The Sky is not Falling!

Get excited about business and the economy!

My kids love to watch Chicken Little – and it is hilarious, if you haven’t seen the new version of it, you have to rent it. Chicken little has this humongous head, running around shouting the sky is falling, the sky is falling. Our family watched this a few months ago and what made me laugh even more was the relationship of chicken little to all the news talking heads running around shouting the sky is falling the sky is falling in reference to the economy every time I turn on the TV. It is enough to make anyone go into a panic! Everyone thinking that the sky is falling, but I am here to say the sky is not falling and you can make things happen for your business by getting enthused and creative! Keep focused on three things to keep moving forward.

· Seizing the Opportunity
· Stay Organized
· And the most important key: Customer Service

Opportunity Knocks
It is important to act on the opportunities in front of you during any stage in your business. If that means taking your business in a different direction or even starting a new business, you have to follow the opportunities. Out of downturn economic times businesses and growth does arise -it is important to act on your ideas and take every opportunity to grow your business.

Getting organized
It is important to get a handle on organization because mis-management can destroy even the best opportunities. Something I would start with is to build a 5 year business plan. This will help you set goals but also this helps you not get stuck in the NOW and worrying about the day to day and project forward. I would encourage you to jot the goals down and then set a reminder in your calendar every 6 months to review the goals and see where you are. This accountability is amazing to see where you have been in just short time. It will also help you to evaluate if something is not moving forward if you should switch gears.

Service Service Service
The final key that I suggest to keep moving your business forward and definitely the most important key in my opinion is Customer Service. I know you have heard the saying “survival of the fittest” I call business in this economy “survival of the sweetest.” The sweetest customer service will rise to the top during hard economic times people are even looking harder at where they spend their dollar. You cannot cut corners to save costs, that won’t help you survive, give attention to customer service.

Also, don't forget to evaluate customer service - ask for feedback and make it available for your customers to reach you.

At Last

In times like these you can let things happen to you or you can make things happen for you.

You can make your business prosper in these times, it may not go as fast as you want or exactly down the path you want, but if you give the right attention to your business you will be stronger than ever! So don’t listen to chicken little and even turn off the talking heads on the TV a while because the sky is not falling – keep positive!

Babysitter vs. Nanny? What is the difference

Babysitters and Nannies share a key purpose in their jobs in that their primary responsibility is to care for children. However there are some differences in how their roles are structured. A babysitter is defined as a person engaged to care for one or more children in the temporary absence of parents or guardians. A nanny is more technically defined as a “children’s nurse.”

Typically a nanny is employed directly by the family receiving a set hourly or weekly rate along with overtime and paid holidays and vacation and a Professional Sitter is typically paid on a job to job basis. You can obtain the care of a Professional Babysitter* on a regular basis; however, Professional Sitters do not offer the guaranteed long term commitment that a nanny relationship might be able to offer.

What both a Nanny and a Professional sitter should be capable of offering to your family is caring for your children with experience to handle any situation. They should be able to keep their workspace clean (anything involving the children’s activities) and they should be able to prepare meals for all ages of children and should always be able to handle their job in a professional manner. A nanny’s role may extend beyond this into household duties; however, a Professional sitter’s duties are typically limited to any tasks related to the children they are caring for.

When selecting your caregiver for your children, a nanny or Professional Babysitter can both serve your needs. You should decide which role is right for your family and research all your options.

*All babysitters referred through SeekingSitters are considered Professional Babysitters as they have passed several levels of screening and have extensive experience with children of all ages. Each Professional Sitter referrred through SeekingSitters also has obtained her CPR and First Aid Certifications.

Having Bedtime Struggles?

Bedtime Routines Should Fit Your Family

I have three very active kids all under the age of 7 and up until about 6 months ago bedtime has always been our biggest struggle of the day. We went through the Babywise course when we first had children so when they were babies bedtime was very easy, but once they climbed out of their cribs, we became powerless.

We tried the routines, we tried consistency, we tried rewards, we tried punishments but nothing worked for our family. Over the years, my husband and I dreaded bedtime so much that we each would make excuses as to who should be in charge of the bedtime each evening. And we looked everywhere for advice. My favorite was my fathers advice, "just let them roam around the house and they will eventually fall asleep." Obviously he didn't know my children that well, I imagined my kids finally dozing off from exhaustion at 4:00am after eating all the food in the kitchen and toilet papering the house.

I knew I had to come up with a solution that worked for our family so I started thinking about what they were really fighting: not wanting to end their time together with mom and dad. So I thought of issuing them a ticket that they could redeem for 10 minutes of private time with Mom or Dad if they stayed in their bed after nighttime routines, The Private Time Ticket. The tickets allowed 10 private minutes with mom or dad doing what ever they chose.

The tickets were printed on bright green cardstock and each child was handed them with their own crayon to fill in their name and activity. The very first night it worked miraculously! The kids were asleep in under 5 minutes. A few weeks later a ticket was lost one night to my oldest son when he got out of bed after the Private Time Ticket was issued. His ticket was ripped up for getting out of bed and he was devastated. But after this time, it never happened again and bedtime has been a joy.

The best time about the tickets is getting a chance to redeem the tickets with my kids. It is a good reminder that even as a working mom, I can find 10 minutes anytime during the day to take a break to spend with my kids and even though we do spend a lot of time together as a family it is rare to have one on one time with each child.

The day after the first tickets were issued, my 5 year old son came in to ask me a question while I was at my desk working and I said, "Ethan, I really can't right now I really need to work." He said "OK" and politely left my office. I thought, boy that was great listening, he must be growing up! I was back to work and then about 2 minutes later he came walking in my office with his Private Time Ticket, "Can I redeem this now." I laughed and gave him a big hug, "Yes, we can redeem this."

Creating Time for your Kids

Working moms are amazing at juggling time with kids and family and time for the office. Fixing breakfast, getting kids dressed and off for the day, heading to the office and tending to wokr then back to the family and the day starts over again. Family does come first but having to answer to the unexpected daily demands of work at times interrupts those perfectly planned park days.

I have learned after many years of working with my kids that it is best to just blend the two to find that balance for your family. I do best when I work to incorporate kid time into my day rather than trying to find the perfect opportunity and perfectly planned event.

After I pick the kids up from school I am usually heading back to the office or running work errands. A quick stop at the park is first on the list. Even if we only have 10 minutes it is a perfect way to get out doors and spend a few minutes with the kids. Then off to the office for an afternoon snack. It is important to plan ahead if the kids have to come into the office. I have an activity sheet printed out for them to start on when we arrive and they are always excited to find what I have for them each day.

However you balance it, find time to laugh and enjoy each day.


Have a clear plan

Schedule family time not only for the kids but also for yourself! As a working mom, you do need a break and taking time off will allow you to be a better mom!

Don't Stress!

My kids hardly remember if it was myself or the babysitter that took them to the library two years ago, they just know that they have been in loving care throughout their days. Just make sure that your children know you are there for them when you are with them and don't try to stress over the little things.

Find a Balance

I know first hand that it can be hard but what is important to keep that balance there, work hard to find time every day but remember it can be the simple time that is the best. So get creative and incorporate small blocks of time throughout the day.


It doesn't have to be perfect!

KIDS + MONEY MANAGEMENT = POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

Teaching your children early about the importance of managing money and savings can help build confidence, teach fiduciary responsibility, and impart conscientious and empathetic stewardship. Our current economy dictates tightening our belts on family spending, so it’s is a good time to discuss “junior creative finance” with your children. Discuss how you can save by just pinching a few dollars here and there and set budgets for mom, dad and the children. If you eat out a lot, consider setting a budget for each child which would include food and necessities and allow them to pay for themselves at the store so that they can learn about making wise choices on their purchases. If children have no concept of how much something costs, they are not able to rationalize the difference between a more expensive item and the lower cost items. (See below for great ways your kids can learn about cost comparison and how to save and manage their own money!)

Teaching your children about money can also help give you some creative tools in helping discipline your children’s spending. Utilizing a points system is an easy way to help your children earn money as rewards and lose money for bad behavior. Below are some different ideas but depending on the age of your children and the style of your family you can develop a system that works best for your children.

Here are some guidelines for creating a “rewarding” money management system that puts the child, his money, his family, and the community in perspective, as related to learning personal fiduciary responsibility:

CREATE A VISUAL COST COMPARISON
Use “points” for good behavior and deduct points for bad behavior. When the child has accrued enough points on his good behavior, set the points cards on a table and then lay the dollar amount beside the points cards. Explain to the child that his good behavior resulted in that many points and those points equal that much money that he can take to the toy store and buy a toy. Once in the store, the child can see the price tags on toys and learn what he can buy with his money. Cost comparison challenges can be taught “on site” and the child can learn to make wise decisions on spending money.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVING MONEY
Teach your kids at an early age the importance of savings. Show the child the documents on your savings account or even their college savings account. You could also consider assigning a percentage of their earnings to go towards savings.

THE MORAL IMPACT OF TITHING AND GIFTING
Teach your kids at an early age the moral impact of tithing and gifting. Explain to your child that it is important, no matter how much or how little money they have, that some of their money should be gifted to their church or synagogue or to charitable venues – or even to a friend or neighbor in need.

Toilet Training at Two

Potty training your child is one of those parenting milestones that is definitely more rewarding for the parent than the child. For the child it really stinks (pardon the pun!) because once she is potty trained she realizes there’s less attention at bathroom time, she has to start doing it all on her own and instead of lying on a cushiony padded bed while mommy sings songs to her, she has to sit alone on a big cold white hole and if she makes one wrong move she may end up falling into the toilet’s abyss! But for mom and dad it is absolutely one of the most liberating parts of being a parent. No More Diapers! No More Wipes! No more Poop! Like it always is in life, there’s a trade-off: You have to start using public restrooms , stop multiple times on family vacations for “potty” breaks and spend hours teaching about washing hands when visiting the bathroom. But to my husband and I it is definitely worth the trade-off! Our family has always started potty training as soon as possible and typically at about 22 months, just before their second birthday. Our “method” is a combination of not only one source but many, ranging from self-help books, family, friends, teachers and even my kids. The main thing is PATIENCE and a SENSE OF HUMOR!

I don’t believe in the conventional reasoning of “waiting until the child is ready” other than observing that he has the basic toddler physicality of running around the house, climbing onto everything, reaching for whatever he can grab, pulling himself up, and pretty good communication – if he can do all that, he’s ready to be introduced to the Porcelain God! And I feel that there is a window of opportunity that you don’t want to miss because if you wait too long your child may have actually trained themselves to go in their diaper or pull ups.

The very first thing we do is get rid of ALL diapers in the house and NO pull ups. We purchase training underwear (found at Wal-Mart) and incorporate the Toilet Training in Less Than a Day by Nathan Azrin to get kick started. We find a weekend that we can stay at home, and even more specifically, close to the bathroom and then strip down to the birthday suits and just hang out. (Just the child in birthday day the birthday suit of course.)

We make it a game, an adventure, an important event for your child, with a lot of hullabaloo! Keeping your child in view at all times, eventually a bathroom break will come and hopefully they feel the urge to notify you. But if not, as soon as we spot an accident we run them to the toilet. Once they have gone on the toilet we give them a reward, M-n-M or a jelly bean is best, and have a big celebration. We do this for the entire weekend and then depending on how much they have picked up the concept really determines how the next few weeks go.

We have three children and they all took to potty training differently. Our oldest son got the concept the first weekend but it took him about a month until he was completely potty trained; my middle son was potty literally trained after the first weekend and my daughter took about 4 months after the first weekend. Realizing that not every child is the same will be easier on the potty training experience.

But one thing that has been consistent with my kids is that after about a month of being fully potty trained they suddenly started having accidents again. So keep in mind your kids may fall off the wagon, so to speak. This may be caused by events in their life, a new brother or sister, new school or other factors that may cause them to have accidents or revert back, but just be patient and consistent and you will get through it. But don’t go back to diapers or pull ups because this will allow the child to not have to make the effort to try and “hold it”! Of course if it is something that persists, you should contact your doctor.

Potty training is not a science. No matter how perfect your plan is and at whatever age you start it is going to have some hiccups. But what counts is that you stick to it, because even though your toddler seems miles away from being ready I assure you they are smarter than you think!

The Best Practices for a Successful Babysitting Event

Ease the Anxiety
Before your sitter arrives at your home, let your children meet the sitter by viewing her photo online and read the sitters' profile online. You can even have the sitter talk with your children before she arrives. This will help ease your children's anxiety about having a sitter, whether she is new or has been with your family previously. You can also plan some fun activities to save for the sitting event. This will get your children excited about the sitter and get their mind off of mom and dad leaving.

Keep Information on Hand
Prepare by having instructions, contact information and emergency details handy. If you are a SeekingSitters member, this would simply mean having your Family Information Packet filled out and handy for your sitter. Even though you go through all the details with your sitter before you leave the home, there are sometimes small details that the sitter may not remember and having this information is handy will help make a successful event.

Set Clear Expectations
This is absolutely the most important factor to having a successful babysitting event. Once your sitter arrives, you need to make sure you let your sitter know what you expect out of the sitting event, what you need from her and what is the best way provide this.

Don't forget the Trash
When you are reviewing information about your home and your expectations for the event, don't forget to review where simple things are in your house. The trash can is even a simple item on the "tour" that is overlooked. Also be clear about eating instructions whether or not your sitter can eat your family's food or if the sitter will need to supply her own food.

Don't linger around
If this is the first time using a particular sitter, it is OK to stay around and make sure you are comfortable with the sitter. But keep in mind that your children will bond with the sitter more quickly if you are not around.

Cell Phones are for Emergencies...and Mom and Dad
It is completely fine to call to check in! Sometimes this is an opportunity to find out how they are doing and even help with any needs, but mostly it will help let you relax about how the children are doing at home with the sitter. Let the sitter know that you might be calling and either keep the cell phone handy or listen for the home telephone.

Wrapping up
Your sitter will leave behind a Fun Times Sheet that describes the details of the event. This will be a very beneficial tool to know what happened during the event and a great help in allowing the sitter to be able to leave more quickly so that she does not have to re-cap the entire day.

It is important to plan for a successful sitting event. If you do so, every sitting event will be fun for the children and great for you!