GOOD PEOPLE

Is “homework” the word that strikes dread into the heart of your family? Does it ruin your weekends? Do you find even your best intentions to keep your “positive parenting” in check as you start crumbling to dust as the sessions ends in tears (for everybody involved)? We do - regularly. So we’ve set out to find some strategies that will help us to arm our children with the tools they need to get through their homework with the most focus - and least drama - possible. 1. Be co

The holidays are almost here, all is merry and at Good People HQ we're feeling festive! We have lots to celebrate, and despite the lingering Corona Virus worries and changing restriction levels we all continue to live with, it’s Christmas so we’re choosing to focus on the good. Our business has grown this year and as I look around the office, our team is busily wrapping up contracts, closing deals, and helping families with last-minute holiday cover. I’m grateful for and prou

The festive season has officially arrived, which for many of us means one thing: we are officially overwhelmed. Because while this might be the season of joy and thanksgiving, it’s also the season of too much. Too much to do, too much expectation, and too much pressure, So this year, how about simplifying Christmas? We’ve put our heads together at Good People HQ to come up with a few ways that we - and our families and household staff - can take our foot off the gas and just

Just like adults, children need to be physically active to stay healthy. The guidance says that kids should get a minimum of 60 minutes of exercise a day, which doesn’t sound like much - but when we consider how much time they’re sitting at their desks or in front of the tv, are we really sure they’re getting over an hour a day of physical activity? Not all kids are drawn to “organised” team sports, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of opportunities to build exercise

"What causes sibling rivalry? Having more than one kid." - Tim Allen, Comedian If you have more than one child, the chances are that you spend a good portion of your time refereeing sibling conflict and rivalry. Of all the challenges of parenting, this one can be the most consuming and the most frustrating. When it feels like your kids will find a way to argue over everything from who gets which colour cup to who gets to switch on the washing machine, it can disrupt the famil

Your relationship with your nanny can sometimes feel complicated - technically she's your employee, but in reality she's part of your family and you entrust her with your most precious resource - your children. You want to keep healthy boundaries between you for both your sakes, but you also want to build a strong partnership and make sure she knows how much you appreciate her. We believe that - as with most things in life - when it comes to this important relationship, what

Teaching our kids their “Pleases and Thank Yous” is one of the earliest things we do as parents and child carers. But there’s more to being grateful than good manners. Studies show that gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Harvard Health says that “gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.” Which is exactly what we want for our chi

Our children’s development of language is one of the most thrilling journeys we experience as parents. Witnessing our baby or toddler’s frustration as they try to communicate their feelings or needs can be difficult, and it’s no coincidence that life gets easier as their vocabulary grows and they begin to put together words and sentences to describe their wants and desires. According to Stanford Children’s Health, all children reach their speech milestones at different times,

Going back to work after maternity leave is hard. The person you are when you return is not the person you were when you walked out of those office doors for the last time before giving birth. Everything about you - and the way you life looks - has changed. You’ve been “out of the flow” of the office for several months (or sometimes even longer), and your priorities have completely shifted - yet you might feel you’re expected to slot right back in. It’s overwhelming, if not i

Is it just us, or did the summer vacation go by in a flash? As we wave our children off to their classrooms this morning, we’re feeling plenty of mixed emotions. But one thing is for sure, we have a bit more time to ourselves after the holidays. Recently we talked about the importance of making our home a haven for our children, but this week, as school starts and the blissful sound of silence fills many of our homes, we’re sipping our morning coffee and thinking about how ho

Over the last year and a half we've all spent more time at home than we ever thought possible. So if the opposite of the saying “absence makes the heart go fonder” is “familiarity breeds contempt”, some of us may find ourselves feeling frustrated and bored with our homes. But what never changes is that our homes are our children’s sanctuary from an uncertain and sometimes frightening or stressful outside world. It’s our job to make sure that our home is their haven. So make s

Your role as a parent is all-encompassing: you are a chef, a chauffeur, a coach, a nurse, a counsellor, launderer, entertainer and professional butt-wiper. But unfortunately you aren’t a mind reader, and figuring out how to get through to your child is a challenge that has most parents pulling their hair out on a regular basis. But did you know that, just like adults, children have their own, unique love languages? The term “Love Languages” was coined by author Dr Gary Chapma

The summer holidays are here at last! It’s that wonderful time of year when families get away together, spending time in the sunshine, enjoying each other’s company and making beautiful memories. But preparation for a family holiday isn't always smooth sailing! You might have started making mental lists of all the things you need to pack, and it always feels like you’re forgetting something. We at Good People are all about keeping things simple, and we’re here to help with o

You’ve recruited your nanny, and the day of her arrival is almost here. Have you thought about how you’ll help her to integrate into your household? Taking the time to onboard her and ensure she has all the resources to do her job well is the best way to ensure a smooth transition for her, you, and - most importantly - your children. There are lots of things to think about, so we’ve put together this list to ensure all your bases are covered. 1. Essential contacts and informa

As the old saying goes, the days are long but the years fly by… Our time with our children is short in the grand scheme of things, and when we look back on their childhood one day, we’ll never regret the quality time we spent with them. But quality time sometimes feels hard to come by. Between work, school, extra-curricular activities, and the busy evenings, do you often find a whole day has gone by without any real, intentional time together? The good news is that quality ti

A few weeks ago we featured some ways to help overcome the overwhelm so many of us are feeling at the moment. One of those was to spend your Sunday night planning out and preparing for the week. Good People founder, Lindy Claire, is a big fan of this strategy, and the rest of the team has been trying it out with great success. Planning on a Sunday night takes out so much of the stress of the week to come, become it eliminates the unknowns. Any potential complications in the w

It's that time of year again - the summer holidays are fast approaching and parents are in full planning mode. We all want the summer holidays to be a time our children will look back on fondly, when kids get to be kids, and happy memories are made. However, this requires the makers of these memories - mom and dad! - to spend the next few weeks wrestling with the summer holiday calendar, trying to work out which activities to sign our kids up for over the holidays. The logist

Good People takes you through 6 things to consider when you approach your nanny to join you on your familiy vacation.

Hiring a summer nanny can be more complicated than recruiting for a regular nanny position. By definition, it’s a temporary gig - which might be off-putting for many professional child carers. Families looking for nannies during the summer often require a different set of skills, as the nanny will be taking care of older children who are on their school holidays, and the work can be more demanding. Also, the competition is fierce, as your need for a summer nanny is shared by

After a long day of parenting, working, and running your home, the end of the day can feel like a bottle neck. Everything needs to be squeezed into a short space of time and the convergence of tired children, tired parents, dinner time, bath time and bed time can be overwhelming and stressful. But it doesn’t need to be. With a bit of planning, you can put a routine in place that will calm the chaos and, most importantly, you’ll look forward to, rather than rushing through the