Filed under: Celebrity babies, Rumors, Celebrity parents

I have seen exactly one movie in the theatre in the last 2-and-a-half years. First, I was pregnant, and had to go to the washroom every twenty seconds, and after that I had a baby and no babysitter and also, no time to do anything leisurely except read excerpts of US Magazine when I had two seconds to myself in the bathroom.

The one movie I did see was Borat, and I got dragged to it kind of unwillingly because I envisioned the humour to be juvenile and crass and I thought I'd much rather see a chick flick with lots of high heels and crying. But I emerged from the movie with tears streaking my face and my cheeks tight from laughing my butt off. And several months later, I continually get Borat-isms stuck in my head.

Anyway, the point of this diatribe is that, rumour has it that there might be a baby Borat on the way. Sacha Baron Cohen's normally tiny fiance has been spotted sporting what appears to be a baby bump or perhaps too much cheesecake. Isla Fisher's rep says that "if and when" she becomes pregnant, she and Cohen will decide if an announcement is necessary." I think that means she's totally knocked up, in media-rep speak.

I hope the maybe-baby Borat-to be never has to watch the naked fighting scene. Talk about scarring for life.

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Filed under: Health and Safety

Before I get to far into this, let's stop and think about what 9 stories up looks like. That's at least 4 times as tall as your house, if not more. For those of us who don't like heights, the mere thought of being that high off the ground is unnerving -- mostly because falling from 9 stories from almost certainly kill you. Right?

Wrong. Or, at least, it didn't kill a 5-year-old Canadian boy when he went careening over his 9th floor balcony and landed on his back in the building's grassy courtyard. (That's his imprint on the right.)

Not that he wasn't injured. In fact, it sounds like he's in pretty rough shape, with two broken legs, a broken pelvis and other internal injuries -- the legs alone had him in surgery for three hours.

But regardless, I'd agree with police, and the boy's father, that this kid is the luckiest person on the planet.

Amazing.

[via Neatorama]

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Filed under: Lifestyle, Media, College, Moms, Bullying

Is it just me, or does the state of Texas seem to have more than it's share of interfering and overbearing mothers? First you have Wanda Holloway, who tried to hire a hit man to murder the mother of her daughter's cheerleading rival. Now we have Judy Moore Smith, who has been charged with aggravated assault after an incident at her daughter's college.

According to police, after Smith's daughter, 18 year old LaPrince Moore, called her mother in Dallas complaining about classmates at school who were harassing her, mom headed to the school to settle the dispute. Upon arriving at Texas College in Tyler, Smith went to the president's office to discuss the matter. After speaking with Smith, Texas College President Billy C. Hawkins sent both her and her daughter off with staff members to have lunch while he spoke to the other girls.

But instead of staying in the cafeteria, police say Smith went looking for the mean girls. When her daughter pointed to a girl on campus, the mother confronted her. Police say the two began arguing and when Smith produced an ice pick, a security officer got involved. Another student, who tried to intervene, was bitten by Smith and the security officer was cut while trying to get the ice pick away. Smith has been charged with aggravated assault, her daughter is charged with interfering with a police officer and both are in jail.

Maybe these student were harassing Smith's daughter. And maybe other mothers in that situation would have headed off to the school to speak to officials like Smith did. But how many mothers would have packed an ice pick for the trip?

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Filed under: Pregnancy and Birth, Childproofing

How many of your kids are around today because one night, a few years ago, you just couldn't be bothered to dig through your sock drawer to find the condoms?

Not that any of us would go back to that night and change things now that we're parents, but for next time, you can be better equipped to thwart conception with your very own stainless steel Condom Dispenser from Canoe.

From the gadget blog Crunch Gear: A German-designed cube that rests with poise and grace upon your bedside table, the Condom Dispenser is a perfect place to stash your prophylactics until you're ready to hit that homerun. What's more, the device is stainless steel, meaning that no matter what type of amorous oddities you're into, it'll keep its shine with little more than a sponge.

Next problem: finding time to have sex in the first place.

[via productdose.com]

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Filed under: Lifestyle, 6-7 years, Likes and dislikes

I am not a big fan of wearing makeup. I realize that my 40-something year old skin may look better covered with it, but I just don't like the feel of the stuff on my face. I sometimes put on a little powder and lipstick if I am going out in public, but that is usually about it.

Ellie, on the other hand, loves the stuff. She's six years old and somehow has amassed a large box full of lipstick, powder and blush. I personally have never purchased anything brighter than lip balm for her, but she has received lots of makeup as gifts. She and her friends will spend hours in the bathroom giving each other makeovers. They usually come out looking more like clowns than little girls, but what they see reflected back in the mirror is positively stunning.

I don't have a problem with Ellie playing at home with makeup. It's all part of the dress-up game that most girls enjoy. But when she applies some bright red lipstick before heading out the door, we have a problem. If she's already got the stuff on, I usually let her wear it in the car and have her wipe it off before we reach our destination. My husband, however, is sometimes blind to her shiny, red lips and pink eyelids and on several occasions has let her go to school that way.

I don't know exactly where Ellie's fondness for makeup comes from, but I try to discourage it. I told her recently that I sometimes wear makeup because my face is older and doesn't look as pretty as her young face. After a long pause, she agreed. She then went on to compare my skin to that of an old tree, whose bark is cracking and coming off. I thought about that for a while and decided that maybe I should put on some makeup.

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Filed under: Lifestyle, Museums, Outings

Even in a household like mine -- where my daughter is only around afternoons and weekends -- it's hard for my girlfriend and I to find a free evening to spend together. Plus, even when we do have time, nights out can be expensive (honestly, I'm not sure how single people can afford to date so often).

To tackle the problem, we've talked about starting a "date night," something many of you may already do to keep your relationship fresh. But is there a way to spend grown-up with your partner or spouse without breaking the bank?

Short answer: yes.

The blog Zen Habits has listen a number of "Cheap But Great" date ideas for those looking to find some romance without breaking the bank. Along with more obvious suggestions like walking on a beach, and a home-cooked meal with candles, there's some interesting alternatives -- like watching meteors, or visiting a museum.

Now you just need to find a cheap babysitter, and you'll be good to go.

[via Lifehacker]

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Filed under: Lifestyle, Family togetherness, Moms, Dads, 0-3 months

For a variety of tenuous reasons, I'm not in any position to add to my wee family any time soon. I'm zooming toward 32 and most days I think that Nolan will probably be an only child. But I'm still interested in reading about women who are thinking of adding a second baby to their families, especially when they have a toddler around Nolan's age. Honestly, it feels like I was pregnant yesterday and I am continually shocked to see a little boy stare back at me when I look at my baby.
Linda at Purple is a Fruit has a son a few weeks younger than Nolan and she and her husband are in the process of trying to add to their family. Linda's brain is wired like mine in so many ways, and I understand her feelings of hesitation, of wondering whether she is really ready to have a second. I know I would feel the same way.

In her post yesterday, she recounted a "doomsday" conversation between her husband and his lunch companion, where the companion insisted that Kid Number Two makes everything harder. In fact, Mr. Doomsday informed Linda's husband that "two ruins it."

And so I wonder, for you parents that had a second child -- were you surprised about the family dynamic shift when you had baby number two? Is it really that different?

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Filed under: Blogs, Sleepover

Need a good laugh? Me, too. So, no chit-chat; let's just get to it:

• How To Deal With Undesirables In Playgroup , by the witty and funny Mrs. Mogul
• The New Adventures of Old Christine: Part One
• and Part 1 1/2 both by Y of Joy Unexpected. She was invited to interview the cast of the new show along with a few other bloggers. Even if you read this the first time around, read it again: it's funny in all the right ways.
• Absorbent and yellow and porous is he! Do you see the resembelance?
• Finally, something that is just too beautiful not to include, Extrasolar, written by the lovely and talented Birdie Jaworski

Good night and sweet dreams.

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Filed under: Feeding & Nutrition, Lifestyle, Eating, Television, Marketing to kids

I don't like television commercials. In my mind, advertisements on TV are the very reason the mute button was invented. I dislike being 'sold' when I am trying to relax with a little television at the end of the day and so I tune it out. But kids aren't necessarily that discriminating when watching television. If it's on the tube, they are watching it.

According to a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average American kid is watching between 30 and 50 hours of food commercials every year. What's worse, the researchers found that 90 percent of these food ads are for junk food. The use of popular cartoon characters and toys to grab kids' attention works, and experts say these commercials are contributing to the rising rates of childhood obesity.

Children's health experts hope these findings will support efforts to stop the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children. The American Academy of Pediatrics has suggested banning all junk food ads on TV, but some of the major food and beverage makers have different ideas. They would prefer to regulate themselves, and have formed a coalition committing to a more balanced approach to advertising with the addition of commercials that promote healthier products and active lifestyles.

Some feel that educating doctors and parents on ways to protect kids from the influence of advertising is the answer. But the whole point of advertising is to influence, is it not? The solution probably lies somewhere in the middle. But like every other parenting issue, the real solution comes back to the parents themselves. Just because a child wants something, doesn't mean they should have it. When kids are small, parents are in control of their diets and should take that opportunity to teach healthy eating habits. Plus, there is always the mute button.

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Filed under: Adoption, Ask Blogging Baby, Family togetherness

This morning, our own Karen Walrond e-mailed the Blogging Baby staff to ask for advice: "My dear friends are adopting -- and their children (yes, plural) arrive home today. The kids are 4 (a boy) and 3 (a girl). They are really sweet kids -- and have been in the foster care system all their lives. Anyone have any advice on how to handle the upcoming days? I imagine that the transition will be ... intense... for all four of them. Even though I'm an adoptive parent, Alex came home to us from the hospital at 2 days old, so our transition was very different from what they'll be going through."

The crack team at Blogging Baby have suggested some terrific things: Karen's friends might appreciate having some meals delivered, for example, which will let them spend time with the kids instead of worrying about what's for dinner; the children might like to have their own special "loveys," a stuffed friend or some other toy that they choose for themselves, to show them that this is a permanent change, and one that will come with lots of love and kindness. Karen has invited all four of them to her house to bake cookies and play with Alex, which is a wonderful and very simple way to celebrate this new family. But it seems to us that her friends will need more than cookies and stuffed buddies to make their way in these first days together.

None of us here at Blogging Baby have been through anything quite like this before, and so we're turning to you for advice and suggestions. What can Karen do to help her friends through this adjustment? What can her friends do to help their children settle in?

And our warmest congratulations to Karen's friends and their children!

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