Blog Posts by Redbook

By Heather Cocks, REDBOOK

The first time I was on solo mom duty, my 2-month-old boys were napping while their father did the same. Both guys woke up and started fussing. Assuming that getting pregnant with twins had given me an innate ability to juggle two babies, I gingerly scooped them up with both arms, carried them to the couch, and propped them up on my legs. "I OWN this gig," I thought. Then Dylan threw up on Liam, they both started wailing, and I ended up having to roll one on top of the other and pin them to my lap using one hand and my chin while my other hand called Kevin's cell phone to wake him. "NEVER LEAVE ME ALONE WITH THEM AGAIN! I AM TERRIBLE!" I wailed. As much as I realize their valedictory address will not include this story-if it does, they are clearly out of the will-it was sobering to face my limitations so early.

Related: What Self-Imposed Parenting Rule Did You Quickly Cave On?

I always assumed that a natural ease with all that stuff automatically came with

Read More »from Girlfriends: A Mother's Secret Weapon

By Charlotte Hilton Andersen, REDBOOK

We live in an age of "too much." Whereas for most of human civilization, people have had to scrabble just to exist, in the past 100 years or so the pendulum has swung-at least for those privileged few of us who live in first world countries. Now we have too much food, too much entertainment, too much free time, and too many possessions. (Of course we also have too much pollution, too much debt, and too much chronic illness, but that's a discussion for another day.) But can you have too much good parenting? Psychologist Lori Gottlieb writing in The Atlantic says yes, and it's a problem of epidemic proportions.

Related: What Self-Imposed Parenting Rule Did You Quickly Cave On?

Of course too little parenting is a problem-we call that neglect and will land you in court or get you your own reality show-and we know that too much parenting in the form of overbearing, controlling or "helicoptering" is bad too, but Gottlieb is talking

Read More »from Why Is It So Hard for Us to Stop Overparenting?

By REDBOOK

Read these and mini golf will seem so highbrow! The takeaway: Just do whatever makes the two of you happy.

1. Staying Close...With Guns? "We go to our cowboy action shooting club. We dress up in Western gear, shoot guns, and pretend to be in the Wild West. Seriously." - Rose Tepedino, Oakdale, NY

Related: 5 Dresses Every Woman Should Own

2. Geeky Convention-Goers: "My husband and I go to sci-fi conventions. He gets to see all the Star Wars toys he used to have, and I connect with other Buffy the Vampire Slayer lovers. It's our geeky bonding time!" - Melinda Rodriguez, Dallas

Related: 20 Ways to Spice Up Your Next Date Night

3. Bowling Partners: "My husband and I joined a bowling league. We bring our own shoes and balls, and we always wear matching shirts." - Jennifer Davis, Pasadena, MD

4. A Ghastly Pastime: "My husband and I go ghost hunting in old buildings and graveyards. We bring our electromagnetic field detector, which goes off if there's a ghost. It's very scary,

Read More »from 5 Dorky (but Fun) Summer Date Ideas

By Jenna Mahoney, REDBOOK


Not all of us are blessed with a perky, plump bosom. Luckily, with the right tools and tips, you can flaunt your assets with the rest of 'em.

1. Smooth Things Out: The décolleté (pronounced, for the record, "day-col-TAY") shows age fast, thanks to the lack of subcutaneous fat and all the sun exposure it gets, says New York City dermatologist Hilary Reich, M.D. "Women know to apply sunscreen to their faces but often forget to cover their chest when wearing low necklines." Be sure to extend your facial sunscreen downward whenever your chest is going to see the light of day. For the damage that's done, use a mild scrub, such as Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Gentle Exfoliating Facial Scrub, $10, a few times a week. To add a sexy glow, moisturize daily with a cream that has light-reflecting pigments. We like Hawaiian Tropic Shimmer Effect Lotion Sunscreen SPF 20, $7.99.

Related: Find the Right Bra, Lose 5 Pounds

2. Never Let 'Em See You Sweat: If you tend to get

Read More »from 5 Tricks for Sexier Cleavage This Summer

By REDBOOK

You may be a whiz at comparing travel rates online, but it turns out that good old conversation could save you a lot more. In a Consumer Reports poll of 1,000 people, 83 percent said they'd nabbed a better hotel rate simply by-shocker-asking. It's even more of a possibility now, given lower occupancy rates in hotels, reduced demand for rental cars, and the scramble to fill every last room for the holidays. So start talking and get what you want for less.

Related: 30 Days to a Better Husband

1. Keep Asking for Breaks: Before you leave for your trip, search online for current hotel and car rates. If they're lower than what you got, says Peter Frank, creator of the travel blog Let's Be Frank, "call and ask for that rate." At the hotel or car place, tell the clerk if you're on a trip for a special occasion, like a birthday or anniversary. Then ask, "Any chance of an upgrade?" For hotels, it helps to arrive later in the day. "Last year, our family got to a Vermont ski resort

Read More »from 4 Easy Ways to Snag Great Travel Upgrades

By Lindsey Palmer and Nicole Yorio, REDBOOK

Twenty percent of Americans say they'd take a 5-percent pay cut if they could work a few days at home. But you may not have to sacrifice a penny. Follow these tips from Leslie Truex, author of The Work-at-Home Success Bible, on how to ask your boss for this prized perk.

1. Prepare your case: Make a list of tasks you can do at home and another of those that require in-office time, plus an outline of how you'll stay connected.

Related: Money-Saving Tips That Will Change Your Life

2. Broadcast the benefits: Set a meeting with your boss, and point out how working at home could benefit the company-perhaps you'll save resources or free up space. Note that studies show at-home workers are happier in their jobs, take fewer sick days, and are more productive.

Related: 5 Tricks for All-Day Energy

3. Focus on your job, not your life: Your commute and child-care dilemmas are not your company's concern. Ditch the complaints and focus on how much you

Read More »from 4 Steps to Convincing Your Boss to Let You Work from Home

By REDBOOK

These ladies may be fictional, but their on-screen friendships form the most iconic female bonds of all time.

1. Sex and the City: They single-handedly doubled sales of Manolos, cosmos, and dildos!

2. Thelma and Louise: Not even a young, naked Brad Pitt could come between these two-who kept their vow to stay friends till the very, very end.

Related: 100+ Easy Celebrity Hairstyles

3. Waiting to Exhale: "You set his what on fire?" The ladies of Waiting to Exhale took each other's drama in stride.

4. Beaches: They love each other, they hate each other-the first half is melodramatic gold. But the real jackpot? The cathartic weep-till-you're-tired finish.

Related: Your Guy's Friendships Explained (Even the Weird Ones)

5. Friends: Most women would go Bridezilla if their maid of honor revealed a surprise pregnancy on their big day, but let's face it: These were the ultimate Friends.

6. The Women: Who needs men? Not one appeared in this film classic-and the ladies were better off

Read More »from Our 11 Favorite On-Screen Friendships

By Charlotte Hilton Andersen, REDBOOK

Think peer pressure is just something teenagers at parties have to worry about? Then you haven't been to preschool lately. And I'm not talking about little Johnny pressuring my kid into wearing his shirt backwards every day (although that happened too)-I'm talking about the parents. As adults we're supposed to be above all that caring-what-other-people-think crap and yet as anyone who's ended up with the snack bucket knows, we parents can be just as pushy as any horny teenager at prom. To be perfectly clear: I am not saying any of these things are bad, and if you enjoy doing them, then I'm happy that you're happy-just don't try to make me feel bad about not doing them too.

Related: 43 Sneaky Tricks to Look Younger

1. The snack bucket: Yesterday Xavien's mom filled it with mock sushi rolls hand-crafted out of fruit and nestled in origami paper cups (true story), and today I'm doing the the walk of shame past the entire line of parents Read More »from Top 10 Things I've Been Peer-Pressured Into Doing...By Other Parents