David Beckham shows off his sewing talent in precious photo

by

Stacy-Ann Gooden

posted in Celebrities

David Beckham shows off his sewing talent in a precious photo posted on Instagram, proving that the traditional role of today's fathers are changing.

It’s not often that you see a dad stitching a dress for his daughter’s doll? So you can imagine my pleasant surprise when I came across a picture that Victoria Beckham shared of husband, David Beckham sewing a dress for their 4-year-old’s toy.

“Harper has daddy stitching her dollies dresses!!! We love you @davidbeckham #lovingdaddy #proudmummy #familyfun,” the 41-year-old mom of four and former Spice Girl wrote.

Dressed in gray sweats with what appears to be a step by step tutorial on his lap, Beckham diligently stitches away.

The 40-year-old former professional soccer player retired over two years ago and has settled into his daddy role quite well.

He said that it’s nice to spend quality time with his family after spending over 20 years traveling to soccer games.

"To be honest, I’ve become a taxi driver overnight with the kids. I’m literally an Uber driver now," Beckham said on “Jimmy Kimmel Live back in 2015”

Now this precious sewing moment is a true testament of how much the role of fatherhood has changed over the years, especially here in the United States.

According to Pew Research Center, fathers who live with their children are taking a more active role in caring for them and helping out around the house.

The research center also reports that the traditional roles of moms and dads are coming together. Even though there is still a significant gap, more mothers are working outside of the home. However, fathers have taken on more housework and child care duties over the years.

“They’ve more than doubled time spent doing household chores and nearly tripled time spent with children since 1965.”

In addition to house work and child care, Pew Research Center claims that 7% of American fathers with children work outside of the home, which is about 2 million dads - up from 4% in 1989.

That may not seem like much to some, but does show a trend. I’ve certainly seen a difference from when I was a child. Some of my friends’ moms stayed home, while their dads worked outside of the home.

I actually grew up in a household where my mom wore different hats. She worked several jobs, took care of us and managed household duties. My father, on the other hand, primarily worked outside of the home. My husband experienced similar circumstances.

Now that we’ve become parents, we’ve managed to split duties right down the middle. My husband has yet to sew any of our daughter’s doll dresses, but you can often find him taking over hairstyling duties.

So what do you think about David Beckham sewing dresses for Harper's doll, and the role of today's dad?

Leave a comment

Photo: Wikimedia/ US EMbassy London

Stacy-Ann Gooden is a freelance weather anchor in New York City. But her most important roles are being a wife and mom. She writes about raising children to weather the storm in her blog, Weather Anchor Mama. You can also follow her on Facebook, twitter, and Youtube.

Adele & 10 more celebrity moms talk breastfeeding troubles

by

Sara McGinnis

posted in Celebrities

Ask Adele what she thinks of the pressure new moms get to breastfeed, and you're going to get an earful.

The singer is one of many celebrity moms who've opened up about their nursing struggles, despite it being more common for stars to focus on the bright sides of breastfeeding. Take a look:

"I had my heart set on breastfeeding, but I wasn't producing enough milk," Kelly Rowland told Parents magazine after welcoming her first child, a son named Titan. Sharing she eventually supplemented with formula, the singer added, "I got down on myself, which I think was mentally limiting my supply."

(PR Photos)

"I did nipple shields, nipple guards, supplemental nursing system, it was horrible," Molly Sims said while opening up about trying to feed her son -- who was born with a tooth -- during an appearance on Anderson Live. "He was literally like a vampire on me for three months; it was unbelievable. Cut to: I'm not breastfeeding and I'm proud of it."

"When Brooks was born, my milk never came in, and I tried to breastfeed for three months," the model mom shared during another interview. "I felt awful and ashamed. I wanted to breastfeed because it’s so good for the baby, so I worked with a lactation specialist. After three months, she said, ‘You’re done. You don’t have any milk.’ I’ll try breastfeeding again, but if it doesn’t work, I won’t push it."

(PR Photos)

"You feel guilty about every single thing, every decision you make, everything you do," Carrie Underwood told People while opening up about being a new mom to Isaiah.

When asked about breastfeeding the singer shared she was trying to keep it up for "as long as I can take it. It’s hard. My supply is pretty nil. We have to supplement with formula. I’m doing the best that I can, you know?"

(PR Photos)

"I’m 10% breastfeeding now," Bethenny Frankel told Parade in 2010, when her daughter Bryn was 3 months old. "And I feel guilty about that and like a failure."

When Bryn was just a few weeks old, Bethenny revealed that breastfeeding was “the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life."

(PR Photos)

"For me, I had to have a a breast reduction in my early 20s and at that time I couldn't even fathom having children," Ricki Lake explained while talking about her breastfeeding experience with The Stir.

"I was able to breastfeed but not solely, I had to supplement. I had to have a lactation specialist come to my home and help me. I could afford one, but it was not easy for me.

"I remember feeling disappointed, like my body failed me in some way. It was hard for me. With my second son in 2001, I had donated breast milk from people sent to me in weekly jars."

(PR Photos)

"It went without saying that I would breastfeed my kid," Elisa Donovan told People in 2014.

"I was utterly and completely unprepared for the reality that I couldn’t do it. Not only was it not working, and excruciatingly painful for me beyond anything imaginable (yes, even beyond the pain of labour), I also realised that (wait for it, this is gonna be a doozy) … I HATED IT."

The actress went on to say, "Everyone is well aware of the benefits of breastfeeding, and there is a plethora of information out there in support of it. Yet there is zero info on what to do if you are one of those women who can’t — or who chooses not to."

(PR Photos)

Una Healey talked latching troubles with baby two during a Hello! Magazine interview by sharing, "The day my milk came in I couldn’t get Tadhg to latch on."

The Saturdays singer went on to share, "I had a bit of a meltdown, sobbing, ‘It’s only been three days, I feel like such a failure.’ But I got a breast pump and expressed three ounces. The relief was incredible."

(PR Photos)

"It was so hard. It became stressful because I really wanted to try and breastfeed him, me and Justin were up every hour of the night," Kimberley Walsh said while talking breastfeeding struggles as part of the AOL Original series, Being Mum.

"We would squeeze out the tiniest little bit of colostrum, syringing it into his mouth, just to try and give him what he needs. "

"I think there is so much pressure on women, breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed," the singer added. "I just didn't want to feel like I’d given up."

(PR Photos)

"My boobs are killing me. I feel like my nipples are going to fall off," Snooki said in 2014, shortly after welcoming daughter Giovanna.

"With Lorenzo, I didn’t actually latch on. I just did the pump, so it didn’t hurt that bad,” she went on to elaborate. "But with Giovanna, I tired to latch on at the hospital and she latched on right away. So I said, ‘You know what? Let me just do this until I get my milk in and then I’ll just go straight to pumping, but Giovanna has been on my boob every single hour for the past four days, and my nipple is going to fall off. I can’t feel it! It’s so painful, but I gotta do what I gotta do because I feel like my breast milk is the best milk for my baby."

(PR Photos)

Ali Landry saw her hopes of longterm breastfeeding disappear when her daughter was 10 months old.

"As a new mom, I was determined to ... nurse as long as possible, but when her teeth came in she started biting me," she explained.

"I talked to other moms, my doctor, and a lactation consultant in search of a solution, but nothing helped. I even tried hand-expressing my milk directly into her mouth, in a desperate hope that I could nurse without letting her little piranha teeth anywhere near me, but in the end, I decided it was time to wean."

(PR Photos)

When asked about "breastfeeding mummies" during a concert, Adele took the opportunity to let her true feelings be known.

"You know what, the pressure on us is f--king ridiculous," the singer told the crowd.

She continued, "You can go f--k yourself, alright? Because it’s hard. Some of us can’t do it!…Some of my mates got post-natal depression from the way those midwives were talking. Idiots."

(PR Photos)

The Daily Mail reports Adele went on to reveal she struggled to feed her son, Angelo, after he was 9 months old.

"Breastfeed if you can but don’t worry, [formula milk] Aptamil’s just as good," she explained. "I mean, I loved it, all I wanted to do was breastfeed and then I couldn’t and then I felt like, 'if I was in the jungle now back in the day, my kid would be dead because my milk’s gone,'" which caused the audience to chuckle.

It's no laughing matter for Adele, however. She pointed out, "It's not funny that’s how some of us think."

Adele's comment are said to be in response to celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who was recently blasted for "mansplaining breastfeeding" as being easy and free for all moms.

Though it's easier to turn up quotes from famous moms about how much they loved breastfeeding, I do believe we're starting to see more and more moms come forward about how hard it can be -- sometimes even impossible. As someone who has found solace in simply knowing I'm not alone in some of my own struggles, I'm all for this conversation picking up steam!

Can you relate to Adele or any of the other moms featured here?

Join the conversation

Photos: PR Photos

 

A peek at bottle feeding, as complied by Melissa Willets. Photos include hers, those of friends, and even a few names you may recognize as part of our blog team:

 

Jennifer Garner's brutally honest parenting advice is perfect

by

Carolyn Robertson

posted in Celebrities

When you're expecting your first child, it can seem like absolutely everyone has some words of wisdom to share.

People will practically line up to offer advice on pregnancy, breastfeeding, childbirth. When your baby arrives, it continues: This is how to get her to sleep, this is how to feed him, here's how you should hold her. On and on it goes.

As a mom of three, Jennifer Garner no doubt has learned some tried and true parenting tricks. Her only advice, though, is that it might be best to just skip the advice all together.

During a recent visit with late night host Seth Meyers, who is expecting baby #1 with his wife Alexi Ashe, Jennifer provided a bit of brutally honest, but totally spot-on, insight.

"Everyone gives you so much advice," the Miracles From Heaven star, who has kids Violet, 10, Seraphina, 7, and Samuel, 4, with her ex Ben Affleck, said. "There are a lot of 'experts' out there and as much as you think, 'I'm going to follow what this person says, I'm going to follow what that person says, I'm going to read this book and I'm going to have this birth plan' - it's not up to you, dude."

Rather than try to strive for perfection or figure it all out, Jennifer, 43, advised Seth to just accept the fact that parenthood is going to be hard. No matter what.

"It doesn't matter. Let it go. Don't worry about it," she said with a smile. "You're going to struggle. It's going to suck just like for everyone else. Just know in your head this is all going to go to hell in a hand basket."

A little harsh, perhaps, but I actually love this. No two kids are alike, so you're not likely to find a one-size-fits-all parenting strategy. What works for your friend's or neighbor's or sister-in-law's kid may very well backfire completely when you try it with your own.

And yes, it's hard. It's so hard sometimes! Despite your best intentions and thoughtful planning, there will be moments and days when it feels like nothing is going right. I think it helps just to know that, so when it happens we don't feel as though we're failing.

What do you think of Jennifer's advice?

Moms share the worst parenting and pregnancy advice they've ever received:

Photos: PR Photos, REX Features

This part of parenting brings out the worst in Gwyneth Paltrow

by

Sara McGinnis

posted in Celebrities

Gwyneth Paltrow knows all too well that most of us aren't just whipping up Goop-worthy grub for ourselves -- we've got families to feed no matter if we're rich and famous or not. Apparently that's why the mother of two has turned the focus of her latest cookbook to the kids.

I don't have a copy of It's All Easy: Delicious Weekday Recipes for the Super-Busy Home Cook, so I'm going to go ahead and let E! News tell you about all the celebrity tots the actress name-drops in the dedication:

Apple, 11, and Moses, 9...Beyoncé and Jay Z‘s 4-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter; Rob Lowe and Sheryl Berkoff's sons Matthew, 22, and John Owen, 20; Drew Barrymore and Will Kopelman's daughters Olive, 3, and Frankie, 1; Ryan Murphy and David Miller's sons Logan, 3, and Ford, 1; Nicole Richie and Joel Madden's daughter [Harlow], 8, and son Sparrow, 6; and Jerry Seinfeld and Jessica Seinfeld's kids Sascha, 15, Julian, 13, and Shepherd, 10.

Whew! That's quite the crowd of Tinseltown tots to call close pals.

The latest batch of the Goop creator's recipes are touted as "surprisingly tasty, with little or no sugar, fat, or gluten."

While promoting her new book, Gwyneth Paltrow talked school lunches on The Kyle and Jackie O radio show by saying, "Luckily, they serve lunch at school so that's like, one thing that is off my plate, thank God. And when they go on a field trip...it's like, when they were younger, it was like, 'Oh, I'm gonna make, you know, a little soba noodle salad and a little wrap and all this stuff and now literally, I'm like, 'Here's a Nutella sandwich. Have a good time.'"

As for the rest of being a school mom, it turns out this inventor of the modern woman is no fan of homework.

"It's where the worst part of my personality comes out," the 43-year-old said. "I'm so pretty much calm and normal and patient and a nice person but [with] homework time, I'm such an a--hole."

"I think it's a combination of their frustration about it, like they don't want to do it but they have to do it, so then I, you know, it's kind of like, you know, 'You have to do your homework' and they don't want to do it. Especially with my son. My daughter is very responsible—she'll just go do it, but he, there's just a whole process that he goes through and he doesn't want to do it and then we have to wrangle him to the table and then I don't even understand his math homework so it's like, it's just so many things going wrong at one particular point. It's so frustrating."

Now I'm not normally one to rush aboard the Goop train, but good golly -- I totally get Gwyneth on this one. The moment your kids start having homework you're once again having homework, and I must say I surely didn't miss it all those years between when I was a student and they became one.

In our house I avoid the schoolwork as much as possible. My daily duties include cooking dinner and cleaning up, which I'm happy to take over combing through folders and trying to recall how to multiply fractions. I will say that recently my younger son had a writing assignment that I was able to get into, but for the most part homework and I try and avoid each other as much as possible.

I am very lucky that (so far) my two boys have been responsible, diligent and fairly capable on their own when it comes to their schoolwork. My heart goes out to any parent who not only is going through the general homework struggles but is also dealing with bigger issues. It's no small thing to raise a big kid!

What's the homework situation like in your house? Are you interested in trying any of Gwyneth Paltrow's recipes for kids?

Share here

Photo: Benjamin Lozovsky/BFA/REX/Shutterstock

 

More stars who've written books for parents and kids:

No, Jessica Biel isn't pregnant... she just "has a gut"

by

Carolyn Robertson

posted in Celebrities

Hold off on the congratulations... Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel aren't expecting a baby brother or sister for their 11-month-old son Silas just yet.

Rumors started circulating earlier this month that the actress and restaurateur was pregnant again - maybe even with twins.

"They like the idea of having their kids close in age so that they can go to the same schools together," one "friend" revealed to the tabloids. "They are both ecstatic about becoming new parents again and are already talking about baby names."

However, Jessica revealed this week during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that the speculation actually has no basis in reality. For the record, she isn't pregnant.

“I don’t even know what to say about these things,” the 34-year-old actress admitted. “I feel like, ‘Man, I thought I was doing good with my yoga practice.’ I thought I was in the gym, but no. I have a gut apparently.”

Jessica joked that when she heard the baby news she called her husband - just to make sure she hadn't missed the memo.

"I called Justin. I was like, ‘Are we [having another baby?] No? Oh, okay. Cool,' He usually knows more that I do about everything."

The perks of fame are plentiful, but I think I'd find the constant pregnancy speculation pretty hard to handle. It must be a blow to your self-confidence to have tabloid covers circling your "baby bump" in red ink every time you eat an extra taco at lunch!

I think my favorite celebrity response to tabloid "baby watch" came from Jessica's friend Jennifer Garner, who publicly embraced her "forever bump."

“Hold up, hold right up,” the mom-of-three declared in 2014. “I am not pregnant, but I have had three kids and there is a bump! From now on, ladies, I will have a bump. And it will be my baby bump. And let’s just all settle in and get used to it. It’s not going anywhere. I have a bump, its name is Violet, Sam, Sera.”

Love it!

Stars who really are welcoming babies in 2016...

Ronnie Wood and Sally Humphreys are soon going to have twins on their hands!

The Rolling Stones guitarist, who celebrated turning 68 in 2015, will add the twosome into his family line. He has four grown children — Jamie, 41, Jesse, 39, Leah, 37, and Tyrone, 32 — from his previous marriages as well as 10 grandchildren.

(PR Photos)

Though Anne Hathaway was reluctant to confirm happy news herself, the actress is going to become a first-time mom in 2016.

Opening up about the star and husband Adam Shulman anticipating a bundle of joy, a source told People in late 2015, "Anne is in her second trimester and feeling great."

In January 2016 the star let it be known for sure she's expecting, by posting a bump-baring bikini photo!

(PR Photos)

2016 will see the arrival of Soleil Moon Frye and Jason Goldberg's fourth child!

The little one will be welcomed into the family by sisters Poet Sienna Rose and Jagger Joseph Blue, as well as soon-to-be-big-brother Lyric Sonny Roads.

(PR Photos)

Cat Deely is all set to give parenting a spin in the coming year. The Dancing With the Stars host is currently expecting her and husband Patrick Kielty's first child, and the pair "are so happy to be expecting our first child in the spring."

(PR Photos)

The One Direction boys are growing up fast with Louis Tomlinson set to be the first of the band to become a father.

It was revealed in July that he and stylist Briana Jungwirth are expecting their first child. Although the pair aren't together, he plans to be a "hands on" dad.

(PR Photos)

Jessica Capshaw and Christopher Gavigan are once again expanding their brood, and are set to welcome baby number four into the bunch!

Sharing a sweet photo in late 2015 the Grey's Anatomy actress wrote, "This year our family has reason to further broaden our smile … baby number four is on the way!! I am a lucky, lucky girl…"

The happy pair are already parents to son Luke Hudson, and daughters Eve Augusta and Poppy James.

(PR Photos)

Actress Morena Baccarin is gearing up to welcome her second child, while her beau, actor Ben McKenzie, is about to become a first-time father.

A bit of gossip swirled when news of the pregnancy went public, as Morena is still married to estranged director/writer Austin Chick, but an insider assured the new pair are "very excited" about the baby they'll welcome in 2016.

(PR Photos)

Kimberly and James Van Der Beek are also gearing up to welcome baby four!

In November she announced the pregnancy via Instagram, writing, "So grateful to share with you today that we’re pregnant with our fourth child!"

As of the end of 2015 their kids names and ages are Olivia, 5, Joshua, 3½, and Annabel Leah, 21 months.

(PR Photos)

Kelly Clarkson confirmed her second pregnancy in dramatic fashion, in a reveal that even surprised her!

After being unable to get through an emotional song without tearing up on stage the mother of River Rose explained her heightened emotions to the crowd by saying, "This is not how I wanted to announce [that I'm pregnant]. My make-up artist is backstage hating me. I didn't want you to think I'm on pills or something."

(PR Photos)

Jamie Dornan (known to many out there as Christian of Fifty Shades of Grey fame) is going to have 10 more tiny fingers and 10 more tiny toes to care for in 2016.

It's reported the actor's wife, Amelia Warner, is pregnant again. The two first became parents with the arrival of daughter Dulcie in November 2013.

(PR Photos)

Michael Bublé and Luisana Lopilato confirmed they are expecting their second child with a little help from their firstborn.

Posting a video of their 1-year-old son, Noah, they let him do the talking by saying "Baby" while pointing at his mother's stomach.

(PR Photos)

Chad Lowe confirmed in mid-December that his family is set to grown once again. The actor, who is raising daughters Mabel and Fiona with wife Kim, tweeted: "My wife @ikimlowe and I are thrilled to announce that our family is growing! Baby number 3 due this spring! #Blessed!"

(PR Photos)

Seth Meyers and Alexi Ashe are stepping into parenthood for the first time in 2016.

"The couple was sharing the exciting news with friends and cast members at [a recent] event," a source explained while spilling the baby news beans to People. "Everyone was coming up and congratulating the couple and giving them hugs. Seth and Alexi were beaming about the news of their baby!"

(PR Photos)

Chelsea Clinton is gearing up to have a very busy year, with both the arrival of baby two and the 2016 presidential election happening in her family!

The mother of Charlotte, 15 months as of the end of 2015, announced the pregnancy news by tweeting, "Next summer, Charlotte is going to be a big sister! Feeling very blessed & grateful this holiday season."

(PR Photos)

While Eddie Murphy is gearing up to welcome his ninth child, his girlfriend, Paige Butcher, is on her way to becoming a first-time mom.

The 54-year-old actor is already dad to Eric, 26, Christian, 25, Bria, 25, Myles, 22, Shayne, 21, Zola, 15, and Bella, 13, as well as his 8-year-old daughter Angel with Melanie Brown.

(PR Photos)

Heather Morris turned to a hashtag to announce her second pregnancy, sharing a photo of her midsection on social media and adding "#thegrowinghubbels."

The baby will be welcomed by the Glee star, husband Taylor Hubbel, and their firstborn, son Elijah.

(PR Photos)

Lisa Ling's pregnancy news went public in mid-December, as it was confirmed that she and husband Paul Song are set to welcome another bundle of joy.

The journalist lost a child in 2007 before their daughter, Jett, was welcomed in March 2010.

(PR Photos)

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are undoubtedly looking forward to becoming first-time parents in 2016.

Before learning their baby-on-the-way is a girl the famous pair shared, "John and I are so happy to announce that we are pregnant!

"As many of you know, we’ve been trying to have a baby for a while now. It hasn’t been easy, but we kept trying because we can’t wait to bring our first child into the world and grow our family."

(PR Photos)

Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas are expecting baby two, which will be a little brother or sister for their son Oliver.

The proud dad previously gushed to People, "It’s extraordinary because she is, literally, the greatest mother that I know. It’s extraordinary to have your partner, who you’ve known all this time, blossom into this woman … who is so nurturing, so caring and just so cool. She’s so cool and she’s a cool mom. It’s great."

(PR Photos)

Photo: Billy Farrell/BFA/REX/Shutterstock