i found my nanny on craiglist

I know what you're thinking.

Are you crazy?

No, I'm not. I, just like you, am shocked that I found a great person to make summer fun for my two little guys and she's, like, NORMAL. I'm the first to admit that I tend to be over-protective at times, yes, that was me who followed Griffin's bus to school when he began first grade, so awkward doesn't begin to describe how I feel when another mom in the neighborhood asks me where I found such a great girl, and I have to respond, 'Craiglist.'

After all, isn't that where people go to buy lawn mowers, bikes, or Archie comic books?

But, a nanny? Quality child-care? I'd never even used Craigslist, not to buy or sell an item, and then found myself on the site. The first post I clicked on was a college student studying to be a teacher and looking to watch kids for the summer. And she lived nearby. And she had experience. And what was the catch, I thought? I skeptically sent her an e-mail and several conversations later we made plans to meet. I whole-heartedly expected this girl to show up with hair dyed the color of that plastic flamingo in your neighbor's mulch, a lit cigarette hanging from her mouth and piercings in both lips.

What a nice surprise.

She was anything but, and smiled from ear to ear with references...which checked out...in one hand and a list of fun activities she hoped to do for the summer. I watched as she interacted with the boys, who hung on her every word, all the while thinking, 'I found this girl on Craigslist?'

I still can't believe it.

Anything would sound better than that. Like, I found our nanny in the produce aisle, or she put that baggie on my rear windshield wiper at the carwash, or we found her roaming our backyard and we took her in for a night. But, Craigslist?

The boys love her already. Hayden hugs Miss Kristen at least 83 times a day, and Griffin asks me an hour after she leaves when she's coming back. They swim, do crafts, play baseball, the Wii, go bowling and make treats, like the ones posted in the photo.

This week, Kristen told me 'this doesn't even feel like a job' and my oldest said, 'Mom, aren't you glad you found her? Boy, we sure lucked out.'

You got that right.