tv ads, mamazine.com, Louise Gallagher, moms on TV, moms in TV a-related stories
Atlanta Billboards Proclaim 'Black Children Are An Endangered Species'
Pregnancy & Birth, In The News
Credit: Kendrick Brinson, The New York Times / Redux
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
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:
Did ManBabies Help Start the 'Stupid Men' Trend?
In The News, Weird But True, Media
Get more at ManBabies.com!
After a slew of Super Bowl commercials with high price tags and low IQs, many of which portrayed men as doofy, pants-less dolts, we can't help but wonder if ManBabies.com has something to do with sparking the trend.
The site is a collection of reader-submitted, mildly creepy and strangely addictive images, which you can create with Photoshop by swapping the heads of a baby and an adult. Or, for $15, you can get someone to do the work for you by putting in a "Personal Manbaby Request."
Childish? Yes. Tasteful? Perhaps not. But who cares? If nothing else, we're glad that the forces of Photoshop are finally being used for good. We're not sure if we can take any more painfully distorted models with heads larger than their hips.
Related: The Super Bowl Commercials: The Worst
Solving the SIDS Mystery?
Newborns, Babies, Safety, In The News, Sleep
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of death for babies ages 1 month to 1 year old. The causes of SIDS are still not fully understood, and while the Back to Sleep campaign has eliminated many deaths, SIDS is still a worry for new parents.
Now, researchers from Children's Hospital Boston say the brain chemical serotonin may be to blame. Serotonin is partly responsible for regulating breathing, blood pressure, heart rate and other involuntary actions as we sleep. According to the researchers, low levels of serotonin may put a baby at risk of SIDS. Normally, serotonin helps babies wake up when they have breathing problems in their sleep, so they can turn their heads and breathe in fresh air. But babies with low serotonin levels may never wake.
Girl, 7, Wins Dancing Queen Title; Generates Outrage in Brazil
Kids 5-7, In The News, Weird But True, Extreme Childhood
Tiny dancer Julia Lira, 7, busts a move in Rio. Credit: Felipe Dana, AP
A 7-year-old Brazilian girl has won the coveted title of drum corps queen of a top samba school for the annual Carnaval of Brazil.
And, now, children's rights activists are outraged. The girl's father, however, sees nothing wrong with people watching his daughter dance in one of the scanty, sequined costumes associated with samba music and Carnaval.
"Any man who looks at a 7-year-old child and feels any sort of excitement should go see a doctor," Marco Lira tells the BBC, Britain's national television network.
Lira is the president of the Viradouro Samba School that chose his daughter, Julia, as its Carnaval queen.
Tinkerbell Bracelets Recalled for Lead
Safety, In The News, Toys & Games, Alerts & Recalls
A number of Tinkerbell charms contain excess lead. Credit: CPSC
Tinkerbell has been poisoned ... again.
This time, however, you can't blame Captain Hook. And it will take more than clapping to set things right.
According to Consumer Reports, more than 252,000 Tinkerbell charms are being pulled from shelves because they contain more lead than federal allows allows.
The Disney charms, manufactured by Playmates Toys, were sold as part of the Tink Tink and Friends toy jewelry set -- mostly between November 2008 and November 2009. The charm can be attached to a toy necklace, bracelet or key chain also included in the set.
If your child has one, Consumer Reports advises, take it away immediately. Contact Playmates Toys in Cosa Mesa, Calif., at 888-810-1133 or playmatestoys.com for a replacement or refund.
Your Nose Knows
Baby Essentials, Kid Decor & Style, Mommy Musts, Shopping
Be gone, dirty diaper smell. Credit: Munchkin
You've been using Arm and Hammer to soak up icky odors in your fridge for years, now you can use it somewhere even smellier.
The iconic company has teamed up with Munchkin to produce the ultimate diaper pail. The key feature is a built-in dispenser that releases odor-absorbing baking soda every time you close the lid. So you can finally breathe easy.
Available for $35 at amazon.com
Book Review: The Ever Breath
Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens, That's Entertainment, Books
The Ever Breath breathes new life into a classic fantasy plot. Credit: Random House.
The Ever Breath by Julianna Baggott (Delacorte Press, $17)
When it comes to launching a new children's fantasy series, there's one tried and true plot seed from which many a writer has grown a hit franchise. It goes like this: A child (or set of siblings) discovers some long-hidden secret about his or her family, the knowledge of which sets said child off on a grand, often magical, adventure. It's a refrain that goes all the way back to Narnia and was played out most notably with Harry Potter, but which also formed the basis of such recent successes as Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Sisters Grimm, Children of the Lamp, and even the currently-running 39 Clues. But it's not the scenario that makes a great novel; it's what a writer does with it. And in the capable hands of Julianna Baggott, this once-upon-a-time chestnut becomes the fresh and exciting beginning to a promising new chronicle of adventure.
'Twilight' Actor Kellan Lutz to Star in Underwear Ads
Actor Kellan Lutz at the premiere of "Dear John"on February 1, 2010 in Hollywood. Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images
As if "Twilight" heartthrob Kellan Lutz didn't already have enough admirers, things could get even crazier for the actor as his new underwear ads for Calvin Klein start showing up next month.
Lutz, 24, who plays vampire Emmett Cullen in the blockbuster movie series, is one of four new faces for the company's latest campaign. He'll join actor Mehcad Brooks ("Eggs" Benedict Talley from HBO's "True Blood") , Fernando Verdasco, a Spanish tennis star and Hidetoshi Nakata, a Japanese soccer player.
The ads will debut Calvin Klein's "X" underwear line, Women's Wear Daily reports, with print and outdoor ads launching March 1.
Past Calvin Klein underwear models include Mark Wahlberg, Antonio Sabato Jr. and Kate Moss. Could the campaign help launch Lutz into the same superstardom as his blood-sucking co-star Robert Pattinson? Hey, Wahlberg went from the Funky Bunch to Oscar-nominated actor. That doesn't bite.
Plus, it answers that age-old question: Vampires prefer boxer briefs.
Related: Men's Underwear Sales Are Up! Sign of a 'Briefer' Recession?
Study Finds Three Routines Can Cut Kids' Risk of Obesity
Preschoolers, Eating & Nutrition, In The News, Mealtime
Eating dinner as a family can cut the risk of childhood obesity. Credit: timsamoff, Flickr
A national study published online today in the journal Pediatrics suggests that sitting down to dinner on a regular basis, limiting TV time and getting plenty of sleep can dramatically reduce a child's risk for becoming obese.
The study of 8,550 preschoolers found that children are likely to have a lower risk for obesity if they regularly engage in one or more of three specific household routines: eating dinner as a family more than fives times per week, getting at least 10 and a half hours of sleep per night, and limiting weekday television viewing to less than two hours per day.
Four-year-olds living in homes that practiced these three household routines were found to be at 40% lower risk of obesity compared to those in homes with none of these routines. Other studies have linked obesity to these individual behaviors, but this is the first study to link the combination of all three routines with obesity prevalence in a national sample of preschoolers.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 16 percent of U.S. children are obese, and childhood obesity rates have tripled since 1980. The CDC reports that obese children are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure; and previous studies have shown that elementary school kids who are obese miss more school days than their normal-weight classmates and are at risk for more negative outcomes, such as drugs, AIDS and teen pregnancy.
My Teenager Hates To Clean His Room!
My 17-year-old is a wonderful boy, great student -- the only issue is his messy room. Is there a way in which we can agree on him tidying up his room that will work on a regular basis? Is this even important or should we just let it go, as all teenagers are messy? When asked to do this, his reply is "I'll get to it," which never happens, then I will get upset, and it's done, and so on. Thanks!
Some of the questions I get these days are about relatively new issues: "My son won't turn off his video games," or "How can I protect my daughter from inappropriate things on the Internet." But your question is an ancient one, addressing an issue that I suspect has plagued parents forever.
Teenagers are messy. Period. Unless they have friends coming over who are worth impressing, most teens don't even see the mess their parents are complaining about. Chances are, the dirty clothes tangled in his sheets or the clutter on his floor don't even register on your son's radar.
For someone to be interested in solving a problem, they first have to have a problem. Right now, other than a nagging mom, your son doesn't have a problem when it comes to his room.
The solution? Give him a problem!
School Asks Cops to Fine Foul-Mouthed Students
Students at a Windsor, Conn., high school caught dropping the F-bomb and using other curse words will soon learn a new four-letter word: fine.
The Windsor High School principal has asked police officers assigned to the building to charge swearing students with creating a public disturbance.
That charge carries a $103 fine.
Principal Russell Sills notified parents about the new practice in a letter sent home last month. The policy went into effect this week.
