Planning My Trip to Paris

In just a few hours I’ll be taking off for Paris! Jay and I are visiting our fabulous friends Nicole and Peter who decided to move there for three months “just because.”

I know — they are a bit crazy — but this is why we love them. Oh, and also — they love to eat. And they love to plan! (Ok, Nicole and I love to plan…Jay and Peter love to eat more.) This trip has been months in the making.

Here’s a look at how we organized everything:

1. Plan out must-dos: Nicole and I traded email after email for months with lists about what we wanted to do on this trip.

Here’s what it boiled down to: Read more

Save Your Favorite Places With Matchbook

I’m all about shortcuts to make life easier – even when it comes to list making. Up until now I had been testing out a few apps to store my “must try” and “favorite” restaurants. But I kept reverting back to my usual list-making ways: writing them down and storing them in Evernote or Wunderlist. Those have all worked fine.

But – I have found an app that is smart and easy to use and does just what I need it to do. Perfect! Gone are the days of trying to remember the name of that restaurant or shop that you passed by last week. Now all you have to do is download one app – Matchbook.

Matchbook allows you to enter the name of the place you want to remember manually or search for it. If you are nearby – you can click the button “I’m walking by it” and Matchbook will find it for you! Brilliant!

You can add tags to remember certain things about the place like if it’s got a great brunch, is loud or is super trendy. If you’re stumped for a spot to meet friends after work – you can search via neighborhood and tags. It’s much easier to navigate than Yelp’s vast database of knowledge but the searching is a bit quirky. That will be fixed in future updates, I’m sure!

It works all over the world and organizes your bookmarks by area, which makes it easy to find a place quickly. There’s also a map so you can see your bookmarks laid out in front of you and see what you’re closest to.

You can share places with friends but you don’t have to “friend” anyone through the app. Just lots and lots of list making! Check it out and let me know what you think.

18 Ways to Cheer Yourself Up

Photo credit: D Sharon Pruitt

It happens to the best of us — sometimes you’re just not feeling yourself and need a little pick-me-up.  For the most part I’m a pretty positive person but there are times when I have a tough day or week.

You don’t have to rely on others to put you in a good mood.  There are so many things you can do yourself to turn the day around.  Here are a few of my favorite ways to cheer myself up when I’m feeling a little down: Read more

List of Travel Essentials

Planning a vacation can be both fun and stressful. I, of course, always make multiple lists to make sure I’m organized so I can save time, money and reduce stress. One of the things I’ve been thinking about lately is what are the essential items that I take on every trip?

You know those things that come in handy no matter what state, city or country you are in? Those really smart items that you think — “I’m so glad I brought this!”

I’ve started a list of some ideas and would love for you to join in and help me compile a really great collection.

Check Out My Summer Lists

Now that I’ve got you started on your summer to-do list…it’s time to check out some seasonal lists.  I had the great pleasure of creating three lists for VMV Hypoallergenics’ INSKIN Magazine!

The magazine is distributed in their stores around the world and also digitally on their website.  You may remember hearing about them from me — I’ve been good friends with their CEO, Laura Verallo de Bertotto, forever and even highlighted her as one of my Featured List Producers.

I hope you enjoy these lists in the magazine:

  • Throwing a summer soiree (page 3)
  • Finding the fountain of youth (page 10)
  • Planning the perfect vacation (page 14)