“Many mothers find it difficult to raise a family and try to run a business because both the children and the business take a lot of time all by themselves,” an article on the Top 3 Reasons Mothers don’t Start Up in ParentStartup.com states. AnotherNew York Times piece and another recent article talked about how Venture Capitalist discriminate against mothers.
From that NYT piece:
“[M]uch of the investment world, heavily dominated by men, remains skeptical about a woman’s ability to combine running a fast-growing tech start-up and motherhood, Ms. Gugnani says. She raised $3 million from investors before becoming pregnant.
“All of the women I know who went to raise money did it when they didn’t have kids,” she says. “There is total discrimination in the start-up world against women who are pregnant.” Making pregnancy and motherhood a focal point of the investment process is an outdated way of thinking, she adds.
Female entrepreneurs are less numerous and raise less money than their male counterparts. Women make up 10 percent of the founders at high-growth tech companies, “and they raise 70 percent less money than men do because of their lack of access to capital,” says Lesa Mitchell of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where she is vice president for initiatives on advancing innovation.”
And so, the “Start-up mom” joins the Mommy Wars.
Background:
The mommy wars is an ongoing battle between mothers disputing and discussing which child rearing method is best: Sleep in Room v Nursery; Bottle-feeding v. Breastfeeding; Baby wearing v. Carrier; Sling v. Bjorn; Cry It Out v. Not; Heavily Scheduled baby v. Let baby control sleep and eating.
Moms are opinionated and each one believes her method or solution is tops. Of course, to each its own but that doesn’t stop those who have hard-fast thoughts on one thing from speaking up and trying to convince others this. They will not be silenced. They may bully others into their perspective.
Another mommy battle is the battle between Stay-at-Home (SAHM) versus Work-at-home (WAHM) versus Working Moms. Working moms often feel SAHM guilt trip them over spending less time with their children. Meanwhile, SAHMs say they feel belittled by Working Moms who assume they do nothing all day but eat bonbons while their kids are at school. Working Moms say SAHMs are privileged enough to not have to work yet judge those harshly who do. Work-at-home moms say they have the best and worst of each scenario.
Now that the Start Up mom has been brought into the picture, as a work-at home Start up mom, I proffer that the Start-up or Entrepreneurial mom has it THE HARDEST.
Why?
While start up moms do have the luxury of being able to chaperon school field trips, attend school meetings and take our kids to the library as I do daily, they also have the challenge of having to clean the home, provide meals, and be a homemaker all while not bringing income but expected to.
Unlike the SAHM who is not expected to bring in external income, the Start-up mom has to contribute to the family expenses.
Unlike the Working Mom or Work-at-home who is working for a company and at least bringing in guaranteed income, the Start-up mom works for no one and has to go out and generate income from independent sources.
The Start-Up Mom has to bring home the bacon by working 50 hour weeks trying to build a company that makes little to no money that may never be successful enough to generate income or funding.
And she has a tough haul raising money to fund her venture, considering that recent Business Insider story revealing how the VC industry discriminates against mothers.
It’s a hard uphill battle to bear along with the other family responsibility on our backs.
Simon Cowell isn’t the only celebrity to welcome a baby on Valentine’s Day!
Reality TV star of MTV‘s Run’s Houseactress Vanessa Simmons and her beau Mike Wayans welcomed their daughter, Ava Marie Jean Wayans.
Her great uncle Danny Simmons revealed the news ahead of the family.
“My brand spanking new Grand niece is named Ava Marie Jean Wayans…you go mommy,” he shared on his Facebook page, later writing, “Ooops didnt know I bleeped it out early.. yall wuz the first to know..well except for the immediate fam…u guys got the scoop”
Simmons announced the pregnancy via her Instagram page this past September 2013.
It’s Hip Hop/Black Hollywood royalty as Simmons’ dad is the legendary rap artist Rev Run of the iconic 80s group Run DMC and her uncle is hip hop clothing (Phat Farm) and music (Def Jam) business mogul Russell Simmons whose ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons we’ve “bumpwatched” before too. Vanessa’s brother Diggy Simmons is a R&B charttopper as well.
Wayans‘ dad is TV vet comedian Damon Wayans (My Wife and Kids) whose family includes actor director/producer Kennon Ivory Wayans (In Living Color), actor/filmmakerShawn Wayans (White Chicks, Scary Movie) and actor/filmmaker (The Wayans Brothers, Little Man).
Congratulations!
This is the first child for the couple. Simmons also starred with her sister model, actress and designer Angela Simmons in a few seasons of the MTV spin-off Daddy’s Girls.
Ten-year US Olympic Women Gymnastics team member and Olympic Gold-medalist Dominique Dawes opened up about her career and life to Catholic TV network EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo this week.
The mom-to-be, who is a newly converted Catholic and is weeks from delivering her first child, said she considers herself a mommy right now and is learning to change her previously perfectionist ways.
“I’m learning to ‘Let go and Let God”,’ the 1996 US Olympic Women’s Floor Exercise Bronze champion said on the show World Over. “I’m learning to not focus on being a perfectionist and I’m learning to just relax and not set these unrealistic expectations… It’s been a struggle for me.”
She added, “you do really need to put pride and your ego aside at times and learn to accept sometimes that ‘good’ is sometimes ‘good enough.'”
Dawes revealed that although she seemed calm and poised while performing on the world stage, she was battling self-doubt and was a pessimist, but knew how to “fake it til you make it.” Her teammates, fans and family kept her going though inside she was quite a “nervous Ninny,” she said.”It was calming myself, getting at peace, affirmations,” she said of what helped propel her to success when visualization techniques didn’t work.
“I created a motto for myself as a young child. I called it D3: Determination, Dedication, Desire, so I would repeat these affirmations and even scriptures like Phillipians 4:13, ‘through all things God who strengthens me'” Dawes said. “Whenever those moments of doubt or negative thoughts would come in, I would push it out with these words.”
Dawes, who was the first African American woman to win an individual Olympics gymnastics medal, added that pregnancy is scary but it’s something she has always desired. Before admitting that she felt she was “called” to be a gymnast, she said she’s open to her new role as a mom.
“Right now, my child is very much in control and I’ve always known that God is in control so it’s just me learning to let go and to embrace this experience and embrace the fact that I have a new and different body,” she said, adding that she is learning to “embrace the emotional roller coast” she has gone through as a pregnant woman and embrace what is going to happen when she becomes a new mom.”
Dawes, who shared on the show that she is an introvert, revealed back on December 10 on her Instagram account that she is expecting a baby girl.
Instagram
“I wanted to introduce my baby girl to a place I will always cherish. Olympic Park…17 yrs after making history,” she captioned this Instagarm photo during a trip to Atlanta’s Centennial Park last December. ” Fond memories!”
Since spilling the beans about being pregnant in a big way this past December, Dawes has been more open about her personal life.
Dawes married The Heights School’s religion teacher and adviser Jeff Thompson last Spring.
Dawes and a Potomac, Maryland religion teacher Jeff Thompson married 9 days after Dawes joined the Catholic church last year 2013 during the Easter Vigil. Dawes was born Baptist but joined the faith of her late paternal grandmother who was a Piscataway tribe member, she told Arroyo.
And though that wasn’t public news, the petite mom-to-be mentioned him last week while watching The Gabby DouglasStoryon Lifetime last week for the first time EVER, tweeting:
My hubby and I are super excited to watch the @gabrielledoug story tonight on lifetime!!!!! — Dominique Dawes (@dominiquedawes) February 4, 2014
And during the EWTN interview she revealed that she changed her stance about not wanting her child to become a gymnast after visiting a venue and seeing teenie tiny leotards and telling her husband who she said is 6 foot 3 that she couldn’t wait to put their daughter in that.
Though she is open to the fact that having a tall husband may make it so they won’t have a “gymnastics-shaped” child. Funny!
Despite all the buzz about terrorist threats with the current Olympic Winter Games in Russia, Dawes said if she were an athlete she would go to the Olympics game in Sochi. Dawes competed at the Atlanta games which was marred by a bombing on July 26, 1996 which claimed a life and injured over a hundred people, but still.
Given how long you’ve trained, since a child, most athletes wouldn’t walk away from a competition over threats, she said.
Watch the complete enlightening video from the segment on YouTube here:
Personal note: I’m thinking Dawes is my sister from another mother (and father). We both converted to Catholicism late in life within a year of becoming a mother for the first time, as an adult after marrying Catholic men. We both went to the University of Maryland at College Park. We both have a Type-A personality, are both 5 foot 3 inches tall but married men who are 6 feet 3 and both are entrepreneurial business women. Twinsies! 🙂 I just need to go get an Olympic medal and the circle would be complete! LOL!
We love to find inspirational and innovative ideas for moms and dads to be to share their pregnancy news and/or mark their respective pregnancy progression. Here are 10 more ideas we scrubbed from Pinterest with links to their original sources to check out for more views.
Jay Sean, the first solo artist of South Asian origin to top the US Billboard 100, is a daddy! The British R&B singer and his Indo-Guyanese/Irish-African American wife Thara Natalie (nee Prashad) welcomed their first child, daughter Ayva Loveen Kaur Jhooti on December 13.
“Yuuuuup! I’m a daddy!!!!! Meet our lil baby girl, Ayva,” Jay Sean (birth name “She was born Kamaljit Singh Jhooti) wrote on his Instagram account). on the 13th December, weighing in at 6pounds 7ounces. It was the most incredible moment of my life seeing her enter this world.”
The couple married in 2009.
The doting dad described the birth:
Wifey @tharanatalie (who was unbelievably strong and composed thru it all btw- yogamommy!!) had a music playlist for her delivery – a mixture of diff artists and some of her fav songs – (including mine!) Would u believe of all the songs on the playlist she was born to daddy’s song!!?!!! She was born to ‘Luckiest Man.'”
Beautiful and Thara, who is a model and R&B singer signed to the same label as rapper Fabolous, made such a gorgeous pregnant woman!
The yoga-aficionado modeled for Expecting Models while expecting and practiced yoga to the end of her pregnancy.
Nice!
“
Enjoying my time at home with this beautiful little angel. #Blessed” Thara recently wrote on her Instagram account.
I think most of us can attest to noticing how our fave and fabulous Fashion Instagrammers manage to turn their brands into mommy brands seamlessly by featuring themselves in matching stylized outfits with their baby.
I thinkVictoria Beckham might have been the first referenced that way after she welcomed her last child and only daughter Harper in 2011, but certainly, I think we all can agree, that if we were to crown a champion celeb who appears best styled with a child, Kylie Jenner would be crowned the queen.
I’ve scrolled through my Insta feed and identified about 10 that look to use their babies as accessories the most/best. I’m not judging. Not saying it’s good or bad, but visually, they look so well coordinated and stylized, we cannot help but to take notice, and stare in awe!
In the next few days, I’ll share a few posts outlining the 10 celebrity women I think accessorize their personal brands with their baby the most/best.
Stay Tuned, but do drop me a note at jj (at) bellyitchblog.com if you have a candidate that should definitely be on this list.
As a work-from-home mom and blogger, I have a little more time in my day to sneak in a quick trip to the gym or an exercise class before my children come home from school and I have to start shuttling them to various sports and music practices.
Although I belong to one of those big chain gyms, I like to diversify my work out routines to prevent boredom and prefer to patronize smaller boutique gyms.
The problem: In the county I live in there are not that many at all. In fact, a few years back, I purchased a Class Pass, a fitness disruptor app that lets you book unlimited exercise classes at various boutique gyms in your region for one low monthly price of like $99. Sadly, I had to cancel my membership because there were so few options available in my county it stopped making sense to keep it.
I would book classes in DC or Northern Virginia or Montgomery County which seemed to have 10 boutique gyms per mile but would routinely arrive after classes started because of traffic, distance, parking and other issues.
Every. single.time. It was a money pit.
Fast forward a few years, and on my own, from walking my neighborhood and scrolling Instagram, I discovered that there are close to a dozen if not more boutique fitness studios right here in my county or very close to it.
I’ve been to some but not all.
Here are 10 I recommend :
Barre
Open Barre Studiosin College Park, Maryland is a quaint space located above the restaurants in a shopping center in the college town I live near and where I attended, the University of Maryland.
“Barre is not dance so much as it is a low-impact workout,” she said. “It takes elements of ballet and it incorporates it into the workout, but you absolutely don’t need to be a dancer to do it.”
I purchased a first timer pass which allowed for unlimited class for the two weeks for like $30 I think. Now that price is $45 or you can take just 3 classes for the $30. Drop in price is $14 per class so that’s still a $14 savings.
The staff is made up of a lot of students from the school as is most of the clientele. But there is a mix of stay-at-home local moms, retirees, and young professionals in the county who are excited to finally have a place to practice barre.
I might be wrong, but I believe this is the only barre studio in the entire county of about 1 million people! Crazy, right?
It has a ton of fun themed classes: Mommy and Me, Doggy and Me, Beyonce, 80s, 90s pop, sorority or fraternity, bring a significant other and more galore!
Also, the best part is the price point is perfect, starting at just $5 for the Happy Hour Barre classes on Fridays starting 4:30.
You cannot beat this anywhere in the tri-State area including Virginia and DC!
Students (and Alums) get the discount monthly price of $75 for unlimited classes which cost $99 for non-students.
I love this space and come as many times I can in given my and my kids’ hectic schedules.
Cross-Fit
Again, the pickings are slim in my county and I do not know of any studios in any other part of the county other than Cross Fit Hyattsville!
It is located in a spacious 5700 sq ft warehouse unit so there’s tons of room for a large pull-up rig, climbing ropes, rings, and 130 ft running lane that is also used for sled work, handstand walks, tire flipping and all the other crazy strength, conditioning and body building tools and apparatuses associated with Cross Fit training.
Membership is more of a price commitment at $145 per month for 9 classes but you save $10 if you commit to 3 months. For $170 you get unlimited classes as part of a 3-month commitment but that price jumps to $185 if you opt for month-to-month. Don’t worry, you can check it out for FREE!
Cycling
CYCLED – I recently discovered this two studio boutique cycling and exercise space while waiting for my son and daughter to get out of swim practice. One is located in Takoma Park, DC near the DC, Prince George’s and Montgomery County borders so it is centrally located for people in my county to get to and right next door to a Starbucks you can get a jolt of espresso from before your ride.
It also offers barre and yoga sculpt classes.
I finally got to check out a complimentary class last month and loved it! I got a great work out and even though I came in dead last (there is a competitive part and they email you your standing after class) I really enjoyed the experience. The music was booming and kept me hype and energized. The intimate space made the experience climatic!
Amenities include a towel at each bike for riders, spacious cubby lockers, a shower, coat racks and water station to refill a water bottle. The instructors are super nice, accommodating and tend to each individual student so you don’t ever have to feel intimidated or unsure if it’s your first class.
Rooftop spin classes at Cycled – Silver Spring!
I also got a chance to later check out the Soca Ride at its Silver Spring location, Sundays at 9 am taught by Grace S and had a ball! It was just after Trinidad Carnival so really got me going playing all the latest hits by Machel, Mister Killah, Patrice Roberts, Super Blue and even a mix of high energy pop and reggae in there.
The motto of the studio is “Less Cult, More Community” perhaps to take on the intense intimidation factor that occurs when newbies join a gym made up of die-hard fitness loyals to that particular gym.
Dr Shayla Cornick started the studio with just 11 bikes at her Silver Spring location before opening a second studio in Takoma Park.
Prices start at $20 per drop in and they offer generous discounts, and have other free class offers, as well as a challenge to encourage members to partner up and win prizes for going on rides.
Kickboxing
The iLoveKickboxing revolutionary system of gyms has a location in Hyattsville that I see always full of energetic members. The windows are blacked out by the dressing for privacy but I can still feel their power as I walk by.
To start is steal: $45 that includes boxing gloves and there is always a deal for much less on Groupon. After an initial class, the price may jump slightly but by then, I imagine you’re hooked. I love kickboxing and have been meaning to try this spot out too for a while. I think I will soon.
Pole Dancing
I took a class atMy Body Shop back in 2015 on my Class Passbecause it was one of like 3 studios in the county on that system (and still only 1 of three studios). The studio is spacious with cubbies in the back. There are ample poles and silks and lots of mirrors to check your form. They also teach chair physics, twerk and other forms of dance here.
The instructors were knowledgeable and nice but in the end, I found that it wasn’t the fitness routine for me because of my lack of faith in the pole and my upper body strength! ha!
Classes are $27 each and packages start at $89!
I think it’s still available on Class Pass. It hosts parties, workshops and has other fun events throughout the year and is located in the heart of Riverdale off 410.
No contract monthly packages for up to 8 regular classes and $10 specialty classes that normally cost $30 each are available for $89 which brings the cost down per class to about $11 and change! That’s a great deal and will force you to attend to get your money’s worth!
Total Body
The only small gym I am aware of that is south of the Hyattsville, College Park and Riverdale area is Torch Gym in Capitol Heights!
It is a 3,000 sf personal training venue that combines Weight Training, HIIT workouts, bootcamps, group fitness and personal training. Drop in prices start at $20 and 4-pack personal training sessions are $45 with longer commitment packages starting at $100
I’ve never been but am excited to see another part of the county have a boutique gym. It is relatively new as well and was founded in 2016!
Yoga
There are a few more yoga studio options in the county, with a lot of them heavily concentrated in the Hyattsville, Baltimore Avenue-Route 1 Arts District corridor.
Kendra Blackett-Dibinga, owner of Bikram Yoga Works
Bikram Yoga Works – Kendra Blackett-Dibingaowns this Riverdale studio that has been a regular staple in the community for several years. It started with hot yoga and recently expanded to include pilates. The studio started when Kendra’s husband and co-owner, Omekongo, who was suffering from chronic groin pain and residual basketball injuries, turned to yoga as a holistic, non-medicinal and non surgical option.
It now boasts 6 locations in the county and DC (and Boston) and elite athlete training options, cryotherapy, fascial stretch therapy and hot barre at its Ivy City locale.
Classes start at just $10 per month and new students can get unlimited access at an introductory offer of just $45!
Love Yoga Studio is a nurturing family-friendly space in Hyattsville, Maryland that is also relatively new. Classes are capped at 12 to ensure max attention from instructors. The prices start at $17 but you can get an unlimited pass for a week for just $3 more! That’s a bargain and great incentive to squeeze in as many sessions as you can that week.
I have never been to this studio but judging from the positive reviews on Google and Yelp, I am eager to check it out! Adult classes include: Beginners, Prenatal, Yin, Hatha, Vinyasa Flow, Alignment, and Community yoga classe
Yoga Works is a community studio located three blocks West of Route 1, nestled in Hyattsville’s Historic District with a view of Gallatin Street Park. It caters to families of all ages, and especially neighborhood regulars.
Its certified teachers offer classes in Vinyasa, Hatha, Prenatal Yoga, Pilates, and our newest additions, Yogalates and Feldenkrais. Classes are reasonably priced at just $15 per class and $130 for a 13 weeks. It only accepts Cash or Checks. Interesting limitation in this digital world but alas, it is what it is.
NON BOUTIQUE BUT TRENDY
Orange Theory is not a boutique spot but rather a very popular chain. It has a national reputation and just opened up one of its newest locations on Route 1 in College Park.
It is billed as an experience: “a science-backed, technology-tracked, coach-inspired group workout with personalized results…led by a personal trainer, this hour-long HIIT class incorporates cardio, indoor rowers, weight training blocks, and floor exercises designed to give you results from the inside out for a longer, more vibrant life.” Wow! Okay. Sure. I haven’t gone to this one either but wanted to put it out there as an option.
It’s a bit pricier at $28 per drop in class and $225 for a 10 pack session. I sense that members are full in similar to Soul Cycle and other trendy national gym chains.
That is it for now! I am happy to update this post if any of the owners spot any discrepancies. Also, I’m happy to append it with my own personal experience later.
You might have heard of Mommy and Me fashion, but over on Instagram, a relatively new trend has emerged: Family and Me, curated accounts featuring families in coordinated clothing.
Just when we thought our absolute fave was Dominique the blogger and photographer behind the site “All That Is She” who includes pics of her daughters in her stream using the magic of photoshop and other creative post-photo tricks to create very innovative photos….
We discover The Lewis’s, a traveling family that is tres fashionable as well. Catch the troupe of seven, including their adorable pooch, daily on their family stream looking super cute and coordinated.
From stalking the feed, it appears, the account first only featured mom in her chic outfits and was a traditional fashion Gram. Then starting Halloween, with a very popular post featuring the family as Star Wars characters, she continued the trend on her feed. First, only with her and the kids, then later dad joined in the fun.
Independence Day is around the corner and for many, that means trips to the beach of the pool. There are tons of very cute swim options for girls and boys out nowadays. The variety and style make it super fun and easy to get dressed up in mommy and Me or daddy and me fashion.
This Seersucker swimsuit for $24.99 on an adult though this version by Gymboree only comes in sizes 3 to 6 months to 12.
Independence Day is around the corner and for many, that means trips to the beach of the pool. There are tons of very cute swim options for girls and boys out nowadays. The variety and style make it super fun and easy to get dressed up in mommy and Me or daddy and me fashion.
This Seersucker swimsuit for $24.99 on an adult though this version by Gymboree only comes in sizes 3 to 6 months to 12.
