Category Archives: Family

Events, Family, Uncategorized

Keep em entertained !

Living in the city with kids has a slew of considerations all their own (what other city do you have to register for preschool while the kid is still utero ??).  Kids need freedom, they need space and most of all in a city like NYC they need an outlet for their energy that could power a freight train.

Whether it is art, music, gymnastics, bowling,  checkers, DJ academy or gardening to name a few, the apple has a ridiculous amount of offerings for the wee ones up to high school.  And it can make your head spin when trying to navigate the options, it’s plain overwhelming.  Our friends at Kidz Central Station are trying their hardest (and succeeding) in helping make this process painless.  Their one stop shop gives you 3 click access from looking to booking and then moving on to more pressing issues, like a glass of wine 😉

Kidz Central Station: Your Go-To Resource for Kids’ Fall Classes

If you’re looking for ways to keep your kids active and learning this fall, check out Kidz Central Station a one-stop-shop for parents to find, compare, and enroll their children in classes and activities in and around NYC! With over 3,000 classes to choose from (in music, art, soccer, ballet, mommy and me, and so much more!), Kidz Central Station makes it easy for busy parents to find and manage their kids’ activities all in once place. Use the site to:

  • Narrow a class search by age, location, class type, date, and price.
  • Enroll in hundreds of NYC’s top class providers, such as 92Y, Gymboree, Little Maestros, and Super Soccer Stars.
  • Sign up for trial classes.
  • Earn reward points! With the Kidz Rewards program, the more classes you book, the more discounts you earn toward future purchases!

Visit Kidz Central Station to check out all of the great activities for your child this fall!

Bell Family Company, Family

Personal home accountant and check writer that’s not me – um yeah!!!

What’s it like to be able to just go home on Friday after work?  Just go see your family, and not have to worry about stopping off at the ATM for cash to pay your nanny or housekeeper?

With My Home Payroll, we pay your nanny by direct debit, as often as you like, and automatically file your nanny taxes too.

-We seamlessly pay any domestic employee, nanny, etc.

-Backed by Intuit Payroll Software

-Remote Access to submit hourly wages from anywhere.

-We pay your employees by direct deposit.

-We pay your federal, state, and local taxes.

-We submit your quarterly and yearly filing obligations.

-We handle Workers’ Compensation in your state.

-You spend more time with your family.

My Home Payroll is Beyond Nanny Taxes – we provide a complete service for employers of domestic help.  Founded in 2013, we are dedicated to making the nanny tax an affordable afterthought.

Founder, Nikki Kristol, graduated from Philadelphia’s University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s Degree in Science, and graduated from San Francisco’s Golden Gate University with a Master’s Degree in Taxation.  She worked for 7 years in London, England as an International Tax expert, including 3 years at a Big 4 firm, before returning to the U.S.  Nikki is a big advocate of making the nanny tax affordable for families and caregivers.  She founded My Home Payroll in 2013 as a mom-entrepreneur with a unique perspective on household employment, and how to pay for it properly.  She lives with her husband and children in New York.

Bell Family Company, Family

Keeping your sanity with back to school routines and transitions

In our house, summer was one big playdate without enforced bedtimes and scrambling each morning for camp (we are NOT a morning household).  Come the first day of school none of us were prepared, couple that with an earlier start time for the bus and we were in a tizzy.  Great advice below from BFC resident social worker, nanny coordinator and all around great gal, Ali Shepard….

It’s that time of year again as the kids are slowing getting back into their school routines or starting school for the first time! A time of vast transitions for many families and keeping parents, kids and caregivers happy and sane can seem impossible. Here are some simple easy reminders to help your family get back in the swing of things and set everyone up to win with less bedtime battles and flustered mornings rushing to get everyone where they need to go!

  • Be realistic and patient
  • Keep it simple
  • Make a plan and stick to it
  • Get the kids involved when transitions happen children often feel that they do not have control. Find ways where your kids can be part of creating the schedule
  • Use picture charts for children 2-6 years old as a way to empower them to get their “jobs’ done (Betimes and morning routine) then then can earn a reward. Rewards can be playing a game, reading stories together, playing on the computer, watching a short TV show, or playdate etc. Use these things as motivators not just givens.
  • All children need down time. Build it into the schedule.
  • Children can feel overwhelmed when there are a lot of adults telling them what to do. They to keep the talking and number of adults to a minimum.
  • Avoid frustration and upset by being matter of fact and flat with your emotion and reactions
  • Set limits, when you say no, mean it
  • First things first. Children need reminders/little nudges. Use less words.
  • Make it fun and keep your sense of humor
  • Get support/be a team

It is easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out, especially when dealing with so many moving parts and changes. Remember that children are not little adults, their brains are not able to understand the world like we are. We have to role model the behavior we want to see from them. Enjoy the time you have and find creative fun ways to tackle the day to day routines.

Family

Movin on up…to the burbs

Once you have spoken with a counselor at Suburban Jungle and have decided that you are in fact moving to the burbs, call our friends over at Platinum Drive Realty – one of the premier Realty groups in Westchester, covering the county as well as Fairfield, CT.  below are the top 10 reasons to consider confirming that moving truck and kissing the concrete jungle goodbye according to agent Seth Keslow who made the move himself a few years ago.

Top 10 Reasons to Consider Moving to Westchester from Manhattan:

10) Price per square foot.  Imagine having more than a 10 x 10 area for 4 people and much more for much less money!

9) Overall quality of life for you and your family – much less hustle ad bustle, so me time and fresh air.

8) Open Spaces and trees –  Most people are happy to have a slightly longer commute for the payoff of having trees , a yard and much more.

7) A sense of community and involvement – Every town in Westchester offers excellent community and recreational opportunities such as beautiful parks, sports teams for adults and children, tennis courts, community pools and more.

6) Private laundry within your home – No more schlepping your laundry through public hallways, elevators or even streets.  Most city residents never have the opportunity to have their own washer and dryers within their home.

5) Super Markets! – HUGE super markets (and a variety of them including Stew Leonard and Fairway!) with plenty of room for wagons and strollers in each isle and everything you need for your home under one roof.

4) Property taxes in Westchester are higher then in NYC – BUT the schools are worth every penny and are FREE.

3) Privacy – Having a large backyard to host friends and family for a barbeque without having all the nosey neighbors across the street being voyeurs.

2) Safety – Having a sense of safety for you and your family with less threats of terror. Having your sense of physical, spiritual, financial, and more protected against failure and harm.

1) Education – Some of the best public schools in our country. In addition, many of the public schools in Westchester are better and higher rated than the private schools in NYC and without the cost.

 

 

Events, Family, Uncategorized

Mother Nature Weather Woes

Any outdoor event has its challenges certainly, but the biggest fear for all event planners, moms, dads and guests alike is the unpredictability of the weather.  Having a gorgeous 75 degree sunny day right before your event, only to have torrential rainstorms the day of your event that have you shooting dagger eyes to the weatherman for being wrong is so not our idea of fun.

Contingency plans are always good to have, but at the end of the day it is still a force of nature (literally) that you have no control over.  Our friends at Precision Event Planning NY have come up with a great handy checklist that every bride to be and family/ event/ coordinator/planner should take a gander at to help alleviate some common issues that can be controlled…

Although the sun may have been shining bright the day you signed your contract for your wedding venue, that doesn’t mean unexpected weather will not make an appearance on your big day. When living in the North Eastern part of the US, each season offers a delightful variety of wonderful ways to celebrate your wedding, but it can also cause much commotion if not prepared for it to take an unexpected turn. Here are some tips to avoid disaster on your wedding day and shine bright like the sun even if the sun is hiding in the clouds.

Summer:

Heat: Summer, although considered a popular time to have events especially weddings, is not necessarily the most comfortable. Unless the entire wedding is indoors with central air, chances are those guest are going to be reaching for a fan!

Solution:Hand held battery operated fans as wedding favors. You can personalize them four your wedding and this way the guest can actually read the program instead of using them to cool off.

Bugs: Summer time is breeding ground for bugs and at an outdoor wedding this can become a problem.

Solution: When choosing an outside venue, make sure to think about the surroundings and choose a venue that has maintained greenery.

Fall:

Wind: In the Fall, the leaves are changing colors and the air is crisp, but the air can also be a little too powerful. A windy fall day can end up blowing decorations around and messing up your hair.

Solution: Make sure all decorations are secured to something stable or heavy enough to not blow away.

Also, try a classic updo for your hair to eliminate the risk of your hair getting tangled or getting in the way from an unexpected gust of wind.

Winter:

Snow: Winter usually means snow and this past winter was especially cold and snowy. If you have always dreamed of having a winter wonderland but don’t want the cold temperature or snow to interfere then here are some solutions.

Solution: Some ways that you can make sure guests and your wedding party stay warm and happy at your winter wedding is to offer warm beverages like hot cocoa. When it comes to picking a venue make sure that the venue is strict with driveways remaining salted and shoveled. The wedding party can wear gloves to add a classic element and help them to stay warm in those beautiful outdoor snow photos.

Spring:

Rain: Spring flowers are one of the top reasons to get married during this time of year but flowers grow because of rain. If an outdoor ceremony was planned this can become quite an obstacle.

Solution: Arrange for an outdoor ceremony under a tent so that even if it rains the wedding can proceed. A fun option is to have umbrellas in the colors of your wedding theme to distribute to guests who may have forgotten their own. These umbrellas will also make for great props in wedding photos.