As you may know, I am a mother to four boys. Landon is seven, Logan is five, Rylan is two, and Greyson is two months. Three of my boys live with me full-time, and I have joint custody of one of them. My life is busy between diaper changes, homework help, fixing meals to feed an army (gotta start early, can't imagine my food bill when they hit the teen years, yikes!), you name it. I have a good routine going, and things run smooth most of the time. That was also when I was a full-time working mother. Here's my wonderful ride of At the beginning of the year, our first babysitter had to shut down her babysitting business. Tragedy happened while children were in her care (thank God my son wasn't there the day it happened). A few weeks after, we found out she had numerous violations that could've affected the children, and wasn't certified with CPR, First-Aid or as an RN. We moved on real quick, but finding a sitter was only going to become tougher. As of today, this former sitter is in jail for additional criminal charges.
My sister came down to help while I could spend time finding a sitter and work. That didn't last long. She and my husband had tension towards each other, and they fought more than got along. She left the house, and left me to speed up my process from two weeks to 24 hours. The result? Two weeks off work, unpaid time off, and able to find a reasonable priced sitter....which only lasted three weeks.
This sitter was a stay at home mother who had three kids, ranging from eight years old to four months old. He did ok there. My problem with her was that she sat them in front of the TV all day, and he gained an attitude problem with one of the other boys in her care. The second week my son was only there for one day due to getting pinkeye (I had only worked three days a week during this time). She was still trying to charge me full price for the week. I paid her only for the one. She and I argued the third week, and that's when I fired her because of her unfair payment arrangements. She then tried to threaten to take me to small claims court for the remaining money I supposedly owe her. I have yet to see a document from her.
The next sitter was also a stay at home mom. She had four children, and her youngest had Down's Syndrome. She was only babysitting for a little extra money, and she did a lot of hands-on activities with the children in her care. I felt great having my son over there, especially when he was coming home with paintings, crafts, and a great attitude. After a few weeks with her, I had my baby boy, and was out of work for a few weeks. My second week on medical leave, I receive a text from her telling me that she would not be able to watch my kids anymore. After that, I told my husband I would look for one more babysitter, then if it did not work out, I would stay home. I found one the week before returning to work.This sitter looked great on paper, and the interview went well. She was a CNA, CPR and First-Aid certified, had experience with a daycare setting, and was well experienced with infants. She brought her certificates and licenses with her, and I felt confident in her watching my boys. She was even willing to watch them in my home, and I was ok to let her bring her son with her. Rylan needed a playmate anyways. Everything was great upon my return to work.
The first day I return home, and my house is TRASHED! Books and toys were everywhere, my decor was lopsided on shelves, my kitchen looked like a bomb blew up in it, and the kids were running wild in my home. I wanted to have a panic attack. She left, and it took me three hours to straighten everything up again. Unsure about my decision now, I let it go. It was new for her and for me, and I was going to give it time. A few days go by, and the messes were less, but I caught the impression of laziness coming from her. My toddler's attitude was off the charts, and random things were coming up broken and missing. She was also demanding payments on days before we would get paid because she was low on funds (now, seriously, if I could find a job that would pay me whenever I wanted, sign me up), or would come up with other excuses. Then a couple of weeks ago, she pulled the evil move on me.
I prefer at least a weeks notice of leaving from caring for my kids so I can have time to look. I came home Friday evening to a normal evening. Sunday evening, I receive a text from her saying that she was offered another job and started the following Monday. After telling my husband, we were both pretty furious about the situation. This started my journey of becoming a stay at home mom.
This is my second week staying home. Lots of advantages are coming with this perk. My house is very clean! I only have to pick up after the kids during nap, and keep up with other duties. I have maintained a schedule on when things get done, and it's ran smooth. I've been able to balance the cleaning with spending time with the family. The kids are enjoying the extra playtime I have with them. Even my toddler's attitude has improved. I miss not being able to bring money in, and we have made a lot of sacrifices, but in the long run, it has been and will be better for the family. If a new opportunity comes my way for me to work from home, I might take it. For now, I will enjoy the moments with my young ones while they are young.
*~Tyane~*
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