Since decorating mistakes can be very costly and time consuming, I always urge my clients to do their homework before undertaking any redecorating project. What kind of homework?  A good way to begin is to flip through design and decorating magazines, and visit websites dedicated to interior décor. Start collecting pictures of various design products and styles that appeal to you and you can visualize as your own.  Once you start identifying colors, designs, and various furnishings that illustrate your dream room, ...

Dear Dr. Linda, In one of your recent columns a parent asked if his son should attend the school’s summer reading program. The father didn’t want him to go because the father had had a bad experience with a summer reading program when he was a kid. Here’s my question. My daughter’s school is providing a summer reading program and her teacher recommends that she attend because it follows a multisensory Orton-Gillingham approach. I don’t know if I should send her because I don’t know what that means. What ...

Dana Stahl, a learning specialist and educational consultant, will address educational questions and concerns that parents may have regarding their children’s academic development and progress in school. Topics can center on such concerns as how to handle homework dilemmas or what questions to ask at a CSE meeting. Questions can range from “How best do parents advocate for their children?” to “How do parents interpret formal tests that have been administered?” to “Which schools and colleges are right for my ...

2 Hollowbrook Place, Cortlandt $550,000.00 This unique 3 family home boasts tremendous curb appeal with a stone and brick exterior. Each unit offers 2 spacious bedrooms, 1 updated full bath, updated kitchens, separate entrances and separate patios. Two of the three units have beautiful brick and stone fireplaces that create a warm and cozy atmosphere in the living rooms. There is plenty of backyard space for tenants to use and ample parking via 1 car attached garage, driveway, gravel parking lot on side of house. Additional unit used ...

I winced as we sat in the audience of an experimental music concert played by a string quartet. Calling it music was being generous. It was more like the sound of a subway car screeching on the tracks, mixed with nails on a chalkboard, and choruses of crying babies on an airplane. “I don't get it,” I whispered to my husband as the quartet tweaked their instruments so violently that strings began to break loose and fly up in the players' faces. “Experimental music is about seeing how far the players can push ...

I’ve never gone on a cruise before because I’ve had recurring nightmares about all the things that could go wrong. In one nightmare I board the ship, and notice that the other passengers are wearing legionnaire’s hats, there are legions of them and they all have runny noses and a persistent cough. In another, the captain announces that we’ll be experiencing some rough weather due to the confluence of a hurricane, monsoon and tornado occurring directly above the ship. In a third, I am singled out of the audience during ...

We spend so much time teaching our children not to bully one another and not to gossip, but all too often adults don’t practice what they preach, especially given the often toxic and viral nature of social media. Given the series of events last week regarding a disputed story involving the Somers girls and Yorktown boys lacrosse players, it seems that Somers school administrators were bullied into making premature statements. Many people are so quick to judge—and to judge publicly—without any deference to due process ...

I am a cat woman. The cleverness, independence and fastidiousness of cats are a reflection of how I see myself... only they do it better. Aside from the first year of our marriage, when we had Fruitcake, a really nutty rabbit, my husband and I always shared our home with dogs and cats.  Dogs are great. They give you unconditional love no matter how you treat them and never question your authority. Cats are different. They make their needs and desires very well known and, if you thwart them, walk haughtily away making it clear that ...

It wasn’t too long ago that Gus, my Florida wellness dog, crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Our hearts were broken. This gentle and kind boy left a huge void and is missed by all, especially Doak, the black Lab who was Gus’s best buddy since he was eight weeks old. Matt and Helen knew that they would lovingly bring another golden retriever into the family, but not right now—it was too soon. However, as my mother used to say: “Man proposes and God disposes.” And God did His thing. A few weeks ago, Matt called me ...