Ok, who knows if this is really true, but it's certainly cute. According to Victoria Beckham herself, she cooks for her family. Many moms accomplish this task, but I'd wager few are as busy as Posh Spice, who spends her time running her fashion lines of jeans and clothes as well as modeling and being a fashion plate in general. Posh also recently released yet another fragrance she's been promoting.

Posh, who is vegetarian (perhaps that is how she keeps her trim figure?) says she makes a good mincemeat pie though. Posh also says she cooks dinner every Sunday for her family, which consists of husband David--international soccer star and megahottie--and three sons, Romeo, Cruz and Brooklyn. The menu includes Yorkshire pudding and Dora the Explorer cakes--I'm guessing those are David's favorite???

Victoria was under recent speculation that she might be adding to her family but has done her best to quell those rumors by wearing tight fitting clothes and telling everyone she is too busy to consider another child at this time. Part of the reason she is so busy is spending some time suing magazines for claiming she takes dieting pills. Maybe she just doesn't like mincemeat pies!

For many kids, the day they receive a jersey or uniform with their name printed boldly on the back is proud one. They are on the team and everyone who goes to the games will know exactly who they are!

Which is precisely what worried one parent enough to lobby for the removal of children's first names from the jerseys of the Carmel Dads Club. "She raised the concern about someone coming up to a kid and saying, 'Hi, Mary' or 'Hi, Jimmy,' and that might lead the youngster to believe that they knew them," said Mike McKinley, president of the organization that involves 12,000 kids in nearly a dozen different sports.

While some support the change, others feel it's catering to a culture of paranoia. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children cautions parents that kids wearing clothing or carrying personalized items could put strangers "on a first name basis with the kids", but also acknowledges that in the majority of cases, children are abducted or exploited by someone the child or the child's parents knows not by a stranger.

We've never been on a team where first names were used on uniforms, only last names. Maybe I'm just naive, but my biggest worry was that someone with "Felton" across their back would do something embarrassing like scratch their butt or pick their nose in front of everyone. For me, having names on the players helps me figure out who is who on the field better than just a number. However, plain jerseys have the economical advantage of being reusable and reducing the cost of sports for parents.

Also, removing names from uniforms may make parents feel safer, but it doesn't completely remove the danger. There are enough people yelling out kids' names during sporting events to make it pretty easy for a profiler to figure out who is who if this ism information they really want to know.

What do you think is this a prudent preventative measure or just parental paranoia?

For many, BC could easily stand for "Before Cellphones," so unimaginable is life without these handy devices.

And while giving a child his or her own cell phone is now nearly as common a ritual as buying them a bike, the age cellphone ownership is appropriate for children is still rather uncharted territory. The allure of GPS tracking capability has parents of children as young as three considering a cell phone a worthwhile investment in safety, in the even of the child being separated from them in a crowd.

While giving a toddler their own cell phone seems rather extreme, the age at which a child is given a cell phone is rapidly plummeting. The Center on Media and Child Health web site states that 54 percent of 8- to 12-year-olds will have a cell phone in the next three years.

In our house, we didn't feel the kids needed cell phones until they were old enough to be involved in after school activities. Having a cell phone meant they could call when the bus was returning after an out of town game and save us from a forty-five minute wait in the school parking lot. And with pay phones practically on the endangered species list, a cell phone means they can get 911 assistance where ever they might be.

But kids and cell phones also have downsides. For one thing, there's the money issue. Kids are notorious for losing items and cell phones are not cheap. Nor are most cell phone plans or the overage charges when kids get a little too chatty or succumb to the allure of downloading. There's also the back-of-the-mind worry on what the long-term effect radiation waves from a device held so close to the brain might have on developing bodies.

Does you child have a cell phone? If so, how did you decide when they were old enough to have one?

Kids across the nation should all finally be back-to-school, which means parents across the nation are trying to adjust to a sometimes radical new schedule. Sleep, especially when there isn't enough of it, is on everyone's minds. Most adults need a solid 8 hours, but kids needs are different based on their age.

One of the easiest ways to get kids to bed is a predictable, consistent bedtime routine. Setting the the tone for sleep about 30-60 minutes before lights out helps children's bodies prepare for sleep. This means that loud, active play and brightly lit video games should be ended long before bed. Quieter activities like puzzles, crafts, books, music, bath, or just a little snuggling will put your child in the bedtime frame of mind. Follow this with a predictable nighttime routine, and you have the perfect recipe for a peaceful day's end.

Bedtime comes early at our house, so our after dinner "family time" ends with picture books on the couch. Then we head upstairs for tooth brushing and jammies. Once everyone is tucked in and lights are out, I read a little from a chapter book (currently Junie B. Jones) by flashlight. My soothing voice in the dark seems to lull the kids into a drowsy state, and it's great incentive for getting in bed without an argument.

Do you have a bedtime routine that helps eliminate bedtime battles? Share it with us in comments.

The first week of school is behind us now-and we're in the midst of the second, getting used to routines, expectations and each other. The classroom is bustling with activity from the minute the children arrive, to when they leave, tired and hot at the end of the day.

Aside from building a strong classroom community during the first couple of weeks of school, teachers spend the bulk of their time trying to get to know their students-both personally and academically. We have so many questions: did our students regress over the summer or grow? Did they read? Do math? Play games? Travel?

We spend our days conferring with individual students and soliciting information through writing prompts, drawing activities, and assessments.

As parents, you are likely doing the same thing, right? Every parent comes with a pocketful of worries, questions and concerns.

I know this is true because my son just started preschool this past week, anda great deal of my time is consumed with wondering about small things-will they open his lunch containers for him? Will they heat up his food? Will they help him make friends?

But really, when I think about it, all these little concerns amount to one great big huge one: will my son's teachers see him as he really is? Will they get to know him, and help him to grow and learn without quashing his sweet earnestness?

Dragging your kids along on errands is difficult -- unless it's their errands.

"Make two piles," I told my five-year-old. "Those you want to keep and the ones you want to give away." I left her sitting in front of a gigantic basket of stuffed animals, about a quarter of her collection. We were spending the day organizing the girls' bedroom and playroom, and this year, I thought they might be big enough to know which toys they no longer wanted or needed.

Silly me.

Ten minutes later, she hollered in to me. "I'm done." A pause, and the, "Wait. Mama? I think I'm going to put the one I put in the giveaway pile back into the keep pile, ok?" I let out a deep sigh as she shoved the entire basket back into the closet, where it will surely sit until we clean and organize next time. My kids can't part with anything.

So I did what I always do -- set them up with a snack and some coloring books and did the job myself. Now their room is clean and organized, and no one yet has noticed even one of the several bags of toys missing, Freecycled and picked up by a mom of a one-year-old.

Still, it feels deceitful. So I'm wondering -- do you tell your young children when you're giving away their old toys, or are you sneaky like me? And at what age do they really start to be able to part with things they don't use any more?

Until recently, my kids' phone skills needed some work. I had one child who often held the phone upside down to talk and another who nodded her head and gestured, not realizing that the person on the other line couldn't actually see her. My mom, the person they call the most, had a list of phrases she could use for the times she couldn't understand what they were saying (read: all the time). "Wow!" "Is that so?" "That's exciting." "Good for you!" When the kids would fall quiet, she'd know her comment didn't quite hit the mark.

But over the last several months, their phone skills have been improving, so much so that my five-year-old pretty much handles her phone affairs (calls to Grandma) independently. She's also started answering the phone by herself, a milestone that required a little education. At first, if she answered and it wasn't someone she knew, she just fell silent. This, obviously, confused people like doctors, teachers, and telemarketers (though I really didn't mind about that last one).

Like all things parenting, phone manners take a little guidance, but it's a life skill that everyone needs. Eduguide has some excellent tips for teaching preschoolers to use the phone, including tips on teaching phone numbers, avoiding embarrassing moments like when they call 9-1-1 on accident, and how to teach good phone manners. Before you know it, those little ones will be teenagers with phones permanently attached to their ear, so it's best to get to them now while you can still get a word in edgewise!

Kids get bored on adult errands. Use this trick to keep the complaining to a minimum.

Starting school can feel a little like starting a new job. There's a new environment, new materials, new tasks, a new "boss," and maybe most importantly to kids, new friends. Back-to-school can be a stressful time of year for kids, and parents know a little encouragement goes a long way.

Over at PBSParents, the Supersisters have a great idea for not only dealing with your own youngster's nervous energy, but spreading a little kindness as well. They snuck out early on the first day of school and wrote inspirational messages in sidewalk chalk for school kids to read as they headed to school. "Have a awesome day," read one. "You are fantastic," said another. Supersister Jen reports that the messages were a hit, and I have to imagine that even tweens and teens who were "too cool" to react had to be bolstered by such such positive prose.

If you think that you might want to spread a little cheer on your first day of school, head out early to get your messages written well ahead of time (and to make sure you aren't late for the first day of school!). If you don't live in a walkable neighborhood, you could also get your school's permission to put the messages on the school's sidewalks and playground instead. If you do, Supersisters want you to share your words of kindness with them through their Flickr pool.

Kids learn by example, which is why most of us try to set a good one. We use our manners, clean up after ourselves, exhibit patience and always try to do the right thing - especially when little eyes are watching us. But sometimes, we get stressed out and tired and just can't be bothered doing the right thing. And by 'us', I mean 'me', of course.

I realized yesterday that I have been doing such a good job of modeling good behavior that when I slack off a bit, my seven-year-old notices big time. The slacking off happened in K-Mart, which was the last of many stops Ellie and I had to make on our way to the bank. I was worried about the bank closing before I could get there, so we sped through the store looking folding chairs and a card table. We found what we needed and were headed for the checkout when I spotted something I'd missed on the way in: a card table and chair set, for a fraction of what I was about to pay for them separately.

I quickly took the individual pieces out of my cart and loaded the boxed set in. I hesitated. The department from which I had picked up the table and chairs was way in the back of the store. I was two feet from the checkout. Ordinarily, I would have schlepped the stuff back to where I got it, but this time I didn't feel like I had time. And this is no excuse, but the entire store was a jumbled mess anyway. Which is probably why I didn't notice the table and chairs set in the first place. I left the discarded purchases where they didn't belong, made my purchase, and left the store.

I heard about it all the way to the bank and all the way home. "I can't believe you just left that stuff there!" Ellie's shock at my total disregard for proper store etiquette made me think of all the times I do the right thing. I return my cart to the proper area in the parking lot. I allow other drivers to get in front of me when they ask. I pick up trash if I see some lying on the ground. I consider myself a pretty decent person, but I can't say for sure that I would always do these things if she wasn't watching me. Her presence in my life makes me much more aware of the things I do and therefore an all-around better person. How about you? Has being a parent made you a better person? Or were you always as wonderful as you are today?

Once upon a time, families traveling with small children got to board first, to give them time to get their little ones settled in, put away their luggage, toys, and snacks, and do whatever else they needed to do, without blocking the rest of the passengers from getting on the plane. Instead of standing in the aisle getting angry at the parents, the other passengers could sit comfortably in the terminal, getting annoyed with the airline.

Not so anymore, according to the St. Petersburg Times. Southwest, American, Delta, and United have all dropped the practice, although you can still ask to board early on American and Delta; it's up to the gate attendants. The reason isn't corporate hatred of families; studies have shown that boarding everyone together -- including the little ones -- saves ten to twelve minutes, on average.

"If you're bringing on people who need assistance -- younger kids -- all at once, you potentially create a bottleneck on the front end, as opposed to randomly dispersing them based on where people are sitting in the aircraft," says Anthony Black, a spokesman for Delta. "The best process is to board the aircraft normally." I imagine, too, that parents move a little quicker when they feel the stares of other passengers beating down on them and saving time is clearly more important than saving a parent's sanity.

The key to a successful kid joke for the younger crowd is keep it simple.

It's the time of year when school nurses across the country are looking over student's immunization records to make sure they've had all the shots they need in order to attend class. But as we've discussed here many times before, not all students will be required to show proof of immunizations before being allowed in school. Every state in the U.S. allows students to skip the shots if their parents object for medical reasons and most states allow an exemption for religious reasons. And with the growing fears that autism and other disorders might be tied to immunizations, more parents are claiming those exemptions.

Skipping the shots may give some parents peace of mind, but it is also being blamed for the increase in measles cases. The first half of 2008 saw 131 cases of the highly contagious disease, compared to just 42 in the entirety of 2007. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 112 of this year's cases were in people who were either unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.

"At the national level, I am concerned about our situation," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. "Every year, the U.S. experiences importation of measles. What is different this year is once it is imported, we are seeing it spread to more people, and most of that spread is to people under 20."

Dr. Neal Halsey, director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says that many parents who don't immunize mistakenly believe that the risk of contracting measles is very low. "That is, unfortunately, a false belief," he says. "It is important we maintain high disease vaccination. Getting vaccinated is the safest thing we can do for children."

Dora the Explorer may be one of Nickelodeon's most popular characters, but she's no Hannah Montana. Some of us would say that's a good thing, since she is designed to appeal to much younger audience. But, according to a source, the powers that be over at Nickelodeon want to give the bilingual cutie a makeover in an attempt to draw in the older kids.

First up for the Dora transformation is a new, feminine look. Maybe put her in a skirt and fix her hair up a little? Add some bows to the backpack and color the map pink? Next, get the girl some human friends. The source says they are considering adding a group of "Explorer Girls" to the animated cast. If these Explorer Girls follow the typical kid's show formula, you can expect a smart one, a pretty one and maybe a prissy one who doesn't like to get dirty.

If all that goes well, Dora may soon find herself featured on the big screen. Nickelodeon isn't commenting, but the source says they are considering a full-length feature film featuring Dora as an older kid. "Dora is as popular as she's ever been, and now has a second generation of viewers that we would love to serve," the company said.

I sure hope they don't ruin Dora. Sure, my 7-year-old has zero interest in that "baby show" now, but she loved it when she was younger. As do lots of little kids today. Does everything have to be about appealing to the tween audience these days?

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