Tag Archives: Children

Rebekah Brooks Expecting First Child

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Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks is expecting her first child with racehorse trainer husband Charlie.

The couple are having the child through a surrogate. They are the biological parents and it will be born in February 2012.

Brooks’s spokesperson David Wilson said in a statement released on November the 17th: “Charlie and Rebekah are overjoyed. While the pregnancy has not been without its difficulties and sadness, Charlie and Rebekah are obviously hoping for a very happy ending to almost five years of trying to conceive themselves.

“Both parents are acutely aware of the infertility problems encountered by many other couples, and in the longer term hope to recognise their own good fortune by working in some way to help others facing similar challenges.”

The couple are having a girl, who was originally one of twins, but one of the twins died earlier in the pregnancy.

The surrogate mother wishes to remain anonymous.

How To Survive Travelling With Teenagers.

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Thelma & Louise’s Travel With Teens Survival Guide

Members of the women’s online travel community have offered their top tips for avoiding the holiday hell of teenage tantrums

Members of women’s online travel community Thelma & Louise aren’t keeping to the “Mum’s the Word” mantra of old when it comes to dealing with wayward teens on their travels. Travelling with a teenager can bring a host of challenges, but the Thelma & Louise ladies have been sharing their top tips on the best ways to travel without a teenage tantrum in sight.

The women-only website (www.thelmaandlouise.com) has members of all ages, and although the site is a tool to meet like-minded travel companions, many members have husbands and families at home. When a member asked a question about the best ways to family fun, not holiday hell, other mums were quick to share their tips.

Thelma & Louise member Deborah Klaassen, who has also written on this topic for the Airtours blog, said, “Relaxing holidays might seem beyond reach when teenagers are involved, but there is a way to get through travelling with teens. I suggest starting the holiday off on the right foot with generosity and kindness, and make sure teens don’t get bored by bringing games, magazines and other things that they might find interesting.”

“If teens start to act up, try to understand what they’re going through. Don’t be too harsh if you feel that they’re spoiling the holiday by being moody, lazy or difficult. Have some empathy. Don’t make fun of them, embarrass them or tell their secrets. All you can do is address these subjects in private.”

Seeming to join the discussion, Psychotherapist Kitty Hagenbach wrote in The Times Weekend in early November 2011, “Before puberty there’s a huge increase in the number of neurones in the brain. At puberty these are pruned back so we can become ready for the complexities for adult life… The brain is effectively being completely rewired, so parents need to moderate their expectations. You can’t expect someone to behave in an adult way when he or she is in a half-baked place”

Christine Davies, one of the founders of Thelma & Louise knows all too well the trials and tribulations of teen travel. “I was blessed with twins, so had double the trouble when we travelled as a family. Although we had our moments, now my family is fully grown we cherish the times we spent on adventures together. To see Thelma & Louise members inspiring and guiding each other on matters like this brings another great resource to the website – real advice for real women. Long may it continue.”

Inspired by the great advice coming from the members, Thelma & Louise have drawn up a survival guide for travel with teenagers:

1. STAY CONNECTED: For the Facebook generation nothing is more important that staying in touch with their friends. Allow teens an allotted amount of time each day to read their mail and chat online with their friends. If they have this time to connect and chat, they will be more willing to do family activities as well.

2. PRIVACY & SPACE: Give teens some space to be themselves. Consider booking them their own room, or interconnecting rooms so supervision is close but not too close. Give them the opportunity to learn to do things on their own, obviously making sure that they are safe. They should learn that responsibility will bring trust and freedom.

3. CHOICE: Ask teens in advance to make a contribution to the holiday in the form of ideas and suggestions. Ask them to draw up a list of things that they would like to do, and try to dedicate time to activities they’ve chosen. A fresh approach to travel or a new activity might bring joy to all the family.

4. FREEDOM: Discuss your rules with teens, and listen to their objections. Denying them the right to freedom altogether is setting up for a failure. Tell teens where they are and where they aren’t allowed to go, what behaviour is acceptable, and what time they have to be back. Be strict about these rules, but be reasonable too.

5. TECHNOLOGY: Take at least two mobile phones on holiday, ensuring they function abroad, so a teen can carry one if they spend time away from the family. Explain that they’ll have to pay the bill themselves if they use the phone to call their friends back home.

6. WOW FACTOR: Think of a way to give teens a special experience during the holiday, something that they will never forget. If they are looking forward to something that will make their friends say, “Wow, I wish my parent would do that”, their interest will be peaked. Look out for a local concert, a theme park, an adrenalin sport or an activity popular with their idols.

7. CRUISE: On a family-friendly cruise line, life on the ocean waves is a fantastic holiday for teens. Many modern ships are filled with activities, special attractions and experiences that appeal to a young crowd. Encourage teens to make friends as they will be in a fairly safe environment and can be independent for most of the time.

8. PATIENCE: Avoid escalating fraught situations by learning what is really important and what doesn’t matter in the bigger picture. Conflict isn’t always avoidable, but be reasonable and don’t lose your temper. And keep in mind that teens will eventually grow out of it.

As one member said, “I’m sure I was a horrible teenager to travel with, but now I’m really grateful my parents dragged me around lots of incredible places and gave me many amazing memories.”

Thelma & Louise is a free, online community where women, friendship and travel come together. For more information or to become a member, please go to www.thelmandlouise.com

Angelina Jolie's Directorial Debut, Trailer Released.

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If there was an award for over-achieving Angelina Jolie would definitely win it, an Oscar winning actor, six children, Brad Pitt on her arm, and an activist.

Layed up with flu for a few days and quarantined from her children, she banged out the script for ‘In the Land of Blood and Honey’, her directorial debut. A women of substance, Jolie’s debut is a political film about the war in Bosnia. It looks amazing, and we can’t wait to see it. Check it out below.

In the Land of Blood and Honey opens on Dec. 23.

Blake New YA ebook by Sarahjane Funnell

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Children’s Author Sarahjane Funnell has published her
first YA fantasy story entitled Blake, launching as an
ebook with Amazon and myebook.com on Monday 10th
October 2011, published by Gibson Publishing.

Blake, downloadable for £2.99, is the latest literary addition
to her published repertoire, which includes the short story
Princess Rose and the Royal Tea Castle published within
the middle grade Children’s Anthology A Pocketful of Moondust.
Blake is an aloof and mysterious guy. He possesses a sharp glint in his eye and
harbours a hidden secret. Ebony, a schoolgirl, becomes completely mesmerised
by him and his strange character. Longing to unveil just what it is that makes
Blake so different, Ebony desperately searches for him to find the answer. When
Ebony finally has an opportune moment to discover the secret that surrounds
Blake, she learns that it is not only he who hides an unknown identity but that she
too has an inner secret that stretches far beyond her own existence. An unknown
secret that changes not only her thoughts and the ways of the world but also her
physical human form.

Blake is a captivating short story that will spark the imagination of Young Adult
readers, taking them on an emotive journey of self-discovery within two
contrasting worlds. Featuring rich language and powerful emotion, Blake is
perfect for readers looking for an introduction to fantasy fiction or shorter reading.

A Promising Taste for Adventure

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Despite reporting the fussy and faddy eating you might expect from toddlers, the Toddler ‘Census’ commissioned by growingupmilkinfo.com, a website for parents seeking information about toddler nutrition, revealed today’s toddlers have some adventurous tastes. 30% of toddlers had tried olives, 30% had tried smoked salmon and over one in ten had tried sushi! Plus, 17% had tried granola and 5% had tried lobster!

Whilst some of these foods might be too high in salt for toddlers to eat everyday, an adventurous palate and wide range of tastes is to be encouraged says child nutritionist Amanda Ursell, who adds: “Even ‘everyday’ staple foods can take ten or more tries before toddlers will accept eating them.”

The ‘Census’ gives some fresh perspective on “the state of the toddler nation’s plates”, with eight out of ten parents questioned unaware that toddlers require different nutritional supplements to support this extraordinary period of growth and development. Six out of ten mums surveyed for the study said they were unaware of the UK Departments of Health recommendation that toddlers should receive a daily supplement containing vitamins A, C and D and responses showed 74% of toddlers are not given these extra vitamins

Visit growingupmilkinfo.com for more information and Q&A with experts, and to see a sweet animation of this period of extraordinary growth visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx7gUu1-FX4

David Beckham to be a delicate dad

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David Beckham is learning to be more “delicate” with his newborn daughter.

The soccer star and fashion designer wife Victoria – who already have three sons, Brooklyn, 12, Romeo, eight and six-year-old Cruz together – welcomed little Harper Seven into the world on Sunday and he admits having a girl is different to having boys.

In a video on his Facebook page, he said: “To have another girl in the family is really incredible. We’ve got three beautiful, healthy boys already and we’re so lucky to have that and now to have a beautiful little girl, it’s amazing.

“Having a daughter is a whole new thing. Having pink in the house and lilac in the house. And you have to be a lot more delicate with girls than with boys and I’m not used to that so it’s a whole new experience but it’s an amazing experience. To have that little bundle of joy and your hands and her making her little noises and opening her eyes – it really is an incredible moment for us.”

The British athlete – who wore the number seven on the back of his shirt for many years – also spoke about the reasons behind Harper’s name.

He said: “A lot of thought goes into our children’s names and Harper was a name we’ve loved for a long time for a couple of reasons.

“One is them was because Harper is an old English name which we loved and one of the other reasons is because Victoria’s favourite book is ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ and the author was Harper Lee. And it’s a very strong passionate book so that’s where Harper came from.

“And Seven is partly because of the shirt number I wore for many years because I had so much luck around wearing that number and it was such an influential number throughout my career and a lucky number but that wasn’t the main reason. The reason behind Seven is that it symbolises spiritual perfection and is a lucky number around the world. We love the name. We love Harper Seven and we’re very proud of having her in our family.”

Motherhood has given Alicia Keys a “reason in life”.

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The ‘Empire State of Mind’ hitmaker – who has an eight-month-old son, Egypt, with husband Swizz Beatz – says becoming a mum has changed her life in a “fun” way.

She explained: “Motherhood is heaven. It’s so purposeful and such fun. I feel much wiser in the choices I make. I have a reason in life I never had before.”

Alicia’s new outlook on life is a far cry from when the 30-year-old singer first found success and she admitted her fame was “scary” to begin with.

She told the Daily Mail newspaper: “I suddenly found myself doing tours, TV shows and flying every day.

“Everyone wanted a piece of me and that was scary. Being from New York, I covered that up.”

Now with a successful career and a happy personal life, Alicia is looking to the future and first on the agenda is a collaboration with Kings of Leon.

She said: “For a while I’ve wanted to do something with Kings of Leon. I definitely want to do it – I’m just waiting for the right moment.”

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have to "hide behind some walls" to escape their celebrity status.

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The ‘Tree of Life’ star – who raises children, Maddox, nine, Pax, seven, Zahara, six, Shiloh five and two-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne with the 36-year-old actress – thinks he now has his lifestyle down “pretty well” after spending 10 years getting used to being known as one of the world’s most famous actors.

He said: “It took me a good decade of hiding in my house and not going outside to even, like, get my arms around this idea of celebrity, where suddenly people are looking for you to pick your nose or get a shot of you kissing some woman.

“It’s a very discombobulating thing. But Angie and I have got it down pretty well. We have to hide behind some walls, but we’re good.”

Despite being happy with his domestic life, the 47-year-old hunk still struggles with his views on religion – having been brought up in the mid-west of the US, which well-known for its Christian views.

He told the Guardian newspaper: “I grew up in the f**king buckle of the Bible belt.

“This idea of an all-powerful, watching being that’s controlling our moves and giving us a chance to say he’s the greatest so we get into some eternal heaven – that just doesn’t work for me, man. I got a real problem with it.

“I see the value of religion and what it offers to people as a cushion and I don’t want to step on that. On the other hand, I’ve seen where I grew up how it becomes separatist, and I get quite aggravated and antagonistic.”