Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Simplify Your Routine with these Carpooling Tips
Now that the school year is here, are you wondering how you’re going to get your children to school, making the trip twice a day, five days a week? Or maybe it’s driving to soccer practice every afternoon that has you wondering how in the world you’ll get everything done.
You want your kids to be safe, but that extra hour or two of driving can really add stress to your already busy schedule. Have you thought about carpooling? Or maybe you’ve carpooled in the past but for some reason your team has fallen apart. How can you organize another one?
Since the safety of your children is #1, this is not something you leave to chance. One of the first places to check for carpooling programs is at the school or the local PTA. If they don’t offer any, and you have to organize your own here are some tips:
Talk to parents in your neighborhood who have children that attend the same school and have the same activities. Look for those who are safety conscious and who are reliable. Getting someone who is always late, cancels at the last minute, or takes risks with the lives of your children is not a good match for your carpool.
Set a schedule in writing. After discussing what works for everyone, assign each parent driver their shift, both the getting to school and getting home schedule. The first weeks of school may require a number of adjustments until its runs smoothly.
Create and give everyone an emergency contact list. It’s essential to keep this up-to-date.
Proper child passenger behavior includes:
• Don’t distract the driver. Screaming, throwing things, arguing isn’t allowed.
• Don’t fight over seating. Take turns and base it on who gets out first.
• Treat each other kindly and patiently.
• Respect other’s property, including the car.
Proper parent driver behavior includes:
• Drive responsibly – don’t talk on the cell phone or text message while driving.
• Make sure each child is buckled into approved seating before driving.
• Load and unload in the designated school areas.
• Don’t cancel at the last minute needlessly.
• Make sure there’s someone home when you drop off a child. If not, keep the child with you until the parent arrives.
Be on time. It’s only common courtesy and is very important for the children to be ready on time and the driver to arrive on time. It’s not acceptable to keep anyone waiting or make everyone late for school.
For your child’s safety, remind them each morning who will pick them up. Because so many different people will be picking them up, you need to keep them alert to whose car they can get into. You don’t want them trusting someone they shouldn’t.
Give the school a list of the drivers and their contact information, so your children are kept safe.
Carpooling frees up time that you need to spend elsewhere. And if you live in the Silicon Valley remember to contact us, as a home concierge company we can help Simplify your busy schedule further still.
Monday, August 15, 2011
How Do You Find a Reliable Handyman in the Silicon Valley?
Drip, drip, drip…Is that faucet driving you crazy? Are those boxes of shelving becoming part of your room’s decoration as they sit waiting to be installed? Does your bedroom need to be repainted? Odd jobs like these can drive you crazy when you don’t have the time, strength, or know-how to do them yourself.
Single moms, especially, have enough on your plate without having to stress out about getting those odd jobs done in the few spare minutes between work and caring for your family. And while you can often find friends or family who will help you out, there’s no guarantee that their fix will be the best.
What you really need is a skilled handyman (or maybe even handymen) that you can rely on. Realistically, just as you can’t do everything, you can’t expect to find one handyman who can do everything. Often the best idea is to find a company that employs experts in many different fields. That will make it easy to coordinate all the work.
With that in mind, here are some tips to get the most out of hiring a handyman:
Create a list of everything that needs to be done. It would be helpful to examine your home room by room so you don’t forget anything. Then you can examine the outside of the house, yard, and garage. Now, prioritize that list according to importance and budget.
Ask friends and family for recommendations. People are eager to share their experiences, and if they’re happy with a company, it’s likely you will be as well.
Research the company. Make sure it’s licensed, bonded and does background checks on all the employees. You can get a lot of that information online.
Match expertise to the job. Someone who knows how to do carpentry isn’t the best person to do plumbing, and someone who paints isn’t necessarily good at hanging a screen door.
Ask questions like:
- How many times have you done this particular type of job before?
- Do you have pictures of your work or can I talk with your previous clients?
- How long will the project take? (If they’re expert, they’ll make an accurate estimate, baring unforeseen circumstances. It’s a warning sign if the person hems and haws about giving an estimate.)
Write it all down. To avoid misunderstandings, it’s best to get everything written down— specifics like buying the materials, doing the prep work, the cleanup, the specifics of the job, and hauling away the debris when the job is finished.
Imagine the relief of getting those nagging jobs off your to-do list! Simplify has a fully qualified team of professionals, including handymen, who are skilled in everything needed to get your Silicon Valley house back into shape. Call us for a complimentary consultation and see how we can make your life easier.
Monday, August 8, 2011
How to Get Your Little One Ready to Start Elementary School
Another school year is about to begin, and for many parents this will be the first time you send your little one off to school. It can be a time of anxiety because you don’t know how your child is going to cope. (And maybe you’re wondering about yourself as well.)
Here are 12 simple tips to help you assess whether you’re both ready for that big day:
Develop a love of reading. Take about 15 minutes a day to read together as a family, because your child needs to love reading to do well in school and life.
Establish good sleeping habits. If your family has been keeping late summer nights, you can gradually move bedtime toward 8:30. And set your alarm to wake up early enough to allow plenty of time to get your child ready for the day without rushing. Take a few trial runs on getting ready, so you know how much time is required.
Shop for new school clothes that your child can manage. It would be terribly embarrassing for your child to have an accident because he couldn’t get his clothes off fast enough to go to the bathroom. So, can your child handle tying shoes, zippers, snaps, and buttons?
Visit the school. Often, if you ask, you can visit on your own. Otherwise, use designated orientation times. Your child will feel more comfortable knowing where the classroom, the bathrooms, the lunchroom, and the office are located. Especially play on the playground if that’s allowed. If not, at least admire it and talk about how much fun it will be to play there.
Get acquainted with the office staff and teacher. Your child will learn better if he’s comfortable with his teacher. Speak positively about the new teacher by name. Encourage your child to draw a picture for him or her.
Practice “goodbyes”. If your child has been in daycare, this will be easier. If he hasn’t spent a lot of time away from you, it would be a good idea to practice goodbyes now. You can ask someone you trust to watch your child for you.
Let your child choose his own school supplies once you get the required list. It’s fun and exciting for your child to stash these treasures in his new backpack.
Speak positively about school. Even if you hated school, there must be one or two positive things you can say… like how fun music class was, or how great recess is. Your example matters a great deal.
Make sure your child has practical social skills. Your child needs to know how to share, wait in line, sit quietly, listen to instructions, wait his turn, say “please” and “thank you”, and be able to express his feelings in a polite way.
Practice repeating emergency information: Can your child recite his full name, his parents’ names, his address, and his telephone number?
If possible, meet other children that will be in his class for a play date before school begins. Talk to other parents in your neighborhood or the school may be able to connect you with the other parents.
Pick your child up on time. It would be best to arrive 15 minutes early. Nothing creates anxiety in your child more than being forgotten or thinking that he’s been forgotten.
As a parent, you know your child best. Thinking ahead to help your child fit into his new role will head off problems before they start. And that will make the first few days of elementary school a happy experience for both you and your child.
To give you more time to concentrate on these important things, our team of professionals at Simplify can cover the other necessary things around the home and help ease you and your Silicon Valley family into a new school year.
Monday, August 1, 2011
How to Simplify “Back to School” Shopping
I hope your family has had a great summer. It’s hard to believe, but it’s already time for back to school shopping! Before you stress out and overspend your budget buying unnecessary duplicates, here are some ideas on how to simplify your school shopping:
Inventory What You Already Have
- Clothing. Considering the way kids grow each year, you’re probably going to need new school clothing. So now’s a good time to clean out the closets, give away what doesn’t fit, and make a list of what you need.
There may be a few items that will fit at least part of the school year. Consider passing on the other clothing to a younger sibling or giving them to someone in need. This teaches your children to think of others rather than just throwing things away. It’s a good reminder to appreciate what you have and differentiate between what you want and what you really need.
As you sort, write a list of what you need including quantity and colors. Note which store you want to shop. Rather than buying fads, buy good quality that will last.
- School Supplies. Every year the school gives a list of required supplies. Rather than wait for the list, you can figure out basic needs and shop at supply stores for pre-season savings. Be mindful that, as your child advances a grade, their need for notebooks and such will increase. Then when the list comes out, hopefully you’ll only have a few items to grab.
Are last year’s scissors, crayons, erasers, and binders in good shape so they can be reused this year? Of course, it’s fun to just buy all new things. But if you reuse and recycle you can teach your children a valuable lesson on using resources wisely. Show them how much money you save by putting it in their piggy bank or bank account.
Create a Master Shopping List
As you’ve been jotting down what you need and making notations of what stores to shop, it’s now a simple thing to organize your master list.
- Make a Store Heading then list the items by Subject (i.e. Clothing or School Supplies) and Child’s Name (with sizes, quantities and colors noted) under each one. If there are objects you need but don’t know where to look, put them at the bottom of the list according to subject such as Other Clothing, Other School Supplies. Mark each item off as you place it in the shopping cart.
It’s better to pay a little more at one store rather than drive an hour to save a few cents at five different stores. You’ll save time, gas, and wear and tear on your nerves.
- Know the store’s return policy. Carefully examine each item before purchasing. Make sure zippers glide easily and seams are securely stitched. Keep all your receipts in an envelope marked “school shopping” in case you have to return something.
Don’t forget to give yourself a treat. While you’re concentrating on your children’s needs, why not let our team of professionals at Simplify make coping with the new school year easier for your Silicon Valley family? Contact us for a free consultation on how we can help you simplify!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Make Your Next Business Trip an Opportunity for a Family Vacation
It used to be that mixing business with pleasure was taboo. The family stayed home and you flew off to your business trip. Maybe you stayed in a lonely hotel, did what you had to do for work and watched the late movies in the hotel room.
Thankfully it’s become more acceptable, even encouraged to take the family on some trips. If you feel like you’re neglecting your family that kind of stress isn’t good for you and it’s not good for your business. Studies show that business travelers make many more medical claims than others in the office.
While not all business trips are conducive to taking the family, you can turn many of them into a nice family vacation with just a little imagination and planning. With that in mind, here are some suggestions on how you can combine your next business trip with a family vacation:
- Business conventions are often held in great places and are planned with family activities in mind. Do some research on that area and find out what your family wants to see and do.
- Some people choose to drive rather than fly to the business destination. If you plan well, you and your family can visit many attractions along the way. In time, your family will get to explore much of the United States.
- Extend your stay past the business part of the trip and take a few days with the family. Just remember the flight for your family and the personal expenses are coming out of your pocket. (Be careful not to include personal expenses or you’re leaving yourself open to an unwanted audit.)
- Why not meet your spouse half way for a romantic get-away? Many airlines have hubs in great destinations. Sure you’ll have the expense of that extra flight for your spouse, but if you search for a great deal you’ll end up with a fairly inexpensive vacation. Then you can fly home together after a refreshing couple of days.
- Ask your boss if it’s okay to make a detour and fly home by way of your relatives’ home. It may tack on some extra expense to the flight that you should cover, but the bulk of the travel expense would be already covered by the “business trip.”
You can combine a business trip with a family vaction but it does require a balanced attitude. Just make sure that during the business part of the trip, you take care of business and don’t ignore it. And when you’re out doing activities with your family, try to keep your focus and attention on them, not on your work.
Nothing dampens the enjoyment of a trip more than returning home to a mess. We at Simplify can give you peace of mind – knowing that your home is well taken care of while you’re gone. That way, when you arrive home to a sparkling clean house and a well-manicured lawn, you’ll keep those happy, relaxed feelings intact a little longer.
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