The Dream Nanny

Miss C has been coming to our house to babysit for a few weeks now and we really enjoy having her there. She is so into the kids, she actually gets down on the floor and plays guns, or building blocks, and colors. She does activities everyday and takes pictures of the kids all day, too.

So, what are the eye openers? Well, having a nanny is like having a roommate. Even though she doesn't live with us, she does "live" there a significant part of each day. She has habits which turn out not to match ours. There are garlicky bread crumbs in the butter. The magazines are rearranged. The bird was fed six month's worth of dried fruit in the first week.

For me, these are all side issues. The important thing is how much she seems to enjoy the kids. She may actually enjoy them more than I do! So, I don't care about crumbs, knick knacks or bird food. She's a keeper!

We are planning to drive to Florida after Christmas. I am figuring ( all each way) 1550 miles, 100 gallons of gas in my gas guzzler, and 22 hours or driving. The unknowns are: one overnight stay or two? Go through New Orleans, or avoid? I checked flights today and the cheapest I saw was $500 per person. Times four people is $2000 minimum. I know we can drive for less than $1000, but I'm going to keep a strict accounting just to prove it.