'It's terminal': How to break bad news

You have cancer. It's terminal." My father, who died last month, was so distraught upon hearing these words that my mother never felt able to ask him whether he thought the consultant's bluntness was inappropriate. Nor did she ask my father whether he considered it bad practice that he was told at 9pm, immediately after which my mother was asked to go hom- 23/02/2010, Features

The ten best children's bikes

Chosen by Kate Hilpern - 02/02/2010, Outdoor & Activity

The ten best floor lamps

Chosen by Kate Hilpern - 22/12/2009, Interiors

Christmas Gifts: something for her

here right. - 04/12/2009, Christmas Gift Guides

Christmas Gifts: bond with your man

Chosen by Kate Hilpern here right. - 04/12/2009, Christmas Gift Guides

Christmas Gifts: the seasons to be green

here right. - 04/12/2009, Christmas Gift Guides

The ten best buggies

Chosen by Kate Hilpern - 17/11/2009, Features

How training can help you develop the skills for survival

Investing in staff training might not be top of the agenda for businesses struggling to survive the recession, but perhaps it should be. Research shows that firms which cut out training are two and a half times more likely to fail than those that don't. After all, it's competent, committed staff who enable companies to secure a competitive edge. - 05/11/2009, Further

Twittering your way to success

It’s easy for businesses to be sceptical about social media – corporate blogs have, in the past, been hyped and many remain stale and dull. Meanwhile, the likes of Twitter and Facebook are regularly criticised as passing fads. But as people continue to flock to them (a recent OfCom report found nearly one in four Brits use Facebook f...- 13/10/2009, SME

The ten best cheese utensils

here or on the image to the right to launch the guide - 08/10/2009, Features

Milk teeth: Cure-all or fairy tale?

The tooth fairy has nothing on Jim Curtis. As head of BioEden, Curtis runs the only company in the UK to extract and store stem cells from children's milk teeth. Instead of putting them under the pillow, parents like Ian Kidd send their kids' baby teeth off to BioEden's Cheshire labs to provide an "insurance policy" against their family's future ill-healt- 25/08/2009, Features

The ten best children's furniture

Decorate for the little ones this year with this furniture especially for kids. comments and suggestions below. - 04/08/2009, Interiors

Forgetful? Blame it on the bump

So far today, I have put a packet of teabags the fridge, searched the house for my glasses only to find them on my head, and forgotten mid-sentence what question I was asking during a phone interview. It isn’t lunchtime yet. Some call it “mumnesia”, others have named it “baby brain” or “preghead.” What I ...- 23/06/2009, Features

Beginners welcome in foster care

Gloria Samuel was 29 when she started fostering: "Back then, I looked after three babies, plus my daughter. But I never felt like it was really hard work. I guess it was because I had so much energy, because of being young. Actually, fostering never felt like work at all, because I wasn't having to rush out of the house in the mornings o Pr...- 12/05/2009, News

Worry more, live longer

Next time the anxiety induced by another gloomy bank balance or the threat of yet more redundancies in your office convinces you that the recession should come with a government health warning, think again. Dr Marios Kyriazis, a GP and expert in geriatric medicine, is among a growing number of health professionals claiming that stress isn't the o...- 14/04/2009, Features