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Blogger Opportunity: Cinch it. Blog it. Win it.

Rachel — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:29:03 +0000

Weight loss is clearly an emotional issue. I’m sitting here, at 35 weeks pregnant, heavier than I’ve ever been in my life, and one of my biggest concerns for the postpartum period is weight loss.

In a perfect world, I’d ignore the issue and allow myself to completely focus on my new baby, but weight is so directly tied to how we feel about ourselves as women that the issue is there, whether I choose to admit that or not. And let’s face it, the squishy postpartum period does little for the self esteem. If only belly fat was as cute on me as it is on a newborn.

I used to think that weight loss was about pant size.

Before I got pregnant, I was having success in my weight loss for the first time in a long time. I was finally losing baby weight that I’d been hanging onto from my last pregnancy – the one where my son didn’t survive – and the weight loss felt like an emotional release. The more weight I lost, the more I found that I didn’t care about pant size because I felt so much better about myself. I had more energy. I was more willing to do small things to take care of myself. I felt fully healthy.

As I gear up for making some healthy changes in my life, I love hearing about others who have successfully walked the path before me. Sommer, from Green and Clean Mom has been through an amazing transformation using the Cinch program from Shaklee.

I’ve tried many things in the past and I know that I always have more success when I stick with an established plan. Apparently I need to be told what to do sometimes. At least when it comes to weight loss. Cinch is a breakthrough program that helps you lose weight and inches without losing muscle, which is a good thing, because we need all the extra muscle we can get trying to keep up with kids.

CINCH® IT TO WIN IT!

Are you ready to lose weight and transform your life? Do you want to be healthier and to have more energy to enjoy life? Take the Team #Cinchspiration Challenge and turn your dreams into reality. Apply today for the opportunity to positively transform your life and to win prizes including a $2,500 gift card to Macy’s, an all-expense paid trip to the social media conference of your choice, and the opportunity to be the #Cinchspiration Bloggers Spokesperson for a one-year contract of $10,000.

If selected to Team #Cinchspiration Blogger, you will receive a formal agreement, along with products and resources to help you in your journey, including:

• A 3-month supply of delicious Cinch products

• A year-long subscription to CinchWellness.com

• An additional 3-month supply of one Cinch product a day and Vitalizer™-the ultimate nutritional foundation for a longer, healthier life.*

• Free Shaklee membership

Applications need to be submitted by May 25, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, however, all opinions are my own.

Deal Alert: Amazon Baby Movers and Shakers

Rachel — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:41:02 +0000

If you’ve never checked out the Amazon Movers and Shakers list, it’s a great way to spot deals in each of the categories. They don’t necessarily list the best deals in each category, but often times the things that are moving up on the list are a great deal. Right now they have some killer deals in the baby category that you’ll definitely want to check out if you have a little one in the house or if you are shopping for a baby gift for a friend.

Here are a few of the best deals I found:

Evenflo Serenade Infant Car Seat

List Price: $149.99

Price: $89.97

Savings: 40%

The First Years Hands Free Baby Gate

List Price: $59.99

Sale Price: $46.56

Savings: 22%

Stork Craft Hoop Glider and Ottoman

List Price: $230.00

Sale Price: $129.00

Savings: $101.00 (44%)

Aquatopia Deluxe Safety Bath Thermometer

List Price: $14.99

Sale Price: $3.88

Savings: 74%

Sealy Soybean Foam-Core Crib Mattress

List Price: $179.99

Sale Price $117.98

Savings: $62.01 (34%)

Britax Marathon 70 Convertible Car Seat

List Price: $289.99

Sale Price: $206.98

Savings: $83.01 (29%)

There are plenty of other deals. Be sure and check out the full Movers and Shakers list to see other Amazon baby deals.

Deal Alert: BabbaBox for only One Cent!

Rachel — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:16:09 +0000

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and BabbaBox has a great Mother’s Day treat for you. BabbaBox is a monthly subscription services that packages developmentally appropriate activities in a box for you each month for children ages 3-7. Through 11 p.m. ET on Monday, April, 30th, you can get your first box for only one cent with the purchase of any monthly or annual subscription!

We recently reviewed the BabbaBox and were very impressed. It’s been a lifesaver while I’m dealing with bedrest and my kids have been thrilled with the activities. You can read our full review and enter to win our BabbaBox giveaway here.

Find out more about the promotion and purchase at this great deal here.

Deal Alert: 46% Off Philips Sonicare for Kids

Rachel — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:27:46 +0000

We’re freshly back from our 6 month dental checkups, which fortunately ended without a single cavity. While my kids are pretty good about brushing their teeth, we can all use a little help now and then. Amazon has a great deal on a Philips Sonicare Electric toothbrush for kids right now. It’s currently on sale for only $37.59, which is 46% off.

That’s much cheaper than dental bills if you can use it to help your kids develop good dental habits now. We have the adult version of this toothbrush that we bought after a recommendation directly from our dentist so I would assume that this one is pretty great too.

Buy the Philips Sonicare Electric Toothbrush for Kids

Do your kids use an electric toothbrush?

WAHM: Can You Really Make Money Blogging?

Rachel — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 01:37:40 +0000

I get asked all the time whether or not you can really earn an income from blogging. The short answer is yes. There are many bloggers earning enough money to equate a full time income. My blog has been a huge blessing to my family and has supplemented our income for the last 5 years and provided nearly full support when we’ve dealt with unemployment.

It is possible.

Is everyone who starts a blog going to earn a full time income?

No.

There are a lot of factors that go into determining whether or not you will actually be able to earn a full time (or even a part time income) by blogging.

Before you make a penny, you’ll have to commit to a few things in order to be successful.

Be Passionate

There are jobs out there that you can do half-heartedly. Flipping burgers comes to mind. Blogging does not.

If you are not passionate about your blogging, your readers (if you have any at all) will not be interested in what you have to say. Blogging is not a get-rich-quick scheme. If you are serious about earning money through your blog, you have to be sure that you REALLY want to be doing it.

Choose a topic that you can really put your heart into– one that you can write about even when you’ve written about it for 90 days straight, your kids have been whining at you all day long, and you’ve got 20 minutes of free time before you have to run out the door.

Don’t Focus on the Income Potential

If you really want to earn money with your blog, the first thing you have to do is stop focusing on making money. You can plaster your blog with ads, write sponsored post after sponsored post, and include 50 affiliate links on a page but if you don’t have any readers you aren’t going to earn any money from that.

Don’t scare your readers away with ads.

Focus on developing good content, creating a community, and offering something that your readers genuinely need. You can’t monetize a blog that has no readers. You monetize AFTER you have readers who care what you have to say.

Sometimes that means blogging for years before you earn a penny. Sometimes that means saying no to opportunities that present themselves and are not a good fit for you or your readers. You have to be selective in order to really create long-term income potential from your blog.

Be Realistic about your Time

Blogging takes time. Blogging to create an income takes a lot more time. The honest truth is you cannot earn a full time income blogging without putting in full time hours. You can earn a part time income by putting in part time hours or you can earn some money to blow on chocolate or other random things with a few hours a week.

You’re the boss.

As moms, I think we all have a tendency to overcommit ourselves though. If you are swamped for time already, don’t take on a huge blogging project that will burn you out by the end of your first week. Start slow and expect slow but steady progress. If you want to test the waters, start by writing for established blogs to get your name out there and get some experience.

Be Consistent

Consistency is key to establishing a blog readership (and you have to have readers to earn money from your blog).

If you know your time is limited, start by blogging once a week and writing posts ahead of time when you find yourself with some extra time. Having a consistent posting schedule will do far more to help your blog grow that it will to publish 5 posts in a week and then have nothing new to give your readers for a month.

Consistency isn’t just about your blogging schedule though. Your readers want to know what to expect. If your blog is all about easy family meals, don’t throw your readers off by suddenly posting about how you changed your car’s oil all by yourself. There’s nothing wrong with being a generalist, but if you know you are going to stray from one main topic, create a more general niche for your blog from the very beginning.

photo credit: ldandersen via photopin cc

What do you want to know about earning an income with a blog? Ask in the comments below.

Deal Alert: 59% Off Ju Ju Be Diaper Bags

Rachel — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:23:26 +0000

I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect diaper bag. After fighting the transition back to a purse for so long it feels kind of strange to be going back but my now tiny purse is going to struggle with all the things I’ll need to carry around once this baby arrives.

I have friends who swear by Ju Ju Be diaper bags and I’ve always been really impressed with their quality. I was struggling to talk myself into paying over $100 for a diaper bag though so I was thrilled when I found some great Ju Ju Be bags on clearance on Amazon.

The Ju Ju Be Be All normally sells for $140. These styles are currently on sale:

Marvelous Mums (pictured above) – $57.99 (59% off)

Onyx Blossoms – $76.99 (45% off)

Pretty Tweet – $89.99 (36% off)

Sangria Sunset – $90.00 (36% off)

Shadow Waltz – $78.99 (44% off)

Deal Alert: Britax B-Agile for Only $175!

Rachel — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:50:57 +0000

Amazon has a great deal going on right now if you are in the market for a stroller. The B-Agile is currently on sale for only $175.49! This normally sells for $249.99 so that’s 30% off and actually the lowest price I’ve seen it for.

The Britax B-Agile is a great stroller, especially if you are on a budget. It has some of the great features of higher end strollers like a really easy and compact fold and a smooth ride, without the high end price.

Also on sale:

Britax B-Ready – $374 (25% off)

Britax Chaperone – $179 (40% off)

We are currently running a giveaway for a Britax B-Agile stroller and the new Britax stroller organizer so don’t miss your chance to enter. Enter the giveaway and see our full review of the Britax B-Agile here.

Deal Alert: 720 Pampers Wipes for only $14.29

Rachel — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 18:59:52 +0000

I’m stocking up on baby wipes for our new baby that is due in June, but I have to admit, even without a baby in the house I’ve missed the convenience of having wipes in every bag. Amazon has a great deal on Pampers wipes (both scented and unscented).

These wipes are originally priced at $25.00

Take 5% off with Subscribe and Save
Another 15% off with Amazon Mom
AND clip the $0.50 off coupon listed on the product page

That gives you a final price of $14.29 for a box of 720 or 1.98 cents per wipe!

Buy Pampers Unscented Wipes

Buy Pampers Scented Wipes

Deal Alert: Earn a FREE Britax Boulevard

Rachel — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:43:07 +0000

The cost of baby gear can add up quickly, especially for first time parents who need to buy everything at once. Britax just announced their new Registry Rewards program that offers new and expectant parents a great way to earn a free Britax BOULEVARD 70 convertible car seat (a $319.99 Value)!

To qualify for your free seat, you need to buy one designated BRITAX or BOB item from each of five baby gear categories on the BRITAX New Parent Checklist. Categories include strollers, car seats, baby carriers, large accessories and small accessories.

New parents would likely be buying all of these items anyway so this is a great way to earn a free convertible car seat for your new baby.

I’ve mentioned this several times, but the Britax B-Ready still remains one of my all-time favorite strollers (and the new 2012 model is coming out soon). Britax aquired BOB strollers last year too, a popular choice for active moms, and their strollers are included in this promotion as well.

Deal Alert: 50% Off Carter’s PJ’s

Rachel — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:13:58 +0000

Carter’s is having a 50% off sale on all their PJ’s. This is a great chance to stock up if you need some summer pj’s for your kids. I love how well Carter’s clothes hold up, especially since I have 3 boys and like to be able to pass things down.

Don’t forget to click through to Carter’s through Ebates to get an extra 2.5% cash back! It may not seem like a lot but it sure adds up.