Attention Cape Town: Give a Gift to light a life..

Today I received the below email from one of our candidates, Lucinda ( Laeeqah), listed with us for a few years now and also running infant training workshops for domestics, we are certainly honoured to have her working with our clientèle.

If you stay in Cape Town and have unused or old toys lying around one of these 3 ladies will come and collect them at your home if you like, to donate to The Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children in Cape Town. They are also now asking for toiletries as well, just basic essentials we do not even think about, but which, these children do not even have regular access. Please donate to this cause. Contact details are at the bottom of this article. Your donation will not go unappreciated or unused and there will be a child whose world lights up due to your kindness.

Gift of Giving Hi there. It is that time of the year again. Janine, Sara and myself have decided, for the 3rd consecutive year, to collect toys and books for the destitute children. The previous 2 years has been such a success because of your contributions. In the past I have wrapped and delivered Bags of new and 2nd hand toys and books. I label each xmas present, stating which age group and gender the toy is appropriate for . The Children centre is extremely grateful for all the gifts they receive. They fully rely on donations from the public to keep up the wonderful work that they are doing. Our aim is to bring a little joy to the destitute children at xmas time. Toys include: Dolls                                                           Trucks, cars Story books                                                 Educational books Any toys your children have outgrown.          Puzzles I also collect the unused toys and clothes and deliver them to the orphange throughout the year. A Big Thank You to those who donate their unused goods to the poor regularly. This year we have decided to add toiletries to our mission as the orphanges is in dire need of these. If each one will contribute just one or two things it will be very much appreciated. Every time you go shopping just add a bar of soap or toothpaste to your shopping and by the end of november, with all your contributions, we will be able to give them a box of toiletries which could last them a few months. Toiletries include: Toothpaste (kids or adult)                            Toothbrush (kids or Adult) Underarm                                                     Deodrant Aqueous Cream                                            Soap Face cloths                                                  Nappies (Towelling or Disposables) This year we will be delivering the xmas presents and toiletries to Saartjie Bartman Centre for Women and Children. They have also mentioned that during the holiday season, it is a very bad time of year for them, as many kids get admitted into their care, who have been abused. Therefore it is important to bring a little cheer in their hearts with a little xmas gift. Saartjie Baartman,Klipfontien Road, Athlone.      Tel:  021 6335287 Thank you once again. Laeeqah, Janine and Sara 0733877381 021 6717680

Inspiration, the power of intention

About two years ago I received a piece of paper from a stranger . She looked at me and said, “This will help you”. It was a completely random occurrence that changed my life. I now believe she was definitely a guardian angel or had one working through her. Today I look back and realise how much that piece of paper assisted me, stuck to my fridge and although almost impossible to live up to,  trying to do so, has definitely assisted. I would like to share it with you today, so please take a few moments to view the wise words of the Dalai Lama that changed my attitude and perspective. Perhaps you will glance over it and have a wonderful day, or print it out and make it your Mantra, whatever you do, whether you take it seriously or not, I am positive, that just by reading it, it will assist you in making a great success of your life. It stays in the corner of your mind, hidden and slowly but surely new connections are made in the mind, altering reaction and action alike:

Instructions for Life by The Dalai Lama

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R’s:
   -  Respect for self,
   -  Respect for others and
   -  Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and
    think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
20. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

So there it is, I now try to run my life and business according to the wise statements above, and it has assisted me greatly. I hope it will assist you to in all areas of your life.

Ringing in 2009…

Wow, its amazing how time seems to pass so quickly these days.. Why just yesterday I remember feeling this way about 2007 and now its already 2009!

Ive done my tally of new year resolutions as most have, knowing full well that most are somewhat out of reach, but that’s what drives us all at the end of the day, the possibility that dreams will and can come true if we believe they can! For what is life without dreams ?

I have a dream for this year, some personal and many professional. The personal ones take nothing but will power to achieve, which I tend to have a lot of. The real challenge lies with my Passion, Sitters4U and making it as successful as possible.

So as always the goals are very similar to those of previous years gone by. Expand,  grow and give. I think that’s simple enough to achieve but the finer details include so much more. We are looking to expand our services to Durban in the near future and from the inquiries we receive from Durban, I am looking forward to assisting new clients and candidates alike! Then, FrailCare4U a division of Sitters4U will be launching its own new website, www.frailcare4u.co.za  in April 2009, something I have been looking forward to for a while. We are also planning on adding a few very unique features to this side of our services which I know our clients are going to love. Another very exciting project to be launched at an undetermined time as yet, and this is a biggy folks; PremiumAupairs.com, its an international site for au pairs who want to be placed locally in their home town and parents who want local mature capable candidates. I have been working on this project for almost an entire year already and am no where near completed yet, but this is a project I am so looking forward to! The anticipation is almost killing me. So there is my “expand and grow” goals taken care of, but what about giving back, at the end of the day, ‘giving’ is the real reward isn’t it.

To start off with, as always I will be bringing you new articles, from advice on how to potty train your child, ( I took 2 weeks to train my daughter) to how to develop a routine in collaboration with your au pair. Other than that, and this has long been a pet dream of mine, yet to come to fruition, is to really give back to the community which needs our services and really just cant afford it. I am seeking non profit and other similar organizations who need volunteers to help them for a few days here and there. Currently we have over 300 staff, they are all well experienced and qualified and due to one of our motto’s and infact one thing we like to pick up on in our candidates, is the inate need to help others who help themselves to help others, I am sure our candidates would love to assist as well. So if you know of anybody who needs our assistance. Let us know!

So thats it for now and wow, after actually seeing my plate in black and white for this year, I see nothing but fun, challenges and growth for 2009  and wish all our clients and staff the same, not too mention a prosporus and exciting New Year!

Holiday Season- A Time for Family,a Time for Giving!

The sun is shining, the bells are ringing, everyone is on holiday and now is a time for family, fun, games , outings ,giving and recieving.

If you happen to be in the Western Cape at this wonderful time of year there are so many things to do!Besides the beaches, forests and wonderful places like the aquarium, monkey town in Somerset West, Spiers cheetah farm, family friendly picnic areas and birds of Prey Sanctuary in Stellenbosch, the Zoo in Tygerberg or a visit to Ratunga Junction, a day at the gorgeous Kirstenbosch Gardens, The World of Birds in Hout Bay, the wonderful child orientated plays and ballets happening at the Baxter and Artscape ( My daughter and I recently checked out High School Musical at the Artscape! Wow, what a production, totally worth the price tag!) Bugz World in Tygerberg, the museums full of discoveries waiting to happen and so much more, Cape Town has an action packed day for every day ahead and for most of us this is great, but take a moment to spare some time and thought for those less fortunate than ourselves. You may think whats a thought, you may think what can I do to make a difference, well we can all make a difference in our own little way..

Over the past weekend my daughter was lucky enough to meet Santa and bring light to the life of an underprivileged child at the same time in Marina Da Gama.What fun! Santa arrived on a boat along with Mrs Clause and presents in tow. The price to take part in this fantastic experience, we brought a present for my daughter and a present for an underprivileged child! What an inititive.I was proud to be able to take part. The children were called by name and given their gifts. It was smiles and joy all round, a wonderful vibe to say the least!

Something we can all do to make a difference without having to make a dent in our already stretched wallets, while impacting positively on a number of peoples lives, is to go through your closet, your toy boxes and even your house. If you havent seen or used an item in over 6 months, you probably wont be using it anytime soon, so why not donate. In our family the thing we do at this time of year is clear our wardrobes and house of things we no longer need to donate either to Red Cross or Orphanages in the area. This year was the first time my daughter also got to take part in this long held family tradition ( as far back as I remember we have always done this) . Surprisingly she had no qualms with letting go of her old unused clothes and toys, knowing that she would be adding a little light to the lives of children less fortunate than herself. It has definately given her something to be proud of and the letter she recieved ( which was addressed to her)  put a big proud smile on her face and mine!

So share the love this festive season and light up the life of not only those less fortunate than you but also your own and that of your childrens, count your blessings, teach your children the true meaning of sharing and spirit and what christmas is really all about, sharing, good will and peace to all. Happy Holidays!