I'm a Disneyland Convert!

So originally I was going to write a long, detailed post with a ton of information about how I planned our trip to Disneyland and how those plans paid off at the parks but you know what? There's a bunch of really great blogs and articles online written by people who spend a lot of time at Disneyland and those articles will be way more informative for you than anything I write based off of one trip. So instead I'll just share a bunch of our photos here and a few tips that I found extra helpful and I'll link to some of the other great sites at the bottom for anyone looking to plan a family trip to The Happiest Place on Earth.

I'll start by saying I'm not a Disney fan. I don't like animated movies, I'm not into sparkly, pink princess crap. I have no attachment whatsoever to any of the Disney charcters. And being fairly introverted the idea of huge crowds and long lines makes me feel cranky just thinking about it.  So when I planned to take Babe to Disneyland it was one hundred per cent for her. I didn't think I would enjoy it very much, I wasn't really looking forward to going (other than to be there for Babe as she had fun) and basically I was just assuming it would be a five day Babe Shit Show where she just ran wild and I grinned and bared it in the name of parenting.

But now, I'm a total convert. I drank the Kool Aid. The promoters, marketers and all the staff members (pardon me, cast members) of Disneyland have conspired together to make sure that everyone who comes through their gates never really leaves. I was so anti-Disneyland before and so pro-Disneyland now that I have legitimate concerns that it might be a brainwashing cult.

We had so much fun. Seriously. So. Much. Of. It.

I'm usually pretty good at finding things to complain about when reviewing something. Even if I really like something I can easily recognize and acknowledge its flaws. But not so much with Disneyland, there really was so very little disappointments or annoyances that they aren't even worth mentioning as things for you to try and avoid with a future trip.

I will say this. At first I was thinking I wasn't going to plan out the days at the parks very much. I thought it would be better to just focus on the experience being for Babe and basically let her guide the show without much planning on my part. But that failed when I fell victim to my own bullshit patterns and (like a typical journalist) I researched the shit out of our trip. Within a couple days of pretty intense research I realized that if I wanted Babe to have the free and easy-paced schedule that I was envisioning while still getting to taste a lot of what the parks had to offer - I HAD TO PLAN.

Seriously...it's pretty much mandatory to plan out your trip if you want to see as much as you can and especially if you want to use your time effectively and have lots of free time while you are there. Not planning will result in long line waits, confusion, frustration and missing a bunch of stuff that is either scheduled simultaneously at opposite ends of the park or simply gets crossed off the list because it's just too damn hard to free float through the Disney Sea with little ones in tow and no direction in mind.

In the end I completely deviated from my no-plan plan and ended up with three days worth of an impeccably laid out itinerary. But it worked for us and despite the intense crowds and low patience threshold of a three-year-old me, we had a pretty leisurely time and got to hit pretty much everything that I wanted us too.

Planning Your Days:

• Read up on Disneyland and California Adventure FastPasses and USE THEM! 

• Get the FastPasses for shows like Fantasmic, World of Colour or character Meet and Greets right when the parks open. Holding these won't stop you from then grabbing your first ride FastPass but after that there is a waiting period before you can grab another FastPass.

• Download a park map before you go and plan out rides and activities according to areas. That way you can knock off a bunch of stuff at the same time without criss-crossing the park. Because trust me, no matter how good your shoes are, by the end of the day you will want to cut your feet off.

• If you get a three-day or more pass you'll get an early Magic Hour (where you get let in an hour before the park opens on ONE day) USE IT. And plan on cramming in a handful of rides during that time. We got more rides done in that one hour than we did at any other time during our stay. NOTE: Not all rides are open during the Magic Hour so look up the list ahead of time and plan to hit a bunch in the same general area instead of wasting your hour criss-crossing the park.

• DON'T arrive right at 8:00 am for the Magic Hour opening. Arrive at about 7:15-7:30 am. Even though it's way less busy there will still be a big line waiting to get in for the early hour.

• Plan lunches, indoor shows and indoor activities for the middle of the day if you are going during the hot season. Not only will you get some relief from the sun but it'll buy you more time out of the crowds and mid-day is nuts at the park. 

• Do yourself an extra solid and reserve your lunches (if you aren't packing them in) ahead of time. It'll be way easier knowing you have a spot waiting for you somewhere. The restaurants get super busy, especially at peak mealtime hours.

Saving Money:

• Well to start with we didn't stay at one of the Disneyland Hotels. They look AMAZING and almost all the reviews say that they don't disappoint but there was no way I could afford it on this trip. So we stayed at one of the neighbouring hotels right nearby. I looked for a good deal, grabbed it when I found one and our hotel - Holiday Inn and Suites - didn't disappoint. For what I paid it was a smokin' deal and although the rooms are a little small and it didn't have all the perks of the D-resorts it did have a lovely pool and splash park and we really only slept there and swam a little anyway.

• We packed a lot of snacks but I chose to spend money on restaurant lunches mostly to get out of the heat and crowds. But you can bring pretty much as much food as you want into the park so as long as you're willing to pack it around then that'll save you cash cuz Disneyland food ain't cheap.

• For the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique I opted out of the full package because it cost so much and instead purchased a princess dress at the Disney store at home (when it was on sale) and brought it with us the day she was going to the spa. That move saved me about $50 right there.

• I read a tip on another page about bringing along little items to entertain the kids in lines and while waiting for parades etc. and it worked out great. It was a fun surprise for Babe when we arrived at the hotel, kept her distracted when I whipped one of the items out in line and saved us money on purchasing things like bubbles and light up wands. Actually we did buy a bubble gun on site because so many kids had them and it was a worthwhile purchase because it kept Babe so entertained. For the surprise box I simply bought a little Disney box at a dollar store and filled it with bubbles, light up night sticks, a little fan, stickers, a Disney autograph book (also expensive to buy on site), some Tinkerbell pens, glow sticks and stuff like that. She got it when we arrived at the hotel as a welcome to Disneyland greeting package.

• We ate breakfast at the hotel (kids ate free) or we just ate snacks on the walk there. So we saved money on extra meals that way. We also brought our own travel cups and thermos of water and refilled them at the park because drinks inside Disneyland are very expensive.

• We skipped paying extra for a Park-Hopper Pass which allows you to move back and forth between Disneyland and California Adventure. Babe is still too small to get dragged all over and there was waaaay more than enough to see just in one park without moving between the two. For me it wasn't worth the extra money.

• Holy Shit! Avoid the face painting!!! I didn't think to ask how much it was because I thought it would be like $5. It turned out to be $20 just for Babe's forehead. I almost choked. 

Splurges I'm glad I made:

• The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. It's not my personal style and I was reluctant to encourage Babe in this Toddlers in Tiaras manner and it felt almost sick to spend so much money when she was already being so spoiled by even going to Disneyland...but she really did just love the experience so much and she felt so special running around Disneyland all dressed up. Like I said before we opted out of the full package with dress included. But she got to show up, put on her dress and get her hair, makeup and nails done complete with a crown and a pound and a half of sparkles all over her. She is still talking about it and having it on the first day was a pretty magical way to kick off the trip in her mind. Book early (we're talking some people book months ahead). I did get a spot reserved with only about a week before our trip though and there are people who just walk in so don't stress too much if you don't think of booking until closer to your departure.

• A character lunch. We chose Ariel's Grotto because Babe is obsessed with Ariel and it was her best chance to meet a bunch of Princesses at the same time while not standing in long lines or using up a big chunk of the day chasing them all over the park. The lunch was pretty damn pricey but the food was really decent and Babe was so excited to have the princesses come around to her table that I found myself tearing up over it all. Really for the price (about $50 a person) it got us out of the heat, fed us, gave Babe a totally magical experience and saved us a ton of time on trying to find all those princess on our own. I also tried to book her in for Breakfast with Mickey or at Goofy's Kitchen but with only a week before our trip every reservation was GONE. If you want a spot at those tables you'd better call way ahead.

• Special souveniers. I'm glad I bought things like light up toys and the Disney autograph book at home but we did splurge on a few special souveniers for Babe that she loves and that we think are really special. Plan to spend a decent amount of cash on souveniers because there's just SO MUCH SHOPPING in the two parks and in the Downtown Disney District. Buy the cheap fun stuff at home and bring it with you and use your spending money for some key items that you or the kids want. 

Safety for Little Ones:

• Take a photo every morning of your child in the clothing they are wearing to the park so you have it on hand in case they disappear.

• I grabbed some labels from work and wrote my name and phone number (not Babe's name) on the labels and stuck them to her back in case she got lost.

• I pointed out the cast member uniforms and let Babe know that is who she should look for if she was lost.

• I also photographed both sides of our Disneyland passes (which you have to keep for your whole visit) just in case I lost them.

• I packed two bags. One filled with all our food, spare clothing etc. And one little bag that had my wallet, tickets, phone and money. The big bag stayed with the stroller and the little bag came with me on all the rides.

An example of our itinerary for one of the Disneyland days 

just to give you an idea of how I went about saving time and maximizing our day:

• 7:30am At park to get in line for Magic Hour. Stopped at Disneyland City Hall as soon as gates opened to get Babe her free FIRST VISIT button.

• 8:00-9:00am Hit the rides I knew would get long lines. We started with the Finding Nemo ride because I knew Babe would love it but had heard the line is really boring, gets super long and there's no FastPass option. Then went to Fantasyland and stayed in that area doing a bunch of rides to knock them off the list.

• 9:00-9:30am Ran and grabbed FastPasses for the early nighttime Fantasmic Show so we would have a good spot to watch. Grabbed a FastPass for a busy ride I knew we wanted.

• 9:30-Noon: A couple more rides and free play.

• Noon: Appointment at Bibiti Bobbiti Boutique to get Babe out of crowds and sun.

• 1:00-4:00pm Lunch and then more rides, FastPass ride, free play in Toontown.

• 4:00-7:00pm Returned to the hotel for a nap and food. There is an afternoon parade but we planned it for another day.

• 8:30pm Got in line with our FastPasses for the Fantasmic Show.

• 9:00-9:30pm Fantasmic Show. Totally worth it!

• 9:30-9:45pm Stayed at the Fantasmic location and watched the fireworks from there. Not a great view but impossible at that point to cross the park in the crowds and get a better spot for the fireworks.

• 10:00 to 11:00pm Fought last of crowds who haven't left after fireworks to find a good spot to watch the second showing of the Paint The Night parade. Also totally worth it. One of Babe's favourite parts of the trip. If you have a second adult one can save a spot for the parade while the other takes the kids on another ride.

• 11:00-12:00am Watched the parade and a couple last rides before heading home. My feet hurt.

So I just want to say that I had originally planned this trip as just a Mommy and Babe bonding adventure. Which I was nervous about taking on on my own but excited to do at the same time. But a couple days before we left my mother decided to join us so I did have a second pair of hands after all.

But for all the single parents out there I want you to know that this trip is totally doable - with one kid anyway - and you will have A LOT more fun than you might think. In fact I took Babe by myself every day for the first half of the day and I actually found it easier than trying to accomodate another adult with us. Looking back I totally could have managed the whole trip on my own with the right planning and I am fully confident that any of you single mommies or daddies can too. It is not as daunting as it might seem and the experience of seeing all the magic through your child's eyes really is priceless. I'm so glad we went.

Please feel free to ask me any questions if you are planning a trip soon. Or scroll to the bottom of this post for links to information that I found really helpful.

And here is a list of links to other blogs and websites that can totally help you plan your trip!

Disneyland Website

DLR Prep School

Disney Tourist Blog

Undercover Tourist

35 Hacks for taking kids to Disneyland

Our Holiday Prep.

Just wanted to add a little holidays update while I have the chance.

All parents find it hard to squeeze in everything they want to do during the holidays while juggling work, home, Christmas parties and shopping. And I think for most single parents it must be even more overwhelming to try to get the kids out for fun family time without that ever-important second pair of hands. Plus sometimes it can be pretty lonely to see all the other families when you're alone with your child, but Babe and I have been having a really great time making the most of Christmas activities this year.

I gotta say thank heavens I nannied for so long because it really helped me with the planning and implementation of family activities as a single parent so we don't end up overwhelmed, crazy-rushed or having a major meltdown halfway through.

Like most parents I've been trying to start holiday traditions with Babe, mainly because I want her to enjoy the same things I loved as a kid but also because I want to emphasize the activities and family fun of the holidays and downplay the gift mania of Christmas morning.

Of course, Babe's grandmother will thwart my attempts to reign in the volume of gifts she gets despite my ongoing protestations and tantrums (urgh, story for another day). But I think in order to keep the storage of toys to a manageable level I'm going to start following what I have heard a lot of other parents say they do and have Babe donate one of her old toys for each new toy she brings home. That sounds like a great way to give back and keep her room from looking like the children's section of Walmart on a December shopping weekend.

Also last year and this year I was/will be away from Babe on the actual day of Christmas so I'm trying to maximize all the other holiday fun we can have.

So last year my tradition attempts were interrupted because we had moved to Smithers and then we didn't stay long enough to have multiple Christmases there so we didn't establish anything we liked doing. I did make the effort to ensure we still donated to the local food bank and stuff but that was about it for Babe.

Now that we're back in the city we have picked up where we left off and this is the first year that Babe (now three years old) is really "getting" the whole deal.

SANTA VISITS:

So far Babe has met Santa three times this year. I didn't really plan it that way but there it is anyway. Our new apartment complex has a Christmas party every year and Santa showed up on the roof of the building and then came down to hand out candy canes. They also hosted a big bonfire and free hot drinks and a choir. It was really nice to have that sense of community within the complex.

Then I took Babe to Bright Nights Christmas Train at Stanley Park and Santa was there as well.

But because the other two Santa encounters were unexpected I still wanted her to have her dress-up photo taken with Santa so we had to make a special trip to the mall just for that.

Annnd...I believe she is going to see him again with her preschool class.

That's a lot of Santa.

However despite all these opportunities Babe has only barely managed to squeak out the word 'Barbie' one time because she gets completely star struck when she sees Santa. She can't wait to see him, she has tons of stuff she wants to tell him, she promises me this time she'll be her usual talkative self and let it all out but nope. Every time she just stands there with a big grin on her face, nodding like an idiot. It's actually pretty cute. And secretly I'm pleased because I'm hoping to really downplay the desire for a Barbie and if I have Santa promising her one every time they meet it's going to make my life more difficult.


CHRISTMAS LIGHTS:

I love them. Babe loves them.

As I mentioned above I took her last Friday night to the Christmas Train at Stanley Park. Of course it was me and every other family in the Lower Mainland. I had wanted to take her during the week when it would be less crowded but the weather didn't co-operate. So we went on the first dry day we got which happened to be a Friday evening and it was bussssy.

But the place is amazing. Everyone does an incredible job with the lights and I thought this year the displays inside the train grounds were the best ever. Of course we missed last year. But I've been going for years with kids I nannied or my little cousins and this year really did seem extra amazing.

Of course because it was a spur of the moment weather-induced decision I didn't pre-buy tickets (which I highly recommend). So when I arrived at 7pm with my three-year-old in tow we had to wait until 9:30 pm to actually ride the train. But we passed the time easily with that second visit to Santa, seeing all the lights, snacking on hot chocolate and popcorn and getting Babe's face painted (her most favorite thing).

In case this is your first year going be prepared, it's expensive, I think just Babe and my tickets for the train was almost $20 and with food, firefighter donations and her Santa photo it rounded the evening up to probably $40 for just the two of us. But it's mostly for charity and the kids love it.

I also took Babe to Canyon Lights at the Suspension Bridge. Another fantastic light display. We got in for free because we live right nearby in the same postal code but I think it's a pretty pricey deal otherwise.

I thought Babe would be terrified of the actual bridge but she loved it and we had to cross it again and again. It was a touching moment for me because I have a photo of my mom and I standing on the same bridge when I was teeny tiny.

Babe was a little fussy the evening we went but she did love walking through the treetop (Ewok-village-style) adventure and they had a live band playing Christmas music which Babe must've danced to for half an hour.

We also found a snail which was probably the highlight for Babe.

This week I'm hoping to take her for a drive to see some of the private home displays around the area.

DONATIONS:

Every year when I was growing up my mom would take my brother and I to the toy store to pick out a toy each to donate to the toy drive. And I've been doing it ever since. Sometimes I would take the kids I was nannying at the time and other years I just did it with a boyfriend or on my own.

So it is really important to me that I do it with Babe.

When it was just me I would usually try to pick out a teenager gift because they seem to be the least donated items at toy drives. But this year I know Babe will relate more to a toy and will likely get more out of choosing something she really wants for herself and then giving it away to someone else.


So we haven't actually done it yet this year because I've been mulling over the present-age thing, but hopefully we will check that job off the list this week.

But we talk about it lots and I've been trying to get her thinking about what she would like to give and preparing her for the concept of not getting to keep the toy she picks out. I'll let you know if any of my preparations manage to stave off a meltdown when it comes time to drop off the gift.

Another family tradition is stuffing stocking for the homeless. Again we missed last year because we were in Smithers but I shopped for a bunch of stuff for the stockings last week on my lunch breaks and on the weekend Babe and I met everyone else who was donating/helping and together our little group of family and friends stuffed 120/60 pairs of wooly socks with everything from toiletries and snacks to gift cards and warm toques. It's definitely my favorite part of the holidays and hopefully will be Babe's as she grows up. Although it's probably overly optimistic to expect her to like it more than getting gifts on Christmas Day. At least until she is a teenager.

And of course Babe has been completely into other little holiday things like her advent calendar, decorating the tree, mailing her letter to Santa and stringing lights up on the balcony. Doing all this stuff with her is a lot more fun now that she is old enough to start to understand it all but little enough to still find so much magic in it.

In the past I have done holiday baking with my mom and given out treats to family and friends but that completely stalled once Babe was born. I have the utmost respect for all the parents who manage to pull that off with kids running around. So far I haven't even considered trying.

Babe's First Pet.

Sorry.

I have no excuse except that we moved to a new town far away and I started a new job.

I'll try harder to keep this more up to date.

So this is almost the first post since we moved and started a new life in Northern B.C.

Babe is 2.5 now. She's practically all grown up and I wanted her to have a little creature to play with and love.

I had two lovely cats for a looong time. After Babe was born I found that as much as I loved them, I didn't have the time for them like I had before and they woke me up a lot which I had no patience for considering how little I got to sleep with Babe around.

Eventually one got too old and too sick and we had to put her down...I think I blogged about that sad day here. Then after we moved we decided that it would be better for my other long-time cat to have a new home with a single woman who had more time for her rather than being cooped up in a small apartment while Babe went to preschool and I went to work all day.

So we have been pet-less since we moved to Smithers back in August. It's been relaxing but a strange experience for me because I have always had animals around.

I wanted a pet and I wanted Babe to have one but I still wasn't ready to commit to the responsibility of a cat or dog.

Then I got sucked in to a baby bunny.

At first I just took him home for a few hours, then a weekend and eventually I couldn't fight the urge anymore and I just kept him.

I had bunnies when I was a kid but always just sorta regarded them as a boring pet that didn't do much.

But so far it has been great having a bunny. He is really calm, obviously very quiet, sheds way less than a cat or dog and is actually quite fun and.  He even comes when she is called.

"Puff" is a great first pet for Babe; cuddly and cute but calm and low maintenance. We love him.

Saying Goodbye to 139.

OK everyone:

Big changes. For the time being this blog is no longer going to be about a single mom in Vancouver. That's right. There's still plenty of single moms in Vancouver but I'm not one of them.

After a long, brutal job search I finally settled on a position as the new radio news reporter for a station called The Peak in Smithers B.C.

We had less than two weeks to find a new place and new daycare, pack and move. And I'll tell you right now, we just barely pulled it off. Starting a whole new adventure is one thing when you're 22 and single, it's another thing entirely when you have a toddler. 

The final week was go, go, go, from morning until night (not like it isn't always with a baby). A lot of packing and last-minute errands punctuated by tearful goodbyes.

It was actually a lot sadder than I thought it would be to leave our apartment. It was after all the place where I went into labour, where we brought Babe home from the hospital. Her first bedroom, all her firsts pretty much were there. I was really sad to dismantle her room. 

On the last day after the guys had taken apart Babe's crib I found a little surprise on the wall. Obviously some dirty little toes had found their way through the bars and left a printbehind. I left it there. I couldn't bare to wipe it off. Let the next tenants do it.

These are pics from the very last time we left the apartment. I'm not usually so sentimental but the two years we lived there were filled with so many milestones. The pregnancy. Bringing Babe home from the hospital. J moving out and Babe and I starting a life on our own. It was my kitty Sprout's final home (and that cat moved with me A LOT). Babe crawled home in that hallway. She walked home in that hallway. She learned how to point out the 1-3-9 on our door. It was sad to think we can never go back there.  

But we are here in Smithers now. It's been over a week and we are settling in. My parents came up with us and stayed for a few days. And since they left it's been just the two of us, figuring out a new life. This last couple weeks have been really hard, I'm not gonna lie. But I can't wait to share this next adventure with you all. Stay tuned as a West Coast mommy turns into a Northern one. Is this north? It feels north?

Babe looking a little shellshocked. It's been a lot of change for her.

Starting Daycare.

So Babe started daycare a couple weeks ago. I was really excited to see how it would go. She is usually very social and independent so I initially thought it would be a pretty smooth transition, except for the group napping which I scoffed at and figured would take months for her to master.

Surprisingly it's been a little more difficult on her than I had anticipated. I think she really likes the kids and the teachers but she is having a harder time with the separation from me than I thought she would. She cries and looks genuinely worried and heartbroken when I leave but as a former nanny I know that she is fine a few minutes after I'm gone. And I know it is healthy for her to have time away from Mommy, learn how to interact in a group environment and form bonds with other adults. Still though, it's hard to walk away from her when she seems so upset.


The anxiety of our separation is now spilling over into the rest of the week, to the point where I can no longer shower or pee without her sobbing from abandonnment in the next room. But hopefully this is all part of the transition period and it will pass.

I know she has fun because when I come to get her she is smiling, dirty or covered in paint. She mentions her new friends and teachers throughout the week and plays new games that she has picked up from school.

But the biggest surprise of all is that she napped right from the first day! This is the child that at home needs her crib, blackout curtains, three specific stuffies, white noise and music, a bottle and her star projector. And here she is, napping in a room with a bunch of other kids. I just can't believe it.

I'll write updates as they happen but for now it's been a pretty run of the mill first daycare experience. Lots of ups and downs and a real milestone.

What To Ask A Nanny: Advice From A Nanny.

I worked as a nanny for many different families in the Lower Mainland over the last 10 to 12 years. For a long time I worked on short-term contracts for families that needed temporary care and because of that I met with many, many different families and was on the employee-side of the interview process many, many times. I also sometimes helped families choose a replacement for myself or gave them nanny or general childcare advice.

Because of my history in childcare and this blog, I've recently had many new mommies seek my advice on hiring their first nanny. They've been curious about what questions to ask, what qualifications to look for and what the nanny-family relationship should look like.

So I'm going to post here the information that I have been giving to new moms regarding hiring their first nanny. Please keep in mind these tips are my opinions, from my experience and what I have found to work best. They are general and should be tailored to meet your family's specific needs. Take what you want and leave the rest. Maybe there's something you wouldn't have thought to ask or maybe my tips will flick a switch and you'll think of something even better. 

Good Luck with your search!

Let me start off by saying that a successful nanny-family relationship is one where both parties feel respected and integral in the child’s life. It is important to treat the person you choose for a nanny like family. She is after all basically a hired mother to your children who is taking on a very important role in your absence. The more your nanny feels that her efforts are valued and that she is cared about the more likely it is that she will want to be as diligent and loyal as she can be. And the more likely it is that she will be more flexible with schedule changes or doing extra duties etc.

I was lucky to have very, very few bad experiences and I was usually treated very well. And because my families made me feel like part of the family I often went above and beyond the call of duty for them by performing extra duties (such as cleaning, laundry, etc.) or staying late on short notice – because I wanted to help them out.

That being said it is also important to establish right away that this is YOUR family, YOUR children and that whatever rules, values, techniques you have working in your household are to be followed. I have known parents who have been too casual and friendly in the beginning and it has led to the nanny seeing the relationship as more of a friendship than an employer/employee relationship. This has led to bending rules that the parents have set, forgetting to perform duties that are expected or calling in “sick” too many times.

It’s a really delicate balance that is hard to explain. I say establish that what you say goes and that this is a “job” early on. But then be as kind and generous as you can be because the more wanted the nanny feels the less likely you are to have problems later. Not the least of which is being tempted away by a better offer. After all, there is always someone willing to pay more for childcare and there is a shortage of excellent nannies in the city so you definitely want your nanny to be loyal to your family and not leave you hanging by switching families.

Duties: As far as duties go it is VERY important to establish what you expect right from the start. Some nannies only care for the children and do not do anything else. Others will care for the kids and do kid-related tidying and laundry but won’t cook or clean and other nannies do everything. Ask in the interview what they will or won’t do. Tell them exactly what you are looking for so that they don’t feel tricked later when you spring the laundry on them.

Keep in mind that the more cleaning you expect the less time the nanny is spending with your children. Imagine if you had to vacuum the house, dust, wash dishes, fold laundry and run errands each day. How much quality time would you be spending with your kids? No one can be a fun, energetic nanny that involves the kids in activities and provides stimulating play AND clean the house and prepare dinner. If you want your nanny to be a house cleaner than you need to be OK with your kids sitting in front of the TV.

So decide what it is you need done and make sure that in the interview you make the duties very clear. Then when you pick someone make and post a list of what you want done. Example: 

• Driving child
• Child’s laundry only
• Tidying toys and kitchen
• Walking dog
• Grocery shopping once per week 
• One evening per month for date-night

There were times early on in my nanny career where I didn’t make a list of chores with the family and as the months wore on I was slowly expected to perform more and more duties for no additional pay. No matter how friendly everyone is with each other it’s best to just have in writing all the duties, wages, house rules etc.

Experience: Ask them why they are a nanny? For how long? What do they like most about the job? What do they find the most difficult/challenging? Why did they leave their last position? What age ranges of children have they cared for? Do they have ECE? (Some parents really want a nanny with ECE and others don’t care. I personally don’t have it but I had a lot of experience. It’s a personal choice but usually ECE nannies are paid more and are more likely to be on their way to a position in a school, daycare etc.) 

Rules: Explain your house rules and childrearing techniques and discuss with the potential nanny if she is comfortable with your way of doing things. This is probably the most important thing to agree on. You definitely want someone who is on board with your techniques. Some parents spank and others would never even raise their voice. Consistency is key in establishing boundaries for your children. If they have a naughty chair when Mommy is home but the nanny lets them run amok and won’t use the chair then everyone is wasting their time. Ask them how they disciplined children in the last places they worked and if they found that method to be effective. Obviously little babies aren’t disciplined at all. But if your baby is still little it won’t be long before he/she is a toddler and you should still have an understanding of how a tantrum will be handled in your absence. You don’t want to fall in love with your perfect nanny only to discover a year later that they refuse to discipline your child.

Background: Definitely ask for references!!!!!!! Do not hire anyone who can’t produce good references. Be concerned about anyone whose references are really old (ex: where is the references from the last two years???) Make sure they aren’t just personal references such as family members or other nanny friends. You can ask for a criminal check. The nanny has to go to the police station and get it done and I think it’s $40. But (I assume) a foreign nanny who is here on a visa or something won’t be able to obtain that since they aren’t a citizen. I have worked independently and for agencies and have had to obtain many criminal checks over the years. If you aren’t that concerned about the crim. check than please, please check references thoroughly.

** Note: Sometimes when a nanny leaves a family because of any number of innocent reasons the family is inconvenienced and upset at the nanny’s departure. It wouldn’t be entirely uncommon for an employer to give a bad reference out of spite or anger (after all, this is a very personal relationship and unlike in other businesses people can feel very hurt by their nanny or employer). One family had just hired me and I was shocked to hear my new employer giving a horrible reference on the phone to someone who was calling about her previous nanny. The nanny had been with them for years and as far as I knew hadn’t done anything really wrong when they up and fired her for coming home late with the baby. It’s possible that one bad reference says more about the employer than your nanny candidate. Just follow your gut.

Skills: FIRST AID!!!!!!! Do not hire anyone who doesn’t have it. Check that the certification is still valid and if you know about first aid yourself ask them questions like: What would you do for a burn? How do you perform CPR on an infant? On a 4-year-old? If you find someone that you love but they don’t have it than make it a requirement that they get certified within a certain time-frame. It’s only a one-day class.

Driving: If you want a nanny to drive I would ask them to get a driver’s abstract to show you. It’s been a long time, but I think they have to get it from the driver licence centre. Ask them how long they have been driving, if they have ever been in accidents and how confident they feel in driving the children. Decide if they will be using your car or their own. If it’s their own car then make sure it is a safe vehicle and know that it is common practice to pay an additional car allowance. I think my last employers paid $.25 per km or something. Make sure their insurance is valid and will cover your precious cargo in the event of an accident!!

Questions:

• What do you do in your spare time?
• What makes you a good nanny?
• What activities do you like to do with the kids?Are you comfortable running, jumping, climbing, playing hockey outside etc…
• What are your wage expectations?
• How much vacation time are you expecting? (Keep in mind that if you travel a lot and have a full-time nanny it is expected that you pay the nanny for the time you are away and she is not working. Not many nannies can afford to take four weeks off unpaid just because you can afford it. If you take extra vacations be prepared to pay her salary while you are away. Or else work out an arrangement that suits you both when she is hired.)
• Are you willing to travel? 
• Do you have a valid passport? (Some nannies travel with the family instead of staying at home)
• Are you comfortable nannying while the parents are at home?
• Do you smoke, drink or take drugs?
• Are you comfortable around pets?
• Do you socialize during work hours? (ex: meeting friends at the park, bringing a boyfriend over or talking on the phone. Some families are fine with this and others aren’t. Make your wishes clear.)
• What activities do they do with the children? 
• What do they see a typical day looking like for your child? 
• Do they speak another language?
• How long do you see yourself staying with us? 
• Can you commit to a year? Two?

If the nanny is live-in make sure you cover things like:

• How is the room and board worked out?
• What space is available for the nanny?
• What hours will she be working?
• Who can/can’t visit her during her off hours at home?

Please keep in mind that just because you have a live-in nanny doesn't mean she is on duty 24 hours a day. Off times are time OFF from your kids. Don't get greedy and summon her from the basement bedroom every time someone wets the bed in the middle of the night. Be extra clear on work hours/days so there is no confusion.

Make sure to add any questions that are specific to your family. For example: 

• Will the nanny be working odd hours? 
• Do you have a special needs child? 
• Are you religious or is the nanny? And will that be a conflict at all? 
• Will the nanny be bringing her own child to work? If so is that child and yours going to be compatible?

Have the child(ren) present during the interview, or at least part of it, and observe how the nanny interacts with them. Once you have chosen someone, be at home for the first day or two to ease the transition for baby or child and to observe how things are going. After that, come home early every once in awhile just to see what’s going on. There are of course nanny-cams as well and that is a choice you can make.

Agencies: Finding someone that you can trust with your kids is serious business. It's likely not going to be the first person who responds to your ad on Craigslist. If looking for a nanny is too daunting a task there are agencies that will pre-screen candidates and check their references etc for you. There are good and bad agencies. And they all cost money but they save you the time looking yourself and many will replace someone who doesn’t work out within a certain time frame. Choose an agency carefully. Some say that they check criminal records and driver’s abstracts etc. but never actually do. However some are definitely worth the money especially if you want to rest assured that your selection is qualified or if you don't have hours and hours to devote to the search.

The Fit: Find someone that you feel really comfortable with. This is the person you are trusting with the most important person in your life. Make sure they are happy and respected and that you fully trust them. I recommend sitting down once every couple months to evaluate how things are going. It gives the nanny and you a chance to express concerns or bring up new issues and it keeps everybody on the same page. Also many families like to have a daily journal where the nanny briefly writes down what they did that day, any minor injuries, new foods, discipline issues, additional chores done…it’s a good way to keep the communication going.

And definitely watch your child (or if they are older, ask them how it is going with their new nanny). There is usually a semi-difficult transition period right at the beginning but after that it should be clear if your child isn’t connecting well with the nanny. Start with a probation period so that if after a couple months your child still hasn’t warmed to his/her nanny then you can start looking for someone new without too many hard feelings.

Jump Gymnastics.

So my good friend Rachael was a gymnastics instructor for years. And since Babe was born she has been a great "auntie" and always very encouraging of Babe's physical development.

One of the first times that Babe stood alone while holding onto a stool was with Rachael. Rachael helped Babe practice her first steps in the early days of walking and recently she taught Babe how to do a somersault (front roll).

So of course it was Rachael who, wanting to share her love of gymnastics, took Babe and I to a drop-in class at Jump Gymnastics in Yaletown, Vancouver.

Rachael helping Babe do a front roll.

The place is pretty cool. It's a full-on gymnastics gym with pint-sized equipment. There's fun trampolines, bars, rings, balance beams and foam everything. Babe of course loves it, although she may not be the Olympic hopeful that Rachael wants her to be and she certainly doesn't like to perform on command.

Owner/director Jennifer Hood was a gymnastics coach for over twenty years and has an education degree. After her middle child was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis she realized that her nine to five job wasn't going to fit her family's needs. "I'd get phone calls on Thursday for her to be admitted for two weeks on Monday morning and what kind of an employer is ever going to go for that arrangement?" said Hood.

So she quit her job and built Jump.

"It was born because I really believe in what developmental gymnastics can bring to kids for the lifetime of being elite athletes or just generally participating in sport and the foundation that we can create for them."

Hood said that despite originally planning on opening Jump in East Vancouver the Yaletown location has been a blessing in disguise. "It's been a great location that has been filled with incredibly supportive and engaged parents."

All of Jump's coaches have a degree in a related field such as education or kinesiology and a sports background. Hood bragged that one coach is a Canadian women's wrestling champion and others have been dancers, soccer players and swimmers. "We've had almost every sport represented over the last five years," said Hood.

Hood's experience and training has told her that the early age of Jump students is the perfect starting point for learning important physical skills. She said studies show that between the ages of zero and six is when kids learn language and number skills, but it is also the time when children learn physical literacy.

"That idea that there is a discrete set of movement pathways, whether it be; skipping, running, climbing, jumping, rolling. There's a whole bunch of them. If kids are taught those and allowed to explore them in an environment that is liberating and excites them...they acquire what's called physical literacy."

When kids later combine those fundamental movement skills with sports skills, "they can go on to explore any sport that interests them," said Hood.

Hood knows that only about one per cent of children enrolled in gymnastics will go on to be an elite athlete in the sport but she says there is so much more that the training and equipment can provide.

The equipment at jump is the real stuff that you would see in a gymnastics centre - just smaller. "It provides them with an interesting playground to work on those movement skills," said Hood.

Kids can jump, climb, balance and hang. Hood said she really enjoys that with the smaller equipment she never has to say, "'Don't touch that. That's too dangerous. Don't go near that."

Babe, of course, was an instant Jump fan. She immediately preferred the trampolines, the ball pit and the balance beams, but being a good sport she tried it all.

She's 17 months old now and just starting to really climb and explore the playground equipment. To help keep her busy on indoor days I scoured the city and finally found a toddler-sized slide for her bedroom. The first night she had it she must've gone up and down that thing 30 times.

Then it was bedtime and she passed out cold.

On the way home from a Jump drop-in class.

For more information on Jump's classes and drop in times visit the www.jumpgymnastics.ca

Babe's First Easter Egg Hunt.

I'm just posting a few photos from Babe's first Easter egg hunt last weekend. I know I haven't been posting much lately but I have been interning full time for a local newspaper and trying to fit in workouts in the evenings. My internship ends soon so hopefully I'll have more time to post.

On the hunt with Grandpa.

Yes, that is a Barrel as Monkeys. Hey, it looks kinda like an Easter egg.
And also, yes, in my family we hunt for Easter eggs around the forklift.

Checking out her stash of eggs.

Eeeeegggggssss! 

So independent. 

Who's in there?

Look!

Looking for the surprise.

She's grown up so much since this time last year when she looked like this:

Easter 2012.