It was a rainy, cold, day outside; however, my house was filled with warmth, good food, and had everything in order. All our LifeWorx clients deserve to feel about their home like this every day, and we do our best to help them achieve this by providing premiere child care, elder care, nanny, and chef services. But you can do your part too — try to recharge your batteries at home and take a mini vacation. Here are some tips to help you achieve feeling centered and fulfilled:

Find a few hours a week to do what you love to rejuvenate. Watching your kids play soccer, a date night with your husband, or time with a friend doesn’t count. This is about doing things by yourself that recharge you, such as listening to music, taking a walk, doing yoga, or reading a good book. It might be as simple as taking some time to daydream and relax with some breathing exercises.

Reduce chatter by 50 percent. All of the stuff on television, radio, Facebook, Twitter, and e-mails is just chatter most of the time. All of these tools have value, but use them wisely — only watch, hear and use what you need; and make time for important one-on-one interactions with friends and family members.

Be in the moment. If you are always where you want to be and doing what you love, you will be in the moment and have a happy fulfilling day. Yet it’s so easy to get distracted, and we have to try to get better at being in the moment every day. If it is hard for you to remember, write “Be in the moment!” on some sticky notes and stick them to a few key items (like the fridge, the dining table, and the play room) throughout the house. It takes about one hundred days to really change a habit and to retrain your thinking, so be patient with yourself. If you need help to make your home a place where you can recharge and relax, we at LifeWorx are here to help!

One lady in Katonah shared a whole list of things she needed to get done. When the train came, she jumped on, yelling out her phone number so we could contact her to provide her with the chef, housekeeper, and organizer she required. A gentleman I sat down with said he’d be happy to answer some questions as he sipped his fresh coffee. I asked, “Who buys the groceries for your home?” His answer was, “I do not give out personal information.”

Market research can be challenging, but it is the lifeblood of a successful business. We here at LifeWorx do quality feedback work and research on a weekly basis and encourage clients to be as open as possible with us so we can find out their needs and wants and provide them with the best help that fits their lifestyle.

1. Drivers License Check: If any domestic worker drives your car you must do a drivers license check. This will show you if the child care provider or nanny has any violations, points, a suspended license, or anything else that would be of concern. If there is something concerning, discuss it with the candidate. You may want to repeat such a background check every couple of years.
2. Add the driver to your insurance policy: If background is good, then make sure this person is added as a driver to your insurance policy. Sometimes it may cost a bit more based on their driving record, but if the driving record is fairly good, there is generally not much extra cost. If you have a high deductible, such as $2000, and your nanny is not a seasoned driver, you may want to change the deductible to $500 to take care of any fender benders that sometimes occur when the nanny or child care provider is pulling out of a school parking area or a grocery store.
3. Car reliability, Inspection and Registration: The third thing to do is to make sure that your car is in very good working order with good tires and brakes. Also, make sure your annual vehicle inspection and registrations are up to date.
4. Establish Driving Rules with your Nanny: The fourth thing to do is to discuss what the driving rules are for the nanny or housekeeper when using the car. For example, can he/she use it over the weekend, or only in the evening. Rules include: where to park, how to keep the car well maintained, how often to get a car wash, etc.
5. Establish Rules of the Car with Children and Driver: The fifth and final thing to ensure safety is to establish rules of the car. What can/can’t kids do in the car – snacks, music, videos and conversations that could potentially be distracting. Rules such as seat belt and children’s car seat rules must also be enforced. It always works better when the parents and the driver both set the same rules for the children. One of our housekeepers in Armonk, NY was fired because she did not make sure the children had their seat belts on when she was driving them home from their bus stop.

Having a car for nannies and au pairs to drive is often a luxury, but a necessity, and it needs to be well respected and cared for in order for everyone to be safe. LifeWorx has done 20,000 services without any injury or car accidents.

If the nanny or housekeeper drives their own car, and drives your children in this car once in a while, additional items to take care of and think about include how they will get paid for the use of their car. Most importantly, make sure you have gotten your nanny or child care provider a business insurance – the cost is a few hundred dollars, but it is well worth it to ensure that you are covered when your nanny is driving your children.

Often housekeepers and nannies are smart, they know car economics and they do not want to put miles on their car for just gas money. One mom in Dobbs Ferry, NY wanted the nanny to drive her car; about 50 miles a week, and was willing to give her the standard IRS rate of about 50 cents a mile. Unfortunately, the nanny did not understand what that means in terms of added cost and income, and refused to put miles on her car; even though this arrangement seemed like such a win-win for both parties. You, as a domestic employer, may need to be patient and take the time to explain the car math to the nanny in order to build trust with each other and have safety, security and reliability when it comes to transportation.

This tough economy has all of us working harder and thinking more creatively of ways to provide products and services with higher reliability and value. More mothers are looking for work, and are leaving their home and children to child care, elder care, nanny or day care providers. At LifeWorx, we are making sure our clients have good child care and elder care help so that they can focus more time doing the things they love. We pride ourselves in making sure they have the most reliable and trusted help in their home. We were in New Canaan for two years and it is a very wonderful town, but we were upstairs and not on the main street where we were visible to everyone.

Now, everyone can see us and stop by the office to explore child care, elder care, chef and housekeeping choices in CT. We love when people stop by and talk to us about helping their families with child care, elder care, nannies, housekeepers and chef services in CT. At Lifeworx, our strategy is to be a present member in the community, and be actively involved in serving the families in Westchester County, Westport CT and Fairfield CT. LifeWorx has taken part in the United Way charity events, the Stepping Stones Children’s Museum, Toys for Tots, several school events and other scholarships. We look forward to being a part of the Westport community and bringing the highest level of service to all of Fairfield County, just as we have done in Westchester and Manhattan.

Another client in Chappaqua, NY who has newborn twins asked for only nanny and child care candidates who have taken swine flu shots or who are wiling to get the shots. There are legal issues about swine flu screening of nannies and housekeepers. As a childcare service provider, we are open to both types of candidates. However, as a homeowner and a Mother, you have the right to ask and screen for childcare and nanny candidates who have taken the swine flu shots. Most domestic service providers including Nannies, Housekeepers, Elder care professional and chefs are all very flexible about taking the flu shots. Some other service providers such as housekeepers may not be as keen on getting the flu shots.

The best advice for homeowners is to make sure that household help including childcare, elder care and nanny service providers have had the swine flu shot. We also recommend paying for the shot, which costs around $25 or directing the household help to a local clinic that may provide free swine flu shots. Giving the child care and nanny service providers an hour of time to get the shot would be very much appreciated by your service provider.

Greg is not just lucky; he is extremely professional, skilled and appreciative.   His boss in New York, NY is also extremely appreciative of his chef services.  The appreciation that she provides to him fosters the growth of their relationship, and she provides clarity and honesty which motivates him and makes Greg provide the best possible chef service in NYC that he can.  There are many times when appreciation may go to an individual’s ego.  For many individuals who have never experienced genuine appreciation, they misperceive it as a weakness in the boss and start to claim their righteousness and demand immediate benefits or pay increase.  It is the equivalent of a lit match that never saw any fuel before- as he or she is appreciated; the ego gets fuller as opposed to the level of effort or skills.

I recently visited India and 42 of my extended family members went to a resort and we took a personal chef with us.  Each meal that the chef and his help provided to our extended family was with a unique cuisine, and it was incredibly fresh and healthy.  Of course some of it was traditional while other courses included fusion cuisine from all over the world.  On the last day, all of my family members personally thanked him for his outstanding service and delightful meals.  The glow on his face has been etched into my memory forever.  He served the best meals and all of the appreciation went right to his heart rather then to his ego.

For information on Chef Services provided by LifeWorx, visit http://lifeworx.com/services/chef.html

The BusinessWeek study delineates 5 steps to make anyone happier.  The steps include:

1. Watching less TV
2. Doing fewer chores
3. Spending less time on the computer
4. Finding your passion in life
5. Focusing on fewer, yet more meaningful activities

Yesterday, I heard a key message in a New York City news clip which really resonated with me.  Although work at time drives us insane, lack of work will make us insane faster.  I am thankful to have passion for what I do at LifeWorx and to work with talented child care, elder care and nanny service providers in Westchester, NY, Fairfield, CT and Westport, CT.

In the current recession, women have continued working while many of their husband have been laid off. Of the 10 million job losses, ¾ of these losses have been men. How long with women continue to work so hard without receiving any time of relief? I say this not to discount the role of men, because as a male provider, we work very hard too. However, my sensitivity toward women is because they take on more physical and emotional challenges as they become overloaded. Many of these efforts have not yet been recognized by society at large.

Here is a suggestion for New Years Resoltuions for Busy Moms:

1. Take 4 hours a week for yourself
2. Take the time to enjoy a book you have been anxiously awaiting
3. Take a walk
4. Join a new yoga class
5. Go to the gym and enjoy a great working
6. Find a new hobby with a friend that you find fulfilling

Consider this as a time you are investing in yourself in order to give more to your family, and ultimately to yourself. Many times throughout parenthood, I felt guilty and worried when I took time to take care of myself. This was a mistake! I now know that taking this personal time is vital in becoming a stronger and more balanced individual. It is important to take these New Years Resolutions in steps. Simple resolutions and suggestions such as taking 4 hours for myself every week became manageable, simple, flexible and valuable.