Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Thoughtful Gifts for Busy Moms and Dads
Here are some thoughtful gift ideas you may not of have considered before:
A chest freezer may not be romantic but it can save busy moms and dads a lot of time and money. They can simply repackage the bargain-sized packages into single meal sized packages using a vacuum-sealing machine. The savings are huge especially when purchasing meat. And when your busy mom or dad cooks, it’s just as easy to make two dinners and freeze one for later. Another great help would be a Slow Cooker and Slow Cooker Cookbook.
Create a voucher for a cooking club made of four friends with similar family size and tastes. Once every three months, each person shops for enough groceries to make a favorite dinner recipe – one to keep and three to share – totaling 4 dinners apiece. Meet at a designated kitchen to assemble dinners together and share in the clean up. Not only is it a fun afternoon of friends being together, but it also creates four easy, diverse dinners for each person to take home, plus a collection of new recipes.
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Custom create a gourmet gift of the month club. Choose from wine, beer, chocolate, fruit, flowers, and so much more.
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What about new technology that will make life easier for a busy parent?
- A great gadget for accurate note taking is the Livescribe Smartpen and Dot Paper. It records what you hear as you take notes and synchronizes the two. Simply touch the pen to a word in your notes and it will play back the recording at that point.
- With the impressive amount of Apps available, you’ll find one just right for busy moms and dads. Here’s one for those who struggle with carpooling schedules. On the go people will appreciate Dragon Dictation that converts speech into an email, reminder or text message hands free.
- Noise Canceling Headphones like the ones from Bose cut down on distractions so the busy mom or dad can concentrate on 100 Greatest Classics preloaded on MP3 player.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Fun Gifts Ideas to Make Life Simpler for Your Single Friends
What can you give
to your single friends that they’ll like? You don’t want to give the same old
boring gifts that just lie in the closet. A truly thoughtful gift takes into
consideration the activities and lifestyle of your friends.
Here are some ideas that will make life
simpler for your single friends:
Gift certificates or cards
are always in style. It could be to their favorite bookstore, coffee shop,
nail salon or spa treatment. Even
some year-round farmer’s markets, (Ecology Center Farmers' Market is
one example), have gift
certificates, which is very welcome to friends who enjoy eating and cooking the
freshest foods.
Another idea is to give new phone apps.
(iPhone, iPad,
and iPod are easy. Blackberry and Android take a little more effort.)
Tickets to their favorite events
would be welcome, too. Whether they love sports, music, or the arts we have
them all here in California. (If you don’t want the hassle of coordinating this,
Simplify’s
concierge service can arrange it for you.)
Are your single friends trying to eat
healthier? Why not gift them a fruit-of-the-month club. Goldenstatefruit.com, Thefruitcompany.com. Cherrymoonfarms.com
and Harryanddavid.com are
some here on the west coast you can check out.
Have you noticed their refrigerator is
usually bare? A gift certificate to a
grocery
shopping service or to a meal
delivery service would guarantee that they eat well.
A case of their favorite beverage
would go over big. Whether they love wine, beer, or specialty teas, this is a
gift they’ll use and enjoy.
Make a voucher for something you can do
together. Leave it open as to their choice, but you
could suggest a visit to a spa, a class, a book club or new-recipe club to
join, etc. This will be especially appreciated if your friend is newly single.
An invitation to join your family
may be the best gift of all, especially if they’ll be alone this holiday
season. Including them as ‘part of the family’ will go over big.
When you’ve visited their home, have you
noticed that there’s some household chore that they hate to do? Why not give
them a gift
certificate to a home concierge service? That way they can use
it for whatever task they desire. If they live in the Silicon Valley, contact
us at Simplify for a truly unique gift!
Monday, December 3, 2012
Thoughtful Gifts to Make Grandparents’ Life Simpler
Grandparents deserve to receive thoughtful
gifts from the family. Of course, anything that the grandchildren make for them
is a sure hit. But what are some gifts you can give that will make their lives
simpler?
Photo
gifts are always a big hit, especially if grandparents can get them out of
boxes and easily see them. If you’ve already given them a digital photo
frame with memory cards, why not make a bookstore-quality photo book
they can display on their coffee table. You can do-it-yourself online at Blurb, Shutterfly,
and Snapfish, or have Walmart, Costco, or
Walgreen’s do it.
If your grandparents have lost mobility, a
trigger-action long-reach gripper/grabber is a great gift so they don’t
have to painfully bend over. And it keeps them off the stepladder when reaching
items on the top shelf. Find a sturdy one that will last.
TV Ears, a wireless listening device,
is a great solution that lets one person have increased volume without
deafening everyone else.
A gift certificate to a food
delivery service or online groceries
deliveries would ensure that your grandparents don’t
have to run to the store and that they’re eating well.
End the frustration of daily searches for
lost TV remotes, wallets, keys or cell phones. Get a wireless remote control
locator that has 1 transmitter and multiple receivers.
Help grandparents stay in touch with friends
and family by teaching them how to use Skype. They’ll love seeing the
person they’re talking with. And don’t forget that a cell phone with larger
buttons that they can see and push easily would be handy.
Does getting out of the car trouble them?
Check out a Swivel Seat and the
Standers Handybar. It fits into the door latch and supports them as
they boost themselves out.
For
gardening grandparents a foldable garden kneeler/seat plus a caddy of ergonomic gardening tools would
be a great gift. The kneeler/seat is also helpful in the house for easily
cleaning lower cabinets or spills on the floor. You can find them online or
local gardening centers.
Help your grandparents open that horrible
plastic packaging without frustration and slit fingers with a Zipit Electric
Pack and Clamshell Package
Opener. And throw in enough take-apart, dishwasher-safe kitchen scissors
so there’s one for every room.
Of course, the best
gift is a visit from you and your family. If you’re having trouble coming
up with a perfect gift for your grandparents, perhaps it’s time to visit them
and ask them what they’d like done but can’t do for themselves anymore. If they
live in the Silicon Valley, you can give them a gift
certificate to our home concierge services. It’s a gift that they can
really use and will make their
lives simpler.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Let’s Take Time and Be Thankful for Family
Sometimes during the holiday season it can
feel like there’s too much family time! The kids are home from school, your
parents are in your guest room and your husband is in the living room watching
football – again! Maybe you feel like you need some space. But can you imagine
what life would be like without them? It
would leave a gigantic hole in your life wouldn’t it?
Yet the simple fact that we have our family
with us day after day can lead us to take them for granted or even worse, get
irritated and take it out on them in a way that we would never treat our
workmates or neighbors. To counteract this, why not take a moment and create a
thank you list for each family member.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
To my parents:
Thank you for your patience, kindness, family
standards that you held me to, and love.
Thank you for teaching me to love traveling,
exotic foods, all sorts of music…
Thank you for giving me the confidence to
believe that I can do anything.
Thank you for the years
of caring for my physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs.
Thank you for gently giving me my wings to
grow and support when I needed it.
Thank you for teaching me not to take myself
too seriously.
To my spouse:
Thank you for seeing the positive when things
get messed up.
Thank you for pitching
in when I’m tired and can’t take another step.
Thank you for really listening when I’m down.
Thank you for saying, “I’m sorry.”
Thank you for the hugs, kisses and pats on
the back for the kids and me.
Thank you for always being my biggest fan and
supporting
me.
To my children:
Thank you for being the lovable you.
Thank you for all the sweet hugs, kisses, and
cuddles even as you get older.
Thank you for trying
so hard to do well in school.
Thank you for picking up your toys without
being asked.
Thank you for being so kind and polite and for
saying, “Thank you and please.”
Thank you for the
beautiful pictures you draw for me.
Now, add yourself to the list and thank
yourself for all the good things you’ve done and the good qualities you have.
And then treat yourself to a little relaxation by having one of our
professionals do something that’s been on you to-do list too long.
Or better yet, schedule a family
dinner party during the holiday
season and let us help you with ideas of how to make it simple and successful. Contact
us at Simplify for a free consultation if you live in the Silicon Valley
area.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Thankful for the Teachers in Our Lives
“Teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions.” – Anonymous
Throughout our lives there are people that we
have a special fondness for because they taught us something that changed our
lives. Perhaps it was the third grade teacher that opened up the world of music
to you, or a high school coach that pushed you and showed you how far you
really could go.
“The
dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads
you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called
‘truth’.” - Newsman, Dan Rather
Our greatest teachers more often than not are
our relatives or parents. Their lessons have made us who we are. They patiently
taught
us to walk, talk, learn,
love, and live
as good citizens. Of course, none of us have the fairytale, happy-ever-after
childhood, but even in difficult situations we probably learned something we
can use.
“A teacher affects eternity; he can never
tell where his influence stops.” – Henry Adams
Sometimes it’s the tough, unexpected
circumstance in life that teaches us the most about who we really are. Not
until we’ve come face to face with tragedy, loss, or adversity do we see our
own strengths and depth of our own character.
The only people with whom you should try to
get even are those who have helped you.” – John E. Southard
We should be thankful and show appreciation
for the teachers in our lives. It would be terrible to forget what
they’ve done, but instead we can pass onto others the treasures they’ve given
to us. And they’d appreciate hearing us express how much they mean to us.
“The task of the excellent teacher is to
stimulate ‘apparently ordinary’ people to unusual effort. The tough problem is
not in identifying winners: it is in making winners out of ordinary people.” –
K. Patricia Cross
Our children have been back to school now for
a few months. And while Teacher
Appreciation Week is observed in the United States the first full week in
May (May 7 – 11, 2013), as parents we can show appreciation for all of the hard
work the teachers have been doing. We can build a relationship with them and
support their efforts to teach our children. We can be involved in classroom
projects as much as our schedules allow.
This time of
year people especially remember what they’re grateful for. If you live in the
Silicon Valley and the thought of hosting
a party stresses you, let us at Simplify
help you so you can enjoy the special times together.
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