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Nicole Lupinacci of Stamford was depending on her mother. So was Erina Garcia of New Canaan. It's tough to find a babysitter for New Year's Eve.
"If you can get one, they get double," Garcia said. "You know, they're young, they have boyfriends and they want to be out. And I don't blame them."
Lupinacci's mom was planning to watch her 5-year-old and 2-year-old so she could go to a party at a hotel with her boyfriend for a rare night out. "I used to go out more," she said, adding that she works a lot.
Garcia imported her help: Her parents came to visit from Palm Beach, Fla., just in time for the blizzard. "We had no power for two days after Christmas," said Garcia, whose children are 2 and 4. The family went to the Doubletree Hotel Norwalk, telling the kids it was a slumber party.
Normal wages for a babysitter range from $10 to $15 an hour "if they're good." Garcia and her husband planned to go to The Goose in Darien for late evening ring-in-the-new-year partying. "Those are the options you have when you have children," she said, with a laugh. "Dining at home with the family, drinks at The Goose, out with the husband."
All considered, it was a good deal. "It's fun to be home with my kids," she said. "We're just happy to be home since we had no power for two days after Christmas. It's actually a lucky thing to be home. We're actually happy to be home, with power."
Did you have problems finding a babysitter for New Year's Eve?
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