Dec
31
2013

Film Buff Parents Recreate Iconic Scenes With Baby

The Cardboard box office

Film Buff Parents Recreate Iconic Scenes With Baby

cardboard office

When you have an infant at home, you don't get out a lot. One Australian couple decided to get creative with their cabin fever. Film buffs Leon and Lilly Mackie staged scenes from blockbusters featuring their 10-month-old son, Orson.

According to an article in the Evening Standard, it all kicked off after the 31-year-olds replicated a moment from The Life Aquatic:
 
"It started off as a one-off photo where we wanted to depict the mess and sleep deprivation of being new parents," said children's book designer, Mr Mackie.

But once the couple posted the photo online, their fan base grew exponentially, and the Cardboard Box Office was born. Requests came in thick and fast for the Mackies to create further sets. And they obliged, delightfully spoofing scenes from Star Wars, Jaws, and Die Hard.

"[Fans] just starting suggesting different movies we could do. Seeing as we had a lot housebound weekends in front of us, we thought 'why not', and it went from there."

Of course, Orson remains blissfully unaware of his growing stardom, not to mention of his luck at having such cool, crafty parents. 

"We're not sure how long we will do this for," said Mr Mackie. "It's up to [Orson] really. One Saturday he will turn to us and say 'you know what, I'm bored of this now'."
 
Hey crafty parents: what was your most creative and ambitious project? Spill it. 
Dec
31
2013

Surfing Kids Photobombed by Shark

Close Encounters of the Jaws Kind

Surfing Kids Photobombed by Shark

shark

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a... shark! At least it appears to be Jaws swimming—or photobombing, according to the Huffington Post—unnervingly close to two young surfers. 

Mom June Emerson unknowingly snapped the pic of her 12-year-old son Quinn and his buddy catching some waves at California's Manhattan Beach. It was only afterward that she noticed the shadowy shark-like outline behind the boys. Gulp.

Great white sightings aren't unheard of in the area, though Emerson was reluctant to scare the bejeesus out of her son, who's a regular at the beach" 

"Many local surfers and lifeguards have seen this and believe it to be a shark," she said. "Of course, I told my kids it was dolphin, as we live at the beach and are in the waters here almost daily."

Probable Photoshop attack or scariest photobomb ever? 

Would you knowingly let your kid swim in shark-friendly waters? These parents did.

Dec
29
2013

Study: Eating Nuts During Pregnancy Reduces Allergy Risk

Early Exposure Creates a Natural Tolerance

Study: Eating Nuts During Pregnancy Reduces Allergy Risk

pile of nuts

When it comes to allergens, advice on nut consumption during pregnancy has been conflicting, to say the least. But a recent study published in the JAMA Pediatrics claims that children whose mothers ate nuts while pregnant are less likely to have a nut allergy.

According to an article in the BBC, researchers believe early exposure to certain foods in the womb creates a "natural tolerance."

The study, stemming from Boston's Children's Hospital, examined the health habits of 8,000 children. Children whose mothers consumed nuts (including peanuts and tree nuts) during pregnancy were a third less likely to develop an allergy later in life. 

Of course this advice would preclude mothers who themselves have nut allergies.

And not everyone is thoroughly convinced. A UK consultant children's allergist at Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust, Dr Adam Fox pointed to research suggesting that nut allergy develops after birth, through "exposure of the infant's skin to nut protein."

So unfortunately guidance to expecting mothers is still something of a mixed bag, with women being told not to "avoid nuts, nor to actively eat them."

But at least there's no need to shy away from the PB&J you've been craving.

Spill it: Did you eat nuts while pregnant?
 
Read Erica Ehm's need-to-know advice about allergies.