About House & Home: Is Your Sunscreen Safe?

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor I burn in less than sixty seconds so I'll probably spend the next three months coated in thick sun-protecting lotions, sweating beneath big floppy hats and long-sleeved shirts. In just one summer I'll use a zillion bottles of sunscreen. But this leads me to wonder: How safe are these sun-blockers? And what else do I need to do to stay healthy this summer? Is Your Sunscreen Safe? The sun might not be able to penetrate the thick cream I slather on my skin, but could I be posing other kinds of health risks just trying to stay safe in the sun? Swimming Pool Safety Hot sunny days, a comfy patio lounger and a cool, refreshing swimming pool seem to be the essential ingredients to a perfect summer. Just don't forget to bring along these critical rules for swimming pool safety. Are Lawn Fertilizers and Pesticides Harmful? Maybe it's because our family likes to spend a lot of time in our front yard, but I'm a little paranoid about using pesticides and fertilizers to keep our lawn green. So I want to know, are they really that harmful to my family's health? Keep Your Pet Safe this Summer Lawn pesticides are just one of the many hazards that pets can encounter on a hot, sunny day. Find out how to keep your animal companion safe and happy all summer long with this easy-to-follow summer safety guide. House & Home Ads Gardening Magazines Fashion Magazine House and Garden Home Decor Magazine 19 Magazine Featured Articles Garage Door Safety Tips Your First Knitting Project Top 10 Tasks for Yard Care Weekly Cleaning Chores Houses of the Future Plan A Summer Move   More from About.com Great Stuff Kids Love From the hottest tunes and best online videos to favorite books and classic toys, here are our top picks for the kids in your life. More > Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement

About House & Home: Plan a Graduation Party

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor I just received an invitation to a friend's college graduation. This is such an amazing accomplishment considering the number of barriers and obstacles she had to overcome, all while balancing a stressful job with the needs of a growing family. She's truly my hero and I plan on celebrating her success with these tips from our Home and Garden Guides. Plan a Graduation Party The same friend's husband recently told me that for his graduation party his parents decided a slide show of embarrassing baby pictures was the perfect opening act. Of course, their real motivation was to provide their son a much-needed incentive to find a job and move out of the basement. Crafts for Graduation Parties, Gifts, and Decorations I've never been a crafty person, but my friend always appreciates the effort someone puts into making a homemade gift. From this list of great ideas for creating a spectacular graduation celebration, I plan on stealing her kids for an afternoon so they can stop me from using too much glitter. DIY Custom Graduation Tassel This is just the best idea ever! My friend is really into her graduation colors, even to the point of ensuring that her shoes match the Dean's robe. I can't think of anything she'd love more than her own custom-made graduation tassel. I'll just have to stay away from the glitter. Give Your Grad a Unique Gift of Feng Shui When I read this article, I knew this would be the perfect gift for my graduating friend. Not only can this gift help her with her post-graduation plans, but it's such an individualized gift - something so personal and unique that I know for sure no one else will think of it...unless her husband reads this newsletter. House & Home Ads Graduation Party Theme Party Ideas Sweet 16 Party Graduation Parties Hawaiian Party Featured Articles How to Grow Strawberries How to Install Landscape Fabrics Add Value to Your Antiques Spring Home Selling Tips Horse Health Check How To Install an Ice Maker   More from About.com Great Stuff Kids Love From the hottest tunes and best online videos to favorite books and classic toys, here are our top picks for the kids in your life. More > Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement

About House & Home: Easy Designs for Small Spaces

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor A friend recently complained about the lack of design information for people who live in small spaces. She has a point. Most design manuals concentrate on the minority of the world's population who exist in large spaces while forgoing the vast majority who live in condensed urban areas where a home can be less than 500 square feet. So this week's newsletter is dedicated to my friend Dani, and others like her, who want to enhance and celebrate their unique small spaces. Garden Design for Small Spaces Dani's garden consists of her fire escape, her kitchen windowsill and a few cracked clay pots. Despite the limited space and supplies, she's determined to grow her own salad fixings. As this article states so nicely: "Gardening in a small space has its limits, but it need not be limiting." How to Organize a Small Living Space The other problem Dani suffers from is how to organize the space in such a way that she can manage all her roles in one place, without succumbing to the fear of many studio-dwellers: that the bed is no longer a place of rest and retreat but the space for eating, working and answering email. Tips for Smarter Small Space Living Part of the trick of small space living is knowing what not to do, what colors work best to create the sense of space and how to arrange your stuff in order to maximize your home's, or a small room's, potential. Small Kitchen Ideas My first apartment had what I liked to call a kitchen-for-one. That's because only one person could fit in it at a time. While I never had the problem of too many cooks spoiling the broth, looking back it could've been a very effective room if I'd had this easy-to-follow guide to designing small kitchens. House & Home Ads Interior Designs Interior Decor Home Decorating Home Interior Interior Decorator Featured Articles How to Paint a Room How to Store Spices and Herbs Tips for Planting Flower Beds Make Your Own Stepping Stones Painless Ways to Cut Your Spending Is Your Bird Sick?   More from About.com Disney Trip Planner Everything you need to plan the perfect Disney vacation -- from when to go and what to do, to saving money and picking a hotel. More > Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement

About House & Home: 7 Ways to Show Mom You Care

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor In some places, Mother's Day is celebrated by taking your mother out for brunch. And while restaurant-dining provides a chance for families to get together and celebrate, the traffic jams can be horrendous. One year we spent four hours stuck in a smelly, hot car with my in-laws. I remember thinking: aren't there better ways to celebrate motherhood? 7 Ways to Show Mom You Care And here are seven ways to show mom that you care, things that don't require you and mom to put up with honking horns and angry mobs (and that's just inside the car). Mother's Day Gifts Under $150 I remember once spending a fortune on a Mother's Day gift for my mom. As soon as she unwrapped it she asked me what I had done that required such extravagance. She was right, of course. But she quickly followed up with something about a daughter's guilt finally paying off. Mother's Day Crafts and Activities If you can't afford the gift, why not pour your heart and soul into making mom the perfect token of your affection. One of the best presents my mother said she ever received from me was a red paper heart, stuck haphazardly to a white paper doily and sealed with a lipstick kiss. Laundry Gifts for Mom Some people poo-poo the practical gift. But you know, when it comes down to it, I often think that I'd much rather receive something that'll make my life a lot easier than lingerie that I might only wear...once. House & Home Ads Infant Care Care Home Jobs Assisted Care Personal Care Care 1 Credit Featured Articles Green Lawn Mowers Common Electrical Mistakes How to Grow African Violets Get Cash for Clothes at Consignment Stores Horse Grooming Step-by-Step Follow Intercom Security Tips   More from About.com Disney Trip Planner Everything you need to plan the perfect Disney vacation -- from when to go and what to do, to saving money and picking a hotel. More > Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement