About me

Ever since I was a young child, I was drawn to caring for babies and other children. One of my earliest experiences was in a church, where my dad was minister! I would take the young ones to a little room and I would sing songs and play games with them. I was only 10 years old but it just felt natural and that feeling never faded. I left home and came to the United States as an Au Pair seeking better opportunity and a brighter future than I would have found in South Africa, and the rest is history as they say. I don't regret any part of my decision to work in childcare. It has been the most rewarding element of my life's journey thus far and has helped me in countless ways to mature and continue to grow as an individual.

My dad worked as a minister in various churches and as a Chaplain for the South African Police Service. My mom stayed home to raise my older brother and I. My brother was born with hydrocephalus and survived open head surgery as an infant. He beat the odds and is now a high-functioning adult who holds a job, can drive and take care of his basic needs. He lives with my parents in South Africa.
I finished high school but my we did not have enough money for me to attend college full time so I started a little catering business from my mom’s kitchen and saved every cent I could until I was able to enroll in the Au Pair program and come to the USA.

I started work as an Au Pair for the Blades family in Lexington, Kentucky in June 2005. I moved with the family to Cleveland, Ohio in August 2006 and finished my contract with them in July 2007. We traveled extensively in the United States and went on vacation to Barbados in 2006. I was extremely thankful for my time with this family and enjoyed being able to visit so many different places.

I started working full-time for a family in Cleveland, Ohio in June 2008. I moved with them to Rowayton, Connecticut in August 2014 and stayed with them till November 2016. Their little boy was just 4 months old when I started working for them and their baby girl was born in November 2013. When Graham was 6 months old, he had his first allergic reaction to a vaccination. His dad and I rushed him to the ER and he was given epinephrine to stop the anaphylaxis. He had a similar reaction to macaroni and cheese at 8 months old and after seeing an allergist, it was discovered that he was severely allergic to dairy and eggs. I was tasked with learning all I could about his allergies and ensuring that I prepared safe snacks and meals for him. I became adept at egg and dairy-free cooking and baking for him as well as for the entire family.

I now personally follow a vegan diet and am constantly working on new recipes and whipping up vegan baked goods and meals at home and for friends. But I am also good at preparing family style meals and baked goods with any variety of ingredients.
I was very sad to leave this family but with schedule changes, I could no longer commit to the over 60-hour week they required from me.

I then started full-time work for a family in December 2016 and will be leaving them at the end of November 2018. They no longer require full-time hours so unfortunately I could not stay with them.

I was registered through Erin’s Nanny Agency in Cleveland, Ohio and I often worked as a weekend nanny to various families from 2008 to 2014.
I was an overnight baby nurse to the Gellar twins for a few months in 2013 and I worked periodically for the Haas family as their weekend nanny from 2008 to 2013. I recently worked as an overnight baby nurse to the Galperin/ Kuebbing twins in New Haven, Connecticut and I still nanny on the weekends as needed.

Besides my love for working with children, I also enjoy baking, cooking, running, hiking, cycling and basically any type of outdoor physical activity. I enjoy traveling, exploring and learning about new places and would consider myself a very adventurous person. I'm not easily intimidated by anything and tend to enjoy challenges, whether personal or relating to work. I also enjoy listening to music, reading and watching movies especially independent.