Teen Brains and Sleep

Something I've wanted to change for a while now is school start time for my teens who wake at 6:00 and 6:30 for school and who verbalize that the early rise is a problem for them, especially my 9th grader who has social studies, math, and science classes first thing in the morning...

NBC Nightly News on the web April 13, 2011

Stay up until midnight and sleep until noon?...
The latest studies out of Brown University and Bradley Hospital show that the mid to late teenage years require more sleep for their brains, possibly to recover from the daily assault of information as their brains are maturing and preparing for adulthood... Dr. Mary Carskadan says they need a minimum of 81/4 to 81/2  hours a night.

NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams

What compounds the problem today is the amount of late day distractions for teens... cell phones, electronic media, and other activities that extend their day later and later.  This lack of sleep may contribute to problems such as ADD, Obesity, and Depression in teens.

NBC Nightly News on the web

Parents please let your school know if this is a problem for your kids... sleep deprivation needs to be addressed in a serious way.  

One of the school districts in our area (Long Island) has changed the schedule and the high school starts at 9am with the elementary school starting in the early am slot... let's speak out at the next Board of Education meeting and let it be known.

Stripes for Spring

What Prada has done with stripes this Spring is inspirational!... the video from Prada that was on Cheap Chica's Guide to Style blog is so much fun and really communicates the intended spirit of the campaign... with a really 'out there' concept and prices!

Here are some of my favorite affordable options from Zara, Ann Taylor, and Urban Outfitters...

Music,The Met, and a Food Hall

As a visual artist I have always appreciated music as an avid listener up until about seven years ago...   but now that my two teen boys are into music in a big way as musicians,  I've taken an more involved interest through them.

Whenever I see or hear about events related to music my ears perk up, so when I heard about this show at The Met (NYC) called "Guitar Heroes", an exhibit of stringed instruments, violins, mandolins, and guitars, I knew it was something we could make a day of in the city...

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

This exhibit of "Legendary Craftsmen from Italy to New York" is on now through July 4th, 2011.

This is now on our list of things to do on Spring Break.

Maybe we'll check out The Plaza Food Hall, which I've heard is a tasty and fun experience for the kids too, especially the Dumpling Bar... you can eat-in at any of eight culinary food stations or take-out specialty foods, cookware, flowers and home goods.

See you there!!!

A Retro Flying Experience

Recently my husband and I flew to Ft. Lauderdale on Southwest Airlines from McArthur Airport on Long Island.  We had a very favorable experience all around, from the 'early arrival' home to New York, the 'funny schtick' from the announcing flight attendant, to the cute retro-snacks on the plane.  These days the flying experience is usually filled with dread, hassles, and long delays...  so flying Southwest surpassed our "let's just get through this without too much hassle" expectations!

 Next time we fly will be with the kids this summer to Venice, a much longer flight and an international one, so I'm hoping for something neutral at best...

Off The Cuff

"Off The Cuff" (definition):  Impromptu; not prepared...

That's me, today and for the last month, as far as writing this blog goes...
sorry for the interruption... but now I am working my way back to posting each day, Monday through Friday, now that my big event is over,  and my ginormous party and all it's planning is behind me, at least on a large scale.  Now, planning a dinner party for half a dozen people will be a breeze and I look forward to patio dining this spring!

Actually, I'm thinking cuffs, because I'm in search of a cuff for the spring... any ideas?, nothing too expensive... I want it to be modern, gold, and something that won't catch on my clothes... oh, and not too heavy either?!
Any suggestions you have would be appreciated, just leave it in comments, thanks, and I'll post your ideas tomorrow...
I saw this pretty one at BCBG (looks even better in the person), but it's a little too dressy for what I want...

BCBG, Crocheted Chain Bracelet, $58

Look forward to hearing from you!

Gifts with Zazzle

One of my favorite websites is Zazzle... Zazzle for customized stamps, clothing and much more.  You can create your own custom stamp or t-shirt and now an iPhone case with a photo of anything you can think of and they make it so easy with their drag-and-drop design tools...

In the section of the website called 'Gift Center' they organize it by women, men, teens and kids.

For instance, the categories for teen gifts are broken down by type of teen, like techno, rockstar, artist, activist, etc...

I love how the tools have become so accessible and easy to use, allowing everyone to express their creativity.

Tomorrow for St. Patrick's Day you could have designed your own or purchased one of their designs for a sticker...

So maybe now you can start thinking about Easter or Passover or the 4th of July!

Teva Hiking Stiletto?!

WOW!!! Introduced this week...
When sport sandal meets stiletto = Teva+Grey Ant = Velcro strap grip-sole and platform 4" heel, coming together in this fashionable anti-fashion shoe. It looks great!
They're calling it high performance?...  'high' as in height not performance!
I love the look, how comfortable it is, is another story.
You can purchase them in two styles at New High Mart...

As seen in Daily Candy. Editorial photography by MI-ZO.com

I remember when Cole Haan and Nike married and I purchased one of their boots which were not so comfortable after all.