Highlights From Miami Beach International Fashion Week

BY Kara Franker (askmissa.com)

The 14th annual Miami Beach International Fashion Week kicked off with inspiring fashions from all over the world plus talented local Miami designer, Kayce Armstrong, and her Art of Shade collection.

The conference began with an opening night press conference hosted by international recording artist and music icon, Dionne Warwick and Grammy Award winning music producer Damon Elliott.
Warwick shared her life experiences, talked about her style and fashion, and gave inspirational advice about how to achieve career success.

Who can forget Warwick’s classic “That’s What Friends Are For”? She received her first Grammy in 1968 and was the first African-American solo female artist of her generation to win an award for Best Contemporary Female Vocal Performance.

In addition to her successful music and fashion career, Warwick supports the AIDS Foundation and has served as the U.S. Ambassador for Health.

The Miami Style Showcase featured designs by some of South Florida’s designers including Viviana G. for Petit Pois, Luxxe Collections/LUXXE Golf featuring celebrity golfer Jackie Gonzales from the LPGA Futures Tour, Kayce Armstrong for Art of Shade and Ema Savahl Couture.

In 2011, Kayce Armstrong won the Designer’s Choice Award for her ready-to-wear line, Art of Shade. “This year I am working with tarps from the side of buildings with repurposed dead bolt, the end of the line for the fabric,” said Armstrong to Ina Paiva Cordle with the Miami Herald.

Armstrong started the Art of Shade label in 2003 and developed a loyal following of customers buying her one-of-a-kind clothing. Her 2012-2013 collection, “Evolve,” includes designs inspired by “nature, the sky and the science of sails.”

Armstrong has won House of Diehl’s Miami Style War, she was commissioned by Lancome and Jean Paul Gaultier to design garments for perfume launches, and she has donated couture gowns to charitable organizations like the American Heart Association.

You can find Armstrong’s designs via her website or at Haus Fashion in Wynwood at 2527 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL.

Potty Training Using Positive Reinforcement

BY Amber Stiles (askmissa.com)

My daughter just turned three and we thought she’d be in diapers forever.  Not really, but sometimes it seemed that way. We had tried to potty train her at 18 months and she was all for it, but not mature enough to “hold it.”  We tried again around two-years-old and it was a NO GO. She screamed and cried and begged for her diaper back. It scared her! I even tried to lure her in with big girl (and boy) undies that had her favorite characters plastered all over them.  Nope.

When I got pregnant with our second child the fear set in. Two kids in diapers? I wanted so badly to train our first before the second arrive, but that didn’t work out. So, after the baby was born and big sister had accepted and warmed to the idea of little sister, we tried again, and it took!

To start on your own journey here are some tips:


Pick a potty training technique – there are many to choose from:

• Infant Potty Training (also known as Elimination Communication) – Parents hold their babies over the toilet when they show signs that they need to go.  This starts as early as one week old.
• Practice Until You Get It – Introduce the idea of potty training and schedule practice sessions until your child catches on.
• 1 – 3 Day Method – The first day of training is an all out boot-camp of no diapers and lots of redirecting to the potty.  Some use a doll to show their child process and then the toddler starts practicing themselves.  A few days of follow up are needed to head off accidents.
• They Will Train When Their Ready – The belief is that at some point a child will basically train themselves.  Sometimes it comes from peer pressure, sometimes they just no longer want to “go” in a diaper.

Most families end up using a combination of these techniques.  We started with “boot-camp” but ended up drifting into “practice” and then, FINALLY, she pretty much trained herself.


Positive reinforcement works a lot better than punishment.  You should always play the process UP, rather than mentioning any of the negative.  If your child has an accident, redirect him or her to the potty and then move on.  Charts and stickers and small prizes go a long way for some children.  Hugs and kisses and EXCITEMENT work for all!


Pick your tools - Here’s a list of helpful products that may make your training experience run smoother:

• Toilet Seat Insert and/or Potty Chair – There are so many to choose from.  Let your child help pick it out so there is some ownership to the process.  Smaller children tend to do better on the potty chairs, while taller/older children are the right size for the inserts.
• Travel Potty – You’ll want to leave the house at some point.  Many kids won’t be ready to balance on the edge of a unfamiliar toilet (even in another person’s home) right away.  My favorite was one from Kalencom that works as both an insert for public toilets and a stand alone potty when on-the-go.
• Training Pants – The debate will be Cloth vs. Disposable–or none at all.  We had the cloth ones that feel WET but catch some dribbles.  Then we moved on to just undies during the day with disposable trainers for naps and bedtime.  Whatever works!

We ended using ALL of the above.  Since this process has been such a long one, we’ve tested many products.  Kids are fickle and don’t always want to use the seat they were so excited about in the line at Target.  Be prepared to have a few unused tools laying around.  Maybe your second child will like the opposite of your first.

Celebrate!  A Potty Party can be a great way to show your child how exciting this milestone is for everyone.  Some people decide to have potty parties to start the process while some choose to have them to celebrate the end of their diapering life.  I think they’re cute and I welcome any reason to plan an event.
In the end, do what feels right for you.  What finally worked for us might not work for you because every child is different.  Remember, it will come!  They will NOT attend college in diapers.
 

Bahamas Express Ferry Links Florida and the Bahamas

The fast ferry, Pinar del Río

 
The Baleària Group marked a new milestone in travel with a high speed maritime transport service between Fort Lauderdale and Grand Bahama island. The new service, which operates under the Bahamas Express brand, is a firm commitment to the internationalization of the company and also, therefore, to consolidating the company’s growth in the current economic climate.

"The Bahamas Express service provides an important link between South Florida and The Bahamas" said David Johnson, director general of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. "It is an affordable and easily accessible option that appeals to a variety of travelers, particularly families and for those seeking a relaxing and hassle free route to The Bahamas. We look forward to treating guests to our Bahamian hospitality, whether coming for a day or staying for a week."

The fast ferry, Pinar del Río, will operate the new service between Florida and the Bahamas, which undertakes the 76-mile crossing in 2.5 hours. Baleària Bahamas Express operates on a daily basis, except on Wednesdays, departing from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale at 10am and returning to the port at 10:30pm, allowing U.S. passengers to take day trips to Grand Bahama island.

The fast ferry Pinar del Río, which sails at a speed of 32 knots, has a capacity to hold up to 463 passengers. The ship also boasts different services such as a bar-cafeteria, duty-free shopping and tourist class and first class accommodation, among others. The interior will also be decorated with the same graphics, which depict the sea bed and is dominated by bright colors.

President of Baleària Adolfo Utor highlighted the potential of this area of the Caribbean and explained that it complements the routes which the company operates in the Mediterranean. Utor also pointed out that there is a market of more than 200,000 passengers per year on this new route adding that the company is also working on opening another connection to the Bahamian island of Bimini.

For more information please visit www.ferryexpress.com.

Brew at the Zoo (4/28/12)

Come celebrate Miami New Times & Zoo Miami Brew at the Zoo on Saturday, April 28th. Come out and sample beer from around the globe. The party runs from 7pm to 11pm for GA.

The VIP pass includes designated tented VIP area, unlimited beer & spirits samples and catered food and early entry to sample beer from 6pm-7pm without the hassle of any lines. Space is VERY LIMITED so get your VIP right away.

Performing Live: Alien Ant Farm Opening Act: The Spazmatics

Date: April 28, 2012

Location: Zoo Miami (1 Zoo Boulevard 12400 SW 152 Street Miami, FL 33177)

Time: 7pm-11pm General Admission - 6pm-7pm VIP Early Entrance

Ticket Price:
$30 Pre Sale
$40 at the Door
$70 VIP
Present your Brew at the Zoo ticket and get into Zoo Miami for FREE from April 30 - May 4, 2012 or get 50% off admission to Zoo Miami through September 30th, 2012. You also have the option of redeeming your tickets for up to a $30 credit on the Annual Pass. None of these offers are valid with other discounts or coupons.

http://microapp.miaminewtimes.com/zoobrew/2012/

Party for the Planet (4/21-4/22)

Party for the Planet

Apr. 21-22 Sat. & Sun. TFTS Flowering Tree Sale Zoo Miami All Day Join us for Earth Day at the Zoo
 

Zoo Miami's Earth Day celebration, Party for the Planet, will be held Saturday and Sunday, April 21 and 22, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The Tropical Flowering Tree Society will be hosting the world's largest flowering tree
annual plant show and sale. There will also be fun "green" activities and entertainment for the entire family as well as animal enrichment with recycled items and/or natural materials like newspapers, cardboard tubes,
bamboo, old tires, fire hoses and more.

During Party for the Planet, guests can come in free of charge if they turn in a cellphone as part of the Zoo's ECO-CELL Phone Recycling Program. Not only will each person donating a cellphone enter the zoo for free on these two days, but they will also help save gorillas!

Cell phones include coltan, a mineral extracted in the deep forests of Congo in central Africa, home to the world's endangered lowland gorillas. Fueled by the worldwide cell phone boom, Congo's out-of-control coltan mining business has in recent years led to a dramatic reduction of animal habitat and the rampant slaughter of great apes for the illegal bush-meat trade.  Turning in a cell phone will reduce the need for additional coltan . and help protect the gorillas.

http://www.tfts.org/ 

Eating lots of chocolate helps people stay thin, study finds

By Ryan Jaslow (cbsnews.com)

(CBS News) What's the best way to stay thin? A new study finds it's exercising and eating a healthy diet full of - chocolate?

Mindless eating: 8 food goofs that pack on pounds

The study found that people who frequently ate chocolate had a lower body mass index (BMI) than people who didn't.

Is it time to ditch fat-free for fudge?

For the study, published in the March 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers examined more than 1,000 healthy men and women who were free of heart disease, diabetes and cholesterol problems. They were all enrolled in another study that measured the effects of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, but for this study researchers assigned them questionnaires that gauged how often participants chowed down on chocolate.

The researchers found that the participants - who were an average age of 57 - ate chocolate for an average of twice of week and exercised roughly 3.5 times per week. But the more frequent chocolate-eaters had smaller BMIs, a ratio of height and weight that's used to measure obesity.

What explains the effect? Even though chocolate can be loaded with calories, it's full of antioxidants and other ingredients that may promote weight loss, the researchers said.

"I was pretty happy with this news myself," study author Dr. Beatrice Golomb, associate professor of medicine at the University of California-San Diego, told USA Today. "Findings show the composition of calories, not just the number of them, matters for determining ultimate weight."
Does that mean all diet regimens should include a daily chocolate bar? The researchers say it's too soon to tell.

"Our findings - that more frequent chocolate intake is linked to lower BMI - are intriguing," the authors wrote. However, "It is not a siren call to go out and eat 20 pounds of chocolate a day," Golomb told HealthDay.

This isn't the first study to suggest a daily dose of chocolate can do the body good. Last summer, a study of more than 100,000 people found those who ate the most chocolate were 39 percent less likely to get heart disease and 29 percent less likely to have a stroke, HealthPop reported. Months later a 10-year study of 33,000 women found a 30 percent reduced risk of stroke among chocaholics.
But experts warn not all chocolate is created equal, and some could contain lots of sugar and calories, which could lead to other health issues if consumed daily.

"I would not want people reading this to think that all [they] need to do to lose weight is eat more chocolate," Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale Prevention Research Center in New Haven, Conn., told WebMD. "That would be a huge mistake." Katz suggests dark chocolate, because of its bitter flavor,  may suppress appetite whereas sweet chocolate may stimulate it.

The Mayo Clinic has more on chocolate.

Be you, and be okay with it.

So simple yet so powerful!