Can I Just Say...

... how much I LOVE other moms??

Jean's Silly Little Theory on Babysitting: I believe that every time someone provides babysitting to another mom, the contribution goes into a big old babysitting pot called the Circle of Motherhood, from which others are welcome to draw when needed. (Really, it's all about helping each other out.)

Of course, with all my job trainings and weekday work hours and dentist appointments, I feel like I've been drawing from the Circle of Motherhood MUCH more than I'm entitled these days. (I try to pay when they let me, but still, I know it can be a burden.) Other people have been helping me A LOT lately, and I am so, so, so, sososososososo SOOOOOO grateful to them.

Special shout-outs go to:
Kira, Kristy, Brandy, Faith (the grown-ups)
Shannon (the teenager)

... And I can't write a blog post on babysitting without mentioning this fantastic place:
Playtime Plus is what they call an "hourly drop-in center," where basically you can drop off your kid at any time for instant babysitting.

(Wait... hold the phones. WHAAAT??? HOW AWESOME IS THAT???!!! Why did they not have a place like this in Pasadena? And, in fact, why do they not have a place like this in every town in every state everywhere??)

Seriously, it's the perfect solution if a babysitter or friend isn't available and you really have to be somewhere without your child (such as a doctor or dentist appointment, a hair appointment, or even just your date with Kohl's). Playtime Plus has a big play room for big kids (called the "Tiger Room") and a smaller play room for smaller kids (aged under 3, called the "Cub Room"). There are toys and climbing structures and little cars to drive around, and all kinds of good fun. They even let you bring snacks or lunch for your child (which they will give at your designated time), and if you forget lunch, you can choose menu items from nearby pizza and burger places, which are delivered to Playtime Plus at a designated time.

So, basically it's the most clever daycare innovation ever. I love it. And best of all, it's only $5.00 an hour for ages 3 and under, and $4.00 an hour for older kids. The children are constantly supervised, and the three times that I've taken Weston now, it just seems like everyone's having a lot of fun playing with everything. None of the kids seems to care that they were dropped at a daycare; to them it's just an indoor playground. Usually, Weston is a little uncertain when I say goodbye to him, but (A) I leave him with his blankie, which works wonders, and (B) he always perks up when he sees all the playthings, and (C) he knows that I'll always come back for him after not too long. After all, you can only leave your child for up to six hours (even though that seems like way, way too long to me anyway). I'm letting Weston take it in stride, so I haven't left him there for longer than two and a half hours at this point, but it's nice to have the flexibility just in case.

And plus, he's always so excited to see me again. At one location in Tulsa, the Cub Room looks out to the parking lot, so as soon as I pull up, I can wave to him through the window (gosh, I love that big smile he gives me). At the other location, there's a little window into the Cub Room from the check-in area, and one time I glanced in there and saw Weston sitting at a high chair eating his crackers, just like I requested of the staff. When I called out to him and he saw me, he started smiling and pointing excitedly at me, while telling the staff lady, "That's my mommy!" Haha! He's cute.

So, anyway, I love Playtime Plus. And I love other moms. The end. :-)