All you want to know about Barbara, Whoopi, Elisabeth, Sherri & Joy - the lovely ladies of The View.  Now, in their 13th season, the show appeals to 4.1 million viewers - of all ages.  The show is all about the co-hosts chemistry, so you won’t be seeing any cat fights this season - just women debating and arguing with one another, having many lively discussions, proving that daytime TV doesn’t need to be about soap operas or chit-chat fluff.  The show, of course, has gained more of an audience in recent months, with the election of President Obama and the death of Michael Jackson, among other things, not so much for what they talk about, but for the questions (the tough ones!) that they ask.  It’s more than just a talk show - check out what the women have to say about it in A View From The Top.

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A VIEW FROM THE TOP

The latest issue of Prevention offers up some smart tips for saving on healthy essentials for your household. Shopping on the Cheap shows you how you can spend less and stay well by putting a little thought into your shopping habits. For instance, the average household can save over $50 per year by buying a water-filter pitcher (and the necessary filters of course) instead of bottled water. This article also offers up several “cheaper but often just as good” solutions for common health-related expenses, like suggesting over-the-counter shoe inserts in place of custom orthotics and a good lumbar pillow instead of an expensive ergonomic chair.

Look Inside >>  July 2009

Do you have a medicine cabinet full of skin care products? If so, this article is for you. The latest issue of Ladies’ Home Journal takes a look at the current expert advice on skin care, and it sounds refreshingly simple! Three Steps to Heavenly Skin advises that you really only need three products in your skin-care arsenal: a good cleanser, a moisturizing sunscreen, and a nighttime cream to keep your skin healthy and glowing. That works for me!

Look Inside >>  July 2009

American Idol star Paula Abdul has certainly faced her share of challenges in her life, but she continues to come out on top. The latest issue of Ladies’ Home Journal has a fascinating profile of Paula, that covers everything from her medical problems to what she thinks about the man everyone loves to hate, Simon Cowell.

I knew she’s had medical issues in her life, but I had no idea the extent of what Paula has had to deal with in this area. Starting with a serious cheerleading accident when she was 17 that damaged her back, Paula then broke a leg, sustained a neck injury in a car accident, and then was in a plane crash that left her partially paralyzed and required 15 spinal surgeries!

Of course there’s some juicy quotes along the way. On Cowell: “Simon’s like the brother I never had - or wanted.” To read more about Paula’s positive approach to life (and just a little dirt), click on the image below.

Look Inside >>  June 2009

One evening Stephanie Dolgoff realized that all of her friends had moved on to other places and her social life had completely dried up. Rather than succumb to the loneliness she was feeling, Dolgoff set out to make new friendships, and shares some of her successful techniques in The Art of Friendship, from this month’s issue of Ladies’ Home Journal.

Dolgoff acknowledges that it’s harder to make friends in midlife than when you’re younger, but doesn’t let it daunt her. She found that she even enjoyed the freedom and flexibility of being able to choose friends from a more mature perspective. The article makes some great points, like with everyone being so busy these days it can be helpful to use the mutual interests that bring people in contact with each other — projects, classes, causes — as a basis to build up friendships.

Look Inside >>  March 2009

Working Mother is featuring a cover spread this month on its selections for the best members of Congress in 2008. Representatives that have championed causes important to working mothers top the list, like Christopher Shays (CT) and Lynn Woolsey (CA).

Look Inside >> August/September 2008

The Best of Congress awards is an annual review of how well our politicians are doing on family issues that Working Mother has launched in conjunction with Corporate Voices for Working Families. The intent is to honor the senators and representatives who have sponsored and voted for laws that support working women, advocate policies that are good for moms, and have established family-friendly policies for their own employees.

With the skyrocketing cost of gasoline, we’re all feeling pinched at the pumps. I just had to fill up my old pickup truck that I use for hauling things, and for the first time ever it cost me over $100 for a fill-up! My old truck does have dual gas tanks, but I still had a case of major sticker shock.

Look Inside >> September 2008

Luckily for me, this month’s issue of Ladies Home Journal has a handy article with some sound money-saving advice around driving. Tips like making sure your tire pressure is correct are pretty well-known, expecially thanks to the high-profile emphasis that Barack Obama has recently placed on that one. But I learned some new tricks too, like web sites that I can use to check the current prices of stations in my area. If like me, you assumed that all gas stations charge essentially the same, you’ll be surprised to see the disparity in gas prices from stations sometimes just a mile away from each other. Following the article’s advice of checking the prices at a local station that was just a bit outside of town on a less-traveled road, I found a station that was charging .15 less per gallon than my usual stop. That’s several dollars per fill-up I’ll be saving from now on. If you’re feeling the crunch at the pump, you’ll want to check this money-saving article out.