Mommy dearest always warned you about these things, and now, you find yourself repeating the maybe not-so-true sayings. In a quest to give his kids a better explanation than, "that's what grandma told me," Ken Jennings, author of Because I Said So!, uncovered the truth. By Ava Feuer, REDBOOK.

"When you open the oven, all the heat goes out"
At age seven, there's nothing worse than waiting for the cookies to be ready. Thus comes the kitchen version of "are we there yet," prompting moms everywhere to claim checking the chocolate delights will only make them take longer. Yes, when an oven is left open for one minute, about one-quarter of the heat escapes, but it returns in less than that time because warmth radiates from the walls of the oven. No matter what you say or do, it'll be ten to 12 minutes until sweets-time.

"Sugar makes you hyper"
As a parent, it's difficult to admit that your kid's behavior was out-of-control - even though you know it happens to everyone. "It's more

Infomercials make some pretty amazing claims, but how much can you really believe? The Good Housekeeping Research Institute took a closer look at some popular products seen on TV to see if any live up to the hype.

Edge of Glory1. Edge of Glory

$11 + $7 S&H

The Pitch: "The best knife sharpener money can buy!"

The Truth: More like one of the worst. The sharpener broke away from the suction cup before we could even test it, making its use potentially dangerous. Paring, chef's, and utility knives honed on the tiny contraption became only marginally sharper. An electric sharpener did the best job, though we even saw significant improvement with a standard manual handheld sharpener. The product's claim to turn a credit card into a razor-edged tomato slicer just didn't cut it.

The Bottom Line: Edge of Glory is anything but sharp.

Hot Booties2. Hot Booties

$15 + $15.90 S&H (two pairs)

The Pitch: "Long-lasting, soothing heat to treat your feet!"

The Truth: These slippers, filled with

IMake resolutions with your whole familyt's the new year, and everyone is making personal resolutions. How about making some to improve the lives of your whole family? Katie Hurley, child psychotherapist and parenting expert, shares her ideas with Away We Grow host Diane Mizota.

Hurley notes that instead of referring to family resolutions, she prefers to talk about "making family goals." She says people tend to make enormous personal resolutions, like losing 30 pounds or getting a big promotion--resolutions that can be hard to keep. She adds, "When you make smaller goals that are attainable, your self-esteem goes up because you reach those goals."

Related: A new approach to the New Year's resolution

When families set goals together, Hurley says that it's always important to keep things simple, fun, and positive. "Instead of mom and dad deciding on what the most important things are that the family needs to work on, give everybody a chance to have some input into these goals," she says.

Related: Revive your resolutions

by Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD

Your 7-day clean eating planDo you feel like your diet needs a fresh start? You're not alone. After the holiday season or just any time life happens and you abandon healthy food in favor of whatever is nearby or comes out of a packet or pouch, it's time for a "clean" break. That's why we're bringing you SHAPE's 7-Day Clean Eating Challenge. It's easy and the payoffs include skyrocketing energy, weight loss, better control over your appetite, and even better looking skin.

You don't have to stick to a strict meal plan-we know that's not realistic for everyone. Instead, we've outlined five simple rules to follow, as well as a sample daily menu of meals. You're free to pick and choose your favorite recipes or create your own (as long as you stick to the rules). Check it out and get ready to reboot your body and kick off the New Year right!

RELATED: 40 Easy Meals Under 400 Calories

1. Eat only whole foods: That means eating oats and blueberries rather than a blueberry muffin. When you eat

BabbleBy now your Facebook and Twitter feed is probably riddled with resolution goodness. It's not that I mind public displays of New Year's resolutions, I just happen to think life changes are highly personal, maybe even a little bit sacred. Then again, I get the whole forced accountability and support that comes from making a resolution public.

When looking back on my parenting successes and failures of the last year, I could easily write a legitimate list of parenting resolutions, but they're personal promises I'd rather act upon than publish. For now, I'm only comfortable publishing the following 10 infallible parenting resolutions I know I can keep into the New Year and beyond:

1. Yell more
Because I sure as hell can't yell less. If I just decide to yell more, maybe my kids will start listening? I can only assume that they've been unable to hear me up to this point.

2. Sleep less
Every single year I tell myself that I'll sleep more and why? There's just way too much good and bad TV

Setting up the bar is an important part of getting ready for the holidays. Here, 5 products to make serving drinks easier and leave you with time to enjoy the festivities.

The Bar10der1. Stock up your bar and get creative with the Bar10der ($50, amazon.com), kind of a Swiss Army knife for the mixologist. In one nifty tool you get a muddler, reamer, channel knife (for cutting those pretty little strips of citrus peel), jigger, zester, knife, stirrer, strainer, corkscrew, and bottle opener. Try it out on our Cranberry Juleps.

VacuVin2. Another multitasker: The Vacu Vin Cocktail Shaker ($20, amazon.com). With measuring lines and a built-in strainer this great gadget gets your cocktail straight from concept to glass with no spills.

Related: Lucky Foods to Eat on New Year's Day

Ravi Instant Wine Refresher3. Is it strictly wine at your new years fête? Stop worrying about whether or not you have room in the fridge to chill the Chardonnay or even cool down the Pinot. Keep the Ravi Instant Wine Refresher ($40, amazon.com)

Nike+ FuelBandTechnology moves so quickly it's hard to keep up. These top 7 trends were among the most noticeable of 2012.

• Fitness Tech The Nike+ FuelBand, Fitbit, and Jawbone UP are more than just pedometers, they're a popular way to track workouts, sleep, diet, and most importantly, provide motivation to stay healthy. They're fun conversation starters and come with apps rich in data and trends.
• Connected Cars If you haven't stepped foot in a new car in the past few years, you'll be amazed. Hands-free voice calling, blind spot monitoring, rear view cameras, iPod controls, and heads-up displays are becoming commonplace. The plethora of controls are beginning to make the driver seat look like a jet cockpit.

Related: Great Apps to Organize Your LifeIs this as good as it gets?

• The Smartphone Plateau? Smartphones have reached a point of relative perfection. It's becoming harder and harder to pick favorites among the best smartphones. They all have brilliant screens, intuitive designs, minimal profiles, and

When to splurge and when to save during baby's first yearOur son's first birthday is just around the corner. And as I look back on this last year (and our garage full of baby paraphernalia) I can easily see the places where we splurged when we didn't really need to or when we went the cheap route and regretted it. So I thought I'd compile a list of the things that were worth it, and which ones weren't for you moms-to-be out there. I know everyone's experiences are different, but this is what we learned to splurge and steal on during our son's first year

SPLURGE:


1. A Great Travel System: Stroller/Carseat
It is so very worth it to invest in the things that keep your baby safe and secure. We went ahead and got the carseat with the special fabric to keep our son cool in the hot Florida summer and it was so worth it!

Related: 8 things to include in your child's first baby book

2. A Portable Crib/Play Yard
These are so great because they are so versatile they can be used through toddlerhood. I say invest on this because there are some play