This is the third part in a series of posts that I will be publishing in the coming months about my secret “socially distanced outings” that I have been taking our kids on recently (click here to read my first post and here to read the second post). Yes, we continue to visit places like Carkeek Park and some unique places for bike/scooter riding (more on these later) but with the reopening of local playgrounds and parks, the husband and I have begun to grow a bit uncomfortable with the number of people milling around places like Discovery Park, Seward Park, etc. As many of us have learned, it is very hard to stay six feet away from others on trails, beaches and open areas.

My childhood of climbing trees, fishing, building hay forts, swimming in the river, and riding horses on my family’s farm in Forks, WA couldn’t be more different than how my own children are growing up in Seattle.

I never felt this more than when my son recently asked me if a cow he saw had tusks!!! Needless to say, I love any opportunity I can give them to spend time in a farm setting (and obviously we need to do it more).

Sammamish Animal Sanctuary
Laura (age 10) and her horse Dusty on the family farm in Forks, WA

The Sammamish Animal Sanctuary is a place where neglected animals get a second chance at a happy existence. The animals receive any necessary medical attention, loving care, and in some cases are adopted out.

Continue reading “My Secret “Socially Distanced Outings” Around Seattle: Sammamish Animal Sanctuary”

 

This is the second part in a series of posts that I will be publishing in the coming months about my secret “socially distanced outings” that I have been taking our kids on recently (click here to read my first post in this series). Yes, we continue to visit places like Carkeek Park and some unique places for bike/scooter riding (more on these later) but with the reopening of local playgrounds and parks, the husband and I have begun to grow a bit uncomfortable with the number of people milling around places like Discovery Park, Seward Park, etc. As many of us have learned, it is very hard to stay six feet away from others on trails, beaches and open areas.

Nearly every routine our family had has been thrown off by the COVID-19 pandemic. One silver lining is that we have been challenged to get off our beaten path to find new activities to do and places to go when we are getting “cabin” fever. A few months back I shared my favorite summertime outing that was great for social distancing.

Today, I want to share a fantastic outing in South Seattle: the Kubota Garden.

We went to the Kubota Garden on a cool, gray day recently. I hadn’t been there for nearly 18 years, and it was always a place I had meant to take the kids, and today was the day. We loaded everyone up and headed out for a new adventure – everyone was excited but confused about what kind of “garden” we were going to!

Continue reading “My Secret “Socially Distanced Outings” Around Seattle: Kubota Garden”

 

Ugh. The start of school has been….rough and I am filled with anxiety about the next couple of months. How can the husband and I best support our 5 year old and 12 year old as they learn remotely? What can we do to make sure they don’t “fall behind”?

We’re less worried about academics for our 5 year old as he is just entering kindergarten (although we do worry about the lack of socialization with his peers). Our biggest concern is for our 12 year old who is entering seventh grade this year and struggled greatly with remote learning in the spring. Neither of us are teachers and we learned last spring that remote learning requires more than a babysitter – our kids need someone who can help them when they don’t understand something, someone who can explain a lesson in a different way, someone who understands Common Core math.

Fortunately, our nanny is a former teacher and has agreed to work with our 5 and 12 year old to support them academically.

If your family doesn’t have the option of using your current nanny for academic support, I STRONGLY encourage you to consider setting up or joining a microschool (or what some call a learning pod).

First, let’s get this out of the way….your family probably can afford to join a microschool.

When we launched our Learning Guide© Service this past July, I spoke with many parents who felt that they couldn’t afford to hire someone to help their children learn. I totally hear that because our family is in the same boat – we don’t have the income to support bringing in a tutor to exclusively work with our children.

Most tutors (and Learning Guides©) are looking for anywhere from $25 to $75/hour. I get it. They need to live, pay their mortgage and put food on the table. I know that they will earn every penny of their pay because teaching is not for the faint of heart!

But if your family is like mine, there is no way that we can afford an extra $500-$1,000/week to bring someone into our home to teach our kids.

What if I told you your children could receive in person academic support PLUS be able to socialize with their peers for about 20 hours/week? And what if I told you this would only cost your family around $200 a week (or about $10 an hour)?

 

remote learning support

Continue reading “How You Can Set Up (And Afford) A Microschool/Learning Pod”

 

On June 9, 2020, Governor Inslee released operational and safety guidelines for how nannies, sitters and in-home child care providers can begin providing services to parents and families again.

Unfortunately, many of these guidelines are extremely difficult for a family and care provider to implement and could have a negative impact on the relationship between the provider and children in their care.

The Nanny Parent Connection team has carefully reviewed the operational guidelines published by Governor Inslee and has created this informational resource on how care providers and families can interpret these guidelines. Please make sure to read the important legal disclaimer at the end of the document.

Continue reading “COVID-19: Our Advice on the Guidelines Issued by Governor Inslee”

 

UPDATE:

On June 9, 2020, Governor Inslee released operational and safety guidelines for how nannies, sitters and in-home child care providers can begin providing services to parents and families again. Unfortunately, many of these guidelines are extremely difficult for a family and care provider to implement and could have a negative impact on the relationship between the provider and children in their care. The Nanny Parent Connection team has carefully reviewed the operational guidelines published by Governor Inslee and has created an informational resource on how care providers and families can interpret these guidelines. To view this resource, please click here.

Like many parents across the country, the husband and I have begun discussing how bringing our nanny back into our home is going to work.

In Washington, Governor Inslee has announced that Phase 2 of the reopening is tentatively scheduled for June 1. This is the the phase where all in-home/domestic services can resume. Essentially, nannies and sitters are allowed to begin working with non-essential employee parents beginning June 1…..subject to change like all things COVID-19 related.

coronavirus nanny

Our children and I miss our nanny so much! We are all excited to see her smiling face and our children are excited to restart some of the special activities/traditions that they have created with her (if you haven’t seen Wonky Donkey, check it out here).

It goes without saying, the hubby and I are excited because we sorely need a break!

The question that we have been wrestling with is how do we safely bring our nanny back into our home and protect her, her family and our family from being infected with COVID-19?

Continue reading “Coronavirus and Child Care: How We Plan To Bring Our Nanny Back”