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Entertainment

Top 7 Movie Marathons

July 29, 2011

by Shannon Lintott

Another long weekend is coming and if you’re like me and forgot about it until the last minute and then sadly realized that you cannot book a camp site the week before a long weekend, well, don’t feel bad. Instead you can feel happy that you still have a chance to escape into the wonderful world of cinema! Sometimes all you really need to do is to buy a pizza, lock the door, close the blinds and fondle the remote.

Here are my top 7 long weekend movie marathons (in no particular order):

Bond

Now if you REALLY don’t want to go outside at all but would rather sit with a pizza and a couple of bags of chips then the Bond movies are just what you need. Action, girls, villains and sometimes some well placed humour. Bond is a stay inside and let the world slip past you kind of choice. Everyone should do it once.

Back to the Future

Hover skateboards, Chuck Berry covers, Elijah Wood playing Duck Hunt in the background when he is a tiny boy…Yes! These movies are just what you need. Really though, who doesn’t wish that Back to the Future could really happen to them? This is about as cool as sci-fi can get and a definite good waste of your precious long weekend.

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Entertainment

Top 5 Favorite and Interesting Celebrity Baby Names

July 29, 2011

by Kelli Catana

Recently baby naming website Nameberry.com listed some of today’s hottest baby names, and it should come as no surprise that a lot of them have a celebrity connection. Celebrities not only dictate what’s hot in fashion and lifestyle trends, but their influence is so far reaching it can even affect what you name your baby. Think I’m exaggerating? This year Elula is the 38^th most searched name on Nameberry.com and coincidentally happens to be the name of Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen’s youngest daughter. And who wants to bet that Harper will be one of the most popular names in the kindergarten class of 2016 thanks to Victoria and David Beckham?

It seems that the pressure for celebrities to come up with unique names for their offspring is just as intense as it is to come up with the perfect red carpet dress for the Oscars. Hollywood is definitely going through a baby boom right now with celebrities like Natalie Portman, Pink, Selma Blair, Alicia Silverstone, Kate Hudson, Mariah Carey and Victoria Beckham already giving birth, while celebs like Alyssa Milano, Tori Spelling, Mel B, Rebecca Gayheart and Jessica Alba still have their bun in the oven. And the most asked question about these babies is always ‘what’s the name?! ’

Here’s a list of my top 5 favourite celebrity baby names followed by my top 5 most interesting baby names. Does yours make the list?!

Top 5 Favourite Baby Names

1. Winter Harlow – the first daughter of Nicole Richie and Joel Madden, this is by far my most favourite celebrity baby name. Equal parts original, feminine and pretty, this name is as beautiful as the little girl who bears it.

2. Harper Seven – Victoria Beckham could have named her little girl anything and I think I would have liked it, but the name Harper is much more practical than I thought Victoria would have chosen. And I love Seven for all of the significance behind it.

3. The Jolie-Pitt Kids – I wanted to list Shiloh, but then I realized that I love all of the kids’ names. From Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Vivienne and Knox I love that all the boys have the ‘x’ in common and the girls all have such beautifully unique names. Gorgeous names for a gorgeous family.

4. Violet and Seraphina Affleck – Jennifer Garner named her daughter Violet in 2005 and now it’s of course one of the most popular little girl names around. Her second daughter she named the equally pretty Seraphina and if rumours prove to be true, there will be one more Affleck baby to name in the coming months. Personally I’m partial to Kelli 🙂

5. Bingham “Bing” Hawn Bellamy – Kate Hudson delivered her second son just a few weeks ago and named him Bing. I don’t love the name so much as I love why his name is Bing. Father Matthew Bellamy posted on twitter that ‘Bingham is my mum’s maiden name and Bing Russell was Kurt’s dad. Family connections all round!” – Now I love the name even more!

david beckham and harper seven — David Beckham and Harper Seven

NEXT PAGE: Top 5 Most Interesting Baby Names

Beauty

Make-up Ads Banned in Britain for Being “Misleading”

July 28, 2011

Two ads featuring Julia Roberts and model Christy Turlington have been banned in Britain.

Britain’s advertising standards council banned two makeup ads on Wednesday, ruling the ads, which used digitally altered photographs, were misleading.

The Advertising Standards Authority found that the airbrushed images used by L’Oreal in magazine ad campaigns exaggerated the results women could expect from using the beauty products. This will come as a shock to anyone familiar with beauty/makeup ads.

“Pictures of flawless skin and super-slim bodies are all around, but they don’t reflect reality,” said Jo Swinson, a lawmaker who brought the complaint. “With one in four people feeling depressed about their body, it’s time to consider how these idealized images are distorting our idea of beauty.”

The company admitted the photos were retouched, but said they’re not misleading, according to the BBC. Maybelline officials agreed, saying they don’t “believe that the ad exaggerates the effect that can be achieved using this product.”

But the decision was seen as a step forward in an ongoing campaign to limit the retouching of photos in beauty-related ads in Britain.

“We really welcome this,” said Susan Ringwood, chief executive of Beat, which campaigns to combat eating disorders. “It highlights one of the main issues, that these hyper-perfect versions of beauty are undermining people’s confidence because they are beyond what’s achievable. It’s unrealistic in a way that’s really damaging to vulnerable young people and effects all of us.”

parenting

Sleep Issues in Kids of All Ages: Zombie Moms!

July 28, 2011

Zombie Moms: Not Just For Newborns by Kathy Buckworth

The huge on-line success of the book “Go the F**k to Sleep” is due mainly to one thing: Every single parent in the world has uttered these words, either in their inside or outside voice. From the string of sleepless nights a newborn delivers the minute they come home from the hospital, through scary school age nightmares about The Grinch, to the awakening sounds of a teenage boy banging around the kitchen in search of a midnight snack. Sleep is one of the few challenges parents face with their children from start to finish, and that we all can relate to not having enough of. However, as with many facets of raising children, sleep deprivation is one where you always think you’re going through a tougher time than anyone before, or after you.

While the recent Twitter hashtag #ZombieMoms includes membership from Moms with children of all ages, it does skew towards the newborn side. Their challenges don’t always inspire thoughts of empathy.

“You think it’s tough having a newborn? At least they don’t go anywhere – I’m up all night worrying about my teenager driving around, and then when she gets home she makes so much noise it wakes me up all over again.”

Complaining about the lack of sleep (a badge of honour for parents) is a bit of a curious phenomenon. Back in the good ol’ days (before we had kids), most of us wore our lack of sleep status with pride.

“I was out clubbing til 4:00am, had a power nap, a quick shower, and here I am back at work. Wicked, man.”

I suppose there are some similarities with that type of sleep deprivation and the type that comes from having a newborn; your eyes are red, your body’s aching, and you might be dealing with vomit which isn’t always your own. The main difference though is the lack of control that you have over your own sleep patterns, once Baby makes his entrance. When they’re infants, we instinctively rise to their occasion every time they can’t sleep. We read the baby books that alternate between telling us to comfort them instantly, and just letting them scream it out. Unfortunately Baby isn’t usually up to speed on which book we’re reading or which strategy we’re trying, so it doesn’t always work.

As the kids get older, though, it can be a mistake to let them assume they are still in charge.

“I try to get him to bed at 8:00 but he just won’t go.”

Have to admit I don’t understand this. What’s with the “try”? Just substitute the word “put” here, and it works out pretty well. The getting them to stay in bed, once uncontained by crib bars, can be the real challenge.

By the time they get to the ‘tween stage, they try to push the boundaries of bedtime, but most of them haven’t mastered the art of sleeping-in the next morning, so a later sleep start usually just speeds up the development of the surly side of their personality which will fully bloom in the teen years.

When your teenage children start to stay up later than you do, it makes you feel old. Not the physical old as you feel when you’ve been up six times in the night with a newborn, but old in a “how old am I?” mental way. Comparing the levels of weariness, both of spirit and body, is tough.

Teenagers, on the whole, like to sleep in. Let them. As tempting as it is to get some sleep deprivation revenge fully due to you, take the time to Drink The F**k Some Coffee.

Kathy Buckworth‘s latest book, “Shut Up and Eat: Tales of Chicken, Children and Chardonnay” can be found at bookstores and online, everywhere. Follow Kathy on Twitter.

Motherhood

Week of Silence on Soccer Fields: Good or Not?

July 27, 2011

There was no cheering last night at my son’s soccer game.

Why? Our Town is doing a “week of silence” on the soccer field with a goal to show everyone that soccer should be fun for the kids.

How is it going so far?

“The kids overwhelmingly said the game was more fun; they liked playing and not being yelled at,” says a statement on the Aurora Youth Soccer Club’s website when describing the reaction from other associations who have tried this idea.

However, the kids on my son’s team disagreed. I asked them after the game whether or not they enjoyed the quiet or if they preferred the cheering. The response? They missed the cheering. One child said “I like the noise”.

Coaches also couldn’t cheer or shout instructions during the game. They were only able to give instructions before the game, at halftime and on sidelines.

Some parents were finding it difficult to keep quiet – myself included!

“Parents admitted to having a difficult time initially remembering the silent part,” the statement said.

I can see how some parents and coaches can add pressure to a child and affect them emotionally. But soccer is a competitive sport – is there anything wrong with cheering kids on?

What do you think?

lifestyle

More Kids Eating High Calorie Takeout Food, New Study

July 27, 2011

There is a growing trend among kids to eat out and bring takeout food home, a new study says.

What we’ve assumed for a long time – that kids are eating more prepared fast food – is now researched to be true. The study found a third of food eaten now is cooked outside the home.

A third! That’s quite high! These foods are high in sugar, sodium and calories, and their increasing popularity means youngsters are getting more calories than they need, University of North Carolina researchers say.

We found that kids eat a relatively maintained level of calories at home, but in addition kids also eat an increasing number of calories outside the home,” said study author Jennifer Poti, from the University’s Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Children are consuming more calories than they need, which is not helping with the increasing obesity in youth rates. Calories eaten away from home increased from 23.4 percent to 33.9 percent between 1977 and 2006.

Food children eat outside of the home include prepared meals sold in supermarkets and convenience stores, as well as fast food restaurants. But many children are consuming fast food at home, Poti said. In 2006, almost half of the fast foods children ate were eaten at home, she noted.

Although the reasons for this increase in eating prepared meals isn’t known, Poti speculates it’s a combination of factors including convenience, cost and time pressures.

This trend is adding to the obesity epidemic, Poti said. “Parents need to be interested in both the food source and location where it is eaten, which both significantly influence energy intake,” she said.

The report is published in the August issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Featured

Yummy Easy Two Week Meal Plan for Moms

July 26, 2011

by Amanda Goetz

I refuse to complain about the extended heat wave gripping the eastern seaboard. Winters here in the Great white North are too long and too hard for such crazy-talk. I will however say it is too hot to be standing over a hot stove for hours! When it’s hot like this I like to make double duty meals: cook once, eat twice. Summer should be spent running through sprinklers, reading a good {trashy if you please} book and sipping cocktails on a patio, so here’s a list of yummy, easy dinners (with something for everyone) you can pull off in about 30 minutes that will get you through two weeks with minimal time in the kitchen.

Day 1 ~ Beer Can Chicken with Roasted Potatoes

Everyone knows how to roast a beer can chicken right? Throw some sliced potatoes, sliced onions, baby carrots, salt, pepper and garlic butter in a foil pan, cover with tin foil and slide it onto the grill next to the chicken over med-low heat. By the time the chicken is done so will the potatoes. No time to roast a chicken? Pick up a rotisserie one from the grocery store, great taste, no work!

Day 2 ~ Grilled Sausage & Peppers on a Bun with Baked Garlicky Wedge Fries

Slice up some red, green and yellow peppers as well as an onion, toss in a wee bit of olive oil and fold into a packet made from tinfoil. Place on the BBQ over med-low heat and grill some of your favouite sausages. Put your sausage on a toasted bun and top with the pepper and onion mixture. Make some of these amazing wedge fries (can be made on the grill on a foil baking sheet) and dinner is ready!

Day 3 ~ Chicken Caesar Salad

Use leftover chicken from Day 1 and toss with fresh made Caesar salad. Want to make your salad extra yummy? Use this Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing recipe!

Day 4 ~ Burgers and Veggies

Grill up some burgers and serve along side some fresh veggies and dip. Want to learn how to cook a burger like a pro? Check this out: How To Make Your Burger Like a Restaurant Burger – at Home!

Day 5 ~ Sausage and Pepper Penne

Slice up leftover sausage and peppers from Day 2, mix with your favourite jarred marinara and serve over Penne pasta.

Day 6 ~ Mild Curry Chicken Pizza on Naan

Picky eaters? Make this with pizza sauce and pepperoni instead.

Day 7 ~ Steak and Baked Potatoes

Simple and easy. Make a few extra potatoes, you’ll thank me tomorrow.

Day 8 ~ Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Potato Salad and Baked Apples

Sprinkle seasoned salt and garlic powder all over the Pork Tenderloin and grill over medium heat. Dice up the baked potatoes, 2 hard boiled eggs and 1/2 an onion. Add 1/2 cup mayo and 1/2 cup caesar salad dressing, salt and pepper to taste and 1/2 tsp paprika. For the apples, core some apples (1/2 an apple per person is a good serving) and stuff each with a mixture of 1 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Place in a shallow foil pan, cover with foil and bake on the grill over med-low heat.

Day 9 ~ Grilled Chicken Souvlaki and Greek Salad

Day 10 ~ Easy Pasta Primavera

Sautée some garlic, sliced green, red and yellow peppers, onion, zucchini, eggplant and whatever other veggie you like in a bit of olive oil. Add your favourite jarred marinara sauce or a can of diced stewed tomatoes and some Italian seasoning and serve over angel hair pasta.

Day 11 ~ Cedar Plank Salmon with Baked Potatoes

Soak cedar planks (you can get them at the grocery store now!) weighted down in water. Place over med heat on the BBQ and put your salmon fillet directly on it. Brush the salmon with maple syrup. Serve with baked potatoes and a salad.

Day 12 ~ BLT Pasta Salad with Grilled Garlic Bread

Buy a garlic loaf from the grocery store, place on the grill over low heat and bake until heated through.

Day 13 – Crockpot Pulled Pork

Pick up some coleslaw from the deli and save yourself all that slicing!

Day 14 ~ Roasted Veggie Penne

Roast veggies in a foil pan on the BBQ, bake it on the BBQ over indirect heat.

To Download a Printable version click here.

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.

Featured

Summer School? Do Kids Do Better in Year Round School?

July 25, 2011

Are you worried about your children forgetting what they’ve learned all year during the summer?

Studies over the last few years have suggested that summer learning loss is a problem for students compared with their peers in year-round schooling. Education researchers agree that a shorter break is better for learning.

Advocates claim that year-round calendars help students achieve higher and allow teachers to provide more effective education. Several countries have academic years that go year-round. At the same time, other research has shown that year-round schooling does not increase scholastic achievement.

Cary Heise of StayatHomeRockStar.com and her family live outside Raleigh, North Carolina. Their area leads the state in population growth, expanding near 50% in one year. Their community is bursting young families and their year round school calendar allows 25% more students to use facilities.

“Our family loves to travel! We get breaks during all the seasons, which means we can travel any time of the year. Families benefit from travel savings when touring places like Disney at off-peak times,” says Heise.

For Heise, their school calendar is made up of four “tracks” – there are three tracks in school at all times. The only exception is the week of July 4th when all students are “tracked out”, meaning all on vacation at the same time. So for example, a track might begin mid-July and run for six weeks, out of school for three, back to school for nine weeks, out for three, in for six and so on.

This all-year school calendar works for Heise and her children. “I love having my kids around (mostly), after they are in school for six weeks, I miss them! They track out, we have a big old time for three weeks; traveling, visiting museums or just taking some down time. Then, when the fun has worn out, time to get back to school!”

In Canada, year-round education is more common in Alberta, where there are more than 20 schools offering that option in Calgary alone. But in most other provinces, a two-month summer vacation is the norm. Ontario has a handful of year-long programs.

A year-round school year features the same number of days and curriculum as regular Ontario schools, but almost half of the two-month summer vacation time on the traditional school calendar is spread throughout the year.

But does year-round school really help children retain the information they’ve learned? How is learning affected by the three-week breaks, four times a year? Does year-round schooling really help learning?

“The only challenge I find with year round school is that matching up family vacations with extended family who are on traditional school schedules,” said Heise. “It can also be difficult trying to meet up with friends that are local with everyone on different tracks. Even a neighborhood will have children on all different tracks.”

For others, challenges might come for finding programs or daycare to fill in the gaps.

With pros and cons for each year round education, here is a list of them to help you decide for yourself:

Do kids do better in year-round school?

Pros for year-round education

Students tend to forget a lot during the summer, and shorter vacations might increase retention rates.
Short breaks can provide time for students to receive enrichment education.
More students can be accommodated at one school through multi-tracking.
Students get bored during the long summer break
Scheduling family vacations will be easier to arrange.

Cons against year-round education

Studies have been inconclusive to its academic benefits.
Students will forget information whether they are out of school for three weeks or 10.
Teachers will be performing four beginning of the year reviews instead of just one.
Summer programs such as camps suffer – experiences that children can benefit from.
Daycare may be difficult to find.
Student summer employment will be difficult.
Many schools are older and do not have air conditioning.
If the entire school district does not go year round, parents could have students at different schools on different schedules.
With multi-tracking, parents could have students at the same school on different schedules.

What do you think about year-round education?

Featured

Why Is Baby Crying? Know the Reasons and Solutions

July 25, 2011

by Christy Laverty

There is nothing more mysterious to a new parent than their babies cry. Are they hungry? Are they tired? Do they need to be changed? Do they want to be cuddled? It is all about unlocking the mystery and it can take a bit of time to learn the sounds of you new bundle of joy.

Holly Klassen knows all about trying to soothe a crying baby. “Literally from the moment he was born, he cried and screamed constantly,” says Klassen. “My husband and I were exhausted, both physically and emotionally.”

Firstly it is important to recognize why your baby is crying or is discontented. Here are just a few of the possibilities.

1. Hunger: If it’s been three or four hours since the last feeding or he has a very full diaper, food may be the answer.

2. Tiredness: Decreased activity, losing interest in toys or people, and of course, yawning, are all signs that maybe a nap is in order.

3. Over-stimulation: It is important to remember that babies can be quickly overwhelmed by sounds, sights and activity.

4. Discomfort: Babies can get cranky if they are too wet, too cold or hot.

5. Illness: A weak, moaning cry may indicate your baby isn’t feeling well. If your baby seems ill, or you are concerned about his health, call your healthcare provider.

6. Frustration: Your baby is just learning how to control his hands, arms and feet. Sometimes he can get frustrated by the lack of control.

But remember it’s not a science and remember as the weeks go by you will start to recognize your baby’s different cries.

If your baby cries inconsolably for long periods every day, he may have ‘colic.’ Babies with colic will cry for several hours a day, often in the evenings. No one knows what causes colic and it usually lasts up to about four months of age.

A crying baby can often be a sleepless baby. It is can be difficult to find a routine when you little one is inconsolable. There is not doubt of how important sleep is, it is essential for everyone’s health, physical development, emotional well-being, and cognitive growth. Dr. Pizzo, a baby sleep coach, says before the age of four months, a baby does not have the cognitive ability to soothe itself to sleep. Babies need to be taught how to fall asleep.” Therefore, a parent should do whatever it takes to get their babies to sleep.

After the age of four months, babies should be taught to soothe themselves to sleep, recommends Dr. Pizzo. It is important to remember infant and toddler sleep problems do have an effect on parental mood, marital satisfaction, and parental stress level ( as many of us who have struggled with crying babies who a lot)

7 Soothing Solutions:

1. Feed/breastfeed your baby: Feeding your baby in a close and loving way, or nursing your baby is as much for comfort as it is for food.

2. Check the ‘necessaries’: Is her diaper wet? Is he too hot or too cold? Is he comfortable or in an awkward position? It is important to check some of the obvious, easy to fix problems.

3. Hold your baby: No matter the reason for the cry, being held by a warm and comforting person offers a sense of security and can calm a crying baby.

4. Swaddle your baby: During the first three or four months, babies feel comforted if you can re-create a tightly contained sensation.

5. Get your crying baby moving: Babies enjoy repetitive, rhythmic motion like rocking, swinging or swaying.

6. Use white noise: The womb was a very noisy place. White noise is continuous and uniform, like a heartbeat, rain or your vacuum.

7. Sleep Baby Sleep: “Newborns sleep an average of 14 to 18 hours a day. By the age of six months, a baby requires 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep at night and approximately three-and-a-half hours during the day.” says Dr. Pizzo.

“The worry and stress of having a baby that cries all the time and won’t sleep is physically and emotionally draining and isolating,” says Klassen. She and her husband created a website as a resource and guide for parents struggling with fussy babies, TheFussyBabySite. Many people define successful parenting as having a happy baby. When babies cry and are fussy, parents may feel their definition of themselves as good parents is being challenged. Remember, just because your baby cries, you are not a bad parent.

Christy Laverty is a mother and an editor for a Toronto all news radio station. She also does freelance writing for several parenting magazines. Visit Christy’s blog where she updates the trials, tribulations, and fun of being mom of two beautiful girls.

Entertainment

Entourage Season 8 Premiere: What Will Happen This Final Season?

July 24, 2011

For seven seasons, fans have followed and lived vicariously through the lives of movie star Vincent Chase and his loyal gang in Entourage.

We all wanted to be a part of the crew – with actors Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, and my personal favourite – Jeremy Piven.

The eighth and final season of “Entourage” kicks off Sunday, July 24 on HBO.

Sadly, it’s is a short season with only eight episodes, leaving little time to wrap up all the juicy loose ends. Will Vince get help for his addiction? Will Ari Gold and his wife reconcile? Will E and Sloan get married? Will Drama find success? Will Turtle succeed on his own?

Here are a few clues:

In season 7, Vince got involved with a porn star (Sasha Grey) and started doing cocaine. His friends were worried he was in a downward spiral. But it seems Vince will get out of this destructive lifestyle. Adrian Grenier recently said, “I don’t think people realize that Vince isn’t out of control. On paper it may seem that way, but I think he was just having a bad week or a bad couple episodes.”

Have Tissues Nearby: Be prepared for an emotional ending – not just because the show is coming to an end. “It’s a tear jerker,” Grenier said of the series finale. “We all end in a very good place but were all completely transformed.”

E (Kevin Connolly) and his fiancée Sloan (Emmanuelle Chriqui) are engaged but trailers for the season show Sloan mailing her engagement ring back to Eric!

Will Ari Gold and his wife divorce? Jeremy Piven said in an interview, “I think the wife may have had it. I think Ari Gold’s methods may be completely unsound and he can be a blow-hard and reckless. And now the things that matter most to him are being taken away.”

After the series finale, can we expect to see Entourage: The Movie?

Nothing is concrete but all signs point to a movie being made.

“I think the movie would be a great reprise,” Grenier said. “I’d bet my money on a movie … If we do it, it’s got to be big. And it will be. What’s great about the show is it lends itself to be very large in scope and cinematic.”