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    Jessica Ashley, Senior Editor

    Jessica Ashley, Senior Editor

  • Parents! Show Us the Valentines Your Kids Gave to You

    We stood in the grocery store last night, my son and I and 400 other people crammed into the Valentine aisle. Balloons on helium feet floated between us and he was distracted by all the chocolate roses stuck in between sections of cards. He didn't have a Valentine for me yet and with my parents out of town, there was no one to take him to the store or encourage him to glue and glitter up a storm for the holiday.So he asked me to help him. I covered my eyes as I passed one after another of the "Sons for Mothers" cards, strangely situated on the top tier far from his reach. ...

  • Bobbi Kristina Brown Hospitalized Briefly After Whitney Houston's Death

    Bobbi Kristina Brown, the 18-year-old daughter of Whitney Houston, was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center just a day after news broke of her mother's death at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, father Bobby Brown confirmed in a statement. Bobbi Kristina was released later in the day.Cause for hospitalization has not yet been confirmed. ABC reports that she was suffering from stress and anxiety, while TMZ cites a source that says she was "awake and alert" but also "hysterical, exhausted and inconsolable. ...

  • It's Already that Time: How Much Will You Pay for Summer Camp?

    It's February and whether you're shoveling snow or labeling Valentine's treats for the classroom, it's that awkward time in winter when parents have to focus on summer camp registration.Of course, there are park district camps and activities at smaller organizations that may hand out registration forms later in the spring. But many summer camps for kids require parents to line up, sign up, or even put down a hefty deposit four or more months in advance. That means summer schedules and parent wallets are already tied up. ...

  • Bald Willow Smith: What Would You Do If Your Daughter Shaved Her Head?

    When 11-year-old Willow Smith, the tween singer better known simply for being the daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, tweeted a photo of herself with a bald head last week, the buzz was about what a big departure the new 'do is following her 2010 hit "Whip My Hair." ("Hit" may be generous, but the song certainly set the youngest Smith apart from her Karate Kid-brother. ...

  • Bed-wetting's Real Cause Might Be...Poop?

    When bed-wetting gets to that point, the one where parents seek out medical advice and specialists and children are past the age when nearly every kid in their class wakes up to soaked sheets, it can become and emotional and even expensive family issue to address.But researchers have just found the remedy might be simpler than we thought. A study published in the journal Urology tracked children aged 5 to 15 in need of treatment for nighttime bed-wetting. Traditional treatments can range from restricting liquids to prescribing medications to surgery. ...

  • Katherine Heigl Lashes Out at "Dance Moms": Why Do Good Parents Still Watch This Show?

    You only need to watch a minute or two of "Dance Moms" on Lifetime to see that the show isn't at all about talented little girls in pursuit of big dreams. It's actually a show about a bullying, screaming coach and a group of mothers who fight back against her but keep enrolling their kids in the bootcamp-style dance program.The volume on those shrieking adults has turned down slightly this week. And now it's Katherine Heigl who is getting all waggy-fingered. ...

  • New Mother's Breastfeeding Video Removed from Funny or Die

    Comedian Ahna Tessler is a new mother to twins. She's also breastfeeding them. While this might not be a stand-out act for many moms, it became one when Tessler performed a skit while she was nursing the babies. Last week, the New York-based comedian filmed "Leah Got a Job" while breastfeeding twins Madalyn and Elliott on the website Funny or Die. Only hours later, the video was taken down and her account suspended.Tessler's video is short and packed full of adult language, and she assumed it was flagged because of the curse words. ...

  • How Sexy Do You Feel in Your Skin? Women's Body Image Secrets Revealed

    We can't flip more than a few pages of a magazines or scroll down through our Facebook news feed without seeing a story totally focused on how a celebrity feels about her body. Chances are, that A-lister's body is a miniscule size and any imperfections you might have seen have been craftily airbrushed out. Should she have cellulite or some other jiggly bit on her body and should she dare acknowledge that normalcy out loud, she's touted as radical or a feminist or heroic. The only way to beat that is to be a plus-sized star who says she's beautiful and loves her curves. ...

  • Worst Valentine's Day Gifts

    A donut, a card that still reeked of the gas station where it was purchased, a box half-filled with Jolly Ranchers -- these are real gifts given to real people as an expression of real love. You might find that hilarious, depressing or even all too familiar. We consider it a warning of how a lovely little romance can go terribly wrong in one awkward moment wrapped up in pink ribbon.Read more: The gifts Kate Middleton gets? Pretty amazing, put yours to shame. ...

  • Does Childhood Stress Stay with You for Your Whole Life?

    No matter how big the toothless smiles, how many toys are packed into the playroom, how perfect the family holiday photo seems, many children experience some kind of stress while they are growing up that one researcher says could stay with them into adulthood.Related: Can kids "catch" your stress?"If a child has a pervasive sense of adversity in his or her childhood for whatever reason, the brain responds to that kind of hardship by becoming more sensitized to stress," Dr. Rajita Sinha, director of the Yale Stress Center, recently explained to CNN. ...

  • Shine's Woman of the Year 2011: Here She Is!

    <a rel="nofollow" title="" target="" href="http://shine.yahoo.com/author-blog-posts/shine-woman-of-the-year-michelle-obama-335948.html"><img src="http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/470_2169349.0" title="Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is honored as Shine's Woman of the Year 2011." id="2169349" name="2169349" align="left" height="409" width="269" alt="Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is honored as Shine's Woman of the Year 2011." >Michelle Obama</a>, <a rel="nofollow" title="" target="" href="http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/shines-most-inspiring-women-of-2010-2431336.html">Sandra Bullock, Elizabeth Edwards, teen activist Constance McMillen</a>, <a rel="nofollow" title="" target="" href="http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/shine-woman-of-the-year-food-april-bloomfield-333996.html">Chef April Bloomfield</a>, and <a rel="nofollow" title="" target="" href="http://shine.yahoo.com/author-blog-posts/shines-woman-of-the-year-community-brett-blumenthal-336821.html">community member Brett Blumenthal</a> are just a few of the amazing women who have worn a crown as one of Shine's women of the year. While our editors throw out many names and list off the accomplishments and awards that make celebrities, politicians, activists, and real, hard-working women stand out in their efforts to make all of our lives better, there's always one lady who...well, <i>shines</i> brightest. <br> <br> This year, that woman is Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. At a time of great partisan divide and many controversial political issues that span abortion rights to wars, Giffords has shown the country how abiding and uniting patriotism can be. <br> <br> As 2011 opened, the representative from Arizona was shot in a brutal attack that left 14 people injured and six dead. Giffords was appearing in front of a grocery store for a "Congress on your Corner" meet-and-greet when a gunman stormed the crowd. Among the fatally wounded was <a rel="nofollow" title="" target="" href="http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/the-shooting-of-congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-and-the-language-of-violence-2438144.html">nine-year-old Christine Green,</a> a young girl who aspired to be a politician and was there to learn more about what it takes to govern a country. Giffords suffered a traumatic brain injury. <br> <br> The nation waited to see if and how Giffords would recover from, as genConnect blogger Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D noted bluntly, <a rel="nofollow" title="" target="" href="http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/behind-gabrielle-giffords-exceptional-recovery-2444183.html">"the gunshot that traveled through her brain."</a> She made it through <a rel="nofollow" title="" target="" href="http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/tragedy-in-tuscon-giffords-holding-her-own-say-doctors-2438471.html">milestones of survival</a> -- surgery, intensive care, speaking her first words aloud, re-learning how to walk and write after the trauma -- with support from her husband Mike Kelly, a former astronaut and Space Shuttle commander. <br> <br> And then in August, after many small miracles of rehabilitation, <a rel="nofollow" title="" target="" href="http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/congresswoman-gabrielle-giffords-returns-to-the-house-to-vote-on-debt-ceiling-compromise-2518585.html">Giffords appeared on the House floor</a> to vote in the final moments of debt-ceiling compromise. She received a standing ovation from her peers. The woman who was only months earlier struggling to stay alive, released this strong statement: "I strongly believe that crossing the aisle for the good of the American people is more important than party politics. I had to be here for this vote. I could not take the chance that my absence could crash our economy." <br> <br> Giffords recovery continues. Her determination to simply stand up and vote recalls the bravery and gusto of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Lucretia Mott, Harriet Tubman, and many, many other American women who persevered because they felt the call to make the country better with their own voices. <br> <br> Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi acknowledged that historical spirit in Giffords the day the congresswoman voted, saying, "Her presence today to make sure that we honor the obligations of our great country is important and symbolic. We are privileged to call her colleague. Some of us very privileged to call her friend. Throughout America, there isn't a name that stirs more love, more admiration, more respect, more wishing for our daughters to be like her, than the name of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Thank you, Gabby." <br> <br> We couldn't agree more. <br> <br> <i><b>Your votes also caused a stir! Here are the inspirational ladies you chose to honor as Shine's Reader's Choice Woman of the Year 2011. <br> <br> Who else would you like to give the crown to this year?</b></i> <br style="font-family:yui-tmp;"> <br> <img src="http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/470_2169359.0" title="Runner-up Reader's Choice: The Female American Soldier" id="2169359" name="2169359" width="470" height="705" > <br> <img src="http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/470_2169363.0" title="Runner-up Reader's Choice - First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton" id="2169363" name="2169363" width="470" height="460" > <br> <img src="http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/470_2169373.0" title="Runner-up Reader's Choice: Michelle Duggar" id="2169373" name="2169373" width="470" height="461" > <br> <img src="http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/470_2169375.0" title="Shine's Reader's Choice Woman of the Year 2011 Dr. Judy Mikovits" id="2169375" name="2169375" width="470" height="312" > <br>

  • The 10 Very Worst Holiday Gifts We've Gotten

    It needs to be said one more time -- loudly and firmly -- nobody wants a vacuum as a gift. Ever. No matter how neat-freaky she is, no matter how much he covets the kind with the super-duper HEPA filter. Not a $600 sweeper, not even a Dust Buster. Never, ever wrap up a vacuum cleaner for someone you love. <br> <br> Every year when we ask what the very worst gifts you can give or get are, many of you tell us (shouting it out emphatically in all-caps or pathetically attaching sad-face emoticons) how awful you felt opening a vacuum cleaner. We hear you. Now it's time for your boyfriends, husbands, partners, wives, girlfriends, crushes, friends to hear you. So, are we good now? <br> <br> Let's move on to all the other wonderfully bizarre, totally kooky, just-plain terrible gifts that have been passed on to us in the spirit of the season. <a rel="nofollow" title="" target="" href="http://shine.yahoo.com/love-sex/whats-worst-holiday-gift-youve-ever-gotten-173800744.html"><b>We asked you to share those crazy presents your partners have given you and you did not disappoint.</b></a> <br> <br> <i><b>Here are the best of the worst of holidays past and here's hoping this year something much shinier (and with no tubes attached for getting dust off the baseboards) is under the tree with your name on it!</b></i> <br> <img src="http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/470_2163297.0" title="Andra told us what her now-ex-husband the first year they were married: " id="2163297" name="2163297" width="470" height="393" > <br> <br> <img src="http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/470_2163305.0" title="Fuzzy seemed embarrassed to share this family secret: " id="2163305" name="2163305" height="509" width="307" > <br> <br> <img src="http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/470_2163311.0" title="What's worse than coal in your stocking? When Santa eats all the double-chocolate truffles out of the box before delivering the gift to you. Sadly, several of you have gotten the half-chowed chocolate present." id="2163311" height="496" width="330" name="2163311" > <br> <br> <img src="http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/470_2163327.0" title="Starfish was horrified to open this gift from a friend: " id="2163327" name="2163327" width="470" height="530" > <br> <img src="http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/470_2163333.0" title="Sure, our pulse quickens when we see a beautifully organized closet. But our hearts do not race to get a 12-pack of white plastic hangers for a holiday." id="2163333" name="2163333" width="470" height="313" > <br> <img src="http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/470_2163345.0" title="Lisa put a lot of thought and money into the office gift exchange. Her co-worker Secret Santa slipped up and grabbed Lisa a gift out of her own closet -- " id="2163345" height="361" width="221" name="2163345" > <br> <br> <img src="http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/470_2163355.0" title="Shine readers said the old duct tape present is practical. We say it's a top-seller for generous serial killers. If this is in your stocking, it's time to pack up the sleigh and stop celebrating with the evil elves." id="2163355" height="352" width="352" name="2163355" > <br> <img src="http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/470_2163361.0" title="Tane recalled her worst gift: " id="2163361" name="2163361" width="470" height="756" > <br> <img src="http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/470_2163371.0" title="HotMom (clearly) recounted a gift from her mother-in-law when she was a newlywed: " id="2163371" name="2163371" width="470" height="470" > <br> <img src="http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/blogs/partner/470_2163395.0" title="Once upon a Christmas, a goose lawn ornament may have been a welcome, perhaps even hilarious, gift. But not in this decade. And not if it's wearing a fully stacked bikini." id="2163395" name="2163395" width="470" height="559" > <br>

  • What's the Worst Holiday Gift You've Ever Gotten?

    It's the season of patient anticipation, of thoughtful giving, of unrelenting hope. But all that can come crashing down in the instant the wrapping paper is pulled back and an unimaginably bad gift is sitting there on your lap. And if that awful present comes from a partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband -- anyone who should know you better than an aged aunt with a bad re-gifting habit or the next-door neighbor at a White Elephant exchange -- the pain can last for years. ...

  • What's it like to be raised by two women?

    Do kids who grow up with gay parents have a different childhood than those who are raised by both a mother and a father? Not according to 19-year old Zach Wahls, a student who addressed Iowa's House of Representatives this year. Wahls, the son of a lesbian couple, gave testimony against the proposed Anti-Marriage Amendment that would repeal marriage equality in his home state. Families, whether centered around homosexual parents or heterosexual parents, Wahls says, derive their worth from the commitment they make to support each other, to work through tough times, and enjoy the good stuff together. The love that binds each person, the student asserts, is what defines a family, and state legislation won't change that.

  • The Very Best New Prevention for Flat Head Syndrome: More Cuddle Time with Your Baby

    We spend hours carefully placing our palms behind the sweet round heads of our newborns, carefully minding their soft spots, lovingly smoothing their hair with the softest of brushes. So it's no wonder we rarely talk about positional plagiocephaly, the flat head syndrome no parent wants their baby to develop.The incidence of this condition among American babies, at least in recent years, is both a blessing and a curse. ...

  • Americans' Ideal Weight is on the Rise: What Would You like to Weigh?

    It's no surprise that the scales are tipping in an unhealthy direction for many Americans. That's already resulting in higher rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, cancers, osteoarthritis, gynecological issues, strokes, and other obesity-related conditions, as well as having a big economic impact in the workplace, in schools, and on the healthcare system. But it's also effecting our dreams of how much we'd like to weigh, according to Gallup's Health and Healthcare Survey. ...

  • What Are Your Tips for Keeping Christmas Small for Your Kids?

    No matter what winter holiday your family celebrates, many of us share the problem of sticking to a budget, particularly among parents. Choosing gifts for our kids suddenly becomes showering our children with more toys, books, clothes, and doo-dads than can possibly fit in their bins, rooms, and the out-of-control storage space in the basement.I am definitely one of those mothers who goes weak when I'm standing in the Lego aisle or reading through my boy's list while filling my shopping cart online. ...

  • Do You Need to Be Pregnant to Wear Maternity Clothes?

    It has happened to all of us, right? We've all, at one time or another of combing through the clearance rack at Target, found the perfect sweater dress or an adorable skirt, only to discover next that it has room enough for a beach ball in the front or a six-inch elastic waistband.And if you are nodding your head, remembering one (or ten) of those moments, then I imagine you're with the rest of us who've then had the pause that follows. The one...two...three as we try to convince ourselves it's really OK to wear maternity clothes. Even if we're not pregnant. ...

  • Be Honest: Do You Let Your Kids Wear Winter Gear That's Too Small?

    Let this day mark the beginning of winter. No, it's not December 21st, nor is it snowing yet. I know it is the start of the season because I spent a half-hour this morning convincing my kid into his winter coat.He was mad that the down makes it "too fluffy and big." He was not convinced the built-in fingerless gloves would make cold-weather monkey-bar tricks a breeze. He oppressed that I made him stick a knit hat in his pocket, just in case.While all this whining was going on, I was thanking the fickle gods of children's clothes that the spendy jacket I bought last year still fit. ...

  • 10 Funny New Year's Resolutions

    The Thanksgiving leftovers aren't even gone but the murmurs of New Year's resolutions can already be heard. Before your kids, your co-workers, and all those fashion mags piled up in your mailbox start hounding you about shedding weight, toning up,and finally canning the 7-a-day Diet Coke habit, why don't we take a moment to stop and enjoy the bad habits we are relishing right now?Eventually you will have to power up the treadmill, step away from the holiday party buffet, and snub out those smokes (even if they are only for social occasions). ...