2019 Seattle Holiday Lights Map

Posted on December 6, 2019December 22, 2021 by Laura Kitchel

December… that time of year again where we clean up dinner, get the kids dressed in their pajamas, and head out in the car to look at the holiday lights! We have a few favorite locations (close to home!) like Olympic Manor and Candy Cane Lane, but have made a point to check out some new locations a little further out.

We have updated our Interactive Holiday Lights Map with several new locations this year!

At some point in this tradition, my five year old got the idea there would be candy cane handouts for cars driving through the neighborhood light displays (I blame the husband). We haven’t found such a neighborhood yet, but some locations like the Evergreen Church in Bothell do have free cocoa and cookies. Perhaps a trip up that way is in order for our family this year 🙂

We hope you find this map useful. Happy Holidays!

Continue reading “2019 Seattle Holiday Lights Map” →

CareCalendar: New Child Care Search Tool Now LIVE!

Posted on November 22, 2019December 22, 2021 by Laura Kitchel

After five months, countless hours of building and refining, and an invaluable amount of feedback from a handful of care providers and parents…

I am so excited to announce that our CareCalendar is now live!

WHAT IS THE CARECALENDAR?

The idea for the CareCalendar has been brewing for several years now because of one simple reality: it is much harder to find care providers for short term or temporary child care than for a long term gig. On top of this, I constantly hear from care providers that while they already have a long term care arrangement, they would like to make extra income because they are saving to move into a larger home, have kids, take a dream vacation, or would like some extra dollars for the holidays.

The husband and I started kicking around the idea of an online calendar where parents and care providers could search for child care opportunities on certain days or times or post their own need or opportunity…

Continue reading “CareCalendar: New Child Care Search Tool Now LIVE!” →

November 2019 Pay Rate Survey: Caring for One Child Part Time

Posted on November 8, 2019September 3, 2020 by Laura Kitchel

In our ongoing quest to provide current and accurate information about child care pay rates in our region, it’s time to update our Caring for One Child Part Time Pay Rate Survey!

We last surveyed our members about part time pay rates to care for one child in July 2018. You can find the results of that survey here.

Today we present our November 2019 Caring for One Child Part Time Pay Rate Survey!

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Best Santa Photos in Seattle – Only a Few Slots Left!

Posted on October 8, 2019December 22, 2021 by Laura Kitchel

santa photos

Braving the long lines and limited parking at area shopping malls so that our children can sit with Santa for 60 seconds or so has been a tradition in our house. A tradition that truly isn’t that enjoyable for my husband and I nor our children. The whole experience can feel rushed and “cheap”.

So, I set out to find a less chaotic and more magical experience for our family. I found something amazing that I wanted to share with you and your family. But hurry, there are limited spaces and they are booking up quickly! Continue reading “Best Santa Photos in Seattle – Only a Few Slots Left!” →

DISCOUNT ALERT! The Secret Formula for Keeping Kids Room Organized

Posted on October 1, 2019December 22, 2021 by Laura Kitchel

Raise your hand if you wish you had more organization in your life!

Now raise your hand if you don’t have the bandwidth or mental capacity at the end of the day to:

Pick up after your children
Try to determine what toys, books, etc. that the kids no longer use
Measure walls and floor space
Research bins and organization systems
Buy said bins and systems
Install said systems
Organize small toys and knickknacks
Go on Goodwill runs

You get my point 🙂

My older boys have never been able to keep their room clean – until now. What’s the secret? Read on to find out!

Continue reading “DISCOUNT ALERT! The Secret Formula for Keeping Kids Room Organized” →

Should Parents Use A Hidden Nanny Camera?

Posted on September 22, 2019December 22, 2021 by Laura Kitchel

In June 2018, a Seattle area nanny was caught on a nanny camera abusing a child. The family installed the camera after receiving a tip. She was charged with child assault.

In July 2018, a nanny cam showed a Kent babysitter repeatedly assaulting a three month old baby. She was charged with child assault.

In July of this year, another nanny in the Seattle area was caught on camera shaking a 10 month old baby. She was charged with child assault.

These situations are extremely upsetting to hear about, and for some parents it is the reason they shy away from working with sitters or nannies.

It’s important to note that these stories are not the norm – Seattle has a fantastic nanny community made up of many caring individuals who would never harm a child. In fact, the Seattle nanny community was instrumental in bringing the nanny from the June 2018 incident to justice – and policing the nanny forums when that particular individual tried to continue to offer child care services even after her arrest.

When parents hear about these stories they often discuss installing a nanny cam.

However, nanny cams are not just for catching those endangering children. There can be many benefits to nanny cam monitoring as well.

Continue reading “Should Parents Use A Hidden Nanny Camera?” →

Win A $50 Amazon Gift Card! Share Your Funny “First Day of School” Story

Posted on September 9, 2019December 22, 2021 by Laura Kitchel

Most kids are back to school now (did you hear the collective high fives from parents all around you?!) and despite the best laid plans, things don’t always play out the way you had envisioned.

My oldest started out middle school this year by forgetting his lunch, and having his school bus run an hour late. We drove him to school and then had to drive back to school again to bring his lunch to the office. His lunch never connected with him – thankfully, I made him stash some emergency cash in his backpack which he used to buy his meal!

This part was not necessarily funny (though I am chuckling about it today), but it was funny when my husband came downstairs to find him fully dressed, even with coat, backpack and shoes on A FULL HOUR EARLY, just staring at the wall contemplating his first day of middle school 🙂

We would love to hear funny first day of school stories from YOU! Please submit your stories in the comments below. We will select the top five stories at the end of this week and have community members vote on their favorite between September 16th and 20th. The story with the most votes will win a $50 Amazon gift card!

P.S. Don’t forget to include your Facebook profile name at the end of your story so that we can contact you if you’re the winner!

No purchase necessary. Contest open to all residents of the State of Washington. Contest submissions must be received by 11:59pm PST on September 15, 2019. Winner will be chosen and notified between September 16 and September 20, 2019. Contest offered by Nanny Parent Connection LLC – 4730 University Way NE, Suite #104 – Seattle, WA 98105.

Riding Link Light Rail with the Kids: The Best $6.50 Spent!

Posted on September 5, 2019December 22, 2021 by Laura Kitchel

The husband takes our kids to Carkeek Park several times a week during the summer to run around, climb on the playground equipment, and dig in the sand. All of our little ones are fascinated by the freight, Sounder and Amtrak trains that go zooming past several times per day. So he came up with a novel idea: a train ride for the kids! Read on to hear about their adventure…

Laura is correct – our kids are absolutely fascinated by trains. So I decided to take them on a train ride! Given the fact that our twins are two years old and still require a nap in order to prevent insanity and meltdowns, my #1 goal with this train trip was to have it last no more than three hours “door to door”. Also, I didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg on tickets.

Unfortunately, we are a bit limited in our area with passenger heavy rail service. We’re stuck with either Amtrak or the Sound Transit Sounder which runs from Everett to Lakewood.

Amtrak

Proposed Route: Everett to Tacoma

Being a native of Seattle, I can recall from an early age hearing adults speak pretty poorly about Amtrak and its service. While I have never ridden an Amtrak train before, I do hear from friends/family that the service is much improved although you do need to be aware of delays and service interruptions.

My initial thought was, “Hey, let’s jump on an Amtrak train from Everett to Tacoma and then come back”. Yeah….that didn’t happen. Here’s why:

Continue reading “Riding Link Light Rail with the Kids: The Best $6.50 Spent!” →

How To Prepare Your Family and Nanny for the Start of School!

Posted on August 27, 2019December 22, 2021 by Laura Kitchel

The start of the school year is just around the corner for most families in Seattle (parents rejoice!). In my house we have been busy checking to see what clothes and shoes still fit and what sizes we need, and getting ready to rotate summer clothes out and fall/winter clothing in.

We have a big shift this year with one kiddo heading off to a new school, and riding the school bus instead of walking. (This is also the first year his hair style matters and he wanted to choose his own clothes for school, and there have been multiple requests for a cell phone…and I don’t suppose these will be disappearing in the foreseeable future!) For us, this means a lot of schedule changes and coordinating with family and care providers.

A lot of parents rely on before and after school help with their children and will be working with a new nanny this school year. (If you are one of the many families still looking for help, please check out these tips on our Before and After School Care Map).

Perhaps you already have a nanny, but the start of the school year means your child care needs have changed. Whether you will be working with a new nanny for the upcoming school year, or you already have nanny care in place, it’s important to take the following things into consideration to ensure a smooth working relationship for everyone involved.

Continue reading “How To Prepare Your Family and Nanny for the Start of School!” →

Six Tips to Avoid the Summertime “I’m Bored”!

Posted on July 31, 2019December 22, 2021 by Laura Kitchel

The weather has finally gotten the message that it’s SUMMER and we have been having some nice, HOT sunny days! Bring on the season of not having to make school lunches (yay!), and 85+ degree days with no air conditioning (boo)!

I’m really looking forward to getting out and about with the kids, but I also want to avoid getting stuck in a rut of doing the same handful of outings and activities each week. My kids definitely don’t need fancy (they can play for hours in a hole filled with water at the beach), but I want to expose them to a lot of different and enriching activities.

If you have found you’re stuck in a rut, are hearing “I’m bored!” several times a day, or maybe just need some additional summertime activities, please check out these tips below!

Continue reading “Six Tips to Avoid the Summertime “I’m Bored”!” →