Back-to-school season is upon us and many kids have already graced their school halls looking for the new trends.

I don’t have kids - but it wasn’t so long ago I was preparing for the big day. If you think about it, I sort of always still am! Sears has a fabulous collection of crushable styles for back-to-school, and put together a special prize package just for MY readers.

Check it out…it’s pretty awesome even if you aren’t around any students!

Back-to-School Crush Kit includes:
$175 Sears Gift Card
One of the hottest trends for fall the Bongo Power Skinny Denim Jeggings — $19.99
The cool new cat on the scene: Rebecca Bonbon Girl’s Paw Print Umbrella — $5.99 and Rebecca Bonbon Sequin Tote — $19.99
And the opportunity to rock the military trend with the Bailey Blue Junior’s Military Strapless Ponte Dress — $29.99

The total prize package is over $250!

To have your chance to win - please TWEET me your best OR worst back-to-school memory, at @alywalansky. Good luck!!! Deadline to enter is September 10.

NYFW is just days away — and I have tons of exciting (re: exhausting) coverage planned — but perhaps the pinnacle of the week will occur during Fashion’s Night Out.

The second annual shopping event, created largely by the queen of the fashion world (Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour) is meant to fuel retail traffic in stores during the height of the fall shopping season, and is basically a glorified coming out party for the entire fashion world. Everyone is in town this week, and while focused on NY, will this year be global, with nearly 1,000 retailers, designers, beauty brands and celebrities offering special events or discounts. Events are also planned in Australia, China, Greece, India, Russia and Turkey, among other countries.

However, the center of it all is Fashion’s Night Out in NYC - and that’s where you will find me!

I’ve gotten an EXCLUSIVE breed of access that evening — I’m going to hang with the absolute brilliant, amazing Lori Goldstein as she does her LOGO live pop-up shop for QVC, live from Rockefeller center! It’s the biggest night of the biggest week in fashion, in the center of all the activity - so be sure to watch!!!!

I’ll post more info on times, etc, of where to follow me throughout the night — but please mark your calendars!

Hi everyone!

I had a super-exciting morning: I headed out in the wee hours of the morning to Philadelphia, PA, to appear live on FOX’s Good Day Philadelphia, to chat about my picks for great ways to relax and recharge while traveling.

Pictured here is me with FOX producer Jennaphr Frederick, and the star of my segment, the totally awesome Acushakti mat.

Honestly, I didn’t expect to dig the Acushakti Mat when I first saw it — it’s sort of scary looking.   But its press notes promised to relieve me from stress, back pain, neck pain and insomnia while boosting metabolism. These are all things I desperately need!

So, I gave it a try and prepared to settle down onto its hundreds of pressure points or “flowers” — it’s based on the concept of acupressure, and  the pressure points stimulate acupressure points, which increase blood flow and release the ‘feel-good’ hormones oxycotin and endorphin. (That’s those sex hormones!)

So, imagine my shock when I realize it’s actually pretty pleasurable — to lie down on, but also to sit on — my fave is to roll it up under my neck. And it’s also incredibly travel friendly, which made it a great central focus for my travel-friendly segment today.

Other items I included were Dream Water, Relaxation tea, and a fabulous lavender-filled pillow. The clip to the segment is coming soon — I’ll post when I get it!

I’m going to be doing a segment tomorrow morning at 8 am on the Philadelphia FOX affiliate about ways to relax and recharge when traveling. Tomorrow, I’ll post about what those ways are — but you’ll have to watch that segment (at 8 am EST!) in order to get a sneak peek!

But there’s a lot of aspects to consider when traveling. The number of smart phone applications on the market is an incomprehensible number to download. Family reunions and quick getaways have become a Labor Day tradition for most people, but which apps work best for taking holiday trips? Grip’d.com, the company that develops Web and iPhone applications nationwide, spent several months testing various apps on each platform to see which ones make Gripd.com’s top five travel apps.

If you have an iPhone, Blackberry or Android phone, here’s a quick rundown of the best 5 travel apps:

Weatherbug – The simplicity of Apple’s Weather app, but with a few extras for your phone. It’s the largest network of professional weather stations in the US and is the only source for truly live, local weather (as taken from their site).

BePut - enables users to share their whereabouts with people they want to find them. Users simply use the application to locate their exact position and with a touch of a button, have the opportunity to send an email or text message to the desired recipient with their exact location. The recipient gets a special FindMe Key which is secure. The only guaranteed way to not get lost.

Car Care & Roadside Emergencies - I don’t know about you, but I absolutely hate it when things don’t go according to the plan. You have this important presentation, and you end up with a flat tire in an express way. Or maybe you are trying to get home from a concert, and your car doesn’t start up. These situations happen all the time, and they usually tend to happen when you expect them the least. Now some of us have a knack for breaking and fixing things as far as cars are concerned.

Waze - Waze is a social mobile application that enables drivers to build and use real-time road intelligence. The service includes constantly-updated road maps, alerts on traffic and accidents, and data providing users with the fastest route to get to wherever they need to go. Map and traffic updates are automatically collected and generated as users drive with Waze activated, but drivers can also actively report and update other users with what’s happening on the road.

Shazam – In the car for hours and can’t figure out the song playing on the radio? When you hear a song and wonder what it is, Shazam is there with the answer. Hold your iPhone to the music and within seconds Shazam will tell you the artist and track name. You can even download the song through iTunes on your iPhone.

It’s a proud day!

http://www.starmagazine.com/hot_sheet/

It’s crossed my mind that perhaps, while running around like a crazy person, I should be making a workout out of it.

Not that I am, generally, one to work out. However, New Balance’s new 1010 toning sneakers are on my feet, and I’m kind of liking it.

I would be fibbing if I told you I completely understand the science behind it, but the professionals tell me its root is True Balance breakthrough balance board technology that offers stylish comfort with enhanced muscle toning and calorie burning while you walk.

That all sounds good to me. I can tell you, from my perspective, it’s lightweight, cute, and makes me feel like I’m being healthy, even while I’m actually doing nothing special. That, too, I like! I also like that they are comfortable and burn calories as I walk. Now, If I am wearing them while walking to the taco truck? Probably won’t really do much. But it will be better than if I wasn’t!

Because shoes that fit better perform better. New Balance  is the only major athletic shoe company in the world that builds a complete line of shoes in a full range of widths, from AA to EEEE. And they come in cute shades, too!

I’m giving away two pairs of the New Balance 1100 Toning Shoes. To have your chance to win, comment on any two entries below, and then comment here telling me how you fit wellness into your everyday. Deadline to enter is Sept 1st! Good luck!

I know that sometimes I get a little “me-centric” — but really, guys, it’s MY BLOG. It’s sort of like my job to be that way.

However, I’m involved in a project now that has helped me to see the bigger picture in life, and reflect a little on how I got where I am — and where I want to go next. It’s made me humbled, for sure, and very grateful as well.

For over 30 years Jones New York has been reaching out to women, helping them to achieve their goals, and this season, they launched their fall campaign entitled “Empowering Your Confidence.”

Shot by mega-famous Annie Leibovitz, and styled by Lori Goldstein, the JNY fall campaign highlights accessible luxury for the modern, professional woman. Jessica Stam, Hilary Rhoda and Du Juan, are just some of the faces that helped to bring these striking shots to life against the iconic backdrop of Grand Central Station.

The “Empowering Your Confidence” campaign is influenced by “A Woman’s Nation” (http://www.awomansnation.com/), a crucial part of the Shriver Report that highlights the growth and influence of women in the home, at work and all around the world.

In the campaign, Jones is celebrating female empowerment, not only through fashion, but by also offering advice, tips and inspirational quotes via “The Little Black Book”, a digital collection of accomplished female professionals such as Bobbi Brown, Ariana Huffington, Ellen Gustafson,  Ivanka Trump, sharing their collective wisdoms with women everywhere.It also includes an Empowerment Journal contributed to by ME.

Check it out here: http://www.jny.com/Empowerment/CAREER-JOURNAL,default,pg.htm

Today, August 20th,  marks National Lemonade Day, and being that Sweet Leaf Tea (www.sweetleaftea.com) offers a delicious lemonade beverage, what better time to do a giveaway???

I believe in the spirit of celebration.

There is never a bad time to enjoy a nice glass of delicious and refreshing, homemade lemonade. For centuries lemonade has been an American drink of choice for the summer, so it is no wonder that this tasty beverage would be celebrated in the last few weeks of the season. While there are countless lemonade recipes to choose from, Sweet Leaf Tea suggests toasting to this day, and cool thirst quencher, with the following fun recipes:

Strawberry Lemonade Chiller (nonalcoholic):

- 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries

- 1 cup of ice

- 1 bottle of Sweet Leaf Tea Organic Original Lemonade

Cut strawberries into pieces. Combine lemonade and strawberries in a blender and blend until most of the pieces have been liquefied. Add ice and blend to your liking. For an extra kick, top the drink off with a sprig of mint.

Ginger Shandy (alcoholic or nonalcoholic):

- 1 bottle of ginger beer

- 1/2 a cup of gin

- 1 cup of Sweet Leaf Tea Organic Original Lemonade

Mix ingredients and serve chilled in a pint glass. Garnish beverage with a slice of lemon. For the nonalcoholic version mix all ingredients except the gin.

While either of these are sure to elicit a satisfying “ahhhh” upon first sip, for those who may not have the time to mix their own beverage the Sweet Leaf Tea Organic Original Lemonade makes for a great way to enjoy National Lemonade Day all its own. Made with organic lemons and the best organic cane sugar, this zesty drink is just the right amount of fresh and sweet to make for an unmistakable instant classic.

To help you celebrate, TWO readers will each win a case of Sweet Tea Lemonade! To have your chance to win, please share your favorite refreshing Lemonade memory. Deadline to enter is September 1. Good luck!