Kristin van Ogtrop's Blog, page 409

Is it okay to ask to bring an extra guest to a casual function?

Last weekend, I experienced firsthand how this seemingly low-risk question can illicit two wildly opposite responses. The first situation was a potlock dinner at a friend's house, and it was my husband who asked me if we could invite his out-of-town friend. My first reaction was a swift, "No." Because no matter how casual a gathering may seem, you never know what the host's feelings are about having extra guests, and asking only puts her on the spot.           

Fortunately (in this case), my ...

An Organized Method for Discovering and Planning Activities for Your Kids

Now that my son is toddling around and exploring the world, I'm always searching for interesting places to go and fun activities to do with him. He can handle one big activity a day, and actually needs at least one to burn off enough energy to sleep well at night.

Nature walks, playgrounds, and playgroups are trusty standbys for a couple days a week, but I also want him to experience new things and meet a variety of kids. I've spent a good amount of time researching age-appropriate activities ...

Stress Less: What Zones You Out?

Everyone has something that they find almost instantly relaxing, that brings about a state of calm where problems and to-do lists fall away, if only briefly. For some it's a glass of wine and reality TV. For others, it's chopping, slicing, sautéing and other cooking tasks. Some people knit, or play piano, or paint their toenails.

For me, instant AHHH is found watching QVC. Yes, I find plopping down on the couch and flipping on that, or any other of the TV shopping channels, supremely...

Pursue the Remarkable Life You Desire

I went on a walk with my son the other day while wearing a food stain on my shirt, a matching stain on my pants, and socks with sandals. My goal was to help my son burn off energy so he would take a much needed nap, not stroll the runway at New York's Fashion Week. Besides, I didn't expect to see any of my neighbors in the middle of a weekday afternoon, savory clad or otherwise.

Which means, of course, I ran into seven of my neighbors. I had forgotten it was Labor Day, and apparently none of m...

Editors' Picks: New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011 Favorites

Another New York Fashion Week has come and gone. After seeing a long list of shows, we (the fashion department) have compiled a collection of our favorite looks from the runway.

We noticed lots of trends, like: head-to-toe white and cream... cinched waists...bright reds, yellows and oranges...wide-leg trousers...accent accessories...whimsical prints...and many more.

Keep a lookout for our spring and summer fashion pages next year—you will be seeing lots of these trends and others interpreted...

Editor's Pick: Smearless Eyeliner

Eyeliner can be a tricky beast.

You painstakingly dot, dash, or sweep it on only to have it migrate off your lashline and into your eyelid crease by midday. How annoying!

I've tried a myriad of liners, from kohl to liquid to cake shadows to gel, and have suffered through that same frustration...too many times to count. By far, the best one I've come across is Tarte emphasEYES Waterproof Clay Shadow/Liner Pot.

This little jar of potent mineral pigments won't smudge or slip off your lids...

Ten Worst States to Retire

My husband and I lived in New York City for 15 years before moving to the suburbs when we had kids. We hope to move back when we retire. I've been told this is not such a hot idea, given the cost of living and the taxes. So I was happy to see that New York didn't make the list of worst places to retire, according to a new study from the Web site MoneyRates.com. Which ten states did?

Nevada led the pack as the worst place to retire, followed by Michigan and Alaska, according MoneyRates.com...

Illustrated Pet Portraits

Let's face it: we love our pets and do all sorts of crazy things to show it from dressing them up to placing them in designer totes to carry around. It's just how we roll! In addition to everything else we do to show Spot and Felix how much we adore them, there's another great idea out there and it just so happens to make an excellent gift for a friend, too. It's the gift of giving an illustrated pet portrait (which has been around forever I know). What makes this so "new" is that you can...

Pick Your October Book

Hi, Bookies:

Next up as moderator will be Deputy Editor Noelle Howey, whom you may remember from her first turn, leading the discussion of Sloane Crosley's I Was Told There'd Be Cake, back in December '08. So what will you all be talking about? That's up to you! Vote for your favorite of the four books below by Monday, September 27.

When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead

The smart and moving winner of the 2010 Newbury Medal involves a 12-year-old Manhattanite, mysterious anonymous notes, shifting...

''97 Orchard'': The Gumpertz and Rogarshevsky Families

We meet the Gumpertz and Rogarshevsky families in the next two chapters of 97 Orchard. Both Jewish (the former are from Prussia and the latter from Lithuania), these families have a much different dilemma than the Glockners and the Moores faced. Rather than just longing for the familiar foods of their homelands, their religion dictates the types of food they should (and should not) eat. For Jewish families, maintaining a kosher diet during their travels to America was simply not possible...