First, a shoutout to my two-year-old’s four grandparents, who spend hours a week helping watch him, and without whom I could not be a happy working mama. I rarely question their child-rearing judgment (after all, my husband and I turned out just fine), but new research presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatricssuggests that many grandparent caregivers could use a refresher… Read More >>

Years ago, I worked for Kate White, who soon went on to her long, successful run as editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan while simultaneously writing bestselling  nonfiction books and mystery novels. What impressed me the most, though, was the way she managed to balance her career success with a personal life, and time for family. This woman knew how to prioritize and get… Read More >>

Tomorrow is Saturday, so the odds are good I'll end up at Home Depot at some point. There's a gigantic stormheading our way, for one thing, and I need flashlights, batteries, candles and maybe a wet vac for when the power goes out, the sump pump quits and the basement becomes a shallow pond. But I don't need the excuse of a national emergency to wander those big… Read More >>

Are you going to a Halloween party this year? If so, you probably have your costume picked out, as well as your candy carrier (mine is a Samsonite Cruisairsuitcase, with a hard body so that my chocolaty booty doesn’t get crushed and spinning wheels so I don’t wreck my back lugging it all home). You also probably know exactly the type of person you’ll see at the… Read More >>

I can get lost in good photography websites just like I can in good books—they tell a story, capture a current event, stir an emotion, and act as an escape. So, I turn to these four websites for inspiration and to get my fill of what's new, noteworthy, and even nostalgic: For current work: Feature ShootBold, beautiful images dominate the homepage of this site run by photo editor… Read More >>

The kids have spoken! According to more than 500,000 ballotssubmitted by underage wannabe voters in Nickelodeon's "Kids Pick The President" initiative, President Barack Obama beat out Republican Governor Mitt Romney with 65 percent of the vote. "Who cares?" you ask. "They can't vote for real." Well, since Nickelodeon started polling kids in 1988, the results have matched up with the… Read More >>

Here's a whole new twist on gift-giving and charitable donations. Instead of buying sweaters or jewelery this holiday season, give the gift of a goat, a pig, a "Knitter's Basket" (which includes four fuzzy sheep), honeybees, a flock of chicks or a heifer to a deserving family. Heifer International, a charitable organization working with communities to end hunger and… Read More >>

There are all sorts of algorithms that forecast election results, but I'm partial to the food predictors—will more people buy a Republican-themed cupcake, or a Democrat-themed cupcake? Main Street Cupcakes in Ohio—a swing state!— is looking to find out with their election cupcakes. Other potential gastronomic election-predictors: The Obama "Adjustable Origin" and Romney "Adjustable…hot sauces, or… Read More >>

I wasn't feeling particularly down when my husband sent me this URL, just for an afternoon laugh. Emergency Compliments, from an artist via the collective known as society6, feeds your ego in a very cheeky, clicky way, one nice saying after another. My co-workers and I were hooked: • "They've never told you this, but your boss is really impressed by you." Aha!… Read More >>

With four debates and countless campaign stops and political ads gone by (not to mention the daily onslaught of polls), Election Day can't come soon enough. Fortunately, voters can laugh off the remaining 13 days with their choice of late-night television or stories from The Onion. And thanks to a free new app, Mock the Vote, the best political satire is collected in one… Read More >>