Lots of flowy summer tops couldn't hide what the media was desperate to know: Would Jennifer Garner become a mommy a second time? Well, after months of such tops and much speculation, Violet's mom has finally come clean.

The star of television's Alias series and husband actor Ben Affleck are expecting their second child. According to reports, Garner is five months along. The news, as usual, came from a surprising source. Rather than being from Jen's own mouth, it came from Victor Garber, Garner's Alias costar who also presided over her wedding to Affleck.

No word yet on whether the new bundle to be is a girl or a boy. Heck, with the way things are going these days it could very well be twins on the way! Congratulations to the expectant couple!

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In most high schools, senior pranks are par for the course. Every year, graduating classes across the country try to top their predecessors with the most outrageous stunts they can come up with. Most pranks are harmless enough, but even those can get you in trouble.

19-year-old Calvin Morett had what I'm sure he thought was a great idea for a harmless prank for this year's Saratoga Springs High School graduation ceremony. He dressed up in a 6 foot tall penis costume and ran across the stage spraying Silly String on the audience. His prank was a hit on YouTube, but not so much with the attendees of the ceremony.

Earlier this week, a judge ordered Morett to write a formal apology to the city of Saratoga Springs. He must pay to have that apology printed in the local newspaper as well as perform 24 hours of community service to atone for his deed.

I watched the video and I thought it was pretty funny. But it wasn't the most important day of my kid's life, so I can see where some parents might not have seen the humor.

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We've all seen it -- a child says something wildly inappropriate and shocks the adults around her. Her parents shake their heads, "We don't know where she gets this stuff." It's happened to me, and because my kids spend nearly all day, every day with me alone, I can't look much farther than my own behavior.

I think that most, if not all, parents slip now and then -- a curse word slips out, voices get raised, carefully honed parenting techniques fly out the window in the face of fatigue and stress. Kids are resilient, they learn that grown ups make mistakes just like kids do. And we try harder not to make those mistakes the next time.

An Australian organization called ChildFriendly.org recently put out a children's rights video titled "Children See." It depicts parents at their worst -- abusive, violent, careless, angry -- as well as their children following their lead. It's disconcerting, disturbing, startling, but it's also an excellent reminder for even the most thoughtful parent that our children are watching us, every minute of every day.

Watch the video below, then share your thoughts with us in comments.

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If you have ever seen a Reborn baby doll, then you know that they look for all the world like real babies. Reborns are popular with doll collectors as well as those who can't or don't want to have actual children. Some of these dolls come complete with beating hearts and an apparatus that makes them appear to breathe. Some of them, however, just lie there looking like real babies who aren't breathing. Like the one police in Australia saw when they peered into the window of an otherwise empty and locked automobile. Believing a child's life was in danger, the police smashed the window and rescued the doll.

This isn't the only case of police being fooled by a Reborn. A similar incident in the United States cost a man a window out of his brand new Hummer after his wife left her Reborn in his car.

I think if you are going to have a fake baby that looks so lifelike that people will break out your windows to rescue it, you might want to add a blanket to your fake diaper bag. That way, you will have something to throw over it when you leave it alone in the car.

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After a bedtime routine of bath, brushing teeth, and book reading, my daughters still often resist settling in under getting under the covers and settling in for the night. So we started a new routine where, once they are tucked in and quiet, we turn off all the lights and I read them a few pages from a chapter book (with my booklight). Not only does this give them incentive to get settled into bed, I figure, they're imaginations get a workout as they try to picture the story in their heads. Last week, my three-year-old pulled out Stuart Little. I wasn't sure if they were ready for it yet, but they seem mesmerized by the story so far, and it's so much fun to sink back into an old children's classic.

Stuart Little has delighted children for decades, but did you know that the book got off to a rocky start? The New Yorker has an excellent piece about the relationship between E.B. White, his wife Katherine, and book reviewer Anne Carroll Moore. Moore is credited with creating the idea of a children's library and story time, and became a powerful influence in children's literature. Though she pushed White for years to finish his book, once the manuscript was finished she fought its publication. Saying "I was never so disappointed in a book in my life," and that it had been written by "a sick mind," she refused to order it for the New York Public Library, and therefore influences libraries across the nation as well.

It's a story that's nearly as interesting as the book itself. Parents with an interest in children's literature, classics, or even the history of the New York City Library will find this piece of the past engrossing.

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Three-year-old Caitlin Powell is living every tot's dream: her parents have sold their home and quit their jobs and are devoting their days to taking Caitlin and her seven-year-old sister on a series of fabulous vacations. Next month the family will go to Florida; next year they are planning an African safari.

But this isn't all fun and games; Caitlin has Sanfilippo Syndrome, a degenerative neurological condition that will eventually render her incapable of caring for herself or functioning normally. Doctors have told her parents that she will most likely not live past the age of 12.

Emma and Ben Powell, Caitlin's parents, have decided to face their tragedy by turning their remaining years with Caitlin into one big adventure. They have sold their home and quit their jobs and are planning to travel with Caitlin and her sister for as long as they can. "'I can't think about the future with Caitlin, it breaks my heart," says Emma. "She won't be with us for very long so myself and Ben have made a conscious decision to make every day special for her from now on."

Caitlin's story is truly heart wrenching, and her parents seem to have found a way to cope with their inevitable loss. At the same time, though, there is an element of irresponsibility to their plan. According to Caitlin's father, there will come a point where she needs full-time care, which is costly. I can't help but wonder how the Powells are planning to pay for Caitlin's care after all those years of vacations.

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Lots of little boys dream of careers in law enforcement. In preparation, they spend hours playing cop, arresting their little friends and writing tickets. But this sort of pretend police work is just child's play for Landon Wilburn of Louisville, Kentucky. He found an effective way to actually enforce the law and has become a neighborhood hero because of it.

Like a lot of subdivisions, the one where 11-year-old Landon lives has a problem with cars speeding through the streets. Residents have complained to police and Landon and his friends regularly yell at drivers to slow down. But when these efforts failed, Landon came up with a better idea. He got out his Hot Wheels toy radar gun, donned a bright orange vest, and grabbed his siren-equipped flashlight. He set himself up on the side of the street and began tracking the speed of passing cars.

Yeah, it's a toy but it actually works! The speed limit in Landon's neighborhood is 25 mph, but he clocked some cars going close to 55 mph. At least they were until they spotted what they assumed was a police officer with a radar gun aimed at them. Neighbor George Ayers says, "When I saw it happening, I got the biggest kick out of it. People were locking up their brakes when they saw him."

Fortunately, Landon may soon find his radar gun is no longer needed. After commissioning a study on speeding in the area, speed humps are being installed in the neighborhood.

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It's time for another installment of ParentPicks, a veritable gold mine of parental wisdom. Our sneaking suspicions were right - you DO have some fantastic baby picks up your sleeve!

Well, let's keep the good ideas flowing. This month's ParentPicks feature will be focused on the darling, yet obstinate toddler stage. Personally, I have been thrown blindly into the Terrible Two's Ring of Fire during the past month. (HOLD ME.) The only item that elicits a guaranteed smile from my outdoorsy dictator is his Kettler tricycle.

What about you, though? What product or item could you not live without during the toddler years? Your insightful responses will be compiled and presented in August for everyone to enjoy. Now, get to it! Parents all over the world will thank you!

Do you like baseball? Any kind of sport? What about traveling or other activities? If you said yes to any of the above, do you enjoy doing so with your spouse? A new report from a set of studies, some of which have been going on for more than a decade, seems to think that if you do, your marriage has more of a chance at surviving. You know the old saying "those that play together stay together?" Well, turns out there may be something to that after all. Howard Markman, co-director of the University of Denver's Center for Marital and Family Studies, believes that having fun with your spouse is essential to your marriage.

Seems like a no brainer, sure, but when was the last time you went on a date with your spouse? That's one of the questions asked of couples by Markman and Scott Stanley, the other co-director of the study. The results were interesting, especially when they found out that women and men have very different views on what constitutes a date. The last time you spent time with your spouse could seem forever ago due to the economy, raising kids, demanding careers and commutes, among other things. Still, I think any married couple will tell you it's critical to have fun in your shared lives if you want to get something meaningful out of your time together.

According to another study, marital interaction is actually on the decline. Paul Amato, a sociologist at the Pennsylvania State University, surveyed over 2000 couples in 1980 and another set of roughly the same amount in the year 2000 and found that the number of couples who consistently participated in leisure activities together declined. The good news? Markman, in a separate study, noted that cities with major league baseball teams had a divorce rate 28% less than cities who wanted one but didn't have one. Why? Well, it certainly gives married couples something to do! No comment on whether or not the couples were happier if their teams won the pennant.

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Hey, guess what? It's Friday, and it looks like I'm not the only one who's thrilled! Thanks to McGowan Photography for such a great photo.

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