The World of Blogging

January 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment

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I had a conversation with my sister yesterday and in her normal way, she had critical opinions on the fact that I “blog about me” and “who wants to hear about your kids”. I still can’t help but chuckle at the conversation because I know she doesn’t get it, nor do I care if she gets it. But I asked myself why do I blog?

It is an outlet for me- I do like writing and I’ve spent years trying to write in the kids journals or about what happens in the craziness of life so I’ll remember and well, blogging so far is the only method that lets me record the little things in my life that I appreciate and find funny, sad or mad so I can look back and say oh yeah…

Other moms enjoy reading and feeling that they are not alone and they are not the only one that is trying to pull polly pockets shirt on for a child while they just try to take a shower at one in the aftnoon. Basically- this is real life, not what you see on T.V. and what you “thought” parenthood was about.

It’s a link to my business- yes for those that don’t understand the internet or the technical pieces having fresh blog content that gets “pinged” everyday does make a difference.

Make money- See those GOOGLE adds on the side? Click one for me - it doesn’t cost you a penny but it puts a little bit of change in my bank account and pays all my website fees. Pay it forward- click a whole lot for me :)))) I don’t want to get Google slapped for click fraud, only click if your interested in the ad. wink wink

Affiliate links- sorry to shock you, but yes, I do embed affiliate links in some of my posts so when you buy a product I recommend or click thru another business cuts me a check. SHOCKER! Not really, I know affiliate marketing is a huge piece of “making money online”. However, I do have strong ethics and I will only promote or mention products that add value, I have used and trust or that I am really interested in. I won’t tell you to go buy something just so I get $2.00 in my checking account because then you will think I’m full of malarchy and won’t come back, then my traffic drops, yadda yadda so for the short run check the sidebar for the RESOURCE page and you will find a ton of resources in various areas and see what you can use!

And finally my last point, I don’t care what you think. If you don’t want to read about my “little life in a 10 mile radius where I stay home 12 hours a day with little kids” then don’t but for those that do enjoy having a cup of tea, having a laugh or picking up a little business advice that may save you time or money then go ahead and click below to get a FEED. Either way, I’m going to keep up blogging as my personal self expression but you won’t find me Pushing it on people in every conversation I have (matter of fact I rarely mention it offline), I won’t carry pictures of my blog site, I won’t have my husband or kids re-arrange their schedules to fit my blogging “schedule”.

And if I’m the only “self centered” one then so be it, because like I said, I don’t care what you think anyway.

New Baby,Blogging, and Motherhood
by: Jim DeSantis

Blogging with a new baby sounds a little nuts and is likely to be the last thing on your mind but it may just be the relief valve you need.

I put mothers on a very high pedestal. Even though I am a father and a grandfather, I really have no clue just how tough it is taking care of an infant. I know it’s an almost incredible amount of work, and between changing diapers and keeping the nursery squared away it seems unrealistic to imagine that there would be time left over for any mother to blog. However, a growing number of moms are joining the blogosphere to share their experiences during this exciting and challenging time of life. There are a whole range of benefits that mothers can gain from blogging, and the spectrum covers everything from getting through the night to helping distant relatives feel closer, not to mention maintaining your sanity.

What is a blog and why is blogging such a great idea? A blog is nothing more than a daily journal, diary, if you will, of your thoughts and experiences. You write about them, in your own words, and post them online in your blog. Your readers then can comment and start a communication link with you. Best of all, blogging is free.

I run multiple free blogs and can tell you that blogging is a tremendous way to relieve stress and interact with others. It focuses me away from my daily routine and stresses. See my Author Box below for the link to my blog on Family Life to get an idea of what I am talking about. That blog is free on Blogger.com. There are other sources for free blogs but that’s getting ahead of ourselves for this article.

For a mom dealing with the hassles and triumphs of a baby, blogging about your motherhood is a great way to blow off some steam or just to share some of the joys of motherhood. Your blogging may even help new mothers get through the trials and tribulations of their first infant.

If your baby often has very erratic sleep patterns that leave you up at odd hours of the night, blogging may just be the best way to fill those hours. Many moms turn to television to help them weather these dawn vigils but, by blogging through the night, moms can turn what feels like a somewhat depressing situation into an actively positive and productive one through blogging.

Another reason why moms often find blogging very satisfying is that it helps them to be a part of a community. For moms who are unable to successfully juggle a full social life with the very tough demands of taking care of a new baby, blogging can be a great way to stave off the isolation that sometimes comes during this stage of life.

A baby requires constant attention, and it can be difficult to attend social gatherings or events when you are responsible for an infant. Luckily, the internet is full of other moms in the same situation, and by chatting with them it is possible to overcome

some of the loneliness that many new mothers are surprised to encounter. If you are a new mother, you can learn from experienced mothers. If you are experienced, you can pass along your wisdom to the new mothers. In that process of exchange you all break the patterns of stress and isolation.

Of course, for a mom with an adorable new baby, blogging can be as much about celebration as it is about necessity. Having a blog about living with a new child can give mothers the chance to reflect on how powerful and warm the sensation of motherhood is, and sometimes sharing the triumphs of this unique time can make them even sweeter.

A blog is a great way to keep friends and family updated with news about your baby’s first words or first steps, and with new technology it is easier than ever to make photos and video clips a part of your blog, so you can give far-away relatives the chance to feel much more involved in your child’s life. Many email services now have the ability to email videos. You simply load the video onto your computer, attach it electronically, and your relatives get to see your baby is live action.

Blogging, at first, may seem a bit intimidating. Look for someone, a close relative who is computer savvy, to teach you the ins and outs or spend some time online in those wee hours surfing the internet for information about blogging. There is a ton a free tutorials online that will cut your learning curve and soon you can be a blogging whiz!

Jim DeSantis
Proud father and grandfather

About The Author

Jim DeSantis

For more free tips like this go to Jim’s Family Life blog at http://on-line-tribune-family-life.blogspot.com. For ebooks on this subject, visit Jim’s http://libraryfordummys.jdanswers.com eBooks website!

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Posted by Kristen | Filed Under Chaos of Life, Small Business Blogging

Fused Plastic Bag Craft

January 25, 2008 | 1 Comment

Ohhh BOY, I can not wait to try this craft! I’m so excited about this wonderful way to reuse all the plastic bags under my kitchen sink (besides picking up dog poop) that I guess my biggest challenge will be just finding the time!

I think I’m pretty crafty but how do people discover these cool things? This is right up there with my bowl made out of a vinyl record… even though my husband is still mad that I used on of his “classics” (like he missed it out of that attic box until he saw my bowl!).

Check out this craft and I’ll post a picture as soon as I get something made! Maybe I’ll try the baby bib first! ETSY HERE for the text tutorial or click below to check out a video

Like my Post? Maybe you would like to Buy Mama A Java! It will help to keep me reading, writing and scooping out the info

Posted by Kristen | Filed Under Chaos of Life

How to add Social Bookmarks to Blog

January 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment

I added the social bookmarks today at the end of each post. Partly because I wanted to see how to do it, partly because I think it makes it easier for readers to do a quick add- hint, hint…. go ahead, Stumble Me, I know you want to ! wink wink

So you ask, HOW did I add this vast array of social bookmarks to my post? Well, let me tell you.

First. I had to Google “Add social bookmarks”- you have to learn somehow right? And since you’re here, and I’m telling you how to do it then I just saved you a step.

2. I’ll clarify that I use wordpress uploaded on my own host. So, if you use another blog method, sorry, back to the first step of Google. Too bad 4 u!

Three. I visited this site Apostolos Dountis web site for the plugin download.

4- I downloaded the Social Bookmark Tool to my computer.

5-I opened up my control panel, found the plugin folder and uploaded the zipped file

6-I unzipped the file and moved into the Social Bookmark folder (that I created) under the plugins folder

7- Enter into my blog dashboard - plugins- poof, there it is! I activated it then followed the directions to go to OPTIONs tab and customized what bookmarks I wanted to include. I never heard of some of those, and you can get really crazy with buttons but for now I added more then I most likely need but it’s a new “toy” to experiment with.

The whole process took under 10 minutes, was FREE and I’ll see if it adds any value. The only one that it didn’t have was Twitter. So I’ll keep checking around for a Twitter button since that is a topic I’m interested in. GOOD LUCK!

Like my Post? Maybe you would like to Buy Mama A Java! It will help to keep me reading, writing and scooping out the info

Posted by Kristen | Filed Under Chaos of Life

Consumer Letter You Can’t Miss

January 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Well, I got sucked into the various blogs in the wide wide world and I found this post… I’m speechless.

Maybe because my husband gives me a hard time when I sent “a letter” to a company, like the one I sent to the generic kids “washable” paint that I bought and it didn’t come out of any of the kids clothes and it completely ruined their clothes… yeah.. never heard back from that one…. But I did get three boxes of those little 100 calorie bags of snacks the other day and three bags out of the six were EMPTY- just poofed full of air and of course at over $2.00 a box and half of it was just air, you bet my tootie I was calling that customer service number on the box. I give them credit, they sent me coupons for free boxes at their quality control cliche.

Back to the post that got me on this subject. You have to check it out for a giggle

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Posted by Kristen | Filed Under Chaos of Life

7 Common Mistakes when Women Start a Business

January 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment

From all my networking, consultations and my own lessons about a women starting a business, I found these very common (and some obvious) mistakes business women make that could cost them their business dream.

Lack of Plan
Failure to pay attention to the numbers
Try to do it all and be all to everyone
Spend too much
Don’t have a business mentor
Lack of Self Confidence
Fail to find the right niche or do the appropriate market research

Bonus Failure: Don’t understand the difference between markting, advertising, & public relations

Like my Post? Maybe you would like to Buy Mama A Java! It will help to keep me reading, writing and scooping out the info

Posted by Kristen | Filed Under Chaos of Life

Kids and Television

January 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Going on Day 7 of being home bound with sick kids.. eeeikkkk… so with plenty of time to think and little adult interaction I find myself thinking about two popular topics. The first being Kids and the effects of Television the second being Kids and the effects of over the counter medicine.

I’ll hit the T.V. topic in this post. I found this website The Parent BLOG that shows the specifics of a study on kids in different study groups and their findings when kids watch various shows.

I find this interesting because I’m actually torn on the T.V. topic. I don’t like my kids watching a TON of T.V. and we do go thru phases. There are days that they don’t even ask for a show and there are other days when they want it on all day. However, the days when it is on I find they are busy doing other things and may glance at it for a few minutes here or there.

I have to admit my six year old loves the most violent shows like Star Wars and Power Rangers but he also has this amazing love of the History channel. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since he has wanted to be “an Army man” for the last two years. I dare you to quiz him on the Civil War or World War II because he most likely would woop you in trivia. He can also explain how and why they sink old battleships to create ocean reefs and various other topics that is covered on the History or Discovery channel.

The funny thing about Drew is that he can watch old war movies, Darth Vadar melt into lava or other “violent” shows but he hates movies like “Hook” or “ELF” because they both have scenes where the baby is lost from his mom. We can go into another whole psycho analysis of this I guess and I’m sure it will come back in 20 years that I did something wrong as a mom and ruined him for life. That always seems to be the excuse of adults who don’t want to take ownership for their actions.

I guess I shouldn’t justify T.V. watching but I add points that we watch it together in the kitchen while we are playing at the counter with legos, coloring, play dough and it gives us good topics of discussions and they ask really good questions.

Then again, there was a teacher at the kids school who advised my neighbor that she should not be letting her third grader watch the evening news. I have strong feelings on that topic as well. I watch the five oclock news when I’m making dinner and if the kids are in the kitchen with me, well , they see it too. They are really good at the weather forcast! While I am watchful of the headlines and stories that they hear I don’t believe in sheltering them totally from the outside world. Another touchy subject I know, but again, we discuss the topics and they ask good questions and I personally like that my kids know there are bad people and they need to be aware of certain situations or that sometimes good people make bad choices or that house is on fire because kids were touching matches when they shouldn’t be.. hmm hmm hummm and we talk about those as well.

The whole topic can go into so many directions and there are more studies I can count on Kids and Television and they all seem to battle the others findings so I will continue to stick to my gut instict and be an imperfect mom.

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Posted by Kristen | Filed Under Chaos of Life

Must Have Gift 4 the Sugar Tooth

January 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment

I have found my new “splurge” that is ohhh so good. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner you will have to check out Fretzels. These gourmet hand dipped, large pretzels come in a variety of flavors and package options.

Peanut Butter Fretzel

I even like that Jill, the Founder, will make special orders for corporate events and favors.

Perfect for Baby Shower Favors or Teacher Gifts, it is a gift that will go to good use. The company has done a fantastic job in it’s overall branding scheme with classy upscale look that matches the bigger price tag (then what I would normally pay for a pretzel) but without doubt well worth it.

If you are seeking to impress that special someone, order them a Fretzel of the Month membership. That would have won me over hands down (guess I’m easy to please!)

The flavor of this month?

Pomegranate Bellini
A sweet toast to 2008…with a twist!

Creamy white chocolate infused with a bubbly burst of champagne flavor, dusted with sparkling sugar crystals, and drizzled with sweet pomegranate flavored red chocolate.

How does she come up with these things? How can you NOT want to try that?

Like my Post? Maybe you would like to Buy Mama A Java! It will help to keep me reading, writing and scooping out the info

Posted by Kristen | Filed Under Chaos of Life

Work at Home Solutions

January 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Work at Home solutions are available scam free, but it is still work, and you must be a bit of a workaholic like me to make it profitable.

Trying to understand where to start is often one of the hardest steps for people, then getting up the guts to “Just Do It” is a close a second.

Below are a few ideas to help you identify a potential work at home solution that will fit your lifestyle.

First, if you have a job already and you are a good employee, have a conversation with your managment to see if a telecommuting job would be possible. Depending on the company you work for they may have strict rules about what is allowed or not but it’s worth a conversation.

Ebay, everyone knows you can sell your own household items or your friends for some extra cash. I personally have become a bit dischanted with Ebay, once upon a time I made some good extra spending money but with fee increases and the number of “ebay businesses” that have saturated the auctions I find I don’t make much money there. But there are plenty that do and if you find yourself in a good niche, give it a whirl for awhile and see what you can do.

Blog it baby, it’s all the rage! Build a loyal enough following and generate some traffic and you can make extra money with multiple income streams including paid membership areas, google adwords, selling advertising space, product reviews and affiliate programs (you get commission on any readers following your recommended product/service). You need traffic, traffic, traffic and make a commitment to post good quality content on a regular basis.

Create and offer your own product, I offer my own product the Tubby Bundle baby bath towel apron on my own website as well as with retailers. Of course, there is a lot more financial commitment and logistics to offering your own physical product when you consider manufacturing, legal, and distribution channels but if you can make the numbers work it’s well worth it.

Perhaps you don’t want to deal with manufacturing and production, an info product may suit you fine if you have expertise in a niche area. This can be created and sold online with various techniques - google auto marketing for a wealth of information and programs to help you get your product in front of cyber customers.

The next option- mail order- for an ecommerce site includes a full catalog of products that are dropshipped for you. This means you find products from manufacturers who for a higher price then wholesale but lower then retail will ship their product to your customer. You will need a good tracking system since one customer may order three items from three different manufactures so you need to work out your pricing to take shipping cost into consideration and you need to be sure they are good manufacturers that will do as they promise since it’s your business reputation on the line with the customer.

Work at home as a customer service representative. This option may be tricky if you have small children (or barking dogs) since you need a quiet environment and it often requires you to purchase additional tools like a seperate phone line.

Like my Post? Maybe you would like to Buy Mama A Java! It will help to keep me reading, writing and scooping out the info

Posted by Kristen | Filed Under Chaos of Life

Movie Review Day

January 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Since this is offically the “sick house” we don’t have any visitors coming in and none of us are leaving so basically the five of us (I’m not counting the baby) are wearing thin on eachother.

Does that sound bad? Is a mother supposed to say that? After five days in the house with everyone being crabby, sick and demanding and no sleep I’ll give myself permission to say that this once about my family.

This afternoon we had a family day on the couch and watched “Transformers” the actual movie. Although, I was skeptical if this mom would like it, especially since I’m not the type of person who can generally watch a movie from start to finish I have to say that I really did enjoy this movie.

Who would have thought? I found myself laughing at the jokes and the kid from Even Steven that is the actor (I’ll have to look it up and edit the post with that info) was amusing to watch and the action scenes on the big screen T.V. looked pretty cool.

I was taken back a couple times at a few bad words here and there or sexual references but luckily that all went over the head of the kids.

Overall, Transformers got a thumbs up from this mom.

Like my Post? Maybe you would like to Buy Mama A Java! It will help to keep me reading, writing and scooping out the info

Posted by Kristen | Filed Under Chaos of Life

Mail Order Brides

January 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment

I know I shouldn’t judge others, much less blog about it for the world to see… but I just can’t let this one go.

I guess the fact that I haven’t left the house in four days since both the boys are still sick doesn’t help since I have no adult interaction and plenty of computer time.

So while surfing from one blog to another seeking the hottest information I almost fell over when I fell into a Mail Order Bride network. How I got there, I’m not sure… but what a booming business! I had no idea how “popular” this was and you know what? They take credit cards and ship you a wife.

The whole concept is craziness to me. I can understand ordering a batch a chicks from the hatchery that come from the postman but a women? I understand that some women are seeking a new, better life.. but what sort of man pulls out his credit card and says - “Hey, I’m gonna get me a wife today!”

I know, thou shalt not pass judgement but I would love to hear if this actually works out for people. Then what about the people who run Mail Order Bride catalogs? It has to be a profitable business but are they doing it for the money or the kindness of placing true love together?

Just my musing of the morning!

Like my Post? Maybe you would like to Buy Mama A Java! It will help to keep me reading, writing and scooping out the info

Posted by Kristen | Filed Under Chaos of Life