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Add to My Stories Share It promises to be some wedding. Carolyn Bourne, 60, launched the first salvo by sending her future daughter-in-law an email criticising her staggering uncouthness and lack of grace. Yesterday the father of bride-to-be Heidi Withers hit back, branding Mrs Bourne a snotty Miss Fancy Pants. Family-to-be at war: Alan Withers (left) has said his family call Carolyn Bourne (right) 'Miss Fancy-Pants' and say they do not like her 'snotty' attitude saying 'she thought she was better than us' In the stinging repost, Alan Withers, 64, said the renowned horticulturist has her head stuck so far up her own a*** she doesnt know whether to speak or f**t. And although Mrs Bourne appears fastidious about social mores, it emerged yesterday that she may have become pregnant some months before her first marriage in 1974, according to public records. She is also now on her third marriage. Happier times: Heidi Withers and her fiancee Freddie Bourne ar...

Filed under: In The News Researchers find premmies face health and social problems as they grow. Credit: Getty Images The effects of being born premature apparently can last well into adulthood. MSN reports researchers from the University of Rhode Island followed more than 200 premature infants for 21 years. They found preemies often grow up to be less healthy and face a greater risk of heart problems than other kids. They also tend to struggle more socially. Lead researcher Mary Sullivan, a professor of nursing at the University of Rhode Island and adjunct professor of pediatrics at the Alpert Medical School at Brown University, tells MSN extremely low birth weight, repeated blood draws, surgery and breathing issues can affect stress levels in people born prematurely. She adds such stressors produce higher levels of the hormone cortisol, which is involved in the regulation of metabolism, immune response and vascular tone. The less a preemie weighs at birth, the greater the risk, she ...

Filed under: In The News , Toys Credit: Amazon Nowadays, John Barbour makes sophisticated computers for children. But you know what toy he remembers most fondly from his childhood? It's nothing high-tech. Just Legos. "When you sit down and intellectually rationalize what Lego does, it is the ultimate toy," the CEO behind LeapFrog tells the Reuters news service. "Think about it -- creativity, hand-eye coordination. You get the satisfaction of building something and you get a toy at the end." Barbour was among the toy moguls and other high-powered execs who gathered in New York this week for the Reuters Retail and Consumer Summit, waxing nostalgic about the simple toys of their childhoods. "We were very poor, but we always had boxes of Legos kicking around our house," Barbour tells the news service. Martin Franklin, executive chairman of Jarden Corp, makes state-of-the-art sporting goods. But he still has his old skateboard from when he was 12. Office D...

Filed under: In The News Credit: Getty Images Apparently, because of the sour economy, more kids are living with at least one of their grandparents. The U.S. Census Bureau released a report June 28 that reveals the number of children living with one or more grandparent has increased 64 percent since 1991. USA Today reports 7.8 million children lived with at least one grandparent in 2009, compared with 4.7 million in 1991. White kids living with at least one grandparent jumped from 5 percent to 9 percent. Among blacks kids, the number rose from 15 percent to 17 percent, and for Hispanic children, it increased from 12 percent to 14 percent. Among all of the children living with a grandparent, USA Today reports three-quarters (76 percent) also had at least one parent in the household. "There's absolutely no question it's been on the rise because of the recession," Gary Drevitch, the editor of Grandparents.com, tells the newspaper. "What's been interesting is th...

Filed under: Kids' Games , Activities: Big Kids Where's Waldo has a website. Credit: whereswaldo.com Remember the "Where's Waldo" books, where you had to spot the bespectacled fellow amid a busy, colorful scene? Well, the red and white-capped dude is back, this time with a website of his own, and we think your kids (and you, too) will be spending some serious time with good ol' Waldo. At whereswaldo.com , you'll find fun activities (like trying to spot him in a series of scenes, complete with a checklist of other items, as well) and you can even "Waldo-fy" yourself, by uploading a photo that gets turned into a postcard kids can share with family and friends. Register, for free, at whereswaldo.com . Happy hunting! Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: In The News , Research Reveals: Big Kids , Research Reveals: Tweens Credit: Getty Images Candy makes kids fat, right? Ha! Wrong, Captain Tofu! Revenge could be sweet for the candy crowd. The Vancouver Sun reports a new study finds kids who eat candy weigh less and are less likely be overweight than their counterparts munching on carrots. This revolutionary study was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a big chunk of the funding came from the National Confectioners Association. You know, the people who make candy. Great, so this may be a little like the International Brotherhood of Heroin Pushers Local 839 funding a study that concludes heavy narcotics are essential for building strong bones and teeth. Still, data is data. Researchers at Louisiana State University (hardly puppets of Big Chocolate) found kids who ate candy were 22 percent less likely to be overweight and 28 percent less likely to be obese. So stick that in your bean curd, and do whatever is yo...

Filed under: In The News When Mark and Vanessa Clark's first baby died at just 39 days old in 2009, no charges were filed and the death was ruled an accident. But the Texas couple has now been indicted for child endangerment , a felony, after their second child also died while co-sleeping with the parents, ABC News reports, adding that the Clarks, if convicted, could get six months to two years in jail and $10,000 in fines. The charges state the Clarks "intentionally, knowingly, recklessly or with criminal negligence" put the child at risk of "imminent danger of death, bodily injury, or physical or mental impairment, by sleeping with said child in the same bed when said child that was less than four months of age," according to the network. Previously, Vanessa Clark has been convicted and served time in jail on charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, theft, trespass and "assault causes bodily injury family member," ABC reports. Hudso...

Filed under: In The News Credit: Amazon When the first " Baby Einstein " video hit the parenting scene in 1996, it kicked off a craze. Kids -- and moms and dads -- were drawn to the 30-minute videos featuring classical music, shapes and objects, and sales topped $17 million when the creators sold the franchise to Disney in 2001. But, the Denver Post reports, a University of Washington study bashing the products, a major lawsuit and a slew of bad press tainted the "Baby Einstein" name. Now, Julie Aigner-Clark and Bill Clark are getting some redemption, according to the newspaper. The couple, who live outside Denver, forced the university, which paid them $175,000 for legal fees, to hand over the original research, which proves the study had several flaws, the Post reports. The study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics in 2007, claimed "Baby Einstein" actually made a child's vocabulary worse than kids who did not watch the videos, according to the ne...

Filed under: In The News , Education: Teens Watch: How to Save for College The federal agency released its College Affordability and Transparency lists on Thursday to fulfill a reporting requirement passed into law in 2008. Credit: AP Looking for a college bargain? Try any of nine University of Puerto Rico campuses, where annual tuition hovers at or below $2,000. Counting pennies? Avoid Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, a private school where tuition, fees and room and board exceeds $50,000, making it one of the five most expensive schools on a new U.S. Department of Education guide to college costs. The federal agency released its College Affordability and Transparency lists on Thursday to fulfill a reporting requirement passed into law in 2008. The online lists track tuition costs among the top and bottom 5 percent of four-year and two-year schools. The measures include public, private and for-profit colleges and universities. Separate lists show the most and least affordable schools...

Filed under: Riddles It takes 12 one-cent stamps to make a dozen. How may six-cent stamps does it take to make a dozen? Click on this link for the answer. Permalink | Email this | Comments

If you think the only way to get rid of annoying body hair is to go through the physical pain of waxing or the mental agony of shelling out a bomb on laser therapy, then you probably haven't yet discovered the virtues of spearmint tea and lemon-honey paste. The problem of excessive hair growth in women starts around puberty and marks its territory across the face, neck, chest, back, toes and arms. It mostly traumatises the 18-45 age group. Scientifically, the condition is called hirsutism. "The reason behind excess hair growth is the increased level of male hormones in the blood (androgens). Although all women produce androgens, increased levels could lead to hirsutism. Genes, polycystic ovarian syndrome, ovarian tumors and adrenal disorders are other reasons for excessive growth of hair," Navin Taneja, director of the National Skin Centre, said. While shaving, waxing and bleaching are some of the temperory solutions to get rid of unwanted hair, there are some natu...

It's near impossible to avoid rainwater streaming down our streets during the monsoon. Most working people, stay-at-home parents, and school and college kids tend to walk through these flood waters at least once every few days. With water-borne diseases streaming in as well, it's time to get smart about flood water damage control. Here's what you can do before and after stepping into some seriously questionable water on city streets. Before: Preparing for the wet streets - Remember those wellies or gumboots we all loved in school? Invest in a good pair, as they are your best bet against skin contact with stagnant or flowing rainwater. - Anti-mosquito ointments - Trust the humble anti-bug creams handed down from one camping generation to the next. These will keep you safe, when you're sitting inside cabs, autos, buses and trains, where the mosquitos can find you easily. - Cover your skin - Leave those sexy, skin-bearing monsoon looks to the rain-drenched music vid...

Add to My Stories Share She is the mother of fourteen children, who gave birth to the longest surviving octuplets in U.S history. But in disturbing comments sure to alarm social services, Octomom's Nadya Suleman has said she 'hates' her eight babies.The 36-year-old single mother also calls her six older children 'animals'. Love lost? Octomom's Nadya Suleman says that she 'hates' her eight babies and has called her older six children 'animals''I hate the babies, they disgust me,' she told InTouch magazine. 'My older six are animals, getting more and more out of control, because I have no time to properly discipline them.' In a picture taking by the magazine, one child is seen eating dry-wall in her run-down home. More... Flipper meets trout pout: Sharon Osbourne gets up close and personal with a dolphin during Hawaiian holiday 'I'm sad we don't have a happy ending': The Bachelor's Emily Maynard opens up ab...

Add to My Stories Share Funny, outrageous and downright rude. Whos in Liz Jones firing line this week? Suffering: Too many dogs are being mistreated by irresponsible owners (file photo)Not a good week for dogs. As well as hearing about the two police dogs left in a car on the hottest day of the year, I also received a distressing message from a friend. It said: I just heard from a woman. Her young son is staying in Portsmouth with his sister and her husband, who is a squaddie. They have a young Staffie. Last night, the dog was playing with a baby mouse and hurt it, so the squaddie, in front of his army mates, put on his steel toe-cap boots and kicked the hell out of the dog and then told his daughters to do it, too. The young boy ran out and called the RSPCA, so they wouldnt let him back in the house. The RSPCA came but, because the dog didnt appear to have any external injuries, Im told that they left him there. Its really upset me. That poor dog. A few months ago now, I viewed a ...

Filed under: In The News Parents reported greater communication and closeness when teenagers initiate calls seeking social support. Credit: Getty Images How's your relationship with your child? Researchers say you can tell a lot from your cellphone conversations . According to the Times of India, much of it depends on who calls whom and the purpose and tone of the conversation. Lead researcher Robert Weisskirch of California State University tells the newspaper parents often use cellphones to extend their ability to monitor a teenager's whereabouts and activities, track their schoolwork, offer support, voice disapproval or criticism or discipline their teen. The tone used is important, he tells the newspaper, and, likewise, teenagers may use their cellphone conversations to communicate positive or negative feelings or information with their parents. Weisskirch proposed seven specific hypotheses about how the frequency, nature and content of parent-adolescent cellphone calls rel...

Filed under: Celeb News & Interviews Nine months of weight gain, nausea, exhaustion and tiredness? Beyonce, can you handle this? The singer, 29, hits the big 3-0 in September, which has her fans speculating whether she's making plans for a baby with her hubby, Jay-Z. "I always said I would have a baby at 30," Beyonce tells Piers Morgan on CNN's " Piers Morgan Tonight ." "I'm 29. But I also said I was gonna retire at 30, so I don't know. Who knows? I'm not retiring." When Morgan asks if we can expect a baby from the power couple soon, she relies, "Only God knows." We think a baby would make her crazy in love, don't you? Want to get the latest ParentDish news and advice? Sign up for our newsletter ! Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Teens , In The News She may look innocent, but watch out -- teen drivers are to be feared! Credit: Getty Images Teen drivers. Fear them. Fresh statistics say 68 percent of them narrowly avoided a serious accident in the last year. And more than half say they've had more than one near miss during that time. That less-than-comforting news comes from a survey of 2,000 students at 28 high schools by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD). USA Today reports 55 percent of the teen drivers blamed someone else for their near misses. Yet, 30 percent admitted to speeding, 21 percent said they were texting and 20 percent said they were distracted by a conversation with a passenger. Such distracted driving causes 20 percent of accidents involving teens, according to USA Today, citing statistics from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance. Speeding accounts for 21 percent of the accidents involving teens. The newspa...

Filed under: Baby Essentials , Gear Guides: Pregnancy The Puj Tub fits most sinks. Credit: Puj Baby Bath time with a baby can be scary for new parents, but if you've got the right tub, it's not only a breeze but fun, too. The Puj Tub is made with soft, non-slip, PVC- and BPA-free foam that will conform to just about any sink and cradles babies up to 17 pounds, leaving Mom and Dad hands-free to take care of Junior. When the baby's all clean, the tub can be stored or hung flat, keeping it out of sight. We have three words: Baby. Shower. Gift. Puj Tub, $40, at pujbaby.com . Want to get the latest ParentDish news and advice? Sign up for our newsletter ! Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Research Reveals: Big Kids 70 percent of college-educated women spank their kids while 90 percent of all parents believe in the practice. Credit: Getty Images Sometimes you have to smack a kid. Sure, some liberal hippie parents pitch a fit whenever a kid is spanked, but on the front lines of parenthood, you can't afford to go soft. Do you want your kid to grow up to some kind of ... of ... page toucher? You know the type. They go around touching the pages of books you are trying to read to them. Better a slap on the tuckus now than to let them grow up some kind of social miscreant. At least one mother -- involved in a research project at Southern Methodist University in Dallas -- understands that. Some 40 parents were asked to make audio recordings of their daily interactions with their children. Researchers didn't exactly come right out and say this (because they wanted parents to act naturally), but they really wanted to find out how parents spank their childre...

Filed under: In The News , Alcohol & Drugs The teen years are a time when addiction is especially possible, because adolescent brains are more sensitive and teens are more apt to experiment. Credit: Getty Images Sorry, parents, but drug use among many teens is not just a passing phase. A new report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) shows 90 percent of addicts in the U.S. began taking drugs, smoking or drinking alcohol in high school, ABC News reports . "We now have enough science to show that adolescent substance use is America's no. 1 public health problem," Susan Foster, senior investigator of the study, tells the network. "By recognizing this as a health problem and responding to it, we can actually make the difference by improving the life prospects of teens and saving costs in society." Experts tell ABC the teen years are a time when addiction is especially possible, because adolescent brains are more sensitive and teens a...

Filed under: Opinions , Books for Parents , New In Pop Culture Credit: Amazon I admit, it's funny. And there's another thing I like about Adam Mansbach's " Go the F**k to Sleep ": It exposes the underbelly of parenting -- that dark, secret part of us that needs a little time to ourselves when we can do grown up things -- or maybe just crawl into our own bed for some desperately needed sleep. In the book, the author uses expletives to convince his child to release him from endless cuddles or drinks of water. Who among us hasn't visited moments (for some, every night) when our longing to escape the clutches of a sleepy child has prompted the type of sentiments Mansbach uses in his take on a children's bedtime story? So much of parenting is done behind closed doors. We rate ourselves against the behavior of imaginary parents, falling prey to insecurities that have us convinced we're the worst of the bunch. Surely Danny's mommy and daddy never lose th...

Filed under: Celeb Parents , Childcare , Celeb News & Interviews WATCH: When Charlie Sheen's kids were removed. A judge has ordered Charlie Sheen's former bosses to garnish $55,000 a month for child support. Credit: AP LOS ANGELES (AP) - A judge has ordered Charlie Sheen's former bosses to garnish $55,000 a month for child support from any payments they make to the former "Two and a Half Men" star. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Hank Goldberg on Friday approved a request by Brooke Mueller Sheen to garnish any payments Warner Bros. Television makes to her ex-husband. The former couple was divorced on May 2, about two months after Warner Bros' fired Sheen from "Men." The actor and the studio have been fighting over payments ever since. The hefty monthly payments are intended to support the Sheens' twin sons and were part of a divorce settlement they reached earlier this year. The actor's spokesman Larry Solters declined to comment. Brooke...

Filed under: Media , Gadgets , Movies , Video Games , Activities: Toddlers & Preschoolers , Activities: Big Kids , Activities: Tweens , Activities: Teens Limit the amount of time your child spends in front of screen with the help of these tips! Credit: Getty Images Between the computer, the TV, the DS, and the Wii, a lot of screens are vying for your kids' attention. Parents try lots of different things to limit screen time -- everything from outright bans to "only on weekends" to setting a timer. Being The Enforcer of Screen Time Limits may solve your "right now" goal of getting kids to turn off. But raising kids with an understanding of healthy screen limits and the ability to self-regulate takes a little more work. Like everything in parenting, media management is a process -- one that requires balancing your long-range goals with the daily reality of the various devices in your kids' lives. Here's an age-by-age media-management plan with some pr...

Filed under: Riddles Rick and Dick were leaving the cafeteria. As they passed the cashier, Rick paid his bill, but Dick handed the cashier as lip of paper with the number 1004180 on it. The cashier studied the number for a moment, then let Dick pass by without paying, why? Click on this link for the answer. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Add to My Stories Share As I walked down the aisle on my wedding day, full of hope for the future with the man I loved, I had no idea we would one day be engaged in daily slanging matches about the thing we hold dearest to our hearts. Back then, I felt sure we were compatible. After all, we both enjoyed skiing, country weekends away and Chinese food admittedly not fundamentals in terms of marital bliss, but at least that gave us some common ground. In the early days, we barely argued. Now I know this is because our lives were so uncomplicated then that there just wasnt that much to disagree over. Handful: Shona Sibary with 22-month-old Dolly, Monty, eight, nanny Kathryn, Annie, 10, and husband Keith Becoming parents changed that, however. Suddenly we were seemingly bombarded with 101 tricky decisions to be agreed upon before 9am every day. And all on three hours sleep. It seems were not alone, since a recent survey revealed that arguing over children is the second most common ...

June 29, 2011 Princess Diana on the cover of Newsweek. Reuters picLOS ANGELES, June 29 Princess Diana has returned from the grave on the front cover of Newsweek in a picture that imagines her, and her life, as it might have been had she lived to mark her 50th birthday on Friday.But the picture and story which speculates that Diana would have twice remarried, used Botox, and been slightly jealous of new daughter-in-law Kate Middleton provoked mostly howls of disgust as they arrived on US newsstands the same week that Prince William and his new bride begin an official visit to North America.Shocking, brilliant or just plain cheap? asked the Los Angeles Times. News blog Mediaite.com called it disrespectful on so many levels, while The Atlantic Wire ran the headline How Creepy is Princess Dianas Ghost?Newsweek editor-in-chief Tina Brown, a Briton who wrote a gossipy 2007 biography about the late princess, imagines that if Diana had not died in a 1997 Paris car crash, she would have mo...

Filed under: In The News Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee member Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. shows a picture he says is of a young girl being searched by the TSA. Credit: Jacquelyn Martin That 6-year-old girl looks innocent enough, but she could be an Al Qaeda operative out to destroy America. Why? You know terrorists. They hate our freedoms. She probably secretly despises us for our ability to see R-rated movies and stay up past 9 p.m. We can't take any chances. Despite public concerns about privacy and propriety, we must thoroughly search her body before she gets on an airplane. We dare not exclude little girls, old people and other extremely unlikely terrorism suspects from often invasive body searches, Transportation Safety Administration officials warn. At the very least, the real terrorists might see a weak link in our system and start strapping bombs to children and old ladies. "It's not beyond Al Qaeda to use kids," the Christian Science...