Message from Kathy

Now that July 4th is over and we find ourselves heading into the thick of the summer, I’m calling on all nannies to get out of the house for some interactive stimulation! We recently hosted a Nanny Playdate at my house in which MBF nannies had the opportunity to work in some much-deserved R&R time—socializing and spending quality time with like-minded adults. Besides being a lot of fun, these Playdates, which we host throughout the year, also serve an important purpose—they help break feelings of isolation on the job, feelings which too often force good nannies into other lines of work. Much as you may love the children you care for, we understand it’s common to feel like you aren’t spending enough time around adults. In response, we offer events like Nanny Playdates, Nanny Nights Out and educational opportunities to support you and make sure that you’re satisfied in your career for a long time to come.

Speaking of which, MBF will be hosting another evening with local psychologist Claire Flynn in August on the subject of helping children become able problem-solvers. When she spoke for MBF back in April, she received unanimous raves from the nannies who attended. Now that she’s coming back, I encourage you to attend; it’s a great way to spark discussion and reach a common understanding with your employer. Even if you can’t make this one, we’ll keep you posted about future events in the newsletter.

Have a great summer!

Kathy Dupuy, MBF President

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Announcements

Uh Oh! There's Salsa on the Ceiling! Helping Children Become Able Problem-Solvers
Continuing Education Opportunity: Claire Flynn with For Kids Sake will speak on problem solving for all ages on August 22nd from 7-9pm as part of MBF Agency's continuing nanny education. Claire Flynn, M.Ed., trained and taught as a parent educator at Stanford University’s Children’s Health Council. She has two grown children, and has taught infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children in school programs. She has also trained early childhood and elementary teachers at the college and graduate level for the past 35 years. She is the founder of For Kids’ Sake, and is a nationally recognized author of three books for parents. We are excited to offer this opportunity free of charge. We hope your nanny can attend. Please RSVP to Jessica Sjolseth. Sodas and light snacks will be provided.

The location will be at The Waiting List Practice Immersion Training Center at 360 & Las Cimas. The address is 807 Las Cimas Parkway, Suite 325, Building II. Take a left into the second driveway and your first right into the parking garage.

Corporate Nannies Pay Increase
Temporary Nannies who provide backup childcare services to our corporate clients will receive $12/hour effective July 1st. Please contact your Temporary Placement Counselor to join their "short list" of corporate caregivers.

Updated Travel Fees
As gas prices have risen, we realize that the cost for our temporary nannies to drive to areas outside of Austin has become greater. In order to cover the cost, our Travel Fees will be increasing as follows: Round Rock: $5, Pflugerville: $5, Cedar Park: $5, Lakeway: $5, Kyle: $6, Leander: $6, Georgetown: $8, Wimberly: $12, San Marcos: $12, and Hyatt Lost Pines: $12. (New Braunfels will now be served through our San Antonio office.) As always, this fee is paid directly from the clients to the nanny.

San Antonio Office is Live!
We are very excited to announce that MBF Agency has launched our San Antonio office! We will be bringing the same quality service and caregivers to a fourth major Texas city. So, whether you are visiting the Alamo in San Antonio, the Zoo in Dallas, the Galleria in Houston, or coming to Austin for the SXSW music festival, you can count on MBF Agency to have amazing nannies and sitters. Please pass on the news to any family or friends that you may have in San Antonio or any of our other three local markets.

The new contact information is:

11503 Jones Maltsberger Road, Ste. 292
San Antonio, TX 78216
Phone: 800.204.2681 (Clients), 210.858.5040 (Candidates)
Fax: 210.858.6406

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- July 19-20, 2007: All MBF Offices will be closedfor an all staff retreat. Our emergency pagers will still be available for the sitter service: Austin 512-775-5437 Houston 281-782-1880 Dallas 972 971 9022

- July 23, 2007: We will be having a Special Event Playgroup to Schlitterbahn on Monday, July 23, 2007. Email Tiffany Keeton if you and your charges are planning to attend. Parents are welcome! RSVP to Tiffany by Friday, July 20.

- July 26, 2007: Nanny Night Out on Thursday, July 26, 2007

Cuba Libre, 409 Colorado, Austin Texas, 512-472-2822
Martinis & Manicures, 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
$10 gets you a martini and a manicure. (Also featuring local Austin vendors.)
***I realize this starts at 5PM so come out when you can. As always, even if the event is at a bar-type place, getting to know each other is the main goal! This place has great tapas and live music! **
RSVP BY TUESDAY JULY 24** Contact Tiffany Keeton at 947-8877 if you need more information

- August 22, 2007: MBF will feature popular Austin counselor and speaker, Claire Flynn on August 22, 2007. She will be speaking on Able Problem Solving. The seminar is offered to all MBF nannies! See the Announcements section for further details and RSVP information.

- August 25, 2007: Nanny Night Out - TBD....email your suggestions to austinareananny@yahoo.com!!

- August 27, 2007: AISD School starts

- September 7, 2007: Nanny Night Out - Nanny Diaries at the movies!! We will go to Alamo Drafthouse for this and be buying our tickets online as soon as they go on sale!! The MBF Office Staff will be joining us!!

- Join our Yahoo Group to stay in the "know"! Email Tiffany at austinareananny@yahoo.com to be invited to the group. Be prepared to tell us a little about yourself when you sign up. You'll have access to our playgroup calendar, fun craft ideas and recipes, nanny-only events and a forum of Austin's most talented and respected nannies!!

- A great time was had by all at the June 20, 2007 Nanny Picnic where the nannies and their charges braved the rain to come together for tie-dying, food and fun!

Tiffany Keeton
tiffany.keeton@mbfagency.com
(512)947-8877

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Job Openings at MBF

We have an excellent full-time internal opportunity for a talented Household Staffing Specialist to start immediately at our corporate headquarters in Austin, TX.

The ideal candidate will enjoy a rewarding, high visibility, high growth position in a fast-paced, supportive work environment. The core responsibilities involve making high-level household staffing placements on a local and national level (including estate managers and couples, household managers, personal chefs, personal assistants, and executive-level housekeepers), as well as handling all permanent placements for our new San Antonio market.

The placement specialist is dedicated to recruiting, screening, processing, and matching qualified candidates with our valued client families as well as serving as an ongoing resource/support. The staffing professional will also work directly with our high-end clientele, monitoring each match carefully through the placement process, and providing troubleshooting and post placement support. Customer Service, Client Care, and Quality assurance are core focuses.

• REQUIREMENTS
  - Demonstrated experience and success in at least one of these areas:

> sales
> recruiting / placement
> high-level household staffing placements (have either placed or been placed as)

• - Polished and professional – a strong communicator, both orally and in writing
  - 4 year Bachelor's Degree from accredited University
  - 3 - 5 years minimum of experience working in an Office Setting
  - Computer and Internet Savvy / Quick Learner
  - Solid Work Ethic: Entrepreneurial, Healthy Sense of Urgency, Positive Attitude
  - Proactive, Strong Organization Skills, Attention to Detail, Efficient Multi-tasking

As you know, Mom's Best Friend / MBF Agency is an exceptional household staffing firm serving families and caregivers for 13 years. We are offering a competitive salary, realistic bonus earning potential, and comprehensive benefits package. Excellent and upbeat team environment. Qualified and interested candidates, apply TODAY for immediate consideration by submitting a brief cover letter and resume to emmelyn.wang@mbfagency.com.

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Ask the Expert

By Tiffany Keeton, Nanny Manager and Nanny Network Organizer

Q:  “My employer has charged me with the task of planning her child’s 3rd birthday party and she wants a face painter. How do I locate and choose an entertainer who is safe, talented, and affordable?"

A: First of all, WOW! How exciting that you, the nanny, get to be involved in this momentous occasion!! Of course, the next thing that comes to mind is, “Yikes! How do I find a GOOD one?!” You know you want to give it your best effort, but this can really be tricky.

Even if you are on a tight schedule (ie: the party is this weekend), it is essential you do your research. Ask your peers…who have your nanny friends (and their employers) hired? How did it go? Tap into the Austin Nanny Network and their Yahoo group by contacting austinareananny@yahoo.com. There are usually several nannies who have done things for their charges that will help you.

Next, use your local city resources. Parent: Wise Austin (www.parentwiseaustin.com) and the Austin Kid’s Directory (www.austinkidsdirectory.com) are great places to start. If you don’t have web access, their monthly publications are free and available at many places we frequent regularly like The Children’s Museum and Gymboree.

Another great local resource is Mr. Johnny’s website (http://www.mrjohnny.com/kidevents/) and then click on the word “birthdays” at the top of the page to get his list of entertainers, venues and activities. His is the most comprehensive website I’ve found for the Austin area, by far.

While these are all great resources, it is still your responsibility to choose wisely. What do I mean by that? Well, let’s say you hear about a face painter from somewhere and you book her to come out on Saturday. Think about it: this is someone you’ve never met and they are going to be putting paint on your charge’s face. Be sure to ask some very important questions:

- May I see your portfolio?
- May I call your references (preferably people they ’ve worked for in a similar situation and recently)?
- Are the materials you use FDA approved? (One of my friends is a former Chanel make-up artist and professional face-painter and warns that there are only a couple of brands that are FDA approved. This is also important if there is a clown or other entertainer and he/she uses bubbles or other items that may be harmful if accidentally ingested.)
- If they work for a company, they are probably insured through the company, but I ask anyway if they carry liability insurance.
- What is your cancellation policy? If you do not show up for some reason, will I get a refund on my deposit? **Be sure to sign a contract!**

Hiring entertainment can be fun and easy!! Whether you guys want to have a huge slip-n-slide delivered from Party-N-Jump or invite Winnie the Pooh over for tea, these are just some general guidelines. Be savvy and prepared and get ready to throw a shindig like no other!! Your employers will be very impressed by your attention to detail and superb planning.

Party On, Nannies!
Tiffany

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MBF Superstars

Austin Permanent Nanny Diane Diane is currently working as a nanny for a wonderful family and their little boy who was a preemie. Diane is a mother of 9 grown children and she most recently worked as a medical aid supervisor at a retirement center. Prior to that, Diane had a great deal of experience including substitute teaching for a private school, home school teacher for over 20 years, and volunteering for church nurseries and teaching Sunday school. Her family is extremely pleased to have hired a nanny with such a wealth of on-the-job and personal childcare experience.

Austin Temporary Nanny Kristin Kristin has been with the agency for a couple of years, in her mid-twenties and attending UT at Austin. Currently she nannies and works as a group facilitator at Family Forward. She has all age experience and is great at all jobs including nanny manager positions and overnights. She has a great outgoing personality and is very creative as well as interactive with the kids. She really knows how to get on their level. She is responsible yet very fun!! Very dependable too!

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Craft Activity

By Lisa Vines, MBF Director of Sales Operations

RAINBOW IN THE SKY (perfect for the weather we've had!)
Have children create a sky scene with a rainbow out of paper and tissue paper

Supplies

• Construction paper (white, gray, yellow)
• Blue construction paper or poster board
• Multi-colored tissue paper
• Glue

Instructions
1. Cut out clouds from white paper, rain drops from gray paper, and lightning bolts from yellow paper
2. Have the child(ren) paste the clouds, rain drops and bolts of lightning onto a piece of blue paper or poster board
3. Cut out strips of multi colored tissue paper and have the child(ren) paste the strips into a rainbow coming from the clouds down to the ground

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Serving the Community

Continuing with our quarterly tradition, the staff at MBF spent a Friday afternoon at The Settlement Home in early May. Each time our staff comes up with a new project to teach the girls, and this time we taught them about planting and nurturing a bean plant. The girls' creative side came out as they each decorated the flower pot, planted the bean plant and took it back to their cottages to nurture it to life! We so enjoy our time spent with the girls at The Settlement Home and look forward to our visit this quarter where Corban McNeil, Austin Financial Administrative Assistant and Temporary Staffing Specialist, will be teaching the girls a hip-hop dance routine!  For more information on the Settlement Home, visit www.settlementhome.org.

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