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Chicago Candidate Drops Out of Race With Tearful Child On Display

In The News, Weird But True


When Scott Lee Cohen dropped out of the Illinois lieutenant governor race on Super Bowl Sunday, he cried at his press conference. So did his 11-year-old son. On camera.

Cohen, the Democratic candidate who owns a pawnshop in Chicago, withdrew amid allegations of domestic abuse by a girlfriend (who is a former prostitute), steroid abuse and "forcing himself on his ex-wife," according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Allegedly.

Here is a video of the emotional press conference at Chicago's Hop Haus tavern. The boy on the left is his 11-year-old son, Jacob, one of Cohen's four children.


Juicy, But Not Juice

Eating & Nutrition, Shopping


Get a healthy alternative to sugar-laden juices. Credit: Vita Coco

Trying to break junior of a major juice habit? Consider subbing in all-natural coconut water--that's the juice from young green coconuts.

Vita Coco is more flavorful than water, but has a fraction of the calories in apple juice. Plus it offers great nutritional benefits, inlcuding electrolytes and lots of potassium. Oh, and Madonna loves it, so there's that.

Pack of 12 available for $21 at amazon.com

Related:
Sweetened Juice Linked to Diabetes

Carrie Underwood Worms Her Way Onto 'Sesame Street'

In The News, That's Entertainment


Carrie Underwood will appear on "Sesame Street" -- as a worm.

But that's not a bad thing. See, the "American Idol" winner and country music superstar has a muppet of her very own: Carrie Underworm. Underwood performed "Worm Anthem," an original song for the kids show, in which she sings about being "proud to be a worm."

Here is a video preview, in which Carrie Underworm is introduced by none other than NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon.

Study Suggests Link Between Autism and Parents' Ages

Medical Conditions, Development, In The News, Special Needs


As parents and researchers struggle and debate about the cause of the autism epidemic -- or if there's even an epidemic at all -- a new study suggests a link between the disorder and parents' ages.

A study published Feb. 8 in the journal Autism Research concludes that older mothers are more likely than younger ones to have a child with autism. In addition, older fathers significantly contribute to the risk of autism when their partners are under 30.

The New York Times reports researchers analyzed almost five million births in California during the 1990s. Some 12,159 of those children were diagnosed with autism.

According to the Times, previous research concluded that autism diagnoses grew with the age of the father. In this latest study, researchers found when the father was older than 40 and the mother was younger than 30, the autism rate was 59 percent higher than it was for younger men. When the mothers were over 30, that number was about 12 percent.

Just Chute Me! (Or: Do We REALLY Have to Play with Our Kids?)

Fun & Activities


Here's my husband's brilliant book idea: "The Lazy Dad's Guide to Fun with Kids." It would contain all sorts of games exhausted parents could play without ever getting off the couch. Think: Shoe store. ("Hey kids, I'd like to buy some slippers!") And bus driver. ("Everyone onto the bus!")

Of course, he never got around to writing it -- too tired -- and now our kids are 11 and 13. But it popped into my mind when I talking with a very wise pre-school teacher yesterday who she shared her secret for raising happier, spunkier kids:

"Don't. Entertain. Them."

It was like the Tiddly Winks falling from my eyes. That's it! We have taken on the job of entertaining our kids when it is THEIR job to entertain themselves!

Atlanta Billboards Proclaim 'Black Children Are An Endangered Species'

Pregnancy & Birth, In The News

Credit: Kendrick Brinson, The New York Times / Redux

Ads that proclaim "Black Children Are An Endangered Species" are raising eyebrows in Atlanta.

The 65 billboards, one of which is pictured above, are simple -- just that phrase, a large photo of a child's face, and the Web site, TooManyAborted.com.

Canadian Hospital Offers Surgery for Obese Children

Teens & tweens, Medical Conditions, In The News


A hospital in Canada offers some obese children surgery designed to help them lose weight and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other potential killers.

The surgery is performed at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. The hospital -- nicknamed SickKids -- is Canada's largest research hospital and one of the largest pediatric academic health science centers in the world.

The Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail reports physicians at the hospital are the first in Canada to routinely provide obesity surgery to children. The program officially launches this week.

According to the Globe and Mail, it is designed for children ages 12 to 17 with "complex obesity." That means they are overweight because of a medical condition such as a brain tumor.

Celeb Clan Close-Up: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Maddox Hit the Super Bowl

Celeb Kids, Fashion & Clothing

Angelina Jolie, Maddox Jolie-Pitt and Brad Pitt are seen leaving Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Credit: Alexander Tamargo, Getty Images

Super style: Forget the Saints. Or the Colts. Or whoever it was playing in that football game that kept interrupting the million dollar commercials Feb. 7. Fashion watchers and celeb stalkers had their eyes planted firmly on Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and their son, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, as they took in Super Bowl XLIV in Miami.

The always stylish trio attended the big game dressed in black -- their go-to color when it comes to everything from the red carpet to the football field. Mom Angelina looked sleek -- and chic -- in black slacks and a black belted trench. Dad Brad was in a black suit -- if only he'd lose that scruffy goatee and beanie he's been wearing everywhere.

And Maddox, 8, showed some New Orleans love by wearing a Saints jersey. Appropriate, since the family has had a home in the Louisiana city for the past few years.

Now, that's winning style.

Related:
Celebrity Football Fans

Bob Dylan's 'All the Animals' Inspires Children's Book

In The News, That's Entertainment, Books, Music

Kid-friendly Dylan. Credit: Amazon.com


A Bob Dylan song has inspired a children's book.

No, it's not "Subterranean Homesick Blues" or "Highway 51." It's not even "Lilly, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts."

Here's a clue: "He saw an animal leavin' a muddy trail, real dirty face and a curly tail. He wasn't too small and he wasn't too big. Ah, think I'll call it a pig."

Give up? It's "Man Gave Names to All the Animals."

Drew Brees and His Son After the Super Bowl - Best Moment of the Big Game?

Fun & Activities, In The News, Sports, Opinions

Drew Brees celebrates with son Baylen and his wife, Brittany, after the Saints' Super Bowl victory. Credit: Win McNamee, Getty Images


The best moment of the big game may have happened after it was all over.

Super Bowl XLIV was as good as it gets. Two great teams played a great game, the Saints won their first Super Bowl ever (fun fact: until 2010, the franchise had won a total of just two postseason games in 43 years), and the city of New Orleans got a welcome infusion of pure joy.

But how many of us can relate to winning the Super Bowl? Not a whole lot. But any parent can relate to what happened right after the New Orleans Saints claimed victory Sunday night.

Look at this video of Super Bowl MVP Brees and his son on the field after the big game:
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