TV shows I love for kids.. Yea, I said it.

I know, I know. You are probably thinking, as a nanny, I shouldn’t recommend young children watching television but channels like PBS have found an art form for  children's cartoons. Certain shows seem to lock in children of particular ages. There’s a science to it. Having been exposed to a ton of different cartoons, I have a few favorites that have prove to give the children I nanny a sense of fun in learning and imagination. Here are some of my favorites for ages 2-6:

Curious George

First of all, it’s a classic. But more importantly they don’t dumb this show down. This show has single handedly made Lily a fan of the doctors’ office, as well as parks, measuring, and hopscotch. After coming home from her very exciting doctor’s appointments she loves to show of her “vaccination”. (If you’ve never heard a 2-3 year old say vaccination, it’s pretty adorable.) After each series of episodes, PBS shows Arts & Crafts options, or even scientific projects done in classrooms that you can do at home.

Secondly, I love George because outside of the things is teaches Lily and challenges her to do; it translates into a never-ending book series. Lily loves going to the library and finding which George books are currently available. She’ll sit quietly and flip through the pages for hours. This is a television show that motivates her to do everything from cooking to playing to reading. I’m sold.

Super Why!

This shows teaches everything from manners to reading. Two things I stress. Each episode starts with a brief storyline in which one of the characters needs to figure out a solution. To find the solution they meet up with their friends and pick a fairytale or book in which they think they will find the answer. Then a short sentence is placed on a screen and they go through multiple adventures to find the letters that fill in the sentence. (Think Wheel of Fortune.) The sentences are usually things like “Say Please”, “Plan Ahead”, “Clean Your Room”, and “Don’t Lie”.

 

Phineas and Ferb

This one if for children a little bit older but I became a quick fan of this as a morning replacement for SpongeBob (which I hate for kids). I give Catherine 15-20 minutes of TV time in the morning before school as a way to ease in to talking to people; neither of us are morning people and this time has proved to solve a lot of issues.

Phineas and Ferb are imaginative, adventure seeking step-brothers on summer vacation, constantly doing experiments or just something outrageous to drive their sister, Candace, crazy. Well, they don’t do it for that reason really but Candace is constantly trying to bust them and she never can. This cartoon pushes the imagination. It allows for kids to be inspired by the “What If’s” in life and it’s fun. They also have my favorite theme song.

Sid the Science Kid

This is more one of Lily’s favorite than mine but I don’t knock it. This show is full of music and science. Lily has learned so much from their science lab and circle time. They discuss everything from the changes in the weather, to measuring, to insects.

Hello, My name is Lily and I’m an Apple-Juice-aholic.

Lily is hitting “The Terrible Three’s” in two weeks. (Yes, “The Terrible Three’s”. I don’t believe that 2 is a terrible age. 3 is much, much worse because they can speak and have full opinions.) She’s is now clever, verbal, and able. It’s awful. She knows how to throw a fit, how to move chairs to climb on counters, how to undo most baby locks, and mainly how to get her way. Lately, it all comes down to those damn Juice Boxes.

See, Lily loves Apple Juice more than, probably, anything in the world. She begs for it several times a day. “KiKi, I NEEEEEEDD Apple Juice!!! III NEEED it!” But not just any Apple Juice. No. Apple Juice Boxes. If it comes in any other form she isn’t having it and a full on meltdown breaks out. I don’t stand for this business. The rule is 1 A.J. box a day, if you were a good girl. If we are out of boxes, tough cookies munchkin. But Lily’s dad is pretty typical. He can’t stand the meltdowns. And after Lily refuses breakfast once or twice, usually demanding “mushrooms” (aka marshmallows), he caves and offers up the A.J. box at 9:30am leaving us no bribes to use later in the day. I don’t know how I feel about it or how I’m allowed to respond. Having been with them for 2 years, I have the urge to turn around and say “Seriously?! You can’t enable her and offer up all the goods every time she cries or she’ll never stop. Plus, we need to save our amo for later in the day.” But instead I stay silent. And so does Lily’s mom.

How do you handle the A.J. addiction?

Adventures in Potty Training...

Lily is potty training. Or maybe I'm the one learning something new. We all assumed this would be easy. She gets every other concept. She has full conversations, memories, and can give me directions to her favorite places. How is potty training a concept she wont latch on to? Maybe she is just refusing?

We have tried everything. The weekends in., the surprises for successes, the DVDs, the pull ups, and even sitting on the Elmo potty for an hour at a time. We rarely have success, she doesn't even seem to notice when she pees herself, and she refuses to talk about it.

She isn’t connecting the idea of actually going potty to the prize. She’ll sit on it, wipe, flush nothing, and say its time for a prize. She loves diapers and hates diapers changes. She’ll be 3 next month. I’m at a loss. I’ve been googling all morning and her mother has read every book and article.

Today, I will actually venture out into the world with her in "Big Girl Pants".  Maybe she'll take note of an accident if it happens around strangers.

Who has ideas?

5 Things I learned... From HelloGiggles.com!

I found this wonderful article on HelloGiggles.com (a blog I'm newly obsessed with) and I wanted to share it with you! 

5 things I learned about being a Mom, from Peg Bundy

by Danielle Hampton

Married With Children was one of those shows that my Mom wouldn’t let me watch growing up, alongside The Simpsons and Beavis and Butthead. But sorry Mom, a girl wants what a girl can’t have, and over those years living at home I secretly watched hundreds of episodes, amassing a veritable vault of Bundy knowledge that can be applied to all aspects of life. And to this day, I still get a little thrill when I successfully make it through an entire episode of Married With Children without flipping quickly to PBS when someone walks into the room.

If we’re going on style and attitude, Peg Bundy may be the best television Mom of all time, and I (half-jokingly) can credit some of my Mom knowledge to this impeccably dressed, immeasurably funny woman. In future columns I’ll be discussing the legacies of many other favorite television mamas, but today, it’s all about Peggy.
So, here are 5 things I learned about being a Mom, from Peg Bundy.

1. You have to look good, to feel good. High heels, huge hair, and tight pants worked for Peggy, and they work for me too. On days when I feel like I got run over by a two-ton truck and need about seven more hours of sleep, if I just put a little time in with the blush brush or curling iron, I feel like a million bucks. Even if I’m just hanging out at home with my son, a little red lipstick can go a long way.  And seriously, I’m sure you fellow mamas can relate- it’s so easy to fall into a rut, and taking a couple of minutes to feel beautiful always puts a little pep in my step.
2. A little indulgence never hurt anyone. Now, I’m not advocating smoking here (I think it’s disgusting), but Peg knew what worked for her- and let herself really enjoy it!  For me, it’s dark chocolate and the occasional ice cream cone. They keep me going. At the end of a long day, once my son has gone to bed, curling up on the couch with a delicious chunk (okay, entire bar) of dark chocolate with sea salt is my own little slice of heaven. For Peg, it was cigarettes for a while, always shoes, a new tube of lipstick- really anything and everything her heart desired. Peg always put Peg first, and while that isn’t really my style, I do like to put me first every once in a while. Peg reminds me to do this.
3. Keep your girlfriends close. Peg and Marcy may have had their squabbles, but Peggy knew that when life got tough with the ever-grumpy, sex-refusing, wallet-closing, insult-throwing Al, Marcy would be there for her. Their friendship got them through a lot, and with me it’s no different. Some days you just need your girlfriends, whether it be a long phone conversation full of laughter, or a fun night out on the town. We all need a little Marcy D’Arcy in our lives.
4. It’s never as bad as it seems. Peg always takes everything in stride. Seriously. From Kelly’s escapades with every guy in town, to Bud’s incessant whining, to Al’s crass remarks, Peg knew when to shrug it off (and go shopping!).  On days when she felt like she couldn’t get ahead, Peg always managed to come out on top and realize that it could definitely be worse (but not much worse).  Being a Mom and wife could get tough at times, but Peggy never got down for too long, and truly realized that it wasn’t ever as bad as it seems. Sometimes when I’m feeling not-so-happy I need to remember this. Whatever sad or bad mood I’m in, it would be good to take a look at the way Peg lives her life (some of it at least) and realize that this too shall pass.
5. Laughter is always the best medicine. Life in the Bundy household may be a bit more vulgar/extreme/ridiculous than most, but the common thread is laughter. Sure, my husband Hank doesn’t make jokes about not being about to distinguish my chest from my stomach or constantly put me down for not working outside the home, but we do joke a lot. Laughter abounds in our house, and even when life seem a little dismal or when things aren’t the best, we always seem to find the humor in situations. This has helped us get through many hard times, and being able to rely on the other to make us laugh is the best. My husband is definitely no Al, but we’ve absolutely taken a page out of the Bundy book in terms of infusing humor into our day-to-day.

With that said, what television Moms do you love?  I’ve been known to do a little admiring of Claire Huxtable, and who can forget Vicki’s Mom, Mrs. Lawson, of Small Wonder fame? (She always treated V. like a real girl).

So do tell, who are your fave T.V. mamas? I’m looking forward to discussing more of them, from Roseanne Conner to Mona Robinson (points if you know who that is!).

Danielle Hampton is a high school English teacher turned stay-at-home Mom, living in Arizona. She blogs daily at Sometimes Sweet and tweets too much via @danihampton. Come say hello!

** Click title for direct link. :)

Ouch.

 

In first grade, I was used as an example for “what happens when you don’t wear sunscreen”. I’m not sure if it was the blisters or the embarrassment but I called home sick right way. Before you judge my parents for not applying sunscreen I would like to stop you. They were RELIGIOUS about putting sunscreen on my extremely fair skin. But I had spent the day before at the next-door neighbors, who were lucky if they put sunscreen on once through out the day. I came home looking like a lobster. And even my principle made jokes about my mother boiling me in a pot the next day. It was bad.

20–ish years later I wear sunscreen everyday but I have my moments when I think I’m some hidden golden goddess, like my sister, and I decide to only wear sunscreen on my face. Like yesterday.  Luckily I flip-flopped a lot and only got red in a few places during my 45 minute endeavor. My boyfriend stayed on his back the whole time and his stomach now resembles a tomato. This got me thinking about my younger days. And  home remedies. Especially ones’ safe for children.

In the Florida Keys, my dad used to break open an aloe plant and rub it on me but that isn’t exactly applicable in other parts of the country. So here are the remedies I’ve gathered.

• Vinegar seems to be a common thread. You can rise off and pat you or your child’s body dry and then put vinegar in a spray bottle, with or without cool water to lighten it up. The vinegar relieves the sting of the sunburn and helps with the inflammation.
• Plain or even chamomile tea bags come in handy as well. Steep a few bags, cool them off in the fridge, and then you can either spray the ice tea on the burn, apply a tea-soaked cool towel, or even step into a tea bath. For children I would suggest the spray bottle or the bathtub. The less you have to touch the skin the better!
• Cool washcloths soaked with milk. Rinse off within an hour. Otherwise the milk will start to smell a little funky. (I just saw this method used on Tabitha’s Salon Takeover after a “beautician” burned the bejeezus out of a lady’s eyebrows. It seems soothing.)
• Vitamin E is also helpful! I have the liquid version in our home. So we both took a few drops of it to helps the skin heal. I use Nature’s Bounty, which actually taste good. It has a slight lemon flavor to it. You can mix it with water or even juice if your child won’t allow you to drop it in their mouth directly. 
• This isn’t an exactly “natural” solution but I use Neosporin Wound Cleanser for Kids on my burns and wounds. There is no sting involved, which makes cleaning out wounds and burns easier for everyone involved, regardless of age.

Leave it to Martha...

Leave it to Martha Stewart to come up with not 1 but 28 summer craft ideas for kids!

Here's the link :)

Bottle Fairy!!

Lily is turning 3 next month, and while doctors have told us she probably should have ditched the bottle a while ago, we pick our battles. She only has a bottle 3 times a day; one when she wakes up, one at nap time, and one before bed. It’s made life simpler for a while but she obviously can’t be on the bottle forever. So! her mother has come us with a genius plan.

Enter: Bottle Fairy!

On Friday night, Lily will have her last bottle of milk. She will clean it and place it in a box with all of her other bottles, and go to bed. When she wakes up in the morning, the bottles will be gone and a prize will be left in their place.

It’s similar to the tooth fairy (or Santa) and helps ease the pain of loosing her dear bottles. Hopefully, it will go swimmingly. I’m sure I’ll hear “Kiki, I need a booootttle” a few more times but I have high hopes for this fairy and her career.  

* Apparently Lily's mom did not invent the Bottle Fairy, BUT I still think it's genius!

Home is Where ever I'm with you...

This is the type of video that not only makes us nod our head while googling the song, but also gives us an amazing look at parenting. This is a newly single dad of two little girls. He sings with her every night as a means to ease the pain of divorce for his child while building and bond and giving her tools and passion. On Ellen he said “his house has four guidelines: Family, Community, Art, and Music.” I can’t think of a better way to raise a child. I’m so grateful that my friend shared this video with me. I hope you pass it on.

Click here to learn more about Jorge and Alexa.

Click here to see more videos of them.

And here to hear the original song!

Lily Starts School Today...

Lily started school today. As a nanny, you may not think this bothers me. You may even think I would come to work and say “Less work for me. Only one baby.” But instead my heart sank and I almost cried. I started with Lily when she was teetering around and now she’s at Mommy’s Morning Out with her elmo backpack and a whole group of new friends. She is becoming a big kid. I can’t even imagine how hard this is for actual parents. I can’t wait to hear about her day at school. I hope she has a blast. That’s all.

Amazing Pictures.

My friend sent me an email this morning of ridiculous parenting pictures. Here are some of my absolute favorites.

Thanks, Dude.

I’m a bad, bad blogger. I didn’t post anything for Father’s Day. I’m Sorry. I’m sure the tie-shaped-cards found their way. I hope. Any who, I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who stops by NannyKiki. There are readers in over 10 countries!! I am beyond myself. I promise more posts ASAP.

Again, Thank you!!!!

Sunscreen + Pig tails = Summer fun!

It’s summertime! And Lily finally has enough hair for pig tails! The only problem with this, is sunburns. Up until recently I thought she would either have to wear a hat or have greasy sunscreeny hair. Or no pig tails. Her mother and I found a product from Baby Blanket at the store. (They sell a scalp sunscreen that is 45+.) But I, personally, strongly dislike it. It must have been made for bald babies. The pump is pointless because it comes out heavy anyway.  And it is extremely greasy. But after some experimenting I found that, the sunscreen with the longest name, Banana Boat® UltraMist® Sport Performance™ Clear Spray Sunscreen was the best I could find. While it slightly resembles hairspray, it’s clear and non-greasy. It leaves the hair looking normal and protects those sweet potatoes heads. Now Lily is free to have all kinds of “princess hair” through out the summer. 

*After posting this I realized that younger children may still need "baby sunscreen". Here is another option for sensitive skin. Coppertone WaterbBabies Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 and remember, doctors don't recommend sunscreen or sun for babies under the age of 6 months! :)

WubbaNub Wonders

WubbaNub Infant Toy Pacifier is brilliant. Or at least it sounds brilliant. Today, over coffee, I was talking to my friend Haley. She is a nanny as well and we love to meet up with the kids when we can. A nanny date. I had Dolly with me and I was telling Haley how she can’t seem to hold the pacifier. She wants it but her tongue automatically kicks it out of her mouth. Haley told me that one of her family members had used this product and loved it. It looks perfect! Dolly will be able to hold the animal while soothing herself with the pacifier. You can choose from a large variety of animals. I will be telling Dolly’s mom about it ASAP, but wanted to make sure I shared the information with you!

Have any of you used a WubbaNub before?


 **I had some responses concerning the possible long-term issues with WubbaNubs. Some people are against pacifiers in general. Both the dependence on something that externally soothes and the future orthodontic worries are sound arguments. Or even the possibility that the child may become attached and you now have a toddler with a toy hanging out of its mouth. I believe, like most things, it’s a personal choice. WubbaNubs, or pacifiers in general, may not be for you but I wanted to post them just in case the readers that love pacifiers were looking for options. Thank you so much for your feedback! The more this blog becomes interactive the better! It takes a village… or world wide web community.

No Pictures Please!

Recently, my friends baptized their baby boy. The father’s side of the family lives in New York and naturally; most of his family had not seen the baby yet. They took this opportunity to fly the 3,000-and-some miles to see Charles’ 4 moths old. He is cute. Damn cute. Because of the churches schedule the Baptism was at 2pm. I thought that this may be a rough time for the 4-month-old given that it is directly in the middle of prime napping time... I walked into this worried. But its one day. How bad could it be?

Bad.

There may have been 30 family members. The baby was being passed around, much to the mother’s dismay, and photos were constant. The baby HATED the flashes but the family continued. It’s just a crying baby and this moment won’t happen again. I get it. But soon the baby started to turn bright red on his arms and legs. So bad, some assumed that he was sun burned. I wondered how a baby could be so sun burned but I figure it was best to stay out of the way. I’ll see the family again soon and this is more of a family moment. Afterward, everyone harped on the mother, begging her to wake the baby so they could see him. She was completely overwhelmed and trying to be a people-pleaser but knew the baby hated every minute. After a while she pried him out of the Mother-in-laws arms. Charles caught on and whisked her and the baby up stairs.

A few days later, Jeff came home from work and said that Charles and his wife had to take the baby to the emergency room the day after the Baptism. He had broken out in a rash and hives of some sort. After every test in the book, and stressing the parents out beyond belief, the doctors gave Charles a topical cream and said the baby was just over whelmed. It went away in a few days and everything was fine but it really made me more aware of these situations. Babies will tell us how they feel.  Their bodies are tiny and they are overwhelmed easily. And mothers do know best! I wanted to share this just so that everyone hears a story like this and keeps in it the back of their mind and maybe even help some mothers feel more confident in their gut instincts.

Friday Night with the Girls

It’s been a while since I just told a funny story so I thought I’d share my Friday night with you guys.

 

I have been annoying ill for the last 6-8 weeks on and off. But Thursday through Sunday was exceptionally rough for me. I had promised Lily and Dolly’s parents that I would baby-sit for them all day Friday since their friends were in town. So from 9am until midnight I was there as promised. Coughing my brains out. So by the time their friends showed up at 6pm I was ready to get out of the house. I, in my disillusioned mind, asked to take the girls out for dinner. Lily is almost 3 and Dolly is 4 months. Lily kept saying she wanted to go to “The Dolphin” so her father gave me directions. After prying Lily away from every toy in the house we were finally in the car and on our way. We pulled up to “The Dolphin” which is actually the Bluewater Grill, a nice restaurant on the water in the South Bay. I almost choked. Me and 2 babies, at nice restaurant, during feeding time. Dear Lord. As I was getting the girls out of the car, my favorite work jeans split. Ok. Well, that seems about right. I called my boyfriend and begged him to drive as fast as humanly possible to the restaurant with jeans and save me. We had a 3o minute wait and by the time he got there we were all at our ends. Dolly had been given her bottle but had no desire to take her nap and Lily was hungry and seriously tempted by the elevator in the corner. After a quick change we were led to our table. Waitresses crowded around, telling us how beautiful "our" babies were asking questions like, “What’s their sign?” J had no idea what to do with himself. He was nervous and shocked by the amount of attention two pretty little girls can get. Literal crowds were forming as we ordered as quickly as possible and shuffled the girls back and forth, keeping the peace. And then my favorite onlooker came. The hostess came up to tell us that her brother was sitting near by with his two little boys that she was now marrying our girls off to. J was floored. Why in the world do people feel so comfortable talking to people with babies?? I had to explain to him that it’s always better to nod and smile. (See The Awkwardness) And then in the middle of our dinner the sister-in-law actually came over to meet our two little babies to see who her future daughters would be. We smiled and made light conversation. All the while realizing this night was the best form of birth control either one of us could have brought to the table. After our meal, J helped me put Lily in the car as I secured an exhausted Dolly. I kissed him goodbye and we all went on our way. The girls were in PJs and asleep within 15 minutes of getting home. All in all the night was a success and eventually J and I would love to have healthy pretty little girls of our own… but for now... we’re good.