Time

I am so blessed to be a mom to all of my children. I love them so much. I will not lie, it was especially tough the first 4 months that we had child number 6 come into our lives- not because she was difficult, she is the opposite of difficult. She is so easy. Possibly the easiest of all our kids. She is so easy going and relaxed. She goes any where with us and is so happy. She is a sweet heart. I had a hard time trying to figure out WHY I was having such a difficult time adjusting to having 6 kids. But I was. I would cry almost daily and I didn't cook for 3 months. My house rarely got vacuumed and I never even found the time to get dressed. It was rough. I was having a hard time making sure that all my kids were getting the attention they deserved and that made me feel so guilty! I never dreamed that it would be such a difficult adjustment, but it was. Don't get me wrong, she is worth it. She is SO VERY worth it. This baby brought a completeness to my life that I could not live without. It was just hard. So, with my husband working 4-5 days a week (we are blessed that he has the ability to have a lot of 3-4 day weekends), I thought that I should be able to get my act together- but I couldn't. I had a mothers helper during the summer, but I was still a mess. A complete mess. So, after much prayer, my husband and I decided that we needed a live in nanny. Someone who would be here all the time, who would know the kids routine, that I would trust. Basically, another parent.  So, we decided to move forward with a search. We started looking, and looking, and looking.... it was a long and tedious process- we looked at many candidates and just were not finding the right fit for our family. I knew how important it would be to have a great fit with someone who would be coming into our home and helping raise my children. The most important item on our list was that she was LDS and that she loved her religion and lived it. Also high on our list was a positive and bubbly attitude (I have no bubbly energy left at this stage in my life).  I also had about a hundred small items including a clean driving record, young, happy, positive attitude, willing to try new things and come from a small town... and so the search continued and continued, until I felt that we would NEVER find help and I would never find relief. Then we found Aspen. Aspen fit the bill, 100%! She is amazing. She is saving to go on a mission, graduated seminary, loves little kids, had a great and positive attitude, is so easy going and is just plain fun! We love Aspen so much. I love Aspen. She is exactly what I need. She has just made this transition so easy. She deals with my attitudes (I can get a little uptight and grumpy), she is a self starter, she is so positive, the kids love her so much, we are all just so thankful that she is here.  I had someone ask me today about my nanny and so I have been thinking a lot about it today, and I can honestly say that I am glad I have her and I would do it all over again.  I know that I am blessed to be able to have her, we did have to move our budget around a bit to be able to bring her here- but I would do it again and again! Travis and I have been able to leave the kids with her and get a weekend (or two) to ourselves! Next week I am going on a week long field trip with my oldest daughter while she stays home with the kids (I never would have been able to do that without her), I am able to go to my kids classes and take my kids out on special dates (they LOVE this), I have someone to entertain the kids while I sew, shower, clean or nap, and she is just amazing. My nanny has given me the TIME to be with my kids more. To give them more one on one attention. To be a better mom. She takes Max and Olivia to the zoo almost weekly, they go to the childrens museum and library and park weekly. They play outside and read and do all the fun things that I wish I was able to do more often with them.  So- is it worth it to have a live in nanny?  If you find the right girl who can be a good example to your kids and that you trust and feel comfortable around, then- for me- ABSOLUTELY!