Category: Family

Bust a Move — We Found Childcare!

Remember how I was freaking out about sending my kid to a hoarder for childcare?

Well, this week’s experience was pretty much the opposite of that. It was actually the EXACT experience that I wish that tour had been.

When my original childcare option for Friday’s fell through, my mom so nicely stepped in and added another day to her schedule. So instead of watching Jack for three days a week, she was now committed to four days. It was super awesome of her to take on the extra day, but I felt terribly guilty about it. Even though I thoroughly appreciate her taking care of my son, I didn’t want to be a burden on her or take advantage of her in any way.

So I started looking for other childcare options.

I was kind of scared of using another in-home childcare, seeing how they may not be exactly what they seem. So, I held off on researching them for the time being.

A nanny coming to our house sounds pretty great; since we wouldn’t have to pack up the baby and drop him off first thing in the morning. It could be a bit pricy though, even at $10 an hour we’re talking almost $500 a month for just one day a week. With this option, I was a bit nervous about having a stranger in our home on a weekly basis. Sure, the nanny may be incredibly awesome and act like another member of our family. But she could also totally ignore our kid while eating everything in the pantry and watching TV all day. Also, if she had to call out sick at the last minute it would leave us in a bind.

So, we were back to looking at childcare options in our area. Unfortunately many places will not accept an infant on a part-time basis, so that really narrowed our choices down for us.

However, I’m so happy to say that we found the perfect place! I don’t feel comfortable releasing the name of the center, since I’m not doing a big ol’ official review or anything. And, um… hello this is my kid we’re taking about and I should keep up some sort of security. However, we went on a tour yesterday and the place was fantastic.

Here are some of the things I loved:

  • They have a security system in place so random people can’t just wander in and pet the children.
  • There is a separate room for each age group with age-appropriate toys and classroom activities.
  • The children all seemed to be happy, comfortable and having a great time.
  • The place was super neat and clean. Yay, no hoarding!
  • The lady in charge of the infant’s room was awesome.
  • The price for two days a week (their minimum) works for us and was less expensive than a 1 day a week nanny.

Here is what we didn’t like:

  • The center is in the opposite direction of our jobs.

With just one thing on the “con” list, we knew we found a winner. In fact, once my husband and I got to the car we just sat there saying, “I LOVE it!” over and over.

Now THAT is the feeling I wanted to have when I left a tour of my son’s childcare!

We are really excited for Jack to have the chance to interact with other children in a safe and clean environment. Since we plan on him being our only child, it is really great for him to spend time with other kids. One of the best parts is it will give my mom a bit of a break… knocking her back down to just two days a week. Still a great amount of time for Grammy/Jack bonding, but a little more breathing room too.

It’s going to suck to have to drive extra two mornings a week, but my husband and I will split it so it shouldn’t be too bad. I’m also going to have to come in to work early on those days so that I can leave early and pick Jack up by 6:00. The childcare place is pretty strict about pick up times and I don’t want them to sell my kid into slavery if I’m late.

So after a couple weeks of stressing out about this, I’m happy to have a solution! Oh, and I’m also happy that I now have a reason to go and buy an incredibly adorable baby Halloween costume.

Speaking of, anyone have any fun costume ideas? I saw another family dressed up like the Incredibles a few years ago and have been threatening my husband with family costumes ever since.

Related articles

Trusting Your Gut

I hate to be the bad guy.

I typically try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Many times it has served me well and a few times it has come back to bite me in the butt.

For those new to my blog, you’ll need to know that my son was born two months early. We had just moved a couple weeks prior and then, boom shacka lacka, the baby came. Which is awesome, except for the fact that we hadn’t really figured out childcare yet.

I mean, we knew that my mom was going to watch Jack three days a week and my husband was going to watch him one day a week. The original plan was for me to stay home one day a week, but the whole losing my job and getting a new one messed that up.

So we needed someone for just one day each week, which is really hard to find. Childcare providers are only allowed a certain number of infants, so they prefer to watch them more often in order to make the most money.

We lucked out though and found out about a lady just 10 minutes from our house. She was best friends with my mom’s cousin (who also previously did childcare) and had over 20 years of experience. Let’s call her Betty for the rest of the story so that we can keep things straight.

Well, when I spoke to Betty on the phone she sounded great. She seemed super nice and even had an infant spot available on Friday’s starting with the school year.

My first call to her was in May, even though we didn’t really need her until August. Betty and I agreed to touch base again in early-June, since her May was insanely busy. Well, June turned into July, which then turned into early-August, due to random issues. No big deal.

Well, our first two appointments we set up in August were cancelled because her daughter went into labor and had some complications (understandable). The next two appointments were cancelled because one of the children was sick who then infected the other kids (also understandable). Yesterday’s appointment was cancelled because she forgot she had other plans (um, okay).

All of these things I can forgive – I mean, I’m a busy girl too and I certainly was appreciative of her warning me about the flu germs before I showed up with Jack. The problem is that she is scheduled to start watching my son NEXT FRIDAY and I still hadn’t met her in person.

Which brings us to today.

I had an appointment to come by her house today at 11:00 am. I showed up on time and she greeted me at the door. She was super nice in person. The three children she was watching were (mostly) well behaved. She held Jack and made him laugh hysterically. Throughout our hour-long conversation, I even agreed with her on many of her childcare philosophies.

Sounds perfect, right?

Well, it would have been if not for one little thing…I think Betty is a hoarder.

There was stuff everywhere. And when I say everywhere, I don’t mean a little sprinkled here and there. I mean the place was PACKED. She mentioned in passing that she was consigning a few things, but as I was given the ‘tour’ into each room I realized that there was NO WAY that all this stuff was waiting to be donated.

Now, I know I sound a bit like a snob complaining that the place wasn’t as neat and clean as I would have liked it. And I am admittedly a bit of a neat freak and keep my space as clutter-free as possible. However, let me assure you that this was NOT normal clutter.

It looked like Toys R’ Us exploded in her house. Every single room had stacks and stacks and stacks of children’s toys and books. And when I say stacks, imagine that there is a clear area in the center of the room and every other area is FILLED with toys.

There was absolutely no room for the kids to run and play…or even walk and play. There was hardly any room at all.

Betty didn’t seem too concerned with the mess, so I tried to tell myself that I was just overreacting. We planned for me to drop Jack off next Friday and I went on my merry way.

As I was driving up the street, the horror set in. The conversation in my head went something like this:

Devil Julie: “The place is gross.”
Angel Julie: “Well, maybe she just has a lot to be consigned.”

Devil Julie: “Hoarder, hoarder, hoarder!!”
Angel Julie: “Jack doesn’t crawl or walk yet, so maybe we can try it out for a month and see how it goes.”

Devil Julie: “You can’t make me go back there!”
Angel Julie: “I already committed to have Jack go there. I don’t want to be the bad guy.”

Devil Julie: “NO WAY! There isn’t even room for Jack to crawl around! And how clean can the place really be with all that stuff? And what if a pile falls on him and he gets CRUSHED BY TOYS?”
Angel Julie: “Shit. You’re right”

When I got home I called both my husband and my mom to see if I was just being crazy. After hearing about the situation, my mom totally saved the day by offering to watch Jack for an additional day each week. We’ll continue looking for other childcare options; however we all realize that it’s possible we might not find anything until Jack is considered a toddler in February.

So now I have the unpleasant task of being the bad guy. I have to call Betty and tell her that we won’t be using her for childcare after all. It’s going to be awkward and I’m totally dreading the call.

Here’s a question for you all, should I tell her the real reason we changed our mind?

Reviewing Citrus Lane: The August “Back to School” Box

Oooh, ahhh the August Citrus Lane box is here!

Yay, it’s here. It’s here! The August “Back to School” Box from Citrus Lane!

Of course, Jack is only 6 months old, so I’ve been very curious on how they’re going to prepare him to go to school. Maybe a ABC slobber rag or a learning to count chew toy?

Anyways, Citrus Lane talked a little about this in the brochure that came with this month’s package:

“Whether or not you have a child headed back to school, the fall is always a super-busy time for parents. That’s why this month’s box is all about helping you stay inspired and organized, from packing healthy lunches to nurturing your child’s learning curve.”

Okay, that sounds right up my alley! Fall is my absolute favorite time of year (I swoon over foliage and pumpkin spice lattes) and work will also be quite a bit busier, so anything that helps my day go smoothly is a winner for me.

And this box WAS a winner too. In fact, within a couple hours of opening it every single item was already in use in various areas of our house!

This month’s goodies:

The doggie’s ear passes inspection.

• Skip*Hop Hug & Hide Stroller Toy ($10.00 value) – I love this toy. It is totally adorable – it’s a little dog that opens his arms and there is a little teether puppy inside his pouch. Super cute! The teether is the perfect size to fit in Jack’s hand… and mouth. I’m not sure how we’re going to attach this to our stroller though. So far Jack likes to hug it or roll around on the ground and lick it.

• Keepin’ Fresh Baby Food Storage ($7.99 value) – These little bowls are the perfect size for some homemade baby food or for mommy to take a single serving of hummus to work. With their super secure tops, I feel confident that I can throw them in a diaper bag or purse without being surprised with a stinky mess later. The best part – they’re microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe, as well as free of BPA, phthlates, PVC and lead. Makes me want to mash the crap out of some bananas.

Some babies recline on a bearskin rug… Jack has a monkey skin rug. So comfy for catching up on his reading.

• Andy Warhol’s Colors Board Book ($6.99 value) – We’ve already talked about my obsession with books. The fact that they included a book in our monthly box AND that it’s a super cool one makes me a happy girl.

• Plum Organics Stage One Just Fruits ($1.49 value) – We Love Plum Organics + We Love Pears = Another Winner!

• Mommy’s Bliss Gripe Water ($11.99 value) – My introduction to gripe water came from our very first Citrus Lane box in March. It has been a total lifesaver for my gassy boy, so having an extra bottle on hand is great for us.

Yum, pears are delicious. Even through the plastic.

So, was this month’s box worth it?
Yes.

Every single item in the box will be used in our house. My only disappointment is that there was no “mommy present” this month. Part of the reason I was attracted to the Citrus Lane boxes over some of the other ones out there is that there was a little treat for me too. So, a little bit of a sad face sigh there, but all in all we are happy about the August box.

Here’s my typical disclosure: I was not rewarded by Citrus Lane for reviewing their box on my blog. I review the boxes, because I feel like other mom’s would be interested in seeing what they’ll get if they sign up for the monthly service.

HOWEVER, if you decide that you would like to sign up for your own
subscription and use my link, I will receive credits on my account. Click here to access the Citrus Lane website with my special link. As an added bonus to my fabulous readers, you can get 10% off the cost of any subscription (normal cost $25 each month). You’ll save $7.50 on three months, $12.50 on six months, or $25 on twelve months. To redeem the deal, click on my link and enter the word SPRINGFUN when checking out.

Check out my other Citrus Lane box reviews:
March 2012: Dining Out
May 2012: Fun in the Sun
June 2012: Little Artists
July 2012: Bon Voyage

Related articles