Twitter is an exciting social media tool that can help you connect with businesses, new friends, and your local community. Many people are intimidated by Twitter though and hesitate to learn how to use it. Fortunately, once you understand a few basic things, Twitter is fairly simple to use and it can be a great resource.

Twitter ID’s are quickly being claimed so if you have a specific ID that you’d like to use, I’d suggest signing up for an account right away even if you don’t have time to learn how to use Twitter immediately. We’ll walk you through the basics of setting up a Twitter account so you can get started.

Twitter for Business Use

If you run a home based business or work for an organization, I’d highly recommend claiming as many forms of your company name as possible to be sure that someone doesn’t use a similar name (or claim the one that you want).

Twitter will only allow one account to be created for every email address so if you need to create multiple accounts you’ll have to link each account to a separate email address. If you don’t have multiple email addresses to use, you can always sign up for a free email address through yahoo.com, gmail.com, or hotmail.com.

How to Create a Twitter Account

To sign up for a Twitter account, go to http://www.twitter.com and click on the yellow button that says “Sign Up”.

This is the same page you will come to when you need to login to your account once it is created. To do that, you will click the “Sign in” button in the top right corner.

You will be directed to a page where you can enter in your information. If your chosen Username is available a green check mark and the words “ok” will appear next to your username.

If you’d prefer to keep your Twitter account more private, be sure and uncheck the box that says “Let others find me by my email address”. When you have filled in all the field, click the button at the bottom that says, “Create my Account”.

Your Twitter account information will be sent to you by email. Your Twitter ID is now protected and ready for you to use when you need it.

The next step you will need to take will be creating your Twitter profile to add some personality to your Twitter account. Our next tutorial will walk you through how to set up your Twitter profile.

Related posts:

1. What is Twitter and How Do You Use It?
2. How Can Twitter Save You Money?
3. #WAHMW Twitter Party – Can you Make Money Selling with Party Plans?

Related posts:

1. Running a Home Daycare – Communicating with Parents
2. Questions to Ask When Touring a Daycare
3. Laid Off – What Happens to Daycare?

If you haven’t seen the first movie or show, then you must have heard about it. Sex and the City has been “bringing it” for women all over for years.  It started as a girl’s night indulgence where women could be wowed by eccentric yet fashionable females.  The women of Sex and the City introduced cosmopolitans to a new generation and reminded us about the importance of friendship.

This Thursday Sex and the City 2 premieres in theaters everywhere and numerous parties where friends will get dressed to the nines and watch the “event” together.  As I watch the preview, I am drawn to two characters in the preview – Miranda, the frazzled working mom and Charlotte, the overwhelmed mom.

Miranda

Miranda is a working mom with a high profile job.  She works late and long hours which is difficult when juggling a family and career.  In the preview, Miranda’s son wins an award and she is overwhelmed by the fact that she made it.  She didn’t miss the grand moment but she made it.  There is nothing more stressful then trying to be there for your kids but not being able to be there every time.  Unfortunately, there is always a line that is drawn in the sand; either you are on time or you are on the other side of the line.  Unfortunately as a result of daily juggling there are more late than on time moments in my life.

Miranda explains the Charlotte that being a mom is hard and it is so much harder than ever expected.  Both my children and I have high expectations of myself and sometimes I do fail.  But there are other times, like the award ceremony with Miranda, where I feel like I have won a trophy just for getting there.  It may be a small victory but I try to remind myself that sometimes it is the small victories that mean the most.  For me it is a reminder that I am a good mom even if I run around like a chicken with my head cut off most of the time.

Charlotte

Charlotte is a busy mom with 2 children that are close in age.  They are keeping her busy and trying her patience.  I can totally relate to this as my children are getting older and testing house rules.  In the preview, she confides in Miranda that she needs a break.  This is the line that caught my attention because I think that moms forget how to admit this.  Life is full of responsibilities before kids even enter the picture and they add a whole new element.  Why do we forget to take time for ourselves ad retreat?  Why do we feel guilty when we ask for help?  When I ask for help with my kids I instantly feel guilty and start offering things that I can return the favor with.  I am hoping that Charlotte’s motherhood hiatus will remind myself and other mothers that it is okay to ask for help, it is okay to take time for yourself and it is okay to remember who you are.

Many of us will be at the theater in the next few weeks, chomping on popcorn and drinking overpriced diet soda while we are captivated by the famous fashionable foursome.  We will be shocked by outfits, laugh out loud and cry at moments during the movie.  But most of all we will be reminded of the importance of friends and how even if we are moms and wives we still need to find room in our lies for our girlfriends.  I am interested to see if the movie preview depicted Miranda and Charlotte’s roles as I understood but  I won’t know that until I visit the theater myself.   So ladies call your friends and schedule a date with your girlfriends – it could be a 2 hour hiatus that is definitely well deserved.

Photo by Craig Blankenhorn/ AP

Related posts:

1. Preschool Pretend Play : Cardboard Box City
2. Ultimate Blog Party 2010
3. Summer Care Options for Kids

The kids are out of school but you are still in work.  Just when we start to think we have everything, or almost everything, under control we hit a speed bump in the road called “summer break”.  It took several months but I felt like I was handling the juggling of carpools, activities, play dates and work but then the school calendar came to an end.

It would be great to be able to say, “I’ll take my summer break too,” but in reality that is not an option for most of us.  Gone are the days of working for fun or doing what you love, for most us now work is a necessity that we can not take a summer break from.

Is there a guide somewhere to help us cope with finding an affordable and interesting place for our children to go while school is out for summer?   All I can say is plan ahead.  Start formulating a plan and begin with a budget when you start thinking about this.  Here are some options that my family has thought of to prepare for this summer daycare options.

Family

Think about family members that might already be staying home with kids or who have time off during the summer.  It never hurts to ask and although many of us are too proud to do so there are relatives out there that would love to spend time with your children that they might not normally get to.  Think of your children’s grandparents or aunts and uncles that might be options or even older cousins.

Neighbors or Friends

Think about your children’s friends or possible neighbors that can help during the summer.  You could trade off by watching their kids for a weekend away or date nights as needed.

Day Camp

Go to your local parenting magazine or park and recreational group.  There are many programs out there that are traditional summer camp themes or more specific like martial arts, soccer or drama camps.  These can be very popular so early registration is definitely recommended.

Daycare

If you have one child currently in daycare and one that is getting out of school, enrolling the older child in daycare might be a good option for you.  Many daycares are trying to offer summer programs for school age children to accommodate families.  Ask your daycare about summer field trips or activities and enrichment programs.

Combined Options

Selecting a few of each of the above could sound like a headache but you child would have different experiences and can also be a cost effective plan by mixing it up.

I have asked other moms during previous summer breaks how is it going and the common response is, “I can’t wait for school to start up again.”  Whatever option you decide, take a deep breath and know that summer will end as it also began and then school will start again.  Once fall arrives, the daily grind will start all over again with juggling school and work instead of summer break and work.

Related posts:

1. Making Sense of your Preschool Options
2. Frugal Summer Family Fun
3. Alternative Childcare Options

Do you find yourself spending more time hustling your children out the front door than you spend enjoying your time together at home? You are not alone. In today’s world, there are so many worthy causes pressing for our time that it becomes very easy to over-commit ourselves with responsibilities and activities. However, when we over schedule ourselves and our children we are not teaching them how to recognize their own limits and prioritize their time.

The Benefits of Scheduling Less

• You will have more time to spend one-on-one time with your children.
• You can spend more time providing your family with a fresh, homemade dinner. You can eat it while sitting down at the table together rather than grabbing a quick sandwich as you load up the car.
• You will have more time to perform better at the responsibilities you choose to keep.
• Downtime. A popular buzz word today, but it is true. We all need time to sit down, relax and enjoy some time doing something that lifts our spirits and rejuvenates our souls.

Think of other benefits unique to your family and write them down so you’ll remember just why you need to say no to one more activity.

Reduce Your Outside Commitments

While it is important to complete the task or responsibility you committed to doing, you can excuse yourself. Any respectable organization will admire and respect your decision to put your family first. Recognize your limitations, decide what you can still do and excuse yourself from the responsibilities that you can not fit into your new schedule. You do not have to explain further than “My family needs more of my time.” You may provide a more in depth explanation if you want, but do not feel obligated to do so. If your schedule later opens up and you want to return, you can do that, too.

Involve Your Children

Involve your children as you learn to schedule less. Talk to them about your reasons for excusing yourself from various activities. Role play with them to help all of you to grow more comfortable with saying no to new responsibilities and activities when they do not fit in your schedules. When your child comes to you with another activity she wants to do, walk her through the steps of determining what will have to go if she takes on a new activity. Also, take a look at what it will require from you to help him keep his commitment.

Send the Right Message

Each time you put your family ahead of outside obligations, you are telling your children that they are very important people in your life. That knowledge will go a long way in helping them to feel confident and secure in your love and create a bond between you that will help you all through the rough times that do come from time to time in parenting. As you help your children to learn how to recognize they abilities & limitations, problem solve, prioritize their time and put family first, you are helping them to become a healthy and successful adults.

Photo credit: ppdigital @ morgueFile

Related posts:

1. The Basics of Scheduling Your Homeschool Day
2. Recovering from Homeschool Burnout
3. Five Principles of Work at Home Scheduling

Everyone is looking for ways to earn some extra money these days. Fortunately, there really are a quite a few options for stay at home moms to earn money from home. The National Consumer Panel is now accepting applications. They provide you with a handheld scanner that you use to scan the barcodes on every purchase you make and then send the information in to them weekly. In exchange for this, you will receive points that you can use for some great brand name prizes. This is a great opportunity to save money by getting some of the things you would normally buy for free so don’t miss your chance to sign up.

Related posts:

1. Freebies from Kotex
2. Great Britax Deal
3. Great Deal on a Breadmaker on Amazon

The mommy blogging community is up in arms over an article that was published in the NY Times titled “Honey, Don’t Bother Mommy. I’m Too Busy Building my Brand” that labels mommy bloggers as the “minivan set”. The article had a tone that sounded like it was written in the 50’s and mocking women for thinking they are smart enough to keep up with men when it comes to social media, SEO, and brand awareness. Traditional media is a dying business. Readers today are increasingly looking to blogs rather than newspapers for information.

Is the Term “Mommy Blogger” Derogatory?

Personally, I hate the term “mommy blogger”. It makes it sound as if we’re a bunch of young girls playing house and writing about it. I think people tend to forget that mommy bloggers are adults and we have more parenting experience than the marketing professionals that are paid big bucks to sell products geared towards kids (and therefore their mothers). What happened to people respecting motherhood rather than talking down to it and treating it as a cute little way for someone not smart enough to make it in the real world to spend their days.

I attended Toy Fair 2010 in New York City and found it to be an interesting experience. I’ve worked with companies, large and small, over the years running marketing campaigns that get their products in front of a targeted audience, moms (who have more consumer buying power than nearly any other group), and I was excited to meet people in person that I’d had an online working relationship with. While Toy Fair was overall a positive experience, I was shocked by the reactions of some companies who obviously have no understanding of the way social media and viral marketing is changing their industry. I was physically blocked from entering one booth. Another acted as though I was running around looking for swag . They were shocked to hear that we have a waiting list for companies interested in having their product reviewed on Busy Mommy Media and that we don’t accept anyone willing to hand over free stuff. I was not shocked that I had never heard of those companies – a frustrating point for them considering that as a mom with 3 young children, I am their target audience.

Working Mothers vs. Mommy Bloggers

I’ve often wondered why it’s acceptable (and even encouraged) for a mother to return to work almost immediately after having a baby, but any attempt that a mom makes to earn an income from home is mocked as a hobby. Family and friends who consider blogging my “little hobby” are often shocked to hear that my hourly rate is more than they earn working full time outside of the home. While mommy bloggers are often criticized for taking time away from their families, working mothers are not. With a background in education and an English degree, I’ve had opportunities to work outside the home, but blogging has allowed me to use my skills without leaving my children. My children have never been to daycare and since I generally write about educational activities, my blogging has required me to do more with my children, not less.

Mommy Blogs are Big Business

Many mommy blogs, which were patronized so effectively in the NY Times article, receive the kind of traffic that many businesses can only dream about. Mommy blogs have a targeted audience of educated consumers that corporate marketing departments spend enormous amounts of resources trying to reach. I love what Kelby Carr, an influential mom blogger says on the subject, “We are women who are, perhaps for one of the first times, far better at something than men in many cases and far better in an industry that is making a major impact”

Despite the fact that the article clearly was aware that most of the topics discussed during a blog conference range from SEO to Creating an Effective Media Kit (topics that most businesses spend thousands of dollars on and still aren’t nearly as effective as most mommy bloggers), it was still described as “real-time girly bonding”. The article states, “Heed the speaker’s advice, and you, too, might get 28,549 views of your tutu-making tutorial!”

I’ve been spending far too much time learning about web development and brand recognition apparently. I’ve been slacking in my tutu-making. I’ll get right on that.

Related posts:

1. Mommy Go Green and Blog About It!
2. Why my Kids Can Call Me Mommy but You Can’t
3. Sponsored Blogging

This coming Friday is national Wear Red to Work Day.  Many companies across the U.S. are coming together and join forces in the fight against heart disease and stroke in women.  So many of us are women with daughters, nieces, sisters, mothers and friends that could some day be impacted by this disease.  It is not only heart attacks that are included in the fight but also stroke.  Do you know the tell tale signs of heart attacks and strokes?  Click here for a refresher.

For information on how you can sponsor a Wear Red to Work Day event in your office, go to Go Red for Women.  You can download a tool kit that includes posters, handouts, email postcards and other items to help promote the event.

Go Red for Women also is a great reference for obtaining information on heart disease and also reading about stories of women who have had their lives changed suddenly.  The site has a sign-up page where you can assess your health pros and cons and determine a plan to talk to your doctor about.  It is also the place to sign-up for a free Red Dress pin to help promote the fight against heart disease all year long.  Click here to sign-up and receive a free red dress pin.

Friday, February 5th is a day for everyone to wear red whether you work in the home, stay at home, are unemployed, retired or anything else.  When we are commuting, riding the bus or at the grocery store on Friday, I hope that you are surrounded by people wearing red.

Check your closet now and plan on what you will wear on Friday – you still have time to run a load in the washing machine if need be!

For more information, go to Go Red for Women at http://www.goredforwomen.org/ or visit the American Heart Association at www.americanheart.org.

Related posts:

1. February is American Heart Month
2. Breastfeeding at Work
3. Work at Home Jobs to Avoid

I love February for many reasons.  In recent years though my list has grown to include this month because of American Heart Month.  It is so inspirational to hear stories of women and how they were able to refocus their lives to promote their own well being.

February is American Heart Month and it is a month to learn more about how to prevent heart disease and stroke.  Heart disease is the number 1 killer among women in the United States (www.americanheartorg).  It is so important to learn about the risk factors so that you may be able to recognize the signs if it happens to you or a family member.

Being a working mom, I tend to be frazzled from not handling stress very well and I tend to not take the time to take care of myself.  Do I go to the gym regularly?  No.  Do I watch what I eat?  I try but could improve.   Is my BMI too high?  Yes.  Just by these answers I should be aware that they are all risk factors for heart disease.  As a women, I need to take the time to improve my health choices for myself and my children’s sake.  I need to learn to not sweat the small stuff.  A deadline may seem worth tweaking out about or forgetting to eat or walk during lunch – but in the scheme of things it is not.  My health and finding balance is just as important.  I need to learn to keep my stress levels under control so that I do not make bad choices, in food or lack of exercise.

By reading articles that are written about this month and participating in local events, we can raise the bar on awareness in our communities.  I am a woman first and foremost.  I am also a mother.  I am a wife.  I am a daughter.  I am a sister.  I am an aunt.  I am a friend.  For all of these reasons I must learn more about the #1 problem for women right now and try to be educated on the subject.  After all, I am the one person in charge of my body and how I treat it.

Risks of heart disease: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, lack of exercise, obesity, extra weight, diabetes.

For more information, go to www.americanheart.org.

Related posts:

1. Wear Red to Work Day – February 5th
2. Friday Fitness – Resting Heart Rate
3. Friday Fitness: Red Wine Linked to Heart Health and Weight Loss

The Mommy-Hood is what I refer to as the “mom” neighborhood that I joined once I became pregnant.  I never knew how my life would change or how many things I would need and other things that I thought I would need that I would not.   So many people tell you what it will be like or what you will need but you really do not know until you are living it.  As a working mom, I am constantly running in circles and keeping my fingers crossed that I did not forget anything that was a necessity that day.   Here are a few things that I have learned since I joined what I like call the “Mommy-Hood”.

1. Every Mom could use a deck of 10 Minute Wild Cards. I could always use 10 extra minutes and it would be nice to pull a Wild Card out each time I could use one.  I was never as rushed as I am now and I could use 10 extra minutes for every situation.  Reason being that most mom’s are constantly multi-tasking and sometimes you can forget the first task that you started with.  (For example, while writing this I stopped 3 times: to get milk for my daughter, let her climb up my body and sit on my shoulders and answer the phone.)

2. Purses are not designed for moms. I have been searching for the perfect purse for awhile.  A purse that was not too big and that actually would stay on my shoulder.  I usually grab the biggest purse and fill it up to brim with my stuff, family bills to pay, reminders, Pull-Ups and snacks.  Therefore the purse is stuffed and heavy.  This tends to be a problem and can cause a catastrophe when holding crossing the parking lot with a kid on each arm.  The biggest question is which one will get tagged as it slides off my shoulder.

3. The art of cooking is no longer and a cape is required. I used to enjoy cooking and taking the time to cook what ever delighted me that day.  Now I am lucky to get through the door without my 2 year old attacking me for dinner.  There is no time to think or sit down to collect my thoughts for a moment.  I instead pull on my Super Mommy Kitchen Cooking Cape where I can cook in super speed and provide a satisfying meal for my family.  I wish the meal was always wonderful but sometimes my intention is overruled by time and it ends up mediocre.

4. Conversations with individuals other than my children are not allowed.  Every time I even think to call someone on the phone or join a conversation in front of me, I am interrupted with one phrase.  Any guesses?  “Mommy…mommy…mommy…MOMMY!”  It is like a virus that comes out frequently or a radar that my children have.  They see me start to open my mouth to say something and they fire the cannon in my direction continuously until I respond to them.  Needless to say that adult conversations are only doable at work for me and I try to talk as much as possible while there.

5. A wish list. Time for me, time for exercise, time to pamper are all on my wish list.  Oh yeah, by the way what are those things?  It may work for some moms to find time for themselves but at this point in my life I am tapped out by the end of the day.  Even if I had the opportunity, I am too tired to follow through.  Someday it will happen so I am not too worried and then there are always lunch breaks during work – aka time for me!   (Only a joke!)

Sure life is crazy, with a husband who works full time just like me and two kids that are growing like weeds, it can be overwhelming.  I only sleep well because I am literally exhausted.  But I am loving every second of it and laughing along the way as I learn new things in my Mommy-Hood.

What are some of your adventures in your Mommy-Hood?

Related posts:

1. Why my Kids Can Call Me Mommy but You Can’t
2. Free Books from Busy Mommy Media
3. Seven Ways to Meet New Mommy Friends