Really sad news out of North Carolina today. The body of the Southwest Onslow High School star quarterback Shak Pershey, 19, was found off North Topsail Beach. His young life was clipped short. Right at the start of high school graduation season, when parents and students, should be celebrating the transition from high school to bigger and better things, this promising young man's family and friends are faced with tragedy. It's almost too much to bear.

Authorities believe Pershey drowned due to rough waters or some sort of cross current. He and friends were swimming off the coast when, friends say, Pershey disappeared underwater about 100 yards off the shore. His body was found the next morning.

Pershey helped his team win the Class 1AA state football championship in December and would have graduated on June 11. He was to attend Chowan University where he was going to play college football.

Our hearts go out to Pershey's friends and family and the whole Southwest Onslow High School community.

Are you attending a high school graduation soon? Will this story be on your mind when you attend?

Image via Southwest Onslow Stallions Facebook

Brad Pitt is rather confessional lately, isn't he? I hope everything okay. I mean, he's been spilling his guts about EVERYTHING lately. The latest confession being about his apparent (and self-diagnosed) "face blindness." Have you heard of it? It's a real thing. Even well-known painter Chuck Close, known for his portraits of faces, suffers from this phenomenon. It basically means you can't recognize faces that you've seen before -- even ones you've seen over and over, and it can be really debilitating. 

Face blindness, a rare neurological condition called Prosopagnosia is no joke, of course, but you just gotta laugh at the irony of one of the most recognizable faces in America possibly suffering such a thing. Surely, Brad can even laugh at the oddity of the whole thing.

Some of the Brad Pitt Face Blindness jokes (the ones worth repeating anyway) found on Twitter and beyond:

- Poor Brad married to the world's most beautiful woman and he can't even recognize her!

- Brad Pitt may apparently have face-blindness. Now I know why he doesn't recognize me. Or return my calls. -- Lauren Fiscus ‏@lauren_fiscus

- Brad Pitt would make the worst witness EVER. But oddly, be great as the lead in a remake of WITNESS. -- Brian Lynch‏ @BrianLynch

- Brad Pitt has diagnosed himself w/ "face blindness" thus he never recognizes a face he has met. It's also known as being "good looking". -- Dan Riley ‏@driley32

Alright, alright, enough joking around. But it IS funny to think about within Brad Pitt's famous life. Let's just hope he doesn't really have it. People who suffer from Face Blindness really do struggle immensely, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Do you think Brad Pitt really has Face Blindness?

Image via oparazzi photos/Flickr

Ah, ironing. So sexy. With the the bending and the stretching and the sloowwww stroking of the iron over soft fabric...oh, and the steam. Mrrrroooww.

Okay, maybe ironing in and of itself is the antithesis of sexy. It's boring, I can never get things pressed as nicely as I'd like, and my ironing board lives in our musty basement. I pretty much never do it except in the most desperate of situations; we try really hard to have all our clothes be wrinkle-resistant as much as possible. Most people I know don't do a whole lot of it.

I would do more, however, if I had an ironing partner that looked like the hot dad in the video below.

See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.

Wow. Just....wow, amirite? Not only is a man who's willing to take on such a tedious task -- and do it well! -- sexy, but the dad in this Hot Dads Doing Chores clip is wearing underwear that emphasizes his, um, manliness. He clearly spends every minute he's not doing housework in the gym.

For more Hot Dads Doing Chores, subscribe to CafeMom Studios onYouTube and never miss an episode.

Do you iron? Would you do it more if this guy were helping you out?

Image via CafeMomStudios

A suicidal man killed himself by jumping off the 11th floor of an apartment building -- and tragically he landed on a 5-year-old girl who was walking with her parents. The incident happened in Seoul, South Korea, a country that reportedly has one of the highest rates of suicide. The man did not leave a note though he was being treated for depression. The little girl just happened to be directly below him when he took his plunge.

He landed directly on the girl, and she was taken to the hospital with a skull fracture, but she later died. Tragic.

I can't imagine what it must be like to be this girl's parents -- to be walking with your 5-year-old, and then suddenly someone literally falls out of the sky right on top of her. Horrible.

I sympathize with people who want to end their lives. Although it causes a huge amount of pain to those they leave behind, I will not pretend to understand the despair that engulfs people who commit suicide. I wish all people who do so would think of the impact their decision will have on friends and family, especially children, but people who are that depressed often think the world and everyone in it would be better off without them, and they truly believe that.

But too many times we also hear stories of people using a gun to commit suicide, and the bullet goes through the wall and into someone else's home. You also hear about people taking or trying to take their loves ones with them -- especially children. In March, a baby survived an 8-story fall after his mom strapped him to her chest and jumped out her apartment window. Jumpers who take people out on the ground aren't that uncommon either. This is why it's one of the worst ways to take your life.

I'm not going to give anyone advice about how to kill themselves while thinking about the safety of others. Instead, I just going to encourage people thinking about ending it all to get help. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

This man will never know that he ended an innocent young life when he decided to end his own; and destroyed the life of two adult strangers who did nothing to him. But hopefully others thinking of doing the same thing will see this story and reconsider what they might be planning.

Do you think suicide is dangerous to others?

Editor's Note: According to the National Center for Health Statistics, guns accounted for 50% of all suicides in the U.S. in 2010.

Image via dbgg1979/Flickr

In an inspiring tribute and an act of perserverance and ultimate triumph, about 3,000 runners and bombing victims got together and ran the final mile of the Boston Marathon today. The traditionally hopeful final mile was robbed from runners and spectators on April 15 when two suspects decided to turn the event into a horrifying massacre. But today, they took it back.

The event, known as OneRun, was organized as a tribute to first-responders and victims of the Boston Marathon bombing and allowed runners who didn't get to finish do so. The choir from St. Ann Parish, where 8-year-old victim Martin Richard’s family worshipped sang the National Anthem.

Even these cute kids came out to show support!

What a wonderful and fulfilling event! I hope everyone involved was filled with a sense of gratitude and the ongoing fortitude of our great country. 

How do you maintain hope after a painful event?

Images via @guin86/Twitter and @susantran/Twitter

Good god! I don't think I can even eat breakfast (or lunch or dinner) now that I've spotted Sharon Stone, 55, and her hot bod in this stunning white dress at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. I mean, we all remember when Sharon was super sexy in white in that famous steamy scene in Basic Instinct, but that was over 20 years ago. And she looks, possibly, better now!

Please tell me she's wearing 12 pairs of Spanx under there! 

Stone is wearing a Roberto Cavalli gown for amfAR's annual Cinema Against AIDS benefit at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. And if you think she's hot in white, check her out in this cobalt blue gown with a plunging neckline. Holy sh*t.

Sharon's got it going on! I guess starting motherhood after 40 -- she adopted all three of her sons after age 46 -- really does keep you young! And rumor has it she's game for Basic Instinct 3. If I had that body, I might be too!

Are you in awe of Sharon Stone's body?

Image via SplashNews

When I started dating after my divorce, I quickly found out that it was easier to date guys who had kids. Not for the instant playdates, because the guys I went out with didn’t meet my kids, but because they understood the demands of parenting and the trials of co-parenting.

And before I fell in love with the divorced dad who became my second husband, I went out with a handful of these men.

There was the guy whose kid went to my kid’s school. The guy whose custody schedule matched mine. And the guy whose ex-wife I ran into at the grocery store, where she gave me the evil eye and the once-over. (Hey lady, you were already divorced when I started dating your husband. Consider yourself lucky to be rid of him. He’s no prize.)

Some of them were doozies. Child-like, selfish, emotionally stunted. Whew, it was almost enough to make me want to spend my nights alone with a cat. So to save you a little time, here are 5 types of divorced dads to stay away from:

1. Sitter Dad: This dad isn't comfortable being alone with his kids. He didn't spend this much time with them when he was married. So he wants someone else to be there when it's his weekend with his children who can take care of them.

2. Bitter Dad: He complains about his ex-wife constantly -- and how she's spending his money. Images of a credit card-wielding Medusa come to mind. Until you realize he was probably this way before he got divorced.

3. Sex-Driven Dad: He's the one whose wife didn't put out for the last couple years of their marriage and he's just looking to screw around. Which is fine if that's what you want too. Just beware of his desire for multiple conquests.

4. Emotional Wreck Dad: This dad is so scarred by his past relationships that he can't move forward with someone new. And he thinks you are going to be as controlling as his ex-wife and as critical as his mother. You feel bad for him, but he's not willing to work on healing himself. So, see ya.

5. College Student Dad: He's using his divorce, and his single status, to live like he's in college. Laundry on the floor, mold in the bathroom, video games on constantly, and a fridge full of cheap domestic beer. He hasn't made it homey for his kids, either. But they actually like spending the night in sleeping bags.

So what's the best type of dad to date? In my experience, it's the dad who's been divorced for a while, puts a lot of time and effort into his relationship with his kid(s), and is respectful to his ex-wife.

My husband is like that. Except for one thing: his laundry somehow still ends up on the floor.

Have you ever dated one of these types of divorced dads?

Image via Lucid Nightmare/Flickr

Do you believe in UFOs? It's hard to believe that we'd be alone in this vast universe -- but it's also kind of hard to believe that aliens would be zipping around our skies without wanting to land and make themselves known on a wide scale. Maybe they're too smart for that? You can only imagine what would happen to the poor creatures. We'd have them on Good Morning America, the alien captain of the ship probably having to follow Kris Jenner talking about her latest book. Nobody wants that humiliation. But there have been so many UFO sightings over the years, often backed up by photos or video, that it's easy to think they must be out there somewhere. And indeed more photographic evidence has just presented itself. A woman taking a picture of a historic -- and haunted! -- barn in Santee, California just happened to capture what appears to be a mother ship from the planet Zor.

I'm joking. I have no idea what planet the saucer-like object was from. But according to Ellen Henry, the historian who snapped the photo, it's not military craft. She wrote:

Being from a military background I am familiar with these types of air crafts, and at this point the closest aircraft that is often mistaken for a UFO are the Stealth Fighter Bombers, and that was definitely not one. Someone did mention perhaps it was a drone, however I have not seen any drones that were round, or oval, and lacking wings, rudders, or propellers, even the drone that looks like a fly has wings.

Also, a local TV station called a nearby airport and military base but experts there could explain the object either.

Plenty of us have UFO stories. Mine involves seeing a mysterious flying object that looked nothing like the round metallic saucers we've come to know as UFOs. Instead, mine was orange and looked very similar to the moon. However, it was moving at a fairly high rate of speed, and I could tell it wasn't the moon, since the moon could also be seen in the sky. I watched it until it seemed to disintegrate. It wasn't until the next day that I heard a radio report that dozens of other people had reported seeing the same thing that I knew I wasn't crazy.

Could UFOs be secret military craft? Could they be natural phenomenon? Could they be alien craft? Hoaxes? Some combination of all?

The locals find the fact that the craft was flying over a barn that has long been thought to be haunted even stranger. And Ellen Henry also says her camera stopped working right after she snapped the photo. Guess aliens are camera shy!

Have you ever seen a UFO? Check out Ellen's photo and tell us what you think.

Image via ABC10

What's this? Selena Gomez out on a "date" with a mere child?!! Sure, Jaden Smith may have man-sized feet, but the actor son of Will Smith is only 14 years old, people! Not too mention, he's good friends with Selena's on again/off again boyfriend Justin Bieber. 

Gomez and Smith were seen grabbing dinner together in London, where Smith is promoting his new film After Earth. After dinner, they are said to have headed out to the clubs where Jaden's brother Trey deejays. However, Jaden couldn't get in because, um, HE'S 14 YEARS OLD! 

Oh, get your minds out of the gutter, people. I'm sure Ms. Gomez is not robbing the cradle even harder than she already did with Bieber -- because Jaden is just a baby (and, you know, that would be illegal). I'm sure the two are just friends. After all, Jaden already has a hottie celebrity girlfriend his own age. What would he need with a "cougar" like Selena?

Do you think Justin Bieber or Kylie Jenner are jealous over this dinner outing?

Image via SplashNews

As much as we all seem to think that Amanda Bynes is off her rocker, authorities say she's not. At least not to the level that she can be held in a psychiatric facility against her will, reports TMZ. Amanda was hauled off to a psych ward for evaluation after being arrested in her New York apartment, where cops say she threw a bong out the window (which she denies). This was after reportedly smoking a spliff in her building lobby and muttering incoherently. While the strange platinum wig she's been wearing might scream CRAY, the truth is, it's not that easy to take away someone's freedom and stick her in a mental facility.

Although Amanda has had her license suspended (and then continued to drive for days until her car was finally impounded) and she's ranted on Twitter and posted half-nude photos of herself, and told a pilot to Google her, if this rose to the level of being mentally incompetent, most of us would probably spend some time in a mental facility.

When Amanda was sent to the psych ward after her arrest, TMZ reports that the psychiatrists there didn't believe an involuntary hold was warranted. For an involuntary commitment to hold, a person has to be deemed by a psychiatrist to be a "substantial risk of harm to self or others."

While certainly there have been plenty of cases of genuinely mentally ill and dangerous people on the streets that should have been off of them, making it difficult to send people to an institution against their will is for the benefit of us all. Once was a time that women were routinely sent to mental wards against their will -- for everything from adultery to epilepsy to just their husbands being tired of them (one complained his wife didn't do her housework) -- and they never came back out again.

The difficulty society has is in knowing when out-of-the-norm or "rebellious" or "strange" behavior is actually a mental illness presenting itself -- but it hasn't lapsed into dangerous behavior yet. How do you know when it's going to? Or if it never will? Unless someone is making direct threats, you really don't know. And we can't run around committing everyone whose behavior makes us uncomfortable.

TMZ reports that the only other way Amanda could be committed against her will is if she doesn't understand the charges against her -- but given that at her hearing she sounded fine, that's unlikely.

So we're all stuck with Amanda's wacky behavior for awhile.

Do you think Amanda should be committed? Have you ever tried to commit someone?

Image via AmandaBynes/Twitter

Bluth family fans, I hope you're ready to fire up your couches for a marathon viewing session, because the Arrested Development season four premiere is finally almost here. Some seven years after getting booted from broadcast television, the cult comedy is ready for its comeback through Netflix's instant streaming service, and it's pretty much custom-designed for a big old television binge.

Starting this Sunday May 26th, the entire 15-episode season will be available on Netflix. In addition to the launch time (reportedly 12:01 AM PST), here are 5 extremely important things to know about the brand new season:

It's exclusively available through Netflix instant streaming. Meaning, if your Netflix account is like mine and doesn't include streaming (I'm on the 3-discs-at-a-time plan), it's time to update your settings if you want to access the new season on Sunday. It's an extra $7.99/month for unlimited streaming, and I can confirm that it's super-easy to add that service because I just did so in a different tab as I was typing this sentence. (Sweet. Now I can finally watch House of Cards, too.) Creator Mitch Hurwitz has confirmed that 20th Century Fox owns the property and may release DVDs in the future, but for now, it's Netflix or nothin'.

The guest cast list is AWESOME. Confirmed guest stars include:

Each new episode is written from one character’s point-of-view. While all of the 15 installments will take place within the same timeframe, each episode will focus on one character. This was done in no small part because of the logistical difficulties in filming. According to Hurwitz,

There was no reality where we could get everybody for a full 7- or 8-month period. That gave birth to the form we came up with for the new series.

The episodes should be watched in order. Hurwitz wanted characters and story lines from different episodes to intersect, and resorted to some digital trickery to make it happen:

In a quarter of the scenes, someone is green-screened in. If two characters are having a conversation in one of those characters' episodes and that character's life changes, then in the other character's episode you show the other side of the conversation and the result of it on THAT character.

The effect was originally intended to make the series something you could watch as you see fit, rather than a traditional episode progression.

Mitch made it a choose-your-own-adventure season, in that you can watch any episode out of order and it makes sense but, depending on which order you watch them, the series kind of tells a different story. --  Portia de Rossi

(…) the action across the episodes is happening simultaneously. If I'm driving down the street in my episode and Gob's going down the sidewalk on his Segway, you could stop my episode, go into his episode, and follow him and see where he's going. -- Jason Bateman

However, it seems Hurwitz has had a change of heart since production wrapped, and now suggests that fans should watch them in order so all the jokes work:

Avoiding watching them all in one slack-jawed viewing unless you really, really want to. Planning on mainlining all 15 episodes on Sunday? Just be careful you don't venture into burnout territory. Hurwitz says,

Don’t feel obligated to watch it all at once. It’s not Lord Of The Rings. Comedy takes a lot out of you.

Sure, sure. And a pint of ice cream has four servings. Whatever. We're all going to slip into a television overdose and you can't stop us. STEVE HOLT!

Will you be watching the new season of Arrested Development on Sunday?

Image via Netflix

Break out the white pants and shoes, Memorial Day weekend is here. It's such a fun and festive weekend that signals the start of summertime and all the season brings, so we should ring it in right. This gorgeous and delicious flag cake is the perfect way to do so. 

While you can decorate the outside with strawberries and blueberries or other festive toppings (lit sparklers are fun!), it's what's in the middle that really wows. There hidden inside is a flag. It provides a sweet little bit of patriotism in every bite. The following recipe is from The Secret Life of a Chef's Wife, and while the instructions look long, they're really quite simple, and definitely worth the work!

Red, White, and Blue Flag Cake

2 white cake mixes (or enough to make three layers to accommodate the size you want to make) plus the ingredients to make them (typically oil, eggs, and water)
2 cans prepared vanilla (or cream cheese) frosting
Red food coloring
Blue food coloring

Dye batter for one layer blue, and one layer red. Leave remaining one white.

Bake then cool all three layers according to directions.

Bake lay­ers accord­ing to recipe or direc­tions. Let com­pletely cool. I make mine ahead of time and wrap in plas­tic wrap and store in the refrig­er­a­tor for a day.

Level off tops of cakes, if needed.

 Slice the red and white layer hor­i­zon­tally with a long, ser­rated knife. This will be eas­ier if your cakes have been refrig­er­ated and are still cold.

Next, take one red half-layer, and one white half layer and stack them on top of one another. Take the whole (uncut) blue layer and set it in front of you. Place the stacked red and white layer on top of the blue layer. Check that they are evenly cen­tered on top of one another.

Using a cir­cle tem­plate as a guide, cut a cir­cle exactly cen­tered through all three lay­ers of the blue, white, & red.  For this 9-inch cake, I used the plas­tic lid off the top of a short­en­ing can. It was 5 inches. Try to get as close to this mea­sure­ment as you can so the color ratio looks right. Cut care­fully and thor­oughly, mak­ing sure you get all the way through all the layers.

Next, sep­a­rate the  blue from the red and white lay­ers. Take the mid­dle out of the blue. You won’t be using the blue cir­cle for this recipe, so set it aside.  You now have a donut-shaped ring of blue. This will be the star field of your flag.

Now remove the out­side ring from the red & white lay­ers. This is not used either, so set it aside. You should have a 5-inch cir­cle con­sist­ing of 1 white half-layer, and 1 red half layer. This will be the top stripes of your flag cake.

Assem­bly:

Take the uncut white half-layer and cen­ter it on a cake cir­cle or cake stand. Spread a 1/8–1/4 inch layer of frost­ing over the top. Keep it as even as you can. Lay the uncut red half-layer on top of the frost­ing, mak­ing sure it is cen­tered. These make up the bot­tom two stripes of your flag. Frost like the last layer. Make it as even as you can.

Now take the blue donut cir­cle and cen­ter it on top of the bot­tom stripes layer. Using a small off­set spat­ula or knife, spread a very thin layer of frost­ing around the inside of the blue ring. You don’t really want to see this layer of frost­ing, it’s just to help adhere the lay­ers. Plus, too much frost­ing, and your cir­cles won’t fit inside.

Take the white 5-inch cir­cle and set it care­fully, but firmly inside the blue ring. Push it down as far as you dare. You want it as even with the blue as you can get it. Spread a thin, thin layer of icing over the white that is inside the blue ring. Place the red cir­cle on top and press down care­fully, try­ing to make the top lay­ers even.

Now you are ready to frost. Put a nice, thick layer on the out­side of the cake. You need to make up for the not-so-much frost­ing on the inside.

Keep the cake refrig­er­ated until ready to serve. You can pull it out a bit ahead of time to take the chill off.

Image via Andreas Ivarsson/Flickr

Happy Memorial Day weekend! Do you have your big barbecue planned? Great! So now what are you doing to celebrate the actual holiday?

America, please don't disappoint me. You know why most of us have Monday off, don't you? So we can actually honor those who have died in all American wars? The brave who gave their lives so that we may live in the land of the free?

Feel free to scarf down a few burgers and hoist a few beers, but do me a favor and add at least one of these real Memorial Day traditions to the list:

1. Visit a veterans' home. After the Civil War, the US found itself with a large number of indigent and disabled veterans who couldn't care for themselves or go back to work. The first veterans home was opened in 1864, and since dozens have sprung up to give back to our vets. It's the least the nation can do, but we as citizens can do more. Stop in, visit them! Chat with a vet for an hour or two, bring the kids to say hello, drop off a big plate of fresh baked cookies. Do something to let them know they are not forgotten.

2. Visit the local veterans cemetery. Some graves are well-maintained by family members, but when there are no living relatives, that chore falls on the shoulders of local veterans groups. Lend a hand by bringing some flowers and helping to beautify a few of the less cared for graves.

3. Attend a parade. This one's pretty easy, and a big hit with the kids, and it will give the veterans marching a big smile.

4. Attend a memorial service. Many veterans groups plan these events for the holiday, and they never say no to more participants.

5. Raise your flag. Some times showing your thanks can be as simple as flying Old Glory at your house. She should remain at half mast until noon, as per tradition.

6. Honor the National Moment of Remembrance. In 2000, Congress addressed the fact that many Americans simply use Memorial Day as a day to eat burgers. They created the National Moment to make sure our troops are honored. At 3 p.m. on Memorial Day, every American is asked to pause for just one minute to honor the fallen.

7. Hoist a POW/MIA flag. According to the Department of Defense, more than 83,000 Americans are missing from World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War and the 1991 Gulf War. Flying the POW/MIA flag reminds people of their sacrifice and their families' too.

8. Visit a battlefield. Memorial Day owes its roots to the Civil War, and there are numerous sites up and down the East Coast where soldiers laid down their lives for us. 

9. Watch/Listen to the National Memorial Day Concert. Broadcast on PBS and NPR, this concert on the west lawn of the United States Capitol includes music but also tributes to the men and women who gave their lives for their country.

10. Share a photo of your beloved fallen soldier/airman/etc. on Facebook or Instagram. It's a day about remembering after all, so share his (or her) story!

What are you doing to truly honor the meaning of Memorial Day?

Image by Jeanne Sager

A lot of women are always looking for ways to rev up their libido. We've all heard about culinary cliches like chocolate and oysters (both of which contain chemicals that can make you feel randy). But there are so many more yummy -- and surprising -- treats that can help you get your groove back in the bedroom. Check out the 7 foods that will make your sex life hotter than ever.

I’ve told the world that my son is adopted. But now that the legal aspect of bringing him into our family grows more distant, I don’t think about the adoption anymore. He’s my son, end of story.

Except it isn’t the end. Our son has to know he’s adopted too.

Getting out that truth can be a struggle for some parents. And I certainly understand the difficulty, especially as a child gets older. You don’t know what to say. You feel you’ve waited too long. You think the news will irrevocably hurt them. My wife and I have two key parts to sharing the news with our son.

That's the plan, anyway, and I'm certain we will stick to it. There's no way we would keep it a secret from him. We've heard horror stories about the adult who discovers the truth at a funeral or some other family gathering. Hopefully our son will still feel secure and know he’s loved. There are always bumps in raising a child, but hopefully sharing with him that he's adopted won't be one of them.

How did you explain to your child he or she was adopted?

Image via Angela Johnson Meadows

How do you know if Kristen Stewart is in a bad mood? She's breathing. Haha! I just made that up. Anyway, we've all come to know Kristen and her moods pretty well. There's Grumpy Kristen. Scowling Kristen. Irritated Kristen. Pouty Kristen. All kind of falling along the same spectrum. But recently she burst out into full-on Angry Kristen. Well, wouldn't you if your boyfriend just left you? Pictures of Kristen raising her two middle fingers in the air have surfaced. Sure, she was giving the bird(s) to the paparrazzi. But I also think she was giving it to life. Or, you know, just Rob.

Kristen was spotted walking with a friend through a Hollywood car park when she must have caught sight of a photographer snapping away (seriously, they will go anywhere!) because she began dancing around, jabbing both middle fingers in the air.

Her scuffy attire -- loose T-shirt, skinny jeans, Converse sneaks -- just added to the overall I don't give a shit ambiance.

It was only a few days ago that Robert Pattinson was seen driving away from the house they'd shared together, so I guess it's no wonder KStew is stewing in her own foul mood.

However, this is nothing new for our grampy gal. Rumors say that RPattz even broke up with her because of her inability to let the sunshine into her soul -- though that's kind of hard to believe. He must know he wasn't dating Anne Hathaway.

Still, Kristen's mood must be even darker than usual what with her relationship on a break again. (Even those supposed texts from Rupert couldn't cheer a gal up.) Would YOU want your picture taken right after a break-up? I wouldn't. But then again I didn't spend a decade of my life trying to become famous. Movie stars don't happen by accident. Kristen surely knew what could happen if she kept starring in Twilight movies.

Anyway, if Kristen is trying to show Rob she's got a handle on her sour moods -- she's going about it the wrong way.

Do you think Kristen Stewart needs to lighten up?

Image via myalexis/Flickr

When my kids complain about things as kids do -- walking to school, what's for dinner, longish car rides -- I find myself sounding like an exaggerated version of my grandma who really did walk miles to school in the snow and often brought that up when I'd obnoxiously claim some part of my extremely easy morning routine was unfair.

It's a right of passage for one generation to give another the you-have-no-idea-how-good-you-have-it speech. And you know what, it's always true!

Fellow parents of young kids, we're not that old, but isn't it amazing how much nearly every aspect of kid life has improved since we were in the game?

Thinking has evolved. Fabrics are softer. Playgrounds have those squishy cushioned mats. The list goes on, but here are my top 8 (not including iPads):

Image via Kimberlykv/Flickr

A Georgia couple came home one night last week to find their home burglarized. Horrible enough, but the Hugheys were devastated to find the thieves had made off with more than just a few pieces of jewelry. Also missing: a silver box containing the ashes of their baby boy, Caleb Ean Hughey, whom they lost at birth in 2008.

Just when you think this story can't get any sadder, it does.

The Hugheys struggle with infertility, so they haven't been able to have another baby.

Get some Kleenex handy if you're going to watch this video:

I burst into tears when I he said, "To us, he is our only son ... and it's very important we get him back." Augh! My heart just goes out to these people. Grief comes in many shapes and sizes -- something I know all too well. Some people might not understand why you'd want to keep ashes like that; some might feel better having their loved ones buried in a cemetery, or scattered in the beautiful ocean or buried under a rosebush. Options like that are equally valid, but the Hugheys obviously find it most comforting to keep the baby they never really got to know, but obviously loved so much, close by, right in the home where they once dreamed he'd grow up.

What a truly terrible thing to happen. It's just heartbreaking, and I am hoping against hope that the thief isn't a completely horrible person; that he just didn't realize what he had taken, but has a heart and finds a way to get that precious box back to where it belongs. It's worth so little to anyone else, and the world to the Hugheys.

I'm not a religious person, per se, but I will say a prayer that this couple gets their precious baby back.

Can you imagine going through something like this?

Image via USATODAY

There are some really, really terrible baby-related memes floating around the Internet. Grammatically FUBAR'd memes, memes that were obviously created by an ill-mannered teenager who finds sexually offensive dialogue fake-attributed to a toddler to be the zenith of comedy, memes that are just plain unfunny and a waste of bandwidth.

Of course, those are not the charming diapered viral stars I'm sharing with you today. OH HELL NO, PEOPLE. I've got 10 of the cutest, funniest, most downright adorable meme'd out babies I've stumbled across. Please enjoy!

Images via Know Your Meme, Memebase

Oh, Taylor Swift. When will your reign of terror finally come to an end?! For a pop star, the 23-year-old sure does seem to bring a lot of "trouble" into other people's lives. Usually these people are ex-boyfriends, but this time The Curse of Taylor Swift has befallen an 18-year-old girl who doesn't even know Taylor personally! British college student and professional Taylor Swift look-alike Xenna Kristian was just minding her own business when another female student (clearly NOT president of the Taylor Swift fan club) attacked her for no reason (well, no reason except that she looks like Taylor Swift) and gave her a suspected broken jaw.

“Some girls at college had started making nasty comments, but it escalated really quickly," said Kristian. "The girl came up behind me and dragged me off my chair by my pony tail, then started kicking me in the face.”

Yikes!

Kristian reportedly sustained bruising in addition to the suspected broken jaw, which seems a rather unfair price to pay for resembling Taylor Swift. No matter how annoying Taylor Swift may be. I mean, how annoying she most definitely IS. And that must be the reason why Kristian got jumped, because, according to her mom, “Xenna has never got into a fight or even a scrape before, but she’s been getting some remarks since she started the Taylor Swift look-alike thing.”

That's just not fair, people. Look, I know sometimes you can't help but fantasize about dragging Taylor Swift off a chair by her ponytail, but once you start having daydreams about kicking the girl in the face, it's time to take a good, honest look at yourself and figure out WHY you're obviously a violent criminal in the making. (Seriously, that's messed up. You should talk to somebody about that sh*t.)

Are you surprised to hear that being a Taylor Swift look-alike is such a dangerous job?

Image via avrilllllla/Flickr

The penalty phase of the Jodi Arias trial was declared a mistrial because the jury couldn't come to a unanimous decision on whether she should receive life in prison or the death penalty. If I were Jodi right about now I'd be thanking my lucky stars that whomever on the jury didn't want to give me the needle stood their ground! When the judge read the non-verdict, reportedly three women cried and one of them mouthed, "I'm sorry" to the family of Travis Alexander. I guess we know what team she was on. The jury foreman has also spoken out for the first time about what happened behind chamber doors -- and it's not what you'd expect.

Jury foreman William Zervakos said the jury deliberations were "gut-wrenching." He said that he believes Jodi's 18 days on the stand hurt her because there were so many conflicting stories and she was "not a good witness." Let's face it, Jodi is not a sympathetic character. There's a reason that the brilliant Jose Baez kept Casey Anthony off the stand -- he knew her unlikability would probably seal her fate. Even the judge said Casey was acquitted because everyone liked Jose, not Casey.

No one liked Jodi. So to keep pushing her in the jurors' faces day after day after day ... insanity! And yet there were enough people on the jury who didn't want to put her to death that she is saved -- for now. Reportedly, there was more than one or two hold-outs for life.

But the foreman, at least, believed some of Jodi's story. He said he did think that she was mentally and verbally abused by Travis. He told Good Morning America: "I am sure in my own mind that she was mentally and verbally abused. Is that an excuse? Of course not. Does it factor in the decision that we make? It has to."

Notice he didn't say that he thought Jodi was physically abused by Travis. Is verbal abuse akin to abuse? Sure. No one would say that verbal abuse isn't harmful. But does it rise to the level of justifying murder? Only if that verbal abuse is threatening, I imagine. I think everyone knows Travis didn't treat Jodi well. He was not a good relationship partner. However, Jodi was not under any obligation to keep up a relationship with him. She CHOSE to keep seeing him even though he was so embarrassed by her he wouldn't even tell his friends about her. She CHOSE to keep being treated like crap. I don't think there was any reason she couldn't have just simply ended the relationship, unlike a lot of women who are in truly horrible abusive situations.

The new penalty phase is scheduled to begin in July.

Do you think mental and verbal abuse is really abuse?

See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.

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Do you let your kids take physical risks -- or are you an overprotective parent who hate to see your kids get hurt? One dad is talking about how he lets his son fall and fail at the playground. Aaron Gouviea lets his son Will clamber all over the plastic climbing structure at their neighborhood playground. Will loves the challenge, even though sometimes he slips and falls off. And Aaron thinks it's important to allow Will to make those mistakes and learn from them. Besides, he's falling from only four feet, and the mulch below makes for a soft landing.

But it's all fun and games until an overprotective mom catches Aaron refusing to give Will an assist when Will finds himself in a tricky spot and starts whimpering. Aaron was still watching closely, encouraging Will to keep trying. But that wasn't good enough for "Playground Mom." She just had to get involved.

She actually went up to Will and said, "You need help, sweetie? I'll give you a hand." She just couldn't stand by and watch -- she had to get involved. Aaron tells her Will is fine and doesn't need help. Playground Mom says of course he does, he's about to fall! Then Aaron lays on this shocker: "Maybe, maybe not. But either way he'll be fine. I can parent my own kid." And sure enough, Will said "no thank you" to Playground Mom's help and figured it out on his own. Ha!

But of course, it could have turned out differently. Will could have missed and fallen to the ground. 

Obviously Aaron was irritated by this meddling mom. But have you ever been in her place? Have you ever watched a hands-off parent let their kids take physical risks you weren't comfortable with -- or even seen kids fall and injure themselves? What did you say or do?

It's hard for me to remember if I've ever been in that position. I'm always the most hands-off parent at the playground. But I know I've made other parents uncomfortable. I think they feel like it would be irresponsible of them to stand by and not intervene. Some parents really take that it-takes-a-village ethic to heart and feel like they're helping. I think they mean well, but it's still irritating.

What do you say or do when you see a parent let their kids fall or fail?

Image via Carl Wycoff/Flickr

It's official! Nothing is sacred to the Karsdashians. They will put any and every single moment of their lives on camera. The latest? Kim Kardashian had the Keeping Up With the Kardashians crew along for the doctor's appointment when she found out her baby's gender. And they weren't the only ones crowding the hospital room.

Of course sisters Kourtney and Khloe were there and momager Kris Jenner. It was clearly a big family event. "Once I knew the sex is when I got so excited," offers Kourt. The anxious grandmother-to-be is so impatient to find out, she tries to rush the process. "Do you see a little pee-pee?" Kris interjects. I understand Kim wanting to have her support system there, especially if Kanye is away working, but why the cameras?

I don't know about you, but that was a really special moment for me. I am sure it is for almost all moms. Like many, I debated not finding out the gender until my delivery, but I just couldn't wait. I was entirely too excited to plan the nursery and pick the name. My husband was excited too. I can't imagine commercializing that rite of passage as a parent-to-be.

Watch as she learns her baby's gender:

Of course the clip ends before the big reveal, but there has already been much speculation as to what she is having. According to Us Weekly, IT'S A GIRL! So soon, the show will have another beautiful, raven-haired star to follow around. Just think, this child will have literally been on camera since her conception. She will likely grow up thinking that having a lens in your face every waking moment is just a normal way of life.

Do you think the Kardashians allow for the cameras to film too much of their lives?

Ever since Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev split up, we've been waiting for this day to arrive: The day we see Ian with a new woman. But we had no idea it would be so soon. Just last night, Ian Somerhalder left a club with a woman, and they seemed to be having a very good time. We're biting our lips here -- who is she?!?

We don't know. All we know is that he had dinner last night with his father at the Groucho Club in London -- and then he was photographed leaving with this woman wrapped around his arm. But let's take a closer look. I'm not so sure this is a new girlfriend we're looking at.

Okay, I'm just going to be blunt here and point out the obvious: This woman is lovely, but she's not as gobsmackingly gorgeous as Ian, or Nina, for that matter. I mean, maybe Ian isn't so superficial and doesn't care. Maybe she has a beautiful glow that simply cannot be captured on camera. But that little difference in hotness makes me skeptical.

So there's that. Then there's the goofy grin on her face -- and the faces of the two people behind them. What is up with those people? They're clearly laughing their heads off at some kind of joke. 

You guys, this could be a photobomb! What if this woman saw Ian strolling out and thought, Haha, I shall throw off the paparazzi by grabbing his arm like I'm his date. I've seen the full set of photos from this night. He starts off walking alone, and then she catches up to him and grabs his arm. She's lucky he was such a good sport about it.

Or maybe Ian invited her to grab his arm just to tease the photogs. Maybe this is a family friend. At any rate, they got us. Here we are, drooling over these photos and speculating over who the new girl is. Damn you, Ian Somerhalder!

Do you think this is Ian's date, or is this just a prank?

Image via Splash News

When Liberty Ross heard that Kristen Stewart was texting her ex-husband Rupert Sanders about directing the sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman, she was reportedly, and understandably, flabbergasted. How could KStew be so bold as to want to work with Rupert again after their affair tore apart his family and shredded Robert Pattinson's heart? 

A source told Hollywood Life that Liberty's shocked by the news and is totally speechless. But! That's not all.

The source goes on to say that the fact that Kristen's texting Rupert ...

 ... blows her mind. But luckily for her, that entire fiasco is behind her.

And you know what? It is. Even though it's gotta sting to hear that your ex is still in contact with the woman who was the spark that caused the firestorm that was your divorce, it's also gotta be a bit relieving to know that you made the right decision by walking away from the marriage.

Because if these two are still texting and flirting and planning their next joint project, there was no hope in trying to convince Rupert otherwise. Apparently, Liberty hoped he'd keep his distance from KStew for at least his kids' sake, but obviously they're not stopping him.

Now that Liberty's totally washed her hands of the situation, maybe she and newly single Robert Pattinson can meet up for a drink. He's already been seen out and about getting wasted on vodka and chatting up the ladies ... I'm sure sharing a cocktail with a fellow Brit who knows exactly what you're going through would be lovely for both parties.

I can see it now ... Liberty & Robert will become Libert and Kristen & Rupert will become Krispert. Or Roberty and Rupsten?

Only time will tell.

Do you think Kristen and Rupert will last?

Photo via Kevin Winter/Getty