Health Tips Line

I am a cheapskate when it comes to kids’ birthday parties, and I am proud of that fact. Somewhere along the way, kid party culture went from “pizza and a piñata” to “Coachella, but with juice boxes,” and I refuse to participate. My parenting philosophy can best be summarized as: If the city already bought a playground, why would I rent one? So I’ve thrown my fair share of parties at the free neighborhood pool and park myself, thank you very much, and I regret nothing. Which is exactly why I had no business being as annoyed as I was a couple weeks ago, when I met a friend at our neighborhood pool for a low-key Saturday chat and instead walked into what can only be described as a birthday party with a production budget. You know, the ones that live forever on Instagram Reels, where the balloon arch alone probably cost more than my car. There were at least three dozen 6-year-olds. A unicorn pool floatie the size of a Buick. Tables groaning under ...

It’s hard to believe, but the buzziest movie of the summer—one that already has blockbuster written all over it—is based on a 3,000-year-old Greek poem called The Odyssey . You may have read Homer’s 12,000-line epic in high school, but if you haven’t given one thought since then to the saga of Odysseus and his return from the Trojan War (understandable!), this film will refresh your memory and spark tons of conversation on your social media feed. Christopher Nolan, the genius director behind Oppenheimer , Inception and The Dark Knight (though my personal favorite is Memento ), has been plotting his version of Odysseus’s struggle to return home for more than 20 years. And with a budget of $250 million, an all-star lineup and more than 2 million feet of film shot, his opus is shaping up to be quite the homecoming party. If you’re scratching your head right now—like, are we really trying to make an ancient poem happen? In 2026?—I g...

On my weekly supermarket run, I always try to grab as many fresh fruits and veggies as possible. A container of berries? Into the cart. Bagged salad? Easy dinner. Fresh cilantro? Absolutely. But with a growing cyclospora outbreak making people sick across the country, I’m suddenly looking at the produce aisle a little differently. More than 7,000 people have already gotten sick with cyclosporiasis across 34 states this year—and unfortunately, that number is expected to grow. And while cyclosporiasis is more common in tropical and subtropical parts of the world, it causes outbreaks in the U.S. every year. In fact, cases tend to spike between May and August, when fresh produce linked to infections is most commonly on our plates. That said, this outbreak is a lot worse. The good news? This isn’t a reason to swear off your favorite grocery store’s fruits and vegetables altogether. A few smart swaps—and knowing which foods are a lower risk right now—can h...

Aries: Ron Weasley (March 21–April 19) OK, I did put a redhead in the most feral and impatient fire sign of them all. But you have to admit that Ron is a bit of a hothead. He’s so easily flustered, like when Hermione picks on his rat, Scabbers. But what do you expect when your sign is ruled by Mars, the planet of anger and war? You have to be reactive, because you were born to fight—especially to protect the ones you love. Ron was the first to draw a wand when Malfoy called Hermione a “filthy mudblood.” And even with an injured leg, he steps in between the assumed-dangerous Sirius Black and Harry to protect his friend. Though being Mars-ruled can provide a burst of confidence, it also means you can be a little overly competitive. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, so naturally, you always want to be first. But something in you feels like you need to prove yourself in order to be first, just like Ron. As one of seven talented children in the family, h...