Ah, spring time in Seattle – the time of year where you can see the cherry blossoms in their full glory at the University of Washington, baby ducklings at Green Lake, convertible owners with the tops down on a sunny 60 degree day, socks with sandals (because it’s not really warm enough to just wear sandals) and a year’s worth of seasons in a single day.

We have had some amazingly warm, sunny days recently. I love it that the kids can get outside so much! In many ways I am extremely ready for the nice weather, but at the same time it can catch me off guard. If you’re anything like me, your recent activities may have included furiously scrubbing the water table or kiddie pool out, digging through a box of  clothes to find sun hats, and crossing my fingers that last year’s shorts still fit!

The recent sunny weather also left me scrambling to find some sunscreen leftover from last year.

Continue reading “Is Your Kids’ Sunscreen Really Protecting Them? Top 5 Seattle Parent Recommended Sunscreens and Tips” →

I remember the thought that popped into my mind when my firstborn was placed upon my chest immediately after he was born…

“Things” just got real

I thought I was prepared and really grasped what it meant to have a newborn. That moment I held my baby for the first time made me realize that nothing could have truly prepared me for that moment. I was fortunate that my mother-in-law was a retired NICU nurse – she showed me everything I needed to know about caring for a baby.

I have heard many parents express worry about caring for their newborns. How will they know what to do? The good news is, a lot of it is pretty intuitive. Also, babies are fairly resilient! They are experts at knowing what they want and fussing until we correctly address their need.

I hear tales of magical unicorn babies who are great sleepers. I always wonder if it’s just the nature of the child, or something the parent does? That said, none of my four babies have been great sleepers. The first few months were especially tough with the twins!

Continue reading “What Does a Postpartum Doula Do?” →

As a former nanny, I find myself constantly brainstorming new tools for the care providers in our community to use to help offer their services.

Recently, I decided to ask the nannies and babysitters in our Facebook community what feature they would like to see us build next. There were some great ideas floated – community calendar, nanny database, and a Nanny Parent Connection Buy Nothing group among others.

Overwhelmingly though, the care providers up-voted a very novel idea…an instant message/text message system for when parents need last minute child care.

I am so excited to announce that yesterday, we launched our Last Minute Care Text Message Service!

Thank you to all of the nannies and babysitters that signed up to help us test the system. We couldn’t have done it without you 🙂

Continue reading “New Feature: Last Minute Care Text Message Service” →

That moment when you learn you are expecting two babies and not just one – we found out over halfway through my pregnancy.

Yeah… talk about panic mode!

It was a crazy, happy-crying, surreal moment.  One of my first thoughts was that we needed to upgrade our cars to fit all of our kids! 

Several weeks afterward we settled into the reality of expecting twins.  Once we calmed down we realized that the vehicles we already had would work.  We wouldn’t be able to fit the whole family in my sedan, but we did have a large SUV that could accommodate our family of six.

Continue reading “My Visit with The Car Seat Lady Sue Emery” →

Guest post from Lexi Carr. Lexi is a freelance blogger with a focus on family and life experiences. When she’s not spending time with her nieces and nephews, she’s traveling with her partner and learning about the world around her. You can contact Lexi via email here.

In a world where pop culture is king, it may seem like a nearly impossible task to raise children exposed to “culture” – a term who many struggle with defining. According to the New Yorker, culture can mean the set of practices and beliefs that make up norms or may be used in a more traditional sense involving the arts and high societal activities.

Thanks to globalization and technological advances, culture today means much more than being “civilized” or “well educated.” To be cultured is to be exposed to norms that may not be the norm of your own, to be open to differences, and to be aware of the beauty in all forms of art.

Approaching this idea with kids can be difficult and overwhelming.

However, introducing children to culture locally and in the home are great first steps. And it is the responsibility of nannies as well as parents to take those steps with the children in their care.

Continue reading “Immersing Kids in Culture” →