Winning ain't cheap!

We are currently driving back to Chapel Hill, low on sleep but high on life! The Heels won the ACC tournament and victory tastes so sweet. Bradys first question when he woke up was, "did we win?" and he was pretty impressed with the trophy.  He is currently holding it in the backseat.

 

I had decided that the game was too late for my kids, especially since I would be flying solo and lots of walking was required for my kids. But yesterday morning, I decided that I really wanted to see the game and went on a mission to find a babysitter (which proved rather difficult, even with lots of people searching for me). But we found someone so I spent the afternoon planning how to make things smooth.  It started with making sure Brady didn't fall asleep while the other kids were napping, thus ensuring he would go to sleep early and not be upset when I got to go the game and he didn't.  Jackson, on the other hand, took a much needed 3 hour nap. So at 7:15, the kids got in bed and Brady was asleep by 7:30.  One down.  I tried to be inconspicuous in the dark room with an awake Avery. She zonked out about 7:45, things going according to plan. Two down. The babysitter was coming in 30 minutes so I laid down with a very quiet Jackson. I thought for sure he would be asleep soon. Things were falling into place.

I texted the babysitter at 8:05, asking her to wait in the lobby when she arrived until I texted her to come up. It became evident that he wasn't going to sleep by the time I needed to leave, so I started prepping him for a babysitter.  The kid loves books so I put a bunch out and gave the babysitter the code to the iPad in case jackson got upset when I left. He rarely gets access to it, so I knew it would ease any disappointment. Of course he was all "bye mom!" when I walked out the door, all my concern for nothing.

I texted her during the game and got this.  

False advertising on my part...I told her she'd get some good studying done.

I got back after the game just after 11:30 and Jackson. Was. Still. Awake. He was drawing on the iPad, grinning like he hit the jackpot.  So then I asked the babysitter what her hourly rate was and she says, "$13." I thought that seemed low, especially for the city, and I thought I'd be generous and give her $55 for 3 hours, since she had to take the Metro, came last minute, and actually had to work.   Here was our exchange:

Babysitter: (very sweetly) Um, I don't think you gave me quite enough.

Me: I'm so sorry! What did you say your rate was?

Babysitter: $30 an hour

Then I picked my jaw off the ground. She looked at the money again and seemed to try to make the math work in her head, and acted like maybe what I gave her was ok. But I apologized again and thrust another $20 at her and asked if that would be good (still not $30 an hour), and she said it was great (um, yeah), gave me a little bow and I was left $75 poorer, and an appreciation that this was not my city.  

Obviously, it was money so well spent and I am so glad I got to witness this amazing game.

We came, we saw, we conquered!  Goodbye DC!