The Nanny Tribe

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What’s The Secret To Finding The Perfect Nanny

Hello, Tribe!

Can you believe the middle of summer is already here!   The 4TH of July just passed us by like a bolt of lightning.  Chris and I decided because the holiday was in the middle of the week, that we would stay home and indulge in some comfort food and a relaxing afternoon.

I made some yummy vegetarian crockpot chili, relaxed on the couch, and read a great book.  It was amazing!  I’ll have to share my chili recipe in the future as it is so yummy, easy, and quick to make. Perfect for a lazy day.

The Nanny Manual

The book I read “The Nanny Manual”  was incredible! Of course I am always researching and continuously trying to educate myself to improve my business skills and The Nanny Tribe.

A few weeks ago I received an email asking if I ever have guest bloggers on my site?  I have not yet, until today!  The Author of “The Nanny Manual” Alyce Desrosiers has offered a little informational blog for The Nanny Tribe to help members like you when you are in search of a nanny. Even though I do most of the steps in finding a nanny when using my service, this book is not only about that.  It also gives you incredible information on how to manage your nanny.  Tips like: How to communicate with your nanny, what to ask in an interview, how to prepare in case of an emergency. Alyce explains how to manage situations like the difference between what mom expects on a daily basis and how the nanny understands those expectations.

My favorite part about this book was the short stories throughout the chapters.  Each story is about an individual nanny or parent with an everyday predicament.  The stories range from a dad who feels left out in decisions with the nanny, to a nanny who doesn’t feel fulfilled in her job as a nanny.  They are about real people and real situations, which can help you understand that you’re not alone in your concerns about the little things, that turn in to big things, when having a nanny in your home.

With that Alyce has been so kind to write up a little information for The Nanny Tribe to help parents like you during your part of the process of finding a perfect nanny.

 

 How to Go About the Process of Hiring a Nanny

 

4 Tips for Parents to Do It Right!

 

Experts agree that nannies can provide safe, responsible and loving care for children but hiring the right nanny means going through a thoughtful and informed search.

 

Here are 4 tips to do it right!

 

#1. Know before you go

 

  • Determine the hours/days you need care. Don’t’ forget those additional hours on evenings and weekends!
  • Check your childcare budget to match current hourly rates. Remember that nannies are hourly wage employees and must be paid for all hours worked, including overtime.
  • Determine the amount and kind of childcare experience you require.
  • Set realistic expectations about responsibilities and prioritize these.
  • Set clear conditions of employment: CPR/First Aid certification, TB test clearance, Tdap and MMR vaccinations, a valid driver’s license, clean driving record and criminal background check clearance.
  • Start the process early to give yourself enough time. It can take 4-6 weeks to hire a nanny.

#2. Go through a thoughtful and informed hiring process

 

  • Get the word out to friends, colleagues, mother’s groups and online.
  • Do a thorough screening.
  • Interview 4-5 qualified candidates and then a 2nd interview with the two best candidates.
  • Go through a 1 to 2-week trial / training period with your best candidate.
  • Write, review, approve and sign a contract with your nanny.

#3. Establish a Standard of Care and Best Practices

 

  • Create a ‘Rules of the House’ policy statement on safety and communication.
  • Establish a policy on the use of social media and privacy.
  • Train your nanny on how to handle medical emergencies.

 

#4. Create a collaborative working relationship with your nanny

 

  • Recognize that nannies create relationships with parents and with the children they care for.
  • If the nanny-parent relationship is healthy then good care happens.
  • Remember these 3 key points: Collaborate, Communicate and Compensate a livable wage!

 

The Nanny Manual is a comprehensive guide for parents hiring a nanny. It includes checklists, forms and a step-by-step process to hire the right nanny. Beyond this, it is about the parent-nanny relationship, encouraging parents to use their heart, soul and mind when going through the hiring process. Checklists, forms and sample contracts are available for download: https://www.tiffan.org

I hope these tips can be a great start to guiding you to find your perfect nanny.  Please pick up your own copy of “The Nanny Manual” today!

The Nanny Tribe is always hungry for education.  If you have any information to educate us about this post please email us or visit our forum and teach us what you know.

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ARF

Hello Tribe,

The Summer break has officially kicked off.  I am sure by now that most of you mom and dads have figured out what the kiddos are doing for the summer?  During the last few weeks I have been doing a lot of research on summer activities and local play locations for children in the East Bay.  There is one thing about the bay area, and that is, there is no lack of summer camps for our children, or play areas to go to.  The Contra Costa community is incredibly family friendly and has created this abundance of youth programs for children and safe places to play outdoors.

ARF Summer Programs

Animal Rescue foundation

In the process of my research on summer camps, one program in particular stood out to me the most.  I’m not sure if you know this but, I am a huge animal lover.  I would have a huge farm for free range rescue animals if I could. Which is why the ARF  (Animal Rescue Foundation) summer program caught my eye.  I had never heard of it before and I was excited that they offered a summer program for children and families.  The summer programs called Camp ARF for kids is not the only type of program they offer. Other options include, Birthday parties, Scouts and group, All ears reading, Canine courage, School programs, Student projects, Family programs and, Youth volunteering. Its incredible that all these programs are available for our youth community.

Tony La Russa

ARF was founded by the manager Tony La Russa of Oakland Athletics.  When a kitty was dashing across the field looking for food, the team Oakland A’S scrambled around the field to collect her.  After an exhausting ordeal the team finally coaxed her into the dugout.  After the Game in 1990 Mr. La Russa and his wife Elaine took this kitty under their wings after the game with the hope to find a “safe haven” for her.  Their search for a home for Evie the kitty led their huge love and advocacy for animals into starting ARF.  A rescue program for dogs and cats with a no option to be euthanized.

The Impact Animals Have On Children

There are a huge amount of studies of the positive impact on children with pets living in their home. These impacts include, teaching children empathy and help reduce anxiety.  When a child has a pet living in their home it gives the child an opportunity to have nonjudgmental being to communicate with, also teaching a child to love unconditionally.  A pet does not necessarily have to be a dog or cat.  Other types of great in home pets may include ducks, rodents, rabbits, and horses.  I recently read an article which of course led me to a study on the positive impact animals can have on children.  The world can be a scary place for them.  As parents we can’t help to think why our children are being put into these scary situations?  How do we help our children through these situations if they occur?  How do we prevent them from happening?  Could having a pet in your home help a child’s emotional well being, or help the world be a less scary place?  It can create an opportunity to teach a child how to communicate, or find an outlet if they have anxiety.  Having a bunny may help a child who needs stress reduction, or even just needs a sense of unconditional love?  Interesting situations to think about.  If you are not in the position to have a pet in your home, there is also the option to visit a place like ARF or the humane society, to give your child the opportunity to bond with animals.

ARF Summer Camp

Keeping all that information in mind.  If you still have some weeks your are looking to fill for the kiddos, consider ARF.  With so many reasons on why animals can positively impact your children.   You can also help ARF save our cats and dogs.  This also gives these animals the attention they deserve from children in the program.  There is no question this summer program all around is a fantastic choice.

Some things to help you consider ARF are:  They have options for all ages.  With age groups split up by grades in school. Groups include grade TK-K, grade 1-2, grade 3-5, grade 6-8, grade 9-12.   ARF also has an option for Scholarship and financial aid.  You can find the form on AFRs website.

Happy Summer Families

The Nanny Tribe is always hungry for education.  If you have information to educate us about this post please email us or visit our forum and teach us what you know!

 

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Summer, Summer, Summer Time

Hello Tribe,

Summer as we all know, is rapidly approaching.  This means VACATION, no car pool, no packing lunches, easier mornings!!  During this three month “break,” life is supposed to be easier and slower.  But, is it?  Your mind may be focused on your vacation to Florida or a camping trip in Oregon, but have you figured out what you are doing for the other 2 months of the summer?

There are many options to consider when it comes to summer care for your children.  Summer camp, sports camp, acting camp, sleep away camp.  Have a nanny come in. Staying home by themselves is also a scary option.  Switching days of the week staying at friends houses.

You and your children have so many choices on how they will spend their summer.  Of course most teen kids are going to want to stay at home all day by themselves.  The prospect of sleeping in and playing video games all day, eating what ever they want.  Yes that does sound amazing right?  Not Right!  It is terrifying!

It’s Time To Make A Plan!

The only way to go into this 3 month time frame is, to go in with a plan.  I would recommend to get the calendar out and sit down with your child.  Pull out the camp catalog for your neighborhood and see what interest them or the activities they want to do. Write them down!  Have a daily plan of how they will spend each day.  If you have more than one child, I suggest doing this separately.  This gives each child the opportunity to decided on their own how they want to spend their summer.  It also helps create a sense of independence for each child.

Now that you have made camp plans, do you notice that most summer camps are not all day camps.  Even the ones that say “All Day Camp”  they start at 9:00 and end at 4:00.  What will the kiddos do before and after camp?  How do they get to and from each day?  Another situation is, the cost of summer camps can add up.  If you have more than one child, you can spend up to $600-$1000 a week.

What To Do With The Gap Hours?

What are Gap Hours you ask?  Gap Hours are the times the kids are not in school or camp, and you are still at work! We all know that childcare is a little pricey, but we want to give our children everything we can to make them happy.  Also we want to keep them busy so they do not get into trouble.

So, where do you go from here?  You have a few options to think about.  Of course, my number one recommendation is finding a nanny.  To have someone who you trust, who cares for your kids, and provides a safe environment. This is a lot less stress than having your kids home alone for hours at a time. A nanny is able to fill in all those gap hours when you don’t have them in camps or play dates.  During the school year for after school care.

I am finding that more families are interested in having a nanny, but the cost of a full time nanny can add up.  Most nannies are able to care for up to 3 children, depending obviously on their experience.  If your kids are just wanting to hang for the summer with their friends, I recommend looking into a nanny share.  This can bring the cost for each child down by breaking up the total cost of care between the families.  This not only gives the children the opportunity to stay at home for the summer, it also opens up the types of activities and destinations they do on any given day.  This type of summer care is also great for families who have two children, with one child who is still too young to go to day care or summer camp.

Here’s An Idea!

An other option to fill in time is, invite the grandparents to stay with you for a week at a time.  It’s always nice to give your children the opportunity to spend time with family.  How about an older cousin?

Also you can schedule with a few of the neighborhood friends, play dates.  One day a week mom or dad can take a day off from each family and care for all the kids on their designated day.

It’s time to get creative with your child’s summer.  One thing we do not want, is let them get bored!  Lets keep those kids busy!

The Nanny Tribe is always hungry for education.  If you have any summer activities or ideas for other parents, please email us or visit our forum and teach us what you know!

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Gardening for the kiddos

Hello Tribe,

Spring is on our horizon!
It can be an amazing and educational experience for your child to watch nature at its finest.  As our weather warms, flowers start to bloom and fruit begins to blossom.  This means its the time of year to start your garden.  Did you know that it is so incredibly easy to grow vegetables in pots?  Living an urban life does not mean we have to give up the joys of nature.  It is so fun and rewarding to garden with the kiddos. What a great experience for them to to watch a vegetable they planted grow from a seed.  I love to give this educational experience to a child so they can understand the simplicity of how nature works.  From the beginning steps of putting a small seed into dirt, to farming, then putting it on their plate.

We planted our first seeds on Sunday.  I am sure like most of our urban families we have a very small yard and have to do with what we have.  If you have even a small space in your yard or an a balcony that has at least 7-8 hours of sunlight you can grow a salad.  With it still being a little chilly outside, this is the time of the season to pant seeds indoors then transplant them outside when it warms.

For the first 6-8 weeks all you need is an egg carton, dirt, seeds, water, sun, and love.  Most hardware supply stores will only supply seeds that grow in your region.  Being new to the neighborhood, I asked to make sure.  The lady at the counter gave me a weird look when I asked, and Chris says ” She just wants to make sure she doesn’t get hosed!”  haha,  Just a little garden humor.

We planted 2 kinds of tomatoes, sugar snap peas, romain lettuce, bib lettuce, and zucchini.  All of these vegetables can be grown in pots or small planter beds.  I found a very educational page on pinterest about how to grow vegetables in containers.

 

Heres What You Need:

I prefer to grow organically, so the products we used are only on preference.

 

These Are Your First Steps

  1. Fill egg carton with dirt
  2. Place seeds in dirt according to package depth
  3. Make signs for each vegetable, place in according seed placment
  4. Water lightly
  5. Place in sun
  6. Water daily
  7. Give lots of love

Its still a little cold so we placed some ceran wrap over the carton to keep some warmth in.

Enjoy this process with the kids. This project not only gives them excitement of looking forward to something every day, but also educates them on where our food comes from.  They also get to enjoy something they grew on their own and eat it.

I will update you as The Nanny Tribes garden grows.  I will also try to help teach your family step by step how to grow your own urban garden.

Good luck and happy growing!

The Nanny Tribe is always hungry for education.  Please email us or visit  our forum to help us grow.

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Dinner On Your Door Step

Hello Tribe,

Living in the suburbs of a big city, means commuting.   Chris and I live a 50 minute BART ride to The City.  With that it makes for a 10 hour work day, if not longer.  When away from home for almost half the day, how does a family maintain a healthy, creative, well balanced meals during the week.

Food prep and meal planning is my go to. On the other hand sometimes I do not even want to bother with that.  Food prep takes time and well… if you don’t have it? Its time for a little  help.

Meals on Wheels

There are so many options out there to help your family have a home cooked meal that are creative, and nutritious.  With numerous options of home delivery pre-prepped meal services. (Meals on wheels as we call it in our house)  I would  like to mention a few that have stood out to me.

The number one rated meal service right now is Home Chef.  The meals they offer are adventurous and wholesome.  At $9.95 per serving Home chef is one of the more affordable meal delivery services.

The food they offer is of good variety for the price.  Although I could not find where they get their products. I prefer to know where my food is coming from.

Sun basket being the service I prefer, has  all ingredients included in delivery, making it easy to prepare.  The website includes what farms they get their ingredients from. Sun Basket is US based, use only USDA Organic, all sustainable, hormone free, antibiotic free, wild caught meats and fish.  At $11.99 a plate, it can add up, but well worth the quality of food.  I find the meals are well worth the price. Quality is a key for Sun Basket.

Blue Apron is one of the more popular services.  Starting at $8.99 a plate, they strive to remove the middle man. Products are strait from farming to your table.  This idea is wonderful, the company has full control of the quality of food and where it comes from, then delivered to your home.

 The meals they offer are creative and unique. An other perk, they offer wine.

Having a busy life does not mean you have to sacrifice the things and time that keep us healthy and happy.  If having a healthy meal is as easy as a few clicks on the key board why not give it a try.

If you have a opportunity to save time to spend with your family, TAKE IT!

 

 

The Nanny Tribe is always hungry for education. Please email us or visit our forum if you would like to feed us with knollage.

 

 

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It’s time to get outside and play

Hello Tribe

Baby it’s cold outside!

When I woke up this morning and it was 33 degrees out!  Burr.

I was doing a little light research the other day on indoor projects for kids during rainy days. I found so many fun arts and crafts, games, etc…  The interesting part of my research though was that, I came across a few short articles and studies on children who play mostly indoors.  Obviously we can not help this when it’s 33 degrees outside.  What we need to think about though is the benefits of just 15 min of outdoor play.

It may cold, but it time to bundle up and go outside!!

Being outside gives your child the freedom of endless opportunity.  Indoor play doesn’t offer the constant organic changing environment, from a bird flying over head to the wind in the trees.  Outside activities have the benefits of sunlight exposer, fresh air and, the ability to move freely to express open movement.  These elements are beneficial for bone development, stronger immune systems and, increase physical activity.  Also having other children around to stimulate and challenge one an other. This gives your child a chance to use their imagination with other children, which can help promote self-esteem and social skills.

In todays technology age, our children sit in front of a TV or video game for hours and lose the world around them.  Doing this can cause self esteem  issues. They may struggle with social skills.  Also might not give your child a chance to use their own imagination.  The simple way to avoid this is to open your front door and walk outside.

A little food for thought… When was the last time you used your imagination?  When was the last time you played kick the can, cops and robbers, princess in the tower, made a mud pie?  We work so hard to create a good life for our children.  Did you forget to have good healthy imaginative fun yourself?

Now it’s time to go outside and play!

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Does Your Child Know Simple Emergency Skills?

Hello Tribe! At what age do we teach our children how to respond to an emergency?  I read this article about a 3 year old who facetimed his grandparents when his mom passed out from a migraine in the bathroom.  He pointed the phone at his mom on the floor. Grandma and Grandpa then called 911.  This is great read because it gives you some great tips on teaching your child how, to dial 911.

When is a good age to teach our children emergency skills?

From the beginning!  Educational play is the best.  It keeps the mood light so it does not cause your child any anxiety.  You can teach them basic first aid skills at a young age.  Have a "play" first aid kit under your sink.  Teach them what everything is for.  Place pressure on an owey, or something bleeding.  Place a cold wet towel on a burn.  Lay a blanket over someone scared or in shock.  With these skills, if they were not with you, or at school, or at a friends house, and an emergency arises, they can be prepared.

What Information Does Your Child Know?

  1. How to dial 911
  2. Your phone number
  3. Emergency contact, grandparents, siblings, aunt, uncle, Godparents number
  4. How to get home from their school
  5. What their address is
  6. A meeting place near the home in case of emergency (mailbox, driveway, etc)
  7. Do they have their own cell phone
  8. Basic first aid (for children with proper training)
  9. CPR (age 9 and older)

When you have this conversation with your child, I recommend it being in a calm comfortable home environment.  This gives them the time to really ingest the importance of the conversation.  Also make it a light, or turn it into a game. Make sure they know that none of you are in any danger. Give them the opportunity to ask questions.  The only feeling a child gets in an emergency, is that of being scared.  Let them know that it's ok to be scared but, also they should know how to call for help. We want to make it so thay do not feel too scared if an emergency arises.  I would recommend this being an ongoing open conversation.  Children love to show mom and dad the things they know.   Ask them everyday "What's your address?"  "What's your phone number?"  "Show me how you dial 911 if there is an emergency." (teach this is airplane mode)  If we bring awareness to them it could save their life or someone else's.

The Nanny Tribe is always hungry for education.  If you know of some websites we can share with our Tribe members please email us.  Or go to our forum and share.

Be safe Tribe! Keep our children safe!

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Valentines Day… Hallmark Holiday Or A Reminder To Love?

Happy Valentines Day Tribe

Did you know that Valentine’s day originated on February 15th? It was a pre-roman pastoral annual festival, observed in the city of Rome. The festival was meant to avert evil spirits and purify the city, releasing health and fertility.

It kind of makes you think on how the modern day Valentines day came about. Reading this article will enlighten you a bit.  Based on some of MY research… About 1000 more babies are conceived on valentine’s day compared to an average day.  Also the amount of money spent on gifts is outrageous.  Pretty interesting right?

In this day and age, Valentines day reminds us for one day a year to love each other more, give gifts and, have sex?  Why does a specified day draw more attention to LOVE / LOVE MAKING?

Hallmark holiday? Or a reminder?  I’ll use my experience as an example.

Chris came home yesterday with a box of chocolates and a stuffed Mini Mouse doll.  My first thought was, Oh how sweet.  Second thought, what the heck am I, a 37 year old woman going to do with a stuffed animal?  Hug it? Sleep with it?  Third, I told him the day before I finally lost the 10 “love pounds” I gained since we got together.  So, a box of chocolates?  Did I get upset with him because he obviously bought last minute gifts, just to make me feel loved?  No because it was sweet of him, but YES, because he obviously has not been listening to me.  So, why did he feel the need to BUY me gifts?  Most likely he thought that was what he thought would make me happy.  He just added to the statistic.  What I really wanted, was time with him.  I would of preferred to go for a walk with him or have turned the TV off during dinner.

I am not trying to complain about my love life.  Chris is amazing!  What I am doing is giving an example of a Hallmark holiday cliche!  How did a 15th century celebration of purification, health and, fertility turn into a day where we feel the need to spend money on our loved ones.  The only ritual that seems to be originated from Valentines day is the baby making part of the festival.

Hope you all had a beautiful modern day Valentines Day Tribe!

 

 

 

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Have some milk with your cookies!

I struggled with having enough milk at times when I was breast feeding my oldest daughter.  I came across a few lactation cookie recipes, but didn’t really like the way they turned out.  So I decided to combine them and make one of my own.  These cookies are delicious – and I mean delicious.  You will have a hard time only having one.  But the good thing is that they are packed with good stuff, so you don’t have to feel guilty about having 3 or 4.

I often have friends who have requested these cookies from me, and I make them for all my friends who are new moms that are breastfeeding.  They really work.

Print

Lactation cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Author Brianna Lane

Ingredients

  • 3 cups steel cut/ old fashioned oatmeal
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 cups brown sugar
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup salted butter
  • 4 tbsp water
  • 4 tbsp Brewers Yeast
  • 2 tbsp Flaxseed Meal
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2-4 tbsp chia seeds
  • 2-4 tbsp hemp seeds
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 2 eggs

Instructions

  1. Preparation time is around 15-20  minutes.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  3. Mix together 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal and water, set aside for 3-5 minutes.
  4. Cream (beat well) butter and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mix well.
  5. Stir flaxseed mixture and add with vanilla to the butter mix. Beat until blended.
  6. Sift together dry ingredients, except oats and chips.
  7. Add to butter mixture. Stir in oats then chips.
  8. Scoop or drop onto baking sheet. The dough is a little crumbly, it might be easier if you use a scoop- I just use a spoon- no need to get too  fancy.

  9. Bake for 10 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen.

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MMMM, Bagels

Hello Tribe,

One of my passions in life is cooking.  When Chris and I started dating, my big brother,  who is by the way Chris’s best friend.  Yes that is so cliche, but true.   Well, he told me it would never work because Chris was a meat man and well, I’m a vegetarian.  I was up for the challenge!  At first it seemed like a part time job trying to create meals that work for our, dietary differences.  Most of the time I have to cook two separate dinners.  This can be fun, but requires a little extra time.  Food prep earlier in the week helps with this part of the challenge.  That will be a nice long post in the near future.

To get to my point.  Fast, fun, family friendly recipes will be a common conversation to find on The Nanny Tribe blog.  Today we have homemade bagels. I’ll admit when I saw this recipe I was a sceptic, because they only have 2 main ingredients.  Self rising flour and nonfat greek yogurt.  Yup that’s it!  I’ll have to tell you, I am not a baker.  I can cook, I can even BBQ, and I can chop the heck out of veggies, but when it comes to measuring a bunch of flower and sugar and milk and salt and cornstarch and, and, and,  AND THEN, adding these ingredients only at a certain times.  That is just plain annoying.  Hence I can’t bake.  This kind of baking however, is the best kind.  Fast, easy, and all in one bowl.

Are you ready for some easy bagels?  Here you go, and your welcome 😉

 

Print

Easy Everything Bagels

Author The Nanny Tribe

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup Nonfat Greek Yogurt I use Fage
  • 1 cup self rising flour
  • 1 Egg, scrambled with a touch of water
  • Pinch of salt
  • Trader Joes Everything Bagel Seaoning for the Topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450

    In a large bowl put yogurt in first add salt stir until smooth.

    Add flour and hand stir with spatula or wooden spoon. When you get a ball that can’t be stirred any more switch to your flour coated hands and start to kneed in the bowl. Fold and kneed for about 30 turns

    Cut dough in to four

    Roll out to small ropes and create a circle

    Place on oiled parchment paper

    Egg wash top of bagel with a basting brush and sprinkle topping

    Place in oven for 15-17 min till lightly browned on top

 

That is it!!  Enjoy!!