Every year on the Monday following the switch to Daylight Savings Time, we celebrate National Napping Day. Well, I do anyway. It makes sense to nap after the Spring Forward adjustment so you can  make up for that lost hour of sleep. The largely unknown holiday was dreamed up by Boston University Professor William Anthony and his wife to illustrate the benefits of napping. The Anthonys have hard evidence to back up their claim that Naps Are Good - so good, in fact, that napping shouldn't be reserved for just one day a year.

After conducting exhaustive (pun intended) research, their team proved that a short sleep enhances both mood and performance and helps carry you through the rest of the day. Sleep-deprived people perform routine and repetitive tasks pretty well, but most of us need a few midday winks to keep our creativity and our critical thinking skills at morning levels.

Mid-afternoon naps have been part of human culture for thousands of years - even during the workday. But what if your boss isn't the type to let you sleep on the job? Show them this article from Entrepreneur Magazine saying leaders should embrace on-the-clock napping. The article points out that besides productivity gains, a twenty minute nap makes employees less irritable, which makes them easier to work with.

There are SO many reasons to grab a midday snooze. But the best one is the simplest: a nap just feels good.

Your "Let's Catch Some ZZZZZZs" Gift Guru,
Linda

Cat Ladies (and Gentlemen) rejoice: The American Museum of the House Cat is now open! Today we'd like to salute Dr. Harold Sims, who has been collecting feline related fun stuff for over 30 years. Now he's putting it all on display to help fund his no-kill kitty shelter, CatMan2.

You'll see:

• Modern fine art.
• Fine picture art dating back to the late 1800s.
• Poster art.
• Vintage cat advertising (one of my favorites).
• Antique automated toy cats from the 1890s.
• Art glass cats.
• Cat clocks.
• Folk art.
• Cat themed window displays.

There's hardly ever a Lighter Side to crime, but this one takes the Ironic Justice award.

When Lawrence Riddle robbed the Bank of Labor in Kansas City he was hoping to go to prison. Why? After his arrest, Riddle told authorities that he'd rather be in jail than at home with his wife.

So he robbed a bank Old School style -  just like in a vintage black-and-white movie. He gave the teller a note that said "I have a gun, give me money." The teller promptly gave him all the cash in her drawer - about $3,000. But instead of jumping into a fast getaway car, he sat down in the lobby waiting for the police to collect him.

In court this week both Riddle's lawyer and federal prosecutors asked for leniency because Mr. Riddle had been suffering from severe depression after having heart surgery. Plus, all the police found on his person was a hair brush and some nail clippers - no gun. Then Riddle apologized, telling the judge that he never intended to frighten the teller. He also testified that he was feeling like his "old self" again after getting treatment for his depression.

Robbing a bank without doing some prison time is almost unheard of. But in a rare move, the U.S. District Court granted leniency - sort of. Mr. Riddle was sentenced to 3 years probation, 50 hours of community service, and six months house arrest by Judge Carlos Murguia - whose sense of justice is apparently as keen as his sense of irony.

Your "Don't Do the Crime if You Can't Do the Time" Gift Guru,
Linda

Trying to get your beach body ready for summer? Susan Peirce Thompson, President of the Institute for Sustainable Weight Loss, has some advice for you: slip into some slippers.

Wait, what?

According to Thompson, trying to lose weight is exhausting. Even without those punishing visits to the gym. And there are two very good reasons for your fat-fighting fatigue:

1. Fat cells are crammed full of toxins. When you diet, your body burns these "garbage can" fat cells for fuel and the toxins literally flood your bloodstream. So you get tired. Very tired. 
2. At the same time, you're consuming a lot fewer calories. In fact, you're not getting the fuel you need just to function normally. To use your fat cells for fuel your body runs at a deficit. Which makes you more tired.  

So here you are, depleted, tired, and hungry...now you're supposed to use your willpower to stay away from unhealthy fat-building foods? Under the best of circumstances human willpower holds out for about 15 minutes. When you add the stress and physical fatigue of exercise, your willpower is outgunned. Instead of exercising you should be laser-focused on building new eating habits.

Bottom line, her advice for sustainable weight loss is this: "Drink a lot of water. Rest. Keep your eating immaculate. Imagine yourself shuffling around in bedroom slippers all day."  According to Thompson, you can "watch your bulges melt away" if you just kick off your sneakers and kick back in your slippers.

You don't have to tell me twice!

Your "Sneakers Off!" Gift Guru,
Linda

Every year, I ask my dad what he wants for Father's Day. The answer is always the same: "I don't need anything."

To which I reply, "That's not really the point of Father's Day, Dad." Then he just waves me off with that universal Dad Grunt, which leaves me to my own devices as far as finding the perfect gift for Pop.

This year he surprised me. When I asked what he wanted, he said, "No gifts. I want all of you and all the grandkids to turn off your infernal gizmos and gadgets. Just for a while."

"That's all?" I asked.

"Yep. Let's just have dinner and talk to each other for a change," he said. Then he crossed his arms over his chest and looked over his reading glasses at me, "Really, Linda. That's all I want."

Now anyone with kids knows that it's a mighty feat to get them off of their devices even for a minute, let alone an hour or two. But I'm going to make it happen, even if I have to be the Bad Guy this Father's Day.

Because my dad has never asked for anything for Father's Day in his life. So if that's what Dad wants, that's what he's getting! But he'll have to forgive me if I pick out one or two nice gifts, too. Because being a gift guru is in my blood and that's what I want to do for Father's Day.

Your "Tune Into Dad" Gift Guru,
Linda