The secret to a long and lasting marriage?

Yesterday, on the eve of our fourth wedding anniversary, Mr G and I welcomed another woman into our marriage. And, frankly, I couldn’t be happier. While it is still very early days it already seems certain that her mere presence will strengthen, and possibly even lengthen, our marriage. I realise some people might think three is too crowded but regular readers might recall that I have, on more than one occasion, expressed interest in trialling polygamy in the NABM home and so far the reality is every bit as good as I imagined it might be. Better even.

So who is this woman of mystery? She is a delightful Brazilian girl, with whom we are all in love, who has taken up employment as our nanny three days a week. (You didn’t think anyone would join this circus for FREE did you?) Now I realise an explanation is in order. A few weeks ago I recounted, in excruciating detail, the horror story that is finding childcare in this grand old harbour city and a nanny was only a minor part of the plan.

After sending myself completely spare I managed to get Miss L two days in a family day-care centre. I figured my angst and hard work had been worth it and was just gearing up to get stuck into work when reality came thundering in. What worked on paper didn’t work in reality. Who would have thought that getting two kids (fed and dressed) in the car, driving to one location, unloading both children, dropping one child off, reloading other kid back in the car, driving to the next location, dropping that child off and then getting myself to work before 8.30am, and then doing the same in the afternoon wouldn’t work???

It wasn’t logistics alone though that made our original plan come undone. Illness, a pretty inevitable part of life with little people, was the main culprit. Miss L had one happy day in care before she succumbed to a virus and then an ear infection and then suddenly my plans were no longer feasible. When a child is sick they obviously can’t attend daycare but the fees are still payable...and their parents are still required at work. 

 

So even though at first glance we’d concluded a nanny wasn’t financially viable we were forced to rethink. And you know what is less affordable than a nanny? Paying childcare at two different centres and paying a nanny to look after a sick child. That’s when you start haemorrhaging money and you start searching for the very best nanny you can find. Which we did and as a result yesterday was absolutely sublime. When I got home at 5.30pm the house was spotless, the girls were happy, dinner was cooked, the washing was folded (and put away!!) and I was so happy I could have burst. When Mr G arrived home after 6pm I was actually dancing in the living room. True story. I had time to dance and read stories and play and enjoy giving my giggling girls their bath more than I have in yonks.

And if that’s not money well spent (not to mention the secret to a long and lasting union) then I don’t know what is.