Do's and Don't of finding a babysitter??

   Our 15th Wedding Anniversary is approaching in 2 weeks; and I am excited to get a night out with my husband.. Finally!  It seems like forever since we had a night out, just us; because it is hard to get a sitter or it may be that I just don't like asking other people that have busy lives to watch my kids.  I don't know which one; probably a little of both, but I know it has been a while since we got to go out and I am excited.

  Both of our parents have medical issues that prevent us from imposing on them unless need-be; however, they never say no when we ask. We try not to ask unless it is an anniversary or special occasion, and this is one of them!! :)

  I have never really left my kids with anyone that wasn't family or a very close friend because I was a stay-at-home mom and when we did go out we went together; other than on the special occasions in which our parents or close friends volunteered.

  However, sometimes it would be nice to get out once a month again, like we used to when our parents heath was better; because date night ain't as fun when you are staying home. (lol)

 But.. what are the do's and don't when it comes to finding a sitter?  I know a few of the top ones would be the following..

They must be ..

• Good with kids (references to back that up)
• Trustworthy
• Respectful
• Good student
• No criminal background
• My kids like them
• and so many more!

  So, I would like to hear what you think.. you can comment here or join the conversation in the community discussion on  Who do you leave your kids with when you need a night out?  If, your babysitter is not family; How did you find the babysitter you use?

 ...  I want to hear all the do's and don't of finding a babysitter!!!

What's new on the Creation Station: Learn to build a game

My goal is to learn to build a game...

I am currently in a Bach program in Web Design; and hopefully once I finish all of these "no point" (so it seems) classes, I will get to d...

One of our babies died...

12 years ago I received a call on my daughters birthday from a good friend of mine and she wasn't wishing a happy birthday.

She said...

"Omg, they just brought a baby into the ER that is blue, his mom forgot him in the car when she went into work!"

My very first thoughts, having a 2 year old at the time, was "yeah right".. I did not not even think there could be a possibility of that happening!  I mean.. how do you forget your child?!

We talked for only a short minute because we were off to celebrate my daughter's birthday; and have a party.  However, during this short conversation we discussed our thoughts and opinions; and nether of us thought that something this bad could realistically happen.

A few short hours later I received another phone call from a co-worker which I worked with at a daycare center.  I assumed she had heard about the baby and was calling to tell me about it all... but I was so wrong!

... Sobbing and barely able to get her words out, she said; " One of our babies died!" and I was speechless!!

It is amazing how my thought process changed so quickly after knowing who this mother was personally; and knowing without a shadow of a doubt that she would have never hurt the baby intentionally!!  (However, as a mother I did still wonder how this could be possible.)

I learned that day that we all have gut instincts when it comes to any tragedy, and we have opinions based on those beliefs/thought as well; but they are so different when we know the people involved and have a personal connection.

The media tore her apart, and she barely made it through..and finally having to move to another state to move on with her life because of the people who could not stop judging.

Which tickets would you rather have?

I have looking for something fun and entertaining to do; because it has been so long since I have had a night out.  I found Coldplay tickets, WWE tickets, and Jason Aldean tickets at Tickets America.  Jason Aldean would be my 1st pick of the three though; then, maybe Coldplay... I'm not a WWE fan, but I am sure that some of you may be!!  If you are, make sure to check and see if they will be in your area because I seen a few sales for WWE Raw and Smackdown as well!!

Which of the 3 would you rather have???

1. Coldplay
2. WWE
3. Jason Aldean 

A Week of Chaos

This has been truly been a week of chaos! School started on Monday for the girls and for me on Tuesday; and I have realized that it is time to get a good schedule started and enforced once again!

The school board changed the times that the kids have to be at school with 10-20 minute difference in the take in/let out times this year for the 3 schools. However, this puts my 3rd grader having to be in class at 8:15am and my Freshman doesn't have to be at school till 8:30am (she is loving that) and she also gets out 20 minutes later as well; and this has caused an issue with my work schedule. I am rushing home now to get my youngest daughter off the bus because my oldest gets home later. It is a workable schedule because it gives me just enough time to get home(I'm pulling in at the same time as the bus); but it has caused some chaos this week.

The bus has not come at the same time not once this whole week.. but this morning was her earliest @ 6:32am... Glad we were ready! I am not a morning person at all.. so this is extremely early in my book. My daughter is not a morning person either, so it is a challenge some mornings. I try my best not to start the day off wrong by fussing or getting aggravated because I do not want her to have a bad day at school.. this however, can be a challenge some mornings.

I think that time to accomplish everything has been the biggest issue; because my youngest daughter still needs me to help on most of homework and now my oldest daughter is taking harder classes and she needs that too; leaving little time to get my school work done; and believe me there has been a lot of that due this week too. (lol)

I think that getting a schedule (again) will help us all, especially once they get back into the school routine!! I DID get a chance to get their new school chore charts printed and ready to start; the chores are different in the school year vs. the summer time ones because they have more time on their hands... and they make more of a mess being home all day too (lol)!

Well, I am so glad that this week of chaos is almost over.. and with a 3 day weekend to look forward to as well. This will give us all time to re-cooperate and get ready for next week! (lol)

I hope you all had a great week ; and that it was not a week of chaos for you.. but if it was, just remember tomorrow is a new day!! So, SMILE!! :)

A New Me: Trying to Find my way back...: Lately I have been LAZY.. TIRED.. and just feeling wore-out; to be quite honest. I remember feeling this way before I lost the weight; and...

How I think Facebook could help!

One of my favorite movies is Amber's Story; not because it is a true story about a child (Amber)is kidnapped and killed, but because her mom made sure that something GOOD can from it!

Amber Alerts are sent out across this Country every day for missing children; and it has helped save many!!

Facebook started allowing users to opt in to be an organ donor, right from them. Making it easy for users to become a donor & helping to save many lives as well. After all, a lot of people visit Facebook everyday, why not market something that makes a difference in this world to help make a difference! This got me thinking...

I think that Facebook could help the Amber Alert system in so many ways! They could have a space for the alerts.. When a child is missing it stays on that child, highlighting the area and details, and allowing members to share and maybe add information straight from there. They could even have it as a notification that is sent out to all their users on their phones and in their messages.

Children go missing every day and we have to do everything within our power to try to get them back safely; and I think this is one of the many ways that Facebook could help!!