to think i'm too old and fat for this?

[Flojo1979]

Going on a date, due any minute.
Decided against my better judgement to wear a little black number with knee high boots (well it is a friday night!)
But the last time I wore this dress I was 10 yrs younger and 2 dress sizes smaller.
I'm making a huge mistake aren't I? I look like a big fat mutton dressed as lamb don't I?
Oh help!

Well here lies the problem.
I like him, he seems to like me. He asked me out for next wkend, and the reason I've been single for yrs....I can't get a babysitter. I don't really have anyone to ask. My dad babysat last night, and he's babysitting on Tuesday so I can see skyfall with a mate.
I can't ask him again.
Seriously considering whether I can use a babysitting agency. But a complete stranger in my home? With my kids? It doesn't sit comfortably.

Could you invite him round for a meal after the kids have gone to bed?

That is a disgusting and sexist thing to say lovebunny.
rubbish. and get over it.

I agree it's disgusting and sexist actually

However, it's probably one of the nicest posts I've ever read from you....

Don't you get exhausted carrying all that hatred of the male population around?

Flojo - we used the Sitters agency for the first time last weekend so that we could go and see Skyfall, and it was brilliant. The lady who came was lovely and really clicked with our boys.

We have booked again for December so that we can go and see the Hobbit

It isn't cheap (about £30 for an evening) but once or twice a month rotated with your Dad?

£30? Isn't it £6 something an hr? Or are the loads of extra costs?
I placed an ad on childcare.co.uk and a lady got in touch, but she lived 30 mins away and wants £10 an hr, i'll be out approx 4 hrs and will need her to come earlier to see what she's like so will be £50 before I've even bought a drink. Makes it quite a bit more than I was hoping to pay.
I asked at DD nursery but no one seemed particularly keen.

With sitters, I see its quartly fee, so do u 'sign up' quartly? Or does it have to be yearly or something?

lovebunny good name really, as you obviously hate men as a species, so a rabbit is probably your best bet.

You pay quarterly once you have used them once, until you de-register.

You also pay a £4 booking fee each time you make a booking. So we had 4 hours at £6.50 an hour, plus the booking fee made it £30.

Do you have any friends with similar aged DCs who you can ask who they use for a babysitter? Do any of them use childminders or nannies for their DCs, they might want some extra money and at least it's someone you konw who's good round DCs.

Not really, I don't have many friends and they just seem to use family and no one I could exchange favours with either.

How many sitters are in your area? I've just looked on the website and there's only 22 in mine, doesnt seem much to cover a wide area.
Is there any sort of guarantee if I pay joining fee, that they'll find me one when i need?

Ask around the school gate if anyone else can recommend a good babysitter.

Dontmindifido has a good idea - ask friends about their childminders. I am on a CM and babysitting right now! I know of other CMs who often babysit. So def worth trying.

If they can't fill your first booking and you think 'sod that' and don't use them again, then you don't pay them anything at all.

I think there were 100+ in our area, but they do it by postcode and use the first two letters, so NW, SE etc. Our postcode area is vast, more than an hour's drive from one side to the other and pretty heavily populated - so in reality there are not 100+ who would want to take a booking from us.