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How a WAHM can Run her own ‘Camp Mom’

wahm summer

 

If you are like me and other work at home moms out there, you kind of dread Summer a bit because it means you will be responsible for keeping your children busy, entertained and intellectually stimulated so they don’t have too much Summer brain drain. You will have to do all that while managing your work obligations. Oy vey!

Many send their children to summer camps but a lot of camps only operate on a week or two-week increments and they can get very costly. To ease the challenge, it is a good idea to establish a strict schedule that includes work time, play time, and other activities in between. Without a routine, your work or project obligations can suffer and you risk having your kids play video games and watch TV all day.

I’m re-sharing some suggestions of activities I came up with:

  • Use the morning to institute some reading or math drills time.
  • If you live near a library, use its facilities and take advantage of their summer reading challenges.
  • Go to the craft or dollar store and pick up supplies and incorporate an hour on some days for crafts.
  • Use card or board games for non-electronics hours.
  • Do outdoor activities close to home like make visits to the local park. My middle kid, who is a nature and animal lover, enjoys heading down to our town creek and exploring the dragonflies and frogs. My eldest likes riding his bike around the block and my youngest enjoys playing make-believe with her My Little Pony toys in the front yard.
  • Tack on active play time as well. Take a trip to a local tennis or basketball court. Toss the softball in the backyard. We go on a half mile loop in our town and stop periodically to do jumping jacks, burpees, situps and pushups in the evening. It’s a great way to stave off the summer excess weight gain as well.
  • Plan trips to the beach at least once during the summer.
  • Incorporate treks to the pool on a twice a week basis if you can.
  • If the budget allows, family visits to the roller rink, go cart track or cultural museums are other things you can do.

Here is the schedule I created for myself and hope to follow stringently. I’ve tried to allocate enough time in between for transitioning from activity to activity and made sure I put in ample time to work. You are free to use it to specialize your own schedule. Good luck and have fun!

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STUDY: Girls Actually Do Better than Boys Using Tech for Problem Solving; Imagine That!

girls tech

Conventional thinking is that boys are better at tech than girls. However data from a recent study shows that eighth-grade girls outperformed boys in understanding and evaluating technology and using it to solve problems, according to Peggy Carr, National Center for Education Statistics acting commissioner said.

The new conclusions are from the first-ever Nation’s “Report Card for Technology and Engineering Literacy.” The test, administered in 2014 to about 21,500 eighth-grade students in public and private schools, assessed students using scenario-based tasks on a computer.

In one exercise, students had to troubleshoot to fix the habitat for a classroom iguana named Iggy. They had to learn about an iguana’s basic needs and then design a habitat that solved two of Iggy’s most pressing problems: a lack of adequate heat and dehydration. Overall, 43 percent of eighth-graders were considered proficient or better at answering questions that required them to think through problems systematically, using technology and engineering to complete a task. The results were that 45 percent of eighth-grade girls were considered proficient or better, compared to 42 percent of boys.

The findings should suggest that although the difference is nominal, we could go further with encouraging more girls to enter into #STEM fields if we quit starting with the presumption that girls aren’t good at it.

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Here are 10+ Great Ideas for Creating a Fantastical Playroom for Your Child

playroom

It’s every kid’s dream to have a fantastical playroom of their own. It can be wonderful space to explore, play and run wild is perfect for building up confidence and nurturing creativity. And let’s not forget the extra value: it can help keep the rest of your house clear of toys, clutter and mess.

If you have space in your home, why not build a playroom for your little one or brood? Explore this great infographic that the folks at The Rugseller made to get you started.

From storage with a twist to imaginative décor to inspire your kids’ creativity and furniture with room for all the toys, this infographic will give you some pointers as to how you can design your own playroom:

 Creating a Cool Kids Playroom Infographic by The Rug Seller


Creating a Cool Kids Playroom Infographic by The Rug Seller by The Rug Seller

Woo hoo! There’s a Bunch of New Summer Job Opps, And Here are Top US Summer Job Cities

summer job

Do you have a young person in your home or community who needs a Summer Job? You’re in luck!

Last month, the Obama administration announced $21 million in grants to 11 communities in its Summer Jobs and Beyond campaign with the purpose to connect disadvantaged young people with jobs this summer and year-round. It stems from the White House’s  Summer Opportunity Project “to increase the number of young Americans participating in evidence-based summer opportunity programs, decrease the percentage of youth experiencing violence over the summer, and—more broadly—make sure that young Americans have the support they need to get their first job,” as a press release about the initiative states.

In addition, there is a new inter-agency project called Summer Impact Hubs which pairs local and state projects and leaders in one of 16 communities with a Federal “Summer Ambassador” who will spend the spring and summer partnering with them to meet their locally-driven goals by leveraging Federal resources, breaking down agency siloes, and building new local, regional, and national partnerships.

Sign up and get info HERE!!!

If you do not live in one of those hubs, there are other cities nationwide that are great for opportunities for summer jobs. WalletHub analyzed 150 job markets for part time and summer opportunities. The top 20 cities are:

1. Washington, DC.

  1. Scottsdale, AZ
  2. San Francisco, CA

  3. Orlando, FL

  4. Reno, NV

  5. Cincinnati, OH

  6.  Fort Lauderdale, FL

  7. St. Louis, MO

  8. Boise ID

  9. Pittsburgh, PA

  10. Irvine, CA

12. Denver, CO

13. Minneapolis, MN

14.  Grand Rapids, MI

  1.    Salt Lake City, UT
  2.   Atlanta, GA

  3. Plano, TX

  4. Seattle, WA

  5. Miami, FL

  6. Little Rock, AK

Not surprisingly, most are in the more populated cities nationwide. Here are how the Best cities compared with the worst.

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  • Sioux Falls, S.D, has the highest labor-force participation rate of the population aged 16 to 24, 74.28 percent, which is nearly two times higher than in Irvine, Calif., the city with the lowest, 40.03 percent.
  • Sioux Falls, S.D., has the lowest unemployment rate of the population aged 16 to 24, 8.9 percent, which is nearly five times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest, 44.1 percent.
  • Scottsdale, Ariz., has the highest median income of part-time workers (adjusted for cost of living), $23,162, which is more than 3.5 times higher than in New York, the city with the lowest, $6,540.
  • Miami has the most part-time job openings per 1,000 civilian employed residents aged 16 to 24, 110.93, which is more than 13.6 times the number in Moreno Valley, Calif., the city with the fewest, 8.13.
  • Miami has the most internship listings per 1,000 civilian employed residents aged 16 to 24, 21.65, which is nearly 197 times the number in Mesa, Ariz., the city with the fewest, 0.11.
  • Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., has the lowest percentage of the population aged 16 to 24 living under the poverty line, 8.5 percent, which is nearly six times lower than in Tallahassee, Fla., the city with the highest, 50.76 percent.
  • Springfield, Mo., has the lowest monthly median rent price for a one-bedroom property, $522, which is four times higher than in San Francisco, the city with the highest, $1,814.

For the full report and to see where your city ranks, please visit:

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-places-for-summer-jobs/21137/

No, We should Not ‘Shoot’ The Parents of a Child Accident Victim Instead of the Wild Animal

gorilla

I couldn’t let the day pass without commenting on the hot news item about a 17-year old Silverback Gorilla named Harambe that zookeepers at the Cincinnati Zoo killed over the weekend after a 4-year old toppled into the wild animal’s habitat.

A visitor and witness to the incident took a cameraphone video of the incident. That clip has been all over the Internet and it shows the animal dragging the boy across his enclosure’s pool; but it also shows him holding the boy’s hand, propping him and seemingly protecting him from the crowd above yelling and screaming over what they were witnessing.

Apparently, the boy  crawled between two steel poles of the barrier and through bushes before toppling 15 feet down to the moat.

The reaction to the incident varies. It goes from people demanding an investigation of the zoo for the decision to kill and not tranquilize the animal and for having a barrier that wasn’t designed to prevent this accident to ridiculous calls to actually “shoot” the parents (mom Michelle Gregg) for presumably being neglectful and not keeping a careful eye on their child.

The harshest critics I surmise come from three camps:

  1. People who hate/dislike children, generally;
  2. People who are not Parents and have never had to care for and/or monitor a small child in their care for an extended period of time; and

  3. People who love animals more than people.

To People who Don’t like Kids

You can easily determine those that dislike children and think kids are to be seen and not heard. They have little patience for their antics and don’t find spirited children “cute” at all. They are quickly annoyed by the sight of a baby on a plane and may be germaphobes who are wary of all the germy places tots get into. Of course, they would have less sympathy for the level of danger the child was in. Those people would naturally ignore the fact the child’s life was at risk and that famous Animal activist like Jack Hannah said, in that situation, killing the animal was a no brainer of a decision.

Hanna is the director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo in Ohio and the host of a series of television shows about wild animals, defended the decision to put down the animal.

“I’ve seen him take a green coconut, which you can’t bust open with a sledgehammer, and squish it like this,” Hanna told Good Morning America about Harambe, gesturing to indicate the ease with which gorillas can crush fruit. “You’re dealing with either human life or animal life here. So what is the decision? I think it’s very simple to figure that out.”

They would not think that shooting a tranquilizer gun at Harambe could have frightened and/or angered him even more. He is still a wild animal and not capable of directing his anger. He easily could have lashed out violently and injure the child purposefully or accidentally.’

Further, the boy was in the cage for an estimated 10-15 minutes before the zookeepers were able to take him down. When the gorilla dragged the kid around, he easily could have fractured the boy’s skull against a hard surface in his habitat.

Finally, what if after being shot by the tranquilizer the gorilla eventually collapsed his 400 pound frame on top of the boy and ended that child’s life that way?

Resort   Younger Girls 3mths–6yrs   Girls   Next  United States of America

To Non-Parents

I am not sure human critics suggesting that the mom be shot are aware of how callous they come off.  Even if they are being factitious in their commenting, it seems to be an extreme overreaction, in my opinion.  Execute parents. Isn’t that a slippery slope? Are we to go around shooting parents each time their kid does something that leads to tragic event. Losing track of a child is a common everyday thing. People lose track of their kids all the time, especially in crowded environments. I’ve lost track of my kid more than once.  My husband has been a lost child when he was 3-years old and his parents are very protective and his dad was a police detective.

An eyewitness told ABC News that it happened in a quick second and she wasn’t sure there was anything the mom could do. “He was there and then he was not,” the witness said.

The mom posted a now-deleted post on her Facebook page that read:

“As a society we are quick to judge how a parent can take their eyes off of a child. Accidents happen.” she wrote. “I am thankful that the right people were in the right place.”

This kid who wrote this doesn't look old enough to drive.

This kid who wrote this doesn’t look old enough to drive.

To Animal over People.

Again, if one values animals more than human, I’m not surprised that they’d assign more weight and value to the animal’s life over a human child. But you can own and care for  a lot of animals, be a vegetarian and still recognize that in the hierarchy of the animal kingdom in civilized society, humans are on top.

We’d be having a different conversation today had the gorilla killed the boy. I’d bet that, in that case,  many more people today would be finger-wagging the zoo for not doing something sooner to take out the threat. There would be more people empathizing with the family of a dead child moreso than an alive Gorilla who ended a toddler’s life.

I recognize that Harambe did nothing wrong and he behaved how his species would in that situation and he too is a victim of circumstance. But I am able to step back and assess the situation from afar and decide it was the correct decision, in my opinion.

Hopefully, in the end, the zoo will augment its exhibits and other zoos around the world will take note and adjust theirs as well.

But no, we cannot shoot the parents instead of the animal. I wish people would quit saying that.

Frank gets it:

Parents of 4 Year Old Who Caused Harambe the Gorilla’s Slaughter May Be Charged   Tribunist

 

Just Had a Baby and Want to Start a Biz? Great Tips Ahead….

woman with laptop woc

Our Bellytich Bumpwatch alum Ivanka Trump is all about promoting female businesswomen and entrepreneurs, especially moms. She shared on her blog recent “7 great tips for Entrepreneurial New Moms.” Here is an excerpt:

Protect the time that’s important to you

In the startup world, every single call and every single meeting is extremely important. It’s all too easy to get into a pattern of working without any flexibility for yourself, but it’s important to live in a way that aligns with your values. Don’t sacrifice beautiful moments with your children and miss all the firsts, because that’s time you’ll never get back. Create rules for yourself to protect the time important to you, whether that’s time when you need to be 100% focused on your business or 100% focused on your family. For example, bedtime with my kids is sacred to me. I start my day earlier and go home earlier, so that I can always be there in the evening, and I never schedule anything during that time.

Maximize your hours

Traditionally, in the business world, hard work is measured by the hours you put in. When you’re a mother and entrepreneur, it’s never about the number of hours you work; it’s about maximizing what you do with the hours that you have. Every day, I determine the most important things we need to do for the business, as well as the most important things I need to do for my family. I prioritize those things and I don’t spend time on anything that’s not necessary. Be conscious of getting a return on the investment of each hour.

Read the rest

Photo: #WOCinTech

Blog Brag: We’re #1 on ‘Alltop Pregnancy’ Again

Alltop-logo

I just realized this weekend that the blog has returned to the Alltop.com category for Pregnancy. Alltop.com is one of the first websites that was focused on curating the top news and information from all the top sites around the web. Nowadays, content curation is big and everyone is doing it, but Alltop, founded by former Apple evangelist and New York Times  and Wall Street Journal best seller Guy Kawasaki did it first.

The blog was on it for several years in the pregnancy category. The top 6 most popular stories of all the stories in each category get to be featured a Bellyitch post often was number one, each day.

At some point, we dropped to the number 2  spot and then eventually fell off the list altogether. I’m not sure if was during a time when the blog got hacked and was offline for a while or when it moved from one blog platform to another, but it was sudden and inexplainable.

It was devastating for me because being on Alltop gave the blog some added credibility (and traffic). I proudly posted the button on the blog. I  re-submitted it for consideration and never hear back and just gave up.

I’m not sure how it landed on that site in the first place. Did someone submit my blog? Did the founders and folks who run the site discover it on their own. Who knows.

Alltop   Top Pregnancy News

So it was quite a delight to accidentally stumble upon it once again to see Bellyitch occupying the featured blog post area again. I’m putting my button back too!

alltop logo button - Copy

Happy happy ! Joy Joy!

Ok….back to the regularly scheduled blog posts we go.

Oh I also got honored as one of the Top 30 Mom Bloggers of 2016 by Maternity Glow! Woot!

Yay us! Thanks for the support and being loyal readers and followers!

Take Better Newborn Photography with these 10 Expert Tips

Bellyitch Rewind

newborn photography tips


Photographing a newborn can be challeging for professionals, and even more daunting for parents or amateurs. It doesn’t have to be if you do some advance prep and get some advice from the experts.  Dreamstime Professional Photographer Barbara Helgason offers these 10 must-see tips:

1. Safety first. This should go without saying. Babies have a startle reflex and their strong little legs can do a froggy kick and propel them forward. Always, always, have mom sitting right next to baby within arm’s reach.

2.  Young babies are sleepy babies and sleepy babies make the best little models. Try to photograph them as young as possible, usually between 7 and 10 days old. As they get a little older they start becoming a bit more awake and alert. Also many newborns develop newborn acne around two weeks of age, so that is another reason to plan your sessions as early as possible.

3. Warm babies are sleepy babies, and do we love sleepy babies. Crank up the heat a couple of hours before a newborn session. It should be uncomfortably warm in the room so baby can rest well.

4. Hungry babies are not happy and they are definitely not sleepy. Babies should have a full tummy and to be prepared to feed, a lot if needed. Ideally we want baby to feel the way we do after a big turkey dinner.

5. All babies love white noise. You can also get womb sounds online. Those a bit more soothing. You can play them on your phone and tuck

it under the blanket behind baby’s head. If you do use your phone, don’t forget to put it into the do not disturb mode. For a really fussy baby

shushing in his or her ear will also work wonders.

6. Patience, patience patience. Newborn sessions should absolutely not be rushed. Getting those cute little poses takes time. Hold their little arms

and legs gently in the position you want until you can sense they’ve settled into a deep sleep. Pay attention to detail. Take the time to open those

tight little fists and uncurl each of their tiny fingers. Rub the frowns out of their little foreheads. Gently tug their cheeks and if you’re lucky they

may even give you a little smile.

7. Invest in the right props. Bean bags, thick plush and textured blankets, knitted hats, head bands, and wraps and diaper covers are great investments. Also, a basket of washcloths in various shapes and sizes are great to slide in under the blanket, to help position baby. These can be tucked under to tilt baby’s face just so, to lift their bottoms a bit more, etc etc.

8. Don’t forget to zoom in and get close ups of their eyelashes,  little fingers and little toes. And if baby is crying, keep it real and capture

those tears as well.

9. Don’t shoot up the babies nose. It’s the one angle that’s never ever attractive.

10. And last but definitely not least is lighting. Really, if you don’t have good lighting, none of they above tips will matter at all. Placing your beanbag next to large bright window. Look for soft shadows and learn to see the light. Photography is always about the light. You may have the most

expensive camera and the best and fastest lenses, but if you don’t have the right lighting, you will not get a single good image.

We hope these tips help! Good Luck, Parents!

Memorial Day: Thank You To Those Who Gave the Ultimate Sacrifice

memorial day son

Memorial Day is today.  The holiday was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead.

Today, let’s think of the thousands and millions, maybe, of children who have grown up without a parent because she or he gave the ultimate sacrifice fighting for their country.

Children like Wyatt McCain, who was 8 in 2012 when this photo of the North Pole, Alaska boy went viral as he looked upon his father’s grave at the National Cemetery on Memorial Day in Arlington, Va.

His dad, Army SFC Johnathan McCain, was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in November 2011. Thank you Wyatt and family for bearing the pain of loss so we can feel free.

 

How to Take a DSLR Camera Selfie with Kids using Jennifer Borget’s Photography Hack

want to know

We talked about the importance of moms getting on the other side of the camera and being part of the moments they capture of their children’s lives. Modern smartphones have self-timers but if you have fidgety children and/or are working with an actual camera or a DSLR camera, you’re going to need to be more resourceful.

One of our longtime fave mom bloggers Jennifer Borget of The Baby Making Machine did an excellent video showing parents how to take selfies with their children using an app, their smartphone and a very clever hack!

Check out the video here:

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