Twitter Launched a New Camera to Compete With IG Stories & Here’s How To Use It

by Karly WoodMarch 14, 2019

This week at SXSW 2019, news finally broke on Twitter’s new camera! The update—which brings a long-awaited Stories-like feature and an easier ability to tweet pictures and videos—has already started rolling out to users.

While the feature does bring the platform up to speed with social media rivals Instagram and Facebook, it still maintains an overall Twitter-vibe that makes it unique. Keep reading to see what the new changes look like.

https://twitter.com/Twitter/status/1105815777616191489

Users with the update can find the new changes by swiping left from the home screen of the Twitter app and gaining immediate access to the camera. If that doesn’t work for you, hold tight because the update is still rolling out and you may not be one of the lucky ones yet!

From within the camera, you can single click on Capture for a photo or hold for a short video, which can be up two minutes long. Tap the Live button to stream your video to Periscope.

photo: RawPixel

Also new for Twitter, users can now create an overlay on just-taken photos, where you can add location, hashtags and text up to 280 characters. Currently, only photos taken within the Twitter app can be marked up, keeping in line with the platform’s “real” feel.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Twitter’s new function and its social media counterparts is that your new photos and videos are here to stay. While Facebook and Instagram Stories do provide more functionality when it comes to more design overlay options, they disappear after 24 hours.

If you’re already digging the updates, stay tuned because Twitter is promising this update is just one in a line of improvements and frankly, we can’t wait!

––Karly Wood

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Mom’s Viral Post about Kids’ Clothes Sparks Conversation with Surprising Outcome

by Shahrzad WarkentinFebruary 27, 2019

Are you tired of the battle of pink versus blue in the kids’ clothing department? One mom’s viral Instagram post about gender-neutral pajamas for kids opened up an important conversation about a much-needed change to the entire clothing industry.

Jamie Stelter, mom to a 21-month old girl and morning traffic anchor for local New York City news channel NY1, vented her frustration over the lack of diversity among kids pajamas at The Gap on Instagram. The post, which she warned was a “mom rant,” began “I just bought these super cute traffic PJs for Sunny from the little boys department of Gap but WHY WHY WHY are they not also in the girls department?! cause they’re blue? cause they have cars on them? cause only little boys can like blue and cars.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jamie Stelter (@jamiestelter)

The post quickly received hundreds of comments and likes, validating Stelter by letting her know she wasn’t alone in her frustration. Despite the fact that she had not tagged the company in her post, The Gap did comment with a promising response apologizing for her experience and agreeing that a change is needed. The company has since made some changes with the same pajamas being offered on both the girls and boys pages.

“Our design team in New York City creates PJs for both boys and girls to wear and love, mix and match,” a spokesperson for the brand told TODAY. “We are working with our merchants on improving the online shopping experience to better reflect our design intent.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jamie Stelter (@jamiestelter)

Many parents who responded to her post highlighted companies that are already offering gender neutral options, like Céline Dion’s gender neutral children’s clothing line Celinununu. Stelter hopes more companies will follow suit and accept the idea that clothing doesn’t need to be separated by gender, especially at this young age.

“I had no idea I would be totally flooded,” Stelter said. “One woman said her son has been bullied for wearing pink. Another told me that her daughter likes the boys’ stuff better, but doesn’t feel comfortable shopping in the boys’ department. My post really touched a nerve. Clearly I’m not the only person who wants to see a change.”

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: Mon Petit Chou Photography via Unsplash

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“Making Babies” Movie Reminds Us How Common Infertility Is & It’s Nothing to Be Ashamed Of

by Keiko ZollFebruary 21, 2019

With movies like Baby Mama, Knocked Up and What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Hollywood has always had some pretty rosy depictions about what it’s like trying to get pregnant. But for one in eight couples—or about 12 percent of married women in America—getting pregnant isn’t so simple…or glamorous. A new indie film, Making Babies, sheds both a comedic and poignant light on what it’s like trying to get pregnant when you can’t.

Written and directed by Josh Huber, Making Babies stars Eliza Coupe and Steve Howey as a young married couple trying to start their family. When things don’t work out, they head to a fertility specialist played by Ed Begly, Jr. The trailer captures so many of the painful—and painfully absurd—moments that come with dealing with infertility.

(FYI: if you’re a parent after infertility, you’re going to need a tissue handy. Making Babies cuts so close to home if you’ve been through it.)

As someone who battled infertility for five years, there’s so much in this trailer I can relate to personally—and honestly, any hopeful mom-to-be will find something that speaks to her, too, in this film. From the late Glenne Headly’s line about, “Maybe you’re just not meant to have a baby right now” to showing the simultaneous joy and jealousy of attending a baby shower for someone else when you can’t conceive, Making Babies looks promising as a compassionate portrayal of what it’s like to experience infertility.

With so many women and couples experiencing infertility, films like Making Babies help erase the stigma associated with it. It also provides two very important reminders to anyone having trouble trying to get pregnant: first, that infertility is nothing to be ashamed of and more importantly—you’re not alone.

Making Babies heads to theaters nationwide on Mar. 29.

—Keiko Zoll

Featured photo: Courtesy of Making Babies via IMDb

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Motivating Your Kids to Take Risks Makes Them Less Anxious, New Study Finds

by Shahrzad WarkentinFebruary 16, 2018

photo: Pixabay

As a parent, it can be painful to watch your kids struggle, be rejected or face failure of any kind, but despite how much you just want to wrap them in your arms and escape the pressures of life it can be a much better choice to encourage them to face their fears head-on. A new study shows that parents who push their kids to take risks can end up help prevent them from being anxious.

Researchers from Macquarie University’s Centre for Emotional Health, the University of Amsterdam and the University of Reading found a link between parenting that encouraged safe risk-taking in kids and a minimized risk of developing childhood anxiety disorders. The study surveyed 312 families with preschool-aged kids in Australia and the Netherlands and concluded that encouraging kids to push through their comfort limits led to significantly fewer signs of anxiety.

Here's why you should try rock climbing with your kids this weekend: https://t.co/Gk4OLcgXYJ #MIKidsCan pic.twitter.com/FD9OzB6hwR

— A Healthier Michigan (@HealthierMI) January 31, 2018

For the purpose of the study, safe risk-taking included things like “engaging in rough-and-tumble play or letting them lose a game.” It also involves situations where parents encourage kids to engage in unfamiliar situations. “While this isn’t a cure for anxiety, and we cannot at this stage determine causality, the results are promising in terms of parent education. By gently encouraging their kids in a reasonable way to push their limits, parents could be helping to reduce their child’s risk of developing an anxiety disorder, which is a great insight,” said Professor Jennie Hudson, Director of Centre for Emotional Health at Macquarie University and co-author of the study.

Do you think it’s important to push your kids to go outside their comfort zone? Share your thoughts in the comments.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

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This Doll Will Help Your Child Sleep (Really)

by Shahrzad WarkentinApril 17, 2017

photo: Lulla Doll/ Facebook

When you’re a sleep-deprived mombie you’ll try pretty much anything to get your tot to stop bouncing off the walls and just go to sleep. If that describes your current situation to a “T”, then you’re definitely going to want to check out this new doll that promises to help your kids (and you) get a good night’s sleep. Read on to find out more about how you can get your exhausted hands on one immediately.

The magical sleep-promising Lulla Doll was developed by an Icelandic mom and psychologist, Eyrún Eggertsdóttir. When the soft doll’s chest is pressed it plays the sounds of breathing and a heart beating, recorded from a real mom. The idea is based on research involving kangaroo care in which infants and small children are soothed by the sounds and smells that mimic a mother. A baby’s own breathing and heartbeat will stabilize in rhythm with the mother’s allowing them to sleep more peacefully (aka much longer).

But does it actually work? According to the rave reviews it’s been getting across the internet, all signs point to yes. The doll, which started as an Indiegogo funded project, exploded onto the mainstream marketplace. While it was sold out for quite a while, and even managed to cause an eBay commotion, with dolls selling for as much as $350 (desperate times), it’s finally back in stock. You can find it on Amazon, where it retails for around $89, or buy it directly from the Lulla website, where there are currently less than 1,000 dolls available, selling for $71 each.

Do you have one of the Lulla dolls and has it helped? Share your experience in the comments!

Just Opened: UrbanSpace Vanderbilt Food Hall in Midtown

by Mimi O'ConnorSeptember 23, 2015

We know, we know: another day, another gourmet, small-bite food hall. Such is the lot of super-spoiled New Yorkers who like to eat well — or even eat. Still, UrbanSpace Vanderbilt, which debuted last week in a cavernous, renovated space nestled next to Grand Central Terminal is worth knowing about, for both its smack-dab-in-the-middle-of-everything location and its impressive array of freshly-made, affordable and delicious options that will please even the most finicky of eaters, whether they’re four or 40 years old.

photo: Liz Clayman/UrbanSpace

All Aboard UrbanSpace Vanderbilt
UrbanSpace Vanderbilt is the latest venture — and first NYC brick-and-mortar location — of parent company UrbanSpace, which is responsible for other food and retail markets around town such as Mad. Sq. Eats, Dekalb Market, the Union Square Holiday Market and Broadway Bites. (It also operates several similar spots in the UK.)

The massive food hall is located in one of the old waiting rooms of the New York Central Building, which is tucked into the space between the Park Avenue auto viaduct and a covered pedestrian passageway. (It’s a stone’s throw from Grand Central.) The 1929 space now features industrial steel roadway beams, remnants of terrazzo floors, soaring ceilings and double-height windows. There’s also a ton of space to sit, at the perimeter of the space or in a central seating area with lots of tables.

photo: Ethan Covey/UrbanSpace

Who/What’s There?
UrbanSpace has assembled a group of more than 20 chefs and restaurants from Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens for its newest foodie market. Similar to other food halls in the city, UrbanSpace Vanderbilt imports many premier food purveyors from farther-flung areas of the city, so you can sample famed Roberta’s pizza from Bushwick, Mimi’s Hummus of Ditmas Park or Queens’ Sips & Bites’ gourmet toasts right on on 45th Street.

Options include both gourmet fast/comfort food like fried chicken from Delaney Chicken, Roberta’s pizza and burgers by Bar Suzette, as well as a wide range of international cuisine (Thai from Bangkok B.A.R, Mexican from La Palapa Tacos, and noodles by Hong Kong Street Cart) and super-healthy vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options (veggie burgers by No. 7 Veggie and Power Bowls by Two Tablespoons). Also: desserts such as gelato by A.B. Biagi, cookies and cake from Ovenly, doughnuts by DOUGH — and lots of beer and wine are available. (Vendor Mayhem and Stout will even sell you a growler.)

How is it & how much?
It’s fair to say that everything we sampled at the preview event (which was, um, a lot) was delicious, from old standbys to more adventurous fare to the sweets. UrbanSpace is promising that everything will be made fresh on site by vendors, as well as rotating menus to ensure variety and seasonal choices.

The food is probably not the cheapest you could find in the area, but it’s pretty close, and it would be hard to beat the market for freshness, convenience and quality. Yes, you’ll pay $17 for a lobster roll from the Red Hook Lobster pound, but like the amazing $5 spicy tuna taco from Takumi Taco, most bites are less than 10 bucks.

UrbanSpace Vanderbilt
230 Park Ave (at Vanderbilt and 45th St.)
Midtown
646-747-0822
Online: urbanspacenyc.com

Have you visited UrbanSpace Vanderbilt yet? What did you try? Tell us in the comments below!

—Mimi O’Connor

Just Add Fun! The Best Activities & Gear for Sunny Days

by rtsarahgreeneApril 15, 2015

Stash away the winter coats and boots, summer is on the horizon! Before you know it, your little water bugs will be begging for the chance to log hours of pool time and play outdoors till the crickets chirp. Get prepped with gear for activities that love summer as much as the kiddos: kites, pool noodles and the ultimate in cool treats are only a few. Scroll through the flip book below for the scoop on stuff promising to put major smiles on the minis—and making you a superstar source of summer joy.

Cruise the Hood

When there’s a long and lazy afternoon on the horizon, your kids can cruise the hood’ California style on a longboard scooter. The handles offer up extra balance for new riders while the classic SoCal look will keep em’ laid back. After all, “it’s summa-summa-summa-time and the livin’s easy.”

Available at Razorama.com, $79.99.

Photo: VoxEfx via flickr creative commons

What’s your favorite summer activity? Share with us in the Comments!

—Sarah Greene

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