Start here. Grow far.

Call me crazy

It won't be the first time and it sure as heck won't be the last. I kept my daughter home from preschool today over the swine flu situation taking place in neighboring Guadalupe County where an entire school district has been shut down for a week. Did I really think that if I sent my daughter to school today that she'd catch this frightening illness? No. But the situation is still evolving and to me it doesn't seem like we have all the information yet. The facts released by the CDC seem to change by the hour. Will this turn into a pandemic? I wanted more time to see how this thing's going to play out before I send her into what is, on a good day, a hot zone of viruses and bacteria (C'mon! It's PRESCHOOL. You know every surface there is swarming with viruses and bacteria galore.). And I also kept her home because, I reasoned, preschool is optional. If she was already attending public school I may have made a different choice. Those were all of my justifications, at least. 

Still, I spent the day wondering if I'd made the right decision or if I'd made my decision based on the germaphobic fear that is currently gripping my heart (Yes, we've firmly established that I have a problem: Hi, I'm Colleen and I'm a germaphobe.). I finally realized that my daughter wasn't hurt in any way by staying home. She got to play with me and her brother and visit with her aunt and cousin (something she absolutely loves to do). So no harm, no foul (and please, no fowl and no swine thankyouverymuch!).

Because she doesn't attend preschool on Tuesdays I won't have to make this decision again tomorrow. But what will Wednesday bring? I don't know how I'll approach making the decision then. I guess I'll base it on what we know (or think we know) at the time. And while I fully realize that there are people out there, even parents, who think I'm crazy for not sending my daughter to school, I have to believe that as parents, when it's all said and done, we're really on the same side - the side where all we want is what's best for our kids. For me, for now, what's best is keeping my daughter home with me.

[photo credit: SXC]

Our Mommy Mixer giveaway winner is...

Congratulations to our Mommy Mixer giveaway winner, Cassandra Aubut from Aubut Life, who entered our contest by leaving a comment on this post. When asked what the most important question is that Cassandra asks potential babysitters, she said, "I have to know if they are CPR Certified."

Cassandra, please send an email to startheregrowfar at gmail dot com so we can tell you how to take advantage of Mommy Mixer's, "Ack! Help Me Now!" service. Happy babysitter hunting.

Thank you to everyone who entered our Mommy Mixer giveaway!

Mommy Mixer Review and Giveaway!

Be sure to read to the end of the review to find out how you can enter to win a free, "Ack! Help Me Now!" Mommy Mixer babysitter finding service (a $50-value!). 

Last week I was invited to attend my first Mommy Mixer event here in San Antonio, Texas, at Bloom Maternity. Full disclosure: I was a guest of Bloom Maternity and therefore did not pay the regular Mommy Mixer attendance fee of $100. Mommy Mixer has also given me one of their, "Ack! Help Me Now" services to give away at the end of this review. Still, this review will be an unbiased look at my experience attending a Mommy Mixer.

Mommy Mixers have been compared to speed dating because they get parents and potential caregivers in a room, have them introduce themselves and then encourage them to mix and mingle in the hopes that matches will be found. Like finding the right person to date, finding the right babysitter requires a special kind of courtship. The sitter(s) that parents eventually pick must have chemistry not only with the children but also with the parents themselves. Meeting many potential sitters at one time and in person is a great way to quickly evaluate those who might be a good fit for your family.

This is how a Mommy Mixer works: 

Parents and sitters arrive. Sitters go around the room and give brief introductions about themselves, what their babysitting experience is and what their availability is. Parents introduce themselves next and talk a bit about why they need a sitter (Most frequent reason cited? To go to the dentist! Yes, we parents are a neglected bunch.). At the mixer I attended there were also two parenting-related product/service pitches that were included between the introductions (one was for a mom-designed swaddle blanket and the other was for swimming lessons). Bottled water was offered (and encouraged lest we all get cotton mouth from so much talking!) and parents and sitters were asked to mingle.

What I liked about Mommy Mixer:

- When you arrive, the organizer gives you a "Babysitter Book." This book has a resume and a photo for each sitter in attendance that details who they are, what they're doing now (most are in college), who they've worked for (what families and how old their kids are), their availability, any certifications they have (CPR, first aid, etc.) and their references. The mixer I attended had 14 sitters so the book was also a great place to take notes on each candidate as they introduced themselves. If I hadn't taken notes I probably wouldn't remember important details about each candidate days and weeks later.

The Babysitter Book has already proved to be a super handy keepsake. I've used it numerous times over the past week to review sitters' schedules and references and to retrieve their phone numbers. The Babysitter Book also includes resumes from sitters who were not able to attend the mixer but who are available for contact.

- Mommy Mixer has recruiters working at most of the major colleges in my town. Having or getting a college degree isn't a requirement for the sitters I choose but it sure doesn't hurt. The young women who attended my mixer as potential sitters were a fantastic group. I was impressed with their poise, confidence and excitement. Each and every one came up to me while we were mingling and not one made a bad impression. Mommy Mixer does a great job of finding high-quality candidates so I don't have to. Instead I can spend my time putting their qualified candidates through my super-duper interview process!

- Mommy Mixer was casual, fun and productive. I felt right at home with the parents and sitters. The conversations flowed easily. And the organizer kept to the schedule. As a busy parent I appreciated that she was respectful of my time and made sure things ran on time.

- I like that Mommy Mixer was started by a mom! I support mom-owned businesses whenever I can. Mary Sullivan Cooper came up with a winning idea and now Mommy Mixers are held all over the country. Go moms!

What I would change about Mommy Mixer:

- As I stated at the beginning of this review, I didn't pay the $100 attendance fee. But if I had, I would have been put off a bit by the two sales pitches that were included as part of the mixer. Although I found both to be informational and somewhat related to the topic, I wouldn't want to pay to spend my time being pitched to. I think it would have been fine to mention the items/services that were being highlighted and have the representatives introduced in case anyone wanted to talk to them or pick up their literature. But as I said, I'm a busy parent; my time is valuable; and I came to meet sitters, not be sold to. I didn't ask around, though, so maybe some of the other parents weren't bothered by this.

- Billed as a mixer, I expected more of a variety of refreshments. Bottled water was offered (and sponsored by one of the sales representatives who was pitching) and towards the end of the mixer I saw a few sodas but that was about it. I didn't expect a catering spread but perhaps a wider variety of drinks and maybe a few finger foods could have made the mixer feel more like a casual cocktail party and less like a business meeting.

The verdict:

Mommy Mixer is a refreshing, new way to meet potential babysitters. If I ever wondered whether it would be worth the $100 attendance fee, I don't any longer. It's well worth that price and then some because Mommy Mixer handles the initial scouting for you. And they do a great job of finding high-quality candidates parents will be pleased to meet. In the last week I've contacted two of the sitters from the mixer and arranged on-the-job interviews with both. I interviewed one yesterday and she sat for my kids for three hours while I worked. She was personable and smart. She was active with my kids, playing games and taking them outside. They loved her! I've already scheduled her to come again next week. And, if I ever need it, I've got a Babysitter Book full of great candidates to contact if I should ever need their help too.

REGISTER TO WIN! 

Win Mommy Mixer's  "Ack! Help Me Now!" babysitter finding service! This is a service Mommy Mixer recommends if you are unable to attend an actual Mommy Mixer event or if there is not an event taking place in your city. You send them your prerequisites for sitters and they do a comprehensive search and send you resumes of the sitters in your area who they've matched as closely as they can to what you're looking for (a $50-value!). 

 There are two ways to enter and we encourage you to do both for a better chance at winning:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling us the most important interview question you ask potential sitters.

and/or

2. Become a fan of our new Facebook page OR if you're already a fan leave a comment on our recently posted discussion, Finish this sentence: I need a babysitter so I can...

Deadline to enter is midnight CDT on Monday, April 20th. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on Tuesday, April 21st. The winner must have a valid email address and a mailing address in the United States. The winner will have three days to claim the prize. Good luck!

And our Sittercity, one-year membership winner is...

Congratulations to our Sittercity giveaway winner, Elizabeth Sprague from Baby Signs with Elizabeth, who entered our contest twice by leaving a comment on this post and by becoming a fan of our our Facebook fan page.

Elizabeth needs a babysitter because: "I'd love to start a date night with my husband. You know all those people that promise to babysit when you have your first child? They are all long gone by the time you have baby #3 :)"

Elizabeth, please send an email to startheregrowfar at gmail dot com so we can tell you how to access your free SitterCity account. Happy babysitter hunting!

Thank you to everyone who entered our Sittercity giveaway. Please join us tomorrow for our review of Mommy Mixer and for an exciting Mommy Mixer giveaway too!

Deadline to enter Sittercity giveaway is tonight!

Enter by midnight, CDT, tonight (Monday, April 13) for your chance to win a one-year Sittercity membership (valued at $95.88!).

Ask Moxie: Great discussion going on about finding babysitters!

Timely to the topics we're discussing this week and next about ways to find and interview babysitters, Ask Moxie asks her readers to talk about the questions they pose to potential babysitters.

Check out her post, read the helpful and insightful comments from her readers and join in the conversation!

SitterCity Review and One-year Subscription Giveaway!

Now that you've fine-tuned your list of interview questions for potential babysitters, where do you find them? Never fear! I've got you covered. I recently spent time online at Sittercity and live and in person at a MommyMixer and I've got the goods for you on some great ways to find quality child care. 

This week's review is about Sittercity (check back next week for the low-down on MommyMixer). Be sure to read to the end of the review to find out how you can enter to win a free, one-year subscription to Sittercity (a $99 value!). Full disclosure: I paid for my Sittercity membership long before I considered writing a review about them. Once Sittercity knew I was interested in writing this review they offered me a second-year for free and they've also given me a one-year membership to give away to one lucky reader. Still, this review will be an unbiased look at the services offered by Sittercity. Now, down to the nitty gritty!

What is Sittercity?

Sittercity is a subscription service that matches those who need care (child care, senior care, pet care, etc.) with those who provide it. You create your profile and post job openings that detail what you're looking for in a provider.

How much does it cost?

An annual membership fee of $95.88 comes out to $7.99 per month and the annual membership requires no sign-up fee. Monthly subscriptions are also available at $9.99 per month but do include a sign-up fee of $39.99. Also offered is a free, seven-day trial during which time you can both post a job and receive responses from applicants. The drawback I remember from my free-trial period was that you can only view partial profiles of those applicants who apply to your job (i.e. You don't receive their contact info so Sittercity's dangling a carrot in front of you. If you like what you see and you really want to sink your teeth into that carrot, you've gotta ante up for a membership).

SitterCity Pros:

Post job listings for all service types, not just babysitting

Your Sittercity membership includes all of the service types they offer--child care, senior care, pet care, housesitters, housekeepers, extended-stay sitters, tutoring. This is great because for the same price you can use Sittercity to find a babysitter and a housekeeper or a tutor, etc. all in one place and with one system (For the purposes of this review I'll be discussing child care.).

Use any and all services as much as you want

Another benefit is that you can use their service(s) as much as you want during your one-year subscription. Snag a great babysitter only to find out a month later that she has to move? Don't fret. Just log on, post another ad, find and interview more sitters and find someone else who's just as great. It's quick, it's easy and you can do it all (save for a face-to-face interview) from the comfort of your desk.

The immediacy

I love the immediacy of Sittercity. I post my job (with as many or as few details as I like) and I often get responses back from applicants the same day. I can email the applicants back (from within the Sittercity system) to arrange a time for a phone or in-person interview (a very important part of the process!)

Detailed information about applicants with the option of background checks

Applicants upload photos of themselves and provide their Child Care Profile which include as much information as they care to fill out about: contacting them, their bio, availability, references, work experience, job preferences, education/hobbies. You can also opt to add on a background check on any applicant (conducted by LexisNexis) for an additional $9.99 which includes: verified social security number, verified name, no felony convictions, no misdemeanors, no sex offenses.

4-step screening process

Another nice feature is the 4-step Screening Process checklist which is included on each applicant's Child Care Profile. It comes in handy if you're screening/interviewing many candidates and need to keep track of who you've contacted and how far you've gone in their interview process. There are items to check off to remind you that you've:

1. Reviewed a candidate's profile
2. Interviewed a candidate 
3. Checked references 
4. Run a background check (optional)

Sittercity Cons:

Site can be difficult to navigate

I find the Sittercity web site tricky to navigate. The path from log in to posting a job is not intuitive and I find myself having to figure it out all over again if it's been a few weeks or months since I last logged in. And, if you're a busy mom like me, you know that time is of the essence. You want to log in, post a job, check messages from your applicants and get on with your day. I'd like to see the site operate a little more intuitively so I don't have to relearn how to use it nearly every time I log on.

Case in point: Once you log in to the site you're taken to your "My Sittercity" page. There's no direct link on that page that takes you to "Post a New Job." You've got to know to click the "ChildCare" tab to be able to open, edit and close jobs. I'd love to see a link on the "My Sittercity" page that gets you to the job posting portion of the site quickly and easily.

Applicant messages are tricky to read in full and profiles are difficult to find

My final criticism is about how messages from applicants are displayed under "My Messages" which can be found on the "My Sittercity" page. Once you click on a message link from an applicant you're taken to a page that contains all of your correspondence with them and them with you. You have to know to click "expand" on the far right-hand side of the message to both read the applicants' full message and find the link to their profiles. 

It also took me a long time to figure out where the applicants' profiles were located and seeing as how this is probably the most important information that Sittercity's service provides applicant profiles should be extremely easy to find. I'd love to see a link to each applicant's profile directly underneath the applicant's photo on the main "My Sittercity" page.

Suggestions for using Sittercity:

When filling out your family's profile and your open jobs, be as detailed as you can. Specify who you are, who your kids are, what you need in terms of a schedule/hours, what you expect from any sitter you hire (to be on time, to give appropriate notice when canceling, etc.) and the rate(s) that you're willing to pay. If you provide as much information as possible you'll get better applicants who are appropriate for your needs.

The verdict:

Overall I'm pleased with Sittercity. I've used it several times to find high-quality babysitters. The only things I'd change are related to the lack of intuitiveness regarding the user interface.

REGISTER TO WIN! 

Want a chance to win your own, one-year subscription to Sittercity? There are two ways to enter and we encourage you to do both for a better chance at winning:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling us how you'll spend the free time you'll get when you find your perfect sitter!

2. Become a fan of our new Facebook page OR if you're already a fan leave a comment on our recently posted discussion, Finding the right babysitter.

Deadline to enter is midnight CDT on Monday, April 13th. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on Tuesday, April 14th. The winner must have a valid email address and a mailing address in the United States. The winner will have three days to claim the prize. Good luck!

Interviewing a potential babysitter

What do you look for in a potential babysitter? Should s/he be kind? Affordable? Good with kids? CPR-certified? Dependable? Probably all of the above and more. Welcoming a stranger into your home and trusting them to provide the best care possible for the little people you treasure most is no easy task. Trust me. I've done it a few times in the last year, mostly with happy results.

As a work-from-home mom I'm afforded the benefit of being at home with my kids while I work. And as a work-from-home mom I have the disadvantage of being at home with my kids while I work. Look, I love my kids. I know this. You know this. I'm lucky to be able to work from home so I'm able to spend more time with my children. But working--any and at all--with small kids underfoot is infuriating at best and impossible at worst. And although my daughter attends preschool three days each week, I finally had to admit after many frustrating and unsuccessful weeks of trying to handle both my one-year-old son and my growing workload, that I still needed to find someone to care for him.

It was during my process of sitter-searching that I assembled a litany of interview questions certain to help you determine if the person sitting before you is, in fact, your perfect sitter. Or, I suppose with its probing nature, it could help you determine who can put up with a long list of seemingly endless questions and who cannot. Either way you get to find out if your potential sitter has staying power! I give you my Top Ten Babysitter Interview Questions (with nearly all credit due to Gavin DeBecker's suggestions in Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe and Parents Sane, a book I highly recommend!). 

What questions do you ask potential sitters that aren't on my Top Ten list below? What is the single most important question you ask potential sitters? And do you always ask for and contact references (I do!).

1. What is your philosophy about discipline? 

2. Do you have children of your own? Younger siblings?

3. Why do you do this work?

4. Have you been in an emergency situation while babysitting? How did you handle it? Have you been in an emergency situation in your personal life? How did you handle it?

5. What is your opinion of drugs and alcohol?

6. Do you have a Facebook / MySpace page I can visit?*

7. Describe the best child you ever babysat for.

8. Describe the worst child you ever babysat for and how you handled him/her.

9. Do you know CPR? For children? Are you certified?

10. Do you have any questions for me?

* YES, I ask this question. And, if I forget to, I look up the potential sitter on both Facebook and MySpace anyway. If they've put the info out there publicly then it's open season on their profile as far as I'm concerned. And I think being able to view a potential sitter's connection to the social media world and their statement to the world at large about who they are is priceless. Why wonder if your sitter's into beer bongs or sexting? My inquiring mind wants to know and if they put it all out there it's public information. The fact that they would publicize possibly incriminating details of their personal life tells me more than I'd ever need to know when considering them for the position.

Wordless Wednesday, Fit for a Princess Part 2

More Wordless Wednesday here.