Great Families = Great Job

Being a full time babysitter is exactly what I need. I love it. It makes me stay organized, let's be hang out with some great kids, it's a lesson in adulthood, and it allows me to meet some awesome people that I look up to! 

The summer was slow paced but the fall sped up fast! Most weekends are booked all the way to Christmas. 

This weekend I had a bit of a scare. I had over booked myself without ever realizing it until one family said something to spark my attention. I hate those kind of moments but it happens, I have almost 25 families that have me on their call list for sitters, and I am one person. There are only so many hours in the day and days in the week. 

Luckily I have some great friends that back me up and I was able to get one of them to take one job while I took the other. (those kind of moments make me want to open my own babysitting service). The families were so understanding and I appreciate every bit of it! 

Also, this weekend I had a first time experience (not many of those comes anymore). I had a job with a family that I don't see very often. The mother of the two kids has been involved in childcare for years and her kids are great at adapting to new faces. This time there were two more kids tossed into the mix because of a family wedding. Four kids under 3 does not scare me. In fact, it excites me. But this was an entirely different experience. As soon as the parents said good-byes tears flowed and screams wailed. At one point I had all four kids screaming and crying. It was overwhelming and I thought "I have several more hours left, what now?" But I straightened my super sitter cape, and tackled the job one child at at time. After a very crazy hour two kids were in bed and two were gearing up for bed. After two hours I was sitting on the sofa drinking a pop relishing in the silence. All four were in bed, asleep, and happy. It was a proud super sitter moment. 

This last semester at school I started taking Early Childhood Education courses. It has led me to change my major to the education field. My hope is to get a Bachelors type 04 certificate. It will qualify me to educate chidden birth-thrird grade. I am so excited to be going down this path! In fact I am so excited I have decided to spend one more year at the community college and then hopefully transfer to a four year program. There are still so many big decisions that have to be made, but I believe this has made a happier person with less worries and anxiety in my life. These courses that I have started to take have made me a better childcare provider and I am so thankful that I am able to watch each and every one of these kids grow up healthy! 

It's a month of thanks and words can not express how blessed I am to know all these families and to be able to grow up and be apart of their lives! 

Thank you! 

Wrapping it Up

Well, we are approaching the beginning of August this week. It is crazy how fast this summer has gone. 


The summer has been slow paced! It has been a refreshing break for super sitter, but I am more then ready to get back into the swing of things! 


The calendar is filling up quickly and I am so excited to be running like a mad woman again! School starts up in two weeks so my fall schedule begins. So far, I will be with seven families weekly! Plus super sitter is going to be teaching Sunday School at church this fall semester. It is an entirely different experience and I am so excited to meet new kids & have a great time with those I know! 


Here is to the last couple of weeks of Summer 2012 and to starting school again :) 

Summer Fun

The last month has been full of fun experiences for the kids and I. 


With my Thursday Buddies we have tackled Woodstock Water Works, the Library, & making cupcakes.  


With my Older Kid Buddies I feel as if I have made a break through. There is less disrespect and more understanding from both parties. 


For all the kids in between all the water fun, giggles, and hot sweaty smiles has made this summer one for the books! 


It was so much fun for me to go and help at Vacation Bible School last week and get to see a majority of my kiddos all there. Every morning I saw them, they greeted me with the most exciting smile and hug as if they hadn't seen me in years! 


There has been less jobs this summer because of my schedule, but jobs are already lined up for this fall and I am more then ready to get back into the swing of things. 

Big Lessons!

On Thursday, May 31st the super sitter family grew a little with Harper Lynn ~ 7lbs, 10oz, 19inches. THEN on Monday, June 4th the SS family welcomed Elizabeth Gail ~ 8lbs, 2oz, 21inches. 

I am so excited to meet both! 

Exciting news like births makes me reflect on my journey as a super sitter. I am so incredibly blessed to have been able to meet each and everyone of these families. And on top of that I am so fortunate to have come to know and cared for each and every child in these families. Everyone of them has a different quirk, personality, attitude, and smile. They all have given me memories that I will truly hold on to for years and years to come. 

A few weeks ago I was helping with my mom's class. The class was taking a field trip to the local kindergarten. A family that I regularly see and care for was also on the trip. As we toured the classrooms I held the youngest child. She is at that age where she wants to be out of the stroller and running around. There were moments when she would shriek wanting to get loose of my grip but I held on firmly. My mom's co-teacher came up and cracked a joke "um, is this birth control enough for you?". It was hysterical, because to really think about it - the last 2 years have been one big birth control pill! 

From meltdowns, to kids who don't like what you cooked for dinner, to 40 step bed time routines, to the 40 minutes it takes to load up the kids to go to the park, to garbage in my recently spotless car, to screaming in public, to cleaning up pee, to changing clothes every hour, to warm milk, to spilled drinks, to doing their hair, to entertaining them, and everything in between. There are times that I feel as if I am running 100 miles an hour and in reality it's only been 10 minutes. Granted, I love what I do. I believe in my heart that God led me down this path because it is my calling in life. This is where I am suppose to be right now. But there a times when I collapse in exhaustion and praise God that at the end of the day I hand them all back & go home to a quiet, clean, room. Every girl dreams that they will be a mom someday & not just "a" mom, but "mom of the year". Making healthy snacks, ensuring their kid is well educated above average, never forget anything, never late to anything, nothing every spills, they are potty trained with a simple snap of the fingers, and no tears are ever shed. Not to sound like an old mom, but I have been around enough families long enough to know that is not EVER the case. In the words of some wise smart ass out there, "Shit Happens" Nothing is perfect or ever goes as planned because kids ...are kids. 

To say that I would love to have kids of my own right now would be the biggest crock of crap. I love kids, I want several of them someday. The key word being someday!  The funny thing about that last statement is that is something I recently learned. When my niece SkyeLeigh Rae came along almost three years ago I was confident enough to say "I could do that". I was one of those girls who sat around watching MTV's hit show "16 & Pregnant" laughing at those girls telling the screen "I could do better then you!" 

The families that I have come to know and love have taught me that - no I couldn't do that. My patience is not big enough, my understanding is not mature enough, my finances are far from ready, and to sound selfish - I am not ready to give up my life. To say I have respect for these parents would be an understatement. I love my super sitter time, and there are even days I wish I had more of it. And to sound a bit conceited- I think I spend way more time with kids and known more then the average girl my age does, but to humble myself I am far from all knowing or all expereienced. I don't know the half of it! 

My super sitter days have given me countless laugh, smiles, memories, and lessons. But one of the biggest lessons I have learned is the importance of keeping my legs crossed :) 

Meltdowns

In the last three days I have had about 8 hours of sleep and have had 8 jobs ..plus school. Life is moving 100 miles a minute and surprisingly .. I'm kind of loving it. Well, minus school. 


However, 8 hours of sleep in three days and active children could be a recipe for disaster. Today, at my first job, and one of my longest jobs, the girl had a meltdown. Like a major "I'm 10 years old and know better" kind of meltdown. At this point my my "super sitter" journey, I have seen all kinds of tantrums. Most of the time it's with little kids so it's easy to divert their attention to something else to defuse the current explosion. But with a ten year old, not so much. 


My level of patience walking into the situation was already low, add an hour plus meltdown and it was non existent. I could feel the anger rising up in me. In the end, I let her do her thing and just ignored her as much as I could for the safety of her and the safety of my car..like I said, big meltdown. 


Now that I reflect on it, I realized that- kids meltdown, end of story. I was the brat of all brats. I tried every thing in the nonexistent book of "how to piss off your parents". Now there are a few things I still stand my ground on, but bottom line, my parents were right. And the fact that I am still alive, healthy, and willing to see this point is proof enough that they dealt with my major meltdowns the right way.  


In the end, sometimes you have to just let them meltdown. You can't fix every situation and sometimes a meltdown is just what that kid needed. What you have to let them know is there meltdown is not acceptable, they are not going to get their way just because they are angry, and most importantly you are not going to hate them or love them less because of this meltdown.  


Sometimes these major meltdowns between a sitter and a kid is just what was needed to make your relationship with them so much stronger..


until the next adventure 
super sitter ..out. 

Compromise

Kids, most of the time, are needy. It's the way they are, they don't know any better. What I have learned while babysitting is compromise will save you. Now there are certain things that you can't compromise on. Some rules are there for their safety or well-being, ....or YOUR well being. 

There are other things, however, that you just have to through your arms up in the air and give some slack. 

Example: Today while getting a little boy ready for school he insisted on wearing his green coat. Well, today was the first signs of snow. The wind was sharp and everything was wet. Wearing his green coat was out of the question, it wasn't think enough. After several minutes of going back and forth, I just had to compromise, we were on the verge of being late for school. What was the compromise? Yes, you may wear your green "North Face" but you have wear your winter coat over it... he went for it. Given he walked his arms stiff, and I'm still shocked that we got his car seat straps over him, but we were on time for school and he had his green coat! 

Often, the compromise you make with the little faces ends up making an awesome story..or blog! 

Until the next adventure ...

SuperSitter out. 

Simple Steps for Super Sitters

Since I have been babysitting for nearly 8 years I have found three simple things that are important in to maintaining the title: super sitter! 

First off: Timeliness. From the moment someone asks you if you are available, get back to them! Most parents have more than one babysitter, and if you want the job you have to be quick to respond, otherwise they are going to move right on down the list. Once you have the job be sure to get there one time. Most parents are already running around trying to get out of the house, they don't need to stress about the sitter showing or not. I usually show up five to ten minutes early. That gives the parents time to stay with their children if there is an issue with a "new face" in the house.

Making sure you are on time brings me to my second important point: Organization. Be organized and able to plan ahead. A calendar is a great way to do that, I have three. I have my hard copy on my MacBook, that then syncs to my iPod that I have with me all the time, and then I have a paper one incase my iPod isn't charged. Now I realize that may be a bit extreme, but it works for me. I use a color system on all three calendars so that I can stay extra organized, and am able to prioritize if necessary. Green for work appointments - or babysitting jobs,  red is for my classes, and blue is for my extra things or my "friend time". My MacBook makes it easy to color code everything and then syncs it to my iPod. I use high lighters in my paper calendar. 

(this isn't nearly finished, but just a glance of what it looks like!)

Having my calendar at all times makes it easy to whip out at a moments notice. Another huge organizational thing I do is send out a "sitter e-mail". Twice a month I e-mail all my families letting them know times I am or am not available in the coming weeks. I find sending an e-mail out keeps your name fresh in parents mind so they are more likely to ask you and it also makes me feel better when I have to say no. Parents see why I am not able accept the job. (I really hate saying no, I always feel so guilty.) 

Most parents are "won" over if you get back to them right away and arrive one time, there is just one more piece to the puzzle to drive it on home.. winning the kids over. 

Point number three: Creativity. Bring projects, come up with fun games, an create those "one time things" that they will always remember. My current mission is- trying to find an affordable project that I can make with all my families during the December weeks. My first thought was ornaments they can make to give to their parents. But I came to a hurdle. I watch kids from all ages -babies to tweeners. Finding an ornament that attracts them all is just impossible. Needless to say, I am still on that mission (watch for a follow up post!). But missions like that keeps super sitters on their A game. 

I find the above the most important points in having a successful relationship with families, however there are several other things that are just as necessary. Girl Scouts taught me to always leave a place cleaner than you found it, I use that rule of thumb here too. Pick up, even if when you came it was a tornado scene. Have fun with the kids, but keep in mind you are stepping in for the parents. Create boundaries and enforce rules if necessary. Giving the kids an extra scoop of ice cream isn't the end of the world, but keeping them up till 11p.m. when bedtime is clearly 8p.m. is a big "NO NO". One thing I do, just because it makes me feel better, is have my own babysitter list. If you can't accept a job because you have another job or a prior commitment be able to give the family another name.  Most parents have their own list and don't need a recommendation, but occasionally they have whipped out all other options and the new name is greatly appreciated. Plus, it always makes me feel less guilty for saying no. 

All in all, being a babysitter is not a option for some quick and easy cash. A lot of times you just do what you got to do. You are dealing with peoples "babies",  don't mess with them. And besides, can you stomach upsetting a child? I know I can't. Be smart, be creative, be patient, be flexible, be kind, be caring, and most importantly- be loving.