I have a secret weapon in my parenting arsenal.
Local grandparents.
Yes, friends, I have not one but TWO sets of grandparents in town available for my every babysitting need. There is nothing like having people who love your kids as much as you do (and don’t get annoyed by them as easily) who will come over at the drop of a hat.
I’m so thankful for the gift of active grandparents in our lives. Occasionally I lose touch with reality and forget how hard it can be for most families to find reliable sitters that they trust. Parent chatter on the playground brings me back to the real world as I hear my friends desperately seek sitters for date nights or nannies for after school care.
Sitting Made Simple is a babysitting concierge service seeking to make life easier for parents looking for care. Recently Sitting Made Simple asked me if I wanted to bring my kids to meet their babysitters during a morning of crafts while I received a complimentary spa treatment.
Because I will leave no stone unturned for you, dear readers, I agreed.
I’ll be honest — I had to bribe my kids to go. They had no interest in making crafts while Mommy went to the spa, even if said crafts happened in a fancy hotel downtown. So I promised them a dollar each for full cooperation.
My kids are on the shy side, so I expected some clinging and fussing from them when we arrived at the event. To my surprise, as soon as they saw the smiling, friendly sitters ready to play, they took off down the hallway without so much as a goodbye.
I was ushered in to experience the bliss of Mokara Spa at the Omni Hotel. A quick detour for the spa here — before my treatment I had no more interest in the Omni spa than any other spa, but now it’s at the top of my list for a special treat. As I waited my scheduled facial I slipped on a robe and sandals and chatted with fellow bloggers in the relaxation room. With any treatment, clients get full access to the spa’s facilities. This means you can schedule a $30 classic manicure and spend your day also enjoying the sauna and relaxation room (and on weekdays, the pool!). I was charmed by the spa’s friendly, engaging staff, and my face felt refreshed after the organic skin treatment.
At the end of my pampering session, my kids were returned to me, happy and holding holiday crafts. My oldest described how he explained Star Wars to three different sitters — apparently they were a captive audience!
I loved meeting the folks from Sitting Made Simple, and I’m excited that their service may help my friends out of those too-frequent sitting jams. The sitters are required to pass background checks, must have clean driving records and CPR certifications, and must undergo a rigorous interview with SMS staff.
My favorite part of Sitting Made Simple? You can request a sitter with under 24 hours notice, perfect for those last-minute needs.
Sitting Made Simple has kindly given me two memberships to give away to my wonderful readers, a $35 value! To enter, leave a comment below and share why you need Sitting Made Simple! For extra entries, tweet about this giveaway or share it on Facebook, then let me know in the comments. Giveaway closes December 28, 2015.
Sitting Made Simple is sponsoring this post by giving me two memberships for readers plus one for me. Also, they sponsored a lovely spa treatment for me. My opinions are my own and not solicited, but giving me a facial is a great way to get in my good graces!
What a great service! I have zero family in town and would love to win the membership! I’m definitely going to check them out.
I shared on FB!
Saw this post on FB and will definitely be checking out SMS. Last minute sitting issues come up often for us. Thanks for sharing!
what a cool service! Do you know or have any info about special needs children? If they have specific rates or sitters with special needs experience?
Good questions, Jen! I’ll see what I can find out.
Jen, I spoke with Sarah, the owner of Sitting Made Simple Nashville. She said the sitting rates remain constant regardless of whether a child has special needs. They do not require their sitters to have experience with special needs, but many of them are familiar with a broad range of children do to the requirement that they have previous childcare experience. Sarah suggested that when scheduling a sitting request for a child with special needs, the parent add a note in the request so sitters can assess whether they can meet a child’s needs appropriately. Hope that helps!
I would love to try out this service! We are often in need of sitters last minute, and it’s especially hard to find someone for daytime needs.
Oooooo la la!!!!! Sounds lovely! Next time you are thinking about going let me know. I’d love a sitter coupon for a date night with my sweetie. He’s been soooo good this year!
Lisa
Shared on fb!
Sounds fantastic! Lucky you! I would love to have a night out! 🙂
I was about to complete the details for Sitter City- so will see if I can be lucky here instead!
Thanks!
With Chad & I both having atypical work schedules and enjoying social outings, we always need more childcare options!
And the winners are…..Nicky Nash and Colleen! Ladies, please contact me for your coupon code!
Thanks for entering, everyone!