Make A New Year's Balloon Drop

Celebrate New Year's as a family by making your own balloon drop. The best part? You can celebrate at any time during the day!

Modern Parents, Messy Kids has all of the directions here.

Conquering the Post-Holiday Letdown

While this article is targeted at helping preschoolers cope with the post-holiday blues, its tips are useful for people of all ages. After this busy season, take the time to take care of yourself!

Happy New Year!

Asking to be Paid on the Books

Nannies from the Heartland requires all of our client families to pay their nannies legally and on the books. But what if you found your nanny job through another route? HomeWork Solutions offers tips about how nannies can have that tough conversation.

Holiday Bonuses for Nannies: How Much?

Have you ever wondered how much of a bonus to pay your nanny? What about alternatives to cash?HomeWork Solutions has the information you need about common holiday bonus practices. And if you're looking for ideas beyond cash, don't miss our article about 15 Ways to Thank Your Nanny.

7 Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring a Nanny

HomeWork Solutions offers up this list of mistakes to avoid when hiring a nanny. Head over to their blog to read more.

1. Not having a job description
2. Having unrealistic expectations, particularly around housework
3. Paying below-market salary
4. Not paying the nanny on the books
5. Hiring a nanny without a written work agreement
6. Not asking the right interview questions
7. Neglecting to conduct an adequate background check

Nannies from the Heartland works with every client to ensure they avoid these hiring pitfalls. Hiring well prevents problems down the road for families and nannies alike. Contact us to learn more about our services.

Head to the Rainbow Swingset Superstore this Winter!

Are you and the children missing the carefree days of summer?  Bring back summer for a few hours at the Rainbow Swing Set Superstore in Bloomington.  Located off of 494 and Lyndale, the Rainbow Swing Set Superstore opens up their swing set models to children.  Ages 24 months and under play free, and older children play for $6 on weekdays and $9 on weekends (for 2 hours).  They are open from 10-5 Mondays-Saturdays, and 11-4 on Sundays.

Keeping a Daily Nanny Log

As a nanny, I enjoyed keeping a daily log and found it helpful in communicating with the parents about the children's day. The family I work for also used the log book to record information about the children so that I had a sense of how their evening or weekend went. When the children started school full time we gradually got away from journaling about their days. Now we look back at those log books to enjoy the tender moments, the fun times and the warm memories.
Here are some tips that could help you establish the daily log routine.