November 1990

A HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA WITH SPECIAL MEANING

So now it starts-- the yearly holiday shopping frenzy. It's not only what to buy for all those friends and relatives, but when to squeeze those shopping trips into our busy lives.

EASY-GROWING ORCHIDS

Stuck on the notion that orchids are hard to grow? Nonsense! No longer the greenhouse prima donnas they once were, today's easy-to-please hybrids adapt beautifully to life indoors. Our favorite orchids flaunt exotic flowers that last for several weeks. Look for the growing array of orchids at your local greenhouse, or turn to page 76 for a mail-order source. Then, go ahead, pot up some paradise!

HELPING HOMELESS FAMILIES

New York State's Westchester County is one of the wealthiest in the nation. It also has the largest proportion of homeless families in the country, according to Judy Shepard, director of the Association for Improvement in Mohegan (AIM).

FAMILIES TODAY

My only son left home for college this fall. Although I'm excited about what lies ahead for him and a bit sad that he won't be a part of my daily life anymore, mostly all I can think about is what it's going to be like being really broke for the next four years.

RAISING AN INDEPENDENT CHILD

Parents often get bogged down in the day-today challenges of parenting, easily forgetting their most important long-term goal: preparing their children to exit the nest. Here's how you can encourage that independence at every stage of your child's life.

HOME STYLE

When visions of snowdrifts send a shiver through the house, kill that chill with this avalanche of winter warmers. They're hot stuff!

MEASLES MENACE

Seventeen-year-old Jon Uecker was given his MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) shot way back when he was 13 months old. A few months ago, he came down with the measles.

GOOD FOOD/GOOD HEALTH

Holiday time. Pools of gravy around mashed potatoes and mounds of whipped cream on pumpkin pie. It's enough to make even the most determined among us toss out good-eating resolutions with the calorie chart.

SIZING UP A HEALTH CLUB

It's the beginning of the holiday season and you're in no mood to even start thinking about food without having a good fitness program up and running. A health club would help.

KNEE-JERK REACTIONS

The fitness boom has become a pain in the knee for women. A recent study, for example, showed that female basketball players had 60 percent more knee injuries than their male counterparts.

PLAY IT, DON'T SAY IT

TOP-NOTCH TIP

COTTAGE ON THE PRAIRIE

Tired of touring copycat tract houses that look as though they were assembled in a serve-yourself lumberyard? So are we, so we commissioned architects and builders across the country to create houses with real character and substance. Stiff competition tempts today's builders to sacrifice genuine character for such trendy tack-ons as fake dormers and fat pillars.

FINISHING TOUCHES

Your sofa is in place, the chair looks inviting, and the lamp is plugged in. Still, something's missing. Could it be that you stopped decorating too soon? Consider the extra touches that fill in a room's blanks with instant personality.

GIFTS WITH A Personal Touch

PUT YOUR PURCHASING POWER TO WORK

Shop till you drop may have been the motto for the '80s. For the '90s, we suggest, "Don't turn cash into trash."

NUTRITION INFORMATION

With each recipe, we give important nutrition information. The calorie count of each serving and the amount, in grams, of protein, fat, cholesterol, carbohydrate, fiber, sodium, and potassium help you keep tabs on what you eat.

WHEN AN ORANGE IS GREEN

TLC FOR DOGS AND CATS Schedule quality time with your pet daily

You're relaxing in front of the TV after a long day, when your dog bounds up to you with a ball and a slobbery invitation to play catch. Later, your plan to head off to bed is thwarted by your cat, who suddenly decides to curl into your lap.

WHAT'S NEW IN THE VERSATILE WORLD OF MINIVANS

America has gone mad for minivans, and for good reason.

WINTER ESCAPES

You say you don't mind ice-- as long as it's in a glass? And snow is dandy-- as long as you're somewhere sandy? If winter leaves you cold, consider a sunny getaway. Escape to a desert oasis near Palm Springs, California, or a golf resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. Bask on a beach in the Bahamas or sail away on a Caribbean cruise.

HOW TO ORDER

Shopping editor's choice

Discover the ease and pleasure of shopping by mail. Order from the convenience of your own home with complete confidence.

THE MAN NEXT DOOR

Government handouts have never impressed Ned Carter, who insists that whatever a person receives from Washington will never replace the help from the neighbor next door.