June 1993

KEEPING THE BARGAIN FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM

In our February issue we launched a new feature called "Family Forum" with a questionnaire asking what you'd like to tell President Clinton and Congress. More than fifty thousand of you replied, and many took the time to write letters. You can read the results in the "Family Forum" article on page 44.

The OUTDOOR living room

Slip into something more comfortable this summer: a shady, breeze-catching oasis that relaxes and renews you. Whether your outdoor space consists of an old-fashioned porch or a simple slab of cement, here's how to turn it into a steps-away retreat.

Circus, circus!

It's the greatest show on earth! A trainload of circus figures, cut from white foam-core board and painted brightly, slip together for 3-D shapes that bring a parade of excitement to your table or room.

FAMILY FORUM

Mainstream Americans are deeply concerned about the future of their country and their families. That's what more than 50,000 readers of Better Homes and Gardens tell us in a questionnaire that we ran early this year about the major issues threatening the well-being of American families. Here is the report we promised you and Congress.

SUMMER READING FOR KIDS

Great books for preschoolers through preteens

HAIR LOSS AND HEART ATTACK

MENOPAUSE INFORMATION IN YOUR MAILBOX

ARTHRITIS HELPED BY A TRANSPLANT FROM THE EAST

Rx FOR A BRIGHTER OUTLOOK: KIDS

HELP FOR A BLISTERING PROBLEM

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO BONE UP

Bone building isn't just for the young. Women, especially, benefit from calcium, even as they wend their way through middle age. Here's why this new finding is so vital to millions of older women.

DIETS FOR CHRONIC FATIGUE QUESTIONED

Diet isn't yet a proven cure for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a debilitating condition of unceasing tiredness, according to a study in Archives of Family Medicine. Researchers Diane H. Morris, Ph.D., R.D., and Fredrick J. Stare, M.D., Ph.D., at the Harvard School of Public Health, checked into the advice offered in five widely available self-help books on CFS.

GET OFF THE STICK AND HELP YOUR HEART

Substituting liquid corn oil for stick margarine can carry big benefits for your heart. That's the word from a study at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.

WHEN THE BLUES WON'T QUIT

HOPE FOR A MYSTERIOUS SKIN AILMENT

Most people suffer skin rashes from time to time. Poison ivy and other irritants are usually the cause. But when the redness and itching recur time after time without a clear reason, the problem may be a chronic disease called atopic dermatitis.

POLLEN NEWS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

HEALTHY TRAILS TO YOU

How to keep from meeting up with illness on vacation

BUILD THESE BIRD MOBILES

PROSTATE PROBLEMS

Let's get a couple things onto the table right from the start. First, we're talking about your prostate, not your prostrate. And, second, if you're a man, the odds are good that this mysterious gland is going to cause you trouble. The good news is, you can fight back.

COFFEE CAUTION

MANAGING MENOPAUSE

BIRDIE BASHING

BASIC TRAINING

PUSH-MOWER FITNESS

Cutting your grass is the latest way to push yourself toward fitness, mower or less.

SHINSPLINTS TIPS

Warm weather means a lot of folks are going to do too much exercising too soon. That can lead to shinsplints, a term for knee-to-ankle muscle pain caused by overtraining, notes the Penn State Sports Medicine Newsletter.

FITNESS FOR ALL

WATER WALKING

Until recently, the crawl was the main way folks got fit in a swimming pool. Now, more people are turning to walking in the water for their workouts.

STRENGTHENING YOUNG BODIES

WOMEN BEWARE

All exercisers should be concerned about the heat as the weather warms, but female athletes should take extra precautions in the week to 10 days following their time of ovulation.

STAIR-CLIMBING VIDEOS

Gateway to a garden getaway

Flowers bring storybook charm to Barbara and Cliff Faucher's Seattle home. Once the ugly duckling of therneighborhood the couple's tiny front yard blossomed into an enchanting and colorful garden retreat.

Beauty from a beastly backyard ...

The music of gurgling water and chirping birds mingles with the laughter of children in the Portland, Oregon, backyard of the Jacques and Meg St. Louis family. They tamed their wooded hillside yard into a tranquil backyard habitat.

An Easy-Does-It garden

A beautiful backyard is now within Jenny Kern's reach, thanks to a trailblazing landscape design that meets her special needs. Jenny's oasis is filled with innovative ideas that are helping to pave the way toward accessible gardens.

A corner On Summer Fun

A small, sloping backyard forced Michal and Dan Post into a corner when they started to clear a space for outdoor living. By adding a side yard to their landscaping plans, the family created an L-shape retreat with summer fun that awaits them at each turn.

BACKYARD SERENITY

Why build a cabin in the mountains or a cottage by the sea when you can create a cozy retreat as close as your own backyard? That's what Jackie and Roy Trueblood did, and now they kiss the city life good-bye the moment they step inside their new enclosed porch. The key to this room's success is the way the room brings the beauty of the outside indoors. The soaring cathedral ceiling allows stunning vistas of the wooded yard from any spot in the room.

Western style Roundup

Country decorating has saddled up and headed to the American West. The best part of this casual, versatile style? You can let your rooms go wild-- or just rough them up a bit with lively and natural Western elements. We've rounded up the best of the new West to spur you on. So go ahead, kick up your rooms!

BORDER HANGING TIPS

GREAT GRILLING GEAR FOR COOKOUTS

Grillers take your marks ... It's cookout time. Choose from a variety of terrific products that make grilling cleaner, greener, and more fun!

STATE FAIRS

Step right up, folks. Break a balloon; three darts for a buck. Ride a Thunder Bolt. Invest in a slicer and dicer. Feast on corn dogs. See today's hottest stars.

PET UPDATE

Cats have no shame: snoozing in Grandma's antique rocker, grooming themselves on the table, leaping onto counters to search for snacks. To keep Fluff in her place, you'll need to play some cat-and-mouse games of your own.

10 GOOD DRIVING HABITS THAT CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE

Driving your car often provides a deceptive sense of privacy, while in fact you are in the most public of situations: fender to fender with other drivers on roads and highways that exist to be shared.

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

Families develop code words all their own. For instance, when Chris called my new homemade barbecue sauce "different," I knew it was time to head back to the drawing board.