Child Care

Brian teaches adjunct at a college here in town and recently just applied to a couple of other schools to see if he could pick up a few additional classes.  Well, he was successful and will now be teaching at two different colleges!  Its great for him to get his foot in the door while he is still working on his PhD so that maybe he can become a full professor somewhere when he is done with school.  While teaching more = more money and more experience it also means more challenges. 

His teaching schedule hasn't been an issue while I was on leave since I could obviously just stay home and take care of the babies.  But, as his teaching schedule changes for January that means we will actually have to find someone to watch the kiddos while we are both working.  We were hoping that he could teach only night classes but its looking like that isn't going to happen. Brian was recently offered one class at this new school on Mondays and Wednesdays in the morning.  The other school is giving him 1-3 classes depending on which ones fill up and one of those would be on Tuesdays during the daytime.  He only needs to be gone about 2 1/2-3 hours for each class but they are all spread out and at odd times of the day.  I mean who wants to come over and babysit at 6:30am?  We figured out that we would be spending half the money he makes teaching on hiring somebody to watch the girls.  Is that worth it?  Yes and no.  It gets his foot in the door for teaching more classes (which could be at night) but it also means that someone other than Brian and I taking care of the girls. 

I would say I am a pretty trusting person, but not when it comes to my precious babies.  I guard them like a hawk!  We don't let any sick people come over and I try not to even see anybody who knows anybody who MIGHT be sick LOL.  We make all people wash their hands before handling the babies and don't let anybody hold the babies that smokes unless they haven't smoked in the clothes they are wearing.  They are my pride and joy and I don't want them to get sick. 

So how the heck are we supposed to hire somebody that we don't even really know to watch them? I am not really comfortable with that thought at all.  There are a couple of people that we know that  may want the job so I guess we will just have to wait and see.  Even if one of the people we know watched them one day and one of our other friends watched them the other days that would be fine.  We really want someone to come to the house instead of having to take the babies somewhere.  I am hoping that whoever we hire can do a load of laundry and maybe some dishes while they are sleeping too.  Wouldn't that be nice!  My other reason for wanting to get someone to come to the house is for the fact that it would be difficult for Brian to load and unload the girls himself.  It would probably be easier to find somewhere for us to just drop the girls off for a few hours and then pick them up.  BUT, I would drop them off and then Brian would have to pick them up.  While they are still little and not able to walk themselves to the car I think it would be hard for Brian to get them in and out by himself.  He is a very creative thinker and could probably figure it out but it would be easier to not have to.  Those daycare places too probably have sick kids and tons of germy fingers everywhere.  It gives me the shivers just thinking about all of the germs.  Yuck. 

If anybody out there has any suggestions on how to get over letting a stranger into the house or how to even find someone, I am open for suggestions. =)