Win Free Child Care!

Hola!

Since last week we've added two new friends (one of which was short term. We'll miss you buddy!) and are in talks with three more families.

We're growing so quickly and have had so much interest that I've expanded my hours of operation and am in the process of hiring some help.

It's an exciting time for our family. We're still getting to know our new friends, how to manage our time and budget effectively, and how to find balance between work, friends, school(s) and family.

I believe that I have the budget well in hand. The time and balance are a work in progress, however.

Some things that I've learned during this process are that babies love beets, jumping is life, hugs and hot chocolate make just about everything better, cool parents who care make the best clients, and when you provide a quality service, you get referred.

"If you build it, they will come."

Sorry. I couldn't help it. I am so excited!

Over the next few months we will be moving into a bigger place, getting licensed and hopefully getting our name out into the community and becoming known as a trusted child care provider.

I have lots of big plans and to begin I have a task for you:

Create a name and logo for our center. The person with the winning name and design will win a week of free childcare (pending registration) and my heartfelt gratitude.  In lieu of that, there will be an alternate prize of equal value (worth up to $125).

Let the games begin!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend with the ones you love,

Jazmin

Changes...

My how we've grown!

It's been a month now since we opened our doors to new families and friends.  We have definitely experienced some growing pains, but all in all I'd say that things have pretty much been falling into place.

We've been blessed to welcome a new family into our midst, with a boy in the second grade who joins us twice a week for some extra tutoring and socialization.  He is an absolute sweetheart and so smart!  We're lucky to have him.

We will also be welcoming a new baby into our home, beginning next week.  She is a year old, which makes her the perfect age to become playmates with our existing infant.  She is cute and cuddly and could charm the pants off of anyone.  Plus, she likes to dance (girl after my own heart :-)).  We eagerly await her arrival.

In my last post I promised recipes and blogs to check out.  Some of my favorite recipes have come from a website created by an utterly inspiring mother of two and connoisseur of food for "wee" ones.  Catherine McCord is the creator and author of the popular blog Weelicious.com. Her story and recipes have been featured in various blogs, magazines and she has recently penned a book, to be released later this year. 

Two of our favorite recipes from Weelicious are Banana Avocado Mousse and Kulfi Ice Pops.  Both require minimal prep time and are easy to make.  The Banana Avocado Mousse is tasty and nutrient rich and the Kulfi Ice Pops are a creamy and refreshing treat on hot days. It should be noted that both of these recipes can be made with variations (we've tried the Kulfi Pops with mango and they were delish!).

Another food that is a favorite with the older crowd is Roasted Beets with Caramelized Onions and Feta.  You may be shaking your head and thinking there is no way my family would eat that.  I didn't think so either when I first came across this recipe.  So I chopped up the beets into smaller chunks, diced up the onions into smaller bits, added some garlic (because couldn't just about everything savory use a bit of garlic?) and mixed the whole thing together instead of layering it.  My family didn't know what they were looking at and it looked just strange enough that my, then 2 year old, decided he wanted to try it.  He took a HUGE bite and PRESTO! a beet eater was born.  My husband, who had never liked beets (I actually don't think he had ever tried them before), had to be teased into trying a spoonful and, nowadays I have to make sure I have plenty on hand- or else he'll eat the whole bowl!  This is a food that tastes just as good when eaten fresh and piping hot as it does cold, the next day.

Well, that's it for tonight.  Schy and I have been so excited to get to know our new friends and we look forward to the adventures that await us in the weeks to come!

Good night!

<3 Jazmin

Thinking Back on Week 1...

Thinking Back on Week 1...

This week was the first official week of our in-home "family child care" center.  It seemed appropriate that it coincided with the first week of the new year.  Schy and I have been enjoying getting to know the families in and around the Nashville area and as we look forward, I'm starting to think more long term.  

We had our first full time baby start this week.  She is 8 months old, squeals when she's happy and sleeps to the sounds of the ocean.  There was a lot of squealing going on this week. We think she is absolutely perfect. :)

I feel that I have been so blessed by families have entrusted their children to me while they work to provide for them.  Your children are precious and I do my best to make sure that they know it.  I'm really enjoying the kids and having more time for my son.

Through the craziness and ups and downs that the last couple of weeks have been, I've come to realize that, if this is to become a viable business, I'm going to have to branch out more and develop other forms of recruiting and starting conversations with potential clients.  I'm also going to have to develop a 6 month, year, 3 year and 5 year plan and set some goals as far as growth and revenue for those increments of time.  I don't know what all any of that entails at the moment (You'll have to forgive me.  It's after 1:00am), but I do know that I have a lot to learn business-wise and a lot of hard work ahead of me.  It'll be worth it though to gain the experience of starting and running my own business and being able to care for my son at the same time that I'm building something that will continue to grow and provide us with a more secure future.

Ever the idealist.  I'm always thinking big picture.

Be on the lookout for the next post.  I'm going to be posting some of the recipes for food that I've prepared for both the older infants and toddlers in my care. I may also provide links to some of my favorite blogs (ie. the ones that I turn to for inspiration).

Have a great weekend and take some time to love on your kiddos!

<3 Jazmin

Welcome!

I am so excited to be starting this blog.  When I first conceived of the notion of having my own child care operation, it seemed like a slightly crazy idea...  And yet, the more I thought about it, the more I found myself pondering it as a plausible career move.  So, here we are.  After over ten years gaining child care experience caring for young children and educating kindergarten through 12th graders around the world, I'm ready to branch out on my own to bring the absolute best quality in-home child care to the Nashville area.

As a small in-home family child care business, I am able to offer individualized child care that is tailored to each and every family that comes through my door.

I'm excited to get started on this journey and to get to know all of you.  I welcome questions, comments and, of course, referrals. :)

If you are looking for quality care for children ages 6 weeks  to 5 years, in the Nashville area, feel free to contact me for more information.  

I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Sincerely,

Jazmin