Message from Kim
Now that July 4th is over and we find ourselves heading into the thick of the summer, I know many of you are getting out and getting active—taking vacations, getting serious about fitness regimens and otherwise soaking up a few glorious months of uninterrupted time outdoors. This is certainly also a great time of year for your nanny to get out of the house and have some fun as well!
Nanny Playdates are not only a lot of fun, these Playdates also serve an important purpose—they help nannies break feelings of isolation on the job, feelings which too often force good nannies into other lines of work. Since we understand how difficult it can be to find a great nanny, we also realize how important it is not lose her to any of the inherent challenges of her career, including a common feeling of not having enough time around adults. In response, we offer events like Nanny Playdates, Nanny Nights Out and educational opportunities to help make sure that the person your family loves as its caregiver will be around for a long time to come.
Have a great summer!
Kim Winblood, MBF President
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Announcements
Updated Travel Fees
As gas prices have risen, the cost for our temporary nannies to drive to areas outside of the city has become greater. In order to cover the cost to our nannies, our Travel Fees will be increasing to $8 in the following areas: Weatherford, Midlothian, Rockwall, Aledo, and Heath. As always, this fee is paid directly from our 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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MBF Calendar & Special Events
- July 19-20, 2007: All MBF Offices will be closed for an all staff retreat. We apologize for the inconvenience, but our emergency pagers will still be available for our temporary nanny service: Austin 512-775-5437, Houston 281-782-1880, Dallas 972 971 9022.
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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.
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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MBF Superstars
Dallas Area Nanny
Annette |
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| Annette has only been with our agency since April, but she has already won the hearts of many of our clients and their charges. She is currently getting a Master's degree in social work. Annette has taught high school English in the U.S. as well as in Russia. She has also worked with young children in church settings and in orphanages overseas. She speaks some Russian and knows some sign language. Her hobbies include reading, gardening, painting, and drawing. She has been such a valuable asset to Mom's Best Friend. Thank you for all your hard work and for how well you represent the agency! |
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Ft. Worth Area
Nanny
Meredith |
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Meredith has been with our agency since May. She has been there for last minute jobs, corporate jobs, and for anything we have needed her for! She is originally from Quincy, IL. Meredith attended Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. She previously worked as a temporary nanny for St. Louis Metro families. As the second oldest of four children, Meredith comes from a rather large family. She loves to play outdoors and is very active. Meredith likes to be on the go. She is very outgoing and loves to meet new people. Each family we have sent Meredith to, has been so impressed with her service. Thank you Meredith, we are so glad you joined the Mom's Best Friend team!
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Referral Program
Closets, kitchens or kids rooms are never a problem with Barb the Organizer. Barb has been organizing for over 20 years and spent several years at the Container Store. She can help with any room in the house, a new move, or even the garage. Her services are a free gift to Medea Cerniglia for referring the most clients to Mom's Best Friend but Barb's services are always available! Call Courtney Coker at 972-446-0500 x 223 for availability and pricing.
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Ask the Expert
By Kim Winblood, MBF President
Q: My family can’t afford to bring our nanny on vacation with us this summer, and we won’t be needing full-time childcare services where we’re going anyway. However, my husband and I might like to hire someone for short-term childcare while we’re away. What can we do?
A: The first thing to remember is that, as an MBF member, we can accommodate you with a temporary nanny in any of Texas’s five largest cities. This means if your family is heading to Fiesta Texas or the Fort Worth Stockyards or an Astros game—or to any other attractions in Austin, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth or San Antonio—MBF can send one of our high-caliber professionals straight to your hotel room. The best part is, since your membership fee is good all year in all of MBF’s cities and we are equipped to share client information between offices, all you have to do is call a local office and request a nanny—you won’t have to pay any extra fees and you won’t have any registration paperwork to fill out. It really couldn’t be easier, so there’s no need to cancel that romantic dinner if you can’t bring your own nanny on vacation while you’re traveling in Texas.
If you are traveling outside of any of our core cities in Texas, I suggest you utilize the services of an International Nanny Association (INA) or Association of Premier Nanny Agencies (APNA) member agency. MBF is a member of both organizations, which ensure their member agencies adhere to consistently high ethical standards and background checks so you don’t have to do any guesswork on finding a reputable agency while you’re traveling. The website for INA is www.nanny.org; for APNA it’s www.theapna.org.
And, of course, if you should decide that you will need a full-time nanny wherever you travel this summer, MBF also places traveling nannies to provide your family with even greater flexibility with childcare. If you’re interested in this service, you can speak at any time with an MBF representative for further information.
No matter what, here’s hoping you and your family create indelible memories while traveling together this summer. We’ll be here to help you along the way.
Kim Winblood, MBF President
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Client Corner
MBF Client, Dawn Daley, recently opened NexGym, The Next Generation in Fitness for Kids. They opened in December and it has been a huge success! NexGym uses technology to engage children (6-14 years) and they want kids to get a kick out of being healthy and fit. Th ey feature interactive classes, customized fitness, xtreme birthday parties, and exgaming where kids' favorite video games are engineered to give them a real workout. Visit http://www.nexgym.com for more information!
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Tax Tips from Breedlove & Associates: Ask the Tax Expert
By Stephanie Breedlove, founder of Austin-based Breedlove & Associates, the nation’s leader in tax & payroll services for household employers.
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 specific to the employee).
Two important notes about unemployment benefits:
Having heard from many of our clients about traveling with their nanny, we’d like to share a common suggestion:
- 1. If she quits or is let go for cause (negligence, tardiness, poor work quality, etc.) she is 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. A case worker 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).
Founded in 1992 — by household employers for household employers — Breedlove & Associates has served more than 10,000 clients and processed more than $1 billion in household payroll. By focusing on the unique needs of household employers, Breedlove & Associates’ expertise and efficiency has been recognized in The Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s, Business Week and SmartMoney.com. For more information or a free phone consultation compliments of MBF, call 1-888-273-3356 or
visit www.breedlove-online.com.
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Organizing Tips from Living Order:
Getting Organized for Summer Travel
By Lorie Marrero, Chief Executive Organizer of LivingOrder®, Central Texas' leading team of Professional Organizers since 2000, serving both Austin and San Antonio.
Travel with less hassle and less stress with some of our best travel organizing tips:
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• Take return address labels with you to stick on quickly to make luggage tags and fill out forms. You also want to make sure you have this information on the inside of your luggage just in case. Remember to remove all previous trips’ baggage handling tags—they may route your bag to the wrong location!
• When packing toiletries, smaller is better, particularly now with the stricter security regulations. You definitely want to check www.tsa.gov before you finish packing, since their policies change frequently. Travel size versions of your favorite products may be available, and you can also buy travel bottles to refill. Most importantly, make sure whatever container you use will not leak.
• A telescoping valet bar is nice in your closet if you are able to put one in. This helps tremendously when packing & unpacking. If the closet is large enough, a packing island is the best solution of all.
• On family vacations, taking along a few small walkie-talkies is a great way to stay in touch at a beach house, on a cruise, or at a ski resort. People can go their own way and still know when to gather around for dinner.
• It’s often handy to carry a Sharpie permanent marker when traveling with children, for identifying whose bottle of water belongs to whom, whose identical Disney souvenir belongs to whom, etc. You definitely won’t be sorry if you have one in your purse!
• Traveling is all about good preparation. We have some great checklist pads for packing, trip planning, and house-sitting available in our online store. Bon voyage!
LivingOrder provides hands-on services in Austin and San Antonio to organize your home and set up systems that you and your household staff can maintain. Give us a call at 512-301-2426 for a free consultation, or visit our website at www.livingorder.com. We can also help you from anywhere with our new, innovative online service, The Clutter Diet, at www.clutterdiet.com. Membership in the Clutter Diet provides access to our team of experienced professional organizers to directly answer your questions, and our exclusive weekly plan is ideal for delegating organizing projects to a nanny or household manager.
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