Oh great, another food ingredient for us to worry about. Did you know that carrageenan is like poison ivy for your intestines-- supposedly? FAN-TA-STIC! Carrageenan is a thickener made from seaweed that you'll find in ice cream and -- dammit -- those yogurt tubes every single toddler ever just loves. So let's have it. How bad is carrageenan? How much damage does it do?

Numerous studies have shown carrageenan to cause everything from intestinal inflammation to colon cancer. Apparently the body considers it an invader. Concerned doctors have tried to get the FDA to ban it from foods, they're so freaked out over it, but so far no luck. Meanwhile, the European Union has banned it from baby formula. Wait -- it's in baby formula?!?

Yup. So that's ice cream, yogurt squeezers, formula, chocolate milk, almond milk, soy milk ... a lot of dairy products, in fact. It's used to give low-fat foods a "fattier" texture. These foods are supposed to be healthier for our kids, and even organic brands like Stonyfield Farms uses the stuff. Oh Stonyfield! I thought we could trust you.

So what's a parent to do?

Well, I know I'll be checking more labels from now on. But it just figures that a fat substitute would turn out to be a lot of trouble. I was already skeptical of low-fat foods. I choose whole-fat dairy every time because I think fear of fat is overblown. You need some fat to absorb vitamins, and if you're active and don't have any other health problems, it's fine, I think. Anyway, that's the strategy that's worked for me and my family.

But there are just certain foods your kids (and you?) love, and they all seem to have carrageenan. Maybe if we eat them only once in a while? We've never had any trouble digesting the stuff before, but ugh. Now that I've heard what carrageenan can do, I still think I'm going to avoid it, especially for my son.

Did you know that carrageenan could cause inflammation?

Image via Sean Benham/Flickr

So here's the weirdest thing you'll see probably all week. About a month ago in San Francisco's BART subway system, there was a crazy naked man doing gymnastics and attacking people. (The video just surfaced this week.) Obviously attacking people is scary. Attacking people while naked is even worse. But ... someone took video of the guy in action and you just. Can't. Take. Your eyes. Off of him. I mean, one minute he's doing handstands and backflips. The next minute he's running at someone with his arms outstretched. What does he want, a hug?

It would be hilarious -- if you couldn't hear one of Crazy Naked Man's victims sobbing with terror in the background. Ooh, I would hate to be her! But how surreal. He's unarmed, and there's nothing so vulnerable as nudity. But he's being so aggressive and bizarre, I think I'd have been terrified if I'd actually been there.

If he went after you, wouldn't you wonder, "Why me?!?"

So ... what's his deal? I'm saying drugs for sure. It's only a question of which ones. Gotta say, given the nudity, bath salts come to mind. I think we're lucky he didn't try to eat anyone. (Ugh, horrible memories from the zombie bath salt attacks of last summer -- remember?!?) You'd think that by now we'd all have heard about what a train wreck that drug is, but people can be foolish.

The man was finally arrested and taken to a hospital for evaluation. He was released soon after, and we still don't know what set him off. He was charged with a misdemeanor. In his booking photo, his eyes are half closed so ... not sure he quite understood those charges. Wow, you expect to see some insane shit when you live in a densely-populated city, but this takes the cake.

WARNING: Full frontal nudity. NSFW.

See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.

Have you ever witnessed someone losing it in public like this?

Image via anwash12/YouTube

Hey, weren't we supposed to have seen that rumored Robert Pattinson Dior ad by now? Where is it?!? Just today Dior finally confirmed that Robert Pattinson is officially the face of Dior Homme. Now we're waiting with bated breath for the supposedly "boundary-pushing" ad. I'm starting to suspect Dior is teasing us on purpose just to whip us into a frenzy of anticipation. Going by the trickle of details that have been leaked, it looks like it might be worth the wait.

According to a source who was on the set, Rob relished his role, romping through the sheets with three models. He's shirtless and there's tongue kissing with the models. "According to the people on set, he didn't take much persuading to get into the role. He got stuck right in." Steamy! But wait, aren't we forgetting something? Rob was still in a relationship with Kristen Stewart when he shot that ad.

I know he's an actor, but ... I kind of think maybe at that point he was dying to break free from that relationship and meet a new woman or two, or three. All the more reason for Kristen to just walk away when it all crashed. No point in making it work if Rob was so eager to get out.

Anyway, Rob's union with Kristen is broken, but it sounds like his new big relationship is with Dior. Here's the gushing announcement they sent out today:

The House of Dior is delighted to announce that actor Robert Pattinson is to be the new face of Dior Homme fragrance. He has since proven the scope of his acting talents by choosing films as varied as Remember Me ..., Water for Elephants ... in which he starred alongside Reese Witherspoon, or with his role as Bel-Ami, the famous Maupassant character. Today we are excited to announce that he will join the privileged circle of Dior faces.

Notice how they make no mention of the Twilight saga. My goodness, Dior, are we trying to forget the wildly successful series that launched Rob's career? Oh right, he would have been just as huge without doing those movies ... ha! Whatever. Spin it how you want to, Dior. You know we're still dying to see the ad.

Do you think Rob was ready to move on from Kristen when he filmed the Dior ad?

Image via tittimi/Flickr

As much as Brandi Glanville hates it, everyone is falling over themselves over how good LeAnn Rimes' new album, Spitfire, is. The new record digs deep into LeAnn's feelings about her affair with a married man and the fallout -- and rewards -- of that turbulent time in her life. So of course Wendy Williams wants to hear all about it directly from LeAnn herself. So do we! LeAnn does not disappoint. On The Wendy Williams Show LeAnn admitted, "My life has been one big country song."

There really didn't seem to be any question Wendy couldn't ask LeAnn -- she just really wants to tell her side of the story. Here are my favorite juicy details.

What LeAnn loves about husband Eddie Cibran: He's smart, his dimples are cute, and he has big, strong man hands. But most importantly, they had great conversations together.

Trust is not an issue. You'd think LeAnn and Eddie would have trouble trusting each other, considering how their relationship arose through infidelity. But nope. "Maybe because of the way we got together and how honest we had to be, he's always been very open and honest with me about his past ... I've never actually had this kind of trust with anyone ... I think we really respect and appreciate each other."

LeAnn denies the "lick it off" rumor. Brandi claims she found out about the affair at a party when LeAnn spilled something on her shirt and asked Eddie if he wanted to "lick it off." Brandi says LeAnn didn't know she was there, watching at the time. LeAnn denies that this ever happened, that she would ever do anything like this.

LeAnn defends her rights as a stepmom. Yes, she knows people judge, and co-parenting is hard. But, "I have the right, as any other stepmom, to love my stepsons the way I love them."

About that rehab ... LeAnn admits she got too skinny but says she's never had an eating disorder. "It was just stress," she says, a toxic combo of anxiety, stress, and depression. "I'm happy now, obviously."

LeAnn accuses Brandi of using their feud to fuel her career. Wendy mentioned that the two women "talk mess" about each other. LeAnn said, "I talk truth!" But when Wendy asked her if she'll ever leave it alone, LeAnn said, "I would love that." BUT ...

I feel like sometimes it's used for on the other side maybe a little bit for a career and so therefore until that stops, until that storyline stops, I don't think it will stop ...

... Both people have to want to change ... I think if it was a little bit more private it would be a lot easier for everyone, especially the kids, to actually be able to co-parent.

Babies are probably happening. LeAnn and Eddie aren't trying to get pregnant now, but she says they're definitely talking about it. "I think we'll carve out time for that."

LeAnn on RHOBH?!? Wendy would love to see LeAnn join Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. LeAnn says she'd do it only if she could have fun with it. "If we're gonna do it, let's make it crazy and over-the-top, based on our lives, but fun." Um, I thought that's what they already did?

See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.

Does LeAnn's interview with Wendy Williams change the way you see her and her feud with Brandi Glanville?

Image via The Wendy Williams Show

Ugh, no thank you for this. Star magazine has come up with a new low in celeb gossip -- and that's saying a lot from someone who writes about celeb gossip all day, every day. They're doing their annual "report cards" for celebrity moms. Yes, Star, bastion of parenting wisdom, is judging famous women for their mothering skills. And this is my cue to leave civilization and build a new home on a deserted island. It was nice knowing you, modern life. But this is just too much for me.

I'm kidding -- I can't get good Wi-Fi on a deserted island. But I still hate this "best" and "worst" moms idea. Let me tell you why I think the mom report cards issue is the grossest issue of Star of the year.

Maybe I'll start with the idea of judging women you don't even know. Oh we think we know these celeb moms. We see so many pictures of them and read about them so much, they've fused into the parts of our brains used for friends and family. But we don't know them -- at all. We have no idea what goes on in their homes or how hard they're trying. No freakin' idea.

Or there's the way it draws out the worst in us. It unleashes that self-righteousness that loves disapproving of others. It taps into that need of validation, which we sometimes think can only be answered by believing we're better than someone else. And it gives us that false sense of largess that we, the all-knowing ones, possess the power to approve of someone else's parenting.

Maybe I don't have my shit together as a mother, but at least I'm not as bad as Britney Spears. Right? RIGHT?!?

But most offensive of all is the idea of judging as a fun pastime. I know we all do it. We all have strong opinions about parenting, and we want to express those opinions. But in context! Not in some shooting gallery of arbitrary actions like that one time Nicole Richie laughed when her son fell down (C), or when Heidi Klum rescued her kids and the nanny (A).

I know it's not a big deal. Some of you are going to say it's all just in good fun, perfectly harmless. But it still makes me cringe. It's just gross that this is part of our culture. Yuck to the report cards. I finished school a long time ago.

What do you think of Star magazine's celeb mom report cards?

Image via Star magazine

Have you been following this story about the stiletto murder? A Texas woman is accused of murdering her boyfriend -- with her stiletto heel. When police answered a call about a domestic disturbance at a luxury condo, Ana Trujillo answered the door. Beyond her lay University of Houston professor Alf Stefan Andersson with about 10 stabbing wounds in his head and 15 more elsewhere on his body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Oh my God, a stiletto stabbing! That's so ... I'm horrified at how fascinated I am with this story. But I'm sorry, death by footwear is just too irresistible. Did I mention the couple supposedly downed some tequila right before the murder? And that Ana is claiming self defense? No! I hate how much I want to know more. But while I'm waiting for more details to be released, let's revisit other famous stiletto murders in history.

(An aside: Ana Trujillo, thanks a lot for reinforcing that tiresome stereotype of the hot-blooded, irrational Latina. Tequila -- REALLY? It's not bad enough that we're all living under Sofia Vergara's shadow -- you have to do THIS? Fellow Latinas, can we all band together and pledge not to do any more crazy shit that lands us in the papers? Gracias.)

In 2010 a woman was accused of stabbing a man in the eye with her stiletto heel. Apparently the couple got into an argument in a cab and she kicked him. I don't know ... that would take some spectacular aim, but all right. If you say so. He survived.

In 2011 a Georgia woman was accused of stabbing her boyfriend to death with her stiletto heel in the trailer they shared. So you see, you don't have to be fancy to commit a stiletto murder. They don't have to be Manolos.

The Frisky found five more stiletto attacks -- all in the same year!

A stiletto stabbing featured on Judge Judy resulted in stitches in the victim's face. The incident occurred at a college party, reinforcing the belief that frat boys, vodka, and heels are a dangerous combination.

I always thought the stiletto-as-weapon was just a joke. But I guess if you're naming a shoe after a dagger, stabby-deathy-stuff is inevitable. Not that it makes any difference, but a "true" stiletto is made from a stem made of steel or an alloy. All other stiletto-shaped high heel shoes are made from other materials. Did Ana Trujillo use a true stiletto? I don't know, but whatever she used, it was deadly enough.

Did you know stiletto heels could be this dangerous?

Image via Roger Vivier

We're not saying a lottery winner paid for everyone's dinner tab one night at BuddyFreddy's, but we're not saying she didn't, either. A "mystery woman" picked up an entire restaurant's tab following the Sunday early bird special in Plant City, Florida. Witnesses say she looked exactly like 84-year-old Gloria Mackenzie, perhaps the biggest lotto winner in history. Of course, if you're dining during the early bird special in Florida your eyesight may not be that great. But we'll just go with it.

After finishing her dinner, the mystery woman paid a bill of $2,600. That left a 10 percent tip for the wait staff, which is about what you'd expect. But never mind that. The diners all gathered around her and gave her hugs, which is actually the real reason why we all want to win the lottery: To buy hugs. But was Gloria just trying to make up for the shady way she won that lotto?

It was a sweet thing of her (or "mystery woman") to do, for sure. Let's remember, though, that the real Glora Mackenzi reportedly cut in line to get her winning ticket. Is she just going to go around buying everyone dinner for the rest of her life? Because... she could, you know. I'm sure that would be kind of rewarding for her. She's 84, for crying out loud. And she just won $600 million. Even after she pays the taxes on that, it's going to be very hard to spend all that money. She's got, what, maybe 15 more years left to live?

I like this buying dinner for everyone idea -- but to really do it justice, Gloria should come up here to New York City. First of all, she'll burn through that money a lot faster. Secondly, I live here and I'm hungry all the time. Gloria, I have a great idea! It's warm here now, but I know you retired to Florida for a reason and it gets cold up here in New York. Why not just mail me a few million and I'll just pay my restaurant bills myself? That way you don't have to travel or anything. I'm thinking about what's in your best interest here.

If you won $600 million, would you pay for a whole restaurant's dinner tab?

Image via Robert S. Donovan/Flickr

So Kanye West -- he loves the spotlight, he hates the spotlight. He wants our validation, he wants us to QUIT TAKING HIS PICTURE. What are we gonna do with this guy? In a lengthily (thank you, Yeezus) interview in the New York Times Kanye says many, many things that we could discuss. But let's zero in on the juiciest bits -- like why he won't go on Keeping Up With the Kardashianseven though he did that one time.

Yeah, and about that one time? It came from a place of love. "That was from a place of love." (See? I told you.) "It's not that I have an issue with the show; I just have an issue with the amount of backlash that I get. Because I just see like, an amazing person that I'm in love with that I want to help." FYI, during his appearance on the show he was helping Kim Kardashian pick out some clothes. He was just trying to help her! And you know how helpful Kanye has been at helping Kim pick out clothes. Need I remind you, backlashers?

Anyway, Kanye also doesn't want his baby on the show, and when he puts it this way he actually makes sense: "I just don't want to talk to America about my family. Like, this is my baby. This isn't America's baby." Yeah, Kanye! It's your baby. That's right. You shouldn't have to talk about your baby on TV if you don't want to. A little privacy for the man and his baby, please? I don't think that's too much to ask. Just one leetle thing...

WHY DID YOU GO AND MAKE A BABY WITH KIM KARDASHIAN, THEN?

Oh Kanye. You can have privacy, or you can have Kim. But you cannot have both. I'm sorry. This is whose tail you chased. You want privacy, date Miranda Finkelbottom. I just made up her name, but let's pretend she's a hot woman with Kim's ass but she's never, ever on TV. Get what I'm saying?

But I'm really looking forward to Kanye's new album, "Yeezus." I'm going to listen to it while drawing pictures of what I think the Kimye baby girl will look like. And I'll make little Kimye baby finger puppets and do pretend interviews with the baby and Barbara Walters since he's never going to let that happen in real life, supposedly. A little baby is never going to be as loopy and bonkers and fascinating as Kanye is anyway. You really have to read that interview -- it's a trip.

Do you think Kanye is delusional in wanting both privacy and Kim Kardashian?

Image via Steve Jurvetson/Flickr

Here I thought Robert Pattinson was dealing with his split with Kristen Stewart just fine. Wasn't this what he wanted? But now a friend of Katy Perry is saying the breakup has been a lot harder on Rob than he's let on. She tells Star magazine that Rob is still "on the rebound from Kristen and is very depressed." Poor Rob, what could turn his frown upside-down?

Katy's friends will. The source says that since most of Rob's friends are far away in the UK, and he used to hang out with Kristen's friends, he's kind of on his own now. So he's been spending more time with Katy Perry and her friends. “It’s been tough on Rob, and Katy wants to be there for him. She feels like she can give him a shoulder to lean on and understands first hand the pain that one feels when a relationship ends.”

Whether you're the one who initiates the breakup or not, it's still painful. How do you mend a broken heart? How do you take your mind off the mess you just left behind? Here are a few things Rob could do with Katy and her pals to recover.

1. Karaoke: Rob loves doing karaoke -- didn't he just buy a machine? Belting out your favorite ballads with your new crew of trusted friends can be ... oh wait. No. That's something Rob used to do with Kristen. Never mind.

2. Concerts: We all know Rob's a big music fan. We've seen him hanging out with Katy at concerts and it's definitely a bond they share. Oh wait -- but Rob went to a lot of concerts with Kristen, too. Hmm, 'kay, scratch that.

3. Skulking around Los Angeles: Sometimes just hanging out at your favorite bars and convenience stores, buying candy and eating tacos, can be a relaxing distraction. They could -- oh no, not again. That's another thing Rob used to do with Kristen all the time.

You know what? No matter what Rob does, he's bound to end up doing something he used to do with Kristen. But maybe that's okay. Doing all those same things with new friends will help form new happy memories -- and eventually help him move on with his post-Kristen life.

Do you think Katy Perry and her friends can help pull Rob out of his depression?

Hooray, another episode of Convos With My 2-Year-Old! Today's video is "The Cookie." Matthew Clarke's daughter Coco (played as always by a grown man) wants another cookie and she won't take no for an answer. Daddy says she's had enough. Who will win this battle of wills? And who will come out looking crazier? I think we know the answer to both those questions, but you've got to watch the video anyway.

See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.

Can you believe Daddy LIED to his daughter?!? Unbelievable -- except I think I've told the "we're all out" lie before myself. Haven't we all. It's kind of a lazy parenting trick you use when your moral authority is feeling particularly fatigued. "Oh darn, we're all out! Oh well, now I don't have to take responsibility for making you unhappy. Lalala!" I'm glad Coco challenged Daddy on that lie.

It is SO like a toddler to want things you cannot have. And it's also an adult thing, but we're totally getting the wrong message from this video. In real life, the desire for impossible things brings us unhappiness. But for Coco, insisting on what you want, even when you've been told it's impossible, will get you a cookie in the end. Hmm, I wonder if Coco's on to something.

Do you ever lie to your kids when you get sick of telling them "no"?

Image via ConvosW2YrOld/YouTube

Last week's horrific building collapse in Philadelphia ended up killing six people in all. But there's been yet another fatality linked to the collapse. Building Inspector Ronald Wagenhoffer killed himself last night. He was found in his truck with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. His May 14 inspection of the building was the last survey of the building before its fatal collapse.

Wagenhoffer texted his wife just before shooting himself. She found his body at 9:00 p.m. that night. You can imagine her panic as she got that message and the hopelessness and heartbreak when she arrived and found she was too late to stop her husband. The couple had a son.

In a press conference, Deputy Mayor Everette Gillison said:

With the building collapse a week ago, we have now lost seven lives in connection with this tragedy ... This man did nothing wrong. The department did what it was supposed to do.

Despite what Gillison says, I think Wagenhoffer must have felt responsible for the collapse. Maybe he knew something about the building but kept it under wraps because he thought everything would be all right. Maybe he did a thorough job, but has been wracking his brains over what he must have missed. Either way, it must have been eating him alive.

I still wish he could have forgiven himself and found some other way to work through his feelings of responsibility. His death does not reverse the deaths of the six victims. It's not an equal payment. There's no such thing as blood atonement for accidents. Wagonhoffer's suicide only makes things worse. He's left behind a son and a wife, people who needed him. The tragedy has only deepened.

Do you think Wagenhoffer could have worked through his feelings about the collapse without resorting to suicide?

Image via Jim, the Photographer/Flickr

Oh happy day! I have more spoilers on Season 4 of Downton Abbey. One of the actors in blabbing, God love him. And we even have a tidbit from Julian Fellowes himself. If you're still stewing over the revelation that O'Brien is leaving, there's good news. Her replacement sounds like a juicy character, but in a completely different way. And I think you'll approve of the way the show ushers O'Brian off stage. Meanwhile, now that we all know Thomas is gay, will Julian Fellowes push the show's boundaries and write a hot gay sex scene?

Thomas the gay under-butler gets a new partner in crime.Rob James-Collier, who plays Thomas, spilled that his character may get an "evil partner." Is he talking about a sexual partner? Alas, no. He means another character for Thomas to conspire with, like he did with Mrs. O'Brien. "He goes through a few, but he gets one eventually. Whether he lasts, we'll have to see."

O'Brien's replacement has a big secret. She's someone from Thomas' past, and she arrives without a reference. “He, obviously, has some kind of hold on her, but what that is, who knows? He is using her, manipulating her with the secret he has on her to feed back to him the stories and goings on from upstairs so he can use it to his advantage.” Thomas -- still kind of evil. I love it.

No love for Thomas. It doesn't look like we'll get a hot gay sex scene for Thomas this season. "I can't see it on the horizons, to be honest," James-Collier says. "He's been unlucky in love. I mean, when you go around kissing men while they're asleep you're not going to get a positive response." Anyway, the stakes are too high for his character. "If Thomas did find love he'd probably be in a jail cell."

Sarah O'Brien will NOT be killed off. But back to the departure of Mrs. O'Brian, Julian Fellowes assures us she will not go the way of Lady Sybil and Matthew. “O’Brien is very much alive. Her departure could be explained in that she simply got a new position,” he says. Like I've said before, I think she's going off to India with Lord Grantham's Scotland cousins, Shrimpy and Susan.  I just have to keep pointing that out so that when it actually happens I can say, "See? I told you!" and feel very smart and prescient. It's going to suck if it turns out I'm wrong.

Any guesses about what the new maid's big secret could be?

Image via Masterpiece

Is there a touchier subject than pregnancy and weight? We all know gaining too much weight -- or starting off overweight before you even get pregnant -- is going to get you some lectures from your doctor. I have friends who gained 60 pounds or more while pregnant, so I have to tread lightly here. But ... new information has come to light about pregnancy and weight. It's going to start out sounding pretty dire, but I think it ends on a hopeful note. Here are four surprising things doctors are learning about the heavy side of pregnancy.

1. Heavier pregnant women tend to deliver prematurely. This is based on a study of 1.5 million Swedish women. Doctors think this is because of the perfect storm of other symptoms associated with being obese or overweight: High blood pressure, insulin problems, etc. But wait, there's more!

2. Obese women have a higher risk of urinary tract infections and vaginal infections. Ugh, exactly what you don't want when you're pregnant (or, well, ever). Isn't pregnancy uncomfortable enough on its own? By the way, these infections also increase the risk of preterm delivery. In fact, bacterial infection is THE greatest risk factor for very early preterm births.

3. Pregnancy actually IS a good time to lose weight -- for some women. A doctor from the study says, "The concept that we propagated for years that pregnancy is not a good time for weight loss and physical activity is wrong." We've since learned that moderate exercise is great for pregnancy. But the doctors in the study also say losing weight might benefit you if your weight poses other risks to your health and the health of your baby. But here's the silver lining.

4. Pregnancy is a great time to make major changes. "I consider pregnancy to be an ideal time for behavioural modification," one of the doctors says. That's because when you're pregnant, you're already under constant medical care and you're in a more compliant frame of mind because you feel responsibility for this new life growing inside of you.

Do you think knowing that excessive weight could lead to premature births will encourage more pregnant moms to watch their weight?

Image via Frank de Klein/Flickr

Sexy vampire fans, the premiere of True Blood's sixth season is finally happening this weekend, on June 16. Have you planned your True Blood party, yet? Sookie, Bill, and Eric are coming over to your place, and you know they'll be thirsty. What are you serving?

We've got a fun cocktail for you. It's a twist on the Bloody Mary made with Pisco instead of vodka. Pisco is a grape brandy from Chile and Peru. So this cocktail is going to be a sweet spin on the classic. If that sounds right up your alley, and you always find yourself feeling thirsty for something thick and red, check out this recipe.

"True Blood" Bloody Kappa

Ingredients:

2 oz. KAPPA Pisco

4 oz. tomato juice

1/2 tsp. freshly grated horseradish

2-3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

3 dashes Tabasco sauce

Pinch of coarse salt or sea salt

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

1/4 oz. fresh lemon or lime juice

Pinch of celery salt or seeds

Directions:

Combine KAPPA Pisco, tomato juice, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and celery salt in cocktail shaker over ice and blend. Strain over fresh ice into a highball glass. Garnish with a celery stalk.

See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.

Are you planning to watch season 6 of True Blood Sunday?

Image via TrueBlood/YouTube

Love barbecued chicken sliders? You don't need to slave over the grill or smoker for that pulled sandwich. Here's an easier way -- just use your Crock-Pot. I've found a slow-cooker barbecue chicken recipe that looks super easy. Just let the cooker do its magic all day while you run around to soccer games, and by dinnertime, all you need are rolls and coleslaw!

Slow-Cooker Barbecue Chicken via My Recipes

Ingredients:

24 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3/4 cup barbecue sauce

1/4 cup reduced-fat Italian dressing

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth

Directions:

1. Put chicken in slow cooker. In a bowl, combine barbecue sauce, dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.

2. Remove chicken to a cutting board and shred with 2 forks. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and chicken broth. Stir into sauce in slow cooker, cover, and cook until sauce is thickened and heated through, 5 to 10 minutes. Return chicken to cooker, stir, cover, and continue cooking on low for 45 minutes. Serve chicken on whole-grain buns, over brown rice, or with baked potatoes if you like.

Image via Breville USA/Flickr

Okay, there's "take your daughter to work" day, and then there's this. A 23-year-old man was arrested for bringing his baby along for a heroin sale. Police say they found Tyreek Langs on a street trying to sell heroin with his 8-month-old daughter on his hip. Multitasking! At least it was at 3 in the afternoon and not in the middle of the night. He was arrested, of course, and charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance and endangering the welfare of a child.

So ... that was a bad idea. I mean, selling heroin does not exactly put you on the path for long-term economic stability (cough). But bringing your baby along. Good Lord! I don't have to tell you what a terrible idea that is. Tyreek probably knew it was a bad idea himself. But he did it anyway.

Now he has to answer to these two charges. The criminal sale of a controlled substance makes sense. And it does appear that he endangered the welfare of a child. Drug sales can get violent, and you're exposing your child to unstable people. But I wonder -- what is that charge going to do?

It just makes me feel sad because you can see what will follow. The baby is now living with her great-grandmother. How pathetic that not even her own mother can take care of her, or Tyreek's mother. They have to go back three generations to find a responsible adult in this baby's life. It's amazing that Tyreek had possession of the baby at all. It looks like (in his totally effed-up way) he was trying to take responsibility for his daughter.

But he's already blown it. 

Father-daughter relationships are so crucial to a girl's development. This relationship has barely gotten started and it's already broken. I wish there were some way to give Tyreek and his baby a second chance. But Tyreek probably never knew his father, doesn't know what fatherhood looks like, and has no clue how to support himself and a baby. He CLEARLY lacks sound judgment. So he'll probably go to jail for a while, and one more kid will grow up not quite knowing her father.

Do you think Tyreek should face child endangerment charges?

Image via Suffolk County Police Department

Thursday night I got the exciting chance to see the new Superman movie, Man of Steel with my son. The movie stars Henry Cavill as Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent, with Amy Adams as the boldest Lois Lane we've ever seen. And the movie itself was more... well, everything. Darker, more action-packed, more deeply emotional. It's a movie clearly made to appeal to adults. So what about kids? This is the comic-book hero Superman we're talking about here. Your kids may be begging you to take them to see it already. But should you? Here's my take on what parents should know before taking their kids to see Man of Steel.

First of all, there's no sex whatsoever, so no worries there. Superman and Lois Lane have a passionate kiss while fully clothed at the very end, and that's it. The next closest thing, though, is the birth scene at the very beginning of the movie. You don't see anything explicit, but Kal's mother's labor moans and screams are pretty intense. I was a bit uncomfortable watching that right next to my son.

Otherwise, the movie is violent in a mostly bloodless way. There's a lot of smashing and crashing and epic fights. Innocent people are put in danger. You have to assume people are dying when, for example, Superman smashes his arch nemesis General Zod into a 7-Eleven, causing it to explode in flames. "That's not exactly saving the world," my son quipped. 

The violent action kicks in from the very beginning. Soon after the birth we see a seated person take a sudden fatal chest blow from some sort of blaster -- and from there it's all fighting and chasing. As Jor-El, played by Russel Crowe, zooms around on a flying dragon through clashing metal and explosions I wanted to turn to my son and ask, ARE YOU NOT OVERWHELMED? (More like enthralled.)

So outsized is the violence, in fact, that to me it entered the realm of the absurd and was rendered almost meaningless. What happens if we keep ratcheting up the volume and the scale? Whole city blocks are decimated. Skyscrapers snap in half and then collapse (a little too 9/11 for my taste). At one point, a powerful punch sends someone crashing into a satellite outside the Earth's atmosphere. You can't help wondering what it all does to a child's mind to take it all in.

A singularity is created just a few hundred feet above the Earth's surface for the sole purpose of defeating the bad guys -- like a black hole isn't going to suck up the entire Earth and everything surrounding it. So if you care about your child's understanding of the laws of physics, please talk to them about the dangers of singularities after the movie. (Haha)

At least all the action kept my son from noticing the way I was drooling over Henry Cavill.

If you're concerned about the violence but you've got a kid who's dying to see the movie anyway, a compromise might be to see a non-3D version in a smaller theater. Also, you won't leave feeling like you need to take a Valium and a nap.

All that said, there were a few small moments of tenderness. And I think kids will find the themes of compassion for humanity and digging deep to realize the full extent of your powers inspiring. Man of Steel is dark in aesthetics and maybe some of the plot, but it is still very much the story of becoming a hero.

And speaking of heroes, I should mention that we were guests of the organization, Save the Children. They, along with IRC, Mercy Corps, and DC Entertainment are working together on the We Can Be Heroes campaign. Check out the website, where you can donate or shop to help end famine in the Sudan. Because in the real world, we don't face a threat from Kryptonites -- here the danger is that children are starving to death unnecessarily. It's not quite as thrilling as flying around in a cape, but by participating your kids can be heroes, too.

See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.

Do your kids want to see Man of Steel?

Image via WarnerBrosPictures/YouTube

Happy Father's Day! I hope you're all spending time with the fathers and grandfathers in your lives. I'll be calling my dad and brothers, who all live far away. If you haven't mailed off a card or bought a special gift yet (for the guy who never seems to need anything), I've got something you can send instead: Poetry. Yes, this is what your dear old dad wants most of all in this world, some goofy poem someone else wrote. Oh, but you can pretend you wrote it yourself -- I won't tell.

And just so it sounds like it really came from you, I've got a different poem for every kind of kid. I, um, may have semi-plagiarized a few famous poems just a little bit for inspiration. But take your pick!

From the Kid Who Has 100 Different Activities Every Week

Because I could not drive myself

You kindly drove for me

The minivan held only ourselves

Or sometimes the whole family -- 

We slowly drove -- you knew no haste

To soccer and to Girl Scouts, too

And my spelling bee

Thanks for driving me everywhere, Dad.

From the Fashionista

You grow old, you grow old

Why do you, like, still wear your pants rolled?

I'm embarrassed to be seen with you, but I still love you, Daddy!

From the Sports Fanatic

June is the cruellest month

Little league out of the dugout, mixing

With summer football clinics, stirring

Soccer tournaments with summer rain

Thanks for going to all my games, Dad!

From the Kid Who Is Always in Trouble

And my ass, it is always in detention, still is sitting, still is sitting

Or in my bedroom, just down the hall from yours and mom's

And my mind still has all the scheming of a demon's that is dreaming

Yet I am in lockdown, all because of that science lab bomb

When will this accursed grounding be lifted?

Quoth my dad, Nevermore!

Thanks for the tough love, Dad.

From the Toddler

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats above my surpise-filled diaper

When all at once I saw a cookie

A plate of golden cookies

In the kitchen, on the counter

Mommy said "no"

But you, my sweet, easily manipulated fool, said yes

After I screamed for 30 minutes straight and started turning blue

Thanks for the cookie, Daddy! (Sucker)

Image via Jim, the Photographer/Flickr

Should Miss USA be able to string together a coherent statement in English? This important question was put to the test last night during the Miss USA 2013 pageant. Miss Utah Marissa Powell put on a brave face and delivered what may be a spectacular new low in verbal gymnastics. Never before have we seen such a clumsy word goulash uttered with such poise and really nice hair ... um ... since Miss Teen South Carolina 2007, anyway.

To be fair, Real Housewife of Atlanta NeNe Leakes asked Marissa a question with a lot of words: "A recent report shows that in 40 percent of American families with children, women are the primary earners yet they continue to earn less than men. What does this say about society?" Ooh, thinky! Here's what I imagine Marissa was contemplating while she answered the question.

Okay, um, something about women working. Ooh! I know. "I think we can relate this back to education --" 'Kay, where am I going with this? Oh yeah! "And how we are continuing to strive to --" Strive, people like that word. I don't know where to go now. Um, just smile, give yourself a moment to think, and just smile. Haha, okay, I'll blind them with my dazzling teeth and they'll forget all about the question! No? Okay, I'll keep going. Um ... "Figure out how to create jobs now. That is the biggest problem and --" Nailed it! People love it when you say we need more jobs because we do. But why did I have to say "and"? Now I have to keep talking! Oh my heck.

"I think, especially for men, are, umm -- " wait, are we talking about men or women? I can't remember. "... seen as the leaders of this, so we need to try to figure out how to --" SOS SOS SOS "create education better," mayday, mayday, I have lost control of word center of my brain. Mayday. "-- and solve this problem. Thank you."

Oh man, poor Marissa! That was a disaster. I want to believe that away from the cameras, off stage, in real life, Marissa would have been able to answer that question without sounding like a malfunctioning automaton. But I'm probably giving her too much credit. All I can say is, I may laugh, but I can relate. I have been known to space out sometimes when I'm in the spotlight, too -- I know what it's like to find yourself knee-deep in a verbal stew of your own making. It happens to everyone. So I have a little bit of sympathy for Miss Utah. She was probably just nervous and overwhelmed.

But you know what? I'm glad the pageant still does interview questions. Miss USA has to represent our country as an ambassador of sorts (I guess?), and her public speaking skills need to be sharp. She doesn't have to be a genius, but she can't sound like a complete moron, either. And this question should have been pretty easy to answer: Women have more opportunities today than ever before, but we don't value women's work highly enough, yet. The end.

See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.

Do you think pageants should just stop asking contestants interview questions?

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Probably the worst moment of my ongoing divorce was when we sat down with our son and broke the news to him. He immediately burst into tears, and for a split second, I wanted to take it all back just to spare him the pain. But I couldn't do that. We had to move forward. Soon, our son had questions -- and we had to find the right answers.

Children tend to ask the same kinds of tough, wrenching questions about divorce. The good news is that experts say you don't have to have all the answers. But it does help to prepare for those questions and be ready to listen and respond in a way that will help your kids feel loved.

Family therapist Diane Shearer says we should look beyond the questions about divorce and get at what kids are really asking for. "When kids ask tough questions, they aren't looking for complicated answers. They are looking for affirmation, not information." This means they want to be assured that you love them no matter what. They want to know that you recognize their turbulent feelings. Here are some tips on three of the most common questions.

1. Why? From "why did you stop loving each other" to "why are you doing this," kids want to know the big-picture reason behind your split. Shearer says the fear behind this question is that if mom and dad can stop loving each other, they might stop loving their kids, too. So you'll need to assure your child that love between parents is very different from a parent's love for their child. Your love for them is permanent and will never change. In most cases, it's not appropriate to get into the details of why you're divorcing. Instead, reassure your child that you are still a family, just a different kind of family.

2. Is this my fault? Young children, especially, are self-centered, so they can't help wondering if they are somehow at fault for your split. Again, the most important thing here is to assure your child that your love for them is unconditional. They need to know their parents' complicated relationship has nothing to do with them -- they are NOT the cause of the divorce. They will always be loved. That will never change.

3. Where will I live? Make sure you have agreed on a parenting plan -- even a temporary one -- before you break the news. Tell them where they will be, when, and for how long. Let them know that they can express their feelings about these arrangements to you any time they need to. And always speak respectfully about your ex in your answers -- don't involve your kids in whatever conflicts you're having with your spouse.

What kinds of questions have your children been asking about your split?

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