Panera Bread

Confession time, I'm a Panera Bread addict. I eat lunch there almost every day. There are several reasons for my habit. I work from home, alone most of the day, so I need a break and a little interaction. Lunch at Panera has become my go-to reason for getting dressed (I have been known to work in my yoga pants and t-shirt through dinner) and getting out even if it's for an hour. I'm also an iced tea fanatic and Panera makes the BEST iced tea around--no sugar, lots of lemon please. Refilling my large cup on the way out takes me through the rest of my day. Plus, Panera's food is good. The portions are fair, the food is well made and I like the choices even if I get the same thing every day.

But the real reason I like Panera so much is the excellent service. They have the nicest employees anywhere. They're friendly, helpful and remember your name and order. They always have a nice comment and seem to really enjoy doing their job. It's obvious that the company has an excellent training program and good management--they've found their niche and they fill it well. Great job! 

Heather at Dolce Vita Hair Salon

I have had more bad haircuts than I can count. One dismal experience after another with stylists who didn't listen to me and cut deep layers in my hair (why do they always do that?!) or cut too much or cut unevenly. You know exactly what I mean when I remind you of that horrible sinking feeling you have when you leave the salon feeling unattractive and ripped off yet again.

So, it's with profound happiness I report that I just had my third appointment at Dolce Vita Hair Salon and I'm pleased, so pleased! My stylist is the salon owner, Heather (in the interest of disclosure she is an advertiser of the magazine). Heather is a sweet as can be, with a personality that is perfect for the job. She's calm, personable and an interesting conversationalist. And, boy can she do her job! 

I have fine, limp hair that needs special care. Heather has been helping me move it along from a short cut to a shoulder length layered one step by step. She's clearly listening to me and it's nice to have "in between" hair that looks good. A huge bonus: Heather is an expert colorist. I have no idea what the term is for how she colors my hair but she blends several rich brown shades to create a weave of color that looks natural and shiny without that highlighted look that seems dated. 

I want to mention that the customer service at the salon is excellent. Doug manages the salon and is very thorough and competent. He calls you the day before to remind you of the appointment, is sure to offer you a cold drink when you're in the chair and generally caters to your needs in a quiet, relaxing way. The salon is simple and comfortable and conveniently located in the KMart shopping center on 41.

You can reach Heather at 659-0600. Tell her Andrea sent you.

It's a new theme!

I've been thinking a lot about this blog and how it can best serve the community. After having a terrific experience recently with a local business owner (read about that experience in the next blog entry!) I realized that one way I can do that is to share good news with readers. There are some really terrific businesses and organizations in this area and they deserve to be publicized and thanked. I hope you'll join me and add your thoughts. Tell us about the coffeehouse barista who made your day a little better, the teacher who touched your child's life, the neighbor who mowed your lawn when you were sick. Let's share the news with each other about all the gracious, special people who live in this area. We all could use a little good news and it's just plain nice to thank people.

It's almost over...

The election is tomorrow and whichever "side" you are on I hope you will get out and vote if you haven't already. It's a little distressing to me that it's been so difficult for Floridians to vote and I hope that there will be a lot of talk after the election about fixing a system that requires people to stand for hours in line. There are elderly people who don't have the physical strength to do that, college students who don't have flexible transportation and plenty of working folks who simply can't give up 2-6 hours of work to wait their turn. I heard someone call the waiting a "poll tax" and I have to agree with them--it just shouldn't be this difficult. Hopefully, tomorrow will go smoothly for those who haven't yet voted. And, come Wednesday, the election ads will be off the air!

Halloween

Last night we spent a few hours at King Richard's passing out treats. It was a great event, well organized and with smiling children and enthusiastic vendors. Tonight it's Spooktacular at Fleischmann Park--more treats and fun. I have to admit I'm not the biggest Halloween fan but it is fun to see the children dressed up and the parents are always so nice (and happy to grab the newest issue of the magazine). For some reason, the kids we meet at these events are more polite (very few grab handfuls of candy!) and happy so it's quite enjoyable.

My neighborhood is one where tons of kids come to trick or treat and after years of kids grabbing the candy and bolting without even a thank you, these events are a pleasant change.

Be safe tonight and have a blast however you celebrate!

Coupons everywhere

If you've been wandering around our home page at swflfamily.com you may have clicked on the coupons tab. Until now, you've found a "coming soon" banner. But click again! You'll now find dozens of coupons from our advertisers offering all kids of special deals. Who doesn't want to save a few dollars these days? All you need to do is click the coupon you're interested in and a large, printable coupon appears. Check back often for updates and please, be sure to let the advertiser know that you will be using one the of the coupons when you call to book your appointment.

If you're a business owner who wants to get in on the coupon fun here at swflfamily.com, give us a call at 514-0338 and we'll tell you how easy it is to do.

Cleaning up after the storm

There's always a moment right after I finish up each issue (usually when I've completed proofing and hit the "send" button that gives the printer the go ahead) when I look around the office and realized I've created a disaster area once again. I spend the week of layout running around in a daze throwing papers, not refiling and generally making a big, old mess. And then reckoning day comes--I have to put all this crap away! 

I'm not a naturally neat person but I do like things very neat and organized so it's a struggle. I've found the answer in the rest of my house to be decluttering and simple routine. I've made a concentrated effort to declutter every area of my home following the advice of William Morris to "have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

It's worked pretty well everywhere BUT my office. No matter how many times I declutter I find more. No matter how many times I file, the stacks remain. No matter how many issues I get to press, I face the same mess after I get done. 

Maybe it's time for either a) a professional organizer to set me on a different path in my office or b) simply accepting that this is the way it's going to be and letting go of the need to be different.

I'm cleaning up the mess and then I'll decide!

Off to press!

The November issue is gone and I have time to rest a bit and catch up with email and return calls. We have a busy week coming up several Halloween events. First up, "Boo at the Zoo" on Saturday from 3-7pm. On Thursday, we'll be at King Richard's for their celebration and on Friday, we'll be at Fleischmann Park for the Spooktacular. I just got new Halloween tattoos in so be sure to stop by to see us if you attend any of the events.

Back to Work

I'm back from DC and back to work on the November issue. The trip was wonderful, a perfect 4 days of conversation with Alex, walking throughout DC, meeting the pandas at the National Zoo and poignant visits to the Vietnam Memorial and Holocaust Museum. It's fun to see Alex in her element--she lives in a vibrant, busy neighborhood with shops, restaurants and lots of action and everything is within walking distance. Fun and relaxation, the perfect vacation!

Now it's back to work on the November issue. This issue features some serious topics--homelessness in Collier County and foster care and adoption. Our annual Tutoring Directory will also be in this issue. There are also tons of calendar events coming in for the month.

"Deadline week" is always busy with layout, last minute ad insertions and editing but it's also the most enjoyable part of the magazine process for me. When the pace is busy but not too crazy, time flies and I feel the most creative.

She's my grown up baby and best friend

When my daughter was little I truly couldn't imagine the day when she'd be "all grown up" and gone from the house. I realized fairly quickly that the process of college was invented to give parents enough time to let go. By the time my daughter Alex was a senior in college, I was good to go and ready for the empty house and holidays spent elsewhere. She spent the next year traveling and popped in occasionally for weeks at a time. During her first year of law school at UF, she came home with some regularity. Now she's in her second year of law school in Washington DC and I can see how our relationship has moved to a completely new level. And it's a very nice feeling.

I'm heading up to visit her for a long weekend in a few hours and it's a unique feeling to be going to her home (granted it's a DC studio the size of a large Naples closet but it's HERS). I'm promising myself not to rearrange anything or even clean up. I'm going to be her guest and enjoy every minute of it!

I'm remembering those days when I worried about what it would be like to not have her living at home and smile. This is every bit as good as the first day of Kindergarten or watching her dance recitals. It's the warm, happy feeling of knowing your job is done and it was done well. I have an incredible daughter who is now my best friend. I also have a free place to stay right in the heart if DC! Life is good.

Welcome to swflfamily.com

If you're reading this you've obviously found swflfamily.com. Welcome! This is the online home of Neapolitan Family Magazine and I hope you will check in with us regularly. 

As I was traveling through the process of setting this website up, I asked myself who I was directing this website towards. I felt from day one of the magazine that our average reader is a bit different than the audience of many similar publications. For one, we have a high percentage of dads reading--in our last survey it was almost 30% of our readership. Our readers are also quite educated and most of the women reading the magazine have been in the professional world at some point even if they have chosen to step out to be stay at home moms. 

The result is that we've created a site that isn't pink and blue and cutesy because I really don't think that's what our average reader wants. You're busy, I know that, so swflfamily.com offers useful, relevant information and features for our readers in an organized, sophisticated design. You can log on and check out the calendar, flip through the current issue of the magazine or list a few items for sale quickly. 

Hang in there with us as we add functionality to all the different areas, it may take a week or two to finish up but we're working on it as quickly as we can.

I'm hoping the site meet your expectations. Please, send me your feedback and let me know what you'd like to see incorporated. Thank you.