Have you ever wished you didn't have to round up your kids to send them off to day care or preschool in the morning?

Well we have an idea for you, and a surprisingly affordable one.

Three year old Henry and one and a half year old Grady get a lot of learning and playing done in their own home.

They have a nanny, Maryann, who they call "Mimi" who's been part of their lives almost since the beginning.

"Being a new mom I was really nervous about is my baby going to love her more than me, that whole detachment thing and knowing that I was going to be at work, says the boy's mom, Jennifer. "But he loves both of us, she's like another grandmother."

Jennifer Cason hired Maryann through a company called "Nanny Connections."

They have helped place thousands of nannies in homes over the years.

Jennifer and her husband hired Maryann in 2006 when son Henry was first born.

She stayed with them through job changes, a second child and getaways for mom and dad.

"She does the kids of things the daycare does too. I mean our playroom is filled with art projects that she's done for them. "

Tiffanie Kinder, the president of Nanny Conections, says things have been changing yet busy during the change in our economy.

"We've seen more nanny share situations. Where two families will share one nanny. Which is a great way to get a really quality nanny for a lower cost," says Kinder.

The cost is the best news: Live-in nannies are typically less expensive.

But even those who come and go each day, like Maryann, can be less expensive than daycare for *two kids.*

"If you have two children in daycare you can have a nanny. A quality nanny."

For more information on nanny connections, head to our webchannel, nbc 15 dot com, and click on newslinks.