Adele keeps it real: "Motherhood is f***king hard"

by

Carolyn Robertson

posted in Celebrities

She's back!

After a 3-year break from making music, Adele delighted fans this week when she released the video for her new song, "Hello." With over 130 million views so far, I think it's safe to say that the Grammy-winning songstress was missed.

"I’m sorry it took so long, but you know, life happened," Adele, 25, told fans.

Life, of course, included motherhood.

Adele's son Angelo turned 3 years old just last week. So how is motherhood so far? Typically, the superstar tells it like it is.

"It's f**king hard. I thought it would be easy. 'Everyone f**king does it, how hard can it be?' I had no idea," she admits to i-D magazine, continuing, "It is hard but it's phenomenal. It's the greatest thing I ever did. He makes me be a dickhead, and he makes me feel young and there's nothing more grounding than a kid kicking off and refusing to do what you're asking of them. It used to be that my own world revolved around me, but now it has to revolve around him."

I think this is a pretty perfect description of parenting. It's hard, and it's phenomenal and it is very, very humbling. To the rest of the world Adele may be a massive star, but to her son she's just mom. All those Grammy awards gathering dust on the shelf probably don't impress little Angelo much.

So is there another baby in the future for Adele and her boyfriend Simon Konecki? She's non-committal, saying only, "Dunno about more kids." For now she's focused on getting back to work, on making music and avoiding the pitfalls of the fame that come with it.

"I'm just frightened of [being famous], you know? Frightened of it destroying me and it ruining me, and me getting lost and turning into some of the people that I love with my whole musical heart," she muses. "I get frightened. And I get frightened for the people that I love, feeling like they've lost me."

Do you agree with Adele's description of motherhood?

How do other famous moms feel about motherhood? Find out...

Photos: PR Photos

Pregnant Chrissy Teigen comes under attack for bump photo

by

Carolyn Robertson

posted in Celebrities

Two weeks after announcing her pregnancy, Chrissy Teigen took to Twitter a few days ago to share a first photo of her growing bump.

"Someone's early to the party," the model mom-to-be captioned the selfie, which shows a profile of her rounded belly. (See it here!)

Chrissy was probably hoping for notes of congratulations from her online fans and followers, and she got plenty of those. What she may not have expected was the onslaught of comments about the apparently outrageous size of her bump.

"Damn you go big fast! My bestie is due in Feb and she’s 1/2 your size. Not twins? Probably triplets!" reads one response, which was echoed in various forms many times over.

Chrissy, who recently revealed that she and her husband John Legend struggled for years to conceive, re-Tweeted some of the particularly offensive messages she received, many of which have been deleted since she called them out. She also put some rumors to rest, before eventually vowing to never again post another photo of her pregnant belly.

Good thing I am unoffendable or this would be a rough few months

— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 18, 2015

I did IVF. One at a time. It isn't twins. I can see the damn thing. Get out of my uterus!

— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 18, 2015

Read Chrissy Teigen's funniest Tweets

Please stop. I put one embryo in. I have ultrasounds every few days. I didn't announce at a week. https://t.co/v17NlZjo1n

— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 18, 2015

No more preg tweeting for me, lesson learned!! Back to food and reality TV and hay things

— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 18, 2015

It's so annoying the way people feel the need to add their two cents to something as personal as pregnancy weight gain, isn't it? Chrissy Teigen is a public figure, so I suppose the unsolicited opinions are to be expected in her case. But let's be honest: It's not just celebrities who face this kind of pointless feedback.

"Are you sure it's not twins?!"
"You must be due any second!"
"Whoa! You're huge!"

I'd guess that plenty of moms out there heard at least one of those remarks at some point during their pregnancies.

If you didn't happen to gain much weight, well, you're not off the hook, either. Who can forget the constant criticism levied at Kate Middleton when she was expecting Princess Charlotte? She's not eating enough, her baby isn't getting enough nutrients, she's putting her own vanity above her child's well-being.

Enough.

Every woman is different, so it makes sense that our bodies respond to pregnancy in different ways, too. The fact that your sister's best friend's neighbor only gained 15 lbs or that your ex-boyfriend's aunt's hairdresser's ankles didn't swell up like that is not really essential information.

When in doubt, why not just err on the side of kindness? Say, "You look beautiful," and leave it at that.

Did you get any unwanted comments about your pregnancy weight gain?

Famous moms reveal their pregnancy weight gain numbers:

Photo: PR Photos

15 pearls of wisdom from the world's funniest dads

by

Sara McGinnis

posted in Celebrities

Sometimes you just have to laugh in lieu of completely losing your mind. Parenthood can be a long road, riddled with potholes and curves, but the good news is we're not alone -- there are quite a few comedians in the trenches right along with us.

From sweet to silly, a look at what some of the funniest fathers around have had to say on the topic of raising children:

Louis C.K.: "Be a dad. Don't be 'Mom’s assistant.' That's depressing, just waiting for her to write you a list, walk around a store staring at it, calling her from the cereal aisle to make sure you got the right thing. Be a man. Make your own list. Fathers have skills that they never use at home. You run a landscaping business and you can’t dress and feed a 4-year-old?

Take it on. Spend time with your kids and have your own ideas about what they need. It won’t take away your manhood; it will give it to you. I did that. I spent more time with my kids. And I found out that I’m a pretty bad father. I make a lot of mistakes and I don't know what I'm doing. But my kids love me. Go figure."

(PR Photos)

Paul Rudd: “If I can walk around in my underwear and pull it up super high so it’s just gross looking and then try and be very serious with them. I like to do that … pretend to be very mad and have my underwear hiked up … really high.”

(PR Photos)

Jimmy Fallon: "That’s what true happiness is right there. There’ll be nights when you’re sitting on your couch, and you’re with your beautiful wife, who you can’t believe married you, and your beautiful baby, who you feel endlessly grateful you were able to have. And your dog … You’re watching Real Housewives getting into fist-fights on TV. And you go, ‘How great is my life? I’m so happy right now.’"

(PR Photos)

Ray Romano: “Having children is like living in a frat house -- nobody sleeps, everything's broken, and there's a lot of throwing up.”

(PR Photos)

Michael Ian Black: "I really love my kids for about six minutes a day."

"I'm so conscious of not pushing my own agenda onto my kids that I let them walk around flaunting their terrible taste. As a result, I have become well-versed in the art of Miley Cyrus."

(PR Photos)

Jon Stewart: “Fatherhood is great because you can ruin someone from scratch.”

“The thing I love about them is their joy, their exuberance. My boy will dance when he sees something he likes. We’ll be walking down the street and he'll just start dancing and I’ll be like, ‘That's mulch.’”

(PR Photos)

Jerry Seinfeld: "The bedtime routine for my kids is like this Royal Coronation Jubilee Centennial of rinsing and plaque and dental appliances and the stuffed animal semi-circle of emotional support. And I've gotta read eight different moron books. You know what my bedtime story was when I was a kid? Darkness!"

(PR Photos)

Jimmy Kimmel: "I learn things from my kids constantly. Most of their knowledge comes from Snapple caps."

(PR Photos)

Stephen Colbert: "My daughter said, 'Why are you yelling at us?' and I said, 'I’m trying to discipline you!' And then she looked up at me with her tear-stained eyes and said, 'This is how you teach children, by making them cry.' And it was such a clenching reminder -- she won not only the argument, but she won life with that statement. I just burst out laughing, and I think they were so surprised that I burst out laughing, that they did too."

(PR Photos)

Kevin Hart: "I'm a fun dad until you don't do what you're supposed to do. But even the tough dad is still fun because I can't not laugh at myself for trying to be tough!"

(PR Photos)

Chris Rock: "When I hear people talk about juggling, or the sacrifices they make for their children, I look at them like they're crazy, because 'sacrifice' infers that there was something better to do than being with your children.

I've never been with my kids and gone, 'Man, I wish I was on my stage right now.' I've never been with my kids and gone, 'Man, it'd be so great if I was on a movie set right now.' But I've been doing a movie and wished that I was with my kids, I've been on tour and wished that I was with my kids. Being with my kids is the best, most fun thing. It's a privilege. It's not something I call a sacrifice."

(PR Photos)

Jim Gaffigan: “There should be a children’s song: ‘If you’re happy and you know it, keep it to yourself and let your dad sleep.’”

"Unfortunately, these narcissistic traits that made me a popular comedian do not work well for someone who truly desires to be a good husband or parent," he writes. "I’m not saying parenting cured my narcissism, but it changed me, and continues to change me every day. For me, parenting was literally a wake-up call from my own simple selfishness. In other words, I’m not quite as horrible as I used to be.”

(PR Photos)

Will Arnett: "Two nights ago I had to bribe my 3-year-old, Archie into finishing his dinner with a King Cone. That thing is half his body weight, so he was going on chocolate and sugar until 10 p.m."

(PR Photos)

Hank Azaria: "You know, there are things about it I love, and things about it I don’t. Mike Myers describes fatherhood as the kind of crush you had when you were 12—when you fell in love when you were 12 years old—but having that feeling over and over again every day. I do agree with that. Some days more than others, depending on how whiny or cranky they are. But it’s just this almost chemical, crazy, intense love, which you didn’t have since you were an adolescent. But you feel it, for sure!”

(PR Photos)

Mike Myers: "Anyone who tells you fatherhood is the greatest thing that can happen to you, they are understating it. I am the happiest I have ever been in my life. I knew I wanted to be a father, I didn’t know it was going to be this awesome or that my kid would come out so beautiful and lovely."

(PR Photos)

What words of parenting wisdom get you through the tough days?

Please, do share!

Photos: PR Photos

 

20 adorable babies making funny faces that are sure to light up your world:

What's behind Halle Berry's divorce from Olivier Martinez?

by

Sara McGinnis

posted in Celebrities

Halle Berry is gearing up for divorce number three, as news breaks she's splitting from husband Olivier Martinez -- but here's hoping there isn't another intense custody battle in her future!

The actress, who is mom to daughter Nahla and son Maceo, is calling it quits on her third marriage after just two years. Nahla, now 7, was born during her relationship with model Gabriel Aubry, while the star and soon-to-be-ex Olivier welcomed their son two years ago.

Filing for divorce on Tuesday, Halle and Olivier released a joint statement which reads, "It is with a heavy heart that we have come to the decision to divorce. We move forward with love and respect for one another and the shared focus of what is best for our son."

It can't be easy for Halle Berry to go public with news of her split. After publicly swearing she wouldn't marry in 2004, and again in 2007, the beauty accepted Olivier's proposal in 2012 and they wed in 2013. She was first married to baseball player David Justice from 1993 to 1997, and then later to musician Eric Benét from 2001 to 2005.

While going back on her promise to never again wed and then having it not work out might feel like eating a slice of humble pie, the real concern is how Halle will raise her son with Olivier. She and Gabriel, who dated from 2005 to 2010, ended up in an ugly custody battle that included restraining orders and hospital visits.

On the subject of Halle's split from Olivier, a gossiper told E! News, "They fell madly in love with one another, but at times it did feel like everything was against them. As a couple they constantly had a lot thrown at them."

Seeming to refer to Halle's custody battle over Nahla (because of which she was prevented from moving to France as she and Olivier desired), the supposed insider added:

"The stresses they were dealing with were way more than what a normal newly married couple would have to handle. While at times the problems brought them closer together and made them determined to beat the odds...with time, these things can take their toll."

This isn't the only source I saw point a finger at the custody battle as for what's to blame for this recent split.

It's certainly no secret that kids put stress on a marriage, and I can only imagine an intense, long-lasting custody battle would only make things worse. Still, I hate to see Maceo's parents split and Nahla once again be a bystander in a divorce.

My own husband and I feel the stress our kids add to our dynamic pretty intensely at times. We're darn good at being just the two of us, but with the near-constant needs of two little ones in the mix we sometimes wear thin. It'd be a lie to say we weren't looking forward to being empty-nesters in a decade or so.

But funnily enough, one of the couples we're friends with feel the opposite way. They struggle more just the two of them, and feel most on the same team when their son and daughter are around. Interesting how it's different for everyone!

How much stress would you say your kids add to your marriage?

Weigh in by commenting below!

Photo: PR Photos

 

Kim Kardashian worries for North (as her bump plays peekaboo!)

by

Sara McGinnis

posted in Celebrities

Kim Kardashian's baby bump couldn't be contained at her recent baby shower as paparazzi cameras clicked away. The reality star, who is expecting baby two with husband Kanye West, was giving their daughter North a lift when her shirt opened up and her midsection popped out!

Despite being thrilled to have their first son due to arrive on Christmas Day, Kim Kardashian recently expressed she's worried about how 2-year-old North is going to adjust to her baby brother. In a post on her site she wrote:

"Not going to lie, I’m a little nervous about bringing baby No. 2 into the mix. But Kanye and I are doing the best we can to prepare North! We read books with her about getting a baby brother and a new sibling all the time! We always say goodnight to baby brother...I know it it won’t be easy—North even has a hard time adjusting when I hold other babies!

Right now, I’m just trying to spend as much time as possible with North. I don’t have that many more nights with just me and her before the baby comes and changes her world completely. I’m really trying to spend most of my time at home so we have this special bonding time. Any other moms have this nervous feeling?"

While I'm not the spokesperson for all moms everywhere, I feel comfortable saying the answer is most definitely yes! Not only did I feel a tinge of worry going from baby one to two, I've seen dozens of moms express the same nerves on our blog over the past couple of years.

It's such a normal thing -- but the only advice I can give is not to worry.

Such an overused phrase, I know, but this is one of those things that I truly feel like magically works itself out 99 percent (if not 100 percent) of the time. Kids, especially in North's age range, are so into their own world that a little brother or sister is only something new for a brief moment and then they're back to focusing on whatever catches their eye like always. Also, it seems to me 2-year-olds are young enough that they very quickly forget their little brother or sister wasn't there all along.

That's how it worked in my family at least. Our eldest, who was 20 months when his baby brother arrived, was curious about the squirmy crying thing, then back to focusing on himself. Soon after that little bro was just an expected part of our lives.

Were you worried about your first when baby two came along? How did the transition work out?

Join the conversation

Photo: PR Photos

 

"50 Shades of Grey" ruined Carrie Underwood's baby name pick

by

Carolyn Robertson

posted in Celebrities

Like most expectant parents, singer Carrie Underwood and her husband Mike Fisher had a list of potential baby names well before their baby boy arrived.

Carrie recently revealed that she felt forced to strike one of their favorite names from the running, though, thanks to the steamy novel Fifty Shades of Grey.

"Christian was on the list too," the new mom admitted during an appearance on the TODAY Show this week. "That was when Fifty Shades of Grey was coming out, like right around that time, and I’m like, 'Christian's off the list, babe.'"

For the dozen or so people out there who haven't yet read the bestseller by E.L. James or seen the film based on it, Christian Grey is the name of its fictional and somewhat controversial anti-hero.

With Christian off the shortlist, Carrie and Mike ended up going with Isaiah instead, a biblical name meaning "salvation of the Lord."

Interestingly, 50 Shades of Grey seemed to actually inspire baby names (and baby making!) in 2012. According to BabyCenter, while Christian held steady in the top 50 names for boys, the name Grey shot up 155 spots, while Anastasia, the name of the lead female character, jumped an impressive 43 spots on the list.

I like the name Christian, but I have to say I'm with Carrie Underwood on this one. I'm clearly in the minority, but my aversion to the Fifty Shades trilogy is probably strong enough to put me off of any name associated with it.

Did you strike a baby name from your list because of a book, movie or song?

Celebrities reveal the truth behind their odd baby name picks

“When we were first pregnant, her daddy basically just said, ‘If it’s a girl I think her name should be Apple.’ It sounded so sweet, and it conjures such a lovely picture for me – you know, apples are so sweet and they’re wholesome, and it’s biblical.” ~ Gwyneth Paltrow on Apple, her daughter with ex-husband Chris Martin (REX USA)

"It's sort of an abbreviation of 'COurtney COx' ... 'CoCo.'" ~ David Arquette on Coco, his daughter with ex-wife Courteney Cox (REX USA)

"A friend of mine when I was younger was nicknamed Bear and I just had always really loved it. And he was very much a bear. He was everyone’s shoulder to cry on he was a big bear hug, he was a great figure in my life and I just had always remembered him and so that’s where it came from.... Bear’s second name is Blaze because my husband and I met in a house fire basically. The house burned down and we survived. But we wanted something of the fire and so Blaze was the name that we came up with." ~ Kate Winslet on son Bear Blaze (INFphoto.com)

“North is the most high. There is nothing higher than North…. Nothing is more special than North. Kim keeps saying, ‘She is our North Star.’” ~ Grandma Kris Jenner explains Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's baby name pick, North West (REX USA)

“She didn’t have a name for a week, we were sort of panicking. We had these other, more normal names picked out and none of them suited her. [My husband Marc Silverstein] just loved that name [Cricket]. He’s like, 'Cricket is the coolest girl in school. She’s like the camp counselor that you have a crush on.'" ~ Busy Philipps on daughter Cricket Pearl (PR Photos)

''[My daughter Maya] came up with the best excuse, [which] was that I probably wouldn't get to have any more children, so I just put every name I liked into [Luna's]. We call her Luna, so she's lucky that way. And then the rest, she can name all her own children all these interesting names. Proud, Catholic, observant!" ~ Uma Thurman on daughter Rosalind Arusha Arkadina Altalune Florence, who goes by the nickname Luna (PR Photos)

“When I delivered Haven she was born still inside the amniotic sac, which is rare. When I was in recovery we still hadn’t chosen her name. [My husband] Cash picked her up and said she came into the world in her ‘safe haven’ and it clicked right then for both of us." ~ Jessica Alba on daughter Haven Garner (REX USA)

"Seven - a lot of people assume seven is my shirt number. Part of it is but that was not the main reason. It symbolises spiritual perfection, the seven wonders of the world, seven colours of the rainbow and in many countries around the world it is regarded as lucky." ~ David Beckham on daughter Harper Seven (REX USA)

"The world is blue at its edges and in its depths. This blue is the light that got lost. Light at the end blue end of the spectrum does not travel the whole distance from the sun to us.... The sky is blue for the same reason, but the blue at the horizon, the blue of the land that seems to be dissolving into the sky, is a deeper, dreamier, melancholy blue, the blue at the farthest reaches of the places where you see for miles, the blue of distance. This light does not touch us, does not travel the whole distance, the light that gets lost, gives us the beauty of the world, so much of which is in the color blue." ~ Beyonce, mom to Blue Ivy, quoted this passage from Rebecca Solnit's 2005 novel, A Field Guide to Getting Lost. "Ivy" is thought to refer to IV, the roman numeral 4, a number special to Bey and Jay-Z. They wed on 04/04, were both born on the fourth day of the month, she has the number tattooed on her ring finger and has an album titled "4" as well. (INFphotos.com)

“We had the name before we had the baby. My husband just turned to me one night and said, ‘Story Elias Elfman,’ and I said, ‘Done—there’s nothing better than a great story.’” ~ Jenna Elfman on son Story Elias (INFphoto.com)

"I have always loved the name Rainbow. There was a girl in my school a few years younger than me named Rainbow and I was so envious of her name because it was so pretty and unusual. She was a perfectly normal, well-adjusted, sporty girl, by the way, so I'm not worried about my daughter being 'traumatized' by having an unusual name." ~ Holly Madison on daughter Rainbow Aurora (INFphoto.com)

"We wanted a word not a name, so my boyfriend read through the dictionary three or four times. We were going to call him Science, but thought it might get shortened to Sci, as in Simon." ~ Shannyn Sossamon on her son Audio Science

“Lula RosyLea decided to arrive at tea time. RosyLea is cockney rhyming slang in London for ‘cup of tea’ and the name Lula comes from Gene Vincent‘s song ‘Be-Bop-A-Lula.'" ~ Bryan Adams on daughter Lula RosyLea (PR Photos)

“The Jungle Book was something that me and Ashlee bonded over. It’s a cool name.... We came up with the idea Bronx. We’ve been throwing ideas back and forth a while. It’s kind of cool to just leave the narrative what it is. I don’t think anyone really has the real story.” ~ Pete Wentz on Bronx Mowgli, his son with ex-wife Ashlee Simpson (REX USA)

“The name Ever is a Scottish boy’s name. [My partner] Paul [Anderson] has Scottish blood in him (not to mention two tartans in his family!) so we wanted to give her a name that reflected her ‘Celtic’ roots.... [Gabo is] a mixture of my parents names!  The first two letters are after my mom’s first name, Galina and the last two letters are after my dad’s first name Bogie!” ~ Mila Jovovich on daughter Ever Gabo (PR Photos)

"It's a family name, and I liked having a boy's name." ~ Blake Lively on James, her daughter with husband Ryan Reynolds (REX USA)

"I think it’s pretty cruel to give a kid a name that others are going to have. I think it’s very important to have a unique name within any group you’re likely to be in..... I love the name Moxie, I love that’s it’s a purely American word, and those are rare, and I love that it stands for old fashioned spunk and energy. [My wife Emily Zolten] pushed for her middle name, CrimeFighter because [she] doesn’t have a middle name and thinks middle names are stupid. So, it’s just a joke. When she gets pulled over by the police she can show her license and say, ‘We’re on the same side, officer, my middle name is CrimeFighter.'" ~ Penn Jillette on daughter Moxie Crimefighter (PR Photos)

“I had to have something that combats against the Flowers." ~ Singer Brandon Flowers on son Gunner Flowers (PR Photos)

"The top tier of Mariah’s New York City apartment is called the Moroccan Room, because of the Moroccan-inspired decor. It’s also the place where Nick [Cannon] proposed to his wife, overlooking Manhattan!... [Marilyn Monroe] has been an inspiration to Mariah her whole life." ~ A statement on Mariah Carey's web site explains her twins' names, Morrocan and Monroe (REX USA)

"It's nothing shocking and nothing you'll have to add to the dictionary. Still, when people hear it they'll know why." ~ Jessica Simpson on daughter Maxwell Drew. Maxwell is her husband's grandmother's surname, and Drew is her mother's surname. (REX USA)

Photo: PR Photos