Doing
it all is overrated.
Particularly around the holidays, when our calendars
bloat and our to-do lists make us weep before we’re
even lining up in the carpool lane after school.
What’s a busy mother to do? How can we manage to
create and address a nice holiday card, shop for gifts
(and wrap them prettily), hang lights along the second-story
roofline, bake cookies, host a party or two, which by
the way, means making 14 dozen hors d’œuvres?
And what about the broken doorknob in the guest room?
What about dinner?
How do all the other busy OC mothers do it?
We asked, and they told. So read on, and prepare to enter
some contacts into your iPhone. Your life just got a
lot easier, starting with…
Meal Delivery
Susan’s Healthy Gourmet
(949) 833-2929, susanshealthygourmet.com
They’ll deliver kids’ meals for
a babysitter to serve when you’re going
out. Or a week’s worth of sack lunches.
Or a three-meal-a-day plan for an entire family
including snacks.
Choose vegetarian, low carb, kids’ meals
or calorie-controlled portions. Costs range
from $6.25 breakfast items to $16.75 dinner
entrees. There are no minimums, and clients
may call with special requests, like birthday
cakes or appetizer and brunch platters.
Groceries
Delivery
Pavilions.com
Sign up for online shopping and grocery delivery
for as low as $4.95 per order (delivery fee).
Groceries and produce are handpicked at your
local shop, and you can choose your delivery
time window.
Alta Dena Dairy
(800) 535-1369, altadenadairy.com
There’s always the old-fashioned milkman
if you want the purest dairy products, hormone-
and pesticide-free, delivered to your doorstep.
Alta Dena’s drivers deliver products
from holiday eggnog to cottage cheese and ice
cream as well as sour cream, eggs and orange
juice. Party Planning
Brian Dobbin
(949) 422-2258, briandobbin.com
At the other end of the spectrum is a luxe
party where you don’t lift a finger.
Meet Brian Dobbin, the boutique and very “now” caterer
who can throw the party of your dreams. Holiday
Baking
Wonderland Bakery
(949) 640-9095, wonderlandbakery.com
Want the fun of decorating holiday cookies
with your family without turning on the oven?
Visit Wonderland Bakery in Newport Beach or
at its new South Coast Plaza location and pick
up a “Cookie Party to Go.” Select
your cookie shape from 1,000 options – a
snowman, a gingerbread man or perhaps a menorah – and
Wonderland will provide 10 enormous cookies,
three pastry bags filled with tinted vanilla
frosting, plus sprinkles. Wonderland also will
provide cookies, cupcakes and cakes for holiday
parties or gifts, as well as host an in-store
party for your group.
Sunflour Bakery
(714) 424-0176, sunflourbakery.net
Sunflour Bakery in Costa Mesa also bakes delicious
undecorated cookies starting at $1.25 apiece,
or you can order gingerbread houses to put
together yourself – or buy already assembled
and professionally decorated versions. There
are even tubs of dough available for that homemade
experience, without the need for a single measuring
cup or spoon.
Around the House
Alan Scott, Spring Point Art Handling
(949) 275-4474
Alan Scott, owner of Spring Point Art Handling,
will help frame, move, install and even design
lighting to show off art collections ranging
from museum-quality to preschool treasures.
Starting at $100 plus $85 per hour, Scott and
his team will transform your art collection
with his expert eye and professional approach
to placement and design.
Rod Kojima, Home Tech Services
(949) 500-3106
For general handyman help, call Rod Kojima
of Home Tech Services. Kojima will answer calls “24/7” for
customers in need. Painting, plumbing, electrical,
grouting, lock repairs, heat filter replacements – Kojima
can handle it before all that holiday company
descends on your sagging porch. Organizing
Linda Wells
(949) 632-6305
If you’re drowning in paperwork or choking
on junk, Linda Wells can help. For eight years,
Wells has helped everyone from CEOs to mothers
answer the questions: “To save or not
to save?” and “How do I get organized?” Wells
charges $75 per hour with special discounts
available for packages of 10 or 20 sessions.
She also is available for personal assistance
work – including holiday shopping – for
a minimum of three hours a week.
Holiday Decorating
For All Seasons
(877) 731-2880, foralldecor.com
If you want your house to sparkle but don’t
have a flair for bows and tinsel, you need
For All Seasons, whose owner, Isabelle Kaminsky,
has been decorating homes and businesses for
19 years. Kaminsky will use your own heirlooms
or supply treasures she’s culled from
her travels, or combine new and old.
R.J. Porter Holiday Lights
(714) 647-1927
If the inside of your house looks great but
the outside is a little dull – delegate!
In business since 1989, R.J. Porter will provide
exterior holiday lights, install, maintain
and then remove them at the season’s
end. Prices range from $200 to $15,000, depending
on the scope of the job.
Holiday
Cards, Shopping and
Wrapping
Leslie McCarthy,
Lettering by Leslie
(949) 548-2424,
letteringbyleslie.com
Leslie McCarthy may just be the key to a stress-free
holiday season in the OC. To start, McCarthy’s
gorgeous calligraphy will give your holiday cards and
invitations a complete makeover. She can even design
your cards, stamp and mail them for you. McCarthy also
can meet with you to brainstorm personal and meaningful
presents, from helping you write original poetry to genealogies
to baby books, all with her calligraphy adding an elegant
touch. Then, she’ll beautifully wrap the gift.
“
I do as much or as little as my clients need,” said
McCarthy. For example, she will run errands and do personal
shopping, or she’ll act as a kind of butler when
you entertain at home. “I’ll throw the log
on the fire, prep are the fromage, serve cordials, whatever.”
Rates are by project, or $75 per hour.
Babysitting and Beyond
Southern California Sitters
(949) 493-5179, socalsitters.com
During the holiday season, Southern California Sitters
expands beyond childcare to offer assistance with shopping,
gift wrapping, holiday decorating and help with getting
out those Christmas cards as well as mailing packages.
Babysitters also can take children to their activities
or stay overnight. Rates vary by project.
