The kids' school was closed and I had a sitter set up for the day so that I could go to work - no problem. But, (great for her, bad for me) she got a "real job" working at a bakery and had to cancel at the 11th hour. So what to do? Then, brilliant Em says to me "call the school and see if any of the teachers want to babysit" and I say "brilliant" and I do. And they do. So great for me again. I did not get to meet her in advance, normally a big no-no for me but, the school runs criminal background checks on everyone and checks their references so she was vetted and I felt OK. Until this morning (after I had cleaned my house - g-d forbid a sitter would think us messy - and typed out requisite do's and don'ts list and had gotten both kids fed and dressed) when I sat and watched at the clock roll right past 7:30 am when she was supposed to arrive, past 7:45 and even 8:00. She did not show up and she did not call and I made desperate fleeting attempts to find a way to reach her or anyone else for that matter who could watch my monkeys, but to no avail. So instead I did the one thing every working mom dreads, I took my kids to work. Let me tell you that this morning epitomizes why you just can't have it all. You can not be a 100% mom and a 100% worker bee professional. All I wanted to do was cry!! OK what I really wanted to do was sit down on the floor and drink but crying sounds less mommy dearest.
Instead I reminded myself that this is why I just took on a second job (no I did not check my sanity at the door, just the only 5 free minutes I had left in the day).
Insert shameless plug.
I just became the Columbus city manager for a Texas based company called Mommy Mixer http://www.mommymixer.com/
The idea is as follows "When you meet someone face-to-face, you know if they're a good fit - it's true in babysitting as well as dating! Our exclusive MommyMixers® give moms and babysitters the chance to scope each other out in person in a comfortable, fun environment. There's no better way to find a big selection of sitters or moms who are right for you. Mixers generally take place at high-end boutiques and hip spots around town and last about an hour. Each Mixer begins with the sitter candidates briefly introducing themselves and describing their experience, schedules and preferences. Then the moms do the same. After the introductions, moms and sitters are free to mingle and chat to find the best match for their needs. At the end of the Mixer, moms leave with a comprehensive copy of The Babysitter Book™ that includes each candidate's résumé, contact information and photo. When moms get home, they can contact their favorite sitters directly to establish an hourly rate, check references and set up in-home interviews to meet the kiddos."
As one newspaper who ran a story covering on of the mixers put it this way "it's like speed dating for moms and sitters." The idea is so hot that Mommy Mixer is already in over 18 cities and will be featured on Good Morning America within the next few weeks.
Apparently I have multiple motivations for doing this, not the least of which is to never be in this morning's situation again. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
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