iSeniors — Connecting Technology & Grandparents

My parents are amazed to see how my 6 year old son adeptly navigates his iPad and how he doesn’t shy away from letting us know when he thinks the wireless network is too slow. Living in Silicon Valley, there is so much focus on small children and technology. But what about the other end of the spectrum – grandparents? Technology has transformed the lives of my 75+ year old parents and in-laws. They are having just as much fun with technology as my son’s kindergarten class. Here are 5 great tech innovations for seniors:

1)     iPad: iPads are wonderful for older parents and grandparents who aren’t comfortable using a mouse and don’t like squinting at a computer monitor. The ease of swiping their fingers across the screen to see photographs of their grandchildren, to search for news, and to play games is amazing. Their ability to easily make the text larger with a simple finger gesture on the screen has really transformed their connection with the Internet. They also love the portability of the iPad. My parents are no longer tethered to their home office, like they were with their desktop computer, and the iPad is much easier for my mom to carry around the house and hold than a laptop. My 80 year old father-in-law rarely leaves the house without his iPad. He was able to easily set up his stock portfolio on Yahoo! Finance by himself so he can keep a close eye on his investments. He may not be ready to trade stocks online, but he loves having up-to-date information at his fingertips so he knows when to call his broker.

2)     FitBit: The only thing my mother loves more than her iPad is her FitBit One™. To say it has changed her life completely would be an understatement. Her FitBit has become her new best friend and she genuinely loves the words of encouragement and humorous messages that appear on the screen. She is so motivated to reach 10,000 steps every day, and she now has the personal trainer she never knew she wanted. She shows it off to all of her friends, and strangers too for that matter.  I helped her with the initial setup and now she can easily charge her device and view her summary metrics with ease.

3)     Wireless Access: Even if your parents or grandparents don’t have a laptop or tablet, I still recommend getting wireless Internet access in their home. I recently upgraded the wireless in my parent’s home so that my husband and I knew we would always be well connected when we were visiting. My extended family benefits from it too when they visit. Having a wireless network actually encourages the younger generations to visit their elderly relatives more often and not be in such a rush to leave. It is also nice for long term caregivers as well, as they appreciate having easy Internet access while they are caring for your loved ones.

4)     Video Cameras: The mother of a friend of mine lives over 600 miles away from his home. His feisty mother is over 80 years old and is still living on her own. He has tried to convince to move closer to him and his family, but she doesn’t like the idea one bit. Since she has had trouble walking, he wanted to be able to keep a close eye on her, even when he is far away. His solution – video. The last time he visited her, he installed cameras throughout her condominium, and he is able to watch the video footage from his computer, anytime from anywhere. There is a little peace of mind knowing that if she were to fall, he would be able to call for help. Some people may question this act as an invasion of her privacy, but she was onboard with the idea. They have also been very upfront with people who work in her home and notified them that the condo is monitored. He likes to be able to keep a close eye on the caregivers, handymen and cleaning crews that come in and out of her home. Thanks so the wonders of technology, he can.

5)     Facebook: At first my mother and mother-in-law were downright fearful of Facebook. I tried so many times to get them to sign up but they wanted nothing to do with it. I finally sat down with my mom and realized that her main concern was that she didn’t want to share anything personal with strangers. She didn’t want her ‘friends’ to know what she was making for dinner. After a few long months, I finally convinced her she could sign up for Facebook and that she didn’t need to tell anyone a thing. Just because she registered didn’t mean that people were suddenly going to know what she has picked up at the supermarket.

Facebook is actually a great way for grandparents to keep connected with their families. We set up my mom with a basic account (no photo or personal information other than her name) and had her become ‘friends’ with her children and grandchildren and a few very close family friends. Now she can easily sit on the couch, open her iPad and simply click on Facebook to see what her family is up to. My husband uploads videos of my son’s little league game and my parents, who are hundreds of miles away get to watch him hit the ball out the park too. She also can keep tabs on her other grandson’s surfing adventures and her sister’s magnificent farm and garden. She still gets a little spooked when a classmate from college that she has spoken to in 50 years asks to be her ‘friend’, but she relishes in the stories, photos and ability to stay connected.

One of our favorite family activities is to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It is only an hour from our home so it is a great place for a weekend afternoon trip.  Many times we get a hotel room in Carmel and make a weekend out of it.

Of course there are adorable otters, scary sharks, hilarious penguins, magical seahorses and all sorts of fabulous fish for the kids to look at and even tanks where they can actually touch creatures of the sea. And what kid doesn’t love getting their hands wet! But I have been so impressed with the current jellyfish exhibit titled, The Jellies Experience, and how the team at the Monterey Bay Aquarium has incorporate technology into a wonderful interactive experience for kids of all ages.

Here is how it works. There are about six small touch screen stations arranged for the kids. Children are able to draw images on the screens with their fingers, very similar to an iPad drawing application. They can pick from a rainbow of colors and two different widths of brushes. The idea is that they are to draw a jellyfish (my son usually likes to draw a submarine or two as well). When they have completed their picture they can release it out to sea. With a click of a button their image floats up to a large screen on the wall where their jellyfish floats around in the sea with the fish designed by all of the other children. It is just wonderful and the children squeal in delight watching their creature float in the big blue sea. As an added bonus, you can enter your email address and your child’s image gets sent right to your inbox. It is brilliant. You can go home and print you the image or make it your screen saver. You can also send it directly to grandparents or friends so they can get a colorful surprise in their email too.

Needless to say, my son is hooked on this awesome exhibit. And  I am too.

I recently returned from the best spring break ever. It seems like half of California heads to Hawaii for
spring break – or at least half of families from my son’s school. I hadn’t been to Hawaii in over 20 years
and this year we finally decided to go. The difficult part was deciding which island to visit and figuring
out where to stay. The more I talked to friends and friend-of-friends and neighbors and parents of
my son’s classmates, the more confused I got. Everyone seems to have their favorite island and their
favorite spot to stay. Unable to make a decision, I finally sent a short text to my very well-traveled friend
Melanie and simply asked – what is the best spot in Hawaii? Her immediate response: Hualalai.

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka‘upulehu is a spectacular resort for an easy, relaxing, active
and utterly perfect family getaway. I am a huge fan of doing close to nothing and this is a fabulous place
to completely unwind and get away from everything. My husband was impressed with the wireless
connection that stretched to every inch of the property while I opted to keep my iPad, laptop and phone
turned off the entire time (ok – I called my parents once and I think I responded to 2 text messages – but
that’s it!).

Let’s start with our spectacular ‘Ohana suite. With almost 1500 square feet of space we had more than
enough room to move in and feel incredibly comfortable. My son loved the outdoor lava rock shower,
the telescope and xbox, and I enjoyed having my very own steam room. And right outside our suite was
an enormous lawn that my son could run around on as well as comfortable outdoor furniture where we
could eat breakfast or just hang out and lounge.

The resort has a complimentary kids club and my son had a great time at the club for a few hours every
day. One of the highlights was certainly King’s Pond (pictured above), a 1.8 million gallon “aquarium” carved out of the
natural lava rock. It is stocked with over 3000 tropical fish from more than 75 species all swimming
freely about. We could snorkel for hours (which my son did every day) and I never had to worry about
my son’s safety. He even got to feed an eagle ray. And don’t worry about packing snorkel gear – the
resort has equipment for you to use at no charge.

I made a little deal with myself. As long as I woke up and exercised for 1 hour then I could spend the
rest of the day lounging, reading magazines and doing close to nothing. I took wonderful long walks on
the ocean-front path and worked up a sweat at the gym too. The gym is strategically located next to a
fabulous boutique so I could go shopping every day right after jumping off the treadmill. Love that!

So if you are in the midst of making vacation plans for your family, you only need to remember one word: Hualalai.
We’ve only been home 2 weeks and we are already trying to figure out when we are going to go back
next…

Photo credit: www.fourseasons.com (because I haven’t had time to download my own pictures from my camera!)

Last week I was thrilled to attend a pre-opening party for the new Calypso St. Barth store at Stanford
Shopping Center in Palo Alto. It was a festive evening of pretty clothes, pink bubbly, delicious cookies
and an entertaining panel conversation featuring media mogul in the making Randi Zuckerberg, pinner
extraordinaire Christine Martinez, and super blogger Erica Chan Coffman of Honestly ….WTF.

Let’s start with the clothes. The new collection at Calypso St. Barth was absolutely wonderful. Lots
of very wearable clothes perfect for sunny vacations and lazy weekends. There were also a number
of pieces that I thought would be great for going out to dinner with friends. I loved the neutral colors
and attention to detail. The designs are all inspired by travel and the arts so each piece has a unique,
international feel to it. Step foot in the store and you will immediately want to start planning your
summer vacation…

If you haven’t heard of Randi Zuckerberg yet, I am certain you will very very soon. Randi is a busy working
mom who happens to be bright, enthusiastic and incredibly likable. She and her team have recently
launched a new venture, Dot Complicated. Their weekly newsletters are full of insightful ideas for
managing your wired world. Technology is changing our lives, our families and our relationships in so
many ways and Dot Complicated is here to help us all navigate our way through it all. Sign up for their
newsletter today and keep your eyes open for Randi’s book which is due out later this year.

Power Pinner and Author, Christine Martinez, was a sheer delight. She happens to be one of the most
popular pinners on Pinterest with millions of followers. She is also the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Pinterest Marketing and writes her trendsetting blog Miles to Styles, named after her pup Miles. Christine was really inspiring because she seemed to be so genuine and true to herself. She has always followed her heart and her passions and has created a successful and fulfilling life for herself along the way.

How fabulous is this Salvatore Farragamo shoe charm? I must have one. It is from their Miniature Precious Collection and is made of 18k gold and gemstones. Believe it or not, but this iconic rainbow shoe was created way back in 1938 for Judy Garland. I have had a postcard of this famous shoe in my office for years and I just love the idea of being able to wear it around my neck.  There are a number of other great shoes in the jewelry collection including these three below. Perfect gifts for shoe loving girls who have everything…

Celebrate Minted’s anniversary with 15% off everything. Anyone who has visited Sweet Peas & Stilettos knows how much I LOVE all of the products at Minted. I am so thrilled for their success and I bet the next 5 years will be full of even more creative and colorful treats for all of us. Happy Anniversary Minted! Now we can all celebrate.

I am a huge fan of the weekend getaway. In fact, the last 3 or 4 weekends we have found ourselves traveling for quick little getaways. Our favorite spot is Carmel since it is so close to our home, yet we feel like we are a million miles away. The trick is figuring out what to pack and not taking too much. I try to pack as light as possible so unpacking will be a snap. The trick is finding the perfect bag. I found these wonderful travel bags at Layla Grace.

These two very different tote bags are great options. This white and gold stripe leather market tote is perfect for a spring getaway. The large opening makes it easy to pile in the clothes. It has a great modern look. I also love the Petunia Pickle Bottom Organic  Wistful Weekender Dancing Daisies bag too.   It comes in so many of their wonderful, cheerful patterns.

And all weekend long (3/30-3/31) Layla Grayce is offering free shipping with promo code FREESHIP on your entire purchase. Maybe you will find a few things to put into your new note too.

Every girl out there seems to want to get her hands on a little celebrity style. Guess what? It is really really easy to do. And affordable too!  Stella & Dot continues to take Hollywood by storm with celebrities and editors adoring Stella & Dot’s boutique style jewelry and accessories line. Pictured above are two of my favorite actresses – super cool January Jones and 90210 alum Jennie Garth – both who are wearing Stella & Dot jewelry.  In addition, Elizabeth Banks, an actress, producer and director, has been spotted wearing the Stella & Dot Medina Bib Necklace on multiple occasions! Add this necklace to a summer dress or with a shirt and jeans. Radio darling, Carly Rae Jepsen was seen accessorizing with the Spring Awakening Necklace (love the color combo!) while posing with Seventeen magazine. You can check out tons of celebrities wearing Stella & Dot to get some chic ideas how to incorporate various pieces into your own wardrobe.  Be your own celebrity and flaunt Stella & Dot’s couture style. Happy Accessorizing!

Photo credit: Both pictures above are from Stella & Dot’s buzz page.

I get a lot of questions from women asking me about my favorite maternity clothes. Back a number of years ago when I was pregnant with my son there were not nearly as many options for cute maternity wear as there are today. I actually shopped at Forever 21 for a lot of the tops I wore throughout my pregnancy. One thing you will notice if you open any magazine is that there are a lot of celebrities who wear ‘regular’ clothes while they are pregnant too. Of course, you want elastic waist bands ASAP, but I always tell people to look for stylish tops right off the racks of their favorite stores. It might be easier than you think to find great transitional clothes – especially for those first few months. Some tops will also work great after you have had your child when your stomach is adjusting back to its former state. At that point you are no longer pregnant so it seems a little weird to still be wearing maternity clothes. Though it is hard to give up all that elastic!

I was checking out the sale going on now through March 31st at Layla Grayce (you can save 20% off all apparel with promo code style20) and I found a lot of great pieces that would fit the bill for newly pregnant women and for anyone looking to keep their little waist top secret.

The red top above is the Ella Moss Stella Tie Front Poppy Top. Don’t you love that color?  I also thought this Waverly Grey Lei Lei Blue & White Top would be perfect for work or evenings out. The simple detail at the neckline will hopefully draw attention away from your tummy. They also have a number of pretty scarves that are perfect to layer over t-shirts.

Don’t miss your chance to shop this fabulous sale! Go check out Layla Grayce today to see if there is anything you can’t live without…

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Today I finally started getting myself organized. In order to get a jump on spring cleaning I somehow convinced my husband and son to help me clean out the garage. It is never a very fun activity, but I am always to happy afterwards. We always find so many things we had long forgotten about so at least there is an extra added bonus to the clean floor. I also started thinking about our summer calendar and even started signing my son up for a number of amazing summer camps. I am not sure what it is like where you live, but around here the best camps fill up fast. Last year I learned my lesson so this time around I am organized. It feel so good to cross all of these things off of my to-do list!

So when I found out that Mabel’s Labels was turning ten and in celebration they’re offering 40% off their most popular products, I thought this was a perfect sale to feature today. If I can keep my spring cleaning going, I can start labeling boxes and containers so I can actually find things. I also thought I should stock up on labels for kids clothes and shoes because I will certainly need those for summer camp.

So join me in getting organized and taking advantage of these incredible deals on Tag Mates,Sticky Labels, and more. Just in case you aren’t familiar with Mabel’s Labels – here is the scoop…. The Sticky Labels are super durable and dishwasher/microwave safe. You’ll be amazed at what you can label. The Tag Mates are laundry safe, peel and stick clothing labels that require no ironing or sewing. Simply apply to clothing care tags. This super birthday sale is only valid through Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 10pm EST.