Parenting

Borrow our Organization Filing System to get Your Home in Order

Posted on June 3, 2015

We are halfway into Spring. How is your seasonal organizing in preparation for Summer coming along?

I’m behind as usual. I finished cleaning out my attic in early Spring, but still have the basement to sort out.

At least I got a jump start of my family and business filing organizing. I got a kick in the butt when Staples generously sent me one of its “Get Organized for Spring” kits which included some binders, dividers, hole punch and other tools for getting my stacks of paper in check!

I started keeping track of all the household and filing to-do’s by creating a family binder and a small business binder with help of Jennifer Ford Berry‘s popular book series “Organize Now!” I was fortunate to nab one of these handy guides at my town yard sale, unused! It was what I needed to get everything to organize my family budget, my business marketing plans, my to-do lists and other aspects of my super busy life.

Organizing your household is not just good for de-cluttering but it could also raise your energy level, help relieve anxiety and clear room in your mind to focus on other matters that will bring joy, good fortune and happiness. I’m a big believer in Feng Shui and clarity we get from keeping things in order. Also blame the fact I’m a Type-A, Eldest child and a Virgo!

The Staples binders came in quite handy to separate the categories. I used the hole punch to keep large receipts in place under their respective tabs in the binder.

Feel free to borrow the categories I used to separate the dividers in my binders:

Warranty information
Life insurance information
Budget/spending record
Bills to pay
Utilities/services directory
Home decorating ideas
Car maintenance schedule/Receipts
School schedules and holiday list
Lunch menus
School information page
School reading lists
Summer Camp and programs information
Medical information sheet for each family member
Emergency directory
Prescription drug record
Health insurance information
Travel packing checklist
Before-we-leave checklist
Vacation idea list
Home renovation contractor lists
House-sitter information sheet
PTA newsletters and rosters
Business records
Tax Documents for Personal
Tax Documents for Business
Big Ticket Items receipts
Consultants and Independent Contractor records
Liability Insurance
Business & Office Equipment registry

Hope these are helpful to you as you get yourself and your family organized for the season! Good luck!

0 comments

BumpNews

5 Ways to Prep your Baby’s Nursery for Summer

Posted on June 3, 2015

Even new parents quickly realize that an uncomfortable baby is an unhappy baby. In the summer when homes start to heat up, many parents let their young children sleep and run around during the day in nothing more than a diaper to keep them cool and unfussy. To help keep a nursery cool during the summer so baby sleeps well and does not spend nap time and most of the night crying, there are several steps parents can take including removing excess bedding from the crib. Go Mama Go designs offer up these five suggestions to show parents how to create a cool sleeping environment that would also reduce fussiness:

For starters, parents should work to make the nursery as cool as possible by blocking direct sunlight from streaming into the room.

1. Black It Out – If the nursery is on the west side of the home or receives direct sunlight for the majority of the day, black out curtains can help block heat transfer from windows.

2. Swap Screens – Another option for reducing the amount of heat coming through windows is to install specialty sunscreens on the exterior of windows. This type of screen can block up to 95% of sunlight and can be easily removed and stored in a basement or garage for winter.

Once the source of summer heat has been addressed, the next thing parents want to check in the nursery is airflow.

3. Lose the Stuffing – Cribs filled with teddy bears, blankets and crib bumpers might look cute and seem to create a cozy place for baby to sleep; but having all that extra fluff not only blocks airflow, it can be a suffocation risk. To keep baby feeling comforted and protected choose a crib guard that leaves space to allow air to flow freely into the crib through the rails like Wonder Bumpers. They are soft, yet stay safely secured (even loose thin bumpers are dangerous) and mimic the natural design of the crib. A light swaddler or sleep sack will keep baby cozy and happy. Put everything else away.

4. Counter Rotate – During the summer months, ceiling fans should be set to rotate counter clockwise. This pushes air straight down to cool the room. The warmer it is, the higher the speed should be.

5. Call A Pro – Clogged and dirty air ducts can reduce the flow of A/C into the nursery, especially if the room is far from the central unit. An HVAC company can measure airflow coming from vents in the nursery and help determine if a duct cleaning is needed or if the A/C unit needs servicing.

Good luck, parents!

0 comments

Celebrity

Kim Kardashian’s Rocky road to pregnancy- before and after

Posted on June 3, 2015

This week, Kim Kardashian announced she and her husband Kanye West are expecting their second child. It was big news for less than a half a day when it was overshadowed by her step dad Bruce reveal in Vanity Fair magazine of his new transgender identity as Caitlyn Jenner.

Throughout all the amplified media attention over that news, Kardashian is dealing with severe morning sickness, USA Today reports . She appeared cool and collected rocking a black sheer and stud embellished Proenza Schouler dress with her hubby on the red carpet to Monday night’s CDFA Awards at the Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center on June 1, 2015 in New York City.

In fact, the road to pregnancy and all involved with the state of pregnancy has been rocky for Kardashian. The reality TV star battled harsh criticism over her weight gain and choice of maternity wear for the last pregnancy, then by its end she developed preeclamsia-triggered extreme high blood pressure. She had to have an emergency pre-term c-section caused by complications from that condition, and another problem with her uterine lining.

Then, on her journey to expand her family, the Keeping Up With the Kardashians cast member stumbled upon complications and experienced infertility for eight months before becoming successful with the help of in vitro fertiliztion. A source to PEOPLE magazine reported that the business mogul had to repair the lining of her uterus which was the source of a lot of her complications to conceive.

One has to just chuckle about the amount of reporting on one woman’s reproductive organs. Phew!

The family, which includes almost 2-year old Nori West, will welcome the new addition this December.

Congratulations!

And of course, as could be expected, the comments and tweets came flowing in joking that this baby will be named, South West.

Funny stuff!

0 comments

News

STUDY: Antiviral drug stops HBV passage during pregnancy

Posted on June 2, 2015

Real People: Hands Holding Caucasian Sleeping Newborn Baby Girl

Pregnant women with hepatitis B may not have to worry that they will pass on the virus to their babies thanks to new research that found the antiviral drug telbibudine prevents the passage of the virus (HBV) to baby.

The study, which is published in the Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, was conducted on 450 HBV-positive pregnant women in their second or third trimester who had a significant amount of the HBV virus in their blood. Of those women, 279 received 600mg of telbivudine daily, and the remaining 171 refused to take the medicine and were used as controls.

When scientists examined their babies six months after born, they found that none of the infants whose mothers were given telbivudine tested positive for HBV, compared to 14.7 percent of infants in the control group.

“If we are to decrease the global burden of hepatitis B, we need to start by addressing mother-to-infant transmission, which is the primary pathway of HBV infection,” study author Yuming Wang from Institute for Infectious Diseases at Southwest Hospital in Chongqing, China said in a release about the findings. “We found that telbivudine not only eliminated vertical transmission of HBV from pregnant women to theirs infants, but that it is also safe and well tolerated by women and infants.”

Access the complete study at the Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association, HERE.

h/t Medical Express

0 comments

Celebrity

Reese, Selma and Sarah’s ‘Cruel Intentions’ Reunion outing in PHOTOS

Posted on May 31, 2015

Three of our Bellyitch Bumpwatch Alums, Reese Witherspoon, Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar reunited last Thursday, May 28 to see a parody of the trio’s 1999 cult classic hit movie Cruel Intentions.

From looks of the pics they and others shared of the outing in social media, the three celebrity moms looked as if they thoroughly enjoyed viewing the showing of The Unauthorized Musical Parody of Cruel Intentions in LA.

During the performance, the trio took selfies and belted out songs singing alongside the cast. Audience members reported the trio lip synced to Verve‘s “Bittersweet Symphony” and Natalie Imbruglia‘s 1997 hit “Torn”.

They also took selfies to capture the moment.

And reenacted that infamous kiss in the film between Blair and Gellar.

Afterwards, they toasted and sang Happy Birthday to the original movie’s director Roger Kumble who turned 49.

Though Reese looked like she was “not in that!” lol!

Afterwards, they toasted and sang Happy Birthday to the original movie’s director Roger Kumble who turned 49.

And posed with the actresses that portrayed them in the parody.

Fun times

h/t PEOPLE, PopSugar, US Weekly

photos: Getty, Instagram, MattWeiss

0 comments

News

Judge rules against nonprofit with a ‘No Pregnancy At Work’ policy

Posted on May 31, 2015

A federal judge ordered a non profit to pay a former employee $75,000 after it fired her for violating the organization’s “no pregnancy in the workplace.”

The United Bible Fellowship Ministries, Inc. provides housing for people with disabilities and has a policy in place stating that any woman who becomes pregnant will be fired and no pregnant woman applying for the position as a resource technician should be hired.

Even though Sharmira Johnson performed her job with care and her pregnancy didn’t restrict her from carrying out her duties, the organization fired her arguing it was doing it to ensure her safety and that of her unborn baby and its clients.

Johnson brought lawsuit to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the case eventually wound up before U.S. District Court Judge Vanessa D. Gilmore.

She found the organization’s argument didn’t hold up, finding that United Bible “recklessly” failed to comply with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination based on sex, race, religion, and other characteristics, by having the anti-pregnancy policy.

The organization was contracted with the state of Texas which also requires compliance with its anti-discrimination laws, and the court said the group failed to show that all pregnant women are unable to perform their duties safely.

The judge awarded Johnson about $25,000 in back pay and overtime plus interest, as well as $50,000 in damages for emotional and mental suffering.

This case was easier to order because United Bible had such a blatant policy on its books but there are hundreds of other companies and groups that try to circumvent anti-pregnancy discriminatory actions by claiming pregnancy impairs women’s ability to do their jobs. Those policies are based on archaic and outdated notions about pregnancy.

Read more about the suit at the EEOC website HERE!

photo: StockImages

0 comments

Celebrity

Game of Thrones’ Lena Heady is Preggers

Posted on May 30, 2015

King’s Landing may be crying that Queen Cersei Lannister is in prison but actress Lena Headey isn’t. She’s expecting a baby girl in 6 weeks time.

Baby sister will join big brother, 4-year-old Wylie, who Lena had with ex-husband Peter Loughran.

Rumor is the baby’s father is the Viper actor Pedro Pascal who played Oberyn Martell on Game of Thrones.

Both Pedro and Lena say that they are just friends. Lena who is one to shy away from excess publicity announced her pregnancy is the most poignant way.

Lena wrote an op-ed for Plan International USA‘s website stating that her daughter will have freedom of choice to be the person she wants to be which should be the human right for everyone.

At Bellyitch we fully agree!

Congrats Lena and baby girl Headey!

0 comments

News

6 ways to be the Dad your kids will appreciate in 20 years

Posted on May 30, 2015

by Leon Scott Baxter

When I was growing up, I thought my dad was a freak.

He wore strange clothes, said weird things, and listened to horrible music. In fact, he used to sit on the living room floor wearing giant headphones listening to his vinyls.

Every now and then he’d unplug the headphones and let his music fill the house (I didn’t like these moments): Elton John, Simon & Garfunkle, and Cat Stevens.

I couldn’t stand this music…because it was his music. I boycotted any songs, all artists that my father enjoyed, because I wanted to disassociate myself with his out-of-date, old hat, lyricists.

Twenty years later, when I was all about getting those eleven CDs for a penny (remember those promos?), I’d choose my Sugar Ray and Lenny Kravitz, but I’d find myself always throwing in some kind of out-of-date, old hat Elton John or Cat Stevens-like artists. Why? Because although my dad really was a freak, he did have good taste in music.

Sometimes it takes time for kids to appreciate their fathers and what they do. I guess it’s a form of delayed gratification.

If you want to be the dad that your adult children will appreciate, here are six easy ways to get ‘er done.

1. Avoid Courtesy Smiles

If your kid just ain’t cutting it, don’t pretend he is. My daughter loves basketball, but she’s not great yet (saying she’s good might even be a stretch, but I love the girl). One day she asked, “Papa, do you think I’ll ever play in the WNBA?”

Sure, I could have smiled and fibbed, “Of course, you’ll definitely play pro basketball,” but it’s crucial we keep our children grounded…without breaking their hearts. So, I replied, “If you want to be in the WNBA, you’ll have to practice a lot more.”

Keeping it real, while offering a way to keep the door open to their dream is ideal. And, kids know when we’re buttering them up, anyway. Young people perform better when adults express sincere expectations for them.

2. Beat ‘Em At Checkers

Too many dads let their kids beat them at checkers, Chutes and Ladders or tennis. They feel it would break their little one’s heart if she lost to Dear Old Dad. Wrong! She will be so thankful one day that you didn’t.

Because I was a fast runner in school, I would challenge my mom to races, and she never let me win. She’d always beat me by a stride or two. It didn’t damage my psyche. On the contrary, it gave me something to shoot for. As I got swifter, Mom would run faster, still barely beating me.

I still remember the day. I was twelve-years old, and I beat my mom in a foot race. Ecstatic, I asked her, “Did you let me win?”

“No, you won fair and square.” That triumph meant something to me. By my mom not letting me win, I learned resilience. I learned how to lose, and I learned to appreciate a true victory.

0 comments

Celebrity

Another member of The Saturdays, Frankie Bridge is expecting

Posted on May 30, 2015

Our social media manager Chelsea Social reminded me that another member of the UK girl band The Saturdays is expecting: Franchesca Sandford Bridge and her husband Wayne Bridge will welcome their second child later this year.

(Although we don’t generally “cover” Brit celebs as much, we previously “bump watched” her bandmate Rochelle Humes, partially because I thought Humes was half Sierra Leonean and I was born there. She has since reported that she has Jamaican roots but was born in Essex, and blames Wikipedia for the spread of misinformation.)

I think Frankie B is so beautiful and I love love her short thick hair.

The gorgeous Strictly Come Dancing (the original Brit version of US spinoff Dancing with the Stars) finalist announced the pregnancy on her Twitter page back in January and later shared the most adorable Instagram bump progression photo (above) at 5 months preggers.

Poor second time mama-to-be had it tough in her early months, suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, the same extreme morning sickness condition that Kate Middleton had for both er pregnancies.

The condition may have something to do with why the 6-month pregnant singer is so tiny this pregnancy.

The Bridges and Afro-Brazilian Soccer (Football) legend Pele

I thought she looked super gorge for her last pregnancy even though she took a lot of ribbing for gaining healthy baby weight, UK LifestyleYahoo! reported.

She has a healthy attitude about weight gain during pregnancy nonetheless and isn’t giving in to online bullies.

“Everyone expects you to stay a size six or eight during pregnancy and then go back to normal afterwards – but that’s not realistic,”she told Closer magazine.

“People are too quick to judge. I couldn’t care less if I put on 4st with this one, you just deal with it each time. If I didn’t have hyperemesis gravidarum, I wouldn’t feel the need to eat carbs every day, but I have to otherwise I feel sick.”

Good Show!

0 comments

News

Our eBook ‘How To Look Like Old Money’ is NOW available for DOWNLOAD!

Posted on May 29, 2015

Hey Friends!

I’m so excited to announce that my latest eBook, “How to Look Like ‘Old Money'” is complete and on digital shelves NOW!

This is the eBook version of a popular blog post I wrote years ago that I’ve seen other authors, websites and bloggers borrow and use as an inspiration for their own version and literary projects on the topic.

I know the title may sound a bit superficial and shallow. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But trust me, if it’s not for you, it is for someone you know and others out there. I know because I’ve studied the analytics of the number of search queries for this insight and it’s up there!

So I aim to give the people what they want in an easy to digest, visually stimulating format.

It’s that quick little guide for that gal or guy who aspires to give off the appearance of being from the upper echelon, blue-blood class without breaking the bank! It’s the ultimate how-to for that snob or bourgeoisie wanna-be! Alternatively, if your interest is piqued by the topic, this book offers you that insight to quench your curiosity.

And at $5.99, that’s a steal! It’s less than the cost of a venti latte and a scone at Starbucks and you’ll be edified for life! You can even weave it in social conversations later, maybe.

How do you like my pitch?! (smile)

This is my 4th ebook in a series of about 12 fashion and business blogging ebooks I’ll be publishing over the next few weeks. This time, rather than publish on the lesser-known platform Gumroad or the business presentation platform Slideshare, I’m offering the last series on Kindle!

They will be available on iBooks and Google Books in coming days too!

Woot! Woot!