Kate Middleton’s Lucky to Have Mom Carole as George’s Live-In Nanny

dinsdag 27 augustus 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Nicole Fabian-Weber 3 hours ago

Most new moms feel most comfortable when their mom is the one looking after their baby when they're unable to. And Kate Middleton is no exception. After giving birth to Prince George, the Duchess immediately headed off to her parents' home in Bucklebury so mom Carole could lend a hand with baby duties and give her daughter some much-deserved rest. (It was even reported that Carole is the only one who can get the little prince to sleep.) And now that Kate's maternity leave is coming to an end, and it's back to the ol' grind in London, the Duke and Duchess have decided to create what's being referred to as a "granny flat" so Kate's parents can continue to help out.

Guess who's coming to dinner, Wills? Mike and Carole Middleton! Forever!

Okay, so Kate's parents aren't permanently moving in, but $1.5 million has been set aside for a two-bedroom "annex" that sits next to the Duke and Duchess' 21-bedroom home at Kensington Palace. Mike and Carole apparently already own a $1.2 million apartment in London a little over two miles away, but it's doubtful that they'd hear Baby Cambridge's cries in the middle of the night all the way over there.

Personally, I think it's perfect that Kate's parents will get a place of their own near their daughter. Clearly, the Duchess really likes her parents being around, and by having a little apartment right next door, they'll be able to help out without completely taking over Will and Kate's house. It's a win-win-win. Kate will get the help she wants. Will will still have his space. And Mike and Carole Middleton will get their third million-dollar home in England.

Did your parents "move in" or help out after you had a baby?

Image via Carmen Rodriguez/Flickr

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Nanny Yoselyn Ortega Finally Has to Answer About the Stabbing Deaths of 2 Children Left in Her Care

woensdag 14 augustus 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Kiri Blakeley 1 hour ago

Yoselyn Ortega, who is accused of killing two little children she was taking care of in her role as nanny for Marina and Kevin Krim, has been found competent to stand trial. Her lawyers had argued that she "heard voices" telling her to kill on the day of the murders, and that she was otherwise mentally unfit to help with her own defense. But the judge wasn't buying it, saying:

I feel there is clear and convincing evidence that this defendant is fit to stand trial.

Some of that evidence was jailhouse phone calls she'd made to her 17-year-old son, in which she lucidly talked about such mundane everyday tasks as his home renovations and visiting Motor Vehicles.

But her defense team argued that she cannot understand the court proceedings and cannot help her defense, saying:

I don't thinks he has the capacity to understand and discuss rationally the impact of any evidence in this case.

But now she will have to. Unless there's a plea deal, this means that Ortega will go to trial. This also means we might finally find out why the nanny, who was considered a part of the family and had even vacationed with the Krims in her native Dominican Republic, allegedly took a knife to 2-year-old Leo and 6-year-old Lucia Krim, butchering them in their own bathtub in their Manhattan home.

Of course, the WHY may never be sufficiently answered. But certainly the prosecution will state its case as to WHY, and it will probably have something to do with Ortega being mad at the Krim family, reportedly having an "epic" argument with mom Marina, and being resentful of her increased household duties.

None of that seems like a reason to murder two innocent children -- but there often isn't a good reason when people kill. And there is never a good reason when children are killed, and yet they are killed all of the time.

However, it is heartbreaking to think that the Krims may have to go through a trial -- and most likely will have to testify. Especially considering that Marina is pregnant. On the other hand, they may welcome the chance to help put their children's alleged killer behind bars.

Will you follow the trial?

Image via Splash News

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'Killer' Nanny Yoselyn Ortega’s Phone Calls to Her Son Could Be Held Against Her

dinsdag 13 augustus 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Kiri Blakeley 10 hours ago

The country was horrified and shocked when two little children were allegedly killed by the person who should have been protecting them: their nanny. Yoselyn Ortega has been in jail since that mind-numbingly awful event, and her lawyers are arguing that she is mentally unfit to stand trial. That she "heard voices" talking about killing people on the day she allegedly stabbed little Lucia and Leo Krim to death in their own bathtub.

Yet reportedly jailhouse phone calls catch her sounding lucid and chatty with relatives. Still, it's hard to fathom that a woman would suddenly stab to death her two young charges -- little children who did nothing to her and with whom she'd always had a good relationship -- without being mentally deranged.

Reportedly, Ortega has been having long conversations with her family from the jailhouse phone -- and, of course, those are recorded. They can also be used against you.

In the calls, Ortega shows that she's concerned about the money the calls cost. She also asks her son about mundane things such as going to Motor Vehicles, and about some home renovations, asking, "Did they already put [in] the tiles?" When her 17-year-old son says they're going to paint first, then put in the tiles, she responds: "Yes, because then the tiles get dirty while painting."

On the other hand, talking about tiles when you're in jail for murdering two little kids is pretty cray.

While I have strong doubts about Ortega's claims of "hearing voices," periods of lucidity and linear thinking don't necessarily negate the possibility of mental illness. A defense witness who was called to one of the hearings that will determine whether Ortega can stand trial explained, "Somebody can function in a day-to-day sense on some level but still not be competent to stand trial because of the specific nature of what [the law] demands."

It was also said that Ortega received brain damage when she slit her own throat after the children's murder -- but a doctor said it shouldn't impede her competency to stand trial.

But it's even more difficult to prove that someone didn't know right from wrong when committing a crime. My guess is if Ortega goes to trial, that will be the next tack her defense team will take. Here's my question: If Ortega was insane at the time of the crime, wouldn't anyone have noticed she was insane? The Krims don't look like people who wouldn't have a clue about this.

Whether Ortega heard voices or not, my guess is we will never know the true reason behind why she allegedly did what she did.

Do you think she is insane?

Image via Splash News

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Nanny Says Mom Beat Her Up When She Tried to Stop Her From Driving Drunk With Child (VIDEO)

donderdag 18 juli 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Kiri Blakeley 3 hours ago

A mom of two is accused of beating up her nanny. She allegedly attacked her, grabbed her neck, pulled her hair, threw her to the ground, and tried to punch her. Sheesh, what could cause a mother to go off on her nanny like that? Did the nanny give the kid a juice box or something? Nope. Reportedly, the nanny was merely trying to stop the mom from driving with her 14-month-old in the car -- because she was drunk.

Reportedly, the 20-year-old nanny thought the 44-year-old mom from Long Island, New York, Laura Bowery-Falco, was inebriated and shouldn't be driving. But after the fracas, Bowery-Falco allegedly got in her car anyway and drove away with the kid in tow. Shortly afterwards, the mom was pulled over by cops and arrested on DUI charges. She is also charged with harassment and endangering the welfare of the child.

Her lawyer denies everything.

The mom is a wealthy woman who owns an equestrian stable in the Hamptons, a playground for New York's elite. No doubt she doesn't like being told what to do.

It's not totally clear what happened here, though if she was arrested on DUI charges, I assume there was some good evidence she was driving when she shouldn't be -- but the truth is that nannies put up with a lot. Nannies got a bad rap thanks to the horrific case of Yoselyn Ortega, who allegedly killed her two young charges, but the vast majority of the time, nannies are good people who are in a difficult position. They're in charge of the kids and not in charge at the same time.

I know from my time being a teen au pair that it can be an awkward situation in the extreme, depending on how the mom is. In one of my au pair jobs, I watched the mom make horrible decisions about her kids -- including physically disciplining them in ways I felt were inappropriate -- and yet I couldn't say anything about it. It didn't help that I was in a foreign country. I finally left the house for good one day when she slapped her daughter and I listened to the little girl cry hysterically.

The mom here, if the nanny's version is correct, should have been grateful that the nanny cared enough about her child to step in and try to stop the mom from making a bad decision about her kid. But that's not usually the way it works.

I really feel for this nanny. Hopefully she can find a better family -- or get out of the nanny business, which can be a thankless one.

Have you ever had a nanny or been one?

Image via New York 4/YouTube

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