RECIPE COURTESY OF GIADA DE LAURENTIIS
Let’s savor the last weeks of summer. One of the best summertime drinks, that has become so popular, is the Aperol Spritz. It’s a refreshing bubbly cocktail that is served in the Northern part of Italy and tastes like summertime. One of the best parts is the color is that of a beautiful Italian Riveria sunset. Bon Weekend!!
1 1/2 ounces Aperol
3 ounces prosecco
3/4 ounce sparkling water or club soda
1 orange slice, for garnish, optional
Fill a white wine glass halfway with ice. Add the Aperol, prosecco, and sparkling water, and stir twice with a spoon. Serve with an orange slice if desired.
I met Anita Devlin of We Heave Ho years ago through family and friends but I really really became enamored with her when she started her amazing organizing business, “We Heave Ho”. With each job, I was mesmerized by the before and afters. Anita is so helpful, understanding, and passes no judgment at all. And I love her motto, “decluttering brings clarity”!! Every single family that she works with is just so incredibly thankful and asks for more and more (and yes I have seen this first hand).
So, here’s where I come in…I probably get 2 or 3 requests per week for the name of an organizing company. Whether be a moving job, or a garage cleanout or even a packing request for a college dorm set up. I reached out to Anita and we decided to work together to bring my readers along with us on one of her jobs.
I knew that I really wanted to be part of a Laundry Room Makeover…basically, we went to one of her client’s houses and the laundry room was such a good size but the homeowners just were lost in the space. Anita met with the wife and got to know a little about the family, their needs and she measured and sized up the space and then hit Bed Bath and Beyond and Home Goods the day before we started the job. I wish I went with her but that is for another post!!!
Anita, her interns and I arrived at the home ready to go. She was armed with her organizing baskets, labels, hangers, bins..you name it she had it AND she even brought flowers and coffee cake for the family.
I broke up the day into 3 parts.
THE BEFORE:
THE DURING
AND FINALLY……THE FINISHED PRODUCT (4 hours later)
So whether you have a small job or a larger one Anita is ready for you. I would start by following her Instagram @weheaveho. She has the best swipe ups to buy all the wonderful orgazing products she uses., Trust me, you will love Anita as much as I do!
One last before and after….Anita you are WONDERFUL!!!!
With NYC’s rooftop season here, on behalf of the Times Square Alliance, I wanted to share the news of recently opened and reopened rooftop spots to cool off and enjoy a birds-eye view of the Crossroads of the World, which is already welcoming back New Yorkers and visitors to the neighborhood this summer.
- NEW: Located at 226 West 52nd Street, the new M Social Hotel Times Square recently opened this season and features their signature restaurant Beast & Butterflies, a secluded oasis perched above Times Square with a wraparound terrace and is open from 4 to 11 pm daily. M Social is also participating in the Times Square Alliance’s “Taste of Times Square,” a week-long promotion of local restaurants that offers a special three-course prix fixe menu until June 14. Instagram MSocialNewYork
- REOPENED: Located at 132 West 47th Street at the Sanctuary Hotel New York, Sushi Lab elevates the omakase experience. In addition to à la carte items, sushi enthusiasts can choose from the popular “Chef’s Selection” which includes 10 signature hand rolls ($60) or “The Lab Experience” of 15 signature courses ($120.) Reservations are required. Instagram @sushilab.nyc
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- REOPENED: Located at 6 Times Square on the 17th Floor, St. Cloud Rooftop at The Knickerbocker Hotel features views overlooking Times Square, stylish indoor and outdoor seating options, their Waterford Crystal Lounge, lush living walls of greenery, a F&B menu by Charlie Palmer, and much more. Instagram StCloudNYC.
As one of the most Instagrammed destinations in the world, Times Square includes 19,551 hotel rooms which make up 16% of the City’s hotel rooms, which is over three times as many as the next highest concentrated area around Grand Central. On average, the Alliance is now seeing 180,000 daily pedestrians in Times Square, welcoming more New Yorkers and visitors back to the Crossroads of the World.
After a sold-out show in early 2020 – Squeeze is returning to The Ridgefield Playhouse for two nights in their only Connecticut tour stops! The legendary new-wave band returns to The Ridgefield Playhouse stage for two nights with all of their hits – including “Cool for Cats,” “Up the Junction,” “Pulling Mussels From A Shell,” “Black Coffee in Bed,” “Labeled With Love,” “Tempted” and many more! Their first show on Wednesday, August 4, sponsored by Jill and Larry Mango, sold out quickly – but fans have a second chance to see the band on Tuesday, August 10 at 7:30 pm as part of the Pepsi Rock Series Powered by Xfinity. Founding members Chris Difford and Glenn Tillbrook have been compared to the likes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney as songwriters and performers. Don’t miss the chance to see this legendary and eternally hipster band LIVE! Make it a great night out with dinner and a show – visit TerraSole (3 Big Shop Lane, Ridgefield) for dinner before the show and get a free glass of house wine or dessert with your entrée when you present your tickets! Squeeze is a featured artist of media sponsor WEBE 108fm.
Squeeze disbanded in 1999 and reunited in 2007, releasing three new albums since then (2010’s Spot the Difference, 2015’s Cradle to the Grave and 2017’s The Knowledge,) as well as various solo projects from both Chris and Glenn. Aside from Difford and Tilbrook, Squeeze now features keyboardist Stephen Lange and drummer Simon Hanson (since 2007,) percussionist/back-up singer Steve Smith (vocalist for house music group Dirty Vegas) along with pedal/lap steel guitarist Melvin Duffy (who joined them for the 2019 tour) and Owen Biddle, former bassist for The Roots. During the band’s “Squeeze Songbook 2019” tour, two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foo Fighters founder Dave Grohl joined the band at the Bourbon & Beyond Festival in Louisville in September 2019 to perform percussion on “Black Coffee in Bed.”
For more information or to purchase a touchless print at home ticket ($130 – $150) go online at www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org or, you can visit or call the box office (203) 438-5795. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a non-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT and is committed to keeping the arts alive and available to all.
Eating healthy can be a little tough, you might have all the right intentions, but putting them into practice is easier said than done. The first step is finding the motivation that you need. To find your inspiration today, read up on these seven simple strategies.
1 . Start a food journal
Starting a food journal is a fantastic way to motivate yourself. Journals can help you to track what you eat, figure out your goals, write down recipes, and more. Start off by writing down why you want to live a healthy lifestyle. Write a list of reasons, and you can refer back to these when you need motivation. Whether you’re looking to boost your immunity, lose weight, or feel more energized, there are plenty of benefits to improving your diet.
Some food journals have prompts to guide your writing, or you can get creative and make up your own. Here are a few examples taken from Health Beet:
- ‘What are some dieting beliefs worth challenging?
- What food do I love that loves me back?
- What is one habit, if mastered, would make healthy living easier?
2. Join wellness-groups
Sometimes we need a little support to eat healthier. If you’re looking for motivation and guidance, consider joining a wellness group. Meetup is a great platform that can help you to find social groups in your area. The platform allows you to search for various different categories, depending on your areas of interest. You can find groups under categories like foraging, living foods, vegan dining, healthy dinner parties, and lots more.
3. Take a cookery class
When you improve your cooking skills you can learn healthy recipes that you love. When you’re searching for a cooking class, look for classes that are centered around healthy eating, whether it’s wild cooking, vegan or low-carb.
There are plenty of online cookery classes, but you might prefer the in-person experience. If you’re apprehensive, take a friend along and go on this journey together! Once you improve your cooking skills you’ll be more inclined to experiment with foods and cook interesting things for your family.
4. Learn more about nutrition
Nutrition can be super interesting, and the more you learn, the easier it is to get motivated. You might want to read books about nutrition, download apps, or watch documentaries. You could research immune-boosting supplements, or learn which are the healthiest herbal teas. To get you started, check out the benefits of taking lion’s mane mushrooms. You might even find a new passion, hobby or career goal. Lifelong learning is the key to personal development and growth.
One of the benefits include better dental health. If you require dental care, you can seek dental expertise from the general dentist in Massapequa.
5. Listen to inspiring podcasts
When you need some motivation these inspiring podcasts are sure to do the trick:
- Liz’s Healthy Table: This podcast is hosted by dietitian, Liz Weiss, here you’ll learn about nutrition, the science of healthy eating, and lots of tasty meal time ideas.
- Sound Bites: Throughout these fun episodes you’ll learn lots of nutrition and healthy eating strategies. From farming to fad diets, there are plenty of topics to explore.
- Nutrition Diva’s Quick & Dirty Tips: Looking to learn simple ways to improve your dietary habits? Monica Reinagel has all the answers you’re looking for.
- The Doctor’s Kitchen: This show focuses on the relationship between food, health, medicine, and certain health conditions.
6. Don’t be too strict
When you’re trying to motivate yourself it’s important not to be too strict. Set yourself a few simple goals, and allow yourself treats from time to time. Overly restrictive diets rarely work because they aren’t sustainable in the long term. The key is to make changes that you can commit to. Remember, practicing moderation is a big part of leading a healthy lifestyle. If you need some extra support you might consider working with a nutritionist. A nutritionist can help you to define your goals, and work on a customized plan.
7. Healthy changes overall
When you’re being healthy in other areas of your life, these practices have a knock-on effect. Ensure that you have a good fitness regime and plenty of self-care activities. Find tactics to manage stress, whether it’s mindfulness apps, meditation courses, or aromatherapy. When you make healthy changes across your life as a whole, you’ll be more likely to stick to a healthy diet.
Once you’ve worked your way through these seven areas, you’ll soon experience the difference. Remember, making healthy lifestyle changes is a journey, and it doesn’t happen overnight. Be kind to yourself and approach changes at your own pace.
Best-selling author, Laurie Gelman, celebrated the release of her new book Yoga Pant Nation, at a private residence in Watermill, NY. Hosted by Laurie’s husband producer Michael Gelman and Ali Wentworth, family, celebrity friends, and supporters were in attendance to share in the celebration of Laurie Gelman and the third installment of her Class Mom series.
About Yoga Pant Nation:
The hilarious and irreverent Jen Dixon is a class mom—again—in YOGA PANT NATION (Henry Holt and Company; 978-1-2507-7757-7; $26.99; Hardcover) by Laurie Gelman. In the third book of the Class Mom series, Jen’s final year as a class mom is a breeze until the PTA president asks her to champion the school’s annual fundraiser, a notoriously challenging job which, as we know, is right up Jen’s alley.
It’s pretty much mayhem as Jen deals with a temperamental fundraising committee, the Hindenburg of bake sales, and countless other natural and unnatural disasters that deter her from reaching her goal of raising $10,000. She is also dealing with her ten-year-old son Max, who may or may not be a fifth-grade bully.
But outside of William Taft Elementary, Jen’s life is good, even if she and her daughter Vivs don’t see eye-to-eye on the whole parenting thing. She’s a grandma for the first time to two-year-old Maude who is, by Jen’s description, “delightful and delicious.” And she’s taking her love of spinning to the next level by attempting to become an instructor and finding an unlikely ally in her husband Ron’s crazy ex-wife Cindy.
As ever, when life gets crazy, humor is Jen’s best stress relief. Her acerbic emails to the class parents and friendly spars with her daughter over how organic is organic enough for baby food will have readers laughing out loud and texting Jen’s best lines to their friends.
For more information or to order this book, click HERE.