Nicole Richie is expecting her second child with Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden! The new dad-to-be-announced the news on the Good Charlotte blog.

“What’s better than winning an Oscar?” he asked. I guess it’s becoming a father again, because he went on to write, “I am so happy to tell everyone that Harlow is going to be a big sister! God has truly blessed my family. Hope you’re all feeling as good as I am right now.”

Harlow was born 13 months ago. There’s no word on one this little bundle will appear, but I guess we’ll find out soon enough!

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Joel Madden says he’s definitely inspired by the two ladies in his life: girlfriend Nicole Richie and daughter Harlow.

“When you’re in love, you write songs about it,” he says simply.

Don’t tell me the next Good Charlotte will be full of soppy ballads!

Joel is definitely enjoying a more relaxed lifestyle, adding that “whole life is centered around” baby girl. Aged 10 months, Harlow isn’t just meeting her milestones. She’s surpassing them! At least, that’s if you believe Joel who jokes that his daughter is “doing chemistry now.”

In just eight days the Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation has raised $10,000 of the $35,000 needed to build the playground at Beyond Shelter!

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden shared that they are thrilled with the response so far, sharing that they have received $5 donations from 1,825 text messages across 48 states!

If you’d like to help, it’s easy: just text CHILD to 90999 on your cell phone. The $5 donation will be added to your next bill.

The Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation collects the payments from the cell phone carriers, and the low-income kids in Los Angeles get a playground. Everybody wins!

Celebrity parents Nicole Richie and Joel Madden are set to commence their first major charity project. The Richie-Madden Foundation plans to build a playground at Beyond Shelter, a low-income housing project in Los Angeles. Currently the site has 175 kids, and no recreational facilities.

“We hope our support will shine a spotlight on important issues facing children and will inspire and educate the public, especially young people, to get involved, too,” Nicole and Joel said in a joint statement. “We want to do more than write checks.”

They also want you to help too. To donate $5 to the project, grab your cell phone and text CHILD to 90999. The money will then be deducted on your next bill.

It was only last week that I was reminiscing with friends about the songs I used to listen to as a child. We didn’t have The Wiggles in my day, so my Dad used to play me “House on Pooh Corner” by Loggins and Messina and “Alexander Beetle” by Melanie Safka.

So I was thrilled to see some of my favorite celebrity moms and dads have shared their kids’ top tunes with People magazine.

• Melissa Etheridge’s kids Bailey, Beckett, and twins Johnnie Rose and Miller Steven have grown up around music their entire lives. They love “Common Threads” by Bobby McFerrin, Sarah McLachlan’s version of “Rainbow Connection,” “When it Don’t Come Easy” by Patty Griffin, and even a song by their mom, “Message to Myself.” “Really, it’s their fave!” Melissa insists.
• Joey McIntyre and his nine-year-old-son Griffin Thomas enjoy “Goodspeed (Sweet Dreams)” by the Dixie Chicks and “Your Song” by Elton John.
• Max Liron may be just eight months, but Christina Aguilera’s son already has some great music taste. His favorites include “Jamming” by Bob Marley, “Stay Awake” by Julie Andrews and funnily enough, “Relax Max” by Dinah Washington.
• Harlow Winter Kate, the daughter of Nicole Richie and and Joel Madden, loves the classics. Her top picks include “Für Elise” by Ludwig van Beethoven and “Wild World” by Cat Stevens.
• Anthony Keidis’ son Everly Bear rocks just like his dad! His favorite songs include “Spaceship” by Sean Lennon and “Master of Puppets” by Metallica.
• River Samuel, the two-year-old son of Taylor Hanson, loves a bit of everything. His eclectic picks include everything from Believer by Ben Kweller to Black or White by Michael Jackson. Apparently “listening to that [song] is when he really busts a move.”
• Wyatt Steven’s favorite song is naturally one his mother Sheryl Crow wrote called “Song for Wyatt.” He also can’t resist “Elmo’s Song!”

I’d love to know, what songs do your kids love? And what did you listen to when you were little?

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Joel Madden is the newest celebrity ambassador for UNICEF. Joel says he is “honored” by the title, and “really excited”about his work with the children’s charity.

While he said he has “always loved children,” those feelings intensified after the birth of his daughter Harlow Winter Kate.

“[Harlow has a] huge role…Once I had a child myself, I look at every single child and think of my own child…Just to think that 26,000 children die every day from simple things that we could prevent, just blows my mind.”

What a sweetheart!

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Nicole Richie hopes to be more relaxed parent than her folks, Lionel Richie and ex-wife Brenda. She recalls her upbringing was “really, really strict,” and said she hopes to be more easy-going with her daughter Harlow.

While the reality star hopes to be a cool mom, she admits that “you never know until it happens to you!”

Her parents may have been stern, but she said they were also “amazing.” Now their relationship has changed, but they are still “great people to turn to if I ever need advice.”

Nicole visits her mother three or four times a week, and sees dad Lionel once a week, so she’s got no shortage of parenting advice!

“[My dad] comes from a father standpoint. He gives Joel [Madden] a lot of advice,” she told Extra. “I get advice from my mom.”

Joel Madden said his first Fathers’ Day was “awesome.” He spent the morning at the beach with Nicole Richie and five-month-old Harlow, before catching the LA Lakers playoff game with Nic in the evening.

In an interview with Ryan Seacrest yesterday, Joel revealed his girls won’t be joining him on Good Charlotte’s summer tour, but they will “fly in for visits.”

He also said he’s in no rush to walk down the aisle.

“I don’t think it’s completely necessary to rush plans and just try to get it done. I think it’s gotta be special, and it’s gotta be the right time. We have a great relationship. Everyone else talks about [marriage] more than we do,” he said.

Joel’s twin brother Benji added that Joel, Nicole and Harlow are “the coolest family I’ve ever seen.”

Image source: Newscom 

With a dad like Joel Madden and a grandfather like Lionel Richie, it’s no surprise that four-month old Harlow Winter Kate Madden is already a music fan. Apparently little Harlow “kicks her legs” in approval when her parents play something she likes, and that list is pretty eclectic!

Nicole Richie’s bub enjoys Disney songs, classical music, and her dad’s band Good Charlotte.

“And she likes her granddad’s music. She likes old stuff. She’s a Cure fan … she likes the Cure,” Joel told People mag.

Joel was keen to talk about the baby he was missing like crazy this weekend. He spent the Memorial Day Weekend DJing in the Hamptons, and would have enjoyed spending the whole summer if he didn’t have Harlow and Nicole waiting at home.

“I’m a dad now. I’d be staying if I didn’t have the girls at home. That’s why I’m going home,” he explained.

Awww, it’s so amazing to see how fatherhood has mellowed this punk rocker!

Image source: Newscom