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Link Love For Moms

Here are a few of my favorite posts from the past week:

Hobo burgers are easy to make, low fat and inexpensive. What’s not to like? You can make these in your oven or on the grill.

Bonita Lillie says she was thrifty when thrifty wasn’t cool. I really wish I could say the same thing but I am learning to finally become frugal with the help of blogs like hers!

Do you need a little help getting back into healthful eating after Easter or Passover? This post will help you start your engine! A very fab blog to inspire those of us on the weightloss journey.

We’re all looking for ways to cut back on the ever-increasing grocery bills. Here are three rules to remember when grocery shopping. See if they don’t help you stretch your grocery dollars!

Have you ever wanted to install a dimmer switch but got tired of waiting for hubby to do it? Don’t want to hire a handyman? Here’s an easy-to-follow tutorial that will teach your how to handle the job yourself.

Parenting teens can be a tough road to navigate. We remember the little faces that used to gaze at us so adoringly that are now replaced by an adolescent scowl. Alyssa Avant  promises that it’s just a phase and that they will honor you again.

Index cards are incredibly versatile tool for any parent. Here are ten ways to use index cards that you may not have thought of before.

Buzz a Mom: Kelli Claypool

buzz-a-mom2The Mom’s Talk Network interns were privileged to interview Kelli Claypool for “Buzz A Mom.” Kelli is a wife, mom and co-owner of Briefcase Diva and Diva Talk radio, whose mission is to empower, motivate, and encourage women in all aspects of their lives.

Can you tell us a little about your family? What kinds of fun things do you like to do together?

I am married with three kids and a grand-dog. My oldest daughter is 21, my middle daughter is 17, and my baby boy is 12. We also have a black lab, Rascal, and a miniature parrot, Petey. One of the fun things that we do together is go s-h-o-p-p-i-n-g! All three of my kids love to shop. I think my oldest daughter’s first word was “visa”. Because we live on a 30-acre farm, we really enjoy hiking and exploring in the woods. We like going into caves and playing in the streams and creeks. As long as we are together, we’re happy! [Read more...]

How “They” are Marketing to Moms

monopoly-e-commerceAfter spending time googling, I now realize how valuable we moms are.  Not in terms of raising stellar kids and having healthy families that will influence the planet for generations to come, but our worth to advertisers. 

According to one source, SAHMs, WAHMs, and working mothers spend 2.1 trillion now, with the number reaching 3 trillion by 2012.  And now that moms are turning in droves to social networking and online mom groups, advertisers want to know how to reach us  through ad placements on blogs or by using Facebook or Twitter campaigns to draw us in.

Facebook says it is now up to 200 million users.  MySpace reached that number in 2006.  LinkIn has 15 million users.  If  Facebook and MySpace were countries, they each would rank right behind Japan and Brazil in terms of population.   Many articles have been written studying the online habits of WAHMs, SAHMs, and working mothers.   But the info that experts are studying about us,  from how many hours we spend online to how much time we spend blogging or reading blogs, to the ways we share info about a product we like, could also be beneficial to moms marketing to other moms.  

If “they” are working so hard to market to us, study our online usage habits,  and formulate products we simply must have, then we can use the same information too.  To launch our own websites or online businesses.  Wouldn’t it be great if a mom launches the next Facebook, or designs a new car wash that cleans both the outside and the inside of a car at the same time?  Or sells affordable green products to other moms?  Or comes up with a new hair dye that really does cover stubborn gray strands for longer than three weeks?    

Next time a marketer wants info about how much time you blog or spend online, charge ‘em.  It’s a trillion-dollar business and more of it should go in our pockets.  Go, moms,  go!

Creative Commons License photo credit: danielbroche

Don’t Give Up On Your Dreams…

05_Flatbed_1 - APRILSusan Boyle has shocked Simon Cowell and the rest of the world with her beautiful rendition of “I Dreamed A Dream” from “Les Miserables” on “Britain’s Got Talent.” Age 47, dateless and unemployed, she draw a few snickers and eyeball-rolling as she introduced herself. But within seconds of beginning her number, she had the audience on their feet and the judges in shock. As of this writing there are 3,281,428 views on YouTube. Watch a subsequent interview with her here.

I’m sure this performance has inspired millions of people not to give up on their dreams and hope it also inspires people to think twice before they judge someone on their appearance! I’m going to save this link for future encouragement when my “inner voices” tell me that I’m not good enough, too old to try anything new, am probably older than most of the mom bloggers out there, that I’ve been out of the workforce too long or that I should just accept circumstances for what they are, etc., etc.

Some of the initial reactions to Ms. Boyle were awful, but…those who laugh last laugh best, don’t they? I’m quite sure she won’t be unemployed or dateless for long!

What an inspiration for all of us to never give up on our hopes and dreams. Ms. Boyle, you rock!    \o/

8 Great Ideas For The Every Day House

Most days we homemakers hit the ground running. Living with two pre-school aged children leaves little room for leisure and luxury. After some time spent carving out my routines and habits I have found a few keys to happiness and efficiency in homemaking… I even find myself stealing a few moments of leisure and luxury as a result.

Here are 8 things that make my days at home pleasant and productive: [Read more...]

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