A deputy sheriff for Sacramento County’s CSI unit and the founder of Nannies Galore, Tamara is one of those go-getting moms who manages to balance it all and still have a great outlook on life.

After problems with pregnancy, and adoption delays here in the United States, Tamara decided to fly to Kazakhstan in search of a baby to adopt. There she met Grace, her now 4-year-old daughter. Tamara recalls how instant the connection was, from the moment Grace was handed to her. “She grabbed my shirt here and my necklace here, and I knew that was it.” She gets teary as she recounts the story and starts to laugh. “I don’t cry at work,” she says. “Just when I’m being a mom.”

Work, for her, could bring a lot of tears if she let it. She has been a deputy for Sacramento County for nearly 14 years, and she’s worked for the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) unit for nearly 11 years. “I’ve seen it all,” she says. On a lighter note, she smiles as she tells me that, yes, fans of the CSI shows have actually questioned her mid-crime scene investigation, telling her, “But they do that on CSI.” When asked about the realities of her job compared to TV, she tells me, “They only investigate homicides on the shows. We do a lot of other things too.”

Even outside of work, Tamara does “a lot of other things.” Besides being a single mom and working 42 hours each week, she recently launched NanniesGalore.com, a Web site where nannies and babysitters can register their profiles and parents can search for a caregiver, free of charge. (When parents find a nanny they are interested in, they then pay a nominal fee for more information.)

Inspiration came from Tamara’s own experience as a mom. She has used Web sites like these for the past three years, starting with the first live-in nanny she hired when Grace was just 1. “It was a wonderful experience,” she says of finding her first nanny (in fact, they still keep in touch), but she felt that some of the sites could be more user-friendly. When thinking about starting her own business, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. “I just really want people to find day care,” she says. “And I want it to be easy for them.”

When she mentions that Grace’s current nanny will be leaving in August, Tamara is quick to add, “I’ll be looking for a new nanny and using my own Web site!” Tamara says she feels very blessed. While finances can be difficult on one income, she likes her work schedule because it gives her more time to spend with her daughter, as well as time to do things for herself.