Blog Posts by Woman s Day

By Woman's Day Staff

Sweater Care

Caring for delicate fabric can be a daunting task. You'd rather not pay to have someone else clean it, but you also don't want to wreck your treasured knitwear by washing it yourself at home. To lighten your load (and dry cleaning bill), we enlisted Lindsey J. Boyd, co-founder of TheLaundress.com to share her no-fail wool and cashmere care tips. Before you begin: Check the label for the garment's fabric content, rather than the care instructions. Even if the label says "dry clean," you can handwash it if the primary fiber is wool or cashmere.

Step 1

Fill a basin or sink with cool water and add 1 Tbsp of a mild detergent that's free of bleach, such as Woolite Extra Delicates Care; swish the water to create suds. Place the sweater into the water and swirl it around until it's completely wet. Don't scrub or stretch the sweater, which can damage the shape and fibers. Let sit for 10 minutes while the detergent breaks down soil.

Step 2

By Alexandra Gekas

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, but not everyone is looking forward to its arrival. In fact, there are plenty of people who wish the Grinch would come and steal all of this holiday's spirit. Whether you want to send a spiteful message to an ex or simply indulge your bitter heart, here are 10 gifts for anyone who's felt the sting of Cupid's arrow.

Stick a Knife in It

Did your ex stab you in the back? Return the favor and buy this less-than-subtle knife holder that promises to be just as cathartic as it is stylish. Plus, it offers endless venting opportunities…that won't land you in jail.

Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing

Sure, your boyfriend spends hours playing video games, leaves the seat up and hasn't brought you flowers since your second date. But whatever his crimes, you'll feel a lot better after reading the horror stories in Justin Racz's 50 Boyfriends Worse Than Yours. Stalker? Check. Worst kisser ever? Check. Guy who wears his pet

By Amanda Greene

When you imagine ordering "off the menu," you probably think of pricey restaurants where your wish is their command-not fast-food spots. But plenty of chains offer secret menu items that in-the-know customers can order. In fact, In-N-Out Burger's covert options became so popular that they now print a special "Not-So-Secret" menu online. To learn about hush-hush items-some cool, others surprising and a few downright scary--that you can ask for at places like Arby's and Long John Silver's, keep reading.

Chipotle

Store policy at this fast-food joint says that employees will whip up anything you'd like-as long as they have the ingredients on hand. So if you aren't in the mood for a burrito or a trio of tacos, you can request nachos, a quesadilla, a taco salad or whatever other Mexican creation you can dream up.

Subway

Long before Subway helped Jared lose 245 pounds, the sandwich chain had a less-than-healthy selection on their menu. Although the

By Jennifer Matlack

Take a look at your dog. Now check out your neighbor's. Odds are, one of them needs to go on a diet. According to a 2009 study by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, a veterinarians' group, 51.5 percent of dogs and cats in the U.S. are overweight or obese. And as with people, "too many extra pounds, even as few as three or four, can put pets at risk for all sorts of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure , kidney failure and certain cancers, which can lower their life expectancy by at least two years," says Ernie Ward, DVM, author of Chow Hounds: Why Our Dogs Are Getting Fatter. Here's how to keep your best friend fit.

1. Size up your pet. Just because Fido looks fit doesn't mean he is. "Ideally, your pet should be weighed at twice-yearly checkups," says Nancy Kay, DVM, author of Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life. At home, you can assess his weight by placing your hands over

By Mary Hunt

Your parents may still be active, energetic, and totally self-sufficient. But whether or not you want to think about it, the day will come when they'll need your help. Get prepared ahead of time with these four key legal documents, which you'll need to protect their finances and their health.

1. Will
Regardless of age and assets, everyone should create a will. If there is no will to indicate a person's wishes with regard to his or her home, car, etc. upon the person's death, the court will step in and distribute the property according to the laws of the individual state. If the person has no apparent heirs and dies without a will, the estate/assets will go to distant relatives.

2. Living Will
This tells doctors what kind of care the person does and does not want to receive if he's terminally ill and incapacitated. (Some states, including Kentucky, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia and Wyoming, combine the Living Will and the

By Denise Schipani

You may know them as "bodice rippers," but modern romance novels offer much more than long-haired, big-breasted heiresses fainting and fawning over bare-chested (and also long-haired-remember Fabio?) men. Instead, the heroines of these books embody strength, fortitude and smarts-and we could all take a page from a story like that! One of the greatest lessons to derive from romance novels, says Debra Holland, PhD, a psychotherapist and romance novelist herself, is that "characters in these books struggle with many of the same issues we do and they still end up happy and deserving of love." Below, seven important lessons you can learn from romantic reads.

1. Authenticity matters. As a romance novel progresses, the heroine learns that the only way she'll get what she wants is to remain authentic to who she is; in fact, part of the progress of the story involves her journey of self-discovery. "Until she believes in herself, no one else will either," says Diana

By Guy Winch, PhD

Frustration can drive you up the wall, and in the worst situations we tend to nag, throw childish fits and

even lash out at those around us. But there are more mature--and effective--ways to approach these sticky situations. Guy Winch, PhD, author of The Squeaky Wheel, offers the best ways to complain without, well, complaining.

The situation: Your husband still hasn't fixed the broken kitchen cabinet door

You're tempted to: Blow up and blurt, "You never help me." But criticizing him

will put him on the defensive and he'll resist addressing your needs, says Dr. Winch.

Instead: Use a complaint sandwich-buffer your gripe with two positive thoughts. Say, "You're so good at making repairs, and since I'm not as handy, I need you to fix that door. I know you'll do a great job."Flattery will motivate him to get the job done.

The situation: A coworker took credit for your work.

By Hallie Levine Sklar

"A lot of my patients initially resist changing their eating habits because they've grown up cooking a certain way and they can't imagine doing anything differently," says Malissa Wood, MD, codirector of the Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center Corrigan Women's Heart Health Program in Boston. "The reality is, by just making a few smart substitutions, they can serve virtually the same dishes" but cut back dramatically on saturated fat and sodium.

1. Boil or bake instead of fry. "Frying foods in heavy amounts of oil makes even a relatively healthy dish like high-fiber plantains unhealthy," says Melanie Pearsall, RD, a senior clinical nutritionist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "Boiling plantains instead cuts the calories and fat in half. If you bake empanadas rather than fry them, you get only about a third of the calories and fat."

2. Make the same dish with leaner protein. "My Hispanic clients don't realize that they can make