Time for an Olympic Getaway – Destination Oahu

Surfing in Hawaii

The City of Vancouver is definitely putting on a show for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Yaletown is amazing. With streets blocked off for pedestrian traffic, live entertainment every where you turn, friendly people helping to navigate any potential road blocks. The whole city is definitely alive and embracing the Olympic spirit.

If you feel that you have taken in as much of the entertainment as possible over the past week and over the weekend then the party spirit in the city is also an opportunity to slip out of town for a few days.

Oahu is a family-friendly destination offering many accommodation choices that are easily accessible from the airport, you don’t need a car (unless you want to go up island to the North Shore and renting a car for a day makes a wonderful day trip) and there are many great activities for everyone to enjoy.

For surf families you may want to enjoy the surf lessons offered by the Hawaiian Fire Surf company. Operated by firefighters safety is their number one concern. They also offer seclusion as they take you out of the chaos of Waikiki Beach to a beautiful deserted location where you have the ocean to yourselves. The instructors are very attentive and it is a great source of family fun.

If you do rent a car a trip up to Haleiwa on the North Shore is a must. The beaches are beautiful (but the ocean is very rough and many beaches are for experienced surfers only) and at the right time of year you can see Green Hawaiian Sea Turtles nesting on the beach. A must stop in Haleiwa is for a shave ice. There are a number of locations that serve shave ice with the most famous being Matsumoto Shave Ice.

It would not be a Hawaii without seeing Hawaiian entertainment. Our kids love the singing and dancing that is found in many of the hotels in Waikiki. The Hilton Hawaiian Village has live entertainment within their grounds that can be enjoyed by just sitting at a pool side restaurant. Wander over and see the penguins being fed after you have enjoyed the colourful entertainment. The Hilton Hawaiian Village also has a wonderful luau that is set overlooking the ocean and offers fantastic food along with the excitement of fire dancers. Always a hit with the kids.

If you are just going for a few days when sourcing accommodation make sure to look for locations with easy access to restaurants. The Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk offers a complimentary breakfast that is excellent. Never under estimate the power of a ready made breakfast each morning to set a positive and fun mood for the whole family. With full tummies head across the street to Waikiki Beach and begin to enjoy your Olympic escape!

Living in the Moment, But Planning for the Future by Michelle Vandepol

Living in the moment, but planning for the future — it can be tricky, but it can be done. We often look at others’ lives when we plan our own – the ones who seem to be on the right track life and work balance-wise or even ones who only seem to have a real handle on one or the other. But we don’t know their whole story and even if we did; we would still have to make our own circumstances, skills, and obstacles mesh into our own greener side. There are things we would wish different even in the most blessed life. The trick is to separate what is changeable and what is not ours to change.

If we want our lives to take new directions, just wishing it so will not make it happen. If you have an idea of what you want to do differently, whether in life or work, list it. If you don’t know, list what you don’t want and try for its opposite.

For example, too many work hours at too little per hour may mean talking to your manager and trying for getting more done in a shorter work week for a bit more an hour. It would take more focus, but if successful, a more satisfying work experience. If you are contracting out, renegotiating with clients means some will decline to pay more, but there will always be another opportunity to replace the lost income and when you do, you are at the next pay level. Even if you lose some and keep some; but at a higher billable hour, you are at the same income, but with less stress.

When thinking about how to transition whether it be in hours or career path or skill set, the key is to not let worry take over. Each stage of life has its good and bad and its learning opportunities and you don’t want to rush to the next stage just to rush through the one after that. There is something to be said for just being and doing the next thing. Living in the moment, it’s called. The only danger in doing the same thing repeatedly is that you will find yourself doing that same thing much farther down the road than you intended.

Somewhere down the line likely a transition may need to be made. Even though we have thought that transition through a thousand time, often how we’ve pictured transitions don’t line up with how they happen. Perhaps a job’s come up that’s great for a different stage in your life, but not this one. Perhaps you are available for work with your kids off in school or in an ideal daycare situation, but now your dream job isn’t falling at your feet.

Don’t get discouraged. Work towards the goal, put the work and networking in, and you will see the reward – the timing will happen on its own. We are not in charge of outcomes, but in how we play the game. Getting your strategy down, executing it, and then doing life as normal, letting things play out, means life is as balanced as you can make it, not a hectic paced worry zone.

It’s important to keep the everyday sane. Constant planning and plotting or filling the calendar too full with the next stage so that you are a frazzled unhappy mess will not lead you into the path you want. When concerned about where your career is going, wondering whether it’s secure, or what you should do next in case of layoff; do the legwork as you can – a set amount every day, and then find something to pay the bills between. If work is not at its maximum potential, enjoy the non-work parts of life and build your skill set in the meantime. Building a resume, documenting past achievements, and having it all ready to go for when you need it will take a lot of stress off.

The key to making it look effortless and even fooling yourself in the meantime is making a plan to do and then forgetting about it. The forgetting doesn’t mean to stop looking for new opportunities, but to relax the high alert stance and kicking worry to the curb. The word needs to circulate and while you wait and work, your skills will build in the meantime. Brainstorm for new ways to achieve your goals whether it’s free advertising opportunities, portfolio building, or something a bit lesser than you first had in mind in the meantime.

Ask for advice, but remember your vision. How one person pictures their life or got to their current place in it is likely not going to be a carbon copy of yours. Glean their stories for applicable wisdom, thank them, and move on.

Let things unfold the way they’re meant to. Ever rush into something out of fear and then later realized it was not meant for you and something better was on its way? It’s because you got in the way of yourself. Instead, prudently consider opportunities. Above all, enjoy the stage you’re at. It’s likely (given that greener grass theory) where someone else wants to be.

Relationship Matters Most

Over the last few years, I have had the privilege of attending presentations by Dr. Gordon Neufeld. I strongly recommend his best-selling book, Hold On to Your Kids. Dr. Neufeld is a world-renowned psychologist whose teachings and theories are sought after by parents, educators, and helping professionals all over the globe. I have been inspired by his findings as a parent, as a teacher and as a family coach, that I would like to share some of his main beliefs. They are simple, powerful and critical.

In his presentation, “Relationship Matters,” Neufeld proposes that when he “joins all of the dots, a picture emerges.” From this picture, he can clearly see that what matters most is the relationship between parent and child.

As parents, we give endless instructions to our children. “Brush your teeth. Make your bed. Be home by 11: 00.” For our children to be receptive to our expectations, they must be attached to us. They must use us as their compass point. If we are not their compass point, we will be faced with resistance. The parent must instill in their children the confidence that “I am your best bet. You can lean on me.” When you are connected to your daughter, she will not become more attached to her friends than to you. She will not blindly adopt the values and beliefs of her peer group. She will not let rejection, disappointment, and pain cripple her into self-doubt and self-rejection. A positive and powerful emotional connection with her “best bet” will protect her heart and allow her to move forward with confidence and compassion.

Dr. Neufeld stresses that it is never too late to foster these attachments. He proposes that there are rituals of relationships that have eroded away in our culture; rituals we can bring back to life. He suggests that we “collect” our children to cultivate relationships. Whether your child is an infant, a toddler, a teenager or an adult, you can cultivate an attachment to them by collecting their eyes – by making eye contact. Warm eyes give an invitation to people to come closer. Once you have collected the eyes, collect a positive nod. Go for the smile. In a friendly way, get into your child’s face. Take the time to collect your children as much as possible. Before you give instructions and make demands, cultivate your relationship and collect before you direct.

Another ritual of attachment is “offer a touch of proximity.” Make contact with your child. Get close to him, touch him, talk to him, engage him, and listen to him. Invite your child to be near you. Instill in him the idea that he is always welcome to exist in your presence. He needs to know that you want him with you.

“Bridge what could divide” is another ritual that Dr. Neufeld proposes. I believe that this ritual is a fabulous practice for parents who travel with work or who permanently reside at a different address. What it means is, even if parent and child have to separate, the parent encourages the child to focus on the return. For example, “I have to go away for work but I will look forward to seeing you again in only 5 sleeps.” Goodbye rituals instill confidence in the relationship and in the child’s belief that the parent is their anchor, even if they are not at home at the time.

A final, powerful ritual for parents is “to provide more for your child than what he needs.” Always give more time, understanding, appreciation, respect, support and love than what your child pursues. Hug harder and enable your child to rest in their attachment to you. Restless children are the children who begin yearning for connection in all the wrong places. Dr. Neufeld’s young grandson was quoted as saying, “ When you hug me like that, I feel like I can fly.”

(Copyright September, 2009 Jane Richards – Family First Coaching)

Jane Richards is a Certified Family Coach accredited by The Academy for Family Coach Training. She is also an Elementary School Teacher and Mom to 2 girls and a boy, ages 9, 12 and 14 yrs. To contact Jane, you can call Family First Coaching 778-340-0036 or email jane@familyfirstcoaching.ca

Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit – Swimming in Family Friendly Adventure by Mark Sissons

Xanna and Marina can’t resist mugging for the camera with me. Grinning, clapping, and performing aerobatic tricks on cue, they frolic six times a day in their private pool with groups of delighted tourists. Rescued as infants off the coast of Uruguay, these two fun-loving sea lions, along with over a dozen playful dolphins, are the most popular attractions at Vallarta Adventures, Riviera Nayarit’s premier adventure travel operator.

Renowned for its unbroken string of beaches, quaint seaside villages and luxury resorts ringing the stunning Bay of Bandares just a few minutes north of Puerto Vallarta’s International Airport, Riviera Nayarit is also a growing centre of family friendly outdoor adventure on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. Along with getting up close and personal with some of the ocean’s most fascinating creatures, including whales, your clients can go snorkeling, kayaking, scuba diving, hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding and even zip-lining in the mountainous tropical forests that command breathtaking views of the Bay and beyond.

Outdoor adventure specialists
With a dedicated staff of guides and animal trainers from seventeen different countries, including Canada, Vallarta Adventures is one of the region’s most versatile adventure tour companies. “I don’t know anywhere else in the world where you can choose from the variety of outdoor experiences that we offer under one roof”, says PR director Gareth Price. “Our trainers try to give interaction with sea lions and dolphins more of a personal touch and make it more of an educational experience.”

Trainers like Nahako Hayashi from Nagano, Japan, who coaches Xanna and Marina’s interactive aquatic performance. “Although I’m an oceanographer and biologist by training,” she explains, “I chose to become a sea lion and dolphin trainer because it allows me to bring people and animals closer together, resulting in greater emotional contact.”

I certainly receive an enthusiastic welcome from the half dozen dolphins I swim with that afternoon in their Olympic size pool. I’ve signed up for the Signature Dolphin Swim (USD$149) – an hour of in which you can touch, feed, play, learn and swim with these remarkably intelligent sea mammals. Among my group are three generations of a family from Minnesota, and Sudbury Ontario’s Rod Ogrady, visiting PV for the first time with his wife Tracey and their teenage daughter, Halley. “Hanging onto the dolphin’s fins while it raced around the pool was my favourite part,” gushes Halley. “I had my own pet boogie board!”

Rhythms of the night
That evening, the Ogradys plan to take in Rhythms of the Night, Vallarta Adventure’s most popular attraction. For USD $89, visitors can enjoy a scenic sunset cruise across Banderas Bay to the isolated cove of Las Caletas. Only accessible by sea, this former home of legendary Hollywood director John Huston operates by day as a private beach club and spa. After sunset it transforms completely, and guests are treated to an elaborate dinner lit by over 2000 candles and torches, followed by a contemporary dance show performed in a pyramid-shaped amphitheater.

Jungle gym
The next morning, I join a dozen fellow eco-adventurers for a speedboat ride to Boca de Tomatlan, a secluded beach at the edge of the jungle on the southern shores of Banderas Bay. There, we board 4×4 Unimogs for the 2000-foot climb to base camp in the heart of the Sierra Madre Mountains.

We then ride mules higher into the sub-tropical forest, before clipping into a series of thrilling zip lines, rappelling down waterfalls and splashing through streams and natural river pools that form Vallarta Adventures’ Outdoor Adventure Circuit. With the highest and longest zip lines in Mexico, this exhilarating experience is often called a canopy tour on steroids.

Whale of a time
My final Riviera Nayarit adventures is a catamaran cruise to snorkel and kayak through the rocky caverns and archways of the Marietas Islands, a protected marine sanctuary that is home to many species of wildlife. En route, we watch giant humpback whales soar into the air, flicking their enormous tail fins as if in greeting as they plunge back to sea. Each year from mid-December to the end of March, the waters off the coast of Riviera Nayarit offer some of the most spectacular whale watching opportunities in the world.

Wild dolphins also appear, playfully racing alongside our boat, providing a rare opportunity to observe these amazing creatures in their natural habitat. I’m tempted to dive into the crystal clear waters of the Pacific and hitch a ride on one of their dorsal fins. It would certainly be a perfect way to end a memorable weekend in Mexico’s newest outdoor adventure paradise.

Getting there
Westjet offers four non-stop flights a week to Puerto Vallarta from Edmonton and Calgary. Air Canada flies daily from Vancouver and Calgary. Mexicana flies daily from Vancouver via Mexico City. And Alaska Airlines runs daily flights from Vancouver via Seattle or L.A.

Where to stay
I was a guest of Villa del Palmar Flamingos Beach Resort and Spa, an all-inclusive oceanfront five-star property located just 20 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. For more info, visit www.villagroupresorts.com/resorts/villa-del-palmar-flamingos

Special agents rates
Travel agents registered with Vallarta Adventures will receive special rates when booking any of their tours and activities. For more info, visit www.vallarta-adventures.com or call toll free 1-888-303-2653. For more about Riviera Narayit’s attractions, visit

The Nanny – Her Role, Responsibilities & Reason for Ranting

Being a nanny is a career choice created in a grey zone. In Canada the role has been blurred significantly with the introduction of the “Live In Caregiver Program.” Expectations on both the part of Employers and Nannies alike vary greatly. This miscommunication is the main cause for the high rate of disgruntled Nannies, disappointed employers and abandoned childcare contracts.

There are as many different childcare positions as there are childcare workers. Roles (and rates of pay) can range from, first time supervised babysitter to Executive Nanny. Titles that get thrown about with abandon can also include Mother’s Helper, Au Pair, Nursery/Maternity Nurse, Nanny, Night Nanny, Child minder, Nanny/Personal Assistant, or Nanny/Housekeeper and on and on and on. In North America we seem to flail about defining and redefining the job as each interview presents itself. How confusing!!

So without further adieu lets have a long hard look at what is expected of a “Nanny” and in turn …what a nanny expects!

What is Nanny Territory?

What is a nanny (usually) responsible for?
1) First and foremost the safety, care and well being of your children.
2) That the house is as clean when she leaves as when she arrived. (This means if you had a huge dinner party and there are mountains of dishes all over…those dishes are not her responsibility. It also means it should not take to two hours to clean up the toys and playdough after she has gone)
Then if time permits… she is responsible for;
3)Children’s Laundry
4) Children’s rooms/tidy/organized/notes left if things are running low
5)Children’s snacks and meals. (Possibly cooking and freezing/labeling baby food)
6)Maintenance, cleaning & care of children’s belongings (highchair, crib, toys, stroller etc.)

* This type of contract would be said to include “only childcare related duties.”

What is generally considered “Light Housekeeping?”
1)Unloading/Loading the dishwasher
2)Occasional family laundry, including folding & putting away.
3)General tidying/straightening
4)Sweeping/light mopping/wiping of kitchen
5)Taking out Garbage/Recycling
6)Refilling water coolers, sugar/salt containers, etc.

What is definitely EXTRA?
1)Vacuuming
2)Dusting
3)Meal Prep for family
4) Errands (mail, groceries, picking up dry cleaning, etc)
5)Ironing
6) Any additional specific tasks (ie; wiping down cupboards, sorting closets etc)

What is usually considered completely off limits?
1)Bathrooms
2)Washing the car
3)Heavy duty cleaning (the oven, inside the fridge, flipping mattresses etc.)

What Every Nanny Wants

Moving on to your nannies’ expectations. Most nannies will say that “being treated as if they are a part of the family” is what they are looking for. This seems simple, but it also creates some blurred boundaries. We often ask more from those who are in our immediate family than we would ever reasonably consider asking from a co-worker. A Nanny/Family relationship is intimate and always evolving…it is of utmost importance no matter how close you become with your nanny to always remember that this is her JOB, and to respect that fact.

Nannies also cite families who respect them personally and appreciate the work they do, as being desirable employers. Keep in mind that you should not only respect the nanny, and the job, but also the written contract that has been negotiated. Families who continually to add more and more jobs onto an already negotiated contract are likely to find themselves out a nanny…and quickly. This is one of the most common reasons nannies give for quitting or choosing not to renegotiate a contract with a family.

The absolute biggest reason given for an unhappy Nanny/Family situation is when a nanny finds her efforts with the children are being undermined or unsupported by the employers. Nannies find it next to impossible to work in an environment when boundaries and rules are changed every time the kids change hands. Nannies and parents need to work as a team. Communication is absolutely key.

MONEY
Nannies do love kids…and great nannies love their families…but they are not doing this for fun. This is a job, and for many a lifelong career. Let’s be honest, a housekeeper in Vancouver makes between $15-$25 an hour. How on earth can anyone think it is okay to have a nanny take care of three children AND do all of the housekeeping for less than $15 an hour? This may sound absurd…but it’s not unusual. The counter point to this rant is…. what employer is going to pay someone with the absolute bare minimum of experience and NO training $20 an hour?? Okay everyone… let’s take a wee step back and perhaps into the other person’s shoes.

PAY RATES

Live out nannies can make anywhere from $10-$35 an hour….seriously. This is a pretty broad range.
What factors affect how much a nanny should make?
Have a look at the following variables;
1) How many children?
2) Ages of the children?
3)How much experience/training/education the nanny has.
4) Does the nanny drive?
5)Availability/Flexibility
6) Additional Tasks (see list at top)
7) Type of contract…Part Time/Full Time/Nanny Share …Independant contractor or Employee?
8)How badly the family wants that particular nanny.
9)Where you live
10) Are there any extra perks/bonuses being offered (use of a car, a trip home paid for, paid vacation with the family)

A Couple of Examples…

An entry level nanny (two years experience, two verified positive references, CPR/First Aid, maybe a childcare workshop or two) working in Vancouver with two children under the age of five, responsible only for duties related to childcare is looking at earning 14-16 an hour (gross)

An executive nanny with 10+ years experience, her ECE, CPR/First Aid, multiple positive references who drives…and is willing to do some specifically negotiated light housekeeping is looking at making 18-23 (gross) an hour for that same job.

TO SUM UP

When negotiating this murky grey zone of roles, rules, responsibilities and eventually resumes…try and keep two very important things in mind.

How would you feel if you were in the other person’s shoes…and two, more often than not you get what you pay for.

Good Luck Nanny Hunting.
By Leanne Hume

Leanne Hume has been a live in, live out and on call nanny and a teacher in
Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Canada, and Fiji. She is first and foremost a Mum and she now works
as the Nanny Recruiter for Nannies on Call Vancouver’s premiere Nanny
Agency.

www.nanniesoncall.com