90210

It should be called 9021NO

I turned on the telly and aged a decade in the opening credits.
It is like watching a bad version of the OC coupled with the hills. I hunger for the lives of the old characters. uuuggghhhh I am ancient and 90210 might just suck.
I is 22 minutes into the show and I hate it already!
Bring back the old cast...save us all from this skinny girl crap!

CHARITY

To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world.
---Anonymous


I seriously have to do something for all the children in the world without anyone to help them, no water to drink and no place to sleep.
I am thinking of starting a charity.
A foundation.
Or something.

Maybe I just have to take some of the money I would normally donate to people on the subway, street beggars etc and take it with me on my trip to South Africa and literally buy babies food and deliver it on the doorstep of a township day care centre.

uuuggghhhhhh. What to do, What to do!

This rant is due to me volunteering at the foster home today. I have been doing this for almost a year and it still messes with my mind to see these children!

Spring is here

Oh, the weather in NYC is fantastic this week.
The cherry blossoms are in full bloom and the sun is out and the sky is a lovely clear blue.

Coming up....

• Spring cleaning is number 1 on my list and then maybe a little decorating.
• Shawn and I are planning a trip away--I have booked my ticket to South Africa and I cant wait!

I am going to be gone for 6 weeks.... 6 glorious weeks of fun and family!

HAPPY SPRING!

Love thy Nanny....

But not too much!

Click the here to read about Nannies and the Famous Men who Love them.....more than they should!

Nanny Drama

Celebrities and their Nannies......
Always a story, well here is another one!
Click the icon below for the story on Rob Lowe suing his Nanny


Click Here




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Are nannies worth it?

A friend of mine called me talk about her boss who is now after one year, complaining about her nanny rates!
After one year of top-notch care!
My friend tells me that every time pay-day rolls around the corner, her boss starts to complain about not being able to afford to pay such high rates!
This from a woman who doesnt work..oh wait--she lunches and calls it work...Her husband is extremely successful, they have an Upper East Side 4 floor home, a holiday house in the Hamptons and a country get away somewhere down south!

My friend has a teaching degree, 10 years of nannying experience, can speak 3 languages and play 2 musical instruments. How is she not worth $20 an hour?

You get what you pay for. Some families can only afford $10 an hour! I understand that and quite frankly, they will get what they pay for, sometimes even more than they pay for. But
for those families that can afford a nanny, and say that they deem their children to be their most prized possession, but want to pay $10 or less, and snuff at anything more expensive, I say "shame on you".
$20-35 an hour is what nannies in NYC charge and should be considered getting a reasonable deal! Like everyone else, Nannies have to pay NYC rents people. Thats upward of $1200 for a one bedroom!

I think that if a person really cant afford it, then I would understand not going the way of the nanny. But if one can afford it, why not hire the best and pay her what she is worth!

You can have your child in the best hands ever for a fair wage or you can buy a hardcover book. I must admit that I am observant, I see that many NYC mothers are walking around with bags that range from the many hundreds to the many thousands of dollars and then they guffaw at an expensive nanny.

In the grand scheme of things, the mother who says $35 an hour is a lot, might be right! It just depends what you get for that hour.

For a 4 hour day, what would your itinerary on a winter day looks like?
One of my nanny-friends, (foreigners stick together) shared her schedule. She jazzes it up every once in a while by adding a language here and there as well as a musical instrument!

A Theme day of Gingerbread.
1. Bake Ginger bread cookies...learn about measuring, math and have fun getting messy.
2. While oven is baking, wash up and clear activities and then read the gingerbread man story book.
3.Take out the cookies to cool. Do an art project about gingerbread men...puppet or make a gingerbread house out of a shoe box.
4. Decorate cookies...wrap some up for friends
5. Create our own story, make a book about it or a poem.

Worth more than $10 an hour! I think so!

You get ample years of experience, fun educational activities and quite frankly, peace of mind. So to my friend, the overqualified nanny Monika who contacted me to complain about parents complaining at her rate, I say move on to someone else. In fact use that number I gave you and leave this family in the dust. Dont dare let them make you feel bad about charging your worth! Dont let them make you question your value.

For those parents who complain to me about the rates your nannies charge you...I understand that you dont want to feel taken advantage of, but when your nanny is paying their cleaning person more than you pay yours....WE HAVE A PROBLEM!

So, take your expensive handbag and tell someone who cares. Prioritize people. Prioritize!

Nanny in action....OR NOT

Picture this:

Me, all flustered from running to volunteer at a clothing drive in a fancy Montessori school on the UWS. I arrive on time, early actually, school is out, but the the sorting wont start for another hour. So, I head into the parents room for a cup of coffee and a few moments to catch my breathe. A little girl stumbles past me, almost trips over her shoelaces, so I lean down to help her tie her shoes and glance up to see a nanny asleep, snoring, loudly on the window seat and a little girl sucking on some sugar packets.

Me: (to little girl sitting at sleeping Nanny's feet): What have you got there?

Girl: A cup of sugar

Me: You're eating it?

Girl: Yeah

Me: Its very bad for your teeth, I am sure your grown-up wouldn't like you eating that. (nursing school rearing its ugly head)

Girl: (she points to her nanny)-- She said I could. Now she is asleep. Ssshhh don't wake her.

Me: Is that your mommy?

Girl: No, my nanny

Me: Oohh, I don't know if she should be sleeping, her job is to take care of you and sleeping while out in public isn't safe for you.

Girl: But she is tired

-----Nanny is literally snoring!--------

Me: I think I am going to wake her

Girl: But she will still be tired.

----girl empties the entire 1/2 cup of sugar into her mouth.

Another little girl buts in to the conversation:

Girl 2: Nannies dont sleep

Girl: Why not?

Girl 2: ( in a very serious tone) Its illegal!

Ok, so I laughed, but I was still shocked.

I couldnt believe that a nanny literally slept on the job, at a private pre-school, in the common area.
What is going on?
She slept and the girl chugged sugar.......

This world of nanny-life in New York, just gets crazier and crazier!

Leaving NYC

My husband and I are about to head on a little trip..just the two of us.
I feel so lucky, because my husband booked us a weekend away in the hamptons, at a wonderful resort, with an ocean view...aaahhhhhhh

Click on the highlighted links to see our rooms and hotel.

We are staying here

This is our room ...wait for the java to load and watch as it spins a 360 to an ocean view.

Oh and by the way... my husband is a fantastically talented writer.

To read his latest piece, click here

Gotta go!

LETS PLAY CATCH UP !

I have taken on a lot since my last post, so here is an update:

I have started working with Good Shepherd Services in their foster care facility, I only work a few hours a week, but I am loving it.
On Saturdays I am monitoring parental and child visits -- much like the ones Brittany Spears will have to attend-- and on Mondays I am working in the home-finding department re-certifying foster parents and their homes.

And...I am still in school, working toward that nursing degree

I didnt realize how much time all of this would take up, so I applied for (and was offered) a position reviewing books for a romance website. I have agreed to review 6 books a month and I swear of all the things I have taken on, this one takes up most of my time.
The best thing about the review position is the website - which I love- and the other reviewers, not to mention all the free books. Now if only I had 4 more hours in the day, well then I could really get everything done.
The website is nightowlromance.com

Having all of this on my plate has practically eliminated television for me, so thank god for ABC.

I swear abc.com is the best site on the planet.
You dont even have to watch television anymore. All I do is set aside a night ( usually Friday) and then log on and catch up on all my shows.
It is like having Tivo without having to pay for it. There are hardly any commercials, so an hour show takes 45 minutes and you can check you email during commercials. I love it!

Today I have already watched the 2 episodes of Private Practice (my new favorite) I am in the middle of Ugly Betty and planning on watching Desperate housewives next. I plan on making dinner, writing part of a Nutrition paper and all this before my husband gets home at 9pm.

Oh, how I love modern technology...now if I could just add 4 more hours to the day, it would all be perfect.

Fabulous Q&A with a nanny that speaks about American Parenting.
I agree with her 100%

http://local.babble.com/content/articles/columns/5minutetimeout/Claire-Verity/

Spending to impress

My almost-13-year-old charge is about to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah.

In order to escape the outrageous expense and over-the-top celebration that is usually required by Manhattan standards, they decided to celebrate it outside of the city.

What started as an escape from abundance has turned into an extravagant beach party at an exclusive club in the Hamptons.

The expense alone is more than the average person can afford and I am sure it is going to be even more over the top than it would have been in the city. Fortunately for my charge, his parents have really made it all about him and his friends and the people who care about him, but I see his mom battling to keep herself from becoming entwined in the other mothers money games in a race to impress the peerage.

Why do parents spend, literally tens of thousands on this?

Is it mostly to impress their friends?

These Manhattan Bar Mitzvah's are like weddings, when really it should be about the experience. I have on more than one occasion heard many mothers talking about the upcoming celebrations, all of them mentioning the money and the fabulous cost and expense of creating the best they can afford. And nobody wants to be the one not to be able to afford the best of everything!

Its like they are bragging or something. It is quite nauseating to watch and be part of any of their discussions..

At least 10 of my charges friends are celebrating their Bar Mitzvah this year.
Here are some of the comments I have been witness to and part of.

"I am afraid our invitations were too tacky, yes they cost a few thousand, but one still worries about such things"

"I said that I refuse to pay $5000 for flowers, but I can't live without the custom made brown suede sofas"

"This is going to cost more than most weddings"

" .....forget the expense, I want ours to be the best"

"I cant spend enough money on this..."

Oh and it goes on.
And on!

I will be your nanny Charlie Sheen!

Finally, Charlie Sheen says something that makes sense.
Basically, that an Assistant and a Nanny are not the same thing!


“Until I’m granted the ability to hire my own nanny, she is required to provide one and I was terribly insulted that she felt her ‘assistant’ was a suitable replacement. If it’s unfortunate that I’m speaking, it’s ‘unfortunate’ that an incredibly loving and responsible father and his terrifically capable fiancée are being subjected to these transparent and unnecessary sanctions, that have nothing to do with responsible co-parenting and everything to do with punishment and control. As long as I am forced to live under these conditions with my children, people are going to hear about it.”

- Charlie Sheen, in a statement released on Tuesday

found on perezhilton.com

Belated Easter Antics

My husband and I spent Easter in Minnesota. I had such a great time with our niece and nephews: Brock, Brady, Brandt, Bronson and Brandi.

It reminded me of my aupair year in 1999--aaahhh I was a nanny for a week. How I have missed it.
We decorated egg, bunny and chick shaped cookies and made bunny and chick nest cupcakes.

Here are some photographs that exhibit our fabulously fun, activity filled weekend.

Summer Fun

It is coming to the end of the school semester. I have 3 weeks left and then I am on Summer vacation. I cant wait, I already have the sunglasses out, the summer sandals are making a few rare appearances and I am ready for the warm wind to blow out my hair.

I have just signed up for summer classes, I am sure we will still make a few trips out to the beach. I know I will have to work my butt off in school, but the warm weather will make it all worth it.

Ham Steak?

HAM STEAK........
Ever heard of it?

My husband is baffled by me having a name for a large thick slice of ham. I call it and believe it to be, a Ham Steak. He refuses to call it a ham steak. He just wants to call it Ham.
He even called his mother, so that she could verify his claim.
So, yes, I do admit, it is ham, but what about differentiating it from its lunch cousin the sandwich ham, or its holiday sibling the Roast/Hot Ham? How are we to know which ham we are buying, if we don't have different names for different cuts and styles of meat.
Am I wrong here people?

Well, call it what you like my dear, either way, its what you're going to be eating for dinner.

Hot Ham Steak, Tater Tots and Buttered Corn......a dinner fit for a 5 year old.

Enjoy your HAM STEAK my love!

Another day of Spring

Us in Cape Town 2007

It is almost spring vacation and I cant wait.
I started packing for our trip weeks ago..I do that.
I get ahead of myself and now I realize that I can't remember what I packed and I have to repack the entire suitcase as well as consulting weatherbug.com for the Spring the forecast.

Life is good right now.
Exams are over, vacation is on its way and my husband is, as always: delicious.
He is such a good man that sometimes I have to pinch myself, just to make sure that I am not dreaming.
A few things are going on right now.
Because Spring is here and I am feeling bright, I made a colorful list.

• We are getting ready for our trip to Minnesota.


• I bought two fabulous floor lamps at Target...and I have my eye on a brand new sofa..sshhh don't tell my husband, because he really wants a lazy boy. Can you believe that?


• Our accountant is done with our taxes, so we get to sign the papers tomorrow. Money back is always good.


• Shawn, my hubby accepted a full-time job at a magazine, not his dream job, but he appears to be taking one for the team. I guess I should really get him some sort of lazy-boy-style chair after all.


• My father-in-laws birthday is coming up and Shawn and I have gotten him the best present ever. He is going to love it.


• I am trying to make healthy food choices, but often fail....hence my anticipation for our trip to Minnesota and the carb-loading zone of Macaroni Grill.


• It has been 94 days since we left for south Africa and I miss my family. But the good part is that we will go back, just not right now.


• I am tired of blogging now. GOODNIGHT!

SPRING

Today is the first day of Spring.......Yippeeeeeeeeeeee.

I know we were in Africa for most of the dreaded Winter, but since we have been back I felt like Winter would never end.
Finally, the cold will start to subside.

another good part about Spring for me, is all the cleaning. spring cleaning is my favorite activity. Like an early Christmas.

Oh I love it.

I dont have school today, so I am spending this afternoon with my friends 4 year old. I am picking her up from school and we are going out to lunch and then to Diller Quaille school of music.

I cant wait to see her little face.

Nursing Back

I am a terrible blogger because I am working hard at school. Maybe this will help you forgive me for my tardy posts.

YESTERDAY

I met my husband 5 years and 1 day ago.

It was that specific and amazing day, that a hunky, tall, kind, Midwestern boy walked off Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan and into the Alligator Alley Bar and changed my life.

It was the best and most important day of my life.

Hiatus

Thats right.
I hope to be able to post something here and there, but if not, I will only be back to blogging in February.

And I will have lots to say.

Happy holidays and Happy New Year everyone.