When baby arrives home, every family goes through a transition period.  New Moms are adjusting to having total responsibility for this litte person.  It can be overwhelming to say the least.  Add sleep derivation to the mix and it becomes down right scary.  When my son was born 20 years ago, I wish I could have called a personal concierge to help.  My Mom came, of course, but frankly wasn't much help.  I really wanted someone to go shopping for me, (I wouldn't dare take a new baby to the grocery store or the mall), someone to walk the dog, (Labs are very energetic, without a walk, watch out), someone to pick up a few personal items at the store, (wouldn't dare share just what those personal items were with my Mom), someone to write some "thank you" cards and "birth announcements", (My Mom couldl have never delivered the message the way I would want), someone to come in and clean the house, (My Mom kept asking where things were and where do they go, drove me crazy), and most important, someone to get meals prepared that I coud have just warmed up, (My Mom kept asking where the pans were, where to spices were, etc, etc. cooking myself would have been less exhausting). 

After experiencing all these feelings, frustrations, fears, and conflicts myself, I am so happy that I can help new Moms.  New Moms should be focusing on two things; their baby and themselves.  When baby sleeps, Mom needs to sleep.  In theory, that sounds great.  Except who is going to do all of the chores?  The answer:  The Concierge.  Enjoy every minute, before you know it they are 20 years old!!

Holiday Season 2009 will probably be very different than in years past.  Our budgets are considerably smaller, the number of friends, relatives and co-workers will probably be shorter.  For this reason, we must be creative.  One of the best ways to stay within our budgets and still give gifts that will wow our friends and family is to START EARLY.  Ask the following questions about each person on your list:

1.  Does ___ have a hobby?

2.  How old is _______?  More importantly, how old do they act?

3.  Is ________ a trend-setter or more of a conservative?

4.  What size is __? 

5.  Does _____ have any food or plant allergies?  Would _____ like a gift of food or a plant?

6.  How much do I want to spend on ______?

7.  Does _______ travel for leisure and/or business regularly?

8.  Does _______ dine out on a regular basis?  Do they have a favorite dining location?

These 8 questions will give you some ideas.  If you have several folks on your list with similar interests, think about buying in bulk.  There are often discounts for purchasing multiple items.  We all have the best of intentions when it comes to starting early and shopping on sale, but sometimes it's just impossible.  If this is the case, consider hiring a personal shopper.  The cost of a personal shopper can be paid for with the saving they squire for you with their gift choices.   

One of the questions that I ask clients who ask for my help with gift giving is:  "Do you have a general idea or theme for the gift?"  99.9 percent of the time, they say: "No, something unique and very special."  It's my job to find the perfect item.  The most popular gifts are floral pieces.  Everyone loves the look of fresh flowers and plants in a room.  I have visited so many florists in the area looking for a florist that utilizes other natural materials into their work such as small stones, various leaves, feathers, etc.  You get the idea, not a piece of green florist foam with a bunch of carnations stuck into it.  Well, I had the pleasure of meeting Verna Tsunafuji, owner of Fuji Floral Design several months ago.  She has perfected the art of floral design.  She is a self taught artist.  She creates pieces of art using elements from nature.  Whenever a client sends or purchases florals or plants from her, they are amazed with the sheer beauty of the piece as well as the quality of the live items used.  Her service is top notch and she is willing to deliver to the Metro Atlanta Area.  Below is an example of her work, there are more examples on her website: www.fujifloraldesign.com  The shop located on 17th St. in Atlantic Station.  The phone number is 404-881-0363. 

As a concierge, I am always looking for the gift items that "WOW" my clients.  Verna always creates that "WOW" for my clients and I am proud she has joined my exclusive vendor list.

In my line of work, I encounter so many families that are caring for their elderly familiy members.  Most of the families that I serve really want their Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt, Uncle or Elderly Friend to remain at home and as independent as possible.  The anxiety of not knowing what's going on with them at any given moment is very real.  Wondering if they've gotten out of bed, have they eaten, have they taken their medications, are they safe in general.  I was one of those adult childrencaring for my elderly parents.  They lived about 30 minutes from me, which is not very far when everything is going well but very, very far away when they needed me there in a hurry.  I wish I had met Chris Lazar with BlueCastle,LLC 10 years ago.  He would have saved me lots of time, money, stress and given me peace of mind.   BlueCastle, LLC is a company that serves both individuals and corporations.  They install the alarm, audio/visual, hometheater, total comfort systems within homes and a multitude of services for corporations.  What really got me excited was their product for the aging population.  A device that will send an e-mail notification or alert to a cell phone if your Mom or Dad has not gotten out of bed by a preset time in the morning, or if Mom or Dad has not gotten up from their favorite chair in however many hours the system is set to.  It will also let you know if the refrigerator has not been opened for a designated period of time and if they have traveled farther than a preset area from their home. 

 As a concierge, I often will take over the moitoring of these family members when my clients are traveling out of the country.  My clients are confident that I will take care of any situation that may arise but I'm thrilled to have this technology available to assist me with this task.  For more detailed info, call Chris directly at 404-246-7798, visit BlueCastle on the web at:  www.betteroffblue.com  or email him at:  chris@betteroffblue.com

Summer is a wonderful time for a wedding.  Weddings can be a time of great joy and great frustration.  Usually the most frustration is between the bride and the bride’s mom.  The reason:  Mom and daughter have a slightly different set of expectations of the event.  As a professional concierge, I serve as a sounding board for each party and provide compromising solutions that please both parties.  There are so many things that have to get done before the big day from ordering the flowers, meeting with the caterer, shopping for attendants presents, booking the limousine, designing a custom wedding cake, meeting with the preacher, and interviewing the photographer/videographer, just to name a few.  I have a list of preferred providers that my clients can choose from.  I make the calls, obtain the quotes, and coordinate all of the services.

Guests are another concern.  Families are so spread out nowadays that hotel reservations, airport pickups, rental car reservations, and in-home services are often needed.  Family members are sometimes a little difficult to deal with.  When the family members have a “go to” person to answer all their questions and take care of the incidentals for them, they are not quite so overwhelming.

Utilizing the services of a professional concierge keeps families from experiencing unnecessary stress.    So when such an important event comes up in your life, we are here to serve.

 One of the services we provide as personal concierges is private air transportation.  Because many of our clients are business owners and control their bottom line, cost is a very important component when it comes to making a decision.  Knowing this, I dida cost comparison for a client recently.  Here’s the scenario:  Client gets a call and is needed in Nashville, Tennessee for an important meeting on Friday.  Today is Wednesday.  I contact the commercial airline of their choice to book their flight.  I am told that the cost of the flight would be $850.00.  My client needs to arrive at the airport 2 hours before the flight to check the bags, get through security and take the transit system to the gate.  A total time including travel from Gwinnett of about 4 hours.  My client’s time is money, if he’s sitting in traffic, waiting in a security line, riding the transit system, waiting for takeoff, etc., he is losing money.  Not acceptable.

So, I decide to call my friends at ImagineAir.  They provide private air transportation.  I explained the situation and was asked what time on Friday my client wanted to depart?  Would they like the plane to wait for a return flight immediately after the meeting or would they be staying overnight?   Will my client be requiring additional services?  The cost of the flight was comparable but the savings comes in when we consider:  no waiting on security, no parking or drop/off issues, no baggage checking, no time wasted. 

Private air transportation is more affordable than one would think.  We will be happy to facilitate your next business or pleasure trip.