I hope you're sitting down because I have some amazing Serial-related news that risks knocking your socks off. There's a new podcast, S-Town, arriving courtesy of the team behind Serial and it's dropping in March 2017 . Well, I should clarify: All of the episodes are being released in March 2017 as well. Clear your calendar for the entire month of March because whenever S-Town drops, it's probably going to consume your life and leave you wrecked (that's a good thing, my dudes).
So what exactly is S-Town all about? Per the deliciously detailed press release, S-Town is "a nonfiction limited series set in rural Alabama and hosted by long-time This American Life producer Brian Reed." S-Town follows Reed as he follows up on a tip received by This American Life from a man in rural Alabama who complained that the son of a wealthy local family was bragging about getting away with murder. Reed's investigation into the case becomes the basis of S-Town and seriously, there are so many feelings I am feeling right now. This press release has given me the shivers and a distinct tingle of excitement.
I'm not exaggerating either. Here are some of the most likely reactions to the S-Town announcement and details about it that you yourself will be feeling. It's okay. I'm here for you.
I better make sure I take seven to 20 vacations days to listen and to process this amazing podcast. Maybe I'll take a full month. I don't know. I'm just feeling a lot of things.
There's got to be some majorly explosive material in this first season of S-Town if it's taken three years to get off the ground, right? I can understand wanting to hold back to see if there would be an interest, but c'mon, a three-year waiting period? That's so crazy it just might work.
"You mean to tell me someone else died while Reed was investigating the first murder?"
That's right, the press release dropped the massive bombshell that while Reed was investigating the murder mentioned in the initial phone tip, another person died. The release implies that the death is somehow connected to Reed's investigation, which can only mean that S-Town is the definition of wild. What did we do to deserve all these true crime plot twists in one show?
"Ira Glass says every episode is a surprise & when has Ira Glass ever been wrong?"
Glass is quoted in the press release as saying that S-Town is truly unlike anything they've done at This American Life or Serial. "This story takes so many unexpected turns. Every episode is a new surprise. And the story has this feeling and mood that’s different from anything else we’ve done. I don’t think people have heard a show like this." What are you doing this to me, Glass?
"I'm pretty sure S-Town is going to leave me absolutely wrecked & I'm ready for it."
I am not a money genius. I've racked up credit card debt (then painfully slowly paid it off), failed to save as much as I know I'm supposed to and regularly forget to add my daily latte (OK, and croissant) into my budget. I could be worse off, true, but the point is, I want my son to be more than "could be worse" — I want him to be a money genius. So where's a financial dummy like me to start?
Well, for starters, by talking to Beth Kobliner, The New York Times best-selling author of Get a Financial Life — and now the forthcoming Make Your Kid a Money Genius.
SheKnows: What is the No. 1 mistake parents make with their kids regarding financial literacy?
Beth Kobliner: Silence. Did you know parents would rather talk about sex or drugs than explain how credit cards work or why saving money is a good thing — or any other money topic, for that matter? Parents who avoid the subject are missing out on the key years when kids start to absorb ideas and habits about money. By age 3, they can understand simple money concepts like value (that’s why we have to pay for it) and exchange (I give them the plastic, they give us the cookies). By 7, a lot of the financial habits they’ll carry through life are already set.
SK: Should you tell your child about your salary/the state of your finances? Why or why not?
BK: These are two different questions, really. As far as your salary goes: no. Your kids don’t need to know exactly how much you make, mostly because they won’t know what to do with the number (except maybe tell their third-grade teacher). Instead, give your kid a sense of where your family falls compared to the rest of the country — the median income for families with kids in the U.S. is about $65,000.
Letting your kid know that “we earn more than what many families earn” or saying “we need to stick to a budget because we earn less than many families” gives some context. As for your financial situation: it depends on the age of your kid. If you lose your job, say, you might reassure a younger kid that you’ll still have food and a place to live, “but we need to cut back on clothes spending and buying apps.” For a high schooler, it’s appropriate to say, “We are still going to send you to college, but I’ve looked at the financial aid offerings, and we’ll need to make decisions together.”
SK: How do you give your child some incentive to save?
BK: What has your kid been asking you for over the last week? (Day? Minute?) A trip to Claire’s? A new LEGO set? A new Shopkins? Now is your chance to say (in a calm indoor voice), “OK, you can save up for that.” Whether it’s from the allowance you give your little one(s) [see question below] or from birthday/holiday money from Grandma, having them save for something they want (and perhaps offering some matching money, like 50 cents for each dollar) is a great way to make savings happen.
SK: How do you figure out a reasonable allowance?
BK: So many people prattle on and on about the “right” way to do allowance. So I looked at a bunch of studies. The answer: You don’t need to give allowance to give your kids good money skills. In fact, there’s no clear answer on whether giving allowance is an undeniably smart move.
What is smart? Be clear and consistent with whatever rules you set up with your kids about money. Don’t yell one day, “OMG, you are spoiled, and I will never buy you a (fill-in-the-blank) again!” And then the next day feel sorry for your little sweetie pie and bring that same thing home as a surprise after work! Better not to make any big pronouncements than to make them and go back on them!
Two more pieces of advice: Use cash. There are lots of super-cool-sounding ways to give kids money: allowance apps, debit cards — you name it. But work out of MIT (smart enough for you?) found that people were willing to spend roughly twice as much when they paid with plastic than with dollars! Cash makes that moment at the register more real.
Also, don’t give allowance in exchange for your kid doing household chores. It should be part of her “job” of being in the family.
SK: When should you get children involved in charitable giving and how can you get them excited to do so?
BK: Studies show by age 4, kids get the concept of being kind to people they don’t know. That’s a great time to start. There are so many ways to get kids excited about giving. Look for charities in which a small amount does a lot. $10 for a goat? Adopt an acre for $25? $1 for crayons for students who don’t have them?
Another one I love? Children are obviously crazy about birthday presents — but some get almost as happy about buying a gift for someone else. This organization called Birthday Buds helps your kid buy a present — or something they really need — for a kid whose family can’t afford it.
SK: How early should you start teaching your kids about investing?
BK: Let's break this one up by age.
Elementary school: The next time you watch a Disney movie or sip a Coke, use the teachable moment to teach! You can say, “Moana is a movie made by many people who work for a company called Disney.” These companies make stuff and sell that stuff. These companies also need money to make this stuff. To get that money, companies sell what is called stock. So put another way, if you buy stock in Disney, you own a teeny piece of Disney.
Middle school: There’s something called compound interest, which is really cool. Say you put $10 into the bank. The bank gives you a small amount of extra money. That’s called interest. If you keep that interest in the bank, the bank then pays you interest on the original $10 plus the interest. When interest earns interest (again and again and again) it makes your money grow really quickly. That is known as compound interest. You can check out a compound interest calculator [here]. It’ll show if you saved 25 cents a day (that’s $7.50 a month) starting at age 10, you could have $50,000 later in life!
SK: I’m freaked out about college costs. What should I do?
BK: Starting early matters, of course, but the thing is to start now. There’s an amazing thing called a 529 college saving plan that lets you invest money for your kid’s schooling without paying federal tax on what you earn. These are state-sponsored deals, and your state probably offers one. And here’s a crazy side benefit of 529s: When kids know that their parents have put aside money in a 529 college saving plan in their name, the kids are actually more likely to go to college. Doesn’t matter how much you save, either.
Start talking with your kid about college when she’s in ninth grade. Sound too soon? It isn’t. At this point, college is less than four years away, and you need that time to plan. And you can’t plan until you have a rough idea of how much it’ll set you back. There are really cool calculators online that will show you how much your family will have to kick in. If it gets overwhelming, remember that college is an amazing investment — a degree will give your kid about half a million dollars more over his lifetime.
SK: Should you give your kid a debit or credit card?
BK: My rule: cash until 12th grade. Stick with me, here.
A mom I know, Lynn, told me this great story. Her 13-year-old daughter Maya wanted to hit the mall with a bunch of friends. She told her mom that the other girls were borrowing their parents’ credit cards. Lynn decided it was smarter to give Maya 50 bucks in cash instead — because if the girl got to the register and her stuff cost even a dollar more, Maya would have to make a hard decision and put something back.
If your kid asks you to make her an authorized user on your credit card account, don’t. If you can’t cover all your kid’s charges, your credit will get hurt. And don’t hand her a debit card linked to your checking account— that’ll give her complete access to your money. Scary!
SK: What’s an easy and/or fun way to teach kids to be savvy consumers?
BK: Take them on a stroll down the cereal aisle. A group of researchers studied the characters on kids’ cereal boxes. We all know they shelve the sugary cereals a little lower, closer to their target consumers. Well, these researchers discovered something even creepier: The eyes on those cereal mascots — Count Chocula, the Trix rabbit and the gang — are angled down so that they meet the gaze of kids. Point this out to your kid, and explain that the people who make these cereals know this makes kids want to buy them more. Believe me, this will make your kid much more wary of other advertising tricks when they start shopping by themselves! Children love feeling like they are getting the cool insider-y view. Watch commercials with your kid and make fun of them: Are those people really super-duper happy because they are using that laundry detergent? You get the idea.
If you, like the rest of the gossip-headline-reading world, have been dying to see what Christina El Moussa's new boyfriend actually looks like, well, that day has come. Finally, finally, El Moussa and her contractor rebound beau, Gary Anderson, went out in public together and ended up in front of a paparazzi lens.
Christina El Moussa finally seen in pics with BF Gary
Christina El Moussa finally seen in pics with BF Gary
Very much to our disappointment, because we've wondered for so long and built him up in our minds to be some kind of mythical boyfriend creature, Anderson looks like a really normal dude. Womp womp.
And despite all our talk about him obviously being a rebound, sources who have seen them together are saying otherwise.
"They seemed so relaxed and comfortable together — totally in sync," said one witness who saw them taking the stroll together when that photo was snapped. "Christina looked adoringly at him. She was beaming!"
The onlooker added, "They had big smiles. You could see the spark is there."
The only thing that really jumps out of that pic is that, with his salt and pepper goatee, Anderson clearly looks older than Christina's ex, Tarek El Moussa. But that's because he is — while his actual age is hard to track down, Anderson looks to have at least a decade on 35-year-old Tarek. But Christina is totally into that, according to sources.
"She likes that Gary is so much more mature than Tarek. It’s a safe relationship, and she’s happy with him," an insider at HGTV, home of the El Moussas' show Flip or Flop, told In Touch Weekly. "Gary seems enamored with Christina... Gary’s been there for her while she’s gone through hell with Tarek."
It’s so bright, you’re going to want to wear shades. No, really. This is a disclaimer. We don’t want you to sue us for retinal damage. Put on sunglasses before you look at the pictures. We'll wait.
Image: Kim Kardashian/ Snapchat
Yes, friends, Kardashian West and Kanye West are launching a kids’ clothing line, and their head designer is 3-year-old daughter and aspiring model North West. Yeezy, Mary and Joseph.
"Daddy and mommy are doing a kids' line and these are some of the pieces," Kardashian West proudly cooed on a Snapchat video of North decked out in the line’s flagship outfit. “Northie picked out the colors and the fabric.” Yowza, Yeezy Jr.!
North is clearly a budding niche designer, creating luxe clothing for children forced to endure extreme low-light conditions.
Image: Kim Kardashian/Snapchat
If the reverse image on the back of our eyelids can be trusted, North’s first collaboration with her parents is a shearling jacket over a supernova yellow sequined $5 stadium rain poncho. The toddler opted to accessorize the I-stared-at-a-solar-eclipse-and-then-caught-the-Packers-game-at-Lambeau-Field-themed ensemble with tube socks and black and white sneakers. Savvy little minx.
We think the line will appeal most to families of sea cucumbers living at the bottom of the Mariana Trench or wealthy expatriates living north of the Arctic Circle in the winter who have trouble locating their children without feeling around the walls like Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker.
Critics are already raving over the initial offerings from the Kimye kids’ line, releasing statements like, “A revelation! No, really, like from the Book of Revelations!” and “Those who look directly at the poncho dress could experience eye damage ranging from temporary blindness to severe burns on the retina, but the aesthetic is beyond worth the co-pays!”
Oh, lighten up. We’re totally (not really) kidding, because OMG, it’s a stadium rain poncho with sequins that you can see from space.
Still, that North West is really stinkin' cute.
There's no release date for the Yeezy kids' line at the moment, but Kardashian West swears it's "coming soon." Maybe we'll get another peek at the Yeezy Season 5 show at New York Fashion Week. Pretty please? And maybe let Baby Saint get in on the collab? Sweeeeeet.
Of the myriad political changes happening in the U.S. right now, fast food fallout may not be first and foremost on your mind (you might, understandably, be more worried about your basic civil rights). But now you can add something relatively frivolous to your list of worries: The prices at everyone's go-to Mexican fast-food chain, Chipotle, could skyrocket soon as a result of Trump's imminent tax plan.
The plan, which Trump discussed last week, will impose a 20 percent border tax on Mexican imports to help pay for the infamous wall (which, fun fact, will cost $15 billion to build). Chipotle reportedly sources the vast majority of its avocados — 93 percent — and tomatoes — 71 percent — from Mexico. You don't have to be a math genius to figure out that Chipotle, along with other restaurants, grocers and consumers, will take a major hit.
Seeing as Mexico is the U.S.'s largest source of agricultural imports, the tax will extend to plenty of other produce, including bell peppers and onions. Mexican tequilas and beers like Corona will be impacted. And that's just a small sample of the food-related effects of the border tax — not even getting into its ramifications for the national deficit, dollar strength and overall American economy.
But back to Chipotes, as I fondly call it. The company can either eat the cost of pricier avocados, which could impact its earnings by an estimated 17 cents a share, or it can jack up prices for its customers. What would you do? Everyone, get your cheap Mexican fixes while you can.
I faithfully attended birthing classes every week during the third trimester of my first pregnancy. I learned about breathing, relaxation techniques, labor positions, pain-relief options, possible delivery complications and medical interventions. What I didn't learn was how to deal with the aftermath of childbirth. Some might think it's a good thing that the excruciating pain, embarrassing toilet problems and weird physical side effects of having a baby aren't widely discussed during birthing class. But I'd have appreciated a heads up because knowledge is power, moms.
I'd really rather not revisit these postpartum recovery side effects, but I'm willing to cringe, squirm and wince my way through it to shed some light on what you probably won't learn in birthing class.
1. Having to pee in the bath, because stitches
Take the sting of a paper cut and multiply it by 17 million and you'll have a reasonable idea of what it's like to pee after having perineal tears, then stitches. I seriously had to sit in a few inches of bath water every time I peed (which was a lot due to the amount of water I was drinking to try to combat postpartum constipation and night sweats — see below.) Mayo Clinic also suggests pouring warm water from a squeeze bottle over your vulva while you're sitting on the toilet. I found it helpful to repeat the mantra "This too shall pass," over and over until it was, well, over. Clenched teeth optional.
2. Postpartum constipation resulting in what can only be described as giving birth all over again
While we're talking all things toilet, we might as well address postpartum constipation. There are no words. Nor, in my case, was there anything I could do apart from wait. For weeks. Gallons of water, high-fiber meals, stool softeners and osmotic laxatives didn't work for me, but they might for you. According to BabyCentre, at least 20 percent of women are constipated after giving birth. It may be caused by high levels of the hormone progesterone in the body during pregnancy, pain-relief drugs such as pethidine or diamorphine during labor or simply because the digestive system tends to slow down dramatically during labor.
3. Uncontrollable crying (not the baby)
The tears started the second he was placed in my arms. Overwhelmed, relieved, joyful tears. On the way home from the hospital, they continued. Anxious, exhausted, throbbing-breasted (but still joyful) tears. Helpguide.org assures us that the postpartum "emotional roller coaster" is perfectly normal, and that the so-called "baby blues" — tearfulness, irritability, impatience, anxiety and restlessness — should taper off by the end of the second week postpartum. Postpartum depression wasn't mentioned in my birthing class, but it absolutely should be. The symptoms are similar to the baby blues, but more severe and long-lasting. I didn't ask for help with my mental health until my son was 4 months old. Don't wait that long.
I gave birth in December. In Scotland. Night sweats should not have been part of my new-mom experience. Apparently, it's one of the ways the body eliminates the extra water retained during pregnancy, and hormonal and metabolic changes linked to breastfeeding may also play a part. Yep, gotta love those hormones. Drinking lots of water speeds up the process of eliminating extra water. Beyond that, I slept naked and waited it out.
5. Skin like sandpaper
It's not unusual for new moms to experience seriously dry skin a few weeks after giving birth. It passes, but you can give it a helping hand by keeping your skin nourished from the inside (loads of water and omega-3 fatty acids) and out (find your fave body lotion and apply it liberally.) Hopefully, everyone will be too focused on your baby's beautifully soft skin to notice that you have arms like pumice stones.
6. Shedding hair like a German shepherd
Don't worry — it isn't the stress of being a mom that's making your hair fall out. It's likely that during pregnancy you lost far less hair than normal due to those hormones being in overdrive. As your body returns to its pre-pregnancy state, you're likely to notice extra hair loss for up to six months. Your body is making up for lost time and you just have to put up with it. Hats are good.
7. Restless leg syndrome that made me want to rip my lower limbs off
I had a fairly easy pregnancy apart from the restless leg syndrome that drove me bat shit crazy for the entire second and third trimesters. I was counting on it disappearing after my baby was born, but it stuck around for another few weeks. The American Sleep Association describes restless leg syndrome as "a sensory disorder causing an almost irresistible urge to move the legs." Your legs itching to move when you're completely and utterly outta gas is the last thing you need when sleep is in short supply, but the best way to manage it is to haul yourself out of bed and move around. Massaging or applying an ice or heat pack to the restless leg, stretching or taking a hot or cold bath are other ways to ease the discomfort.
Postpartum recovery is no joke. But we can console ourselves with the fact that it is but a fleeting moment in the parenting long haul.
We admit it. We get pretty tired of celeb dads being praised to death for tweeting about changing a diaper or escorting their hot Victoria’s Secret model baby mamas to ultrasound appointments. Because, hey, newsflash, guys — it’s what you should be doing. And it’s not very hard to be excited when a baby kicks in utero or looks like it's flashing you a peace sign in the sonogram printout. This is normal, expected, non-serial killer behavior. Polite nods from us, no applause.
Um. That said.
Do we occasionally make a gushy exception when a celeb dad is so freaking happy about being a dad that his Twitter and Instagram feeds are all silhouetted wife bellies (one wife; this is not Sister Wives) and DIY nursery bookshelves? Why, yes. Yes, we do.
Do we contradict ourselves? Very well, then, we contradict ourselves. We are large at SheKnows; we contain multitudes, just like you and Walt Whitman.
Our celebrity daddy crush of the month: James Wolk, who played the deliciously clueless Bob Benson on Mad Men. We confess that he was flying under our radar a bit then, but oh, no more.
Wolk and wife, Elizabeth Jae Byrd, just had their first child, Charlie.
James Wolk insta
James Wolk insta
I mean.
And the lead-up to the birth has been almost as sweet as Charlie's first pic as an air-breather.
What have we learned about Wolk on his road to fatherhood from Twitter and Instagram? Wolk read to his wife’s belly when she was pregnant; he built nursery shelves (please come build things at our house, K, thx, bye); and his wife filmed a video of him dancing to Elvis in their living room. The Mad Men and Zoo star is not only prime Papa material, he’s an adoring husband, an advocate for mental health and a total dork, taking airplane selfies of Breathe Right strips lost in his chest hair (he is hashtag allergic to cats). If that's all not enough to fluff your stuff? He’s also got a solid bromance going with our favorite This Is Us/Gilmore Girls crush, Milo Ventimiglia. Unf.
Congrats, Baby Charlie. You lucked out in the dad department, it seems. And, oh, Wolk? Please never stop tweeting and posting ridiculously sweet things because you are a great big human puppy-man. And sometimes this world really needs a few great big human puppy-men.
It's been a hot minute since Orange is the New Black was permeating our consciousness. As such, you're probably sitting there, scratching your head and wondering just when in the heck the show is actually coming back to our tiny Netflix screens?
Unfortunately, we don't have a release date for Season 5 confirmed, but we do have a few meaty ideas about what to expect. What can be confirmed, though, is that we already have some spoilers out there that need to be discussed pronto. So what can safely branded as the juiciest spoilers for Season 5? Here's what we know so far.
Season 5's storyline will take place over the course of three days.
Danielle Brooks OITNB Spoiler
Danielle Brooks OITNB Spoiler
Danielle Brooks, who plays Taystee on the show, dropped the biggest Season 5 spoiler to date: the entire season's storyline will take place over three days. That means that there will be wall-to-wall drama in the next 13 episodes and we should prepare ourselves for some insane twists. While Brooks did not reveal what the story would involve, my educated guess would be that Season 5 will directly cover the fallout from Poussey's shocking death and it may even revolve around a prisoner protest, which we saw the first moments of in the Season 4 finale.
Sophia, we miss you, girl! Sophia was largely absent during Season 4, thanks to getting locked up in SHU. She's probably a little worse for wear after spending an ungodly amount of time in there. Let's hope that she is able to get back into the swing of things once she is released, which hopefully should have happened by the time Season 5 begins.
With Sophia's return, comes the absence of others. Poussey, now dead, will probably not return unless she is shown in flashback. There are other characters currently in maximum security, like Carlin and Miss Claudette. We still have no word on whether the original bae of Litchfield, Bennett, will return at all and the same goes for Pennsatucky, who is mysteriously not listed for the Season 5 opener.
Previous episodes of Orange is the New Black have typically dropped in the summer, around June. Fingers crossed that that timeline doesn't change this year, so I'm just going to spoil everything and say it will happen then. Plus, why change it up? Rule #1: You don't mess with a good release date.
That's solitary confinement, for those who were wondering. After the events of the wild, life-changing Season 4 finale, it is likely that a great many of the Litchfield inmates are being punished for their resistance to calm down in the wake of Poussey's death.
It has long been a subject of first date debates, BuzzFeed quizzes and one particularly forgettable 2001 children’s movie that I definitely saw in theaters: Cats or dogs? The answer is not usually so easily reached, but one would assume the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show would choose, you know, dogs.
And this year, they are, primarily. But when the dog show’s Twitter announced that cats would feature in this year’s Meet the Breeds, everything we as a society thought we knew came crumbling down.
Some Twitter users were upset.
Tweet reaction to dog show
Tweet reaction to dog show
Dog show tweet
Dog show tweet
Angry dog show tweet
Angry dog show tweet
Some were elated.
Happy cat tweet
Happy cat tweet
And some were so thrilled with the news, they wanted to get their own cats in on the action.
Cat show teeet
Cat show teeet
The cats won’t be competing alongside the dogs, although they will reportedly be participating in an agility contest of their own, USA Today reports. The cats will also be featured during the show's Meet the Breeds event.
"Meet the Breeds isn’t just dogs lined up and you play with them, there are booths that depict the country and origin of the animal and people decorate the booths," Brandi Hunter, VP of public relations for the American Kennel Club told USA Today, "So cats are joining that and many will be dressed up and have their booths."
Cats being featured won’t be the only new development at this year’s show, though. Three new dog breeds — the American hairless terrier, pumi and sloughi breeds have never been featured in the dog show before. All three breeds were only recognized by the American Kennel Club last year, despite existing for years.
American hairless terriers are on the smaller side and come in a wide range of colors and patterns. They are a result of genetic mutation through a line of rat terriers in the 1970s and were recognized as distinct from their cousins in 2004. They are sociable, playful dogs that do well around children and other dogs. Due to their hairlessness, they are ideal dogs for allergy sufferers.
Hailing from Hungary, the pumi is classified as a medium-size herding dog. They originated in the early 20th century as a livestock herder as well as a guardian of family farms. Although their popularity doesn’t extend much outside of Hungary, many pumi are registered in Finland and Sweden yearly. Their hair is coarse and curly, and they don’t shed much. They are energetic and need socialization from birth.
The sloughi is often referred to as the “African greyhound.” The sleek-looking breed has ties to early North African history, with depictions of its ancestors appearing in the region’s art from the 8th to 7th centuries BCE. They are sight hounds, which means they hunt by sight and speed rather than scent and endurance. They are described as sensitive and intelligent and do best with trainers who have similar temperaments.
If this news is true, the Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt divorce could stretch on for a long time: Jolie is reportedly asking for child support in the six-digits. And not annually — monthly. $100,000 a month.
It is a big "if," though. An anonymous insider who only talked to In Touch Weekly is the source of this intel, and that situation is a little sketch, to say the least. Regardless, though, the alleged source is claiming that the $100,000 a month isn't even all Jolie wants from Pitt — that she wants an additional $250,000 a year to be set aside to be put in the kids' trust funds, with a $5 million a year cap.
"This will pay for all of the kids’ expenses as well as set up a trust fund for each child," the source told In Touch.
Meanwhile, Jolie and Pitt are still fighting over custody of their six kids, 15-year-old Maddox, 13-year-old Pax, 12-year-old Zahara, 10-year-old Shiloh and 8-year-old twins, Vivienne and Knox. As of now, Jolie has primary custody, while Pitt has visitation rights. But he's been fighting for shared custody, and this new report claims that he's dragging his heels at paying child support because he doesn't want Jolie to have so much control over the money that's meant for the kids. Instead, he wants it all to go to a trust so the kids are the only ones with access to it, allegedly.
The insider also claims that this fight clearly isn't about money — Jolie is worth $160 million. But Pitt is worth more — $240 million — and the source claims she's using that as leverage to get more out of him, even though she supposedly wants the divorce settled ASAP.
"Angie wants the divorce finalized within the next 90 days, including custody and property settlements," the source allegedly said. "But with everything she’s asking for, it’s unlikely that will happen. She’s making ridiculous financial demands."
I’m not arrogant enough to tell you I “know” what Betsy DeVos is going to do to our public education system but I can tell you what she has planned for it: destruction. And yes I’ve done my homework on this because I’m a teacher and the parent of a disabled child and her appointment affects me more than it does most people.
After looking at what her changes have done to Michigan, it's clear her intention is: “Public education is a disgrace in this country. Even if it could be fixed, which it can’t, it would cost too much.” Remember folks, our country is being run like a business now. “So I’ll be making no attempt whatsoever to repair the current system. I’m going to destroy it and build something new, something that will actually work.”
Here’s her plan in a nutshell: She’s going to siphon money from the public school system to support charter schools and offer vouchers to people who want religious education. In the next few years we'll see new charter schools and religious institutions popping up everywhere, especially in the inner cities. The parents of “perfect” children are going to have more options about where their child is educated. The quality of public school education will decline as the quality of private education increases.
And she’ll be able to prove it! Unlike the charter and religious schools (who will be beholden to no one) the public schools will still be subject to the common core standards and standardized testing. Since the majority of the population will be special needs children and the children of parents who don’t give a shit, those test scores will be abysmal. She’ll be in the perfect position to say, “Why look at these scores! It’s awful isn’t it? I told you public education doesn’t work. You should really take advantage of the school choice you’ve been extended by yours truly. You don’t want your child languishing in one of those horrid public schools.”
She’s a cold-hearted bitch but she’s a genius. If she wasn’t poised to destroy my son’s educational career I might actually like her. She’s unabashed in her beliefs and makes no apology for them.In a very short time, if she gets her way, the majority of “perfect” children will be enrolled in a charter or religious school and public education will cease to exist for anyone except:
1. The disabled population
2. Children who were expelled from their private school
3. The children of parents who don’t care about their child’s education
So what can someone like myself do about this injustice? Nothing. I’m fucked, pure and simple. The ADA ensures my son will receive a free and appropriate education complete with all the services outlined in his IEP but he will be cut off from the regularly developing children who have taught him ALL his social skills and filled his life with joy and friendship. They will trickle away, one by one, and as they head off to their new schools Kevin will ask me, “I go too?”
I found out she’d been confirmed during my PREP today at school and I started to cry but got myself together quickly. They came back from computers literally foaming at the mouth over the penguin documentary I’d promised and prepared them for the fact that in the documentary the penguins have to make their way through a heard of sea lions and a few of them don’t make it.
These penguins approach the pack of sea lions and work as a team to confuse them so that the majority of the pack can make their way through the maze. If you’re slow, confused, or new to the game you fall behind and get eaten. This is necessary for the elite to make their way through and mate. The penguins who fall behind, the ones being eaten, are a necessary distraction for the others to make their way through. By the time the race is over only the strongest, smartest, craftiest penguins have made it to the end.
The director of this documentary really gets you though. This one penguin, furiously trying to keep up, was inches from the clearing when he was snatched up by a sea lion. He was so close.
The class got it. It’s nature. Nothing personal. Gotta trim the fat. Survival of the fittest, all except for one girl, B. I pulled her outside while the class packed up.
B: They left him behind. Why did they do that?!
Me: They were doing what was best for them, honey. What was best for the pack.
B: How is that best for the pack?! They could have let him in on the trick, they could have gone back for him! Those penguins in the front they were so smart and fast they could have found a way! They just let him go Mrs. Ulriksen, they didn’t even look back!
I tried to explain that this was the reality of nature, that it wasn't fair, that it was ugly and selfish. Before long, we were both crying.
B: They all wanted the same thing and they let that poor bird just go because he was slow it wasn’t his fault. He tried his best! I don’t want a world where penguins leave other penguins behind just because it’s what’s best for the best to make it through to the end.
There has been a recent sense of urgency among transgender people to change the gender on their legal IDs. Of course, it’s important to recognize that having legal identification that matches one’s gender identity allows a transgender person to lead a life without uncomfortable explanations, unwarranted suspicions and unjust harassment. While this type of documentation has a unique and deeply personal meaning to each transgender individual, the IDs themselves ensure a livelihood that everyone should be entitled to.
But why are they doing this now? This answer is simple: Transgender individuals in America don’t know what the future of the country holds, and they’re proactively getting their gender-affirming legal identification while they still can.
How difficult is this process? It depends. Based on of a state's legislation, some forms of federal ID such as social security cards, birth certificates and driver's licenses may only be updated following gender-affirming surgery along with a court order.
But not everyone who identifies as transgender gets the surgery or even wants to in the first place. For those who consider it, the cost of gender-affirming surgery can be overwhelming. Oftentimes, one’s insurance won’t cover the bill in its entirety, forcing the transgender individual to pay out of pocket for the procedure or inevitably forgo it.
However, this differs when it comes to passports. The current standards put in place by the Obama Administration allow transgender or gender nonconforming individuals to update the gender indication on their passport with nothing more than a certification letter from a physician.
So far, no executive or legislative moves have been made against the LGBTQ community. In fact, Trump vowed to keep Obama’s LGBTQ workplace protections in place, a first from a Republican president. While this is a (sort of) relieving stance, it must be noted that President Trump could easily eliminate the passport rule without any sort of vote, making the process of obtaining gender-affirming identification next to impossible for many individuals.
And so for many transgender advocacy groups, the only time to act is now. Organizations such as the Trans Relief Project are offering free administrative and even financial resources to aid anyone going through a number of processes to obtain corrected passports and other ID documents. They make it pretty clear why transgender people need passports:
Trangender passports tweet
Trangender passports tweet
Getting gender-affirming identification is an incredible personal and professional milestone in a transgender person’s life and should not be overlooked. But even if every transgender person is able to get legal identification, the coming months are sure to bring them a few more reasons to be concerned:
The 2016 bathroom laws, which were put in place to allow transgender individuals to choose the correctly gendered bathroom, are already being pre-filed against by 11 states who are seeking to pass legislation that would restrict the use of bathrooms, locker rooms and other facilities for only those who have a matching “biological birth," aka, they want to completely remove equal access to bathroom use.
President Trump’s new Supreme Court Justice pick could reopen the debate and possible reversal of critical decisions that involve same-sex marriage and an array of transgender rights.
And lest we forget the current “Muslim-ban,” which tells us that the Trump administration is not afraid of — and may even be quite inclined toward — making sweeping decisions based on factors such as nationality, religion and stereotypical beliefs. Sexual orientation could very well come under this scope.
These ideas, while worst-case scenario, have the potential to strip the liberties of about 1.4 million transgender Americans. Maybe it won’t affect you, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care. Think about the way you mindlessly complain about the lines for the ladies’ room or the inefficient DMV. Think about your vacation plans, how you can book flights and destinations in advance. Think about the stereotypes you may hold, including those you speak out loud and those you keep to yourself. Recognize the privileges you have — big or small — and decide how you are going to ensure them for everyone in your community.
One of the things us gluten-freers miss the most is a nice crispy, crunchy coating to our meat — but Parmesan and almond crusted cod totally scratches that crunchy itch.
The tasty combination of Parmesan cheese and almonds work together to do the job of gluten-filled bread crumbs. The best part is this recipe is super easy to make at home.
Gluten can be found in many different foods and products, from ketchup to soy sauce to candy and seasonings. While SheKnows.com tries to ensure these recipes are gluten-free, carefully read the ingredient labels of all food and food products you use for these recipes to ensure they are also gluten-free.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
Add the almonds to a food processor and blend until coarsely chopped, then place them in a shallow bowl.
Add the Parmesan cheese to a shallow bowl, and mix in the ground black pepper and the fresh dill.
Place the egg in another shallow bowl and lightly beat it.
Place the baking sheet next to the shallow bowls.
One at a time, dip each fillet into the egg mixture, and let the excess drip off back into the bowl. Then press each fillet into the Parmesan cheese and coat both sides with it.
Next press each fillet into the ground almonds. They might not stick easily, so you may have to press the fillets into the almonds.
Place the fillets on the baking sheet and spray both sides with the nonstick spray.
If you have extra Parmesan cheese and almonds, sprinkle them over the tops of the fillets.
Bake for 7-9 minutes or until the fish flakes easily, and the tops are lightly golden.
You'd never believe there is anything on this planet that could actually get you giddy about Groundhog Dog — until you get a gander of these totally adorable cookies.
Pop-up Groundhog Day cookies are so freakin' cute, they will keep your spirits up even when good old Punxsutawney Phil predicts more winter ahead. The little guys are edible, movable and easy to make.
Image: Sandra Denneler/SheKnows
Pop-up groundhog cookie recipe
Yields 12 – 15 cookies, depending on size of cookie mounds
Ingredients and supplies:
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups oatmeal (preferably quick-cooking oats)
Tootsie Rolls
Chocolate frosting or chocolate candy melts
White decorator candy balls and sprinkles
Black food color marker
Dark Chocolate Fudge Stripe cookies (or a similar cookie with a hole in the center)
Before mixing the cookies, arrange your plastic cake dowels on a sheet of parchment paper or waxed paper. In a large pan on the stove, mix and melt the sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk over high heat. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Add the peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. Mix well.
Image: Sandra Denneler/SheKnows
2. Form the no-bake cookie mounds
With a teaspoon, scoop and drop your cookie mixture around the plastic dowels, forming small mounds about the same size as the Fudge Stripe cookies. Allow the cookie mounds to cool and harden completely before removing the plastic dowels. (Note: Don't attempt to cut out the center of the cookie after it has cooled, as the hardened cookies will crack.)
Image: Sandra Denneler/SheKnows
3. Make the groundhogs
Soften a Tootsie Roll with your hands or in a microwave for a few seconds. Mold the ears and head, and widen the body so that it has a base slightly larger than the hole of your Fudge Stripe cookies but will fit through the hole in the cookie mound. Secure the eyes and teeth with a tiny dab of chocolate frosting or chocolate candy melts. Make a nose with another dab of chocolate. Draw 2 black dots on the eyes with an edible food color marker.
Image: Sandra Denneler/SheKnows
4. Assemble the cookie
Pipe a circle of chocolate frosting or chocolate candy melts onto the Fudge Stripe cookie. Place 1 Tootsie Roll groundhog over the center hole. Place a cookie mound over both, securing it to the frosted bottom cookie. Allow the chocolate to harden.
I mean, really, they've been off and on for more than a decade, so why are we still all clicking the headlines every time they have another spat? Because they always fight about the same things. Let's all say it together now: Disick is partying a whole bunch and Kardashian doesn't dig it because she wants him to be a better dad.
Supposedly Disick and Kardashian are back together right now, and they just wrapped up a little family vacay to Costa Rica. But two days after they landed back on the mainland, Disick reportedly headed for Miami, where he got real cozy with models (who allegedly look like Kendall Jenner, but that's a whole other story).
"Scott hung out with a model at his hotel pool. They were affectionate. Scott kept ordering drinks for them," an onlooker told People magazine. "He seemed to have a great time. It was only a one day thing."
Or was it? Because that was on Sunday, and then Disick was seen back at the pool, hanging with even more models, on Tuesday.
"Scott is spending the day with a blonde girl," another source told the magazine. "He is again by the pool and seems to have a good time."
It's pretty much more of the same-old for Disick, who has always been down for a good time. And it's more of the same-old for Kardashian, who's getting fed up with it as usual, sources say.
"Kourtney hasn’t been happy with Scott for weeks. It has nothing to do with what he is doing in Miami right now," an insider close to the couple said. "She just doesn’t like when he parties. He is an irresponsible dad when he parties."
The source continued, "Kourtney returned to L.A. on Monday with the kids. She is not happy with Scott. She allowed him to come to Costa Rica for a couple of days so he could have fun with the kids. Scott’s behavior is again getting out of control. He is partying a lot."
Bets on how long they're going to stay together this time? I mean, if they actually are back together right now. Who can even keep up?
We’re fairly certain there’s only one person in the universe who can get away with revealing big baby news while kneeling on a possible grave in front of a Mafioso funeral floral arrangement wearing only a bra, satin panties, a limp ectoplasm green veil, requisite baby bump and a stoic Virgin Mary expression.
Beyonce twins
Beyonce twins
Our darling firecracker deity Beyoncé! Her womb is brimming with Knowles-Carter goodness times two. That's right: Beyoncé's having twins!
Oh, Beyoncé. How did you know? How did you time this news so perfectly? We were so sick of 2017 until this. We were sick of everything. And now you have reached down from your floral heavens and lifted our souls just when we needed you most. Thank you. Thank you.
Everything's going to be OK, people. It's all going to be OK.
Below are some of our favorite tweets about Beyoncé's big news:
Johnny Depp's finances have really been on blast lately, since he refused to pay the money he owed to Amber Heard for their divorce settlement and basically was a giant asshole about it. At the time, we scoffed at the rumors that Depp, one of the most successful actors of our generation, was dragging his feet because he was broke. Except now, he's being sued by his former managers, who have released some info about his financial situation that kind of makes it sound like maybe he's broke.
The documents released by The Management Group show that Depp spent $3 million to blast Hunter Thompson's ashes out of a cannon (I need more info on this ASAP please), $18 million on a yacht and $4 million on a record label that went belly-up almost immediately. He also allegedly blew $200,000 a month on private planes, $150,000 a month on private security, $300,000 a month on a round-the-clock staff of 40 people and his leftover pocket change, AKA $30,000, a month on wine. Basically, his spending habits look like he did some Freaky-Friday-esque body swap with a bored teenager.
The Management Group released all this info as part of a counter-suit, after Depp sued them alleging that they defrauded him out of tens of millions. He claims that he had no idea the management company was mishandling his money until they advised him to sell a piece of property in France to pay debts he didn't know he had. He says he fired them on the spot, and once he hired a new manager, he realized they had mismanaged his finances, taken out loans without his approval, and hidden from him the fact that he was running out money real quick.
The Management Group, though, says Depp was made fully aware that he was spending more than he was making. And if all their claims about the things he was springing for are true, that may actually be the case.
Bath bombs are basically God's gift to Earth after a long day, but buying a luxurious, well-crafted bomb is not-so-easy on the wallet. We're looking at you, LUSH.
It's not that LUSH bath bombs aren't totally addicting, it's just that we wince at the price tag every time we go to stock up. We love that LUSH uses simple, natural ingredients — which actually makes their bath bombs easy to duplicate at home for a fraction of the price.
This is a fun activity to do with kids, too, since it's basically playing in the sandbox — but with a fancier outcome. DIY bath bombs also make for awesome Valentine's Day gifts!
You will need:
2 bowls
Measuring spoons and cups
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup epsom salts
4 tablespoons cream of tartar
2-1/2 tablespoons oil (I used coconut but you can use olive or vegetable oil too)
2 teaspoons essential oil (lavender, jasmine, whatever you like!)
Food coloring
3/4 tablespoon water
Plastic mold (I used a fillable ornament. You can also use soap molds!)
In a large bowl, add all dry ingredients (baking soda, cornstarch, epsom salts and cream of tartar) and whisk together.
Step 2
In a separate bowl, mix all wet ingredients, (oil, essential oil, food coloring (2-6 drops) and water.
Step 3
Now slowly pour your liquid ingredient mix into the dry mixture, whisking them together slowly. The texture should be crumbly.
Step 4
Scoop a generous amount into your mold, packing it down. If you're using a plastic, fillable ornament, fill one side, then the other, then squeeze the halves together, wiping away excess mixture at the seam. If you want to add a little trinket or note inside the bath bomb, press it into one side of your ball.
Step 5
To release a bath bomb from the round mold, tap the outside mold shell with a spoon to loosen it. Then turn it over, and repeat the process with the other half.
Step 6
Lay your bath bombs out on a cookie sheet to dry overnight.
The fun part about DIY bath bombs is the customization! You can open a green tea bag and sprinkle in tea leaves, experiment with different essential oils, add real lavender or orange peel, and for the bravest of brave — microglitter. Have fun trying different colors and molds!
If you're giving these as gifts, some fun ways to package them are in little drawstring mesh bags, cellophane bags, inside cupcake papers or even several in a large Mason jar.
Unless you've been trapped in that water-filled bedchamber from Lemonade for the last, oh, I don't know, few hours, then you've probably heard that Beyoncé is pregnant with twins. Yes, that's right: the Messiah of Pop Music, the Chosen One, the lone bright star in a sea of imploding planets Beyoncé has somehow deemed us fit to participate in her pregnancy with her by sharing her good news on Instagram. The heavens are smiling on us today, my friends, and I don't know what we did to deserve it.
If you haven't already been admitted to the ICU for Beyoncé-related heart attacks and seizures upon learning of this great and glorious news, then you're probably just stuck staring at your phone. Why? Because this pregnancy announcement is the definition of "lit," "fleek," and whatever else the youths of today are saying. It's a work of art. It's somehow perfect for both Instagram and the Louvre (I can't quite say how that's possible, but it is), as if to say everyone — regardless of race, gender, sexuality or socio-economic standing — should have access to this picture.
Beyoncé Twins Pregnancy Announcement
Beyoncé Twins Pregnancy Announcement
Can you even believe that you're alive right now to see this? Can you?!
First, let's take a moment to really soak in what we just gazed upon. If you're not the version of Oprah pictured below, then I question whether you're not just a semi-sentient robot.
Beyoncé appears in situ surrounded by flowers. They evoke a kind of springy, fresh, vibrant vibe, right? Perfect for when you want to announce that there are two lives growing inside of you. If Beyoncé is trying to evoke this eternally young imagery, then she's nailed it. If she wanted to say, "Hey, I'm literally more beautiful than these flowers because my pregnancy glow is 100 percent but I wanted to still have flowers," then she nailed that too. Or maybe she just wanted to give us something to look at when needed to avert our gaze because looking at pregnant Beyoncé is super-overwhelming (in a good way).
Oh, you thought Beyoncé was just gonna rub her tummy casually like she did when she celebrated her pregnancy with Blue Ivy? Oh, you also thought she was going to cover up her belly and make us squint to see her beautiful baby bump? Psh, c'mon now. You know better than that. If Beyoncé is pregnant with twins, she's going to show. It. Off.
She's wearing a veil, people. Do you think she was ever going to be understated wearing a freaking veil? I think not. But I love and respect this bold choice. It is the single greatest thing about this photo, aside from the babies.
Beyoncé also chose a lacy maroon bra and ruffled baby-blue bloomers and literally nothing else to wear for this picture. Now, you could make the far-fetched argument that maroon is just an ultra-dark pink and thus, the maroon and blue signify a boy and a girl, so Beyoncé is having a boy and a girl. But that's too wild. I'm getting ahead of myself now. The only safe conclusion is that she looks amazing in nearly nothing at all.
The staging
The stare. The kneeling pose. The hands around the belly. The fact that she is simply looking out from a Macy's-meets-Baz Luhrmann set piece. It's all too much to handle. My mind is on overload from how simple yet chic yet so utterly campy it is. I really couldn't think of a more Beyoncé way to set this up if I tried.
There you have it. That's all that can be said about Beyoncé's pregnancy announcement without me bursting into tears from its beauty. Truly, you better thank your lucky stars Beyoncé took time out of her precious day to bring all the elements of this announcement together. I don't know what we did to deserve her.
Michael Muhney has always been a controversial figure when it comes to The Young and the Restless viewers. There are fans who want him back as Adam Newman, and there are fans who never want to see him on the CBS show again.
Muhney has been dogged by the rumors that he sexually harassed co-star Hunter King and that was the reason for his firing. Neither he nor King has ever talked about those allegations, but Muhney is now coming clean.
A new interview on The Peloton Brief Podcast: Real Talent with Phil Gaimon, Muhney reveals the real source of those sexual harassment rumors — TMZ. He claims the gossip site sourced the rumor from a blogger in Florida. He hired a private investigator, who confirmed that the blogger was the one who started the story.
Muhney said the incident never happened and that was not the reason he was fired from the show. He believes it was his ego that got in the way of his Y&R gig. Muhney thought he was better than daytime and deserved to be on a primetime show. He gave an ultimatum to producers.
“I am gonna leave or you have to push me out the door or something has to change,” Muhney said in the podcast. ”After six months they finally said fine, you are leaving.”
Muhney later realized that it was a mistake to make such demands and test his working relationship with co-star Eric Braeden, who played his character’s father Victor Newman. He did an about-face and asked for his job back. The producers considered allowing him to return, but the rumors about his on-set behavior spread during his hiatus.
“My problem was I was a fucking idiot. I was my own worst enemy,” he said. “I just kept pushing and I needed to just keep my head down and do my work.”
His silence on the subject created a cloud of suspicion. Many fans thought he should have defended himself against the allegations and he did consider hiring a lawyer. Unfortunately, the story didn’t go away and some of his co-stars believed the TMZ story.
“This rumor disgusted me. I have a daughter. I never would do that,” he explained. “People thought I was gay on sets cause I never hit on girls. I was always professional.”
Muhney has admitted that he was the cause of on-set friction with Braeden before, but this was the first time he’s ever addressed the sexual harassment rumors. Why is he doing so now?
Now that his replacement, Justin Hartley, has exited the role of Adam Newman for This Is Us, Muhney is not shy about trying to work his way back to the Y&R set.
“My people are trying to talk to the right people,” Muhney said. “I want to go back to Y&R.”
The big question is whether Y&R is ready to give him a second chance. It’s clear that fans are mixed about his return, but if he has the support of executive producer Mal Young and head writer Sally Sussman, it might be a clear path to return.
Do you want to see Michael Muhney return to The Young and the Restless?
