Story competition: Larry’s Beak

Story Illustration Competition!
Calling all nannies and their charges…
In order to promote literacy and story time, Smart Nanny Solutions is running a competition for nannies and their charges to take part in over the Easter holidays.
Agency owner, ex-nanny and mum of two, Louise Burgess has written a children’s story (picture book style, aimed at children aged 3 years and over). She is posting her story here for nannies to print off and read with their charges over the Easter holidays and would love some feedback from the children and the nannies about what they think of the story – good or bad!
The story doesn’t have any illustrations, so as an extra bit of fun, your charges can draw a picture/illustration of their favourite part of the story and email it to louise@smartnannysolutions.com
The winner will receive a £10 Waterstones book voucher and will have their picture published on the Smart Nanny Solutions website, Facebook and Twitter page. They will also receive a Smart Nanny Solutions mug for their nanny!
So..
  1. Print off the story ‘Larry’s Beak’ (below)
  2. Read it with your charges
  3. Nannies and/or children: what did you think of the story?
  4. Children: Illustrate your favourite part of the story
  5. Nannies: Take a picture of the child’s drawing and email it to louise@smartnannysolutions.com along with any feedback about the story.
Deadline: April 20th 2015
Entry is FREE.

LARRY’S BEAK

By Louise Burgess

Poor Larry the seagull, he’d had a bad week.

It all began on Monday when he couldn’t find his beak.

 

‘Ark!’ shouted Larry through the hole in his face,

his lovely, pointy, yellow bill was gone without a trace.

 

‘My looks!’ he cried ‘My handsome grin! this is really rotten,

without a beak my face looks like a little puckered bottom!

 

‘What will people think?’ He thought. ‘What will the neighbours say?

They’ll point and laugh and call me names’ He dribbled in dismay.

 

‘I can’t and won’t be seen like this!’ Larry wiped his eyes,

‘No fear, i’ll head down to the pier in search for a disguise’

 

So Larry sailed on the breeze to the pier, for his first stop

was ‘Mr Snoop’s Emporium’ (A novelty joke shop).

 

Now Mr Snoop’s was perfect if you liked to play a trick,

there was everything from plastic poo to puddles of fake sick!

 

Mr Snoop took one look and produced, in a flash

a pair of thick rimmed glasses with a nose and moustache

 

Larry was ecstatic ‘This look is quite becoming,

I’ll strut my stuff along the pier and folk will see I’m stunning!’

 

Alas, the specs kept slipping down with every step he took,

they ended up around his neck (not the coolest look).

 

‘Oh bother!’ bellowed Larry then he threw them off the pier,

he sulked beneath the moonlight and shed a single tear.

 

On Tuesday Larry flew about unsure where to go

but as he settled on a bench a kind voice said; ‘Hello’.

 

The nice old lady’s name was Pearl and to Larry’s great relief,

she took pity on his problem and gave him her false teeth.

 

‘You can borrow them today’ she said ‘I’ll get along just fine –

I don’t need my gnashers to lick a 99!’.

 

With that she plunged them in his face – which took him by surprise!

(They felt a little slimy and rather big in size).

 

‘Shank shu’ He said politely, spluttering a bit.

He didn’t like to tell her that they didn’t really fit.

 

Off went Larry on his way with a wild toothy grin.

Then, when Pearl was out of sight, he popped them in the bin.

 

Larry was disheartened. He wandered all night long.

Instead of flying home to roost, he paced along the prom.

 

On Wednesday Larry tried again, To the pier he promptly flew

and at the stall for face paints, slyly jumped the queue.

 

Now ‘Snazzy Jazz’ was clever, she was talented and arty

but her repertoire was suited to a children’s birthday party.

 

Larry wasn’t interested in hearts upon his cheek,

a wicked witch or tiger face, he just wanted a beak!

 

Larry almost wept with joy, he had a beak once more,

and for a while he was happy- until the rain began to pour.

 

Huddled in a shelter Larry caught his own reflection,

the smudge of yellow down his front was less than beak perfection.

 

The sun came up on Thursday and Larry hadn’t slept.

He missed his beak so very much he’d sat all night and wept.

 

He had become so desperate, shape and size no longer mattered.

He marched straight in to ‘Chippy’s’ shouting ‘Sausage! Jumbo! Battered!’.

 

Now Larry wasn’t famous for his wild fashion sense

but a sausage for a beak? this look was quite intense.

 

It worked for a while and no one seemed surprised

when a sausage eating seagull flew before their eyes.

 

Alas, there lay the problem, for he tried with all his might,

yet when Larry felt quite peckish he just had to take a bite.

 

So the sausage did shrink as the day grew long.

It made a tasty snack but as a beak it was wrong.

 

Poor Larry spent another night below the pier just bobbing,

in the shadows on the waves. His eyes grew sore from sobbing

 

Red eyes and missing beak Larry was a mess.

It was early Friday morning and he didn’t look his best.

 

Larry waddled aimlessly, he felt at such a loss

until he saw the neon sign for ‘Big Jim’s Candy floss’.

 

‘Aha!’ Cried Larry loudly. ‘Things are better than I feared.

If I can’t have a beak then I’ll have a candy beard!’

 

Big Jim was quite the stylist. His candy floss quite stiff.

Soon Larry had a goatee beard with sideburns and a quiff!

 

Larry perched upon the pier all puffed with pride and glee,

the wind blew through his candy hair as he gazed out to sea.

 

He headed for the bandstand and rocked and rolled all night

but he didn’t look so fetching in the early morning light.

 

“Matted feathers, sticky head, What’s become of me?

I’ve hardly slept a wink all week Or been home for tea.’

 

‘I’ve had enough, my beak is gone, I’ll just have to face it.

I’ve tried so many different things but nothing can replace it.’

 

His search had been a failure and he was unimpressed.

Larry sulked on Saturday now feeling quite depressed.

 

By Sunday he had given up so flew back home to rest

AND THERE IT WAS, HIS SHINY BEAK GLISTENING IN HIS NEST!

Meet the agency: Smart Nanny Solutions

This month meet Louise, founder and owner of Smart Nanny Solutions
How long has your agency been established? 
The agency is brand new! I launched on January 2nd 2015 and I have been pleasantly surprised (and a little overwhelmed) by how busy I have been in the first month. It’s been a really positive start.

Continue reading “Meet the agency: Smart Nanny Solutions”

Common nanny pay issues

When parents employ a nanny it’s often the first time they have need to administer a payroll and pay regularly for services. In all the confusion it can be easy to let some things slip through the cracks, like transferring the money on the right date…

Problem #1 My boss never pays me on time

This is more common than you’d think. Many nannies report late payments from their employers, or having to leave messages to make sure they’re paid on time. It has a knock on effect on nanny’s bank balance and they may incur charges if their direct debits go out without sufficient funds. Solution? Set up a standing order when the job starts.

Problem #2 The amount in my account and on my payslip don’t match up

First you need to make sure you’re looking at your payslip correctly. The figure that should be in your account is in the bottom right, not the top right. The top right is the gross figure that you should have agreed at interview and written in your contract. The bottom figure is the net amount, which is what ends up in your account. If that net amount on your payslip doesn’t match what’s in your account then your boss has either over or under paid you, and you need to find out why. Sometimes this is because overtime has been added to your pay but not processed through payroll, or because you’ve had time off sick but it’s not been processed through payroll. Sometimes it’s because you agreed a net wage which is very difficult to match up on a payroll run each month even if your boss has paid what you agreed. Solution? Check your payslip, your contract and your working hours. There will be a discrepancy in the figures somewhere and when you find out what it is you can sort it.

Problem #3  My overtime hasn’t been counted

If you do overtime late in the month it can be tough for employers to get that information to the nanny payroll company on time, or they may have forgotten to add it to the payslip. The other, more alarming, situation is where your overtime appears on your payslip but not in your account. This probably means your employers have a standing order, notified the payroll company and forgot to manually transfer you the overtime payment. Solution? Gently remind them to declare your overtime and/or pay you.

Problem#4 My boss is making extra deductions

The standard deductions that should be made from your pay are tax and employee national insurance contributions. You may also have deductions for your pension and student loan repayments. Your contract may specific additional situations where your employer can take money out of your pay, for example if you are responsible for damaging their car they may deduct the insurance excess directly from your pay. If you see extra deductions, or you think other things have been deducted from your pay check your contract to see whether it’s allowed. Solution? Call the payroll company to check what’s being taken off and talk to your boss.

Problem #5 My boss never reimburses my expenses

Many nanny employers provide a kitty which means their nanny doesn’t have to pay for activities and so on out of their own pocket, but some prefer to reimburse expenses. Mileage is an expense which is commonly reimbursed, rather than taken out of the kitty. Paying up front can leave you short of cash at the end of the month, and if your boss doesn’t pay you back you’re effectively subsidising your charges. Solution? Stop paying out. Insist on having a kitty or only do free activities within walking distance.

A live in nanny’s space

Live in nannies offer great flexibility and be cheaper than a live out nanny, but do you have enough space for another adult living in your home?

Unlike an au pair a live in nanny is not part of the family. She (or he) will probably want to clock off at finishing time and spend their weekends independent of you. This means she may want to prepare her own meals at different times to you, use the bathroom after a leisurely lie in on a Saturday morning or have friends over. It also means she’s likely to be spending a significant amount of time in her room so it needs to be somewhere relatively spacious and comfortable.

If you’re reading this and panicking because you don’t like in a mansion, don’t worry. There are some simple things you can using your existing space to better advantage.

Bathrooms

If you only have one family bathroom then your nanny will have to share. If you have a room with an en suite consider giving that room to your nanny (unless it’s the only room that can fit a double bed), as you’re less likely to be disturbed and they can be more private. Otherwise you nanny can share a bathroom with the children but you need to uphold your end of the bargain and only use your bathroom, which if your en suite only has a shower may wear thin after a while.

Nanny’s bedroom

Be creative with your use of the space. You can get all kinds of bed/storage solutions – remember that you nanny will be bringing everything she needs for every season with her. Unlike au pairs she probably won’t need a desk, but she’ll appreciate a comfy chair. Most nannies these days have a laptop or tablet and watch their favourote shows or films on catch-up or using netflix so there’s no need to find space for a TV. A full length mirror is usually appreciated, and if you don’t want things stuck to the walls provide a pin-board. Keep decoration and linen fairly neutral so your nanny can easily put her personal stamp on her room.

The living room

However nice you make your nanny’s bedroom she won’t want to stay in it all the time. If your children have a playroom then offer her that space to use in the evenings, if not then set out your expectations about the living room. It’s reasonable for you to want to have some couple/family time too.

The kitchen

This can be the trickiest room in the house to share. Nannies often eat with their charges, but at weekends you need to decide whether you’re offering your nanny the option to eat with you or not. If not then it’s important to let her know when it’s okay for her to use the kitchen, particularly if you prefer to take over the entire room to prepare elaborate meals! Allocate your nanny a shelf in the fridge or freezer for her food, or better yet put a mini fridge into her room. You can also provider her with a kettle to make a cup of tea or coffee so she doesn’t need to come down in her PJs if she fancies a cuppa.

Before making the decision to have a live in nanny, first thing about how you’ll use the space to accommodate someone else living in your home. When you get the right person it can be a brilliant choice!

Puddle jumping

It’s springtime, it’s a tiny bit warmer but it’s still pretty darn wet! What better way to make the most of this than to go puddle jumping?

“There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappopriate clothing” – Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Many parents and nannies believe that every day, rain or shine, children can get out and about. With a good set of waterproofs, plenty of layers and some sturdy welly boots everyone can get out to play. If you do get wet then when you get home dry off, change clothes and warm up with a hot drink. Hot chocolate tastes even better when it’s going into a chilly tummy.

Jumping in puddles is just a natural childhood instinct. It’s also a way for children to see that they can have a big effect on the world around them. They can spend ages jumping in and out of puddles, watching the water fly everywhere and then return to its tranquil state or examining reflections or making water muddy and watching it settle again. This is the start of science, in a playful way.

Puddle jumping a universal game. There’s a little spark of childish glee in all of us when we see a puddle and we get to jump in it. Don’t hold back! Children thrive on experiencing fun alongside adults and are encouraged by adults participating.

“Childhood is a state of mind which ends the moment a puddle is first viewed as an obstacle rather than an opportunity” – Unknown

So what will it be? Obstacle? Or opportunity?

Last one to get their welly boots on is a banana!