Here’s a little celebrity news fix for you from our friends at Celebrity Baby Scoop…

What better way to ring in the New Year than to stop to appreciate another year gone by?! Over 18,000 of you voted and we’ve compiled the results of the 2009 Celebrity Baby Scoop 2nd Annual Readers’ Choice Awards.

What a year it has been in celebrity news and pictures! From the Gosselin’s split that turned from bad to worse before you could recite all 8 kids’ names, to Michael Jackson’s shocking death, to Honor Warren’s funky fashion statements, to the best pictures of 2009, there was no shortage in headlines last year. We watched Katherine Heigl transform as she fulfilled a lifelong dream and adopted baby Naleigh from Korea. We shook our heads at Suri Cruise’s high heels and couldn’t believe it when M.I.A. named her firstborn child Ikhyd Edgar Arular, while we cheered for joy when first-time parents Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. named their daughter Charlotte Grace.

Votes came pouring in for some tried-and-true favorites including the lovable Garner-Affleck family, sexy doting daddy Hugh Jackman, and the always-adorable Sasha Schreiber. And topping the list as some of our new favorites include sweet baby Satyana Denisof and the newly crowned prettiest family in Tinseltown: the Berry-Aubrys.

From your favorite new baby, to the best and worse baby names, to your favorite celebrity family, our 2nd Annual Readers’ Choice Awards doesn’t miss a thing. Read on!

Best Baby Name of 2009:
1. Charlotte Grace Prinze
2. Everleigh Rae Gigandet
3. Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck

Worst Baby Name of 2009:
1. Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman
2. Sparrow James Midnight Madden
3. Bandit Lee Way

Click Here to Finish Reading and see the full list of results from our 2nd Annual Readers’ Choice Awards at Celebrity Baby Scoop.

Are you happy? Would you like to be happier?

I’ve always been a fairly optimistic, roll-with-the-punches, glass half-full kind of person. I’m happy. But even before reading Gretchen Rubin’s yearlong exploration of happiness The Happiness Project, I knew that there were choices I made and habits that I have that interfered with the goal of happiness — not only my own, but also the people who share life with me.

This is the time of year that people reevaluate their lives and examine the changes that they should make to make it better.

Gretchen Rubin felt like she was a happy person, but she wanted to know why, and wanted to know what she could do to maintain or increase that happiness. As a journalist, she read works by Aristotle and other social scientists concerning the whys and hows of happiness. She decided that she would devote each month to exploring one particular area of her life that she hoped to improve, such as health, marriage, parenting, spirituality, hobbies etc.

I loved this book (so much so that I’ve added it to our best of the best 5 Star Reads list at 5 Minutes for Books). While the areas that I would choose to explore would differ slightly from Rubin’s, I laughed as she shared her personal journey. For example, while focusing on her marriage, she treated her husband (without telling him) to a “week of extreme nice.” But by the end of the week, she found herself irritated that he was not more appreciative and observant of how she was going out of her way to please him — thus defeating the happiness project.

The book was a great balance of personal experience, journalistic research and facts, with plenty of humor thrown in. It’s quite readable and interesting, and it definitely inspired me to work harder at being happy and appearing happy to those around me.

Want more info? Check out The Happiness Project Blog where you can even sign the petition to make 2010 a happier year. But this is a book I strongly recommend that you buy.

What’s even better — two of you (U.S. or Canadian shipping addresses) will win a copy of The Happiness Project. Just leave a comment. If you’d like to tell me one area of your life you want to work on in 2010, please do. You can check out my goals, inspired or solidified by The Happiness Project, check out my blog entry where I talk about my own Happiness Project.

We will announce the winners in next week’s column.

The winner of the Simon and Schuster big book giveaway is #88 Amy.

Book blogger Jennifer Donovan manages 5 Minutes for Books and blogs at Snapshot. She thanks Harper Collins for the review and giveaway copies of the book.

“Mom, next year can Santa bring us what he gave Madison?”

What do you say?

I replied to Julia, “Well, Santa brings everyone different things… we’ll just have to see what he brings next year.”

She seemed to be distracted enough, accepted the answer and ran off to continue playing. I was lucky this time!

The funny thing is that Santa’s big gift to Madison and her sister Avery was a play kitchen from OUR OWN online toy store. LOL

It’s actually a toy kitchen that I’ve wanted to buy for Julia since she was a baby, but never did because our townhouse is so small and already stuffed full of toys.

Since Janice and I own two online toy stores, Julia and Sophia are already a little spoiled with items from our stores… a pedal car, balance bikes, rocking toys, an art easel, a cool kitchen helper safety stand that lets them help cook and wash dishes and more.

Basically, trying to not spoil your kids when you sell awesome toys is tough!

I constantly dream of a bigger house just so I can give them more toys. But, luckily we are limited to a tiny townhouse and we have reached full capacity.

I especially try not to overdo gifts at Christmas because I feel it is important to focus on the real meaning of the season. I do let Santa come and bring a decent amount of gifts to unwrap, but I don’t like to let Santa go completely wild.

So with this toy kitchen, I think I just might be as jealous as my girls and want it in our own house.

But, I’m trying to restrain myself. At least Julia and Sophia can play with the kitchen whenever we’re visiting their friends, Madison and Avery, (which is every other day).

Trying not to envy our friends is tough for all of us — regardless of our age.

I know I can be completely happy with my small townhouse until I go visit friends who live in big, beautiful houses. Then it can sting a little.

Up until now, my girls have been too young to ask for toys that their friends have… but time is running out. Julia is now 4 and a half, and she’s starting to ask questions.

So I’m wondering, what do you say to your kids when they envy their friends’ toys?

Welcome to our weekly roundup here at “5 Minutes Around the Blogosphere”.

As you know, you can come back all week and add a post or giveaway to our Mister Linky. Be sure to check back often, as new links will be added daily. You don’t want to miss out on something fun.

Click Here to Finish Reading and get to the Giveaways

Oh to see life again through the eyes of a 2 year old.

 
Written by Sophia’s mom Susan (I’m also a co-founder here at 5 Minutes for Mom).
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*** Monthly Feature Column ***

Positively Speaking
Building Assets in your Kids

by Kelly Curtis, M.S., author of Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things.

It’s that time of year again — time for New Year’s Resolutions!

Whether your resolutions are related to healthy eating, getting in shape, better communication or safer driving, the concept was always the same – setting goals.

But goals shouldn’t be set by Mom and Dad alone. There are many reasons to involve kids in the process as well.

Search Institute has identified Personal power as one of the 40 Developmental Assets. Research shows these are characteristics of healthy, caring, resilient kids. The more assets youth have, the more likely they’ll resist risky behaviors in the future.

Setting small goals — and achieving them — can go a long way toward building important assets like self-esteem, and planning and decision-making. But personal power resonates with me because of the way it empowers the child.

My family leads a very hectic life, and every year I set my own goals related to making our family function to the best of its ability. I share my personal goals with my kids and ask them to think of resolutions they might set for themselves, as well as what they could do to help me reach my goals.

This year, I’m resolving to be more intentional with discipline, so I’ll encourage my children to also set goals that will align with my resolve.

The Challenge
Share your goals with your kids. Then ask them what goals they have for themselves. Encourage them to brainstorm what they need to do to reach the goal, and how you can help.

Then, if you would, please come back and tell us your results!

Thanks for joining in to build assets in your kids! I look forward to seeing you again next month for Positively Speaking.

Kelly Curtis is a Wisconsin school counselor and author of Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things. To read more about Kelly, please visit her Weblog, Pass the Torch or follow her on Twitter.

Say It Forward – Carnival of Loyal Commenters is a weekly carnival at 5 Minutes for Mom.com where bloggers feature their loyal commenters!

To read more about how to participate in Say It Forward and to get the button codes, click here.

And make sure you visit the links in the Mr. Linky here every Friday. These are the FUN blogging folk YOU want to be friends with. Go to THEIR sites. Read THEIR blogs. And of course, leave COMMENTS.

Oh, we can see the friendships forming already. It’s a beautiful thing!

Say It Forward – Week 42: Today’s loyal commentor award goes to Heather of Cool Zebras.

My first impression of Heather’s site was that it was cute, clean and I loved the name of her blog. I didn’t get it, but I thought it was cute and spunky. Then I read the reason why she named her blog Cool Zebras and I laughed out loud – I may have even guffawed – and I immediately loved her blog even more.

A mother to three sweet children, Heather is a multifacted, talented stay at home mom, wife and blogger. She’s extremely gifted and creative, as evidenced by her etsy site, Sentimental Journey, she doesn’t like feeling old, and she has no problem bringing her children to church.

Heather describes herself this way: Hi, I’m Heather. I am a stay-at-home-mom of 3 children, 6-year-old “Turkey” (M), her 4-year-old brother “Destructo-boy” or “Accident-prone Man Jr” (K) and their baby sister Ms. D. My husband, Craig, (aka the Incredible Master Fisherman) has been putting up with my quirks for 12 years now. We’ve been married for 9 years.

Thank you, Heather, for sharing your insights and humor into this thing called motherhood. Your blog is a great read.

And, of course, thank you for being such a loyal commenter here at 5 Minutes for Mom! Please display this Loyal Commenter badge with pride.

Click here to Add your Say It Forward Link and To Read Others

As a blogger, it can be so hard to hold back.

Our first instinct is to write. We heal as we type and we get strength from our friends’ outpouring of love and support. It is how we bloggers roll.

Over the years, I have shared my highs and lows. I wrote about my miscarriage and the painful months of healing.

You all were the first people I told when I saw TWO lines! When I had early signs of miscarrying Olivia, you all were there to offer me support. And introducing Olivia and Susan’s Sophia to you was as special as showing them to any real life family.

But other times, sharing is more complicated. Sometimes there are others involved in the story and we want to protect their privacy. We may choose to be open books, but others may not want that blogger vulnerability.

I try to only write if it is my story to tell. But as a mother, that can be tricky. Our stories are intertwined with our children’s. Their pain is ours.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a bit about my son’s struggles with ADHD and Anxiety and our decision to get him a dog.

Jackson is an incredible joy and I adore him to bits. But the reality of parenting a child with ADHD, ODD and anxiety is exhausting and overwhelming. The smallest bumps become huge mountains. Where other families barely notice the lump on the path, we are knocked over and struggle to get through.

And with my little Olivia, well… so far, we don’t have a diagnosis. Just a lot of concerns and fears.

Olivia has been having severe facial tics — up to 50 or more a day — that completely take over her. It has been going on for months. The doctors want to ensure that they aren’t seizures and so two weeks ago I took her for an EEG.

Yesterday, her EEG results came back abnormal but inconclusive. Now we need to wait for an appointment with a neurologist and probably go for another EEG.

So, as you can imagine, yesterday was one of those days when it all seems too much — when you want to hold up your white flag and surrender.

I wanted to write, but I am so torn about writing about my children’s medical conditions.

Susan and I started 5 Minutes for Special Needs because we believe in the power of sharing and learning from each other. We believe blogging is a powerful medium to help parents not feel so alone as they encounter life’s many challenges.

I personally learn so much from reading from parents of special needs children and children with medical concerns. It is BECAUSE of what I have learned online that I feel so much braver and more equipped to help my own children through their medical issues.

So, why do I hold back my own stories? Should I?

Today, can I be selfish? Can I ask you to pray for my Olivia???

I don’t know what is wrong with her. Perhaps it will just be a diagnosis of tics. But if you saw how often these tics take over my daughter, you would understand my pain for her.

And what if it is worse… what if she has a tumor or something that is causing seizures? My instinct is that they aren’t seizures, but I am concerned and confused about the abnormal EEG.

So, as I enter the New Year, I am worried and praying for my kids. I want them to have happiness and health. I don’t want life to be so hard for them. I know so many kids have it harder than they do. But still, I want to spare my children from some of their pain.

YOUR TURN: What about you? Where do you draw the line? Do you post about your children?

Written by Janice, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom

Okay, I just looked back at my New Years Resolution List for 2009 and well… can I just copy and paste the list and ask for a redo???

Sigh…

Here’s my list from last year:

1. Enjoy each day and savor each moment with my girls.

   (This is always my top goal in life. And I will say that I think I did a pretty good job of this in 2009. During the year, I decided to go offline on weekends and focus on family time. I’m going to continue this for 2010.)

2. Lose a few holiday pounds and get in shape.

   (Okay, I think last January I did shed a few pounds, but over the fall I gained several more. Stopping nursing has been terrible for my waistline and January is the month I’m trimming it off. For. Sure.)

3. Organize and manage my projects more effectively.

   (Ugh. I am still disorganized. I’m not even bothering to resolve to get more organized… INSTEAD, I’m focusing on finishing current projects and wrapping up loose ends everywhere.)

4. Take more video of my girls.

   (Again, taking more video and photos is a big priority. Not only of my kids, but of me too. The last couple months I’ve hidden from the video camera and I’ve been terribly absent even from our own site Say It Face To Face. I’ve got to get my face in front of the camera again.)

5. Read and comment on more blogs.

   (I’m constantly trying to do more blog commenting… I will continue to increase my commenting in 2010.)

Okay, so what about you???

Are you making any resolutions or goals or intentions for 2010? Did you make any in 2009 and if so, how did you do with those?

Link up and tell all!

 
Written by Susan, 5 Minutes for Mom co-founder
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Today we are closing the Burn The Floor giveaway.
Please remember to add contests5m4m(AT)gmail(DOT)com to your “Safe Senders” list or address book, to ensure that your notification is not marked as SPAM.

It’s no surprise that Burn The Floor has broken the Longacre Theatre box office record and has announced an extension to February 14, 2010.

There isn’t much time left to see this incredible show! If you haven’t seen Burn The Floor yet, what are you waiting for? If you aren’t too far from the city, or if you are headed there before the 14th of February, you should make it a point to get a ticket to Burn The Floor. YOU WILL LOVE IT!

If you are a fan of Maks and Kym from Dancing With The Stars, then be sure to get to Burn The Floor soon. Their last guest performance with Burn The Floor will be on January 10th.

Comment Number 16 – CMC, will receive a 4-pack of vouchers to a show of our winner’s choice January 5th-8th!

Congratulations! You should have received an email about claiming your prize.

If you haven’t received an email, please send your FULL NAME, SHIPPING ADDRESS, and TELEPHONE NUMBER to contests5m4m(AT)gmail(DOT)com by Wednesday, January 6th in order to claim your prize. Any prizes unclaimed will be forfeited and a new winner or winners will be selected.

I am soaking up each second with my little girls.

My daughters, 4 year old Julia and 2 year old Sophia, are my entire world. But like most busy moms, I don’t get many days to just focus on playing, reading, napping and snuggling with them.

So I’ve been taking these Christmas holidays to play, read, nap and snuggle with them from morning till night.

My work was piled to the roof BEFORE the holidays, so I can’t even think about how behind I am now. All I can do is focus on my girls. I’m taking these days just for them and when January hits, I’ll be forced to release my little girls to their busy schedules and I’ll get back to my desk.

That’s all for now, I have to get back to playing hide-and-seek.

 
Written by Susan, 5 Minutes for Mom co-founder
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Psssst….come close. I have something important to tell you. Are you ready?

Today is your last day to enter to win a 4-pack of vouchers to see Burn The Floor in New York City. If you or someone you know is going to be in the New York City area January 5th – 8th, 2010, hurry over now and enter to win.

The giveaway closes tonight and we will announce our lucky winner tomorrow.

BURN THE FLOOR is created, directed and choreographed by Jason Gilkison. Its cast is composed of award-winning international dancers from around the globe and include Australian Ballroom and World Latin American champions. They collectively hold more than 100 dance titles.

I loved Burn The Floor. My girlfriends and I attended while we were in NYC for my 30th birthday. We had an incredible time. The show is so much fun! Here is a glimpse at one of my favorite numbers from Burn The Floor:

Hot, right? Time is running out. Hurry and enter to win!