NYC Nanny Profile: Oris Antoine

Name:

Oris Antoine 

Seeks:

a childcare job

Experience:

7 years experience: newborns, toddlers and school-age kids 

Training:

Baby nurse course, at the Baby nurse club (UES). CPR training

Strengths:

Organized, nurturing, creative, reliable, cooking, flexible, assertive, great communication skills

References:

Two

Quote:

"I love being a nanny, I love kids and a job filled with beautiful moments where you’re actually helping a little person grow up and discover the world. I also help children in their social, emotional, and intellectual development. Being a nanny you are expected to provide safe, personalized care for a family's precious one/s and interact with the child/children in a safe environment. I also love cooking nutritious meals for them, walks in the park, play-dates, museum visits etc."

To schedule an interview:

Please email us @ thenannytimebomb@gmail.com. and type 'Oris' in the subject. 

Disclaimer:

The Nanny (tmb) is not paid for this service. All Nannies profiled here are presumed to be truthful, documented, experienced childcare workers. Please check all references and paperwork, and conduct a full background and Police check. The Nanny (tmb) is not responsible for the behavior, attitudes or professional responsibilities of featured Nannies. Our recommendation is always to use a professional childcare agency or service when sourcing a Nanny. All Nannies featured on this blog are not affiliated with The Nanny (tmb) or the author. Nannies are advised to be cautious when meeting new employers. We recommend Nannies and prospective employers initially meet in a public space.  The Nanny (tmb) is not responsible for the behavior, attitudes or actions of employers sourced through this free and open service. 

Weekend Reads: Sharon Stone sued by former Nanny

photo not associated with article below or Huffington Post

Actress Sharon Stone is the target of a lawsuit from a former live-in nanny alleging derogatory slurs, false accusations of stealing and termination without cause.

The complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Wednesday, alleges that in 2010, Stone began subjecting Erlinda Elemen to slurs about her Filipino heritage, accent, food and Christian religion. The lawsuit also says that Stone requested Elemen stop talking to the children so that they wouldn't "talk like you."

Stone is also accused of ridiculing Elemen for attending church, and once forbidding her from reading the Bible in the actress' home.

The lawsuit alleges that things got worse for Elemen in January 2011. Stone paid her overtime for working during holidays and traveling, but the complaint says she later accused the nanny of "stealing" by accepting the overtime pay. After Elemen complained and refused to return the pay, Stone began reducing her hours and berating her in front of other staff. By the next month, Elemen was fired for no reason, the lawsuit says.

Elemen, a Filipino immigrant and U.S. legal resident, began working for the actress in 2006. She was promoted to head nanny of Stone's household in 2008, which means Elemen became a live-in caretaker for all three of Stone's children and traveled with them when necessary.

Elemen is represented by Los Angeles attorney Solomon Gresen. "Because abuses in overtime pay are common for household employees, it seems ironic that Ms. Stone initially did the right thing and paid Mrs. Elemen overtime wages, and then terminated her for accepting those same wages," said Gresen in a statement announcing the lawsuit.

Speaking through her lawyer, Elemen, 52, told The Huffington Post that she came to the U.S. in 1998 and has worked in child care since. While employed by Stone, she helped support her two children and two grandchildren in Singapore and the Philippines. After being terminated by the actress, Elemen was only able to find sporadic work and has been unable to send money to her family.

Upon reviewing the filed complaint, Aquilina Soriano, executive director of the Pilipino Workers Center in Los Angeles, praised Elemen for having the courage to sue her former employer.

"It is very common that domestic workers are put down because it's in the realm of servantry," said Soriano to The Huffington Post. "I think it's really great that she is filing a case, because a lot of times people are too afraid to file a case against these things."

"I think there is discrimination against the Filipino accent, and we've seen it in other cases ... if it were a French accent, it probably won't have been seen as a negative," Soriano said.

In response to the complaint, Stone's representatives released this statement to The Huffington Post:

This is an absurd lawsuit that has been filed by a disgruntled ex-employee who is obviously looking to get money any way she can. After she was terminated approximately 1½ years ago, she filed claims for alleged disability and workers' compensation. Now, she is obviously looking for another opportunity to cash in. This is a frivolous lawsuit for absurd claims that are made-up and fabricated. Sharon Stone will be completely vindicated in court.

Stone is a model, actress and producer. Her most well-known work includes the 1992 feature film "Basic Instinct" and 1995's "Casino." She also had a recurring role on the television show "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" in 2010.

Stone has three adopted sons. She and former husband Phil Bronstein adopted in 2000 while still married, and she adopted two more on her own in 2005 and 2006.

This isn't Stone's first conflict with household help. In 1997, housekeeper Socorro del Carmen pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property from Stone's home. She was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution.

Below, a copy of the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Wednesday. 

Elemen v. Stone - Complaint 5.23.12


SOURCE CREDIT: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/23/sharon-stone-sued-former-nanny_n_1541108.html
All rights reserved: Huffington Post 2012

Friday Fluff: Kendra Wilkinson's Son Hank Has A Hair Raising Experience

Television personality Kendra Wilkinson and her NFL playing hubby Hank Baskett's sweet son Hank Baskett IV was spotted enjoying the sun at Brandon's Village park with his grandmother in Calabasas, Calif. on Monday (May 21).

After a quick jaunt down the slide, it looks like Hank's curly locks picked up some static electricity along the way!

It looks like Kendra has another reality TV program coming out titled Kendra On Top, which she claims will accurately portray the real Kendra.

The former Playboy pinup states she wants to be an empowering role model to women, which is why she opted to leave her longtime E! network and board the WE TV network.

“WE TV represents women and empowering women, and I am so very happy to be a part of all that because I feel like it is time," she reveals. " I’m a woman now and it is time to break out of that shell and have fun and show everyone that it is okay to be a working mom and wife and still step out and be hot.”

“It’s like the book 50 Shades of Grey," she adds. "I think my show has a similar theme to that."

Photos: AKM-GSI

SOURCE CREDIT: http://celebritybabyscoop.com/2012/05/22/kendra-wilkinsons-son-hank-has-a-hair-raising-experience

Thursday Interview: Sarah Pekkanen NYT best selling author of THESE GIRLS

Sarah Pekkanen is the internationally-bestselling author of THESE GIRLS, SKIPPING A BEAT, and THE OPPOSITE OF ME. A former journalist, she lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her family. Nanny X conducted this interview exclusively for The Nanny (tmb) 2012.

Sarah ... would you give us a very quick over view of what THESE 

GIRLS is about?

Cate, Renee, and Abby have come to New York for very different reasons, and in a bustling city of millions, they are linked together through circumstance and chance. Cate has just been named the features editor of Gloss, a high-end lifestyle magazine. It's a professional coup, but her new job comes with more complications than Cate ever anticipated, including resentment from colleagues who wonder if Cate's talent earned her the promotion, or whether her good looks dazzled the flirtatious editor-in-chief.  Cate's roommate Renee will do anything to nab the plumb job of beauty editor at Gloss. 

To engage readers, the magazine decides to have the candidates interact on-line through social media before selecting the winner. But snide Internet comments about Renee's weight send her into an emotional tailspin. Soon she is taking black market diet pills - despite the racing heartbeat and trembling hands that signal she's heading for real danger. Then there’s Abby, who they take in as a third roommate, and who, like the other two women, is also hiding a secret.  

Once a joyful graduate student who worked as a live-in nanny while she studied to become a teacher, Abby abruptly fled what seemed to be a happy life in the D.C. suburbs. No one knows what shattered Abby – or why she left everything she once loved behind.  Pekkanen’s most compelling, true-to-life novel yet tells the story of three very different women as they navigate the complications of careers and love – and find the lifeline they need in each other.

The character of Abby is of particular interest to our audience. Why did you create her? Where did she come from?

I have three kids, so I wanted a character who is deeply involved with children because so much of my own life revolves around little ones. Giving Abby a job as a nanny made sense, and many of the emotions she experiences - the exhaustion of schlepping grocery bags and a cranky child home from running errands, the tenderness toward a sleeping child who looks like an angel - are my own. I really felt for Abby, who became a second mother to little Annabelle, and I've since heard from some former nannies that saying good-bye to the children they came to love were among the most painful experiences of their lives. 

Did you research women who were graduate nannies?

I tend to do a good bit of research for my novels, but not for my characters - they need to spring up organically in my mind. So although I did things like get an early-morning, behind the scenes tour of a top New York glossy magazine's headquarters as background for the workplace for Cate and Renee, Abby is purely fictional. 

What is your connection to NYC?

I adore New York! I go there every few months for meetings with my publisher or agent, so it's a city I've come to know a bit. I grew up in the D.C. area and still live here, so although I adore traveling, I don't know many other places well. It's fun to set books in my hometown and New York - and every time I visit the Big Apple, I discover new restaurants or parks to weave into my books.

Female solidarity appears to be a strong theme in THESE GIRLS. How vital do you think a woman's network of friendships are? 

Incredibly important, especially if someone comes from a broken or damaged family. Friends can become the family we choose! 

Do the ways in which women connect with friends differ to that of men? 

Yes, because men are socialized differently. I think it's changing now, but men generally used to be discouraged from talking about their feelings - whereas women often bond by talking about their feelings! Most men I know tend to share activities, whereas my women friends and I try to get together just to have marathon talks over a glass or two of wine.

Where can we get your book? 

At bookstores everywhere, as well as online. My books, along with my two short estories, are also available for e-readers like Kindle and Nook. 

http://www.sarahpekkanen.com/the-books/these-girls

http://www.amazon.com/These-Girls-Novel-Sarah-Pekkanen/dp/1451612540

Wednesday Opinion: Park Slope Parents, hypocrites or just easy targets?

By Nanny X (c) 2012 all rights reserved

If you repost please provide a source link back to this site

What is it about Park Slope parents that incurs the wrath of the New York media? Whether it be a sneering filler in New York Magazine: 

"The ice-cream-vendor controversy might have just overtaken the Israeli-hummus controversyas the most ridiculous controversy to come out of Park Slope this year. Sure, the Park Slope Food Co-op took a vote on whether to vote on banning Israeli foodstuffs, but the parents of the Park Slope Parents list-serv have one-upped them: After their initial online discussion of howice-cream vendors were ruining the neighborhood with their tempting, evil wares (and perhaps should be banned) prompted much Park Slope–parent mockery, they've decided to take away their own sweet treat." 1.

... or an outright belly jab from the New York Post: 

"Overprotective Park Slope parents have declared war on a treasured rite of spring: an ice cream in the park... But not all parents in brownstone Brooklyn’s politically correct bastion are so hot and bothered." 2

... or a sanctimonious lecture from the Daily News:

"They're wealthy, socially conscious and obsessed with their kids — but many Park Slopers aren’t following the law when it comes to their nannies." 3.

... or this opportunist slash by Gothamist: 

"Extra, Extra: Park Slope Parents Are Screwing Their Nannies" 4

One is left bewildered as to why such a charming community irks so many editors? Is it 'neighborhood envy' or does the loathing go deeper? Whatever it is, the sarcastic tones in even this New York Times piece are unavoidable.  

“The Park Slope Food Coop, in Brooklyn, is known for its rules: organic and non-organic products must not touch; long vegetables must be displayed lying parallel to the aisles. But perhaps no rule is more sacred than the requirement that to shop at the co-op, each member must volunteer a certain amount of time there, typically 2 hours and 45 minutes every four weeks... So the allegation by a Park Slope blog last week that some members were sending their nannies to fulfill their work shifts has raised eyebrows and debate among the granola-and-strollers set of greater Park Slope, and smug satisfaction among those who would rather go to Key Food.” 5

The latest outrageous scandal of course is to do with an alleged injustice of 44% of Park Slope Nannies not being paid their 'over-time'. What vile hypocritical capitalist pigs these Park Slope employers must be, after all, they provoked the reputable labor union, the DWU to protests. 

Only that wasn't the full story. In fact very few publishers attempted to offer their readers a genuine and truthful account. I decided to get my information directly so I contacted Dr. Susan Fox, founder of the Park Slope Parents (PSP) and this was her response: 

"Park Slope Parents and the DWU are working together to educate employers about the laws. It is because the Park Slope neighborhood is one that is socially conscious and tries to do right by the nanny employees that we were chosen as a prototype to educate. PSP and the DWU (as well as other organizations) have met on numerous occasions to make the working relationship for both nannies and employers stronger and in line with current laws. We posted about the rally and support it. It's actually the media who tries to make this into an "us vs. them" situation instead of one where lack of education is at the root of the situation rather than malicious attempts to "stiff" nannies." 6

So the PSP collective commissioned the original survey amongst their members to raise awareness around the issue of 'over-time'. Apparently their members responded and considering the % of non-payers, they responded honestly. In fact when the headlines broke last week I remember reading about the hourly childcare rates being paid by PSP's and thinking 'wow that's more than a lot of Manhattan Nannies get'. It also occurred to me that disclosure was a good thing and that maybe PSP's were seeking to expose over-time non-payment in accordance with the law. 

The truth or the real facts do not seem to matter to some however and the sheer number of editorial attacks on the Park Slope community has convinced me that there is something deeper sustaining the negative interest. 

the image or people pictured are not represented in this article

PSP's tend to be nice people. They're hard-working parents and they live in beautiful brownstones along leafy, broad, non-congested streets. Their borough's parks, beer festivals, locally produced artisan foods, street fairs and music venues seem better than ours (Manhattan). True we do have the equivalent trendy neighborhoods like the East Village but there's nothing like the feeling of being in Brooklyn. 

More poignantly PSP's demonstrate that one can have it all: principles, family, fun and a sustainable urban lifestyle. 

So Eds ... please stop bashing the PSP's or the Hipsters or any other non-conformist group you decide to deride. Where ever they live, it's time to give socially responsible New York parents a break and go after some real villains .... like the players in Wall St who gambled with our tax dollars and don't give a damn. 

Footnotes:

1. http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/04/park-slope-parents-have-nobly-banned-their-own-favorite-treat.html

2. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/slopers_creamy_river_lcaxb1lj4D0SHqo4f2K3GO

3. http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-05-14/news/31703934_1_nannies-domestic-workers-bill-rights-group

4. http://gothamist.com/2012/05/15/extra_extra_2262.php

5. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/nyregion/18coop.html?ref=parkslopefoodcoop
6. Dr Susan Fox, Park Slope Parents, 2012

Tuesday Childcare Trends: Park Slope parents hit the news again.

this photograph was web sourced and the people shown

are not in any way associated with the material or article below

"They're wealthy, socially conscious and obsessed with their kids — but many Park Slopers aren’t following the law when it comes to their nannies. So says a worker’s rights group, which is singling out the Brooklyn neighborhood for a re-education campaign on the domestic workers bill of rights.

The state law, which says sitters are entitled to overtime and paid days off like most other full-time employees, took effect in 2010. But Domestic Workers United points out that a survey by Park Slope Parents shows 44% of families don’t pay time and a half if their sitter works more than 40 hours a week." 

tconnor@nydailynews.com

SOURCE: New York Daily News 2012

Once again Park Slope parents find themselves in the news. Not too long ago the tabloids were abuzz with lurid tales of celeb hipster parents sending their nannies to labor in their stead at the local food coops. The latest demonstrations by the DWU in Brooklyn has re-ignited a popular media past time of 'Hipster Bashing'. 

At the NTB we try to be objective on all matters childcare, so we decided to give Park Slope parents an opportunity to present their side of the story - as a community. Tomorrow we give their take on what appears to be a vendetta against happy, healthy, wealthy and socially conscious people from Brooklyn. 

By Nanny X (c) 2012

Source links: 

http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/working_on_maggie_farm_xvdQggXZrKu2rBPNUijmiJ

http://blackandbrownnews.com/2012/01/09/domestic-workers-allegedly-used-to-cover-member-shifts-at-bk-food-coop/