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The episode opens with Ray coming home from work in good spirits; unfortunately, Debra’s mood is the exact opposite. She is frustrated because she had to be with the kids all day, and it was impossible to get anything done with the three of them causing trouble. At the grocery store, they apparently caused quite a scene, throwing food all over, and then Debra didn’t have a chance to get to the bank because the kids were so messy and wound up. “You know what you need? You need some real help around here,” Ray says, and when his wife gives him a look, he quickly adds, “Keeping in mind that I have a job that takes up a lot of my time!”

In the next scene, which takes place a few nights later, Debra comes into the house to find her children quietly eating their dinner. The kids are clean, the house is clean, everybody’s happy...it’s a dream come true for any mother! The person responsible for all this is Lisa, the newly hired college-aged babysitter who has gotten the kids to pick up all their toys before eating. Lisa painted the kids’ faces, and little Michael is even eating carrots—which Debra has never been able to get him to do—all because Lisa put a little spin on it, calling them “power sticks.”

Ray comes home a few minutes later, and he is equally shocked that everything is so calm and good. Debra happily introduces him to Lisa, then takes her husband aside and expresses how fantastic Lisa is. Apparently, the little girl that Lisa used to watch has been put in daycare, so Debra acted quickly to make sure she got Lisa’s business before the Parker family did. “Screw the Parkers—she’s ours!” says Ray.

When the kids finish dinner, Lisa takes them back to the living room to finish reading a story. Ray tells Debra that since Lisa appears to have everything taken care of, maybe the two of them can go out and get something to eat. Lisa offers to stay longer so they can do this, and needless to say, these two young parents literally grab their coats and bolt for the door—until they are stopped by Marie, who has come by for a little visit. Upon seeing the babysitter, Ray quickly pays Lisa and has her leave, because he doesn’t want his mother to know that she has been babysitter.

Debra doesn’t understand why Ray feels the need to hide this from his mom, and Debra tells Marie how Lisa is an early childhood education major and works really well with the kids. Marie is offended, since she is usually the one taking care of the children when Ray and Debra need it, and after a while, Marie just gives up and leaves. Ray and Debra are happy to view this as a subtle little opportunity to ask for less babysitting help from overbearing Marie.

The next day, Debra comes home as Lisa and the kids are playing a fun game in the living room. Debra tries to get in on the game, but she is rejected by Ally, who seems to prefer just playing with Lisa. Debra tells the kids that it’s time for Lisa to go home so they can have dinner, take their baths and read a story, but while Debra tries to reach out to her kids, Ally responds by saying, “We don’t want you. We want Lisa!”

Later that night, Debra is sitting silently on the bed when Ray comes in, commenting on how great Lisa is at wearing the kids out at night. Because it’s so rare for the children to be asleep so early, Ray tries to get affectionate with his wife, but then she randomly says that she doesn’t think Lisa should continue babysitting for them. Ray is very much against this, since Lisa does such a terrific job with the kids, and because this gives him and Debra more time to themselves. Debra argues that it doesn’t feel right to be leaving the kids with a sitter so much, and she and Ray should enjoy spending time with them while they are still young. In reality, of course, Debra is jealous that the kids prefer Lisa to her, but she isn’t about to tell Ray that. In the end, they agree that if they need someone to watch the kids, they’ll ask Marie, just as they have in the past.

The next day, Ally asks where Lisa is, and Debra tells her she isn’t coming. Debra has to go out for a while, so Marie is at the house to baby-sit. “Mommy, I want to go with you,” Ally says, clinging to her mother’s leg, and it is clear that Debra is very pleased with this. She gives Ally a big hug, blows kisses at the twins, and leaves. Later that night, when she and Ray get home, Frank is sitting in the chair, and Marie is on the couch with an ice pack on her ankle. Apparently, Marie was trying to play a game that Lisa taught the kids, and she tripped over the toys lying on the floor. Debra is clearly shaken up and guilty about this, and a little while later, after Frank and Robert take Marie home, Debra is near tears as she tells Ray how much she feels responsible for all this. At this point, Debra comes clean and tells Ray the truth—she was jealous of how much the kids liked Lisa, so she fired Lisa and replaced her with Marie, whom she knew the kids didn’t like more than Debra. Ray is quite humored by this, thinking it’s really something that Debra isn’t as “innocent” as she looks. When Debra gets upset, Ray tries to comfort her and assure her that she’s “Mom,” and no babysitter can compare with that, even if the kids do like Lisa.

Debra decides she wants to hire Lisa back, but because she let her go, she’s a “free agent” who could be contacted by anyone to babysit. Ray and Debra don’t have her phone number, so Ray desperately runs over to the Parkers’ house with a pizza. He has a feeling Lisa is there, and sure enough, she is. Ray apologizes to her and essentially begs her to come back and work for them, but Lisa acknowledges that the Parkers already offered her a job. Still, Ray presses on, offering her more money and more hours than the Parkers are giving her. Just then, as Lisa is trying her best to politely refuse, Mr. and Mrs. Parker come home. Ray and Mr. Parker are not the best of friends, and Mr. Parker knows exactly what Ray is trying to do, so as Lisa goes back into the house, Mr. Parker looks at Ray and says, “You’re out of the carpool.” On that note, the episode ends with Ray pounding on the door and begging some more, to no avail.