Category Archives: Traveling

Traveling with a nanny

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Last month we took our first trip with a nanny. It was just the four of us (hubby, me & the twins) plus our summer babysitter/nanny. We (all three of us – me, hubby, & nanny) weren’t really sure what to expect or how things were going to go since it was our first time traveling with help and as help. We went to a ski resort that offered all day ski school for children 3 and up. I was pretty skeptical as to how this all was going to go, because when we made our plans the girls were still napping in the afternoon (they eventually dropped naps months before our trip). We had some preliminary scenarios as to how we would handle nap time – but overall we all knew we would have to be fluid and flexible with our plans. Who knows – one might balk at going to ski school or maybe one (or both) would get ill etc.

All my worries and “what if’s” never materialized. We all (nanny included) had a great trip! I learned a lot about myself and the expectation that I had for this type of experience that I never knew about. So why did it all go so swimmingly? Below are some things I thought about and you might want to consider also.

Are you a good fit?
Hiring a babysitter to come work in your home for a few hours is one thing, but bringing someone along on a trip as an employee is another. The first thing you have to ask yourself is whether you like this person. Of course you like them, they watch the most precious beings in your life. But do you like to be around, them spending time in the kitchen talking? I am not saying you have to be BFF’s – they are still an employee. But if this is the type of person who you trust completely with your children, who adores them, and is a terrific caregiver however, you cannot wait to get out of the house when they arrive because you’re just not crazy about being around them – not the person to hire for a vacation.

What expectations do you have of your nanny?
We laid out a plan as to how our day would go. Since my hubby was at a conference from 7-11 & 5-8, our nanny would help me get the girls ready for ski school and help drop them off. Then she was free until 3:30 to help pick them up or earlier if we ran into any problems with the girls. In the afternoons/evenings she helped entertain (took one to the pool if both didn’t want to go) feed, and bath them. Once my hubby returned she took the evening shift so we could go out to dinner. Thankfully we never had to deviate from our initial plan. On the surface these were my only expectations of her – but I learned/discovered something about myself – I can’t delegate. Ok I can, but there is a problem with my method.

I had an “ah ha” moment shortly after we arrived – I think it was because I finally felt like the term “family vacation” was not an oxymoron. I had been observing our nanny in action out of the normal environment of our home – she had initiative (always did), knew what to do when, saw what needed to be done and instead of asking what she wanted me to do she jumped in and did it. What I realized is that I am a poor delegator. I can’t even delegate tasks to my hubby. The problem is (well there are many, but here are a few reasons) I am the type of person who sees a situation and knows there are things that need to be done – an assessor – and I don’t wait to be directed, I do it. Nothing drives me crazier than when everything is going to hell in a hand basket and someone walks in and says “how can I help” – WTF how can you help!!!? I can’t think or see straight and you need me to tell you the obvious! Just do something! Or better yet someone just standing there watching the drama unfold and then walking away. OK I know this is my problem and I need to work on it. But, just imagine how awful this trip would have been had we brought help along that required direction constantly. Not good. To make matters worse, if someone does a poor job or clearly is slacking/just getting by and doing the bare minimum that the task requires I won’t ask for their help or let them help again – I know I really have to work on that. So lay out your expectation early and know your faults/hang-ups whether it’s not delegating enough or delegating too much.

Flexibility
Aside from the neurosis above I am a really flexible person. Whomever you bring had better be flexible also. I don’t need to tell you, traveling with young children requires being flexible and a certain amount of “winging it”. When we arrived at the resort our condo wasn’t ready. We had three adults who were tired of traveling, two 3 year olds who wanted to do anything but sit and wait, and grocery shopping to do. Quickly we spied the pool – two of us got out ours and the girls swim suits – pool time – the other adult did the grocery shopping. Not exactly what we had planned but, we all went with it, had fun, ate dinner on time, and were able to get a good nights sleep.

Pay
This minor (major) detail we discussed early on. A ski trip is not a cheap vacation. We flew, had to rent a car, would be feeding three adults, paying for lift tickets for full day skiing for four days for three adults, and needed the space in a condo for all five of us. My husband felt that an expense paid trip was payment enough. We gave her the option of all expenses being paid or accepting payment and being responsible for her expenses outside of travel, room, and board. She eagerly snapped up the all expense paid trip option, which I think in the long run was the best one.

Giving your help space and free time
We were all fortunate that free time for our nanny wasn’t an issue. She was able to board all day while the girls were in ski school. Then in the evenings after they went to bed she had time to herself. Had it not worked out this way, I think we would have made an effort to make sure she was able to have some down time herself – all work and no play makes for a unhappy nanny. Giving her an area/space of her own was possibly more important to us than her. This person may want to have some time away from you and vice versa. So, make sure they have more than just a closet to go to and unwind from you and your children.

What are your experiences with hiring a nanny or traveling with one? What would you change about your experience?

Mother of invention

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Recently we took a ski trip with the twins (and brought a nanny – more on that later).  Our return trip was a long travel day filled with delays.  The girls did great thanks to a creative mom (see picture below – patting myself on the back here) and lots of snacks!

Photo Credit: parentingmultiples.net

Another one of my favorite items.

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We recently flew to Texas to visit family and my husband was blown away by these little water bottle topper contraption.  They fit on store bought bottled water and are spill proof.  Plus one of our girls still has a difficult time with pressure in her ears when we fly – can’t really give a 3 year old a bottle of suck on – well may be you can, but I’ll keep my comments to myself on that subject.  As soon as she started to complain about her ears I gave her the water bottle with the Gerber cap on it – ears cleared right up (there is a God!).  I’ve had these since before they turned a year old and they are still in great working order.

More favorite item – click HERE

Have porta potty – will travel. Potty training while on a road trip.

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When the girls were 4 months shy of their 3rd birthday and rocking along on potty training we took a 17 hour road trip.  (show hot poker in eye).  No it wasn’t that bad.  Things actually went pretty well.  Having spent most of my adult life in the military and as a mom of multiples I can plan for any contingency  - potty training on the road you have met your match!

I knew that we could not expect the girls to “hold it” until we found a “fixed structure” (i.e. rest area, gas station) for them to do their duty.  So, I packed one of their potty chairs, some plastic grocery bags, hand wipes, wet wipes, and some disinfecting wipes.  I made sure these were all easily accessible in the backseat.  When the time came and their was no where in sight to take care of business – we found a suitable place to pullover and got down to business on our potty chair.  As of this trip they were not nap time potty trained.  When their scheduled nap time was upon us we put them in Pull-Ups, just to be safe.  As simple as that.  Really it was.

You may be thinking “well duh that’s what everyone does” – well no everyone does not or at least the idea to prepare for such issues does not spring to everyone’s mind.  My husband was blown away at how well it worked  - and he has been down the potty training lane with three children already.  I have talked to people who complained about all the accidents they had etc while trying to find a rest stop.  Plus we take for granted that their will be ample places to stop along the highway when we really need a place – there never is.

Medical Authorization Form

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So, I am oh so incredibly lucky that my parents will be heading to my neck of the woods soon to watch the girls while my husband and I head out of town together alone!  It’s a thing of beauty eh!  Along with the laundry list of things for the girls and their schedule, I leave them a medical authorization form in the event they have to seek medical treatment for the girls.  I sorta look at it as insurance that they won’t need need to seek treatment.  Don’t you know that if I don’t do it they will need it.  momready.com has the template for the form I have always used in the past – as I have noted before, I don’t want to recreate the wheel and there is really nothing to improve upon here.

Thanks, I’ll enjoy my time away!

Travel Bed Rails!

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I have been woefully truant on my blog – chalk it up to summer vacation, end of summer, etc.  My apologies to all my readers (all two of you).  Anywho – I want to pass on my most recent find, Stay-Put Inflatable Bed Rail Set by One Step Ahead.  I had been looking for some sort of compact travel bed rail.  Everything I found was big, metal, bulky, or only included one inflatable bed rail (umm last time I checked there were two sides to a bed).  I initially had purchased some metal – “portable” bed rails – which SUCKED!  One of the girls fell out of bed – just rolled the darn thing right over.

That's a 12 inch ruler for scale purposes

Then I found Stay-Put Inflatable Bed Rail Set by One Step Ahead on Amazon.com.  (Chorus of Angels!)  First what’s so great is the set includes two – I know a set should be at least two items.  They have their own little pump and blow up in a snap.  There is nothing big and bulky about them, the set and pump fit in a nice little bag.  You just blow them up, put the rail (more like a speed bump) under a fitted sheet and it stays in place – there is some nonslip fabric on the rail to aid in keeping it in place.

Just so you know, no one is paying me to write about this product – all on my own research, trial and error, bought them with my own dime etc.

Road Tripping Alone With Multiples. Mom must be short a full deck.

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I’ve taken quite a few trips alone with the girls – but never any trips where it was just the three of us – alone – for the entire trip. We’ve driven from point A to point B and had help waiting (Grandma and Grandpa) but never any true overnights with just mom. I’m sorta “hellbent” you could say on having my children be good travelers. The three of us have tons of opportunities when Dad is out of town to do fun cool things as they get older. Plus my husband gets to go to a lot of cool places and well I want all of us to go if we are able to – so thus I’m breaking them in on how to be good travelers early.

My first solo trip – Water Park Mecca – the Taj Mahal of Water Parks – yes you guess correct, The Wisconsin Dells! We have had some peaks and valleys on our little get away, but overall it’s been great! My biggest problem that I should have foreseen is the sleeping issue. We have some issues getting to bed at home so getting them to sleep in a big bed in a hotel room should have been a huge red flag for me. Plus in the past when we have slept in hotel rooms they always have slept poorly in the hotel provided porta cribs – I know what was I thinking assuming that sleeping would not be a problem? On a whim a few days before we left I emailed the hotel (Great Wolf Lodge) to see if they had portable bed rails – which they did! Seeing as I was going to be alone the idea of having to schlep their porta cribs around was not appealing, plus they sleep in toddler beds at home. We stuck to our bedtime routine and then lights out – which translated into a WWF unsanctioned wrestling match. I tried everything I could think of to get them to sleep together – finally it just came down to having one sleep with me and the other alone. On a positive note they slept in until 7:30 am! WOOHOOO!

And nap time – ditto “You gotta keep em separated”

A Cool Vacation Deal Website!

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Every time I get an email from Jetsetter all I can do is day dream about all the cool places I (we) could go!  Plus the deals are incredible! There are some really cool family freindly destination also – it’s not adult only vacation deals.  They even have deals on camps for kids!

If you are part of a step-family, then you know all about having your life planned out a year in advance.  So until we can be more spontaneous (not that we don’t try our best under the circumstances) I’ll just have to continue to day dream.