Babysitter @ MindSay 
• Make sure that the babysitter knows infant/child CPR and Rescue Breathing.
• Remind the babysitter that infants should definitely not be placed on an adult bed of any kind.
• Remind the babysitter that the baby should be placed on her/his back to sleep.
• Make sure that the babysitter knows the signs of illness in an infant including: changes in skin color, sweating, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.
• The babysitter must know where the fire extinguishers are kept, and explain how they are used.
• Be sure to show the babysitter where the first aid supplies are kept.
• Remind the babysitter to keep all balloons or plastic items away from the baby.
• Instruct the babysitter that children should never be unsupervised in the bathtub. He/she should take them with him/her if they must answer the telephone or the door bell.
• Remind the babysitter to keep the bathroom door closed, and the toilet seat and lid down when not in use.
Familiarity with your House:
• Before leaving, be sure to give the babysitter a tour of the house.
• Ensure that all windows have been closed, and that the babysitter knows to keep them closed.
• Show the babysitter how to operate your child safety gates, and indicate where they need to be kept.
• Also show the babysitter where the flashlights are located.
• Make sure that you have put away all sharp items including scissors, knives, and any other objects that can cause injury.
My kids don't hear me tell them to stop fighting. They don't hear me tell them to do their homework, or pick up their dirty clothes, or clean their rooms. But when I said "you guys better come get these last 4 cookies before I eat them" they came running. They are playing a Lego StarWars game on the Play Station and I have never heard them pause a game so fast. If I tell them it's time to turn off the game or feed the rabbits, or eat dinner it's always "but we can't pause this game" or "I can't turn it off yet." LOL Normally that makes me extremely angry and they get grounded from all things fun, but the running for the cookies was funny.
The last few days have been a bit depressing. Thursday was my 37th birthday and my husband didn't call. He was pretty busy and just didn't get time to pick up the phone. Friday was our 10th wedding anniversary, and he did at least call. He was using the MWR phone so we got cut off every ten minutes. So we had 4 separate tiny conversations before he said he had stuff he had to get done. Today it's been exactly one year since he deployed to Iraq. It's been such a very long year without him. I know I've spent the majority of this year depressed, and have done a good job of hiding it. Being with friends always makes me laugh and smile, but that hasn't happened as often as I would like this past year. Everyone's friends have their own jobs, and lives, and families, so just as mine do, we can't always make time to be together. I don't do babysitters so there was only one time this past year that I got to spend time with a friend alone. Debbie's husband was kind enough to watch their daughter and my 4 kids so that Debbie and I could spend time together. We ate at Red Lobster and then walked around the mall for a while. I think my new goal is to find a teenager I trust with my kids. I've got to have time alone, and when Dale returns we need time for just me and him.
That brings me to another thought. By the first or second week of August Dale's entire unit will have returned from Iraq. The first week of September there will be a Ball. Dale asked if I wanted to go, and honestly I don't want to. I don't know if this is depression speaking or if I really am dreading it. I am big woman so a formal gown will cost a good bit of money. I'm expecting to pay a minimum of $200. That does not include alterations, undergarments, or shoes. It also does not include that I would like to get my hair frosted to blend the skunk strips going down each side of my head. I would say somewhere in the ballpark of $500. Plus the place is about 45 minutes away, and my husband would like to get a hotel room for that night. Add in even more because we will have to find a babysitter that we trust to stay all night with all 4 kids. That's at least another $100, probably more. I have never used a babysitter, so I don't know how much they charge. I am not going to count on my Mom being here by then since she isn't here yet. Then you have my husband who is a heavy drinker at social things. He is in the CAV so his unit gets to wear black Stetson's for big military things, and all military social functions. They break in these Stetson's by filling them with just about any garbage they can think of, and the "grog" it will hold, then the owner has to drink it. Disgusting! And it's going to knock my husband flat on his ass. When he's drunk on beer he's annoying, but when he's drunk on liquor he down right pisses me off, and embarrasses me. Don't get me wrong, he's not a heavy drinker, it's only when he's around his buddies, which isn't very often. He doesn't ask to spend time with friends much anymore, so I shouldn't begrudge him of this. It will be his last Army event, other then I'm sure casual parties they will all throw because the entire unit is moving to Georgia within a few months of returning from Iraq. So I'm a little torn. It will probably not be a fun night for me if I go. As far as I'm concerned the hotel room will be a waste because I won't get to do anything in there but sleep. I also don't want to drag my very drunk husband out of a ballroom while I'm in a formal gown. Probably no heels because by that point I will have taken my shoes off, and will be carrying them. I don't know if I'm trying to find a reason not to go, or if I really don't want to go. It sounded like fun at first, and then I realized how much my husband will be drinking, how much it will cost us, and that I will have to find a babysitter now so that I can use her while she and my kids get used to each other. I just don't know. The only thing I really know is that I can't wait for my husband to bring my smile back from Iraq, cause I'm pretty sure it got packed in his duffle bag.
Alternatively, you may decide to use a day-care center or family home. It’s a good idea to visit several centers or homes before choosing one. Watch how the staff teaches the children. Watch how the children are cared for. If a neighbor or relative cares for your baby make sure, he or she likes your baby. Make sure he or she knows how important it is to keep your baby safe.
Tips on choosing day care
• Always ask to see the center or home’s license. To get a license, a center must follow certain rules. Homes also must follow rules to be licensed. The rules cover cleanliness and safety. The rules tell centers and homes to have enough staff to care for the children.
• The center or home should welcome visits by parents at any time. The center or home should be clean and should look nice. The staff should spend time talking and playing with the children. The staff should be gentle but have control over the children.
• After you choose a center or home, be sure to follow the rules set by the center or home. Make sure you pick up your baby on time. Give the center or home your baby’s shot record. Tell the staff about any special needs, such as allergies, that your baby has. If you are breastfeeding, let the staff know that you will come in for feedings or you will provide your breast milk in bottles. The staff should call you right away if your baby seems sick or has a minor accident.
Your baby may be upset at first about staying in a strange place. This is normal. You and the staff can work together to help your baby get used to being in child care. After your baby has settled into a routine, he should become relaxed about going to child care.
Day-care providers to avoid :
• Avoid centers or homes that don’t want parents dropping by without notice.
• Avoid centers or homes where you see children left alone.
• Avoid centers or homes where children seem bored or unhappy.
• Avoid centers or homes where staff yells at the children a lot.
• Avoid centers or homes that are dirty or unsafe.
If your friends or relatives care for your baby, go over carefully with them how to make things safe for your baby, especially as he gets older. As a mother, you know to never leave your baby alone, to put him in a safe crib to sleep, to secure him in a stroller and to never shake him. However, sometimes even people who love you and your baby may not know these things. Be sure that they understand how to keep your baby safe and comfortable.
All parents, at some point or the other, will need to hire the services of a babysitter. However, for many parents, this is easier said than done.
Finding the Right Babysitter
A babysitter essentially fills in for you, the parent, during your absence. To ensure that your child is in safe hands, it is essential that you get the right person for the job. To do so:
- Find out about potential babysitters by asking relatives, friends, colleagues, or community organizations.
- Choose a babysitter based on the needs of your child and their age. It’s easier to baby sit a nine-year old than a baby.
- Do not hire the first candidate who responds. Take time to screen candidates until you are sure that you have found one who is best for your child.
- Look for someone who has the required credentials. A candidate with a certificate in babysitting, for instance, is likely to be more professional and competent. At the same time, don’t rely on classroom training alone to judge a babysitter or nanny. Sometimes, babysitting skills are more natural than learned.
- Crosscheck references provided by a candidate.
- A very good test is to introduce the candidate to your child. This will allow you to evaluate how the prospective babysitter interacts with your child.
Preparing the Babysitter
Before leaving your child in the care of the babysitter you have appointed, it is important that you take some time to prepare the babysitter for the job. To do this:
- Discuss your expectations clearly.
- Tell the babysitter about any special requirements that your child might have.
- Explain how to read the behavioral cues given by your child.
- Inform the babysitter about any special tricks such as 'trigger words' to which your child responds.
After the Babysitting
- Check in with the babysitter and ask if there is anything to report.
- Ask what food was eaten, what specifically they did during the time.
- Take any concerns you have about the care very seriously, and discuss these with the babysitter. If you are still not satisfied, it may be better to look for a new babysitter.
A Blessed and Happy Samhain to All of you! Happy Halloween to those who aren't of the Celtic or even a different "Pagan" Path!
We had a grand time yesterday even though Tab and I were the only parental units that took the kids. The men stayed home this year. I ended up driving the truck and Tab was by herself in the back keeping the kids away from the edge when we traveled different areas of hte town to get to the good neighborhoods! We only stayed out till 8 pm and only hit a 1/3 of the town but the kids made out like bandits! To the point their bags were literally busting open! (Pictures to come later-like normal)
The house was completely bombed today and now I am in the middle of a smoke break. We are starting upstairs with the cleaning and vaccuming! Tons of dead Japaness beatles (some folks call them asian beatles), boxelder bugs (I called them Harries growing up!), and spiders to be vaccumed up. This should also completely clean out what ever lil Head Lice decieded that the bug spray wasn't going to kill them.
The plan of action for this long weekend of the kids being home is to clean up from bombing the house, take DeLaney to her orthodonist appotment tomorrow, rent a carpet cleaner, steam clean the rugs, and then FINALLY get to the family Samhain ritual! Thank Anu that the Gods are very understanding about how busy and stressed out I have been!
I also need to give our Taekowndo Insturctor a call. He finally got worried about us! I have to explain that I just got overwhelemed being the only parent home and October being such a busy month for us! He is wanting the kids to still test and just give us some private lessons (free of charge) to get them ready for Nov. 10th. I am giong to ask him if we can NOT do that and just work on the form we need and skip this testing. The start of next week is when we will ALL go back to taekowndo and I will start hitting the gym at full capacity!
When I am done basically fall cleaning the house this weekend, we will be ready for Thanksgiving and I can purchase the rest of the items I need to do my cooking for Thanksgiving. Randy won't be home till the day before Thanksgiving and Tab and Joe, stepped up to the plate and talked to Randy about how I feel guilty leaving the kids home for a weekend while I go down to the job site to see him. The CEO of the Aussie Company told the Main Project Manager to take Randy and I out to the one and only 4 star restaruant when I come done as a Thank You to both of us. Randy for not bailing on the project and helping in areas and reengeneering things when he didn't have to and for me to say Thanks for having Randy gone for so long! I can't take the kids down with me no babysitter! So Randy talked me into going down in the next two weekends before Thanksgiving and into buying myself a classy outfit. I didn't realize that this restaurant was the only 4 or 5 Starred place in NE! I figured Lincoln or Omaha had classier ones but I was wrong! My dad even got after me and said that it isn't going to hurt the kids to stay home while I go down for a weekend! Joe and Tab will keep the kids and I will leave them my Cell Phone so we can call them. I just need to deciede what weekend I will be going down!
Okay I am off. I have to finish cleaning out my closet and then vaccum DeLaney's room, go in and finish helping Coltin and then we have to all hit the kids' tv room and computer room! Then go down stairs start laundry, scub the bathroom, vaccum the living room and dinning room, and then once laundry is all done I can scrub the kitchen. We will be going out for dinner tonight since the kitchen won't be gotten to till tomorrow!
Showing 1 - 5. [ Next ]