring or working for the other if they make a bad impression during a job interview.

Nannies are trying sell their experience, character, and values to parents to land great jobs. Parents who hire nannies are trying to sell themselves as fair employers and a great family to work with.

When you think of a sale's person, try thinking outside the box. I bet nobody would have ever considered a nanny or a parent to be a sales person.

Jessica Eulo works as a full-time, live-out nanny in NJ. She is currently studying Healthcare Administration at DeVry University. She feels honored to take care of children and have a positive impact on their lives.

Glue Ghosts

Wednesdays With Whitney

Check out this cute Halloween project from Whitney of Nanny Magazine at our new address at bethebestnanny.com

Nannies Work Harder if They Feel Wanted

Nanny Confessions: Parents Should Thank Their Caregivers

I confess, I work harder when I feel appreciated. I was reading The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful Peopleby David Niven and I agree with his comment that, “We work harder and better when we feel appreciated.” It might sound small, but it’s true.
 

Nannies tend to be caring and sensitive people. Most nannies choose this line of work because they are loving and nurturing in nature and character. So, my advice for parents that hire nannies is to simply appreciate their caregivers hard work and efforts.

It doesn’t cost much for parents to show their appreciation to their nanny. Although annual raises and bonuses and giving gifts is always nice and appreciated, compliments and sincere thank-yous are much more important to caregivers than material gifts.

 

Anne Merchant Geissler, author of The Child Care Textbookexplains that random acts of kindness in a nanny and parent relationship are essential in maintaining a great working relationship. When parents show their appreciation with random acts of kindness towards their childcare provider, the nanny will likely return the favor.

For example, when parents arrive home early from work, they should let their nannies go home early too — with full pay. When parents overlook the playroom not being perfectly tidy, because they notice the kids are happy, it helps nannies overlook their pet-peeves with their jobs as well. In fact, nannies will happily volunteer to run an extra errand for the parents and may even refuse extra money offered to them in an emergency when they appreciate their jobs and their employers.

If parents are reasonable and conscientious about appreciating their caregivers, they will get better job performance from their nannies. So, I encourage parents to brag about their nanny to other people in the employee’s presence. 

The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People

The Nanny Textbook: The Professional Nanny Guide To Child Care 2003

Should Parents Ask Nannies Take Drug Tests?

Professional Boundaries for Nannies and Parents

I admit that I’ve been on the fence on the topic of drug testing for nannies. But last week I came in contact with a woman that works as a nanny that has trouble controlling her emotions and showed inappropriate anger yelling at another woman at the local library. Later, that nanny confessed to a friend that she takes cocaine on the weekends with her boyfriend.

After seeing and hearing her yell at the kids in her care and inappropriately scold another caregiver I now see why it’s vital for parents to make sure their nanny or au pair isn’t an illegal drug user. Not only do drugs effect the emotions and actions of the caregiver it can also lead to other criminal behaviors such as stealing to be able to afford drugs.

Obviously there are legal medications that caregivers can take that would create a false positive on drug tests such as the antibiotics amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin and Vick’s inahaler medicine that is used to relieve nasal stuffiness. But, all caregivers need to do is list all the medications (prescriptions, over the counter, and herbal) they are taking and show their prescriptions prior to the drug test.

If the background check of the job candidate is clean (such as no other prior arrests for drug use) it would be clear that the false positive is due to an antibiotic or an allergy medicine rather than an illegal substance.

After seeing the aggressive and inappropriate actions of the nanny that takes drugs the other day I do think parents and nanny agencies do have a right to ask nanny candidates to take drug tests. Parents can hire services that provide drug tests at sites such as www.testcountry.com  and nannyscreeningservice.com.

Obviously, caregivers don’t have to take the tests if they choose not to. But since the caregiver is essentially a stranger being hired to care for children and a home I do think parents do have the right to ask job seekers to take drug tests before hiring them. I do think parents should understand that the results of drug testing should remain confidential.

References:
drugs.com 

Non-Toxic Treatment and Preventions for Lice

Fairy Tales Natural Lice Prevention and Treatment

For Product Review Sunday we review Fairy Tales natural lice prevention and treatment products. Please visit our new blog at bethebestnanny.com to see review.

The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby by Dav Pilkey

Book Reviews by Kids for Kids
Review by Alexandra, 9-Years-Old, Naperville Illinois

The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby by Dav Pilkeyis a book that is part of the Captain Underpants series. Fourth graders George and Harold get in trouble with the principal and are punished with him making them write a 100-page essay on good citizenship. George and Harold decide to invent a new baby superhero.

In their story, a doctor was going to give the baby a life spank, but he accidentally slipped out of the doctors hand, then he fell out of a window, and dropped into a glass of super hero juice that came from a man called Deputy Doo Doo. That makes the baby a hero. The baby super hero rescues the city from Deputy DooDoo. Super Diaper Baby uses his brain power and strength to save the day. He has a helper named Super Dog who used to be a bad guy named Danger Dog. Together they work to protect the city.

I really enjoyed this book because it has funny stuff like the flip-o-ramas and the baby beating up giants.

I recommend this book to all ages because it is really funny that a baby saves the world from bad guys. If you like super heroes and comic books you should read this book. But, I really wouldn't recommend it for spelling teachers because the spelling is atrocious!

The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby

Easy Apple Cake

Cooking with Kids

It's apple harvest time and no better time to pick and serve a terrific variety of apples with the kids. Here is an easy apple cake we found at ehow.com to make with the children. Serve it warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.

To see how to make this apple cake please visit our new blog address at bethebestnanny.com

Do You Know What the Parent's Greatest Wishes are for Their Kids?

Parents Strive for Their Kids to be Happy

Perhaps the first question any nanny job seeker should ask a parent in a job interview is if they could wish for one thing for their children what would it be?

Once nannies know what the parents desire for their children, they can try to make those goals happen for the kids left in their care.

For example, if the parents hope for their children to be great students than their nanny knows that helping the children be organized for school and tutoring is extremely important to the employers. If the parents want their kids to be happy, the caregiver should try to be creative and fun, help the children develop joy in life, and use positive discipline rather than scolding or punishing the kids in their care.

In 2010, Be the Best Nanny Newsletter asked 1,956 parents who employ nannies and au pairs their greatest wish for their children.

By far the most popular answer shared by our survey participants was that parents wish that their children are happy. Do you know what your employers greatest wish is for their kids?

Here are the results listed in the order of most popular to least important qualities for their children to have.

What Parents Want Most for their Kids:

48% A Child that Is Happy
19% Good Health
12% A Child that is Honest
8% A Child that is Responsible
5% A Child that is a Good Student
4% A Child That Has Good Manners
3% A Child That Doesn't Give Up
1% A Child that Gets Along Well with Other Children

Luminescent Frankenstein Lantern

Wednesdays With Whitney

Yesterday was the 1st of October, which means Halloween fever has hit the nation! Everywhere you look there are pumpkins, witches, and ghouls...oh my! Get into the festive spirit with your little ones by making this original take on a classic Halloween figure -- Frankenstein.

Learn how to make this project by visiting our new address at bethebestnanny.com

Sign-Up Time for Obamacare

October To-Do List

Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act begins today -- October 1, 2013. All uninsured Americans will be required to have insurance coverage as of January 1, 2014.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), provides a new way to buy insurance through a health insurance marketplace. It's lets you easily compare insurance options.

Here's what you need to do this month:

√ If you have health insurance you don't need to do anything.

√ Visit www.healthcare.gov if you don't have health insurance or you want to compare prices and choose what policy you want to purchase.

√ If you don't want to use the Internet call 800-318-2596 or check your local government to apply if you want to purchase insurance provided by the Affordable Healthcare Act.

√ See if you qualify for Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act expands affordable Medicaid coverage for millions of low-income Americans. Each state has different eligibility. If you already receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) you will probably qualify for Medicaid. You and your family may qualify for free or low-cost health insurance coverage through Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). To learn more and to find information about how to apply for these programs, see Healthcare.gov or InsureKidsNow.gov. It may take 45-days for a decision on coverage so apply immediately.

• Find your Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services at CMS.gov and visit to see if you qualify.
• Fill out Medicaid application.
• Bring birth certificate, driver's license, pay stubs, Social Security card, proof of address, proof of other insurance or bank accounts you have.