Your House

If canaries in the coal mines died, the workers knew their air supply was unsafe.  "Birds are the sentinel of environmental health," says wildlife biologist Monica Engebretson, senior program associate for Born Free USA, a nonprofit animal-advocacy group.

With the economy better but not booming, you may be remodeling rather than buying a new home. How do you keep your family's stress level low?

Stay positive. "This is an adventure, not an inconvenience," says Carl Hindy, a psychologist in Nashua, N.H., and author of If This Is Love, Why Do I Feel So Insecure? "No whining allowed!  Think of it as camping at home. " Hindy fondly remembers a childhood remodeling project that required washing dishes in the bathtub. "Cool!"