Beware of Pests in Your Lair
by JoAnne K. Liebeler
Once upon a time a lady owned a home deep in a wooded forest. She liked all the trees that surrounded her deck and backyard. She delighted in the squirrels, deer and other woodland creatures that frisked and cavorted past her windows. Like Snow White, she sang to the birds and laughed with the bunnies. Continue reading...

Fall Checklist
by Debra Michaud
It’s time to prepare our homes for the fall and winter seasons ahead. Click here to read and use Deb’s Fall Home Checklist!

The Birds, the Bees, and HPV
by Leslie Goldman
It’s never been easy for parents to have “the talk” with their children when it’s time to disturb innocence with a news flash about sex. But that talk just got a little trickier and more urgent with the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of a vaccine to prevent HPV, or human papillomavirus, the bug that causes virtually all cases of cervical cancer. Continue reading...

Quick Chair Toners
by Tracey Mallett
WYour chair is more than a place to park—it's also a secret weapon for targeting your abs, hips and buns, and improving your balance. The following exercises can be done at home or work in just a few minutes. For best results, all you need is yourself, your trusty chair and the commitment to do it two to three times per week. Continue reading...

Doing Diaper Duty in Style
by Megy Karydes
When I became a mother, I didn’t want to give up my fun handbags. Handbags are a part of who I am. They reflect my style to the world-and a licensed cartoon character had never before marched across the front of any of my purses. I worried that those glamorous days were over. Continue reading...

Our Intimate Relationship With Food: A Complex Truth
by Robyn O’Brien
Alexis de Tocqueville once said that the public would rather believe a simple lie than a complex truth. Genetic engineering is one of those hot topics that are so complex that it has discouraged many consumers from investigating it too deeply. Although genetic engineers have introduced neurotoxins, novel proteins and allergens into our food supply, scant information is available to the public on the long-term health implications of children consuming these new food products. Continue reading...

A Savvy Gal's Guide to a One-Bag Weekend
by Lindsey Robertson
It can seem like second nature for many women to overpack, but sometimes a short weekend trip allows for just one small suitcase, limiting our wardrobe to only what we need. Determining exactly what those items are, as many of us know, can be the hardest part. The key to savvy packing is to consider your activities for the entire trip. Continue reading...

Why Fashion Is Sew Lucky…To Have Elise Bergman
by Jennifer Marjorie Bosch
Elise Bergman is a girl after our fhi hearts. She is a thinker and a doer, which means she envisions and produces clever, conscious and gorgeous style. Continue reading...

The Energy-Rich™ Life
by Christine Mangan
It was the summer of 2000. Heather Dominick was overworked, overtired and overweight. Living in Manhattan, she was making a daily three-hour commute to a Long Island High School, often putting in 12 to 14 hours as a drama teacher. She loved the job. She committed herself to her students and her work. But the personal costs ran high. Not only did she teach an average of five classes a day, she also directed the school’s many plays. After years of following this rigorous schedule, she knew something was wrong. Continue reading...

Silent Spaces
by Rita Winters
When the world is too much for us, it’s time to find a space for silence. If we’re lucky we can go to a special place that’s far from our everyday lives. That’s what I did when I retreated to the Sonoran Desert near Tucson. The experience was so profound that I wrote a book about it—The Green Desert: A Silent Retreat.... Continue reading...

Finances Through Your Ages
by Sarah O'Neill
As much as I loved Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw annoyed me to no end when it came to money matters. She had it all—great job, loyal friends, trend-setting wardrobe and always the hunky guy on her arm. But let’s face it, she was a financial disaster! When the opportunity arose to buy her apartment before it turned condo, she was forced to ask her ex, Mr. Big for a down payment. Talk about lack of empowerment! Continue reading...

Shop, Not Flop
by Ellie Kay
There is an ancient Middle Eastern proverb that says “two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.” On your next “conquer-the-mall” mission, try these tips for shopping and saving with a friend—because sometimes, two can save more than one! Continue reading...

An Art Lover's Haven—in Native San Diego
by Tiffany Plate
Lux Art Institute isn’t your run-of-the-mill artists’ colony. It’s a state-of-the-art, innovative approach to bringing art—and how artists work—into the public eye. The Institute, located in the coastal southern California town of Encinitas, will open its much-anticipated Artist Pavilion in November, allowing visitors a unique vision of the artistic process. Continue reading...

Taste America: Celebrating American Cuisine Across 20 Cities in the US
by Sharon Meyers
Recognizing the importance and bounty of America’s diverse cuisine, the first ever National Food Festival hosted by the James Beard Foundation is coming to a city near you on September 28th. On that night across the U.S., 20 cities will celebrate the world-renowned culinary organization’s 20th anniversary and the legacy of James Beard. Called Taste America, the event headlines some of the most accomplished and influential chefs working in America today.... Continue reading...

EARTH TALK
by Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine
Now that many schools have stopped selling sodas and other unhealthy vending machine items to their students, improving the nutritional quality of cafeteria food is on the agenda of many parents and school administrators. And luckily for the environment, healthier food usually means greener food. Continue reading...

It's a Nice Day for a Green Wedding
by Tiffany Plate
While we can make a huge difference in the world through our pocketbooks, weddings require a substantial withdrawal from those same savings. So wouldn’t it be nice to know that the invitations you’re buying are environmentally friendly, that the dress you’re wearing might help cure breast cancer, and the reception dinner that your Aunt Mildred doesn’t eat could feed the hungry? Continue reading...

Saving Candy Karma
by Sarah Schaffner
One plump, knobby knee made of synthetic fabric and three strands of twisted orange yarn peeked out of a white trash bag. Instantly, I recognized the familiar dimples of Candy Karma—the beloved doll I had dragged around faithfully for eight years as a child. Now she had been callously tossed atop a pile of garbage and last night’s takeout. Continue reading...

Laurie David: An Earth Defender
by Jenny Evrard
It's easy to envision this issue's Woman of Style decked out in a Wonder Woman costume, balancing the weight of our earth on her shoulders, probably without even breaking a sweat. No, she is not Atlas reincarnated; she is Laurie David, a Hollywood producer-turned activist driven to stop global warming in its tracks. Continue reading...

September IT Girl Finds
by IT Girl
Every woman has acquired her collection of useful tips that she shares with her friends. An innovative website, Top Tips For Girls, brings such helpful hints to a broader audience by inviting users to browse, rate and leave their own tips behind... Continue reading...

Survive and Thrive
by Simone Wright

The subtitle by first time author Simone Wright reveals the alpha and omega of this practical, insightful guide: "overcoming the end of your relationship and healing completely for yourself." With wise words and caring conviction, Wright delivers useful tools that we can all use and challenges us with questions appended to each chapter. Who hasn't ended a relationship, only to miss the basic reasons for the connection? Continue reading...