I Just Don't Know How She Does It!

During this transition break, I've been so lucky to be able to spend some great time with my niece and nephew down at my sister and her husband's house. And during the last couple weeks, I've been able to get a true inside scoop on what the role of a mommy + wife looks like. Let's just say, I'm more than ever happy to have the title of auntie!

As I rolled out of bed this morning to click-click-boom. No, not a Black Eyed Peas song, but my sister's footsteps then the door closing and she left the house. My cell phone read 6:44 am.
Wait, didn't I just wake up just an hour or two ago to this same woman up with her hungry, crying 4 month old?

And here I lay just two hours later, laying in bed amazed by what my sister goes through on a daily basis. With a very busy two and a half year old and four month month old already fed, dressed and buckled up in car, she was on her way to drop them off at daycare, then headed to work.
The next 9 hours she shows the world what she's made of (again!); my sister kicks major butt at what she does. I can say totally unbiased, she's a highly valuable paralegal/right hand to a great attorney. Did I mention this is daily? This is a daily routine!
Then it's back to daycare to grab the kiddios, bring them home to start dinner for her and her husband in between laundry, tidying up, dishes, bathes, paying bills, etc.. And oh yeah, it's about a 30 minute drive from daycare to home.
Didn't you have the most horrible sleep last night and have to wake up 3+ times with your baby? How are you awake? Better yet, how are you awake and choosing to grocery shop and cook dinner at home vs. grabbing fast food?!
How do you go to work with a smile on your face?
Where do you find time to wash your face?
How do you not attack anybody who makes a wrong gesture towards you?
Do you take naps on your lunch break?

I'm in a confused awe....daily....watching this happen.



Now I know some women might do the same thing on top of having a life-threatening illness, husbands overseas or doing such as a single mother, but today, today my sister gets the credit.
 I could make this post a lot longer but in short, I just have to say, I Just Don't Know How She Does It!
Ruth, you're amazing and you continue to make my jaw drop daily.
Thank you for being an awesome role model to me. I love you.

Nanny Websites to find families

So just like in any job, when people ask you "how did you get to be ______",  many people will ask me, "So how do you get to be a . . . nanny." haaaa!!! I love it!! It's awkward. Why? Because nobody aspires to be a...............nanny.
So that I don't have to squeeze all these websites down on the back of a business card or receipt and so that you don't have to worry about losing that small piece of paper, I thought I'd post it for both parties convenience.

So if you're just starting out or in your first year or two, these are the websites I'd recommend when finding a family.
Most of these websites the families have to pay for, the nanny does not. Some of these websites the famillies can browse for free and but in order to obtain contact information, they have to pay.

www.gonannies.com : GoNannies is actually where I found my first family, The Dorseys in 2008. I don't know how I stumbled upon it but it worked. I think it's a good price point (around $125) for families to join. This is also where I found Kent in 2010.

www.nannies4hire.com : I would rate Nannies4hire and Enannysource very similar to GoNannies. Even though it's been a few years since I've been on either one, I remember them both having easy navigating and browsing features.

www.enannysource.com : Enannysource, a long with the rest of the sites, has an internal mail/message system which makes it very nice for your protection and privacy. When you receive mail at your nanny account, you will get an email to your gmail, hotmail, etc. letting you know.

www.care.com : This website reminds me of upgraded, more luxurious (and safer!) Craigslist. It lets you be more specific to the location you're looking in. In addition to childcare, it offers services like pet sitting, elderly care, etc.