September may seem too early to start our holiday shopping for grandchildren. But when I see a sale, such as the one they have on Barefoot Books (code BACKTOBOOKS gives you 20% off through September 30), and considering predicted shortages, I think now is as good a time to shop as any.

Moreover, to me, books are the gifts that keep on giving – especially when we choose a subscription book box!

How to Choose Books

If you aren’t sure which books your grandchildren might enjoy, take this opportunity to interact with each of them. Learn what their present interests are and what type/genre of books they read.

Selecting books for your grandchildren may seem challenging, which is why I will be writing a series of articles with book suggestions. I hope they will help your hunt.

Book Box Subscriptions

A Book Box Subscription is an easy type of gift. Also, it arrives each month, which is a great motivator for children who like to look at picture books and to read/listen to stories. The Barefoot boxes are perfect for Ages 0-2; Ages 3-5; and Ages 6-9.

Individual Books

If a subscription is not something you can consider at this time, you can always shop for individual titles – and there are so many to choose from! Below I will highlight some of the great books Barefoot Books are now offering on sale.

Incredible Animals

Incredible Animals (Ages 7-12) is a unique encyclopedia with colorful, engaging illustrations of animals and their environment. It includes a glossary of key terms and a table of animal groups.

Amazing Places

Amazing Places (Ages 7-12) takes readers on a tour of 15 landmarks and provides facts about their history, geography, and legends. In addition, readers get tips about visiting these sites in the present day. Illustrations, in muted, pastel tones, capture the grandeur of these wonders of the world.

Solar System

Solar System (Ages 7-12) introduces readers to concepts of physics, chemistry, and astronomy in a user-friendly way. This fact-filled book includes awe-inspiring glow-in-the-dark artwork.

Children of the World

Children of the World (Ages 3-10) is a festive, colorful look at cultures around the globe. Differences are celebrated while embracing commonalities of humankind. It provides a lyrical look into the beauty of diversity.

Animal Tales

Animal Tales (Ages 5 – 11) presents nine traditional folktales featuring animals from countries including Germany, Brazil, and Australia. Clever stories with universal messages will amuse the whole family.

Buddhist Tales

Buddhist Tales (Ages 6 and up) provides an approachable introduction to the wisdom of Buddhist teachings through stories from countries including Tibet and Japan. The introduction will help your grandchildren get an understanding of Buddhism traditions.

Earth Tales

Earth Tales(Ages 5 – 11) teaches conservation of our planet’s resources through 7 traditional folktales from around the world coupled with fun, simple activities for each story. The illustrations are colorful and engaging.

Have you ever taken your grandchildren shopping at a bookstore? What was that experience like? Do you have any suggestions for great books to gift grandchildren? What are some ways you use books to connect with your grandchildren?

It happens every year. The chill starts coming in more noticeably in the mornings and evenings, and we start thinking about the autumn season that is approaching.

Depending on where you live and how you spend your day, it can be easy or challenging to figure out what to wear during this transition!

Let’s review a couple of fun ways to make choosing an outfit during this temperature change work yet still look modern!

Layering

Layering has to be the most obvious choice for fall transition! Putting another piece over your tank top, lightweight shirt or other lightweight item creates the perfect opportunity to also remove them if the temperatures heat up!

It may also seem silly to have on a layering piece with bare legs if you’re wearing skirts or capris, but that’s exactly how you can stay comfortable during these changing temperatures.

Many of these layering pieces you may already have in your closets. But it’s also fun to check out some of the newer offerings in the stores, to make sure your look is updated. I’ve addressed the fact before, that looking contemporary is the best way to appear knowledgeable and relevant!

I know that the lightweight cardigan sweaters are something we all probably own. During this period, the ones I tend to reach for the most are the ¾-length sleeved ones! If you wanted to get an update to this item, then I’d look for the longer cardigans that extend to the mid-thigh or below. Either that, or pull out the kimono! These are lightweight but offer just enough coverage!

Another piece that you don’t always think about layering is your button-up blouses. The chambray shirts are perfect for this, but even your lightweight blouses can be a great “jacket” when you don’t need something heavy.

This would include a sheer blouse that you might own which is usually worn over a camisole or another top when buttoned. Worn this way sheer blouses can be as wonderful as a jacket.

The other layering pieces that seem to be popular right now are vests. I’ve been seeing a ton of utility and denim vests. They can add just the right amount of warmth, yet not get you too hot since they don’t cover your arms.

Then, of course, there is the classic denim jacket. This is probably the easiest piece to add over any outfit! Denim is having a blast in the style scene, since it goes with absolutely everything. If you don’t already have one of these in your closet, you might even check out the thrift store! They look great even over a dress!

Footwear

The other obvious choice to chase away the chill is your shoes. Of course, you can always wear your closed toe shoes, but the most modern footwear right now are the ankle boots. Last fall I put together an entire piece about ankle boots for Sixty and Me.

There were many of you who were under the impression that ankle boots don’t look good with most outfits because they can break up the line of your leg. That point may be true, but our eye gets used to a certain look or style. Wearing your ankle boots with skirts and dresses is a fun way to look like you live in 2017!

This is also the time when those open toed booties you thought were silly can actually seem smart. These booties cover your foot enough to keep it warm, yet there is enough ventilation that your feet aren’t sweating profusely! Even if you don’t like the open toed variety of the ankle boots, there are also versions that feature cut outs and perforations!

Scarves

Adding a scarf around your neck is just another version of layering! If you’ve ever embraced the versatility of scarves, then you know how perfect they can be during these seasonal transitions!

Your scarf is not much different than a topper in that you can remove it if the weather becomes too warm. If you’re wondering about where to put it when you take it off, how about tying it on the handle of your purse? It can still be decorative there, yet won’t heat you up!

It’s amazing how this little piece of fabric can add just enough warmth when you need it! I think the smaller neck scarves are the perfect way to not only keep away the chill, but to also add some fabulous color to your face! Or you can take a square scarf and fold it and roll it to create a neck scarf! I have a bunch of YouTube videos on scarf tying if you are interested!

Colors

Another interesting way to work your way through the seasonal transitions is to start adding in the darker colors to your outfits. This could mean that you wear an all-black outfit with a pop of color. Or you could take your favorite summer skirt and pair it with a darker or more muted color.

Certain colors tend to remind us of autumn. For example, your dark oranges, burgundies and olive greens. So why not pair these “fall” colors with a color that you usually reserve for the spring and summer, like pink? It’s a perfect way to have your outfits work for these fluctuating times between seasons!

What are your favorite fall clothing styles or outfits? So what are your favorite ways to transition your clothing through the cooler weather? Please share some ideas in the comments below!

Kyle Richards’ Pink Quilted Mules FaceTiming Crystal

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 11 Episode 18 Fashion

Kyle Richards’ phone tripod pink quilted mules are too cute. We know that Kyle sure loves her mules considering she has them in multiple colors (black/white /red). Which means that we of course love them too. And to know that they are apparently dual action makes it even better. But if an $800 tripod pair of mules hasn’t totally stolen your heart, we have amazing Style Stealers below that will.

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Click Here to Shop Her Bottega Veneta Mules

Click Here to Shop Additional Stock

Click Here to Shop More Stock 

Originally posted at: Kyle Richards’ Pink Quilted Mules

Crystal Kung Minkoff’s Grey Leggings at The Sound Bath

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 11 Episode 18 Fashion

Some say that meditation can be a from of therapy. I totally agree and I always like to double up with another fav therapy method: shopping. Which is exactly why I can’t wait to shop Crystal Kung Minkoff’s grey leggings. Thankfully that will be easy considering they are still fully stocked. But don’t worry when that runs out because we have amazing Style Stealers below that will make you say omm-my gosh.

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Click Here to Shop Her Alo Yoga Leggings

Click Here to Shop Additional Stock

Click Here to Shop Her All Good Feels Sweatshirt

Photo #2 Credit: @crystalkungminkoff

Originally posted at: Crystal Kung Minkoff’s Grey Leggings

As a young woman I suffered regularly from excruciating migraine headaches. They were the crawl into bed, close the door, lower the blinds, pull the covers over my head and curl up in the fetal position type of headaches.

No light. No sound. No movement. All those situations made the headache worse. My brain drifted in and out of a foggy stupor.

Over the years I have come to manage these migraines as I discovered that an underlying factor is dehydration.

Being dehydrated did not cause the headaches directly. The triggers were things like hormonal imbalance, stress or food sensitivities. However, without the underlying factor of dehydration, those other triggers had no effect, and my body was strong enough to prevent the migraine from taking hold.

In the book You’re Not Sick, You’re Thirsty!, F. Batmanghelidj, M.D., stated: “I am of the opinion that some of these conditions (Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, aphasia, autism, attention deficit disorders and epilepsy) are the result of persistent dehydration in the body.”

Long before any of these diseases are diagnosed, the individual may be experiencing mild dehydration. This is not the hallucinating, seeing mirages in the dessert type of dehydration, just the mild dehydration that brings on the feeling of brain fog.

It is the annoying state when you feel like you can’t think clearly, or a name won’t come to you, or the word is on the tip of your tongue.

To counter the problem of dehydration all we need to do is drink more water.

How Much Water Should I Drink?

The general guideline for individuals without a medical limitation is about one ten-ounce glass of water per day for every 30 pounds of body weight.

Another way to look at it is, one ounce of water for every 3 pounds. For example, a 180 lb. person needs 60 ounces (180÷3) or at least six 10 oz. glasses of water per day.

However, if you are currently drinking one or two glasses of water a day you will want to gradually increase the amount that you are drinking. Increasing too quickly may disrupt the chemical balance in your body, not to mention the amount of time you will spend running to the bathroom.

How Can I Increase My Water Consumption?

Before you begin working on increasing your water consumption, it’s important to know your starting point. The first step is to figure out how much water you currently drink. To do that, simply measure out your water before you take a drink.

Each day will vary so keep track for a full week. It will be a bit tedious, but we need to do this to see how much, on average we are drinking. For now, only measure the water. Do not include tea, coffee, juice, alcohol or soup.

How much are you drinking per day, on average? At the end of the week, add up how many ounces you drank for the week and divide that by 7. That will give you the average of how much water you drank each day.

Then, gradually increase the amount that you drink.

Add 2 ounces to the average and drink that amount each day for the next week. Continue adding 2 ounces per day each week until you are up to your ideal water consumption.

Are There Times When I Will Want to Drink More?

There are some times when we want to drink more.

For example, when we have a fever we need to be diligent to keep hydrated. Strenuous physical activity makes us sweat more and breathe harder causing our body to need extra water. When we are under a lot of stress, our bodies also require additional water.

Coffee, tea, soft drinks, most sports drinks and alcohol act as diuretics depleting our body of fluids. Some medications also act as diuretics and require the person to drink extra water.

If our diet consists of a lot of prepared or processed foods, we would need to drink more water because most packaged foods are higher in salt than the homemade versions.

Can I Substitute Other Beverages for Water?

The problem with coffee and tea is that they are diuretics, which means they cause your kidneys to increase the amount of salt and water you pass in your urine. So, to increase hydration in our body we would need to drink extra water to replace what is flushed by the diuretic.

Juice is not a good substitute because of the high sugar content which adds undesirable calories. Coconut water is now on the market and many people have turned to that as a substitute for water.

Although it is far better than any of the above mentioned substitutes – and fine to drink occasionally – it is not a complete replacement for water.

A broth-based soup could be included as part of your fluid intake, provided it is not too high in salt.

Could the solution for brain fog be as simple as drinking more water? Of course not. Nothing to do with the human brain is that simple. But many of us will notice significant benefits by increasing the amount of water we drink every day.

Step by step, there are many things we can do to help our brain stay sharp long term, and drinking adequate amounts of water is by far the simplest and most cost-effective way to begin.

Do you regularly drink enough water, or do you want to increase your water consumption? Have you experienced any benefits from drinking plenty of water? Do you have strategies for making sure you remember to drink enough? Please join the conversation below.