Tonight Snowy rejoins our family and we'll chronicle some of his exploits for you. If you have a great family tradition to pass along, let me know!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Create Family Traditions
Family traditions are important. It's what draws us together in our immediate family and across generations. Holidays are a time that many families look for and establish traditions. You probably have traditions dating back to when you were a kid: When to open presents, reading Twas a Night Before Christmas, and eating black eyed peas on New Years. You also want to create new traditions for your new family; yourself, your husband, and your children. Last year we started our own version of Elf on a Shelf. You may have heard of the adorable book by the same name which comes with directions and an Elf to join your family. We couldn't find a copy last year and so we took one of our Christmas decorations (a cute little Elf that sits up on his own), and made our own version. And that was how Snowy came to join us last December. Snowy came with a passport and journal where he could write down notes for Santa. This came in handy on those days when no one was behaving! Each night he would move to a different spot in the house and frequently he got into mischief like opening up lots of candy and throwing the wrappers on the floor, or cutting out snowflakes and making a big mess. The kids loved getting up each morning and searching the house for Snowy to see what he was in to that day.
Tonight Snowy rejoins our family and we'll chronicle some of his exploits for you. If you have a great family tradition to pass along, let me know!
Tonight Snowy rejoins our family and we'll chronicle some of his exploits for you. If you have a great family tradition to pass along, let me know!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Be EXTRAORDINARY!
Our goal at SeekingSitters is to do more than just babysit. We want to provide families with a service they have never had before. I want every feedback report from families to include words like: Fabulous! Unbelievable! and Extraordinary! This is what our service is all about.
Arrival: First impressions are everything. Babysitters should be on the job from the minute they walk through the door. If the family is trying to get out the door, take over anything you can help with.
During the job: Sitters are there to entertain, to excite, and to create adventure! Think outside of the box and you’ll draw kids in. Here are a few ideas and we’ll keep adding to this segment:
Kids like activity. One of the things my kids loved best about Evie is she would do “Bronco” and “Airplane.” I’m pretty sure this was bucking bronco rides on her knees and airplane rides up on her feet. She also went outside to play Red Light, Green Light; Freeze Tag, and Red Rover. There was always lots of laughing and giggling when I came home!
Art: Art is important because it is part of leaving behind your mark. Not all kids like art, but make it a game and you might draw them in. One sitter we had in Tulsa created a “Cake Decorating” contest. She drew the cakes and the kids drew on the decorations. Boys might prefer a monster decorating contest. Holiday craft projects are great and you can find lots of free ideas online. And always remember Presentation! Leave the projects out on the counter and tell the family about them when they get home. Evie did at least one project everytime she was here and then would point out things like how great Ryan’s circles were or how many colors Erin chose for her drawing. Puppets are an easy favorite. Take old socks or brown paper sacks and you can make a project and put on a show.
Be unique: Kids love new things – a few ideas: make forts out of blankets and chairs. Read books by flashlight in the closet or your ‘tent.’ Flashlights and things in the dark are always a hit. Read a story and then act it out in a play. Scavenger hunts are always a big hit. We have a simple scavenger hunt we use each Xmas. Basically it is just Xmas icons we print out in various sizes and tape up around the house. The kids each get a sheet with the icons printed on it and they check them off as they find them. This is great because even very small kids can play. For bigger kids, you can print the icons smaller or hide them in more difficult spots. Digital cameras are also great fun for kids and you can create a photo scavenger hunt or just take lots of pictures of them acting goofy. Printing photos is not necessary but if you get great shots you could offer to email them to the parents later.
Read: Reading is important and even if it’s just a short story. This is good for kids and great for parents. Consider picking up funny magazines or story books from the library. Always consider the age and gender of the kids though. The Fun Time sheets have a place for “Today’s Reading” so you can note that down.
Tailor activities to the kids: For toddlers, practicing colors, numbers, and letters will be appreciated. Bigger kids might practice reading or if they’re in activities, have them show you what they do and tell the parents about it later (Tae Kwon do, piano, ballet, etc).
Clean up and exit: Always leave time to clean-up and fill in your Fun Time Sheets. You want to clean-up as you go but then make sure it’s all pretty much straightened up at least 30 minutes before you expect them home. Frequently families will come home early, so plan accordingly. Clean up all meal items and any toys you got out. If the family gets home before you’re done or before you have time to clean-up, do it after they get there. It is not necessary to run right out the door and it’s good to finish what you started. Always exit on a positive note. Tell the family about what you did and what you enjoyed about their kids. Point out things you did and what the kids liked best.
Arrival: First impressions are everything. Babysitters should be on the job from the minute they walk through the door. If the family is trying to get out the door, take over anything you can help with.
During the job: Sitters are there to entertain, to excite, and to create adventure! Think outside of the box and you’ll draw kids in. Here are a few ideas and we’ll keep adding to this segment:
Kids like activity. One of the things my kids loved best about Evie is she would do “Bronco” and “Airplane.” I’m pretty sure this was bucking bronco rides on her knees and airplane rides up on her feet. She also went outside to play Red Light, Green Light; Freeze Tag, and Red Rover. There was always lots of laughing and giggling when I came home!
Art: Art is important because it is part of leaving behind your mark. Not all kids like art, but make it a game and you might draw them in. One sitter we had in Tulsa created a “Cake Decorating” contest. She drew the cakes and the kids drew on the decorations. Boys might prefer a monster decorating contest. Holiday craft projects are great and you can find lots of free ideas online. And always remember Presentation! Leave the projects out on the counter and tell the family about them when they get home. Evie did at least one project everytime she was here and then would point out things like how great Ryan’s circles were or how many colors Erin chose for her drawing. Puppets are an easy favorite. Take old socks or brown paper sacks and you can make a project and put on a show.
Be unique: Kids love new things – a few ideas: make forts out of blankets and chairs. Read books by flashlight in the closet or your ‘tent.’ Flashlights and things in the dark are always a hit. Read a story and then act it out in a play. Scavenger hunts are always a big hit. We have a simple scavenger hunt we use each Xmas. Basically it is just Xmas icons we print out in various sizes and tape up around the house. The kids each get a sheet with the icons printed on it and they check them off as they find them. This is great because even very small kids can play. For bigger kids, you can print the icons smaller or hide them in more difficult spots. Digital cameras are also great fun for kids and you can create a photo scavenger hunt or just take lots of pictures of them acting goofy. Printing photos is not necessary but if you get great shots you could offer to email them to the parents later.
Read: Reading is important and even if it’s just a short story. This is good for kids and great for parents. Consider picking up funny magazines or story books from the library. Always consider the age and gender of the kids though. The Fun Time sheets have a place for “Today’s Reading” so you can note that down.
Tailor activities to the kids: For toddlers, practicing colors, numbers, and letters will be appreciated. Bigger kids might practice reading or if they’re in activities, have them show you what they do and tell the parents about it later (Tae Kwon do, piano, ballet, etc).
Clean up and exit: Always leave time to clean-up and fill in your Fun Time Sheets. You want to clean-up as you go but then make sure it’s all pretty much straightened up at least 30 minutes before you expect them home. Frequently families will come home early, so plan accordingly. Clean up all meal items and any toys you got out. If the family gets home before you’re done or before you have time to clean-up, do it after they get there. It is not necessary to run right out the door and it’s good to finish what you started. Always exit on a positive note. Tell the family about what you did and what you enjoyed about their kids. Point out things you did and what the kids liked best.
Welcome to Lubbock SeekingSitters
My goal is to help families and sitters in the Lubbock area have Extraordinary babysitting experiences!
My name in Julie Bates. I am a Lubbock mother of 4, Texas Tech grad, and child psychologist in town and I would love to tell you my story. I have just started a new business in Lubbock called SeekingSitters. It is a babysitting referral service providing safe, reliable babysitting services to families in Lubbock. As a mom, I know how hard it is to leave your children with a new person, and I have struggled to find good babysitters for my family and always hate it when a great sitter graduates and I have to start over. With SeekingSitters, I hire Certified Professional Sitters that I would trust with my kids and therefore you could trust with yours.
As a psychologist working with children, I hear from families the concerns they have for their children and how diligent they are in keeping their kids safe. I also know how important it is for children to have fun, be creative, and have lots of playtime during their day. SeekingSitters will focus on these goals including safety for families and for babysitters, fun babysitting experiences, flexibility and easy service! We provide full-time, part-time, one-time and last minute babysitting. It is ON DEMAND babysitting. I would love to talk with you further about issues pertinent to Lubbock families such as safe babysitting, how to choose a sitter, and how playtime is developmentally necessary for children, as well as what SeekingSitters can offer Lubbock.
One of the most unique aspects of SeekingSitters is that we complete extensive Xtreme Background checks on our sitters, and we also check our families. This creates safety and peace of mind for both the sitter and the family. SeekingSitters exclusive, in-house investigative team conducts checks similar to the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. Our sitters have extensive childcare experience and they come prepared to play, not sit! All of our sitters arrive in their SeekingSitters T-shirt with their SeekingSitters backpack full of activities tailored to the specific family they are working with. At SeekingSitters we do it all for families!
SeekingSitters started in Tulsa and is quickly gaining national recognition. It is one of the fastest growing franchises in the nation and is completely owned by moms. There are branches in Dallas, Austin, and Houston as well as around the nation and I feel like we’re finally catching up! I think it will be a great benefit to Lubbock families, especially with holiday parties right around the corner!
My name in Julie Bates. I am a Lubbock mother of 4, Texas Tech grad, and child psychologist in town and I would love to tell you my story. I have just started a new business in Lubbock called SeekingSitters. It is a babysitting referral service providing safe, reliable babysitting services to families in Lubbock. As a mom, I know how hard it is to leave your children with a new person, and I have struggled to find good babysitters for my family and always hate it when a great sitter graduates and I have to start over. With SeekingSitters, I hire Certified Professional Sitters that I would trust with my kids and therefore you could trust with yours.
As a psychologist working with children, I hear from families the concerns they have for their children and how diligent they are in keeping their kids safe. I also know how important it is for children to have fun, be creative, and have lots of playtime during their day. SeekingSitters will focus on these goals including safety for families and for babysitters, fun babysitting experiences, flexibility and easy service! We provide full-time, part-time, one-time and last minute babysitting. It is ON DEMAND babysitting. I would love to talk with you further about issues pertinent to Lubbock families such as safe babysitting, how to choose a sitter, and how playtime is developmentally necessary for children, as well as what SeekingSitters can offer Lubbock.
One of the most unique aspects of SeekingSitters is that we complete extensive Xtreme Background checks on our sitters, and we also check our families. This creates safety and peace of mind for both the sitter and the family. SeekingSitters exclusive, in-house investigative team conducts checks similar to the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. Our sitters have extensive childcare experience and they come prepared to play, not sit! All of our sitters arrive in their SeekingSitters T-shirt with their SeekingSitters backpack full of activities tailored to the specific family they are working with. At SeekingSitters we do it all for families!
SeekingSitters started in Tulsa and is quickly gaining national recognition. It is one of the fastest growing franchises in the nation and is completely owned by moms. There are branches in Dallas, Austin, and Houston as well as around the nation and I feel like we’re finally catching up! I think it will be a great benefit to Lubbock families, especially with holiday parties right around the corner!
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