Originals

My sister is two years older than I. She was a precocious reader, which presented something of a challenge when it came to storytime. We shared a room, so tucking us in one at a time wasn’t really a viable option. Instead, my mother tried to find bedtime reads that would entertain both of us without flying […]

Have you been feeling good about your budget lately? We’re guessing yes. It may be because the sun is shining a little more, and those extra doses of vitamin D are lifting your spirits. Or it could be due to the fact that it’s the midyear mark—and you’ve actually managed to stick to your financial resolutions. Regardless

Today: Pat Tanumihardja, author of The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook, explains how to make a takeout favorite, with whatever happens to be in your fridge tonight. Fried rice is a wildly popular takeout choice, often served with lunch specials and always ordered by a friend of mine, who shall go unnamed. But fried rice is the last

Do you know what stinks? Buying a package of parsley at the grocery store only to have half of it go to waste because you only needed a few sprigs for a recipe. I recently wised up and bought some potted herbs at the local plant nursery. Duh, right? Now I can clip only what I need

We’re just getting back in the swing of spring. We’ve acclimated to everything from the morning cacophony of chirping birds and strategically edging the kids away from the occasional bee that takes an interest in their Mister Softee, to spending late nights Googling allergy remedies. For better or worse, this season’s all about an outburst of flora and fauna,

Tattoos are probable cause for a good grounding, but while the kids are young, temporary ink can be both fun and creative—especially when your child has a hand in the design. Even the tiniest tots seem to get a kick out of sporting a temporary tattoo (especially those that feature their favorite characters). With little more

Back in 3000 B.C., when nail polish was first invented, the Chinese used formulations many of today’s eco-conscious consumers would go nuts for. Main ingredients included egg whites, gelatin, beeswax and vegetable dyes. The issue of toxicity in nail polish didn’t come into play in 1917, when Cutex produced the first modern, mass-marketed lacquers. Their method, along with the

If you’ve ever fried your lips after a day a the beach (or one on the slopes), you know that come super-sunny weather you need to up your lip balm game and use a formula that’s got a built-in SPF. Thankfully, we’ve come a long way since the days of Baywatch-era zinc-y lips, and balms that are great at

No need to look further than the Griswolds to know how hard it is to plan a family vacation. We want our kids to squeal with delight when we tell them where we’re going, and as parents, we want to feel the same sense of excitement. Unfortunately, that’s where the common goals for a vacation usually end. The kids want adventure,

Not wearing sunscreen ranks close to smoking cigarettes on the foolish scale. In a nutshell, the sun’s strong UV rays cause skin damage, and in worst-case scenarios, cancer. They also lead to premature aging and wrinkles—fatal or not, that’s something we’d rather live without. The FDA’s most recent recommendation is that people wear a sunscreen with a