We know those sunny days and May flowers are on the way, but we still have to get through a few more April showers (or, you know, snowstorms — hi, New England!) first. And while those showers are a-showering, the kids in your life are likely moping around the house complaining of boredom, zoning out in front of the TV or, worse, "accidentally" playing with non-toys and breaking them. The best way to prevent kids from going nuts in the house is to plan fun and educational activities you'll both enjoy.

And no, kid-friendly crafts and science projects don't have to be complicated or expensive. The simple rainbow "experiment" below uses ingredients you most likely have in your kitchen already. And anyway, if it's raining outside, we might as well create rainbows inside, right?

More: This DIY Kaleidoscope Craft for Kids Makes Upcycling Fun

As far as science projects go, this one is a fun and festive winner. Sure, science-wise, kids love to make explosions and watch things form bubbles. While this rainbow doesn't explode all over (that just doesn't seem necessary, right?), it will definitely erupt and bubble over.

Ready to have some fun? Keep scrolling for directions.

More: Upcycle Old Crayons Into Fun Shapes With This Easy DIY

Supplies:

• Small plastic containers
• Rainbow food coloring (I use the gel kind found at a craft store)
• White vinegar
• Baking soda
• An easy-to-clean hard surface (a little soap and water will do the trick)

Directions:

1. Place a drop of food coloring at the bottom of each plastic container.
2. Fill up each container 1/2 way with vinegar.
3. When the kids are ready, drop 1 to 2 teaspoons of baking soda into each plastic cup.
4. The mixture will start to fizz, then it will bubble, then it will rise, and before you know it, the colors will explode over the containers and melt into each other on the hard surface.

The reaction happens quickly, so be ready. If there is leftover liquid in the containers, add a little more baking soda or vinegar, and watch it happen again.

And don't forget to explain to kids how it works: Carbon dioxide is a gas that's created when vinegar (an acid) is mixed with baking soda (a base).

More: DIY Slime Recipes Kids Will Love Making a Mess With

If that's too complicated for younger kids, you can simply discuss the mixing of the colors. Ask questions about what happens when certain colors mix. You can even have them make predictions about what they think will happen before the experiment starts. At the end, have them observe the mixed colors and tell you about what they find.

For older kids, have them write down their predictions first; they're likely used to doing this in school science class. They can even draw a picture of their prediction. Next, explain the buzzwords: acid, base and gas. Once the rainbow is done exploding, have them write down what happened. Then have them discuss, draw or write out their conclusions.

You've played, you've learned, you've stimulated minds, and best of all, you've had fun.

A version of this article was originally published in February 2015.

It has been almost nine years since Paris Jackson lost her father, Michael Jackson, to a heart attack, but her bond with him hasn’t stopped growing. In a heartwarming tweet posted to her Twitter on Tuesday, she imagined what her life would be like if her father were still alive and she still had both her parents.

The tweet, which was a fan-made edit by @krafty_mj_stuff, featured Paris Jackson as an adult with her dad photoshopped by her side in a pic of her and her mother. On Jackson’s right side was her dad, who was edited to look like he was resting his hand on her shoulder, while on her left was her mom, Debbie Rowe, who is seen hugging her daughter and resting her head on her daughter's shoulder. The original photo appears to be from Jackson’s recent 20th birthday.

More: Paris Jackson Wrote an Ode to Her Childhood & Shared a Homemade Video

Though Jackson didn’t provide any context in her original tweet, a fan later asked if she thought the picture was “creepy.” In her response, Jackson said she didn't think there was anything wrong with the photo and opened up about how it helped her imagine what her life would be like if she still had both her parents.

“U don’t think that’s creepy AF?” a fan asked in a now-deleted tweet.

More: Listening to Paris Jackson Sing Is Like Listening to Michael Jackson

“No, I think it’s nice to dream about what it would be like to have parents, and to have it put into something I can see, even if it’s a fan-made edit,” Jackson responded.

More: Paris & Prince Jackson Spent the Weekend Together at a Family Wedding

Recently, Jackson also paid tribute to her late father at the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscars party, where she wore a showstopping green dress, which many fans assume was a nod to Michael’s nickname for her, Tinker Bell. We’re not crying. You are.

Originally posted on StyleCaster.

Poor Aaron Rodgers. Siblings everywhere were showering each other with praise on Tuesday’s #NationalSiblingDay, a hashtag which took over social media platforms Twitter and Instagram and allowed siblings of all sorts to sing the praises of their family. But in the case of the Green Bay Packers quarterback, he was seemingly stiffed on getting any love from his brothers when his younger brother, former Bachelorette contestant Jordan Rodgers, posted a photo of himself and his brother, Luke, but pointedly left Aaron out of the photo. What gives? Is this just further proof of a rift in the Rodgers family? Or was it an honest accident?

More: An Update on Danica Patrick & Aaron Rodgers' Relationship (Hint: It's Good)

On Instagram on Tuesday, Jordan shared a photo of himself and his older brother, Luke, looking very smiley. “I’ve looked up to this guy since I was a little kid. He is the coolest, best dressed, has the biggest heart, lovable, best griller, little kid big brother I could ask for. Love you bro!” he captioned the sweet pic, adding a lighthearted jab. “Still jealous of your facial hair… #butnotthebodyhair."

Then, around the same time Jordan posted his tribute, Luke kicked in a tribute of his own over on his Instagram. Alongside a picture of himself posing with Jordan, Luke wrote, “Missing this dude big time. Come back to #Nashville @jrodgers11 #nationalsiblingday #brothers #babybro #swolepatrol.”

Neither Jordan nor Luke chose to make any mention of their middle brother, Aaron. Per People magazine, a source close to Aaron speculates that this move from his brother was “probably intentional, and the whole family knows it.” The source also noted that “there is always drama” between the brothers, but didn't seem to want to elaborate on what this drama was, exactly.

I think it had to be intentional. When you have siblings, it’s an all-or-nothing kind of deal. Unless you make a separate post honoring the skipped sibling, you just don’t leave anyone out of a National Siblings Day tribute. You just don’t do this kind of thing unless you want to stick it to them in some way. Such an omission is a glaring error when you have a tight-knit family.

As the middle child of three siblings, I’ve always empathized with Aaron when it comes to the relationship between the Rodgers bros. Aaron chose to leave the family nest and pursue a different lifestyle, and it clearly wasn’t something the rest of the family felt aligned with their closeness. But c’mon, guys, give Aaron a break! He’s kind of a big deal in the world of professional sports. It’s unfortunate his family doesn’t support him in all that he’s achieved.

Besides, it felt a bit unfair the way Jordan aired their family grievances on national television during his time on The Bachelorette, telling the camera, “Me and Aaron don’t really have that much of a relationship. It’s just kind of the way he’s chosen to do life, and I chose to stay close with my family and my parents and my brother.”

The tension reportedly traces back several years before The Bachelorette ever aired, when a family “blow-up” fractured the family. As family drama tends to go, things were said that shouldn’t have been said between Aaron and Jordan, and it forced other family members to take sides.

More: Jordan Rodgers Wants His Wedding to JoJo Fletcher to Stay Private

“Their parents got involved in the middle of it,” a source told People in 2017. “Everyone needed a cooling-off period. It could have ended there, but some people chose to go public with it, rather than keeping it a private family matter. And here we are.”

And so it seems to stand today. Tellingly, Aaron posted a collection of his favorite photos from 2017 on Instagram, and his parents and siblings were noticeably absent from the nostalgic album. There were plenty of pictures of his team, a few celebrities (why, hello, Dave Grohl!) and many friends… but no family.

There’s always next year, though, right? We’re not giving up on the Rodgers clan coming back together just yet.

Let me tell you the story of how I met one of my best friends. I met her at work. She hired me, actually. After I got the job, we went to lunch and she was quick to tell me about the behind-the-scenes of my new gig. We kept going to lunch together, then sometimes met up for drinks. I’d go over to her house and make pizza for her and her roommate, and we’d watch The Bachelor or paint or she’d dye my hair or let me test out her endless beauty products.

“This is the kind of friendship I always wanted in high school,” I told her on more than one occasion.

Then she moved out of state for a new job. I’d encouraged her to do it. After she left, I tried for a while to replace her, to make new friends who might also want to hang out on the couch and watch TV on a whim. I showed up as my most extroverted, humorous self to dinner dates, or I'd listen closely and compassionately when they told me about struggles. But nada. No new best friend.

I won’t be the first person to say it: Making friends as an adult is hard. It’s also inarguably important. Social interaction is critical for our mental and physical health, and being lonely has been called worse for our health than smoking cigarettes.

So what gives? If we need friends to be happy and healthy, why are so many of us having trouble?

Shasta Nelson, author of Frientimacy: How to Deepen Friendships for Lifelong Health and Happiness, told me friendships really come down to three key ingredients: positivity, consistency and vulnerability.

We’re really struggling in the consistency department. “When we were younger and we were in school, the consistency was built in for us,” she said. As adults, we’re often not part of any regularly occurring events, like church, community get-togethers — even our workplaces are often solitary. This makes it hard to see people frequently enough to have positive interactions or start to develop vulnerability.

More: The Downside to Being Single That Nobody Talks About

Plus, we — including me — tend to think that our goal is to “find” a best friend the way you might find Prince Charming. “A best friend is not something you find; it’s something you foster,” Nelson urged. Even if you found the perfect match for a best friendship, you would need to practice positivity, vulnerability and consistency over and over before you had the kind of friendship you’d want to celebrate.

So how do we beat loneliness and make friends? Here are Nelson’s best tips:

1. Join a group

This is advice as old as time, Nelson admits, but what many people get wrong is thinking the goal of the group is to just expose you to more people. That’s not really the case. “Join something where you don’t have to schedule everybody else. They’re going to show up and be there too,” Nelson said. “Ask yourself, 'Is there anything I’ve been wanting to do that I can join? Or that I can participate in regularly?'”

Make a commitment to yourself to show up, and you’ll start creating relationships with the other people who show up consistently too.

More: Why I Highly Recommend Going on an Adventure With a Group of Strangers

2. Initiate a friendship, & meet up six to eight times in a short period

If you don’t want to join a group or can’t, you’ll have to initiate a friendship — and the follow-up — on your own. And the follow-up is key. “I often joke that when we’re dating somebody… and we both enjoy being together, we expect to see each other again in the relative short term. We would never think, 'Oh, that was so much fun. We should go on a date in a couple of months again,'” Nelson said.

The sweet spot, according to her surveys, is meeting up six to eight times. But you’ll want to do it relatively quickly to give yourself the opportunity of momentum. “You’re just trying to log those hours together. Because you can’t do vulnerability and positivity unless you have that time together.”

3. Don’t prejudge who will be a good friend

One popular myth about friendship that’s circulating right now is the idea that friendships arise when you feel a “spark” with another person. But Nelson says we’re notoriously bad judges of who we’ll connect with. For evidence, she says to consider your closest friends: How many of them were people you would have anticipated feeling close to? How many, if you were to meet them today, would you be likely to strike up a friendship with?

What we should really look for is interactions that make us feel good about ourselves. “The research shows we have to have five positive feelings for every negative feeling in order to keep a relationship healthy,” she said. If we’re not feeling good when we leave the interaction, we’re not likely to be consistent with hanging out, and the relationship stalls from there.

More: 10 Relationship Podcasts Everyone Should Listen To

4. Don't discount the importance of acquaintances

It’s easy to get caught, like I did, in wanting to find a “best” friend. But the reality is there are so many other levels of friendship that are absolutely important. “We will feel like we belong more in any setting if we know a few people,” Nelson said.

That means it’s worth knowing your neighbor’s names or a getting friendly with couple of people at your child’s dance recitals or engaging with the regulars at your coffee shop. These are, indeed, types of friends. “They’re the ones that are exposing us to new things, making introductions, helping us get jobs, telling us about amazing vacation that we want to go on, good books to read,” she continued. “All the other things…  that make us rich and nuanced come usually from the bulk of our relationships that aren’t our best friends.”

So join a group, set up a weekly lunch date and work toward regular, positive interactions with the people around you. You may just make a friend.

When you come home from a truly terrible day, what's the first thing you do? If you're like a lot of people (myself included) you reach for the nearest pint of ice cream, sit back and let each spoonful sweeten up your sour day. Now, what if we told you there was a new ice cream that was full of more sour than sweet goodness?

More: Sour Patch Kids vodka shots let you party like it's 1999

It's true. Sour Patch Kids ice cream is officially a reality, and it’s for sale as we speak (and scratch our heads). While we’re all about the current move in dessert nostalgia, this is a pretty weird one if you ask us.

The news was originally revealed via JunkFoodMom’s Instagram, but lots of people have been posting to Twitter saying they have already spotted it on shelves in Walmart stores.

The new ice cream is officially called Sour Patch Kids Red, White and Blue and is a combination of vanilla ice cream and lemon sorbet. The sorbet and ice cream mix is combined with something called “redberry swirl” and bits of blue Sour Patch Kids. The “redberry swirl” seems to be, per JunkFoodMom, a liquefied red Sour Patch Kid and is a puckerworthy level of sour.

Yes, we’re kind of skeptical, but JunkFoodMom, who was lucky enough to have a taste, says it’s actually pretty good.

More: I Tried the Viral Sandwich Everyone Is Talking About

If you happen to come across it, we can't wait to hear what you think... this one is absolutely a head scratcher, but we'll reserve judgment until we actually try it.

You guys, love in Hollywood isn't dead after all. Despite the recent influx of celebrity breakups, one couple's sweet relationship is going strong and managing to keep our faith in enduring romance alive: Hugh Jackman and his wife, actor Deborra-lee Furness. For the couple's 22-year wedding anniversary on April 11, Jackman posted an Instagram message to his longtime love that would make even the most cynical heart melt. So, you see, some people do get their happily-ever-after.

More: The Many Ways Hugh Jackman Has Transformed for His Characters

On his Instagram on Wednesday, Jackman shared a photo of himself and Furness on a boat together. Both actors are grinning from ear to ear as Jackman wraps his arm around Furness. "I believe in life we need to see and truly be seen by the most important people in our lives," he started the heartfelt post.

He then directed the rest of his message to his wife, saying, "Deb, from day one, we had that. 22 years later ... it only gets deeper. You and the kids are the greatest gift I will ever receive. I love you a gazillion times around the world."

Say it with me: Awwwwww! Could these two be any cuter together? We'd say no, but then Jackman would probably just prove us wrong next year on their anniversary with an even more precious post.

This year's message hints at the couple's strong connection from the start, something he elaborated on at length in an interview with People in 2016. When the two met, Jackman was an unknown actor just out of drama school trying to catch a break, and Furness was the celebrity. Fate intervened when Jackman booked his breakthrough role on the Australian TV series Correlli in 1995. The show starred — you guessed it — none other than Furness.

"Deb, she was a big star," Jackman told People. "I get picked up, and Deb is in the front seat of the car. I'll never forget. She took off her seatbelt and she turned around and put out her hand and took off her sunglasses and said, 'Hi, I'm Deborra-lee Furness, nice to meet you.' I remember thinking, 'I like this girl.'"

The two struck up a fast friendship, but Jackman panicked upon realizing his feelings had evolved into a crush. So, as clueless people are wont to do in such moments, he ignored her. A week later at a dinner party he hosted, Furness called him out on it.

"She said, 'I noticed you haven't talked to me in like a week, what's going on?' I said, 'I got a crush on you. I'll get over it, I'm sorry.' She goes, 'Oh? Because I've got a crush on you too.' I never in a million years thought she reciprocated," Jackman recalled. Fast-forward to 1996, and the costars were walking down the aisle.

Due to their age difference (Furness is 13 years older), they decided to start a family right away. After a prolonged struggle including several miscarriages, they adopted son Oscar and daughter Ava. Now, 22 years and two kids later, their love is clearly still unshakable.

More: Hugh Jackman Opens Up About Adopting in Candid Interview

We spend so much time as a society dwelling on the negative. Let's take a minute to celebrate something pure and good and positive, eh? While many marriages ultimately don't work, especially in Hollywood, Jackman and Furness have managed to stay together happily for more than two decades.

There's hope in that — not just for people who are single, but also for those of us who've been married for a minute and hope to stay that way for many years more. Marriage isn't always easy, but Jackman and Furness bear testament to the beauty of enduring love.

Happy anniversary to this special couple!

The arrival of the Duchess of Cambridge aka Kate Middleton and Prince William's baby is imminent, and I don't know what you're doing with your spare time, but I've certainly been busy speculating about what they'll name baby No. 3.

Apparently, this means I'm in the good company of Jimmy Kimmel, who dedicated his latest segment of "Lie Witness News" to convincing strangers on the street that the royal couple had picked some seriously, uh, unique names for Prince George and Princess Charlotte's little brother or sister.

More: William & Kate Are Totally Ready for Baby No. 3's Arrival

"What did you think of the name Treacle T. Winterbottom?" one woman was asked. She enthusiastically responded, "Treacle T is a good way to be! Baby T!" (We're all entitled to our own opinions.)

Another fake royal baby name floated by Kimmel & Co. was Dumbledore Cumberbatch. To his credit, the man they asked about that one didn't beat around the bush when he described the name as "really weird" and "not fit for a royal baby." But hey, we trust his judgment — there was no need to bolster his argument by claiming everyone else he'd talked to agreed it was "weird" and they didn't like it.

More: Kate Middleton Is Living Her Best Pregnant Life With This Tattoo-Hard Hat Combo

Others included Vermouth McGillicutty and Humperdinck Patchybottom, but my personal favorite was Thomas — a perfectly normal name unless the royal couple opted to use a doughnut emoji in place of an "o." The unfazed pedestrian had a theory about this nonexistent choice: William and Kate are trying to be more hip in order to keep up with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

More: Kate Middleton's Chicest Pregnancy Outfits

Peculiar names aside, the most mind-blowing aspect of this segment was that so many people believed the royal baby had already been born. But I guess not everybody is like me and anxiously checks his or her newsfeed each morning for the latest.

Meanwhile, the bookies are taking this topic way more seriously than Kimmel is. According to these experts, Alice is the frontrunner at 4 – 1 odds, with Mary taking second place at 9 – 2. With no disrespect to Kimmel, both those lovely names beat the hell out of Thomas with a doughnut emoji.

Sunday is fast approaching, and with it the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards. The big night will be broadcast live on CBS from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and you know it's going to be one heckuva good time.

More: Thomas Rhett & Lauren Akins Are the Cutest Little Family in Country Music

But are you really ready? Are you pumped? Prepared to belt out the words to your favorite country stars' songs? Geared up to groove along as some of country music's hottest stars (and crossover artists) deliver mind-blowing performances?

Don't worry, we've got you covered. To help put you in the proper ACMs mindset, we've compiled a master list of must-listen songs based on this year's nominations. In case you need a recap of which artists were nominated (and for what), we've broken down the list by category. Keep reading for all the song deets, and then download the full playlist.

More: One of Country Music's Favorite Couples Called It Quits

Happy listening, y'all!

Song of the Year

"Body Like a Back Road" — Sam Hunt
"Female" — Keith Urban
"Tin Man" — Miranda Lambert
"Whiskey and You" — Chris Stapleton

Single Record of the Year

"Better Man" — Little Big Town
"Broken Halos" — Chris Stapleton
"Drinkin' Problem" — Midland
"I'll Name the Dogs" — Blake Shelton

Video of the Year

"Black" — Dierks Bentley
"It Ain't My Fault" — Brothers Osborne
"Legends" — Kelsea Ballerini
"Marry Me" — Thomas Rhett
"We Should Be Friends" — Miranda Lambert

Vocal Event of the Year

"Craving You" — Thomas Rhett ft. Maren Morris
"Dear Hate" — Maren Morris ft. Vince Gill
"Funny (How Time Slips Away)" — Glen Campbell & Willie Nelson
"The Fighter" — Keith Urban ft. Carrie Underwood
"What Ifs" — Kane Brown ft. Lauren Alaina

Inspired by Entertainer of the Year

"Most People Are Good" — Luke Bryan
"Coming Home" — Keith Urban ft. Julia Michaels

Inspired by Female Vocalist of the Year

"I Hate Love Songs" — Kelsea Ballerini
"Back to God" — Reba McEntire
"The Middle" — Zedd ft. Maren Morris
"To Learn Her" — Miranda Lambert
"The Champion" — Carrie Underwood ft. Ludacris

Inspired by Male Vocalist of the Year

"Rearview Town" — Jason Aldean
"Hangin' On" — Chris Young
"Parallel Line" — Keith Urban

Inspired by Vocal Duo of the Year

"Mean to Be" — Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line
"Tequila" — Dan + Shay
"Shoot Me Straight" — Brothers Osborne
"May We All" — Florida Georgia Line

Inspired by Vocal Group of the Year

"Heart Break" — Lady Antebellum
"Born to Love You" — LANCO
"You Look Good" — Lady Antebellum
"Written in the Sand" — Old Dominion

Inspired by New Female Vocalist of the Year

"Doin' Fine" — Lauren Alaina
"Hide the Wine" — Carly Pearce
"Queens Don't" — RaeLynn
"Every Little Thing" — Carly Pearce
"Road Less Traveled" — Lauren Alaina

Inspired by New Male Vocalist of the Year

"Heaven" — Kane Brown
"All On Me" — Devin Dawson
"One Number Away" — Luke Combs
"Mercy" — Brett Young
"What's Mine Is Yours" — Kane Brown
"When It Rains It Pours" — Luke Combs

Inspired by New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year

"She's With Me" — High Valley
"Wild West" — Runaway June
"Greatest Love Story" — LANCO

Inspired by Album of the Year

"She Ain’t In It" — Jon Pardi
"Free" — Little Big Town
"Without Your Love" — Chris Stapleton
"No Such Thing as a Broken Heart" — Old Dominion
"Sweetheart" — Thomas Rhett
"Head Over Boots" — Jon Pardi

The ACMs air on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/delayed PT on CBS.

Wait, did the queen just throw shade President Trump’s way? While filming the documentary The Queen’s Green Planet, the royal made a joke that could be interpreted as a dig at the current POTUS — and the previous one too. The moment comes in the middle of a conversation with English broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough when the distinctive sound of helicopter blades overhead interrupts the pair at which point the queen quips, “Sounds like President Trump. Or President Obama.” The queen's words are up for interpretation, but given her reportedly sharp sense of humor, would it really be a stretch to assume she was being sardonic?

More: A New Royal Tell-All Reveals the Queen's Shady Side

At that moment, it seems as though what she’s saying is that the helicopter is an unwelcome interruption. Based on her comments, though, that would mean she considers both Trump and Obama to be annoyances. Since Prince Harry is famously close to the former POTUS and his wife, Michelle Obama, one wouldn’t think she’d be so quick to dismiss Obama.

Perhaps her commentary speaks more to the fact that the helicopter is loud and boisterous, which you could say is true of both Trump and Obama, albeit in different ways. Trump is outspoken in a brazen way, while Obama is known for being an impassioned orator.

Then again, it’s entirely possible the queen was simply making a joke about the presidents’ preferred mode of transportation. Maybe she wasn’t being sardonic but rather was implying the helicopter overhead could actually belong to an American leader. As in, “Sounds like President Trump or President Obama could be touching down any minute now!”

More: 17 Things That Will Happen When Queen Elizabeth Dies

Unless the queen goes on record to clarify, we may never know. Happily, though, we do know a few things about the documentary in which she makes the off-the-cuff comment. Per People, the documentary will air in the U.K. on ITV April 16.

As the title, The Queen’s Green Planet, suggests, the documentary features an eco-friendly slant. It centers on the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy, an environmental project proposed by 53 Commonwealth countries that have come together to help protect forests globally. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in 2015, the queen said she was “especially touched” by the project.

If the snippets currently surfacing are any indication, the documentary will have charm in spades. Jokes about American presidents aside, the queen endearingly chats about everything from wilted saplings (“Somebody sat on it I think at a garden party”) to the royal tradition of hanging Christmas ornaments (“The children love knocking those off”).

More: Meghan Markle Hints There May Be Another Royal Baby Very Soon

Lending the documentary even more impact is the fact that The Woodland Trust is partnering with ITV and Sainsbury’s supermarkets for a plant-a-tree campaign. The trust will provide 50,000 trees for viewers — these will be given out as 10,000 packs containing five native broadleaf trees each: two silver birch, two rowans and one hazel. To vie for the change to receive a packet, viewers must sign up via ITV’s daytime programs, Good Morning Britain and This Morning. The lucky winners will receive their trees in the fall of 2018.

If all this sounds incredibly cool and now you’re bummed you don’t live in London, take heart. You may miss the original run (and the chance to snag some free trees), but you can at least catch the playback on the ITV Hub.

Recently, I came across the phrase “tilted uterus” in a story collection (this one — read it immediately). It reminded me I’d actually seen it before, mainly in literature, but there was never any elaboration about what it actually is or what it means. The term was usually mentioned in relation to infertility, but after an investigation, it turns out it’s much more complicated.

More: What’s It Like to Wait More Than 72 Hours for an Abortion?

If your uterus is tilted, it means that it points backward, in the direction of your spine and rectum instead of forward, toward your stomach. A tilted uterus might be the reason for painful sex, especially when there’s penetration from behind.

“When I speak with my clients who are experiencing painful sex, asking if they have been diagnosed with a tilted uterus is one of my first questions,” said Sunny Rodgers, a clinical sexologist, certified sex coach and ACS-certified sex educator accredited by The American College of Sexologists — who also has a tilted uterus. “I will suggest certain sex play positions to lessen pain and discomfort if a client does have a tilted uterus.”

You might also have issues inserting tampons or menstrual cups, the perpetual existence of urinary tract infections, unpredictable periods and incontinence. (Keep in mind these are also symptoms of other conditions, so don’t diagnose yourself with a tilted uterus. Leave that to your OB-GYN to do during a pelvic exam.) And while you might experience these symptoms, you also might not.

It is rare to develop a tilted uterus (also known as a tipped uterus, retroflexed uterus, retroverted uterus, uterine retroversion or a backward uterus) due to a condition, though it can be caused by a handful of things, such as adhesions (scar tissue, such as that caused by a surgery), endometriosis, uterine fibroids, pregnancy and menopause. However, it's typically genetic according to the International Society for Sexual Medicine.

More: How Eating Disorders Affect Fertility

Angel was diagnosed with a tilted uterus when she was 22. “I was told I’d have difficulty getting pregnant because of the tilt and that it was the explanation for my brutal periods. This was an older male doctor (he’d delivered my younger brother in ’67.)” She later switched to a female doctor, who told her that her intense periods had nothing to do with the tilt — they would be relieved once she had children — but that it might mean she’d have fertility challenges. She didn’t. “I succeeded both times I tried. Periods became much more bearable after pregnancy. Normal and relatively simple births, both times. No mention of the ’tilt’ during either pregnancy or delivery.”

A tilted uterus probably won’t affect your ability to get pregnant, but some folks don’t know they have a tilted uterus until pregnancy. You might experience pressure on your bladder during your first trimester, and the tilt might also necessitate the use of a transvaginal ultrasound instead of a regular one. Pregnancy also causes your uterus to get bigger and straighten many times, so it won’t be tipped anymore, although sometimes this doesn’t happen, and that increases your odds of a miscarriage. Your doctor can diagnose this and fix it, but you should alert them to the occurrence of incontinence, abdominal pain and/or constipation.

More: Why Inducing Labor Might Be the Wave of the Future

While you likely won’t need any treatment for your tilted uterus, doctors might recommend exercises, such as Kegels, to strengthen the muscles that keep it upright. There are surgeries that can be done to reposition the uterus if your symptoms are particularly intense, and a pessary can be inserted into your vagina in order to prop up your uterus.

Just know that if you're one of the 20 to 30 percent of uterus owners whose womb is tilted, there are ways to treat it and yes, pregnancy is possible.

By Chanel Dubofsky

Today is moving up in the world... or should we say moving over? On Wednesday, Savannah Guthrie and company made an exciting announcement about the NBC show's coverage of the royal wedding: "We won't just be watching it. No, we will be across the pond — we will be there!" That's right; the famed morning series will be heading to Windsor, England, to broadcast special live editions leading up to and during the May 19 wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

More: Here's Why Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Are Forgoing Wedding Gifts

The royal Today fun will start the day before the nuptials when Guthrie and Hoda Kotb will broadcast from an "exclusive" location overlooking Windsor Castle. Megyn Kelly, Kathie Lee Gifford, Al Roker and Sheinelle Jones will all pitch in with anchoring duties from across the pond. "We are all heading to England to bring you the excitement of the royal wedding," Kotb said during the announcement. To really drive home the message, all of the anchors gave a nod to the big day by donning festive headwear (including a few crowns).

Before they head to Windsor, though, Guthrie and Kotb will kick things off stateside by hosting the May 16 primetime special, Inside the Royal Wedding: Harry and Meghan. As you could probably surmise, the special will consist of behind-the-scenes tidbits about the couple and interviews with people close to them.

This is a shrewd move on the part of the network. With just over a month to go until Harry and Markle say "I do," anticipation increases by the minute. The public clamors for any news coming out of the royal camp that might offer insight into the upcoming ceremony.

From speculation over the bridal party to rumors of a last-minute baptism, royal wedding news has reached peak fascination levels. When Markle's father, Thomas, was spotted at his local Starbucks last week reading the book, Images of Britain: A Pictorial Journey Through History, it quickly became public opinion that he was, No. 1, displaying peak dad behavior and, No. 2, he must be prepping to walk Markle down the aisle.

More: Is Prince Harry Signing a Prenup Before Marrying Meghan Markle?

A few details are set in stone like, for instance, the fact that the service will take place at St. George's chapel at noon Winsdor time (7 a.m. EST/4 p.m. PST).

But if you're an early riser, you're in luck! Guthrie and Kotb's coverage from their "exclusive" spot will start at the mind-numbingly early hour of 4:30 a.m. EST. So have your favorite coffee — or, perhaps a more proper choice, tea — at the ready. May 19 is gearing up to be one royally long day.

On March 12, Reba McEntire posted a photo to Instagram that sent fans into a veritable frenzy. The snapshot, taken at the Celebrity Fight Night charity event, featured the country icon alongside her former Reba costars Melissa Peterman and Christopher Rich (aka Barbra Jean and Brock) with the caption, “Now all we need is the rest of the REBA cast!!” For good measure, McEntire threw in a reboot hashtag. Could it be? Well, in a new interview with Billboard, the singer spills the beans on whether a revival is in the works — and let’s just say we’re not ruling anything out yet.

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When asked to explain her not-so-subtle hints about the possibility, McEntire still played coy to a degree. “It won’t happen in the near future,” she told Billboard, citing her jam-packed schedule and the busy schedule of her costars. But, and it’s a big but, that’s not to say it won’t happen at all.

“Maybe in a year that might be something we could work on,” the country superstar said, adding, “Hopefully in the next two years, we’ll be able to do something with it. I would love to get back with them, whether it’s a TV movie or a reboot, whatever, just to get to work with those people would be a dream come true for me.”

Um, yes, please! As an unabashed Reba fan, I watched every single episode of the original sitcom, which ran from 2001 to 2006. It had all the appeal of a wholesome old-school television series (it was even filmed in front of a live studio audience), but in the context of a modern family with modern problems. Reba, as the eponymous character, was learning to do life as a single mother. Her husband, played by Rich, cheated on her with Peterman’s Barbra Jean, whom he then married. In a twist on the classic home-wrecker narrative, though, Reba and Barbra Jean become the unlikeliest of friends.

More: John Cusack Has Zero Faith in the Female-Led High Fidelity Reboot

As one of three children raised primarily by a single mother in the South, I’ll be the first to admit Reba resonated with me on a very personal level. However, the themes explored on the show boasted universal appeal: love, forgiveness, struggle, family dynamics, and did I mention love? Because at the core of the show’s appeal was its huge heart.

Granted, McEntire wasn’t messing around when she mentioned how busy the Reba gang is. In addition to playing KFC’s Colonel Sanders in TV spots, she won Best Roots Gospel Album at the Grammys and is set to host the 2018 ACM Awards on April 15.

JoAnna Garcia Swisher, who played Reba’s oldest daughter, Cheyenne, has been pulling double duty on TV as both Ariel on Once Upon a Time and Amy on Kevin (Probably) Saves the World.

Steve Howey, Cheyenne’s husband on the show, also has a hectic two-series schedule that includes playing Kevin on Shameless and Danny Cooper on SEAL Team — not to mention the 2018 films Game Over, Man! and Making Babies.

Rich, who plays Reba’s ex on the sitcom, currently has a movie, Land of the Free, in preproduction.

Peterman, the inimitable Barbra Jean, popped up in both TV and film in 2018 with a guest spot on Young Sheldon and roles in Dirty Politics and My Babysitter the Super Hero.

Mitch Holleman, who played Reba’s youngest child, Jake, recently finished filming Guadalajara. The only major cast member who hasn’t continued acting is Scarlett Pomers, who brought to life Reba’s feisty middle child, Kyra.

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So, if you think about it, McEntire is probably right. Give it a year, and the cast will all be in prime position to reprise the roles that first made us fall in love with them. And you know what? We are here for it.

Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore is well on its way to earning five-star reviews from guests of all ages. The luxury hotel has completely remodeled its ninth floor with themed family suites that are the stuff of kids' dreams (and the dreams of those of us who are young at heart to be honest).

For a cool $700 per night, families can shack up in suites that feature the hotel's luxury rooms for parents, which are connected to kids rooms that are out of this world. Kids can choose from five different themes: castle, space, underwater, safari and treetop.

More: 4 Luxury Hotels That Are Insanely Kid-Friendly

Kids in the treetop suite climb up a ladder in order to get some shut-eye in a real tree house (this one just happens to be indoors, but you get the idea). If they opt to stay in the underwater suite, they'll sleep in submarine-shaped beds.

We predict kids will go absolutely bananas over these amazing rooms, but so will parents (or at least their wallets will). But the best part for parents? The hotel provides families with all the necessities that are a serious drag to pack — strollers, car seats, bath toys, bibs and travel cots.

You may be thinking it'll be hard to pry kids away from their dream rooms, but just wait until they hear what else the hotel has to offer: The ninth floor is home to a number of activity rooms for kids, such as a music studio, an art studio and a cooking classroom where budding chefs can take classes with their parents. And if you head outdoors, the little ones can play in a massive swimming pool (complete with a wading area and jet fountains).

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Yep. That's a five-star water park up there. And just in case that weren't enough, kids can also frolic in a pirate ship-inspired play space — and parents should certainly feel free to join in.

Anybody want to lend us $700 times seven?

It would appear that Brad Pitt has chosen to take the plunge back into the dating pool, and no, this time it's not just a rumor. In fact, Us Weekly has confidently reported that Pitt is seeing MIT professor Neri Oxman and while the relationship is still very, very green, there could be a lot of promise in this relationship – if it turns into a relationship that is. This intriguing confirmation indicates the Pitt might be ready to really take the plunge, sure, but I have questions, folks. A couple pretty key questions, including: What's Oxman like and what is she all about? But also, how long have Pitt and Oxman reportedly been seeing each other?

More: Brad Pitt Is Officially Dating Again, but He's Taking It Very, Very Slowly

As I have previously mentioned here, Oxman is a celebrated MIT professor. According to a description of Oxman in the YouTube description to one of her TED talks, this professor is something else. "Designer and architect Neri Oxman is leading the search for ways in which digital fabrication technologies can interact with the biological world," the description reads. "Working at the intersection of computational design, additive manufacturing, materials engineering and synthetic biology, her lab is pioneering a new age of symbiosis between microorganisms, our bodies, our products and even our buildings." Holy. Cow. Get it, girl!

Take a peek of Oxman in action, as well. Watching her talk is a real thing of beauty.

People magazine also reports that this Israeli-born designer and architect's work has been celebrated and she has held exhibitions of her work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and Boston's Museum of Science. She has been praised by MoMa Pietra Antonelli as "a person ahead of her time, not of her time" and she is well rewarded for her work. Among the many awards, she's received the Vilcek Prize in Design in 2014, the MIT Collier Medal in 2016, the Carnegie “Pride of America” Award in 2014, the Earth Award for Future Crucial Design in 2009 and the Holcim Foundation Next Generation award in 2008. Basically, she's amazing. A total catch. Arguably, Pitt is lucky to know her, as far as I can tell.

That second question is fairly easy to answer thanks to Us Weekly. While rumors have swirled about Pitt and Oxman for a week or so now — and the pair has been somewhat coy about confirming or denying outright — there is a belief that Pitt and Oxman began seeing each other, quietly, sometime late in 2017. An inside source speaking to Us Weekly claims that Pitt's has been heading to Cambridge, Massachusetts (home city to MIT) quite frequently in recent months and he might even have a key to Oxman's place so that he can let himself in or out and work around Oxman's teaching schedule. "Brad has been spotted going into her apartment building on multiple occasions late at night," the source claimed, "and emerging the next morning after she leaves to teach." Ooh, Pitt, you saucy minx.

More: Brad Pitt Was in a 3-Car Accident

The source further claims that Pitt has accompanied Oxman on international business trips and that the pair are quite, quite into one another, but I don't want to get too carried away with that speculation, especially when there's no concrete way to confirm this insider's claims. It's also not worth getting too carried away (even though this news is truly intriguing, especially if you've been rooting for Pitt to find love again) because Pitt has chosen to come down on the side of keeping his personal life to himself. In fact, a friend close to Pitt reported back to E! News that "Brad has become friendly with Neri Oxman. He thinks she's brilliant." But, as far as romance is concerned in this opinion this friend of Pitt's, "[h]e's interested in getting to know her more and learning from her, but they are strictly friends."

More: Brad Pitt's Loss at the Chance to Have a GoT Viewing Party Is a Loss for All

Whatever their relationship status, I wish nothing but the best for Pitt and Oxman. These two seem very well-matched, be it in terms of their careers, as intellectual matches or by the potential excitement that could come from their coming together. Best of luck to these two, as friends or as something more.

All right, I'm calling it now: Amy Schumer has one of the best proposal stories of 2018, and it might even earn the superlative "Chillest Proposal." But I'll let you be the official decision-maker on that last part. Schumer and hubby Chris Fischer have only been married for two months after revealing to the world via Instagram they got hitched in an intimate wedding surrounded by only friends and family.

While promoting her upcoming film, I Feel Pretty, earlier this week on Today, Schumer was able to talk about Fischer's proposal and how she knew she had found her perfect man. Prepare yourselves, because this is totally sweet.

More: Amy Schumer Is Being Mocked, Trolled & Torn Down Over Her Wedding Ring

Before she could start talking about the film, Today coanchor Savannah Guthrie couldn't resist asking about Fischer and Schumer's relationship, and I totally get it; I want all the details too, because I love this couple's story. Guthrie came in hot, asking Schumer when she knew Fischer was the one.

"I think a month in," Schumer replied.

After Guthrie exclaimed that was basically love at first sight, Schumer clarified that she and Fischer knew each other about six months before they officially started dating, so not quite and fast and furious as some might think, but still pretty quickly if you ask me.

Later in the day when Schumer made an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, she revealed the details of how Fischer proposed. She was asleep, wearing earplugs and a face mask when Fischer gently woke her up to tell her something important. Fischer's timing is nothing if not... interesting.

"I got you something," Fischer told Schumer, proffering a ring box to the sleepy comedian. That very relaxed presentation of the engagement ring must have done the trick, because a couple of months later, here they are, deep in wedded bliss.

More: Jennifer Lawrence Couldn't Handle Watching Amy Schumer Get Married

And in case you were wondering, their wedding-planning process wasn't much different. They managed to put together a wedding in just a couple of days, sending out very laid-back invites via text to their friends and family, including notable guests Jennifer Lawrence, Jake Gyllenhaal and Jennifer Aniston.

It wasn't just the speed of the wedding planning that made their nuptials a surprise to fans. They'd only been a known couple for a few months previous, having been spotted out in public together just a few times, and only publicly confirmed their relationship when Schumer posted a cute photo from Ellen DeGeneres' 50th birthday party mere days before they got married.

More: Amy Schumer Got Married, & Basically Told No One (Except a Few Celebs)

Do Schumer and Fischer have the most chill proposal story of 2018? I'll let you decide, because I'll be over here swooning for these two lovebirds.

If you’re thinking about taking the parenting plunge, you probably have a lot on your mind. Preparation for a newborn is no doubt all consuming as you and your partner consider the necessary changes that have to take place in order to make room for your growing family.

On the laundry list of considerations, your health should be at the very top, as being in optimal physical, emotional and mental condition will help ensure a healthy pregnancy and a healthy environment for a child. Here are some health checks that OB-GYNs recommend to their patients who are — or are considering — trying to conceive.

Routine OB-GYN visit

If you’re seeing your regular gyno once a year, you’re ahead of the curve, as routine gynecologic care is an important predecessor to having a baby.

“It is important to be up-to-date on cancer screening tests, such a pap and a mammogram according to guidelines, and to have any precancerous cervical lesions that can slowly grow to cervical cancer removed,” Dr. Anate Brauer, a reproductive endocrinologist at the Greenwich Fertility and IVF Centers and assistant professor of OB-GYN at NYU School of Medicine tells SheKnows. “Since addressing such lesions in the midst of a pregnancy can be difficult, it is important to find and address them prior to conception.”

Additionally, she points out that breast cancer, if not picked up in early stages with a screening mammogram, can sometimes rapidly progress in pregnancy depending on tumor characteristics.

More: Popular IVF Myths: Separating Fact From Fiction

Recurrent STIs

Dr. Sherry Ross, an OB-GYN at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, tells SheKnows that a history of recurrent sexually transmitted infections can wind up causing infertility.

“Pelvic inflammatory disease is a common pelvic disease caused by sexually transmitted infections, including gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis,” she says. “Any of these can cause serious and potentially long-term reproductive problems that include chronic pelvic pain and infertility.”

For this reason, it’s important that your health care provider knows your STI history since recurrent infections can cause scarring and blockage of the fallopian tubes, which can prevent pregnancy.

Medical history

To ensure your health and the health of your growing baby ahead of a pregnancy, it’s important to thoroughly review your medical history with your doctor to ensure you don’t have any underlying conditions that could cause problems or increase your risk for certain conditions.

“Diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, blood-clotting disorders and thyroid disease all affect both your health and the baby’s health,” Brauer says. “For example, parents with chronic hypertension are at risk for stroke, cardiovascular and renal disease and uncontrolled asthma [that] could interfere with delivering necessary oxygen to the developing fetus.”

Even if you’re seemingly in perfect health, it’s possible for you to develop high blood pressure during pregnancy, which puts you at risk for pregnancy conditions, such as preeclampsia or eclampsia, Brauer explains.

Family history

It’s not just your own medical history that plays a role in pregnancy — it’s also your family’s.

“If you have a strong family history of diabetes, you should consider getting tested,” Brauer explains. “Diabetes in pregnancy can lead to fetal birth defects, growth issues and even fetal demise — and diabetes post-delivery can inevitably lead to kidney disease, heart disease, deterioration of vision" and even extreme circumstances, such as loss of extremities, over time.

There are different ways to test for diabetes, but most incorporate a simple blood test.

Genetic history

A handful of genes you might carry might not be expressed for you, but are still a part of your genetic makeup, which means you could pass them on to your child. Some of these disorders — such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia and Tay-Sachs disease — can significantly affect quality of life and even the lifespan of a child.

“It is helpful to have a detailed family history and undergo genetic testing for certain disorders prior to achieving pregnancy,” Brauer says. “If a couple’s genetics infer a significant risk to a fetus, they may choose to undergo IVF in order to select embryos without genetic risk for a specific disease.”

Vaccinations

Are you up to date on the various vaccinations that can ensure you are immune to certain diseases that may be dangerous to the fetus or a newborn baby? This is important according to Brauer.

“Rubella (mumps) and varicella (chicken pox) are both viruses that if acquired in pregnancy can cause severe birth defects,” she says. “Most people have gained immunity either through getting a vaccine or being exposed to the disease earlier in life, but immunity can wane.”

If you’re not sure whether you’re immune to these viruses, your doctor can run a quick blood test to check. Additionally, Brauer points out that any caregivers who will be spending time with your baby — grandparents count! — should be immunized against pertussis, or whooping cough, through the Tdap vaccine and get a flu shot.

Psychological history

Signing up to become a parent means signing up for an emotional roller coaster that pretty much never stops — even after your 18-year-old has flown the coop. These emotionally challenging experiences you’ll find yourselves in can very well trigger anxiety and depression, which is why it’s equally important to address your mental well being in addition to your physical.

“Working with your doctor or therapist to treat anxiety and depression through therapy or medication is an important step prior to conception,” Brauer says. “It’s also important to be mindful of symptoms of anxiety and depression in the postpartum period, as women with baseline anxiety and depression are at risk for developing significant postpartum depression, which can interfere with bonding with and caring for your child.”

Exercise regimen

This is one health check that will require you and your S.O. to get off the couch! Dr. Peter Rizk, an OB-GYN with Fairhaven Health, explains that moderate and regular exercise is fundamental to good health during and after pregnancy — it helps with maintaining a healthy weight and blood-sugar metabolism, supports your immune system, reduces risk of heart disease and can help you build and sustain the stamina you will need to keep up with the energy demands of parenting.

He recommends committing to a regular exercise routine you enjoy enough to stick with it throughout pregnancy — with a thumbs-up from your doctor, of course.

Drugs & alcohol

Surprisingly, substance abuse is one of the leading causes of complications during pregnancy according to Ross. “Not only do these drugs contain chemicals that are harmful during the preplanning period and pregnancy, but they also have by-products that are found in the vaginal fluids, which affect the quality of sperm and ultimately the ability of the egg and sperm to fertilize,” she says. Marijuana use, as societally accepted as it’s become, is no exception, as it makes the sperm hyperactive and both men and women less fertile.

Smoking

The effects of tobacco smoking also affect fertility. “Men who smoke have a lower sperm count and [abnormally]-shaped sperm and women who smoke have an increased risk of spontaneous miscarriage and possibly ectopic pregnancy,” Ross says. “Additionally, pregnant smokers have an increased risk of premature birth, lower-birth-weight babies and sudden infant death syndrome.”

If the dad-to-be is a smoker, recreational drug user or a heavy drinker, Rizk recommends he have a semen analysis done to reveal any problems with his sperm count or motility or the size and shape of his sperm as well as other aspects of semen and sperm health (DNA fragmentation or white-cell count) that can impact the chances the couple will conceive.

More: My Male Partner Won't Agree to a Semen Analysis — Now What?

Caffeine use

Believe it or not, this deserves its own section, as it’s important that you’re consuming caffeinated beverages in a safe manner.

“Moderate caffeine consumption (more than 200 milligrams per day, or a 12-ounce cup of brewed coffee) was thought to be a contributing factor in miscarriages and preterm labor,” Ross explains.

The good news for coffee drinkers is that Ross says studies currently do not show moderate caffeine consumption will lead to an increase miscarriage rate or affect your chance of conceiving. Still, Ross recommends limiting your caffeine intake to one cup of coffee or two cups of tea a day during the prepregnancy period.

“Know how much caffeine is contained in the foods and beverages you eat so you can keep the quantity under 200 milligrams per day, which is considered a safe amount before and during pregnancy,” she adds.

Medication, supplements & herbs

It’s not a bad idea to bring a list of the over-the-counter and prescription medications and herbs you and your partner take on a daily basis for review, as Ross warns some could be harmful to the embryo during the early stages of conception.

“Antibiotics commonly used for acne, such as Accutane and tetracycline, pose potential harmful effects to the developing embryo, and medications such as Rogaine (minoxidil), commonly used for hair loss, can also affect the quality of the sperm and should not be used during the preplanning period,” Ross says.

One supplement you should start taking during the preconception period, however, is folic acid, which has been shown to reduce the incidence of spinal defects, aka neural tube defects. One recent study published by The Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry, found that women who took folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy had a decreased risk having a baby with autism.

So, while you're in the process of picking out the perfect name or the perfect color for the future nursery, don't forget to take the time to make sure your own health is in good shape first.

Crawling is a huge milestone. After months of relying on you (and other responsible adults) for transportation, your baby can now get from one place to another all on their own. They'll feel mighty proud of their new achievement and will likely want to do it as often as possible. The whole world — or the living room, at least — is now theirs for the exploring. Here's what you need to know about your new and on-the-move crawler.

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1. Not all babies crawl

If your tot isn't crawling, it's unlikely to be a cause for concern. In fact, some babies never crawl. "Most babies start crawling between 7 and 10 months of age, with 9 months being an average time to start seeing crawling behavior," explains Dr. Danelle Fisher, chair of pediatrics at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. But some babies skip crawling and go straight to pulling up to stand, then walking. If your baby skips crawling but goes on to acquire other milestones, there's no reason to worry.

2. Crawling comes in different styles

Most babies' motor development progresses from rolling in both directions (front to back and back to front) to sitting up and then to crawling, explains Fisher. Some babies adopt the army crawl or belly crawl, in which they crawl on their bellies with their arms doing the bulk of the work, while others rock back and forth on their hands and knees and then eventually move forward. Other crawling styles are the crab crawl (moving with one best knee while the other remains extended, either forward or sideways) and the wind-up (moving backward before crawling forward). One common alternative to crawling is scooting (dragging the bottom across the floor). A crawling style that looks a little unusual is rarely anything to worry about, but if your baby tends to drag one side of their body, ask your pediatrician's advice to be on the safe side.

3. You need to baby-proof, stat

Ideally, your house should be baby-proofed before your little one actually starts crawling. (This saves you running around the house frantically unplugging things and eliminating death traps.) The best way to ensure you don't miss any hazards is to get down on your hands and knees in each room.

• Cover electrical outlets.
• Fit child-guard latches on every drawer and cabinet your baby can reach.
• If you don't have carpet, purchase nonslip rugs or colorful floor mats to give your baby's little knees a break from the hard surfaces.
• If you have wood floors, deal with any uncovered nails or loose splinters that could hurt your baby.
• Place all fragile or sharp objects up high, well out of your baby's reach.
• Store all chemicals on a high shelf or cabinet.
• Pad all sharp corners and edges of furniture, such as coffee tables and kitchen units.
• Remove or secure any large objects your baby could pull over.
• Eliminate all choking hazards. Check to see if small items fit into the cardboard tube of a toilet paper roll. If they do, they pose a potential choking risk.
• Block off rooms you don't want your baby to have access to, such as the kitchen, bathroom, garage, gym, crafts room, terrace, laundry room or an older sibling's bedroom.
• Install a wall-mounted stair gate (babies can loosen pressure-mounted gates when they start to pull themselves up and stand.) 
• Roll up blind cords (or replace with cordless blinds).

Even a thorough baby-proofing session can miss something, so keep a close eye on your crawling kid at all times.

More: 10 Ways to Soothe a Kid With Chicken Pox

4. Crawling is huge for your baby's development

Crawling works out your baby's body and mind. It helps a baby learn about coordinating muscle movements, visual and spatial abilities and even helps develop cognitive skills by enabling them to reach a goal by themselves (i.e., crawl to a toy they want that is on the other side of the room), says Fisher. Crawling also helps babies develop navigation skills and strengthens their memory. (They remember they have to crawl behind the sofa to get to the toy box, for example.) 

5. Your pediatrician is there to help

Fisher recommends that 15-month-old babies who aren't crawling (or pulling to stand or walking or doing an alternative to crawling like rolling or bum-scooting) get an evaluation by a physical therapist. The first step, however, is to make an appointment with your pediatrician. (This goes for any concerns you have about your child's development.)  

More: My Baby Doesn't Like You, & That's OK

Crawling should be a fun time for you and your baby — not something that causes stress. You can help prepare for crawling by giving your little one lots of supervised tummy time. This encourages them to lift their head up to look around, which in turn strengthens their neck, shoulders, arms and trunk.

But remember: Babies do things at their own pace, and there's no rushing a major milestone. So if crawling isn't quite happening yet, just sit back and enjoy those final weeks of being able to leave your book and glasses sitting on the floor, OK?

One year ago, I lived what most would classify as a pretty normal life. My husband and I worked (probably too much), and we spent a lot of spare time DIY'ing our sweet little fixer-upper by the beach in Charleston, South Carolina. Packing lunches and cobbling together costumes at the last minute proved part of our day-to-day, as our daughter had just started kindergarten. Life flew by at an ever-quickening pace. As happy as we were, though, one persistent thought plagued us: Is this how our life was supposed to look? So we did something radical — we sold our home and practically everything in it to travel as a family in an RV full-time.

Granted, we didn't make this decision lightly. But with each passing day, we became more convinced it was the right decision. We constantly felt the tug of travel in our bones, the dull yet persistent ache of wanderlust. And we felt strongly that with everything going on in the world there was no time like the present to live with more intention — especially where our two young children were concerned.

One year ago, the idea shifted from the hushed, late-night whispers of a pipe dream to an actual path we decided to pursue. It's been almost six months since we hit the road. It is often said there is no better teacher than travel, right? For me, that adage rings truer than ever. Here are a few of the life lessons we've learned along the way (so far).

1. You need so much less than you think

We knew going in that downsizing from a 2,000-square-foot house to a 350-square-foot RV would be a task and a half, so we purged dramatically. We became regulars on Facebook swap sites. We held yard sales. We donated. Countless moments during this process gave us pause, whether it was parting with something sentimental or questioning whether we could live with so little.

But you know what? We've happily and willingly gotten rid of even more since our journey started. In a home, it's so much harder to spot things that have outlived their use. They get tucked into corners, shoved under beds and stuffed into the notorious junk drawer. In an RV, anything not used or truly loved sticks out like a sore thumb. You take stock of what's important, and you get rid of the rest. It's that simple.

2. This radical idea? Not so radical

When we told family and friends our plans, well, we were met with more than a few raised eyebrows and expressions that clearly read, "Are you insane?" However, we did what any red-blooded person would do before making a big decision: We googled.

In doing so, we discovered a massive network of other like-minded individuals and families out there rocking this lifestyle. Blogs like Gone With the Wynns, Mali Mish, Less Junk More Journey and Ditching Suburbia (the list goes on and on) became our most frequently clicked bookmarks. We joined the Fulltime Families Facebook group. Before we'd ever bought our RV, we had a welcoming support system of strangers in place.

3. There's beauty (almost) everywhere

Prior to setting off on this grand adventure, we honestly didn't know for certain what we were getting ourselves into. In the thousands of miles we've since traveled, we have been blown away by just how breathtaking and interesting our country is. As soon as you start to think you can't be any more impressed, you turn a corner and you're staring at the most stunning vista you'll ever see... until you hit your next stop.

However, we don't live in a perfect society. People are flawed, and travel doesn't exempt us from experiencing that. From roadside gun stands plastered with anti-Semitic rhetoric to racist comments, ugliness has occasionally become an uninvited guest in our travels. But the good we've experienced far outweighs the bad.

4. Some of the best things in life really are free

Let us start by clearing up one major misconception about RV life: It is not cheap. Once you factor in the cost of gas, park or membership fees and all of the fun excursions you inevitably take (read: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter), the cost of this lifestyle really adds up.

However, you ultimately hold the cards. If you need to save money, you can live frugally. You can limit your travels. And you can take advantage of the myriad free or nearly free perks out there. Case in point? We had no idea the Bureau of Land Management maintains free (or very inexpensive) campgrounds all over the country. One of our hands-down favorite spots we've stayed so far was at a stunning site near the base of a mountain range in New Mexico (pictured above).

5. Our kids are super-cool little human beings

6. Living a life you design is endlessly liberating

On any given weekday, you might find us splashing around in the pool or taking a hike through the desert. After the kids' schooling is taken care of, we have carte blanche to do whatever we want. The only pressure placed on us now is self-imposed. It's very liberating. I mean, who makes the rules anyway? Who says one lifestyle is superior to another? There's room for everyone to live their own truth.

7. We could travel for decades & still not be "done"

People tend to idealize travel to other countries — we did, always dreaming of European vacations and African safaris. And while those are still worthwhile dreams, we've come to appreciate how much America truly has to offer. Every time we leave a state, we prattle on about the things we need to do on our next trip. The major attractions like the Grand Canyon and Statue of Liberty are amazing, but RV living also brings to life everything on the map between those stops.

We decided at the onset we weren't going to place parameters on our journey. Rather, we intend to enjoy the ride while it lasts and let our kids steer the conversation about a stopping point. However, we now know it doesn't matter if that point comes a year from now or 10 years from now — we will forever feel like there's so much more to see and do. We're OK with that too.

Hollywood — a city that sustains itself on dreamers, doers and makers — is simultaneously a beautiful and ugly place. The bustling streets are lined with trendy restaurants, artsy coffee shops and hot-yoga studios on every block. The sunsets are as gorgeous as the people strolling down the beach. And the nightlife is a creativity melting pot with actors, singers, comedians and artists of every type itching to share their craft with the world.

But for all its beauty, it can be very dark and lonely too. A city filled with artists is also a city filled with egos, angst, insecurities and competition. It's hard to connect and find true friendships (the flakes are abundant here) — but, more important, and sometimes more often than not, it can be even harder to find and stay true to yourself.

Roseanne and Shameless star Emma Kenney is experiencing both sides of Hollywood's personality right now, but luckily, she isn't afraid to admit when she needs help. After tweeting she is taking a break from Los Angeles and social media for a bit, she exclusively told In Touch Weekly she's seeking treatment for the personal issues she's encountering in life.

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"I was running with a really fast crowd. I was being naive and very immature, and I was doing things I should not be doing because it was illegal and I'm not 21," she said. "It wasn't healthy, and it was making me feel even worse — anxious and depressed," Kenney explained. "It was just a slippery slope that I did not want to go down. And I knew that I needed to stop it."

Hitting fame and fortune at 11 years old and growing up in the limelight like Kenney did can be difficult to navigate. We've seen it time and time again. But now, as she enters the first few years as a real adult (isn't that what we're calling 18-year-olds?), she's looking out for herself.

"I want to be the healthiest, best Emma that I can be, and I know that by going to treatment that's what's going to happen, and I'm going to continue on that positive road," she added. "I just want to send a message to my fans saying that it's OK to admit that you need help, and it doesn't make you weak. I'm going to come out on the other side, the True Emma that I've always been."

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Fans and colleagues, including Lyn Paolo, the costumes designer for Shameless, have showered Kenney with love and support on Twitter since she announced her self-imposed hiatus from the business.

Right now, it's unclear what kind of treatment Kenney is receiving or when she'll make her return to Hollywood (and frankly, it's none of our business). But according to IMDb, she is cast in two films that are currently in production — Robert the Bruce and My Love Affair with Marriage. On top of that, Kenney is currently playing Darlene's teen daughter in the Roseanne reboot, and while she's already completed nine episodes, we know there are many more to come.

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Until then, we hope Kenney gets all the R&R she needs before she returns to work. Everyone needs help from time to time, and we applaud Kenney for sharing her struggles so we can all learn that it's OK to just take a break.