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Home and Family

Babysitter’s Basic Responsibilities: How Much Is To Ask For?

Babysitter’s Basic Responsibilities: How Much Is To Ask For?

Home and Family
In the field of domestic help to raise a child, the needs and arrangements vary according to the family's lifestyle, the culture (of the parents and the nanny), and the financial budget and, of course, the knowledge about caring for a child that both parties have. However, although each family is different, in these five years that I have been a mother I have learned that there are certain basic responsibilities that parents must clearly state when we start a working relationship with an occasional babysitter or babysitter. Here are three ideas that can help you to discuss the topic regarding "part time nanny" with the nanny who supports you with the care and / or upbringing of your child: A little one needs timely attention: In terms of their diet, hygiene, health and, of cour...
8 Signs You Have A Good Babysitter

8 Signs You Have A Good Babysitter

Home and Family
Finding a babysitter is hard enough, so how do you know when you have a good babysitter? Or how you can give your baby to other hand by hiring live in nanny. Here are signs that the babysitter she has hired to take care of your kids is someone you need around because she is a good one! 1. Has A Positive Personality If your babysitter transmits warmth and kindness to you, it is already a great sign. If she is positive and she gratefully accepts the opportunity to care for your little ones, then you can begin to be calmer. A positive personality with you can be a good sign that she will also be happy and fun with your children, but allow her to play with them and observe her interaction and whether your child is engaged. 2. Asks Relevant Questions If your babysitter asks a lot of questio...
Toss The “Stuff” – NOT The Stories

Toss The “Stuff” – NOT The Stories

Home and Family
Crash! "Now it's garbage!" Remember that scene in the "Odd Couple" movie, the one where Oscar smashes Felix's plate of pasta against the kitchen wall? (Okay, the film WAS released in 1967, so you younger folks may need to Google it. Look for the spaghetti scene.) Well, the same kind of thing is happening now with the possessions of our parents and grandparents. What do I mean? Family keepsakes - and stories - are at risk. I treasure my grandparents' Atwater Kent radio and my great-grandfather's meerschaum pipe. But I'm not sure who in my family will want these physical links to our past once I've shuffled off this mortal coil. This is a challenge facing many families today. With Baby Boomers downsizing and younger generations shunning lots of possessions, the things that used t...
The Power of One Challenge

The Power of One Challenge

Home and Family
The numbers don't lie. They continue to tell the story of disappointment and frustration related to autistic employment. Like the sad refrain of a heart breaking melody, the weight can become unbearable if we focus only on present outcomes. The narrative is all too familiar, autistic adults just can't work in regular job environments because of various sensory challenges which preclude them from being productive. Additionally, the present story line strongly suggests communication limitations serve as an impenetrable barrier from meaningful employment and personal satisfaction. We have the choice to continue to accept the status quo - that is autistic adults are broken and limited, or embrace a future filled with hope and boundless possibilities. Personally, I choose the latter. Our legacy...
O Holiday, Who Art Thou Today?

O Holiday, Who Art Thou Today?

Home and Family
Generally speaking, and who speaks generally anymore these days, I am not much of a holiday fan. There seems to be a holiday every day of the week. So many holidays that I cannot keep up and quite frankly, I do not have much incentive to keep up. When I was young, I enjoyed holidays but now that I am a husband, a father, a grandfather, every holiday is billed to my account, to such an extent I cannot get out of it. I hold my wallet very tight, but evidently not tight enough. Somebody invented holidays just to sell greeting cards and make a ton of money. So, I am not a great advocate of holidays. I fondly remember as a youngster getting up Christmas morning excited about what Santa had brought me under the Christmas tree. Little did I know that my father was taking care of all the cos...

What Is the Best Way to Potty Train Your Toddler in the Shortest Span of Time?

Home and Family
You can do itTrust us, potty training is not really very hard and stressful when you do it correctly. There have been cases where even the first time and single moms even without even having the dad to help out in the house, have been able to potty train their toddler within a week's time or even less. You can do it too. Stay with us and we will show you how.Potty training in small sessionsA lot of books have been written which suggest that you should start with potty training in regular sessions. This method of training suggests that you would want to train the toddler in the morning time as well as in the afternoon multiple times at home. Allow them to go around their regular activities of eating, drinking and playing as they usually do, but have them sit on the pot every fifteen minutes...

Oh Wisdom, Wherefore Art Thou

Home and Family
One feature of the Christmas story has to do with the wise men. I'm not sure if there were three or not, but if there were I should like to be number four.Wisdom is such a rare commodity today I think it would be a wise thing to resurrect these wise men. After all, you never can have too much wisdom.I was thinking about this the other day as I was going over my weekly "to-do-list." I make one of these every week so I know what I'm supposed to do. As I finish one task, I check it off in red ink.It's not that I don't do a lot of things during the week, it's simply that I sometimes don't do the things that I plan to do for the week.I certainly am not like the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage who has a PhD in planning. I know that if I don't make my own plans and write them down, she will be...

What Other Mums Don’t Tell You When You Are Pregnant

Home and Family
At last you are pregnant; those little blue lines confirm it. You are overjoyed. Do you share your news with all around you; your relatives, friends and work mates. Or will you and your partner keep it your secret for a few months. You can't stop smiling you are so excited.. Will you suffer morning sickness? The worst I suffered was nausea and I spent my days sucking mints, however there are now some little blue wrist bands with a bead to activate a pressure point, which is a great help. There are called 'sea bands'. Google them is you are having problems. You may get cramps and sciatica later in your pregnancy, or find the last few weeks tiring, but many sail through pregnancy working until days before the birth. Many find their hair shines and their skin glows and they feel great. ...

Let The Summer Fun Begin

Home and Family
Now that summer is upon us, we can turn our back on those frosty days of winter. I like winter as long as it is in the past tense. Otherwise, all that cold tenses me up something terrific. Now that summer is upon me, I can sit back, relax and enjoy those crazy, lazy days of summer.My plans for the summer have already been established. I have a little notebook with all the things I plan to do during the summer. If someone were to open that little notebook, they will find, much to their surprise, not a thing written on any page.That is precisely my plan. I plan to do nothing during the summer.This is a relatively new strategy on my part. Every time I plan to do something, it never turns out right. In fact, if I plan to go right everything turns around and I end up going left. Therefore, my i...

I Miss My Good Friend, Tom Foolery

Home and Family
This past week the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I were having a conversation. Of course, it was more like a monologue, but you know how that works.We were thinking back over the years of our life together and reminding ourselves of some of the great and wonderful times we have had. The friends we have made. The activities we have enjoyed together. Of course, there were the grandchildren and my wife had a great time talking about the grandchildren and I chuckling along with her.After a moment of quietness, my wife said rather seriously, "Who is the friend you miss the most?"Boy, was that a question!I had to really think about that, then I mention somebody she knew and we moved on to another subject.However, thinking about that a little bit later I did acknowledge that the friend I...