The Childcare Conundrum

Last week Bryan was offered, and accepted, a new job at a marketing firm here in Salinas. We are all very excited - B especially, this means he'll get out the house every day, woot!

The office is in downtown Salinas, so he'll be able to walk to work (or ride his bike), which is another plus. This means we don't have to deal with packing up and moving, since neither one of us loves to move. Although I'm not in love with our house, it offers some pretty big benefits for us - especially now.

Since our daycare provider can't take or pick up Penelope from T-Kinder, we have to find an alternative. We're fortunate enough to have a nanny lined up for July (a coworker has a close friend in Spain who wants to spend a month in America and perfect her English). So this just leaves August through the rest of the school year.

After discussing our options, we decided to try and find an au pair to come and live with us for the school year. We have the extra bedroom and bathroom downstairs (which is basically just used for storage). So we have the space.

It also allows for our kids to experience something new. A different culture, maybe another language. We have one applicant from Canada & one from the US, but most of our applicants are from Europe or South America.

And since all our applicants can drive, this means that we have someone who can pick up Pen from school - and Griffin. If all goes as planned, the Bubs will do part-time pre-school, which is a way to ensure social interaction with his peers outside of the daycare setting and it will give our au pair a chance to explore, meet people, or even take a class at our local community college. I remember what it was like to be a stay-at-home-mom, so I know how important that time can be, and how recharges you.

I'm really excited (and a tad nervous) about the process. But mostly, I'm hopeful that we'll find a good fit for our family. Someone who will loves the kids as much as we do and who will become a part of the family.

Wish us luck!