Celeb Watch: Christina Aguilera, Nicole Richie, Cheryl and Ashley Cole

Christina Aguilera and Nicole Richie are both enticing a number of high-profile publications who want the right to print the first photos of their babies. Marie Claire reports:

A bidding war has erupted between OK! and People magazine for the first pictures of Christina’s son Max Liron, and the asking price has already reached $1.5 million.

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden have already signed a deal with People magazine, where they will get $1 million for the photo debut of daughter Harlow Winter Kate.

I wonder at the lives of the rich and famous, yet the bidding war is only active because the magazines know that large sections of the general public want to see the photos. No doubt they’ll be leaked onto the Internet anyway. So much for the privacy of kids with famous parents.

Meanwhile, Cheryl Cole is being urged by her family and friends to leave husband Ashley, after claims from at least two women that he had affairs with them:

The latest claim comes from glamour model, Brook Healy, who is alleged to have been approached by Cole in December 2006 at London’s Funky Buddha club - just five months after the Coles’ marriage - and later slept with the footballer.

The Girls Aloud star [Cheryl] stated: “I was furious… but I’m determined to be strong. Ashley’s a wonderful husband and we’re in love. I won’t let this woman destroy our marriage.”

Girls who eat with their families less likely to do extreme diets

Yet again, more research which shows the benefits of families eating together.

Teens who frequently (five or more times per week) eat together with the rest of their family are less likely to use extreme methods — such as binge eating and self-induced vomiting — to control their weight five years later.

That’s according to research by Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota and lead investigator of Project Eating Among Teens (Project EAT) at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

The same doesn’t appear to be true for boys.

“Health care professionals have an important role to play in reinforcing the benefits of family meals, helping families set realistic goals for increasing family meal frequency given schedules of adolescents and their parents; exploring ways to enhance the atmosphere at family meals with adolescents; and discussing strategies for creating healthful and easy-to-prepare family meals,” said Neumark-Sztainer. “Schools and community organizations should also be encouraged to make it easier for families to have shared mealtimes on a regular basis.”

(Via Insight News)

Celeb Watch: Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie, Mel Gibson, Mel B

According to reports, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are seeking to adopt a girl from Africa:

The couple already has a brood of four - adopted Maddox, six, from Cambodia; four-year-old Pax from Vietnam; two-year-old Zahara from Ethiopia, and their only biological child, Shiloh, one.

But the Mr. + Mrs. Smith co-stars have already expressed their desire to expand their young family, and Jolie’s brother James Haven reveals they are set to return to Africa to look for a little sister for their four kids.

He says, “They are creating one big family and will keep adopting as long as they are able to.

Mel Gibson’s son Christian has checked into a rehabilitation centre for drink and drug problems, according to reports:

Edward was admitted to the Cri-Help centre in North Hollywood back in September 2007.

Now the Enquirer claims that Christian also checked in just before Christmas.

Mad Max star Gibson, who was himself ordered to enroll in an alcohol abuse program after his DUI arrest and anti-semitic rant back in July 2006, is footing the bill.

He has been paying $5,500 a month for each twin in a bid to help them recover.

Spice Girl Mel B is planning to renew her marriage vows at a star-studded “second wedding”, after marrying Stephen Belafonte in private last June.

A source said: “Mel has made up with her mother Andrea and wants to get all her family and friends together and have a huge celebrity wedding in April - and she has even asked her fellow band members to be bridesmaids.

“She wants all of her and Stephen’s family to be at this wedding to make amends for them not being able to be present last time.”

Low sex drive in men more common than the stereotype suggests

Men are always thinking about sex and would have sex all the time if possible.

That’s the basic stereotype of a man, always ready to have sex as many times as possible, right?

And yet, it seems that low sex drive amongst men is a far greater issue than that stereotype would have us believe.

According to recent research from the US, one in five men suffer with a very low sex drive, meaning that they find it difficult or impossible to have sex without the aid of medication. The figure for females is thought to be around 33%.

The main causes are attributed to stress, depression, shame, and anger.

Read more

Caffeine during pregnancy increases miscarriage risk, study suggests

A new study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research suggests that a high intake of caffeine during pregnancy may lead to an increased risk of miscarriage, regardless of its source.

While previous research showed a link between caffeine consumption and miscarriage, this is the first study to thoroughly control for morning sickness, which typically causes many women to avoid caffeine, explained De-Kun Li, MD, Ph.D., an investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research and lead investigator of the study. “This study strengthens the association between caffeine and miscarriage risk because it removes speculation that the association was due to reduced caffeine intake by healthy pregnant women,” Li said.

Read more

WellChild Helpline launched: UK’s only national children’s health advice line

The children’s charity WellChild today announced the launch of the WellChild Helpline, designed to offer comprehensive help and advice to anyone concerned about the health and well-being of children.

Staffed by a team of trained healthcare professionals from a variety of disciplines, callers will either have questions answered, or efficiently passed to the most appropriate organisation.

BBC1’s Breakfast programme’s GP, Dr Rosemary Leonard, endorsed the WellChild Helpline, saying, “WellChild’s new service is extremely welcome as accessing the right information can seem daunting and not having access to concerns about health can cause a lot of anxiety. By having this multi-disciplinary team of experts at the end of a phone-line or email, WellChild will be putting people in touch with the right health information which could ultimately lead to saved lives as well as an enormous improvement in the quality of many more.”

Read more

Long-term substitute teachers can lead to poorer educational results, study suggests

A study of schools in North Carolina by, among others, Duke University economist Charles Clotfelter, suggests that the long-term use of substitute teachers to plug the gaps left by absentee full-time teachers may be having a detrimental effect on children’s education.

Though the statistics aren’t readily to hand in the source article, claims are that, in general, schools’ use of subs for long-term (a year or more) teaching posts has dramatically increased over the last few years.

Discipline and learning problems often accompany a substitute teacher, because they don’t have the same plans and behavioural knowledge of a class as the regular teacher should have.

“Teachers often have to re-teach material, restore order and rebuild relationships after absences,” said Miller, who is conducting the research with Harvard University education professors.

This is not to say that substitute teachers are not worthy, or highly qualified, for the role — simply that the situation is not ideal.

(Via The Reporter)

Citinannies.net Helps to Filter Frauds and Scams for Families Seeking Care

Household employment is increasing for families who continually strive for a manageable balance between life and work. For many people, the solution to managing the pressures and the obligations is to hire household staff to work in the home. Most domestic placement agency services can run into the hundreds, or even thousands of dollars, ranging from $700 to $4,000 per placement. What happens when a family is not happy with the placement agency’s selection of nannies? Generally, there is very little recourse. Would it be very difficult for a family to search for household help without using an agency? How would a family weed out frauds and scams? Are the tools of the trade available and easily accessible?

Citinannies.net was created to connect families and top quality caregivers nationwide. Whether a family needs a nanny for their children, a personal assistant or even a butler to bring cocktails poolside, Citinannies.net can help. Citinannies.net is the first online domestic placement service to utilize an advanced identity authentication process without entering a credit card number or requesting intrusive information such as the registrant’s full social security number. The patent pending privacy tool prescreens all caregivers and families to help filter out the frauds and scrams that put loved ones at risk.

Families simply register, post the specific domestic requirements and qualifications, and pass the Citinannies.net authentication process. Once the authentication process has been completed, the pool of quality caregivers are available with a click of the mouse. New caregivers are added daily, so the selection is never stale. In addition, Citinannies.net has trusted partners that offer services including criminal background checks, online continuing education courses and easy ways to pay caregivers without hiring an accountant. After all, finding household help that is tailored to a family’s lifestyle can be overwhelming.

As President of CitiNannies LLC, Jennifer Nguyen states, “I wanted to make the search for care easier for families, and at the same time, filter out fraudulent registrants, identity thieves, and fraud schemes that become rampant on the internet. We are taking one step further to assure families are more comfortable using the internet to find exceptional help for their loved ones.” Being a single mother, Jennifer realizes the importance of finding top quality caregivers. Hiring and entrusting caregivers can improve the quality of life immensely, without sacrificing the commitments. Recall the last time an emergency situation arose and a reliable sitter was not available? Think citinannies.net. Do it right. This is the most important hiring decision a family could ever make.

For caregivers seeking employment opportunities, the registration process is free. Simply agree to be bound by Citinannies’ professional code of ethics, register and post a profile. In addition, passing the Citinannies.net identity authentication process is also a prerequisite for all caregivers. Imagine, no more agency fees or commissions taken out of the paycheck. No more answering blind newspaper ads or attending embarrassing career fairs. Imagine an easier way to connect with potential families who are serious about searching for care and willing to pay top dollar for exceptional care?

For information: CitiNannies.net

Celeb Watch: Gwyneth Paltrow, Eddie Murphy, Britney Spears

Marie Claire speculates that Gwneth Paltrow may be pregnant:

The New York Daily News is reporting that Paltrow was taken to the hospital by husband Chris Martin because she is pregnant with her third child. A source revealed to the paper that Paltrow spent time in the maternity wing of the hospital, and added, “They looked very serious. She looked upset. They went right past everyone and into the elevator. It seemed like they were expected.”

Eddie Murphy has split from his wife, Tracey Edmonds, after just two weeks of marriage, reports Marie Claire:

The reason for the break-up? According to sources in America, the honeymoon was “marred by screaming matches and arguments all week”.

In fact, even on the wedding day there were warning signs that all was not right. “Eddie started yelling at Tracey in front of people,” one guests told People magazine. “He did it on a few occasions and it was very embarrassing.”

Troubled star Britney Spears is also rumoured to be pregnant, as she was allegedly seen buying a home pregnancy test:

…the singer and her new boyfriend, 35-year-old paparazzo Adnan Ghalib, were photographed in a drug store in LA shopping for home pregnancy tests.

However, given the photographs were released by Ghalib’s own picture agency, some are already crying foul and believe the snaps might just be a juicy little earner for the couple and a crafty joke at the media’s expense.

Or at Britney’s expense. Hasn’t she been through enough recently?

Lily Allen suffers a miscarriage

Sad news for the singer Lily Allen and her boyfriend Ed Simons. A spokesperson for Lily’s publicists confirmed “that Lily Allen has suffered a miscarriage… and we ask that her privacy be respected at this difficult time.”

The miscarriage reportedly occurred after returning from a holiday in the Maldives.

According to statistics, one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage, which accounts for nearly a quarter of a million each year. It proves to be a very tough time for a large number of couples, but the truth is that — in time — you can move on from the pain. Many women enjoy healthy pregnancies after miscarriage, so while it’s tragic at the time, it certainly doesn’t rule out starting a family.

Our thoughts are with Lily and Ed at this time, and I do hope the media give them space to come to terms with this.

3 in 5 parents couldn’t save their child’s life, survey finds

A survey of 2,500 mothers by UK supermarket Tesco suggests that 60% of new parents wouldn’t know what to do in an emergency where their child’s life was in danger.

Less than 10% of new parents have had child first aid training in the past 12 months, and 24% said that they badly needed a refresher course.

Read more