This October I will hit 40, the age when some women start to consider what a little Botox would do for what ails them. A little lift here, a little numbness there—as long as I’m not expected to emote, I’m sure it would look fab.

But I do want to emote and have a range of facial expressions at my disposal; somehow that seems like a no-brainer.  And speaking of no-brainers, a new study suggests that Botox injections may reach the brain and disrupt normal brain activity.

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Spring is in the air, and summer vacation is so close that kids can almost smell it. But one last hurdle stands between the end of the school year and summertime bliss. High school, college, or grad school, all students have one thing in common this May: final exams. Here are 7 tips to improve exam skills, and help you or your son/daughter make the grade:

1. Don't bother pulling an all-nighter. You may feel as though you're thinking clearly while cramming at 4:00 a.m., but when test time rolls around studies show that your ability to recall information will be compromised by lack of alertness.

2. Avoid high fats before a test; they make you sleepy. I personally avoid heavy dishes like Italian or Thai foods as well because they make me want to curl up and take a nap. Instead, try our suggested brain-boosting foods here. (Don't miss our IQ-boosting recipes too!)

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I've been plagued with nosebleeds since I was a young girl. If I was a normal kid, I might have appreciated the 30-plus minutes I would get to spend away from class in the nurses' office. I can't even remember how many nurses I dealt with over 10 years in three schools. But one thing I do remember: Every nurse attempted her own tried-and-true method to stop the bleeding. "Lean back!" "Press your nose bones!" "Don't blow!"

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I like to think I'm pretty savvy when it comes to natural beauty products. I only buy what I know to be clean, clean, clean. My shopping caveats are consistent with The Breast Cancer Fund's recommendations-keep away from parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, artificial fragrances, PFCs and 1,4-dioxane. And even if I tried to veer from these standards, the women I work with at Natural Solutions magazine wouldn't think of letting me stray. These diligent label readers make sure I use only the cleanest and that we only mention products in the magazine that not only make women look and feel beautiful, but also won't harm us in the process.

So, imagine my surprise when I learned that some popular exfoliants--the gentle scrubs that slough away old dead cells--actually contain tiny polyethylene beads?

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In the three years I’ve been Pasha’s dog mom, we’ve gone through four different vets and thousands of dollars. His chronic ear infections—common to Bernese mountain dogs like him—were taking a toll on my budget and stressing both of us out. Our first vet immediately suggested surgery, a lateral ear resection to open up the ear canal for better drainage and easier cleaning. Only three short months into my mommy-hood, I wasn’t ready for such a big step (and certainly not without a second opinion).

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I’ll be the first to admit that buying organic produce isn’t always easy. When faced with a choice of $4 organic strawberries versus a $2 conventional basket, I find it pretty difficult to turn down two of the latter to get just one of the former. But when I think about what little impact organic agriculture makes on the environment, I know I’m paying for more than just strawberries. I’m paying my dues to the earth.

It takes some serious dedication, not to mention a strict budget, to eat everything organic, so I’ve started to memorize the list of fruits and veggies with the highest pesticide load so I can make the wisest decisions for my health, the earth, and my wallet.

A basic rule of thumb: If you’re going to eat the skin of the fruit, buy organic to reduce the pesticide load you consume. That said, these 10 items tend to be treated with the most chemicals when grown conventionally:

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Just over a year ago, I moved from New York City to Boulder, Colorado, and traded my comfy commuter shoes for a car. In Manhattan, it costs nearly as much to park a car as it does to rent an apartment, so like most Manhattanites (well, most non-millionaire Manhattanites anyway), I walked my way around the city. My 30-minute stroll to the office each day was a great way to gear up for my hectic schedule, and my trek home served as a much more effective way to decompress than the glasses of wine my subway-riding friends poured for themselves.

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Underneath my kitchen sink, sits my inspiration. Funny, my muse happens to be an all-purpose household cleaner, but I guess that’s considered normal when your life is consumed by testing dozens of natural cleaning products. Recently, I completed a story investigating the world of nontoxic cleaning products, and as your self-proclaimed, official tester, I am excited to present the natural alternatives I discovered.

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First of all, I understand if you have green fatigue—so do I. I’m tired of peering at the bottom of plastic containers for what number it is and then never remembering what the number means anyway. I’m sick of forgetting to bring the clear, plastic produce bags—that I diligently save—to the supermarket and then feeling guilty about it.

I feel like my carbon footprint is my ball and chain, weighing me down, scolding me when I forget to turn off the toaster or unplug my cell-phone charger.

And those perky little tips designed to make you feel like you can make a few small changes without dramatic lifestyle upheavals?  Well, drying my clothes on a clothesline I don’t have installed seems huge, not minor.  I have to face the fact that I don’t have time for that kind of activity, not when I still haven’t managed to put together my wedding album (we were married three years ago).

So what’s a girl long on intention, but short on action, to do?

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About two weeks ago, my partner and I decided to volunteer at a local cat shelter. Being kitten season and all, what they really needed were “foster parents,” or temporary housing for momma cats and kittens.

In less than a week, we had a brown tabby mother cat and five 5-day-old kittens staying in our little guest bedroom. The first 24 hours went smoothly; Chevelle, the feral mom, seemed to be pretty friendly and even would strike up a purr session once in awhile. The next afternoon proved to be more of the same… until one of her territory marking sessions proved to be too much excitement for her.

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