Green Cleaning - Microfiber Cloths

Quickie Green Cleaning Microfiber cloths is my cleaning product of the week review. They are produced from high quality yarn and woven to very high densities. The best part to these cleaning cloths is that they are tailored to clean specific surfaces which maximizes their effectiveness. GREEN CLEANING - Microfiber cloths are for every possible cleaning. It isn't just about the cleaning liquid, you have to have good cloths for each surface. In some cases, you can clean a surface without using any fluids. They are color-coordinated and offer tags with their specific use in case you forget. Once used, throw them into the washing machine to be re-used. Green Cleaning makes five types of microfiber cloths:

1. Kitchen & Bathroom - enhanced to absorb oily liquids
2. Glass & Windows - enhances water absorption for a streak free finish
3. Dusting & Polishing - has a magnet like effect on dust
4. Stainless Steel- formulated to easily remove fingerprints and smudges
5. Electronics - for plasma/LCD and flat screens with a soft suede like weave that leaves a sparkling clear shine without streaking, linting or damaging sensitive surfaces.

There is something to be said about these high polyester microfiber threads.

http://www.martaperrone.com

Entertaining Guests

Entertaining guests means being a gracious host or hostess from the moment your guests enter the door throughout the evening.You want them to feel as though they are at home. Here are some tips:

1) Before they arrive, check your lighting and perhaps the fireplace lit to add ambiance and warmth to the room.

2) After a warm greeting and offering to take their handbag and/or remove coats so that they feel comfortable, you then offer them a drink. This is why it is important to know in advance what your guests drink so that you have exactly what they enjoy.

3) Let them know where the powder bath is and place guest towels in it for their use. As your hors d'oevres are laid out bring your guests to a comfortable seating area where everyone can enjoy the cocktail hour. Keep the cocktail hour exactly as it is referred to - 1 hour - prior to serving dinner. You never want to rush guests from the door to the table.

4)As cooking has its timing so does entertaining. When it is time for serving dinner, bring your guests to the table assisting where they should be seated. You may have prearranged named place cards if you prefer certain people together or decide to let your guests sit wherever they feel comfortable. It is my preference to announce where my husband and I are seated and then invite my guests to sit where they would like in between. If you see hesitation on their part, then guide them.

5)While seated, remember to always check for refills with water, wine and bread. If there is an opportunity to serve seconds, then offer this to your guests. Remember to remove plates only when all your guests are finished with that particular course. Pass the butter if you think they need it; offer the salt and pepper; pass the bread if their bread plate is empty. Muster conversation that includes everyone.

6)Wait a little in between finishing the main meal and serving dessert. Offer coffee or tea (be sure to have cream or milk, low cal sweetner, sugar, and lemon, available.

7)Offer to leave the table to another room where you can serve after-dinner drinks and continue the conversation until your guests are ready to depart.

Your attentiveness to your guests' every need is the most important part to "entertaining" properly.

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A Nanny speaks of Gratitude and Loss in the Spirit of Thanksgiving

Ever so often a Nanny will write me about her personal experience with a family. This one was particularly touching as a loss in the family takes place.

Dear Marta:
"Just want to let you know how grateful I am for you to continue to be offering these classes for Nannies and Housekeepers. In 25 years of working as a Nanny I never heard of an agency caring so much for the professional development of their domestic clients. Most of the time they just care about the paying client and not the nannies or the housekeepers.

I'm still working for the family that you placed me with almost 4 years ago next January).

As you probably know they had twins last June(boy and girl) but the baby girl passed away a week after she was born.It was the most difficult experience I ever went through as a Nanny cause I had to be very strong for Gigi and her new brother Jordan. That meant I had to put my chance to grieve for the loss of the little girl I was so looking forward to taking care of and be there for the family.

I was honored when they asked me to represent their grandparents in their daughter's funeral but it wasn't easy having to throw dust on the little casket cause I didn't get to see her and say goodbye. Last time I saw her she was a healthy little baby at the hospital.

I had lots of support from my family and friends and with the grace of God I was able to pull through to be emotionally strong and to be there for this wonderful family.

Gabriel is 3 years old now and is in school full time so I spent most of the day with the little guy who is now almost 5 months. What a joy he is!

These are the best kids I ever took care of. They tell me to leave on time but I just love them so much that it's hard to leave sometimes so I end up staying later.

In the spirit of thanksgiving this month I just want you to know how thankful I am for you placing me with this family. I still remember the day I called your agency and they told me there was no opening for a live out and only live-in. I asked if I could fill out an application anyway and your assistant said OK. I came in and as soon as I was done completing the form you called me into your office and told me that you had just got a call from your client and that you could send me on an interview with them that following Saturday.

I met with them that Saturday afternoon and I fell in love with the baby and their dogs at first sight and by Sunday afternoon I had a job offer from them. I was so happy. I knew it was the perfect job then. I was still working for another family so we had to wait a few weeks for me to get started.

Now it's almost 4 years and I continue to love my job. What a blessing to wake up in the morning and look forward to going to work. How many people can say that?

I am so thankful for God for giving me this job. And thankful he led me to your agency that day even though there was no live out open position.

That tells me something...

With God everything is possible...

Thank you again Marta for being so dedicated in your work and for caring for us Nanny so much.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and may God bless you with lots of joy and abundance."

Grace G.

http://www.martaperrone.com

Durable Dishtowels

I was in need of some new dishtowels as we rarely put cooking utensils pots and pans and other china in the dishwasher preferring to do them by hand It is a shared experience with my husband regardless of who made that night's dinner.

After sorting through the many choices at my local Bed Bath and Beyond, I chose Calphalon brand towels. I found the pattern more to my liking and they were about $1 more, but as importantly they were about 20 sq. inches larger and seem more absorbent and of a higher quality cotton. The fact is we typically replace our dishtowels only under duress or after a kitchen redo.
When they have been through the washer and dryer a few times I will tell you all how they are holding up.

Weekly I review cleaning products and tools for the home on my website.

http://www.martaperrone.com

Married to The Professional Housekeeper

A Dinner Party with Marta Perrone - Step 2 - Choosing a Menu and Theme

When you begin choosing a menu and theme for your dinner party, here are some tips:


1)Choose a menu that has significance for your guests. It may be someone's favorite meal, birthday, anniversary or engagement. It may be related to one's ethnic background.


2)Choose a theme that relates to a holiday like Valentine's Day or Halloween, Christmas, Hanukkah, or Thanksgiving. All these holidays have colors associated with them. You can be creative by adding decorations creating a table around the theme.


3) Once you select the occasion you want to celebrate for your dinner party, consider what foods go best always keeping in mind the season. There are various foods that are best for the Fall or Summer, while hearty foods are welcomed in the Winter.


4) Most importantly, choose a menu that you know how to make, and do not make it for the first time for your guests (unless you have the ability of a professional chef). It is always best to have prepared the meal at least one time before so that you are very clear as to how each course is prepared and the timing needed for it.


5) Consider how the foods will look on the plate. For example, it is good to have a green and yellow or orange vegetable together. When making a salad, consider the ingredients and not only how they all taste together but how they look on the plate.


6) Consider what foods your guests can or cannot eat due to taste or allergies.


7) Plan your menu for a minimum of 3 courses (i.e., Course 1-salad/soup, Course 2-Meat, Fish, Chicken or Pasta, Course 3 - Dessert). It can be overwhelming serving too many courses at a sit down dinner unless you have help to assist you.


8) Get ideas of meal variations from Food magazines & the Food Network. They will illustrate meal choices suggesting how certain foods can be combined for a more savory overall meal.


Next step....Setting Your Table. Stay tuned.


1. CHOOSING YOUR GUEST LIST CAREFULLY
2. SELECTING A MENU AND THEME FOR PARTY
3. TABLE SETTING
4. GROCERY LISTS & SHOPPING
5. FOOD PREPARATION
6. COOKING YOUR MEAL
7. SERVING YOUR GUESTS
8. ENTERTAINING YOUR GUESTS
9. DESSERT
10. CLEAN UP

READ MORE - http://www.martaperrone.com


READ MORE AT: www.MartaPerrone.com

Planning a Dinner Party

Choosing your Guest List is the first step to making your party a success.

1) Pull out your address book and look through it from A-Z. Start with the following questions to help you narrow the list: Who haven't you seen lately? Who has invited you over or out to dinner that you would like to reciprocate? Who would be a good business contact for you that you want to get to know better? Once you have selected one or two people, then build your guest list around them.

2) Make sure that the others selected have similar interests (recreational sports, travel, business-related, charities, membership to organizations) so that the conversation can begin.

3) Consider their personalities, political interests, and religion so that the conversation doesn't turn ugly. For example, if you invite someone who is loud and boisterous with someone who is more on the quiet side, this could be a problem for the others, particularly the quiet one. If you invite someone for example who is a staunch Republican and group this person with a raving Liberal, it could either turn into a very passionate and aggressive conversation or shut down the desire to converse. If you group a very religious person with an Atheist who is outspoken, someone might feel uncomfortable.

4) Consider their ages and energy level. Older people tend to like to arrive early, eat early and leave after dinner. However, you may find an elderly guest is youthful, energetic and eager to participate in a longer evening with others of all ages. (You just don't want your guest falling asleep at the table or couch and causing a domino effect on the others.)

5) Consider how many people you want to entertain at one time. If you are not hiring help in the kitchen to cook and clean, then a party of 6-8 people is perfect. When the list turns to 10-12 people, it really becomes difficult to get food served and the clean up is that much harder. With a smaller group, it is not only easier for you to cook, serve and clean, it is also easier for everyone to discuss things as a group and carry on one conversation at the table.

6) Now pick up the phone and check on availability, this is the real trick. Hopefully all the people you want to invite as a group will be available on the same date. Give people as much notice as possible to help ensure availability.

Now that you have your list, Step 2 will be choosing the menu. Stay tuned!

http://www.martaperrone.com

No way am I giving my Nanny a Reference Letter

It happens very often that a person who has worked many long and arduous years for a family has the misfortune of leaving a place of employment without obtaining a Letter of Reference. With a gap in the resume, chances for employment can be problematic.

In many states, like California, the labor code requires “employment verification”. This means the employer is obligated to provide a letter indicating dates, duties performed and reason for termination. It is actually a good idea to comply and write this type of reference letter to avoid personal calls while giving the employee at least proof of employment.

There are many reasons why an employer refuses to write a letter of reference:

· Disgruntled, angry and resentful, the employer is virtually “pissed off” for one reason or another and decides to offer the final lashing by not helping the employee obtain further job opportunities with others.


· The Employee was actually not competent and the Employer doesn’t want to have to lie on paper nor be obvious about the truth. It would be much easier to simply say…”Have anyone just call me for a reference.”


· Without a letter, there is no proof that the employee worked and this may be prudent if the employer did not comply with federal and state laws as it relates to immigration and internal revenue issues.

In these economic times, the worst thing that any employer could do is to make it even more difficult for another person to become employed. Do you really want to be responsible for this employee to turn out homeless or struggling just because there were differences between you? I would hope not.

Obviously, you cannot dismiss the fact that domestics – nannies, housekeepers and other household employees can be found doing things that warrant immediate termination. For example, if a childcare provider hurt a child or was so negligent that the child was put into severe danger, you would not want to recommend this person to continue working with children. Other examples may relate to honesty and trustworthiness. But if the issue is less severe and more of a personality issue between you resulting in attitude and performance problems, then we must be more compassionate, attempt to see both sides and ultimately be the teacher and student in the experience.

My advice to the employer:

1. Commit to at least writing a letter of employment verification

2. Be open to speak objectively with a prospective employer taking into consideration the overall picture and everyone's perspective.

3. Ask questions of the prospective employer so you understand the new job description. Perhaps this new job is more suitable for the employee and things that happened in your position would not be relative.

4. Sit down with the employee quietly and explain why you are upset and reluctant to write a letter – hash it out so that you can clear the air in yourself and with the employee so you can end things in the best of terms possible.

5. Try to be forgiving and understanding knowing that we are not perfect and all of us have much to learn in many ways.

Mistakes are made in every relationship; it is always better to make an effort to make peace with your adversary even if you can't make the relationship work.

http://www.martaperrone.com

Infertility Issues - The Center for Fertility and Gynecology

At today's meeting at Braemar Country Club in Tarzana, The Motherhood Consortium was honored to have Dr. Marc Kalan and Dr. Nurit Winkler from The Center of Fertility and Gynecology speak on the issues of "fertility". Some of the important concepts were that there are some very distinctive signs of potential infertility that when noticed should prompt a woman wanting to have children to contact the center immediately. The sooner you are able to begin the process, the better your chances of success. At gestation, woman have the the most amount of eggs available to them and they diminish in amount and quality with each menstrual cycle. If you are planning pregnancy, the best timing would be to attempt within one to two days before ovulation. If there is a problem with regular menstruation, then blood tests will be take to test the ovaries for FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and E2 (Estradiol). The tubes will also be tested to see if there is blockage of some sort. Ultrasounds can be taken of the uterus to and another source of testing would be the sperm. Couples should seek treatments on a timely basis instead of trying on their own for a lengthy period without results nor treatment. They also spoke about Clomid, a pill that binds with the estrogen receptor and causes the hypothalamus to sense a lack of estrogen. This type of treatment has an 80% ovulation success rate and a 15% pregnancy rate. This is one of the ways they measure what might be causing infertility. Those who are ultimately candidates for IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) is as a result of a tubal factor, male factor, or unexplained infertility. IVF is the fertility treatment that has the highest success rate, requires close monitoring but is a higher risk of multiple pregnancies. They also spoke of "egg freezing" and other non-traditional reproduction, and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. such as egg donation, gestational surrogacy and testing for genetic disorders. One of the attendees who apparently was quite familiar with "The Center for Fertility and Gynecology" and the Doctors spoke very highly not only of their expertise in the field but also the unusual caring and nurturing qualities that they possessed.

Clearing The Air

The aftermath of a great dinner sometimes means clearing the air in the kitchen!


While the weather has temporarily turned back to unseasonably hot in Los Angeles I still found I had a need to eat a good piece of meat. My loving husband had seen a recipe for a caramelized shallot and walnut side dish that seemed the perfect match for a Chateaubriand I was dying to make. Both dishes turned out perfectly, and with the addition of some greens we relished every bite while watching election results sipping a nice red. I will post the recipes shortly.

The problem came after when an extraordinary meal lingered about the kitchen through cooking odors.

How do you fix this if you don’t live in Southern California where you can open the doors yearlong?

I know we all want to linger a bit to enjoy our creations, and it’s beneficial to digest before doing heavy lifting, but clean all the dishes pots and pans thoroughly very shortly after the meal. Wipe all counters and the stove top as well. Throw out the garbage, as food odors tend to linger. I always keep lemons and lime handy, cut one in half and add it to the garbage disposal, and sense the air quality improve immediately. You may want to add a splash into the dishwasher or sink as you clean it as well. Cleaners with fragrances can improve things as well. I recommend Lysol Neutra Air Sanitizing Spray; it eliminates odor problems at their source and leaves a clean pleasant fragrance.

Cleaning the kitchen can be as much fun as orchestrating a great meal while it helps burn a few calories in the process. Happy eating, happy cleaning, happy living.

http://www.martaperrone.com

Rosie, The Jetson's Maid comes Home to Roost

In the name of science, or “The Jetsons”, there is a new automated floor cleaner called Mint (http://www.mintcleaner.com). It uses a Swiffer like wet/dry cloth system, has a cool Apple like look, cleans in a grid format and works the corners.

All well and good, but there is something about it I find unsettling.

Cleaning the floors has a cathartic rhythmic feel, one I loathe to give up especially to a machine. Doing the floors is usually the last part of a home cleaning process, one that says’ “I am done, case closed, the house is clean”. It is slightly meditative, a gliding trance like motion somewhere between a no-brainer and doing a downward dog.

So while the Mint may be a great new addition to our mechanical automated housekeeper homemaker world, I will leave it to others. As for me I will continue to be slightly old school, give me the mop, pail and the assurance and satisfaction of knowing I finished the job thoroughly.