Call Her A Nanny or a Babysitter -- Either Way, I Need Help!

Okay, I know I am throwing myself to the wolves here, but I am going to admit that I am a SAHM looking for a nanny.  GASP!  I know this has been an unpopular stance around here lately, but I am going to stand in solidarity with folks like Pamela.  Sometimes a mom just needs some extra help. 

I've never had a nanny before -- in fact, we've never even had a babysitter.  We're lucky enough to live very close to my in-laws (anyone ever seen Everybody Loves Raymond -- yeah, like almost that close -- but that's an entirely different post altogether).  Since my elder daughter was born three and a half years ago, whenever we needed a babysitter, we had my in-laws.   They watched her every day when I returned to work.  Then when I quit working, she spent one day a week with them.   Now we have two daughters and one sees them on Tuesdays, and they both go there on Fridays.   

So, why do we need a nanny now?  Well, my husband has finally gone back to work.  When I went on bedrest last year, he took FMLA to stay home with me and our toddler.  After about a month at home, we made the decision that he would take a year off -- it would give him time to figure out what he wanted to do with his career as well as hang out with me and the kids for a while.  Well, that year flew by and he returned to work yesterday.   Now I am without that extra set of hands that I had come to count on.   

I suppose I could lean on my in-laws more, but I really don't want to.   First of all, I want a solution that doesn't involve me sending the kids out of the house.  I want to have them here, but need the freedom to be able to run to Target or the market quickly without having to pack everyone into the car.  If I had a babysitter, I could just run of the door and return before anyone even knew I was gone.  Second, I don't want to feel more beholden to my in-laws.  They really are wonderful and generous, but let's be honest -- our reliance on them does not come without strings attached (again, a topic for a different post).  Third, I am starting to feel the need for some back-up care.  My in-laws have their own lives and can't always be available for evening babysitting.  We need to have another option so that my husband and I can spend some quality time together away from the kids -- even more important now that he's returned to work.

So, I am starting the process of finding a part-time nanny or babysitter (whatever label you want to use).  This person will afford me the opportunity to be a more efficient CEO of my household.  Her presence will allow my kids to continue to play rather than get dragged off to some supermarket or the drycleaners or the pet food store.  Her help may alleviate some of the stress of the "witching hour" (you know, about 5pm when you're trying to cook dinner, the kids are cranky and getting hungry, and no one is happy), allowing me to be a more pleasant mommy.  She may even enable me to get a little "me-time" (oh horrors!) so that I can exercise and keep my body and spirit healthy.

There you go -- that's why this SAHM is getting help.  We should all get to have some help -- this mothering job is freakin' hard.  Anyone who tells you differently is either a) not a parent, b) an unenlightened male, c) delusional, or d) peddling some agenda.  Those of you feeling self-righteous and judgmental are welcome to comment.  I wouldn't expect anything less.