Candles illuminate our holidays and brighten the season's longer nights, bringing a cozy glow into our homes. We love 'em - in all shapes, sizes and scents.

For some reason, my husband didn't want to dress up like a garden gnome for Halloween.

The workout is what drew her, but Melanie Truschinski says she gets so much more from her four-days-aweek StrollerFit habit. "I just really like the camaraderie," she said one cool morning last week as she and other moms lined up their strollers on a basketball court at Sedgwick County Park. "This is so nice."

At the Genius Sperm Bank, it wasn't just the men who were screened for intelligence.

Artful Jewelry: Craft and Wear Your Own Masterpieces

In addition to my public work as an entertainer, I am a mom, an athlete, and, very proud to say, a youth soccer coach. I have navigated the subject of sportsmanship in the heat of competition both personally and professionally. That is why when I learned the story of the female college soccer player in New Mexico I was appalled.

Recently, for unexplained reasons, Curly Girl decided to put a plastic BB in her ear.

This is a big year for our family. My daughter just turned 16 and my son 13. Momentous birthdays both, but the biggest news in my house is that I am not perpetually waiting at the kitchen table at 3:30 anymore after school. I have worked from home for all of my children's lives. This year I began to work out of the house part of two days per week, and am taking a class one night. The adjustment has been easy for me, not so for them.

Happy holidays? Not when you're sitting in the back of a minivan driving for endless hours. Many kids will be stuck on road trips this holiday season as airlines are charging extra for special holiday travel and some families are opting to drive to holiday gatherings.

While browsing through a recent issue of The New Yorker magazine, I came across an article about the current generation of picture books and their bratty protagonists. It was illustrated by an image from a book called "Finn Throws a Fit." Aha, I thought, so juvenile authors are on top of current naming trends. This impelled me to go running (figuratively) to my local Borders to seek further evidence.