Nanny in Vancouver, British Columbia

Below is a "little" blurb about me. Please note, I am currently on mat leave and looking to return to nannying sometime between July-September. I am looking to work with a family (or multiple families if part time) that will be okay with me bringing my son along. This could be a great opportunity for social interaction between kids. If this arrangement would be of interest to you and your family, read on to see if we would be a good match. I am open to the idea of after school care, part time work, full time work...anything really :) I’m Katerina, a nanny with a “joie de vivre”! I was born in Vancouver, the youngest of three girls. As an infant, my family relocated to Crete, Greece where I lived until I was six years old. That’s right; my parents preferred the rain in Vancouver to that warm Mediterranean climate (and all that delicious food)! Crazy, I know! I have very fond memories of my childhood. My family is very close knit and my sisters and I were raised to appreciate life’s small pleasures. Growing up in two different countries and the nostalgia I have of growing up in Europe has instilled a love for all cultures and a yearning to explore. After two years of living in the UK, getting married in Greece (did somebody say Big Fat Greek Wedding?) and traveling through Asia and parts of Europe, I am back to settle in Vancouver with my husband. We live in the wonderful and diverse neighborhood of Commercial Drive in a basement suite with a vegetable garden and a BBQ in the backyard. No complaints there! I am a lover of music and always have been. This led me to learning my first musical instrument at the age of 12: the flute! I then learned the electric bass and chose to study music in university where I learned to play the upright bass and piano among other instruments. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts: Major in Music and Minor in German. Although life moves quickly and I don’t get to play as much as I would like, music is still a big part of my life whether it be going to concerts, listening to my vinyl collection, or having a dance party in my living room. Other things I enjoy are writing, walking long distances, being outdoors (I even started a Hiking Club to motivate others to get outdoors), cycling and cooking (I am Greek after all)! I was lucky (or is it unlucky) enough to catch the travel bug after traveling to Europe with the Performing Arts department of my high school. I have been to around 27 countries (many of them multiple times) and, seeing as I’m 27 years old, my goal is to add a new country to the list each year to coincide with my age in case I forget how old I am (which I am already starting to do). I have seen a lot of Europe, Asia and North America and am looking forward to one day exploring South America and Africa! It is hard to pick a favorite place that I’ve traveled to cause each one offers unique and memorable experiences but one place I am yearning to return to is India! I have a passion for life and am often complimented on my outgoing and positive energy and personality. I find these attributes are a key part of the work I do with children and also part of the reason why I am successful as a nanny. My husband refers to me as a modern day Mary Poppins (but don’t worry, I don’t feed children spoonfuls of sugar). I love to take children outdoors and on adventures around the city and neighborhood and involve them in many different activities: scavenger hunts, bowling, swimming, painting, nature walks, library storytimes, dress up, farmers markets, airport visits, museum visits, baking, science experiments, beach visits, random bus and skytrain rides... I never seem to run out of ideas and am keen to fill the children’s lives with fun, laughter and excitement! Because music has been a big part of my life, I also enjoy sharing my musical capabilities and engaging in all things music related with the children in my care. I am quite knowledgeable about what the city has to offer for children in terms of activities, entertainment, and sights and am constantly researching events to take children to or recommend to parents. I also like to be creative and do special and unique things that relate to the children’s current interests. For example, one boy that I nanny was very interested in submarines so I arranged with a company that builds submarines for him to go on a private tour of their manufacturing facility. The same boy was also very interested in firefighters and fire trucks so I arranged to take him on a private visit of 2 different fire halls in the city where he got to sit in the driver’s seat of the truck and see all the firefighters’ tools and equipment. I try to make their days special. This is just a little bit about me and I’d like to show you more! Thank you for considering me for the position to care for your children. I look forward to meeting you and your family in person so we can discuss this opportunity further. I have worked with children ever since completing the Red Cross Babysitting Course when I was 12. I was the go-to babysitter in my neighborhood while the mommies and daddies went out for their well-deserved date nights. Since my babysitting days, I have worked and volunteered for different organizations in group child care settings and also as a full time and part time nanny in Canada and the UK. I have worked with ages from 10 months old and up. Most recently I have worked as a nanny full time with a 3.5 year old boy and 6 year old girl and part time with another family with a now 2 year old girl. I also worked occasionally with various ages doing on-call work through the agency. I am comfortable completing light housework and errands when time allows and if it doesn’t interrupt in the care of the children. I am able to prepare healthy meals and snacks (and, yes, this includes Greek food), clean the dishes, sweep, fold laundry, clean any mess pertaining to the children and so on. In the past, during nap times, I have also completed personal assistant work for parents that work from home. This has included scanning and shredding documents, organizing kitchen cupboards or storage closets, helping to declutter by donating and/or selling things the family no longer needs, mailing parcels at the post office, grocery shopping and so on. I am quite flexible and open to doing different tasks.