Life

The art of forgetting isn’t hard to master. No matter how organized and prepared we attempt to be, sometimes well, it happens. We forget stuff. But what if there was an iPhone app designed to ensure you don’t ever walk out the door without everything you need? Don’t Leave It! is a location-based reminder app that helps you keep track of your everyday necessities, so you always remember to take them with you when you leave. And best of all: it’s free.

If you feel like you can stand to become more centered and relaxed throughout your day, then take a look at the guided meditations free on YouTube – there are hundreds of videos to choose from that take you from a stressed, anxious state, and back down to a zen attitude. No one’s weekday is an absolute breeze, and it’s easy to get caught up in stress when your responsibilities and to-do lists pile up mile high.

Netflix giveth and Netflix taketh away. While we’re excited about what’s returning to the streaming service next month, that means some things have to go. So to prioritize your watch list for the remainder of June, here is everything that’s leaving Netflix in July. Sorry, Sandra Bullock fans: Two of the actor’s classic rom coms starring floppy haired leading men are giving their notice.

There's a way to turn a vice into a virtue—just listen to these brilliant tips by self-admittedly awful emailers.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work at IKEA? With stores that resemble mazes and tons of products everywhere you turn, it’s sure to be just as much of an experience working there as it is shopping there. And of course, those who do work there just may be able to give us IKEA civilians a little helpful shopping advice.

We’re [insert new emoji face with star eyes] about the news that 56 brand-spankin’ new emojis will be hitting our keyboards this year, thanks the preview of Emoji 5.0 released this week. According to Emojipedia, Emoji version 5.0 “includes 56 new emojis from Unicode 10.0, as well as 183 emoji sequences used for gender and skin-tone variants and subdivision flags.

The antithesis of a digital detox, this pop-up glamping experience encourages Londoners to literally Netflix and chill while binging on their favorite shows. With hundreds of their friends, in public. The “Bed ‘N’ Binge Retreat” is a first for Netflix, with 15 themed “glamping” bunk room suites and communal spaces popping up on a National Trust park property in West London now through Sunday July 9th, with the last guests checking out on Monday July 10th.

Here’s the thing: I used to be a very productive person in the morning. I used to be a wake up early, make myself breakfast, get out the door and make it into the office before everyone else kind of person, but lately I’ve fallen into a very slow and tired routine. My recent mornings have been kind of a struggle, so I decided to try something new to get me out of my AM slump: getting up and going for a walk outside before doing anything else.

Some words become a part of our collective lexicon with such zeitgeist that it’s hard to believe there was ever a time when they weren’t part of the English language. And some are so definitive of an era that simply seeing them listed next to a year immediately brings you back to that time and a place — and the movies and songs that then dominated pop culture.

Color lovers, you might want to book a trip to San Francisco ASAP: The latest must-visit destination is The Color Factory, and it’s probably already infiltrating your Instagram feed. Inside the can’t miss it striped exterior, you’ll find a 12,000 square foot, pop-up “color experience.” Color Factory just opened on August 1, and tickets are selling out faster than you can say (or take a) Boomerang.

They say that if you want to know what the future will hold, then you should study history. But it might be more accurate to substitute the word “history” for movies and television shows. For decade after decade, movies and television shows like “Back to the Future” and “The Jetsons” have depicted their take on what day-to-day living would be like in the future.

As much fun as shopping can be, having to buy the same item over and over again is no bueno. That’s why it pays to know which products are actually worth the investment, especially when it comes to hardworking items for the kitchen. The commenters at Reddit know all about the importance of buying quality appliances up front. They started multiple “Buy It for Life” threads for this very reason.

Being more mindful of your health doesn’t necessarily mean overhauling your entire diet or hitting the gym for an hour every day—there are a lot of little things you can do to help you feel like your happiest, healthiest self. Things like staying hydrated, getting in extra steps, trying new things and taking breaks are all important, and it all starts with challenging yourself to pay attention to them.

99 Percent Invisible is not a new podcast, and The SoHo Effect is not even a new episode. But on a recent re-listen during a long car trip, I realized that there’s a whole lot of overlap in the Venn diagram of Apartment Therapy readers and people who would probably find this story fascinating. So here we are. I’m writing, and you’re reading, a very forthright recommendation: Go listen to this 19 minute, 38 second podcast.

IKEA is a many-splendored place. Along with rows and rows of inexpensive but stylish furnishings, the mega-retailer also boasts a pretty impressive “as-is” section—filled with broken items, custom returns, and of course major markdowns. However, the only problem (like most hassles related to shopping at IKEA) is timing: figuring out the best day to show up to peruse these oft-ransacked shelves.

The scientist who brought us future paint colors named by artificial intelligence like Bank Butt and Snowbonk is at it again, this time using her research and software to dream up new My Little Pony characters.

We bet the sheer mention of some of these shows from the classic era of Saturday morning cartoons will bring their theme songs back to earworm status. The good news is, many of them are now available to watch again — this time digitally remastered, sans commercials — thanks to the magic of streaming TV.

There’s no faster way to look more put together and elegant than having a closet full of well-tailored clothes. But if you have a hard time finding pieces that fit you properly—from struggling with long pant hems or boxy blazers—know that there’s an easy fix for that: A tailor! Bringing your clothes into a trusted seamstress to be nipped and tucked can make all the difference, especially considering you can change the details that you don’t find flattering.

Ashlee Gadd is the founder of Coffee + Crumbs and the author of “The Magic of Motherhood: The Good Stuff, the Hard Stuff, and Everything In Between.” We ordered bunk beds yesterday. It was an inevitable purchase, I suppose, after having two boys in two and a half years. When we found out our second baby was another boy, I remember thinking: Someday they’ll share a room, probably bunk beds.

Although I was the grown age of 22 by the time my parents split up, I was still hoping for a fabulous Parent Trap ending. Not the one where my parents reunite, but the one where I get to live on a California vineyard AND in a London townhouse. If you don’t remember, in the 1998 remake of the Parent Trap, Lindsay Lohan plays Annie James and Hallie Parker, twins separated at birth and fortuitously reunited at summer camp.

Sad news for Fixer Upper fans: The HGTV renovation show’s fifth season will be its last. Chip and Joanna announced the news this morning on their blog, citing the need to “catch our breath for a moment.” The couple have been going full force with the show, its spinoff, books, and new products, including a line for Target called Hearth & Hand that debuts in at the store in November.

A woman opened the door to her office. Powerful, successful, creative, she seemingly had it all. But something was missing. Love? No, with millions of adoring fans she had that in spades. Family? No, she was a mother of nine, the matriarch of a warm and happy home. She leaned back into her 4 inch high heels and took stock of the room. As she cast her eyes over her writing desk she knew in an instant what she needed. She scrolled through her Rolodex, “yes, artisans?

Oh, American Horror Story. You have such campy, spooky promise, and when you deliver, you really deliver. The scenery was always a draw: even when the plot flailed, the sets gave your eyeballs a treat. Now that AHS is gradually leaving Netflix, queue up your television and relive the architectural highlights, before the episodes disappear like so many bodies. Begin with Hotel, arguably the weakest season and the first to get the axe.

A starring turn on television, much like it does for actors, can also make a house famous — or infamous as the case may be. That was what happened to this picturesque Everett, Washington colonial home. The house took center stage on TV’s cult hit Twin Peaks, during its original two-season run from 1990-1991, as the home of the fictional murdered teen Laura Palmer.

Is a plaid shirt the only dead give-away sign that helps you tell HGTV’s Property Brothers, Drew and Jonathan Scott, apart? Well soon there’ll be another way to differentiate between the TV star twins — a wedding ring.

I don’t know about you, but I am so tired of hearing about “man caves” and “she sheds” all the time. Don’t get me wrong—I’m totally here for people carving out their own spaces in their homes (personally I would love a separate room where I could just hang out and do crafts and practice my guitar and have alone time whenever I want it). But… why do we need to gender rooms? And why do they need to be so binary?

30—the magical percentage of take home income that people are supposed to spend on housing and housing related expenses like utilities for their living situation to be considered within their means—might be harder and harder to achieve, but at least us regular, real life people aren’t alone. TV characters often live in unrealistic places, and a new study shows just which ones could afford their homes, and which would be spending more than they should.

There are many ways living in Germany has changed my life, but the greatest change came from a most unexpected source: a cheese box. How has a five-Euro plastic container made such a huge impact on my dinner habits and well-being? And what makes a cheese box so superior to a dedicated cheese drawer in your refrigerator? A cheese box is ingenious because you can fill it with cheese from the market and put it straight on your dinner table — that’s why.

Halloween is tomorrow. By now, you’ve probably gotten your pumpkins and nailed down your costume, if you’re dressing up. But if you’re behind the curve this fall, no worries. It’s not too late to add a little bit of haunting to your house. Or just a cute Halloween accent or two. Pretty sure the best place to turn to for inspiration when you’re in a decorating time crunch is to HGTV stars.

I recently adopted an adorable rescue dog named Stanley. It’s not like I thought adopting a dog was going to be free or anything — my cat eats better than I do, so I know the price of organic pet food. But I wasn’t quite prepared for how much money I spent on Stanley in the first month. He may not be a puppy, but he still needed a lot of things to get him settled into his new home.

I don’t know how to write for television. I mean, I have a general sense of how to format a script, if I’m being generous with myself, and I can imagine sitting around a table with a group of people saying something like “Does it make sense for the Commodore to be in that scene, or does it mess with the timestream?

Last year, Man Repeller’s Amelia Diamond wrote this brilliant article about the weird prescience of the clothing choices in Napoleon Dynamite. The wheel of fashion is always turning, and suddenly, more than a decade after the movie’s release, some of Napoleon’s strange, frumpy getups are the height of chic. Which got me thinking: I wonder if the same thing has happened for the movie’s interiors?

Don’t worry people, the Gaines might be leaving their HGTV show, but they aren’t leaving Waco. Here’s what went down. Fixer Upper fans were freaking out all over the internet yesterday at reports that the couple behind Magnolia Market was selling their farmhouse and skipping town.

If you’ve already binge-watched Stranger Things 2, then you know the new season gives its audience a wider view of the inner lives of some of the characters, which didn’t see so much of back in season one. If you remember, the first season centered mostly around the homes of Will Byers and Mike Wheeler, despite the fact that Will is largely absent throughout the entire original run.

Renovation shows are having a moment, and yet with all the options past and present, there hasn’t been one totally dedicated to one very important part of the family: animals. Thankfully, Animal Planet is on it, and a familiar face is taking on these extreme home makeovers (pet edition). You might recognize Antonio Ballatore as the winner of HGTV’s Design Star and the host of The Antonio Treatment.

House Hunters has been a staple at HGTV since 1999 and has spawned a plethora of spinoffs, including House Hunters International, Tiny House Hunters, House Hunters Off the Grid, and House Hunters Renovation. Have you ever wondered what it takes to be on the popular real estate show? Here’s what we found out. According to CheetSheet.com, you don’t need a minimum budget (like you do for Fixer Upper), but you have to have already put in the leg work.

I didn’t think it was possible to fall in love with a TV. Shoes maybe, but I’ve never been one to go gaga over tech. It’s just that televisions have been eyesores almost as long as they’ve been around. Sure, they’re functional, and flatter and thinner than before. But they’ve essentially remained big black boxes, even when hanging on the wall. That is, until now.

We had to wait a few extra weeks this year but finally, the temperatures are dropping and cozy season is officially upon us. Now is the perfect time to drink as much hot cocoa as you’d like, wear all your scarves at once, and immerse yourself in the world of any Diane Keaton character, for her movies have the most cozy interiors of them all. Here are a few movies featuring cozy homes that are sure to warm you up.

December is creeping up on us, and that means that we have news on what will be leaving Netflix next month. Just know that new arrivals are around the corner, and take some solace that there’s a holiday happening this week, so you can sneak in one last viewing of your favorites. Say goodbye to some beloved witchy sisters (and one of our favorite Halloween houses of all time). See ya later, Paddy’s Pub—seasons 1 through 11 are leaving the streaming service next month.

First Eloise, now Kevin McAllister leaves his mark on the iconic Plaza hotel. The famed hotel is now offering Home Alone 2: Lost in New York inspired packages for the wealthy and nostalgic. As a celebration of the movie’s 25th anniversary, the hotel has set up an exhibit, crafted a ’90s inspired menu and even offers up a room package that includes a stay at The Plaza and the opportunity to live out some of the more memorable scenes from the movie (Joe Pesci not included).

Down in the Treme, it was just Serena Williams and her bae bae (Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanion) and this gorgeous Greek Revival mansion. The couple celebrated their New Orleans wedding recently with a whirlwind weekend of fairytale romance and R&R at this dreamy HomeAway rental property.

As any ’90s cartoon fan can attest to, Nickelodeon’s beloved football-head hero, Arnold, lived an idealized, but pretty realistic urban life. So how exactly did the show get city living so right? In an interview with City Lab, series creator Craig Bartlett discuss the making of Arnold’s idyllic urban environment. The landscape of the show was largely inspired by Seattle, where Bartlett grew up, and Portland where he attended art school, with pieces of Brooklyn and Chicago.

One of my worst travel pet peeves is binge-watching shows on my iPad or laptop — after taking all the time to download them before heading out the door — and then having the battery run out right at the most climactic moment. But what if you could strategize which types of shows to stream or download based on how much energy they expend, and how much electricity it takes to watch them?

Sharing a space when everybody doesn’t like each other is no fun. It’s almost harder when the ones who are fighting have four legs and don’t speak. That’s every episode of Animal Planet’s new show, Cat vs. Dog, where cat whisperer Jackson Galaxy and dog trainer Zoe Sandor help a household with interspecies fur children become one big happy family—or at least attempt to.

Hear ye, hear ye: The Crown season 2 is now available on Netflix. While the world was caught up with royal engagement fever, you probably forgot that the period drama was returning for another ten episodes. Here’s what you need to remember from season 1 and what we can expect from season 2 (spoilers ahead, but not really because it’s based on true events, you know?).

Anybody who says they enjoy flying just hasn’t flown enough. There aren’t enough audiobooks and podcasts in the world to make waiting at a crowded gate for a delayed flight with a 10-percent battery feel like a good time. But what does go a long way in making a miserable airport experience a, well… less miserable airport experience are modern amenities— everything from free wifi to creepily accurate wait time trackers.

These plants will be everywhere in 2018, according to Pinterest.

While the frenzy around it has cooled slightly, we are still very much living in The Golden Age of Television, aka Peak TV. And while I look forward to telling my robot grandchildren that I lived through the years when they put The Good Place on air, there is a downside to living in such a content-rich time, and that is having to say goodbye to some of our favorite (and not so favorite) shows.

Great Britain (and the rest of the world, for that matter) can’t wait to hear wedding bells for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. And as expected, the couple, who started dating back in July of 2016, have already set the wedding industry afire with predictions for what their royal celebration will include. But there are some details we know are already nailed down (including the just announced date!): His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales and Ms. Meghan Markle will marry on 19th May 2018.

Netflix quietly handed us all another gift in the form of Christmas Inheritance, their latest original holiday movie, starring Eliza Taylor (The 100) and Jake Lacy (Carol, Obvious Child). If you were pleasantly surprised by last month’s so-bad-it’s-good A Christmas Prince, you might be able to get into the spirit of Inheritance. Taylor plays Ellen Langford, the daughter of a wealthy retail owner (What do they sell? Gifts. There’s no need to be any more specific than that).

People have tried to decipher what our dreams mean since the beginning of time, and now, researchers are taking a look at why we have them. A new study published last month takes a look at one particularly stressful dream pattern: the recurring nightmare. Occasional bad dreams are one thing, but recurring nightmares can signal something else, according to a study published in the journal Motivation and Emotion.

Now is the time when year-end book lists abound, hardcovers are gifted at family holidays, and your favorite writer announces that they’ve got something in store for 2018. But even if it feels like there are too many books and never enough time, that could actually be a good thing. “Antilibraries”, those collections of books we own but never get to, can keep us intellectually curious and humble.

I want to read more. I really do. But it’s easy to let myself off the hook, with all the responsibilities that come from having a gaggle of young children, a house to care for and work to do. But I also know that reading — good, solid, offline reading — adds a dimension to our lives that only books (or e-books) can offer. Let’s determine to find a way to make more time for them in the coming year.

“Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems, in a place that perhaps you’ve seen in your dreams,” opens the 1993 classic The Nightmare Before Christmas. Going opening night as a kid felt like a dream; seeing it at 10pm and getting the Kids’ Combo blurred reality’s edges in the best sugar high, up past my bedtime kind of way. For some people, Die Hard is their edgy holiday movie.

After overindulging at a networking event in November (who thought it was a good idea to slip me those extra beer tickets?), I decided to swear off drinking until my birthday in January. It wasn’t until I posted my promise on Facebook that I realized I’d instated my ban in what is perhaps the booziest time of the year: the holiday season. Rather than deleting my post and giving up, I decided to go for it anyway.

Whether you’ve recently kickstarted a new workout plan for the New Year, you’re trying to exercise more, or you’re just trying to keep up with your current habits, one thing is certain: you cannot forget about recovery. In fact, physical therapist David Jou and co-owner of MOTIVNY, says that recovery is just as important as the exercise itself. A good way to get started is by being more aware of your body, your muscles, and how everything works together when you work out.

Don't let crowded gyms deter you from fitting in a workout.

Hello stranger! It’s time for another installment of Beauty Bucket List, a series in which we roll up our sleeves to do some hard and fast testing of cult beauty products, because just hearing about how great something is isn’t good enough for us.

Ever heard that it takes 21 days to form a habit? Turns out, it may require longer than just three weeks for your New Year’s resolution to become second nature. New research shows that it takes 66 days on average to form a habit — busting the old 21-day myth.

Everyone seems to be talking about “kids these days” and their addiction to technology. Yet, where’s the accountability for adults? With many of us checking our phones up to 85 times a day, it feels like we could all use a bit of an intervention. So this is exactly what I decided to do. I vowed to give up my phone for a week with just three simple rules: 1. No cell phone or social media for a week in any way. 2. No cheating. 3. Seriously, no cheating.

Like many people, I fell down a Wikipedia rabbit hole while watching The Crown. So what’s a history nerd to do? Pull together a chronological watch list to help sort out the history of the monarchy in dramatic order, naturally. As a lover of costume dramas, I was well versed in period films and TV series depicting the British royal family long before Claire Foy and Matt Smith captivated the world with their performances as the young Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in The Crown.

Amazon’s new original series darling, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, just took home two Golden Globes, and this weekend, you can watch the accoladed series for free – with our without an Amazon Prime membership. Per the retail and streaming giant, anyone can watch the series at no cost starting this Friday at 12:01 a.m. local time, right up until 11:59 p.m. local time Monday.

The show that just took home the Golden Globe for Best Drama TV Series doesn’t come back until April, but Hulu recently dropped a teaser trailer for season two of The Handmaid’s Tale. Here’s a breakdown of what might be to come for Offred and company in season two, based on a cruel, less-than-90-seconds of footage. As is to be expected, below are spoilers for season one.

There’s nothing worse for a bookworm than hearing about a must-read debut, only to find you’re the 105th person on the waitlist at your local library. In the interest of keeping you, and your bookshelves, ahead of the curve, we’ve outlined some of 2018’s most-anticipated releases and debut authors so you can start requesting your holds now.

It’s almost time for mid-season replacements, that wonderful time of year when all the second-string sitcoms sub in for the ones that got cancelled already. Over at ABC, they’re taking a chance on Alex, Inc., a show based on a podcast. The whole thing may sound very meta, but get used to the small screen borrowing from its increasingly popular audible cousin. After all, 2 Dope Queens just landed a series of HBO specials. Alex, Inc.

Even the most focused and organized people let their resolutions slip—it’s so common that a “holiday” has even been invented to let people ditch their resolutions without shame. But we want to challenge you to try something else: Restart Your Resolution Day. Now that you’re back in a normal routine, revisit that goal that’s starting to make you feel guilty and recommit.

Whether you live in an area that’s prone to thunderstorms, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, or any other number of natural disasters, if the power goes out, we all have the same questions: How long can we still eat the food in the refrigerator or freezer, and what should we keep or pitch after the power comes back on? Here’s a guide to help you both monitor and know what to do with food when there’s no electricity.

Whether you call them your besties, squad, or BFFs, they’re your closest friends and you love them more than anything. And just like anyone you truly adore, it’s only natural to want to spoil your squad on Galentine’s Day. However, sometimes, okay most of the time, our budgets aren’t nearly half as big as our hearts — and squads. And because you might have a bunch of gals to buy for (lucky you!

Sorry, creepers: Instagram is once again “borrowing” a feature from Snapchat. The photo app is reportedly testing a screenshot alert notification for Stories, so you can no longer save photos undetected. The feature was reported yesterday by TechCrunch when people took to social media to share the new feature. Good bye freedom to screenshot IG stories. ? Thank you, Instagram for the warning. pic.twitter.

It’s a brutal winter. The world outside can be a horrible place. Can you blame anyone for wanting to cancel their plans, stay in, sleep late and watch TV all weekend? It’s self care, after all, and we can all get behind that. I mean, it feels good to get cozy and binge on, well, pretty much any shows out right now. And who among us doesn’t need some more shut-eye?

Let’s preface this by stating clearly that there is absolutely nothing wrong with sex or TV. They’re both fantastic when enjoyed with a loving partner (or by yourself). But whether your relationship is brand new or you’ve been together so long you’re inadvertently starting to dress the same, building intimacy as a couple is important. And real intimacy, well, that can sometimes take more than just a little Netflix and chill.

Are you a card-carrying member of Exfoliation Nation? Then you need to know about the Italy Towel, a sandpaper-esque mitt worshipped by skincare fanatics. If you’re one for falling down the rabbit hole that is internet skincare sites — Reddit’s Skincare Addiction is a personal fave — then you may have seen the abrasive and (often) electric green-colored towel before.