MEET BRIANA, EXPERIENCED NANNY MANAGER

An outgoing, bubbly and dynamic Nanny Manager, Briana had nurturing and loving preschool teachers growing up and found she’d developed a passion for childcare herself. She babysat from the age of 12, and nannied through high school and college. Because of a cousin who contracted encephalitis and epilepsy, she became certified as a PCA (Personal Care Attendant) in order to be his caregiver. She learned how to change a g-tube and even transitioned into senior care, but her interests eventually narrowed down to childcare. She began nannying professionally, including two years with a newborn and later a preemie, and another year with two year old twins! She was also an after-school nanny for a family with a 5 and 6 year old. 

“When I transitioned from babysitter to nanny, I felt like I’d become a family member, she explained. Having a child run up to you and throw their arms around you means so much,” she shared. “As a nanny, I’m teaching them, cooking with them, disciplining them, teaching manners, respect, and academics. I love bonding with kids and teaching them new things. Seeing the child connect with you and ask about you when you’re not there, makes it worth it for me. That to me is everything.” 

One of her strengths is that she’s good at getting things done. In the words of one of her references: “She is very good at keeping the kids on task, keeping them focused on what they need to get done. She doesn't let them run over her. She's very loving but is very good at ‘Come on guys, lets get this done.’ Homework, shower, activities. She's my best nanny for that. She’s reliable, gets stuff done, and when they get home they'll know its done. I had another sitter who focused more on academics and another sitter who read all the time to them and got them into reading but maybe she didn't empty the dishwasher all the time. With Briana, I'd come home, the kids were in their PJs, showered, dinner eaten and homework done.”

Another family described her strengths this way: “Playfulness, genuinely loves the kids, patient, respectful, positive with kids, makes them comfortable, puts them at ease, is a good disciplinarian.” This Mom shared with us that Briana made her life easier on several levels by cooking dinner, doing laundry, cleaned house, drove the kids to many activities, cleaned the fridge, and did any extra help needed. She even traveled to Foorida with this family.

Briana is also very patient, and is skilled at making mundane events special. She keeps checklists and is organized and prepared. She researches educational activities and comes in on Monday mornings with a plan. Confident, fun and smart, Confident, fun and smart, she graduated with her BA in law and Public Affairs and plans to start law school in 2015 or 2016. Since she’ll be working full time and taking night school classes, Briana is able to give a family a five to six year commitment with gradually decreasing hours. Perfect for a young family as kids start school and then only need an after school nanny. Most of her experience is with ages newborn to four years. 
Briana was recently placed in a full-time Nanny/Manager position with a family with a six month old baby in North Scottsdale. Keep up the good work, Briana!

Beth Weise

JENNY RIOJAS IS MOM OF THE MONTH!

I met Jenny a few years ago at a moms group at church.  She was unbelievably sweet.  She and her sister in law were just so open and considerate.  Our kiddos are the same age as mine and it's so nice to see a mom handle these ages so great.  Especially with two boys.  Jenny is funny and kind and takes great joy in our boys and it shows all over her face! She is very dear to me and reading her answers below you can see why.     Here is Jenny's story.....   1. How many children do you have?  List ages and names  I have 2 rambunctious yet loving boys.  Carter Preston is 9 and Chase Kelan is 7.   2. Your occupation: I am the Family Placement Director at Caring Nannies in Scottsdale.  I place nannies and domestic staff with families all over the Valley.  I love my job!  It’s a business I am passionate about and it gives me the flexibility to be with my children when I need to be.   3. What is your most strict parenting rule? At the ages that my boys are right now, I am strict about back talk and disrespect.  To anyone.  If that type of behavior is displayed, an immediate consequence is given.   4. What is the best motherly advice you have received? From who?  My parents were all about “creating memories” when I was growing up.  I have very fond childhood memories of camping, RV road trips, BBQ’s, my Dad’s silly magic shows, family game nights, and so forth.  I think that was the best advice: to create memories with your children.  It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant but I try to do things that they will remember when they are older and will tell their children about.   5.What is the biggest challenge you face balancing yourself and being a mom? The key word there is ‘balance.’  I’m like every other Mom with lots of things to juggle every week and sometimes I feel if I’m putting too much time and energy in one area, then things are falling through the cracks in another. More often than not, I don’t feel like I have it all together.  I just do my best to fit in quality time whenever I can.  For me, that may mean leaving the laundry and sticky floors for another time....and going out for a family bike ride.  Or putting away the work laptop so I can snuggle with the kiddos before bedtime. Every little bit counts.   6. Can you share any mom tips with us?  #1  Carve out Mommy time. It’s a natural thing for Moms to put everyone else’s needs first.  I believe it is also important to remember to take care of yourself and do some things that you enjoy so that you are a re-charged and happy Mommy. #2  Don’t beat yourself up.  We all have bad days (or weeks) and it’s easy to go to bed at night and beat ourselves up for what we feel we did wrong in our parenting.  Let the bad days go.  Moms are their own worst critics.  The next morning, those little munchkins are still going to run up to you and give you a big hug, regardless of how the prior day went. #3 Don’t compare.  It’s great to get advice from fellow Moms but if your child isn’t reading and conjugating verbs by the age of 3 like your friend’s kid is, don’t feel like you’ve failed as a parent. :) #4 Be spontaneous sometimes.  All moms need structure and routines to their days or they’d go insane; but many, many times things do not go as planned in mommyhood.  When that happens, throw the plans out the window, be spontaneous, and make the most of it.  A lot of times those turn out to be the best days. #5  If you have more than one child, plan special one-on-one Mommy dates with each child.  My kids really look forward to this and I’m always amazed at the special conversations that take place when I am focused on them one at a time.   7. What is the hardest part about being a mom?  Moms worry a lot.  That’s a given.  We want the best for our kids.  When they are hurting, we are hurting.  We want to always protect them and shield them. But we can’t.  That’s the hardest thing.  And seeing them grow up so fast!    8. What is your favorite part about being a mom?  I’m one of those people who dreamed about being a Mommy when I was a young girl.  I’ve always loved kids, especially babies, and I simply could not wait to be a mom myself.  It’s the most rewarding yet challenging job!  I love that my kids melt my heart and keep me laughing everyday.  I love how forgiving they are of me.  I love that it is ever-changing.  Once you think you’ve mastered one stage, you’re on to the next.  I love experiencing things through their eyes.  I love that they teach me just as much, if not more, than I teach them.   9. Tell us a story..... it can be something funny your kids did, it can be an embarrassing thing that happened to you as a mother, it can be your proudest moment, the moment you felt like you were  a good mother...anything you want.   Story: Whenever I am away from my kids or I’m traveling, I’ll leave prizes hidden throughout the house for them to find each day that I’m gone.  I’ll call with a clue that will help them find the prize. So once when they were gone for a few days and I was home alone, they surprised me by hiding notes and prizes for me.  I was cracking up with what they came up with.  One note said, “Mom, I know you are going out with your friends.  Here is a piece of gum.”      Thank you Jenny for sharing your story with us today!     Keep connected to us Hop on over to The Hankful House Facebook page and give us a "like"   Follow us on Instagram  Bloglovin Twitter

CONNECT WITH US: Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Read ourblog Watch our podcast SHARE THIS EMAIL:                    CONTACT US: A Caring Nanny LLC 4221 N. Winfield Scott Plaza #8 Scottsdale,Arizona85251 Add us to your address book

WHO WILL RAISE YOUR CHILDREN IF THE UNTHINKABLE HAPPENS?

WHO WILL RAISE YOUR CHILDREN IF THE UNTHINKABLE HAPPENS?

“I was never scared of dying, until my son was born and then I was terrified,” admitted Lori Woodward, a Gilbert  Estate Planning attorney.

To help parents with similar concerns, Lori has put together a Kid’s Safeguard Plan, including:

Nominating Long Term Guardians

Nominating Short-term Guardians

Written Instructions for a nanny or caregiver.

A Family Emergency ID Card

Confidential Exclusion of Guardians

Instructions to Guardians

On July 31, 2006 nothing would ever be the same for a San Diego family who were traveling through Arizona.  The Barber family was in a tragic car accident on Highway 98 near Page, Arizona.  Melanie and Casey, the loving parents of three little boys, ages 3, 6 and 9, died.  Their family was thrown into a nightmare.

This is a true story. Mel and Casey had talked about naming guardians to provide for the care of their three sons and the money they’d leave behind. They never got around to it.  They likely thought their family would be able to work out who would care for the boys and their money, with love and grace, if anything happened.

That’s not what happened.  After the accident, the boys were in the foster care system for a short time until family members could be located.  Since then, over 1,000 pages of court documents have been filed, 9 lawyers, and tens (or even hundreds) of thousands of dollars later, the boys will live with their aunt Janine and their money will be managed by a professional charging $100/hour until the turn 18.  At which point, the boys will share $22.8 million dollars from the jury verdict in the wrongful death lawsuit of their parents and settlements with other defendants.

Is that what Melanie and Casey would have wanted?  We will never know what they would have wanted, but we can be sure they would have done everything they could to avoid what happened.  If only they knew how easy it would have been to take care of it.

It does not have to be this way.  Putting together a Kid’s Safeguard Plan is simple and can protect your kids from this unthinkable situation.

Learn from their experience!  It’s Easy to Protect Your Family and Your Assets with the guidance of a lawyer who focuses on parents like Lori.

Don’t be one of those people who think they know what to do and leave their loved ones with a complicated mess.  Most LAWYERS don’t even know what’s necessary to keep your kids in the hands of people you know and trust.

By consulting with Lori, you can relax and rest assured your kids will never be taken out of your home or raised by anyone you wouldn’t want.

Readers of my blog, who own their own home and have minor children, can meet with Lori for an absolutely free personal Family Wealth Planning Session (normally $750) to ensure this never happens to your kids.  If you already have a plan in place, but want to make sure it adequately protects your kids (most don’t!), ask for your free plan review (normally $950). 

To schedule your no-charge Family Wealth Planning Session, call (480) 788-8010 now and mention my blog now.

Seven Overlooked Opportunities for Bonding With Your Children

Most families will tell you that their first priority is the family, but their actions don't always reflect their goals. Why not use everyday moments to full advantage? When you're driving together, for example, you have a captive audience. These are prime times for bonding as well as transmitting family values.

1. Do household chores as a team. Work together to clean up their messes when needed and invite them at an early age to learn how to fold laundry or put away silverware and plastic dishes from the dishwasher.
2. When driving with children ask questions about how they are thinking or feeling, the highs and lows of their day, or sing together.
3. Reading bedtime stories together. Use a dramatic voice, make animal noises and use gestures to heighten interest
4. Enjoy wash up and bathtub time together.
5. Standing in line at the store? Use this moment to ask questions to draw out their intellect and understanding, like, what's this made out of? Metal or plastic?
6. Take a walk together. Point out the beauty and amazing details of nature. Ask questions.

7. Play a game together.

We're in a society where family members may be too busy for their own good. It's crucial that we utilize those overlooked moments that fly by so quickly. Right now you may feel the drudgery, sleeplessness, dirty diapers or soccer practices are overwhelming. But blink your eyes and those kids will be packing for college. You have just a few short years to instill your values and to produce mature, respectful, responsible, service-minded adults. So reclaim those daily for your well thought through long term goals, because down time is largely the stuff of life.

Beth