Mode and actress Amber Rose has always been about women embracing their sexuality and refusing to be slut shamed for doing so, therefore it should come as no surprise that she chose to promote a line of swimsuits she is brand ambassador for the way she did.
The “Slutwalk” founder shared a post of herself in a red and white cow print top and bikini bottom while sitting on a luxe upholstered chair, bearing her belly and with her legs parted open facing the camera. Wow!
I am a big proponent and advocate for pregnant women being seen as sensual and sexy even while carrying life, so this is a wow-worthy moment.
Rose is expecting her second child with her boyfriend, rapper Alexander “AE” Edwards . She is mom to 6-year old Sebastian Thomaz, who she shares with her ex fiance, rapper Wiz Khalifa.
Babies are an expensive prospect: in the US, the average cost of delivery alone is upwards of $10,000, although much of that is covered if you have health insurance. Though the costs associated with having and raising a child are enormous, there are a number of ways you can save and reduce expenses to make the decision a financially solvent one. The bottom line is, regardless of your financial situation, planning for the future will help you avoid adulthood burnout as you celebrate bringing new life into the world.
Before You’re Expecting
If you know you plan on one day having children it’s a worthwhile idea to start setting aside money in a savings account. You can use a traditional savings account or find a fixed deposit account to accrue higher interest on your savings. Expecting parents often use fixed deposit accounts because the money is deposited for a stated period of time with a fixed interest rate, meaning that you can cash in on your savings once the baby arrives. It is also important to review your health insurance policy to make sure you are covered for the costs of delivery and aftercare.
When You’re Expecting
If you’re expecting, financial considerations will likely play a factor in how you prepare for the arrival of a baby. You can set up a college savings account for your child, either in a traditional savings account at your bank or a 529 account. The money in a 529 plan may be used to pay for the college expenses and K-12 tuition of the beneficiary, tax-free. Finally, you may need to think about life insurance if you don’t own it already in order to ensure your children are financially solvent if something happens to your or your partner.
After You’re Expecting
If you’re a new parent: congratulations! There’s no need to panic about not saving for your newborn right away. The best thing you can do is to start setting aside money and look for ways to save on baby costs, many of which can be reduced drastically by careful planning. As with any financial decision, it’s crucial to ask yourself: does my baby need this? There will be times you might feel pressured to buy pricey add-ons your baby doesn’t need. Always research items carefully before you make a purchase decision.
Financial planning is only one part of a joyous, occasionally stressful new phase in expecting a baby. Though it’s an important consideration, don’t let it overtake your life: trust that things will work out and do your best to plan along the way.
A recent study revealed that the average mom works 98 hours every week, the equivalent to not one, but two full-time jobs and working overtime.
Therefore, health and wellness experts are saying that self-care for moms is not an option but a requirement for being a good mother.
Alone time even in the form of a mini vacation alone is needed to feel refreshed, and it can make a big difference in a mom’s ability to cope, focus and do her mom duties.
They also say momcations can improve a woman’s relationship with her partner and can relay an important lesson about the value of balance to her children.
So there you go!
Science says take that vacation or go on that Girls’ Trip and quit feeling guilty about it!
Australian model Miranda Kerr has been doing an excellent job repping her organic skincare brand Kora Cosmetics in her maternity style.
I was flipping through the Bellyitch Instagram followers and noticed the former Victoria Secret model wearing a lemon floral dress with white low heels and a white box handbag out and about. A few days later, she was in a short off the shoulder ruffle floral dress in the happiest of places: a sunflower patch!
Kerr and her husband, Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel are expecting their second child together, just 10 months after welcoming their first, son, Hart.
Kerr has a 8 1/2-year old son named Flynn with her ex husband, actor, Orlando Bloom. She infamously croons to the music of Bloom’s current flame, singer Katy Perry!
As students head back to school, we see lots of stories about creative teachers who employ great tools and tricks to stimulate their students. We also articles about how teachers spend their own money to buy supplies for their classrooms.
Teachers are not paid as high as many other professions though it varies from state to state. The folks at Business.org wondered what the average salary was across the United States and summarized the findings in an interesting graphic:
Interesting Findings:
On average, entry-level teachers are paid 21.8% less than other workers in their states.
Colorado has the largest pay gap–40% less than the average salary in the state. That’s especially bad when you consider that Louisiana (our top-ranked state) pays about $7,000 more per year—even though the cost of living in Louisiana is lower.
Even though the District of Columbia had the highest starting salary for teachers, the area still ranked low on our list (#50) because of the higher-than-usual deficit between teachers’ salaries and the average salary for the area (37.2%).
(To be fair, though, the average salary in DC is abnormally high—probably due to the high concentration of highly paid politicians and lobbyists in the area.)
Despite its low ranking, DC actually has one of the best starting teaching salaries in the nation after you adjust for the area’s cost of living. So DC may be one of the best places for teachers to live if you’re focused on maintaining the highest possible standard of living.
The pay gap does not seem to correlate with student performance–Connecticut ranks #32 for teacher compensation but maintains #5 for student test scores. (But to be fair, shouldn’t the standard of living for teachers be just as important?)
Methodology: To develop its ranking we compared the average starting teacher salary to the average salary for all occupations in each state. The starting average teacher salaries were sourced from the National Education Association. The average state salary for ‘all occupations’ came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment Statistics Survey. For more information check out their report.
If you’ve followed this blog for the past 10 years, you know I enjoy spotting on Red Carpets the celebrity women who’ve been spotlighted here before when they were expecting a baby.
Last night, on August 26, the MTV Video Music Awards were held in New Jersey for the first time at the Prudential Center.
One of our Bellyitch Bumpwatch alums, Cardi B won for Best Hip Hop video for her song “Money” (she was nominated for Artist of the Year too but lost to Ariana Grande). She was also nominated for Best Pop video for “Please Me” with Bruno Mars and Best Dance and Best Power Anthem for “Taki Taki” and “Wish Wish,” respectively.
One other featured mama from the past Alicia Keys was nominated for the Best R&B video for the video for her song “Raise a Man” but lost to former Fifth Harmony girl band member Normani.
The show caters to younger audiences so I have to admit I’ve had to watch the nominees right before publshing this post. Shame. lol In any event, congrats to the winners and shout out to the moms who looked fab on the red carpet including:
Adriana Lima in Sally LaPointe with Chopard jewelry and Christian Louboutin heels.
With the economy on the downturn slightly, some families may be feeling the pinch and purchasing school supplies, getting immunizations and paying for haircuts and style could be a bit much for the budget.
Luckily, a lot of barber shops, religious, community and civic groups have organized events where they help parents out.
We’re already deep into back-to-school season and several of these have passed but I managed to dig up a few more in my area, DC, Maryland and Virginia and a few others. Do a Facebook, Google Events or Eventbrite search for one near you.
Here are the ones I found. Good luck!
District of Columbia
Washington, DC
What: Back to school physical exam, Birth Control options for college students, STI discussion and primary care needs for medicaid /private pay
What: Back to School – Free Backpacks; Come to a free back-to-school event, get free school supplies and sign up for tutoring and other academic support.
Date: Sat, August 31 10 AM – 2 PM
Where: Bowie Church of Christ, 2518 Kenhill Dr, Bowie, MD
What: The Queen Anne’s County Department of Health will be hosting Back to School (BTS) Immunization clinics beginning in late August. If your child cannot get the vaccines from their healthcare
Where: The Charles County Department of Health provides immunizations through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program to eligible children living in Charles County. Our goal is to educate and assist caregivers with making decisions that will protect them, their children, and the community. We offer back-to-school, childhood, and preteen and adolescent vaccines.
Eligibility Requirements
A child is eligible for the VFC Program if he or she is younger than 19 years of age and is one of the following:
Uninsured
Covered by Medical Assistance
Underinsured (has health insurance that doesn’t cover vaccines)
What: Committed to creating a community of healthy children, Texas Children’s Mobile Clinic Programwill administer the vaccinations to children,6 weeks to 18 years of age, who need immunizations.
Children must qualify for the Vaccines for Children program (no insurance, have insurance that does not cover vaccines, or have Medicaid)
No pre-registration is required but space is limited.
Parents and guardians must bring child’s immunization records and must accompany child.
When: every Thursday in August 2019., From 5 to 7 p.m.
Where: Doris Miller Community Center, 2400 Washington Ave., Newport News, VA 23607
Deets: call 757-247-8603 for hair appointments.
Norflok
What: Better Barbers Back To School Bash! GRADES K-12 Come out and join us at our first annual Back To School Bash! We will be providing *free haircuts, LOTS of school supplies, food, drinks, snacks, games and prizes for the children! Come out and celebrate the beginning of new and successful school year. School supplies will be distributed on a first come first-served basis. We currently have 121 bags to give away and the child must be present to receive a bag. If you’re vegan don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! We are looking forward to seeing everyone
When: Friday, August 30, 2019 from 2-5pm
Where: Better Barbers Tidewater Dr 7468 Tidewater Dr unit B, Norfolk, Virginia 23505
What:Village Family and Partners Back2School Expo, This is an annual community effort to help youth and families prepare for the school year that is right around the corner. Come and join us in this fun event for children of all ages.FREE backpacks & school supplies. MUSIC BY DJ NAKYLLA
When: Saturday, September 7, 2019 from 1-5pm
Where: Military Circle Mall, 880 N. Military Circle Mall, Norfolk Virginia 23502
What: Mobi Wash Cares: Back2School Bookbag Giveaway, Come and enjoy food, fun, games, prizes, and FREE BOOKBAGS. Your kids will leave happy, tired, and, most importantly, PREPARED for school!
When: Saturday, August 31, 2019 from 10am-2pm
Where: Gray’s Missionary Baptist 380 Union St, Hampton, Virginia 23669
Congrats to singer, entrepreneur and reality TV star Ray J Norwood and his wife Princess Love on expecting their second child together.
The shared the news on his Instagram account in a series of announcement photos.
“Baby #2 on the way! @MelodyLoveNorwood your[sic] about to be a big sister! #Godisthegreatest@princesslove Baby #2 on the way!” the Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood star captioned a photo of himself with his wife and daughter on a floatie with Princess looking quite preggers in the photo.
Mom shared the same series of announcement photos on her page.
” Somebody’s gonna be a big sis ??? New addition arriving Jan 2020 @melodylovenorwood@rayj#2under2#Blessed” Princess captioned her version of the slideshow.
The couple married and welcomed their first child Melody Love last May 2018. Ray J starred in a short run reality TV show with his famous singer/actress sister Brandy Norwood and recently sold his scooter business to a Canadian firm for a seven-figure deal.
Summer is flying by and pretty soon school will be back in session. Is your child ready to get back into the daily scholastic routine? Mine are…kinda…barely…not really! ha!
The folks at Brainly — the world’s largest peer-to-peer learning community of students, parents, and teachers— asked 600 American parents whether they feel their children are ready to jump back into the daily grind of school. Nationwide 56% of parents say they think they’re children are prepared to go back to school.
Missouri parents led the pack with 85% saying that they thought their kids were ready to head back to school. Virginia followed with 80% saying the same and the top three was rounded out by Arizona at 69%.
Brainly has put together a list of 5 tips for parents to help their children prepare to head back to school.
1. DEVELOP A SLEEP ROUTINE NOW Getting up early for school can be jarring for middle and high school students who have been used to sleeping in all summer. 62% of parents said they are worried their kids will have a hard time adjusting their snooze schedules during their first week back to school.
Brainly’s tip? Start a routine a few weeks before term begins so that your kids can get used to their new schedule.
2. ESTABLISH SCHOOL ROUTINES In a similar vein, students should get used to the hours of work (and homework) they will be expected to do during the school year. 92% of parents said homework is the biggest school-related stressor for their families.
Brainly recommends developing a routine to help them manage their time and setting up a dedicated homework space so they aren’t caught flat footed in September.
3. AVOID THE SUMMER SLUMP School-aged kids can revert by nearly a month’s worth of instruction over the summer. In fact, 82% of American parents believe their kiddos experienced at least a mild to moderate amount of summer learning loss.
The best way to circumvent this issue is to keep their skillsets fresh and mind’s sharp over the summer. Consider doing this through platforms like Brainly where a community of students can help other students and users earn points for answering questions.
4. GET YOUR SCHOOL SUPPLIES This may seem obvious but students gonna need pens, pencils, and a handy dandy new Trapper Keeper (kids still use those right?) if they’re going to succeed this semester.
Pro tip: get those things early while they are on sale.
5. GET YOUR KIDS (AND YOURSELF) ORGANIZED Nothing adds heaps of unneeded stress to and an already stressful time than not being organized. Only 22% of U.S. parents said they currently feel organized for the start of the new school year, and a mere 10% of parents said they remain organized throughout the entire school year.
Brainly advises creating a plan for before and after school for your kids and yourself and sticking to it. Routines are important for everyone.
Editor’s Note: I’m reposting this article because the old one, published a few months ago, has a fatal technical error and in light of National Rainbow Baby Day recently, I wanted to reshare it!
“I really don’t think I fully dealt with my miscarriage until until I found out I was pregnant again,” an emotional Monique Samuels shares during a testimonial to last Sunday’s new episode of Bravo TV‘s Real Housewives of Potomac. “The fear and the loss just came back to me so I really had to just sit back and leave it in God’s hands”
These comments were made during her testimonial in between scenes of a party she threw last year before the birth of her third child last year, celebrating her Rainbow Baby.
A Rainbow baby is a sustainable pregnancy or live birth following the loss of a previous pregnancy or baby.
FYI: A “Unicorn baby” is one that is birthed after infertility.
About her decision to host a celebration, the wife to ex veteran NFL legend Chris Samuels: “I thought this was a good way to celebrate new life to not forget it but to learn from it and move on,” she added.
During the episode, Monique referred to her miscarried child as “her angel baby” and later released several doves in the air in honor of all the other Angel babies out there.
“I know a lot of us women share the same story and a some of us don’t choose to express and share with others but I encourage us to because there’s healing in sharing, ” she added before opening up the mic later for other women in the audience to share their stories.
During the event, her cast mate Ashley Darby, who is currently pregnant accepted the opportunity to speak about having a miscarriage at age 19 and a more recent one with her restaurateur and businessman husband, Michael Darby.
Michael broke down in tears and actually left his wife’s side at a guest table temporarily.
Another castmember of the show, Katie Rost, also is familiar with tragic pregnancy loss.
Rost, a Housewife from Season 1 and currently a “friend of the Housewives” Season 4, suffered a late term miscarriage around 4-5 months of pregnancy.
She was pregnant with her fourth child with her boyfriend, a man named Jacob, earlier this year when she miscarried.
According to an Instagram social media post by Rost, Jacob infamously snapped a highly disturbing and graphic bathroom photo of Rost laying on the floor shortly after the loss happened.
She posted the photo on her Instagram page before taking it down, but not before the gossip press got their hands on it and made it a story.
While in a vulnerable state, snapping a pic is not kind but I do not want to judge her decision to then post such a private and sacred moment on social media but yeah, that’s a heavy situation.
Photo of Rost’s kids and another young girl from Rost’s GoFundMe page
Rost is currently involved in a bitter custody dispute with her ex husband James Orsini over visitation rights with her children, son, James Rocco Orsini and twin daughters Renee Rost Orsini and Kathryn Rost Orsini who she lost full custody to. She has previously accused James of being mentally, physically and financially abusive to her.
Editor’s Note:
I could relate to Samuels’ later comment on the show about living in fear after getting pregnant again.
After I lost my first ever pregnancy about 17 years ago, my husband and I were extremely anxious and scared our second would end the same, with another loss.
We even went as far as purchased a portable ultrasound so we could constantly monitor the baby’s heartbeat anytime we wanted without having to go to the doctor’s for an appointment.
