May 1996

Between friends

Proper toppers

Cap your windows with colorful cornices. These curtain toppers do more than cover installation hardware-- they link your wall to your window treatment with style.

Remodeling for a healthy home

So, you're eating well, exercising more, and generally living better. You're healthier, but is your house? Soon after Joe and Kathy Reis moved into their '80s ranch in suburban Minneapolis, Kathy came down with what seemed to be a chronic case of sinus infection. Her ailment had nothing to do with bacteria, however; it was an allergic reaction triggered by mold spores. A cadre of experts on allergies and indoor air quality determined the problem-- excess moisture buildup in the lower-level living areas of the house-- and worked out a set of strategies for solving it.

DO YOU KNOW?

BUILDING BY THE BOOK

DON'T GET BUGGED BY YOUR LAWN

Healthy green grass should withstand the attacks of insects, various plant-ravaging pests, worms, and disease if you simply follow the Environmental Protection Agency's six-step preventative health care program for your lawn.

Mother's Day Gifts

These charming gifts will delight your mom and help homeless mothers and children across the country. When you order either gift, a portion of the purchase price will go to the Better Homes Fund, created by the editors of this magazine. The fund to date has given $4.9 million in grants in 38 states to help homeless families get back on their feet.

HEALTH ALERT

Losing Sleep on The Road

Looks Great, Less Harm

Working Moms Deliver Earlier Babies

Premature births have increased nearly 25 percent since 1980, with one baby born early for every 10 carried full term.

Calcium and Antacids

Eating to Beat the Blues

The sun is bright and the birds are chirping-- so why do you still feel blue? Depression, once thought to be "all in your head," is now recognized as a common problem triggered by wide-ranging factors.

Healing hands

"There's now plenty of evidence that massage is more than just a feel-good thing. It has therapeutic benefits as well."

"Hey, Mom! Get a Life!"

A woman recently told me that being a mother was the most demanding, difficult thing she'd ever done.

A Change of Schedule

A hundred and fifty years ago, when a large segment of our nation was agricultural, a majority of America's families needed their children at home to work on the family farm.

Advice for Busy Parents

Distinguished and Stately

MORE THAN & 100,000 IN CASH & PRIZES OFFERED

When Opposites Attract

Combining just the right colors in your home is like seating guests at a dinner party: When it's a snappy energy you're after, the best bet is the unique attraction of opposites.

Shelf Borders

Samplers From the Past

EDITOR'S CHOICE

TEST garden TIP

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT

Looking Good

Garden Sampler

No-Sew Window Cornice Kit

Healthy harvest

Like all kids growing up, I measured my year by the seasonal holidays celebrated with my family. No less momentous than Christmas or Thanksgiving, however, were the days when we picked the first peas or strawberries in the spring garden, tasted the first vine-ripened tomatoes of summer, savored the first sweet corn, or harvested ripe butternut squash for the winter larder.

Container GARDENING

These days, potted plants can go anywhere and do anything Just as potted plants are no longer relegated indoors, garden pots are no longer destined only for sunny spots. You can select container plants for shade-- or even fragrance or greenery-- as Lucy Hardiman will show you.

New Landscaping Book

The two-way front yard

A garden by the sidewalk yields privacy and gorgeous views from the yard and street

Country in the 'burbs

IT'S OK TO BE IN THE FAST LANE on your commute, but your letters tell us that once you're home, you long for a sense of the slower pace of life along a rural lane. Well, come on in! We've created settings that show you how to turn a new suburban home into a country-style oasis. Walk up to this front porch with its friendly rocker atop a checkered straw rug, then let the roar of the freeway fade behind you as you enter. ...

Kitchens with character

Too many kitchens are as predictable as peanut butter sandwiches. They are smooth when you long for crunchy. They are made with limp white bread though you crave robust wheat. They ooze jelly when you hunger for plump jam. But take heart, here are a pair of kitchens featuring a full plate of satisfying ingredients. They are kitchens where cooks will find character expressed in each room's design, materials, and comfortable furnishings.

Nutrition information

Summer Reading Packs

Hey kids! Hey parents! When outdoor summer fun is interrupted by the rain, have these books ready and waiting. Each pack of two books is a collection of 38 or more short stories written by noted authors and geared to 9-14-year-olds. The books are offered here by special arrangement with Larousse Kingfisher Chambers, Inc.

May Day, Play Day

Since the Middle Ages, children have welcomed the arrival of spring with celebrations of the first day of May. In the morning, children in years past would gather flowers, place them in baskets, and deliver them-- secretly-- to friends and neighbors before breakfast. Later, they joined in a lively dance around the Maypole.

Your family car

For many of us, the trusty four-door sedan has been evicted from the garage and replaced by that "family room on wheels," the minivan. Here's a look at the two most popular mimvans, their safety records, and what makes them family favorites.

The Shopper's Mart

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

The man next door

Retired from a successful major league baseball career overseas at the ripe old age of 36, Joe Novak's son, Phil, is home for a few weeks this summer. His gray-haired dad laughs, "And I'm still working!"