Hiring a nanny is a sophisticated process that involves searching, interviewing, checking references and extending an offer to the right candidate. When the nanny has accepted your offer, the final step is conducting a criminal background check. Your offer should be contingent on the outcome of those results.

What to check?
It’s hard to imagine that in this era of the Internet and computerization there is no reliable national criminal database that is accessible by the public. The “gold standard” for checking a nanny’s background is to first run a search using her Social Security Number to see where she has lived in the past seven years. This is done so that a decision can be made on which counties should be searched. Yes, that’s right, these searches are done county by county, not nationally. Few states have a reliable criminal index that is suitable for nanny background checking because nannies tend to commit misdemeanors at most. Many of these indexes only turn up people who have felony convictions and/or have served time. Many states don’t have statewide indexes at all.

Which counties should you search?
Obviously the safest method is to check each county, but in some cases this can get quite costly. A fairly typical scenario may be a nanny who left home to go to college, after which she may have changed schools and then moved again after graduation. So let’s say she’s 23 now and there are four years that can be searched since she turned 18.

2001 — lived at home, 18 years old
2001-2003 — moved for college
2003-2005 — lived at her second college
2005 — moved after graduation to another city

In this case, since she turned 18 at home and moved shortly thereafter, the duration of time spent at her home residence and the city she moved to after graduation is brief. For someone who wanted to hold their costs down, the two most likely locations to check would be the two cities she lived in from 2001-2005. Again, if you want to be absolutely certain and costs are not an issue, you would need to check each place that appears on the Social Security address check.

What other types of checks can be performed?
Driving records are very important if there is driving involved in your job. A credit report can be ordered if you feel that information may be important to your decision. There is a sexual offenders list for each state that should be checked as well. There are numerous other reports that may be ordered if you feel the need.

How do I perform the check?
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (which applies to more than just credit checks) requires that you have a written release from your nanny to perform the check. This form is downloaded and filled out by the family and then completed and signed by the nanny.

What are some of the limitations of the checks?
Every company that does these checks warns that these reports cannot guarantee complete accuracy. Also, there is a charge for each type of check that you order, so figuring out your budget ahead of time can help you prioritize which type of checks to run.

All in all, running a background check on a potential nanny for your children is essential. These steps should help make that process more informative and resourceful.

About the Author
Steve Lampert is the President of www.enannysource.com, a web-based nanny search service. Prior to starting the company in 2001, he was president of a well-known nanny agency in Los Angeles. He lives with his wife of 13 years and 8 year-old son in the San Fernando Valley in California. His son’s nanny has been with the family since he was born.

___ Family history for both mother and father
___ Blood types of both mother and father
___ Rubella, 5th’s Disease and Chicken Pox immunity
___ Prenatal vitamins
___ Prescription medicines
___ Weight control
___ Foreign substances (smoking, alcohol, drugs)

Family History
During your first prenatal appointment your doctor or her nurse will probably just draw blood and ask a bunch of questions regarding your health and the history of health problems in both yours and the father’s family. Questions regarding birth defects, cancer, Downs Syndrome, and other general health questions. If you know these answers ahead of time it will make that first visit go much faster.

Blood Types
The blood type is very important for both you and the baby’s father when you decide to get pregnant. There are rare occasions where the mother and father’s blood type will not be compatible. In this case the baby’s blood type may not be compatible with the mothers. This can cause rejection of the fetus by the mother’s body, or lead to serious problems after the baby is born. Knowing the blood types before getting pregnant can easily solve any problems before they occur.

Immunities
Diseases such as Rubella, Chicken Pox and 5th’s Disease can be very dangerous to a pregnant women and her baby. There are blood tests that can be done before a woman gets pregnant that tests her immunity to these diseases. If a woman finds that she is not immune to one or more of these diseases she might be able to take the vaccines prior to getting pregnant to assure that she doesn’t get the disease while pregnant.

Prenatal Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins are very important for a woman once she gets pregnant. They help provide enough folic acid and iron as well as other essential nutrients that the woman will need to help sustain a healthy pregnancy. However, if you are thinking of getting pregnant, it is never too soon to begin taking the vitamins as an attempt to help maximize your health.

Prescription Medications
Be sure to review any prescription medications that you are currently taking with your doctor before trying to get pregnant. There are several medications that are not safe for you to take while pregnant and could cause harm to the fetus. In most cases there are alternate medications that you can take that are safe during pregnancy.

Weight Control
Before you get pregnant it is a good idea to be at the best weight you can be. A woman who is in the right span of weight for her height will have an easier time getting pregnant and staying pregnant. Women who are over or under weight may have a harder time getting pregnant as their body is not working to its’ full capacity.

Smoking, Alcohol, and Drugs
If you use any foreign substances you should stop. Smoking while pregnant can lead to fetal death, underweight babies and cause later health problems such as asthma in your child. Alcohol can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome which can damage parts of the brain. The same is true for recreational drug use. If you are addicted to a drug then your baby can also be born addicted to that drug causing him more long term problems in the future.

Looking for an unusual and memorable gift? Why not preserve a slice of history by creating a time capsule for your loved one?

A personalized time capsule can be made for any special event, such as a birthday, wedding anniversary, graduation or even the birth of a child. Your personally designed time capsule preserves history, popular culture, special memories and can help link generations of a family together. It is a unique and thoughtful gift that will be appreciated and long remembered.

There are a number of steps to keep in mind when creating a time capsule gift.

Make Your Own History
Traditionally, a time capsule provides a “snapshot” of a specific day in history. Consequently, if you are making a capsule to welcome a new baby into the family, then you would focus on the baby’s birth date — what was happening in the world and with the baby’s family on that day. On the other hand, if the capsule is to mark your grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary, you probably want to make it more of a “retrospective” on their many years of marriage.

Time Capsule 101

1. Start Early. The best part of any time capsule is the thought and preparation that goes into it. Be sure that you don’t rush the process. If you leave everything until the last minute, it will look that way!
2. Choose a Container. Think cool and dry when you search for just the right container. Check online for affordable time capsules and you will find a variety of styles. Some will even engrave the person’s name on your selected capsule. However, to make it very simple, you can make your own capsule by choosing a sturdy metal container that can be properly sealed.
3. Select an Unsealing Date. Perhaps you want to set a significant date, such as a child’s 21st birthday, a couple’s silver wedding anniversary or return from military service. Most people give their time capsule to the recipient unsealed so additional items can be added. However, you can seal it before it is presented and have the contents be a total surprise when it is opened.
4. Put it in Writing. This is especially important if the time capsule will be opened far in the future. Make a capsule document that details everything about it, including the contents, unsealing date, purpose of the capsule and who should be present when it is unsealed. Then keep it in a safe place.
5. Storing the Time Capsule. Although you may be tempted, it is not advisable to bury your capsule. You are likely to move or forget exactly where it is buried, and the contents could be damaged by the elements. It’s a better idea to give the capsule a special place in your home — perhaps the fireplace mantle or on the family piano. Let the capsule become a conversation piece as you show it to friends and family and talk about its significance.

Capsule Contents
The key to a meaningful time capsule is to make it personal, relevant and interesting. Following are some ideas on items to include and more importantly a few to leave out. www.allbaby.com

First, it is strongly recommended not to include food, drinks or liquids. Basically, anything that could ruin the contents or create a bad odor. Instead, consider coins, money, stamps, a small keepsake album, newspapers and magazines. Write a letter explaining the time capsule’s purpose — be sure to use acid-free paper that won’t deteriorate as quickly. Cards and photos are an excellent choice, but consider layering them with acid-free paper as well.

If you are making the capsule for a person with special interests, try to incorporate their personality into the contents. For instance, a political junkie will enjoy campaign buttons and literature. Someone who is a golf fanatic will love golf paraphernalia or the signature of a famous golfer. A college graduate will get a kick out of seeing the plastic and metal “character” style toys that kids were playing with when he was born.

You can choose contents that are more lighthearted and funny or more serious and reflective. Just remember that you set the tone.

To learn about the history of the time capsule and how to register your personally created capsule, please visit the All About Baby website at www.allbaby.com.

About The Author
Nancy Wurtzel founded her ecommerce business, All About Baby, in 1995. All About Baby specializes in personalized and memorable gifts for children. Ms. Wurtzel also consults with small businesses seeking to enter the marketplace.

Preserve Your Family History by Writing Family Stories
“Everyone has a story to tell.” It seems like a cliche—but it’s true. After working as a newspaper reporter for more than eight years, I know that everyone does, indeed, have a story to tell.

But even before I started working as a journalist, I knew that life experiences make interesting stories. Consider my parents.

My mother was the daughter of Norwegian immigrants, and her grandfather homesteaded our dairy farm in Wisconsin in the late 1800s. My father was the son of German and Scottish immigrants. When Dad was a little boy, his parents worked as cooks in a lumber camp in northern Wisconsin. As I was growing up, Mom and Dad would tell stories about their own childhoods. When Mom was a little girl, the whole family would sleep in the screen porch on hot summer nights. Indians also used to stop at our farm, and gypsies would camp nearby during the summer. When Dad was a little boy, he enjoyed spending time at the lumber camp kitchen because all of the cooks knew that little boys needed special treats during the day: a piece of Key-Lime pie, a slice of chocolate cake, or a couple of extra-large sugar cookies. When Dad wasn’t staying with his parents at the lumber camp, he lived with his grandmother, a tiny tough-as-nails German woman who owned a German shepherd named Happy.

Unfortunately, I never wrote down any of those stories, and I never asked Mom and Dad to sit down with a tape recorder and tell those stories. My mother died in 1985 at the age of 68, and my father passed away in 1992 at the age of 78. The majority of their stories, except for the few that I remember, are lost forever. Your family stories do not have to share the same fate.

Here are some tips for writing your family stories:

• Decide which person you want to interview first (Grandma or Grandpa, Mom or Dad, Aunt or Uncle), and then tell that person about your plan to write a collection of family stories and ask for permission to conduct an interview.
• Set a formal date and time for the interview. This will give your interviewee an opportunity to mentally prepare and to remember various stories that he or she would like to talk about.
• Provide a list of questions several days or weeks before the interview. This will also give your interviewee time to remember various stories.
• Focus on a single subject or event in your list of questions—school, holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July), birthdays, seasons (spring, summer, winter, fall)—the list is endless.
• Ask open-ended questions and not “yes or no” questions. “How did you get to school?” is better than “Did you walk to school when you were growing up?”
• Use a tape recorder to record the interview. Taping the interview will help you gather details that you might miss if you are only taking notes.
• Chat about something else for a while if the person you are interviewing seems nervous at the prospect of being tape-recorded. Your interviewee will soon relax and won’t even notice the tape recorder. And once you start the interview, you will find that one subject will lead to another and one question will lead to another.
• Transcribe the tape and write up your notes after you have finished the interview. This, in itself, will provide a fine record of the stories that are told “in their own words.” And you will be in good company–Studs Terkel’s oral history books are written that way, and they are fascinating to read. Terkel’s books include Division Street (1967), Hard Times (1970), Working (1974), The Good War (1984), The Great Divide (1988), and RACE (1992).

After you have finished all of your interviews and have written down the stories, print the stories from your computer and put them into a three-ring binder. Make multiple copies and give them to family members as gifts. Or you might want to consider publishing the stories POD (print-on-demand). There are many POD companies, and for a price that starts out at a couple of hundred dollars, you can publish the stories as a trade paperback. To find POD companies, conduct an Internet search with the keywords, “print-on-demand.”

Here are some examples of questions to help you get started with your interviews:

Subject: school

• Where did you go to school when you were growing up?
• Tell me about any amusing or unusual incidents that happened on your way to or from school.
• What kinds of clothes did you wear?
• How many students were in your class? How many students were in the whole school? How many grades?
• What was your favorite subject? Why?
• What was your least-favorite subject? Why?
• Who was your favorite teacher? Why?
• Who was your least-favorite teacher? Why?
• Tell me about your best friend.
• Tell me about your happiest moments in school. What was your best accomplishment?
• Tell me about your worst moments in school. Did you learn anything from your worst moments?
• What advice would you give to students who are in school today?

About The Author
LeAnn R. Ralph is a freelance writer for two newspapers in west central Wisconsin, is the editor of the Wisconsin Regional Writer (the quarterly publication of the Wisconsin Regional Writers’ Assoc.) and is the author of the book, Christmas In Dairyland (True Stories From a Wisconsin Farm) (Aug. 2003); trade paperback. For more information about Christmas In Dairyland, visit ruralroute2.com.  bigpines@ruralroute2.com

Although the phrase, “everybody has a story to tell” may sound like a cliche, it’s true.

And after working as a newspaper reporter for nine years, I know that everyone does, indeed, have a story to tell, including your family members.

Think about it.

Do your grandmother and grandfather — mother and father — aunts and uncles — tell stories about the “good old days?”

Do they talk about going to school? The fun they had with friends? Family celebrations and holidays? Picnics on the Fourth of July? Snow that was so deep it covered fences? Pets that were so smart they belonged in the Guinness Book of World Records? Making ice cream? Their parents? Their grandparents?

Have you wanted to write down those stories to share them with other family members and to preserve them for generations to come but don’t how to go about it?

Guess what? You don’t need “literary talent,” special training or special equipment. All you need to preserve those stories is a list of people to interview, a willingness to listen, a set of questions to ask, a tape recorder and a computer (or even a typewriter would work!).

Here are the steps for gathering and writing your family stories:

1. Decide which people you would like to interview and make a list. 
2. Ask for permission to conduct an interview. 
3. Set a formal date and time for the interview. 
4. Provide a list of questions several days or weeks before the interview. 
5. Focus on a single subject or event in each list of questions. 
6. Use the “who, what, where, when, how, and why” strategy when formulating your questions. 
7. Ask open-ended questions and not “yes or no” or “one word answer” questions. 
8. Use a tape recorder to record the interview. 
9. Chat about something else for a while if the person you are interviewing seems nervous at the prospect of being tape-recorded. 
10. Transcribe the tape and write up your notes after you have finished the interview. 
11. Edit the manuscript. 
12. Spread out your interviews. 
13. Print the stories from your computer or publish them in another way.

From the e-book: Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Writing Oral Histories) (66 pages; April 2004; $7.95) Click Here To see the table of contents and several sets of sample questions. Preserve Your Family History* includes step-by-step instructions for conducting interviews as well as 30 sets of questions (more than 400 questions in all) on 30 different topics that you can print out to use “as is” or that you can use to generate your own questions.

About The Author
© LeAnn R. Ralph 2004 LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the book, *Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm)* (trade paperback; August 2003). For more information, visit ruralroute2.com.

Facts to Document
Weight at birth
Length at birth
Color of eyes
Color of hair
Doctor’s name
Time of birth
How long you were in labor
First smile
First time they rolled over
First time they crawled
First time they sat up
First steps
First bath
Favorite songs
Favorite bedtime stories
Favorite toys
Gifts received
Price of gas, houses, cars, etc at date of birth
Family Tree

Things to Write About
What does their name mean?
Were they named after anyone?
How long did you stay in the hospital?
Who was present at the hospital?
What did they eat?
Did they sleep through the night?
How did they react around people?
Did they cry often?
What entertained them as babies?
What was their first “outing” like?
How old were they the first time they had a babysitter?
Where did they sleep?
Did they suck their thumb?
Did they use a pacifier?

Photos to Take
Document growth by taking monthly photos of your baby next to a large stuffed animal
Photos of their nursery
Photo of the house you live in
Photos with mom, dad, siblings, grandparents, and other family members
Sleeping baby photos
Bath photos
Photos with favorite toys
Photos each day of their first month
Any “firsts” you can capture
Happy and not-so-happy moments
Black and white photos
Facial expressions
WELCOME BABY PRINTABLESLooking for a way to start off a scrapbook for your baby? Print a Welcome Baby Treasured Keepsakes for Newborns!
 

About the Author
Andrea Steed is the author and creator of Scrap Tutor, a web site and CD-ROM that teaches you how to create scrapbooks and how to perform many popular techniques used in scrapbooking. For more information, visit www.scraptutor.com.

As nice as it is to hear that time is the greatest gift that you could give your grandchild, you may be wondering how time can compare to gifts. For starters, it is important to examine the age of your grandchild. If you are a new grandparent, it is likely that your grandchild is either a newborn or an infant. Many grandparents do not realize that at these stages, children do not know who purchases what for them. On the other hand, your grandchild will be able to comprehend the time, love, and affection that you give them.

It is also important to examine the benefits of spending time with your grandchild. In the early stages of life, children need as much love and support as possible. In fact, the favorite activity of most newborns and infants simply involves cuddling. This cuddling will not only help you form a tight bond with your new grandchild, but it will also ensure that they feel loved and supported. Although their parents will also show their love, support, and affection, there is nothing like the love of a grandparent and your grandchild will know this, no matter how young or old they are.

When spending quality time with your new grandchild, you will likely want to do more than just cuddle. This often leaves many new grandparents wondering what they should do. In all honesty, it really doesn’t matter. Having a constant presence in your grandchild’s life is often involvement enough. Remember that your time, alone, is the greatest gift that you can give. With that in mind, you may want to engage in floor play with your grandchildren, read or sing to them, as well as take walks.

Your time and the positive impacts that it will have on your grandchild cannot be emphasized enough. Children who grow up constantly surrounded by love and support are more likely to feel secure and will continue to have their own healthy and love filled relationships later on in life.

As nice as it is to hear that grandparents are important to their grandchildren, you may be looking for more information. For starters, did you know that grandparents, aside from parents, are one of the main constants in the life of children? Playmates, daycare providers, and teachers will come and go throughout a child’s life, but one thing will always stay the same. That is your role as a grandparent. Since you will be a constant in the life of your grandchild, it is advised that you take advantage of it to its fullest extent.

In keeping with being a constant in the lives of grandchildren, it is also important to remember that mommy and daddy can often use a break. It does not matter how much a parent loves their child, all individuals need alone time or time to complete other tasks, such as shopping or housework. As a grandparent, you will want to ensure that your son or daughter knows that you would like to handle babysitting responsibilities. This will help to ensure that you have as much time as possible to spend with your grandchild.

As a grandparent, you should know the many benefits of grandparent involvement. One of those benefits is the later development of happy and healthy relationships. Children who are loved and supported by all of their family members, including grandparents, are able to see firsthand how relationships should work. Even if your grandchild is a newborn or an infant, you should be able to take pride and comfort in knowing that you are taking steps to ensure that their future is a happy and successful one.

Although giving your grandchild time is the greatest gift that you can give, you may want to take steps show that you understand and enjoy the responsibilities and importance of being a grandparent. One of the best ways to do so is to offer as much support and encouragement as possible. For instance, be sure to celebrate important milestones in your grandchild’s life, such as their first words, first crawl, first step, and first day of school. Even if you aren’t there to experience these events firsthand, the praise and encouragement of a grandparent can do wonders for a child.

A child’s rocking horse is a toy for your child in the shape of a horse mounted on rockers. The rockers are essentially springs, which enable a child to rock and ride. The rocking movement entices many a child. It is also popular as a hobbyhorse. These riding toys give your child the illusion of riding a real horse and therefore are a favorite with most children.

Although only a small horse, a child’s rocking horse is strong enough for your child to sit and ride. It is in the shape of a typical horse with a head, legs, back, and tail. However, the hooves are along the bottom with curved bow type joints. These joints are similar to those commonly found in a rocking chair. These provide a forward and backward movement and allow your child to rock on the horse.

The child’s rocking horse also has proper footrests or straps which serve as stirrups. Your child can place its feet firmly into these stirrups. There are normally two handles at the sides of the horse, coming from the head portion. Your child can hold on to these handles for a firm grip while rocking on the toy.

The earliest known child’s rocking horse dates back to the middle Ages. Although initially such horses were for knights to practice jostling, later, Germany made such wooden horses as children’s toys in late 17th century or early 18th century. Nevertheless, only the rich could afford such toys for their children.

However, the scene changed later and the child’s rocking horse was present in almost every house all over the world. It is now so common that these toys are often in the attic even after the children outgrow such toys. The newer ones are also available in plastic rather than wooden. Despite the popularity of other toys like Barbie dolls, computer games, and robots, children find the simple rocking horse as enticing as ever.

Some of the child’s rocking horse also has real horsehair manes. Most of them are padded sufficiently to make them comfortable for your child to sit and rock. Some have reins and cloth saddles too. Colors of today’s rocking horses are now far from being the traditional grey or brown. You can choose from an array of bright and vibrant colors. Other accessories are also available in leather, fabric, and similar others.

Innovative models of the child’s rocking horse include the rocking horse toilet. This toy serves the dual-purpose of being a child’s toy and helps you teach basic toilet etiquette to your child. Prices for such toys range from $200 to $3,500 depending on your choice of the toy. However, always keep a watchful eye on children younger than four years while riding this horse.

About this Article:
Jodie Phillips is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Perfect-Rocking-Horse.com and she provides more rocking horse facts, tips and advice on choosing the right childs rocking horse on her website, where you can research in the comfort of your own home.