New York Nanny Center » spring

Spring: A Season of Change

Lindsay Bell — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 17:04:32 +0000

With the changing of the seasons in Chicago comes many new milestones in our lives. Henry has hit the year and a half mark and with that comes many changes to his appearance, personality, physical abilities, and his language skills. He has sprouted like the flowers in the ground and now all his pants look like he’s ready to endure a massive flood at any moment. My baby has disappeared and in his place comes an independent, opinionated, goofball toddler.

We were never worried about Henry’s mobility, as he walked at 8 1/2 months, but for the longest time he just babbled to himself and didn’t say any “real” words. I wasn’t worried, per say, but I yearned for him to say, “mama.” Well….he hasn’t mastered that word yet, unless he’s crying, but all of the sudden he is throwing out new words, animal sounds, and phrases like, “Uh-oh!” This is by far the best age because he’s very curious, responsive, and adventurous. He can stay up for longer periods of time and is engaged in music, zooming cars and airplanes around the house, and enjoys free time at the park. He loves to explore, finds himself to be very, very funny, and loves giving hugs to his family and the dog. It’s amazing how you can give him directions or show him how to do something and he immediately mimics you. With that, however, comes the urgency to watch what we say and do so we don’t have a kid running around repeating all the “grown up” words we use! We are loving life with our little boy.

The other big change in our life is….a new address! (Nope, not a baby!!!!)—As our child grew bigger, our condo started to shrink! Our super chic, urban condo in the sky has been replaced by a bigger, kid-friendly condo in a much more family friendly neighborhood. While we are beyond excited for this change, surviving a move with a toddler was a tad chaotic (that’s putting it nicely!). My husband and I spent hours packing up all our belongings only to turn around and see that Henry had unpacked two boxes while we weren’t looking! Henry just loved climbing all over the boxes marked, “Fragile–crystal wine glasses”—Luckily both sets of grandparents helped entertain him while we packed without interruption.

We already love our new neighborhood! The North Center area is full of activities for kids! Change is good!

-Maureen is a sitter2mom, our Chicago City Coordinator, and proud mother of Henry!

Spring Newsletter

Lindsay Bell — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 18:54:27 +0000

Spring is here! We have selected a few fun tips, tricks, reminders, and insider info from our latest newsletter! If you don’t subscribe to our monthly newsletter yet, click here to get the full scoop.

Happy Easter & Passover from everyone here at LLD
Wishing you and your family a great holiday! Let us all hope that spring is here to stay! If you need an extra pair of hands during your family travels, or are looking for help during the summer or want to start your nanny search, just give us a call!

Sitter of the Month: April

Congratulations to our April Sitter of the Month, Monique K.! She says “I have enjoyed so much becoming a new sitter for LLD (Bell Family) and have met so many wonderful families.”

Our New Homepage!

Out with the old & in with the new and improved. Bell Family will soon be launching our mobile friendly, real time booking platform. We will soon be referring to LLD as Bell Family. Keep a look out for our new email address @bellfamilycompany.com!

Need help with your upcoming event or party?

LLD can offer stellar sitters & staff for your family or corporate events! Call us to help with birthday parties, wedding, or baby showers, corporate retreats and more! Our custom made Kid Zone can be plugged into any event and is the perfect solution to excite kids when you are not sure how to entertain.

April Showers

Lindsay Bell — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 23:47:05 +0000

April is coming this weekend, and we all know the saying “April showers bring May flowers!” So how do you enjoy the Spring with your lil’ ones? We have a cute craft that will keep your lil’ ones busy and bring in the Spring: flower pots!

This is a three-part craft: painting the terracota pots, planting the flowers, and watching them grow!

Part 1: Painting the Terracotta Pot

Preparation: First put down plastic over you table or something to protect your table. Next, clean and sand the terracotta pot. First wipe off any dirt or dust. Then, take a sander and smooth out any imperfections. Wipe the sanding dust off the pot with a wet rag. Now you’re ready to start!
Paint: Use foam shapes or paint brushes to decorate the pot as your lil’ ones desire!
Seal: If you want, spray acrylic paint to coat the outside and keep from chipping.

Part 2: Planting Your Flowers

Stones: Put a layer of rocks or stones on the bottom to help drain through the holes.
Dirt: Fill the pot about 2/3 of the way with potting soil. Make a little indent in the middle with your hands or a spoon.
Plant: take your bulb out of the wrapping and place in the soil.
Pack: Pack more dirt around the top and sides of the plant

Part 3: Watch them grow!

Make sure to water your flowers and give them plenty of sunlight! Enjoy them grow as the spring goes on!

We Love Spring!

Alison Gore — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:28:29 +0000

Spring is finally here! After a very wet and rainy April, Henry and I are super excited for the warmer weather in Chicago. Some of the best things about living in Chicago over the past 11 years are all the outdoor activities you can do. After what seemed like a never-ending winter, Henry, my husband, and I are rushing out the door to start having some fun!

The first nice day we had, I buckled Henry into the stroller, put the leash on the dog, and we set out for a long walk along the lake front. This is by far one of my favorite things about Chicago. Here you are, in a big city, and you can take a long walk along Lake Michigan. It is so peaceful and beautiful, and the people watching isn’t bad either! My other favorite places to walk are around the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, through the Lincoln Park Zoo, and through Lincoln Park to see al the sculptures. I’ve also discovered that these long walks make Henry a very sleepy boy! He falls asleep in no time!

Sleepy boy after a long walk in Lincoln Park!

We’ve also been enjoying Stroller Strides outdoor classes. I’m not going to lie, getting back in shape after baby has been way harder than I thought. Winter was challenging and I have been eagerly awaiting for the chance to get out and moving! These classes have allowed us to get outside, get exercise (and some good exercise at that!), meet some great moms and their babies, and Henry enjoys the silly songs I sing to him while doing Jumping Jacks!

Taking walks and doing Stroller Strides are definitely fun, but Henry’s favorite activity by far is going to one of the MANY parks in Chicago and going on the swing set. He’s at a great age right now (6 months) and can participate in a lot of different activities. He is crawling all over the place and can maneuver around pretty easily. This is fun for him, but a lot of work for me! Throwing him in a swing seems to solve that “problem.” Lots of movement for him and a lot of security for me!

Henry loves the swings! Weeeeeeeee!

The Green City Market opened up last weekend, and while we were busy last week, we will definitely be walking up there every week to check out the local produce and get fresh flowers. I love the market and think it will be even better now that we have a child.

Lots to do in Chicago! We can’t wait for the warmer, sunny weeks ahead and exploring the city!

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

Weddings This Spring with Lydia Ross

Lindsay Bell — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:24:00 +0000

LLD knows we’re all hoping for spring to… well “SPRING” into action. February is over and it’s almost time for spring break. What’s on the calendar for spring you ask?? Well we heard weddings weddings and more weddings! For the inside scoop on what to expect this spring, expert Lydia Ross spoke with us about trends in wedding fashion and decor this spring as well as why she felt so inspired to become involved in event planning. For moms who have older kids, and sitters that want to tie the not, keep tuned!

Tell us what is in for this seasons spring wedding?

Brides are stilltaking cues from last year’s Royal Wedding and recent fashion trends andinclude covering up more with long sleeves, cap sleeves, straps, etc. More andmore brides are deciding to take a break from the ubiquitous straplessdress. We’ll likely see bridesincorporating color or patterns in their attire. For décor, I think we’ll see movement in two differentdirections. Recently the rustic wedding has been popular, but I think we’llstart to see a lot more modern, stream-lined décor or weddings inspired by The Artist and the upcoming The Great Gatsby, with retro orgarden-party inspired looks!

What has been your favorite wedding memory so far?

One of myfavorite wedding memories is from an Indian-Western wedding I did a few yearsago. The groom’s father had lentthe bride’s mother his late wife’s jewelry to wear for the traditional Indianceremony. Minutes before departingfor the ceremony, the bride’s mother went to put on the earrings and found thatthe posts were too thick. I waswearing my favorite pair of earrings – an inexpensive set of sparkly,flower-shaped studs from Anthropologie – and they matched her sari perfectly,so without hesitation I handed them over. While the wedding wouldn’t have been ruined had she not had earrings towear, being able to immediately calm those pre-ceremony jitters with such asimple offering – and their thanks for my doing so – reminded me why I do this.Now I wear the earrings to every wedding… just in case!

How did you first get involved in events & weddings?Did you always want to go out on your own?

I have wanted tobe a wedding planner since I was little. Really little. I got myfirst subscription to Brides when Iwas in second grade! But, aftercollege I followed a more traditional career path and became a marketingconsultant. After the crisis of2008 I had a chance to reevaluate what I reallywanted to do with my life, and with a little encouragement from my friendsand family I decided to try wedding planning. I started out as a volunteer at a bridal expo – stuffinggift bags for attendees – and from there I got an unpaid internship with a firmin the city. From there I’veexpanded into social, corporate, and non-profit events. The rest is history!

A few of our sitters are getting married. How can thenewly engaged get more info about you?

Prospectivebrides can check out my website toget more information on my services, view photos of some of my past weddings,and read my blog to see what’s interesting me lately. I’m also always available via email at Lydia@lydiarossevents.com or byphone at 203.243.0035.