Jessica H. Nanny in Cummaquid, MA 02637. Looking for work as a live in nanny or live out nanny.

Hi, I'm Jess, but everyone calls me Saka so you can too! It was given to me by an amazing 18 month old (Alice) who, try as she might, could not pronounce Jessica and so Saka was born. I've been with said 18 month old for the last four years. She is currently five and a half years old and attending a gifted and talented school in Manhattan. A feat I am so proud of and given partial credit for (her parents are genii however). Lucky for me there is another baby in the mix, in the form of Alice's little brother, Leander. He just turned one (Nov.) and is pretty darn amazing too (but aren't they all).

There are many food allergies in our household, the main one being a severe gluten allergy. The children and their mother are all Celiacs and I have fructose malabsorption. So, cooking food for certain diets is something I'm very, very comfortable with.  On a typical day I prepare two children 3 meals and 2 snacks, while occasionally perparing lunch and snack for a school aged child. I have in the past been in charge of perparing dinner for four to six including dessert (gluten free and all). 

I've always tried to be the sort of nanny Jane and Michael Banks ask for in Disney's Mary Poppins mixed with a little bit of fraulein Maria from The Sound of Music. Art and music where the best parts of being a kid for me and I love reliving that on a daily basis with children. Don't get me wrong, math and science are just as important to me. There's nothing like a silly counting song or the joy of seeing a child understand addition for the first time. And don't even get me started on the fun science experiments you can do with kids, like making play dough or your own bouncy balls! Other enrichment activies include but are not limited too; book reading, word/number practice, drawing/correct pencil holding technique, building with blocks, puzzle solving, ball tossing, crafting for various relatives, dancing, and foreign language.

I love music, though, I've never really been proficent in any one thing. I took clarinet lessons as a child and have recently taught myself piano. I have taught children to read and perform scales as well as beginner songs. I recently fell in love with classical and jazz music but am pretty much a showchoir/Beatles girl at heart.

I love animals of all types but I'm definitely more of a cat lady.  I frequently take the children to the zoos, aquarium, and museums around the city. We're big fans of the dinosaurs and butterflies. We also love the beach and the many animals found there.

I know a little French but would love to know more!

I'm more than willing to preform light cleaning, laundry, organizational tasks, etc.

Recently, I started taking Leander to playdates with a little boy in our building, Harrison. Harrison's mom(Liz) told me he's never warmed up to a non-family member so fast and dubbed me a "baby whisperer". I've never been more proud or giggled more profusely.

On a typical day (currently) I wake up at 7 to start getting ready for the day (shower, eat, etc.) By 8 the baby (Leander) is up and ready to go. So we jump into breakfast which is usually high protein (he loves cottage cheese) to give his body the energy needed for the day. At 8:30 our little buddy (Harrison) from up the hall is here and ready for help with his breakfast (he's a yogurt kind of guy). Around 9:30 we're all packed for the day and headed to the playground. We stay for at least an hour but sometimes longer depending on their want of climbing. Ten thirty is snack time (fruits or veggies and some sort of carb-pretzels, rice crackers, cereal etc.) which we sometimes enjoy in the swings or at the beach (the neighborhood is great for babies). Next up is animal hour (the boys love animals!). On rainy days we  just play with the kitties at home but on sunny days we also feed the birds, ducks, and swans, and say hello to all the neighborhood puppies. Once a month we head to the zoo or aquarium for the day. Between 11:30 and noon we have lunch. The boys love beans so we usually have beans, broccoli, and fresh fruit (unless they're teething then frozen fruit is a life saver). After lunch we do a sleep walk; they are usually asleep by 1. They'll sleep for about two hours so I use this time to plan dinner. They just started to willingly eat meat so this has become a pretty exciting introduce new flavors time. They love roasted chicken and steak! I also use this time to clean up the mess we've made that I haven't gotten to yet or anything extra the parents might need me to do (laundry, dusting, light cleaning, etc.). I'm a clean as I go kind of nanny so most of nap time is spent cooking but I like to stay busy, I don't mind doing extra cleaning. At around 2 the babies are awake. We grab a little snack, usually baby friendly veggie filled smoothies and move on to enrichment activities. The boys are 1 and a half so we practice new words, numbers, drawing/pencil holding, read stories, sing songs, play catch, build with blocks, and learn about kindness/sharing. At 4:30 I finish up on dinner whilst the boys play independently (in my line of vision). Dinner goes on the table at 5/5:15 and we enjoy practing with forks and spoons while trying new things. By 5:30 Harrison's mom is home so, Leander and myself, head home to see big sis. Usually, I'm off the clock now but occasionally I will assist in bath time or putting the children to bed. I read stories, sing, and comfort the oldest child (5 1/2) while mom puts the baby to sleep. About once every two months I continue to watch the children at this time so mom and dad can have a night out. All and all, this is a typical nanny day for me.

I have also done more experimental childcare with one family in that, the children (2: ages 3 and 18 months) would sleep over for a 72 hr period (three days) while their parents did a 40hr work week (telecommute) in those three days. I would preform all the task a parent would for these periods including night time feedings/comforting. This was for a 3 or 4 month period.