Blog Posts by Woman s Day

By Alexandra Gekas

While some may argue that social networking tools, like Twitter and Facebook, are a waste of time, and others consider them to be innocent fun, there are a few people who would say these innovations are so much more. For example, one woman saved her friend from home invaders after seeing a plea for help on Facebook, while another was rescued by emergency personnel after tweeting for help when she was injured and lost in the woods. Learn about seven real-life cases where a tweet, status update or an application was a lifesaver.

Twitter: Lost Snowboarders in the Swiss Alps

In March 2009, 29-year-olds Rob Williams and Jason Tavaria went on a ski trip in the Swiss Alps and became separated from their group during a snowstorm. A member of their team used Twitter to get phone numbers for the missing snowboarders. Tavaria was contacted on his mobile phone and used his Google Maps application to send rescuers the longitude and latitude of his location.

By Karen Asp

Walking is one of the easiest ways to get fit. It's free, you can do it just about anywhere and it burns up to 200 calories in 30 minutes. That's why we enlisted Bob Harper, one of the trainers from NBC's The Biggest Loser, to create a walking program that blasts calories by including strength-training moves. Aim to walk four to six times a week, ideally picking a different routine each day. For motivation, check out the stories of four women who each shed major pounds mainly by walking. In just a few weeks, you'll be on your way to becoming the next weight-loss success story!

See before and after photos of women who've kept their weight off for years.

Walk #1: Muscle Up

Location: Your neighborhood
Goal: Increase upper-body strength by alternating cardio and strength moves. Throw a resistance band in your pocket before you leave.
Total time: 38 min

5 min Warm up: Walk at easy pace.

1 min Walk fast, pumping your arms.

3 min Stop walking

By Arricca Elin SanSone

Life is full of surprises-and not all of them are good. Whether you have an overflowing toilet or flooded basement, there's no need to panic. "With a little know-how, you can prevent small home emergencies from becoming big ones," says Jodi Marks, home repair expert and author of Fix It in a Flash. "And many situations require only basic tools found at any hardware store." Here's how to handle common home emergencies as well as prevent potential disasters.

DIY Fix: Turn off the water supply (it's the little oval knob on the water line going into the tank). Place a toilet plunger with a bell-shaped end in the bowl, covering the hole. "Push the plunger up and down quickly a few times, at the speed you'd use to shake a martini," says Marks. For stubborn clogs, use a toilet auger, a long coil tool with a cranking handle that is a must-have item in your home repair toolkit (available at most hardware stores as well as at Lowes.com

By Woman's Day Staff

Eye Candy

Like pumpkins, ghosts and witches, candy corn just screams Halloween. Sure it satisfies your sweet tooth, but the tasty confection's visual appeal also makes a great decoration for the holiday. (And with over 35 million pounds of candy corn manufactured each year, there's plenty of it to go around!) The seven decorating ideas below-from stringing the candy into garlands to using it to decorate tabletops--are proof that sometimes playing with your food is more fun than eating it!

Photo: © Shutterstock

Ear Buds

At this time of year, it seems candy corn does grow on trees. Pick a few clean-looking branches from your yard and hot-glue kernels onto them in clumps of twos and threes in various spots, concentrating on the ends and the Vs where the twigs branch off. Wedge the trunk of the branch into a small Styrofoam or floral square (available at crafts stores) and rest it in the base of a vase. Fill the vase to the brim with corn to

By Shelley Wolson

Adventurous Ensembles

There's something about the story of Alice in Wonderland that's perfectly suited for Halloween. Perhaps it's the fantastical nature of the story's adventure, or maybe it's the iconic nature of the four main characters' costumes-but we didn't need a special reason to recreate the signature looks of Alice, Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter and White Rabbit. Using just a few basic clothing items and craft supplies, it's easy to reconstruct Alice's magical world. Just don't forget to watch out for that rabbit hole!

Alice in Wonderland

Every costume is an adventure, and this one is no exception. To transform yourself into Alice, start with a lightblue puff-sleeve dress or shirt and skirt combo. Add a white bib apron edged with light-blue rickrack, white flats and white headband, and you'll be down the rabbit hole in no time!

Click here for how-to instructions

Photo: © Tamara

By Kimberly Fusaro

Photo: © UpperCut Images/Getty Images

Wondering why you can't get your budget on track? Chances are, you're making at least one of the money mistakes that follow. Whether it's a tiny misstep, like buying your kids new Halloween costumes year after year, or a major no-no, like ignoring your credit score, these faux pas can keep you from achieving financial security. Below, experts share the nine most common cash flubs and their savvy solutions for them, which will help you get a handle on your finances once and for all.

Bad Habit #1: Setting a budget that's too strict.
Like a super-strict diet, a super-strict budget will eventually lead you to "cheat."

Savvy Solution: Start by cutting back in just one area. Debt management expert Clarky Davis (a.k.a. The Debt Diva) suggests looking for ways to trim your grocery bill-you might try shopping with coupons and adding some store-brand items to your cart. Once you're comfortable with your new supermarket

By Woman's Day Staff

Salt & Pepper Shakers

You'll Need

Garment bags
Black construction paper
Styrofoam peanuts
Black pompoms
Stainless steel colanders
Shoelaces

1. Enlarge the hole at the top of two clear garment bags so they're big enough for your kids' heads to fit through.

2. Cut holes on the sides and bottom for arms and legs. With double-stick tape, attach an "S" cut from black construction paper on one and a "P" on the other.

3. After the kids have stepped into the bags, fill the "S" with Styrofoam peanuts and the "P" with black pompoms.

4. Top with colanders tied with black and white shoelaces.

Goldfish
Let your toddler stand out in a sea of Backyardigans.

You'll Need
Cupcake liners
Hooded sweatshirt
Ping-pong ball
Permanent marker

1. Cut orange cupcake liners in half and hot-glue them in layers, with the curved edges facing downward, to an oversize orange hoodie (for a toddler-size costume,

By Joy Bauer, RD

Halloween marks the beginning of the holiday season-a fun time of year for enjoying friends and family, but also filled with edible booby traps! Candy for trick-or-treaters is everywhere, and pretty soon we'll be seeing Thanksgiving pies and Christmas cookies, too. But that doesn't have to mean you're destined to herald the new year with extra padding. All you need is some coaching on how to handle the temptations.

Halloween

Let's start with Halloween, because it's right around the corner. This holiday may be marketed to kids, but grownups often use it as an excuse to indulge in their favorite sweets. Not a problem if you limit yourself to Halloween night itself, but that can be difficult, since the candy onslaught begins well before the 31st and often lingers for days (sometimes weeks) after. You can survive the caloric nightmare with these three simple guidelines:

1. Buy the bare minimum of candy you think you'll need for trick-or-treaters.
2.