Babysitters babysitters and babysitters...

Wow...finding, hiring and keeping a babysitter...how even does that work??  And how much is this even going to cost me??  And, do they make more money than I do these days??  Will anyone be able to care for FOUR children??  What about Franny Girl??  Why am I so concerned about this??  Who knows!! 

We have either been very lucky or we are just a loser couple b/c we have not had to hire a babysitter (one who we don't already know as part of the family) EVER!!  Yup, you heard me...DJ is 8.5 years old and we've always been able to get a sitter from within.  You know, the relative who's free or the really cheap kid of your best friend (she did it when we only had 2 so it wasn't so bad and she was just starting out and she was really really cheap!!).  We had one of these types of watchers set up for this weekend...BUT...she had to cancel and we just had to bite the bullet and hire a babysitter.  The kind that you just don't know that well and that you actually have to pay the going rate...

And so, in my quest to hire a babysitter, I've had to follow procedure and figure out just how we do it!!  I know, most people don't give up their sitters name and info for fear that you will steal them away from you.  Trust me when I tell you this...I WILL NOT STEAL YOUR BABYSITTER B/C I CANNOT AFFORD ONE EVER!!  And, I had a very nice neighbor who probably knows this about me and recommended the girl next door.  So, I did what every parent would do..I e-mailed her to find out her availability and comfort level.  Seriously...I did e-mail her.  I also had her come over today to meet the kids and gage how Franny Girl reacts to her, okay???  Of course, I didn't ask her if she knew CPR or First-aid...duh...why didn't I think of that!!  Perhaps I should have e-mailed her a questionaire...lol...oooooohhhh...now there's an idea!!!

Kids seemed receptive and Franny Girl smiled at her and let her hold her...I also sent them outside for a bit to see how things went down.  Of course, DJ was the daredevil to see what he could get away with...Max was just Max and he screamed a few times, Kyra was up her butt, and Franny Girl seemed ok being held by her and watching the action.  OK...must remember to show her first aid kit for DJ b/c I just know he's going to be a crazy lunatic and fall on his face or something!!! 

Now, while looking at things I should have asked, I keep reading that we need to stress the safety of our children...DUH...isn't that a given and if you think the babysitter is not going to keep your children safe than why the hell are you hiring them!!! 
Oh, and don't worry about the stranger thing b/c the child molestors are most likely related to you anyway!!  Yup...this was stressed several times in my on-line search!!  Ummmmm...yeah...thanks!!   
Oh, and they say to interview the babysitter w/o the children present...hmmmmmm....what should I do, hire a sitter while I interview a sitter???  Yeah, sure, okay..

OK- so than I got to thinking about leaving the sitter a check-list...you know, a list of those important #'s they should have (not sure where I can even put this w/o it getting lost in the cluster F%$K that is my cluttered house)...b/c you know I will forget to write something important down for her.  So, I found some really pretty 'free' printable babysitter forms:
http://www.livinglocurto.com/2009/08/free-printable-babysitter-checklist/

Another link that has some common-sense info and a printable check-list:
http://childparenting.about.com/od/lifeathome/a/babysitter.htm

Oh, and here's a Blue's Clues one...just in case you want a character page:)
http://www.nickjr.com/printables/blues-babysitter-checklist.jhtml

Whew...so now we know what info to leave the sitter...but do we know what to pay the sitter??  Yeah...I had to look this up too and will probably ask a few people before Saturday so that I can figure out what to pay this girl.  I charge a very small fee for Baby J...and I can guarantee I will be paying a lot more for the teenager!!  Why is that??  I earned $3/4 per hour when I babysat kids.  I know, that was a looooong time ago, but do they really need to make more money than we do as grown moms working???  Seriously!!

Oh, and all these web-sites suggest keeping snacks your sitter likes in your house, sending them thank-you notes and giving them bonuses throughout the year...sorry...can't stop laughing at this!!  I think they can eat what's in my house and I probably won't be sending a thank-you card to them anytime soon (especially since it takes me too long to get regular thank-you notes out in the mail) and as for a bonus...sure...I'll get right on that!!  I am barely going to be able to pay her for this saturday (hence the reason we don't or haven't hired a sitter...and yes, we are the loser couple who doens't go out much unless one of those said free one's is available)...ha ha ha  I had a friend call earlier and say how nice it was that we were getting out together...yeah, that's the nice part...but I would prefer to have the 'free' part too!!  At least we don't have to give a monetary wedding present..lol...this is where making desserts comes in handy b/c I am making the 'cake' for saturday...will post pics b/c it's not a real cake:)

And so, she came, I liked her, the kids liked her, and we will only be gone for like 5 or 6 hours.  I guess this is the test and will good to know she's there in the event we will need to do this again!!  Now, I can only hope that she can handle my very special kiddies and that when I need her again, she won't cringe and make excuses for not being able to do it!!

OK- that's all I have to say about that!!

Random thought- Franny Girl loves ice-cream!!!