Using Care4Hire.com for Childcare Help

Having trouble finding childcare? As busy parents sometime we need a little help going thru this difficult task.

A few months back I was invited to review Care4Hire.com. At the time I was too busy juggling life as a return to work mom. But I kept having childcare issues on and off for months. I'd respond to and place online ads and then interview many babysitters. But still ended up frustared. It was alot of work for little results. I decided maybe the Care4Hire service would get me better results.

About Care4hire

Candi Wingate, President of Care4hire.com, a mother herself, knows first-hand how hard it can be to find the perfect caregiver. We put a great deal of effort into making Care4hire.com as easy to use as possible. Our database is designed to assist families in finding a quality babysitter, housekeeper, tutor, companion/eldercare, pet sitter and Miscellaneous care such as a personal assistant, gardener, party planner, etc. for their specific needs and requirements and offer caregivers an enjoyable employment experience.

My Review

Setting up an account was simple and straight forward. They have 3 levels of membership to chose from including a FREE membership for 14 days. Then you set up your profile and describe your family and the kind of care your seeking. Based on your basic profile you'll start to received emails from care providers.

If you don't want care providers contacting you then you can make your profile private and do your own search. There is also an option for special advertising for any family that needs extra help find the right caregiver. Care4hire will not charge extra for that service.

PROS

Many things impressed me on the Care4hire site least of which is their CareMatch. In CareMatch you can set up a search for caregivers based on different requirements like price per hour, location, language and special needs (twins/disabilities/etc).

Care4Hire Sample Interview Questions, Contract and Reference Check questions is a good thing to have already on site for some parents. Some of us don't know the key questions to ask a caregiver much less have a employment contract.

Caregivers can have their references and background check available for your viewing. Love that! Saves so much time and makes it easy when sorting thru caregivers to find the right one.

CONS

Having the care providers contact me directly with their profiles was nice. Having to go thru 2 extra steps of clicking on their member id to see their profile, photo, background qualification, and contact info wasn't nice. When you have over 90 emails to check, it would be a time saver to view all you need on one screen or have a preview of key info.

Having a way to sort caregiver based on location would also be helpful. Even though I said I was looking for someone in the brooklyn area, after checking thru profiles I saw responses from caregivers in outer boroughs.

While I didn't follow thru and directly contact any of the caregivers...I recently was accepted in a neighborhood daycare...The service of Care4hire is very useful and I would definitely use them if I run into childcare issue again.

Are interested in this service? Right now Care4hire is offering my readers a 10% discount using this code: 339914-16b

Disclosure: My free membership was upgraded for the purpose of reviewing this site. No other compensation was received. This review is based on my experience while using this site.

Personalized MJM Books Review & Giveaway

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Guess Who's a Disney Mocha Mom

Ever had a secret that was so wonderful you wanted to keep it to yourself? Just for a little while you wanted to enjoy whatever it was before you had to share with everyone? Well I had a secret but it got out ahead of me. Anyway, as some already know...ta da...I'm going to be a Disney Mocha Mom.

When I received an email from Disney and BSM Media inviting me to be part of their Disney African American Mom Bloggers Mixer...I thought...finally! Disney noticed their missing a princess and their ready to welcome me back home. LOL.

But as the good news settled in I began to think. This invite was so unexpected and I'm sure many people will be shocked and dare I say even a bit jealous? I'm sure many people will wonder how that happened to someone sorta new to the mom blogging community. But that's the thing....I'm far from new to the blogging community.

I never really explained my blogging background here because I never thought I needed to. Most of my readers come from my community where I've been blogging about my life, advocating for biracial and mixed race issues and have already established myself as an influential voice.

But when I stepped into the mom blogging community no one knew anything about me or my history. Matter of fact most of the moms kept me at a distance because I was a new face at event, in community forums and in their minds...to the blogging world. When I think about how I've been blogging longer then some "famous" mom bloggers I have to laugh.

At first it was very hard for me in this new world. I tried viewing things from a community viewpoint but the mom blog community can sometimes be a self serving place. I had to do a major mental and emotional adjustment. Finally with the support and encouragement of many great blogging moms, I've been able to blend worlds and continue my main goal of raising awareness for my asian and black community.

Which brings me back to Disney. One of the highlights of this trip is the debut of The Princess and the Frog....Tiana is Disney's first African American Princess. Of course this is a big deal for me since I'm very interested in positive images of black women in the media. I'm also very excited to talk with Disney first hand about what really is happening with Tiana's prince Naveen. LOL

Within the black community there's been a major battle over the Prince's skintone and what race he's suppose to be. While I'm suppose to remain neutral on this issue I think my readers can guess which way I lean towards. I mean come on people what's wrong with a prince that's biracial? Or even a *gasp* interracial love story? It's not even the first time Disney has done a interracial love story! Oh, the drama that has surrounded the debut of this African American princess.

I'm also excited as a single parent to tour the resort. As single parents we don't have to sit at home because we don't have a parenting partner. I believe we can get out and have an enjoyable lifestyle just like two parent households. I'm going to find out how single parents can enjoy a trip to Disney =)

So as I prepare for my Disney Mocha Moms Bloggers trip I hope you'll send me positive vibes and follow along on my adventure. I plan on blogging each days event and tweeting what I'm experiencing. I'm sure the other Mocha Moms invited will also be tweeting so follow us via twitter using the hash #magicalmochamoms

Baby Contest Featuring Blasian Daniel

I decided to finally give in to the repeated requests by friends and family to enter Daniel's photo into some baby photo contests.

http://babymakingmachine.blogspot.com/2009/10/2nd-cutest-baby-contest-vote-through.html

First contest: Future Mama's 2nd Cutest "Baby" Contest. You can vote for Daniel #30 till 10/18/09

http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/euphorialuv/478870608/

Second contest: Gap Casting Call. You can vote for Daniel #478870608


So all those people that wanted this...get to voting! =P

Celebrating 25 years with Earth's Best

Like most moms I worried about what's in my child's baby and toddler foods. A child’s nutrition is so important during the early years becuase it affects how the child grows and develops as they get older. After reading an article about the benefits of organic foods during the infant and toddler stage I made the switch.

The brand I switch to was Earth's Best due to their reputation and baby food varieties besides the standard apples, peaches, etc. When I was recently invited to celebrate Earth's Best 25th birthday I was beyond excited since I would also learn more about their new products line that has grown to include formula’s, diapers, wipes and personal baby care items. There would also be a discussion about healthy diets and the value of organic for our children led by advisor and author Keri Glassman MS, RD, CDN

After arriving at Rouge Tomate, I quickly started getting the info on the new products being launching in January 2010 from Jannell Brown, Brand Manager at Hain Celestial. We talked about how the Earth's Best line has expanded and can now be found in more stores like Target. As my readers know I'm shop at Target regularly so finding Earth's Best there is so convenient for one stop shopping.

I learned about Earth's Best Baby Detergent, Potty Training Pants, New Nursery Wipes which use naturally cleansing herbal oils like lavender and lemon grass and New TenderCare Diapers which are made chlorine free unlike some name brand diapers out in the market. I also learned about the frozen food line which include chicken nuggets, pizza, and waffles.

News of the frozen foods line caused such an excited stir within the group of mom bloggers that were invited to the event. Beside myself, Jesse and Issa also feed their sons Earth's Best. Issa expressed such relief to know that she can continue to feed her son as he grows from the Earth Best line. I totally agree! As Daniel grew I worried I’d need another brand of organic baby food for a child older then 1 year. But with Earth’s Best expanded line we can continue to have organic babies. LOL

While sitting down for lunch, which included dessert made from baby food, we listen to key speakers including Irwin Simom, President and CFO of Hain Celestial talk about the history of Earth's Best (founded in 1985), why the need for organic foods, and what future exciting plans they have including:

• The November launch of a fully redesigned website at www.earthsbest.com
• In January 2010, parents and grandparents have the opportunity to share their wishes for their baby/grandchild’s future by submitting a post via the Earth's Best website for a chance to win US Saving Bonds.
• Also In January 2010 a large range of new products will be launched including 3rd Food Vegetable Medleys, Organic Whole Gain Infant Cereals with Fruit and Organic Sesame Street Elmo Mini Pasta Meals.
  

I learned so much during the event and meet so many wonderful people including another single mom of a biracial child. What are the odds?! Oh and guess what...I was also interviewed about why I started using Earth's Best and what it means to me. I had the chance to share about being a mom of a biracial child and wanting to start my son's life off in the best way to ensure a healthy and happy future. I hope to get a copy of the interview to share =)

Rockettes "Kicks Off" Christmas in August at Radio City

If you live or visit New York City, the holiday season usually means seeing the Radio City Christmas Spectacular Show! Back in August Daniel and I joined other blogging moms with their families for the official "Kick Off" with the Radio City Rockettes.

Moms and families all met at the Grand Foyer of Radio City Music Hall (RCMH) where while having a special breakfast, we heard from the Rockettes and Santa Claus about the special performances we can expect for this season Christmas Spectacular Show.

After finishing breakfast the families split into groups. Group 1 would go on a private tour of RCMH while group 2 would decorate holiday cupcakes with helpers from Magnolia Bakery. Since I was in group 1 Daniel and I went on the tour of RCMH. Woot!

During the tour I learned about the history of RCMH and the special little things people might not know. Our tour guide took us from the stage area, into the heart of the building and then into the lobby where we learned that the sun was the inspiration for the design of the drapes that covers the stage.

Then it was time for photos with Santa! I hoped that Daniel would pose nice with Santa but no way. When I put him on Santa’s lap, he took one look at Santa and immediately tried to get down. There was no putting him back so as you can see I held him for the official Santa photo. I think it came out nice anyway, don't you?

After our tour, cupcake decorating and Santa photo it was time to head outside to see the Radio City Rockettes and Santa, along with special guests, NY Giants kicker, Lawrence Tynes, and NY Jets players, Damien Woody and Dustin Keller stop traffic for the creation of NY’s longest kick line.

I didn't think all those people could fit into a kick line but amazingly they found a way! During the closing performance, as the confetti dropped everyone cheered, took photos and shared how excited we are to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular later on this year!

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, starring the Radio City Rockettes, will run from November 13, 2009 through December 30, 2009. Special Discount Code ~ Radio City Christmas Spectacular: Orchestra/1 Mezz seating for $49.99 plus no ticketing surcharges when you use Code: 49FAMILY. Order tickets now because this offer expires soon.