Cate Blanchett Loves Raising Her Sons, Vacuuming
Babies, Toddlers, Kids 5-7, Celeb Parenting

Actress Cate Blanchett attends a dinner for the Sydney Theatre Company at Armani Ristorante on November 23, 2009 in New York City. Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris, WireImage
You might expect a glamorous Oscar-winning actress like Cate Blanchett to be amused by no less than celebrity-saturated red carpet premieres. Not so. In fact, the Aussie beauty and mother of three boys -- Dashiell, 7, Roman, 5 and Ignatius, 19 months -- seems to enjoy home life as much as the high life. "Having boys is great," Blanchett tells PEOPLE at the Giorgio Armani/Ristorante dinner party in New York City. "It's a neat position to be in and I love the high energy that comes along in raising boys. It's fun."
And what about household chores? Doesn't she have someone who does that for her?
"I enjoy vacuuming," Blanchett tells PEOPLE. "It's a very satisfying noise when you hear all that grit sucked up from the floor and into the machine."
Way to keep it real, Cate.
Related: Olivia Newton-John dishes on life as a celebrity mom
Single Mom Soldier Refuses to Go to Afghanistan
In The News, Childcare, Single parenting

Army Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, with her son, Kamani, could face criminal charges after refusing to deploy to Afghanistan, saying she had no family able to care for her child. Credit: Alexis Hutchinson / AP
A soldier who is also a single mother remains confined to her post for refusing to go to Afghanistan and leave her infant son behind.
Alexis Hutchinson, a 21-year-old Army cook, faces an investigation and possible charges for skipping her unit's flight overseas early this month.
She tells the Associated Press she had no choice but to stay with her 10-month-old son, Kamani. Hutchinson's mother, who already runs a daycare center, is overwhelmed by the task of taking care of the infant, and three other relatives have health problems, she says.
Hutchinson's civilian lawyer, Rai Sue Sussman, tells the AP the Army has not been sympathetic. Hutchinson was allegedly told to put the child in foster care.
"For her, it was like, 'I can't abandon my child,' " Sussman tells the news agency. "She was really afraid of what would happen, that if she showed up, they would send her to Afghanistan anyway and put her child with child protective services."
New Guidelines Set for Parent Bloggers Courted by Food Companies
If you are a parent with a blog, you can make out like a bandit with free trips, treats and other freebies from giant food companies practically salivating to get on your good side.
Just be careful: You may literally be a bandit in the eyes of the Federal Trade Commission.

Made to Measure Growth Charts: My, How They've Grown

Keep track of how tall they've gotten (and remember how little they were). Credit: Charles & Marie
Families move around a lot these days, and it's sad to think of a new inhabitant painting over the pencil marks on your old doorjamb -- the ones recording exactly how much your munchkins sprouted each year. Luckily, with the new Made to Measure growth chart, you can take it with you.
Available at Charles & Marie for $20.
CDC Announces a Huge Rise in the Estimated Pediatric Death Toll From Swine Flu
How did the numbers change so dramatically?
A revised method of estimating swine flu deaths has "gone beyond lab-confirmed cases" to "provide a bigger picture," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, at the press conference. The CDC is "finally able to update the public about how big a toll this pandemic is taking," she said. "We feel comfortable these are appropriate estimates."
In addition to the 540 deaths, the CDC now estimates that 36,000 children have been hospitalized with H1N1 during the first six months of the pandemic. "I am expecting all these numbers, unfortunately, to continue to rise," Schuchat said, as flu season continues throughout the winter.
Kids in Home-Based Day Care Watching More TV Than Parents Believe, Study Finds
Development, Childcare, Media, Education

Are kids in day care watching too much TV? Credit: jupiterimages
If you're noticing a strange silence all across the country, it might be caused by millions of parents switching off their televisions.
Word began spreading last week that American kids are spending even more time in Elmo's World than parents thought. Young children in day care, especially those in home-based day care settings, are watching much more television than previously believed, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics.
The study found that "children experience considerable additional television viewing in day care settings" and may actually be seeing twice as much television as their parents had assumed. And kids in home-based day care settings see "significantly more television on an average day" than those at day care centers. In home-based care, toddlers averaged 1.6 hours of TV and preschoolers averaged 2.4 hours.
Celeb Clan Close-Up: Angela Bassett and Her Family
Celeb Kids, Fashion & Clothing

Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance with children Bronwyn Golden and Slater Josiah at the World Premiere of Disney's "The Princess and The Frog" hosted by Walt Disney Studios on November 15. Credit: Eric Charbonneau, WireImage
Posing with actor hubby Courtney B. Vance ("FlashForward," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"), and 3-year-old twins Bronwyn Golden and Slater Josiah, Bassett's clan is clearly in the sartorial groove. Check out the way Dad's orange argyle sweater matches Bronwyn's orange shirt. Mom looks trendy and comfy in her fitted blazer and tunic. And it just doesn't get much cuter than Slater's little sweater vest, button-down shirt and slacks.
Casual cool for the entire family? That's blockbuster style.

Sibling Rivalry: My Son is Horrid to His Siblings!
Preschoolers, Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens, Siblings, Single parenting, Bullying
My son is horrid to his younger siblings. I have tried punishing him, separating him and the like but it doesn't matter what I do, when he's in a "mood," he takes it out on them. I'm a single mom and worn out by this. Any advice, AdviceMama?
Signed, Strained, stretched and worn out
Dear Strained:
I'm sorry to hear about this added stress in your life. Parenting on your own is difficult enough without having to manage the constant strain of sibling rivalry.

My Favorite Baby Names Don't Work Together
I have always loved the names Vesper (for a girl) and Kaspar (for a boy) ... but people laugh when I say them together, and I can see why. They are rare names and they have similar structures. I came upon them at different times but adore them both equally! I've thought of variations but in the end I wouldn't use them, it would take away from what I love about these names. Will I have to wait to see which gender comes first and then say goodbye to the other name?
Signed,
V or K?
Vesper and Kaspar are an unusual pair, but your basic dilemma is more common than you might think. Lots of parents fall in love with incompatible names. Choosing Charlie for a boy means you can't name a future girl Charlotte. Tyler means no Taylor, Jack means no Jill, Houston means no Whitney. You may yearn for both, but you have to pick one.
Chocolate Milk: Nutritional Powerhouse or Treat?
Eating & Nutrition, In The News, Mealtime

Does chocolate milk do a body good? Credit: Jess Driscoll, Flickr
The "Raise Your Hand for Chocolate Milk" campaign and Raiseyourhand4milk.com are aimed squarely at school lunch as an opportunity to get the nutrition of milk with the added flavor kids love.
Some nutrition experts were not happy to hear about the marketing push. "I am completely furious about this," Meme Roth, a vocal New York City-based nutrition counselor and mother of two school-age children tells ParentDish. "We're serving kids candy for school lunch." The amount of sugar in a half-pint of chocolate milk negated any health benefits from the drinking it, she said.