Fussy vs. Psycho
Posted: November 29, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips, Tunes | Tags: Attachment Parenting, crying, Ferber Method, fussy crying, nanny, out of control, parenting, psycho crying, serenity prayer Leave a comment
So much of nannying is getting to know the kiddos like the back of my hand; knowing their habits, understanding their personalities. This all comes with time spent with them, and of course, by speaking with their folks, who know them better than anyone. One of the most winning of wisdoms is when a caregiver can decipher the degrees of despair in a kiddo’s crying. Or, as I like to gauge it: Fuss Crying or Psycho Crying. Read the rest of this entry »
¡El Fuego!
Posted: November 27, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tunes | Tags: El Fuego, fiery, Godson, heat, hot, infant, new addition, red hair, red-haired baby 2 Comments
Introducing El Fuego!
My newest addition to Y’all Behave is my ridiculously adorable Godson, El Fuego. (Y’all may recall my reference to him in connection with an original song I penned in his honor.) I’ve begun watching him on a weekly nannying basis, plus the precious (though never enough!) Godmother/Godson time with him on the side! El Fuego is very aptly named; his fiery red hair alone begs a nickname of scorching proportions, and his need for speed is insatiable at only a few months of age! Read the rest of this entry »
You Can Count On Me!
Posted: November 15, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales | Tags: attendance, big, Boss lady, capable, cat, commitment, dependable, Doc, Mr.Man, on time, punctual, Rebel, value 2 CommentsIf memory serves, my first several years of nannying, or babysitting rather, between the age of 11 and 18, were filled with mistakes. Not having yet developed the valuable skill of time management I was tardy at times(most times), irresponsible simply by inexperience and immaturity (driving kiddos without parental permission. AHHH!!!!!!), and generally clueless, finding my way as a caregiver. When you’re a teenager you have little to no common sense and are still learning to take care of yourself, let alone others. However, I have always had the best intentions, and tried very hard to be helpful and fun. I eventually hit my stride, able to take four kiddos (ranging in age from infant to school age) to and from the pool, and out running errands during the day for one week (Y’all may recall M1,M2,& M3,and M4.)! This achievement was actually my foot in the Austin nannying door; upon hearing I was capable of wrangling four kiddos, for five days, the Austin mamas knew I was the real McCoy! Read the rest of this entry »
Supernanny Icon: Jessa Johansson
Posted: November 13, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Supernanny Icons | Tags: chic, Girls, HBO Girls, Jessa from Girls, Jessa Johansson, Supernanny 2 Comments
Jessa Johansson
Now, today’s series spotlight choice, Jessa Johansson, may come as a surprise to any of y’all who are familiar with this character on HBO’s Girls. Jessa (played by the luminous Jemima Kirke) is unreliable, curses, loses the kiddos at one point, and ends up having an inappropriate flirtation with the father of her charges (I won’t even get into the debauchery of her off-duty shenanigans, though if you’re a fan of the show, you already well know!). So, no, she is not an obvious candidate for Supernanny Icon status, (In all honesty, she’s not even someone I would refer as a nannying contact.) but hear me out, as there are traits of hers that I find to be: at the most admirable, and at the least amusing. Read the rest of this entry »
Blind Spots
Posted: November 8, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales | Tags: blind, blind spots, blue eyes, Boss lady, disciplinary blind spots, driving, nanny cannot discipline, unable to discipline 1 Comment
Drivers have blind spots, generally located in the rear right and rear left of the vehicle. These areas make it difficult for even the best drivers to confidently make moves without an over-the-shoulder confirmation. Nannies, even super ones, have disciplinary blind spots, located in certain households, and in the shape of specific kiddos. Even the most experienced Supernanny will encounter a child/ren who make it impossible to impose discipline. There is no rhyme or reason for the assignment of a disciplinary blind spot, no criteria except the intangible power certain kiddos possess over the nannies who love them. Read the rest of this entry »
Tipsy, or Tiny? Part II
Posted: November 6, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: 6th street, children, drinking, drunkards, drunks, drunks and kids, kiddos, separation anxiety, sixth street, stopping friend from getting a tattoo Leave a comment
In addition to nudity, loose lips, and lack of motor skills, the like tendencies of drunkards and kiddos extend to both 1) what will snap them into sobriety/good behavior, and 2) what will calm them in a storm (whether the storm be separation anxiety or too many shots). Read the rest of this entry »
Oh the Places Y’all’ll Go!: Paris, France
Posted: November 1, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Oh the Places Y'all'll Go!, Tales, Tips 4 Comments
As a Supernanny I’m always encouraging the kiddos to be open to making new friends, and the parents to socialize the kiddos often, and in fun ways. I set up play dates for Mr. Man and Big Cat, taking them to the park to meet classmates, or spending an afternoon at the house of a pal. I would call up the parents and make it happen! Sometimes my nannying schedule calls for the combining of two families together on random days for a few hours. Many of the families are friends so the kiddos know each other, and if not it provides an opportunity for the kiddos to meet, and spend some time together. I recently combined Princess and Captain Awesome with Doc and Rebel for a fun morning spent with Princess and Doc drawing pictures for each other, while Rebel and Captain Awesome held a full-on gibberish conversation in the playhouse, at snack time all sitting together eating and enjoying each other’s company; truly a great day. (It is worth noting that the next day, Doc asked his dad to make his pancake in the shape of Princess’s name.) Read the rest of this entry »
Fishing & Friendship
Posted: October 30, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: Big Cat, children making friends, fishing, friends, friendship, kiddos, making friends, Mr.Man, nanny Leave a commentHaving grown up on the coast, and having an avid fisherman as a father, I began fishing at an early age, (even succeeding at times, as you might recall). I found and still find fishing to be awesome. It’s a great way to take it easy, reflect, spend time with friends/family, relax, and get some sun. On one particularly memorable day of nannying I took Mr. Man and Big Cat fishing at Town Lake, picking up their grandpa on the way to add some family fun to our idyllic day. The boys were so excited, not catching anything, but just enjoying being out on the dock, lines in the lake, finding fishing to be fun!
Oh the Places Y’all’ll Go!: Exuma, Bahamas
Posted: October 23, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Oh the Places Y'all'll Go!, Tales, Tips, Tunes | Tags: Bahamas, Bahamian lifestyle, blue eyes, captain awesome, Doc. Big Cat, exuma, exuma bahamas, make new friends, Rebel, relax, schedule, the exumas, vacation 4 Comments
Exciting new sporadic series: OH THE PLACES Y’ALL’LL GO!
Though the life of a Supernanny may not afford me the same standard benefits of other jobs such as insurance, PTO, etc., it more than makes up for it in the invaluable advantage of making my own hours. Because my fiancé “Mr. Luke” is only home six months out of the year (he works one month on, one month off) we make the most of his time home (spending weekends together and when possible taking trips ranging anywhere from a weekend to two full weeks). For my nannying schedule this means that every other month (when Luke is offshore) my schedule is jam-packed while I try to work as many hours as possible and fill the families’ times of need and then some: working weekends, overnights, 16 hour days going to up to 4 different homes; the alternating months (when Luke is home) I tone the workload down to a respectable 40 hours per week and take weekends off to be with my man, family, friends, and then some vacation time. Read the rest of this entry »
Bite Me!…No, Wait! Don’t!
Posted: October 9, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: anne rice, biting, children biting, Doc, edward cullen, eric northman, infants, no biting, Rebel, stop children from biting, toddlers, true blood, twilight, vampire, vampire children, vampires, vampires in literature Leave a comment
Edward Cullen of Twilight. You’re welcome, moms.
I understand the long-standing allure of the vampire as a mythical creature (I’m a huge fan of Anne Rice), and the resurgence of vampires in pop culture by way of literary franchises such as Twilight and True Blood (both the brainchilds of female authors, gotta love that!), comes as no surprise to me. It’s an attractive premise-the idea of immortality, strength, power, passion, and the lifestyle it affords: late nights, sleeping the day away, no grocery shopping -hey, being a vampire sounds good to me! However, there is one aspect of the vampire legend that gives me major pause (pause, Team Jacob, not paws) and that is the whole biting part. As a Supernanny, one of the issues I run into occasionally is kiddos “turning” into biters. Now, it’s my duty to break them of this habit during my time with them, hopefully preventing it from happening in my absence. Read the rest of this entry »
Y'all Behave! 