I am a little late….
But I wanted to finally take a minute to introduce myself. My name is Laura and I am one of Kelly’s interns.
I live in Wisconsin (and have my whole life). I am married to Brian (9 years this June). We have two beautiful girls – Riley who will be 5 the end of this month and Taylor who is 3 and a half. We also have two cats – Sneakers and Kitty and three (yes, 3) dogs – Sierra, Cinnamon (aka Mini), and Veda.
I work full time outside the home 40 hours a week as a buyer at a local electronics manufacturer. I work in our prototype group which tends to be a little more fast-paced and I love it (most days).
I will be writing here at Mom’s Resource Blog for this internship. I can’t wait to share with you tips, tricks, and lots of other fun stuff.
Buzz A Mom: Stephanie Elie
Our Buzz a mom this week is the very entertaining Stephanie Elie of BizzieMommy.com. She’s a transitional entrepreneur and mother of two children under the age of four. She was recently listed in the Power Moms 50 list by Nielsen Online, so she is definitely a mom to watch.
Tell us a little about your background and your family.
I live in Southern California with my two children and husband. We have a very busy 18 month old son and a daughter who is turning 4 next week. I am currently working full-time out of the home while balancing my blog BizzieMommy.com, store LaLaBabyBoutique.com and joint venture with my sister thinkorganicbaby.com.
In your bio, you write that you hope you can inspire other hard working moms to venture out into the wahm life. What helped you make the transition from wanting to become a WAHM, to actually being one?
I’m still in transition and hoping to completely move over to wahm at the end of the year. My desire to make the transition steamed from several things actually, the birth of my son and my desire to spend more time with my kids, a layoff immediately after returning from my maternity leave and the steady growth of my online baby boutique. Read more
Buzz A Mom: Dr. Daisy Sutherland
This week we had the pleasure of buzzing Dr. Daisy Sutherland of drmommychronicles.com. Aside from being a mommy, she’s a Doctor of Chiropractic by profession, freelance writer, business owner, office administrator, blogger, teacher (home schools her kiddos), chef (for a family of 7), chauffeur, cheer mom, baseball mom, very involved in her church, and too many more to list.
This busy mom’s mission in life is to help you help your family, so sit back, relax, and read about this remarkable woman.
Tell us a little about your background and your family.
I come from a Hispanic background which can probably explain my stubbornness:) For as long as I could remember I wanted to help others, at one point I wanted to join the Peace Corp. After my mom almost had a heart-attack from that news, I decided it was best for me to stay in this country:) I then chose the next best thing..becoming a Doctor. Being the health nut that I am I decided to go to Chiropractic School. Read more
Buzz a Mom: Danielle Smith
For Buzz a Mom this week, we chatted with the ultra-extraordinary mommy, Danielle Smith. She is the founder and primary author of ExtraordinaryMommy.com, a website designed to remind moms of the Extraordinary work they do daily while loving and raising their children. The site provides resources as well as a regular blog chronicling life as a Mommy – as Danielle sees it.
She also hosts The Spin Cycle on MomTV.com, co-hosts Why Moms Matter on Blog Talk Radio, and is the Inspiration Channel Editor for MomItForward.com. Like I said…she’s ultra-extraordinary!
Tell us a little about your background and your family.
I am a Mommy to two small people – they are my world – but occasionally drive me a little crazy! 
Delaney will be 5 in a month and Cooper just turned 3. They are wonderful and wicked, adorable and wacky. I am married to a fantastic guy – he might be the funniest guy in the world. He makes me laugh at least 5 times a day. We met working in television – I was the weekend anchor and he was the weekend sports guy – we have some fun outtakes. Read more
Buzz A Mom: LaTara Ham-Ying
We were lucky enough to talk to LaTara Ham-Ying for our first “Buzz a Mom” interview. She is a “woman of God, wife, entrepreneur, internet marketer, writer, speaker, and an authentically unplugged mom”, and inspires other moms to live authentically on her website, Mom Unplugged: Living Authentically Inside Out.
Tell us a little about your background and your family.
I have a background in the Corporate and retail fields where I served as a Customer service agent, trainer, and management positions. I also served as a group coordinator, project manager and event planner for my former church home for over 10 years in one capacity or another in addition to owning my own day care for 4 years.
So I have a lot of experience connecting, communicating and meeting the needs of the consumer. I guess you could say that service is in my blood. I am the mom of two boys ages 17 and 5 and have been married for 6 1/2 years. We are currently residing in Oklahoma after moving from Chicago were we lived from 2002 until the present. I am also a step-mom and step-granny. Read more
Buzz a Mom Talks to Leslie Truex
For our second week of April, we talked to Leslie Truex. She has been running Work at Home Success since 1998 and is the author of the definitive tome on working at home: The Work-at-Home Success Bible.
According to your website, you’ve been online with Work at Home Success since 1998. How has your website evolved over time?
The website always included information about telecommuting, work-at-home jobs and avoiding scams. But over the years the number of jobs I’ve been able to find and share has grown significantly. I used to share one a month. Now I post 25 jobs during the week on my blog and 20 in my weekly newsletter. The tools and resources for making money online have also grown and evolved. Information I added throughout the years include the cost of work information, international telework resources, and the blog.
What kind of feedback do you get from moms as to types of jobs they land and what works and what doesn’t work?
Most people who are struggling are either looking for the wrong types of work in the wrong places, or are experiencing the frustrations that go along with finding a work-at-home job. The competition for jobs is fierce and I don’t think many people understand just how important it is to apply regularly with a top notch resume. Even so, most companies don’t respond to submissions, so it can be difficult to not know if or when they’ll hear back, or why they don’t hear back at all.
The work they get ranges depending on the skills. I’ve had feedback that visitors have found work in writing and customer service through the site.
Can you share some tips from your new book for aspiring WAHMs?
Take time to learn about working from home. The Work-at-Home Success Bible is a good text book for that. The more you know, the easier it will be to find the right opportunity for you and avoid scams. Focus on the skills, experiences and interests you have to find or create a work-at-home situation. It’s faster and easier to used what you’ve got than to do something completely new. Make a plan and work the plan. The fastest way to get somewhere is to map it out. Never quit. Don’t let the failures, nay-sayers, and other obstacles stop you.
Can you tell us about your family and offline interests?
I don’t seem to be offline very much, but I do like to read fiction and non-fiction. One of my goals is to write a mystery series. I’m 30,000 words into the first story. I enjoy spending time with my family. We play games (board and Wii) and when the weather is nice go to the lake or river near us.
I’ve read that our country’s workforce is increasingly becoming one of independent contractors. Do you agree with this?
I think it is a growing segment because: 1) employers can save money with contractors over employees and 2) contractors can get paid more per hour in contract work than as an employee.
Are you seeing women experience success in pursuing their work at home dreams?
I think more and more women are successfully creating incomes from home, but many still struggle. The women who research and are able to make the leap from an employee mentality to one that has the focus and discipline to work independently do the best.
- More Buzz About Leslie at Work At Home Moms Talk Radio
- More Buzz About Leslie at Profitable Mommy Blogging
- More Buzz About Leslie at Family Foodies
Buzz a Mom: Kelli Claypool
The 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
Buzz-A-Mom: Crissy Herron of Indie Biz Chicks
I really love getting to know more about successful women online entrepreneurs. This week I got to interview Crissy Herron, owner and founder of Indie Biz Chicks, which offers “business, marketing, and publicity info for women who’d rather work for themselves, than work for the man.”
Can you tell us about your background and family?
I’m a Michigan girl, born and raised. I moved to Alaska in my early 20s but am now back in Michigan. I learned a lot while I was there, and I miss it, but I’m also glad to be back home in the Midwest. Read more
Buzz a Mom: Meet Shynea Hunter
This week, Erin and Marya, the two fab, 40-something interns on the MTN resources page, talked to Shynea Hunter in our weekly Buzz a Mom conversation. This busy, young mom runs two websites–Penny Pinching Diva and Mornings with Mom–and has four young boys.
Can you tell us about yourself and your family?
I would love to tell you about my family. I am a SAHM to four boys. They are 7, 6, 1, and five months. So I am a busy mommy, but I love it and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I am also engaged to my fiance of almost three years. I am the survivor of an abusive relationship, so I am very appreciative of the relationship that I have with my fiance. Read more
Buzz a Mom talks to Laurie Ayers
In this week’s edition of Buzz a Mom, we talked to single mom Laurie Ayers, a Star Director for Scentsy – a decorative, fragrant alternative to candles. Laurie shared some great tips on running her business, managing her time on-line, and designating chores to kids. She also shared a great business philosophy of being prepared with other projects when the economy goes south.
What would someone want to choose a Scentsy candle instead of another brand?
Scentsy wickless are safe candle alternatives. There’s no wick, no flame, no fire, no soot, no smoke. Also because of the wax blend we use, our wax is loaded with more scent that any vegetable or soy wax could hold. Also one of our candle bars holds as much fragrance as a jar candle three times its size! Read more
