5 Ways to Pack a Healthier Lunch

The new school year has arrived and it the perfect time to start packing healthier lunches for your kids. Need some ideas?

Read this article and find out how to give your child's lunch an extreme — and deliciously nutritious — makeover.

How to Advocate for Your Child and School

It's that time again - yes, back to school is upon us! This time of the year can bring its own set of challenges in the classroom.

Maybe you think your child’s special needs aren’t being met, or the school budget doesn’t have room for music classes. Whatever your concern, there’s a lot you can do, even with a busy work schedule.

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Your kids or mine?

As parents face reduced work hours, lower wages, layoffs and uncertainties stemming from the recession, a growing number of families are turning to babysitting swaps to reduce what they pay local teenagers and college students to look after their children.

To be sure, parents have partnered to share the load of child care for years, but the economy has broadened the appeal. Traditional babysitters say business is down and some offer to work for lower rates to encourage parents seeking savings during the recession to use their services. But co-op costs can be hard to beat.

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How to Lose (or Hide) Your Mommy Tummy

No matter how many miles you've walked, how many diets you've tried, or how long it's been since giving birth, that extra bit of flab on your belly, which arrived along with your baby, doesn't seem to want to budge. Sound familiar?

That's why we've gathered these simple ways to reclaim your pre-pregnancy stomach, once and for all!

Dinner Strategies: Get Me to Wednesday

Having a stash of well–chosen, prepared staples in the fridge can go a long way toward consistently getting food you're proud of on the table. The right meal leaves you with the makings for enough unfussy, fresh-tasting dinners (or lunches, or snacks) to last you the next few days without ever feeling like you're eating the same meal twice. So while the coals are hot, grill up some extras. And once Thursday rolls around, you'll have earned the right to order Chinese takeout.

Best Ways to Break the News You're Pregnant

You're pregnant! Now comes the fun part. How will you break the BIG news? The possibilities are endless!

Forget about a phone call -- here are some of our favorite ways real moms shared the news.

Middle-income family spends $221,000 to raise baby

It's no secret that raising children can be expensive, but how about nearly a quarter of a million dollars expensive? A government report released Tuesday says a middle-income family with a child born last year will spend about $221,000 raising that child through age 17.

The report by the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion identified housing as the largest single expense, followed by food and child care/education costs. The $221,000 in expenses rises to about $292,000 when adjusted for inflation.

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Your Baby's Teething Timeline

One night last fall, as I tried every trick in my repertoire to get my cranky, drooling 1-year-old daughter to go to sleep, I realized something: Teething is nature's idea of a practical joke. Think about it. A baby's first tooth usually comes in somewhere between 4 and 8 months, just after you've finally gotten her to sleep through the night. In my case, we had a few months of peaceful slumber before Molly began cutting her first tooth. When she started working on her molars, I was back to pacing the floors, bouncing her around, and frantically searching for the Tylenol -- for both of us.
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Height Predictor: Calculate Your Child's Adult Height

Grow, baby, grow! This height calculator uses a popular formula that takes genetics into account to predict how tall your child will be as an adult. Keep in mind that this formula can only provide an estimate of how tall your child will be. Here's how it works:

1. Enter the mother's height, the father's height and the sex of the child.

2. Click "Calculate" to find out how tall your child will become.

Try the height calculator now!

Happy budget birthday to you

When Chris and Brian Gesme of Wildwood, Mo., asked their daughter what kind of party she wanted for her fourth birthday, Lauren had a surprising answer. She wanted her friends to come to grandma's house and ride their bikes on the driveway. Her parents offered her big, fancy parties they've done before, like a Chuck E. Cheese bash, but Lauren remained true to her idea, adding that she would like face painting, too.

Now, Lauren may simply be a sweet little girl with simple taste, but she's also unwittingly picked a party that's very in-the-moment. Forget the over-the-top, rented limos and lavish parties for tots. That's so 2006. Homemade, simple birthdays on a budget are back.