by Kara | Sep 21, 2020 | Organizational, Outsourcing, Parenting
The first day of school has come and gone, and it looks very different for students and parents. In the Seattle area, we have shifted to remote learning for the foreseeable future. Working parents are trying to tackle all of the “to-dos” and prepare for the changes ahead. I wouldn’t describe them as “being busy” with these tasks. Instead, they’re overwhelmed, stressed out, and uncertain how they’re going to accomplish it all – managing school at home, working full-time, and running a household.
As a working mom of two boys, the one piece of advice I have for working parents with children at home is this: Delegate what you can. There are many routine tasks that can be handled by someone else, and doing so will free up time for you to focus on what’s most important. Think about it: how much time would you get back in your day if someone else ran errands, did laundry, took the dog to the vet, and prepared meals? By delegating these tasks, you give yourself more quality time for your family and career.
I founded Pepper’s Personal Assistants to help busy families keep their households running smoothly. We provide each client with an assistant and work together to prioritize projects to complete based on the client’s individual needs. Our team follows strict protocols for health, safety, and cleanliness while working in each home.
Delegating tasks that you’ve always done may feel awkward at first. Some people feel that they “should” do certain chores or even are embarrassed to seek out help. I highly recommend that you put these feelings to one side. Parents are facing more demands on their time than ever before. Alleviating some of these pressures is essential to your well-being.
Here are a few ideas on what you can delegate, based on the trends we’re seeing with clients right now.
- Organizing workspaces – With parents and children at home during the day, we’re helping create comfortable workspaces for everyone in the home. Some clients were not able to find desks in the area, as many stores quickly ran out. Our assistants have been checking for inventory in person and online, placing orders, and assembling furniture. In some cases, they’ve gotten creative and put together makeshift desks using items already in the house.
- Buying school supplies – Although the list is shorter with remote schooling, teachers sometimes make last-minute requests for additional items. An assistant can do this errand or place an order for home delivery.
- Reorganizing and restocking pantries – As they restock the kitchen, assistants can also purchase items needed for flu season – like over-the-counter remedies, canned soups, crackers, and juices. This is an important task, as people won’t be able to make a grocery trip if they are sick or sharing a house with someone who is. In addition to stocking up on supplies, assistants can prepare meals for the family, saving time on shopping, cooking, and cleaning up.
- Completing school paperwork – Schools and teachers often have multiple forms to fill out for each student. Let an assistant organize and pre-fill these for you, so you can just sign and submit.
- Helping to source other “helpers” – Our assistants help find nannies, tutors, babysitters, and others. They post ads, sort resumes, and conduct first interviews, passing along the best candidates to clients.
- Preparing for the time when kids return to campus – Although we don’t know when students will be allowed to return, some parents are being proactive. Our assistants are purchasing school clothes, shoes, and backpacks, as well as scheduling routine physicals and vaccinations on their clients’ behalf.
I hope these ideas are helpful as you continue planning for the school year. One additional way to stay organized is by using a Trello board. We have developed a Trello board and an online tutorial to help you and your kids stay organized this year. Many of our clients find this a valuable resource for keeping track of each child’s school work and assignments, with an easy color-coded display on one page.
It’s never too late to find a resource and move some household work off your plate. In doing so, you’ll be able to focus more time and energy on what’s most important in the weeks ahead.
by Kara | Jul 17, 2020 | Health
Seattle has been voted one of the best cities in the U.S. for a summer “staycation” — and during this pandemic when taking normal vacations isn’t possible, a staycation could be just what you need to relax and have a change of scenery. The following are some fun (and safe) ideas to mix up your daily routine this summer.
Local Outdoor Adventures
If you’re craving an outdoor adventure, climb, hike, or camping trip, you’re in luck. Washington state is one of the most varied areas when it comes to outdoor oases. From coastal beaches and rainforests to dense forests and snow-capped mountains, the Pacific Northwest has it all.
Check out companies such as AdventureTripr to find guided local day hikes, treks, or camping trips for all experience levels that you and your close family and friends can easily reserve.
Looking for a shorter hike, or a trail you haven’t conquered yet? Sites like AllTrails.com let you search for parks and trails by location, and show descriptions, reviews, estimated times, and difficulty level of ease.
Boat Rentals
Enjoy your summer staycation on the water! Boat rentals are easy to come by in areas like Ballard, Portage Bay, the University of Washington waterfront, and South Lake Union. Rent a kayak, canoe, or paddle boat for a refreshing solo or couples’ escape, or reserve a larger electric boat for you and your close friends or housemates. Many of the larger boat options are even covered and heated to navigate Seattle’s finicky summer weather.
At-Home Spa Day
One of the most relaxing things you can do for yourself during a staycation is to create an at-home spa experience. Warm-up some towels and draw yourself a bath with bubbles, bath salts, or essential oils. Play soothing music and kick back with a good book or some deep breathing exercises. After a soak, give yourself a pedicure or manicure, and try out a DIY face mask to treat your skin. Do all of this while sipping on a refreshing summer mocktail or cocktail. Bliss!
Farmer’s Market Picnic
Many local farmer’s markets are back up and running with capacity and social distancing restrictions. Plan a trip to your local outdoor market and pick up some flowers, breads, cheeses, fruits, and veggies, and bring them back to your home to prepare a farmer’s market picnic in your yard. You’ll not only be changing up your lunch or dinner routine and enjoying the outdoors in the safety of your yard — you’ll also be supporting your community.
Drive-In Movie Theaters
You might be thinking, “drive-in movie theaters — what year is it?!” With indoor movie theaters closed because of the pandemic, these nostalgic attractions are making their way into the year 2020. Look into the location of new pop-up drive-in movie theaters (some Walmarts are even transforming their parking lots later this summer!), or see if any car-optional outdoor movie nights are being hosted in your area.
In order to fully relax and enjoy a stress-free staycation, you might need to get through your to-do list or take care of some basic tasks. Contact Pepper’s Personal Assistants and see if our new five-hour task assistant package can help relieve you of some of the small errands hanging over your head, so you can make the most of this summer.
by Kara | Jun 17, 2020 | Business, Outsourcing, Parenting
You know how it goes, your week is packed full of tasks, so you put it off until the weekend only to find out that you are exhausted (and rightfully so with your schedule!). You are feeling drained – physically, mentally, and emotionally drained.
Pepper’s Personal Assistants has a solution for you. Maybe a personal assistant for 12 hours per week is more than you need, but you would find value in having someone who could pick up an extra 5 hours a week to help alleviate the stress. That is why we have come up with our new 5 hours per week package, also known as the Task Assistant package. This package is $400.00 per week but saves you so much more in the long run.
Just think: what could you do with that time? What kind of mental load could be relieved if you didn’t have all those draining errands hanging over your head each week? It may seem small, but the responsibility of those things — on top of all of the other extra things you’re dealing with right now — is taking up precious mental space.
This is the role your task assistant can play. They can handle 5 hours of small, but necessary, tasks that are draining you. You simply create the list and pass it to them to complete.
We can bring relief to YOU in only 5 hours a week. You can have more free time with the family. More time to focus on what’s important. More time to relax and give yourself space to just be.
This package is more structured than our larger hourly packages to provide consistency for those of you who desire help but need fewer hours — while still offering the same, excellent quality service that you’ve come to expect from Pepper’s. We will match you with a dedicated task assistant that fits the type of support you need. Your task assistant will arrive on the same day and time once a week to complete your list. This Task Assistant package is $400 per week for five blissful hours that will save you so much more time in the long run.
What type of tasks can a task assistant help with, you ask?
Your task assistant can help with multiple tasks each week, including:
- Scheduling vendors and service provider appointments to make sure your outstanding tasks and projects are completed as soon as possible.
- Grocery shopping or pickup, preventing you from spending your weekend looking for a parking spot at Costco or trying to get a delivery time that works for you.
- Packaging up and returning online orders because we all know those clothes that didn’t work are just sitting there, at the bottom of the priority list.
- Tidying up the house, helping you turn chaos into order.
- Preparing healthy foods or meals — fuel your body with real food!
- Laundry — the last thing you feel like doing at the end of an overwhelming day.
What are we doing to improve safety measures related to COVID-19?
We are all concerned about COVID-19. Our employees have had safety training to keep everyone safe and healthy as we move back into daily activities. Training includes best practices on how to remove masks, washing hands frequently safely, and if gloves are requested by the client, the appropriate handling and changing of gloves between tasks.
Per the Governor’s office, we can return to clients’ homes now. But if you’d prefer, there are a lot of things we can do remotely, like vendor or product research, no-contact grocery pickup, or restaurant pickup.
You don’t have to keep falling behind; Your task assistant can help you get ahead and feel relief. You don’t have to do this alone.
Need more than 5 hours of support? We also offer 12-40 hour packages. Get the help you need and deserve today. Schedule a Call to talk about which package might be right for your needs; we look forward to discussing how we can help you!
by Kara | Jun 16, 2020 | Giving back, Residential
Our thoughts are focused on the Black Lives Matter movement. After the recent deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the numerous other Black lives that have been lost, the world has joined together to grieve these lives and fight to end institutional racism.
At Pepper’s Personal Assistants, we believe wholeheartedly that Black lives matter. We know that systemic racism is a problem in this country and the status quo needs to change. We believe that we can help change the world by speaking our truths, supporting our Black peers and community members. We believe that supporting Black-owned businesses, voting for the future of the Black community, creating a diverse work environment, and donating money to organizations supporting Black people and the fight to end institutional racism are a few of the actions we can take to ensure a future of equity for all.
We are committed to doing the hard work of getting vulnerable, educating ourselves, and listening to the direction of the Black community. We are supporting positive change by donating to charities that fight for equal rights for the Black community, including the ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, NAACP Legal Defense Fund , The Youth Justice Coalition, and Lavender Rights Project.
“Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that held its ground.” -Rosa Parks
We hope you will join us, as we continue to fight alongside the Black community to demand justice, equality, and real change.
by Kara | Jun 16, 2020 | Gifts
Time seems to be flying by since stay-at-home orders were placed in effect several months ago, and Father’s Day is already around the corner. Because of coronavirus precautions, celebrating holidays and special occasions looks a little different this year. If you’re unable to get out and embark on a shopping trip to purchase anything for this Sunday, June 21st, you might need to get a bit more creative to show your appreciation for the dad in your life.
Phone calls, video chats, homemade cards, and baked goods are all great gift ideas, but we want to give you a few more options to give Dad a special treat while also supporting local businesses.
Local Beer Delivery
Stoup Brewing, a family-friendly and community-focused brewery in the heart of Ballard, is open for to-go and take out orders during this time. If you know a dad who loves beer, Stoup Brewing can also quench that thirst through beer delivery! Just jump on their website and choose a crowler (a 32-ounce can that’s filled and sealed on-site, similar to a growler) or four-pack option of one (or more!) of their 14 delicious brews and confirm the local delivery date.
Records To-Go
Is there a father in your life who is all about music? Being stuck inside provides the perfect opportunity to discover new musical artists and revisit old favorites. West Seattle’s Easy Street Records is offering local King County delivery for their online orders during the pandemic. Complete your gift order and a van will pull up to the drop-off destination with a bag of records, CDs, t-shirts, or any other merch you feel would make a great Father’s Day gift for music-lovers.
[Related: Five Ways Moms Can Treat Themselves (While Supporting Local Businesses) – Food Edition]
Hardware Store Gift Cards
Because of this quarantine, DIY projects and small in-home renovations are on the rise. Support your local hardware store by purchasing a gift card perfect for a stay-home handyman. South Seattle’s Stewart Lumber and Hardware Co., Pacific Supply Co. in Capitol Hill, and Hardwick and Sons in the University District are just a few of Seattle’s independent hardware stores that could use your support.
Pike Place Market Meal Kits
One big thing that a lot of people miss while staying home is going out to eat. Seattle’s restaurant and foodie scene is incredible, especially down in Pike Place Market. But you and your dad don’t have to miss out this Father’s Day. Many Pike Place Market restaurants are putting together meal kits that allow you to recreate their delicious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners from the comfort and safety of your own home.
Box of Local Goodies
Can’t make up your mind, but still want to give a Father’s Day gift that supports Seattle-owned businesses? Keep Your City Smiling is a company that puts together and delivers surprise boxes filled with treats and small gifts from local businesses. They are even offering a special Father’s Day box, as well as city-specific boxes in case the father in question lives or grew up outside of Seattle.
No matter how you choose to celebrate or what you end up giving as a gift, the most important thing is to let the dads in your life know just how appreciated they are, especially during these tough times. Here’s to you dads!
