STOP! Bellybutton Time.
Posted: September 14, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales | Tags: bellybutton, bellybutton time, bellybuttons, Doc, funny, game, midriff, Rebel Leave a comment
It’s amazing how in a matter of minutes something hilarious and heartwarming can happen- many times out of the oddest situations. Perfect example: “Bellybutton Time” with Doc and Rebel. On a typical (though no day with these two is ever “typical”) day with Doc and Rebel, the three of us were hanging out post “rest time” and nap, when all of a sudden Rebel lifts up his little shirt and says, “Bellybutton!” Doc follows suit and lifts his little shirt and says, “Bellybutton!” Then they both look at me expectantly, eyes wide, facial expressions reading, “Ok, Miss Cheryl it’s your turn.” I balked. Read the rest of this entry »
Keep it Simple
Posted: September 11, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips, Tunes | Tags: bare necessities, Big Cat, bubble wrap, children, Doc, gift buying, Mr.Man, nanny, play, shaving cream, simple, simple fun, simple toys, toys. cardboard box 2 Comments
Being a Supernanny, I am well-versed in the toys of now. In addition to shopping for the children myself, I often do gift recon as a favor to parents when their child’s birthday is coming up, and for past nannying gigs I’ve even done the gift buying (for the kiddos and their friends) for the parent. With tons of choices, different versions, “newest” this, “better” that, bells and whistles, navigating the toy aisle in Target becomes a trip into the modern wizardry of toys. When it comes to the kiddos I nanny, as birthdays/holidays come around I opt for books, educational toys, etc. and in my day-to-day nannying duties, I know all too well, that if it’s free, it’s for me! Many times, fun and fancy blossom from very simple items. The brilliance is in the simplicity! Read the rest of this entry »
Ease-y Rider
Posted: September 7, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: activity, captain awesome, Doc, ease transitions, first child, location, nanny, period of adjustment, schedule, second child, super nanny, thought 3 Comments
As a Supernanny, I run a tight ship schedule-wise. I’m always on time, or early, due in large part to the fact that I often over budget for time, because I know that when timeliness is dependent upon kiddo cooperation, there may be delays. One of the reasons I include these babe time buffers is because I know that the vast majority of children need a period of adjustment between one activity/location, and the next. It’s important to ease the transition from mealtime, to playtime, to chore time, to drive time, to bedtime. Kiddos are much more cooperative when they are not being pushed and pulled hurriedly in any direction. It’s not that there are averse to change, they just need to know it’s coming. Read the rest of this entry »
Get Your Role On!
Posted: September 4, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: babies, caregiver, co-parenting, discipline, help, helper, infants, mother's helper, role, schedule, school age, secondary caregiver, toddlers 2 CommentsNow in my sixth year of nanny life, I’m on a regimented rotation with several families, however in the whole of my nannying thus far, I have had commitments spanning from exclusivity with a single family, to juggling up to five on a regular schedule. Each family has a different dynamic -different number of children, range of ages, spectrum of childcare needs- and so I adapt my Miss Cheryl persona per house accordingly. I walk in the door, ready and in character! Lines memorized, no second takes. Read the rest of this entry »
The Barf Bag Test
Posted: August 31, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: airplane, artwork, barf, barf bag, care, compassion, conscientious, empathy, golden rule, motion sickness, planes, sympathy, throw up, travel, treat others how you want to be treated 4 Comments
When my family would go on vacation, we three children were always given a few travel gifts to see us through. Travel games, books to read, and coloring books topped the list. For our first few family vacations we mostly drove to our destinations, but as we got older, we started flying as a family. I preferred driving only because it gave me more time to read and our car’s seats were more comfortable than those on the airplane, but eventually I became accustomed to Read the rest of this entry »
Little Radioheads
Posted: August 28, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips, Tunes | Tags: Big Cat, Boss lady, child appropriate radio, children, children music, children's playlist, Doc, melody, Mr.Man, music, pandora for kids, picking out music for children, playlist, Rebel 2 Comments
What kind of music someone prefers can tell you a lot about him/her. Some of the most revealing conversations I have had with friends and family have been about music, and it is through our mutual love of music, and The Doors in particular, that my fiancé Luke and I first fell in love. Music is a way to bond with people and provides a common denominator in relationships. (That, or bad taste in music can act as a red flag for someone you do not need to spend a road trip with!) Read the rest of this entry »
“Mu-sic/ Makes the Kid-dos/ Behave Bet-ter/ Yeah!”
Posted: August 24, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips, Tunes | Tags: Big Cat, children, chuck inglish, cool kids, jammer, Little green bag, live music capital of the world, mikey rocks, mohawk austin, Mr.Man, music, pumped up kicks, the beach boys, the beatles, the cool kids 2 Comments
It has been said that the benefits of music are incalculable. Certainly in my experience, listening to good music is on par with a good meal, a relaxing drive, a beautiful sunset, and can recall memories of when the song was first heard- how I felt, who I was with, the happiness or heartache of that specific time. Music is something that can be universal, a shared experience with hundreds and thousands of others, or individual, with someone having an extremely personal response to a piece of music. As an ardent lover of music, I try to impart my enthusiasm to my charges. Read the rest of this entry »
Right Round
Posted: August 21, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales | Tags: alice i wonderland, Big Cat, children, dizzy, Doc, glasses, intoxicated, Mr.Man, nanny, Rebel, spinning 2 Comments
As a Supernanny, I am privileged to be privy to many kiddos’ first brushes with intoxication. No, I don’t rub whiskey on their gums, I mean the intoxicating activity of spinning. I remember spinning, of any kind, being my activity of choice when I was a child. Whether I was on a tire swing, a merry-go-round at the park, or just holding hands with a friend/parent and whirling around, I loved the rush of adrenaline, the exhilaration of this seemingly simple activity. Read the rest of this entry »
Say My Name
Posted: August 17, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips, Tunes | Tags: baby, Big Cat, calling babies by their names. proper names, funny, funny nicknames, Mr.Man, nanny nicknames, nicknames, Rebel, Snuggles Leave a comment
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, just because I’m a Supernanny does not mean I don’t make mistakes. It only means that I learn from my mistakes and hopefully become better at my job. One thing I’m always working on is referring to kiddos, particularly infants, by their given names, and not just by “baby”. It’s much harder than you think, considering that what I love most about them is their babyness- it’s the first thing that comes to mind, “Hey look, it’s a baby!” I have been working on being more mindful of this habit because it is important to refer to each child as an individual. Though I see each one as a unique person, Read the rest of this entry »
“Pioneers and Indians”
Posted: August 14, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales | Tags: Big Cat, conestoga wagon, covered wagon, growing up, imagination, imagine, mind, Mr.Man, native americans, pioneer, pretend, young 3 Comments
As a child with an overactive imagination I pretended to be characters in books, movies, and at times characters I invented. Though mostly drawing inspiration from the fictitious, every so often a factual setting would prove irresistible to my creative impulses. Around fifth grade, a certain historical group struck my fancy: the pioneers. Could have been that we were studying them in school, could have been a cowboy movie, most likely it was the Read the rest of this entry »
Y'all Behave! 