As summer fun winds to close, busy families will begin to shift their focus to prepare for the upcoming school year. Balancing work and family can be daunting; leaving you wondering how you will manage getting the kids to-and-from sports and music activities, run errands and still get everyone together for dinner at the table. With careful planning, and these helpful tips, you can get your family off to a more peaceful and productive start this year: Take Inventory: Read More >
General News
5 Life Lessons Learned from a Personal Tragedy
By Good Neighbor Concierge
Feeling exhilarated and exhausted, I sat in my car after having just completed a ten-mile charity walk around the Charles River when I got the dreaded phone call. “Our cousin in New York City? He just passed away.” What? Say that again? How? Did I just hear that? But I just saw him two weeks ago! Is this a joke? Unexpectedly and suddenly, one of my cousins passed away alone in his Brooklyn apartment. No one will ever know the events that led up to that fateful Read More >
A Boston Personal Assistant’s Story: Sewing Project Help in the Back Bay
By Good Neighbor Concierge
A busy stay-home mother of two school-aged children living in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston reached out to me recently in need of help with sewing name labels onto her daughters’ summer camp clothing and belongings. The client said she had hired a seamstress last year to do a similar task, but she eventually was not happy with the outcome. The client mentioned that one of her daughters had a store-bought sewing machine that I could use from her home. When we later Read More >
Is Technology Making Life Easier?
By Good Neighbor Concierge
This week's guest blog piece is written by Katharine Giovanni: I grew up in the 1960's and 70's when there were no computers or smart phones. There were no microwaves, no IPads or Kindles, no SKYPE, no Internet, and there were only about 7 good stations on television. We didn't stay home and play video games all day because there were no video games to speak of back then. We played outside, talked to our friends on the phone, and listened to music. I remember telling Read More >
The Fine Art of Work-Life Balance
By Good Neighbor Concierge
Balancing a healthy, enriching lifestyle with the pressures of the workplace is typically a topic on the minds of many people. An ambitious lifestyle is associated with success in our society, and it is not uncommon to feel peer pressure to accomplish a great deal in a short amount of time. Sticking to a strict schedule for work, family, play and exercise is one way to keep up with the pressures of everyday life. However, there are many variables and life changes that Read More >
How to Safeguard Your Valuables and Personal Information from Theft
By Good Neighbor Concierge
It’s a nightmare scenario: you return home from work or shopping to find that something doesn’t look quite right. As you pull up to your home, your heart sinks into your gut as you discover that you’ve been the victim of a burglary. I know the feeling of having one's own private space violated, because, I, too, was a recent victim myself. Returning to our home after running some personal errands, we witnessed someone dashing out of our living room when he heard us Read More >
5 Tips on How to Get Organized for Tax Season
By Good Neighbor Concierge
As April 15th quickly approaches, many individuals begin to stress over filing their taxes. There are a few ways to help prepare yourself for the upcoming tax season. The tips below are a great start and give helpful reminders to ensure you are ready to go when you are meeting with your accountant. Obtain Income Statements and Documents Many employers begin sending out W-2 statements at the end of December and beginning of January. If you have not received yours Read More >
Spring Cleaning Tips to Clear Your Clutter
By Good Neighbor Concierge
Spring is here, and as we open up the windows to let in the fresh air and sunshine, we look around our homes and realize we need to open up our indoor spaces where clutter has settled in over the winter. Junk drawers, coat closets, cabinets and nightstands become catchalls that eat away at our time, energy and sanity. Get a trash bag ready for items that can be thrown away, grab a box or two for charity donations and plan your attack. To get you started and provide a Read More >
A Boston Personal Assistant’s Story: Convalescent Assistance in Brookline
By Good Neighbor Concierge
Last year, a client in Rockville, Maryland, purchased one of our gift certificates for a colleague and friend of hers who was hospitalized in a Boston area hospital. This week, we received a phone call from the recipient of that gift certificate, a young professional woman who lived in Brookline and in the midst of packing up her belongings and moving out of Boston to return to her native Canada. The new client explained that she had been hospitalized on and off for many Read More >
4 Tips on How to Arrange Valentine’s Day Flowers like a Pro
By Good Neighbor Concierge
Although the Valentine's Day tradition of giving flowers dates back to ancient Roman times, creating a fresh, contemporary arrangement can be tricky if you lack a natural eye for floral design. However, creating a lovely and memorable arrangement doesn't have to 'wilt your bloom'. Following these simple and noteworthy tips can assist in your creative endeavor. Consider your Recipient Think about who will be receiving the arrangement. Different flowers have different Read More >
Connect With Me!