Childcare Options Disappearing for Middle-Class America

I've worked as a nanny off and on for a few years now. I love kids, and I love the one-on-one connection you get to form when working for a specific family. But it's definitely a far cry from paying the bills.

There are many middle class families that need childcare. But for those with both parents working to make minimum wage, it's impossible for them to pay a sitter a livable wage.

I once had a woman request my services for her pre-school age child. She made me an offer, and after I divided it into an hourly rate, it boiled down to a whopping $1.79 an hour. I couldn't fault her though. A single parent working in fast food and trying to provided all the basic necessities of life for her family can only afford so much. But with a heavy heart, I had to turn her down, because I have my own family to think of. It does make me wonder, what did she do about child care in the end?

It seems middle-class parents are forced to make some very unfair decisions. They have to choose between over crowded, understaffed daycare centers that accept DHS vouchers, the private care taker offering an affordable rate, but with too many children in her care, or the option for one parent to stay home, which honestly, isn't an option for many, especially single parents.

It's the ultimate rock and hard place of these tough financial times. I call it the ultimate because it has a far greater impact than meatless meals or a missed evening out. It's a matter of who is going to be raising our children and in what environment?

On the other hand, there are those navigating this dilemma more easily. Those who can afford to pay a decent wage for childcare or can afford to stay home. There are those with extended family in a position to help. There are those who can find the select care takers (more often stay-at-home parents themselves) who ask for little money for the nurturing environment they provide.

But what about all the other parents? Or more concerning, what about all of the other children? The ones who will go to crowded day cares and get ear infections and pink eye this winter. Or will be left home alone a little too young and with a little too much processed food to keep them company because genuinely good parents can't afford the alternative. Is there nothing that can be done for them?

Coming Soon!

Mother's Day 2014

Baby Dominic is almost here!

Crockpot Freezer Meals: Ranch Chicken Tacos

I love Crock Pot freezer meals. Primarily, dump chicken recipes. For those of you that don't know, dump chicken recipes are when you literally dump the ingredients and chicken in the Crock Pot and let it cook. The appeal  for me is that you can, instead, dump the ingredients in to a freezer bag, store it in the freezer until you need an easy dinner, and them toss it in the Crock Pot.

It's handy because it doesn't have to be completely thawed before you cook it (I can never remember to take meat out to thaw until it's too late). You can either let it thaw slightly in the fridge for a couple hours, or run it under warm water for 2-3 minutes, just enough to loosen it up a bit so the chicken can be laid out evenly.

Crock Pot Ranch Chicken Tacos

4-5 boneless chicken breast (or whatever chicken part is on sale, as long as it's boneless)

packet of taco seasoning

packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Mix

1/4 Cup of water

1/4 cup of ranch dressing (Do not add to the Crock Pot with the rest of the ingredients)

Dump the chicken, taco seasoning, ranch mix, and water in a Gallon size freezer bag. Mix together, flatten, and freeze until needed.

Thaw the contents just enough so the chicken pieces can be separated. Spray your Crock Pot with non-stick spray. Dump contents into the Crock Pot and cook on Low for 4-5 hours. NOTE: If you choose not to freeze the ingredients ahead of time, that's fine; just cook on low for 3-4 hrs.

Put the chicken pieces in a bowl and shred them. Add the ranch dressing. Return chicken to the crock pot and cook for 10 mins.

Put it in a tortilla and add your favorite toppings! We like to use to make quesadillas.

Sensory Bins

I would like to begin this post with the disclaimer that I have not yet made my own sensory bin, nor have I had a chance to use one with the kids. That being said, I have fallen in love with the idea of sensory bins and couldn't wait to share. All the pictures link back to the original site to make sure the blogger/momma responsible gets full credit.

I have fallen in love with the (again, not so new) idea of sensory bins. One of the things I love about them the most is that the possibilities are endless. For those of you who aren't so familiar with the concept, its basically a container that you fill will things to engage you child's senses. It gives them a chance to feel different textures, different colors, and even different smells.

For infants, a sensory bin ideally has only a few different items, so as not to overwhelm them and lose the appeal. As children get older, your bin can have a theme, and even include letters, numbers, and sight words. Below are some of the ideas that I'm most fond of.


Ocean sensory bin


Dinosaur sensory bin. This one is one of my very favorite. I know a few little boys that would spend forever playing with this.


Candy construction sensory bin


Muddy race car sensory bin


Dino dig sensory bin


Outerspace sensory bin


Under construction sensory bin


Ocean bowl sensory bin


Ocean sand sensory bin


Dollar store sensory bin. The definition of thrifty parenting!


Insect sensory bin


Monster sensory bin


Gardening sensory bin


I know this is another construction bin, but I think this one is probably my favorite. Perfect for older boys. And I like that there are different materials to dig in; it's not all just sand.


Shoveling letters sensory bin. Yay playing with the alphabet.

Some bins are best used outside, or at the very least, not on the carpet. It can be really simple or really elaborate. And not every bin has to be completely different. You can add elements and take them away to create a different experience, making it see like they're getting a whole new toy. Be sure to me creative, be daring, and have fun!

Super Easy Crab Pie

I used to make crab pockets, which involved stuffing crescent rolls and lots of oozing, and just annoying things in general. So this time I tried something a little bit different. Hope you enjoy! 

I started by layering the bottom of a pie pan with crescent rolls. I'm glad I used a glass pan, because it allowed me to see when the bottom crust was done so there was no guess work on the timing.

Then I chopped up the crab meat and mixed it with the cream cheese. It's up to you how small you want to chop it. I personally prefer large chunks.

Pour the crab mixture in the pie pan and spread evenly.

Then sprinkle shredded cheese over top of it. Colby jack is my all time favor shredded cheese, but you can use sharp cheddar as well depending on your preference.

Now we're ready to bake!

Ta-da!

Super Easy Crab Pie

Tube of crescent roll dough

8oz crab meat or imitation crab meat (chopped)

8 oz cream (cheese softened)

1/4 cup shredded colby jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Using non-stick spray, lightly coat an 8 inch round pie pan.

Lay unrolled crescent rolls in the bottom of the pan and press flate, forming one solid layer of dough with no empty spaces. In a bowl, mix crab meat and cream cheese. Spread the crab mixture evenly over the dough. Spread shredded cheese on top.

Bake in the oven 13-15 mins or until cheese on top starts to brown.

Enjoy!

Fostering Independence in a Child

One thing that I've found varies greatly from child to child, especially in early years, is their amount of independence. Working as a nanny, where your job is to, well...take care of the children, it's interesting how different this can be for children of the same age group.

I've seen two-year-olds pour their own milk and four-year-olds who can't put on their own socks and everything in between. When my brother, age ten, came to stay with me for a week he was completely dumb-founded when I told him to microwave his own hot dog.

So what is it that makes some kids seem so capable and others so independent? Like always, it comes down to parenting. It's often easier to just do things ourselves than to let our kids take twice as long do the same task, incorrectly at that. We can spend the morning fighting with our kids to pick up their toys, or we could take ten minutes and do I ourselves.

Fostering independence in our children is fairly simple, but not easy. It requires restraint, patients, and a lot grace, for both mommy and child.

Give your child choices. Independence is all about thinking and acting for themselves. But how can kids be expected to make good choices if they haven't had any practice? Giving them free reign can be overwhelming. "Do you want to wear your red shirt or blue shirt today?" Making simple choices like that can drive kids to want to take control.

Give your child the opportunity to be independent. Encourage them to do things for themselves. Little tasks like setting the table or putting clothes in the washing machine will give them a  sense of pride that they will want more of.

And most importantly, if it's not dangerous or destructive, it will be okay. The more independence they get, the more they'll want to "be a helper." They want to get their own water, yes the floor might get wet, but it will dry. They want to pour their own cereal, it might end up on all over the table, but you can always buy more cereal. Just know, that in the end, it will be worth it.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

So I used to be obsessed with baking cookies. Then life got busy and I find myself completely ready to prepare cookies, but the actual baking part gets pretty tedious when you're making six dozen cookies twelve at a time. 

My solution? Cookie bars! All the goodness of cookies with only 1 baking cycle  

Chocolate chip Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt 

1 cup unsalted butter (softened)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. 

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. 

Pour dough in the prepared 9x13 pan and spread evenly. Dough will be thick and sticky. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and center is slightly firm. Let cool completely in pan and cut into bars. 

Enjoy!