The KiwiOz Nannies spotlight profiles parents, nannies and industry specialists doing great things!
The aim is to inspire our community by sharing stories and recognising our people- who work hard to make the lives of children fun, educational and secure.
Today we meet Renee Holmes, nanny extraordinaire, nurse, nutritionalist and soon to be childrens cookbook author!
Tell us about you
I’m Renee…and I’ve worked with children for about 17 years (also as a youngster I always had the baby in my arms!) I started out babysitting, and then was a nanny as I trained to become a nurse. My dreams came true when I worked at Starship Children’s hospital as a nurse, but curiosity and adventure got the best of me and I made the big step to begin my OE. First stop USA where I worked as a camp counselor at a summer camp. This was awesome, I taught the kids to water ski. Then I moved to London, where I was a nanny for a wonderful family…who I still keep in touch with!
My desire to return to nursing grew strong and I became a staff nurse at Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital, and stayed there for 4 years. The time came to move back to NZ, and once there I became a nanny for a gorgeous little boy, and enjoyed my time with this family for just over a year! Time for dreams to come true again, and I returned once more to nursing to become a childrens community nurse in west Auckland…what an eye opener! I loved this role, visiting families at home, and really feeling like I was making a difference.
But something was brewing inside of me…I was beginning to develop feelings for nutrition! I had an inspirational holistic nutritionist, Dr Libby, whose passion waved a wand over me…and I came up with a new dream…to be a childrens nutritionist! So I set off to Sydney, and here I am…about to begin my training in Feb 2012. I still nanny, I currently nurse at Sydney Children’s Hospital, and I’m so excited about the next few years of my life! Phew…what a story!
What do you love about working in childcare?
Children are so free! They have amazing imaginations, they say the cutest things, they play amazing games, and just live in the moment! It is fun, isn’t it!
Children are amazingly brave. They are so much better at being sick then adults! Everyday I see kids with incredible spirit and spark. They blow me away…wow! It’s humbling to work with sick kids, and yes it’s often heartbreaking.
I really want to help children and their families with nutrition…it’s fascinating! I love it. My belly has a fire burning in it…there are many amazing people already out there with the same mindset, and they inspire me. Dr Libby Weaver, Dr Alan Greene, The Real Food Chef, Joe the Juicer…just to name a few…I follow them all on twitter….join me, naynaygirl and lets start a revolution!
What do you like to do when you’re not caring for the children or working?
I love to keep healthy…by walking and doing yoga and cooking! I enjoy spending time with friends, and family..and exploring Sydney! I’m looking forward to a trip home to NZ for Christmas though!
Can you share a favorite recipe, craft idea or activity to make/ do with children?
GREEN SMOOTHIES! I can’t emphasize enough how much we need our greens! They are an endless supply of nutrients…which help our digestive system regulate, takes loads of our livers (they get such a battering with alcohol, caffeine, and fatty foods)…and help our eyes to sparkle, our skin to become clear, and our hair to shine! And we all LOVE that! And this time of the year we put our bodies through quite a bit with parties and catch up’s.
The best news is kids love them too! I know they are green, and they sound daunting…but trust me, they have been the best change in my diet I have ever made! There is a fabulous book called The Green Smoothie Revolution, by Victoria Boutenko. Victoria explains in great detail all the benefits of green smoothies. Dr Libby got me onto them…and I havnt looked back!
Kids love to make smoothies too, let them help chop and throw things in the blender.
- 1 banana, 1 pear and a handful of spinach is all that is needed…
- throw it into the blender with a cup of water and blend away!
- I sometimes use an apple, or a mango, or a kiwifruit…blueberries (although beware they make it a brown colour!!)
- To help encourage the kids to drink it, put it in a dark cup so they can’t see the colour. I havn’t yet met a kid who doesn’t enjoy them.
Best of all they are dairy free!
What would be the best advice you could share with our members about parenthood/ childcare or life in general?
Let children be children. Don’t put expectations on them. If they don’t want to finish their meal, don’t make a big deal of it. All too often I see kids that feel like little failures because they can’t achieve what is expected of them. Talk to them, ask them how they are feeling, let them express their feelings, and make sure that they know they are loved, just the way they are.
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