Nanny&Me

Finished Product




The Idea

I LOVE being organized. I mean I am seriously passionate about organizational systems; charts, graphs, schedules, spreadsheets, to-do lists, you name it and I love it. Lately I've been thinking more about the end of my maternity leave drawing nearer as I move on to the second half of it (how did this happen so fast?!). I am loving every moment of my time off, and even though I am very committed to my work, I can't help but find myself feeling sad about my 24/7 time with my son coming to an end, but today I realized that it's not as if life is a dream that I wake up from all of a sudden; I will still have a wonderful son whom I will be fortunate enough to get to eat lunch with when I'm working from home and enjoy during all of my non-working hours.

The exciting thing now is starting to think about how I'll organize my family when I'm back to work; what schedules and systems will I use to manage our time so that we are organized and can just sit back and enjoy life. The first thing I thought of was a weekly schedule board.

Our schedule varies week to week so I wanted a wipe board that I could go to every Sunday night as we prepare for the week ahead and chart our nanny's hours. Along the road of envisioning this board, I realized that it also made sense to add some fun little touches to it, like magnets with Logan's activities on them, and some magnets for sticking reminders to the board. We'll also use colour coating of the dry-erase markers so that we can show when I'll be home vs. at the office or in meetings, and the same for my husband. While we are big fans of Ical, I wanted a visual where we could see all of our days laid out, so off we went on a long awaited trip to Staples and the Dollar Store...

I love our little DIY adventure outings!

How-To

Measure twice, drawn once :-)

I used a fun tape to create columns on the board for days of the week, but took the time to measure out the board first to ensure that the columns would be even. I originally planned on creating rows as well for hours of the day, but realized during my crafting that it wouldn't really work because the tape would take up too much space, and it would be awkward to draw across the rows, so instead I just blocked the hours together on the left-hand side to create a spatial sense on the board, and then wrote in the hours as a guide. I placed packing tape on top of the days of the week and the hours in order to keep the content static.


To create the activity magnets, I bought some cheap dollar store magnets, labels, and stones. I stuck the labels to the round magnets, wrote the activity on the label, and then fastened the stone to the magnet using a glue gun.

These look better in person, but the light reflects at funny angles in the photo

Cost & Materials



White board: Staples - $21.99
Colorful large round magnets: Staples - $3.50
Funky tape: Staples - $3.89
Dry erase markers: Staples - $1.89 each (I bought two)
Small round magnets: Dollar Store - $1.00
White gem stones: Dollar Store - $1.00
Small labels: Dollar Store - $1.00
Total cost: Less than $40 all in with taxes

Other Materials

Measuring tape
Glue gun
Packing tape
Sharpie marker

Final product with sample week

Well the day is finally here to announce who we've chosen as our future nanny! I can hardly believe it. After screening over 100 applications, conducting two rounds of rigorous interviews, and having lots of time to think and reflect, we are thrilled to share with you that we have chosen our future nanny and her name is Genette!

Genette was a strong contender from day one. She has a sweet, quiet nature that is so sincere. From the very first time we laid eyes on her cover letter, we felt a connection. Genette wrote a very personal cover letter that shared with us a bit about her family, interests, passion for children, and experience. When we were screening applications, we only considered applicants who provided a cover letter, and those (it was a small number) who provided cover letters as strong as Genette's were what we called our "front runners". I remember the first time I read her cover letter to my husband (Mike), he was nodding reassuringly, and then we got to a part near the end where it cited that Genette knew how to cook Indian food because she had worked for an Indian family in the past, "I'm in", was all Mike said with a gleaming smile. After reading her cover letter we were so excited for the prospect of what was to come.

The first time that we interviewed Genette, she warmed our hearts. She was so nervous which we found endearing because it demonstrated the type of sincerity that we were looking for in someone. She was so overwhelmed that she shed a little tear and this resonated with me in a profound way. You see, I always cry...I cry when I hear warm fuzzy stories, I cry when I see kindness, I even cry when I watch a heartwarming commercial...and I nearly always find myself crying in professional situations; business meetings, a successful performance review, and most of all...interviews. I'm not kidding, just ask me about something that I'm really truly committed to (like my work) and you're guaranteed a least a little misty eyed moment. When I was younger, I was brutally insecure about this; I thought it was unprofessional, but with time, I've really embraced this as part of me. During my pregnancy, I was in a business meeting with my former boss and she announced a new project that was coming my way (that I was very excited about) and I shed a tear of joy. She said, "awww pregnant tears", and I replied by telling her that it would be easy to pass them off as pregnancy emotions, but really they're just Jenn emotions. Now back to Genette, in that moment, both Mike and I really saw something that we valued...sincerity, vulnerability, openness.

During the second round interviews, we interviewed some very strong candidates. There were four second round interviews in total. There were four incredible individuals, but all very unique from one another. There was one candidate who was very bubbly, and vivacious and although I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations with her, we still found ourselves drawn to Genette's soft, but (I think) quite playful, and silly personality. Genette comes across slightly more timid at first, but her competence, experience, and personality really shine.

In some ways it was a hard decision because it's hard to offer just one person the job when there are four truly amazing candidates. We kept saying that we really would be lucky to have any one of them, but in the same breath, it was so easy to pick Genette. She is hardworking, kind, honest, and playful (among many other wonderful traits) and she has already impressed us from her keen organizational skills in preparing documents for the LMIA and work permit application, to her industrious efforts in reading up on vegan cooking and lifestyle.

We know that Logan will be in good hands spending his days with Genette and we cannot wait to welcome her into our home!

*Please Note: My experience with filing for the LMIA was based on the previous rules prior to Nov. 30, 2014, however I have updated the link to the current LMIA application forms and this post is still relevant under current rules.

Well here we are, after months of doing everything from considering the option of a live-in nanny, to interviewing, and completing the paperwork, it's all come together. It suddenly feels much more "real" when you get to this point. I just submitted the LMIA (Labor Market Impact Assessment) and I'm on the edge of my seat (and probably will be for 8-12 weeks) waiting to hear on our (hopefully) positive assessment.

I did plenty of research prior to completing the LMIA (Labor Market Impact Assessment) and the two tips I heard most were:

1. Fill in everything!...If there's something that doesn't apply (like a fax number) write "n/a" but don't leave it blank. 
2. Ensure that you provide all of the documentation. You don't want the whole process to be held up because you accidentally forgot to submit your son or daughter's long form birth certificate (or for submitting the short form instead), so pay attention to detail and submit everything that they ask for. 

This week's Sunday's Story Corner contribution comes to us from Staci of Toronto. We'll all benefit from Staci's helpful tips and advice and in addition to her wise words, Staci said that she wouldn't like to forget to mention that her nanny is wonderful, that her kids adore her, and she is quiet, polite, respectful, and thankful. 


It came time for us to hire a new nanny and to part ways with our prior one. A nice nanny in my neighbourhood and who babysat for me on occasion, told me about her cousin who was in Hong Kong and wanted to come over to be a nanny.

She told me I would not be disappointed and having known my children and what i needed - she convinced me to reach out and communicate with her and see if it was a good fit.

We communicated mainly via email, text and FB instant messenger and I had a good feeling.  We applied for the LMO (it was still free, last July 2013) and got it in under the gun before it had a $275 price tag (now $1,000 price tag).  I did all the paperwork from my end here. I didn't use any agencies, to be honest the paperwork is fairly straightforward and if I had questions, I called CIC and asked. 

She arrived on March 19 into Canada and her cousin and I picked her up at Pearson Airport. She was very excited, thrilled, very nervous and thankful to be here. She had a bad experience in Hong Kong her first go around with a "Calgary Agent" taking $2000 from her and next day, disappeared and is still in a lawsuit pending in Hong Kong.

When she arrived, her room was clean, brand new sheets and brand new towels were laid out on her bed. I also had a basket of toiletries I thought she  need such as new toothbrush, toothpaste, combs, brushes etc. Also, she had her own private en suite bathroom.  She wanted to know if this was truly her room as she had just come from Hong Kong where she slept on the top bunk bed of the child she was caring for and was not allowed to have a computer or tap into the employer's internet. She worked 6 days a week from 6am until 9pm and on her only day off, Sunday, she had to leave the apartment. 

I told her to rest for a few days and get used to the time change etc. She was anxious to start. Prior to her arriving, I had put together a pseudo schedule of activities I wanted her to do.  I also was going to teach her to cook.   

Her cousin gave her a warning about listening to her and me only for advice. To be cautious of the "other nannies" she meets and be cautious of them trying to sell her things from life insurance, to Mary Kay cosmetics, to Arbonne and the like. 

What I had also remarked, was that her English was not where  I was used to with my previous nannies. I had to learn and I am still learning that I have to slow down in how I speak to her. She was not understanding me and even now at the 6 month mark, I have to catch myself and be clear.

I also find as an employer,  I have learned from past hires that you cannot be wishy washy about anything. If you want something done a certain way, tell them, show them and correct immediately if it's not what you want. You cannot let things fester between you and your nanny as it will get uncomfortable and uneasy especially given they live with you. 

I continue to check in with her, she asks for advice from me and her cousin when approached.

She has become quite the baker and cook from no experience prior. From Chocolate cakes to Quinoa Crusted Chicken (yum!). 

Keep lines of communication open and be direct and forward. Reward where appropriate. It's also important to say Thank you! I say thank you every night when she goes down to her room. 

Be patient. They are essentially a foreigner in a new country adapting to a whole new world with new rules, new customs and ways of life to where they came from. Your patience and kindness will pay off. 

Good luck!

1. Love for Logan. Giving Logan the opportunity to potentially develop the sort of deep 1:1 bond that I had with my nanny growing up.
2. Laundry. Having my laundry folded and put neatly in my drawers is such an exciting concept (notice I didn’t include the washing part of the equation because who doesn’t love doing the washing part?!…you feel all productive and organized, but then at some point the clothes go through the wash, into the dryer and then come out ready for the hard part, so I’ll be thankful to have help with the hard part).  
3. A tidy house. I do look forward to having a house that resembles the order that I had prior to having a baby…neat and tidy with things in their proper place.
4. Getting to see my son during the day. I can’t wait to have someone looking after him in our home so that when I work from home I can have lunch with him, or take a break to go for a little walk with him. I’m fortunate enough to get to flex my work schedule a bit, so I look forward to seeping up some day time play time that I can make up when he’s gone to bed for the night.
5. Date nights! Due to the freelance nature of my husband’s work, there will be some weeks where we will forego daytime care in lieu of evenings instead so that we can share some adult only quality time.
6. Getting to know our nanny! I can’t wait to show her all around the city, take her out to dinner with our family, and begin the journey of building a strong relationship.

1. The cooking piece. Don’t you find that sometimes your own cooking gets boring?...well I do. We can’t wait to try the food that our future nanny cooks up, but I’m also nervous for this part because we do maintain a very healthy diet (vegetarian/vegan, low sugar, low sodium, low grease) and I want to ensure that we continue to do so.
2. Managing the little things. There are always going to be little tasks that you might want done a certain way. My husband and I are both fairly easygoing people, and neither of us like to be overly assertive, so I’m a bit worried about managing the balance of things when we need to confront the way a certain task might be done, or any other little issues that I would expect to arise.
3. Our space and privacy. Now this one doesn’t really worry me too too much because we’ve always had tenants in our home and have enjoyed the relationship with them, but I suppose I worry about the privacy piece more when I think about things like what happens if my dear hubby and I get in to a small disagreement? Will it be awkward to have someone overhear an argument?
4. Getting along. Now again on this one, not overly worried as my husband and I tend to like just about everyone, but there is always that question in the back of your head of will we all get along? Will the dynamic be seamless, and comfortable right off the bat and/or what will that warming up period feel like when we’re all getting used to being together?
5. Money. Will all of the costs balance out the way that I’m anticipating?
6. Will it all get done? Sometimes I hope we don’t have overly grandiose ideas about what it looks like to have a third set of hands around the house. I dream of having a home that’s neat and tidy, with that added strain of cooking taken off our backs some of the time, and then I hope that my expectations aren’t overshooting what it will actually be like to have a third adult around. We of course want our son’s care to be the priority, so if he’s having a more high maintenance day, then I get that it won’t all get done, but I hope that some of what I’m picturing is accurate.

Developing a sound employer/employee contract is important for any type of job, but particularly when hiring a nanny because it's required as part of your LMIA application. Did you know that developing your own contract can mean longer processing times for your LMIA application?! When you write your own contract the Federal Government needs to enlist a lawyer to compare the document to their standard contract and ensure that it measures up, so use the free template (click HERE) provided by the government to ensure a speedy processing time.

Drawing up the contract is pretty straight forward and in fact, the government even provides a guide on how to fill in the template contract document. While it's not necessary to have the original document signed by both parties upon submitting it for the LMIA (but it will be required when your future nanny applies for their visa), I had our future nanny sign it and scan/email it to me so that I could include the scanned signature to put my mind at ease.

The contract that's necessary for the LMIA application really only covers the basics, but I would recommend putting together a document that covers all of the household specific items; rules (for example: will the nanny be allowed to have guests over to your home etc), expectations, specific tasks etc. This document should be included in the binder/booklet (template coming soon!) that you create and provide for your nanny upon his/her arrival or beforehand if you so choose.

Other questions about writing the contract?...just ask.

So here we are, it's the final countdown and we're down to the final four already!! I can't believe it! Let me start by saying that at this point if we ended up with any one of these four women as our nanny, we would be truly blessed. I was so impressed with the sincerity, competence, and character of each one of them.

For our second round interviews, we did things a bit differently. First off, we had my mom come and watch the interviews. We streamed the interview (via Skype) from our computer screen to the TV, so that my mom could sit on the couch and watch. She always has such great insight, so this was very worthwhile for us. We also set up an audio/video recording of the interview thinking that we would have it to play back afterwards, but between our strong gut instincts and my mom's feedback, we didn't need to watch the playback afterall. Having said that, I still think it's an excellent idea especially given that sometimes you're too in the moment to really hear what someone is saying; you might get a certain feeling or interpret it a certain way, and when you watch the playback you might be surprised (for better or for worse). We also ensured that each candidate met both Orly (our golden retriever), and Logan (our son), in order to gauge their reaction to them.

My husband, Mike, was in a particularly disgruntled mood, as I think he was just overwhelmed by the whole process emotionally and tired from a long day's work, but it certainly made it a bit more challenging since I was worried that the candidates would misinterpret his attitude (which was somewhat stoic) for being an unkind or aloof person, but we proceeded with the interviews anyways because such is life. We had a few hiccups in the interviews including needing to have my mother-in-law look after Logan in a separate room from the interviews because they were having so much fun that he was giggling and giggling, which is cute, but quite distracting. Once we had the room restored to some peace and quiet so we could focus in on the interviews, things went quite well, and became very clear.

Of the four candidates going into it, we had one that we were pretty giddy about, two that were strongly consistent from the start, and one that was a bit of a late comer and seemed very genuine and competent, but didn't have us quite as hooked as the others.

It is so interesting how this journey goes up and down like a roller coaster and spins faster than those really fast tea cups at Disney World. We went from being totally giddy about one candidate to feeling as if we had maybe had our blinders on in the first round, and went from being a bit nonchalent about another candidate to feeling blown away with her continued sincerity, kind nature, and honesty.

In the end, the decision felt very obvious, although it doesn't make it any easier to choose just one candidate when you have four amazing people who are ready, willing, and able.

What we learned from round two:

1. Schedule the interviews carefully. Scheduling four interviews in one night when my husband had worked a long gruelling day probably wasn't the best idea. And while we all wish that we could all be perfect all of the time and just chipper up for the good of the interviews, no one's perfect, and we would all do well to forgive one another's graces (especially those of our loving spouses), so the moral of the story is...plan accordingly.
2. Check for inconsistencies. Luckily we had my mom on the scene who is quite the sharp one, but if we hadn't, I'm not sure we would have seen some of the inconsistencies in certain interview answers unless we had played back the video of the interview. Don't be shy when you hear something that isn't quite adding up to just dig a little deeper. Sometime's it's nothing and it will put your mind at ease, and if it is something, then better to know now.
3. Don't rush! This is a problem for us with every interview in every round. We just seem to rush a bit when moving through the interview. Take your time, slow down, listen, breath, and enjoy the ride.