Blog Posts by Woman s Day

By Arricca SanSone

Not everyone likes to clean, but everyone loves a clean house. "The key is maintenance so things don't get out of control," says Diana Henley, owner of Naturalcare Cleaning Service in Houston. "Tackling little messes right away prevents them from becoming big messes later on." Here are nine simple habits the pros recommend to help you keep your home cleaner, longer.

1. Take off your shoes. "Have your family members remove their shoes as soon as they come in the house," says Maria Skokan, co-owner of Nature's Essence Green Cleaning, LLC in Aurora, Illinois. "It's better to prevent dirt from getting in the house in the first place." At the very least, keep machine washable throw rugs at every entrance to your home-both inside and outside-to capture grit, salt and grass clippings.

2. Do mini-vacuum sessions. Vacuum high-traffic patterns in carpeted areas and shake out entryway rugs a couple of times a week to stop soil from being ground in. Zip around the

Read More »from 9 Habits for a Cleaner House

By Tori Rodriguez

You may not mind if your kid plays video games, but you are probably wondering if there's any harm in letting her log so much time with the game console. We consulted child psychologists and video game experts to get the facts on how you can help your child enjoy the benefits of video games while avoiding their potential pitfalls.

1. Games have ratings and consoles have parental controls.
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) provides information about computer and video games, including a rating system with categories ranging from EC (Early Childhood) to AO (Adult Only). Cheryl K. Olson, ScD, faculty member of Harvard Medical School and author of Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do, recommends that parents bookmark the ESRB's "Resources" page, which links to instructions for the parental controls built in to all game systems and computers. The page also has "links to sites for your kids

Read More »from 8 Things Parents Should Know About Video Games

By Woman's Day Staff

Fresh Start

This season, trade in your dingy, old cleaning tools for brightly-hued ones. Not only are products decorated in oranges, reds and green energizing, but who doesn't love to play with new toys? Pick up one of these pretty finds and you'll be itching to try them out before you know it. Your mood and house will appreciate the upgrade!

Chirpy Hooks

Sparrow-shaped clips provide perches for damp towels and linens. $15 for 16; MOMAStore.org.

Striped Set

A pan and brush set that'll earn its stripes attacking tracked-in dirt. $26 each; AliceSupplyCo.com.

Lovely Loofah

A loofah helps you enjoy the fruits of your dishwashing labor. Loofah-art, $4.99; 800-720-2247.

Girly Gloves

The prettiest rubber gloves, hands down. Cupcakes and Cartwheels, $11; 800-896-7266 for stores.

Get the whole family to pitch in when it comes to spring cleaning.

Broom Queen

A true sweeping beauty. $14;

Read More »from Colorful Cleaning Supplies

By Woman's Day Staff

Hang On

The designated drop-off for coats, umbrellas and other everyday items, entryways certainly know how to attract mess. And the more clutter, the more of an eyesore the space can become. Enter this DIY hook-style rack, which you can make using your favorite wall-paper pattern (we used Antonina Vella Designs Edda in Green) and a few other craft store supplies (get full material list here ). Streamlined and stylish, it will both act as a home for the day's disregards and add a burst of personality to your décor. Click through to get how-to instructions for crafting your own.

Step 1

Separate the hooks and screws. Poke screws through the foam so they stand upright; spray-paint. Stand the hooks up on the spare plank of wood or a newspaper-covered surface; spray-paint. Let dry.

Step 2

Following package instructions, apply glue to the front of the pine piece and place it, centered, on the underside of the wallpaper. Set books along the

Read More »from DIY Decor: Entryway Rack

By Emma Johnson

If your job-hunt effort is starting to feel like a lost cause, it might be time to consider a change in careers. The good news? There are plenty of professions where open posts are plentiful. Here are some of the fastest-growing occupations and their average salaries, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (For the educational requirements for each job, click here and here.)

Growing Industries

Home Health Aide ($21,620)
Physical Therapist Aide ($48,590)
Dental Hygienist ($67,860)
Veterinary Technician ($30,580)
Accountant/Auditor ($67,430)
Registered Nurse ($66,530)
Customer Service Rep ($32,410)
Elementary School Teacher ($53,150)

Try one of these eight ways to make money online.

Does Age Matter?

Yes. While unemployment has affected all demographics, middle-aged women are especially hard-hit. The number of U.S. women ages 45 to 64 who have been out of work longer than six months has doubled to 900,000 in

Read More »from Where the Jobs Are

By Arianne Cohen

Pam, a mother of two teenage boys, ages 14 and 17, lives in a clean, organized house in Austin, Texas. And no, she's not going to tell you her last name, because her house used to be a mess.

"Have you ever seen Citizen Kane?" she jokes. While raising her sons, Pam found herself "just surrounded by things." She knew it was getting bad when visitors began commenting. "People would say, 'Wow, you have a lot of stuff.' I think I let it go for so long because the house was never dirty-just very full," she says. Full of outgrown toys, kitchen appliances, end tables from two houses ago-items that were potentially useful, but never used. "My biggest mistake? Not having a plan to get rid of things," she says.

Millions of us are just like Pam, and the consequences of holding on to everything are huge. Numerous studies show that people whose lives are oriented around material possessions-which is what happens when every surface is cluttered- are less happy. A 2006

Read More »from Confronting Your Clutter Conundrums

By Woman's Day Staff

Book Talk

Knowing what an author's choice reads are is like getting a glimpse into their mind. So we couldn't resist the opportunity to check out the literary picks of best-selling author Jodi Picoult, who recently released her 18th novel, Sing You Home, about the challenges same-sex couples face when marrying and adopting. (She is also the author of My Sister's Keeper, which hit the big screen in 2009.) Click through the slideshow to see the writing that Picoult loves, as well as the authors she's looked up to along her own novel journey.

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

"Hemingway's 1920s tale of jealousy among five men in love with the same woman entranced me with its short, direct writing-what's not said is more important than what is said."

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

"My go-to children's book, this story flips the damsel-in-distress concept on its head. It features a strong female protagonist: a princess who

Read More »from Jodi Picoult’s All-Time Favorite Reads

By Petra Guglielmetti

Nobody's perfect-but luckily, our imperfections are what help make us interesting and uniquely beautiful. So if you have a trouble area (or two) that really irks you, don't let it get you down. Instead, try one of the following expert tricks for fooling the world into not even noticing your so-called flaws. Whether it's creating an optical illusion with a quick makeup move or adding a few genius items to your wardrobe, here's how to minimize the negative so you feel perfectly beautiful (and isn't that just as good as looking "perfect" anyway?).

The Complaint: Forehead Wrinkles

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills would say to just Botox those irksome forehead crinkles away-but if you're not the type to go under the needle, there's an equally effective fix that comes at the problem from a different angle: Try bangs. Not only are they the perfect "curtain" to hide the signs of aging, they'll give your whole look a fresh, modern vibe. There are styles

Read More »from Tricks That Transform Your Imperfections