Earth day is an important event that all Canadians should take part in one way or another. I would love to use this blog to create a list of things that parents and nannies across Canada do to help the environment. Here are a few things that my staff and I have done:
1) I now send all my kids lunches in Tupperware containers. At first, I was having difficulty getting the containers back and having to replace them all the time. So I purchased labels from www.mabel.ca and put labels on all of the containers that leave our home. Their labels are fantastic and they have not faded and are completely dishwasher proof. Just putting labels on lunch things has saved us time and money. And is really a unique way to be environmental!
2) I always bring re-useable bags on every grocery trip. We actually try and to keep them in our car so we do not forget them. Really, these bags hold more than plastic ones and are easier to carry. We also use them for other things, like beach days, soccer gear, etc. They're so durable and strong! The kind that I have are actually made from old plastic bags, and they are completely washable!
3) For the business, we turn everything off at the end of the day: computers, radios, space heaters (which also cut the energy bill), and lights. We also re-use paper wherever we can, and recycle what we can't.
4) My family has our own herb and vegetable garden in the back yard. We have a small backyard, but we are making a larger space for a vegetable garden this year. Hey if the Obama’s can do it why not us! The kids also love helping with the gardening and get a real kick out of it when we pick lettuce and make a salad with it right away!
5) Garburtors are not actually environmentally friendly; despite what I previously thought. I didn't know that until this year. Since garburators need a considerable amount of water to run properly, they place a strain on treatment plants and negatively impact aquatic life. Before we were using the garburtor serval times a day, now we have greatly decreased that.
Well parents and nannies what about you? What have you done this year to improve the environment? What are you planing to do?
~ Remember: Earth Hour 2009 is this Saturday, March 28th. Turn out the lights for one hour at 8:30pm local time, and join millions of people worldwide in saving the planet! ~
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Piercing my Daughter
This week Mike and I finally buckled under tremendous pressure. We allowed our daughter Charlotte to get her ears pierced on her 7th birthday. She has been talking about this for 2 years. We said when she was 5 that she could get her ears pierced when she was 7. Well it has pretty much been a count down to her birthday. She woke up in the morning so excited not about her birthday but about her ear piercing. Frankly Mike and I would have preferred to wait but we were too far along to stop it. I must admit I can remember being that excited about getting my ears pierced too.
So we loaded up the cam-corder, and headed to the mall. We made sure that there was two staff at the store so they could do two ears at once. Charlotte ran into the store and hopped up on the chair and said “okay I’m ready!!”. They cleaned her ears, made the pen dots and then it was done. I had warned her that it was going to hurt. I think she was a little shocked at how much it hurt (not that she will admit that to us). But she fought the tears and said thank-you.
When telling family and friends about it, we got very mixed reviews. One friend said I should have got it done when she was a baby. A family member thought she was way too young and that the ears were likely to get infected and we would have to take the earrings out. Someone even said to me that she was surprised that any professional would ethically pierce a child so young. Honestly, I had no idea that this was such a heated topic!
Well what’s done is done. Would love to hear your opinion or if you have any piercing stories.
So we loaded up the cam-corder, and headed to the mall. We made sure that there was two staff at the store so they could do two ears at once. Charlotte ran into the store and hopped up on the chair and said “okay I’m ready!!”. They cleaned her ears, made the pen dots and then it was done. I had warned her that it was going to hurt. I think she was a little shocked at how much it hurt (not that she will admit that to us). But she fought the tears and said thank-you.
When telling family and friends about it, we got very mixed reviews. One friend said I should have got it done when she was a baby. A family member thought she was way too young and that the ears were likely to get infected and we would have to take the earrings out. Someone even said to me that she was surprised that any professional would ethically pierce a child so young. Honestly, I had no idea that this was such a heated topic!
Well what’s done is done. Would love to hear your opinion or if you have any piercing stories.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Working Mother Vs. Stay at Home Mom
This week while watching my youngest daughter swing together on the monkey bars, I had a mother say something interesting to me. During idle chit-chat, she asked me what I do and I told her that I work and explained a bit about my business. This mom was a “stay at home” mom, and she responded by saying “oh well, I stay home because I don’t want someone else raising my children”. Surprisingly this is not the first time I have had this said to me. I have been a mother for 11 years and I have had this exact thing said to me at least 7-8 times. Every time I have heard this I have wanted to explode. I have always felt confident in my decision to work and feel that my daughters have benefited in so many ways from that decision.
On the other hand my friends that are “stay at home” Moms have had some pretty interesting things said to them too from “Working Moms” like “if I stayed home all the time my brain would turn to mush” or “what do you do all day?’ My friends that stay home have always felt this was a direct dig and have been upset with the accusation that they do nothing.
Some mothers do not have a choice…they have to work. One income is not enough to support their families. Other mothers really love their career and their job. On the other hand some mothers stay home because they love it and they can. Some mothers it really doesn’t make sense financially for them to work and pay for child care.
Women should not make each other feel guilty or less of a person for an important choice that they make. But mothers in general have a wonderful way of feeling guilty about daily things in their lives. We feel guilty if we spend too little time with our children, if we do not cook and clean in a certain fashion, if we spend too much time with one child over the other, go overnight with some friends. It seems endless the amount of guilt we put on ourselves. It is my belief that being with your child is about the quality and not the quantity. A mother that provides her children with a balance of love, affection, and guidance is a good mother. Both stay at home and working mothers carry a heavy load of responsibility and work long hours. We have all made sacrifices for our families and they are so worth it.
On the other hand my friends that are “stay at home” Moms have had some pretty interesting things said to them too from “Working Moms” like “if I stayed home all the time my brain would turn to mush” or “what do you do all day?’ My friends that stay home have always felt this was a direct dig and have been upset with the accusation that they do nothing.
Some mothers do not have a choice…they have to work. One income is not enough to support their families. Other mothers really love their career and their job. On the other hand some mothers stay home because they love it and they can. Some mothers it really doesn’t make sense financially for them to work and pay for child care.
Women should not make each other feel guilty or less of a person for an important choice that they make. But mothers in general have a wonderful way of feeling guilty about daily things in their lives. We feel guilty if we spend too little time with our children, if we do not cook and clean in a certain fashion, if we spend too much time with one child over the other, go overnight with some friends. It seems endless the amount of guilt we put on ourselves. It is my belief that being with your child is about the quality and not the quantity. A mother that provides her children with a balance of love, affection, and guidance is a good mother. Both stay at home and working mothers carry a heavy load of responsibility and work long hours. We have all made sacrifices for our families and they are so worth it.
Is your Body Art Keeping you Unemployed ?
On CanadianNanny.ca we had a parent who was asking about tattoos. She had an interest in a nanny and she had found the nanny to be a warm, fun and overall wonderful person. But she was concerned because the nanny has tattoos on her arms and the back of her neck. She was worried about the impression it would leave on the children. She was considering not hiring the nanny based on the tattoo issue, and wanted to know my thoughts.
Overall, I feel that this generation may regret the trend of the tatoo, but tattoos are no longer an unusual thing. They are not just common for both males and females, but in most cases are perceived to be very acceptable. I believe that if you are going to judge someone on their tattoo, you should look at the actual tattoos that they have. I would not hire a caregiver or a staff member that placed an offensive tattoo on their body, simply because I would feel that person may lack judgement. But if they have chosen to place things permanently on their body, who am I to judge ?
What do you think ? Should an Employer judge a nanny on her tattoos ? We would love to hear your opinion.
Overall, I feel that this generation may regret the trend of the tatoo, but tattoos are no longer an unusual thing. They are not just common for both males and females, but in most cases are perceived to be very acceptable. I believe that if you are going to judge someone on their tattoo, you should look at the actual tattoos that they have. I would not hire a caregiver or a staff member that placed an offensive tattoo on their body, simply because I would feel that person may lack judgement. But if they have chosen to place things permanently on their body, who am I to judge ?
What do you think ? Should an Employer judge a nanny on her tattoos ? We would love to hear your opinion.
TV and Electronics for Kids
I just read a study about young children and T.V. It stated that chlidren between the ages of 4 and 7 spend about 14 hours in front of screens. As we all know this has influenced a generation of children that have various weight, health and behavioral issues. As I was once a caregiver for other families and as a parent now, I feel very strongly about TV and electronics. They should not be used as a babysitter. For parents, nannies, and babysitters in Canada, it is your shared responsibility to ensure this does not happen.
It is well known that children can test limits when a parent is out for the night or at work. Parents and caregivers realy need to speak about this before a nanny or babysitter starts their employment. Clear guidelines to caregivers on the amount of TV, what is allowed to be watched, and at what time of the day TV can be watched. When caregiver arrive fun and structured activities should be enjoyed. Parents and caregivers should be planning and discussing these activities on a regular basis, and the children should know that these guidlines are non-negotiable. It helps to set a specific time that the children are able to watch their favorite show, with communicated start and end times.
There should be consequences if these rules are not followed. TV should be a privilage and would reccommend that the TV is not the highlight of the time with a nanny or babysitter.
For a nanny and babysitter ~ when caring for other children, it is your responsibility to be creative and in charge. If you have a meal to prepare or laundry to fold, try to include the children in this activity. If you have something you have to do with one child, set the other child up with an age appropriate activity.
If you have an opinion on this ~ Let me know !
It is well known that children can test limits when a parent is out for the night or at work. Parents and caregivers realy need to speak about this before a nanny or babysitter starts their employment. Clear guidelines to caregivers on the amount of TV, what is allowed to be watched, and at what time of the day TV can be watched. When caregiver arrive fun and structured activities should be enjoyed. Parents and caregivers should be planning and discussing these activities on a regular basis, and the children should know that these guidlines are non-negotiable. It helps to set a specific time that the children are able to watch their favorite show, with communicated start and end times.
There should be consequences if these rules are not followed. TV should be a privilage and would reccommend that the TV is not the highlight of the time with a nanny or babysitter.
For a nanny and babysitter ~ when caring for other children, it is your responsibility to be creative and in charge. If you have a meal to prepare or laundry to fold, try to include the children in this activity. If you have something you have to do with one child, set the other child up with an age appropriate activity.
If you have an opinion on this ~ Let me know !
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