Elisabeth Hasselbeck is pregnant -- again! The co-host of television's The View and mother of two is expecting with husband Tim Hasselbeck, former Arizona Cardinal football player.

Hasselbeck made the reveal on The View: "I didn't even know for two months. I was walking around. I thought I had, I kept saying, 'Electionitis, electionitis.'" The Hasselbecks were "thoroughly happy with the surprise of it."

"I was tired, I was nauseous, I thought I was worn out from the whole procedure. No! I was knocked up and didn't realize it."

The new tot, whose sex is unknown, will join siblings Grace Elisabeth, three, and Taylor Thomas, 15 months. Once the new babe joins the clan, Hasselbeck will have three children under the age of five! How she'll handle that and being a working mom I'll never know.

Feisty Hasselbeck is known for her strong Republican views, and many a viewer tunes in to see her spar with her talk show co-hosts. I wonder if any of those pregnancy hormones will affect her views or her feistiness! Former co-host Rosie O'Donnell left the show after a very heated argument with a very pregnant Hasselbeck in 2007.

Elisabeth is due in August. Congratulations!

What the heck is going on with Joaquin Phoenix? I love a man who follows his own heart, but the Oscar-nominated star of Walk the Line has "retired" from acting to start a career as a hip-hop artist. Yes, hip-hop. Or so he would have us believe. While I am hoping all of this is some sort of hoax, as many have recently speculated, or practice for an upcoming role, it would seem that mid-life, the younger Phoenix brother has decided to switch careers.

And, why not? After all, he has all the money he'd ever need. Plus, he's not married, nor does he have any children (that we know about) so what is to stop Joaquin from living out his dream? After all, whether he succeeds or fails, he will at least have tried.

I've often thought to myself how great it would be to just pack up and run off to New Orleans for a few years, try to make it as a writer and live out my personal dream. When I was younger, that seemed like a real possibility. Now, though, I'm married with two kids and I have a mortgage to pay. In other words, I have responsibilities. I can't just drop everything and do whatever I want, whenever I want.

Ah, such is the life of a celebrity. I would caution Mr. Phoenix, however; Michael Jordan may have been one of the greatest athletes of all time, but he was no baseball player. And while Joaquin may be one of the finest living actors I am not sure he will fare as well in the music world.

We regular folk will have to settle for fantasy -- dreams cost time and money that we mostly don't have. Plus, what if we aren't triumphant in our new career? Still, many people are willing to take the risk in case it pays off. Sometimes a little risk is what it takes to ensure success. After all, if we're happy in our work, won't our families be happy too?

Would you be inclined to start over mid-life, or at any time, if you had a family? Have you taken such a risk, and, if so, was the risk worth it?

Being a working mom is hard. Gillian Anderson should know -- the well-known actress of television's X-Files is also mother of two (and is expecting a third). Anderson admits to using help with the kids to manage it all, and says she would struggle to raise her children without such assistance.

Anderson is thankful her work as an actress allows her to afford a nanny for her three children, Piper, 14, Oscar, 2, and baby Felix. In a recent post at her website, Anderson wrote, "You know, one of the things I am the most amazed at in life is women who raise children without help. Yes some people are more built for it than others, higher levels of the patience hormone, but hell it is HARD! And how the hell do you clean the house and make the dinner and do the shopping? I know I am sounding like a complete idiot here but I'm telling you, every last one of you from the beginning of time should be given a medal, and free health insurance, and food coupons, and a government subsidized housekeeper that comes in one day a week per child."

While I doubt we'll see anything like that from the U.S. or British governments, it is nice to know that even famous moms like Anderson face the same struggles as the rest of us. Of course, not everyone can afford a nanny or other childcare, but Gillian seems genuinely thankful she can afford such help.

What about you -- do you have help with the kids or the housework?

How cute is this: Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the title character in the Harry Potter film franchise, has invited President Obama's daughters to visit Hogwarts! In an interview with the Daily Beast website, Daniel has offered to give Sasha, seven and Malia, 10, a grand tour, saying he would be honored to take on the duty of showing them the Harry Potter set, which no doubt includes Hogwarts, the school where young wizards learn and hone their craft.



The Harry Potter star understands, though, if the girls might be more interested in Robert Pattinson showing them around. Says Daniel, "[Pattinson] is much prettier and can be much more charming," admitting that rather than smolder like the new teen idol and star of the vampire flick Twilight, Radcliffe is "a natural fidget." Somehow I don't think Sasha and Malia would mind!

I think President and Michelle Obama would mind if, say he gave them front row seats to his latest theatrical endeavor, Equus, in which he can be seen bum and all. But the Harry Potter film set? Not so much. The girls have already been issued invitations of entertainment from the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus.

Is eating dirt good for you? Perhaps so. I've heard that in the course of a lifetime we consume and inordinate amount of dirt, and other things too, but is that something that perhaps we're supposed to be doing? Mud pies aside, it may be instinctive for small children to eat dirt, and good for them too. It's a trait humans have exhibited as long as they've been around. Little kids naturally tend to put things in their mouths. We've been told they do this in order to learn more about the world. That may be true, but what about using their senses other than taste for that? One would think that sight, touch and sound -- heck, even smell -- might give a child more of a clue about something than putting it in her mouth.

What scientists are concerned with, though, is what goes into the mouth along with the dirt. So called the "hygiene hypothesis," researchers look at the bacteria, viruses and worms introduced into the system along with the dirt which may promote a healthy immune system. Further research indicates that worms in particular might "redirect" an errant immune system resulting in autoimmune disorders, allergies and asthma. According to Dr. Mary Ruebush, a microbiology and immunology instructor, eating dirt allows a child's immune system to practice its craft and also allow it to learn to ignore what should be ignored. Dr. David Elliott who practices gastroenterology and immunology at the University of Iowa furthers that notion by stating that worms are "likely to be the biggest player" in directing immune system response. In a study of mice with colleague Dr. Weinstock of Tufts Medical Center, used worms to both prevent and even reverse autoimmune disease,

It was noted in developing countries that a lot of the good organisms have been removed along with the bad ones. Children being raised in ultra-clean environments are not getting exposed to the good dirt and organisms. No one is suggesting throwing out the bathwater, but that using antibacterial products should be done in moderation and that cleanliness isn't necessarily next to godliness. According to Dr. Ruebush, author of "Why Dirt is Good," hands should be cleaned after changing diapers, when handling food, whenever they are visibly soiled and, of course, after using the bathroom. Dr.Weinstock also suggested giving kids two dogs and a cat to expose them to intestinal worms. Not sure that it would really take two dogs to have the intended effect, but I think you get the idea.

An as-yet-unnamed woman in Belleflower, California became mom to eight -- yes, eight -- babies on Monday. The octuplets, six boys and two girls, were born via C-section at Kaiser Permanente hospital, and all are doing well. The newbies weigh anywhere from one pound fifteen ounces to three pounds four ounces. But the really startling part is this: when the mom and her medical team headed into the delivery room for her scheduled C-section, they were only expecting seven babies! Surprise!

The 46 person team who delivered the babies had practiced ahead of time for this, but they were still startled to find that their baby count was off. "My eyes just got to be like saucers," said Dr. Karen Maples as she realized there was an eighth baby to deliver. At press time, five babies were breathing on their own, two were using respirators, and one needed some other kind of assistance breathing.

This type of birth is, of course, is somewhat unprecedented. The only other American birth of eight children occurred in 1998 in Texas, and one of the babies sadly died right after birth (the other seven children from that birth recently celebrated their tenth birthdays). The California octuplets are the result of fertility drugs, which, according to Dr. Richard Paulson of the USC medical school's fertility program, is more of a "serious complication" than a medical advancement. The drugs were never intended to result in more than two live births. In many cases, expectant parents are advised to reduce the overall number of embryos to two in order to give those a better chance at survive. This mom, apparently, decided to move forward with all eight.

Congrats to the surprised mom and the entire team of medical professionals who safely and soundly delivered her eight babies into the world!

Our favorite 80's Brat Pack movie maven, Molly Ringwald, is pregnant. The star of such films as The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and my personal fave, Pretty in Pink, is expecting twins with husband Panio Gianopoulos. The twins, a boy and a girl, will join 40-year-old Molly, husband and 5-year-old sis Mathilda this August.



Molly is currently starring in television's The Secret Life of the Teenager, which includes a storyline about a teenage pregnancy. Ringwald also starred as a pregnant teen in the movie For Keeps. According to sources, the pregnancy will be worked into Secret Life. Ringwald joins a near endless list of celebrity parents with twins, although she seems to hang a little more under the radar than most.

Congrats to the happy couple!

We're constantly being told as parents not to yell at our kids, or each other. Even though we know we're not supposed to, most of us feel there is a time or place for yelling and using different tones and pitches to convey meaning to our children. It's an ability we take for granted. But, what if those vocal tools weren't available to us? What if all we were left with was whispering, or yelling? Would communication be rendered ineffective except in its most basic form?

Lydia Denworth struggles with that communication every day. Her son, Alex, lost a good portion of his hearing when he was eighteen months old. Although Alex still has hearing in one of his ears, when his hearing went so did a valuable communication tool. Sometimes the only way she can communicate with him is by yelling. Alex has a hearing device that works wonders for him, but takes it out before bed and at other appropriate times, when, as we know, kids seem to raise their most important questions. Things that are best communicated quietly and delicately become a shouting match. The information is imparted, sure, but the nuance is totally lost. When Lydia was trying to explain the events of September 11th to Alex on night before bed, she ended up screaming the end result as he'd already removed his equipment

Lydia laments that before Alex was diagnosed with hearing loss, "never heard me when I whispered "I love you" or sang him soft lullabies." She and Alex are embarking on a new journey of communication together in order to try to remedy the lack of tone and nuance -- sign language, which has a whole set of tones and nuances all its own. It may take them both a lifetime to learn this new language and its subtleties, but there is one thing Lydia has learned, which is that "drums can be played quietly too" and that she intends to take as much advantage in the quiet moments as a mother can.

It's not unusual for parents to employ babysitters, nannies and other sorts of home care workers to assist them in raising their children, or at the very least watching them while they go out for dinner by themselves for a change. But, did you know that you're supposed to be paying taxes for the services those folks provide, and that they're suppose to pay them too? And, even if you did know that, are you doing it?

Most people don't know about the so-called "Nanny Tax," and those who do don't bother to pay it, even though it's technically illegal not to. Why not? Well, to put it bluntly, most people figure why should they if no one else is.

It is estimated that 80-90% of people cheat on the Nanny Tax. In 1997, over 310,000 tax returns were filed claiming the tax, a number that dropped to just over 225,000 in 2006. I doubt, and so does the IRS, that so few people are employing such help. If anything, with the number of families where both parents work out of the home increasing, it would seem reasonable that parents are using additional help more than ever.

Regardless of the state of the economy, paying for nannies and sitters is extremely expensive. Where I live to go out for two to three hours could cost $40-$60 on top of what we're already set to pay for dinner and a movie. If the tax were forced, employees would charge an even higher wage in order to make up for the losses, thereby making it impossible for many families to employ them in the first place.

I work and I pay taxes. Why shouldn't everyone else? It is fair that so much should have to come out of my paycheck and none out of someone else's? This is not to mention the difficulty of the forms. Immigration status, federal employee identification numbers (FEINs) and a host of other things are needed to complete the paperwork, things neither the employer nor employee may have or know about. All in all, the author of the New York Times article I read estimated it took a good twelve hours to get compliant, and would take another twelve each year to stay that way.

Do you think folks should have to pay taxes for nannies and other home care workers? What about the workers themselves?

You've heard of "empty nest syndrome." While not an actual medical condition, empty nest occurs when one's children leave the home, mostly to go to college or to seek their fortune in the world.

Women are said to be particularly affected by empty nest syndrome. Increasingly, though, researchers are concluding that the empty nest can be a good thing.

Once the children leave the house, for example, spouses have more time for each other, They also get to focus on themselves, as well as assume less responsibility. Enter greater relaxation.

Some research, posted in the journal Psychological Science, suggests that couples enjoy more marital satisfaction after the kids move out.

Additionally, a study of 185 men and women published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing concluded that marital satisfaction starts to decline with pregnancy, and increases once the baby arrives. Other studies have noted that couples with more than one child scored seven points lower in terms of marital satisfaction than those with only one child -- despite the fact that babies do bring couples happiness.

This makes sense -- once you have a child you have less time for each other. Multiply that by the number of kids you have and you could have one of those relationships where you feel more like ships passing in the night than a married couple.

On this cusp of the Valentine's Day season, here's a suggestion. Take the time, even if there's only a little of it to go around, to spend with each other. Take that romantic vacation for two you've been dreaming of. Eat dinner out with just the two of you for a change -- even if it means hiring a sitter or calling in the grandparents to help out.

Do things as a couple, as you did before children, as often as possible. The happier the marriage, the better for the family. In other words, what's good for the goose is good for the gander and the goslings, too.

When your kids are gone, even if it's for a sleep-over, do you try to reestablish yoruselves as a couple? Do you feel, "Ahh, now there's finally a little time for just the two of us?"