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Jeneba Jalloh Ghatt

New Jewish Holiday Traditions include Hanukkah Trees and Stockings, Menorah Trees

More and more Jewish families are adopting Christmas holiday traditions like  putting up Hanukkah bushes and trees, and even Menorah trees in their homes.

With Christmas being such a major celebrated holiday and season in the United States, many parents of Jewish children have found a way to meld the festivities with their own religious practices.

Recently, we’ve noticed many Jewish families hanging Hannukah stockings, and integrating the traditional festival of lights with the customs of Christmas. After all, much of the traditions aren’t really related to Christianity and some elements of Christmas trace back to pagan practices.

A Pew Research survey released  in 2013 found that 32% of Jews said they had a Christmas tree in their home the previous year.

 It’s common especially in interfaith families among Jews married to non-Jews.  The survey found that 71% said they put up a tree.
My mother is Roman Catholic and my father Muslim and more than anyone in the family, he looked forward to decorating the tree and exchanging presents. Over the years, it could easily be argued that the Christmas season has become secular to a certain extent.
That’s exactly what those who are critical say.  The reason it’s easy for non-Christians to adopt Christmas traditions is because the holiday has become  an excuse to get caught up with the consumerism that has taken over Christmas. It has become less about the birth of Jesus Christ and more about an excuse to go crazy in the mall.
Your thoughts? If you are Jewish, have you or would you consider putting up a Hannukah tree?

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With Dad-to-Be Stuck on Plane, ‘The Leftovers’ Liv Tyler’s dad Steven Tyler cut her Son’s Umbilical Cord

tyler pregnant

Tonight is the season finale of one of my favorite shows, The Leftovers. In it, our Bellyitch Bumpwatch alum Liv Tyler is somewhat of a villain and I’m loving her performance on this dark and mysterious HBO drama.

(She’s on it with another fave of mine Regina King who I recently had a fan girl boast about on my hair blog.)

This Thursday, Tyler told Jimmy Kimmel ,while appearing on the show promoting her show, that her dad, rock legend, Steve Tyler of Aerosmith, cut the umbilical cord of last child , Sailor Gene Gardner, now 9-months old.

Sailor came 6-weeks early and Liv’s partner David Gardner couldn’t get to the birth in time because he was stuck on the plane so her pops stepped in! Nice! Though, I can see how some people could also find it a little icky. You know your dad there seeing his adult child push out a child. um…yeah.

Her half- sister Mia was there too.

 

The clip from Kimmel:

 

I used to have a 3 decades-long crush on Steven Tyler. It ended when he was serving as one of the celebrity judges on American Idol and I saw him oogling some 17-year old contestant who looked hawt. Ugh! Total turnoff. Well, it’s not like I don’t have a husband who is weirded out that the front man was one of my celeb crushes. ha!

liv tyler the leftovers

Watch the Finale of The Leftovers tonight! I think you can catch back episodes on the website, on Hulu or HBO on Demand or HBO’s stand alone service.

photos: WhoSay, Instagram, Twitter, HBO

10 Stylish yet Functional Diaper Bags for Dudes

diaper bags for guys
Dads and dudes don’t want to carry around fruity, colorful and flowery diaper bags.  During baby showers, some guests think of the papas to be and gift a diaper bag just for dads to carry around.
My husband loved the J-Cole Cross Body Messenger Sling across the chest bag we found because it was light and not too bulky and kept his hands free. Sadly, the bag is discontinued.  These days more manufacturers are creating masculine bags for dads.
Here are 5 we spotted and like via our partners at ShopStyle Collective that are stylish and functional diaper bags for dads.

Diaper Dude ‘Texas Rangers’ Messenger Diaper Bag • Diaper Dude • $78

Storksak ‘Jamie’ Leather Diaper Bag • Storksak • $280

Ju-Ju-Be ‘BFF’ Diaper Bag • Ju-Ju-Be • $165

Storksak ‘Aubrey’ Diaper Bag • Storksak • $185

Diaper Dude ‘Messenger II’ Diaper Bag • Diaper Dude • $98

Quiksilver ‘Daddy’ Day Bag • Quiksilver • $60

TWELVElittle ‘Allure’ Nylon Backpack Diaper Bag • $245

Diaper Dude Convertible Diaper Bag • Diaper Dude • $110

Skip Hop ‘Forma’ Diaper Bag Backpack • Skip Hop • $70

Burberry Check Print Messenger Diaper Bag • Burberry • $1,195

Sandra Bullock Introduces New Adopted Daughter 

Sandra Bullock started the process of adopting another child from Louisiana three years ago.

And in the December 14, 2015 issue of PEOPLE magazine, the Speed actress introduces her 3½-year-old Laila daughter.

“When I look at Laila, there’s no doubt in my mind that she was supposed to be here,” says Bullock, who adopted son Louis, 5, in 2010. “I can tell you absolutely, the exact right children came to me at the exact right time.”

The Oscar-winner noted that there are over 400,000 children in foster care in America waiting to be adopted.

She also explained in the issue how Louis lead the way.

“Louis spearheaded this whole journey,” The Blind Side star shared, adding they had to gain her trust but eventually to new brother and sister “have since formed an inseparable bond.”

“I knew she was scared, and all I wanted was for her to know Louis and I weren’t going anywhere,” she says of her daughter, who has brought “pink and glitter in the house mixed with Legos and Batmans.”

Read more in PEOPLE

Fun Pregnancy Facts & Stats You Never Knew (INFOGRAPHIC)



It’s December! Are you ready to get pregnant? No, seriously.

Did you know the last month of the year is also the most popular month to become pregnant?

Want to learn more?

Prenatal diagnostics company Ariosa Diagnostics, maker of the Harmony Test, put together an infographic with more trivia: Pregnancy by the Numbers.

It includes facts and stats about pregnancy for expecting moms – everything from average weight gain and morning sickness, to epidurals and c-sections, the most popular times to give birth (hint: think nine months from now. )

Check it out:   

Kim Kardashian West welcomes 2nd Child, a Son

Congratulations to Kim Kardashian-West and her husband Kanye West on the birth of their second child, a son, today, December 5th.

The reality TV star & business mogul announced the news on her website.

Kim Kardashian Gives Birth to a Baby Boy, Her Second Child With Kanye West

“Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West welcomed the arrival of their son this morning,” the blog post read. “Mother and son are doing well.”

No name was released.

STUDY: Big-Bottom Women Give Birth to Smarter Kids



Great news for us big booty gals!

A study from the University of Oxford links an ample derrière to healthy and smart children due to the high amount of Omega 3 fatty acids (the good fatty acids) stored in the bum. These are the same fatty acids that are responsible for the normal development of the baby’s brain.

And this news isn’t necessarily new either. Back in 2007,  Chicago Tribune noted research by scientists which stated that women with fat-bottoms are actually smarter than women with flat-bottoms. Again, for the same reason: heightened Omega 3 fatty acids storage in the booty improves the brain’s functionality and development.

These studies combine with evidence which shows that the fat content in a mother’s breast milk comes from the lower half of the body, which includes her thighs, buttocks, etc.  Given that is where the Omega 3’s are stored, babies with big bottomed moms get a healthy dosage of Omega 3 in their diet.

Fab news, says this ample bum gal! ha!

Read more about the research here!

The Only Person Over 25 to Make Instagram’s Top 10 Most Liked Photo List

most liked instagram

Besides The Jenner Girls (Kendall and Kylie Jenner), Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez, the only other mega star to land in the 2015 list of most liked photo on Instagram was our very own “bumpwatch” alum, Beyonce Knowles .

Her sweet Throwback Thursday portrait, posted 3 months, in matching off white with her daughter Blue Ivy, then 11 months old garnered 2.3 million likes. Instagram released the list this week, Wednesday, December 2 and Bey and Blue landed on #5. See the entire list HERE!

The real cover girl ?? My delicious Blue Blue at 11 months.

A photo posted by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on

Editor’s Fall Weekend Picks for Preginistas

fall maternity

Just because the temperature has dipped and there may be fallen leaves or in some parts of the country snow on the ground doesn’t mean you need to be stuck indoors this weekend. If you plan to venture out to go shopping, run errands, catch a movie or simply schlep your children to activities, you can still do it in style, mamas and mamas-to-be.

Here are my picks for weekend outings:

  • You do not want to be all stifled and confined to a heavy coat. So, instead, layer, layer, layer. Start with a long sleeve jersey top (or maternity top), layer a second one over that or add a thick but not so chunky sweater.
  • Loop an infinity sweater around your neck like J. Crew’s Cashmere infinty scarf in a neutral tone. ($208)
  • Then, skip the wool coat and instead top it with a vest like Tart Maternity “Aislin” vest ($119).
  • To stay chic and current, carry a tote for all your stuff in black but with a whimsical or fun image emblazoned on it. I love Juicy Couture’s Lion Scream Tote ($128).
  • Keep your heat inside your body and on your head by topping your dome with a fashionable wool hat like the Leith Knit Slouch beanie ($28).
  • Accessorize your look with edgy bangles. Ashley Pittman‘s new set of 5 Shaba Bangles in Dark horn ($545) are rocking my world right now. Loves!

There you have it. Have a fab weekend, mamas!

Juicy Couture, J.Crew, Leith, Ashley Pittman

And the individual looks:

And because those items are sold out…

 

John Legend threw Chrissy Teigen an Epic 30th Birthday Party and Dave Chappelle was There!

john legend foodie

This might be old news for some of you all, but over the Thanksgiving weekend, John Legend threw his pregnant wife talk show host and model Chrissy Teigen an epic 30th birthday party at the NYC Comedy club Comedy Cellar.

The best part is he got the now-reclusive comic genius Dave Chappelle to come out and  perform a comedy set for her! That’s love! Dude doesn’t gig that  much any more and only does occasional sets here and there.

“Chrissy’s birthday party on Saturday was pretty amazing,”Legend captioned a photo of Chappelle on his Instagram page. “She wanted to celebrate her 30th with some of her favorite things: comedy, great food and good friends. So we took over the Comedy Cellar for the night, with the catering of @davidchang and the @momolongplay team.

“The Comedy Cellar helped us curate a talented group of comedians to make us laugh all night, and our surprise (to Chrissy, not to me) closer was the incomparable, brilliant Dave Chappelle. Thanks so much to Dave for his generosity. he freestyled for about 2 hours and it was genius. I’ve heard about his small club sets but this was the first time I was able to see it in person. He’s so good and we felt so fortunate to witness it.”

Here is a video from the night of Legend leading the crowd in singing the famous foodie, “Happy Birthday”. Fun times!

 



 

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