​At the agency we often get nannies who apply to work with us who dazzle their CVs full of celebrity names and perceived star power. At first glance it looks impressive. Their egos are inflated to the max and they let me know that we are so lucky they even consider talking to us (even though they are the ones asking us for work). I get it, I went to a fancy university for undergrad where our egos were boosted to the point where we thought we were the queens of our industry. Thank goodness grad school brought me down a peg or two, seriously. It is not helpful thinking you are too good for an agency, job or family, it only hurts you. So, when we get those bedazzled CVs, what do we do?
We do exactly what we do with the CVs that are not ornamented with star powered names. The only thing it tells me is that they were able to work under potentially stressful situations and able to go through a tough interviewing process and are able to sell themselves sufficiently. It does not tell me that they are better nannies than the ones who have worked with the same families for years and have long lists of happy employers as references. So, they all go through the same vetting process, and sometimes it is more difficult to vet someone who has worked for famous people because Madonna is a lot less likely to want to talk to me about how working with her nanny was than the happy Orthodontist who worked with her nanny for several years.
And do you want to know a secret? The only nannies we have ever had problems with are nannies who think their former bosses talent, star power and fame has transferred to them by osmosis, causing them to behave inappropriately.

xoxo
Hanna
ps, if you need help figuring out if a nanny is a good fit for your family, on top of our full service nanny placement service we can help you vet a nanny you want to know more about. Find out here.

When you look for your nanny you might have a few things that you want, and then there might be things that are like shiny objects of desire on a CV that seem like things you really really want. I’m going to tell you something you might not like to hear, it might not be what you need, or what is even compatible with your family.
I will give you an example. Imagine you are looking for a nanny for your six months old baby and you run into a nanny who speaks several languages and have an impressive list of education in early childhood development and has been a nanny to the stars. But she does not have experience with infants, she doesn’t drive and you live outside of the center and needs her to be able to drive. Then you run into another candidate who has a long experience working with infants, has been with each of her families for years and, she drives. She has not been a nanny to the stars (I talk about this in other emails and posts too because it does not necessarily mean that a nanny is good), her formal education is less, but she seems like a great fit for your baby and your family. But the first nanny is so shiny and has things on her CV that you desire, even though deep down you know that the second one is going to work out better.
Why? She has done what you want her to do, she is experienced. Her requirements match yours. And she has worked with families for a long time on each job, which is a huge piece of information for you about how she will be to work with. Excellent nannies who do short term jobs usually stick to short term jobs and jump around. Excellent nannies who do longer term jobs, and apply for longer terms jobs tend to have stayed with families longer. Which one would you pick?
xoxo
Hanna
ps, if you want help vetting your nanny candidate and find out what we think you can hire us to vet your nanny for you here.

Holding that pen
Children are naturally creative, I find that observing my kids make things, tell stories around their creations and getting to experience their world through their play and creativity is a way of getting to know them in a very deep and meaningful way. Drawing, painting, mark making in general is such an important and fun part of their development, from learning to hold and handle a pen, to the brain-hand connection that helps them process their stories and information in a way a tablet doesn’t, is significant.
One of the things I am really fascinated by, both for myself and my family, but also for work, is neuroplasticity. It is how our thoughts, actions, experiences and relationships physically change our brains, and the way we think.  How our brains can be rewired and our triggers and reactions changed. I am so interested and inspired by relationships between people, energies and objects and I think it’s pretty amazing how we throughout our lives can rewire our brains. Imagine the possibilities.
I have a friend that I love very much. Her name is Cara and she is a visual communicator and facilitator, and she told me something that I really loved. When you work visually, like doodle or draw something, or express yourself visually, your brain lights up in a completely different way than if you are just reading, or listening to something. And you process information more efficiently if you are doodling while listening, did you know that? I didn’t, but I like it. That is one reason that we ask you to incorporate a visual element at the end of the client intake when hiring a nanny, through your drawing or making of the avatar we get a lot of information about who you are and what you like, in a way we don’t with a questionnaire.
Allowing space for creativity and visual thinking makes better results because it goes deeper.


ps. If you are curious about that visual in the intake and you are looking to hire a nanny you can get started here.

Tying our shoes
When I was a kid I had the fastest and coolest shoes. I don’t remember the brand, I think it was “Lejon’”but they were light blue, had white stripes and velcro binding. I was the first one out on the playground at recess. Probably because I didn’t have to tie my shoes. (I went to school in Sweden where we take our shoes off inside.)
My dad always loved technology and novelties. In Sweden in the early 1980s velcro shoes were very new and cool and hip. So were digital watches. So even though my dad meant the best for me when he got me those cool gadgets, I didn’t learn to tie my shoes or read time until I was a bit older. I did have a cool watch though, from Donald Duck, my favorite character.
There are so many big and small gestures, much smaller than tying your shoes or reading time that our kids are learning every day. The person spending time with them is going to be their guide learning a lot of these things, like holding a pen, gross and fine motor skills, recognizing the nuance of colors and shapes, seeing relationships between objects, and navigating different surfaces. Every little thing they meet and experience each day is an opportunity to learn and relate. You want the person next to your child to be tuned in and conscious of that.


ps. If you need help vetting your nanny, if you are not sure about her or just want reassurance, we are here :)

Please and thank you
I don’t know about you, but I don’t really fit into one category of parenting style. I like to think that I am pretty laid back and progressive, but then I find myself really valuing some traditional values and one of my biggest pet peeves are kids that are rude and don’t know how not to be. I’m not talking about less than perfect, I mean kids who act inappropriately towards others. This is maybe a can of worms and might vary a lot between cultures, we are famously a mix culture family who mixes and matches, but this is where the person you choose as a nanny comes in.
Your nanny is probably going to be spending a lot of time with your children, so you want to make sure that they teach your children the values that you promote as a family. This is a great opportunity and potentially really good news.
When you have a good fit with your nanny, she or he will be an essential part of your child’s education and they learn how to navigate socially based on the cues you give them, but also the day to day, minute to minute things their nanny teaches them.
So if your nanny is adamant about pleases and thank you’s, your child might be too, and if you think about how being kind and considerate sets you up for success, the choice of person who is part of your parenting team becomes bigger.
We of course offer full nanny placements, but what you might not know is that we also offer the service of vetting your nanny and we will tell you based on your personality if we think they are qualified and also if we think they will be a good fit. Learn more about nanny vetting here and let us know if you have any questions.

Missing your kids
Have you seen the posts on social media of the parents being super happy when their kids go back to school? Yeah, I’m the opposite of that, I love having my kids at home and I love traveling with them, I do a lot of trips on my own with them that’s how much I love it. If you think I’m gross, keep reading, you might be surprised. If you stick it out you get a funny picture at the end. But of course the truth is that I have to work, and I love to work, I really truly love the work that I get to do, supporting women is such and important thing for me, but at the same time I miss my kids when they are in school. I know I am not in majority here, most of my friends do not share my feelings, but I feel very lucky that I get to spend a lot of time with my kids, and that when I don’t, I get to do work that I love.
So I’m not writing this little story to brag about how much I love hanging out with my kids and how blessed I am with my work, I’m not that unbearable, nearly, but not quite, the reason I am telling you this is because I have worked really hard figuring out how to have the balance that works for me. And trust me, that balance takes a lot of maintenance.
I think both Dolly Parton and Gwen Stefani have mentioned how much work and maintenance it takes being them, I love that acknowledgement by the way, and I am no Dolly or Gwen, but keeping things in place still takes work. Sometimes a lot of it. With Riviera Nannies we support families in having the staff they need to get their families to work, and in the mothership that Riviera Nannies is part of, Mamatoto, I also work with women one on one to support them leading up to and into motherhood, because it’s not easy. And there are times that are really challenging. Yesterday I told my boys not to fight approximately five billion times. They were tired after school, I was a bit antsy and we were not getting along. Having yourself a setup that supports you in those moments, and organizing yourself to be supported is key. I don’t have lots of free slots, they tend to fill up quickly, but if you are interested and do it fast, we might be able to work together. You so deserve it.

What SuperNanny taught me about bedtime
When my daughter was about two or so (she is a teenager now) I was a single working mom, which meant that I had to often work at night after my daughter was in bed. I had recently started Mamatotowear and was busy building my company.

So when bedtime took up towards four hours it could be a bit frustrating. We read books, I sang songs, we snuggled, and I remember at some point laying in her bed next to her, so stiff and frustrated that she didn’t fall asleep that I realized I needed to reach out for some help.

I was the first of my friends to have a baby, and I didn’t have a lot of people to ask, so I did something I felt very embarrassed about, I bought the Super Nanny book, I figured it could give me some ideas. As a parent I am not a huge fan of all her methods, but I was desperate, so I tried it.

Her bedtime method is all about routine, and I am all onboard with that, and boy did it work. In four days we went from four hours to about fifteen twenty minutes, both happy, and it was so easy.
My point is, we can all do this, but sometimes we need help, and that help looks different for all of us.

If you have a baby and you want to learn from the pros how babies work, then working with a maternity nurse who is aligned with your parenting beliefs is a really great idea. If you need continuous support, having an experienced nanny as a part of your team is a great idea. And sometimes reading books and trying things on your own is the best way to go. Just don’t be afraid to reach out for help when you need it.

ps. We have awesome nannies and maternity nurses on our books, but if you want us to help you vet the person you are thinking of hiring, we are happy to help.

Making mornings easier
I am not a morning person. I will modify that, I am not an organized morning person, so I have to make sure I think about all the things I have to finish in the morning, in the evening. I have three kids and getting them all dressed and fed and ready for school is not difficult, but for me not to get too frazzled it helps to think a little ahead. This is what I do:
The night before I make sure we have clean clothes they are going to wear. We can make tweaks in the morning, but having a general idea of what they are going to wear helps me. Disclaimer: I have been profiled to have 2% structure in my Emergenetics personality profile, this does not come naturally to me :)
Then I make sure that their bags are packed with folders and homework, lunchboxes are clean and we have an idea of what they are having for lunch. If there are forms that need to be signed, I make sure that is done.
I usually get up early to work out before the kids are awake, so I make a tentative time plan that fits workout, shower and time to do breakfast together to start the day gently with some time together and an opportunity to talk and connect. I love talking to my kids so this is a high priority for me.
I like my mornings quiet and don’t want too much distraction, the time I look for support is more towards the end of the afternoon when I have work and chores to finish before we do our evening routine, that is very similar to our morning, but longer, but you know what? Everybody is different. Some people, many that I know need all the help they can get in the morning and none later on, and some need more continuous support. It completely depends on your schedule and your needs, and that is why, I think its a good idea to every once in a while sit down and think about how you can add support in your life to make your days flow smoothly.
ps. if you need a nanny or housekeeper to help you out, go here. If you want to schedule a call with me to help you get sorted, go here. xoxo

Getting back into a routine
So you have had a little (or big) break from your usual routine and now it’s time to find your way back to that predictable balance of everyday life.
I find it hard sometimes, I resist a little, don’t want to make the kids go to bed earlier because I love our relaxed, late evenings during the holidays, but I also love when they are rested for school, so we have to get organized, eat earlier, go to bed earlier and get up earlier.
Getting back into routines is also a great opportunity to look over your day to day rituals, change what you don’t like and make tweaks that work for you. For me for example I am looking over what childcare we need, if our cleaner should come a little more or less, what is the most efficient way to make sure we have fresh food in the fridge through the week and so on. As my kids get older the needs change. Maybe you find that too?
If you need help sorting your routines, we are happy to do consultation calls with you, it might save you a lot of headache. You can schedule yours here. My aim is to support mothers and families, and sometimes it is finding a nanny, sometimes it is something else.

I am sure you have all been receiving lots of emails and read a lot of posts from companies and people you follow about the GDPR requirements everyone who communicates professionally have to adhere to, and I am sorry, I kind of have to do this, and it is to reassure you. 
When I started researching what GDPR is, my assistant was on me making sure we were all good, she is awesome, and I am glad I did. And the thing is, we were all good and compliant before we had to be, but to make sure we comply legally, I went down the rabbit hole of privacy, information sharing and storing, and I got a little scared. So not only do we only work with third party integrations, like MailChimp that brings you this email who are entirely transparent and compliant, I went a step further. Bear with me. If you know me, you know I do this, a lot.
When I realized the extent of permission apps and some social media companies give themselves to collect our information and monitor our conversations I decided to not only make sure that our third party integrations are air tight, but I personally deleted the Facebook app and Messenger on my phone (which gave me back so much time, but that is another subject altogether) because I didn’t think that a platform where I share things with my family, friends and clients need to have access to my call log, my text log or be able to listen to our conversations. (I know there are ways around it, but I am too impatient and honestly so thankful that I deleted them for you, because it was a big gift for me too :)) We communicate through encrypted software like WhatsApp and Skype to avoid eavesdropping and unnecessary information sharing. So, I have gone beyond what the law requires to protect your information, and I want you to know that I will continue to do so. It makes no sense to me to follow an ethics code of privacy with gaps like that.

Have a beautiful day :)



ps. If you are on the market for a new nanny, or if you want our help vetting a candidate you think you want to hire, you know where to find us.