Education

Education, Indoor Categories, Outdoor Activities

April showers bring May flowers…and so many fun FREE events!

May is here and as always, here are a couple fun and most free events happening in and around the Seattle area for you and your family! Enjoy!

As an animal love this event is an ongoing for the month of May…you can read with a kitty! Through the Humane Society you can sign up for 20 minute sessions if you are between the ages of 5-10 to practice reading and build your confidence and all while a little furball listens- I’m so jealous! If this is up your alley, check it out here.

Image result for kitty with books

Or you could read with Rover… Image result for reading with dogs

Looking for an activity for those who love the game of chess. How about joining this free chess club that meets on Tuesdays? Ages 7+ welcome! Detective Cookie’s Youth Chess Club Image result for chess

Got an itty bitty who’s just starting to explore the world, Baby Gym on Wednesdays may be the answer you are looking for!

Love nature and want to get outside. Toddler Time at ESC is an adventurers dream. Learn to love nature at a young age!

Image result for seahurst beach — Seahurst Park

Have a blast this May! Why not try out one of these fun activity and give yourself a little break this month?!

Education, Parenting

Did I just see a school bus?

Hey all, can you believe it’s that time of year? I’ve been anxiously counting down the last few days of “kid summer.” You know what I’m talking about. It’s great to have the kids out of school, hanging out all day asking “what are we going to do?” “can we_________?’ “I’m bored,” ” I don’t wanna,” “can I invite all the neighbors?” “will you make me_________?”

I’m ready for a little more routine and a little less “I don’t know” coming from my mouth. I’ll miss the impromptu field trips, the accidental block parties, the on the fly art projects but I’ll welcome the quiet and I’ll cherish the regularity of a school day.

This week is the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year for a few districts nearby, the rest begin next week! Wow, the time flew by and aren’t you glad? We survived the heat, we made memories, we found some new parks, embarked on some new paths and now it’s time to start fostering that love of learning and social interacting.

I thought I’d do a quick “pit and peak” for my summer and I was hoping maybe you’d share yours with me! For those of you who don’t know or watch the housewives series on Bravo “pit and peak” is the best and worst part of said vacation, trip, season, year (you get the idea).

Pit: Working so hard to ready the garden for organic grown food for my family and having it fry in the sun before first harvest. *Here’s hoping next year this is my peak!

Peak: Any of those moments shared with my husband, family, and friends. Sharing life and adventures with those I care the most about regardless of weather or location…I am blessed.

Education, Indoor Categories, Outdoor Activities

It’s cold and gray, let’s go to the zoo!

A couple weekends ago we finally had a cooler day here in Seattle. One of those “typical” summer days; a little breeze and a couple clouds in the sky, even a threat of a drop or two of rain. It. was. lovely! and I was scheduled for a couple different volunteer shifts at the Woodland Park Zoo.

Let me tell you…the time to go to the zoo is a day just like that.

The animals are active, comfortable and enjoying a break from the beating sun that makes them so sleepy (who can blame them? I’m the same way!).

Check out these not so awesome quality pictures I got just wandering through the zoo:

Another fabulous thing we have going on at the zoo, is families are always growing! Right now we’ve got a handful of littles running around. Gorillas, giraffes, snow leopards, just to name a few! What fun it is to have an up close view of parenting from so many different species. Can you believe that it’s my duty, at times, to hang out and watch these guys for hours?

It’s such a great time to get a little end of the summer field trip and spark an interest in your littles. If you miss the end of the summer, here’s an insider tip: wait for one of those rainy days that isn’t too miserable, go to the zoo’s website and see if they are having a rainy day discount. On those days you get in for a pretty great discount, generally face far fewer crowds, AND most likely you’ll see some really playful animals!

The zoo is always a joy, in all my years of nanny and childcare it’s the one outing I encouraged as often as possible. So much so you can now find me there most weekends, being a big kid at heart. Animals, more animals, a playground or two, snack shacks, picnic spots and free roaming peacocks…who doesn’t love going a little wild?

For more info on rates, hours, events, and daily programs go to: http://zoo.org.

Education, Hiring a Nanny, Resources

What’s in a name? cont.

Today’s name is babysitter!

What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you hear “babysitter”? For me it’s a term I’ve heard nearly all my life but not because we frequently had one, with 3 older sisters I was well looked after…believe me. I first became familiar with babysitting as a young reader who enjoyed reading the adventures of a certain club. Then my sisters started becoming babysitters. They would be gone for hours, making money then buying themselves clothes and make-up my parents wouldn’t splurge on (the ultra trendy, will be worn once but worth a months pay sort of things). That was exciting to watch, I wanted things too, but what exactly is a babysitter?

Here we go…

A babysitter tends to be young adults who are a little more independent and responsible. They are able to find their own transportation to and from jobs. They are looking for cash (immediate) and job experience/references. Often they are in school so available hours vary but lend themselves to afternoons and into early evening. With that in mind, many sitters will have homework they might want to work on with the child they are caring for as they complete their own or after children are in bed. Babysitters are responsible for well being and safety of children, regularly without adult supervision. Activities can be provided by parent or generated by sitter but usually do not require much travel outside of home/neighborhood. Babysitters might be asked to do light housekeeping (i.e. put dish into dishwasher, make snacks/dinner, pick up toys) however chores should be related to child and items used while sitter was “in charge.”

As each family unit varies greatly, it is helpful for the sitter to have very clear guidelines and expectations. Family rules, culture and routines should be followed and respected. It is up to each family to discuss and provide these to babysitter prior to leaving the house, and highly advised. What one family may find acceptable such as using cell phones, eating family food, and having friends over may be greatly frowned upon by another. As a babysitter, it is wise to ask as many questions prior to parents departure…better safe than sorry.

Shout out to all the babysitters! You all rock! You are needed, appreciated and help so many parents with sanity, marriage, and socialization…keep up the awesome work!