While all sorts of nutrition fads come and go, one thing will never change: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Children who eat breakfast perform and behave better in school (because they're not hungry and cranky), consume more calcium, fiber and vitamins than those who skip breakfast, and tend to eat less fat and cholesterol than their friends who miss this valuable meal. Breakfast eaters tend to have healthier body weights, and this is true for adult men, women and children in all age groups.

Of course, we're all focused on the quality of our childrens school lunches right now, but those menus will take time to change. One simple thing you can do to instantly improve your child's health is to put breakfast on the table (or in his hands as he races out the door). Sound like a challenge? It's not, with a little planning and some creativity.

See also No-Excuse Exercise

Have the Kids Help

Breakfast foods tend to be ones children like, and recent research shows that

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By Patricia Curtis

Can't remember where you put your glasses? Blanked on your new colleague's name? "Forgetting these types of things is a sign of how busy we are," says Zaldy S. Tan, MD, director of the Memory Disorders Clinic at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. "When we're not paying good attention, the memories we form aren't very robust, and we have a problem retrieving the information later."

The key, says Harry Lorayne, author of Ageless Memory: Simple Secrets for Keeping Your Brain Young, is to get your brain in shape. "We exercise our bodies, but what good is that great body if you don't have the mental capabilities to go with it?" Sure, you could write everything down, keep organized lists and leave electronic notes on your BlackBerry, cell phone or PDA. But when you don't have access to those aids, or if you want to strengthen your brain, try these expert-recommended strategies to help you remember.

PLUS: Top 10 Tips for a Healthy Brain

Brain Freeze: "What

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by Carol Fishman Cohen

It started with this question in Sue Shellenbarger's Wall Street Journal Work & Family Mailbox Q and A from an at home dad wanting advice on returning to work "I enjoyed your article on stay-at-home moms returning to work. Do you see men facing the same issues? After 10 years at home with my kids, I am beginning to interview for jobs and am preparing for the transition you describe. -R.C., Marietta , Ga." A few weeks later, her "The Juggle" blog on "Trouble When Dad Returns to the Workforce" took a closer look at whether men face a more difficult time returning to work than women after a career break (we think they do).

Then Shellenbarger ran a Work & Family column in the Wall Street Journal called "Daunting Task for Mr. Mom - Get a Job" . The title says it all, with Shellenbarger exploring in more depth the experiences of a number of men in the home to work transition.

Soon after the column appeared I got a call from the Boston ABC TV affiliate WCVB TV

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I believe it was Lance Armstrong who once said, "I now only have good days or great days."

When you think of it that way, every day truly is an open opportunity to love more, grow more, share laughter with a friend or to help somebody in need. No day is wasted when your mind is set to only have good days or great days.

I have found that many of my awesome days have many common characteristics: shared in good company, allowing the day to unfold without rushing anything, getting excited by a community project, or simply being happy with the abundance that is in my life.

Though we can't predict what will happen in the course of a day, there are many things we can do to make our mind, body and spirit CONDUCIVE to having a great day. We can get a good night's sleep so we are mentally alert enough to appreciate the good things in life and physically rested enough to jump onto a fun, spontaneous activity after a day of work. We can get in the habit of meditating, or even

Read More »from 9 Ways To Set Up Your Day To Be An Amazing One

Getty ImagesYou'd think most of us would know that run-of-the-mill flip flops, tank tops, and bathing suits should not be worn to the office, even on the hottest, most relaxed summer days. Did I just write bathing suits?! It would seem more than a few need a reminder about summer-wardrobe no-no's in the workplace because "bathing suits in any form" are number two on CareerBuilder.com's list of 10 taboos for summer office attire.

Even if you plan to head to the pool directly from the office, ditch any idea of hiding your suit beneath your work ensemble, Superman-style: "...sprucing up your bathing suit with a nice shirt, a belt, shorts or any other accessory will not fool anyone. If you're going straight to the pool after work, just change your clothes in the bathroom or a private office when the day is over," CareerBuilder.com's Anthony Balderrama wisely writes.

Ah, good advice. Seriously, workplace attire continues to be casual and relaxed in many office environments, so casual dressers can

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While I was driving home from work on a recent Friday, my husband called and suggested I meet him and the kids at a little local restaurant we used to love. Money is tight, so we rarely go out to eat now, but we've been in a bit of a rut lately and it seemed like just the kind of treat we all needed.

The weariness of the long week seemed to fall away as I drove. Usually on Fridays, my husband picks up the kids from school and I try (and usually fail) to get out of work at a halfway decent hour and end up racing home to make bedtime instead of dinner. The kids are happy to see me and the welcome is always warm, but I hate ending the week that way.

That week, though, my work was done early; a last-minute family date felt like icing on the cake.

Unfortunately, the restaurant we used to love had changed in the years since we'd been there last; the menu was smaller, the prices higher, the waitstaff less professional, and that great old bartender who knew our names and poured our pints

Read More »from Ditching the end-of-the-week baggage

With temps rising, in order to prevent overheating and avoid exposure to the sun's damaging rays, it's best to exercise in the early morning. If setting your alarm early to exercise before heading to work seems cruel impossible, here are some tips to get you moving in the morning.

1. Lay out your outfit and all the fitness gear you'll need the night before so when you wake up, you won't waste time searching for a matching pair of wicking socks, a clean sports bra, or your headphones. Also charge any gear you might need like your iPod.
2. Be sure to hit the hay early so you're well rested, and set your alarm to wake up to your favorite peppy song. Lately I've been rousing from my slumber hearing Lady Gaga and Beyonce singing "Telephone." I'm practically dancing out of bed.
3. Make a date with a friend or fitness trainer. If you set up a time to meet in the a.m., you'll feel obligated to go, even if your mind and body tell you otherwise.
4. Schedule something exciting and

Read More »from 5 Tips For Getting Motivated and Moving in the Morning

We've all been there. Minutes before a cocktail party standing in front of the closet "without a thing to wear!" And this age of fast fashion hasn't helped. Sure, that $50 party dress ripped from the runway seems like a bargain find, but if you only wear it once, is it really a steal? Plus, how long are those fast and fleeting fashions, well, fashionable? "You will find yourself getting 10 times more use out of staple, investment pieces than cheaply made bargain finds," says founder of the FEED Projects and Lauren Pierce designer Lauren Bush. In fact, it's perfectly possible to build a wardrobe that's forever in fashion--you just need to be aware of a few secrets of fashion insiders.

Start With A Couple Essentials and Build From There
Amy Smilovic, designer of the celebrity favorite fashion line Tibi, selects six favorite pieces--her closet essentials--and builds her wardrobe around them. "Everything I purchase should work with those items. It's the failsafe way to make sure that

Read More »from The Best-Kept Secrets Of The World's Most Fashionable Women