I think I might be in love with our new nanny...

[PacificDogwood]

After her first week with us (4 days/wk) I realise I may still be in the honeymoon period, but my goodness:
how blissful to have somebody coming to the house, older kids home after school, she tidies, empties dishwasher, does messy play with the littlies (and tidies up afterwards).

We are still grieving for our lovely CM, but the logistics of a nanny seem just perfect for us.

All you nannies out there, I salute you .

Congratulations! We've had our lovely nanny for over 6 months now and I was just saying to a colleague yesterday, sometimes when our nanny sends a text with a picture of DC I feel the need to sit on my hands so I don't accidentally text back, "Marry Me"!

It's lovely to hear you both so happy with your nannies :)

A great nanny makes all the difference to a working parents life.

How lovely someone saying something nice for a change. So glad all is working out well.

I'm jealous, we had a nanny for one summer and it was heavenly. Four weeks of pure heaven, it was fantastic.

Aww, I feel the same about our CM. she is wonderful, and DD adores her.

So glad your nannies are doing such a fab job; good childcarers are worth their weight in diamonds.

I know that I am very lucky - my life would not be the same without my nann(ies) - split week between them.

I would love a nanny, even for a week! I'm very jealous

Sorry, I posted and had to run, but how lovely to hear other love stories .

We did love our CM as well, and still do, but she was unable to come to our house etc (has young children herself), so after a lot of dithering we decided to go for the leap of faith of finding somebody else.

Cost: we are not in the Southeast which I believe makes a difference, we have 4 DSs, so that cost is actually no different from paying a CM for 4 kids.
I am having a major stress reaction to the whole 'being an employer' stuff though
Also re cost: much as I think we are paying a lot for childcare, I don't think that our CM previously or our Nanny now are getting a lot for what they do, if that makes any sense at all? I mean it is a lot for us to pay, but not that much to receive - for the effort to manage my sociopaths !

op - you sounds a lovely mb

please do tell/show your nanny you are happy with her - a thank you goes a long way - a bottle of wine (if blondes lol) goes further

Blondes, are you our nanny?
She is blond.
She seems really good fun.

I am already stressing over Christmas present for her...

Here's your chance to put your order in Blondes

Pacific - are you using a company to do your tax etc? Is there anything specific you'd like some help with (re being an employer)?

As for Christmas presents - you can't go wrong with cold, hard, cash! Other than that it's hard to say without knowing her. She's quite new too - so no need to go tooooo over board. Wine/Jumper (if you know her taste)/scarf & gloves/bag

This is so nice to read. And yes, be sure to tell her how much you appreciate all the hard work. We really do hit the ground running in the mornings and its like that pretty much all of the day....

With reference to xmas bonus/gift. The last few years I've received £100 in a xmas card, plus a rather lovely gift of benefit make up sets/laura ashley posh stuff...don't set the bar too high though

Can I ask- with a nanny do you give her a set amount of cash for the day for activities or do you suggest what they should do and then work out how much to give. Thinking of school holidays I suppose more than term time.

Sounds fab, was about to pm and ask but I see on here! :) Which one is she? - the one you offered it too first or the 2nd one?

There's no right or wrong way for this either.

I think a general 'kitty' works just fine, but if they're going somewhere 'big' then some money specifically for that.

It also depends how much you work as a team and what else the nanny does. Does she get bits of shopping? Pick up the dry cleaning? Put petrol in your car?

Hi chipping. Oh I don't know not seen her :( "best friend" well ex now turned in to a right bitch. Think it was once she moved in to own place away from her ex (her ex is now together withher brothers ex - stuff off jeremy kyle!!) and she became obsessed with burlesque dancing, drinking and men. I been in hosp lots in the past year and she wasnt visiting, wasnt texting or anything. How are you?

I am so jealous. We would love to employ a nanny. We can afford one. I am expecting baby number 3. We have no family nearby. It would really be the cherry on the top of family life to have an extra pair of hands to help out and give me the time to spend one on one with the children, as well as not having to take all three of them everywhere with me. But we live in a country where your sponsor needs to approve any domestic help and inexplicably our sponsor is saying no. Utterly utterly frustrating.

On the plus side since been ill have made a good MN friend and she very supportive with my asthma - prob cos she has it too We went for coffee and cake on Fri.

Oh sweet, really sorry to hear that. I knew about the ex now with brothers ex and I know she was always flakey and it was really you putting in all the effort, but I didn't realise she'd got that bad. I bet LittleMiss misses you so much, you were the only stable thing in that poor mites life :( You must miss her a lot too, such a lovely wee thing.

I'm fine. Nothing new this end :/

How are you feeling now? - you OK?

where do you live?

Allhail - where the hell do you live? I just couldn't live with that kind of arrangement - I'm far too much of a rebel! Can you go to someone above the sponsor?

Coffee and cake with a RL MNer - lucky you

Next time I'm up in Bonnie Scotland we have a hot date!!

I do miss her but I figure she would be young enough to forget me and I didnt want to mess around. Absolutely broke my heart. Yes dd seems to get dumped on parents an awful lot while sheis out partying all the time.

Haha first time I met her in rl she was in hosp with her asthma and went to visit her - the day after I got discharged for my asthma. Have had coffee and cake with the rl mner who is the OP of this thread too.

Am ok, tryingto learn what triggers attacks and things, had flu jab this year so hoping to avoid any hosp admissions.

Glad to hear you are better at the mo, giraffes.
I can't remember what you might know about our nanny search: Nanny1 accepted, then declined within the hour ; Nanny2 accepted, but then behaved in rather luke-warm manner, slow in giving references, one of which was... ehm, unusual; Nanny3 came along at the 11th hour, lives round the corner from us. And I heart her .

Chipping, we are going with PAYEfornannies. So far so good, but we've not had a pay day yet. The holiday entitlement confused me most .

allhail, how frustrating for you! Are you in the Middle East per chance? I was under the impression that in lots of countries 'domestic staff' are much more the norm?

Our CM will babysit for us next week, so we are still in touch with her. I will also miss her boys as Big Brothers for my boys - although not so much all the language they taught them !!