Stapleton moms talk about it all the time. They need date nights, they need full-time nannies, they need part-time nanny shares, they need mommy's helpers a couple of afternoons a week.

For $100, you can meet face-to-face with 15 or so bright, young, resumed and referenced, manicured and pedicured, educated college girls at Mommy Mixer. It's sort of like speed dating for babysitters.

It works like this: about 15 or so moms meet 15 or so babysitters at a local boutique around town. The moms introduce themselves, describe their kids and their needs, and then the sitters do the same. Then, you mix.

You take home a notebook full of all the sitters, complete with resumes, references and pictures. In my world, that is $100 well spent.

The sitters, true to their "Gen-Y" reputation, prefer e-mail to phones, are world travellers, are also looking for fantastic jobs in advertising and PR, and yes, some wear inappropriate clothes (but hey, us moms were all dolled up in our high heels and cute clothes too -- we need sitters so we have somewhere else to wear them!) but these are just the kind of girls you feel comfortable leaving your kid with for a few hours. I called someone the very next day (an elementary school teacher) and she covered a last-minute meeting I had. And the big plus was that my kid liked her immediately. No crying when I left, no clinging when I got home.

Our very first date-night in over 4 months is scheduled for Saturday, so thanks, Mommy Mixer!

Now... any suggestions for date night?