Our headquarters is Claudia's bedroom, because she's the only one of us who has her own phone with her own number. (Claud is the club vice-president.) We meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from five-thirty to six. Most of our business comes from regular clients, but new parents call us, too. They hear about us from other parents, or they see one of the fliers we sometimes put up around town.

Want to know why the Baby-sitters Club is so successful? Two words: Kristy Thomas. She thought up the idea for the BSC one day when her mom was having trouble finding a sitter. The club started with just Kristy, Claudia, and Mary Anne, but the idea worked so well they had to expand.

We all have titles and duties, like a company. Kristy, of course, is our president. She runs the meetings and thinks up brilliant ideas, such as the record book (which I'll explain later) and the notebook, in which we write about each sitting job. Writing in the notebook is kind of a pain, but it's helpful to read about how other sitters have solved prob-

lems with certain kids. (Also, some of the entries are really funny.)

Kid-Kits are another patented Kristy idea. They're boxes filled with old games, toys, and books — basically stuff we found lying around our houses. Sounds boring, huh? Well, kids don't think so. They absolutely adore Kid-Kits. Only Kristy could have thought of that. Her brain is so crammed full of stuff, sometimes words just come spilling out of her mouth before she can think. (I guess that's a nice way of saying she can be loud and bossy.)

Guess who's best friends with Kristy the Great and Powerful? Mary Anne the Shy and Meek. They've known each other since they were in diapers. Actually, they sort of look alike. Both are on the short side (Kristy's shorter), and both have dark brown hair and brown eyes. But there the similarities end. Kristy's very athletic. Mary Anne practically breaks out in hives if you mention the word gym. Mary Anne's style of dress is neat and preppy. Kristy's style is super-casual and down-to-earth — jeans, T-shirts, sneakers. And that style didn't change one bit after she became rich.