When House of Cards returns to Netflix for its sixth and final season this fall, the Oval Office will have a different occupant. Robin Wright has been promoted to the series' sole star in her role as Claire Underwood following allegations of sexual abuse leveled against former costar and the show's lead, Kevin Spacey, in October 2017. In the wake of the allegations, Netflix chose to fire Spacey and continue production on the show for one final season. 

More: Robin Wright Gave Us Chills in This House of Cards Promo

With all of these major changes happening to the show Wright has led for the last five years, she's finally opening up about those changes and her relationship on and off the set of House of Cards previous to his firing. 

On Sunday, The Hollywood Reporter shared an exclusive clip of an interview with Savannah Guthrie on the Today Show, set to air the morning of Monday, July 9. In the clip, Wright says she didn't really know Spacey, thus making it hard for her to notice any "red flags" of his alleged behavior.

"Kevin and I knew each other between action and cut and in between setups, where we would giggle," Wright said in the clip. "I didn't really — I didn't know the man. I knew the incredible craftsman that he is."

In the full interview on Monday, Wright had more to say. Per Today's website, she said they were co-workers who didn't socialize outside of work. When actor Anthony Rapp's allegations against Spacey were reported in BuzzFeed last October, Netflix suspended production on House of Cards. Wright told Today, "I think we were all surprised, of course, and ultimately saddened."

She described her relationship with Spacey as "respectful, professional" and said, "that's the only thing I feel that I have the right to talk about." She opted against declaring whether or not she thought Netflix made the right choice in firing him from the show.

Wright also said she has experienced sexual harassment herself during the course of her career: "Of course. Who hasn't? ... This is a bigger, broader issue, I think — which is seduction. I don't care who you are. It's about power, and once you overpower someone, that's person then becomes vulnerable. And this last year, I think, has shined a light in a new way to allow us to start a new conversation."

More: Kevin Spacey Is in Even More Hot Water After New Allegations Surface

Since Rapp's allegations against Spacey were made public in October, The Hollywood Reporter notes that at least 15 other men have come forward with similar claims. At least three cases are being investigated by the London police and despite having a new movie (Billionaire Boys Club) in theaters on August 17, per People, Spacey has mostly disappeared from the public eye since November.

Prince Louis' christening is all set to take place today around 11 a.m. Eastern at the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace in London, where Prince George was baptized. And now, we finally know who the godparents are. Drumroll please! 

Although Louis could have his pick of godparents, his parents — Prince William and Duchess Catherine of Cambridge, aka Kate Middleton — have done the picking for him, obviously. 

We admit it: We were a little bummed out to find that David and Victoria Beckham or Elton John or Helen Mirren or Judi Dench did not make the list. But people in the know about such royal etiquette had predicted that William and Kate would honor relatively low-key close pals or family members, the same way they did with Prince George (who scored a whopping seven godparents) and Princess Charlotte (who has five).

More: These New Pics of Princess Charlotte & Prince Louis Are Precious

Prince Louis, now 11 weeks old, will have godparents who are some of Will and Kate's dearest friends and relatives (but no Duchess Meghan — sorry). A palace insider observed to People magazine, “They are rewarding the loyalty of their really close friends and keeping the godparents from the tight, inner circle." 

Louis will have three godmothers, all of whom own many fabulous hats:

• Lady Laura Meade, wife of James Meade, who is one of Princess Charlotte's godfathers. The Meades frequently socialize with Will and Kate and their kids.
• Hannah Carter is a Marlborough College friend of Kate’s. The Carter family lives close to Anmer Hall, where William and Kate keep a country home.
• Lucy Middleton, an attorney and Kate's cousin, is the sister of Adam Middleton, one of Princess Charlotte's godfathers.

Louis will also have three godfathers, all of whom have very expensive-sounding surnames:

• Nicholas van Cutsem, one of four van Custem brothers, all of whom have been tight with William and Harry since childhood. Nicholas van Cutsem's brother William is one of Prince George's godfathers. The van Cutsems actually spent years of their childhood at Anmer Hall, William and Kate's country estate.
• Harry Aubrey-Fletcher, one of William's best pals from both prep school and Eton College.
• Guy Pelly, the planner of William's bachelor party and a very old friend of William's, Harry's and Kate's.

Who will perform the baptism? None other than the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who also baptized Princess Charlotte and conducted the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (née Markle) in May. Welby told the BBC that he expects the 40-minute christening to be "nerve-wracking" although "a great privilege."

He quipped, “If you’re at the wedding, don’t drop the rings, and if you’re at the baptism, don’t drop the baby.”

More: The Queen Helicoptered Over to Meet Her New Great-Grandson Louis

The queen and her husband, Prince Philip, will not be attending the occasion, but all's well. Harry and Meghan will be there, as will Kate's parents and William's father and stepmother, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. The archbishop of Canterbury spoke warmly of the entire clan in his BBC spot. “They’re a wonderful family, there’s lots of love and it’ll be a great occasion.”

No doubt. But Will and Kate, if there's a fourth child someday, we encourage you to throw some Beckhams into the mix just to spice things up a little.

At this stage, we all know that certain foods come with benefits, whether they're vitamins, minerals or energy-producing protein. But new research suggests that consuming one type of food — or more specifically, a flavor — may actually make us healthier eaters.

Researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School found that consuming a broth rich in umami — a rich, savory taste — can trigger subtle changes in the brain that promote healthier eating and food choices, especially for women.

First, let's back up and talk about umami. Umami is a Japanese word used to describe a complex savory flavor beyond the four basic tastes of sweet, salty, sour and bitter. Certain foods — like aged cheese, fermented soy products, asparagus, grilled fatty meats or seafood — contain a molecule called L-glutamate, which is behind the flavor. 

The term was coined in 1908 by a chemistry professor from Tokyo Imperial University who went on to cofound Ajinomoto, one of the leading manufacturers of monosodium glutamate. As it turns out, this particular study was supported by a grant from Ajinomoto, though according to a statement from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the company had no role in the design, analysis or writing of the article. 

Also worthy of note is the long racist history in America of MSG being blamed for everything from migraines to obesity to asthma, epilepsy and autism. There's no scientific evidence it does any of those things, but people still routinely avoid MSG or blame it for making them ill. So while having an essentially pro-MSG study partially funded by an MSG company is kind of a red flag, there are decades an anti-MSG junk science in existence, so conducting new research in this area does make sense.

More: It's Time to Get Over MSG Already — It's Just Not Bad for You

But getting back to the study, published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, researchers were looking to test previous work that found that eating a broth or soup supplemented with MSG before a meal can decrease appetite and make you eat less. To do this, they analyzed any changes that occurred in the brains of healthy young women after they ate chicken broth, with or without MSG added, followed by  a buffet meal.

Turns out the group that ate the umami-rich broth had more control over how much they ate, paid closer attention to the meal and had higher levels of engagement of a part of the brain linked to successful self-regulation while eating.

More: We Know Fiber-Rich Foods Are Good for Us — Here's Why & What to Eat

“Previous research in humans studied the effects of umami broths on appetite, which is typically assessed with subjective measures. Here, we extended these findings replicating the beneficial effects of umami on healthy eating in women at higher risk of obesity, and we used new laboratory measures that are sensitive and objective,” Dr. Miguel Alonso-Alonso, senior author of the study and an assistant professor at the Center for the Study of Nutrition Medicine in BIDMC’s Department of Surgery, said in a statement. 

Alonso-Alonso also pointed out that a lot of the existing research on flavor has focused on the impact of sugar and sweetness on the brain and ignored the effects of eating savory foods. And he noted that more research outside laboratory settings needs to be done to see if these brain changes accumulate over time, having longer-term effects on our eating habits. Either way, we'll take this as an excuse to order the miso soup.

We're sure you've heard: Americans use 500 million drinking straws every day. To give you an idea, this is enough to circle the Earth twice — or fill 125 school buses. And because disposable plastic straws aren't recyclable, they tend to end up in landfills, oceans or the environment. It's a massive, growing problem contributing to the 8 million tons of plastic dumped into the ocean every year — and Starbucks is taking action to help reduce its use of them.

Today, Starbucks announced it will eliminate single-use plastic straws globally from all 28,000 stores by 2020, replacing them with a new recyclable strawless lid as well as eco-friendly straw options. By doing so, Starbucks hopes to eliminate more than 1 billion plastic straws per year from its stores.

More: Starbucks Adds New Perfect-for-Summer Refresher to Its Menu

"Starbucks' goal to eliminate plastic straws by 2020 from their stores globally represents the company's forward thinking in tackling the material waste challenge in totality," says Erin Simon, director of sustainability research and development and material science at World Wildlife Fund, in a press release. "Plastic straws that end up in our oceans have a devastating effect on species. As we partner with Starbucks in waste reduction initiatives such as Next Gen Consortium Cup Challenge and WWF's Cascading Materials Vision, we hope others will follow in their footsteps."

As part of its $10 million commitment to develop a recyclable and compostable cup solution, you'll find the new strawless lid — or "adult sippy cups" — on all Starbucks' iced coffee, tea and espresso drinks. The lid is already available in more than 8,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada. 

For those who do want a straw, though, you can ask the barista for a recyclable straw, which is made with paper or compostable plastic. And don't worry, all Frappuccinos will come equipped with one of these alternative-material straws.

"Starbucks decision to phase out single-use plastic straws is a shining example of the important role that companies can play in stemming the tide of ocean plastic. With eight million metric tons of plastic entering the ocean every year, we cannot afford to let industry sit on the sidelines, and we are grateful for Starbucks leadership in this space," says Nicholas Mallos, director of Ocean Conservancy's Trash Free Seas program, in the press release.

If you're in Seattle or Vancouver, the strawless lids will be implemented starting this fall. The rest of the stores in the U.S. and Canada will be next, in 2019; then, the global rollout will begin, starting in France, the Netherlands and the U.K. — where stores in the area have already implemented a 5 pence paper cup charge to promote reusability and will expand to 950 more stores later this month.

While Starbucks is the largest food and beverage retailer to make this a commitment, they aren't the first. In June, McDonald's announced it would start phasing out plastic straws at about 1,300 restaurants in the U.K. and Ireland. And the entire city of Seattle banned the use of plastic straws and utensils in bars and restaurants this month in an effort to reduce waste. This is the first major U.S. city to do so, and the city ban affects its 5,000 restaurants. Other major cities, including New York and San Francisco, are considering doing the same.

More: 12 Low-Calorie Starbucks Drinks You Didn't Know You Needed This Summer

But wait, there's more!

Starbucks is also introducing two new cold coffee drinks to menus in the U.S. and Canada.

Starting Tuesday, you can try the salted-cream cold foam cold brew — a cup of cold brew with caramel and topped with salted-cream cold foam — which, yes, will be served with the strawless lid. 

Also new to the menu is the iced vanilla bean-coconut milk latte, which has vanilla bean, coconut milk and shots of espresso poured atop. 

If busy moms were to make a list of life’s necessary evils, laundry would likely be right on top. No one likes spending hours every week washing clothes — we don’t even want to think about how many hours per year quite literally go down that drain — but there’s no way around it. Even with just one child in the household, the amount of laundry increases by an inexplicable amount. So, what’s a busy mom to do other than just deal with it? 

More: 12 Ways to Make Your Stinky Laundry Smell Better

Happily, there are hacks that make doing (mountains of) laundry a bit more bearable. And these aren’t just any hacks. These are mom-approved hacks — tips and tricks that have been perfected over time because, let’s be honest, none of us have a minute to waste. 

Don’t get overwhelmed when you’re staring down a few monstrous piles of laundry. Get ready with these clever ideas that will help you get a handle on the situation and change your life. 

Buy yourself a sock bag

Forget about those cutesy walls signs that say things like, “Looking for my sole mate” — you won’t have to track down missing socks anymore if you can manage to keep them all together in the wash. You can use a lingerie bag or any other washable receptacle, but make sure everyone in your house knows it is where socks go. When it’s time to wash, you simply toss the whole bag in — and, naturally, put your kids to work sorting socks later.  

Keep colors perky with pepper

While laundry detergents that promise to keep your dark clothes dark longer may do the trick, they can be expensive. Sometimes, they don’t work as they promised. Enter pepper. That’s right — swipe the pepper shaker from the kitchen table, because a teaspoon of black pepper in the wash cycle gets rid of the soap residue that causes clothes to fade in the first place. Bonus? You won’t smell like a spice rack since the pepper simply rinses away.

Leave clothes inside out

We don’t know about you, but we spend a ton of unnecessary time turning each and every article of clothing our kids take off back outside in. You know the drill — they rush in from wherever they came, peel off whatever they’re wearing and toss it on the floor in a haphazard inside-out heap. However, we’ve learned through trial and error that the clothes still get clean if you leave them inside out, and it saves lots of precious time. 

More: How to Remove Blood, Sweat & Other Tough Laundry Stains

Use white vinegar to knock out smells

We’ve all been there — you grab a load of towels from the bathroom, and they have a distinctive musty smell. You toss them in the wash, thinking that should nix the stink. But it doesn’t. And then you wind up rewashing the same load multiple times in an attempt to make your linens smell fresh again. You don’t have to waste time or water anymore, though. Add a a half a cup of distilled white vinegar in with your wash, and marvel at how well vinegar erases all trace of mustiness and even chemical smells (without leaving your laundry smelling like vinegar). 

Toss a towel in the dryer

You should always keep a towel handy when you’re doing laundry. Why? Well, it’s sort of an unsung hero. If you’re drying a load of clothes, toss a dry towel in to help absorb moisture and speed up the drying process for the rest of the load. Or, if you’ve already dried your clothes and can’t deal with the wrinkles, toss a damp towel in with the wrinkled duds to help steam those wrinkles right out. 

Break out the aluminum foil

Doh! It isn’t until you start pulling laundry out of the washing machine to put it into the dryer that you realize you’re out of dryer sheets. Knowing you don’t want to wind up with super-static-cling, you enlist your significant other to run out and pick up more — or you take your chances and go without. However, you don’t need to do either of those things if you have aluminum foil in the house. Ball up the silvery stuff and toss a few in the dryer to kill static cling naturally.

Keep your kicks quiet

Listening to tennis shoes go thunk-thunk-thunk as they bounce around in the washer and dryer is enough to make anyone go a little nutty. Here’s a super-simple yet brilliant trick to eliminate that telltale noise: tie the laces of your tennis shoes together at the end and shut the laces in the machine door. The knot keeps the strings from slipping and holds your shoes in place so they won’t bang all over the drum. 

Use a dry-erase marker to jot down notes

Pick a spot in your laundry room to store a dry erase marker, and you’ll soon wonder how you ever lived without one. You see, you can use a dry erase marker on the surface of many washers and dryers (it will just wipe off after, but you can always get a little board if you prefer). When you wash and dry a load of clothes, you can make notes of anything important you need to remember for the next load, i.e. “New sweater pills in the dryer — hang instead” or “Mickey Mouse PJs bleed.” After a while, you’ll no longer need the notes to remember, but in the beginning, they can keep you from making annoying and potentially clothes-destroying mistakes. 

More: Teaching Kids to Do Laundry

Toss your pillows in the washing machine

Now, this doesn't work for all pillows, so check the labels on yours, but most can be machine-washed, and it's really easy to do. Place two pillows (never just one because you want to make sure the machine is balanced) in your washing machine, run them through a gentle wash cycle and then two rinse cycles to make sure all the detergent is rinsed out. Then put them in the dryer with a couple of tennis balls and voilà! Your pillows will be as good as new. 

Adhere to the one-touch rule

Raise your hand if you’re guilty of pulling laundry out of the dryer, tossing it in a basket, taking it to a separate room, folding it and then taking it into individual rooms and unfolding it to hang it up or put it away. (*Raises hands*) When you write it down like that, it seems a little silly, right? That’s a lot of extra work. Instead, adopt the one-touch rule — when you pull something out of the dryer, fold it and sort it right then. Or, if it is a hanging item, go ahead and put it on a hanging rod. Don’t give yourself more work. 

Solid celebrity relationships give us all a little bit of hope, especially when celebs are public about how much they love their person. One year into their marriage, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd are somehow sweeter than ever, and we are so here for it. They celebrated their anniversary on Instagram, and the photos are absolutely perfect.

More: Maksim Chmerkovskiy & Peta Murgatroyd Had the Most Magical Wedding in 2017

According to the caption on one of Chmerkovskiy's photos posted on Sunday, before the couple said I do in front of at least 300 guests at a fairy-tale wedding at Oheka Castle on Long Island last year, they first said it at City Hall in a much smaller, more casual ceremony.

"This is one of the most exciting days of my life!" Chmerkovskiy wrote. "Everything felt very festive, I couldn't take my eyes off my future wife the whole ride to the City Hall and it was is [sic] if New York City itself was marrying us. I can't believe it's been a year. I still can't believe you chose me. I can't believe I get to live this dream with you by my side for the rest of my life and I promise to earn every second of your love." He ended his caption with a declaration of love for Murgatroyd, wishes for a happy anniversary and the hashtag #FavoritePersonEver.

We are absolutely melting over here. The videos he shared are even cuter. Murgatroyd keeps shyly biting her lip, and she never looks away from her soon-to-be husband until they both look at the minister marrying them. Chmerkovskiy runs his thumb over her knuckles as he holds her hand, and when they're pronounced married, their witnesses cheer along with them before they kiss to seal the deal.

Meanwhile, Murgatroyd shared a super-sweet photo of Chmerkovskiy kissing her cheek while she stands with one foot popped and her arms around his neck, both of them smiling. 

Murgatroyd wrote, "Today I married the man I fell in love with so many years ago. I knew he was the one. There was something so electric between us that people will still tell me about to this day. I love you @maksimc, this has been an incredible, outrageous year for us!" She continued, "I pray we are this happy for the rest of our lives. You're everything I knew you were." She used the hashtags #HappyAnniversary and #ToUs.

More: Peta Murgatroyd & Maks Chmerkovskiy's Son Shai Is a Dancer Already

E! News notes that Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd got engaged in December 2015 after dating for several years and that their son, Shai, played an important part in their wedding ceremony. It's clear these two are still so in love; we love that they had two ceremonies to solidify their union.

Summer has just started and we've already had our fair share of margaritas. Why not? It's warm out, and they're the perfect way to cool off. But — and you probably don't want to be reminded of this — margs are sugar bombs, just loaded with carbs. It's not just margs, either; there are plenty of cocktails out there you'd be wise to consume sparingly, especially if you're worried about your carb intake. Just take a canned pina colada, for example. It contains not only 526 calories but also 61 grams of carbohydrates!

One way to cut back on the delicious, carb-loaded cocktails is by sticking with certain types of alcohol, specifically vodka and rum.

More: The 5 Healthiest Cocktails You Can Get at a Bar

No flavoring, no carbs

Vodka and rum are distilled spirits, which means they only contain alcohol — and have zero carbs. So, instead of skipping the cocktails and heading straight for the wine or beer, think twice. Five ounces of wine has a carb count of 5, while 12 ounces of beer has 11. Champagne has 1.6 grams (so, better than wine and beer), while light beer has 7 grams.

As a general rule of thumb, flavored vodkas with a proof of 80 or above are carb-free.

But what about flavored vodka and rum?

Carb counts vary for flavored vodkas. Many clock in at zero carbs, while others are as high as 11 grams per serving (like Hpnotiq).

For the most part, many flavored vodkas are zero carbs, including Absolut Vodka, which doesn't contain carbohydrates, proteins or fat. According to its website, only natural ingredients from berries, fruits and spices are used and no sugar is added.

Here are a few flavored vodkas we found with higher carb counts:

• Magic Moments' green apple flavor: 7 g
• Pinnacle Vodka's whipped cream flavor: 8 g
• Jeremiah Weed's sweet tea flavor: 9  g

Rum is a different story.

While straight rum has zero carbs, flavored or spiced rums do contain carbs. For example, Captain Morgan Parrot Bay rum contains 7 g carbs per fluid ounce and Malibu Rum has 1 g carbs per fluid ounce.

As far as flavored rums go, it ranges, much like flavored vodkas do — from zero to 16 g. Here are some of the higher carb counts we found on MyFitnessPal:

• Calico Jack cherry rum: 7 g
• Bacardi O orange-flavored rum: 3 g
• RumChata: 16 g
• Cruzan strawberry rum: 6 g
• Cruzan black cherry rum: 15 g

Mixer suggestions

If you want to stick to unflavored vodka and rum, choose the right mixers. Here are some mixer suggestions for vodka:

• Soda water or club soda (with a squeeze of lemon or lime for taste)
• Unsweetened iced tea
• Club soda with mint leaves and a no-calorie sweetener
• Low-sugar sodas
• Diluted cranberry juice or lemonade

As for rum, if you want to drink it straight, here's one tip: The darker the color, the richer the flavor. Or you can use one of the following mixers: 

• Fresh grapefruit juice with lime juice
• Lime juice and mint
• Ginger beer and lime juice

Cheers to healthy drinking this summer!

A version of this article was originally published in September 2007.

For some people, menstrual cramps are no big deal, but for others, they're truly hellish: the throbbing or tightening pain in the lower abdomen, the nausea, the vomiting, the fatigue, the diarrhea. The symptoms can be truly debilitating and can last anywhere from 12 to 72 hours.

To alleviate the pain, your first thought may be to grab a bottle of Midol and cross your fingers, hoping it'll subside stat. But there are several natural ways to relieve menstrual cramps as well. 

More: These Natural Remedies Will Help You Make It Through PMS

Apply heat

Grab a heating pad — applying heat to your abdomen and lower back may relieve the pain. 

According to a 2012 study in BMC Women's Health, women 18 to 30 years old who used a heat patch (at 104 degrees F) found it was just as effective as taking ibuprofen. Heating pads and patches are available at drugstores, but if you don't have any at home, you can use a hot water bottle, too. And according to the Mayo Clinic, soaking in a hot bath may also ease menstrual cramps. 

Exercise

You may not want to, but forcing yourself to get up and get moving may actually alleviate cramping because the endorphins released by exercise counteract the effects of prostaglandins (hormones). According to a 2008 study in Sports Medicine, exercise may not only reduce menstrual pain but may also reduce or even eliminate the need for pain-relief medication.

"[The exercise] doesn't need to be super strenuous," Petra Casey, associate professor of OB-GYN at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told U.S. News in 2014. "Just a walk or jog or going to the gym and taking a yoga class can really help."

Take a yoga class

Speaking of yoga, give this exercise a try next time your symptoms set in. According to a 2011 study in the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, three yoga poses (cobra, cat and fish poses) significantly reduced the intensity of pain and also cut down on the length of pain during menstruation.

More: How to Navigate Yoga While You Have Your Period

Have an orgasm

Yes, you read that right: Aim for the big 'O' while on your period.

When you have a vaginal orgasm, your brain may release endorphins and oxytocin. In fact, a 1985 study in the journal Pain found that vaginal self-stimulation doubled a person's tolerance for pain.

"Women describe clitoral orgasms as more localized and external and vaginal orgasms as being internal and involving the whole body," Dr. Barry Komisaruk, a psychology professor at Rutgers University who studies the female orgasm, told the BBC in 2015. "That's probably because the nerves that carry sensations from the clitoris are different from the nerves from the vagina."

Drink tea

According to the Mayo Clinic, you should avoid alcohol because it can make menstrual cramps worse. However, you can drink all the tea you want. "Raspberry leaf is known for eliminating cramps and yarrow is known for regulating blood flow, so I make sure those are my main ingredients in my tea," holistic health care practitioner Amanda Campbell tells SheKnows. "I notice a definite improvement when it comes to my energy levels and just general feeling of 'ick.'"

More: What Is Premature Menopause, & What Can You Do About It?

Take dietary supplements, including magnesium

The Mayo Clinic also suggests taking certain dietary supplements while on your period, including Vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B6 and magnesium. A 2001 study in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews showed that these supplements may reduce menstrual cramps.

"PMS is considered to worsen with constipation and toxicity. Magnesium is a natural detoxifier and muscle relaxer and helps with constipation and painful cramps," Dr. Carolyn Dean, a medical advisory board member of the nonprofit Nutritional Magnesium Association, told SheKnows. "If the bowel doesn't empty once a day, toxins can be reabsorbed back into the body from the colon. The longer debris sits in the colon, the more fluid is reabsorbed, making stools more solid and difficult to pass."

Dean recommends taking magnesium citrate powder mixed with water and sipping it throughout the day. "It helps support our energy and supports the liver's natural detoxification pathways, relaxes muscles and relieves cramping," she said.

So, the next time your cramps become unbearable, you might want to try some of these natural (and, in many cases, free) options. Who knows — you might find something that works really well for you.

A version of this article was originally published in August 2011.

Grand Slam winner — 23 times over — Serena Williams is having some seriously sad feels about missing a major milestone in the life of daughter Alexis Olympia, 10 months old.

Williams tweeted, "She took her first steps. . . I was in training and missed it. I cried.”

More: Serena Williams Returns to Tennis 5 Months After Giving Birth

Williams' tweet was so relatable, thousands of friends and fans sent loving words to the tennis icon to reassure her that missing moments is just a normal part of parenthood. Chrissy Teigen responded to Williams' lament, saying, "[Alexis Olympia] is practicing so you can see the real ones."

One day care provider touched hearts with her sweet observation about the big "firsts."

In fact, in a world of rampant social media mommy-shaming, the outpouring of support for Williams was downright wonderful:

Williams — who shares her daughter with Reddit cofounder and husband Alexis Ohanian — has been candid about the challenges of balancing her tennis career with motherhood. Her decision to wean Olympia (she calls the baby by her middle name) at six months was a painful one according to Williams. “I literally sat Olympia in my arms, I talked to her, we prayed about it,” Williams said at a July 1 London news conference just ahead of her Wimbledon match. “I told her, ‘Look, I’m going to stop. Mommy has to do this.’ I cried a little bit, not as much as I thought I was. She was fine.”

More: Serena Williams' Daughter Is Teething

In her HBO documentary, Being Serena, Williams said, “Breastfeeding is an incredibly personal thing." She also called it "magical." Still, she revealed that her breastfeeding kept her at 205 pounds, not her fighting weight. She lost 10 pounds within a week of weaning Olympia, and her training improved. “The truth is I miss my body, being able to do other kinds of amazing things. I miss playing tennis. Mostly, I miss winning. Winning’s always been the way I define myself, and I want it to stay that way for a long time,” Williams said.

We're thinking Olympia will learn to take it all in stride. Hey, there will definitely be perks to having a working mom who is the best tennis player on the planet — free tennis lessons for one — and it's clear these two already have an incredible mama-daughter bond. 

The new Queer Eye has already earned a track record for matchmaking. After season one premiered in Netflix in March, the hero (how the show refers to its "make better" subjects) from episode one, Tom Jackson, got some attention from outlets like Us Weekly when he and his second wife Abby rekindled their romance, then broke up again, then tied the knot for a second time in May. Now, another couple from the show has exchanged vows in a beautiful beachside ceremony.

More: You'll Never Guess Which Queer Eye Costar Tan France Had a Crush On

Refinery29 reports that William Mahnken, who told wardrobe expert Tan France in his season two episode that his style icon is Frasier Crane, has married his longtime girlfriend Shannan Eller. We saw the proposal in Mahnken's episode: an over-the-top outdoor movie presentation of a romantic comedy-inspired video where Mahnken comes up for a new word for love that's just "Shannan."

According to Refinery29, Mahnken updated his private Instagram and revealed that he and Eller married recently in a private beach ceremony on Amelia Island, which is off the coast of Florida. Queer Eye shared photos from the wedding on their official Instagram account and they are absolutely stunning. The couple opted for a blue and green color palette that would have made the Fab Five proud. The sunset in the background adds even more romance to the event!

In their caption, the Queer Eye social media folks wrote, "Congratulations William and Shannan! Thank you for letting us be a part of your love story and we hope that the next phase of your life is filled with love, movies, and a lot of avocado goddess! We Shannan you both" along with a sparkly heart, stars, and more heart emojis.

More: Queer Eye Chef Antoni Porowski Let Some Big News Slip

Mahnken had just one goal that he wanted to accomplish after his Fab Five "make better" was completed: he wanted to propose to Eller. It's really sweet that the Queer Eye team shared their ride into the sunset — literally — and imbued the post with so many references from his episode of the show. We wish this happy couple the very best for the future.

Fun fact: There are about 300 Taco Bell stores outside the U.S. — scattered among 26 countries around the world — and you bet their menus seem even more delicious and innovative than ours. For instance, in Korea, you can get a kimchi quesadilla; in Cyprus, their gorditas come with fries and tzatziki sauce; and a Chocodilla (a chocolate quesadilla) is on the Taco Bell menu in several countries, including Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador. But today, we're spotlighting India's menu, specifically its new Crispy Potaco.

More: Taco Bell Wedding Accessories Are a Thing, & We Are So Here for It

When Taco Bell expanded to India back in 2010, it made a conscious effort to tailor its menu for the Indian market, making the items spicier and half the menu vegetarian. According to NBC News, the restaurants also don't serve beef, which many Indians don't eat for religious reasons. 

Enter the Potaco, which meets all the aforementioned requirements. These tacos ditch the tortilla and feature a shell made with Mexican spices that is molded from hash browns — hash browns! The filling is strictly lettuce, cheese, fiesta salsa and signature spices, according to Brand Eating.

Also found on the Taco Bell menus in India are chicken tikka masala (which, as you could probably guess, takes the traditional Indian dish and shoves all the ingredients into a warm burrito) and the Beer + Taco (which is typically served after 10 p.m.). 

Taco Bell India teamed up with Tanmay Bhat, an Indian stand-up comedian, script writer, producer and cofounder of popular comedy sketch group All India Bakchod, to pitch the Potaco to the public — pushed on social media with the hashtag #MakePotatoGreat.

More: Taco Bell Adds Even More $1 Items to Its Dollar Menu

The Potaco costs a little under $1.50, or 99 rupees, and is only available in India for a limited time. Of course, the only way you can get your hands on one is booking a round-trip flight to India. Or we can cross our fingers Taco Bell adds international menu items to its U.S. restaurants. Ah, a girl can only dream…

In the media cocktail party, podcasts are somewhere between the party guest who's known the host since the dawn of time (that would be print media) and the one who's just obnoxiously barged into the group (go home, Snapchat). Podcasts are a bit of a bridge between old and new, building on the foundation of old-school radio while relying on new-school technology for maximum accessibility.

One of the great things about them, though, is that once you have a sense of a podcast’s tone and approach, you can be pretty confident about what's being shared — which is no small task when you're trying to stay on top of your kids' media exposure.

More: The Question Every Parent Dreads: Can I Take My Cell Phone to School?

The following are some examples of high-quality podcasts with serious teen appeal. Some address age-specific content, while others have a broader focus. All of them offer food for thought and the potential for parent-child discussion and exploration. Behold: our list of 10 life-changing podcasts for teens. 

1. 411 Teen

General interest program 411 Teen has been on air for more than 20 years, broadcasts weekly and uses teen input to make the content relevant and interesting for its intended audience. Recent topics have included fake news, undocumented students and a Florida organization for youth who are in or have been in the foster care system.

2. TED Talks

Many teens and young adults are fans of the TED Talks podcasts. These cover a wide array of subjects and perspectives; this is a "something for everyone" site, and the angle tends toward a combination of informative and inspirational. Recent topics have included "Four billion years of evolution in six minutes" and "How I'm bringing queer pride to my rural village."

More: 12 Celebs Who Host Their Own Podcasts

3. Youth Radio

Youth Radio is not only for teens, it’s also created by teens. The mission of this site is to train future broadcast journalists. Similar in approach to many public radio broadcasts, the content is made up of stories written and produced by teens across the country.

4. The Moth

Also recommended by younglings polled, The Moth takes audience participation to a new level. This podcast takes personal stories and records them live. The tales told cover a wide spectrum of experiences; recent offerings have included stories to celebrate Pride Month, its 10-year anniversary and stories from their Global Community workshop. The site welcomes submissions from listeners.

5. Radiolab

Radiolab is a mashup of science, history, popular culture and more. Its content explores a wide range of interests, but the overall tone is one of an intellectual deep dive — a search for the satisfaction of curiosity-based questioning. In terms of shared listening, getting to the why of a subject can be both satisfying and unity-building.

6. Nerdette

For the nerds in your life, Nerdette uses popular culture and current headlines to address broader social issues, frequently through interviews with celebrities, such as the recent episode with comedian Negin Farsad discussing how to combat online trolls.

7. The Sporkful

Food is the great unifier. The Sporkful bills itself as a podcast for eaters — which certainly describes many teens. Even if everything else feels fraught, surely there is peace to be found in learning about how to read a taco or an interview with Roald Dahl’s daughter on her dad’s approach to food.

8. How Stuff Works

A great umbrella site, How Stuff Works includes BrainStuff (science), Stuff You Missed in History Class, Stuff of Genius (inventions) and TechStuff. The approach here is like Radiolab, but more specialized by individual topic. You should be able to find an episode on just about any area of interest.

More: 11 Podcasts That Are Coming to TV

9. Math Mutation

If you're looking for some more straight-up academic enhancement, check out Math Mutation, which takes an entertaining approach to its subject and tackles a small element of it in a manageable, lesson-like chunk, typically about 10 to 15 minutes. Grammar Girl and Coffee Break Spanish have a similar format.

10. Teens of America Radio

Podcasts can also be a way of introducing potentially thorny areas; parents often find that listening together can help ease into high-stress topics. Therapist Lynn Zakeri says, "If there is a topic that feels difficult to approach, like potential divorce, mental health concerns, drugs, sex... you name it, there is a podcast about it. A parent can say, 'Hey I was listening to this podcast while I was driving and it was interesting what they said. What do you think about that?' Sort of like asking your child to be the expert, and then a discussion can take place."

One podcast that might be particularly useful here is Teens of America Radio, which looks at timely, often hard-to-tackle subjects like sexting, school violence and suicide. You might also want to check out Project Know's Let’s Talk Drugs, which deals specifically with substance abuse and drug-related questions, and Life as a Teenager, a BBC series that goes through the full adolescent experience, from physical changes to emotional ones.

If you have a long family car ride coming up or are simply looking at the summer stretching ahead of you with little neutral conversational territory in sight, podcasts might be a lifeline to coexistence or even, possibly, common ground. Zakeri points out that a podcast can be "a way of bonding if it is funny, and additionally a way to connect later in the day with a joke that relates to it." And in the scope of parent-teen communication, who couldn't use an opportunity to connect?

A version of this article was originally published in June 2017.

Fear of childbirth pain may top every pregnant person's list, but once you've wrapped your mind around the hurt that is to come, there's another big fear lurking in the delivery room: losing your shit on the birthing table — literally.

More: 7 Must-Have Items for Postpartum Care

One of the most common pieces of advice given to new parents who have not yet had the pleasure of squeezing a baby out of their vagina is to "push like you're pooping." In other words, pushing as if you're having a bowel movement is going to help you get your baby out quickly. But, of course, it may also have its intended effect, causing you to poop while giving birth.

Most birthing parents who are already nervous about a whole team of doctors and nurses hanging around looking at their vulva don't like this one bit. Many want to do everything they can to avoid this "side effect." And those fears (of embarrassment as well as pain) do matter; a 2012 Norwegian study published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology found birth to be over an hour longer for women who were afraid of doing it. According to a 2013 study published in the Journal of Perinatal Education, fear of birth is associated with anxiety, longer labors, a higher likelihood of having epidural anesthesia, maternal preferences and requests for elective and emergency cesarean surgeries. But do you really need to be afraid of pooping during birth?

We asked skilled medical professionals to break down the burning question on every preggo's mind: Is it possible to give birth without pooping — and does it matter?

Pose this question to your doctor, nurse or midwife, and they likely won't blink an eye. The fear of pooping during labor really is that common. "I always first remind women that it is a normal physiologic process, and we do not pay much attention to it as care providers. If noticed, it simply reassures me that a patient is pushing effectively," explains Laurie MacLeod, a certified nurse midwife at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

More: Babyproofing 101: All the Home Hacks You Need

MacLeod adds that a bowel movement that occurs naturally during labor may not be as bad as it sounds: "We simply wipe the stool away and minimize anyone else noticing it as much as possible. Prior to the pushing stage, women are able to get up and use the restroom privately. Enemas are no longer routinely used in labor as they do not improve outcomes and are uncomfortable for women. Often during labor, women are not eating normally as most women consume clear liquids in labor, so they are less likely to pass stool. It is also common in normal labor to have loose stools, so a woman's body often will take care of passing stool naturally prior to the pushing stage."

Plus, if and when you do poop, consider it a good sign. Dr. Christine Greves, a doctor at the Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology at Orland Health, told Today in April 2018, "If women poop during the delivery, they are using the right muscles."

Of course, medical expertise is the bottom line, but we all know that pregnant people can get a little cuckoo when surfing the internet in the wee hours after a night of tossing and turning. The fact remains that expectant preggos are still looking for poop-prevention remedies, no matter how many doctors and midwives caution against it.

Mom Mary Apple says she took the advice of her midwife and used a "natural colon cleanser" before labor began. "At 41 weeks, my midwife suggested castor oil. The taste and texture were pretty awful, so I mixed it with orange Gatorade. At first nothing happened, and then I found myself on and off the toilet for the next few hours. Although the pain felt like what I imagined contractions would feel like, they were in fact just abdominal cramping — in other words, poop pains! Although I was disappointed to find that I was still at 1 cm when I got to the hospital, I must attribute my 'poopless labor' to that magic castor oil/orange Gatorade concoction." Of course, a "remedy" like this should only be used under the advice of your doctor or midwife.

More: This Is What Childbirth Really Feels Like

When it all comes down to it, there's no magic bullet that can guarantee you won't push out a little something extra during labor. But most health professionals encourage pooping while pushing; it's a healthy by-product.

Barring natural remedies and a pre-labor enema that doctors no longer recommend, there are a few common sense things you can do to "get moving" before you deliver:

• Eat plenty of fiber: Clean eating leading up to birth is not only good for the baby; it can help your body naturally cleanse stool as your uterus starts to contract (that is, during early labor rather than the pushing stage).
• Drink plenty of fluids: Drinking enough water will help to prepare your body for the marathon that is to come, and it will keep your bowels moving right along.
• Take frequent bathroom breaks: In the early stages of labor and before the real fun begins, go to the bathroom often to give your body the chance to poop before you push.

The good news is that when it's all said and done, pooping during labor is totally normal — and amidst all the chaos, you're probably not going to know it happened anyway.

A version of this article was originally published in January 2016.

It looks like Chris Pine just might be off the market. He was once again photographed with British actress Annabelle Wallis on July 6, holding hands in color-coordinated outfits on the streets of London, according to The Hollywood Reporter, after rumors started when they were first spotted arriving at Heathrow Airport together in April.

More: 14 Times Chris Pine Was the Hottest Man in the Room

Photos of Pine and Wallis holding hands emerged on the Backgrid UK Instagram account, prompting several outlets to speculate on the nature of their relationship. People reports that in addition to being spotted together at Heathrow Airport in April and again last week, the pair also sat across from each other at a dinner party in late April, where a source said they were "very comfortable together."

People also reports that Wallis previously dating Gwyneth Paltrow's ex-husband, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, for two years. They split in 2016 and, in speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Wallis commented on how hard it is to keep relationships private when someone is in the public eye.

“It becomes hard when you know about someone’s personal life. It’s just distracting,” she said. “It’s a whole other job in itself if you go down that road. I love the person I love, but it means so much to me that I like to keep it safe. I have nothing to hide.”

Wallis is best known for her roles in BBC period dramas The Tudors and Peaky Blinders; she recently appeared in the movie Tag and will appear in Boss Level next year. Meanwhile, Pine's recent credits include Wonder Woman and A Wrinkle In Time. He is currently filming Wonder Woman: 1984 and his new series I Am the Night, which is executive produced and directed by Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, will premiere in 2019.

More: Hollywood Movie Stars Who Aren't Above Doing TV

It's remarkable these two even have time to be social, considering their super-busy schedules. Neither Wallis nor Pine have confirmed their relationship, although hand-holding is a pretty universal sign for affection. We won't go into the coordinated outfits, because that's some next-level couple behavior, but regardless of their relationship status, we wish them both the best.

On this particular rainy day (what? why else would you be Googling "kid crafts"?), the answer to your indoor-boredom needs doesn't lie in the playroom: It's in the kitchen.  

And no, we're not suggesting you start teaching your kids to make a soufflé. We're talking about arts and crafts using supplies stocked in your pantry, fridge and kitchen cupboards. From using sponges and fruits as stamps to making your own homemade play dough, these 12 kitchen projects will be fun for kids of all ages.

More: The Best All-in-One Craft Kits for Kids

Homemade lava lamp

Can you believe all you need to make this homemade lava lamp is vegetable oil, antacid, neon food coloring and a Mason jar or water bottle?

DIY Pop Rocks candy recipe

Grab the baking soda, sugar, corn syrup, food coloring and other supplies from your pantry to make this homemade Pop Rocks candy.

Owl magnets

Save up some frozen juice can lids, and the kids will love turning them into magnets with their own designs.

Erupting lemon volcano

All you need for this fun science activity is lemons, baking soda, food coloring, dish soap, craft sticks and a plate or bowl.

Butterfly printing with sponges

This is so easy to do: Wrap a hair tie around a kitchen sponge, and get to painting!

Edible slime

The kids will love playing around with these Starburst candies-turned-edible slime.

Next: Graham cracker rainbow weather snack

A version of this article was originally published in January 2008.

Graham cracker rainbow weather snack

Feeling down on a rainy day? These rainbow graham cracker snacks will brighten up anyone's day.

Egg carton flower garland

How cute is this? All you need to create your own garland is an empty egg carton, scissors, spray paint and some string. Easy!

DIY play dough

Mix up some flour, salt, cream of tartar, water, vegetable oil and food coloring, and there you have it: homemade play dough.

Cork stamps

Next time you open up a bottle of wine, save the cork. That way, you and the kids can transform the corks into stamps.

Fruit & veggie stamps

Cut a few apples in half, and if you have celery or artichokes, you can use those, too! Any fruit or veggie can be used as a stamp.

DIY colored pasta

Take the freshly dyed pasta and make necklaces or bracelets from them, too.

Talking about sexually transmitted infections is never fun or easy, but a new book is aiming to change that. Chloe Has Chlamydia is a picture book for young adults that tells the tale of a koala who has a little bit too much fun in the book, resulting in her contracting a case of chlamydia.

Written by Jackie Prince and illustrated by Liesje Kraai, Chloe Has Chlamydia is part of the trending genre of humorous illustrated books for adults alongside recent works like Go the F**k to Sleep, Adulthood Is a Myth and A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo. 

So, how does Prince, someone with a background in marketing and advertising, decide to write an adult picture book on STIs?

“My job is understanding people and audiences and figuring out a way to work with them in a way that will resonate and accomplish goals,” Prince tells SheKnows. "My focus has shifted in the past four years to more social-impact marketing.” She says that she has worked with several clients in the women’s health space recently, and it’s an area she’s very passionate about.

Last year, Prince was taking a creative writing course to work on a completely different book when she learned about the current STI epidemic in the United States thanks to the Centers for Disease Control’s annual report. Around the same time, her managing director, who is Australian, mentioned how koalas are in the midst of a chlamydia crisis. And that’s when Chloe was born.

“I started looking into sex ed, and I thought there was an opportunity to create something with a total different approach that was fresh, approachable, accessible and fun,” Prince says.

She also started doing some research into the koala chlamydia problem, and according to National Geographic, some populations of the marsupial have nearly a 100 percent infection rate. The epidemic received additional attention when comedian John Oliver did a segment about koala chlamydia on his late-night show on May 6.

"My first reaction when I learned that koalas have chlamydia was that they’re cute and you don’t associate animals with those things," Prince explains. She also decided to opt for a beloved, cuddly protagonist that wasn't human.

"The beauty of a koala is that there’s no ethnicity attached to her," Prince says. "I really wanted it to be inclusive."

So, who's going to buy a picture book on a koala with an STI? Prince says the book was written with young adults in high school and college in mind. She's also hoping parents of young people will be able to use it and find having a physical, humorous book on the subject may be an effective way to spark a potentially uncomfortable conversation.

Ultimately, Prince hopes that by discussing topics like chlamydia, it'll help normalize and open up the conversation around sexual health. In addition to trying to destigmatize STIs, Prince is donating 10 percent of book proceeds to STI screening at Planned Parenthood.

“My aspiration is to shift the dialogue from something that’s embarrassing and shameful to something that’s powerful and accepted,” Prince adds. “I want young women and men to pick up this book and feel good about it and let it empower them to take more control over their own sexuality.”

Chloe Has Chlamydia is available for preorder now and comes out on July 10.

We all know having a new baby is stressful. While there's not much you can do to relieve the sleep deprivation that inevitably occurs when you become a new parent, there are some tools to manage the stress — thanks to the wonders of technology, MIT-trained parents and some good old-fashioned comic relief.

Below are a few goodies that are meant to make raising a newborn slightly easier and which will keep them happy and quiet (at least for a little bit) all while keeping you sane. 

More: 10 Newborn Items You Should Never Buy New

1. Baby food dispensing spoon

Boon’s Squirt Baby Food Dispensing Spoon takes baby food, removes the jar and packs it into a single utensil that you just have to squeeze. This spoon will allow you to keep one hand free while it dispenses baby food, one bite at a time. It's great for on-the-go, traveling or anywhere else you may be where you just can't be bothered to deal with a jar/spoon situation.

Boon Squirt silicone baby food dispensing spoon, $7.99 at Amazon

2. Pacifier thermometer

Anyone who has a baby knows that trying to give them medicine and take their temperature can be a nightmare, especially since little ones usually won’t sit still long enough for a temp to register properly. The Safety 1st Comfort Check Pacifier Thermometer is here to the rescue. Basically, it's a pacifier that will take an accurate reading of baby’s temperature while in use — in as little as 90 seconds. Also included is a medicine dispenser that's designed to ensure your baby gets all their medicine while they're sucking happily and calmly on the pacifier. Genius.

Safety 1st Comfort Check Pacifier Thermometer, $18.89 at Amazon

3. Teepee & storage bag

Every newborn has their own set of challenges; newborns with penises make diaper changes even more complicated/potentially messy. The Beba Bean Pee-pee Teepee and laundry bag might be the tongue-in-cheek answer to this challenge. This diapering accessory comes with 4 100 percent cotton cone-shaped cloths that you can place over baby's bits during diaper changes to avert any sprinkling that might occur (and it will). Washable and reusable, these are great for travel and come with a mini flannel storage bag.

Pee-pee Teepee in elephant blue and laundry bag, $10.95 at Amazon

4. Portable high chair

Traveling with infants is often stressful — and any product that will allow you one less worry is welcome in our book. This portable high chair is one of those items that will help alleviate anxiety when you’re on the go and without a high chair. The safety seat is an option that allows your child to sit at any table safely, comfortably and hygienically. Its cover comes complete with a five-point harness and a flexible back with adjustable straps that allow the seat to work on a variety of chairs. Bonus: It quickly folds up for storage in your purse or travel bag.

My Little Seat Infant Travel High Chair, $24.99 at Amazon 

5. A Woombie swaddle

Swaddling your baby is a very individual choice and one swaddle does not fit all. That said, the Woombie Air Nursery swaddling blanket is one of the easiest swaddles to maneuver and doesn’t require multiple folds and tucks; simply place your baby in the swaddle and zip it up. A convenient two-way zipper allows for easy swaddling and diaper changes, plus it's breathable and lets Baby’s hips move freely.

Woombie Air Nursery swaddling blanket, $26.99 at Amazon

6. Baby Shusher

The Baby Shusher is a popular product that’s been doctor-tested to safely soothe crying tots. By using loud, rhythmic shushing noises, the Baby Shusher draws on ancient time-tested techniques designed to break a baby’s crying spell and engage their natural calming reflex. The Shusher is small and compact enough to use anywhere, and it comes with two easy timer options.

The Baby Shusher, $34.99 at Amazon 

7. Bottle warmer

The Kiinde Kozii bottle and breast milk warmer allows you to safely and quickly warm breast milk, formula and food. It works by creating a warm-water bath to quickly and gently thaw and warm milk in accordance with CDC and USDA guidelines. It uses low-temperature warming, is super-fast and has an automatic shutoff for all those 3 a.m. feedings. As a side note, this warmer was invented by MIT-trained engineer dads so they could help feed their babies during the night while their partners rested — which might also explain the smart, innovative design.

Kiinde Kozii Bottle Warmer and Breast Milk Warmer, $54.60 at Amazon

8. Baby monitor

The No. 1 best-selling Infant Optics Video Baby Monitor is the first ever to come with an interchangeable optical lens capability that allows you to customize your viewing, angle and zoom. Video is streamed real-time to a 3.5-inch LCD color display with a crystal-clear image. This monitor also comes with a ton of other functions, such as long-lasting battery life, plug-and-play setup and 100 percent digital privacy with delay-free video and audio playback.

Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor, $164.92 at Amazon

More: 7 Lies People Tell You About Newborns

9. Infant heart rate & oxygen monitor

Our last stress-relieving device is the Owlet Smart Sock 2 Baby Monitor. This genius device monitors your infant’s heart rate and oxygen levels and notifies parents in real time if something appears to be wrong. The sock works by using clinically proven pulse oximetry in conjunction with Bluetooth and a custom phone app to watch over your baby while they sleep. The app also allows you to view real-time wellness data and receive direct notifications to your phone.

Owlet Smart Sock 2 Baby Monitor, 299.99 at Amazon

This story was originally published on Spy. This is e-commerce content. If you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

When I was getting ready to return to work after having a baby, I was filled with dread about how I was going to juggle everything. I was worried about how I would handle the emotional toll of leaving my new baby for the majority of our waking hours each day. And I also gathered there was no way I would be able to burn the usual midnight oil to power through all my to-dos at work. I figured that, as a new mom, it would be impossible for me to also be a standout employee.

After all, how was I supposed to even function at work with those nighttime feedings and dreary-eyed mornings? On parental leave, I could stumble through them without having to shower or sound halfway intelligent to anyone but the laundry basket and the cat. That would not be the case at work. There was no way I could still compete with the endless stream of eager, single, childless twenty-something colleagues who were willing and able to work late and take on more.

More: Here's How I Told My Boss That My Family Is More Important Than My Job

I know I’m not alone. So many new parents feel this way when they have a) a brand-new baby who keeps them up all night and b) also a real-world job to navigate that requires being a whole and functioning adult and remembering to put on underwear in the morning.

But it didn’t comfort me to know that I wasn’t alone. My fear of losing ground at work simply because I had a baby — of not being able to bring the same caliber of commitment to my job as I had pre-parenthood — was real and debilitating. I could have filled several buckets with the tears I let out in the days before returning to work.

But then an amazing and surprising thing happened.

I went back to work, and on day one, I was every bit as functional and fast and quick-witted and helpful as I had ever been. In fact, I was shocked to learn that Mom Me was... better at my job???

More: 7 Tips to Help Working Moms Maximize Their "Kid Time"

Mom Me works more efficiently. I immediately pruned the meandering and unnecessary steps from my workflow and instead cut right to the chase. I found better ways to streamline my efforts, running tighter and shorter meetings, cutting the fat out of my email correspondence and packing a punch with my words to get to the point more quickly.

Mom Me is also driven by a sense of indignation. I have 90 precious minutes each day with my baby, and I would not dare let anything, certainly not some trivial inefficiency at work, keep me away from that time. So now, I work twice as smart and twice as hard, doing more with less, so that nothing gets in the way of bath time and cuddles.

I also have a newfound sense of appreciation for accuracy with my work. If I'm hovering on a task at work that's not actually important, debating whether I should take a shortcut, my pre-baby answer might have been, "Yes, go for it." But post-baby, I find myself with a deep level of caring to do things correctly and thoroughly — both as a mom and with my job. I'm not going to change my baby’s diaper half-assedly (ha!), and that made me realize I shouldn’t be half-assing anything in my life.

Amazingly, becoming a mom has shaped me into a more purposeful and high-caliber employee. Who knew?

While I was pregnant and my memory was suffering, I started a habit of writing everything down so I wouldn’t forget, which was something I continued when I returned to work. It helped to keep me super-organized. I also didn’t worry so much about being so tired I might neglect to do something.

More: 7 Surprising Tips to Survive the First 6 Months of Parenthood

As if these newfound assets weren’t enough, I also had an incredibly different perspective coming back to work as a new mom. Suddenly, those little office spats and inconveniences that would previously send me into a tailspin of anger and frustration (and coworker happy-hour gossip) were tiny little droplets of “meh” that I could swat off my shoulder. I had created a new life, a human being who was my world. A colleague who did or said something stupid wasn’t going to faze me anymore.

I didn’t really notice that these changes had taken hold (a 4-month-old baby who zaps your attention every waking moment pretty much prevents any and all reflection) until people started complimenting me at work.

In fact, just a handful of months after I returned to work, I was tapped by a high-profile team to join them and given a promotion. I couldn’t believe I had pulled it off.

What I didn’t realize, though, is that I didn’t succeed at work in spite of having a baby; I became a better employee because of my baby. That tiny human taught me that there are always ways to improve how to best utilize your time to work smarter, harder and better. It's made me a better manager at home and at work.

One of the best ways to stay cool during a heat wave is to stay inside, especially in a space that's air-conditioned and has something to occupy you while you wile away the time. For Olivia Wilde, escaping the heat wave meant getting a new tattoo, at least according to an Instagram post she made on Sunday, July 8.

More: Olivia Wilde Had the Worst Birthday Ever

Wilde shared a photo of her freshly-tattooed forearm with the caption, "Heatwave activities include..." as well as some celestial emojis and a dedication. She wrote, "For my little o," likely a reference to her four-year-old son, Otis Sudeikis. The tattoo is a galactic piece with fine line work by Doctor Woo, an internationally acclaimed artist who boasts 1.3 million Instagram followers and recently teamed up with Converse to launch an exclusive line of shoes, per The Hollywood Reporter.

The space scene is not Wilde's first tattoo; she also has the words "all love, A" on her left forearm. In 2013, a Redditor asked her about the meaning of the words during a Q+A. Per E! News, Wilde said, "It's in honor of my late uncle Alexander Cockburn. He was a dear dear friend. The tattoo is the last phrase he wrote to me. All love, A. It reminds me to love everyone, just as he did."

Wilde frequently shares photos of her fiancé, Jason Sudeikis, and their two children, Otis and his younger sister Daisy, on her Instagram. In April, Wilde and Sudeikis took Otis to Disneyland to celebrate his fourth birthday, and from photos shared by The Daily Mail, it looks like they had an amazing time. Otis wore a Buzz Lightyear t-shirt for the day, which may tie into the space-themed tattoo his mom got in his honor. What little kid hasn't gone through an astronaut or space explorer phase?

More: Olivia Wilde Posts Hospital Flashback Pic for Daughter's First Birthday

We love that Wilde's tattoos are permanent representations of important people in her life, namely her family. Now that Daisy is getting older, we can't help but wonder if Wilde will add a tattoo for her daughter, as well.

You settle in for a night of movie-watching on the couch, and somehow, a slice of pizza ends up cheese-side down on the cushion. Or maybe you fall asleep doing a crossword and your pen leaks ink on your most well-worn butt groove. Or a splash of wine somehow makes an escape from your glass. 

Stains happen, but when they happen on your couch — which is such a centerpiece in your home — it feels especially pressing to get them taken care of right. So we did some investigating to figure out the best way to get rid of several types of stains so your couch can go back to looking like new... without having to call up the professionals.

First, check your couch’s cleaning codes. You can usually find them under the cushion. This will tell you if your couch has any particular cleaning requirements — like not being able to be cleaned with water. Here’s a breakdown of the codes:

• W means wet or water cleaning only
• S means dry solvent cleaning only
• SW means dry solvent and wet cleaning are both appropriate
• X means professional cleaning or vacuuming only — so unfortunately, this list won't help, and you'll need to bring in reinforcements

If you can’t find the codes on your couch, try looking at the website of the company you bought it from, or worst-case scenario, do a spot test on an inconspicuous area before diving fully into a cleaning session to make sure you won’t cause further damage. Most of our tips involve some kind of wet cleaning, so you'll want to make sure your couch is up for that.

Second, always vacuum before you attempt to start cleaning. Vacuuming helps take up any crumbs or residue that would otherwise sink into the couch, and you’ll be surprised how much better a stain can look after a quick vacuum.

1. Most food stains

Water and soap — yep, nothing exciting to see here. Water and soap will take care of most couch stains. Use a sponge (soft side) or a clean cloth. You can use warm water, which can help unless the stain has dairy products in it. To avoid the protein curdling, use cool water. If you’re not sure what caused the stain, stick with cool water.

If water and soap don’t seem to do the trick, try a liquid detergent that has enzymes in it. Let it soak for a half-hour or so before blotting with a sponge. With larger stains, start on the outside and work your way in.

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2. Greasy stains

Sprinkle baking soda on the stain or make a baking soda paste by combining baking soda and water, then spread it on the stain. The goal is to try to soak as much of the oil out of the stain as possible, so let it sit for 10 or more minutes. Vacuum the baking soda away, and then blot the remaining stain with vodka. Or use a little bit of dish soap and scrub at it with something soft like a tooth brush and blot it clean with a moist paper towel.

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3. Wine & berry stains

Try lifting the stain with sparkling water and blotting it with a clean cloth. Yes, really — it usually works.

If for some reason that doesn’t work, mix a tablespoon of vinegar and a teaspoon of laundry detergent into four cups of cold water. Use this solution to dab at the stain with a clean cloth, and then blot it with clean water afterward.

4. Beer & coffee stains

For beer stains, rub the stain with an ice cube and then mix a small amount of liquid detergent — a teaspoon should be plenty — and warm water and use this to blot at the stain with a paper towel. 

Coffee can be handled in a similar manner, but you can skip the ice cube step and get right to the detergent.

More: 12 Ways to Make Your Stinky Laundry Smell Better

5. Ink stains

Pour a little bit of rubbing alcohol on the stain, and then blot at the stain starting at the edges and moving inward. A dry-cleaning solvent can also work if you have one on hand. But whatever you do, don’t rub at the stain — that can just spread it further.

6. Pet pee

Pour a half-water, half-vinegar solution on the stain and then blot, blot, blot with a clean rag until you’ve removed the majority of the moisture. You can sprinkle baking soda over the top and let it dry to help reduce the odor as well. Vacuum to get rid of the baking soda residue once it’s dry.