parenting

  • THE POWER OF YOUR VOICE

    {A note from Nickey: I met Emily while living overseas in Australia. Listening to her speak is like listening to sugar. She is the one of the sweetest souls that you will ever encounter. Emily makes parenting look effortless and is someone I would definitely consider a “Super-Mom”. I hope you enjoy her guest post as much I have.}

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    “Stop hitting your sister!”

    “Don’t play with your food- EAT IT!”

    “Why are you peeing on the floor instead of in the toilet?”

    “How many times do I have to tell you that we aren’t supposed to jump off the coffee table onto the baby?!”

    “STOP HITTING YOUR SISTER!”

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  • The Fun Side of Learning

     

    Hello to my Colors Are Magic friends! I’m so excited to be guest posting for Nickey today!
    I’m Stephanie from The Nanny Journals.

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    That monkey on my back is my bff, M. He’s two-and-a-half and we spend a lot of time together.
    We basically tell each other everything.
    Now, if you couldn’t tell from my blog, I’m M’s nanny.
    I’ve been with the little guy since the day he was born and it’s been the best 2.5 years of my career.

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  • Finding My Daughter’s Creative Heart

    (A note from Nickey: I have been wanting to have some guest bloggers on this blog for a while now, and I knew that Kelly Dampier was the perfect choice to kick things off. I absolutely adore Kelly’s mother’s heart… and the transparency in her writing is refreshing to the soul. I hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I did. )

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    by Kelly Dampier

    My daughter Lily is two and a half, and I am living in a world of scribbles, paint splatters, chalk dust and crusted colors of play-do that are a whole….other….level. I know that this is typical for her age, but it’s taken me an entire year to truly realize the creativity residing in her little soul. At first I thought that waking up to her entire side of her bed covered in a rainbow of crayon colors and drawings, was just that she was getting bored before I came to get her in the mornings. It took a big moment of ‘aha’ for me though, to figure out that this is a big part of her. Once I caught on, it completely changed the way that I communicate with her and try to structure her day.

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  • 15 Nanny Hacks

    Let’s face it, raising tiny humans is one of the most exhausting (and the most completely rewarding) things ever. After being a full-time nanny for 11 years, I have picked up some tricks to help me through the day… hacks if you will. Also, when Pinterest became the “thing” it was so nice to be able and see what tricks other nannies, mommies, daddies, and teachers had up their sleeves.

    Here is a list of hacks that I have either found, used, or created myself. Enjoy!

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  • Kool-Aid Clouds

    The other day my pet unicorn, Sprinkles, and I were babysitting my little niece. Now, normally we are not supposed to bring guests with us if we go visit Sprinkles’s family in the Cotton Candy Kingdom– but Mr. & Mrs. Unicorn have taken a liking to my niece (who wouldn’t really?).

    It was a super fun trip. My niece got to meet the Tooth Fairy, a group of mermaids, and Jack Frost. You would think that meeting such icons would have wowed her. Nope. She was most obsessed with the fact the ground with made of rainbow clouds. She jumped on them. Rolled on them, Slid on them. She was so happy I was concerned that she may have a #heartexplosion. 😉

    When we got home to Colorado… she really wanted to play in the rainbow clouds again. Unfortunately they don’t transport well…. so we have to come up with an idea so she could play in rainbow clouds at home. After searching the internet for hours, I came across a recipe from an amazing blogger.

    {Growing A Jeweled Rose has a fun recipe on her blog for a Kool-Aid sensory bin and I loved it so much we filled a kiddie pool in the stuff! Ha. You should totally take a second and check out her stuff. She’s a genius!} read more

  • Homemade Window Stickers

    Today me and my pet unicorn, Sprinkles, went on a trip to the Cotton Candy Kingdom (where she grew up) to visit her friends and family. They are always doing all sorts of magical favors for us. For example, remember that one time that Sprinkles was having sleepless nights due to being afraid of monsters/nightmares and they helped me make Monster Spray and Magic Milk Potions to help her rest well at night? Not to mention all of the holiday perks we get from being friends with all the famous holiday icons. Well, it was time for us to return the favor.

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  • The “I’m Bored” Jar

    It’s summer and that means: no school. I know as a nanny I always had mixed emotions when it came to summer (just getting real). On one hand I was able to plan all sorts of fun excursions, playdates and activities with the kids… and on the other hand– not every single moment can be filled with nonstop over the top entertainment. Unfortunately, more often than not, the removal of entertainment usually leads straight to screen time. Don’t get me wrong– I am not totally against all screen time. However, in the summer months the screens can get out of control– and with the removal of screens usually comes the 2 words that press my buttons the most: “I’m bored.”

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  • Textured Paint Rollers For Kids

    It’s been super rainy here in Colorado the past few weeks, so my pet unicorn, Sprinkles, and I have been spending a lot of time in doors (and probably a little too much time hanging out with our good friend “Netflix”). Just like little kids, if Sprinkles watches too much TV and doesn’t have enough stimulation she gets a little cranky. So, while we were out at the grocery store with my parents the other night, I decided enough is enough and headed over to the craft section at Walmart.

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  • Monster Spray

    Ever since we relocated to Colorado (I love that color is in the name of our new state. How fitting) my pet unicorn, Sprinkles, has been a little shaken up– which totally understandable. I know this will sound crazy to some of you… but I think the contrast of having so much noise to fall asleep to in NYC to the absolute silence here near the mountains makes it harder for her to fall asleep. She can hear every little weird thing that is going on outside and thinks there are monsters in the house. After 2 weeks of sleepless nights I decided that it may be a good idea to make a trip to the Cotton Candy Kingdom and ask her parents how to deal with all of this.

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  • Secret Scribbles

    Please don’t get me wrong– I love living with my pet unicorn. Who doesn’t love a pet who can zap magic rainbow sprinkles on top of your cupcake when you’re all out at home? She is the best. Sometimes I feel like I have to try really hard to come up with activities that will impress her. I know it may sound silly… but she is magical… so I guess it would natural to assume that not much would impress her. Wrong. She is super laid back and loves pretty much everything. I think because she has been magic her whole life, being magic is normal, and being “normal” is exciting? Anyhow… I decided rather than just have an typical evening painting together…. I would make something slightly more fun. I ran into my room while she ate her cupcake and made a fun secret picture for her to “decode”. I called them our “Secret Scribbles”. It was really fun to watch her discover what each one contained. You should totally give it a try!

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