“Our Favorite Bloggers”: Interview with Laura of Celebrate Woman Today

February 12, 2013 By 11 Comments

LG-profile-2Our second “favorite blogger” of 2013 is Laura from Celebrate Woman Today! We have worked with Laura on several campaigns pertaining to women’s health and wellness. It has been such a pleasure collaborating with her and we were thrilled to have the chance to get to know her even better.

What was your inspiration behind starting Celebrate Woman Today?

Everything started with me helping my two overweight neighbors to shed unwanted pounds. I became their support “group” for the next 90 days. Well, it turned out that these two women lost successfully over 36 and 42 pounds each in the next 3.5 months. It was the turn of their friends to ask them how they did it. Obviously, I could not work one-on-one with every single person, but I wanted to provide all the support they needed.

Supporting a group of women eager to change their lifestyle was the necessity of creating this blog. The blogging platform was the means through which we kept in touch and posted daily support material for everyone who was involved.

As the blog grew, the focus has been changing, yet staying true to all things green, organic and supporting a woman in her daily quest.

In what ways have you seen Celebrate Woman Today grow and change?
Celebrate Woman Today has become a Network of Networks™ for thousands of women. With constant feedback and on-going conversations, we are able to shape and re-shape our strategies. What stays constant is that we are on a journey that helps us to discover new ways to connect to people and to touch their lives. THAT is the most valuable change we could ever hope for!

What has been your biggest blogging accomplishment?
Everybody asks this question, “Why is it a WOMAN, rather than Women do we want to celebrate?

My answer to this question is simple. Before you and I can truly celebrate anyone around us, we need to know how to celebrate what’s within us. Starting with this concept of celebrating a Woman in you is a powerful beginning any person could make. From that you make steps to grow and succeed.

Celebrate Woman Today has been resonating with any woman’s need to identify with herself and with her own personal quest to live her life’s dream. That is one of the most powerful messages that my blog is transmitting at any given moment of time. 

What is your favorite part about writing Celebrate Woman Today?
Blogging is about making connections. In current life when an average woman has only about 1.5 (yep!) friends she could talk to with trust, Celebrate Woman Today platform has allowed me to connect to people, to learn who they are, and speak with them in the language that resonates with them.

Do you have a favorite post you’ve ever written?
Every post is dear to me, as I do identify closely with the topics and people I write about.

Perhaps a post about My Mission says a lot how I feel about any woman and her role in this world. To share with you, I actually re-wrote my Mission post after I’ve watched 2012 Olympic Games.

Here’s my post on Women in the Olympics 2012. It was a huge eye-opener and a powerful victory over oppression of a woman’s soul, and deeds, and dreams, and her role in the society.

Here’s my post: Olympics Have Ended. Women-Heroes Persevere.

Can’t get enough Celebrate Woman Today? Check out Laura’s blog www.celebratewomantoday.com . Don’t forget to follow her on Twitter, Pinterest, and “Like” her Facebook page as well.

Thanks again Laura!

Filed Under: Health, Our Favorite Bloggers Series, Uncategorized, women's interest Tagged With: , , , ,

“Our Favorite Bloggers”: Interview with Melissa of Mommy Living the Life of Riley

January 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

MelissaTo kick off 2013 right, our “favorite blogger” for January is Melissa from Mommy Living the Life of Riley!  We have loved every project we have had the opportunity to work on with Melissa and look forward to what this next year has in store. Mommy Living the Life of Riley offers parenting advice, lifestyle news, reviews, giveaways, and much more! We were thrilled we were able to take some time to chat with Melissa about her blog!

What is your favorite part about writing Mommy Living the Life of Riley?

The FREEDOM!  Working from home and being your own boss is truly a blessing.  I run every facet of my blog from my site’s design, services, companies I partner with, content featured, etc.  It’s very liberating and really gets my creative juices going.  It’s also allowed me the chance to unleash my inner computer geek and learn everything I can get my hands on about SEO, social media, HTML and CSS.  Being a blog owner has opened my eyes to new hobbies and interesting avenues for myself that I never contemplated before, like graphic and web design.  It’s my goal in 2013 to actually start a side business helping other moms who aren’t very tech-savvy optimize their blogs from behind the scenes.  Blogging just seems to lead to one great thing after another!

How do you come up with ideas for your blog? Do collaborate with others often?

Collaborating with others has always been a weakness of mine and one that I really want to overcome.  Being an only child and a self-proclaimed perfectionist means that I frequently work alone, so at this point, the ideas for this blog are all mine.  Basically, I gauge my own interest in a topic to decide whether or not it should be blogged about.  If I think it’s amazing, then I hope my readers will too and if not, perhaps the passion I show for the topic in my writing might convince them or pique their interest.

How has Mommy Living the Life of Riley changed since you first started blogging?

When I first started blogging, I knew absolutely nothing about running a blog, writing to a large undefined audience, etc.  So what I blogged about was primarily my daughter, even though as a first time mommy, I doubted my own expertise on that subject too.  Over time, I think I got to know my readers much better and started to provide “helpful tips” about anything and everything from health, to family, to saving money, to blogging and of course, to shopping.  I still write the occasional “oh my gosh, look what my daughter did” type of post, but now I’d like to think my articles are much more helpful and useful to a larger audience of people than they were when I first started this blog.

What has been your biggest blogging accomplishment?

I’ve truly been blessed over the almost three years I’ve been running Mommy Living the Life of Riley.  Recently, I was picked as a Maytag Mom and sent to Chicago for three days to learn all about the inner workings of Maytag.  That floored me because they only selected 8 ladies from over 1000 applicants.  When I receive amazing awards like being featured here on this site, you have no idea how much that touches my heart.  Of course, when I receive unsolicited emails and comments from readers telling me how much an article or product I’ve written about has helped them, words can’t express how good that makes me feel either.

What is your favorite feature you’ve written for Mommy Living the Life of Riley?

I love it when I have the time to write goofy pieces which show more of who I am to my readers.  I guess one of my favorites would have to be “When Celebrity Look-Alike Generators Go WRONG!” http://www.mommylivingthelifeofriley.com/my-ramblings/celebrity-look-alike-horrors-familys-celebrity-equivalents-wordful-wednesday/

Want more Mommy Living the Life of Riley? Check out Melissa’s blog http://www.mommylivingthelifeofriley.com. Don’t forget to follow her on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram and “Like” her Facebook page as well.

Thanks again Melissa!

Filed Under: family, Our Favorite Bloggers Series, parents, women's interest Tagged With: , , , ,

“Our Favorite Bloggers”: Interview with Amy of Earnest Parenting

December 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

amysnewpicfullOur “Favorite Blogger” for December is none-other than Amy from Earnest Parenting. We have been working with Amy for quite some time and have thoroughly enjoyed every project we get to collaborate on with her. Earnest Parenting is full of parenting news and advice on little ways to make a huge difference. We were very excited when we had the opportunity to sit down with Amy and ask her some questions about life on and offline.

What was your inspiration behind starting Earnest Parenting?

I started blogging because I was struggling so much with homeschooling the boys.  Online searches for encouragement didn’t yield much, because no one really was talking about it.  Families who were doing well with homeschooling didn’t understand what I was talking about, and families who struggled with it…well, they tended to quit.  I wasn’t about to give up, but I was just so frustrated!  There were many days that ended in tears and recriminations.  Ugh.  It was a really tough time.

Anyway.  I started writing to talk about the difficulties, and I hoped to encourage other struggling moms.  I also wanted to record my thoughts and reactions on the parenting journey, as a resource (and a record!) for the boys when they’re grown up.  Plus, boys are often hilarious.  The blog was a great way to get those stories recorded, since I’m not much of a scrapbooker.  Over the years, the blog has evolved into a source of information, education, and encouragement for parents.

What had been the most rewarding part of blogging?

Wow, that’s a difficult question to answer.  Hmmm.  Well, I’ve managed to develop a treasure of fun memories that help me remember how much of the boys’ lives I have enjoyed.  Sometimes the memories of the frustration can overshadow the good stuff.  I had occasion to go through all the old posts several months ago and surprised myself at how many happy stories I have shared over the years.  That and the personal growth I’ve experienced are amazing.  My confidence has grown exponentially, and I’ve learned how to make friends and get along with people in a way that I just wasn’t able to 5 years ago.  I struck up a conversation with an older gentleman in a restaurant parking lot a while back, and Hubby looked at me and said, “You’ve changed!”  It’s a good change.

Do you have a favorite blog post?

With over a thousand articles in the archive, there are a few that are special to me.  Fine Toothed Comb still cracks me up, and Am I a Failure as a Homeschooler and How Do You Tame a Difficult 4 Year Old both still get responses from readers.  I’ll never forget the amazing cuteness of Captain Earthquake in Just When You’re About to Auction off the Children.  I had had such an awful day, and he managed to wrap me around his little finger in about 30 seconds

How do you fit blogging in with the rest of your schedule? Do you have a specific “blogging time”?

I’ve tried to fit blogging into a regular schedule for 5 years now, and still haven’t figured it out.  I may be able to balance a regular schedule, but I figure that’ll happen after the children grow up and move out.  Until then, I write when I have time, often late at night.  It’s getting easier to find some time in the afternoon once lessons are done, but each day brings its own challenges and I just do my best to get things done as I can.  Much of the content these days comes from guest authors, so that has lightened the work load for me.  At the same time, I’m able to publish quality information that I believe is truly helpful for parents.

Where do you see Earnest Parenting heading in the future?

Of all my online enterprises (I’m working on my cyber empire), Earnest Parenting has the most special place in my heart.  It’s where I began.  I hope to in some small way have it be an encouragement to parents who are facing difficulties of their own.   One section that I still am working to build is the Heroes In Parenting (HIP) section.  I want to highlight parents who are doing a good job, the ones who are just plugging along doing their best for their kids and celebrate them.   Getting that project off the ground will take a few resources that I’m still developing, but I hope to accomplish that goal in 2013.  In the meantime, I’ll keep publishing the informational and educational articles, and share the funny stories that I can.

Can’t get enough Earnest Parenting? You can find Amy blogging at www.earnestparenting.com. You can also stay up to date with her on Twitter and Facebook.

Thanks again Amy!

Filed Under: family, Our Favorite Bloggers Series, parents, women's interest Tagged With: , , , ,

“Our Favorite Bloggers”: Interview with Bekah of Motherhood Moment

November 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

We are so excited to introduce you to our “Favorite Blogger” for November. We have been working with Bekah of Motherhood Moment for the past few years and have loved every minute of it! Motherhood Moment is an absolutely wonderful resource for parenting tips and tricks. Bekah loves to share any advice she can that will help make fellow parents’ lives easier. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to sit down with Bekah and pick her brain about life and blogging. So, without further ado, we give you Bekah!

 

What inspired you to start a blog?

I wanted to see if I could! Plus, at the time, I wasn’t working a full-time job, so it gave me a project to fill up spare time.

Do you have a favorite topic to blog about?

I love blogging about things that are eco-friendly and “green living” (in fact, I started a second blog just about that at motherhood-mindfully.blogspot.com) – but I also enjoy blogging about meal and activity tips.

In what ways have you seen Motherhood Moment grow and change?

I’ve seen it start to get noticed by PR firms, which makes it a lot easier to find content to share, since I’ll often get tips from companies like the National Fire Protection Association and other helpful organizations.

Where do you get your inspiration for your features?

I get inspiration from a lot of places – PR pitches, magazines I read, tips I hear from other moms, and my own life!

What has been the most rewarding part of running Motherhood Moment?

The most rewarding part for me has been feeling like I’ve had some “success” – I wanted to see if I could blog and get a following, and I have, even if it’s not as big as full-time bloggers!

Want more Motherhood Moment? You can find Bekah blogging at http://motherhood-moment.blogspot.com and http://motherhood-mindfully.blogspot.com. You can also stay up to date on all of the Motherhood Moment happenings by visiting the official Facebook Fan Page and following her on Twitter.  

Thanks to Bekah for taking the time to chat with us!

Filed Under: family, Our Favorite Bloggers Series, parents, women's interest Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

“Our Favorite Bloggers” is Back! Interview with Shara Lawrence-Weiss of Mommy Perks

October 9, 2012 By 13 Comments

We are kicking off the fall/winter season by re-launching a fun series called “Our Favorite Bloggers,” where each month we will highlight some of the wonderful women (and men) that we have the pleasure of collaborating with on a daily basis. We love to learn more about our blogger friends, so we are sharing that love with our readers! We figured what better way to kick things off than by sitting down and chatting with our first ever “Favorite Blogger,” Shara Lawrence-Weiss, to catch up with her, and hear what she’s been up to since we last interviewed her over two years ago. We had a feeling she would have a lot of great stuff to share, as Shara is the owner of Mommy Perks and the Mommy Perks VIP blog, as well as Kids Perks, Parenting Tips and Early Childhood News and resources — needless to say, this is one busy lady! Through Shara’s dedication and thoughtful content, Mommy Perks has become an extensive community of out-of-the-box thinkers sharing ideas, stories, useful tips and tools, and so much more. Now let’s catch up with Shara….

1.     It’s been over two years since we last interviewed you, how has Mommy Perks evolved since then?

Wow. Two years? We have worked together for more than four years now (as of September 19th) – can you believe it? Gosh, over the last two years I’d say that the biggest changes for Mommy Perks have been:

  • The number of guest posts I’ve written for various magazines, online outlets and educational blogs.
  • I’ve refocused the site to offer more services for small business owners (and fewer reviews/giveaways).
  • My content services have really taken off.
  • Our Twitter and Facebook communities have grown quite a bit.
  • I’ve taken on new clients and learned a lot about helping businesses grow Online.
  • I’ve hosted some Twitter parties, webinars, etc.
  • I’ve really done well, promoting numerous charity organizations through social media outlets.
  • I’ve met countless amazing people, educators and business owners!
  • I continue to write my own articles for my sites, but I also accept a lot of guest articles, too.
  • I’m a member of the 411Voices.com group (Women in Media). We have some amazing things coming up that I’ll be able to write about soon!

 2.     What is the most rewarding thing you have experienced in the blogging world?

I’d say…the guest articles I have been invited to write and the guest authors who have written for me. I really enjoy sharing knowledge and learning from others and the give/take of guest blogging has been a huge win-win for me.

 3.     How does your life off-line affect your blog?

Different folks have different strokes and some folks share everything under the sun. Others hold back tightly. I try to keep a balance. I enjoy writing about my family and sharing parenting endeavors and business experiences. At the same time, there are certain things I won’t write about or share with an open audience. For me, a balance works well. I want people to feel as though they can approach me and chat with me – I’m always open to that. However, I don’t fall apart on my blog, sharing every emotion I experience at every given moment. For the most part, I try to blog about things that are relevant to my readers: parenting and business. I use experiences at home to spur articles and posts but I don’t give away the farm (sharing all of our family stories and moments, etc).

 4.     Do you have that one favorite post which you’ve ever written?

I have a few, in fact. Here is one that I wrote about my high school boyfriend (one of my more vulnerable posts). It’s one of my top read posts and one of the most re-tweeted, also: http://www.earlychildhoodnews.net/motherhood/312-mothering-a-mugshot

Here is one I recently wrote for the Mommy Perks blog about Twitter complaints: http://www.mommyperks.com/vip/tips/twelve-common-twitter-complaints-ive-heard/

Here is one I wrote about my first husband: http://www.mommyperks.com/vip/tips/september-7-why-im-not-angry-at-my-first-husband/

Gosh – I guess I like my “vulnerable” posts best! I also really love the guest posts I’ve written for others about early childhood and parenting. In addition, there are lots of posts that I love, written by others, for my sites. I enjoy learning from others!

5.     What advice do you have for bloggers who are just starting out?

My best tips would be:

  • Write about what you know. Don’t write in order to get readers. Write for YOU and the right readers will then follow.
  • Use catchy titles on your posts in order to get more clicks. If you are writing for SEO, though, use titles that are better for search engines, long term.
  • Be funny now and again. Everyone needs to laugh.
  • Be open at times and allow readers inside your head and heart so they will feel as though they know you. Don’t put on airs.
  • Some of the largest blogs got popular by being snippy and rude to others. That’s not my style. If you rise to the top by climbing over others, you’ll be more likely to fall.
  • Be helpful. When you learn something, share it and be willing to teach someone else. Kindness matters.
  • Try to spell things correctly. Articles that are filled with mis-spellings really bug me. If you are not great at spelling, ask someone else to proof read for you. And please, please – do not write posts in “text.” Spell things out like we had to do in school.
  • Accept guest posts from others. Don’t worry about sharing your lime light. As mama used to say, “You’ll attract more bees with honey than with vinegar.” Just as you’ll attract more real friends with kindness than with snobbery.

Thank you so much Shara, for taking the time to chat with us and answering our questions. We absolutely adore working with you, and we are so proud of everything you have accomplished over the years. Here’s to more great years (and follow up interviews) ahead!

You can visit Shara at Mommy Perks by going to www.mommyperks.com, and don’t forget to follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mommyperks.

Filed Under: family, kids, Our Favorite Bloggers Series, parents, women's interest Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Our Favorite Bloggers Series: Meet Shara Lawrence-Weiss, owner of Mommy Perks!

June 30, 2010 By 4 Comments

We are so happy to have Shara Lawrence-Weiss, owner of Mommy Perks, as the first featured Blogger for our “Favorite Blogger Series.”  What we love about Mommy Perks is the creativity that Shara has brought to this ever-growing network.  Mommy Perks is not simply a Blog, although the Mommy Perks VIP Blog is certainly a huge part of the mix, but rather Mommy Perks is a extensive community of out-of-the-box thinkers sharing ideas, stories, services and more.  Shara was kind enough to sit down and answer some questions for us, which we hope you enjoy.

What first inspired you to join the world of Blogging?

I joined by default. When I purchased Mommy Perks the VIP Blog (with a very different look) was already set up as a part of the site. At that time the blog was strictly focused on reviews, with a few giveaways. The rest of the site was about shopping and getting the PERKS.

When did you take over Mommy Perks? How did you know this was the right fit for you?

I took over Mommy Perks, as sole owner, in early 2009.  To be honest I didn’t know if the fit was right. I had bought into the business as part owner and soon after a number of things happened that severed the ties between my partner (the founder) and myself. So much money had already been invested into the business. That motivated me to keep going and to push through the storms! The idea of walking away at that point was un-acceptable (although there were days when I wanted to). We decided to re-vamp the entire website, as well as the blog, and start from scratch. I’m so glad that we did and that we didn’t give up!

What is your one most favorite thing about owning and writing for Mommy Perks?

By nature I’m a creative thinker. Owning Mommy Perks allows me to have complete control over how things look, feel and present to others. I quickly realized that the members of Mommy Perks wanted more information. So…we put up Kids Perks (www.kidsperks.com) and Early Childhood News & Resources (www.earlychildhoodnews.net). Both of those sites get crazy good re-posts and re-tweets because they are info packed and FREE to use.

How do you come up with ideas for new stories? Do you enjoy collaborating with others?

I love collaborating with others but to be honest, I don’t *have* to. Thinking up ideas for articles is easy for me. I might see a post online or a newspaper article or even a comment on another blog. I’ll think, “Oh. That’s a post!” I love crafts and nature and outdoor activities so I can pretty easily write about any of those topics. I was also a nanny for 16+ years for kids ages birth-13. That alone continues to spark ideas, even years later. I have a background in early childhood, preschool work, elementary ed classroom time, education courses, special needs and freelance. So again, that background continues to be a springboard for creative ideas and posts.

Back to collaborating with others – yes, I love that. I was told by one Education Professor that listening to the thoughts and input of others is KEY to success. If we can’t be open to hearing what others have to say, we’ll create a business (or blog or product or whatever) that is spank-tastic (smile) to us…but no one else. What good will that do? The input of others (at least being open to hearing it and reflecting on it) is critical.

If you could see into a crystal ball, where would you imagine Mommy Perks would take you in the next 4 years?

Wow. We have so much on the site now from parenting articles, pregnancy in-womb videos, small business tips and articles, charity info, Facebook and twitter, networking and marketing, pr and advertising, shopping (perks) and giveaways/reviews and more. I would like to think that in 4 years Mommy Perks will be considered one of the larger parenting/small business websites on the Internet. Our stats have soared over the last year and the growth is pretty evident to everyone who’s been standing by, watching and waiting. With more effort put into SEO, marketing, pr and networking, I’d like to see our family of sites take residence in the “Oh, yeah – I know that site well!” parent and small business handbooks : )

****

Head on over to www.mommyperks.com to have a look around and learn more.  The Mommy Perks VIP Blog can be found at www.mommyperks.com/vip.  Be sure to leave Shara a nice comment after you browse the pages of Mommy Perks!

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Campaign Chatter’s “Our Favorite Bloggers” Series Kicks Off!

June 21, 2010 By 2 Comments

Throughout the years, we have had the great privilege of working with some of the best and brightest Bloggers around the web. For these women and men, Blogging is not only a hobby and a passion, but a full time job – full of sweat, determination, long hours, writing and research. As a Blogger, their keyboard and computer leads them to this outlet, where they can live and breathe creativity. It is also their outlet to share stories, thoughts and subject matters that they feel strongly about. And finally, Blogging offers advice and tips to those loyal readers that relate and follow their words every single day.

Over the next few months, Campaign Chatter will be highlighting some of our own personal favorite Bloggers. These women (and men… yes men Blog too!) show such an enthusiasm for what they do, that we are truly proud to call them friends.

First up: The talented Shara Lawrence-Weiss of Mommy Perks.  Stay tuned to learn more about Shara!

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