It's a sad day when a diva can't trust her own clothing designer to keep the status of her uterine occupancy rate quiet.
Fashion designer Roberto Cavalli completely let the cat out of the handbag when answering the innocuous question of what type of clothing he designs for his famous clientele.
"Well Jennifer Lopez, at this moment, she requests something very special because she is waiting for the baby. It is so complicated because every week she is getting bigger" the loose-lipped designer dished to People.
Lopez might have just gotten herself a free maternity and postpartum wardrobe on the house for that little oopsie!
I always knew there was something fishy about those Russians. Sure, the Cold War is "technically" over, our countries are "friends," blah-di-blah blah -- but underneath that veneer of Westernization lies the same nefarious, no-good-nik, downright Commie tactics that led to the making of Rocky IV.
The holiday is actually very popular in Russia, and you'll see pumpkins, witches and costume parties all over the place at this time of year. However, the Russian government thinks the celebrations are based on "the cult of death, the mockery of death." Which I guess is true, but technically zombies are undead, as are vampires and witches -- oh, and they're fictional.
In any case, Halloween has been banned in schools, as a few lame (but powerful) politicians feel it is "destructive for the minds and the spiritual and moral health of pupils." Bummer.
Some men's sperm is simply stronger than others. Like those guys who get their girlfriends pregnant -- even though he was wearing a condom and she was on the pill. Or Kevin Federline, who is seemingly incapable of having sex without making babies.
But Raffaele Cutolo's man seed is so strong that it broke out of prison. The former mobster recently fathered a child -- even though he's been in prison for 20 years with no access to conjugal visits. Impossible, right?
Well, almost. It turns out Cutolo won a legal battle that allowed him sire an offspring via artificial insemination. After marrying his wife in 1983 (in prison), the crime boss -- who will die behind bars -- desparately wanted to "give [his] wife a child." Despite his incarceration, and the fact that he killed a bunch of people, a judge figured it'd be alright for Cutolo to have a daughter he'd never be able to see -- go figure.
Cutolo's only other child, a son (who he fathered the old-fashioned way), was killed in a gang-related shoot-out -- so I'd say the future looks bright for his latest bundle of joy.
The report Britney Spears' parenting coach presented to the judge earlier in the week did not paint a flattering portrait of the singer's mothering skills.
According to the report:
Britney "rarely engaged with [her] children in either conversation or play" during their monitored time together
showed a "lack of general attention at times"
when the kids were with Spears, they "have no real schedule or routine"
the environment at the house ranged from chaotic to almost somber with little communication at all
Spears "had little to no interest in talking to or utilizing" the parenting coach
missed three appointments
"many of [Spears'] interactions with the children are not child-centered. ... It seems that her choices are dependent more upon what she wants to do at any given time rather than what would be more enjoyable for the children."
there has been no childproofing at the home
On a positive note, the coach noted that Britney loves her children, the kids are bonded to her and that she found nothing abusive "in the traditional sense" within the house.
The judge ruled Spears be allowed only two monitored daily visits and one overnight a week with her children.
He also upheld the weekly drug testing rule, in spite of Spear's lawyers requests that they be dropped.
Many have defended Spear's actions or said reports on her parenting problems have been blow out of proportion and she should be given a break because she's young and inexperienced, but when a professional report like this is impossible to justify. The parenting coach is just doing her job and Britney is rejecting turning down mandated assistance from a professional. Any sympathy at all should be aimed toward those poor little boys.
Here's a ghostly video from a Santa Fe surveillance video that's suitable for the youngsters on Halloween. Ask if they have any guesses what the mysterious object might be.
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After over 130,000 viewing on Youtube and numerous theories that included cottonwood fluff, a prank, and an honest-to-goodness-ghost captured on file, paranormal investigators determined the object to be a ladybug, terrifying to no one but aphids and mites.
How did your junior investigators do with their guesses? (The visible legs on the object in the video were a big clue in our house!)
One of the habits on the list I wrote about recently involved creating family rituals. As is my wont, I got to thinking about this. I like the idea of rituals. I think repetition is important to kids as it gives them a sense of stability and familiarity. They can take comfort in knowing that certain events take place no matter what, even if it's not always what they want to do most. An unpredictable, free-form lifestyle can be frightening -- they never know what's coming next.
We have a lot of things we do regularly as a family: Thursday nights we hang out at a local nursing home, Friday nights are Burrito Night, Sundays, after swim class, we generally go out for lunch. Every June we go to Calistoga with the whole extended family and in February, we go to Lake Tahoe. That's all in addition to the regular sit-down-together dinner every night and the story before bed.
Occasionally the unthinkable happens- your child is too sick to go out trick or treating on Halloween. If you know the equation, it's easier to understand and sympathize with the tears and hysteria:
One childhood = 10 to 12 good trick or treating years - 4 (because there are limited or no memories of those first few Halloweens.)
Missing out on just one chocolatiest night of the year can be devastating, but fever and flu overrules trick or treats.
On a particularly bummery Halloween when a dejected jaguar and frail looking old man lay on the couch (having emotionally drained themselves watching friends happily running down sidewalks crunchy with leaves gathering Snickers bars and Reese's Peanut Butter cups from behind the front window of our house) a strange sight appeared in the darkness of the backyard.
A giant, glowing jack-o-lantern floated over the sandbox, past the swings, and stopped in the middle of the lawn. The child in the old man costume let out a mighty scream, followed by jaguar boy, and the now-terrified one-year -old. No doubt startled, the giant pumpkin vanished into the night, as my husband hissed "What a great tradition you've started!"
Seconds later, there was a knock at the door. The children rushed back to the tear-streaked front window as fast as their feverish bodies allowed, but there was no one there. A lone brown paper bag sat in the middle of the porch with the following note attached:
Sorry you're not feeling well this year. Here are a few treats to make your Halloween a little better.
-The Great Pumpkin
Inside were small cups of Jello, bottles of Gatorade and 7-Up, assorted crackers, and some small Halloween trinkets.
The Great Pumpkin was sighted floating across our yard a couple of other times, probably on his way to deliver treats to save Halloween for other sick boys and girls, but no one screams. We're some of his biggest fans.
I had Nolan a few months after I turned 30. Not old, by any stretch, but certainly not dewy-eyed chick, either. For me, really, it was the perfect age. My twenties were a blurry cocktail of travel, career, and late-night cocktails -- I shudder to think of myself as a Mother at any age prior to around 29-and-a-half.
Even at the age of 30, I was the first of my friends to give birth. Increasingly, it seems, women are waiting until they're established in their careers, find a perfect mate, get rid of all that itch underneath their skin. And a new study published by UK Professor Elizabeth Gregory claims that all this advanced maternal age stuff is actually a very good thing.
Among the reasons Ms. Gregory pinpoints as reasons thirty-somethings make better Mothers? Balance in personal and career goals, financial prowess, better management skills and a stronger network of close friends.
Her reasons certainly resonate with me, though some mornings, when Nolan is flailing on the bathroom floor in a ruckus about wanting to flush the toilet, I wish idly that I'd started birthing at twenty, so I could be off sunbathing on a Greek island in 5 years, with my baby out of the house and on his way to college.
What about you? Do you think your age is a big factor in your ability to parent?
Southern California beach communities really don't have the pleasure of experiencing fall foliage, unless you count gigantic, dead Palm leaves crashing down on your lawn/car/garden. (Which a certain ParentDish writer's husband wants to store in the garage because decaying Palm leaves are "artful".)
I got an e-mail from the kids' dentists recently letting us know about their Halloween Candy Trade-in program. Basically, kids who bring in their candy can trade it in for a "special toy". Now, everyone knows how bad all that Halloween candy is for your teeth, but that's never stopped kids from collecting and eating it. This, however, might just be a way to cut down on the eating part.
I think we're going to try and bring the kids and their candy over there -- our kids don't each much candy anyway, so it should be a problem for them. Still, I suspect they'll complain a bit, at least until they see the toys. I'm thinking this is pretty cool. There's not much in it for the dentists other than promoting healthy teeth, at their own expense, so kudos to them for setting this up.
It's a sad day when a diva can't trust her own clothing designer to keep the status of her uterine occupancy rate quiet.
The report 
One of the habits on 
Occasionally the unthinkable happens- your child is too sick to go out trick or treating on Halloween. If you know the equation, it's easier to understand and sympathize with the tears and hysteria: 
I had Nolan a few months after I turned 30. Not old, by any stretch, but certainly not dewy-eyed chick, either. For me, really, it was the perfect age. My twenties were a blurry cocktail of travel, career, and late-night cocktails -- I shudder to think of myself as a Mother at any age prior to around 29-and-a-half.
Southern California beach communities really don't have the pleasure of experiencing fall foliage, unless you count gigantic, dead Palm leaves crashing down on your lawn/car/garden. (Which a certain ParentDish writer's husband wants to store in the garage because decaying Palm leaves are "artful".)
I got an e-mail from the kids' dentists recently letting us know about their Halloween Candy Trade-in program. Basically, kids who bring in their candy can trade it in for a "special toy". Now, everyone knows how bad all that Halloween candy is for your teeth, but that's never stopped kids from collecting and eating it. This, however, might just be a way to cut down on the eating part.