Ditch these time wasters for moves that really matterIt's a rare bird who loves hanging out at the gym. Most of us count the minutes until the workout's over and we can get on with our (way more fun) day. So the last thing we want to do is spend time using exercise machines that don't do anything for us. While no machine is totally useless if used properly, some just aren't terribly effective, says Lani Muelrath, MA, fitness expert and author of Fit Quickies. Plus, they put you at risk--too great a risk--of injury, she says.

Swap out these 10 useless machines for more effective, expert-recommended moves.

1. LEG-CURL MACHINE
Why it's useless: Your hamstrings perform two movements: knee flexion and hip extension. The leg curl machine works only knee flexion, which limits the benefits, says Muelrath.

What to do instead: Choose a machine or movement that works both hamstring functions at once, such as the fitness ball hip raise and curl.

To do: Lie on your back with legs straight, heels on the ball. Raise your hips by pressing your heels into the

Image: thisreidwrites/Creative CommonsThis past weekend I got a lesson in buying appliances as we were picking out a new refrigerator, range, and dishwasher. Working in the world of design, I consider myself pretty savvy when it comes to the latest and greatest looks in home appliances, but much to my chagrin, I realized that I didn't know all that much about the latest and greatest functions of various models. They've made a lot of progress in the eight years since I last bought appliances for my previous home. But not only was I unsure of all the appliance features, I discovered that in going to three different stores I got very different information about what I should be looking for with each different unit, making me really glad I had dragged my family to so many stores after all. But so that you don't have to do the same with your family, I thought I'd offer a breakdown of the key features to look for when purchasing new appliances, starting with the dishwasher.

Read More: 5 Foolproof Tricks for Sale Shopping

In

Stop pulling my hair!Stop pulling my hair! Ouch! That hurts! No! You aren't doing my hair!

It's just a typical morning in my house. Sigh.

My oldest daughter was born with a full head of beautiful hair. I like to tell people that we've been fighting about it at least that long. She simply despises having her hair brushed and styled. I've had more hair battles with her than I have with my two other daughters combined. What have we done to keep our hair battles from turning into war?

Relax the rules.

I care more about how my daughter's hair looks when she's heading to school or we're running errands than I do when we're just hanging out at home. So I've relaxed the hair rules around the house, and my daughter is responsible for her own hair when we're not going anywhere. Quite frankly, it's also one less thing for me to worry about.

Up or off.

Lice have run rampant around the first and second grade, fueling my desire for my daughter to keep her hair up out of her face and less likely to bring home any little

© Michael Kraus

By Katie Choi
For these fun, no-forks-required minis, drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto the griddle. Let set for 1 minute. Place a lollipop stick in the center, smoothing the batter to cover the stick. When the edges look dry, flip and cook for 1 minute more.

Add instant flavor and crunch with these mix-ins:

Berries

Diced bananas or apples

Crumbled bacon

Chocolate chips

Chopped pecans or walnuts

Ground cinnamon

Dried cranberries

For an extra punch of flavor, try dipping your pancake pops into these delicious toppings.

More from Parenting.com:
Easy Dinner Ideas for Tonight!
How to Throw a Kids' Tea Party
30 Amazing Birthday Cake Designs
Lunch Ideas for Toddlers

L.A. designer Kelly LaPlante shows how to give salvaged materials stylish new purpose

Sunset's home decorating guide:
14 key decorating strategies
Painting ideas
Great ideas for shelves
10 rules of freestyle decorating

Salvage style
Salvage style: How to decorate with what you already have
For Kelly LaPlante, a leading Los Angeles-based interior designer, author, television host, and new mother, green design isn't just about choosing fabrics and furniture made from sustainable materials.
She prefers to help her clients find new use―and often unexpected new love―for things they already own. "There's nothing more green than keeping what you have," she says.
Her own Venice loft is proof that hand-me-downs and thrift-store finds can rise to stylish new purpose.
Design: Kelly LaPlante Organic Interior Design, Venice, CA (kellylaplante.com or 310/581-6789)

Refinish
1. Refinish
The dining table was brown and had belonged to a client. "They were going to throw it away," says LaPlante, who saw potential in its curves.
After being

Hayden turns 8 months old tomorrow and I can't believe how fast it's going the third time around. Having 3 kids, especially 2 older kids with lots of activities, is keeping me more busy than I ever thought possible. Many days go by like a blur between taking care of baby, working, homework and cooking dinner, that some days I find myself standing for all my meals, and I can barely remember drinking a cup of water all day. I'd like to take better care of myself, because a healthy and happy momma makes for a healthy and happy family. Here are 3 simple things I can do to take better care of me, and I'm going to start tomorrow!

Caffeine Fix
Caffeine Fix
It's really no surprise that caffeine is many a mom's best friend. And while I don't usually have more than 1-1.5 cups of coffee a day, I do find myself going to coffee first, before breakfast and water, first thing in the morning. Many times it's 11 am before I realize all I've had is coffee, and I haven't eaten a thing or taken one sip of water.

Here are healthy foods that you can safely snack onOne hundred calories. It's just three words, but many of us feel better snacking on something that has that on its nutritional label - it's built-in portion control. That's why we buy so many boxes of those over-processed, boring snack packs with "100 Calories" stamped right on the package, because when it's only that many calories or less, we feel better about our diet and health.

Diets That Don't Work (And What Your Should Try Instead)

Unfortunately, we're often less certain about calorie counts when it comes to eating wholesome, unprocessed, and all-natural foods. When you open a carton of almonds, do you really know when to stop yourself from breaching your safe limit? And how many spoonfuls of hummus can you safely have before it actually starts doing you more harm than good?

Save Money and Buy These Foods Frozen

We all know certain types of food are better than others, but when we're counting calories or on strict diets, it's hard to quantify those healthy foods. Registered dietician

By Louis DeNicola, Cheapism.com

With dinner and a movie easily costing upwards of $70, the stereotypical date night has been priced out of many peoples' budgets. Indeed, it's natural to wonder whether cheap movie tickets are just a relic of days gone by. In some cities matinee tickets go for more than $10 a pop, and IMAX, 3-D, and other special screen options often add on extra charges.

Save money at the movies!

To give you some relief from sticker shock, we hunted down ways to save when going to the movies. Solutions come from startups, corporate promotions, and even from theaters that reward loyal customers.

Related: Best inexpensive smartphones

Launched last July to help college students in Santa Cruz, CA afford summer movies, Dealflicks has since spread to theaters across the country. The company helps movie theaters fill up seats that would otherwise sit empty by allowing them to discount ticket prices at the box office (exactly how much is at the theater's discretion). Through the company site or app