News

Major Network Reality TV Casting: Show About Searching for Your Child’s Dad

Posted on November 13, 2017

If you are a solo parent who has lost track of your child’s father and aren’t shy about expanding your search before the public, you can consider auditioning for a new show by Squeaky Wheel Casting, an agency which has cast for reality TV shows on HGTV, BravoTV, TLC, Spike, Food Network, Oxgyen, Lifetime channels and more.

The new lifestyle series which is being cast on behalf of a “big time network” will take viewers through the process of a single mom or mom-to-be who is trying to track down her child’s dad.

Now this would apply for those who had a one-night stand that resulted in a pregnancy, or someone who got pregnant for a former lover or partner and for one reason or another failed to inform him of his fatherhood. Or maybe, the dad was aware but dipped out of the picture to avoid responsibility.

If this fits your situation and you’re cool about being on TV, you can contact casting agent at [email protected] or fill out this FORM HERE!!

Do let us know on our socials Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram if you get cast! We would love to follow your story and root you on your journey!

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Reviews

Santa HQ at Tyson’s Corner Center Mall In Va Is A Must Visit This Season

Posted on November 12, 2017

This weekend, I headed down to the Tyson’s Corner Center Mall to attend the launch kick off event of its Santa HQ, an interactive, and engaging exhibit featuring virtual reality, social media and other engaging experiences, essentially an enhanced Santa’s workshop for the digital era..

It was a fun family mid-afternoon spent decorating Nestle‘s Tollhouse cookies, listening to a local school band perform, getting complimentary face painting and touring Santa’s Observatory near the Nordstrom entrance in the mall.

The tour kicks off with kids (and adults if they like) being “scanned” as they arrive to determine if they’ve been “naughty or nice.” Your name appears on the Nice list if you’re lucky enough to make it!

Complimentary selfie sticks are available to borrow while walking through the observatory to take photos. Guests can use special tablets to view Santa’s magical world – the night sky or Santa’s elves at work. They appear like holograms before your eyes!

But right before entering the observatory, your kids can stop off and take an “ELFIE” (a photo opp as a dancing elf).

Download the Elfie or Elf-Ray Visions app from the Apple or Google Play store onto your phone, tablet or other mobile device and the walk thru becomes an even more magical experience as trigger stations throughout the exhibit ignite animations that come to life through the device and before your eyes. It’s quite magical!

At the end, families can take a photo in front of a screen of gifts and kids get to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what they want for Christmas. Prices start at $39.99 for the photo.

I have been to a lot of holiday exhibits in the area and over the years and I must say this is one of the best Santa experiences in the #DMV (DC, MD, VA area)

Kids get a coloring book as a parting gift and parents can drop off a toy for a toy drive for needy area families while there. That equals fun and altruism all in one fun afternoon. Can’t beat that!

I read in a recent report that suburban malls are on the downturn because millennials in the GenY generation prefer living in the city and shopping online, but that prognosis does not apply to this mall!

It has so many amazing and different stores and is electrifying and bustling in there with lots of options and two food courts! Go #ShopTysons.

As a takeaway and gift for coming down to explore this year’s exhibit, the nice people at Tyson’s gifted me a wonderful gift bag filled with goodies from Origins, a sample of beauty products from Inglot which also provided complimentary make up touch ups for moms before the Santa photo, a couple of free admissions tickets to Tysons Ice Rink at the Plaza, and the latest copy of HGTV magazine, which is a sponsor of the Observatory experience.

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Parenting

Back to School: Dad Creates Awesome Product for Homesick First Year College Coeds

Posted on August 6, 2015

Continuing in our trend of highlighting parent inventors and creators, we’re showcasing another innovator :

James Oliver, Jr, the dad Blogger from trepLifeDad, spends some of his times balancing family life with his wife and brand new twins and catapulting a StartUp venture to the next level.

The Brooklyn native’s company WeMontage is the homesickness cure for your first year college kid who needs vibrant reminders of home and family to keep spirits lifted during long spans of time away from the comforts of home and close family.

Oliver put his accounting degree from Morehouse College and MBA from UNC-Chapel Hill to good use after becoming inspired by a HGTV episode that featured an interior designer decorating a wall with photos using a DIY method.

He graduated from a prestigious tech accelerator program, gener8tor, and from there raised capital to launch and fund the company.

Currently, WeMontage is the only website that allows users to upload their favorite photos, create a custom photo collage, and print them out onto large, removable wallpaper with adhesive backing.

And considering that universities and landlords usually do not allow college dorm rooms or rental apartment units to have too many holes in the walls, WeMontage’s removable adhesives are perfect!

Besides curing ills of that homesick Freshmen, the decorative walls are also a very unique way to decorate one wall of your new baby’s nursery or even an older child’s play room.

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Recreate nostalgic memories from your wedding, graduation or other precious life moment in an office den, man cave or other work or play room; or in a campus locker room, gym or other area.

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And there are various options to cover smaller areas as well. Very cool.

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To create beautiful wall montages, all you need is a straight edge. Oliver recommends having a friend help with installation for larger spaces, but guarantees that the entire process would take under 15 minutes.

Simply, determine what space you want the enlarged images to go, while taking into consideration other colors and decorative elements of the room. The final product is delivered to your door on a canvas-like paper with a matte finish can be attached and removed from flat walls and textured surfaces without causing damage.

And there is social consciousness to Oliver’s company as well. WeMontage recently donated 100 photo montages to college freshmen to fight homesickness.

Nice!

Oliver is working on raising more awareness of his fabulous product and utilizes a team of two part time developers and a publicist to help him get the word out. He was recently featured as Dad of the Week on The Mom’s radio show on Sirius/XM and is about to launch a project with BlogHer and SheKnows following his very moving reading of his Voices of the Year article about his son during this year’s BlogHer conference.

Good stuff.

If you’d like to give it a try for free, head on over to WeMontage and sign up and if you eventually purchase, you get 30% off the product thru next Thursday, August 13th if you use our code “bellyitch30”!

Please send us a photo to see your project once up to contact (at)bellyitchblog.com! Thanks!

photos: courtesy WeMontage

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BumpNews

Holiday Guests are Coming: Your Housewares Checklist

Posted on November 24, 2014

As the holiday season fast approaches, many families will find themselves hosting relatives and friends inside their homes. Doing so may require them to do a inventory of their household items and stock up, where necessary, to make sure they aren’t handing out raggedy towels and setting up their guests to sleep on stained linen.

Home and Garden TV (HGTV) personality Carley Knobloch offered the 6 checklist items on The Fashion Spot.

Check out the full post here.

Here are some tips from our partners at Rue La La:

And the folks at Healthy Sole have something for you germaphobes who usually ask people to remove their shoes before coming into your light carpeted for freshly waxed floors. Their HealthySole device is an elegant “first to market” device that leaves up to 99% of infectious germs at the door – not on the soles of shoes. Step on this sleek, innovative mechanism (looks similar to a bathroom scale) that uses green UVC technology to disinfect shoes from bacteria and viruses in a little as 7 to 10 seconds. Interesting!

Good luck and Happy Shopping!

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