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 Holiday Edition 2009
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| Message From Kathy
Happy Fall!
As we get farther into the fall, we are anticipating cooler days and all of the fun festivities that come with the onset of the holidays! At Mom's Best Friend, we want to support you and provide you with all the resources and tools you need to be successful!
As a professional nanny or private service professional, we want to elevate you in your vocation by coming alongside of you and encouraging you to kick it up a notch in some way this year. With only a few months left in 2009, be thinking about how you can grow your strengths and skills in 2010 and make yourself even more marketable. I just attended the inaugural conference of the International Association for Household Service Professionals in Dallas a few weeks ago and was very impressed with the attendees' dedication to the pursuit of excellence in their career.
Mom's Best Friend wants to help you in this endeavor. We see a select group who consistently attend various company sponsored events and workshops and hope to see that group expand and diversify in the future. When questions come up about reviews, raises, communication, behavioral challenges, etc., don't forget that we have 15 years of expertise and experience which encompasses just about every type situation you could think of and would love to help provide direction, as requested. We encourage you to take advantage of our various offerings to enhance your knowledge and marketable skills. Please let us know how we can best help you individually! We are always available to speak with you on the phone or in-person for one-on-one coaching or problem solving.
As always, we greatly appreciate your referrals and offer great bonuses for referring qualified caregiver friends and associates for placement!
Thanks for all you do,
Kathy Dupuy, Owner
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| Announcements & Special Events |
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Nannies of the Year AnnouncementMBF,in conjunction with the Association of Professional Nannies, celebrated National Nanny Recognition Week during the week of September 20-26, 2009. During the event which featured food, music, festivities,  and fun, MBF got to announce their exceptional caregivers who were nominated by their families. Two caregivers were announced nannies' of the year: full-time nanny Patricia Kinnie and part-time nanny Mandie Hull received these honors. MBF is extremely proud of all of our caregivers and appreciate all they do to dedicate themselves to nurturing the lives of the children they work with.
 Child Nutrition Class
It's not easy to stay healthy in the world today, and this is particularly evident in our children. What we blame on genetics has a lot more to do with nutrition than we think. This seminar will bring clarity to a confusing topic- what do I feed my family? There are few things in life as important as what we put into our mouths. Come learn a new way of thinking about food - you and your family are worth it! The Austin Centre is holding a public seminar for parents on November 19th on Children's Diet and Nutrition. Speaking at the event will be Charlotte Skiles MS, A.C.N, who is a clinical herbalist and nutrition consultant. This event will begin at 7 p.m. and tickets can be purchased through The Austin Centre for $20. The first 5 people to call and identify MBF as the referral source get free admission!
The new Texas Booster Seat Law recently went into effect on September 1st. This law requires that all children younger than 8 years old, UNLESS taller than 4'9," be in a child passenger safety seat system, which includes traditional car seats with harnesses AND booster seats. Fines range from $25-$250.
Please Read if You Drive on the Job
Another tidbit of information that is not widely known is that personal car insurance does NOT cover transporting children in the caregivers car for WORK. You need to have a "professional policy" if you are using their own vehicle to transport children for work purposes. IF you are in a car accident that is your fault, without a professional policy, your insurance company will deny liability for the children's injuries and possibly the entire accident without the correct coverage. This would leave you personally responsible for all costs. Please talk to your insurance representative for clarification and to make sure you are properly covered. |
| Senior Care is Coming to MBF |
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Mom's Best Friend will soon be adding Senior Care to its services!
As many of our clients become caregivers for their parents, Mom's Best Friend has seen that there is a great need for high quality senior care (non-medical) and personal assistant services. Before we launch this service to the public, we will be recruiting and screening caregivers whose experience and overall excellence matches our nanny and sitter pool.
What better place to start than our current caregiver pool? We know that many of our nannies have experience in this arena and many of you have mentioned to us over the years that you would be interested in serving in this capacity. If you have senior care or companion references or if you would like to be trained in this area, we would love to be able to give you additional work in this capacity.
If you would like to become registered with our senior care division, please email intern@mbfagency.com with your interest as well as details of your related experience. |
| Ask the Expert |
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Q: How do I make a good first impression when interviewing with potential families?
A: Making a good first impression during your interview is key for landing the position. First, be sure you are on time. Forgetting the interview time, getting lost, or being a no-show altogether will usually ruin your chances completely. If you aren't familiar with the area, try to do a test drive before the interview so you're sure to find it easily the day of the interview.
How you present yourself is also very important. Dress neatly and professionally -- think business casual. Aim for a fresh, clean, and practical look. Taking the time to look your best will not only boost your confidence, but will also show the family you are serious about getting the job.
Upon meeting the family, be polite, smile, make eye contact, shake their hands and speak clearly and confidently. If the children are present, get down on their level to interact with them. Prospective employers will want to see how you interact with the children; failing to make that connection can result in not being hired.
Think about questions you may be asked; questions about yourself, your childcare abilities, hypothetical situations, and past experiences. Prepare questions you'd like to ask the family as well. Duties and responsibilities differ from family to family so be sure to find out what is expected in the particular position. Spend time asking about the scope of the job, the family, the children, their schedules, etc.
 If you feel the position is a good fit for you, let them know why you would be a good fit for them. Your resume, references, reference letters, or any other documents should be passed along to them. Thank them for their time and the opportunity to interview with them.
After the interview, send a thank you note either through e-mail or the postal service, use this as an opportunity to reinforce your enthusiasm for the job and why you are the right person for the job.
Lastly, remember to not take anything personally, families usually have a pretty good idea of what they want in a nanny before they even start the interview process, and unfortunately you may not always be it. Don't be discouraged because the right family is out there waiting for you!
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| MBF in the News |
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Parents Get Help Finding Safe Sitters
KXAN Austin (NBC), September 25, 2009
The concept of screening sitters is not new to Austin. Kathy Dupuy, a mother of four, started Mom's Best Friend 15 years ago. The business has only grown more popular, and helped Austin parents like Juliet Tapia who does not have to think twice when she leaves home.
" I kiss them goodbye, shut the door and don't worry about it," said Tapia.
She has used the service in Austin for nine years. Moms Best Friend refers about 125 local sitters a week who are re-screened each month.
" Not only was it clear the first time, but it's clear on an on-going basis and that's super important," said Mom's Best Friend Owner Kathy Dupuy.
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| MBF Superstars |
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Featured Austin Long-term Nanny: Audrey S.
 Audrey is one of our favorite nannies here at MBF agency. Audrey loves doing interactive activities with children such as riding bikes, swimming, crafts, and games. Audrey worked in our Austin office for quite awhile before deciding to move to the Dallas area to pursue a teaching career. She has since decided that she loves being a nanny and is wanting to pursue her nanny career. She has experience with all ages and goes above and beyond in everything that she does.
Austin Temporary Nanny: Rebecca T.
 Becca has years of experience working with children and also being a personal care attendant. She has been a live in nanny for a family, taking care of their children 1 and 2 years old. Becca enjoys doing activities with kids such as coloring and painting, puzzles and games, and families have called her "engaging, loving, and a hard worker." We feel very confident in recommending Becca as a nanny to any family and feel she would over exceed any family's expectations! |
| Holiday Craft Activities |
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Paper Cup Turkeys
What You Will Need:
- Paper or foam cup (8.5 oz)
- Acrylic paint in fall colors (brown, tan, orange, red, green, yellow, etc.)
- Large pom-pom for head (brown, yellow, red, orange, etc.)
- Small foam heart for gobbler (to contrast with color of head)
- Small foam triangle (orange or yellow)
- 2 small wiggle eyes
- 3" x 2" piece of orange construction paper
- 1 sheet of white construction paper
- White craft glue
- Scissors
Directions:
- Place cup upside down on work surface and paint brown
- To make the feathers, paint the white construction paper with several fall colors, crisscrossing the colors as you go. Let dry
- Cut feathers out in one large piece, should be shaped similar to a hand or crown. Cut the tips of each feather into a point
- Apply glue to the bottom portion of the feathers and press onto the bottom of the cup. Hold in place for a minute or so to let the glue grab.
- Place foam heart upside down so that the bumps are facing downward. Glue the foam triangle, point down, onto the upside down heart--the upper points of the triangle will be hanging over the edge. This is the beak and gobbler
- Glue the pom-pom to the top of the paper cup.
- Glue the wiggle eyes and the beak and gobbler to the head.
- Cut two feet from the orange construction paper and glue to the bottom of the cup.
Christmas Mouse Ornament 
What You Will Need:
- walnut shell half
- 2 small wiggle eyes
- 1 large round gray or white pom-pom, depending on what color you want your mouse to be (You can get these at thrift or craft stores. Also, the large pom-pom has to be small enough to fit in a walnut shell.)
- 2 small gray or white pom-poms for the ears
- 1 medium size pom-pom
- Any color ribbon about 5 inches long
- A miniature Santa hat, optional (You can get these at craft stores with the miniature doll things or ask a clerk to help you find them.)
- Hot glue gun
Directions:
- Make sure you have a piece of newspaper on a table or on the floor so you don't get any glue or scraps everywhere. That makes cleanup time quicker.
- Lay all your materials out on the newspaper. Heat the glue gun up and make sure you have an adult watching at all times when using the glue gun.
- Put a dot of glue in the walnut half and stick the large pom-pom inside it. Press down lightly and hold for about 10 seconds.
- Put a dot of glue on the medium size pom-pom where the head should go, and hold for about 20 seconds.
- Take the two small eyes and place them on the head with a dot of glue and gently hold for about 10 seconds each.
- Glue on the small pom-pom balls by placing them above the head, and hold for 10 seconds.
- Put a dab of glue in the middle of the ribbon and place it under the walnut. Tie the ribbon at the top so you can hang your mouse.
- Hang it on your tree for a nice little touch.
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| Fun Recipes |
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Candy Cane Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened to room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp peppermint extract
½ tsp vanilla
approximately ¼ tsp red food coloring
Directions:
1. Mix together flour and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg
and flavoring extracts. Gradually add in dry ingredients until well
combined.
3. Separate dough in half. Wrap one portion in plastic wrap and
refrigerate for 3-4 hours until dough becomes firm.
4. Add food coloring to remaining dough and mix until desired coloris achieved. Wrap newly dyed dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
5. To shape cookies, take spoonful of white and red dough each. Roll into 5" long ropes and coil together to create a candy-cane shape. Gently press down dough to flatten. Place on parchment paper and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 10-12 minutes *For this and similar recipes visit kids-cooking.suite101.com |
| Job Openings at MBF |
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Here are some positions we are currently seeking to fill. Remember that if you refer someone who fills one of these positions, you could receive $200!
Position 33366
This family is seeking an independent, loving, flexible nanny for a busy household with 3 girls. Both parents work and will need the nanny to pick up the children from school, drive to various activities, feed the dogs, prepare snacks and a simple meal for the children and play with them! Must be proactive, show initiative, not require a lot of direction, and have a happy disposition! Must be flexible, as actual work hours may alter as needed depending on the activities/schedule and if any of the children are sick and need to stay home from school. Driving will be involved. Must be a swimmer and love dogs! This is a full-time position, the hours are M-F 2-7:30 p.m. (with a guaranteed 35 hours/week) and pays $13-$18 per hour.
Position 32648
This family is searching for a part-time nanny to help with their children Mon & Tues 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and 4-5 additional hours/week, flexible on day and times! The Typical day will involve breakfast, getting the 4 year old ready for pre-school, dropping her off, and then caring for the one-year old boy. Also preparing snacks, playing, tidying up, driving to/from school and activities, children's meal preparation, and clean up are required! Looking for a patient, nurturing, playful caregiver who is passionate about teaching children and helping them grow! They will pay $13-$15 an hour. A college degree or some college is preferred! There are also 3 indoor dogs in the home. |
| Refer a Client and Recieve:
 $200 when long-term position is placed!
- $50 when membership is paid and a temp is used!
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| What Clients are Saying |
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"Mom's Best Friend is an incredible resource. They've always been able to satisfy our babysitting needs, even at the last minute! We have a special needs child, and the sitters have been wonderful with him and his sister. I highly recommend Mom's Best Friend!" -Dawn Neufeld, Sitter Client
"I would like to refer anyone with children to Mom's Best Friend for any sitter or nanny needs they may have. Many of the nannies who work for Mom's Best Friend are students either at the University of Texas or Texas State who are in, or have graduated from the Education program, and love to take care of children. Many nannies I have encountered have also been with the company for years, and never cease to amaze my family. In regards to the background checks, I encourage any clients to visit their website to view the News clip (see Press Room-In the News), where Mom's Best Friend was interviewed by FOX & KVUE, and includes information on the very extensive and accurate background check company they use. I STRONGLY recommend this agency for the trusted care of your children!" -Rebekah Maddux El-Hakam, Sitter Client
"The girls that you sent to us to work at the church yesterday were absolutely OUTSTANDING! I really appreciated all the hard work that they put into it and I thank you for continually having wonderful nannies at your agency. Thank you for your "lifesaving" agency..I know I always can depend on you!" -Kim Levell, Church Sitter Client |
| Serving the Community |
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 Over the years, The Settlement Home, a therapeutic home for abused and neglected girls, has found a special place in the hearts of the Mom's Best Friend Staff. In keeping with our annual tradition, we will be adopting a cottage of girls to buy gifts that Santa will be bringing to them! If anyone would like to join in our efforts, we would be happy to accept any items and add them to our collection to be sent.
If you would like to get involved with The Settlement Home in other ways, they are always looking for clothing donations (for girls age 7 to 17) or any donations for their garage sale- the largest fundraiser of the year! In addition, they are always looking for people who would like to contribute their time and care. From anything to a monetary donation or simply spending a  couple of hours helping out, they appreciate any assistance during the holidays and beyond. If interested, please visit their website at www.settlementhome.org to see what opportunities there are for you. | |
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