201 Magazine and Bergen.com hosted its annual Best of Bergen party at Bergen County’s very own swanky Brick House in Wyckoff last night. 

Grape martinis, live music and tasty food and treats made for a fun cocktail party atmosphere.  The downstairs wine and cigar bar was open to the guests who made their way there after enjoying mingling, chatting, eating, drinking and wheeling and dealing upstairs.

Attendance was brimming with the who’s who on everyone’s list.  So many there, too many to list all, but some of the folks worth mentioning included Angela Thomas of Prana Marketing and her husband Juan German.  Tenafly’s lovely Katherine Cousineau was as fashionable as ever.  Tammy Mager and Alpine’s Amber Sabathia had loads of fun staying almost until the party’s end. 

MarbleJam Kids’ Anna Villa-Bager and Sarah Melone were in the house talkin’ up their plans for their upcoming annual fundraiser “Dancing with the Stars for Autism” at The Estate at Florentine Gardens. Voted “Best Pub Grub’s” Luke and Rose Farrelly of Westwood’s P.J Finnigans had a good time meeting other Best of Bergen winners.

Neiman Marcus’s public relations guru Lynne Vreeland graced the party and Iwona Niemiec, Neiman Marcus’ Last Call General Manager partied in her fantastic electric blue J Brand jeans.

The Best of Bergen is always a great reference list of the hottest, coolest places to go, things to experience and places to shop in the county.  Using the list as a guide of things to do for the 2012 will certainly make your year rich, full and entertaining.

It is hard to imagine, but there is a little less than a month before school starts.

The summer has flown by.  Camp, play dates, family vacations, staycations and backyard barbecues are about to give way to the fall rush of a new school year ahead.

I was once told that when one begins to tell time through others’ experiences, it always goes faster.

This is it.

All indicators are clearly pointing to the year’s end.

The temperature has changed.  The nights are slightly cooler.

The countdown to Halloween has begun.  Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday plans are made.

I’ve started to wonder what it is about our lives here in Bergen County that keeps us so busy that time flies by this way.

I have friends in other parts of the country and other parts of the world.  While certainly busy, their lives seem much less complicated, much less “busy with stuff.”

How is it that almost every weekend through November is booked?

Think about it.  Talk about it.  Be real.

Khloe Bistrot in Fort Lee is fun.

Simply put, the food is beyond tasty. The atmosphere is quite sophisticated in a cool yet youthful way.

Felix (and Nina) - partners in the restaurant have done what was otherwise thought impossible.

They have brought a bit of New York City cool to Bergen County.

It’s so sweet that the BYOB aspect isn’t even bothersome.

After enjoying lunch with some girlfriends last week, I had to return with my husband Saturday evening for a quick bite.

My husband is usually cautious about my new “loves,” but, in this case, how can he deem me wrong when to celebrate a patron’s birthday, “In Da Club” by 50 Cent was played?

The only thing that could make Khloe Bistrot better is if it did become a club, well, more like a lounge at 11pm.

Try it.

I took a NJ Transit Bus home from New York City today.

I have never really been a long term bus rider.  I have always lived in cities where the subway was the way to travel or a car was my preferred choice of transportation.

It has been so long since I have been on public transportation that I realized there are a lot of things that I just don’t see while driving.

As a passenger today, I learned that the NJ Turnpike is vast and full open expanses of land, while also housing many groups of shopping complexes and big industrial companies.  I am sure I’ve seen it all before but not from a bus window.

This is not to say that I don’t look around at all while I am driving.  I do have 3 kids.  I do listen to NPR.  I am engaged in my ride to the extent that I pay attention to traffic, my kids and the radio.

Life as a passenger offers such a different way to enjoy time. 

Although, it was nice to have time to think about not having to think today; I realized I prefer being in the driving seat.

Think about it.  Talk about it.  Be real.

I have often wondered exactly what it is that gives people a sense of entitlement?

There have been a lot of theories about politicians, people in high ranking executive jobs, the wealthy and adults who were spoiled as children, but, it still seems odd to me.

During the last month alone we have witnessed public debacles about Gov. Rod Blagojovich’s guilty conviction, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s love child with his mistress the maid and Anthony Weiner’s obsession with sexting.

Most of these men admitted no wrong doing for a long period of time. During their great attempts to get their acting chops skilled, they each seemed so lost during their attempts.

All the while, their sense of entitlements carrying through their fallacies.

While I don’t know of any stories like these in Bergen County, I feel like I meet people who carry a sense of entitlement all of the time.

I wonder if it an insecurity cast that they wear as a shield or a sheer belief that they are infallible.

The politicians end up caught, doing time in jail or visiting a facility for therapy.

What about entitlement therapy?

Think about it. Talk about it. Be real.

Last year I had the good fortune of working with a company that had an office in London.

I loved speaking with the English staff. Their use of language was so beautiful, infectious and even contagious.

After some time, I found myself saying things like whilst, keen and spot on. Most friends just snickered at me but one close friend called me out on my nonsense and told me flat out that I had to stop immediately.

In fact, she told me I was acting like Madonna.

Whilst funny, the lesson was not lost in the humor of the circumstance.

I, in child-like fashion, was becoming infatuated with my peers and found happiness in mimicking their likeness.

So, today when my son decided to copy his sister’s inappropriate behavior, I spoke to him calmly and explained that I understood his behavior but that it would have to stop.

I had just seen a clip of Madonna on a gossip television show, heard her speak and remembered last year’s events.

While I couldn’t compare him to Madonna, I could compare him to “Cat in the Hat” and he got that.

Think about it. Talk about it. Be real.

There was a story that hit the media a while back that talked about Manhattan Mommies enjoying a drink or two while lunching with their tots.

I have often wondered about this.

It sounds like fun to me. Why not? There is relatively little danger posed to the children or Moms.

Most Manhattan Mommies are walking or taking cabs so there is no driving involved.

How does one drink at lunch differ that much from one drink at dinner?

My experience tells me there is a slightly different culture here in Bergen County.

I don’t really see Mommies with babes sipping on the syrup at local restaurants at the lunch hour, but, maybe the drinks at noon are being thrown back at people’s homes? Not so much.

While the Mommies in the article were pretty much vilified; I have wondered since why I wasn’t so bothered by it.

Is it my own love of a good glass of wine (at the right time of course)?

I am not sure; but, I’ll tell you this - I do have random moments every few months where I dream of a playdate for Mommy.

Think about it. Talk about it. Be real.

Bergen Mama hosted a fashion show to benefit the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation last week.

It was a nice event held in a tent in the parking lot area by Bennett Studios in Englewood.

Bergen County’s finest women made an appearance to support the cause and watch tiny tots strut the runway.

The kids wore clothes from stores such as Marcia’s Attic for Kids and Pumpkin and Bean.

Two of my three kids participated.  It was an easy example to use to teach them the benefits of lending their time to a charity to give back to those in need.

Bergen Mama did a great job and helped facilitate a nice lesson for a great cause.

Think about it.  Talk about it.  Be real.

I was first introduced to cake pops by local baking star Darlene Cherry-Sand from Cherry’s Pies.

She made a delicious collection for my family and friends to enjoy at a party for my youngest daughter earlier this year.

It was a great moment for me who traditionally selects salty over sweet except for a serious affinity for munchkins and cinnamon dusted treats.

A cake pop, in case you don’t know yet, is a small piece of dense cake with icing on stick.  Kinda like a cake lollipop.

Anyway, I recently heard that Blake Lively enjoyed making cake pops for her cast mates while filming Green Lantern.

Somehow Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds eating cake pops together makes both the treats more tasty and my friends in my head better friends.

Cake pops for pop stars makes me more like them and them more like me.  Shame.

Think about it.  Talk about it.  Be real.

Summertime brings about bountiful sunshine, water sprouting from lawn sprinklers, and kids running free at local parks all day.

It also brings out the worst in fashion.

Warm weather, less clothes, more skin and inappropriate outfits.

The last two weeks in Bergen County have been filled with all of the dance schools year-end performances.

Every school takes a day or two to show off their students newly acquired talents.

Parents and family show up to support their children.

This year at my daughter’s show there was a Mom who appeared as if she was auditioning for the “Housewives of Beverly Hills”. She had on the shortest dress imaginable, the highest wedge heels, and the hottest pink lips on at 9am. It was shocking, Parents and kids alike starred. It made me wonder…

She is allowed to wear anything that she wants, but, what is appropriate and what is purely a fashion faux pas when dressing for a children’s event?

Think about it. Talk about it. Be real.