Thankfulness Thursdays/ Week Three

Another week gone by already?? The days seem to be flying by as school approaches. Here I am for the third installment of Thankfulness Thursdays, inspired by Ashley at Domestic Fashionista. Hop over there and check out her post and link up your own if your feeling especially grateful this week.

Today I am really thankful for our babysitters.

I know that might not seem like the logical progression after weeks one and two. But in order to have quality alone time with the husband and leave the babies that I hold so dear, it is absolutely necessary to have babysitters that we trust a whole heck of a lot.

Some people have family members nearby who are willing to watch their kids whenever they want and that is wonderful. We do have family that is close, but we prefer to save them for big deal time away from home. I'd rather leave the kids with the grandparents for a weekend than call them in for any random thing. My sister also flies in occasionally to help us out for big events and that is a treat for everyone. Although my mom is always available in a pinch and loves being with the kiddos, it just works better for everyone if we also use paid babysitters.

With our baby girl, we initially used sitters that were recommended by friends, but that can get tricky if both families are invited to the same event and trying to use the same sitter (umm... awkward). Eventually I decided to try out sittercity.com, which allows you to post jobs and see sitters' experience, resumes, background info, etc for a very reasonable fee. I found our two favorite sitters that way and they are awesome. I mean, absolutely fantastic.

I am so grateful that we have these gals who are willing to watch over our precious little ones with the utmost care. Both girls are mid-twenties with lots of experience and have been with us for almost two years. One comes over regularly during the week so mama can break free and get a pedicure errands done. The other decided she didn't want to nanny forever and started law school so we use her on an occasional basis. The kids love them both and always have so much fun when either girl is here. In turn, I love that I can leave the house, knowing that my kids are in good hands.

So thank you, sweet babysitters, for caring so well for my children... and I appreciate it when you do the laundry and clean up the toys too!