| **Summer Special**: Book a week of summer care & get a date night free!
See the Announcement Section for more details...
IN THIS ISSUE:
Message from Kim | Announcements & Special Events | Client Corner | Tax Tips | Ask the Expert | Organizing Tips | MBF Superstars | What Clients are Saying
Serving the Community
A Message From Kim Happy Summer!
These last few weeks since school let out have felt like a whirlwind and we are thrilled to usher in some serious R&R, lazy days with a lot less schedules and deadlines! While we plan to travel later in the summer, we are going to take the opportunity over the next few months to enjoy the ever so popular concept of the Staycation! Dallas and Fort Worth boast so many fun activities to enjoy, both in and outdoors.
If you are working and want your kids to enjoy some local flavor, consider hiring a summer nanny as your kids’ Staycation tour guide! Much more exciting than summer camp, very flexible, and budget friendly (many attractions are free), an MBF summer nanny can help ensure your kids have the best summer ever this year! Let us help you enjoy your summer this year too by giving you a night out without kids to reconnect with your significant other, or book an MBF nanny for the weekend and take that romantic trip you've been putting off. MBF nannies can also travel with families on summer vacation and provide an extra set of hands so that you can have some down time and really rest and recharge. Take a look at some of our wonderful summer nannies! Best, Kim Winblood, Owner
 Book one week of summer care and get a date night free!
*5 consecutive days must be booked at once Book Your Night Nanny!
For working parents or parents with more than one child, night nannies are a saving grace. Many of our families attribute their sanity to this great service. These newborn specialists help new parents achieve a restful night’s sleep so they have more energy to devote to their families and their work. Newborn specialists work 10 hour shifts, helping new parents to achieve a restful night’s sleep by getting up with the baby, feeding or bringing the baby to the nursing mom, changing the baby, rocking the baby, doing the baby’s laundry and more. Our pool of caregivers has recently grown as MBF Dallas held an all-day night nanny training on Saturday, May 23rd. Angel Crow, Certified Newborn Care Specialist, taught the class using dolls, blankets, formula, and other hands-on activities to further train our experienced nannies on night nanny-specific duties. Traveling to Colorado this Summer?
If you're visiting the Vail/Beaver Creek area, remember that we have a local office that can serve your babysitting needs using your existing membership! Coming this Summer The same excellent care given to your children and household can now be given to your older loved ones. We will be offering MBF Senior Care services later this summer! More details to come.
 Busy parents who need to travel without the kids, especially for work, know the potential for guilt and stress those trips bring. A new children’s book, My Mommy’s on a Business Trip, is helping both kids and parents feel better about their time apart. The book tells of the “adventures” of business travel from a young child’s point of view, with the endearing message that mom misses her and is coming home real soon. Available exclusively at www.mommytrip.com, the book is receiving rave reviews from working parents across the country. We highly recommend this book!
Q: If my employee files for unemployment benefits, do I have to pay for it? A: Unemployment benefits are funded through an employer-paid tax. Therefore, if you pay your employee legally, you are already contributing to the state-managed unemployment fund. If your employee is let go due to no fault of her own, she will be eligible for unemployment benefits to help her make ends meet between jobs (the exact amount and duration of benefits is determined by a case worker at the state). Two important notes about unemployment benefits: 1. If she quits or is let go for cause (negligence, tardiness, poor work quality, etc.) she is typically not eligible to collect unemployment benefits. If an employee files for unemployment, the state will notify the former employer to verify wage information, start date, termination date and reason for termination. The state will determine whether or not the employee should receive benefits and will alert both employer and employee of the determination.  2. If an employee is paid “under the table,” the employee is not eligible for unemployment benefits because the employer has not contributed to the fund through the tax process. (Additionally, the state unemployment office will charge the employer with back taxes, penalties and interest – and report the tax infraction to the IRS). For more information or a free phone consultation compliments of MBF, call 1-888-273-3356 or visit www.breedlove-online.com.
Q: What is the process or steps to hire a nanny, whether I go through an agency or attempt to find someone on my own?
A: Hiring a nanny can be a daunting process and, for many, the idea of bringing someone new into their home and leaving their kids in the sole care of someone they don’t know can be scary. It’s very important to identify each step needed to carefully navigate this search, the end result of which yields comfort and peace of mind...Read the full article in our Nanny Employer Blog. See Kathy Dupuy's Blog for additional Nanny Employer topics, such as:
Summer is here! Are You Ready ? We've just had a big shift once again from school to summertime. Are you ready for it? Here are some things to think about: Getting Away from It All: - Have you asked off time from work?
- Do you have travel arrangements made for flights and lodging?
- Do you have your passport if needed?
- Do you have someone to care for the house & pets while you're gone?
Kids Are Afoot: - If you work outside the home (or work from home), have you finalized your plans for child care? If sharing custody, have you worked out plans for the kids spending extended time with dad or mom?
- Have you figured out the driving arrangements for getting all of this accomplished?
- Have you thought about a new summer routine for the household, accounting for a different pace and bedtimes? You want to stay open and fun, but have some structure too.
 - Using up tons of drinking glasses? With everyone around and the summer heat and activities, your sink may pile up quickly with dirty glasses to wash.
- Are there rules you should think through about use of a neighborhood pool or park or how to interact with the neighbors and their kids and homes?
- Do you have a place figured out for the pool gear and other sports equipment that might be frequently used this season? Make it as simple as possible for the kids to use & put away these items by using hooks and open shelving whenever you can.
Lorie Marrero, owner and founder of clutterdiet.com and author of her new book The Clutter Diet, shares more of her summer tips on her blog.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Shanna is a wonderful long term nanny who was placed with one of our families almost a year ago. We recently received this feedback from her employer referring to this past year: "Shanna is an unspoiled, can-do, consistently positive energy person. She knew how to jump in to support a 5th grade tri-fold project and support my 6 year old with practicing her poems and spelling words throughout the week, by building them into a car ride or during playtime...Shanna would volunteer to jump in the pool and swim for hours, play Monopoly, make puzzles, art projects, crafts, play on the sport court, make a picnic in the yard, ride bikes with the kids." Thank you for being such a wonderful nanny Shanna! | | Jodie Wyffells is our Dallas superstar! Jodie is great with all ages of children and always goes the extra mile for our clients. Her warm nature and great work ethic, keeps her requested by our clients. Jodie has helped us with numerous jobs including our MBF families, special events, corporate jobs, and volunteer events. Thanks for all you do Jodie! | | Joy is our Ft. Worth superstar! She works with several of our clients who request her on a regular basis as well as with 2 of our churches. Joy's positive attitude and professionalism makes her a great asset to Mom's Best Friend! |
"The sitters that we have had long-term relationships with have become like family members and they are truly cherished. They have afforded me the precious free time that allows me to be a better/refreshed Mom." --Saira John, Sitter Client  "Just wanted to drop a note and thanks so much for all of your help arranging the sitters for last weekend. Chelsea and Kelly were great and our kids had so much fun with them. Thank you!" --Julie Cordua, Resort Sitter Client "The access to Mom's Best Friend's staff is exceptional. I had lots of questions and felt MBF would be there for me if and when I needed them." --Barbara Antal, Nanny "We had a fabulous vacation thanks to your sitter. She exceeded our expectations. Her fun, energetic attitude got the kids interested in her immediately. Her maturity showed in the way she tended to the house -- she jumped in wherever cleaning or straightening up needed to be done. Overall, I think you have a star sitter!" --Melissa Moriarty, Resort Sitter Client "You sent us a perfect nanny manager, helping my husband with meals, light cleaning, laundry for the girls, washed and dressed the girls and styled their hair, but, most importantly, was very affectionate, attentive, and authoritative at the same time, which she does with love and fairness. I have to thank you for that!" --Anne Fillaudeau, Temporary Nanny Manager Client 
"I just wanted you to know that the nanny worked out well yesterday and has agreed to sit for us for a couple hours during dinner tomorrow night. Thank you so much for what you do to make our lives easier. We will be back in April and during the summers. So we will be NEEDING you!" --Kalani Meffe, Resort Sitter Client
Back to School Celebration: Every August Rainbow Days hosts its Annual Back-to-School Celebration, a fun festivity to help Dallas-area children living in homeless,  domestic violence and transitional shelters kick off the school year with new backpacks filled with necessary school supplies. This year's annual Back-to-School Celebration is scheduled for Thursday, August 20, 2009 from 1pm-3pm at the World Trade Center, 2050 Stemmons Freeway in Dallas.
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