Don't mess with the material mom. I think we all know the consequences of that. But what about when you're her daughter? Lourdes is probably just as headstrong as her mommy and may even like to follow in her mother's big footsteps someday. Says Madonna, though, Lourdes is forbidden from acting.
Nevertheless, the acting bug has allegedly bitten little Lola. Many celebrity kids either attempt or succeed at following in their famous parents' footsteps, especially when it comes to acting. And many of those celebrity parents have said they don't want their kids acting or being in the profession at all. The stress, the drama, the lies of the media and the unbelievable pressure to be perfect are too much, they feel, for their kids to go through (yet they continue to do it).
Madonna is no exception. She is a mom, after all, and she wants to protect her family. According to a "source" Madge has banned her daughter, 11, from being in a new movie and has nixed Lola being involved in the craft until she finishes high school. I wonder how she feels about Lourdes going to college--Madonna dropped out, and it didn't seem to bother her career aspirations in the slightest!
Money is not the only thing that makes a good school, but it certainly helps. There is "no denying the fact that funding allows us to have smaller classes, a deep and rich curriculum and many extracurricular activities," said Superintendent Linda Yonke of the New Trier school district near Chicago, Illinois. New Trier High School spent $17,500 per student last year, more than half again as much as Chicago Public Schools.
The disparity comes largely from the fact that seventy percent of school funding comes from property taxes, so schools in more affluent, more expensive areas have a larger source of revenue. Kids in lower income areas end up with schools that can't afford to offer extra-curricular activities, smaller classes, and better materials.
Last Tuesday, more than a thousand Chicago students skipped the first day of school in order to protest the difference in school funding. The students rode buses to the New Trier school district to fill out applications for enrollment in the better-funded district. "If we say we're a world-class city, then we shouldn't be content with having second-class schools," said state Senator James Meeks, who led the boycott. "I do not believe that a child's education should be based on where they live."
In California, schools are funded equally, regardless of where they are located or local property values. This seems to me to be a much better idea over all because, in the big picture, we're all in this together and everyone should have an equal shot at a good education.
OK, is it me or is a national convention no place for a baby? As was widely covered (yet not as much as the Democratic National Convention, interestingly), the Republican National Convention showcased many of Sarah Palin's children (and a would-be teenage groom). Among them, Palin's infant son, Trig. I thought it was a lot to take my newborn to the local diner when he was born!
Now, while the Republicans seemed a little more calm and collected than their boisterous Democratic opponents, they were still a relatively rowdy bunch. The whole point of a convention is to get people riled up for the cause, and there was a lot of that going on, especially from Palin herself. It was a loud, crowded, noisy place, which, to me, is no place for a baby. Babies need stimulation and interaction with the social world, I'm sure, but the RNC is a far cry from what good old Doctor Spock imagined. I am sure that kid was terrified. He seemed ok in the arms of family members as the rest of the RNC wailed on, but I couldn't help but think he should have been home with a nanny or a sitter.
Of course, the whole point of having her family there was to drive home the point that she's a mom and that she is a working mother, too. And, naturally, rather than focusing on real issues that truly matter to the election, the focus was all on her family. Trig has down syndrome. Bristol is pregnant. Levi will we her. Both Palin and the press have done their best to constantly remind us of these things--things which matter, sure, but they shouldn't be a part of the race for the White House. Should they? Palin and her people say keep the children out of it, yet there they were, even the littlest one, at the convention. Obama was no better--he trotted his kids out for the cute factor, no denying that.
Thoughts? Should we keep candidates' kids out of the political spotlight? If so, shouldn't they NOT be on television?
It seems like these findings are a given, but according to psychologist Derek Draper, "Women have been seen as riding the rampant wave of consumerism, demanding designer labels, the latest beauty treatments, and killer heels. But this study shows that women are refocusing on family and friends. They are rediscovering what really matters and placing meaning at the centre of their lives."
Maybe Mr. Draper has been hanging out with Paris Hilton-wannabes? Or watched too many episodes of Sex in the City? Because most of the women I know -- partnered up with children or not -- have always had family and friends at the center of their lives and appreciate stability. But they also, when possible, make room for a new dress or hot pair of heels or other luxury items that fit their personality and lifestyle.
Saturday Night Live alum David Spade is a father, thanks to the miracle of science. According to DNA tests, he is the daddy of ex-girlfriend Jillian Grace's new baby. Although Spade and the model are no longer an item, he did not deny her claims he was the father of her unborn child.
Spade had previously noted that if the DNA tests came back positive for the new tot he would accept responsibility. Well, David, welcome to the wonderful world of (celebrity) parenting. Few other details are known of the baby, who was born August 26th. Looks like Spade is taking the high road on this one and keeping his child out of the spotlight.
The Rules of Engagement star kept in contact with Jillian during the pregnancy and plans to see the baby during breaks in filming. Let's hope he does more than that--I want to see Spade in a sling, or at least a bjorn!!!
Sandy recently told us about a new Census Bureau report that found that, not only are women waiting longer to have children, many are choosing not to have children at all. That same report turned up another interesting piece of information: Midwestern moms are more likely to go back to work than other moms.
Over at The Curious Capitalist, Barbara Kiviat has an interesting discussion going on about why Midwestern moms are more likely to go back to work than their counterparts in other areas of the country. She theorizes, by comparing maps in a very unscientific way, that Midwestern moms have access to a higher number of childcare centers, which may be why they choose to work. A commenter points out, however, that there may be more childcare centers because there is a higher demand.
Recently we all got a good laugh, intentional or not, from a mom who posted on Craigslist looking for a nanny. For those of you unfamiliar with Craigslist, it's a now international site where one can post or look for anything from a job to household goods (used baby clothes too!) to a hot date, and everything in between. Hence, it should come as no surprise that someone would post looking for a nanny.
Finding a good nanny, especially in a city as big as New York, can be daunting at best. Sure, there are many to choose from, but they're expensive and trolling through their credentials can be arduous. All the good ones seem to have been snatched up by a neighbor uninterested in doing a nanny share. Finding affordable daycare, however, can be twice as hard. There are waitlists and questionnaires long enough to boggle the mind. All the good ones are very expensive, and few if any actually provide a discount for siblings (often they will give your child preference over another if you already have a child in regular attendance).
I find myself in this very situation right now. To live in New York, I have to work full-time, so childcare is a necessity for me. I am a Brooklyn mom so things in my part of New York should be less expensive than, say, the Upper East Side (from whence the poster looking for a nanny hailed), but it's still eyepoppingly absurd how much everything costs. If I were to put both my kids in daycare it would cost more than my new mortgage. Yep. So a nanny seems like a good idea, if I could just find a good one that wasn't too expensive and that didn't need to live with me. I, too, have thought about posting on Craigslist. Perhaps not in quite the manner in which the other mother posted, but it's certainly crossed my mind. After all, folks post for everything else so why not?
Would you post for a nanny on Craigslist or any other site or is that a crazy idea? Also, if you happen to be a nanny or know of a good one in the New York area, please let me know. My kids are NOT a pain in the ass. They're cute.
With my first pregnancy, everything was done by the book. My OBGYNs were staunchly against inducing until a full two weeks after my due date. They were also against scheduling a C-section barring there was no medical reason to do so. In other words, they viewed pregnancy and birth as a natural thing that should happen when good and ready, not something that needed to be scheduled in time for a tennis match or dinner plans (theirs or mine).
This time around, nearly twenty months later, I received a slightly different tune. My child is due relatively near Halloween (my father's birthday and my favorite day of the year). I'd inquired if the two-week rule still applied as I thought there would be a slight possibility my child could be born on Halloween. My OBGYN wanted to know if I wanted to schedule an induction. She noted that a woman had recently done so because of childcare issues--she had to have the baby at a certain time in order to find someone to watch her other child.
So the message was a little different this time around. Have we gotten so busy and our lives so scheduled that we need to induce our labors in order to fit into them? Sure, no one likes the thought of not knowing when the baby will arrive--you could be in the middle of a subway ride or something--but isn't that half the fun and excitement, too? Some would say that fun and excitement have their place, but not when it comes to having a baby. They want to know exactly when and where (usually they've got the why and how figured out).
What about you? Would you or did you schedule an induction for something other than medical reasons or that it was two weeks past your due date? If so, why?
For pretty much everyone, Labor Day signifies the last day of summer. Never mind that most kids go back to school either the week before or after Labor Day, which many feel like is the real end of summer. Never mind that the actual end of summer is sometime in late September. To many, this year, Labor Day represents a few things quite different than a last hurrah for summertime activities. Many will hit the beaches or pools one last time before they close for the year, and many will have one last barbecue or picnic with family and friends before resigning themselves to school schedules. Many, however, will lament not being able to do much of anything because of the failing economy and soaring gas prices.
I don't really know anyone who went anywhere real for summer vacation this year. They made good use of the park and local activities, and they spent some quality time with said family and friends (which is great) but most are really looking toward the normalcy of the regular old school year, when they don't have to disappoint their kids by saying they're not going anywhere.
Or, are they? Now is the time to get out of town if you're going to do so. Many airlines are having specials. Gas has finally lowered a tad (although it's still well over $3.50 a gallon in most places). The kids are more stir crazy than ever, especially knowing school is right around the corner. Maybe now is the time to pop into the minivan and hit the road--wherever it may take you. Hey, maybe you don't even know where you'll end up (that's always a scary thought when traveling with kids). If you do hit the road this Labor Day, just keep in mind that everyone else may have the same idea. Some people are traveling anyway, regardless of cost or inconvenience. Some of them saved a lot of money by not traveling the rest of the summer. But all of them chose not to pass up this last chance to do something this summer.
Chances are, if you weren't saving money hiding under a rock this summer you heard, perhaps one time too many, about the values and virtues of the 'staycation.' A staycation is exactly what it sounds like--a 'vacation' where you and your family stay at home. And, more often than not, a staycation is also how it sounds--boring!
Americans spent a lot of time watching the Dow plummet and the prices of gas jump through the roof. Just because they're back down to $3.69 a gallon does not mean things are going well. Still, many families got too stir crazy to sit around their houses all summer. Just try keeping the kids in the house during summer vacation, when they're supposed to not have to worry about anything but having fun and enjoying the long days and nights that make it great to be a kid. Sure, you don't have to travel to enjoy those things, but it does help to get out of the house. After all, the house is generally filled with chores and the projects no one ever gets around to because they're hard or boring or both.
In direct response to the staycation, I know a lot of families who did their best to get the heck out of dodge. They became very creative when it came to outings and spending. In fact, some of them had the trips of their lives. they visited parks. They saw relatives. They engaged in discovering places that were within a three- to five-hour drive from home. And, of course, during all of this they spent quality time together. Some of them said to heck with it and took the longer trips anyway, visiting foreign lands or at the very least, Florida. They were clearly tired of hearing about the merits of the staycation.
What did you do? Did you say to heck with it all and packed the kids in the car for that Griswold family vacation anyway, or did you suck it up, stay at home and watch the paint dry?
For actress Brooke Shields, life is far from perfect. And she's not afraid to admit it. The Lipstick Jungle star was very free with her words when she spoke with TimesOnline. And she's not afraid to admit that having and raising kids is tough for the working mom. Shields, now 43, is mom to two daughters with husband Chris Henchy, Rowan who is five and Grier who is two.
She's thankful to be on a hit show like Lipstick Jungle (from acclaimed Sex in the City creator Candace Bushnell) and to have had an incredible career that started when she was a mere fourteen years old, but, states Shields, ""I'm on the set of Lipstick, committed, yes, but constantly wondering how my kids are, where they are, sad when my daughter asks if she can stay up until I get home...." Just like any other working mother. Shields also says she's acquiesced to letting her kids stay up until she gets home and letting them into bed with her, which she said she would never do. Yes, even Brooke Shields, who once sported little more than Calvin Kleins and arm candy like Andre Agassi, has to make compromises. Good to hear they're for a five- and two-year-old.
It's also refreshing to hear that a celebrity mom thinks parenting and working is tough, that she admits to not being perfect and to giving in to her kids, and that she misses them and cares about what's going on with them. Celebs act like things are so hard all the time and they have these armies of nannies and other kinds of help that regular folks like us could never dream of. Occasionally we see them out with their kids for little more than what amounts to photo ops, whether they intend such outings to be such or not. I'm sure Brooke has her share of help--it would be impossible to star in a television series and not--but at least she's being realistic and honest with us that parenting--parenting done RIGHT--is not easy, and that perfection is far from reality.
Lemonade stands are a rite of passage for kids, their first foray into the world of entrepreneurship. Kids may haul out a table and chair in front of their house to earn a little spare change, or they may have more elaborate setups to raise funds for their group or charity. Rarely, do officials bother them about zoning ordinances or permits.
Some Clayton, California residents are saying that 11-year-old Katie Lewis's organic produce stand is little different than any other child's lemonade stand. She makes about $20 a week for her savings account selling fresh fruits and vegetables at her roadside stand, but last week Clayton city officials forced her to shut down, saying that her business violates zoning rules and health regulations.
Katie's parents are stunned and are asking for an exception, while the community is split on whether or not the city is being too heavy-handed. Some applaud their "no exceptions" rule, but others think that Katie should be allowed to run her business. I think I'd ask the officials, this: Why is it ok for kids to sell lemonade, but not lemons (or zucchini or watermelon, for that matter?)
What do you think? Should Katie be allowed to sell her veggies, or is the city correct in shutting her down?
Parents every where are finding themselves saying "no" more often this summer. This tough economy, coupled with painful gas prices and the rising costs of feeding a family mean that there's less money leftover for luxury items. I was relieved when my daughter decided to reuse last year's backpack, and since she's not yet old enough to realize that back-to-school often means an entire new wardrobe for other kids, I was able to get off easy with one new "first day" outfit (on clearance, no less), a lunch box, and a new pair of sneakers, making back-to-school shopping relatively painless.
But in these difficult times, some families aren't just having to say no to "wants," they're finding themselves unable to fill the needs of their families as well. Heather Ryan recently shared her own experience in Salon's new regular feature "Pinched," essays about life in a poor economy. Though Heather was employed and working full time, she couldn't cover her monthly expenses and ended up taking her three children to a soup kitchen one summer, because she feared running out of food by the end of the month.
She writes eloquently, and you can feel her pain and her fear as she worries about condemnation from the soup kitchen staff and faces her older daughter's shame and embarrassment. It had to be difficult to take the step, but far more difficult to realize that you were unable to provide in the first place.
It may seem like something of a bore by now, but actress Jennifer Garner has finally come clean about her pregnancy. the Alias star, married to fellow actor Ben Affleck, has caused much speculation over recent months after being photographed wearing comfortable clothing and posing her daughter, Violet, and some pretty expensive handbags in front of her swelling belly.
Not too long ago, former Alias co-star Victor Garber seemingly confirmed the news that Garner was pregnant again. He later recanted, saying his comments were taken out of context. Then her mother-in-law had a similar slip of the lip. Both Jenn and Ben refused to comment on her state of impending mommyhood until just recently, when she confirmed the news.
Now the watch is on to see how big she'll get, whether the baby will be a girl or boy, and what the name will be. These are the things the media is sure we care about and will take every opportunity to tell us. As or the Garner-Afflecks, I can appreciate wanting to keep some of the joy to yourself--they told when they were good and ready, and not a moment before that.
Congrats to Violet's mom and dad! She'll be a big sister soon!
How do your kids get to school? How did you get to school when you were a kid? Taking the yellow school bus, walking or riding a bike may all seem like normal methods of getting to school. In the modern world, we drive and carpool as well. But what about in urban environments where a lot of parents don't drive or even own a car? They take the subway.
And they do it ALONE. That's right--I've seen it myself. Kids popping onto and off of the subway without a parent in sight. How do they manage it? And why, you might wonder, do their parents let them do it? Well, necessity is the mother of invention and a lot of other things, it turns out. Kids are going in one direction, their parents in another (to school versus work), and the main way to get around town in New York, for example, is underground.
Turns out, it's probably safer too. Driving in this city is a disaster on a good day. You're a LOT less likely to get into an accident on the subway than you are in your car. Plus, the kids tend to travel in packs on the subway. I never see a kid get onto an empty car at an odd (non-rush hour) time. They pick which car to meet up on and collect as the train makes its stops toward their final destination. I know because I can hear them screeching above my iPod.
Money is not the only thing that makes a good school, but it certainly helps. There is "no denying the fact that funding allows us to have smaller classes, a deep and rich curriculum and many extracurricular activities," said Superintendent Linda Yonke of the New Trier school district near Chicago, Illinois. New Trier High School spent $17,500 per student last year, more than half again as much as Chicago Public Schools.
Lemonade stands are a rite of passage for kids, their first foray into the world of entrepreneurship. Kids may haul out a table and chair in front of their house to earn a little spare change, or they may have more elaborate setups to raise funds for their group or charity. Rarely, do officials bother them about zoning ordinances or permits.
