Sittercity Membership Giveaway

**Random.org picked comment #9 - Karen is our winner **

6 Months Free of Sittercity Membership!

To be entered to win, go to Sittercity and find out how many sitters live near your zipcode. Then leave me a comment with that number and your email address or a link to your blog which has your email. For an extra chance to win, you can subscribe to my feed or link to this contest in your blog. I will pick the lucky winner on Friday, 8/22.

In addition to our giveaway prize, Sittercity has also given a special 10% discount off memberships for all my readers. Just use the promo code Sitter10 to get the 10% off.

As I mentioned last week, I'm in full gearing up for fall mode. It may seem premature as we're not even at August 15, but it's going to help me enjoy the rest of my summer without stress, knowing I'm all set for September 3. Last week I spent some time updating the calendars and picking out activities for the kids. Now it's time for the next step - Babysitter coverage.

I pride myself on being a pretty great babysitter finder. My children love our sitters. Jack proposed to one in May (he's four - we're very proud). He thought he had found the perfect solution to her never leaving us; he had even thought out the sleeping arrangements and offered her our guest room. I've learned over time that everyone likes different types of sitters. Some people prefer more mature sitters who might be willing to do some housework while others prefer younger mother's helper types. Our ideal sitter is a college-age woman who loves to play, do art, and read lots and lots of children's books.

Many of my friends are amazed that we can go out most Saturday nights. They're often struggling with finding babysitters, and they always ask me where I find mine. When we first moved to New Jersey, I had a disastrous experience with an agency I used that highly recommended a woman who ended up using our phone to call 1-900 numbers. When I called them to complain, they tried telling me that it was a mix-up at the phone company. Ever since then, I've found my own babysitters through Sittercity. I place an ad, applicants email me and I select some to interview. I then do my own reference checks, and find my sitters. My biggest issue is always choosing between so many great candidates. I am downright freakish in how enthusiastically I recommend the site.

The site is well designed with a four-step screening process and sitter profiles featuring background checks, parent reviews, references, distance from you, availability, photos, certifications and more. All sitters are 17 or older with a wide range of skills and specialties -- the options are more varied than your child's excuses for avoiding bedtime.

And if you haven't done so already, there's still time to enter my Little Einsteins DVD giveaway!