How to Find a Babysitter in the Neighborhood

Holiday season is coming and it can be difficult to find a good babysitter. It is even harder if you have moved into a new neighborhood and don't know anyone. Here are some tips on how to find that person you need.

Many parents would rather hire an individual who is a 'known quantity' and familiar to other people in their neighborhood just simply because that familiarity breeds trust. If they know your babysitter than he or she has a bit of a support team at his or her disposal should something go wrong?

Finding a babysitter in your neighborhood is generally quite easy if you live in a suburb or smaller town that is friendly to families. However it can be a little more difficult if you live in a big urban area where teens and young people are known to have a rough time or in an area where there are not a lot of families. It can also be difficult to find someone if you are quite new to town and don't have enough acquaintances to find a babysitter via personal recommendations or 'word of mouth.'

Here are some simple ways to find the person you need as fast as possible.
• Place ads in your local classified, local gym, grocery store, church and YMCA.
• Take an ad to your local employment agent or youth employment agent.
• Call your high school and see if there is a babysitting club.
• Introduce yourself to the neighbours and see who they recommend and be very sure to ask many questions about his or her honesty, reliability and trustworthiness .
• Talk to your co-workers and see if they can refer someone to you.
• Keep your eye on the light posts, local bulletin boards and the bulletin board Laundromat. Babysitters often leave paper flyers with number tabs on them for you to call.

You can also find a sitter by going onto the Internet. One way to find a sitter in your area is to simply go to a popular search engine like Google or Yahoo and type in 'babysitter' followed by the name of your town. For instance if you live in Springville, you would type 'Babysitter Springville.'

You can also find a babysitter on Craigslist. This is one of the largest lists that exists that offers specific postings from specific neighborhoods all over North America.

Another option is to use your local social networking platform like Facebook or Twitter. Very often just putting up a status update such as 'Does anyone know where I can find a good babysitter?' will often get you immediate results!

Do You Have a Drinking Problem?

Whether or not someone is an alcoholic can be a very sensitive topic. It can be hard to look at yourself in the mirror and be honest about whether or not you have a drinking problem.

Not sure if you have a drinking problem?
Take a minute to reflect on your life and ask yourself the following questions –
Do you feel disappointed or angry if you go to an event and there is no alcohol available?

Do you have trouble maintaining a relationship for any length of time?

Do you lose your temper all of the time?
Are hangovers and drunkenness preventing you from making it to work, spending time with your kids or saving money?

Are you in debt and you don't know why?

Do you drink alone or in secret?

Do you forget conversations or do others accuse you of repeating yourself?

Do you drink in secret or at odd times of the day or when you are alone?

Have you lost interest in hobbies, pastimes or favorite interests?

Do you have a few drinks and start quarreling?

Do you go to a bar every night?

Are you amazed by the way you can drink and drink and drink without getting drunk?

Are you unfaithful to your mate?

Do others say your personality changes when you drink?

Is everyone abandoning you, refusing to lend you money or socialize with you?

Do you have trouble meeting your commitments or responsibilities – especially financial ones?

Has your drinking sabotaged the completion of a major task or job at work, or home?

Are your kids and other family members avoiding you and you don't know why!

Have you continued to drink even though it is causing problems in a relationship and someone is asking you to stop

Do you have recurring legal problems as a result of drinking including fighting while drinking or being sued by landlords because you spent the rent on drinking

Do you drink and drive?

Are your loved ones actually threatening you with an intervention?

If you even answered yes to just two or three of these questions then it is likely you have a drinking problem.
According to information released by the World Health Organization a few years ago, alcoholism was one of the 10 biggest risks to health on a global basis.

In fact, in some developing countries, alcoholism was said to be the biggest single threat to health whereas in the industrialized West, it was the third biggest health risk!

Needless to say if you think that you or a loved one (such a teen or a spouse) had this problem then your entire family's safety and peace of mind is at risk.