Simple pizza to make with children

Yesterday I decided to make pizza for my husband. This was the first time I had ever made it for him. Through my own emissions  I am not a cook and do not really do much cooking at home. This often gets mistaken for me not being able to cook which I can do if I have to.   I am lucky at work that I'm not expected to produce gourmet cuisine, thank God!

 One of my charges publically  said the other day she is not keen on pizza any more but love is mine. That is a compliment in a half. So I'm going to share with you my basic pizza recipe.

To make the dough
300g strong bread flour
1 tsp salt
1tsp dried yeast
1tbsp olive oil

Once ingredients  are all measured out mix the flour salt and yeast into a bowl.  Next add the Olive Oil and give it a good mix around till you form a dough which is moist not sticky.  On a well floured clean flat surface knead your dough in a ball shape for about five minutes.
Cover over with a tea towel if you would like your dough to rise more for a thicker based pizza and leave half an hour to forty minutes.  For thin bases this rising period is not essential!

Tomato sauce(for the base)

1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 squirt of tomato ketchup
Sprinkle of mixed herbs
Some pepper
Basil-dried or fresh and amount your choice
1 clove of garlic crushed
2-3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

Once garlic has been in pan for a min with a dash of olive oil.  Through in the chopped tomatoes first then gradually add in all the other ingredients and leave to simmer or 5 min on a low heat.

Prepare toppings of choice
For this pizza I used the following:
Lactofree cheese
Pepperoni
Salami
Red pepper
Cherry tomatoes

Constructing the pizza
Turn on oven and preheat at 200
Next rollout your dough and place onto a oven tray which should be well floured.
Cover in your tomato sauce evenly spread all over the base.
Cheese next and should cover the base well.
Then put on toppings.

Finally place in for oven for 15-20 min for thin base.  30-40 mins for thicker base.

That's it enjoy!!!

Nanny Bicester's Perspective on Childcare: The Childminder/Nursery/Preschool/Nanny/Au Pair de...

Nanny Bicester's Perspective on Childcare: The Childminder/Nursery/Preschool/Nanny/Au Pair de...: So its reached that time when you have to go back to work after a nice maternity leave with your child as these days very few of us hav...

The Childminder/Nursery/Preschool/Nanny/Au Pair debate:Which is right for you and your child?

So its reached that time when you have to go back to work after a nice maternity leave with your child as these days very few of us have the luxury of staying home even if we want too.  The continuous rise of living vs the cost of childcare.  Is it worth it???

I'm very pro for women and men working and not because it pays my salary!!! This is the year 2016 and its a very old fashioned view to expect women to be the one to stay at home.  Lots of my friends are starting to have children and with a niece and nephew within both sides of the family my siblings/in law siblings also have to face this dilemma.   Now I am not a parent and I never claim to know it all but having worked in nurseries and as a nanny for a long time I can give some pros and cons to different forms of childcare.

Nursery/Preschools

 I was having this conversation with my sister in law recently who will be returning to work in the later half of the year.  She has a very good career but will be going back part time to start with so she can still have some time with my nephew.  When she and my brother in law are at work my nephew will be in a nursery.

This leads into the consideration of nurseries in the debate.  By no means are they cheap, for under two year old children the average price for a fulltime place across the country is £1000 a month (5 days a week roughly 7.30am-6pm).  This is a lot of money and for many people will take up a good proportion of a household income.

Preschools tend to operate term time only and school hours but your child has to be  over 2 1/2 years old.  If these hours suit you and your family they can be great as they can give you a lot of  the same perks of a nursery.  Preschools tend to now be attached to primary schools so can be a great way transitioning into your chosen primary school.

Pros:

• Socialisation- Your child will be on a ratio of one adult to three children (0-2years), one adult to four children (2-3 years) or one adult to eight children (3+ years).  They will learn not to have one to one adult attention which will teach them important life skills and prepare them for school.
• Opening hours- a standard nursery will be open all year round for full days which will suit most jobs.
• When your child turns three you are entitled to 15 free hours a week 38 weeks a hour in a registered provider
• Preschools are cheaper in cost

Cons:

• Policy's on illness-  These may be quite rigid when it comes to inclusion from nursery depending on the type of illness but from a professional perspective it is hard to give your poorly child the attention they require when you have other children to care for.
• You will still have to pay for absences from nursery!- This can seem unfair but nurseries are businesses and would lose money if they allowed you just to take your child out and expect not to pay for it.
• Preschools are restricted in opening hours and starting age of children

How to research:

• Internet searching
• Recommendations

Childminders

I have a very good friend who is a childminder who used to be my boss and she has such a lovely set up in her home and a gorgeous playroom and big garden.  I'm never saying never but I personally do not have the space in my house to facitate it for one and second at this point of my life do not really feel the urge to run my own business.  Never less I think the option of a childminder is absolutely great and another sister in law is considering a childminder for my niece to enable her to work more hours.  My niece at 2 years old is a very socialable little girl and I really think she will excel in this kind of environment.

Pros:

• When your child turns three you are entitled to 15 free hours a week 38 weeks a hour
• Pay with childcare vouchers as all childminders are registered with OFSTED
• Degree of flexibility-long hours available
• Highly qualified
• Regularly inspected by OFSTED as they have to be registered
• Socialisation with other children

Cons:

• Not exclusive for one family and have set policies and procedures
• Cant guarantee backup childcare if they are ill or have holiday

How to research:

• Internet search for ofsted registered childminders in your postcode
• websites such as gov.uk or childcare.co.uk.
• reccomendations

Nannies/Au Pairs

Nannies are without a doubt the most expensive option for your childcare.  The luxury of having the individual attention for your children does come unfortunately at a cost.  Nowadays there are ways around making the cost less by Nanny Shares with other families in your area in which you would split the cost.  Au Pairs  can make this option also more affordable as they come and live in your house and your provide them with food etc and a small amount of pocket money weekly.  Ultimately Nannies and Au Pairs do the same type of work but hiring an Au Pair will mean more restrictions as they often are coming to the country to learn your language, experience a new culture, studying etc.

Pros:

• More flexibility- good if parents travel for work and are away from the home or work irregular hours.  You can also have live in/live out/part time/fulltime nannies.
• Enables children to be in their home environment or pursue their interests for example afterschool activities.
• Close relationships- If you get it right the relationship between a nanny/au pair and the family they work for can be great.  I have found that you learn so much more about a child seeing them in their home environment and its very special to be welcomed in to a family.
• Nannies are regulated to have certain qualifications. If you pay to have your nanny ofsted registered you can use childcare vouchers as a method to pay their salary.

Cons:

• Expensive (Nannies)
• Can be a pain if your nanny is ill so a backup plan needs to be considered
• Au Pairs are restricted by working hours so you would need to check the small print on hiring one.
• Au Pairs are short term solutions generally a year so do not always provide consistency for your children.

How to research:

I recommend to all parents looking for a nanny/au pair to go through a local agency.  This is how I got my current position and the process is made easier for the nanny and the family.  The agencies will vet the nanny prior to even sending them on an interview so you will have been checked for references, criminal checks, qualifications.  They do obviously charge you a fee for doing this but I really think if you way it up it takes the hassle and the worry away from you.

Another good platform for looking for these can be Childcare.co.uk in which you can register and search for childcare that you need near to you.

Hope this has given some food for thought and would love some feedback

Nanny Bicester xx

Twitter-@nannybicester

Lets get prepared for Mothers Day (Sunday 6th March)

To all of those of you thinking Mothers Day is not for a week on Sunday I'm putting up this post now to allow some time to put some thought into what we can do for our Mummy's/Grandmothers/mother figures in our lives this year. 

Recently another close friend gave birth on valentines day to a baby girl (she's absolutely stunning) and it does seem that as I approach the big 30 this year its starting to dawn on me how many of my friends are now becoming mummy's.  This being said I feel in absolutely no rush to join the club and would happily still just spend working hours with the small people.

This mothers day I have decided to go and surprise my mummy as I never spend it with her and do not get to spend as much time with her as I would like. I know it sounds like a way just to suck up but my mother really is one of my best friends.  I often tell my charges when they tell me their mum is embarrassing that you will appreciate her so much more when you become an adult and this is definitely the case with me.  She's always been there for me and still provides much needed support to me even though I am 29 (who says we have to have it all figured out) and I honestly wouldn't know what I would do without her.

With this all in mind I thought I would share some mothers day themed ideas with everybody.

Homemade cards

I often say that I think homemade cards/pictures from children are the best! all you need to do is get some paint from a craft cupboard (most people with children seem to have one of these) and some card.  Splodge some paint over a foot or a hand and do some prints on the card.  When dry add some glitter and writing (written by adult if small people are not at that stage) and hey presto that's it.
Older children often have their own ideas so encourage them with this as many parents will appreciate this a lot more.

Gift ideas

1. Personalised gifts

Check Unique Creations in Summertown if you are local to Oxfordshire as I personally recommend this for unique ceramic gifts for mothers day.  A range of gifts from plates to photo frames can be customised by your little ones artistic flair!  In general from the day of visit they can take up to seven days to have your gift ready so bare this in mind.  There are lots of shops like this all over the uk so have a search for one near you!


2.Afternoon Tea/Meal out with the family

Myself and my brothers every march have the unfortunate task of coming up with two gift ideas as my mothers birthday is the 16th of March! I think one year it fell on the same day!
I have bought her an afternoon tea in The Sheraton hotel in Edinburgh for when we go on our girlie trip in April and it was very reasonably priced thanks to www.afternoontea.co.uk .
I recommend this website for different price options and for a wide variety of venues all over the country.

3. Adult colouring books

There seems to be a craze for adult colouring right now and although I'm not personally into it as I have spent a lot of working hours colouring (that's what childcare professionals do after all isn't it?)so its a good me time activity.
My mother is one of these people so I have combined two loves here and bought her a "Sherlock" one as she loves Benedict Cumberbatch.  I haven't checked with my brothers so I am hoping nobody else has had the same idea.

4.Flowers


Traditional but a respectable gift and a fall back option when the Dad forgets!!!!

5.Pinterest

Check out my Mothers day Pin board for more ideas!!

Send me your mothers day card pics/gift ideas at @nannybicester
www.twitter.com/@nannybicester

How to deal with Toliet training a child

In my years in childcare I have found that parents tend to toilet train their children later and would be on average after three years old.  Each to their own I however think between two and three is better.  I understand this is a still a huge period in time but every child is different and may not be ready till later.

My niece is 26 months old now and her parents will shortly be starting the process.  She has the potty's and step to the sink which she has proudly showed me twice now on facetime so that's a positive start!! My niece has been knowledging for a while that she's  done a pooh or a wee in her nappy so she's at the perfect time to start.

Preparation before starting

1. Buy a potty/buy a step

2. Show the Child the potty and tell them what its for
3. Place around your home so the child gets used to it and can discover it
4. Buy loads of cheap knickers/pants- Involve your child with choosing the pants/knickers so they will feel excited!

5. Clear your schedule.  You really want to dedicate at least a week to not really doing much and just staying at home.

Starting

There are a few ways you could start the process.  If you do not have the luxury of time you can just introduce sitting on the potty at nappy change times so they start to associate this with that. 

My preferred way is as follows.

1. Put them in pants/underwear.  No nappy underneath!!
2. Limit them to fewer clothes so easy to pull up/down
3. Make them sit on the potty every half an hour to start with.  They are going to probably going to have a few accidents to start with and this may sound horrible but they will associate the wet/dirty feeling with needing to go to the toilet!
4. Encourage them to drink lots of water as this will make them need the toilet/potty.
5. Do still put a nappy/pull-ups on them for bedtimes this will come do not except them to get this straight away.

Importance of hygiene!!

Its never to early to teach this and demonstrate by also washing your hands and drying them as well as your child.  Good Role Modelling is the key!

Reward Charts

A really good tool is to use a reward/sticker chart.  Look online for printable templates or better still create your own. 

Good luck!!!

contact me @nannybicester on twitter or check out my toilet training pin board on pinterest @nbicester

Pancake Day (Copied from previous blog)

Pancake Day 2016
Not being the worlds greatest cook (I know and I'm a nanny!)I thought I would do some trial
run batter mix at the weekend for the big day.
I am pleased to report that a simple recipe I found online went down really well with my
husband.  I even made his with lactose free milk as he has intorence to dairy and lactose!
Now I take that as a compliment as he is an amazing cook and does all our cooking at home.
So for our third pancake day today I was well prepared to make them with my charges and
thought how hard can this be? Clearly very hard �
Now at 7 and 10 years old  there is less worry about the small ones entering the kitchen and
they love to do cooking.
They caused chaos from not keeping an eye on their pancakes and generally yelling at me
when they overcooked them slightly. I always say the fun is in the process and they ate
them so good result in the end I think?
That's the fun working with children isn't it? Does it actually matter if it's perfect but they
enjoyed doing it?
Happy Pancake Day

Hoilday Activities in Oxfordshire

1. Go for a walk along the river thames.

This is such an easy thing to do with your little ones and costs nothing. Before you leave on your walk get them to create a list of things they think they might see for example boats, trees,animals and they can tick them off or tally (dependent on age).  If you are feeling super lazy there are many online treasure hunt sheets that can be printed off.

http://www.thames-path.org.uk/

2. Visit a soft play centre

The kids I look after are 7 and 10 but we still love visiting a soft play centre now and again to blow off some steam especially in the unpredictable english weather.

The ones we enjoy are Snakes and Ladders in Abingdon http://www.snakes-and-ladders.co.uk/abingdon_centre.html and Partyman World in Oxford next to the Kassam Stadium http://www.partymanworld.co.uk/location/welcome-to-partyman-oxford.html

3. Swimming

Some of the Oxfordshire community pools do free swim fun sessions for children which is a perfect way to save some pennies and have some fun.

4. Visit some local parks with some friends

Arrange a playdate with some friends and weather dependent take a picnic and a football/skates/scooters and maybe a flask of something hot for mummies/daddies/nannies and enjoy the British Outdoors.

5. Board games

The kids i look after have recently discovered the love of games such as monopoly and chess.  One of them has started chess club at school and has even taught me how to play.  May I add that I'm forgetful and require a list to remind me which way the pieces are allowed to move and haven't quite conquered "check mate" but never less I'm getting there.