I first wrote about Channing in 2006 when he had a breakout year with roles in “She’s the Man” with Amanda Bynes, the indie drama “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints,” and the dance flick “Step Up” (during which he met and fell for his co-star and now wife, Jenna Dewan). There was something charismatic about him that made him sexy but approachable. Six years later, and I still think he’s got whatever undefinable “It” creates a star.

• Name: Channing Tatum
• Hometown: Cullman, Alabama (outside Birmingham)
• Age: 32
• Marital Status: Channing’s married to his “Step Up” co-star, Jenna Dewan-Tatum. They tied the knot in July 2009.
• You Know Him From: Everything from his trifecta of 2006 breakout roles to his recent starring gigs in the comedy “21 Jump Street,” romantic drama “The Vow” opposite the always-awesome Rachel McAdams, and the upcoming male-stripper dramedy “Magic Mike,” which is loosely based on his own experience as an exotic dancer in the Tampa area before he got into acting.
• Why Him: He’s not  pretty like Brad Pitt or Alex Pettyfer or Leo; he’s got a bit of a bad-boy handsome look. He’s a hot everyman not a posh, tuxedo-clad kind of guy (although he does look pretty amazing in a tux). Plus, I love that like one of my earliest celebrity crushes, Patrick Swayze (sniff!), Channing married someone he connected with as a dancer. I know he’s probably not destined for the Oscars podium, but Channing can do drama and comedy and as for “Magic Mike,” I say put down the “Fifty Shades of Grey” ladies and watch this trailer!

Sandie has been crushing on celebrities since she was 8, when she had a thing for Treat Williams in the movie musical “Hair,” which for the record, came out when she was three. She writes about entertainment all sorts of places, including NextMovie, Moviefone, and Common Sense Media. You can follow her on Twitter @urbanmama

I live in Arlington, Virginia, and the mosquitoes around my home have been known to drive me to weed my garden in the heat of summer with long sleeves, long pants, and a head covering. I look ridiculous and am extremely uncomfortable. This year, I’m trying something different to keep the bugs away. The Mosquito Squad will be coming to my yard and trying to work their magic of repelling the bugs. The jury is still out on whether they’ll be successful, but a week and a half after their first treatment – a period filled with lots of spring showers – my kids are running around in the backyard without mosquito repellant being sprayed on them. Most importantly, they’re coming back inside at the end of the evening without complaining about endless bug bites. Last night, I sat in my yard with shorts on and plucked lettuce from my garden and came in with zero bites. I like this!

The Mosquito Squad has two types of spray – the “natural spray option” and the “standard spray.” Although the Mosquito Squad has been perfectly clear that they do not expect the natural spray option to be as effective as the standard spray (65% effective versus 90% effective), I’m using that for a few reasons. Mainly, I’m trying to walk with a light footprint, so choosing the least powerful treatment to start with seems appropriate. The natural spray option works to repel mosquitoes and must be applied every two weeks. The standard spray works by killing the mosquitoes, and leaving behind a residue that will kill new mosquitoes that come in the yard. It gets reapplied every three weeks.

What I can say this far is that my yard is usable! And it’s being used all day and into the evening – whenever my kids are around to kick balls, play in the sandbox, and swing on the swings.

For reference, this will be the third summer in our current home, and the last two summers have been filled with mosquito abatement measures. The first year, we removed many over-grown plants and vines that had the effect of making the air in our backyard very still. Breezes couldn’t get through easily, so mosquitoes could thrive. We consulted several landscapers before taking this project on, and they all said we needed to improve air flow. Things did improve, but we were still fighting the critters!

Last summer, we removed loads of wooden boardwalks from around our home in order to get rid of mosquito breeding ground. Then, we had Sun Design install a screened-in-porch so that if we couldn’t reclaim our yard, at least we could enjoy dinner mostly outside. This, for the record, is a pretty expensive way to avoid mosquitoes, but also very effective – at least behind the screen. But still, the yard could be miserable.

This summer, I’m crossing my fingers that we have finally sealed the deal on getting rid of enough mosquitoes to make our yard the lovely place we always dreamed of. Cross your fingers – and I’ll write more in a few weeks to see if the good luck continues, or if the last two mosquito-free weeks were a fluke.

Find out more about the Mosquito Squad on Facebook or watch a short video on YouTube! If you’re interested in setting up an initial appointment, tell them The DC Moms referred you!

Elaine blogs about the fun her children have outside at Connor and Helen Grow Up! With less time spent smacking mosquitoes, she’s hoping to work on her photography – and enjoy more mojitos! The Mosquito Squad is treating Elaine’s yard for free in May and June this summer. No additional compensation is being paid, and all opinions are my own. I was extremely skeptical about this method of getting rid of mosquitoes, but now I’m a believer! Come on over for a BBQ and see for yourself!

I love primer.  I helps make-up stay on and I have already written that I have a problem with that.  It keeps oily skin matte, evens out skin tone, and can even cover up imperfections.  I have tried a ton of primers and I’m partial to Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer but at $30 a bottle I was willing to try something a little less expensive.  Enter ALMAY Smart Shade Perfect and Correct Primer.

I don’t tend to buy a lot of drugstore make-up.  I want to LOVE drugstore makeup.  It is cheaper.  It is more convenient than Sephora or Ulta.  But, I have very sensitive skin and it always seems to make me breakout.  I always end up throwing out drugstore make-up.  But I’m also a slave to marketing and Almay says it is MADE for sensitive skin.

 Straight from Almay’s website:

new multi-tasking face primer intuitively adjusts to smooth and soften skin while correcting skin’s most common problems with visible color correcting strands. green ribbons neutralize redness, while swirls of lavender pigments even out and brighten skin tone. imperfections are diffused and skin is up to 265% more hydrated. this lightweight, non-oily formula works for all skin types but is specifically formulated for sensitive skin. wear it alone for a flawless finish or underneath foundation for the first step to perfected skin.

I’m not sure about any of that.  Here is what is actually does.  It helps your make-up stay on.  JUST LIKE SMASHBOX’S PRIMER.  For less than 1/2 the price.  Do I like it as much as Smashbox?  No. Do I like it for 13.99? Hell, yes.  And they sell it at my Walgreens up the street and sometimes it is even on sale.

Let’s be honest here.  It doesn’t make my skin look like Kate Hudson says it will on the commercial.  It doesn’t make me look a little bit like Kate Hudson  But neither did Smashbox.  It does stops my makeup from melting off my face on really hot days. That is as good as sold.

Jodi blogs at Jodifur about life, motherhood, working, and shoes. Mostly shoes.

*I purchased all products discussed myself.

In just a few days, my family will celebrate the first of hopefully many graduations. My oldest is graduating from 8th grade. My kids attend a K-8 school, so on one hand, it’s been a long nine years. On the other hand, wasn’t it just yesterday that I dropped off mah baybee on that first terrifying day of kindergarten? (Where he incidentally got punched in the face. On the first day. I’m not sure which of us had a bigger nervous breakdown that afternoon.) We’ve come a long way since then!

I can’t believe this moment is finally upon us. I’m proud of my boy. He’s worked hard and done well in elementary/middle school. He’s ready for the challenges of high school.

Oh, and I’m proud of me too because I mastered K-8!

While the graduation ceremony will celebrate the achievements of the graduates (and rightfully so, I suppose), I thought I’d take a moment here to celebrate my own achievements from these past nine years. You parents of fellow graduates, feel free to join right in! We’ve worked hard and we deserve a second or two to bask in the limelight.

I learned about reading readiness, how to add and subtract with a number line (instead of those old-fashioned fingers that I used back in the day), and that borrowing is now called “regrouping.” I helped with dioramas and brochures. We slogged through Mark Twain and Shakespeare. I edited and bibliographed, kept 6 kids together in a museum and survived bus rides over DC potholes.

I’ve bought and wrapped approximately 30 teacher gifts. I’ve filled out thousands of forms and packed hundreds of lunches. He had a clean uniform on his body every day and his completed homework in his backpack every morning. (Except that one life cycle poster. That was totally my fault.) I said, “Sit down and do your homework!” so many times that my tongue should have fallen off. There were times I wished I was one of those mothers who actually does her kids homework for them because that would have been SO MUCH EASIER than getting him to do it himself. But I resisted!

I’ve bought wrapping paper and chocolate, raffle tickets and auction items. I’ve attended parent-teacher conferences, PTA meetings, awards assemblies, and class parties. I’ve sent in tissues, glue sticks, hand sanitizer and superballs.

And since probably no one else will say it, “Way to go me! I don’t know how you did it all! You must be exhausted. Sit down, put up your feet and pour yourself a giant glass of wine. He couldn’t have done it without you!”

As I look ahead, I have no idea what being the mother of a high schooler is like. I’m going to have to learn a whole new craft. There are scary things in these next four years: corsages, tuxedos, driver’s ed, SATs, college applications. I’m hoping that at least (please, God) there are no more dioramas.

Is it just me or are there too many activities to choose from this weekend? One thing I love about living in the DC area is all its diversity, but I have to admit that sometimes I’m overwhelmed by the options.

If my goal is nature, and the simple things, I could opt for the Spring Market at Claude Moore Colonial Farm. My son loved dipping candles and carding wool there last year during farm days. I like how grounded and connected to the earth things seem there, what with the volunteers in colonial dress and all. Even though you’re a stone’s throw from the CIA, you feel like you’re being watched by the spirit of George Washington, not George H.W.

But my kindergartener also went to Claude Moore on a field trip in the fall, so maybe I should indulge in my creative desire to check out

Dipping candles at Claude Moore Colonial Farm

the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival where there is a cool-sounding kids art tent (and boy does that summer camp with art and yoga sound great if I lived closer to Reston! And if I were in first grade!)

If art is the thing, though, then maybe we should go check out Artomatic in the closer to home ‘hood of Crystal City and support my friend Amy Perlman Gura, a mom of 1 (and a half) and amazing painter who is exhibiting there (with 1300 other artists!). It was a delight to see Amy’s exhibit at Huntley Meadows last spring after a lovely hike out to the marsh with my kids. Gosh, that’s another great place I haven’t visited for a while. Love the books and jewelry in their shop!

But maybe Artomatic would be better enjoyed alone, as, perhaps is the Del Ray House and Garden tour. Since we’re in the middle of a big house renovation, I’d love to snoop in other people’s spaces to see what they’ve done. Turns out that mobile children need their own ticket, though, and while I’m happy to support the landscaping for the tot lot that is receiving the proceeds, it might be more cost effective – and enjoyable for my son – to instead have his dad get him a treat at the new gluten-free bakery in Del Ray, the Happy Tart.

Speaking of garden, I’m almost relieved to have an excuse to skip the big garden day plant sale at the lovely Green Springs Garden Park in Alexandria/Annandale. Since our home is still under construction and we won’t be planting anything this spring, this year I really ought not go drool over all the beautiful plants and spend a small fortune on things I don’t really know how to grow.

Green Springs is a gem, on any regular day, when there aren’t hundreds of green thumbs milling around and pulling at their wallets. My husband and I took wedding pictures there and we’ve done family pictures there. But I still didn’t realize until I got involved with Nature Place, a Waldorf-inspired playgroup coop that meets there, that Green Springs has such a great little shop and exhibit space, plus a children’s garden and a path through the woods that leads to a pond where lotus will soon blossom. Oh, and it looks like Green Springs has plenty of summer camp options, too, mostly for the weeks we will be out of town or just taking a break from being scheduled.

How to balance the many me‘s – nature lover, wanna be home decorating goddess, simplicity-inspired mom, creative type – when there are so many options, plus a baby who needs to nap in the middle of the day and a kindergartener who is tuckered out from the week and wants to watch sports?

How do you choose how to spend your weekend hours?

Jessica Claire Haney is always trying to have things both ways, or more. She blogs about living naturally, most of the time, at Crunchy-Chewy Mama and about her home renovation project at Conjuring Home.

When my building was evacuated due to DC’s earthquake last year, I was smart enough to grab my purse before walking out the door. When we were told that the building was closed and that we could go home, I was glad to have everything with me. On my walk to the Metro I became a little apprehensive about what my commute would have in store for me. And, my water bottle was almost empty. So I stopped at Potbelly to use the restroom and refill my bottle. I figured I’d better be prepared.

Even though I buy lunch there often, and this was an emergency situation, I felt a little guilty about taking water from the soda fountain without purchasing anything. Silly? Probably. But, you know, I’m one of those rule-follower-types.

A week or two later I was in line at the same Potbelly for lunch and noticed a flyer indicating that the store is a partner in TapIt. Upon closer inspection, I learned that TapIt is a network of stores and cafe owners who agree to provide free tap water to folks who carry a reusable water bottle. Hooray! I had felt guilty for nothing!

I’m so excited to know about this program! As a family we take our water bottles everywhere. Yes, I’m the person who takes an empty water bottle through airport security so I can fill it at a water fountain at the gate. But too often, especially on long excursions, we drink all our water. And so I always keep my eye out for water fountains to re-fill my bottles. If there’s no water fountain in sight, we end up having to buy bottled water, totally defeating the purpose of taking our own water bottles!!

Now that I know about TapIt, have checked out their interactive map, downloaded their free iPhone app and found out that there are nearly 200 participating locations in DC, I feel even better about taking our reusable water bottles on day-trips into the city. And I’m excited that I’ll pay for water — and waste plastic — much less often!

Aimee does her best to be green and loves sharing tips with others. She received no compensation for this post and honest-to-goodness is psyched to have noticed that flyer. You can read more about Aimee and her crazy boys at Smiling Mama and about family-friendly activities for getting out and about in Prince George’s County, MD, at Out by Ten.

You can’t open up a fashion magazine, browse a blog or clothing website without noticing one big trend. Pastels.  From pretty pink pants to pale peach sweaters and light-hued tanks, pastels are everywhere.  They seem perfect for spring and summer but sometimes I find them unbelievably hard to wear.  You don’t want to look too cute or washed out. So, what is the best way to wear pastels?

The answer is often by pairing them all together.  Combine a pair of white pants with a soft lilac blouse and add a pair of nude heels and a white bag and you have a sweet look.  Throw a light pink or orange sorbet colored cardigan over the top of that blouse and it looks like you just walked off the runway. Philip Lim 3.1 and Ralph Lauren both exceled at this look this year. The idea of grouping pastels together goes against how we often pair these colors in years past, but it works.  A white skirt with a light yellow button-down shirt looks just fine.  Add a toned down aqua or pale mint green jacket or sweater over top of it and it becomes a more luxurious, on-trend ensemble.

Want to be more cutting edge with those child-like colors?  Then pair those same pastels with something rougher and tougher like a motorcycle jacket or pair of black studded boots.  The addition of a pair of pastel Fantas-eyes sunglasses will kick it up another fashion notch.  Adding these darker, heavier pieces can also give more play to some of the clothes in your closet you still have from the colder months.  Why put them all into storage when you can use them for a few more months with pastels?

Finally, the last way I have found to jazz up pastels and create a more fashion forward look is to go futuristic.  I’m not talking bubble helmets but metallics.  A silver clutch or gold envelope style bag can add a lot to a pastel heavy look.  H&M has some great options for under $25 too.  Accessories are one of the best ways to stay in the fashion know without spending a lot of money so pick up a pair of acid green shades or earrings.  Find a pair of lime heels and match them with a pair of grey pants.  Pastels aren’t just for kids when you know how to wear them. Go forth, have fun and brighten your day.

Victoria Mason, blogs about fashion, beauty and parenting at The Mummy Chronicles and Mummy’s Product Reviews.

With the strange spring we’ve been having, we’ve already had quite a few hot days, and today is supposed to be another one.  Our conversations about sunscreen have become more commonplace, as have my concerns.

Let’s start with this: none of my kids has ever suffered a sunburn because we’re attentive about their time in the sun and the skin protection criteria under which they may spend that time. Compare that with how many sunburns we ourselves experienced as kids. And there’s also this: my grandmother died of colon cancer that had metastasized from skin cancer. This is not a topic I’m treating casually.

We apply and reapply suncscreen. We try not to spend too much time in direct sunlight during peak hours. We dress in layers and bring our beach umbrella and rest in the shade of our maple tree.  The idea of my kids burning in the sun and raising their risks of skin cancer in the future completely unnerves me. But here’s the flip side: applying all that who-knows-what to their skin really unnerves me, too. And I struggle with the appropriate balance.

I’ve been decreasing our dependence on chemicals for years. I’m one of those moms who worries about phthalates and parabens. I avoid reheating food in plastic containers. I use coconut oil as lip balm and pay easily double the price of conventional kiddie shampoos for the all-natural-ingredients products because when I think about what touches my kids’ skin and what I rub in their scalps and what I might accidentally drip into their eyes, I like all the words to be pronounceable and recognizable. We buy milk with an agenda of avoiding bovine hormones and antibiotics and clean with vinegar and baking soda and then summer comes, and what is in those sunscreens?

It makes me crazy that I spend most of the year avoiding slathering anything on my kids and summer comes and it’s all more goop, every hour. And what makes me even more crazy is that they’re so conditioned to it that as soon as the sun shines brightly they start asking for sunscreen. It was 65 degrees on Sunday and we were in our tree-shaded backyard and my four-year-old decided to apply her own sunscreen when I wouldn’t apply it for her. She really believed that she needed it.

I buy my sunscreen based on the recommendations of the Environmental Working Group, which analyzes the safety of each product’s ingredients (here’s the 2011 sunscreen guide). I avoid all the usual scary chemicals as well as retinyl palmitate, a form of Vitamin A that’s really common in sunscreen and other skin products because it’s an antioxidant, but in the presence of sun it is thought to accelerate skin cancers. I conscientiously do my best but I just can’t resolve this conflict between not liking to put anything on my kids at all and this summer need to protect their skin by covering them in product. Because let’s face it: we’re not staying inside.

The FDA is rolling out new requirements for the labeling of sunscreen next month. These new rules should make it more clear just how much protection you’re offering your kids and how often you need to reapply your product, but they can’t do anything to make the ingredients less unpleasant.

Our sunny season is still just beginning, so tell me: what’s your summer sunscreen plan?

When Robin isn’t here you can find her writing on her own blog, The Not-Ever-Still Life, or on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.

I’ve always thought the saying ‘everyone has a story’ must be true; there is just so much going on in life you never know what is happening with any given person at any time.
And Mothers? Well, we have a lot to say about a lot of things, don’t we? Especially about motherhood. It was the desire to tell these stories that inspired Ann Imig to launch a show, a live reading, of original stories of motherhood with a portion of the proceeds going to a local woman-centered charity. Now in it’s third year, what started as a singular reading is now sweeping across the country as local readings are being produced in ten cities, including the DC Metro Area.

When I first heard of Listen To Your Mother I thought to myself, self, that is something you must do! So I am thrilled to be directing the very first DC area Listen To Your Mother show at the Synetic Theatre on May 6th at 2:00 p.m., The Sunday before Mother’s day fourteen women  will take to the stage to share their stories of triumph, failure, heartbreak and hysterical laughter.

Everyone does have a story, and these women take my breath away with theirs. I hope you will join us for an afternoon celebrating the strength and joy that is motherhood. Several of our DCMoms writers will be reading, and we are honored to have our beloved Susan Neibur’s own charity as our beneficiary The Susan Niebur Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Fund.

Susan taught me so much about motherhood and charity, If I can’t have her at the show in body I am honored to have her in spirit and maybe we can help provide funding so that we can find a way to beat cancer.

I hope you will join us! Get your tickets here. They’re going fast!

A recent story on NPR “Teen Texting Soars; Will Social Skills Suffer?” caught my attention. The story focused on a poll by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life project which showed that teens text – a lot. And the end result of all that texting may be children who lack interpersonal communication skills.

This, juxtaposed with my recent trip to Arlington’s Synetic Theater’s incredible performance of Taming of the Shrew, really started me thinking about all sorts of communication. For those not familiar with Synetic’s unique brand of theatre – they are quite possibly the premier physical theatre company in the United States. Their performances combine dance, music, movement, drama, and text – almost anything except talking. And yet, their stories are completely clear.

While the Pew Research had me worried that people were no longer going to speak to each other, the Synetic performance made me realize how much communication is non-verbal. And, unless your teen is particularly dramatic when composing those texts, perhaps it’s the physical act of communicating they lack that will prove most important – not just the spoken words. Synetic is doing what it can to bring the physical back into the children’s communication realm. This summer, they’re offering classes for ages 4 – 18. Children can participate in classes focusing on acting, movement, and visual art. Descriptions are here.

Camps run in two-week blocks, starting June 18 and ending August 24, with a one-week session at the end of summer to wrap it all up. Check it out! Friends who have sent their children to these camps before report they love them.

Elaine if a lifelong theater lover and takes her children to all sorts of performances in the DC area. She writes about those and other things at Connor and Helen Grow Up!

I was a guest of Synetic Theater at their production of Taming of the Shrew, though I’ve been to many other performances there that I paid for myself. I’m a huge fan of this theater company. I was not required to write about anything in exchange for the two tickets I received.

Photo credit: Synetic Theater