Articles to wet your appetite for more learning.
Seasonal
Money Matters
Family and Pets
Healthy Eating
Personal Wellness
Seasonal Articles
The Flower Doctor Is In
Looking to prolong your blooms? You can find a prescription for preservation by calling the Flower Doctor's hotline at (888) FLOWRMD (356-9763).
How to Prepare for an Outdoor Adventure
Now that warmer temperatures are on the horizon, camping enthusiasts are starting to seriously think about planning their next outdoor adventure. Whether you'll be hiking in the mountains, roughing it in the desert or simply spending a weekend at the local campground, one thing's for sure, you'll be bringing along a lot of stuff.
Give Dad the Gift of a Better Golf Game
If the special dad on your list is a golfer, you're in luck. From customized tees to ball washers to electronic scorekeepers, there's a seemingly endless supply of golf-related gifts available. But the best golf gift you could give Dad this Father's Day is a better understanding and insight into the game.
Need Some "Textpert" Dating Advice?
Men and women have a lot of options nowadays when it comes to expressing their feelings. No longer are the carefully crafted words in a drugstore card the only way to go. E-cards, instant messages, even text messages, are all ways to send romantic thoughts.
Safe Boating Equals Smart Boating
Summer is just around the corner and the country's 70 million recreational boaters are preparing to launch their boats and relax on the water with family and friends. The start of boating season is also the perfect time for boaters to review important safety tips to make their on-water adventures more enjoyable.
Now Your Video Entertainment Goes Where You Go
As technology allows electronic devices to get smaller and smaller, it's becoming possible to have access to music and now, even video, no matter where you are.
Create Modern Look for Mother's Day Corsages
The Mother's Day corsage is one of the most well known customs to honor mom on her special day. By the 1980s and '90s, many people thought Mother's Day corsages were passé. Their cookie-cutter look seemed antiquated. However, in recent years, floral designers have begun experimenting with smaller varieties of flowers, less filler greenery, and unique floral accents to emphasize the natural beauty of the flowers.
Fashion Forecast: Spring Wardrobes Heat Up
It's never too chilly to look fabulous, and thanks to the range of cold-weather favorites available this season with festive fabrics and delightful details, you can continue to climb the fashion ranks even as the temperature drops.
Fishing for Gifts for Dad?
Dads tend to be low-maintenance when it comes to Father's Day gifts, according to recent findings by the National Retail Federation. Where Moms are likely to appreciate luxury items like jewelry or a trip to the spa, men like leisurely goods for barbecuing, boating, fishing or watching a ballgame
Money Matters
Planning Your Wedding while Planning for the Future
Your wedding day should be special, with family and friends gathered to help you celebrate, the ceremony reflecting your love and the reception providing a perfect finale.
Know Your Credit, Build Your Financial Future
April is National Financial Literacy Month - a great opportunity to learn more about how your finances can impact your life and how you can manage them to achieve your dreams. Whether you are planning to remodel a house, fund a college education or buy a new car, credit can play an important role in helping you get what you want out of life.
Don't Waste Your Money
Everyone gets them. Occasional phone calls from the credit card or mortgage company offering inexpensive insurance that will pay off your balance in the event that you die.
Wildcatters to the Rescue
Consumers are taking a serious financial hit on natural gas bills this winter, and you may not be aware of it, but there's someone out there trying to do something about it.
Why You Should Consolidate Your Student Loans
Graduation is just around the corner for thousands of students, and shortly after they walk down the aisle, many in the Class of 2006 will find themselves facing hardships they didn't anticipate when they began the pursuit of their degree.
Think Twice Before You Swipe
It seems like everybody's doing it. Going into debt that is. Americans are so deep in debt that none other than Oprah Winfrey has made it a mission to force America on a "Debt Diet" with a series of shows featuring families that overspend to the brink of bankruptcy.
Ten Finance Tips for Newlyweds
After the wedding bells stop ringing and the bills for the dress, flowers, photographer and honeymoon arrive, many newlyweds find their physical and emotional compatibility may be trumped by their financial incompatibility.
Smart Home Buyers Take Charge of Their Financial Future, Plan Ahead
It's in the newspapers and on television and the radio - the housing market is changing. The news is promising for home buyers. The U.S. Commerce Department reported that January housing starts jumped 14.5 percent from December estimates, reaching their highest point in almost 33 years.
How to Teach Tots the True Value of Money
How did you react the last time your son or daughter threw a fit at the store when you said, 'No you can't have that?'
Simplify Your Life ... Insurance Online
Purchasing life insurance online is one of the easiest decisions you'll ever make when it comes to protecting your family's financial future. Not only can you get real-time quotes and handy tools to calculate how much coverage you need; you won't waste a minute of your valuable time meeting with an insurance agent.
Family and Pets
How to Prepare for an Outdoor Adventure
Now that warmer temperatures are on the horizon, camping enthusiasts are starting to seriously think about planning their next outdoor adventure. Whether you'll be hiking in the mountains, roughing it in the desert or simply spending a weekend at the local campground, one thing's for sure, you'll be bringing along a lot of stuff.
A Delicate Balance: Skin Care Tips for the New Mother and Baby
As a new mother, what do you do if your infant suddenly develops what looks like a case of teenage acne or a rash on his or her scalp? And while you're worried about your child's skin, you may be worried about your own and the changes it experienced during and after pregnancy.
Safe Boating Equals Smart Boating
Summer is just around the corner and the country's 70 million recreational boaters are preparing to launch their boats and relax on the water with family and friends. The start of boating season is also the perfect time for boaters to review important safety tips to make their on-water adventures more enjoyable.
How to Teach Tots the True Value of Money
How did you react the last time your son or daughter threw a fit at the store when you said, 'No you can't have that?'
Home Alone this Summer
Here comes summer and if you're the parent of a pre-teen, you can bet this question is coming, too: "Why can't I stay home by myself this summer?"
Spare Change Can Make a Difference
Teaching kids the value of helping those in need is an important part of raising a child. One of the keys is to frame the lesson in terms a child can understand, and to make it an enjoyable experience.
Tips for Safely Sharing a Bed with Baby
Of the many philosophical debates in the world of infant care, few are as combustible as whether or not parents should share a bed - co-sleep - with their babies.
Heading Overseas? Make Sure You Have the Right Cell Phone
Whether you're headed to another country for business or pleasure, chances are you need to keep in touch with family or business associates in the United States. But if you plan to do that using your cell phone, you could be in for an unwelcome surprise - U.S. cell phones don't work overseas.
Start Your Marriage on Firm Financial Ground
One of the most popular times of year to get married is finally here. Thousands of couples will tie the knot this spring and summer, most of them spending countless hours planning the wedding and honeymoon. But it seems very little thought goes into something just as important.
What's In A (Baby's) Name?
Plenty, as it turns out, when it comes to welcoming your special bundle of joy into the world, your family and your community. When you look at popular baby names over the years, you're not comparing apples to apples.
Healthy Eating
How to Keep Your Heart Healthy
According to a recent Weight Watchers report, the average American gains between seven and 10 pounds during the winter. When weather is chilly and the sun disappears for days, it can be difficult to resist high cholesterol and high fat comfort foods. However, it's important to keep in mind that eating those foods can increase your LDL or "bad" cholesterol level.
New Juices Capture the Essence of the Pomegranate
One of the trendiest and most popular juice drinks comes from a fruit that many people don't know much about - the pomegranate. Since 2003, pomegranates, which are best described as between an orange and a grapefruit in size with a thick reddish skin and many seeds, have become a key ingredient in more than 12 beverages available to consumers today.
Nicotine, Drug and Alcohol Home Testing Kits Help Battle Health Problems
Nicotine, alcohol and drug abuse results in more deaths and disabilities each year in the United States than any other health problem. Determining exactly who is -- and isn't -- using and abusing drugs certainly is not the solution to the problem, but it can be an important tool for parents, employers, educators and others.
You Can Live Well, Eat Well Even with Diabetes
Eating a varied, healthy diet is important to anyone who wants to stay in shape and be healthy. But it is even more important to the estimated 14.6 million people in the United States who have been diagnosed with diabetes.
Uncovering Palm Oil Benefits with New Food Label Laws in Force
For years, nutrition experts have been advising us to avoid foods containing trans fats because of their link to an increased risk of heart disease. Until recently, that warning fell on deaf ears because for the most part, the ingredient remained hidden. Not anymore. The federal government's Jan. 1 deadline to get that information on food labels is in effect.
Going Whole Grain? Try Corn Tortillas
By now, nearly everyone has heard about the health benefits of whole grains. While more and more products labeled "whole grain" are showing up on supermarket shelves, most still take the form of breads or cereals. If you're looking for something different - or just to reduce your wheat intake - consider corn tortillas.
Eat Fruit, Live Life!
Eating healthy is fast becoming a way of life. Studies show Americans are living longer and enjoying more active lifestyles. Consumers are increasingly interested in eating healthier and without giving up great taste. Fruit is the solution many would-be healthy eaters are turning toward.
Join the Fruit for a Healthy You Movement
Eating healthy is fast becoming a way of life. Studies show Americans are living longer and enjoying more active lifestyles. Due to advances in food technology, we are only just beginning to discover the many health secrets Mother Nature has placed in simple everyday fruit.
Dealing with Childhood Obesity
The National Institutes of Health has declared childhood obesity an epidemic. The number of children who are overweight has doubled in the last two to three decades and statistics show that one child in five is overweight.
Turn Your Home into a Sanctuary
There really is no place like home. When the day's hectic business is done, home should be our retreat, the place where we can decompress, relax and recuperate. But houses packed with stuff, or decorated (and constantly redecorated) to follow the next hot trend, can add to stress rather than relieve it.
Personal Wellness
A Delicate Balance: Skin Care Tips for the New Mother and Baby
As a new mother, what do you do if your infant suddenly develops what looks like a case of teenage acne or a rash on his or her scalp? And while you're worried about your child's skin, you may be worried about your own and the changes it experienced during and after pregnancy.
Learning from the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake: Getting Prepared for the Next Natural Disaster
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire revealed how vulnerable urban landscapes are to the brutal effects of natural disasters. The quake which struck at 5:13 a.m. was comparable to 8.5 on today's Richter scale and lasted more than 40 seconds. The destruction was unprecedented: thousands were killed and the four-day fire left more than half the city's residents homeless.
Orchard of Health - Natural Health Benefits from Everyday Fruit
Eating healthy is fast becoming a way of life. Studies show Americans are living longer and enjoying more active lifestyles. Due to advances in food technology, we are only just beginning to discover the health secrets Mother Nature placed in simple everyday fruit.
Is Work Making You Sick?
It all starts with the coughing in the next cubicle, or the sneeze by a coworker in the conference room. Before long, everyone in your area gets sick. Cold and flu have shown up for work and everyone seems to catch it.
New Weapon for Fighting Ear Infections
Ear infections are a familiar - and unpleasant - wintertime reality for many children. Whether a child is simply tugging at their ears or screaming with ear pain, it's important for parents to recognize the signs and symptoms of an ear infection and to take the appropriate steps, working with their physician, to determine whether it is an ear infection or another disorder.
Tips for Choosing the Right Comforter
At the end of a long day, nothing beats crawling into a welcoming, comfy bed and snuggling in for the night. Here are some tips for choosing the right comforter for any time of year.
Four New Mom Must-Haves
Pregnancy and childbearing can seem exhausting enough for a new mom - but those first few months with a newborn at home can bring new meaning to the words sleep-deprived. This particular issue can cause more stress than any other part of being a new parent.
Keep Your Home Clean and Green
While "going green" may seem like a marketing fad or a throwback to the '60s, it really is nothing more nor less than living mindfully and giving careful thought to what we consume and how it affects our environment.
Turn Your Bathroom into a Luxury Spa
The bathroom, once an afterthought in most homes, has become a focal point filled with the latest amenities. From whirlpool tubs to granite countertops to heated towel racks, the bathroom is going from merely functional to completely fabulous.
Helping Seniors Cruise the Internet
The number of senior citizens using the Internet more than doubled between 2000 and 2004. With millions of techno-savvy Baby Boomers on the cusp of seniorship, that number promises to explode in the next decade, researchers say.
