Blog Posts by Redbook

By Charlotte Hilton Andersen, REDBOOK

Underwear. Toilets. Rotten sippy cups full of milk ticking like a stink bomb under your couch. Some chores are non-negotiable. But there are others that while it would be nice if the little tray the silverware sits in was impervious to crumbs, aren't the end of the world if they don't get done. And let's face it: With kids, things are always a little crazy. When it comes down to spending that extra summer daylight outside kicking down dandelions and catching frogs or housecleaning, you can guess which one I pick. At my house, it's changing the sheets that slides to the bottom of the priority list. Do they really need to be changed every week? Really?? As you can see from this list, we all have something we let go:

"We skip bath time a lot. There's always an excuse. In the winter: "It's too cold to make them take a bath." In the summer: "They were just swimming, so they got a good rinse." We haven't done a daily bath since our son was

By REDBOOK

As much as we look forward to the weekend, it can fly by faster than there is time to read the Sunday paper. Try these tips to make the most of days off with your family.

1. Don't ignore the warm body next to you: "The best gift you can give your kids is a strong marriage," says relationship therapist Laura Berman, Ph.D., host of the OWN show In the Bedroom With Dr. Laura Berman. "So why not set the alarm clock for 20 minutes of alone time?" If you're thinking, Um, I'd rather be sleeping, at least "cuddle in bed for five minutes before starting your day," Berman says.

Related: Should You Invade Your Kid's Online Privacy?

2. Put "hang out" on the calendar-in Sharpie: "Research links family leisure time with emotional bonding," says Eli Karam, Ph.D., president-elect of the Kentucky Association for Marriage & Family Therapy. "Blocking out three hours together even one Saturday a month can keep you in sync."

3. Ditch the cruise-director act: You've had breakfast - now what?

By Charlotte Hilton Andersen, REDBOOK

The weather's warmer and the parks are full of birds chirping, flowers blooming, and kids running and laughing. And moms on iPhones. Wait, what? Yesterday when I took my kids a nearby playground, I did a quick count of all the parents using their phones. With each kid I've birthed I've lost IQ points but I'm fairly confident in my math this time: 100%. Whether those moms and dads were just checking the weather to see if those ominous green clouds meant a tornado or if they were tweeting about the RHONJ I'll never know but I do understand the allure of having e-mail, texting, blogging and Angry Birds right at your finger tips. While we often fret about how much time our wee ones are spending glued to screens big and small, we don't talk about how much us moms do it. Especially when we're with our kids.

Related: Stress-Free Summer Getaway Guide

It's a fine line to walk. On one hand being with small children for extended periods of time

By Beth Kobliner, REDBOOK

You can't even begin to negotiate on an item until you know its lowest possible going rate. Why pay $200 for a microwave when a quick online search can tell you it's available elsewhere for $89? These comparison-shopping sites can help you get the best deal possible.


Related: 7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying Anything

1. PriceGrabber.com is the granddaddy of the comparison-shopping sites: It searches millions of products-groceries, computer software, you name it-from hundreds of vendors to get you the best price.

2. StreetPrices.com charts price changes for popular items over time to help you determine if now is a good time to buy that new flat-screen TV. With one click you can check eBay or Craigslist as well as online retailers.

3. Bing.com/shopping offers up the best prices from tons of retailers-plus, it offers a rewards program that gives a percentage of cash back when you link through their site to online stores, such as Macy's and Office Depot,

By Aaron Traister, REDBOOK

I think celebrating Father's Day is sort of silly, but my wife Karel is totally into it, so who am I to pass up a holiday where I'm the focus of the attention? Every year, Karel asks me what special thing I want or need to recharge my patriarchal batteries for the next 364 days. And every year, I find myself wanting diametrically opposed things. These contradictions illustrate the choices that dads make every day-between careless, youthful fun and responsible behavior that makes your life easier and better in the long term. For example:

Related: How Becoming a Mom Improved My Wife

1a. I want to sleep late and catch up on some desperately needed shut-eye.
1b. I want to wake up early and pack as much into the day as possible. I could get up before the sun and drive out to the country to paint and still be home in time to have the rest of my day (okay, maybe just an hour or two of sunlight) in front of me. I never get a chance to do that anymore.


2a. I want to

By Lisa Lillien, REDBOOK

Gone are the days of watery diet lasagna! Here are the yummy low-cal options Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien keeps in her freezer.

1. Amy's Light and Lean Spinach Lasagna: I'm a huge fan of all things Amy's, so I was thrilled to see the new Light and Lean meals, each with fewer than 300 calories and no more than 5 grams of fat. My favorite, the spinach lasagna, has three kinds of cheese-Parmesan, ricotta, and mozzarella!-for only 250 calories.

Related: How to Beat Bloat-Fast!

2. Lean Cuisine Market Creations Chicken Margherita: Inside this microwavable bag is penne pasta with white-meat chicken, tomatoes, red bell peppers, spinach, and mozzarella cheese in a delicious balsamic sauce. It's truly hard to believe the whole thing has only 300 calories and 8 grams of fat, right?

3. Kashi Mayan Harvest Bake: With roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, plantains, pumpkin seeds, whole-grain pilaf, and kale in an amazing smoky-sweet sauce, this unique entrée is like no other

By Aaron Traister, REDBOOK

Just like I think of Black Sabbath and Ice Cube as making music for guys, I think of Celine Dion and Christina Aguilera as making music with women in mind. I think it's hard for guys to admit that they like songs with a softer side, so in the interest of getting more in touch with my feminine side, I'm listing my Top 7 favorite XX songs of all time.

Related: 8 Free Ways to Have Fun This Summer

7. "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton/Whitney Houston. Every dude has someone or something in his life that this song applies to. I don't care if it's the understated Parton version or the blow-out-the-speakers vocals of Houston's; both are sublime and surprisingly affecting. I was recently stuck in traffic right behind a Colt 45. Malt Liquor delivery truck while the Dolly Parton version played on my radio. All I could see in front of me was the Colt 45. Logo, and all I heard were the lyrics: "Bitter sweet memories, that's all I have, and all I'm taking with

By Charlotte Hilton Andersen, REDBOOK

Oh sure you think you're just living your life, but when you have kids, they're living it right along with you and they remember things differently. Sometimes very differently. So the other day when I asked my children what they thought were the worst parenting mistakes I had made, these were definitely not the answers I expected. (But that's probably a good thing as I don't think I'm strong enough to write that post yet.)

Related: Meet the Hottest Husbands in America

My Worst Parenting Mistakes (According to my kids ages 8, 7, 4 and 1.)

1. I accidentally switched the dates on my calendar for my son's preschool choir concert and his field trip-something any mom has done-which caused me to miss the former. Despite the fact this happened four years ago he still likes to remind me, "Remember when you missed my concert because you were just sitting at home? I cried and cried. Remember how the teacher had to hug me and give me gummy bears to