We have a 13 year old who lives a few blocks away. She's mormon and is the oldest of 9 (there's another on the way). The parents homeschool. She loves to come keep an eye on my kids. She's $4 a hour and since she's homeschooled, she's available pretty much whenever I need her. Love this kid.
The Nanny is a pain in my fucking ass. She is always late. Has missed a bunch of days, always putting someone here in a bind. The first week she was here she kept taking the kids to her house. She can cook, but can't clean for shit...both things she claimed to be very good at. Problem is she's buddy / buddy now with my kids' mom. She gets $15 per hour for part time, which has gone upwards of 40 hours if one of us is out of town.
Now when she flakes, I've got a place I can drop them all day. It's an in house babysitting service run by another friend of a friend. She's $30 for 3 kids for 6 hours. Her house and backyard are a playground and the kids love to go.
Last but not least, there's my parents. They're free.
I have three little ones, ages 3, 4 and 5 - and I'm home with them most of the time. Having people ready to come watch them so I can get out is important to me. VERY important for my sanity.
