We found a part-time babysitter! Hooray!
It actually turned out to be a lot easier than I expected. One of the twin moms from our club was looking for extra hours for her part-time babysitter. Since she had experience with twins (and boy twins specifically,) I was hoping for the best.
We met her for the first time last Wednesday, then she came for a trial day on Monday.
Of course, the trial day started off to be a total disaster on my end.
We all went to the zoo the day before, and then my husband took the three kids to his parent’s house. They were having a really good time, so they stayed late. Extra late. 2 and a half hours past bedtime late. Plus, they didn’t take naps. Also, when they got home they were all wound up, so needed to relax with mommy for another half hour.
Needless to say, when my husband left for work Monday morning at 7:30 am, everyone was still sleeping. By 8 am, I had to wake my oldest for preschool. By 8:10 am, I had to wake the twins because the nanny was coming at 8:20 am. I had to change them because they had soaked through their diapers/PJ’s, and they were not happy about being put in clothes that early in the morning. No one had breakfast, and everyone was in a bit of a frantic mood when the babysitter arrived.
I tried to cover things with her I had missed at our initial meeting, like what the twins like to eat, where all the toys are, etc. This happened while the twins were screaming, my oldest was struggling to get dressed, and I was still in my PJ’s.
I still managed to get out the door and get my oldest to preschool only a couple of minutes late. He did have to eat and brush his teeth in the car, but at least I got dressed! One of the twins was crying when I left, so I texted the babysitter as soon as I got back to my car, and she said everyone was fine. Phew.
I got some grocery shopping done (By Myself!) and ran a few other errands, picked up my oldest, and headed home for the babysitter’s report.
The babysitter wasn’t horrified with their behavior, and the twins seemed to have fun with her. She actually agreed to come back! Success!
Coincidentally, the kids had another new babysitter last night. My husband had bought me concert tickets for Jenny Lewis a while back, and the show was last night. I don’t like to ask my parents to babysit at night since they are over here a lot during the day, and my husband’s sister-in-law had been wanting to babysit for the twins for a while, so we decided to ask her if she’d come over.
My oldest was super excited for his Auntie to come over. The twins, not so much. I think they were still a little off schedule, and just wanted Mom or Dad to stay home. It did break my heart a little, but we had been planning this for a long time, and Jenny Lewis is one of my favorite artists. I knew they’d be OK because our sister-in-law is great with kids, she loves them, plus she’s a nurse, in case of an emergency.
Luckily, I was right. We called her shortly after we left, and everyone was fine. The twins stayed up a little later, and so did my oldest, but they all had fun. When we got home, everyone was peacefully sleeping.
The concert ROCKED!!!!!!!!! It was one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time. If Jenny Lewis is coming to your area, I’d highly recommend going.
And if you haven’t heard her music, this is her latest album, which is fabulous.
I may have cheated on my diet a little. But, it was only one beer.
Or maybe two…
But everyone gets a cheat day once in a while right?
Getting babysitters is scary, lol. My son had a non-family babysitter for a while (who was amazing considering he was on 11 different medications at the time) and then he went to daycare. My daughter has only ever stayed with family because when she was little my sister was a SAHM so she added my daughter to her crew. I’m so glad it all worked out for you. I was always so paranoid when I left them – even with family. Looks like you had a (well-deserved) great time 🙂
Thank you! Yes, it was really hard for me to leave them on Monday, but I think it will get easier as we all get to know each other better. It also helps that she has worked for someone I know.
I am so glad you got out! We have three kids too, and we love to say that the third kid is the deal breaker with most sitters! My oldest is now in middle school and can babysit her two younger siblings most days or nights. If it is for a long time, we hire a “peacekeeper” to come and hang out. She’s a HS senior, so the middle schooler listens to her. It’s all about perception!!!
Love the “peacekeeper” idea! Thanks for reading!
I’m sure that it’s great to find a sitter who has experience with twins! And being off schedule makes me cranky, too!
Sounds like you had a great time! And we’re lucky enough to find a couple of new baby sitters.
Thank you!
Yay for finding a sitter! I’m glad that both she and your SIL were able to handle things, even though the transitions seemed questionable. No naps really creates uproar in a kids schedule. It usually takes us a day to recover from a no-nap day, lol.
Yes…at least a day for us too! Thanks!
I don;t have kids so I can’t imagine the experience. I was actually a personal nanny for one family for 4 years and before that babysat al the time for other kids. But i am so diligent and a worrier that I never let anything happen but you just don;t know with some people. My sister puts people through like 5 interviews before they can watch my nephew which I think is crazy because he is such a hellion that they should give him interviews, but I digress. It takes time for them to find a schedule together but hopefully it will work out!
That’s funny about your nephew. That’s how I felt about the twins, so that’s why I let her “try” us out. Luckily they behaved! Thanks for reading!
Yay babysitters! I know that can be tough, but I am glad you found one that works! Date nights are awesome! Great post!
What a fun night! It’s great that you were able to find someone who will babysit for you part-time and is able to put up with some craziness! 🙂
xo, Caitlin
And Possibly Dinosaurs
Thanks Caitlin!