a peek inside the fishbowl

I shouldn’t say NEW exactly. Concierge Home Services has been a quiet supporter since Christmas but I wanted to take a moment to welcome them officially.

CHS offers parents what they really need: a second pair of hands. Scratch that, it’s a second pair of experienced and focused hands. They are more than just a cleaning company, they are a total household management company. They can take care of carpet cleaning, window washing (THEY DO WINDOWS! Woot!), and duct cleaning. They can feed your cat (or fish, or hamster) or just check on the house and make sure your plumbing hasn’t exploded or that the furnace hasn’t died while you’re on holidays (things your home insurance policy requires)!

They can make your life a heck of a lot easier. And mine too, come to think of it. I have this argument with myself all of the time. Why would I pay someone to scrub the baseboards and polish the floors when I can do that myself? But the cold hard reality is that I work. And the cleaning I manage to accomplish can be summed up as surface cleaning. Sure… I cook, I do laundry, I pick things up, I clean the kitchen and the bathrooms and vacuum, but that’s not deep cleaning. And so the baseboards and the windows and the floors go without the proper attention they deserve. Gah.

The reason why we haven’t hired someone to save my baseboards is that I am secretly afraid someone is going to raid my underwear drawer and sell my bras to the highest bidder. :) I asked Rebecca Page (she takes care of Marketing & Franchising for CHS) about security (not about my bras silly). It comes down to this: they are very selective about the staff they hire. There are lots of people who apply who don’t get an interview. There are people they interview who don’t qualify for their training program. There are people who are trained and don’t get hired. By the time they DO hire someone there’s been an interview, a reference check, a police check, and CHS has spent 10 – 15 hours working with them to ensure that they are reliable, trustworthy, and know how to work. In 10 years they have never had an issue of theft or any other misconduct. 

All staff are fully insured, bonded, and in uniform. You are matched with one staff member so you always get the same person coming in your home. They take the time to get to know the specific cleaning needs of your home too. (i.e. you consistently have food stuck under the high chair.) The cleaning routine is based on your needs, your preferences, and your budget. Here’s the rub: it’s cheaper than you might think. (Besides, HOW MUCH is my sanity worth? Hmmm. LET ME PONDER THAT FOR A MOMENT.)

Rates depend on a bunch of things: the size of the home and the family, their expectations, and other variables i.e. there are three generations of farmers raising sheepdogs in a six-bathroom three floor house.

For an example of their rates, check out the page of the person who manages the Orleans area. Apparently their pricing is about 25% less than Molly Maid. It’s kind of a given that they can’t compete with independent cleaners, but if you ask me, it’s risky to hire someone privately for a lower price. With no liability insurance or workers comp, if something gets broken/stolen/damaged or someone gets injured it might end up being costly for the homeowner.

As an aside, CHS has won the Torch Award from the Better Business Bureau two times. Partly because their damage rate and complaint rate was each less than 1%.

As a final note I wanted to mention that CHS was started by an Ottawa mom as a home-based business 10 years ago and the company has remained true to their roots in work-life balance. Two franchisees are Ottawa moms who operate a Concierge Home Services franchise from their homes. I think that’s pretty cool.

Check them out online here.

Thank you Concierge Home Services! Your support and patronage is appreciated very much!

We went cross-country skiing last weekend. As I mentioned, the day was picture perfect. The girls are still learning (and I’m rather iffy myself) so we chose what appeared to be a very easy trail in the Stony Swamp area of Ottawa. It was a great choice. It was perfect in every way… an easy 3km circle along a mostly flat trail through the woods.

Sidebar: The only problem was the jogger who ran ON the groomed ski trail. Even I know that’s a no no. This damages the trail for the skiers and makes it harder to ski. If you’re walking along a ski trail, walk beside it, not on top. Thank youuuu!

If you’re wondering where this wonderful trail is located, it’s listed as #27 on the NCC trail map. There’s a 2MB PDF map here. To access this trail you need to park at lot #11 and cross West Hunt Club road. That’s where the trail begins.

I even took a quick video! And I also tried my hand at a live ski cam to give you an idea of how amazing this trail is. (The video is laughable, really. And please forgive my breathlessness… which ventures dangerously close to double rainbows. :)

(I wanted to try the video capabilities of the Nikon D90. In a nutshell, it worked!)

Anyway, everything was so still and beautiful. It just took my breath away.

Some trails in the Stony Swamp area are populated by roving tribes of Black-Capped Chickadees that have learned to feed out of our hands. (Which is pretty awesome.) Those chickadees don’t live along trail #27. We went to Jack Pine trail for that.

There are a few other wintry pics from this day over here.

Once upon a time, I used to work out of home. (!) It was tough. We had one car, two jobs (one each for Mark and I), and two kids in two different preschools at one point. We had departures and arrivals down to a science, but heaven forbid something happen that messed up our carefully calculated schedules. Pinkeye, or dental appointments, or illness …. sometimes one of us had to work late. Oh man. Those were crazy times. I don’t have many happy memories of white-knuckle drives up and down Merivale Road either.

It’s tough to be a working parent. It’s go go go go go … all the time, isn’t it? You know what makes the rat race easier? Finding a preschool you love where your kids can thrive is a huge bonus. Knowing your kids are getting amazing care in a happy environment is one less thing you have to worry about.

I’d like to welcome the newest Fishbowl patron, The Soloway JCC Ganon Preschool. It’s a place where the teachers truly care and the children feel loved. All of the teachers at the Ganon Preschool are either trained in Early Childhood Education, have a degree in a related field, or have significant experience working with young children.

The Ganon Preschool is open to everyone. They have licensed morning programs for 2 and 3-year olds, and their junior kindergarten program includes French as well as free swims at the Soloway JCC indoor saltwater pool and gym. (I think that’s pretty awesome.)

The Ganon Afternoon Enrichment Programs run from 12:30-3:30 and are open to everyone. You don’t have to attend the morning preschool to join in on the afternoon fun. Parents can choose any combination of the following days and activities:

Monday – Creative Kids (Multimedia Arts) or Small Samurai (Karate)
Tuesday – Fit Kids (Sports) or Funky Feet (Dance)
Wednesday – Monkey Rock Music
Thursday – Splish Splash (Instructional swim)
Friday – Discovery Kids (Science)

Check out their website. They have a wonderful program that emphasizes learning through play and encourages a lifelong love of learning. Ganon comes recommended to me, and I’m recommending it to you.

The Ganon Preschool is located inside the Soloway JCC at 21 Nadolny Sachs Private (one block south of Carling and Broadview). Please note, the preschool will be having an open house on Monday February 7 from 9:00 am – 11:00 am. I urge you to attend, meet the teachers and see it all for yourself.

For more information about the program, please contact Preschool Director Jenny Shinder at (613) 798-9818 ext. 280, or vial email at ganon@jccottawa.com.

Thank you Ganon Preschool!

I would also like to take a moment to thank all of my other Fishbowl patrons. Did you know that they are the reason I’m able to keep this site going? It’s true. They are wonderful people. Please take a few minutes to click on the images on the right and poke around their websites. This quiet show of thanks would be much appreciated! Thank you!!