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Entertainment

Baby News: Kourtney Kardashian is Expecting!

November 30, 2011

If you thought you had enough of Kardashian drama lately, good news – Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick are having another baby.

The couple announced that they are expecting baby number two.

Kardashian, 32, and Disick, 28, are already proud parents to son Mason, who is turning 2 on December 14^th.

The couple who have been together for four years, have often been up and down in their relationship – publicly.

Gossip Cop says reports the two are “over-the moon” excited about the baby.

As for sister Kim Kardashian?

She was quoted in a Glamour cover story saying:

“At this moment in my life, I feel like maybe I’m not supposed to have kids and all that… Maybe I’ll just be a good aunt.”

Motherhood

Mom of Boys: Yes My Boys Are Rough!

November 29, 2011

I have two boys. My sister has three girls.

Add them up and whaddya get?

Two boys are sort of like having six girls.

So imagine having six girls plus another three – that’s like nine kids in a room at once.

This may not make any sense at all. But if you’re a mom of just boys, you sort of understand what I’m getting at.

Whenever I get together with my sister and her family, they are always surprised by the energy my boys have. And amused.

Frightened too.

Boys are different – yes they are.

They like to shout out bathroom words for no real reason.

They laugh at their own farts.

They like to burp out the alphabet.

They don’t have the best table manners.

They are rough and rambunctious.

They want to wrestle like UFC champs and jump off furniture like Superman.

Ah yes, boys boys boys!

My boys.

And yes the boys meet up with the girls, some adorable things happen.

Like my almost five-year-old wanting to cuddle with his ten-year-old cousin. Or watching him play with his four-year-old cousin and her doll house.

Or when my seven-year-old battles it out with my niece on the Wii.

I cherish these moments because the next time we are all together, all of them will be just a little bit older.

When I see my nieces twice a year, three times if I’m lucky, what amazes me is that they have grown before my eyes. I’m saddened by the fact that I haven’t been able to watch their features change, their personalities form, their vocabularies matured.

My 10-year-old niece happens to also be my goddaughter. The baby girl I once knew is a tween, but still that adorable baby girl that would fall asleep laying on top of me.

If my sister lived near, we would be visiting every weekend at the very least. I’d have time to watch their soccer games, put braids in their hair, paint their toenails and go to their school concerts.

Now I’m just left with creating amazing holiday memories and squeezing every ounce of fun into those much-too-short visits.

Featured

10 Gifts For Him Christmas 2011

November 29, 2011

The holidays are upon us! What do you get for that special man in your life?

Dad deserves a few fabulous treats under the Christmas tree from Santa, the wife and the kids too.

But no power tools here!

Here are 10 gift ideas for him that he will love this Christmas 2011.

Aran cable crew sweater, heather grey. Gap. $69.95

Armani Cologne for men, Sears. starting at $75

Boston Red Sox™ Adult Apron. Add a monogram too. Also comes in kids size! $24 – $29. Williams-Sonoma.com.

Terry Calf-length Robe. Lands’ End. $49.99 on sale.

iPad. Apple. Starting at $519

200 Pound Boy Removed From Home: Extreme or Necesssary?

November 28, 2011

An eight-year-old boy who weighs more than 200 pounds has been taken from his family and placed into foster care after social workers said his mother wasn’t doing enough to control his weight.

The Cleveland, Ohio third-grader is considered severely obese by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and at risk for such diseases as diabetes and hypertension.

County officials who were monitoring the child’s health said the boy’s weight was caused by his environment and his mother was ignoring doctor’s orders on food and exercise, seeing this as medical neglect.

“This child’s problem was so severe that we had to take custody,” said Mary Louise Madigan of the county’s Department of Children and Family Services. County workers had been aware of the problem for more than a year and had been working with the mother to help bring the boy’s weight down.

County workers were alerted to the boy’s weight early last year after his mother took him to a hospital for breathing problems. The boy was diagnosed with sleep apnea, which is characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep and can be weight-related, and he was given a breathing machine.

“We have worked very hard with this family for 20 months before it got to this point,” the agency’s administrator, Patricia Rideout, said. The Associated Press reported that a judge approved the decision to put the boy into foster care.

The identity of the boy and mother have not been revealed. The mother did speak to the newspaper and is obviously devastated.

“They are trying to make it seem like I am unfit, like I don’t love my child… Of course I love him. Of course I want him to lose weight. It’s a lifestyle change, and they are trying to make it seem like I am not embracing that. It is very hard, but I am trying.”

Lawyers for his mother, who is a supply teacher, say the county overreached its mandate by arguing the boy’s health is in imminent danger. Lawyers are also questioning the emotional trauma of being taken away from his home.

What do you think about this? Severe or necessary?

Should parents lose custody of their very obese children?

Featured

Outdoor Fitness: Working Out With Friends

November 28, 2011

by Deb Lowther

Are you a lone rider or a groupie when it comes to working out? Do you go to the gym regardless if Betty Sue can make it or do you use her “schedule conflict” to cancel your own workout?

I have been active since I was about 10 years old. It started with my parents and the ParticipACTION program that had us doing sit ups, chin ups and skipping as a family in our basement. We would accumulate enough points for a badge and if we beat the other team (me and my Mom against my Dad and brother), the winner would get ice cream at the end of the month! Well, everyone got the ice cream, but the non-winners had to pay!

We went for small runs as a family, longer bike rides and weekend hikes. I watched my parents go to the gym and when I got old enough, I went to aerobics classes with my mom for years. I was lucky to be raised in an active family, which helped to instill lifelong habits, the knowledge that it is important and the desire to be fit.

As I started running on my own and got my own gym membership, I cannot count the number of friends who have said “I’ll work out with you”. They did. Once. Maybe twice. Never for very long. I became a lone rider.

After three kids, it became harder to find time to get out so I would squeeze in a run at any opportunity, making it difficult to plan runs with friends. I did join two running groups and have a standing invitation for local Saturday morning runs and longer Sunday morning trail runs. Sometimes I join them, but often I choose to run during the week when my kids are in school so weekends can be family time. Again opting for the lone rider!

A couple weeks ago I mentioned to a casual friend that I was riding my bike to some trails and going for a 10km run and then riding home. She was intrigued as she had recently committed to getting back in shape. She physically couldn’t do the run portion (yet!) but would meet me for the ride.

Working out with friends is better and exercising with a friend helps to lose more weight? It really is true and studies have been done that prove it.

So far, we have gone out for three rides together. We are working up to the running part but for now we are having too much fun on our bikes. We are gone for an hour and a half and battle some fierce winds, cold temperatures, challenging trails and share some good belly laughs!

So follow our journey as we both commit to our Outdoor Fitness/Winter Workout twice a week – outside. . . all winter! Wind, snow or rain! Biking as long as the trails allow, then switching to running or maybe hot tea drinking?

See if these two lone riders can take it outside and motivate each other to make it through the harsh winter and be Friends in Fitness!

Would you work out more if you had a friend to join you?

Deb Lowther is a mother of 3 young daughters who, when not running after the kids, is running in the trails! She blogs about Raising Healthy Kids and ensures her own have fun while eating healthy & staying active. You can visit her websites to learn more Iron-kids.com and AdultGummies.com

Featured

15 Tips to Get in the Mood

November 27, 2011

Work, kids, dinner, homework, laundry… so much to do, who has the time or energy for sex?

But sex is important. In fact, it’s a huge stress reliever! Even if you don’t have the time, you must make the time to be intimate with your partner. Making the effort will pay off.

Here are 15 tips to get in the mood:

1. Watch a “chick flick” together. Snuggle up to each other and kiss long and passionately.

2. Every man and woman want to hear good things about themselves. Even small things that you may think don’t matter can make us feel good. Tell your partner that you appreciate him/her. Even take it a step further and tell your partner what you love about his/her lovemaking techniques.

3. Dress up in black lace or a black silk robe (for men). Undress each other slowly. Dress up as a nurse, police officer, whatever turns your crank. Better yet, meet your partner at a bar and one can “pick up” the other.

4. Dirty Talk! Talking dirty before, during foreplay and sex will get your partner really going. Not your style? Just give it a try – he/she will love it.

5. You don’t need to learn how to pole dance but doing a few sexy strip-tease moves and teasing your partner a little will definitely get him/her excited. Do this to the sexiest songs of all time.

6. A great way to relieve tension and get in the mood is by massaging your partner. If we are stressed or worried about something, it’s harder to relax and get in the mood. Getting some massage oils and research a few massage techniques that will help her let go of all her worries and be more willing to focus on other things.

7. Build up the romance well before the sex. During the day, send your partner a dirty text message. Tell him/her something that will make them think about what will happen later on tonight.

8. Write a romantic letter for your partner – or even a sexy note – and leave it somewhere you know he’ll find it during the day.

9. Be spontaneous. Nothing beats a fun, spontaneous romp in the sack, hay or wherever you fancy.

10. Strawberries and chocolate – need I say more?

11. Watch an adult film together. It can have a plot line (or not) but there are different “styles” that suit your tastes.

12. Clean the house. Nothing gets a woman in the mood more than seeing her man help out around the house.

13. Share a warm relaxing bath with fabulous bubbles and candles.

14. Make a surprise visit to your partner at work and have a romantic picnic lunch together… Better yet, lock the door and have sex right on his/her desk!

15. Switch things up before the bedroom and in the bedroom. In fact, do something completely different on your date and when you get home, do it somewhere different. If you need a night away, book a hotel for a romantic escape.

Health

Kindergarten Kids Are Heavier

November 24, 2011

Kindergarten kids are heavier and on their way to becoming overweight and obese in the years to come, a new study finds.

“It’s not just kids who are already overweight getting more and more so, there is an entire shift. Even those who are normal weight are gaining weight,” said lead study author Ashlesha Datar, senior economist at RAND Corp. in Santa Monica, California.

Kids today are heavier than those brought up in the 1970s and 1980s, the study says. Nearly 40 per cent of kindergarteners had a body mass index (BMI) in the 75th percentile or above, up from 25 per cent in the 1970s and 80s when the growth charts were first developed.

A percentile shows how boys and girls compare to children of the same age and gender. For example, a girl in the 70th percentile weighs more than 70 per cent of girls her age but weighs less than 30 per cent.

A BMI in the 70th percentile is at the upper end of the normal range, which means that these kids may be overweight or obese if their habits don’t change.

The number of overweight and obese children has also increased. About 28 per cent of children in the current sample had a BMI classified as overweight, compared to ten per cent of earlier generations.

Childhood obesity more than doubled in the same period, with 12 per cent of kids classified as obese, compared to five per cent in the 70s and 80s.

When do kids gain the weight the most? Between the age of five and eight, when the proportion of kids in the 75th percentile or above hit almost 48 per cent.

Experts warn the findings show that it’s important to start better eating and exercise habits as early as kindergarten possibly. The programs should include kids who are normal weight.

Contest

Tim Hortons New Coffees – Giveaway!

November 23, 2011

I love Tim Hortons.

Hand in hand with hockey, Timmy’s is a true Canadian tradition.

My weekend morning routine is getting my son ready for his hockey game and grabbing a large cup of Tims and heading to the rink.

Now, Tim Hortons sell new specialty coffees Canada – lattes, mocha lattes and cappuccinos made with premium espresso.

Espresso? I think it’s mighty time they added a shot of Italian!

And starting at just $2, it’s a great deal.

The new lattes are in addition to Tim’s Café Favourites family of specialty coffees, which includes French Vanilla Cappuccino and Café Mocha.

Tim’s Café Favourites now includes:

Classics

French Vanilla Cappuccino and French Vanilla Cappuccino Supreme

English Toffee Cappuccino and English Toffee Cappuccino Supreme

Café Mocha

Hot Chocolate and White Hot Chocolate

Apple Cider

Espresso

Espresso shot (single or double)

Latte, Flavoured Latte and Flavoured Latte Supreme

Cappuccino

Mocha Latte, Tea Latte

Tim Hortons just launched their Twitter account @TimHortons too!

We have two $25 gift cards to give away!

To win, leave a comment telling me which specialty coffee you’re excited about trying.

Enter daily. Canada only. Ends November 30, 2011. Good luck!

CONTEST IS CLOSED! Winners are Tanis S. of Summerland, B.C. and Anne-Marie T. of Delta, B.C.! Congrats!

Appetizers & Soups

Creamy Potato Leek Soup with Bacon Recipe

November 23, 2011

by Amanda Goetz

I am a huge fan of soup. My family? Not so much (weirdos). I make a lot of soups and freeze them in single-serving containers that I can pull out when I want some for lunch or with my dinner. The only thing I don’t do this with is cream soups… because they don’t usually last long enough to bother freezing!

There’s something about a creamy soup that makes you feel warm and fuzzy on a cold day. They seem to wrap you in a blanket of comfort. One of my favourite cream soups is Creamy Potato Leek with Bacon. It’s super simple to make, it’s inexpensive, it’s hearty and, come on, bacon? Who doesn’t love crisp crumbly bacon?

Make a batch of this soup for your family, or for yourself if your family is all crazy like mine, and enjoy a big bowl of yummy comfort.

Creamy Potato Leek with Bacon Soup

Ingredients

8 potatoes, peeled and cubed (white or Yukon gold work best)

4 cups chicken broth

1 pound bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces (I like to use peppered bacon)

3 leeks, washed well and sliced

1 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Shredded Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Directions

1. In a large pot, bring the cubed potatoes and chicken broth to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, fry the bacon to a nice crispy brown. Drain on paper towels. Reserve 3 tablespoons of grease and set aside.

3. Sautée the leeks in the frying pan with the reserved bacon grease for 8 to 10 minutes.

4. When the potatoes are cooked, stir in the fried leeks, heavy cream and 1/2 the bacon and season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Stir well to mix and heat through on low. Serve immediately with a bit of the reserved crumbled bacon on top and a little sprinkle of shredded Parmesan.

Amanda Goetz is a WAHM to 3 kids under the age of 5. Her love of cooking was fostered when she was a preschooler helping her grandma in the kitchen. After a year-long stint as a sous chef, she left the industry to continue cooking as a hobby before the stress and politics of a professional kitchen killed her love of cooking. Now she creates delicious dinners and delectable desserts for her family and friends and blogs about it at The Best Mom on the Block.

Entertainment

The Bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky and Roberto Martinez Break Up! Ali is Very Upset

November 22, 2011

Another reality TV couple is splitsville!

Ali Fedotowsky and Roberto Martinez of The Bachelorette have broken up, their rep confirmed.

“Ali Fedotowsky and Roberto Martinez have ended their relationship. As they go through this difficult time, we ask that you respect the couple’s privacy.”

The couple, together 18 months, were engaged in 2010 on the sixth season finale of “The Bachelorette.” They had three cancelled wedding dates – three – red flag perhaps?

Or is it the curse of reality television, destroying innocent people’s lives? 😉

After the proposal, Fedotowsky, 27, and Martinez, 28, quickly moved in together in his hometown of San Diego.

But now, Fedotowsky has already moved out of the home they shared. “She’s actually really upset right now,” the pal says. “She’s going to be laying low for a while,” a friend told Us Weekly.

“They haven’t been well for a long time,” a source said.

“They’re either extremely happy or they can’t stand each other.”