Cate Blanchett: I Love Raising Boys
Todd Williamson/WireImage Cate Blanchett may be a fashion icon on the red carpet and a chameleon when it comes to played such roles such as Queen Elizabeth and Bob Dylan, but in her real life the actress is a mom who loves the daily chore of vacuuming! “I enjoy vacuuming,” Cate told PEOPLE at the Giorgio Armani/Ristorante dinner party in New York City this week in honor of welcoming the Sydney Theatre Company to the Big Apple for their production of A Streetcar Named Desire . “It’s a very satisfying noise when you hear all that grit sucked up from the floor and into the machine.” Adds the Oscar winner: “Vacuuming is a big one for me and it’s those simple things that keep my life grounded. It can be quite therapeutic!” As a mother raising three young boys – Dashiell , 8 this week, Roman , 5 ½, and Ignatius , 19 months – with her playwright husband Andrew Upton , life at home can be a bit rambunctious for star, but she says she doesn’t mind being the only lady in the house
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Cate Blanchett: I Love Raising Boys
Howie Mandel Says Kids Walk ‘a Tightrope’
Jen Lowery/Startraks In his new book Here’s The Deal: Don’t Touch Me , television personality Howie Mandel opens up about his ongoing battle against obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The 53-year-old dad-of-three says that his family has also often paid a price, with Howie describing himself as a “hard guy to live with.” Wife Terry and the couple’s children Jackie , 25, Alex , 20, and Riley , 17, have “had to cope throughout the years with my idiosyncrasies,” Howie reveals. “It’s a tightrope.” He adds, “All of us have gone through therapy.
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Howie Mandel Says Kids Walk ‘a Tightrope’
Tis the Season of Holiday Shopping: Enter to Win One of Ten $100 Gift Cards From Pottery Barn Kids!
Pottery Barn Kids Pottery Barn Kids is known for its amazing children’s bedding and furniture, but it also stocks cool, hard-to-find toys that any kid would love. Plus, it has a great selection of gift ideas all under $50 . Little ones will spend hours playing with the colorful, well-designed Municipal Vehicles set ($29, above left) and Frog or Hippo pull toys ($24 each, above right).
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Tis the Season of Holiday Shopping: Enter to Win One of Ten $100 Gift Cards From Pottery Barn Kids!
Gretchen Wilson On Working Hard, Playing Harder
Chris Polk/WireImage In her latest single titled “Work Hard, Play Harder,” Gretchen Wilson let fans catch a glimpse into the way the country crooner chooses to live her life: logging long hours at the studio, but even longer hours at home with daughter Grace Frances ! “I love to be able to work my butt off in the studio and then go out there and hit four nights in a row on tour, then come back here again to the record company and make four or five decisions,” she tells The Boot. Fortunately, days spent away from her family are followed by rest and relaxation at home with Grace.
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Gretchen Wilson On Working Hard, Playing Harder
Judy Reyes Reveals Her ‘Deep’ Third-Trimester Thoughts
Courtesy Pregnancy for use on CBB Only days away from her November 30th due date , Judy Reyes is finally ready to face her longtime fear: a baby! “I’ve never been a baby person; babies always scared the living s–t out of me. I’ve always been afraid to drop them or hurt them,” the expectant mama reveals in the December issue of Pregnancy magazine. However, set to welcome a daughter with her boyfriend George Valencia , the Scrubs star has allowed the growing excitement to overcome any other emotion! “Now every little [baby] thing I see, I’m like, ‘Ooh, my God!’ I can’t stop.
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Judy Reyes Reveals Her ‘Deep’ Third-Trimester Thoughts
Fab Sample Sale: Egg by Susan Lazar and Joe’s Jeans at Gilt Groupe
Egg by Susan Lazar/Gilt Groupe Inc. Today, Gilt Groupe is featuring not one, but two amazing children’s sales! Starting at 12PM EST, you can snap up your choice of knit jumpers (now $30, originally $55) and knit dresses (now $32, originally $68) by Egg Baby or stylish denim and corduroy pants with cool back-pocket designs (now $42 – $49, originally $88 – $86) from Joe’s Jeans . Egg Baby — a modern children’s brand created in 2003 by former woman’s sportswear designer Susan Lazar — uses natural fabrics and clean, simple cuts
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Fab Sample Sale: Egg by Susan Lazar and Joe’s Jeans at Gilt Groupe
2009 Holiday Gift Guide: Adults
It is here! The 2009 Holiday Gift Guide for Adults with giveaways and discount codes! If you are looking for gifts for the techies in your life, never fear! That gift guide is on its way next week because it was too massive to include here! For the Fashionista Yummie Tummie (beginning at $62)- To truly look stunning in that Little Black Dress, Yummie Tummie’s new shapewear is unlike anything that I’ve ever tried. Th e en tire line of sexy tanks, camis, and the brand new Sweetie Slip Dress ($86- plun ging neckline and co nvertible removable straps) feature slimming panels where you need them the most along with super soft cotton to make them comfortable for everyday wear instead of squeezing you like a sausage
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2009 Holiday Gift Guide: Adults
Cinch Seat: A Stylish, Yet Functional Booster Seat!
Cinch Seat Once your child graduates from a high chair to a big chair, there’s that tricky in-between stage where they still need a boost. London-based designer Adam Kaliski — who studied sculpture at the Royal College of Art — has created a modern-looking booster chair that you and your little one will love. The Cinch Seat (approximately $95 for white) is functional, yet chic and comes in a range of colors to complement any decor.
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Cinch Seat: A Stylish, Yet Functional Booster Seat!
Fab Sale: 20% Off at IsabellaOliver.com
IsabellaOliver.com Finding chic, stylish maternity clothing is getting easier and easier thanks to boutiques like Isabella Oliver . This London based company churns out polished and easy-to-wear pieces that keep moms-to-be looking great the whole nine months! The elegant Wrap Dress ($165, above left) is perfect for a holiday party while the super sexy Ruched Tank Dress ($175) — a fave of Angelina Jolie and Heidi Klum — can be worn with a blazer during the day or without for a night out. Gossip Girl ’s Kelly Rutherford and Camila Alves are also fans.
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Fab Sale: 20% Off at IsabellaOliver.com
LeapFrog & Zappos Black Friday/CyberMonday Deals
If you love a great deal as much as I do or y ou have a long list of holiday gifts to purchase, get a head start on some great deals that are starting before Thanksgiving. If the any of the LeapFrog products I recommended in my toddler or preschool gift guide are on your must-buy list this year, take advantage of Le apFrog’s Black Friday/CyberMonday deals that start at 10 pm PST Tuesday, November 24! Yes, that’s tonight! The sale features: 25% to 75% off sitewide Select Leapster games as low as $5 Select Tag Books as low as $5 Up to 75% off on our gift packs Spend $50, get free shipping Black Friday Bonus, Spend $100, get $10 off Use HOLIDAY20 for an extra 20% off! Shoe lovers will want to visit Zappos.com to join their VIP Club between Black Friday through Cyber Monday. By becoming a member of VIP Club, members will receive free, overnight shipping – for the rest of their lives! Beginning on midnight on Friday, November 27th, the link, Zappos.com/holidayvip , will go LIVE and consumers can sign up until midnight November 30th
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LeapFrog & Zappos Black Friday/CyberMonday Deals
Alison Sweeney Seeks Clarity Through Charity for Two Children
Jill Johnson/JPI While hosting a Winter Wonderland-themed charity event for Feeding America at her California home recently, Alison Sweeney said she hoped son Benjamin Edward , 4 ½, and daughter Megan Hope , 10 months, would someday learn from her charitable example. “I look forward to volunteering at a food bank on Thanksgiving, and I plan to introduce my children to the idea of giving back as soon as they’re ready,” the 33-year-old actress tells BabyCenter . “It certainly helps me keep my problems in perspective
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Alison Sweeney Seeks Clarity Through Charity for Two Children
Latest news on Chinese drywall: "Strong association" between chemicals in drywall and home damage
“We now have the science that enables the task force to move ahead to the next phase, to develop both a screening process and effective remediation methods. Ongoing studies will examine health and safety effects, but we are now ready to get to work fixing this problem.” That's the message delivered yesterday by Inez Tenenbaum, chairwoman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, after an interagency task force on Chinese drywall released the findings of its studies of 51 newer homes, 41 of which have Chinese drywall.
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Latest news on Chinese drywall: "Strong association" between chemicals in drywall and home damage
Fab Deal: Free Shipping on Little Marc Jacobs Swimwear at Westvillagekids.com
Little Marc Jacobs/WestVillageKids.com Marc Jacobs ‘ new line of kids swimwear (read our review here ) has officially hit stores! Chic children’s e-boutique West Village Kids has exclusively stocked a few girl styles just in time for all those upcoming holiday family beach vacations. And to help get you in the shopping mood, the site is offering CBB readers free shipping on all orders of Little Marc Jacobs Swim.
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Fab Deal: Free Shipping on Little Marc Jacobs Swimwear at Westvillagekids.com
For the U.S. housing market, the roller-coaster ride continues
Many of the latest housing-industry numbers portray a still-battered market, though some of the housing news offers modest reasons to be optimistic. Sales of existing homes climbed 10 percent in October to a seasonally adjusted rate of 6.10 million units, according to the National Association of Realtors. That volume is up 23.5 percent from the 4.94-million rate in October 2008
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For the U.S. housing market, the roller-coaster ride continues
Matt Damon on the Biggest Realization of Fatherhood
Alpha/Landov While everyone loves the idea of celebrity dads Ben Affleck and Matt Damon enjoying an occasional playdate with their daughters, Matt says that it is yet to happen. “We’re on different coasts,” he pointed out recently to OK! Chatting from the premiere for the History Channel’s new documentary The People Speak , Matt said that his family — who recently relocated to New York City — would be heading back to Florida for the holidays
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Matt Damon on the Biggest Realization of Fatherhood
Shop Piperlime.com’s Adorable, Yet Functional Kids’ Boots This Winter!
Piperlime.com Looking for warm-weather boots and booties for your little ones? Piperlime.com is chock full of cozy styles for girls and boys that will keep mini toes warm this winter season. We’re loving the Robeez fur-lined bootie ($39, above left) and Timberland’s Winterberry Crib bootie ($30, above right) — the wheat version is part of Rachel Bilson ’s holiday picks .
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Shop Piperlime.com’s Adorable, Yet Functional Kids’ Boots This Winter!
Heidi Klum & Seal Throw Train-Themed Party for Johan
Jackson Lee/Splash News Online About 50 guests came out over the weekend to celebrate Heidi Klum and Seal ’s son Johan ’s 3rd birthday at their Los Angeles-area home with a train-themed party. The model and her musician husband dressed in overalls and conductor hats along with the rest of their brood, which includes daughter Leni , 5 ½; son Henry , 4; and newborn daughter Lou , six weeks. “They really got into the spirit of the whole train theme,” says a source.
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Heidi Klum & Seal Throw Train-Themed Party for Johan
Fab Sample Sale: Neige Clothing at bTrendie.com
Neige Clothing/bTrendie.com bTrendie — a trendy invite-only sample sale e-boutique — is hosting an amazing sale (35% off) of simple and chic kid/baby styles from Neige Clothing . You’ll be able to snap cute cardigans (now $38.50, originally $79.99), classic button down shirts (now $26.60, originally $49.99) and pretty dresses (now $51.80, originally $99.99). Also right now, bTrendie.com is offering a “Give the Gift of bTrendie” holiday promotion
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Fab Sample Sale: Neige Clothing at bTrendie.com
By the Numbers: 2009 Thanksgiving meal cheaper than last years
$42.91 Average cost of a Thanksgiving meal for 10, down about 4 percent from last year's average of $44.61, according to the American Farm Bureau , an agribusiness lobbying group. The same meal cost $28.74 in 1986, the first year the AFB started tracking the price of the holiday meal. “Consistent with the retail food price declines seen throughout the year, consumers will pay just a bit less for their Thanksgiving feast this year,” said Jim Sartwelle, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, in a press release
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By the Numbers: 2009 Thanksgiving meal cheaper than last years
Vera Farmiga ‘Never Felt More Womanly’ Than While Pregnant
Byron Purvis/AdMedia When she auditioned for a role opposite George Clooney in the new film Up In The Air , Vera Farmiga was four months pregnant, and by the time she was hired she was eight months along. In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times , the 36-year-old actress — now mom to Fynn , 10 months — says that expectant motherhood was beneficial to the part in more ways than one. Citing a certain “empowerment that birth brings,” Vera admits she was “feeling very womanly” when the film was made
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Vera Farmiga ‘Never Felt More Womanly’ Than While Pregnant