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 »
Lost In Translation
Posted: August 3, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: Big Cat, children profanity, curse, cuss, cussing, Doc, first words, learning to talk, Mr.Man, nanny, profanity, Rebel, speech, swear, swearing, talking, toddler, understand 2 Comments
As a Supernanny, I pride myself on my ability to understand my young charges, an unspoken bond existing between us. However, when it comes to toddlers, it is in the realm of the verbal that a vast divide in understanding may occur. Toddler Speak, also known as gibberish, poppycock, and “huh?” is both endearing and confounding at the same time. Hearing a child formulate his/her first words is so adorable, it’s the chance to hear his/her speaking voice, which in and of itself is heart-melting. That combined with his/ her earnest efforts to communicate? So awesome, though not a little bit puzzling. Read the rest of this entry »
NST as TMI
Posted: July 31, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: Big Cat, gross, Mr.Man, TMI, toilet, too much information Leave a comment
“That’s a little more information than I needed, Vince, but go ahead.” –Mia Wallace, Pulp Fiction
In the world of nannying, there is no such thing as TMI(Too Much Information). If I were to tell you every full disclosure, no holds barred, borderline inappropriate, and flat out inappropriate comment I have been told, question I’ve been asked, or secret I’ve accidently been privy to, it would take a lot longer than a blog entry. Read the rest of this entry »
Save the Drama For Your Mama, Your Nanny’s Got Enough
Posted: July 27, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips, Tunes | Tags: acting, actress, Big Cat, blue eyes, character, dancing, Doc, drama, dramatic, handsome, Mr.Man, Rebel, singing Leave a comment
Despite my now predominantly calm, cool, and collected way, I do have a flare for the dramatic. From a very young age I loved participating in anything theatrical(even if it just meant crying for no reason). In elementary school I joined the choir and participated in any and all school theater productions(most memorably as a singing leper, Read the rest of this entry »
Playing Dumb
Posted: July 24, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: Big Cat, Boss lady, children, Doc, empathy, intelligence, Mr.Man, nanny, needs, playing dumb, relationship 3 Comments
As a lifelong (and thus far natural) blonde, I have worked hard to dispel the stereotype that all blondes are dumb. And despite the rare (ok full disclosure, occasional) “Duh” moment, I believe that I do my part in elevating the perceived intelligence of my hair color. However, as a lady might with any job, I pick my moment to cash in my dumb card. How and when I choose to play dumb depends on the charge at hand. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s a Hit!
Posted: July 19, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: Big Cat, captain awesome, children, funny, grocery store, humor, injury, joke, joking, laughing, Mr.Man, nanny, park, princess, swings 2 Comments
Having been a Supernanny for years now, I’ve developed the ability to hone in on a kiddo’s individual sense of humor, and adjust my stand-up accordingly. With so many different little personalities there will naturally be a grand scale of things that make them “Haha!” and I mix it up to get a chuckle out of each of them. There are, however, two main veins of comedy that are met with a laugh- ranging anywhere from a snicker to a necessary change of shorts- across the board: 1) When I joke about inflicting disciplinary pain on the kiddos, 2) When I am actually, or just pretend to be, injured.
Wake Up!
Posted: July 5, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tunes | Tags: Big Cat, cheerful, morning, Mr.Man, tired 6 Comments“My theory is that when it comes to important subjects, there are only two ways a person can answer. Which way they choose, tells you who that person is. For instance, there’s only two kinds of people in the world, Beatles people and Elvis people. Now Beatles people can like Elvis, and Elvis people can like Beatles, but nooobody likes them both equally. Somewhere you have to make a choice. And that choice, tells you who you are.” –Mia Wallace (Pulp Fiction)
I couldn’t agree with Mia more, (I’m a Beatles person, by the way.) but in my opinion, an equally defining question is whether someone is a morning person, or…not a morning Read the rest of this entry »
“Let’s Go Fly A Kite!”…and Other Logistical Nightmares
Posted: June 28, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales | Tags: Big Cat, Doc, kite mishaps, kites, mini cooper, Mr.Man, outing, Rebel 2 CommentsAs a Supernanny, Fun is my middle name. (Actually it’s Annemarie, but for my purposes as a caregiver, we’ll go with the former.) When the kiddos have some activity in mind that they are excited about, no one is more excited than me- one less adventure for me to invent, and takes the guesswork out of the day’s activities- plus I love seeing them pumped and primed for an outing! However, just as the road to hell is paved with good intentions, so is the road to some escapades paved with catastrophe! Read the rest of this entry »
Haircut Hysteria
Posted: June 25, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: Big Cat, change, haircut, Mr.Man, nanny Leave a commentThree years ago I decided, after growing my hair out, to then chop it off for wigs for kids. It was something I’d been meaning to do for years but I had trouble letting go of my long locks. Turns out I was not the only one. Mr. Man and Big Cat (at the time 5 and 3) were livid when I told them I was cutting it short. I broke the news to them and was met with scowls and scorn for what Read the rest of this entry »
Y'all Behave! 