First she married, now she wants to mommy? Mariah Carey, the woman who recently claimed the act of motherhood would violate her but who has now found the soulmate she's always been searching for wants babies.

According to reports, Mimi is planning for children in the months ahead with new husband Nick Cannon. According to the Daily News, the 39-year-old Grammy winner is moving forward with plans to bring some mini-Mimis into the world, wasting no time in listening to her biological clock.

Carey reveals that her marriage, which she claims was planned and not out of the blue, was all part of her mommy plan. Says Carey, "It's part of the whole purpose of getting married." She also goes on to say she wants her kids to have the best childhood and upbringing possible. I'm elated by all this just imagining hearing that voice in the halls of the maternity ward during Mimi's final stages of pushing! Or, better yet, will she be wearing stilettos???

Good luck, Mariah!

There's not doubt that most Americans are having to tighten their fiscal belts and with more than a 100 million customers a week, discount giant Wal-Mart is a great place to get a sampling of U.S. consumer spending.

Last week Eduardo Castro -Wright, CEO of Wal-Mart's U.S. stores, reported strong sales in groceries, health and wellness products, as well as flat-screen televisions and other consumer electronics. And at the same time Starbucks reported a 28% drop in profits last quarter, Wal-Mart reported an increase in sales of coffee and cappuccino makers leading one to believe Americans are staying home more both for their meals and their entertainment.

There are still many facets of life in the United States where there is room for improvement, but it's still an incredible place to hang your hat and owe your taxes. Where else could you find a place where a serious presidential contender would take the time to answer the questions of a bunch of mommy bloggers?!

Disappointed at the lame questions and lack of follow-up in that last televised debate, the MOMocrats sent a list of questions they wished had been addressed to the Obama campaign. Amazingly, they received a response from Obama on a variety of topics ranging from torture to maternity leave.

Of course, these answers were likely edited and assessed by dozens of handlers and speech writers and this is excellent PR for Obama. But it's still pretty awesome that average citizens can have the ear of a presidential nominee, even for just a second in cyberspace.

In a recent NY Times article we were introduced to online programs that allow parents to track their children's grades. Many parents are choosing products like ParentConnect, Edline and PowerSchool to assist them in conversing with their children about their grades.

As the Times article points out, it cuts out the middle portion of the conversation. The parents know what the grade is, good or bad. There can be no hiding of the grades or pretending they're something other than what they are. ParentConnect allows the parent access to the grade, and lets the child know that information is out there, and that discussion is sure to follow (especially if the grade is less than desirable).

Such programs are currently being utilized by 10,000 schools in all but one of the states. Studies have shown that parental involvement can have an effect on grades, and with test scores being more important than ever these days, many are turning to such sites to assist them in their quest for kids with good grades, even though several of these sites have been around for ten years.

In the drive through line-up this morning, I heard a story that disturbed me so much that halfway through, I flipped the sound off and glanced worriedly at my son in the rearview mirror. He was thoughtfully eating his cinnamon raisin bagel and looking out the window and I thought: sometimes I really don't want to let him out into the world.

But I turned the radio back on, because I needed to hear the rest, to hear the ending.

An 11-year-old British Columbia boy is making headlines, for horrific reasons. The boy was playing basketball outside with his friends at his local elementary school when he was attacked by a pit bull, who at first licked him, and then viciously assaulted his face. The attack was so violent , the young boy required 100 stitches. The situation would likely have been even more grave had a witnessing 20-year-old neighbor not stepped in with a baseball bat and some serious moxie. A second pit bull at the site circled while the attack was in progress.

This story gives me shivers. Sean Bajwa was playing basketball at 4:30 in the evening in a public space, a child's space. The dogs were not on leashes, and apparently unsupervised. The man who intervened will likely have nightmares for a long time to come, and Sean Bajwa will likely be scarred forever, both physically and mentally.

Sean's father says that the owners of the pit bulls should be punished. I agree, and moreover, I think the punishment should be hefty. I've heard about too many of these attacks on kids -- if there were a serious penalty for dog attacks -- say jail time or a hefty fine -- perhaps more dog owners would be apt to keep their dogs in leashed, supervised areas.

I know there are a lot of pit bull owners who say that the breed is safe and wonderful and that the problem with vicious animals is due to owner neglect. Perhaps this is true, maybe it's not -- but the fact remains that we hear a lot more about pit bulls attacking than Schnoodles and Labs. We need licenses to drive a car. Maybe it's time we think of granting - and not granting -- licenses for dog owners.

You've seen the tabloid covers. Bikini-clad celebrities on luxurious vacations treated to the ultimate in tabloid humiliations: the close-up, sharpie circled cellulite photo. AAAGHHH!!!!!

The latest victim is the sultry 22 year-old Mischa Barton on vacation with her mom in Australia. While donning panties on her hotel balcony, photographers captured her dimpled bottom and thighs, prompting a cruel Daily Telegraph headline about losing the cellulite battle.

She's hardly alone. Jennifer Love Hewitt, recently on vacation with her fiance, was also photographed from an unflattering angle, sparking lots of online chatter about what is beautiful, normal, and fair in the age of the paparazzi. Jennifer's feisty response to the expose endeared her to women and may explain why she remains a Jockey Underwear model and spokesperson despite the flap.

A few months ago, I was complaining to my sister about my ever-expanding pregnant belly. "My belly feels heavier", I lamented. "The doctor says the baby is the same size as all the other ones, I must have no ab muscles left. This is going to be the pregnancy that does my belly in for good". A short while later,she sent me what I thought was a very thoughtful and sisterly e-mail: A picture of super-model Cindy Crawford in a bikini coming out of the ocean with a surprisingly loose post-baby belly. I'd be lying if I told you that it didn't lift my spirits just a little.

The comments that followed the Mischa story admonished the British tabloid to "Just leave her alone!!". Hear, hear.

But while the intentions of the tabloids are clear (they're cruel bastards), women enjoy the photos for reasons that are hardly malicious. Celebrity "fat and cellulite" revelations, while embarrassing for the stars, generates body acceptance and even a sense of gender solidarity among the greater female population. A cursory look at the internet comments overwhelmingly reveals women rallying around the stars. Countless women will look at themselves a little less harshly in the mirror after viewing celebrity cellulite.

Cindy's belly undeniably provided some comfort to this pregnant mom. Is that so bad?

After getting married, many women take their husband's last name. Other women hang on to their own name, or hyphenate to make a new, combined surname. It's unusual, however, to find a man who adopts his new wife's name as his own. Still, it's possible, right?

That's what Michael Buday of Los Angeles thought when he promised his fiancee that he'd take her surname after they got married, so that their kids would carry on her father's name. It turned out not to be so simple. Though women can change their last names for a $50 to $90 application fee, for Michael Buday to change his, he'd have to pay $300 in court fees, advertise his intentions, and go before a judge.

Instead, Buday took the state of California to court. With the help of the ACLU, Buday filed a sex discrimination suit. Today, he picked up his new driver's license, and the citizens of California now have the right to take on the name of their spouses and domestic partners, regardless of sex.

If you've been reading ParentDish for long, then you know that kids are finding new and exciting ways to get themselves suspended from school all the time. Taking calls from parents stationed in Iraq, smelling their own shirt, and sporting a trendy haircut have all caused school suspensions, along with a permanent mark on school records.

Sometimes, the consequences fit the crime. Sometimes, schools go too far in trying to enforce a "zero tolerance" policy. Take the case of a nine-year-old Milwaukee girl who recently received a three-day suspension for taking rocks, a hammer, and a screwdriver to school. When the bus driver discovered her with the items, the police were called and a threat assessment team was assembled.

My 7-year-old is crazy for the lip gloss. She can be convinced to wear lip balm, but prefers the shiny wet look that can only be achieved through the liberal application of gooey, flavored lip gloss. If it has sparkles in it, even better. The resulting shimmery pout is inappropriate enough on a little girl, but there's an even better reason to toss all that stuff in the trash: lip gloss can be hazardous to your health.

Some dermatologists say that not only does lip gloss not protect your lips from the harmful UV rays of the sun, it can actually make those rays even more damaging. If your gloss has SPF, then you needn't worry. But many of them - even those pricey brands - do not. Dermatologist Bruce Robinson says the shine of the gloss acts like a magnifying glass between the sun and your lips and the moisture in the gloss "kind of smooshes" down the natural protective outer layer, allowing those UV rays to penetrate even deeper into the skin.

"Instead of having to travel through that thicker layer, it's more condensed," Robinson says. "So the UV rays are reaching deeper layers of epidermis and dermis because you don't have this forcefield."

And while skin cancer is a very real concern when you're talking UV rays and skin, it isn't the only one. Too much exposure can result in non-cancerous disfigurement of your lips, including actinic keratosis (a small, scaly patch that can turn into a wart-like bump) and lip freckling. Nothing sparkly and pretty about that.

Not all dermatologists agree there is a connection between lip gloss and skin cancer but I am a firm believer in erring on the side of caution. They do make lip gloss with SPF protection, so why not use it?

Of all the compliments a parent can receive about their child, someone telling you that your kids are "so happy" is by far the most gratifying. It is the one tribute that has the magical effect of instantaneously erasing (at least temporarily) the fatigue, self-doubt and guilt that are a part of the motherhood package.

A happy childhood is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give a child and those deprived of this gift have greater obstacles and issues to overcome as adults.

These days, there are innumerable books, articles, websites and blogs devoted to advising parents on everything from discipline, birth order, toys, activities etc. - the list is endless. At the root of all this parental angst is a very basic desire among American parents to simply raise happy kids. Nearly every purchase, from the swing set in your backyard, to the soccer and ballet classes, is a parental calculation in childhood happiness.

Clearly, how you define "happiness" will determine how your family's time and money is spent. Is happiness a warm conversation around the kitchen table? Financial security for the family? A safe neighborhood? A sound education?

We all want happy kids (let's face it, they're a lot easier to live with), but the question is what does a happy kid look like? My answer is: 'you know it when you see it'. But recent research into the field of "happiness" is beginning to provide parents with more concrete answers.

My first reaction to reading about research on "happiness" in a recent article entitled, "How to Raise a Happy Kid", was one of skepticism. My own parenting style relies far more on common sense and intuition than the revolving theories and trends coming from the "experts". For example, the "self-esteem" trend of lavishly heaping on the praise for every little thing Johnny does never seemed to resonate with me. In my experience, kids are too smart. They don't buy it, and it ends up diluting authentic compliments.

Thankfully, this article echoed this notion and gives other common sense advice that parents can easily relate to and implement. I especially like that it emphasized the importance of unstructured play and time to use their imagination freely. Frankly, with a little reflection, most of us would arrive at many of the same conclusions.

One thing the article does not touch on is the happiness of the parent. When it comes to happy kids, I firmly believe that it starts with happy parents. And if you subscribe to the "If mom ain't happy, nobody's happy" theory, it begins with a happy mom. When I truly embraced motherhood and understood what an important contribution I was making (which wasn't till I was a few years into it), I became a better and happier parent.

In this week leading up to Mother's Day, consider gifting yourself some time alone for reflection. I'm not simply talking about "me time" (unless, of course, a day at the spa is the only way to clear your head). Take time this week to privately reflect on the privilege and nobility of motherhood and the joy and love it brings to your life.

When I have time and space to reflect, it doesn't take long for me to realize that along with my husband, my kids are hands down, my favorite people to be around. I think my kids know that. And when a child knows that deep down in their soul, it is a treasure beyond description and perhaps, their very first experience with true, divine happiness.

One article--and one set of research--would have us think so. Perhaps this story is more the sort that would fall under "Pregnancy Fact or Fiction," as breastfeeding in general is a REALLY hot topic, but let's investigate the findings.

To be honest, before we get started, I'd like to point out that this story feels very familiar. That's probably because it is. We never seem to stop talking about breastfeeding--those for it, those against it, etc.--I guess that discussion is a good thing. Way back when no one ever talked about breasts or using them for anything other than filling out a bullet bra.

In this most recent study, 14,000 babies were studied by an international research team. Their findings suggested that breastfeeding makes babies smarter, especially when not mixed with formula. The way the process worked was a little unsettling to me, though: half the mothers were strongly encouraged to breastfeed and the other half were given no encouragement.

As someone who was a recent new mom myself, I can't say that a lack of encouragement would be especially helpful. I guess I wouldn't want the medical staff breathing down my neck about it either, but it would seem especially unfair to a new mom to not encourage her to give breastfeeding a chance. I was able to breastfeed, but I was also given a ton of support and encouragement from everyone from my family to the OBGYNs and nurses to our ParentDish readers. Not everyone gets that kind of support.

What really upset me about the article are some of the other assertions made by the researchers, namely that mothers who breastfeed are "different" because they are smarter and more invested in their children. Say WHAT? So, someone who chooses to not breastfeed or can't breastfeed given the circumstances is not as invested in her child? I disagree. Completely.

In a move reminiscent of the Hitler-Jugend, planning is underway for the Delaware Academy for Public Safety and Security, a charter high school in Wilmington that will take as many as six hundred inner-city youths and train them to become part of the Homeland Security forces and take part in the war-on-whatever.

Students will be called cadets, will wear uniforms, and will follow courses of study in special weapons and tactics, prison guarding, and professional demolition, among others. The languages taught in the school will include Arabic, Chinese, and Russian. Physical training will be a big part, with daily after-school exercise programs already planned.

Spearheading the project is attorney, former Marine hand to hand combat expert, and Olympic Judo coach Thomas Little. Little also spent more than a decade on the African continent training urban youth. Maybe this will turn out to be the best thing since sliced bread, but I'm not convinced. It just seems a little too familiar.

Another day, another notification that food you may have purchased could contain extras that could make your own expiration date come around a lot quicker.

This time the offender is Gourmet Boutique brand products fresh and frozen meat products that were sold by Shaw's, ACME and Jewel-Osco. The recall involves 286,000 pounds of the company's meat products might be contaminated with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. Symptoms of listeriosis include fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea. If infection spreads to the nervous system, headache, stiff neck, confusion or convulsions may occur.

The products included in the recalled are:

• Gourmet Boutique, Honey Nut Fruit and Chicken Salad, UPC: 2 16611 XXXXX, All Lots
• Gourmet Boutique, Chicken Salad Homestyle, 1/6 lb, UPC: 0 70612 90040 4, All Lots
• Gourmet Boutique, Twister Buffalo Bob, UPC: 0 70612 90037 7, 1/5 pc cs, All Lots
• Gourmet Boutique, Twister Chicken Caesar, UPC: 0 70612 90304 6, 1tr white tortilla (ALA), All Lots
• Gourmet Boutique, Twister Chicken Parmesan, UPC: 0 70612 90038 3, 1/5 pc, All Lots
• Gourmet Boutique, Twister Italian Stallion, UPC: 0 70612 90037 9, 1/5 pc, All Lots
• Gourmet Boutique, Twister Turkey Club, UPC: 0 70612 90304 7, 1/5 pc, All Lots

Customers who purchased any of the items may return them to any ACME, Jewel-Osco or Shaw's store for a refund.

When Academy Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow stepped away from Hollywood to be a stay-at-home mom, people wondered if she had made the right decision. Like many women who put a successful career on hold to raise their kids, she was taking a leap of faith. But to Paltrow, that didn't factor much into her decision.

In a recent interview, she said:

"You know, they change so quickly and the idea of someone else being there when they do their first this or say their first that is just, like, it makes me die."

Paltrow is married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, and the couple have two kids, Apple, 4 and Moses, 2. Paltrow recently spoke about her bout with post-partum depression after Moses was born. It was then, she said, when she was depressed, unable to take off the baby weight, and hanging around in her sweats all day, that she began to worry Hollywood might not take her back.

Seems Tom Cruise has reversed his opinion about post partum depression. He's also gone public with his change of mind and heart. In a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, for whom you'll recall he jumped all over a couch as he professed his love for now-wife Katie Holmes, Cruise admits what he said about Brooke Shields in his other most-famous moment back in 2006. His harsh comments about Brooke Shields turning to medication--specifically anti-depressants--to treat her post partum depression came under fire from all sides.

Now Cruise confirms that what he said came out the wrong way, that he was raised by four women with babies and that he doesn't want to tell anyone what they should or shouldn't be doing or believing in. He insists what he said about Shields "came out wrong, it's just not true." Cruise has since apologized to Shields several times.

The damage, however, seems to have been done. Cruise was attacked by the media, mothers and feminists everywhere. His career seems to have taken a back seat to his rantings. In the interview Cruise comments that he regrets saying a lot of what he did and talking about Shields at all. Say what you will about Tom Cruise, and perhaps he's just trying to save face, but it does take some guts to come out and say you're wrong about something, especially when you admit it to the whole world.

By the way, remember the Tom Cruise from the pic? The young cutie? Hrd to believe how far he--and we--have come after all these years!