Who doesn't love a good bath? Everyone knows that it's a great way to relax - especially if you light the candles and pour a nice glass of wine to go with it. A nice long bath lowers the stress hormone cortisol (a mighty culprit in belly fat gain) and boosts dopamine levels in the brain.

Most people also know that it's better for your skin than a shower because you can add salts to help open the pores and oils to make your skin silky smooth, which is very hard to do in the shower. (Anyone who's tried an after-shower lotion knows what a slippery proposition that can be!)

But here are three health benefits of baths you probably didn't know about. A bath can:

• Lower your blood sugar: A savvy doctor in the U.K. did a study that showed how a long hot bath can help reduce blood sugar levels. His study showed that having a bath can reduce glucose levels more than exercise. Which brings us to our next benefit, burning up excess calories. 
• Burn calories: It's true, sitting in the bath can actually burn more calories than exercise. That's right. Now, I'm not suggesting you give up your daily fitness routine, but adding a bath can bump up your efforts to shed those unwanted pounds. 
• Delay aging: A long bath lowers cortisone levels, which contribute to adult acne and premature aging. To get the full anti-aging benefits, apply moisturizers while skin is still slightly damp and warm. 

Tomorrow is Earth Day. Because of my ultra-sensitive daughter, it's become an official holiday around our house. Every year we participate in local events like beach clean-ups or tree plantings (or both). And then we make a "pledge to the planet" for the coming year.

The pledge doesn't have to be huge like saving the whales or chaining yourself to an ancient tree. The small differences make the biggest impact - like carrying a travel cup instead of buying beverages in bottles or cups that end up in our landfills. There are lots of ways to make a difference that only require tiny changes in our day-to-day lives:

• Swap your incandescent lightbulbs for energy efficient fluorescents.
• Do a home energy audit to identify energy "leaks" and plug them up.
• Plant a small garden -even a couple of pots of herbs will do.
• Join a clean-up event. Most only require a couple of hours of time. And you'll meet lots of great people with their own ideas.
• Go solar in inexpensive ways like replacing outdoor lighting.

Every year we go through our spring cleaning ritual. And every year I wonder if it's worth it. Sure it's nice to shake everything out and get the dust bunnies (and their babies) out from under the furniture, but is it worth the fret and worry and the sheer exhaustion?

I was reading an old Erma Bombeck book the other day and I realized: she was right about so many things. But the thing she was most right about was the futility of housework. Here's another of her famous cleaning quotes:

"My theory on housework is, if the item doesn't multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be. No one else cares. Why should you?"

I don't know if I'm just getting older or lazier (or some combination of the two), but I'm starting to see the wisdom in Erma's words. Maybe this year I'll just let those bunnies breed. Or, better yet, I'll get the kids to do all the work. I think Erma would approve.

Your "Bye-Bye Housework!" Gift Guru,
Linda

Have you been watching April the Giraffe? If not, you're in the minority. She's been in labor...or close to labor...or approaching labor (it's hard to tell!) at Animal Adventure Park for a while.

Now she even has her own LiveStream feed where you can watch and wait like a nervous papa giraffe - all in real time. The Internet's hashtagging crowd has made April's upcoming delivery a trendworthy topic. According to YouTube stats, about a quarter million people are watching April as I write this.

And maybe with good reason. A giraffe's labor might be long, but according to sources from other facilities, the actual birth will be a "don't-blink-you'll-miss-it" affair. Since a giraffe's pregnancy lasts 15 months (yikes!), I'd say that's a good thing for April.

Like most people, I'm entranced by the live feed, but chances are, I'll miss the big event. After all, some moms have to work for a living!

Your "Labor of Love" Gift Guru,
Linda