“I don't have an amazing figure or a flat stomach. I'm far from being considered a model but, I Am Me. I eat food. I have curves. I have more fat than I should. I have scars because I have a history. Some people love me, some like me & some hate me . I have done good things. I have done bad things. I love my blues jeans and t-shirts. I go without makeup and sometimes my hair is a mess. I don't pretend to be someone I'm not!!! I am who I am, you can love me or not. I won't

change!! And if I love you, I do it with ALL My Heart!! I make no apologies for the way I am. Ladies, I dare you to put this on your status if you're proud of who you are.”

My first thought was oh, so nice. Within two minutes I had penned my own version sent back to my friends~ it sounded more like this…

“I am who I am and if you don't like it too bad. I am not model thin but I am a bit OCD about trying despite the fact that I am genetically incapable of long thin cellulite free legs. I believe I can torture my fat into submission and if you look sideways at me when I eat Oreos for breakfast I will slam you with my bitch stare. My way is the right way and if you disagree I believe you are uniformed and stupid. Mostly stupid because you went to a school like Hartford and yes, I am a rational adult but I will still judge on your college. I never go out without mascara but I let my mom knees fly free at times. I will lecture you on organic meat, dairy and berries all while eating a Yodel even if I have to explain why this is totally different. I will never understand why you like the Kardashian's unless you went to Miami (see aforementioned college comment) and I will look down on you if you can't keep up with Aaron Sorkin's crisp dialogue. If you ever say my kid did good in school we will not be friends, I will forgive your Nine West shoes (though maybe not the Fossil bag) but I will not forgive poor grammar (even if I can't spell). I am who I am.”

Now on to more important things… Visiting Day. We have all by now seen the videos of parents

with candy towers racing and the Xtranormal computer generated creatures on You Tube and we have laughed~ until it becomes your reality.

I am not making candy sushi as I have seen, nor am I bringing up so much candy my kids could last a lifetime (and I stock my house all year like it is Halloween) but in spire of this there is just still so much stuff. shoes, clothing, toiletries needed, some

food and drink, magazines and the list goes on and on. All the things I told my son to pack (lacrosse stick, football gloves) that he said, nah~ I am now bringing it up. Why? because I have lived with peace and quiet and clean for four weeks and I have three more to go. They are enjoying the vacation of their lives and so am I. I think this deserves a little spoiling for one day.

I finished the series. I tried hard to drag out the last season when I realized I was five episodes in and then done. I am so sad and also astounded I did not watch it when it was live. What an outstanding show. It is fun to see how fashion (and cell phones) have changed. There was nary an iPod let alone iPad, iPhone or Blackberry in the show. I started Newsroom and I like it already but I miss Tim Riggins and Coach Taylor already.

Things in the mall that caught my eye:

 The bag wall at J Crew

 American Eagle as J Crew as Steven Alan

 Fall at Express (mustard, teal, wine, olive)

Time to put finishing touches on visiting day goodies.

blissful (not) four hour nap on the plane I arrive hime, work, hit the gym to exhaust myself and then collapse into bed. There I lie wide awake. So much for

my great plan. It takes days now to recover from the red eye when you don't sleep and cannot nap. I find the first night home I am watching the clock thinking~ oh no that's 30 minutes less sleep.  I slept for ten hours two nights in a row and finally feel back to normal. Mind you I am one of those people who needs her eight hours a night.

While out West, first in Seattle, I noticed that all of the women looked like they were about to break into a hike. People in NYC do not look like this. Away from the obvious color factor NYC: black, grey, white and a pop of color Seattle: khaki, white, olive, brown there were the shoes. The heel of my shoes kept getting caught in grates while most women happily marched past me in their beat up Merrills.

black cigarette smokers

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 New York City

 Seattle

 New York City

As soon as I landed here I felt at home. My brief stint in San Fran~ a great city~ was met with freezing temps. In NYC I left heat and white cotton. In San Fran I was met with cold and summer down jackets. Summer Down?? Isn't that an oxymoron like jumbo shrimp? Not for me. I love my NYC.

After the red eye it was time to relax… out to the Hamptons for some R & R for the weekend.  Except for one small thing… the very long extensive list my kids have sent me of things they need for visiting day.

Time to shop.

Marni

Hollister looking like sister brand Gilly Hicks. We like it and hope they close Gilly

Hicks.

First taste of the guy's uniform for fall at Hollister. We like the colors not the plaids.

But the denim display was outstanding~ very little inventory yet.

We love sparkles at Children's Place~ the shop is outstanding.

And hot shorts at Pacific Sunwear (something brewing here?)

We are scared of

boy's red jeans at Abercrombie (for kids)~ un

less you want your son beat up in the yard

And JCP…. well

 some good

 Some new (shops being installed)

 Some mixed up

 Some over-done (massive Levi's shop)

 Some just ugly

And finally at Old Navy… There is no inventory.

Thank goodness for nature…

Off to the West…..

Camp is not about the kids spending their time “roughing it” in the great wilderness of ours. To quote my friend, “I suspect the only part that is “roughing it” is the actual bus ride.  Imagine!  No jet? ”  Followed by… “G-d be with them as they stow their Apple products away in their air conditioned cabins!!!” I suspect the roughing it part entails no technology. But I digress. Over the last week I have read several blogs and emails all about how we mothers sit at home hatching an egg on our computers while hitting refresh seemingly every two seconds. We worry, question and then drill them when we speak to them. I finally get it. Camp is not for the kids to

rough it… it's for the kids to get away from us!! We are annoying aren't we? My husband always lovingly calls his mother the

most annoying person in his life. I was always runner up and my daughter #3.  When I recently moved into the front spot I called my mother in law proud as can be.

More than the sitting at the computer no one ever seems to mention the type of calls. My sons letters and calls are all sports related. He might not be happy with some kids in his bunk but he is most upset that some kid who is good at hockey was moved out.  My daughter's calls start with, “Hi mom~ before I tell you about camp do you have a pen?” Seriously. Her lists extend to the outside of the few letters~ on the envelope. Perhaps the mailman was meant to read and then deliver her nail polish remover and black duck tape. I am not really sure. She dishes on the happenings he tells me what the scores are. It is all so fascinating.

Last nights pink sunset

In the mall today of interest:

If you have a girl and she likes sparkles (hahaha don't they all) then you must immediately (well next week) get to Children's Place. They are setting a new line (I happen to see some of it in the mall today) that is so good it gives Justice a run for the money. Here is a just a bit… note the sparkle Doc Martens.

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If any of this was in Lester's or some other local store it would be 3x the cost.

Polo display we love at Aeropostale

The new Microsoft store which looks like Gap smashed with Apple…. Gapple

Sinking to new lows. Retailers are all putting out bins for sales~ Thank you Victoria's Secret.

 at Hot Topic

Fantastic colored jeans at Abercrombie (finally they were a little late to this game)

 But for guy's???

I dare you to find a straight teen guy who will wear these.

Over-doing the trend at Madden

Love Jessica Simpson and Material Girl shorts at Macy's

Time to look at camp pics…

To be clear my kids camp was in both articles and I am proud. I chose to send them to one of the best camps in the country… the world likely, at least in my opinion. They love it and count the days until they leave and cry for weeks until they board the bus. Most recently there has been an article circulating Facebook that was first run in The Huffington Post~ I recommend reading this.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-thompson-phd/sending-kids-to-summer-camp_b_1539726.html

Ten Things About Camp

1. It is not inexpensive but when you find the right camp it is worth every last penny. There is a reason some of the camps are costly, look at the grounds. I know the camp my kids attend the owners constantly upgrade, improve and invest back into the camps and it shows.

2. Your house will be neat and clean for seven weeks (husbands aside) and whatever mess they keep at camp is not your problem.

3. The time apart will remind you (hopefully) why you married your husband/ wife in the first place. Sleep away is good for marriages.

4. Your kids will miss you and for the first few days they are back they will be hugging and kissing you until things revert back into the Mom can I….

5. Letters home are a wonderful thing and unlike email they are something to be saved and  for this generation they will be a rare commodity.

6. Friends, Friends, Friends we will always be whether in fair or in dark stormy weather Camp Fill in the Blank will keep us together the  blank and blank (fill in camp colors) we will 'ere (only camp songs seem to use this word) be true. Love may forsake us 'till death separate us we're friends friends friends. If you were singing along you understand the importance of camp.

7. No longer will your kids feign not knowing how to make a bed. We all know beds are made for inspection daily at camp. Excuses be gone.

8. Independence and the ability to make mistakes, learn, deal with situations without your parents hovering is very healthy for kids.  So is the ability

to re-invent yourself at camp. Not entirely but certainly a little bit.

9. Where else do you try things first? home? yikes….. From shaving to first kisses camp is a time for firsts. Camp is safe and comfortable and firsts should happen in an environment like this. (camp owners reading are cringing but they know it's true.)

10. No cooking, cleaning, schedules and kid television at home. No Facebook, phones, homework and X Box at camp. A break is good for everyone.

Camp things….

Mactvision – Mac Online Tv Software

www.campstuff4less.com/images/30006Item.jpg” alt=”Tuff Lite 2 Lights in One Flashlight” width=”180″ height=”180″ /> the lantern flashlight only used at camp

 the cubby fan

 the soft trunk (we used hard trunks) large enough to cart dead bodies

  Cool pajama bottoms (for cold nights)

 peace signs and tie dye

 lap desks to write letters

Camp is a good business for retail. The kids might be gone for seven weeks but mom was shopping for 14 weeks prior getting her kids ready. Call it guilt shopping these kids go to camp with 10x what we took to camp. Canteens are now water bottles

   Remember this? Now…  

 scratchy wool blankets be gone

  peace signs please

Don't know what this is? It's a heating coil we used to make soup and hot chocolate. This is now banned. But, back in the day of no seat-belts, no bike helmets and a food stash in the bunk this was a priceless commodity.  How else to make Cup of Noodles? Of course camp food has evolved since bug juice and peanut butter and jelly. To begin with no

peanut butter allowed naturally. Now salad bars and taco stations abound.  She is no longer warming soup before evening activity she is flat ironing her hair.

Rest assured macrame and lanyard still exist and on visiting day you will get your key chain….

For those not sure about camp I can promise you it is a good thing. I for one an skeptical of people who never went to sleep away camp and many many years later can heard asking~ where did you go to college? Where did you go to sleep-away camp? DO YOU KNOW.

Time to work.

into the night this is because I will often take a break from 4-6 pm with my kids. During the school year it is less of a real break since they are usually off to an activity but mentally I know come 4pm my phone is ringing and I have things to deal with for a period of time.

My kids leave for camp this weekend and like Anna, when they are gone I still seem to keep this schedule. By

4pm I feel like I am winding down and need a break. The difference is the break is not for real. There are no kids invading my apartment and the silence is worse. I tend to book later meetings in the summer, just when everyone else wants to cut out early, because being home in the silence is not normal. While I wrote this my apartment was alive with a group of girls and the boys, about twenty of them in my small apartment. I have emptied out the pantry for what I call the “clean out my junk food” event. Once they leave I have no need for Oreos, potato chips and candy. It will just taunt me.

On another note we all know how I dislike Gloria. While she made it possible for me to have my career she also made it impossible for women. I have long said, we can't have it all.  Somethi

ng has to give. For me it is movies and shows and dinners out.  There are nights I would rather just sit at home with my kids then go to a movie. When I am busy with my kids I get my work done but I stop all things that can wait. Or at least I try to. Everyone should read this article. It is very well written and gets right to the heart of matters…. women cannot really have it all. At least not in today's world unless you create it for yourself which I have.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-can-8217-t-have-it-all/9020/

Finally the last minute purchase we had to make today….

Urban Outfitters hi-waist shorts~ one pair was not enough. She also wanted these but I put my foot down just how many pair of shorts does one girl need?

and….

Time to hang with kiddies before they leave.

Today I ran to T.J. Maxx in search of a rolling duffel for my daughter to

take to camp.

I was there at maybe 12 pm. The store was mobbed. My first thought was ~ who are all of these people and what are they shopping for?  As I looked around they were buying everything from sheets and towels to candy and clothing. The personal care section was outstanding~ packed with

amazing soaps, lotions and giftables. It is no wonder they continue to do so well at retail.

Book I am struggling through after fully enjoying her others.

Book I want to read but need to finish this first

Snack I am enjoying right now~ Magic Cookie Bars I baked this weekend.

Time for sleep and maybe an episode of FNL.

and the streets quiet in the morning, except for one thing. Public school is still in session and thus my kids are still in school and they still have homework and projects. My daughter breezes through on time without much help from us. My son, (anyone with a son can now nod knowingly) is another story. All tri-mester I bugged him about a project, he then spent ten hours over two days working on the “finishing touches.” He is now working on an assignment that I assumed was new and when I asked~ how long have you known about this he said, yeah awhile. He is sleep deprived and the thing is~ I don't even care. This is his own fault. Why is it some kids just take to organizing and some don't?

The strangest part about this is that my daughter's room is an absolute mess~ chaos and yet her brain so organized. My son is actually pretty neat and organized and somehow is brain is cluttered.

Just asking is this a normal amount of nailpolish for a summer at sleep-away camp?

Things to

know at the mall…

If you have children now would be the time to shop~ it is a sale war:

buy cialis online without a prescription

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If you have a tween or teen girl you might want to go to Delia's and buy some One Direction tee shirts… they are selling out fast.

Best new shorts in the mall at Pac Sun

And we love this Nike sneaker wall at Zumiez

Must go back to homework.

is picking up the trunks in advance. We usually drive them up with the kids which while burdensome is actually very nice. I never had to worry about that last week of clothing needs (not to mention shoes, make-up and other stuff) nor do I have to worry about the size of the bag they will bring on the bus. Usually a small carry on suffices. When my daughter found out the trunks were leaving in advance she asked me about a rolling bag to bring up on the bus with her. This is not a good sign.

Piles like this have been springing up around the apartment as we count out items and determine what needs name labels so that my sitter take care of this.

I started with my son~ you need 20 tee shirts. No I don't. Yes you do. No I don't. Just pick out 20 tee shirts, fine. Beyond that the conversations went more like this~ you need ten bathing suits. Okay.

A few hours and with the exception of some shorts, the shoes and a couple of random other items we are close to calling it a day. The shoes are a tough one there are so many sneakers he “needs” as you can see

These four pair (three basketball) alone are sitting by the door each worn within the last 24 hours. How will he every get it down to just four pair? Good question. I suggested he talk to my daughter. To be clear here are the shoes I am guessing she has on her list for camp.

This picture might lead you to believe my daughter goes to Camp Cocktail Party (with the occasional skater show thrown in) when in fa

ct they attend the same camp. But, I digress.

My daughter

would easily find a way to pack all of my son's shoes. To this when I said, you need to pack 20 tee shirts her first reply was this: Does that include crop tees? If they are tee shirt, yes. That can't include camp tees no way. Fine no camp tees.

You need nine tank tops. You mean nine Sugar Lips and then nine regular tank tops right? No, I mean nine tank tops. What about camisoles? You can bring five of those. Wait, just five? Right now we are up to nine Sugar Lips, nine tanks and nine camisoles.

You need 20 pair of shorts. To be clear the camp suggests ten pair and my son brings just 12 and says this is too many but I make him pack a few nicer pair.

Okay, twenty. That doesn't include jean shorts right? Yes it does. Does that include shorts as part of outfits. What do you mean? Outfits for like at night. Are they shorts? Yes. Then yes they are included. Okay. She puts them into piles and counts out twenty pair. Then adds the pairs she will wear up, bring up, and the ones for at night for outfits that I can't count as the other shorts because they are not really shorts they are for at night. Anyone else following this?

As so it goes. At this point my son might have a little extra space. I told him to offer a side pocket to my daughter~ but rent it to her. Sometimes I wish I could hire someone to do this for me then as my daughter goes on and on about the difference between outfit shorts and real shorts and I am laughing so hard and I think, nope.

Surprises…. pleasant and not so pleasant

 In Columbus Circle.

 In the fridge… oops time to clean.

Most excited for the season finale of Mad Men~ this has been a fantastic season sad it's ending.

Today I came home from an event and went to put away one of the aforementioned containers~ a new one from Chinese food earlier in the week. This is when I realized~ not only do we not cook often enough to be giving away left-overs (like you might at a family holiday dinner) but for a family who doesn't order in much we have a lot of containers. What are we containing? This is just a small part of what had accumulated in my cabinets.

I have a container that holds tops alone. My preference is for the old school Chinese food containers like these (the quart and pint size)

versus the new take-out containers that  so many places use now

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So many of the tops here are not interchangeable but the nice thing is that the smaller ones (less tall) and the tall ones stack together. I threw out an entire bag full. I mean, space is at a premium here in NYC why I am holding onto enough containers to open my own take-out place?

Which brings me to containing water. My husband is the only husband I know who has his own cabinets~ one for water bottles and one for beer glasses. He likes to stay hydrated.

so do my kids who have ammassed a water bottle collection to rival that of an professional cyclist.

We never had this growing up. My father used the family glasses and we did not tote water everywhere for fear of dehydrating. Not that this is a bad thing toting your own water, but it takes up a lot of space in my kitchen.

My son had his first real NY subway experience today. While he and my husband were heading uptown

to his soccer game the train was stopped for a jumper. Ninety minutes they waited on the train. They missed all but the end of the soccer game.

Sorkin article in the NY Times today… must go read.

AHHHHH summer with all things beachy and floral and colorful.

but wait… what is this?

The end of an era….

It was not too long ago that guests would arrive at our house with their cell phones. Now when they arrive they arrive with

a portable office of sorts. Several phones, iPads,

computers and even simple cameras arrive. Each outlet is a maze of chargers with the most ubiquitous being white. The technology follows us on bike rides and to the beach. Never a break.

Recently my daughter was on Facebook and my husband told her to get off. She did. Two minutes later he asked her what she was doing now~ Instigram. Get off. What followed was what I describe as the Mobile Cockroach~ though it could just as easily be called the Mobile Whack-a-Mole. She moved to Pinterist.  I quit.

I am posting the photo of Sponge Bob a 30 lb cat because I am speechless. I mean my parents cat (at close to 20 lbs) looks positively svelte in comparison. He came

to the shelter at 33 lbs but they have cut his carbs out and keep him moving so he has lost three pounds.

Things I want for fall already….

  Jason Wu

  The Row leather top

 Lanvin tee

 YSL

  CL … LOVE

And finally proof that we have gone too far.

 Guiseppe Zonotti (really just stupid)

Time to read the paper before Mad Men and the fall out from Peggy leaving and Joan sexing.

in June ~ another year ends, kids getting older and I am always a little sad. Not sad like ugh it's going to be freezing and sleeting all day and dark at 4 pm sad~ sad like wait~ where did the time go? I had such grand plans for us this year! I suppose it is time to look forward~ that is what all good merchants do after

all, don't dwell on what didn't happen and find something fun to look forward to.

I am already looking forward to this….. Aaron Sorkin has been  signed on to adapt Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson’s biography on the late Apple co-founder. Wow…. I am already looking forward to it but now I must actually face the book and read it.

Today I boarded t

he bus midtown to head to my office. I realized I have a specific scanning routine when I board a bus. Assuming it is not standing room only and I can find a seat with relative ease I tend to look for women, thinner people (so I am not squished), slightly older women or women who do not have coffee, blasting music or cell phones out and if I can find a woman reading a book or with a Lord and Taylor bag~ well I am set. Today I sat next to a tall woman with grey hair, a book and a Lord and Taylor bag~ score.

Three Random Reasons I Love NYC Today:

1) You can buy a banana for $0.25 on the street.

2) You can have breakfast all day and no one thinks you are strange or hungover thanks to our diners.

3) You can open a hot new sandwich/ cookie/ ice cream place in what amounts to a break between buildings and be a smash hit.

While in Bloomies today at Forty Carrots I counted no fewer than 12 women in colored pants. Impressive.

Finally, the best quote I have read recently was this by Kelly Ripa: ” Going to Fiji is not marriage. Going to Costco is marriage.” Said while commenting on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. So true…

the other day I ordered Velcro dots for my son's school project rather than walk across the street to Gracious Homes or Duane Reade. So I ordered these shoes~ Dan Post Western Booties. I might be a New Yorker but I

grew up on Long Island around the time Justin and Dan Post were big and I have a soft spot in my heart for the Western style. They are also so comfortable and with flares coming back in style they will work perfectly. They arrived and were so comfortable except one small issue~ they were a size too big. I have since become a little OCD about finding the shoes which are available in brown but I, NYer that I am need them in black. I have even sent Dan Post an email. On another note, Myhabit is such an exact copy of Gilt it's amazing they have not sued.

Perhaps the BEST MALL WINDOW EVER~ Converse

Favorite Flag items around the mall:

 Gap    Gap

   Both from Children's Place

Ebooks – Ford Shop Manuals And Service Manuals

x300.jpg” alt=”" width=”160″ height=”210″ /> Justice~ yep….

There are so many good flag items and I am a flag kind of girl.

Love this Kor's bag

Love this Gap wall

Most amazing denim rack in the mall~ Bloomies.

Coolest chair~ Anthropologie

Ill Fated and taking metro-sexual revolution too far~ Yankee Candle

Buy these instead at Bath and Body Works

Finally at JC Penney they have coined a new term~ Best Price= Pre-Owned here is an entire section of racks of “Best Pricing” which used to be Sale. An entire section of the floor.

Time to search down my boots….

I think this Michael Kors dress is outstanding. I would look sick in it ~ green/ yellow are not my friend but it is amazing.

This sign in the subway made me laugh out loud

And this sign on the side of Macy's made me think~ wow I love New York there is so much history here.

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Big plans for the holiday weekend:

1) Plant tomatoes for the

rest of the family to eat (I can't stand them).

2) Open beach locker and fill with toys and chairs.

3) Bleach old denim shirt to make it current so my daughter can wear it

and I do not have to buy it at Urban Outfitters. This will of course make me officially vintage.

4) Watch Friday Night Lights.

5) Sleep.

Still cannot stop singing that song… “So Call Me Maybe?”

In fact, I think I can fit in one episode before bed.

 1. Live through a storm power gone flashlights on board games out. A hurricane, a massive snowstorm (like the one that dropped 3′ on my house last winter) or even and ice or hail storm (ice storms are scary but also kind of cool).

2. Live in a city. There is something about the energy in a city that is unlike even the most vibrant town. It might not be for everyone but for a short time try it.

3. Have a pet. Tonight when I went to pick up my daughter from my parent’s house (they were away with her) I was met with their cat who was just so lonely and thus so happy to see me. For twenty minutes he did not leave my side and shed his fur up my nose and into

my eyes. Best love ever.

4. Buy expensive unnecessary shoes because you love them. I may have done this several times but I really think being practical all the time is just no fun.

 5. Read a book that has you so riveted you stay up all night and cry.

6. Send your kids away (camp~ visit family) so that they miss you and you miss them.

7. Lay in bed all day with nothing to do but watch movies and bad television~ not because you are sick. I have yet to do this but I will.

One day. It might be during a storm but I will do this.

8.  Have professional photos taken. If you are a mother this is part of the ritual (and if you are a New York City mom I highly recommend Jennifer Lee

However, even if you have no reason do it just once. A great picture is amazing~ find an excuse. Take the picture with your aforementioned pet.

9. Learn how to play one board game well. Have your go to game~ Backgammon, Scrabble, Rummikub, cards (poker?)~ some game. This comes in handy and makes you seem more grounded and family like. I am wary of people who don’t play any board games. Did their parents just plant them in front of a television? Learn one ~ have a favorite.

10. On a similar note~ have a favorite old movie. Sure modern movies have bigger explosions, greater color, scenery and the like but some of the old movies still have the best stories that are

copied by the new movies. Some of my favorites:

2/05/aids-walk2-300×198.jpg” alt=”" width=”300″ height=”198″ /> The Aids walking heading East on West 86th about to intersect with the Amsterdam Avenue Street Fair (which was pretty sparsely boothed) and the road closures it caused…. creating traffic all along Broadway, Amsterdam and Columbus south of 74th.

On the other hand….

Desert I had last night at a party that is quintessentially NY and they were great.

Window in restaurant recently that reminded us Go Blue

Five Things:

1. Bags. I usually walk in to Verve (a handbag store) a few times in a season until a bag speaks to me. The manager knows this is how it goes and literally one day I walk in and out in five minutes with a new bag. It’s almost Memorial Day and there is not a bag speaking to me AND my most favorite bag from this winter broke. I am tempted to search for in online in the camel color for summer.

2. Top. BCBG asymmetrical top someone wore to an event last night that looked very cool.

3. Answering Machines. Why do we still have them? I hate them, I never pick up my messages and while I could live with voice mail on my cell phone (docs and other appointments do have to confirm and what

if the school needs me) I find the answering machine a relic that has long seen its day. The only people that leave messages are my mother in law (sorry but she will learn to call our cell phones), solicitations and occasionally a person for my husband and shame on him for still giving cheap viagra online out a home phone number. Who does that anymore?? I might have to turn off the answering machine.

4. Song I cannot stop singing lately: Infectious in that pop annoying manner.

5. Activity I am dreading most and procrastinating about: packing and organizing for camp. Usually I am on the ball but this year I am not interested at all. It just feels like too much work. While I am on the subject I find it fascinating that no matter where you order your camp stuff from peace signs reign supreme and all the places know how to write the same the same way~ that uneven writing with the dots at the tips of each letter ~ not bubble letters. Like this. Is there a training camp they do to??

Time to make some dinner.

2) Fabulous friends who take time to celebrate birthdays because there are not that many reasons to celebrate and this is a great excuse.

3) Fantastic finds at the mall~

 For the Beiber fanatic tankini at Macy's

 Sexy not slutt

y at Express

4) A grey rainy day that you are stuck at your desk working but might as well be because you are not missing anything.

5) Dreaming of summer days but anticipating fall dressing….

 Fox trimmed coat by Marni

 Derek Lam

 Leather by The Row

Manolo Blahnik

Time for bed. This

morning when my alarm went off I was in such a deep sleep I was still dreaming and I was having a dream about sleeping. I might be a bit sleep deprived.

What I really wanted for Mother's Day and hope to get for my anniversary or birthday Siberian cat (hypoallergenic). It's just a matter of time.

Which brings me to the subject of gifting. This is something of interest to me and there are some new and fun ways to gift. The one I have used and like most is Wantful. https://wantful.com/?s=1

I always say the site is just not as great as the product delivered because while great looking the premise of the gifting is what is so amazing. Wantful is unique and cool and a new way to gift~ rather than a gift card the recipient receives a gift book with sixteen curated choices of gifts and a code to redeem one. No pricing, very elegant. You answer some questions about the person, then choose the gifts from their options (they provide many and are still building the options) and you can even offer a

donation to charity. So cool.

So it was with much anticipation that I looked into BirchBox, http://www.birchbox.com/

12 X 12 In 2013

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The premise~ for $10/ month you receive this beautiful box of hand picked samples of the best beauty product to try. I couldn't wait to try it~ and then my first box arrived.  I know $10 is not much but I was disappointed to find my beautiful box filled with just five samples. In this was a small nail polish  and then one other thing I might use only because I feel like I have to. The rest are useless. That is really not hear nor there~ I think I was mostly disappointed at how stingy it felt. They couldn't rustle up some perfume samples? Something from Kiehl's? It wasn't terrible but I had hoped to be able to “gift” it to others and I would not send this to anyone. I would rather spend $20/ month have a better package arrive and do fewer months. We hear several others are on their heels and we think it would not be hard to beat them.

Odd choice of music I listened to today while walking: Simon and Garfunkel Live in Central Park.  Not my usual I prefer upbeat pop but I was tired.

Reason I love Central Park~ all the beauty of my garden with none of the work!!!

It's like summer snow….

Sunday night~ just an hour until Mad Men. Gotta finish reading the newspaper.

So, while driving I called my husband and asked him to pop home and make the beds, straighten up the house, make sure we had milk etc, figure out what was for dinner and prepare it, pick up my son and get him to religion on the East Side while managing my daughter on the West side and making sure homework is done.

I'd be home later. Simple easy breezy.

Then my car crashed.  (it didn't really but I needed some dramatic effect to bring you all back to reality).

No instead I did all of the above with a few small exceptions (because I had long standing plans) and walked the mall taking notes and talked to clients. The evening plans by the way were with my cousin to go see Andy Cohen live at 92Y Tribeca for his new book. Love him~ want his job.

Is it me or is it shocking that this is Talbot's? Looks so happy.

I also think Michael Kors has the best set I have seen in ages. Colorful and tie dyed.

Things I bought today and I barely left my desk:

1) two pair of Saucony sneaks~ my favorite ones which I found on sale on Amazon (last year's color)

2) a Wantful book

as a gift for a friend~ www.wantful.com

This is a great article on the Founder and the business:  http://www.xconomy.com/san-francisco/2012/05/02/wantfuls-customized-catalogs-aim-to-bring-back-thoughtful-gift-giving/

3) Pre-chopped veggies so that I could prepare a meal before I went out since day two no sitter!!!!!

What to do.... my kid's camp gave strict guild lines about what electronics they can bring. They allow some portable games but this is less my concern. They do not allow iTouches only shuffles and iPods. Let's start here… does anyone own an Ipod anymore? NO. Certainly not a kid. They can bring the others as long as the video is removed but no iTouch. While I want to adhere to their policy let's call a spade a spade here~ they are asking us to spend even more money

(again) so that our kids are video/ Internet free. Essentially I have to either buy my kids a $249 classic or $129 Nano just for camp.

This is insane. The other funny electronic no-no was a digital camera is okay but one with video is not. I am not even sure they make these anymore to be honest I looked and couldn't find one and again, I am not spending more money for a new digital camera for my kids just for camp with old technology. I think the reason this bothers me so much is that unlike new up-charges on trunks (used to be included and hailed as a savings versus other camps) it does not help me. In fact it is a backwards step.   If I adhere to the rules that is another at least $300 for Ipods + I don't know what for a ~ I am guessing~ used old camera all for seven weeks. Why not just ban all technology? This seems so much easier to me rather than be in this state of half-pregnant. There was a comment that senior kids and older could use their music to run and exercise~ okay this I get but the rest of them? Live without it for seven weeks. Now I am stuck~ I won't send my kids without it so that they are the only ones because it is simply not fair to them. On the other hand I am not buying them old technology.  Stalemate.  Thoughts?

mulch and mentally re-arranging (re-merchandising) the garden. This of course means more work next week. I plan

to add two fresh hibiscus plants and then two perennial hibiscus. I might have to add my smaller flowers as well and I think some more perennials.  I am thinking some Phlox, Primrose or Soatwort.

  hearty hibiscus

  Soapwort

 Primrose

 Phlox

Love flower shopping almost as much as shoe shopping~ might be more except there is always work attached to flower shopping. The offset is the excellent exercise and pretty garden.

In the middle of my raking the leaves and junk out of my flower beds I noticed a broken egg (I think I raked it by accident

)~ I felt terrible especially when I peeked behind the plant and found this:

A full nest filled with eggs!!! Last year this happened as well but behind a different plant so this one took me by surprise. I hope mom comes back.

Has anyone read this yet? It looks amazing…. reviews please.

Hot Pink dress I bought at Madewell… so vibrant.

Depressed that fall shoes already online but I do love these Chloe boots~ simple

Time for some Advil and a pillow and television….

on the phone with my client I told her I was missing th

e Manolo Blahnik sample sale because of her. We laughed and she said I should go…. Five minutes after we hung up I grabbed my bag and went downtown about 35 blocks and an hour later emerged with brown booties and black pumps~ and no cash for my sitter. C’est la vie.

My son was invited to a birthday party Friday night and suggested a Foot Locker gift card. He tells me this Tuesday night when I was at the mall all day Tuesday, but okay. My husband says I pass FL all the time (are all the women there reading this and shaking your heads saying NO just do it yourself?!?!?) and so then, the only way I can explain this is, my brain was seized by an alien naive woman who said, okay. I text-ed him 3x on Wednesday he came home empty handed. On Thursday I text-ed him 2x and he came home with—– A Champs giftcard. Sure you can use it at FL but it’s CHAMPS and it is so not cool and now I will need to explain to the mother about using it at FL. If this wasn’t enough it had no holder ~ you know that little cardboard card holder that folds over and you put the amount on? None… instead it was in a small ripped silver envelope. Why the F was is ripped…. let me tell you why because my guess is that some customer obviously had it from Christmas and spent the money and left the envelope there. The salesperson in his 22 year old infinite wisdom gave it to my husband who obviously thought this was fine. Now it looks like we we’re-gifting- so I had to attach the receipt so she could see and then find a nice small gift card envelope. I thought about passing by Foot Locker but who has time????

Lesson of the day: Things never move off the women’s to

do list they just move onto her “Manage the situation list”

Every single day I make a to do list. Sometimes I give my husband something to do but when I do that I keep the thing on my to do list. It just mentally falls under a different pile~ it is under the management pile. In this case I manage the errand instead of having to actually do it. Then there is the re-do pile. These are things done wrong that I took off my to-do list and delegated only to have to re-do them. In fact I think they should make a pad for mothers~ a sticky to do pad that says: To Do, To Manage, To Re-Do that is more like it.

Slightly obsessing over:

I had never watched this despite all the pressure to do so. It really is right up my alley, teen drama and all. So I have finally been watching it and I have to say I am a bit obsessed. I also wonder if there are really towns like this and why the hell do people move to them? Every sad stereotype about the cool high school jock is played out here with the loser car salesman trying to re-gain his glory right on down the line. Still, it is a great show.

Show I am most excited for…

Sorkin baby… he’s back this summer. Bring on the chatty fast dialog and smart plot lines. Time for a beverage…. I’m still exhausted from that sale.

Son: Mom, dad thinks that like Hyperdunks are the same as Kobe's.

Me: Yeah, I know, it's like thinking Blahniks are the same as Choo's.

Son: Wait, what?

Cheater move I can not live without…

Trader Joe's pre-cut veggies and Whole Foods pre-cut cantaloupe, pineapple and the like.

Advertising that

made me think…. perfect~ Henri Bendel's wraps the Hampton Jittney…

Dress I am desperate for and an occasion to wear it… J Mendel purple

Event I might have to lie to clients to attend…. Manolo Blahnik Sample Sale (it's work isn't it??)

<

strong>New favorite line from Anna Quindlen's Book Lot's of Candles, Plenty of Cake:

“There have been times when it required two or three people to be a reasonably competent version of me. But I'm not complaining.”

Very cool site that forecasts color trends by showing current trending colors in hot fashion cities in Europe (Paris, Milan, Antwerp)… it seems like they would like people to use this to determine what to wear. We think retailers could use it to determine color

choices.  http://www.pimkiecolorforecast.com/paris

MUST READ new blog….. http://ourseasonaltable.com/

Thanks to my friend Bette and her friends. Worth it for the photography alone~ they launched today. Can't wait to read more.

Time to chill.