You know what I'm talking about. You hop around the internet landing on other awesome blogs, and you think "why can't mine be that {insert adjective here}". I'm totally feeling it right now.

Aside from the commandment instructing us not to envy our (blogosphere) neighbors, kicking yourself for not having a blog "just like theirs" just makes you feel bad!

Don't get me wrong. I don't want a cookie-cutter version of somebody else's blog - that just wouldn't be any fun at all!

So what can we do to get over the green-eyed blog monster?

Learn from your favorite blogs.
Take a few ideas that you love, and implement them on your own blog. I'm not talking about copying their content of course. But maybe you love that they use a certain fantastic widget, or that they participate in a certain meme. What's stopping you from using that same widget or doing the same meme?

Invest some time into your blog.
Sure, you may want to change the theme or make a few tweaks to make your blog more aesthetically pleasing, but the one thing you should focus on is CONTENT. Post as often as you can (daily if at all possible), and talk about something interesting to other people. Did you catch that last part? Interesting to other people. Sure, it's important for you to know how often your baby poos (and all the descriptive details that we just won't go into here), but it's hard to build a faithful following if that is the extent of what you write about. :)

Find out what others are interested in by checking out forums in your niche. If there's a lot of conversation revolving around a topic that you're knowledgeable about, why not write a blog series answering people's most common questions?

Start a discussion with some of your favorite bloggers
Seriously. Find them on Twitter, or use the contact form on their blog. Better yet, leave a meaningful comment on their posts. Let them know how much you love their blog. Who knows, maybe they're doubting the worth of their own corner of the blogosphere?

Another way you can get their attention and bring them to your blog is to.....blog about them. Link to one of your favorite posts on their blog and write a little bit about why you love it and how it affects you/inspires you/makes you laugh, etc.

If you're using Wordpress, you have the option of sending a trackback to their site so they know that you've linked to them. You can also leave a comment on that favorite post that you referenced letting them know that you were moved enough by it to mention it on your own blog.

If you're coming from iFellowship, welcome and thanks for stopping by! Please leave me a comment so I'll know to visit you back. Also, don't forget to visit our host site, Seeds of Faith. Thanks!

Posted: September 8th, 2010 under Blog Tips, Uncategorized, WAHM Tips.
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I love blog hops! It's so neat to be able to meet other bloggers with similar interests. If you're stopping by from iFellowship, welcome! If you leave me a comment I'll be sure to stop by your blog as well.

So.....I have a little confession to make. I'm going to be lazy here. I just did my iFellowship post over on my sister site, The Helping Mommy. My bed is calling out to me, and I just don't have the words to come up with something different.

I do want to say that this site is meant to be a place to promote other WAHMs and CWAHMs. If you have a shop, an etsy store, a direct sales business...please contact me. I would love to talk to you further about promoting YOU. No charge, just a way of doing my part to support other working mommas. =)

Posted: September 1st, 2010 under Uncategorized.
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Posted: August 25th, 2010 under Mom Kaboodle.
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Did you ever wonder how people set up their blog feeds to automatically update in Facebook? True, some of them may be manually updating them (I know I was for a while!), but more than likely the bloggers that regularly post their feeds have it set up automatically. With a few simple steps, you can too. Ready to get started? Here we go!

Step 1: Go to the Applications Area

Once you log into your account, look in the sidebar for “Applications”. If you don’t see it in your list, you may need to click the more tag under Photos for it to appear. Once you found, click the Applications link.

On the new page, you can see any applications you already use, applications your friends use, as well as an applications directory link at the bottom. To see the apps your friends are using, click “More” otherwise click the directory link.

Step 2:  Find Business Applications

Next you will see a page with featured apps, suggested apps, and more.   In the interest of saving time, use the "search" box or the apps categories in the sidebar to narrow down your choices.

For this example, we’ll click on the business link to find applications that will help you in your business.

Step 3:  Add Your Selected Application

There is an application called NetworkedBlogs, that allows you to import summaries (or "teasers") from you blogs.   This is an ideal application to help drive traffic to your blog.  To find it, look in the icon section and click on the link for NetworkedBlogs.

You will be taken to a page that encourages you to become a fan.   For our purposes, we just skipped that part and went straight to the application.

The “go to app.” button can be tough to find if you don’t know where to look.   There are actually two ways to get to the application button.   You can click the tiny icon in the top left (shown in the picture below), or click on the wall tab.  Let's go ahead and click on the icon.

Once you click the icon, you will see the Go To Application button.

(looks like this)

Click on it and meet me at Step 4.

Step 4: Allow Application Permission

At this point, the application is going to ask your permission to access certain things.   Click the "Allow" button to grant permission.

Step 5: Find Blogs To Follow

Are you with me so far?  Great!  (If not, just leave me a comment or shoot me an email at momkaboodle @ gmail . com)

Once you click the button, you’ll be guided through following and rating blogs.   Make your selections from the friends blogs tab and/or check out who your friends are following in the other tab.   Scroll to the bottom to click and go to the next screen.

If you'd rather not find blogs at this point, go ahead and skip this step.   To do this, scroll to the bottom of the next page and keep clicking the “Next” button until you’re finished. When you reach the last page, click on the “go to the home page” link.

(It looks like this:)

Step 6: Register Your Blogs

When you get to the home page, click the “Register A Blog” button to add your blogs.

Step 7: Register Your Blogs

Fill out the information requested and click the next button.

Step 8: Verify Author

Click yes if you are the author. You will be asked how you would like to verify that you are the author.

We chose to use the widget. To verify by friends, select 9 friends who can say that this is your site.

Then click the send verification button.

------ OR------

Open a new tab and log in to your website. Insert the widget code into your blog’s sidebar. Update the blog to save the changes. Go back to the Facebook page and click the verify button.

Step 9:  Syndicate

When you get all of your blogs registered, click the syndicate button and fill in all the info.

Step 10: Add Blog Tab

Once you’re finished with the settings, go to your home page, and click on profile. Click the >> symbol and then click on blog. This will add a blog tab at the top of your page where all of your blogs will be seen with excerpts of the latest posts can be seen.

Step 11: Take a Deep Breath

Whew! You made it!

I know it seems like you had to jump through a whole bunch of hoops, but trust me it'll be worth it.  Remember, this is a way to drive even more traffic to your blog.

If you have any questions about these steps, please don't hesitate to email me at momkaboodle @ gmail . com.

Posted: August 17th, 2010 under Uncategorized.
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A Fan Page is often used by businesses, organizations and other public figures to broadcast announcements to connect with people with similar interests thus the term "fans" ;-). Many bloggers and blogging communities set these up to not only drive traffic to their blog, but also to get people "chatting" with one another.

You can enhance your page by adding video, audio, news feeds, event announcements and more.

Only the official representative of an organization, business, etc. can create a page. Once created, they can assign someone to help manage of the page.

If you are in direct sales, please make sure that you check your company's policy before you create a fan page for your business. Being an independent consultant, you more than likely can't create a page under the actual name of your company, but you could probably make one under your own name to market your products and/or services. Again, check the rules before doing this.

Step 1: Page Setup

1. Click "Create a Page" in the lower right corner of the home page or click here to get started:
2. Select the type of page you want to create; Official Page or Community page. For this demonstration, we’re creating an Official Page for a business.
3. Choose what the page is for (local business, product/organization or public figure). You can narrow the focus using the drop-down that appears after you make the first selection.
4. Name your page using keywords related to your business.
5. Read and agree to the terms. (If you don’t agree, you will not be allowed to create a page.)
6. Click Create Page when you’re finished.

Step 2: Navigate to Custom Settings Page

Sign in to your Facebook account & you should see a link under your profile picture for Ads & Pages. Click the link to customize your new page.

Step 3: Page Settings

This is where you can set any restrictions for who can join based on location or age. You can also choose whether you want to publish your page right away or leave it unpublished until you have finished it. You can edit your Wall settings, add applications, etc.

I’m not going to go through these individually, but I do encourage you to take some time to see what is available. Remember, the goal is to have your page be a positive representation of your business so you can connect with clients, customers and perhaps even some JV partners.

Click “Edit” below each section, to edit those settings. Be sure to click Save Changes for each section before moving on.

Once you’ve finished with the settings, it’s time to move on to customizing your page.

To get there, simply click the question mark at the top of the settings page. See image above.

Step 4: Customize your page

Customizing your page is just like customizing your profile page. You’ll want to upload an image that represents your company, add a business summary as a way to introduce your business to members and prospective customers or clients and so forth.

Select "Edit Page" to add specifics such as websites, contacts, addresses and phone numbers.

Step 5: Invite friends view your page

To invite (or “suggest”) people to view your page; click the “Suggest To Friends” link under your profile picture.

Select from your friends list those you would like to invite to your page. Add a personal message if you’d like.
Click Send Invitation.

If you are comfortable doing so, ask your friends to recommend your page to their friends. If you’re not comfortable doing this, that’s ok. Your following will naturally grow as people see that their friends have joined your page. They will visit out of curiosity and many will join.

Additional Notes:

Where pages show up and how you can find them:

Pages will show up in the search results on Facebook & they are in the main Facebook Page Directory. They also show up on the “Info” tab of any Facebook member who connects with the page.

Pages can also be found by clicking "Advertising" at the bottom of any Facebook page then clicking the "Facebook Page" link on the page that populates.

To send your followers an update:
You can update all of your followers or just a select group of followers about new page content, upcoming events, specials and more.

These settings are controlled under the “Customize” option in the dropdown next to the “Share” button in the publish box.

All updates will appear in the "Updates" tab of a user’s Inbox. Updates published for a select group will only be visible to those users. They will not show up in the news feeds, on your page or anywhere else on Facebook.

To post an update, click the “Share” button on the left side of your page.

To create an event:
You first have to add the “Events” tab to your page by clicking the + sign at the top of the page publisher and selecting the Events option.
From there, you simply add a new event on the events tab.

To advertise your page:
From the settings page, click Promote Your Page and follow the instructions given.

Posted: August 16th, 2010 under Uncategorized.
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Have you been looking for a way to earn money from home? Why not create your own a business around your skills and strengths? This will allow you to create a work schedule tailored to the needs of your family.

People that are proficient in web design can find work pretty easily. Many people want to an online business presence but don’t know the first thing about building a website – just visit any work at home message board and you will see many posts asking for help! There is also a lot that you can do with this in your local community. Find out more about Becoming A Blog Consultant.

Are you creative? How about marketing your services as a graphic designer? Many people need help designing logos, website headers and buttons.

If you enjoy writing, you can find work as a copywriter – the person who writes the information you read on websites.

If you would rather work offline, there are still plenty of opportunities for you. Just market your services creatively – let businesses know how you can help them. For instance, if you were a teacher, you could coordinate lesson plans for local daycares and call yourself an “Educational Consultant”. If you have experience managing a restaurant, you can turn that into a “Catering Consultant” and help caterers and restaurants come up with new recipes or help brides plan their wedding menus.

Are you good at crocheting, knitting, sewing, or scrapbooking? Hold classes to teach other people your crafting method. Ask your local craft shop or library if you can hold classes there.

Don’t forget you can also sell your handmade crafts at online places like Etsy and Artfire. Or you can sell your products in local craft fairs and through word-of-mouth advertising.

Moms are expert organizers – offer up your skills as a “professional organizer” and get paid to clean out closets, attics and garages. Do you love planning parties? Many busy parents would hire you to take care of planning their children’s parties. You don’t have to limit yourself to kids’ parties, though. You can also hire yourself out to plan retirement parties, anniversary parties – even weddings!

What about making meals for busy professional in your area? You could charge them for the cost of groceries, etc., throw a meal in the crock pot in the morning and drop it off to their homes at dinner time. Alternatively, you could create freezer meals for them at the beginning of the week that the families need only defrost and heat up as needed.

As you can see, there are many ways to turn your skills into ways to work from home. Once you decide on something to do, get out there and let everyone know you are available for hire! If you want work, sometimes you just need to ask!

Posted: August 7th, 2010 under Business Ideas, Crafts, WAHM Tips.
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Melissa Ingold is retiring some of her Sweetie Marketing Products. Until Wednesday of this week (Aug 4th), you can get these products at a deep-discounted price - 75% off!

I love the Sweetie products. If you're doing an online business, I highly recommend checking these out.

COUPON CODE: 76429D4
DISCOUNT: 75% off
EXPIRES: August 4, 2010

Email Marketing Sweetie

Affiliate Manager Sweetie

Information Product Sweetie

Online Marketer Sweetie

Disclaimer: These are my affiliate links, which means that I will receive a commission for helping to spread the word about these products. I have used many of them in the past, and I stand behind Melissa and what she has to offer.

Posted: August 2nd, 2010 under Uncategorized.
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I make blog buttons that match your site's header graphic for you to use on your website, in your advertising, etc.

Here's how it works:

For $12 , I will take your existing header graphic and create a 125 x 125 and a 150 x 150 matching buttons for you to use to on your own site, or to advertise on other people's sites, button exchanges, etc.

Your buttons will look something like this:

 

 

 

 

Email me at momkaboodle at gmail.com with "button request" in the subject line.

• In your email, please include your name and your blog's web address.
• Payment should be sent via PayPal to momkaboodle at gmail dot com (no credit card transactions, please).
• Once payment has been verified, I will start working on your blog buttons and send them to you upon completion.

Thanks!

Posted: July 29th, 2010 under Uncategorized.
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Happy iFellowship Wednesday, and thanks for visiting!

Are you a WAHM? How does being a Christian affect how you run your business?

How about as a blogger? Inquiring minds want to know!

For me, the Lord is my inner compass. I want to be transparent in my dealings with others, and I don't want to feel like I'm being fake. There are a lot of people out there who will teach you different aspects of business and blogging. If you are uncomfortable with doing something....don't do it. I'm not saying to let fear hold you back from taking the next step, of course. But if the methods go against your morals in any way....stay strong and don't make those kinds of sacrifices. It's just not worth it, and it will only make you feel bad in the end.

"Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess." --Deuteronomy 5:33

Oh, while you're here, I'd love to know what I can help you with. I'm focusing on WAHMs/Bloggers on this site, and all things Mommy on my sister site, The Helping Mommy. Thanks, and don't forget to link up to the blog hop while you still have time!

Posted: July 28th, 2010 under Uncategorized.
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Sometimes, being a work at home mom can feel like walking on a suspension bridge with missing planks! Your laundry is staring you in the face while you're working, and oftentimes your kids are, too.  When you're doing the laundry or playing with the kids, oftentimes your mind is on your business.

Balancing your work-time and your family-time can be overwhelming sometimes, but by following a few simple tips, it can be done.  AND you get to keep a shred of your sanity as part of the bargain.  :)

You have the ability to set your own hours, so take advantage of that right now. If you can handle some tasks at “odd hours” of the day, you will have more family time during the day. Are you a morning person? If so, try to get up an hour before your family to take advantage of some “quiet time” to focus on your business; night owls can take care of emails and other administrative tasks after they have put their children to bed.   (Just don't  stay up TOO late, especially if you need to be up and "on" for the kids first thing in the morning!)

If you pick your children up from school, use the time you spend waiting for them to return customer phone calls.  A wireless headset for your cell phone will allow you to keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road if you make calls while driving.

I once did a Service-based home business, and we received our training via emails and training websites.  If you are in a similar type of business, print out your training info and stash it in your purse.  You can take it out while you're sitting in the car waiting for the kids (with the car in "Park", please!), in line at the Supermarket, or even while you're waiting at the doctor's office.

During the week, when schedules are busiest, plan quick and easy dinners. Let your kids help out in the kitchen while you cook – you’ll be spending time together and teaching them skills they will need. There are plenty of cookbooks out there dedicated to “kid friendly recipes” if you need some inspiration on what to make.  Also remember that the Crock Pot is your friend!  You can put a whole chicken or even a lasagna in some of the bigger crock pots, and you don't have to worry about trying to cook and simultaneously distract cranky, hungry kids (or husbands!).  Try planning your meals at the beginning of the week (this saves you time and money!).  If you need some additional meal-planning tips, try an online service like Dine Without Whine - A Weekly Menu Plan & Grocery List Delivered To Your E-mail Box or Menu Planning Central.

Get the kids involved in your business as much as possible. Smaller children can put stamps or mailing labels on envelopes;  older children can help hang flyers; and teenagers can take on some administrative tasks like data entry.  This method allows you to have a little extra "face-time" with the kids while they're doing these tasks for you, and will hopefully free up some of your time that you can invest back into the kiddos.  Which brings us to the next tip:

Set aside some time each day to spend with your children with no distractions (that means no phone and no computer!). You don’t have to go anywhere special; the time can be spent reading a book, playing a game, or spending time outside together. The point is just to let your children know that they come first, and the business comes second.

Remember – you became a work at home mom so you could spend time with your family. Don’t forget to take some time out to enjoy them!

Posted: July 27th, 2010 under Business Ideas, Mom Kaboodle, WAHM Tips.
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