New York Nanny Center » NYC

Bridesmaid Shopping for the Over 50 Crowd

Lindsay Bell — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 16:45:59 +0000

Many girls are pleasantly surprised when asked to be a bridesmaid; imagine my surprise when my daughter asked me to be her matron of honor. I quickly rebutted,” Why do you want me in that role?” She answered, “Because you are the most special person to me.” Of course this response turned on the waterworks.

Two of my beautiful daughters, the groom-to-be and myself enjoying some quality time

Well now I had business ahead of me which included finding dresses that would fit both beautiful, young women and one 50 something woman. So now it was my job to find the perfect dress. After much shopping, I have rediscovered the culture of the bridesmaid dress. It’s short, mostly strapless and designed for the 20-30 something body type, which I am not. When faced with adversity I move with determination. So onward in my quest of both fitting in with the bridesmaids and fitting in to the bridesmaid dress.

Thank you Lindsay, for always making me feel special.

Mama Bell

Moms Night Out for a Good Cause

Lindsay Bell — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 14:28:25 +0000

New York, NY – This summer, take a break from the kids for a great cause. Grant making charity Walk the Walk is bringing back its bra-baring marathon, The MoonWalk New York City, presented by Empire BlueCross BlueShield, where women and men Power Walk the streets of New York overnight in decorated bras to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. Grab your girlfriends, bedazzle your bras and register today at: www.walkthewalkamerica.com.

NEW YORK, NY – JULY 20: Participants pose together at the first-ever MoonWalk NYC at Randall’s Island on July 20, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Walk the Walk)

The party kicks off on Saturday, July 26^th at 8pm at Randall’s Island, where you’ll enjoy a delicious group feast, awesome live entertainment, and tons of free giveaways. After the festivities, you’ll Power Walk this renowned midnight marathon (with a half marathon option) with Olympic and World Cup Soccer Star Brandi Chastain.

As you snag free snacks and hydrating drinks along the route, you’ll befriend participants, get fit and healthy, and raise money for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Breast Examination Center in Harlem (BECH), which provides breast cancer screenings for underserved, Harlem women at no out of pocket cost.

NEW YORK, NY – JULY 20: Participants attend the first-ever MoonWalk NYC at Randall’s Island on July 20, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Walk the Walk)

Plus, meet founder and breast cancer survivor Nina Barough, who started Walk the Walk 18 years ago in London, earning support by notables including His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Paul and Stella McCartney, Sir Richard Branson, Pierce Brosnan, and designer Swarovski Crystal. Today, Nina leads Power Walking marathons and challenges across the globe, including The MoonWalk in Scotland, Iceland, and as of last year, America. To date, it has engaged over 300,000 participants and has raised over $144 million dollars to support breast cancer research and those affected by cancer.

Nina Barough Kicks off the MoonWalk NYC

Nina says, “Exercise and physical activity are an essential part of cancer prevention. It’s time to take action, sign up, and get walking.”

Start a team and sign up today at www.walkthewalkamerica.com.

Like us at: www.Facebook.com/WalktheWalkAmerica
Follow us at: @WalktheWalk #MoonWalkNYC

Snow Day, Fun Day!

Lindsay Bell — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 17:37:06 +0000

With all NYC public schools closed along with many major highways and roads in New York, children everywhere are celebrating. Parents, maybe not as much. Snow days mean wet feet and cooped up children… luckily we have some fun ideas to help!

Go outside! If you live close to a park, suit up in snow gear get outside. Despite the effort to get kids ready (& the inevitable mess upon their return) going outside for snowball fights, snow angels, and snowmen will zap some of their energy from being indoors too long! Sledding is another option, but make sure your children are safe if they choose to do this!
Cook or bake: This is the perfect time to let kids help make recipes like home made pizza. Baking is always a snow day favorite as well. Try a recipe you haven’t yet, or spend some extra time to roll out some sugar cookies! Snow days are the perfect time to make family favorites without worrying about leaving time to do homework and get in bed.
Experiment: Snow days provide plenty of time for weather related experiments. Have your kids check out cool experiments with thermometers, track the snow with a yardstick out on the balcony or front steps every few hours, or even make their very own indoor snow crystals.
Craft: Didn’t get a chance to make those paper snowflakes before the holidays? Now is your time! We also love easy crafts like the snow day ring toss. Or you can use the snow day to get started on Valentine’s Day crafts… Heart-shaped cards, writing Valentines to classmates, and glitter filled projects are all things your lil’ ones will love.
Movie Marathon: After all that excitement, lil’ ones may need a rest. However, especially with older children, they will not always agree to a nap. Putting on a favorite movie can also give you the downtime you need as a parent (catching up on paperwork, cleaning, or whatever it is you had planned to do if your lil’ guys were in school).

When all else fails, LLD is here to help with friendly and energetic sitters to take your lil’ ones anywhere or do any snow day activity you can dream up! Happy snow storm everyone!

-Lauren has been babysitting for many years and is part of the LLD office team! Her favorite snow day activities are drinking homemade hot chocolate, curling up with a book, and going sledding with friends!

Tis the Season to Give…or Not?

Lindsay Bell — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 17:26:05 +0000

It is that time of year… Happy…Merry… The winter holidays are here!!! For those of us in the service industry it is an especially happy time or at least we hope…

Like no other city in the world, Manhattan residents depend on doormen, building staff, delivery people, assistants, caregivers/nannies, housekeepers and such! As Pamela Skillings wrote for the online website, About.com, “ Tip giving/Holiday bonuses is a sign of appreciation for good service, not an obligation, but tips are counted on by many NYC service providers. If you don’t tip, it could be seen as a sign of dissatisfaction or just plain stinginess.”

I get asked by many families and caregivers what the standard/expected holiday bonus is and the answers vary some, but in my own unofficial survey, the majority from both sides said the standard Holiday Bonus is 1 week salary. Skillings also reported, “If you employ a full-time nanny, the New York rule is at least one week’s pay plus some paid holiday vacation days.”

A few of the families and nannies I spoke with gave/received additional gifts like: extra holiday paid vacation, luxurious gifts, handmade crafts from the kids, warm heartfelt thank you cards, gift cards and spa gift certificates. Less than 1% of the people I survey said they gave/received more than the 1 week salary bonus. About 10% said they received less than a week salary bonus.

Based on a survey done by UrbanSitter.com in 2012 on Holiday gift giving, “97% of families reported to give their full-time nanny a holiday bonus or gift. 66% gave 1 week salary, 28% gave 2 weeks’ salary and 6 % gave 3+ weeks pay.

In my professional opinion, it’s never a bad thing to give and show appreciation to the people in your children’s life some holiday love!!!

-Ali Sheppard is our Nanny Care Coordinator and the author of the Chronicles of Modern Mary Poppins!

Source: UrbanSitter. The UrbanSitter Holiday Bonus study was fielded in November and December 2012. It includes results from 395 parent respondents.

The Guide for Finding Classes In NYC!

Lindsay Bell — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 15:54:52 +0000

Living in NYC is great because there are literally a thousands ways to enrich your lil’ darling’s life (as our great sitter2Mom, Samantha, talked about in her post this past Wednesday). However, the downside to this is that busy parents don’t have the time to actually find, research, and compare the hundreds of class providers, classes, and scheduling options NYC has to offer for children. There are so many options, it can sometime be a little overwhelming to find the perfect fit for your budget, interests, and schedule. Cue Kidz Central Station, company founded by a NYC mom of two young kids, that makes searching, finding, and enrolling children in classes and activities painless. The website is simple to use and saves you hours of research by combining all the information about different classes and activities onto one site. Instead of combing through hundreds of different websites looking for the perfect fit for your lil’ darling, just go to Kidz Central Station and find all the info you need including prices, schedule, and location in one easy-to-use website! A parent can search by location, class type, price, age and schedule!

Lauren, founder of Kidz Central Station, and her daughter

The great thing about Kidz Central Station is that they offer enrollment for thousands of Manhattan and BK-based classes for all ages, including infants and toddlers, and are adding new class providers and classes every day, so there is something for everyone! Using Kidz Central Station also saves you money because every class you purchase on the website earns you points which can be used to save money on future classes. This is a fantastic resource for busy families looking to enroll their kids in a class or activity!

Like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for updates!

GO GO GO!!!

Lindsay Bell — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 16:41:40 +0000

In the hustle and bustle that is NYC we are often in a state of moving, planning, coordinating and executing! Parents and caregivers know this dance all too well! As parents strive to ensure their children are safe, eating healthy, getting adequate sleep, attending the best schools, and having frequent play dates, there is still more to do… There is afterschool, music, language, sports, art, cooking, gymnastics and dance… to name a few.

Lil’ ones enjoying some free time on the walk home from school

Let’s be honest, the kids in this city have a surplus of extracurricular opportunities and their schedules can sometimes require a team of people to execute. These activities require seamless logistical coordination, a variety of transportation options, wheels (stroller, scooter or bike) and snacks… not to mention multiple changes of clothes. We do all of this with the purpose of providing our children with exercise, socialization and enrichment. Parents are also aware that kids these days can be easily over scheduled and struggle to find the balance between opportunities and downtime.

Those of us who oversee or manage the day to day, here to there, back and forth ever changing schedule for these children know the endurance, patience and positive attitude it takes to navigate this city, anticipate the 4pm-no-taxi shift change, drop off/pick up, encourage exhausted, frustrated and hungry children, all in the name of opportunity. Not to mention the all too familiar days when the 1 train is “temporarily delayed due to an earlier investigation at Columbus Circle,” while it’s raining outside and getting a taxi is about as likely as winning the lottery. We hold it together because we are parents and caregivers and we know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

So…how can we find the balance? It depends on your family, children, their interests, your support system, what you can afford and how you want to generate downtime for your family. I say family, because we all need it. Parents, caregivers and kids!!! As adults we can communicate our needs but as children we are at the mercy of our grown-ups. Teaching our kids the importance of learning and socializing is just as important as teaching them how to pause, catch a breath, veg out and tap into their bliss.

My favorite memory of downtime as a child was when my mom and I would have “tickle time” it was a great break in the action! When she would announce, “Tickle Time” I instantly knew that meant ten minutes of serious fun! On the ground tickling, laughing, and utter silliness was the perfect way for my mom and I to release tension and share some really carefree moments. I looked forward to this one on one time I would spend with my busy, working, single parent mother. Other downtime ideas include: have a 5 minute dance party, coloring/crafts, music, reading, playing a game, or just zoning with some screen time (it’s ok)… The goal is to create space and autonomy so the child can express themselves how they need too. This will increase family bonding, self-esteem and confidence, independence, patience and some much needed breathing room in our busy on the go NYC lives…

-Ali Sheppard is our Nanny Placement Coordinator and the author of the latest installment in our “Chronicles of Modern Mary Poppins” series.

Mama Bell Is Back For Her Last!

Lindsay Bell — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 18:05:59 +0000

Recently while visiting my daughter in NYC, I had the opportunity to meet and have dinner with her boyfriend’s father, who was visiting his son from Texas. Visiting may be the wrong verb, as we were both in the city for the same reason: to help our children with their prospective business start-ups. We sat across the dinner table talking about our abandoned spouses and the chores back home that they inherited in our absence. I knew that my husband’s inherited chores would go unanswered to my dismay.We laughed about how we were the oldest unpaid interns working 10 hour days out of love. It was a pleasant evening spent with a southern gentleman,unlike my Midwestern do it yourself one that I have at home. It was so much fun to talk to another parent about our successful children and help with my own lil’ darling’s small business!

-Mama Bell will be taking a break until January to make way for our new series: Modern Mary Poppins Chronicles.

Introducing Georgia!

Lindsay Bell — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 20:21:08 +0000

This Friday, we’d like to introduce you to a great kid, baby, & family photographer: Georgia Glennon!

Georgia has a degree in photography and worked behind the camera in NYC for years before moving down to Sayulita, Mexico for a change of scenery. Georgia now regularly schedules photo shoots for families traveling to her beautiful city, and runs a babysitting service on the side. Her goal is to create timeless images that record those special moments in her client’s lives, whatever they may be. She especially loves any opportunity to work with children!

Georgia explains that speaking with strangers comes easily for her- which is exactly how she and someone from the Lucky Lil’ Darlings team met. We love her website which showcases some of her kid, baby and family photography and we wanted to share with all of you!

If you are interested in hearing more about her work or scheduling a photo shoot in NYC- her next availabilities in NYC are November 8, 9, and 10. Her contact information is:

email: info@georgiaglennon.com

phone: 917 748 0977

Personal Assistant 101

Alison Gore — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 20:04:18 +0000

If I would have had the foresight, I would have minored in business administration in college. For the past two weeks I’ve been my daughter’s personal assistant in her childcare agency in NYC. Ask me an education question and I’ll probably have an answer,but ask me a business question and I may appear helpless.This is a list of my qualifications for her personal assistant position:

Research…I can read
Interview… I can speak
Call and answer phones…I can hear
Set up events…I can set up a stage and entertain kids
Run errands…I can walk
Give advice…I can think

So on this impressive resume, I was hired on the spot out of desperation by a daughter who has a very busy schedule and needs an extra set of everything.

So nice to be needed!?

-Mama Bell

P.S. Advice welcome from any business administration majors

Henry Takes Flight

Alison Gore — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:39:12 +0000

I’ve heard about it. I’ve seen people do it many times. I feared it to be honest, but the time had come. It was unavoidable. We were taking our first flight with a baby. I quickly sent out an S.O.S. memo to my “Baby Mamas” asking them for any travel tips they had, what to do about food/formula/gear for Henry, and how to get through security in the quickest and most efficient way—if that’s even possible for parents with young kids. Most of them had traveled and offered me a lot of great advice. I took their advice and packed a bottle for take off and landing, got some new toys that would entertain a 7 month old, had an extra change of clothes in case he had an explosion in his diaper (please, God, no!), and had everything strategically placed so I could unload it quickly while going through security.

I was still a tad nervous about how Henry would do on the plane. He doesn’t like to be held still for long periods of time, would be traveling during his fussiest time, and doesn’t fall asleep easily while being held. The kid likes to eat, move, poop, and move some more. None of those things are easy to deal with on a plane, let me tell you!

Henry looking out of our hotel room window

Surprisingly we got through security pretty quickly and painlessly. I was in charge of all the carry-on bags, and Bob was in charge of getting Henry, the stroller, and car seat through. We only had to wait about 25 minutes before we boarded the plane. Once we were on, Henry seemed happy and ready for his first flight. I laughed inwardly when I noticed no one making eye contact with us as we walked down the aisle. I knew what they were thinking, as I had thought it before myself, “please do not let them be sitting by me!” We made it to our very cramped and small seats and got settled in on our United Airlines flight.

Needless to say, Bob spent the majority of the flight in the back rocking Henry to sleep. Every time he got him asleep, an announcement would come on and Henry would wake up! Oh well, we survived! We even survived the flight back!

Our first ride on the NYC subway!

I was so confident in Henry’s abilities that I traveled by myself only a few weeks later to see my family in Detroit. This time I flew Southwest, which meant I could fly out of Midway instead of O’Hare (always a better choice…) I don’t know if it’s just because it was Southwest or because I was traveling alone, but everyone bent over backwards for me! The flight to Detroit wasn’t full so they let me bring the carseat on! Then the flight attendant told me how to place my bags so no one would sit with me and therefore i’d have a row to myself. I’m not sure if this was for my benefit or she felt sorry for anyone who would have to sit next to a mother and child! Either way, I wasn’t going to argue. Henry did pretty well. It wasn’t as stressful as I thought, and people actually smiled and commented on my “well-behaved child!” I didn’t get a row to myself on the way back, but Henry was in a super good mood, had the people around him enamored with his giggling and smiling, and a nice gentleman helped me with all my bags. (Thanks, stranger!)

Like all things in parenthood, you learn as you go. We’ve checked off flying with a baby off our list and look forward to the next adventure Bob and I take with Henry! Let’s keep our fingers crossed that our trip to Hawaii in December goes as well!

-Maureen is the Chicago city coordinator for LLD and a new mommy!