Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have never made it a secret that they want to have a large family. But what may come as a surprise is their lack of patience in creating that family. US magazine is reporting that Angie and Brad used IVF to conceive their twins, not because of fertility issues, because they were impatient with waiting for it to happen naturally.

An "unnamed source" tells US that Angelina chose IVF so "she wouldn't have to deal with the stress of becoming pregnant." She may have more than a little trouble finding women to sympathize with the stress of "trying to get pregnant" with Mr. Pitt. In fact, she might find a volunteer or two to pinch hit for her!

All kidding aside, trying to conceive can be stressful, but IVF is definitely no walk in the park. Not only are there risks associated with the procedure, there is no guarantee of success. If this rumor is true, either the Jolie-Pitts like things to happen on a time frame that they control, or they were just very, very anxious to become parents again. Angelina told Elle U.K. last year that they wanted to raise their children while they're still young. Though Angelina is only 33, Brad will turn 45 next year.

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It's not uncommon for celebrities to keep track of where and when they've worn their fabulous outfits lest they bore their fans (or the paparazzi) with wardrobe reruns. However, hearing that the infant offspring of a celebrity never wears clothing more than one time is a bit....unusual.

According to the Sun, famous diva/singer/actress Jennifer Lopez never reuses her infant twins clothing, keeping everything new and fresh for..... the household staff, non-nannies, and her husband Marc Anthony.

Whether it's due to extravagance, a pre-emptive measure to keep her kids from becoming too attached to a certain outfit, or a fear of germs, I think that J Lo is shortchanging herself by not allowing memories to form around any piece of clothing. Just seeing the few kid clothing items I've set aside takes me back a time when a my boys had chubby cheeks, were entranced by every ant on the sidewalk and cloud in the sky and wore bib overalls on a daily basis.

On the other hand, can you even imagine how awesome of thrift bonanza it will be when she decides to unload these items?!

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Even though their dad is running for President of the United States, Malia and Sasha Obama have a remarkably normal daily life. Household rules include no teasing or fighting, making their beds every morning, and getting themselves up and dressed for school. And each week, their dad pays them $1 in allowance.

Allowance is an interesting issue. Do children need an allowance? If you give them one, do you do so as "payment" for chores or simply for spending money? Do parents get a say in how kids spend their allowance? Even if they want to buy, say, a guinea pig? Or their 100th Polly Pocket for you to step on in the middle of the night?

One dollar per week certainly isn't much, but it's just another indication that the Obama's are firmly rooted in the notion of raising their girls in as normal and down-to-Earth environment as possible, even if their childhood ends up being spent in the White House.

Kidsmoney.org has some excellent tips on dealing with the allowance issue. Do you give your kids an allowance? If so, how is it handled at your house?

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After Amanda Peet made quite a stir in this month's Cookie magazine with her comparison of parent's who don't vaccinate their kids to "parasites" she offered an apology.

"I believe in my heart that my use of the word 'parasites' was mean and divisive," Peet writes. "I completely understand why it offended some parents, and in particular, parents of children with autism who feel that vaccines caused their illness. For this I am truly sorry. Since my mom has Parkinson's Disease, I know what it feels like to want a concrete cause, and a concrete cure, as soon as possible."

But she then proceeds to reiterate her stance: that the only way to go, is pro vaccine, and that anyone who thinks there is a link between autism and vaccines are misinformed.

Of course, she has a point, and some hard facts to back her up. But... a fear of an increased risk of autism isn't the only reason parents who don't vaccinate their kids, don't. And many parents who get lumped into the category of 'anti-vaccination' are actually just altering their child's vaccination schedule so as to avoid over-taxing of the immune system that occurs when multiple vaccinations are given at the same time. Yet Peet claims these parents are believers in a "fringe" theory--likening their beliefs to those who still claim that HIV is a government conspiracy.

What do you think of Amanda Peet's apology? Is it sincere or just damage control?

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Actor Ethan Hawke welcomed a baby girl into the world July 18th, according to his representative. Hawke and his wife, former nanny (to his kids with Uma Thurman) Ryan Shawhughes, are proud parents to Clementine Jane Hawke. Clementine is the first child for the newlyweds and joins siblings Maya Rae and Levan Roan, Ethan's kids with Uma Thurman.

Mara Buxbaum confirmed the happy news. Hawke and Shawhughes married a month ago. Hawke split from Thurman in 2004, and it is alleged that she may be pregnant as well.

Congratulations to the couple!

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Hugh Jackman is no stranger to parenthood. The X-Men star is dad to two children and remembers what it was like to be a new parent. One thing he didn't care for was all the advice lopped at him. As a result, Jackman has endeavored to decline from offering parenting advice to other new parents. He is refusing to offer advice to new mom Nicole Kidman (and new dad Keith Urban). Nicole and Keith recently welcomed daughter Sunday Rose into the world. No word on whether or not they actually sought advice from Jackman, but if they did or do, they ain't gonna get any.

Jackman did go on to say that he received one bit of useful advice from the man who helped deliver his son--never to rock the baby. According to Jackman, if one does this one will spend one's life doing it. He declined to offer this information to his Australian compatriots.

What do you think? Did you appreciate advice when you were a new parent or did it annoy you like it did Hugh Jackman? New parents, regardless of whether or not they're celebrities, have a lot to learn about raising a baby. Ultimately, there's only one way to do it, and that is to go through it and learn from experience.

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Britney's fans may be holding out hope for a career comeback, but she's been busy making a comeback of a different type. Last week, the custody case between Britney and ex-husband Kevin Federline was settled. While Kevin will retain primary physical custody, Britney will get visitation with the boys three days a week and two nights, or about 40% of the time. Kevin, on the other hand, will see a "slight" increase in child support payments.

Anyone who watched Brit's breakdown a little less than a year ago will know that she's come a long way in her recovery process. Eight months ago, she lost custody of the boys and seemed unable to pull herself together to even fight for them, which, as a mom, was really frustrating and difficult to watch.

Britney's affairs are still under the control of her father, Jamie Spears, but she's slowly been making professional gains as well, with a cameo on How I Met Your Mother and work toward a new album. I think this is a major victory for her personally, and hopefully a sign that she's on her way to a more balanced and happy life.

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Welsh actor Sean Connery has left his son out of his will. According to his ex-wife, the reasoning behind this is that his son, Jason, should provide for himself.

Jason is now forty-five years old, so one would hope he indeed is able to provide for himself. And, in fact he is. According to reports, the father and son fell out after Jason threatened to drop the family name--the reason behind the fight in the first place. Jason works as an actor and director, gigs his father claims he got only because of his name.

According to Connery's ex-wife Diane Cilento, the relationship became strained after Connery cut off the money to his son. What would you do? If you were in a position of power or influence, would you open doors for your children, or would you make them work for it all? Or, would you do something in between?

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For someone who had little to say about her pregnancy, Minnie Driver is certainly opening up these days. She won't reveal the name of the baby's father and she has no plans on finding out the baby's sex before the big day, but she has a lot to say about the rest of parenting.

The actress recently revealed she has no real plans to stay with the baby's father and is seriously considering single motherhood. Now she admits she is prepared to be a "chubby" mother as well. As opposed to other Hollywood starlets who look like they were never pregnant to begin with (Keri Russell, I'm talking to YOU) or those who hit the gym moments after they shed the placenta and worked out frantically to reduce their size, Minnie has no plans to do anything other than be a mommy! Take that, Kate Hudson! (Hudson gained seventy pounds with son Ryder.)

Driver says to plan on seeing her around Malibu, and to plan on seeing her fat. As most of us realistic gals know, it takes a year to put it on, and heaven knows it can take at least a year to take it back off--if we ever do. Nice to hear someone from tinsel town taking a breath of reality! I doubt Minnie will stay 'chubby' as she likes to call it, given that she gained a ton of weight for her breakout role in Circle of Friends and lost all of it, but only time will tell. I just wish someone would advise Minnie she doesn't look fat now that she's pregnant--she looks fantastic!

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Actor Kevin Costner recently revealed his fear of fatherhood almost cost him his marriage. The Tin Cup star, already father to three children, was unsure of his ability to be an effective father to the children new girlfriend (now wife) Christine Baumgartner.

Christine made no bones about her desire to be a mother, and Costner admits it kept him from marrying her for years. Then the actor made a stark realization: lose a gorgeous young woman who wants to spend the rest of her life with you, or have another kid.

The pair wed in 2004 and Christine gave birth to the couple's first child, son Cayden, in 2007. I can appreciate Christine's candor--so many couples fail to discuss the crucial element of children before they get married. Either you want them, or you don't--and it's best to make that clear before you take a trip down the aisle. Looks like Christine got to have her cake and eat it too.

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A recent letter from the Vice President of Communications at Nike, which was perhaps inappropriately shared, has controversy brewing. Apparently, one Amanda Miller contacted one New York Times writer Joe Nocera in an attempt to pitch him some sort of stroller. Nike Communications is a public relations firm that sells expensive stuff. Joe, and everyone else who responded in the comments section of his blog about the letter, was offended, or at least annoyed. You see, Ms. Miller referred to children as accessories. This is nothing new--people have worn their babies since, well, since they've been having them. What we carry them in, as opposed to on us, has changed, but little else.

Oh, perhaps there was a time not so long ago when women didn't really leave the house and therefore, when with child (in or out of the womb) they didn't leave either, which meant no one really saw much of children until they were working age. But now, all that has changed. Now celebrities can be seen with their spawn doing whatever it is they do when they're not busy making the millions required to purchase the kind of stroller Ms. Miller is suggesting to the tune of $1,000.

Celebrities procreate--many of them doing so two at a time--and then they show them off to the world. The question is no longer what those celebrity moms are wearing, but what their babies are IN. That's right--out with Halston, and in with the Phil & Ted's chic stroller, and their new Traveller, which is actually just a playpen. Clearly Ms. Miller should be fired. Not for attempting to sell people stuff they don't need at a ridiculous price--after all, it's a PR firm, that's what they get paid to do!--but because Joe Nocera is clearly not her target audience. I can think about at least ten people, all of them women, who would eat up the letter from Ms. Miller and barely wash it down with an iced decaf skim latte before immediately setting out to purchase one. Did I mention I live in New York City? Joe Nocera? Clearly not interested.

Stroller pic by Ed Yourdon.

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Nicole Kidman may be debuting pics of her new baby soon, but if she does so, it won't be for cash. The Oscar winner and her country music star husband, Keith Urban, recently welcomed Sunday Rose into the world. According to reports, they've been debating about whether to share their joy in picture format.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, if they do release pics, it won't be for a lot of money. In fact, the Australian paper is reporting, if pictures are released it will be for free.

As we all know, the Jolie-Pitt twins pictures will be worth between $15 and $20 million. The money has reportedly been earmarked for charity. Hollywood stars have had a long tradition of selling pictures of their children to publications like People and OK Magazine for hefty sums. Nice to see the Kidman Urban tribe isn't willing to share their joy only if there's payment involved.

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Minnie Driver may want to give Bridget Moynahan a call. Ms. Moynahan has experience in something Minnie thinks she may be taking on pretty soon: single motherhood. The actress, who is expecting any day now, says she isn't certain whether or not she'll stay with the baby's father and is considering single motherhood as a definite option. Minnie has even set the stage for the possibility of a man-free world by surrounding herself with family and friends to help rear the baby.

According to the actress she'll have her mother, aunt and best friends to support her. Minnie has still refused to let on who the father of the baby is. She is also quoted as saying it's great to be independent in that way--and she certainly already has a leg up on that by denying the Hollywood gossip rags info on the baby daddy! Way to go, Minnie!

Minnie has also stated she'll probably go for a regular old baby name instead of some type of fruit, a day of the week or something that belongs on a space station. We'll see about that--she's resisted telling us the baby's daddy, the sex and now she wants a normal name? Who is this person who does whatever she wants? Independent indeed!

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They say that experience is the best teacher, but I don't think that applies in all cases. For example, Susan Olsen, better known as Cindy from the Brady Bunch, is teaching her 10-year-old son the dangers of alcohol by binge drinking and showing up for work with a vomit-inducing hangover.

The 47-year-old Olsen was being interviewed on a Colorado radio show when she began showing signs of intestinal distress. Clutching her stomach and covering her mouth, the former cutie-pie suddenly bolted for the bathroom. When asked what happened, she proudly told the truth: she drank too much wine the night before and was dealing with a bad hangover. "Of course I threw up in the bathroom. It's better than throwing up on their face," she said. "I'm a very, very, very honest person. I also am a person who doesn't drink."

I agree, cookies are better tossed in the bathroom than on the table. And honesty usually is the best policy. But what about her 10-year-old son, who was with her in the studio? When asked if she was at all bothered by the fact that he witnessed this display, she she insisted she was not. "That's the way kids learn," she said.

The way that kids learn what, exactly? That mom can't hold her booze? That getting drunk the night before you have to work is perfectly acceptable as long as you are honest about it? And if she really never drinks, what prompted her son to invite listeners to come "watch her drink like a pig" at a local bar?

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Spice Girl Melanie Brown has a working wish list that a lot of parents would envy. She says that before she will agree to take a job, her prospective employer must agree to some basic ground rules: her children must be allowed to accompany her to work and she must be allowed to finish up for the day in time to put the kids to bed.

My first thought was that she is pretty lucky to be in a position to make such demands. She gets to have a career and not miss a minute with her kids. But then I thought more about it and realized that if Mel gets her way, 9-year-old Phoenix Chi and 1-year-old Angel Iris are likely spending all day, every day, on a set or wherever it is that Melanie makes her money (what does she do these days?).

While on some level, I guess I do envy her ability to have her working parent demands met, I wonder how the kids feel about it. Is she really doing what is best for her children by dragging them to work with her? Or is she being selfish in trying to have it all?

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