Did we, uh, just Onomatopoeia?!
Posted: March 19, 2013 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: burp, burping, children and their nanny, Doc, funny sounds, gas, hiccup, hiccuping, kids, miss cheryl, nanny, onomatopoeia, Rebel, scream, shriek, sneeze, toot, trip 4 CommentsI spend much of my day trying to make the kiddos laugh. Most times humor comes naturally to me, sometimes I’m hard-pressed to find the humor in a situation. Then there are days when divine intervention drops an amazing, and serially situational set of funnies my way. Read the rest of this entry »
A Rhyme Works Every Time!
Posted: February 26, 2013 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: behaving, booty, Doc, Dr. Seuss, fun with rhyming, learning lessons, nanny, Rebel, rhyme 2 Comments
When trying to teach the kiddos something, or snap them out of an attitude that needs adjusting, I often take a cue from Dr. Seuss (and poets everywhere) and rhyme out to avoid the need for a time out. Read the rest of this entry »
Call out the Instigator
Posted: February 14, 2013 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: blame, Doc, instigate, nanny, quarrels, Rebel, sibling rivalry, Siblings, squabbles Leave a commentNannying for siblings, which is often the case, I run into a flood of familiar issues. Familiar because, as the middle child, I have experienced the clashes between both younger and older siblings. I know all too well the numerous nitpicky, negative nonsense that goes on with siblings due to proximity, personality clash, or just plain frustration. When you have siblings, you are with them day in and day out, and no matter how much you love them or how awesome they are, (none more awesome or loved than my own brother and sister, I might add) there are times when conflicts are inevitable. I see it all the time with my charges, especially with brothers —the older one is annoyed by the younger one, or the younger doesn’t want to play with the older one— the problems arrive from many different, but similar scenarios. Read the rest of this entry »
A Separate Peace
Posted: February 12, 2013 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips, Tunes | Tags: Boss lady, engaging children, kiddos, nanny, parallel play, playtime, Sassafras, Sassy, separate 3 Comments
As a Supernanny, I try my best to always be engaging to the kiddos. I play with them, talk to them, always trying to keep them active and excited. However, I have learned from my charges, mostly those that are only children, that sometimes kiddos, like adults, need their personal space. Read the rest of this entry »
Bullies Beware
Posted: January 22, 2013 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: anti-bullying, blue eyes, Bullies, bully at play, Bullying, chucky doll, jammer, lou ferrigno, nanny, playscape 2 Comments
Bullying is a social issue that unfortunately plagues almost everyone at one time or another. It’s a crime on a personal level that often goes unprosecuted because it operates in a grey area. An argument may be made on both sides: one person’s “bullying” may be another person’s “joke” or cliquish behavior. I, myself, got caught up in the mean girl mentality –both as victim and perpetrator– around middle school: excluding people, speculating, just needlessly not nice things. Though my intent was never to hurt anyone, it shames me now to have ever been involved in such trivial and ultimately harsh behaviors. At the time, as perpetrator I truly didn’t think anyone cared enough about my opinion to take me seriously, let alone get their feelings hurt. (I wasn’t putting much thought or energy into the mean girl behavior, how could I possibly hurt someone?) Once I realized my behavior was truly hurtful, after being a victim of it myself, and that bullying was the case, I set about apologizing, and nipping ostracizing and victimizing in the bullying bud, as did my pals. What goes around comes around was definitely the case with me, as I had a yearlong run-in with a bully of epic proportions when I went to high school. My younger thoughtlessness paled in comparison to this girl’s malicious intent. But everything is relative, and what I participated in and instigated during my younger years was no less hurtful to the recipient. Read the rest of this entry »
Feelin’ Good Again
Posted: January 15, 2013 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips | Tags: Big Cat, captain awesome, childcare, children, fake it til you make it, feelin' good again, love being a nanny, Mr.Man, nanny, nannying, nannying as therapy, nannying cheers me up, nannying makes me happy, parents, Rebel, smile, sweet, sympathy 2 Comments
For all “boo-boo”s I have kissed and made better, for all the frowns I’ve turned upside-down, and for those cloudy days I’ve brought a bit of sunshine to, there are many moments in my life that have been made better by the kiddos. Nannying, at times, has been the only way a truly terrible day has been made better. Read the rest of this entry »
Oh the Places Y’all’ll Go: Park City, Utah
Posted: December 18, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Oh the Places Y'all'll Go!, Tales, Tips | Tags: black, blue, enjoy, green, kiddos, nanny, Park City, Park City Utah, ski, skiers, skiing, slopes Leave a comment
A recent ski trip to Park City, Utah ended up being a few days filled with nannying wisdom! Snow skiing is a sport a gal from south Texas would not ordinarily be exposed to, except that in Miss Cheryl’s case my family went skiing several years during childhood, then in high school I took a few trips with my youth group, and in college took a couple of trips with friends and family. Still, by this year it had been at least six years since I last stepped on the slopes. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it all came back to me; just like riding a bike! Instead of relearning how to ski I was free to reflect on the many parallels between life and…well, paralleling on skis! Read the rest of this entry »
Catch-A-Phrase Reloaded
Posted: December 13, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales | Tags: Big Cat, catchy phrase, catchy phrases, Doc, funny phrases, Mr.Man, nanny, phrase, phrases, Rebel, Slow your roll, you're ok 2 CommentsIn addition to the aforementioned phrases caught by kiddos, here are a few more Miss Cheryl-isms:
“Hey look who I found in the crib! He/she says his/her name is ______, can we keep him/her?” I use this one almost daily with Doc and Rebel. Doc and I have quality time (reading, talking, playing) until Rebel wakes up from his nap. When he does, Doc watches on the monitor as I get Rebel out of his crib and bring him downstairs into the land of the wakeful. When we get to the bottom of the stairs, or round the corner into the living room where Doc awaits, I say in a voice filled with wonder and surprise, “Doc, look who I found in the crib upstairs! Look how cute! He says his name is Rebel, can we keep him?” to which Doc, eyebrows raised, smile on face says, “Sure!…Hiiii Re-bel!” Doc loves a good inside joke, while Rebel (the classic second child) is always happy for extra attention. Read the rest of this entry »
Don’t Speak!
Posted: December 11, 2012 Filed under: Miss Cheryl, Tales, Tips, Tunes | Tags: Big Cat, Boss lady, El Fuego, kiddos, kids, nanny, quiet, Rebel, Sassafras, shhh, silence is golden Leave a comment
Besides being the definitive breakup song of my middle school years, Don’t Speak is also a great dollop of nannying advice. Like Gwyn Stefani, I use my voice a lot at work. I spend my days reading to the kiddos, baby-talking to the infants, singing little ones to sleep, conversing, answering questions, giving directions; nannying is a vivacious variety of verbalization. And though the kiddos crave my words, my songs, my vocal attentions, I’ve learned that sometimes they just need me to shut up. Read the rest of this entry »
Y'all Behave! 