Celebrity moms-to-be and recent moms tweet support of Oklahoma tornado victims

Some of our past and present 2013 Bellyitch Bumpwatch moms have been using their influence on Twitter by encouraging their millions of followers to pitch in and help support the victims of yesterday's deadly Oklahoma tornado which left over 20 dead including children. A simple tweet sent by people with large followings can do much to raise awareness to a national tragedy. 

Some responded to the tweets asking what happened and others retweeted to their own followers, thereby widening the knowledge base.

Here are tweets from 7 of the moms we followed this year.

You can text REDCROSS to 90999 to help #Oklahoma.
— Busy Philipps (@Busyphilipps25) May 21, 2013

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#Repost praying for everyone affected by the devastation that's taken place in Oklahoma @redcrossokc… instagram.com/p/ZjzZTTzaQa/
— Monica(@MonicaBrown) May 21, 2013

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Prayers go out to all of the victims in OKC.How horrible....
— Courtney Lopez (@CourtneyMLopez) May 20, 2013

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My thoughts and prayers to the victims of the #moore tornado! Just heartbreaking!
— Beverley Mitchell (@beverleymitchel) May 21, 2013

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My goodness, I had not seen all this tragedy in Oklahoma until I got home just now. My heart goes out to everyone there. How heartbreaking
— Jamie-Lynn Sigler (@JamieLSigler) May 21, 2013

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I just donated to Oklahoma Tornado Victims Fund via @ryotnews ryot.org/campaigns/okla…
— Kristen Bell(@IMKristenBell) May 21, 2013

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Praying for everyone in Oklahoma right now.
— CaCee Cobb (@caceecobb) May 20, 2013

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Oklahoma Tornado AfterMath: 5 Steps to talking to children about tragedy without saying too much

5-year old Magen Stanley, 5, walks away from her grandparents destroyed home after a tornado hit the area in Oklahoma City

In light of yesterday's deadly Oklahoma tornado where at least 20 children were among 51 (and counting) people to have died and other recent tragedies and sadly, those to come, here is a wonderful primer that Aupair.Org asked us to share with our readers. It provides some basic suggestions to help guide parents through a difficult conversation. 

1. Answer Questions Honestly Encourage your children to ask you any questions that they may have, but make sure that you’re not prompting those questions and inadvertently giving them new things to worry about. Your child’s imagination is rich and fertile, making it very easy for scary new ideas to take root and become problematic. Guiding the conversation and prompting questions can be counterproductive because it can bring up concepts and points that he wasn’t even considering before. Don’t lie or evade the truth when you’re questioned directly, but try not to introduce new concerns.
2. Keep the Conversations Age-Appropriate For older children, knowing what happened and why is more important than it is for younger children, who are essentially self-involved at earlier stages of development and typically only need confirmation that they are being protected. It’s just as important to avoid talking to your older child as if he were too young to fully understand the situation as it is to avoid giving your young child too much information to comfortably deal with. Tailoring your responses to the developmental and maturity level of your child is the best way to make sure that he’s getting what he needs out of the conversation without being overloaded with details he’s too young to process.
3. Offer Reassurance and Comfort Whether you have an anxious preschooler or a tween who’s trying to assert her independence, your child will need to be comforted and reassured that every possible effort is being made to ensure their safety. Older children who are more capable of grasping the concept of tragic situations can also benefit from an explanation about how adults and people in positions of power are making the effort to learn from a tragedy, ensuring that another one like it doesn’t occur. Be sure that you let your children know that it’s okay to feel their emotions and to acknowledge them, and that you offer them comfort.
4. Determine How Much They Already Know Before approaching a serious conversation about a tragic event, especially a violent one, it’s best to determine how much your child actually knows. If the version of events that she’s heard came from a classmate or peer, there’s a fairly good chance that there are at least some inaccuracies that you’ll need to correct. Knowing which angle to approach the conversation from will require you to know what you’re dealing with, so encourage kids to tell you what they think happened before beginning any explanations.
5. Be Prepared to Revisit the Conversation Some children may feel reassured and comforted after one conversation on the subject of a tragedy, while others need to be periodically reminded that they’re being protected to the best of everyone’s abilities. Treating a conversation about devastating national or local events as a floating dialogue that can be reopened at any moment can help your child understand that he can come to you when he’s feeling scared or anxious, and that you’ll try to help him in any way that you can.

Deadly tornado rips through Oklahoma suburb, killing 51 including 7 children

Tonight, our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Moore, Oklahoma who have suffered devastating loss of life and property after a deadly tornado ripped through a suburban neighborhood there.  An estimated 51 people are known dead including 7 schoolchildren from the Plaza Towers Elementary School. The storm ripped the  roof off of their school building and caused many of the walls to collapse. Our hearts break for the parents dealing with their loss and those who are not sure if any of their missing 25 children also perished in the storm. 

First responders were combing through the wreckage in search for survivors but they are losing hope in finding more. The  National Weather Service said the tornado's preliminary classification was an EF-4, with winds up to 200 mph.

Tragic.

Host Tracy Morgan's fiancee Megan Wollover bumps it on Billboard's blue carpet

 There was another blooming baby bump on the blue carpet of the 2013 Billboard Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada last night, May 19.

It was  Megan Wollover,  the fiance of the show's host, 30 Rock's Tracy Morgan. The two shared a smooch in front of the cameras.  The couple recently celebrated their impending arrival at an intimate baby shower in New Jersey. This will be Wollover's first child, a girl. Morgan has three sons from previous relationships.

People-Dennis Samatulski

People reports guests were treated to "a four-course meal that included flatbreads, sirloin sliders, veal Marsala  chicken Parmesan  pasta and more... cake and mini cannoli as well as a chocolate fondue fountain and candy bar."

Nice.

5 Tips for Avoiding too much pregnancy weight gain

It's quite easy to gain too much weight during your pregnancy. Staying within the guidelines is another thing. FoxNews Health gave it a shot in a recent piece, stressing the importance of moms-to-be taking control of their and well being and get educated. Here is a snippet of the main tips:

1. Know the guidelines - Even if you’re already overweight, weight loss should never be your goal during pregnancy, according to Dweck.  Instead, follow the Institute of Medicine’s guidelines for pregnancy weight gain, which are based on your body mass index (BMI). So if your BMI is normal, aim to gain 25 to 35 pounds; if you’re overweight stay within 15 to 25 pounds, and if you’re obese, 11 to 20 pounds.
2. Take your vitamins- To make sure you’re getting the right amount of nutrients, look for a prenatal vitamin with 1 milligram of folic acid, iron and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). A good prenatal should also have 1200 milligrams of calcium and 600 to 1,000 milligrams of vitamin D.
3. Eat a balanced diet- It’s important to eat regular meals throughout the day to keep your blood sugar steady and your energy levels up. Johnson recommended eating every two to four hours depending on how hungry you are.  It’s OK to give into your cravings, but try to put the focus on eating lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy. Instead of eating foods loaded with saturated fats, opt for those with heart healthy fats like salmon, avocado, nuts and seeds. Drink plenty of water and nix soda, juice and sugary drinks. “Those are empty calories; they’re never going to make you feel full,” Dweck said.
4. Talk to an expert- If you’re worried about your weight or your diet, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about nutrition and exercise – ideally before you get pregnant.  Pregnancy is not the time to start an exercise program, Dweck said.
5. Don’t look at the scale- Is the number on the scale creeping higher every week despite your best efforts? Don’t fret, said Johnson, who noted that your weight doesn’t matter if you’re making healthy choices, paying attention to portion sizes and exercising. “If women follow that advice, they can save themselves a lot of stress,” she said.

Jay-Z confirms Beyonce is not pregnant

Beyonce performs Sat May 18 in Milan, Italy with no baby bump

We're so glad we didn't bite on supposed confirmed sources leaking news of Beyonce's pregnancy to E-Online. Many reputable sites and news organizations did and widely reported that Bey is pregnant with her second child. Several articles were written as if the news was confirmed by Bey and Jay themselves, when it was not. 

What sparked the rumor was the Givenchy dress the pop R&B queen wore during this month's Met Ball conspicuously covered her midsection. Also, Beyonce had given an interview recently saying she did want more children. Then, last week, she had to postpone a tour date in Belgium citing exhaustion and dehydration. 

All the signs pointed to a pregnancy. 

Not true, says Jay-Z, in an email to New York City's Hot97 program director Ebro Darden. He revealed that after he offered his congratulations on the new pregnancy , Jay-Z replied back that the rumors were "not true" and that Beyonce is not indeed pregnant.

Beyonces own mother, Tina Knowles, had also denied the rumor earlier.

"It's gonna happen...when it's time, but not right now," Knowles told Access Hollywood on May 13.

Beyonce herself addressed the rumors on her Instagram account, but deleted it after. 

"I can't stop the rumors from starting, and I can't really change peoples minds who believe them, all I can do is sit back and laugh at these low life people who have nothing better to do than talk about me.," she wrote, the Toronto Sun reported.

We'll see if the denial is true. Time will only tell, right?

Beyonce in Milan this weekend sans bump per rumored pregnancy

So far, photos, like the one above of her performing in Milan last weekend do not seem to reveal any signs of a bump. 

Check out the video below from the video taping of the radio broadcast:

Mobile App Monday: 3 Parenting Apps you should know about

 

Let's call it Mobile Apps Monday because we've got three parenting mobile apps to share that you should know about.

Allowance Manager is a free tool that can be used on a desktop, tablet or mobile device that introduces children to the concept of basic money management and empowers parents to track their children's allowance money. The program automatically credits the child's accounts each week with allowance money. When a kid receives money from allowance, birthday gift or some other source, parents can update the application with the new money and track when it is spent. The company that creates the app recently added a Manager Pro version. For $5.75, kids can get a pre-paid, pin-protected, reloadable Allowance Card. The card can be used as a credit card but is not tied to a child's credit report because it really is just a debit card. There is no risk in harming a credit history and the card even limits the ability of a child to make certain purchases.  Parents can schedule automatic, recurring deposits into the Allowance card and never have to be worried about being hassled for money. It's a unique way to encourage independence in a controlled framework and could teach children money management skills they can use later on in life. 

Sign up at AllowanceManager.com.

The Vaccination Scheduler is a free mobile only iPhone app that helps parents track and record their children's vaccination history. The app comes preloaded with all of the recommended vaccinations suggested by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parents simply need to input their child's name and birth date and the app sends them an alarm message warning them of every 

 upcoming vaccination appointment for their first 10 years. The Vaccination Scheduler just launched last October and is the first app created by  new tech company, Babeenotes, which focuses on developing mobile solutions to help parents manage their kids' health needs. 

Get it at iTunes. 

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Birdseesapp is an app designed to help parents teach their 3 to 8 year olds about the birds and the bees. The re is an accompanying eBook that has the same information in colorful, well-written, instructions for parents. The corresponding apps are interactive and can be uses as tools to help parents facilitated learning with their children.  The intent is to ease the pressure of discussing complex and complicated subjects and make the learning fun. One may pause over the idea of teaching a toddler about sex, but research supports that children who learn about their body parts may also be better able to respond to inappropriate touching. Further, opening that line of communication with a child will empower them to reach out to their parents if they were to be touched inappropriately.  The eBooks are $5.99 each and about 1/3 of the app is free, but there is an upgrade to full functionality that cost $12.99.

Learn more at www.birdeesapp.com

Take a gander at these apps and see if any appeal to you and can help you in your parenting adventure! Good Luck!