Whether they're drawing you a sweet picture as an impromptu present, or leaving a less desirable "present" on your brand new carpet, they're your precious children and pets, and we know how much you love them. But for all the meals you've prepared for your pooch and all the laundry you've done to make sure the kids aren't running naked around the playground like a co-ed on spring break, you deserve some time for yourself.

At Sittercity, our mission is to connect parents with caregivers in their area to give each side what they want - some time off for adults-only activities and access to a multitude of child and pet care jobs. With over 150,000 caregivers across the country, Sittercity is the nation's largest and most easily accessible database for babysitters, nannies and pet sitters.


OUR BLISTER-RIDDEN HISTORY

CEO, Genevieve Thiers, launched the company in Boston in 2001 with the astute realization that parents were as desperate to find trustworthy local caregivers as they were to find a magic pill for endless energy. With an armful of 20,000 flyers, Genevieve hand-delivered the Sittercity message to over 12 major Boston-area colleges. Not only did she find herself with an unprecedented amount of blisters, she also found 600 eager babysitters in the first three weeks! Since then, this fun-loving company has moved its headquarters to Chicago and rapidly grown into an organization that has been recognized by national awards, publications and media outlets across America.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Genevieve Thiers is the founder and CEO of Sittercity, Inc., America's first company to take babysitting services online. A babysitter that worked her way through Boston College babysitting for over 30 families, Thiers pitched Sittercity to Boston investors in 2001 and was told "We don't fund babysitting clubs." Undaunted, Thiers begged her dad for $120 to buy the Sittercity.com domain and distributed 20,000 flyers through the city of Boston on foot, recruiting babysitters from more than 20 local colleges while working a full time job at IBM and singing opera at night.

Five years later, Sittercity now has over half a million users nationally including hundreds of thousands of sitters, and serves a huge cross-section of American parents with its online database and popular SpeedSitting events. Genevieve was recently recognized by President Bush at the White House as the Small Business Administration Young Entrepreneur Champion of the Year for 2006, and Genevieve has done hundreds of appearances as a childcare expert on TV, radio, and in print outlets including multiple appearances on the Today Show, Martha Stewart Living Radio, the CBS Early Show, CNN, Live & Style, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Redbook, Parents, Parenting, Better Homes and Gardens, and Working Mother.

Other awards that Genevieve and Sittercity.com have received include the Women's Business Development Center Rising Star Award for 2005, a 2005 Stevie Award, and recognition as one of TIME's "Top 50 Coolest Websites" in 2004. Noted for her babysitting expertise and business acumen, Genevieve has spoken at hundreds of mothers' forums, colleges, and conventions across America, and she currently serves as the iVillage babysitting expert. Her first book, Love at First Sit, will be appearing on shelves in 2007.