9 minute read
MOM PODCASTER
100 IDEAS LATER COMES A PODCAST
LOCAL CHILD CARE PROVIDER & MOM LAUNCHES HER SHOW
story Joshua Baethge | photos courtesy of D. Golden
D. GOLDEN, THE CO-OWNER OF HAPPY
TREE CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER, recently decided to start a podcast. Real Deal Childcare is a fun but informative look at child care from the perspective of someone who not only works in the child care industry but is also a mom.
“I started looking around and saw that nobody was doing this,” she says. “It’s pretty general information, but it’s also the real deal.”
The podcast has been in the works for about three years. Originally, the idea was for D. and her business partner (who also happens to be her mom) to put together a checklist of things to look for in a child care center. Together, they came up with more than 100 ideas but had no idea how to share them. That’s where the idea for a podcast was born.
She started recording a couple of months ago and can now be found on Apple, Spotify and other podcast outlets. The episodes are relatively short because, as D. puts it, she simply can’t talk very long with everything else going on in her life.
On one recent episode titled “Hansel and Gretchen,” she talks about the procedures child care providers follow when parents are late picking up their kids. She recalled one time when a parent didn’t show up. Local ordinances for that type of situation say the children should be taken to local police. In this instance, D. decided to look after the child herself until the parents could be located.
“The mom ended up calling the police on me saying that I’d kidnapped her child,” she recalls.
Other episodes cover things like what makes a good infant program for kids, who needs child care and what you need to consider if you want to start your own child care business. D. says that she aims to be informative without calling anyone out. Her goal is to get people thinking about the reality of child care and how care providers should relate to parents as well as how they should relate to child care workers.
“I think I can give good insight into what a high-quality child care facility should look like and feel like,” she says. “The podcast is meant to be fun and not offensive.”P
Meet Namrita S. Notani, PLLC, a Plano lawyer you should know
Estate Planning, Special Needs Planning, Elder Care, Real Estate & Business Law
Local attorney Namrita S. Notani is happy to say she isn’t a run-of-the mill lawyer.
“I’m old-fashioned,” she says. “I’m not transactionfocused; I like to build relationships with my clients and become friends with them.”
A daughter of senior parents who live close to her, Namrita says she has a special compassion toward older family members and helping them pass along generational legacies.
“There’s a lot of emotion behind what I do,” Namrita says.
“I’m a small-business owner and want to stay small so that when a person contacts my office, they are actually reaching me and not being relegated to someone else they’ve never heard of. I intentionally don’t have lots of clients because once I accept one, they are mine.”
A practicing dentist for 20 years, Notani understands small-business dynamics. She decided to pursue law as a second career after undergoing invasive neck and spine fusion surgery, which she says put things in perspective.
“I came face-to-face with mortality, and that made me aware that I didn’t have my affairs in order — it resonated with me,” she says. “My experiences have taught me the importance of estate planning for everybody.” Namrita has a soft heart and a fun side. The soft heart: She often donates pro bono legal services to those who can’t afford it The fun side: “I love karaoke and I host a local radio Bollywood show every Sunday,” she says. “People come to me because they know I am here to help, and I genuinely care. If they need me, I am always only a phone call away,” she says. “I’m the old-school one who will go meet homebound clients. I’ll take papers for signing over to those who aren’t computer-savvy and only want to sign actual ‘paper’ and not ‘DocuSign.’” Namrita says she enjoys putting at ease clients who call in a panic. “If I have a client going to a hospital or nursing home, someone who needs immediate assistance, I’ll meet them there. I’m accessible, fast and above all, personally available to help.”
Don’t be “just a number” to your attorney. Reach out to the Law Office of Namrita S. Notani, PLLC, talk with Namrita “People come to me because personally, and get your personal affairs in order today. they know I am here to help, 469-929-9439. Notanilaw.com. and I genuinely care.” 5700 Tennyson Pkwy., Ste.300, Plano, TX 75024.
Christene “Chris” Krupa Downs, Attorney
12 YEARS OF LEGAL EXPERIENCE: Wills | Estate Planning Guardianship | Probate Law
GET TO KNOW CHRIS: In addition to her practice, Chris writes and lectures for local and state bar associations. Besides her membership in Collin County Bar Association, the Dallas Bar Association and the Texas Bar College, she is active in the State Bar of Texas and serves on the board of the Bar’s Computer and Technology Section Council.
As part of giving back to the Texas community, Chris served on the board of This Side UP! Family
Center, an organization providing parenting and family-based education, and City House, a homeless shelter for youth in the
Plano and northern Texas. She is a former Treasurer, Executive Vice President and public affairs representative for the Junior League of Collin County.
FRIENDSHIPS FORMED
A look inside life at trendsetting 55+ condos Gatherings at Twin Creeks by Beazer Homes.
A TURNKEY APPROACH TO A SIMPLIFIED LIFE
The growing population of active adults aged 55 and better are discovering Gatherings at Twin Creeks, the 55+ condo community by Beazer Homes in Allen. Gatherings is designed for those looking to downsize without sacrificing the must-haves in their homes.
“Our residents are usually at a phase where they just want more time to enjoy the lifestyle they’ve been working toward. They’re drawn to Gatherings because they can focus less on home maintenance and more on the things they want to do, like pursuing their passions,” says Jason Oates, Division President for Beazer Homes Dallas/Ft. Worth. Gary Pemberton, current Gatherings residents in the Dallas area, says “Low maintenance life is really great. I thought I would miss not having a swimming pool to maintain or yard to mow, but I was wrong! I have plenty of other things I can do beside that.”
The hallmark of Gatherings is the low-maintenance way of living, which includes everyday conveniences like trash valet service, professionally maintained grounds, secure building entrances, and a garage for every home. And just outside the property is a thriving neighborhood bursting with amenities and shopping. NEW FRIENDSHIPS TAKE ROOT
In a community of neighbors who have all decided Gatherings is where the next best chapter of life begins, a natural social network emerges.
“A pleasant surprise for me was just how easy it
was to make friends. It was just automatic. Everybody was just so welcoming, and everybody gets along so very well. It’s been a blessing for us to fraternize with a whole lot of folks our own age. It’s a lot of fun.” explain Glen & Bettie LaBlanc, current Gatherings resident.
The new amenities at the center of the community are reserved exclusively for Gatherings residents. A lap pool is outfitted with shade cabanas and surrounded by a BBQ grilling area. The area has become a resident favorite day and night.
The club house includes a serving kitchen, restrooms, and a large activity space for get-togethers like Friday night happy hours and the monthly “Bunco and Mimosa” party. Residents have fitness at their fingertips too—an exercise room includes several treadmills, ellipticals, yoga mats and light free-weights. The onsite pickleball court and putting green give residents fun ways to hone their hobbies or pick up new ones. Outdoor seating with firepits, community gardens and a beautifully landscaped event lawn rounds out this extensive amenity center.
In addition to homeowner organized activities at the amenity center, there are also walking clubs that meet daily for up to a 6-mile walk, monthly book clubs, and lunch clubs. The homeowners also threw parties for Independence Day and Labor Day for all residents to enjoy.
DELIGHT IN A LOWER COST OF LIVING
Gatherings homes are more than just beautiful spaces at affordable prices. Underneath it all is a series of built-in energy efficiencies to help homeowners save on utilities.
Energy savings is central to the value Beazer delivers in all their homes. So that homeowners know just what to expect, they share an estimated monthly energy cost for each home. “We like to help buyers anticipate their expenses from the start,” Oates explained. “We’ve put this practice in place not only for single-family homes, but for our 55+ condos as well.
With our construction practices, the average monthly energy costs for Gatherings at Twin Creeks are about $95* per month.”
DISCOVER YOUR DREAM HOME Each single-story home offers four floorplans ranging from 1,529 to 2,031 square feet, each with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an optional office, a private balcony, and a garage. Thoughtfully designed in a variety of styles, home finishes are professionally selected to provide quality and style for years to come. In fact, Valerie Pemberton a current Gatherings resident, says “One of the things that really pulled me into buying a condo here is they had a lot of top quality items like our quartz countertops, nice fixtures in the bathroom, nice wood floor, the tile in the shower is really pretty. And that was really important to me.”
Gatherings at Twin Creeks is located at Bray Central Drive and North Watters Road in Allen. The homes range in price from the $480,000s to the $560,000s. Four model homes at Gatherings will be open for private touring Sunday and Monday from 12 to 6 p.m., and Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Appointments recommended. Please visit gatherings.com or (469) 640-3810 call for more information.
