Blog Posts by Redbook

Love is the very foundation of good marriage, but it turns out, there are a few other "L" words to consider. Blogger Leigh Pennebaker explains:

Listening: It is so important and helpful to be able to really listen to your partner. When you know someone so well, it's easy to feel like you have them all figured out. Sometimes that's great, but other times it can mean rushing to judge or to make assumptions that might not be true. Striving to really, deeply listen is the cornerstone of communication between my husband and me. It inspires empathy and compassion -- and you can't have too much of those things in a marriage!

Related: 5 Things Super-Happy Couples Do Every Day

Laughing: Don't take things too seriously. My husband has the great gift of being able to introduce levity with kindness whenever things get tense between us. It helps to put things in perspective. When you laugh together it's hard to be angry.

Related: 20 Ways to Spice Up the Next Date Night

L

by Charlotte Hilton Andersen, REDBOOK

Diaper explosions. Spit up stains. Cradle cap. No parent goes into this job without expecting some icky moments but there a few mom chores that are so frustrating, gross or bizarre that you want to look around for the hidden camera or yell "This is not in my contract!!" because you just can't believe that this is your life. And yet someone has to look for the shiny penny in the diaper and, let's face it, unless you have a full-time baby nanny, then you're it.

1. Changing the sheets on the top bunk bed. Oh sure that loft bed looks so adorable and functional in the Pottery Barn catalog... until the first time you spend 30 minutes with sweat rolling down your face trying to wrangle the fitted sheet over all four corners. Heaven help you if you put the bed in a corner. Tip: Take the vacuum up there - you might as well get all those cob webs out of the ceiling corners while you're up there.

Related: 5 Dresses Every Woman Should Own

2. Flossing your

by Jessica Smith, REDBOOK

Try these tricks every day to trim down before beach season.

1. Eliminate excess water weight with lemon. Squeeze lemon juice into your water throughout the day for a natural diuretic. Drink at least eight glasses a day, more if you are very active or sweating. You'll stay hydrated during the warmer weather, while getting rid of belly bloat.

2. Eat lots of water-filled foods such as watermelon and cucumber salads. You'll fill up faster and flush out your system. A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that a diet rich in the amino acid arginine (found in watermelon) may help you decrease your body fat by over 60 percent in just 12 weeks.

3. Practice good belly form at your desk or on the couch: Draw your belly button into your spine (without holding your breath) to engage your abdominals and help to flatten them. Hold it for 30 seconds and then relax. Work up to holding it for a full minute (or two).

4. Move to lose.

In working on her soon-to-be finished book, Marriage Gems: Unexpected Triumphs, Lori Lowe spent several years interviewing couples who have overcome adversity, and used their hard times to strengthen their marriages. These three tricks are amongst the top things she learned in the process.

1. One person cannot meet all of our needs, even if that person is our life partner. Family, friends and faith can help us maintain reasonable expectations with our spouse.

Related: Real Guys Confess: "I Married Up!"

2. Instead of focusing all your time and energy on fixing your weak areas, spend time focusing on your strengths and having fun together.

Related: How to Have Your Best Sex Ever

3. Touch more. Research shows all touch -- from fist bumps, to high-fives, snuggles, hugs and kisses -- help couples become more bonded. Especially in longer hugs and kisses, oxytocin is released to help us feel closer.

Lori Lowe is a marriage researcher and writer from Indianapolis.

By Ava Feuer, REDBOOK

People really like peeps. Once the colorful, super sweet and often stale treats of the drugstore aisle, Peeps have ascended to inspiration for hardcore foodies and budding architects alike. Food blog and community Serious Eats where people are well, serious about what they eat, posted "How to Make Peepshi = Peep Sushi" last Easter. The hilarious article offers up the rules of eating Peepshi, and includes a detailed, visual recipe for the dish. Plus, it links to such delights as Peepza (Peeps + Pizza), Peeps Flutternutter, and Peeps Krispies Treats.

Related: 6 Easter, Passover, and "Hey, It's Spring!" Entertaining TIps

Meanwhile, the Washington Post 5 th Annual Peeps Diorama Contest has announced its winner, "Chilean CoPeepapo Mine Rescue." Other notable, pop culture-centric entries included "Angry Peeps," "Pat Down the Bunny: An Average Day at PWI-O'Hare," "The King's Peep, "Apple's iPeep Release in Georgetown," and "Peep Hoarders." Click the link. See

By Aaron Traister, REDBOOK

DEAR WHYS GUY:

My guy gets upset if I grab the bags first when we check out at the grocery store. He thinks he looks flaky if someone sees him "making" a woman carry the groceries. So whenever we leave the store and I happen to pick up the bags first, he takes them from me or takes the two heavy ones - which is offensive to me for feminist reasons. Here's what I want to know: Are men programmed to be old-fashioned and carry groceries, open doors, etc.?

Related: The 18 Most Annoying Male Habits Explained

DEAR REDBOOK READER:

I'm going to clear up a common misconception here: Lifting groceries, opening doors, and offering to pay for dinner have nothing to do with feminism or being an Old Time-y guy. They have everything to do with having good manners and being considerate toward your fellow human beings.

RELATED: What Men Really Think When You're Having Sex

Here's a gender-neutral example: If my buddy invites me to a Phillies

by Charlotte Hilton Andersen, REDBOOK

By now, as moms, we've all become accustomed to the debate that looms large around Barbie and her self-esteem shredding proportions - as evidenced by Galia Slayen the student and anorexia survivor who made a life-sized Barbie model. The venerable blond looks every bit as ridiculous in "real life" as you would imagine her to be and yet there aren't very many popular dolls that would fare any better. Yet Barbie is a kind, responsible and funny girl in her movies and at least Mattel has given her other jobs besides bimbo. The same cannot be said for the one-dimensional Bratz and the horror movie alumni Monster High dolls. For me the debate isn't about Barbie and her waning influence anymore but rather what to do about the latest crop of sexually provocative dolls aimed at our daughters. Who cares about Barbie when we've got "Clawdeen" the shewolf whose favorite activities are waxing and boys (presumably in that order) to contend with?

By Aaron Traister, REDBOOK

DEAR WHYS GUY:

Do they not notice - or care - if we smell when they move in for the kill?

Related: The 18 Most Annoying Male Habits Explained

DEAR REDBOOK READER:

Did we notice your new haircut? Your new dress? That new perfume you're trying? You guys give us way too much credit for having standards. I once got intimate with a woman who had a pretty bad case of shingles, which Google Health describes as: "Red patches on the skin, followed by small blisters.... The blisters break, forming ulcers that begin to dry and form crusts." If I'm undeterred by a medical condition involving the words blisters and crust, then you don't need to worry about how you smell. Besides, we're too busy focusing on the amazing visual aid that is your body to notice anything else.

Related: 5 Things Super-Happy Couples Do Every Day

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Need help decoding odd male behavior? Redbook columnist Aaron Traister, who lives in Philadelphia with his wife and