Posts Tagged ‘
Current Affairs ’
Thursday, May 14th, 2009
The strange forces behind your baby name decisions. Wired
Is it legal for parents to turn to religion rather than medicine for their sick kids? Mother Jones
Taking folic acid for a year before pregnancy can greatly reduce your risk of premature delivery, finds a new study. Los Angeles Times
Chicago takes a stance on BPA, becoming the first city to ban the questionable plastic in baby bottles. Chicago Tribune
Four in ten babies are born to single moms, finds new research from the National Center for Health Statistics. Washington Post
Original photo via
Categories: Health & Safety, News, Pregnancy | Tags: baby, child development, Current Affairs, dicey topics, Family, Health & Safety, kids, little kids, Pregnancy, Religion, safety
Friday, May 8th, 2009
This Week's Poll Goody:
Last week, I shared the summer blockbusters I'm most psyched to see. Now we want to know which ones top your must-see list with the kids. You can get carried away with Disney/Pixar's Up!, hang-out with everyone's favorite security guard in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, or tag along with the prehistoric gang in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Help an editor out, and take a sec to vote below!
Which kiddie flick are you most excited to see with the family this summer?(online surveys)
This Week's DVD Goodies:
Best of Elmo's World 2
Heathcliff: The Very Best of Heathcliff
Imagination Movers: Warehouse Mouse Edition
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Big Splash
The Spectacular Spider-Man, Vol. 1
WordWorld: Happy Birthday WordFriends!
The Put-Your-Kids-to-Bed-First Pick of the Week:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
Temporary parents relieve mothers who need a hand to get their lives back on track.The New York Times
What hidden ingredients are lurking in supposedly healthy foods in your kitchen? The Wall Street Journal
The newborn brain: Why your baby is more aware of the world than you are. The Boston Globe
Some schools are thinking of cutting back to a 4-day week to deal with budget crunches. The Los Angeles Times
A bad economy breeds good neighbors: Experts are seeing an uptick in community activities and caring. The Washington Post
Original photo via
Categories: Babies, Health & Safety, News | Tags: baby, child development, Current Affairs, dicey topics, Family, Food and Drink, Health & Safety, kids, little kids, money, school
Friday, May 1st, 2009
This Week's Big-Screen Goody:
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (rated PG-13, too scary for younger kids) opens today, and you know what that means! Yes, the comic-book stores will be empty, but it also means it's the start of a little thing I like to call the "summer blockbuster season." You might have heard of it. Of course, it seems like the big summer movies are coming out earlier and earlier. Pretty soon, we'll be watching comic-book flicks in the middle of winter. Oh, wait, that's already happening (Talking to you, Watchmen!) But I have to admit I'm a wee bit excited to see the new Disney/Pixar animated film, Up! It's sitting at the top of my summer must-see list, followed by Will Ferrell's Land of the Lost.
This Week's DVD Goodies:
Hotel for Dogs
Jetsons: The Movie
X-Men, Vol. 1 (Marvel)
X-Men, Vol. 2 (Marvel)
The Put-Your-Kids-to-Bed-First Pick of the Week:
Bride Wars
Friday, April 24th, 2009
This Week's Q&A Goody:
When I scored an interview with Tina Fey recently, I had to fight the temptation to *squee* like a silly fangirl. After all, she was the first female head writer of SNL and is the star/creator/writer/producer of my favorite sitcom, 30 Rock, which makes her pretty, uh, AWESOME in my book. She may be one of the busiest celebs in show biz right now, but she's also one of the nicest. She proved that by taking time out of her impossible schedule to let me ask her a bunch of just-play-it-cool-Kourtney questions about her guest-starring role in Sesame Street: Elmo and the Bookaneers (out on DVD now). Here's a snippet:
Have you watched your episode of Sesame Street with [your 3-year-old daughter] Alice yet?
"I showed it to her when it first came out on TV. She didn’t really seem to notice or care that it was me. She was younger and used to seeing anyone in our family on our own TV. I don’t think she could necessarily distinguished between us playing back our own home videos on the TV set or an actual TV show."
Well, we were very impressed with your pirate-captaining skills….
"Thank you! [Laughs] It’s pretty shrill. Let’s not lie to ourselves!"
Check out the full interview with Tina Fey in the April issue of Parents, on newsstands now.
This Week's Big-Screen Goody:
Disneynature: Earth (rated G)
This Week's DVD Goodies:
Pokemon All Stars, Vol. 19: Torchic
Pokemon All Stars, Vol. 20: Onix
Stuart Little Animated Series: Going for the Gold
Stuart Little Animated Series: A Little Family Fun
Tiny Toon Adventures: Season 1, Vol. 2
Wolverine and the X-Men: Heroes Return Trilogy
The Put-Your-Kids-to-Bed-First Pick of the Week:
The Wrestler
Monday, April 20th, 2009
Tomorrow, get your morning buzz and help a good cause at the same time. Dunkin’ Donuts has declared April 21 as Iced Coffee Day, a one-day event when Dunkin’ stores throughout the country will sell small iced coffees for the reduced price of 50 cents. 10% of sales will go to Homes for Our Troops.
Homes for Our Troops is a non-profit, non-partisan
organization that is strongly committed
to helping those who have selflessly given to their country and have
returned home with serious disabilities and injuries. They assist
severely injured service men and women and their immediate families by collecting donations of money, building materials, and professional labor
and then coordinating the process of building a new home or adapting an
existing home for handicapped accessibility. The finished home is then
given to the veteran. Visit Dunkindonuts.com to watch a very moving video of true stories.
Turn 50 cents into something you can feel good about. Come on, you Kin' do it!
Friday, April 17th, 2009
This Week's Big-Screen Goody:
Last week Hannah Montana was queen bee of the box office, but she may have to give up her throne to another teen cutie, Zac Efron. No doubt Mr. High-School-Musical will have tween girls everywhere begging their parents to let them see 17 Again. Unlike his popular, G-rated Disney franchise, however, this new movie got slapped with a PG-13. The film seems to be an ever-so-slight baby step for Zac into a more non-heartthrobby role. Overall, though, it's still pretty bubbly and saccharine, but many parents may shy away from some of the adult themes (think Tom Hank's Big, only in reverse–and without Tom Hanks). Will the PG-13 rating keep your family away from theaters this weekend?
This Week's DVD Goodies:
Animal Atlas: Animal Mysteries
Animal Atlas: Animals and Us
Barney: Barney's Super Singing Circus
Best of Super Mario Super Show
Kourtney's Cult Classic:
Irreconcilable Differences
The Put-Your-Kids-to-Bed-First Pick of the Week:
The Reader
eek's DVD Goodies:
