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Smart mom leaves babysitter a list of 'add-on' chores to make more money if she chooses

“You are more than welcome to hang out and watch TV all night, but if you want to make some extra $, these jobs are up for grabs.”

via KIvanKC/TikTok and KIvanKC/TikTok. Images used with permission.

Katrina Ivan's list for her babysitter.

A mother in Missouri has found a way to maximize date night with her husband. She left a note for her babysitter, giving her options to make more side cash by completing small tasks around the home.

The goal was to have a night out and to return to a cleaner and better-organized home. It makes sense. Most of the time, babysitters just sit around while the kid sleeps, so why not make their time more productive and profitable?

Katrina Ivan, a science teacher, posted the list she sent her babysitter on TikTok and the video received over 1.5 million views.


​“You are more than welcome to hang out and watch TV all night, but if you want to make some extra $, these jobs are up for grabs,” Katrina wrote to her babysitter, a senior in high school whom she’s known for 4 years.

babysitters, babysitter prices, katrina ivan

Katrina's list for the babysitter.

via KIvanKC/TikTok Used with permission.

When the babysitter saw the list, she was excited to get to work and started cleaning the windows 10 minutes after Katrina and her husband left the house.

Katrina realized her plan was working when she saw her cleaning the windows through her Ring camera. “She was like, ‘Heck ya!' and got to work right away,” Katrina told Today.com. "I left all the supplies out for her so she didn't have to feel weird hunting around for things."

By the end of the night, the babysitter was able to clean the mirrors and windows, organize the toys, vacuum the couch and scrub and organize the silverware drawer.

"I think this is a great opportunity for your babysitter. You’re giving a choice, and I love that," Lisa B wrote in the comments on the video. "This is a great idea!! Sometimes it’s boring to just to sit and watch TV. This makes time go by quicker and sometimes it’s things I would do to help," Del added.

Most commenters applauded Katrina’s idea, although some thought she could pay a little better.

"I think $10 is too cheap for some of these tasks considering the amount of work/size of the mess," Liz wrote. In a follow-up video, Katrina broke down the money she paid the babysitter that night.

@kivankc

Replying to @LISA B │✨ what i'm learning ✨ #greenscreen

Katrina agreed that the prices could go up a bit. "I’ll definitely be restructuring the prices to make this more fair in the future," she wrote. However, she added that she paid the babysitter $75 for the night just to watch her 2-year-old son, who was asleep most of the time.

All in all, the sitter made $28.75 an hour, tax-free. Not bad at all.

In another follow-up, Katrina interviewed the babysitter, who said she enjoyed making some extra money. “That sounds great,” she said.

@kivankc

What questions do you have for the newly famous babysitter? She’s along for the ride, and enjoys the spotlight. Loving the money, and crushing the jobs we leave for her. Sorry friends, but she’s not available to book-this kid is wayyy to busy between date night babysitting for us, earning perfect grades, being involved in a zillion after school activiites, and taking night time Fire/EMS classes at night so she can start her CAREER fresh out of high school. Do I sound a little proud?!? #sorrynotsorry #sillyinterview #babysitter #bestbabysitter #sidequests #meetmybabysitter #cheers #toddlermom #momlife

This article originally appeared on 2.6.24

A mom makes sensory sand by putting Cheerios in a blender.

A parenting influencer who goes by the name @ellethevirgo on TikTok has shared a brilliant hack that can turn a simple box of Cheerios into a fun sensory sand experience. The great part is that the sand is edible, so you don’t have to worry if your child puts some in their mouth, which they will inevitably do.

The recipe for Cheerios sensory sand is pretty simple:


  1. Grab a box of Cheerios (avoid honey nut flavor unless you want your kid to have a sticky sensory experience).
  2. Grind the cereal by dumping it into a blender or food processor. You can also get a rockier texture by putting it in a sealable bag and grinding it with a rolling pin.
  3. Pour the sand into a bin and add some scoops and containers for the full sensory experience.


Now, here's where we'll include our mandatory disclaimer: Children should only play with the sensory sand under adult supervision. Always make sure the bin is clean and the sand is replaced before every use.


Parents on TikTok couldn’t believe they hadn’t heard of the hack before.

"Yess!! So if she accidentally eats the sand it’s ok bc it’s freaking Cheerios," Nelly Gomez wrote.

"Wait, what? Holy hell this is genius," Momma Cusses added.

@ellethevirgo

🌞🐠🌴 #fyp #sensoryplay #upcycling

A few commenters were concerned that the sensory sand may encourage small children to eat real sand. This is a legitimate criticism because, according to doctors, sand can be a choking hazard. "Isn’t she going to be trained that all sand will taste like Cheerio dust now?" Eric asked.

All that glitters provides golden moments.

Glitter is a word that can strike instant panic into even the most crafty parent. It's something that a lot of parents (and many schools) won't allow across the threshold because it's known to stick around for months, sometimes years. It gets stuck to everything, even your child’s hair. No one is immune from its sticky little wrath of sparkle. But what if you succumb to its allure? Or your job requires you to work with those little shiny flakes? How do you keep tiny hands out of the pot when you're not around?



For one mom, keeping it hidden away in her craft room was the solution and it worked out well. That was, until her toddler found her way into the space unsupervised and decided to turn a perfectly tidy room into a snow globe of glitter. Hayley Colton, who makes custom tumblers and shares her work on TikTok, recently discovered that her toddler set off a glitter bomb in her workspace. But instead of getting angry and yelling, Colton realized her daughter was emulating what she saw her mom do on a near-daily basis.

Colton posted a video to TikTok to explain: “So my daughter got into my glitter and made her own little glitter mixture, and rather than flipping out like I probably do too often, I sat back and thought about it and realized she watches me every day make stuff and play in this glitter. I can’t blame her for wanting to play in it too.”

@hayleybug.artstudio

Please excuse my voice I know I hate it too 😩 #toddlerlife #toddlermom #stayingcalm #parenting #glitter

@hayleybug.artstudio

Please excuse my voice I know I hate it too 😩 #toddlerlife #toddlermom #stayingcalm #parenting #glitter



After the incident, Colton collected as much of the glitter as she could pick up and put it in a small box so she could turn her daughter’s mixture into something she could use every day. She grabbed a small metal tumbler and got to work coating it with epoxy and sprinkling the glitter onto the tumbler, adding some lettering. The adorable little tumbler reads, “If I’m a mess, that means I have been learning #toddlerlife.” Colton admitted she loved the glitter mixture her daughter made and thinks the tumbler turned out pretty cute.

Commenters on the video loved how Colton handled the situation and praised her for being calm, when it would’ve been easy to be upset. One commenter said “We love non toxic parenting,” with a smiling emoji with floating hearts. Another wrote, “Question: Did you have any kind of calm discussion about like asking first or boundaries after this happened?” To which Colton replied, “Yes, of course we had a talk about only mixing glitter with mommy and not by herself.”

Parenting can be hard sometimes, and it’s helpful to see how other parents handle stressful situations, and maybe pick up some tips. Colton handled this situation like a champ and by sharing about it publicly, she’s showing other parents how to turn mess into art. Looks she’s got a future business partner on her hands.