Can you have birthday parties at the Central Park Zoo?

–no name

Why yes, yes you can. All Zoo parties must be booked through Birthdaybakers Partymakers. We don't recommend the breakfast in the penguin house. Don't ask.

Do you have a favorite under eye concealer? I look tired all the time.

–Frances

Alyssa uses Laura Mercier's Secret Camoflouge (no secret now). Hilary uses Shu Uemura's Cover Crayon (and wishes it would cover other stuff too).

I need a great birthday gift for my 11-year-old granddaughter. She already has an iPod and her mom won't let me buy her a cel phone. Suggestions please, no clothing. She has a crowded closet.

–Grammy

Even if her walk-in is packed, she'll still LOVE a gift card to her favorite clothing shop. Lester's in NYC is tween nirvana (everything seems to sparkle). PB Teen has great iPod accessories and groovy bedroom incidentals.

Halloween is coming up fast.  Where can I find the best decorations?  Books on Halloween crafts?

–D.M.

Oriental Trading is Halloween Heaven or somewhere below. They sell decor-by-the-dozen and cheesy, crappy crafts that children covet. And we hate.

Looking for soccer jerseys from around the word, where can I find them?

–Patti

To celebrate a child's love of rayon, check out World Soccer Shop . They have soccer jerseys from countries you have never heard of.

Can you suggest some good books on manners for kids? Are there any DVDs out there to remind kids not to chew with their mouths open?

–Jo

For the younger set, we like It's a Spoon, Not a Shovel and Whoopi's Big Book of Manners. For tweens and dads, we like the campy Tiffany's Table Manners for Teenagers. As far as DVDs go....the ones out there are pitiful and as painful as a Barney DVD.

Where can I get good Soba noodles?

–Pam

Try Soba-ya in the East Village. It's a traditional Soba restaurant (the soba guys are really from Japan) and the noodles are all handmade with all kinds of toppings. Alyssa loves anything with tempura on top. We're hungry.