Blog Posts by Redbook

By Aaron Traister, REDBOOK

DEAR WHYS GUY:

My boyfriend and I recently broke up. He cheated on me and is now with the co-worker he cheated with. We were together for five years. The last year of our relationship was long distance because of school. He told me when I moved that he was going to do everything possible to keep our relationship strong and flourishing. But somewhere down the line, I guess he had a change of heart and didn't tell me. I'm amazed at how quickly he got into a relationship with this other woman and made her his girlfriend. He told me I was The One, and now I'm no one. What was his mental process? Why did he cheat on someone he said he wanted to be with for the rest of his life? How did I become so insignificant?

Related: 7 Things Men Secretly Don't Want in Bed

DEAR REDBOOK READER:

I wouldn't worry about your ex so much. Who cares what he was thinking about? Long distance relationships are hard, and yours didn't work out. It happens all the time.

What you

By Charlotte Hilton Andersen, REDBOOK

Puke is not on the list of known aphrodisiacs, but there my husband and I were, covered in the projectile vomit of two small children with the flu. He was changing the crib sheets while I was using a blow dryer to try and clean off the Beloved Blankie, and as our eyes met I thought, "This man is hot." Sure, my husband looks like Patrick Dempsey when he lets his scruff grow in, and of course I thought he was gorgeous when we got married, but nothing before has compared to that moment of total attraction.

Maybe I'm weird-my ardor was certainly ill-timed, since nothing romantic happened that night or even that week-but after talking to my mommy friends, I think I'm not alone. There's a lot more to a hot man than just his, well, hotness. Redbook is looking for "America's Hottest Husband", so I've compiled a list of the things about our men that make us not only want to cook him breakfast, but lick it off, too.

Related: Check Out 2011's Hottest

By Alison Storm, REDBOOK

The number of teens using drugs has spiked in the last year. Make a dent in this troubling trend by doing just one thing on this list.

1. Know the facts. The number of teens who smoke pot shot up 22 percent last year. If you think, well, pot's not that bad, consider this: Marijuana today is 2½ times more potent than it was in the 1980s. And kids who smoke pot perform worse in school and are more likely to experiment with other addictive drugs. It's time to get your head out of the sand if you think that could never be your kid. Test your drug IQ at getsmartaboutdrugs.com.

Related: Should Parents Put Their Kids on a Diet?

2. Reward good behavior. Study after study has shown that positive reinforcement is more effective in keeping kids off drugs than preachy ultimatums. So praise your children when they fend off peer pressure from friends. Or launch a wider-reaching campaign, like Deborah White, a science teacher in Cody, WY, who started Cody CAN (Change

By Kathleen Zelman, REDBOOK

Back to school means scrubbed kids carrying shiny new lunch boxes. It also means stumped moms staring into the fridge, desperately seeking ways to sneak even a little bit of nutrition into their child's midday meal. "One of the biggest mistakes parents make is sending too much and the wrong kinds of food in their child's lunch box," says Elizabeth Ward, author of Healthy Foods, Healthy Kids. Use your child's fist as a guideline to perfect portion sizes.

Related: 10 Lunches Your Kid Won't Trade

An ideal lunch is nutritious and has enough calories to fuel brain and motor activity but not too many calories, which can cause hyperactive or sluggish post-lunch behavior. It's time to think beyond two slices of bread. "Sandwiches are fine for the first few weeks, then the monotony sets in and you need to get out of the sandwich rut," says Ward. Here are some kid-approved nutritious favorites.

Don't forget to include a frozen 100% fruit-juice

By Aaron Traister, REDBOOK

DEAR WHYS GUY:

Why is it so hard for a man to say, "I love you?" And if he says it's embarrassing, what does that really mean?

Related: 7 Things Men Secretly Don't Want in Bed

DEAR REDBOOK READER:

I'm guessing, and this is just a hunch, that it means he probably finds it embarrassing to say, "I love you."

Lots of guys have weird hang-ups about saying those three words. Personally, it doesn't freak me out at all. But some guys think it makes them soft if they say them (as KRS-One notes in his classic rap song, "Love's Gonna Get'cha"). Some guys are worried they're going to be left hanging after declaring their love (there is a good Seinfeld episode about that), and some dudes are concerned about not being able to live up to the promise of those words (remember, we're children of the divorce generation-we grew up seeing a lot of parents who said they loved each other prove otherwise in very legal ways).

Related: 30 Days to a Better Husband

So maybe he's

By Kayla Miller, REDBOOK

Rachel and Mike, both 35, have been married for five years and have two small children. Rachel complains that Mike occasionally spends too much time with his friends on the weekends and not enough time with the kids and family. He gets mad when she wants to spend time with her friends, rather than taking care of the kids. How should they determine how they spend their time?

Related: The 18 Most Annoying Male Habits, Explained!

She says: It's not fair that whenever he hangs out with his friends, I don't gripe, but when I hang out with mine, he complains about taking care of the kids and doing housework. I feel like we should have an equal playing field.

Related: 10 Vows for Not-So-Newlyweds

He says: Sometimes I just need a break from the stresses of family life. I don't have the natural motherly instincts like she does to take care of the kids, so I feel like she should be there to help out, too. It's not as if I want to spend every single weekend with my

By Marisa Cohen, REDBOOK

When Denise Towne packed her hiking boots and moved from upstate New York to Vermont after graduating high school, she couldn't wait to lose herself in the beautiful scenery, the hiking trails, and all the opportunities to go snowboarding. But it quickly dawned on Denise, now 38, who lives in the tiny town of Cabot, that the sports-lover's paradise she'd chosen was also a great place to raise a family. "Everywhere you go, you see a friendly face," she explains. "Living in a small town is like having an extended family-everyone watches out for everyone else's kids."

By the time Denise got married to Steve, a high school teacher, and was expecting her first child, in 2002, she had also found what she considered the perfect job: As production manager at the children's clothing company Zutano, Denise oversees work being done in facilities as far away as Macao, all from her office in a converted barn surrounded by maple trees. It's the kind of low-key office

By Diana Vilibert, REDBOOK

Your search is over-we've rounded up the best lunch boxes for kids here, from eco-friendly options to styles personalized just for your little one and everything in between.

1. Skip Hop: Talk about serious kid appeal! If your little ones like Skip Hop's line of animal-themed backpacks, they'll love these matching soft lunch bags. Owls and foxes and frogs, oh my-all of their favorite animals are there, with insulated, wipe-clean interiors that keep food and drinks cold, plus another pocket for extra goodies. The clip-on handle makes it easy to attach these cute totes to a backpack, too. ($14 at Skip Hop)

Related: The Secret to Better School Lunches

2. Beaba: Perfect for the tiniest of hands, this lunch box from parent-adored brand Beaba is ideal for the toddler set. Think non-slip plate, a container with two large compartments, a keep-warm lid, and an ergonomic spoon and fork set-all in colorful, tot-friendly hues. ($29.99 at Toys "R" Us)

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