Do you want to find and book a babysitter from anywhere, at anytime… in other words, when the inspiration (or an invitation) to do something without the kids strikes? Now you can!
We’ve just launched the UrbanSitter Mobile App to allow you to easily search for sitters, review profiles of those who are available, and book them from your iPhone or iPad. You get an instant notification when a sitter responds to your request and a tool that allows you manage your bookings so you are always on top of it, always organized.
And we didn’t stop there. The new app turns into a very cool messaging tool, so once a job is booked, you can easily and efficiently communicate with your sitter to discuss the details of the job–or call them at the click of a button.
It’s just as awesome for sitters, too, because it allows them to immediately see and respond to your job requests. They can also use it to communicate with you about the job and even view of map to your home.
We figured you already shop, get directions, talk with your friends, and book dinner reservations on-the-go. It’s about time you can now find and book a sitter from your phone, too!
Now go ahead and accept that last minute invitation to dinner, or grab tickets to see your favorite band before they are sold out. We’ve got your kids covered!
Not the crafty type? All thumbs when it comes to a glue gun and anything DIY, but longing to jazz up your home with a bit of Halloween or Falltime decoration? Have no fear. We’ve rounded up 5 super cool Pins that make DIY Halloween Decorating a breeze even for the most unhandy of us. Check out our full Pinterest board for more DIY Halloween ideas, including costumes!
Take a look at these fun, festive ideas to bring the season into your house:
These black and white painted pumpkins are ot your average jack-o’lanterns! Think beyond a big, orange pumpkin with triangle cut-outs for eyes. These guys were created by making a base with white flat acrylic craft paint and adding the spider web or a pattern (like a chevron) with a paint pen (or Sharpee). There’s a nifty template if your heart is set on replicating the big beetle.
This black burlap wreath is super simple – just a wreath form, some burlap, a can of spray paint and some letters to paint and glue on. Best part is that it can be customized to fit your style. Keep it cute and simple like this one, go modern rustic by leaving the burlap its natural color, or go all out Halloween by adding more embellishments.
Glittery spider webs make great decorations for windows or tabletops. They are fun to make and a great craft to get the kids involved. Redbook tutorial tells you how: Tape 2 sheets of wax paper together and lay them flat. Begin drawing your spiderweb with Elmer’s glue (refrigerate for a few hours first so it’s less runny) by making an asterisk with 4 lines. Starting at the center, cast a single line connecting each asterisk spoke; continue until the web is the size you want. Pour glitter on top of glue web and let it sit overnight. Shake off excess glitter and let the web sit for another 2 days to completely dry and harden. Using a spatula, gently peel the web off the wax paper.
Bring the outside in with this pretty idea for your mantel. It’s little more than a couple of galvanized pots spilling over with baby pumpkins and one upright and brimming with natural and store-bought branches. The sparkle comes from adding lighted branches like these we found at Target.
Papier-mache ghosts to hang from a doorway or front porch are just the thing to inspire a ghoulishly fun time in your home. And who among us hasn’t dabbled in a bit of papier-mache back in the day? It’s loads of fun! Make them extra spooky by adding a battery-powered tea light or glow stick. Detailed instructions are here.
No time for decorating? Find a babysitter on UrbanSitter to watch the kids while you head out for shopping.
Now that your kids are back in school and likely spending a sizable part of their day in after-school activities or riding along in carpool, it’s important to make time to get outside to play.
Experts recommend toddlers receive an hour of daily physical play that includes time outdoors. Older children, ranging from preschool to school age, will benefit from at least an hour of physical play, which can be outdoors when weather cooperates.
Before we reset the clocks and lose an hour of precious daylight, get out and enjoy some fresh air and late summer sunshine with your kids. It’ll make everyone feel better inside and out!
Here are 10 fun activities to get them moving outside:
Take a family nature walk or hike. Watch for signs and evidence of the changing season.
Build an outside obstacle course for the whole crew.
Learn a new jump rope song. Remember Miss Mary Mac?!
Go fishing.
Explore a new bike path. Consider investing in a mounted child or infant carrier seat for your bike, if you don’t already have one. That way, you won’t need to leave anyone behind!
Try roller blading.
Create your own map on the sidewalk or driveway with chalk.
Play soccer. Your family vs. the neighbors.
Have a race.
Rent an inflatable jumpy house for a couple of hours. Get a few families to pitch in, and make it a party!
Don’t have time to get outside with your kids? Bet your sitter would love the chance! Find & book babysitters instantly on UrbanSitter.
The new school year has begun, and there’s likely not one of us who is not committed to creating a less harried, more balanced, healthier daily life for our families.
You have to start somewhere, so why not let it be with breakfast? After all, research shows that kids who eat breakfast not only do better in school, but also tend to eat healthier the rest of the day, participate in more physical activities, and get their daily requirements of fiber, calcium and other important nutrients necessary for good health and growth.
Here are 5 Ways to Send Your Kids Off with Satisfying, Healthy Breakfasts that are just as yummy as they are quick and easy to make.
PB & J Burritos. Stock your freezer with peanut butter and jelly burritos to defrost at a moment’s notice. Spread pb&j (or almond butter and fruit preserves) on a whole wheat or rice tortilla, wrap tightly like a flute, and freeze. Microwave in the morning.
Pancake Roll Ups. Layer a frozen, heated pancake with peanut butter, top with sliced bananas and roll. Add a carton of milk or fresh juice to go with it and you have a good meal to eat on the run. Or, you can make your own pancake batter by mixing 4 c. flour, 3 tbsp. baking powder, 2 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. salt, 2 tbsp. sugar, 1 c. milk, 1 beaten egg and 1 tbsp. melted butter.
Smoothies. Keep on hand large cartons of non-fat plain (or Greek) yogurt, several packages of frozen fruit, bananas, quick cook oats and any kind of milk or juice to make speedy breakfast smoothies. In the morning, load the blender and let it sit and soften a bit while you get the kids ready so you avoid the dreadful roar of a blender tackling rock solid, frozen fruit. For one smoothie you need 1 sliced banana, 1 c. frozen fruit, 2 tbsp. yogurt, ¼ c. quick cook oats, a bit of sugar or Agave, and 1 c. milk or juice. Blend for a complete breakfast in a cup.
Yogurt Parfait. Whip up some parfaits by layering yogurt, fresh berries and granola in a pretty glass.
Breakfast Pizzas. Serve breakfast pizzas by spreading low-fat ricotta on a slice of a baguette, top with tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil, and add a dash of salt and pepper. Broil only if you have the time.
Following these easy formulas and substituting with what you have on hand, makes preparing breakfast a breeze, and gives you the peace of mind of knowing you’ve started your day and theirs’ off just right.
It’s about to start. We’re not talking about the early morning alarm, the arrival of the school bus or soccer season kickoff. We’re talking about the budget-busting bombardment of birthday parties!
If you have just one child, the steady stream of invitations might not seem so overwhelming, but if you have more than one who falls within prime birthday party years (say age 2 or 3 to at least 12), you’re looking at a flood of kiddie party invitations and Evites.
Here’s how you can meet your gift-giving responsibilities without breaking your neck or the bank:
1. Buy in bulk. Becoming the woman who has a stash of ready-to-give gifts will free up a tremendous amount of your shopping time and help you avoid the all too common, last-minute stop at the toy store on your way to the party. Buying in advance and in abundance also has big budget-saving advantages. Forego the free gift-wrapped presents at the pricey local toy store, and instead load up at Target, an online sale, or even not necessarily top of mind places like an art supply or sports store. If your daughter loves Tangled, chances are her friends do, too. Buy a few extra dolls when you choose one for your child. See a sale on a cool craft kit that will delight a child and give her mother a break? Stock up.
Gift cards may seem like an odd choice for little kids, but even kids can appreciate the power of having their pick of a present. Consider a movie pass, bowling or miniature golf rounds, even an iTunes card for those toting iPads or iTouch.
2. Choose a signature wrapping. Having a signature wrapping method means you’ll never have to stop for a gift bag on the way home, buy expensive paper that the young recipient will never appreciate, or have to give up precious closet space for a mirage of supplies. Keep it simple and unisex. How about a solid turquoise paper with a red bow? Or the same combo in a gift bag version. Better yet, go green and use reusable gift bags or recycled paper your child can decorate with stickers and stamps. It makes life much easier if you can slap on a gift tag with your child’s name. Try printing your own with the free printables offered at Pizzazzerie.
3. Be a trail blazer. Ask for donations to a charity in lieu of gifts for your child. This will set the stage and encourage other parents to do the same. Does any child in your playgroup really need another tiara, Lego set or floor puzzle? Instead, encourage giving where there is truly a need. There are many charities whose mission can touch the hearts and interests of children – your local humane society, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital , Americans Feeding Americans, World Wildlife Society, and many, many more.
Asking is as easy as a simple request in the invitation, something along the lines of: “Please join us in supporting the American Cancer Society by giving a gift in (your child’s name) to (name of the fund). Help us find a cure for cancer!”
Pooped from one-too-many birthday parties? Hire a babysitter on UrbanSitter and treat yourself to an adult evening out!
We’ve made your back-to-school shopping list as easy as clicking on our favorite pins and deciding which you’ll choose to outfit and arm your little one for the new school year. Whether he or she is off to preschool or grade school, we’ve got you covered with super cute, hard working staples. Check out our Back to School Style Pinterest board or this list:
Protect your investment by labeling everything from jackets to sippy cups and water bottles with these trendy, no-one-can-call babyish, and totally waterproof labels.
Lunch boxes have come a long way since we were kids. Try the bento route this year with one of these slick, eco-friendly.
Who can’t relate to the ickiness of transitioning from summer flip flops to stuffy socks and sneakers? Avoid sock meltdowns with these soft, seamless, no-binding organic socks that beat plain white ones any day.
For times when a t-shirt won’t do, give him a blazer with some ‘tude.
When the weather’s still a bit steamy, these easy, breezy skirts make the grade.
Preschoolers need backpacks, too. You can ease their load with one of these little-kid sized picks from SkipHop.
Isaac Mizrahi supposedly goes to Estella for inspiration. Maybe you should, too.
For preschoolers who are lucky enough to have quiet time at school, this nap mat we found on Etsy looks as good as it feels.
With a new school year right around the corner, we’re working on the UrbanSitter Back-to-School Handbook. Our guide will help you ease into fall, step by step, without the stress and with plenty of confidence and style.
This week, we show you how to tame morning chaos before it starts. We’ve identified three challenges that have a way of sabotaging even the most prepared mom’s morning routine, and have provided simple strategies to stop them in their tracks.
3 Simple Strategies to Put an End to Morning Chaos
If your house is like ours, you know the drill. There are far too few minutes between the early wake-up alarm and carpool takeoff. It’s no fun to start your day screaming at your children while you crawl around the floor trying to find a missing shoe, scratch out a permission slip, or pack a lunch.
Follow these 3 strategies to put an end to the chaos and send your kids off happy and well-prepared:
1. Avoid the wardrobe battle once and for all. Determine where you stand in letting your kids choose their clothes, communicate the rules and stick to them. Experts say it’s important to set parameters for what kids can wear to school, but to also give them options to give them a sense of control and help them learn to make decisions. Letting them have a say also builds confidence and a sense of personal responsibility.
Make peace with whether simply clean and comfortable is good enough for you or if you demand a bit more of your prodigy’s appearance. We guarantee you haven’t heard the last plea for wearing snow boots in the summer, a size-too-small Christmas dress in September, or a pair of Cars pajamas for a play date. Let them show their personality and style as long as if feels appropriate to you.
Take the time to choose an outfit you both agree on before bedtime, rather than five minutes before morning carpool.
2. Corral everyday necessities and find them a home. Command stations keep handy everything your family needs to get out the door each day. There’s no more last-minute searching if you designate a permanent spot for backpacks, lunch boxes, permission slips, homework, carpool notes, and clothes for after-school activities. Don’t forget to include a spot for a packed and ready-to-go diaper bag. Pick a system that works for you:
Hooks and a shelf with bins for each child.
Cubbies or lockers.
A basket near the door, or if you’re lucky enough to have one, a coat closet with plenty of space for everyone.
And for all, a designated drawer for paperwork the teacher sends home, and email folders for digital communication for each child.
3. No more last-minute lunch making. It’s a daily challenge – packing a simple (fast and easy-to-make), healthy lunch that your kids will eat. Make it easy on yourself. Get your kids to help pack their own lunch after dinner the night before, or better yet, have your sitter tackle the task with them. Stick with one of three formulas, along with a reusable drink bottle:
The Classic: Sandwich, fruit/vegetable, something savory (crackers) and a taste of something sweet. Packs nicely in a traditional lunch along with reusable sandwich and snack bags. These by Lunchskins are now available at Target.
Leftovers: Basically a bit of last night’s dinner balanced with whatever it takes to make it just as appealing as last night. A small thermos jar is handy for warm or cold meals. Check out these customizable picks.
The Bento: A little bit of this, and a little bit of that. Makes it easy to please picky eaters, feed them healthy food, and provide some variety. Love these eco-friendly, very cool bento boxes.
In the next weeks before the first school bell rings, we’ll also show you how to send your crew back in style, choose after school activities that stimulate rather than stress your kids, offer lunch ideas that will make your kids the envy of the lunch room, and prepare for the endless barrage of birthday parties that is about to come your way!
Back to school means back to routine! Make date nights a part of your weekly routine by scheduling a regular babysitter online with UrbanSitter.
Before you hit the road with your kids this summer, we’re arming you with 8 Indispensable Road Trip Survival Tips.
Following these tips will go a long way in creating a memorable, happy time with your family on the road!
An arsenal of Apps for Kids. It’s likely that even your preschooler knows his way around your smart phone. Preload your phone with apps that meet your personal criteria – age appropriateness, educational, or just pure attention-grabbing fun. CoolMomTech offers a whole section on Cool Apps for Kids. What if you have one phone and three children? Work on taking turns and time-telling skills by having the other kids watch the clock to see when it’s their turn or find a game that allows for multiple players.
Road trip games. Go old school with the standbys from your own childhood. Have kids scout and keep track of animals or certain color cars; count state license plates; fill in Mad Libs or play “I Spy” or “Twenty Questions.” Cater to the age of your children by tweaking the games. For example, have older kids log their findings, categorize, and compete against each other.
Gadgets and electronics. It likely goes without saying, but just in case – don’t leave home without videos. Whether you have DVD players in your car, a laptop, an iPad or portable players, the videos they play will buy you hours of peace. Portable game players (Nintendo DS, Leapster, smart phones) are also good bets. Don’t forget the headphones!
Survival Totes. Pack a small backpack for each child. Include paper, printouts, markers, mini dry-erase boards and pens, playing and flash cards and small toys that you can wrap and dispense throughout the trip. Don’t forget hand wipes, Kleenex and, of course, a first aid kit in your own arsenal.
Summer reading programs. Sign your kids up for a summer reading program through a school, local library or an online program such as the Scholastic Summer Challenge. It will keep your kids motivated to read, and what better time to hit the books than during a long road trip. Many programs offer reading lists, making it quick and easy to load up your e-Reader or iPad with something for everyone before you hit the road. Don’t forget to bring board books tots can thumb through and listen to parents read, as well as books-on-tape for longer stories the whole family can enjoy.
No mess snacks. Pack individual servings of age-appropriate finger foods such as pretzels, crackers, cereal, popcorn and nuts (for older kids). To avoid the fast-food meal traps, bring a small cooler with sandwiches, fruit, pre-cut veggies, yogurt or cheese sticks. Giving each child his or her own water bottle to replenish at rest stops makes more sense than hauling a slew of juice boxes and cans.
Journal or scrapbook the trip. Create a scrapbook of your family vacation. Have kids add drawings of places they’ve seen or fun facts they’ve learned along the way, and paste ticket stubs and other mementos. Put your kids on assignment with a small camera. You can print photos at your destination using an inexpensive pocket printer and paste the prints in the book on the return trip.
A sitter to take over when you arrive! Let’s face it. No matter how much you’ve prepared for your road trip and no matter how much you love your children, you’re bound to need a break. Did you know UrbanSitter can help you line up a perfect sitter away from home? Log onto UrbanSitter to view trusted sitters, read local parent reviews and book a sitter in one of a dozen U.S. cities. It’s a much more personalized and often less expensive way to book childcare than booking through a hotel. Think how nice it will be to have a bit of well-deserved grown-up time in your destination city!
Summer is the time of year we all dream of when we’re buried in mountains of work (or snow), lost in a maze of school schedules and activities, and numb from mundane daily routines. You can make sure you and your family take full advantage of the season just by changing the rules a bit.
Here are our 10 rules to live by this summer – kick off your shoes, dive in and create your own, too!
Loosen Up! Let your kids stay up later, eat outside, have dessert, get dirty, stay in their bathing suits (or PJs) all day, and take the time to wander, dawdle, and explore all that we’re too busy to see during the busy school year.
Introduce something new. School year routines don’t often leave time to do the things we wish we could do. Summer clears our plates a bit and presents the perfect chance for you to be “That Mom” – visit a museum, take a mother/child art or yoga class, have a family fiesta night, or read your children a classic book that takes an entire summer to finish
Get moving. Unplug and play hard! Organize a neighborhood kickball game at a nearby park, start an evening bike ride routine, take the long way on your walk home, play chase, skip rope, find a spot to draw a hop-scotch game or start a relay race.
Stay connected with friends and get to know new ones. Back to school transitions will be easier if there are familiar faces to share the new routine. Take the time to schedule play dates with school friends and host an afternoon at the pool or your place for new friends who will be together in the fall.
Enroll in camp. Mini camps – lasting half or whole days for a week at a time – are an ideal opportunity for kids to test drive new activities and sports or improve existing skills. Better yet, they are a place to have fun and make new friends.
Get outta town. Change the scenery, even if just for a night. To keep costs low and really change the pace, camp out! Or, if packing up the car seems like a daunting task, pitch a tent in the backyard for a slumber party under the stars.
Celebrate the season. Nothing says summer like stopping for ice cream, catching fireflies, eating a hot dog at the ballgame, having a picnic or lying in the grass to look at the stars. Help your kids build happy memories of summertime that will stay with them a lifetime.
Keep learning. Teachers say they spend as much as the first three months of school re-teaching the skills kids lose over the summer months. Give your kids a head start by dedicating a few minutes every day to brushing up on skills. For preschoolers, coloring, cutting and tracing or writing their ABCs go a long way. For older kids, have them keep a summer journal and pick up a few workbooks to refresh and preview next year. Make it fun by playing school and taking turns being the teacher.
Get wet! Visit a pool, beach or lake, run wild in a sprinkler, play with a garden hose, host a Barbie pool party or a Matchbox Car wash on the back porch. Recycled squeeze and spray bottles are great for water fights, and also make excellent tools for writing on the sidewalk and watering anything remotely resembling a garden.
Give kids a break from Mom and Dad by hiring an energetic sitter. School is out for college kids, too, so call up the neighborhood sitter or log onto UrbanSitter to find dozens of experienced college-aged sitters looking for work. Since you can also view their schedules, you can book a sitter online instantly whenever inspiration strikes – run out to catch a movie, meet up with a friend or have a date night with your husband. The kids will welcome the change of company, too!
Whether your little one is going off to kindergarten this fall or the big day is a year or two away, it’s nice to know she’s on track and prepared for success. Preparing her is easier than you may think.
You can send her off to big kid school with confidence by taking time to help her practice skills in each of seven areas experts have identified as key aspects of early childhood development: Language Development, Learning and Thinking, Beginning to Read, Beginning to Write, Numbers and Counting, Physical Development, and Social and Emotional Development.
Educators use these buckets to help decide if a child is ready for kindergarten. Yours will undoubtedly be ready to tackle the big milestone with some simple, yet consistent help from you, other family members or your sitter!
Language Development
What you can do:
Have frequent conversations with your child. No baby talk Use complete sentences and lots of good description. Encourage her to use words to express her feelings and reactions to the world around her.
Play games that require listening and following simple directions.
Read stories with easy-to-follow plots and interesting characters to talk about.
Sing songs and read stories or poems with rhyming words.
Learning and Thinking
What you can do:
Help make small collections, such as rocks or toys, and have her sort them using different criteria, such as size, shape, and color.
Do simple puzzles together. Tired of yours, trade with a friend or make your own using photos, pictures from magazines or print-outs.
Let her help you sort and fold the laundry, matching socks and other clothes by size or color.
Play “I Spy” to practice color and shape recognition.
Show her how to string beads to make patterns… and beautiful necklaces!
Beginning to Read
What you can do:
Set a time every day to read to your child and talk about the letters and words, characters, and what happened first, next and last.
Have her put into the correct sequence photos of herself or family members at different ages.
Buy magnetic letters and let her play with them on a cookie sheet or other magnetic surface. Practice the sound each letter makes.
Have her cut out letters from magazines to spell her name and other simple words she knows.
Beginning to Write
What you can do:
Help her practice writing her name, ABCs and numbers 1-10. Use different tools to make it fun – colored pencils, chalk on the sidewalk, and finger paint.
Together keep a summer journal. She draws a picture of something she did each day, and with your help writes a word or more to describe it.
Let her help with writing grocery lists or making cards for friends. This helps her to see the different ways we use writing in our daily lives.
Make labels for belongings, such as an art box, notebook, or cup.
Numbers and Counting
What you can do:
Go on treasure hunts to collect things to use for counting.
Use coins or items around the house to experiment with adding, subtracting and the use of “more” and “less.”
Together look for and point out numbers in her world, such as addresses, page numbers, recipes, and price tags.
Read stories and sing songs about numbers, such as “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.”
Physical Development
What you can do:
Help develop large muscles by playing with balls, hula-hoops and bean bags, and riding a bicycle or tricycle.
Build simple obstacle courses to practice jumping, walking a straight line, and climbing.
Help develop fine motor skills by practicing with child-safety scissors. She can cut out shapes you draw on paper or pictures from magazines.
Social and Emotional Development
What you can do:
Create an “About Me” notebook for your child. Together add personal information, such as her name, age, address, favorites, and names of family members. She can decorate it with drawings that tell more about her.
Build independence by rewarding the things she can do for herself, such as brushing her teeth, washings hands, getting dressed, and zipping a jacket.
Play school to help her practice saying goodbye, meeting new friends and packing up to come home
Looking for childcare help? Find babysitters with advanced degrees in child development and elementary education at UrbanSitter.
Do you want to find and book a babysitter from anywhere, at anytime… in other words, when the inspiration (or an invitation) to do something without the kids strikes? Now you can!
