New York Nanny Center » busy moms

eco-friendly baby shower & birthday party invitations

Lindsay Bell — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:55:00 +0000

Since we are on the topic of baby showers and birthday parties,when you are ready to be the hostess, where do you start?

The invitations of course!

I came across PaperCulture from one of my LLD member moms. Paper Culture is a modern eco-friendly stationary company that brings a uniquetwist to boring stuff that reads like a resume. They pride themselves on providing clean, fresh modern aesthetic.Developed by parents themselves they truly care about the environment and thefuture state of the planet for our children.

Click herefor eco baby shower invitations; girl, boy and gender neutral.

Click herefor birthday party invitations; kids birthdays, girl or boy, photo birthdayinvites or adult parties.

Hear what Parenting Magazine, Cool Mom Picks and Daily Candyhas to say about Paper Culture here!

STRUT! The fashionable mom show!

Lindsay Bell — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:13:00 +0000

Mother of three, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, is the Director of Fashion at the Lincoln Center in NYC as well as the liaison between countless parties involved in fashion week. Stephanie believes that mothers can not only be fashionable, but they can also gain strength from mixing style and raising children while working! You really can have it all! Stephanie ensures readers that her family always comes first, and her lil’ ones are constantly in her office. In fact, at this weeks fashion week Stephanie’s daughter was taken through the Barbie dream closet… what little girl wouldn’t dream of that!

Stephanie believes in empowering moms for all their hard work, which is why she loved the idea of a mom fashion show at fashion week! In collaboration with The Moms, Mom-entum, Big Fuel and Getting Gorgeous, Stephanie was vital in the development of “Strut: The Fashionable Mom Show”. Why not bring couture to moms everywhere! The event featured over 20 moms wearing designer and non-designer clothing friendly for all shapes and sizes. Here’s a picture from MSNBC of the moms workin’ it!

In the article focusing on Stephanie in ibtimes.com she says,”I didn’t just love the concept” of a mom show, it resonated with her personality with her extremely busy schedule as founding director of fashion at Lincoln Center she constantly struggles with balancing work and family. Stephanie pulls off both, and proves it is possible to have it all! To watch a video about the mom-friendly fashion show visit the website here.

Valentine’s Day Packages!

Lindsay Bell — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:18:00 +0000

Hey Dads! Lost at where to start for Valentine’s Day but want to give your partner the perfect gift? Looking for something different this year? How about one of our LLD customized packages? We will help guide you towards the perfect Valentine’s gift specialized to your partner’s favorite places, products and more! And the BEST part-we will provide you with a babysitter to cover the kids while your partner enjoys!

Email Lindsay to get your gift set-up today lindsay.bell@luckylildarlings.com

Snack time made Fun!

Lindsay Bell — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Once again it is snack time and I have just returned from thegrocery store with a hungry, fussy three year old.

I have just started to unload the car full of groceries and out ofthe corner of her eye she spots the bight colored FunBites. I explained to her that they arefor making food fun to eat. With that, she pushed me out of the way to startmaking her very own creative snack. I showed her just once with a slice ofcheese. She LOVED the fact that she could make it solo. Ms. Independent. Notonly did she make it herself, but she counted and grouped all her bites togetherbefore she ate EVERYTHING.

The best part for me was that it kept my daughter entertainedso I could put all the groceries away! Thank you FunBites for a great wayto eat a healthy snack and giving mom a quiet ten minutes to put everything away!

Funbites is the first and only kitchen tool to cut kids’ foodinto FUN-SHAPED BITE-SIZED PIECES. It goes beyond sandwich cutters andworks on a variety of foods like pancakes, burgers, brownies and more! FunBites promises to get kids to try new things and eat healthier. It’smealtime made stress-free and fun. Use code FreeShipJan at checkout for 15% off your entire order until 1/31/12.

Written by Ilene Young, mother of one and LLD City Coordinator in Connecticut.Ilene can be reached at ilene.young@luckylildarlings.com

5 signs of a great sitter

Lindsay Bell — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:27:00 +0000

When do you know you found a top-notch sitter? Here are my 5signs of a great sitter!

Sheasks questions! Your sitter is through, savvy & smart. You know you found agem if she asks you for the 411 before she starts babysitting. Does your lil’one have allergies? Can you give me a tour of your home so I know whereeverything is? Is there anything you need me to do for you when the kids fallasleep?

Shedoesn’t look at her phone every 5 minutes. The sitter’s attention should befully on your child. I frequently see nannies pushing strollers talking ontheir phones. How can a childcare provider push a stroller, hold up a phone upto her ear and pay attention to your child’s needs? I understand the headset inone ear and the other ear for the child for a quick call, but long time phoneconversations are a NO. Also, I don’t like when sitters are constantly texting.Never should a sitter answer a phone call on the job when the kids are awake, unlessthey ask permission ahead of time.

She isCPR Trained/Certified and knows the ropes of fire safety. Wouldn’t you feel safer if your childcare providercould administer CPR if necessary? Or if someone is choking and your childneeds the Heimlich? Go with someone thatis confident, educated and prepared.

College-Educated& Professional. She has her 4-year degree, and possibly beyond. She is workingfull/part-time and has an impressive career. She’s well rounded, traveled and brings her experience to provide thebest childcare for your child.

Shecan put on a show! Your child learns something new from her every time. Sheeither brings activities, or has some great new activity for the kids to playwith. She’s unique and fun, and your child looks forward to her visit every time.

-LB

Checkout what I heard from Daily Candy Kids!

Lindsay Bell — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:34:00 +0000

Checkout what I heard from Daily Candy Kids! The ibaby Video Monitor for iphones andipads!

Bigbrother is watching. So is the babysitter on her iPad, dad on his iPhone, andmom on her office computer.

Asmany as four people at once can keep an eye on your prize with the iBabyMonitor — the only mobile video monitor with two-way audio that we have spiedon the market.

High-techdoesn’t mean complicated. Just download the app to your iPhone, iPad, orcomputer; plug the monitor into your network to register; and install thecamera in the room. Our favorite perk is that you can control the camera lenswith just a swipe of your finger. So if your little Houdini disappears fromview, drag your finger across the screen to find him.

Alertsare issued when baby lets out a cry or makes a move. Two-way audio capabilitieslet you give a comforting “shhhh” from anywhere you have a connection. Plus,infrared night vision allows you to spy on baby in the middle of the night. Youcan even take pictures of tushy-up sleeping using your device’s camera.

Available online at store.apple.com, $200. Formore information, go to ibabylabs.com.

Bedtime Routine Tips from the Experts!

Lindsay Bell — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:15:00 +0000

Big City Moms always supporting LLD, invited us to their Sleep Experts Lunch to speak about the importance of communicating bedtime routines to your sitter. Here are a few important tips!
1. Give your sitter a tour of your home. Show your sitter the kids rooms, point out dangerous areas you want the kids to stay away from and give specific instructions on how things work.

2. Bedtime Rules. Talk to your sitter about your bedtime routine with the kids i.e. What time do you begin to wind down the night? What is your child’s favorite story and/or bedtime song? What time should they be asleep by?

3. Special Instructions. Are there any special rules you have? Do your kids have any allergies the sitter should know about? Are the kid’s sick and need medicine?

4. Exchange Contact Info. Be sure to leave your sitter with your cell phone and an emergency contact numbers. Be sure to get her cell phone number so that you can text her throughout the night if you have any questions or to check in.

5. Anything else? Sitters are happy to lend a helping hand. If you’d like them to unload the dishwasher or change the laundry most sitters won’t mind. Especially once they have been at your home a few times and you feel connected to them. They will be happy to help!

I stayed to listen to Kira Ryan, mom, sleep lover and co-founder of Dream Team speak about her infant& toddler sleep tips. Here are a few!

Newborns should get 15-18 hours of sleep per day (24hrs)
A good bedtime for an infant is between 6-8pm
Signs of a sleepy infant: the cry is different, no engagement or eye contact, fussy
What is normal?
- Up to 6 mo infants take naps every1 ½ -2 hours
- At 6mo infants usually take 2 naps per day
- 15-18 mo 1 long nap in the afternoon
- Naps or ‘quiet time’ is recommended up to 3-4 years
- White noise machines are great especially for city noise
- Crib should be a sleep sanctuary, anything that screams party or playground should be removed
- Check the nursery temperature! It should be between 68-72 F.
- Is the room dark enough? Get blackout shades!

For more info on Dream Team click here

I’m obsessed with CleanWell wipes

Lindsay Bell — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 03:28:00 +0000

It’scold season. Gross I know. LLD families know better and are prepared. A commonhousehold item my sitters and I have spotted recently is CleanWell’s To-GoDisinfectant Spray. It cleans, disinfects & deodorizes + kills influenzavirus including H1N1. Nice.

Thisno fuss spray can be easily packed into your purse or diaper bag. Quickly cleanthe kid’s toys at daycare or sanitize the high chair at your favorite localdiner or spray down the table before serving the kids their meal.

Use code CWECQ1 for 20% off plus a free gift now through 3/15/12!

Spraymay not be the best choice for wiping down the kids face after he/ she findsyour chocolate stash in your bag and smears it all over their face, so opt forthe To-Go Disinfectant Wipes. They work like a charm.

Thereare very few products I can’t live without and these CleanWell wipes are quickly becoming one of them. Clickhere to purchase CleanWell

Use code CWECQ1 for 20% off plus a free gift now through 3/15/12!

Pure Yoga is the ticket to prolong your paradise vacation

Lindsay Bell — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:48:00 +0000

Happy New Year LLD!

I hope that you are off to a relaxing andoptimistic start to 2012!

I began my New Year in Mexico on the tropical island of Playa Mujeres. More to come on my experience in a bit. But I didn’t want my trip to end, so I decided to go to the one place that keeps tropical paradise alive. Pure Yoga. I took the Hot Power Yoga class, which is aperfect combination of stretching, meditationand flow. Eric Elven is the instructor on Tuesday’s at 8:30am, and he is sochill in directing us through every move. The hot powered yoga class is taught in a room heated to 100 degrees. The heat providesfor a detoxifying sweat while you flow through an athletic and dynamic sequenceof postures. What a great way to start your day. The friendly staff is there to answer any of yourquestions after the class.

Click here for a classschedule. If you interested in a trial offer click here http://www.pureyoga.com/en/newyork/purecontracts/enquiry.php formore info.

Beyond Teaching is Beyond Amazing: Interview with Dimity Kirwan

Lindsay Bell — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 03:40:00 +0000

I had the pleasure of sitting down at Peacefood Café yesterday with Dimity Kirwan, the CEO of Beyond Teaching a super savvy, fast-growing online community of teachers seeking extra work as tutors and caregivers.

Dimity connects teachers with parents who are looking for skilled and knowledgeable individuals to work with their children. Sound familiar to LLD?

Beyond Teaching believes that providing children with ongoing learning experiences is essential. Dimity and I understand that parents often struggle to find top quality childcare and tutors. LLD & Beyond Teaching are proud to collaborate in developing a solution for busy moms throughout the tri-state area by providing the best local tutors and caregivers. During the interview I had the opportunity to ask Dimity several questions about herself and Beyond Teaching.

Tell us about your story?

I’m from Wilton, CT, which is in Fairfield County. I have a twin sister, a younger brother and sister, and 3 much younger half sisters, for whom I often babysat and nannied. I went to Tulane University, in New Orleans. When I graduated, I joined Teach for America and completed a masters of education, specializing in Childhood 1-6, from Pace University whil

e teaching in Harlem.

What led you to start Beyond Teaching ?

Throughout my first three years of teaching, I supplemented my income through babysitting and tutoring, but connecting with families was always tough. I loved working with kids one on one and wished that I had more opportunities to do so, as did my fellow teacher friends. I thought it would be such a great business to connect these wonderful families I was meeting with great sitters/tutors.

What is the coolest thing that has happened to you this far?

My grant to start Beyond Teaching from the Jones New Yo

rk Empowerment Fund and meeting Dee Dee Meyers! I heard about this grant offer through Ladies Who Launch, applied, and received the grant in September 2010. All the recipients were featured in an ad campaign that ran in Elle & Real Simple Magazine.

So what is your goal with Beyond Teaching ?

On a larger scale, I’m hoping to empower teachers to utilize their skills beyond the classroom and to be compensated accordingly. I would love to do this full-time as I love being able to connect families and students with quality tutors.

What’s your favorite childhood memory?

Generally, playing outdoors with my siblings. Our house was in the middle of the woods, and we created a fantasyland out of nature! My love for nature has continued – when I’m not teaching or working on Beyond Teaching , I’m an avid rock climber and yogi!

So how do tutors get involved in Beyond Teaching ?

It’s easy – take 10 minutes to visit our website www.gobeyondteaching.com and register for free.

Thanks to Dimity for all the great insight! That’s all for now, make sure to keep following LLD!

-LB