Advice

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by guest blogger Leah Rozen, PEOPLE’s film critic:

Fittingly enough on this Thanksgiving holiday, there’s a cornucopia of family-friendly choices at the nation’s multiplexes. If, after you’ve stuffed yourself with stuffing (and turkey, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin and pecan pie), you want to take your brood to a movie, here’s a quick look at the leading possibilities:

Bolt. This clever animated comedy is definitely worth barking about. A Disney film, it’s the best choice if the entire family, including younger children, is going. It follows the adventures of a cute pooch (voiced by John Travolta) who, after spending years as the star of a popular TV action series in Hollywood, must learn to cope with real life. Tweener fave Miley Cyrus provides the voice of Penny, the dog’s beloved human owner. Rated PG. Appropriate for ages 6 and older.

Twilight. If you’re looking for a movie with more bite than bark, try this romantic drama about a teen girl (Kristen Stewart) who falls for a classmate who just happens to be a vampire (Robert Pattinson). Twilight gets the swoony obsessiveness of adolescent love just right. This one is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer; plans for a sequel, based on a second book, have already been announced. Rated PG-13. Appropriate for ages 10 and older.

Australia. Big and sweeping, this romantic drama starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman doesn’t know when to quit, which is a polite way of saying it’s running time is close to 2 hours and 40 minutes. Set just before and during WWII in the Australian Outback, it’s a movie that’s easy to like but harder to love. Kids will be particularly interested in a subplot involving the fate of an Aboriginal orphan. Rated PG-13. Appropriate for ages 10 and older.

Courtesy Warner Bros.

Four Christmases. In this passable comedy, a couple (Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn) reluctantly visit all four of their divorced parents in a single day to glug eggnnog and celebrate Noel. The film offers some laughs, but this one isn’t going to make anyone’s list of all-time holiday classics. Spoiler alert: If your kids still believe in Santa Claus, be forewarned that the movie spills the beans. Rated PG-13. Appropriate for ages 12 and older.

Other child-friendly possibilities still in theaters: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, High School Musical 3: Senior Year and, for adolescents, The Secret Life of Bees. 

Carlos Vila-David Krieger/Bauer Griffin

The thrill of learning that you are expecting your first child can quickly turn to feelings of anxiety, fear, and downright confusion as questions begin to arise about what to expect during the coming months. Who better to dish out pregnancy tips and advice than a woman who has already been through the whole nine month ordeal herself? Ready to share her pregnancy journey with the world and fill moms in on everything from special craving requests to the secret world inside the delivery room, Access Hollywood host Nancy O’Dell will release her new book, Full of Life: Mom to Mom Tips I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was Pregnant, in April.

From advice to anecdotes Nancy — whose "biggest craving was for information" — wishes someone would have shared with her during her pregnancy with daughter Ashby Grace, 17 months, the 42-year-old is hoping to prepare soon-to-be moms on what to expect so they can avoid being "as surprised or panicked as I was." Explains Nancy, "I wanted to share in a simple, fun, and straightforward book all those crazy, unexpected, sometimes disgusting, sometimes hilarious things that happen during pregnancy."

In addition to the warnings of what to look out for, Nancy also shares touching advice on how to remember such a special time by including loved ones in the experience. Nancy’s tip to make extended family feel important? Ask the technician at the doctor’s office for three copies of the baby’s ultrasound pictures: one for you to keep and one for each set of grandparents!

"After my mom passed away, I found a scrapbook she had made of all of Ashby’s ultrasounds, so I know how much that meant to her. And it reminded me that Ashby has the perfect angel watching over her…always!"

Ashby Grace is Nancy’s daughter with husband, business executive Keith Zubchevich, whom she married in June 2005.

Source: PEOPLE

Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland

"The first few days, your nipples get chewed off. Because they are so sore, one of the best reliefs is taking a [black] tea bag and putting [it on] as a compress. The tannin [in the tea] really soothes the breast."

            – Vanessa Williams, on her best post-delivery advice for Ugly Betty costar Rebecca Romijn, currently expecting fraternal twin girls. Rebecca, whom husband Jerry O’Connell says is due in January, begins partial bedrest on October 1st.

Source: OK!

What’s your ‘breast advice?’

Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale must be over the moon about the arrival of their new son, Zuma Nesta Rock. While the second-time parents know their baby basics, this time around, they’ll need to help big brother Kingston James McGregor, 2, adjust to life as a sibling. To help the family work through any rivalry issues between Kingston and Zuma, we consulted baby care experts Dr. William Sears, author of more than 30 parenting books, including The Baby Book, and Jennifer Waldburger, co-author of The Sleepeasy Solution.

Click Continue Reading for six great tips from our experts!

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Having two children himself — sons Magnus, 4, and Mattias, 18 months — actor and comedian Will Ferrell has become a pro at giving parenting advice!  After recently sharing some great ideas with fellow actress Nicole Kidman on raising her new daughter, Sunday Rose, Will is dishing up some more kid-friendly tips.  Starting off with "don’t let them play in abandoned refrigerators," the 41-year-old goes on to say that when traveling, make sure you "travel as a family."

If you’re flying with your children, it’s better to book them on the same flight as you and not on a separate one just so they can have more leg room or something.

Source: Parade; Photo by Flynet.

We can only imagine how happy and excited the Jolie-Pitt family must be with their new arrivals, Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Léon. However, we also know they must be feeling a few other things as well… like tired! To help them and their family get a little more peace and rest these first few manic weeks, we consulted some of our favorite baby care experts: Dr. Harvey Karp, author of The Happiest Baby on the Block, Cheryl Lage, author of Twinspiration: Real-Life Advice from Pregnancy through the First Year and Dr. William Sears, author of more than 30 parenting books, including The Baby Book. Here’s what they recommend for Angelina and Brad.

Click through to the next page for six great tips.

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by guest blogger Jason Lynch, People’s film critic:

This Fourth of July weekend promises fireworks, barbecues and beach time…but there’s plenty of terrific family entertainment at the multiplex, too. Beat the heat by taking the family to see either of these two new fantastic family films — both rated G and a wonderful way to enjoy the holiday together.

The adorable Wall-E,Pixar’s seventh straight home run, follows a trash-compacting robotdoing mop-up duty on Earth after everyone has fled. When a probe-droidnamed Eve arrives on the planet, Wall•E falls head over rollers forher, following her into space when she is whisked back to her ship. Theyoungest kids might be put off by the film’s scant dialogue; everyoneelse will be charmed to pieces by the most touching love story in ages.(And your children will also learn an important lesson about respectingthe planet and its resources.)

Wary about shelling out $90 to get your daughter something from the American Girl doll collection? Save some cash by taking her instead to Kit Kittredge: An American Girl– based on the company’s hit doll and book line — which is equally asentertaining. A bubbly Abigail Breslin (left) stars as Kit, a10-year-old go-getter whose family is struggling to make ends meetduring the Great Depression. When everyone’s valuables go missing andsigns point to her hobo pal, the reporter-in-training starts sleuthingto find the real culprit. It’s good, clean fun.

Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann/Picturehouse.

Just The Facts Baby, a new website devoted to being a top resource for moms to kids newborn-age 2, has compiled a short list of advice moms-to-the-stars bestowed upon their children Justin Timberlake and Uma Thurman, among others. The following are the Celebrity Baby Blog’s favorites!

Lynn Harless, mom to Justin Timberlake:

I always told Justin, ‘Different is good, nobody ever stood out in a flock.’"

Nena Thurman, mom to Uma Thurman:

If you always spoil your children you will weaken their character instead of strengthening it. We don’t learn by everything being easy. We learn from difficulties and obstacles.

Leah Adler to Steven Spielberg:

"Never lose your inner child” and “Whenever is the greatest time I know.”

Source: Just The Facts Baby; Photo by PacificCoastNewsOnline.com.

What life advice do you give your children?

When it comes to motherhood Candace Cameron Bure, 32, is already a veteran.  Mom to Natasha, 9 ½, Lev, 8 and Maksim, 6 ½ — her children with husband Valeri Bure, an ex-NHL player — Candace said she has been exchanging emails with actress Jodie Sweetin, who recently became a mom herself. Noting that she’s "years ahead" of Jodie in the parenthood department, Candace said she "could give tons of advice" to her former Full House co-star.  First and foremost on Jodie’s hypothetical to-do list, Candace said, is to go out and purchase a copy of the controversial sleep training book Baby Wise, because "it helps your child sleep through the night, and helps you put your baby on a schedule. It’s so important."

Source:  OK!; Photo by Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images.

The BabyWise book is controversial, but we are interested in a respectful discussion over which baby sleep books and techniques readers found helpful. What did you find success with?

Actor Stephen Nichols knew that his life wouldn’t be without scary moments, but he didn’t plan on the worst one occurring during his son Aaron’s birth 28 years ago.

All three of my children were born at home with certified midwives attending.  The scariest part was when my son, Aaron, was born.  No midwife … She didn’t make it in time.  I caught him myself.  That was the single most terrifying moment of my life.

Stephen, who is also dad to daughters Vanessa, 30, and Dylan Serena, 16, made sure that he was ready for his children’s births by reading everything in sight.

I read everything I could get my hands on.  Mostly books on natural-birthing techniques and such.

Continue reading to find out how Stephen and his wife Lisa named their kids, the best parenting advice he ever received and more.

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