All You: You're Invited!

Are you ready to enjoy life...for less?

Meet the Site:

This Friday join us at 9 p.m. ET as we SiteWarm AllYou.Com in honor of their relaunch. All You - the go-to site for value-driven consumers - has been known for some time as not only a great source of trusted, money-saving content both online and in print, but also as a provider of exclusive, high-value coupons, daily discount offers, and more!

Now All You is rolling out an extensive coupon database showcasing coupons only found on AllYou.com.

All You marries real-life advice with savings-focused tips to empower women to save money in every area of their lives. New elements of the site include:

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  "Coupons and Deals" - Powered by my most recent couponing find - Coupons.com - this channel not only highlights money-saving coupons available at Coupons.com, but also features high-value coupons exclusive to All You. Also be sure to check out the Daily Savings blog!


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  "Food" - Are you a budget-minded cook? Look here for recipe ideas with an emphasis on low cost per serving.


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  "Supermarket Smarts" - This original video series provides tips on cooking with inexpensive ingredients and more!


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  "Budget Home" - Low-cost decorating ideas, inexpensive crafts, cleaning for less


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  "Style for Less" - Budget beauty tips, affordable products and fashion options


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  "Diet and Fitness" - At-home workout and walking plans as well as nutrition informatoin to stay fit and healthy without spending a bundle


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  "Community" - Offers user-generated advice from over 23,000 Reality Checkers, highly engaged All You readers who share how they save money in a range of areas.

Meet the Panelists:

Erin at @5dollardinners - Erin focuses on budget cooking, something we all need in these money-strapped times.

Andrea at @mommysnacks - With a focus on couponing and finding great grocery deals, Andrea blogs at Mommysnacks.net.

Dianna at @budgetbabe - Dianna is all about minding the budget while keeping an eye on fashion and style!

Join us as we discuss the new AllYou.com as well as how to cook, shop, and keep with the latest styles - all while saving money!

Win Great Prizes:

- All You magazine - available at Walmart and by subscription - five winners will receive a one year subscription

- 2 $25 gift cards

- 1 $50 gift card

- Grand Prize: 1 $100 gift card

Enter to Win:

1. Sign up for an AllYou.com newsletter

2. RSVP below

3. Tweet about the SiteWarming

4. Tweet any time between now and Friday at 10 p.m. ET with the hashtag #AllYou

5. Blog about the new AllYou.com

All prizes will be awarded during the SiteWarming party on Twitter between 9 and 10 p.m. ET. Winners do not need to be present to win.

A PR Black Out?

The PR Black Out:
I got a call today that went a bit like this,

"What do you know about this Mom Dot thing?"

(gasp!) "I don't know! I've been to the park, and then I was working - a lot. Dooce was on GMA."

"No, no, the Mom Dot thing. The PR Black Out...buh, buh, bummmm"

"What? (looking around to make sure no pr reps are in my living room, hiding behind the couch or under the coffee table) What's she thinking??"

"I don't know, but I bet it won't mean pulling down her ads for the week or not working on those social media marketing projects."

"Yeah, girlfriend. True dat. Word to your mommy blogger."

Okay, so it didn't go exactly like that, but you get the idea. The air was thick with controversy, my stomach definitely churned once or twice, and then I ran to the computer as fast as I could without my husband realizing what I was doing.

I prepared to face the post with righteous indignation. PR Black Out!? But she loves to work with companies...except for the ones who don't like when she curses. But still! What's she thinking?

What she's thinking is what I've been thinking. A lot of us are burned out. We're tired. We say yes to a lot of fun (free) projects that leave us exhausted and clawing to find time to work on the (sometimes) fun not free projects. And blogging about things that we love just because we love them? Well, that doesn't happen very often for many of us.

The suggestion was this: take one week in August and stop working with PR. Don't host a giveaway. Don't write a review. Don't e-mail the PR reps back or take their calls. Hold a PR Black Out.

Here's the problem with this for many of us - a week off of PR is like a week away on a tropical island where there is no WiFi, no mobile service, and possibly even no technology.

It's just not going to happen. It would be not only biting the hand that feeds me - it would be gnawing off the hand that feeds my children.

The Mommy Blogger Hybrid:
Apparently the battle rages on between the purist mommy bloggers and the "PR Friendly" button wearers - like myself - who get just as big a thrill learning and blogging about the best new thing as we do blogging about the crazy experience we just had with our children on the playground after school.


Let's just end this battle now and get something straight. I am a Mommy Blogger Hybrid - MB2.0 - available now everywhere blogs are read.

Like Trisha at MomDot and many others, I blog about my life, my kids, my family...the products I love, the products I'm trying, and the products I'm giving away to you. For some old school bloggers and blog readers, this is an unlikely partnership that leaves many feeling awkward and uncomfortable, much like when you find yourself sitting next to the 70 year old grandpa and his 25 year old girlfriend at your cousin's wedding. You just need to look the other way.

But for many of us this is a natural fit. We were already e-mailing other moms to tell them how much we loved our Graco strollers and going on local Yahoo forums to find out if anyone could recommend the best diaper. Bringing this aspect of our lives online along with the proud mama, angry wife, motivated woman ramblings just comes naturally. And then some figured out that there was money to be made, and not just in sidebar ads. Is that the straw that broke the camel's back? Perhaps.

Now imagine the conversation happening in PR firms around the country as MB2.0 began to pick up steam...

"Did you see that Mommy Loves Stuff for Moms has been writing about the latest tech sites for kids?"

"Yeah, and we've got that client we just brought on - Our Sites for Kids Rock - and they could totally use that kind of exposure."

"Oh, I know! She's got 245,983 pageviews a day! Let's e-mail her..."

And so it began. Some PR firms are better than others about the ways in which they reach out to bloggers and the ways in which they offer compensation. In my experience, I have refused pay for post, but I certainly enjoy a good giveaway for my readers. Other bloggers prefer ad revenue opportunities, while still others are happy simply to receive the product. The problem in the world of Mommy Blogger Hybrids - and I think this is what Trisha was getting at - is that these offers are coming at many of us from all sides, all the time.

We are MB 2.0 because of our natural inclination to love this type of blogging, so refusing fun offers and choosing to not tell our readers about an interesting new site or product is a very tough call. And so along comes the PR Black Out.

I love this idea. I love the idea of some time off. I love the idea of taking a week to write all of the ideas that litter the white board on my wall, clutter the sticky notes on my desk, and swirl in my head in the quietest times of the day.

But again - dance with the one who brought ya'. I care for and respect the PR firms and brands with whom I work and a black out just doesn't make sense for me.

So I have a counter offer for you, Trisha.

Let's have a Brown Out.

For every Mommy Blogger Hybrid who has been working just a little too hard, riding the wave just a little too long, let's commit to finding a day every week to blog about nothing. Or anything. But not because a company's suggested it to us...

Or how about this - let's unplug and take a few days to not blog at all. A vacation, even.

I won't be blacking out with the Mom Dot ladies because it just isn't a fit, but I applaud the sentiment behind the idea. Balance is important - and so is moderation - so I will approach my opportunities with a judicious eye moving forward because the last thing I want to do is burn out...and have to black out.

PostScript: One of the comments brought up the notion of having many blogs to suit many needs, which is an idea that went around the mommy blogging community more than once recently, with ladies seemingly divided on the topic. The whole "disclosure/carpet baggers" debate led me to add a new button to my nav. bar giving me a feeling of permission to write about, well, just me. But I still wonder if a completely separate blog is a way to not feel the need for black outs, brown outs, or freak outs of any kind? I'd love to hear your thoughts...

#TypeAMomfluence Party at BlogHer

What happens when Kelby Carr from Type-A Mom and I both mention to each other the idea of having a kick butt party for the ladies of BlogHer who love to build buzz, get weak in the knees for technology, and want the chance to network in a smaller space?

We join together for the first live SiteWarming party, of course!

The folks at Hewlett-Packard loved the idea, too, and jumped right in to sponsor the big bash (thanks, HP!). And the prizes are, in a word, UNBELIEVABLE.

If you're going to be attending BlogHer, join us in person: RSVP now!

Not going? Join us on Twitter! It is a SiteWarming Party, after all, so we'll be livetweeting the entire event with the hashtag #typeamomfluence. Please follow @typeamom, @mamikaze, @resourcefulmom, @slpowell and @angelaathp

Now to the swag...

- The first 100 guests to arrive will receive an HP sponsored swag bag loaded with goodies.

- It's a SiteWarming, so of course there are Door Prizes! Get ready to swoon...

HP 10.4-inch df1000 Series Digital Picture Frame

Enjoy and share favorite pictures with family and friends, all without a computer! It's easy with our 10.4" df1000 Series Digital Picture Frame, which also has 512MB for storing lots of photos.

Logoworks Silver Logo Design Package
Logoworks’ Silver Logo Design Package is valued at $299.
Within three business days of completing your online creative brief you’ll receive four original logo concepts from two of our award winning graphic designers. You’ll have two more rounds of revisions with the designers to get your logo right. After that you’ll have a professional logo in as little as a week!

HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One: for the DIY CEO

Just because your company is classified as a small business, it doesn't mean your marketing can't rival that of a Fortune 500 company. The Wireless HP Officejet Pro 8500 delivers professional quality COLOR printing for up to 50% less cost per page than laser and is eco-friendly – it uses up to 50% less energy than comparable laser printers. Use the Wireless HP Officejet Pro 8500 with the HP Creative Studio for Business, Logoworks and other key HP partners, you can affordably create, customize, and print agency-quality marketing materials yourself.

HP MediaSmart Server LX195 - Starts at $399
o Easy-to-use, low-cost, all-in-one solution for protecting, organizing, sharing and enjoying digital content
o Central repository for automatically backing up and accessing digital music, videos, photos and other documents
o Designed for use with both Windows and Mac computers
o Landing Page: www.hp.com/go/mediasmartserver

GRAND PRIZE...Make a statement with...

HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Special Edition
· Starting Price: $699
High fashion meets high tech with the world's first digital clutch by award-winning designer Vivienne Tam

A perfect accessory for any fashionista, at just 2.45-pounds and less than 1-inch thin

Ideal for email, IM, and chatting face-to-face with built-in HP Mini Webcam

Other fun door prizes include the Vivienne Tam for HP mouse and scarves as well as free prints from Snapfish!

And for the techies who'd like to dabble with some gadgets...

The HP Photosmart Premium with Touchsmart Web - The first web-connected home printer just announced on June 22nd and not yet shipping!

The HP DV2 Notebook

The HP Creative Studio

Come play. Connect. Win!

Support for the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk!

One of the most fulfilling aspects of working and socializing online is the ability to reach out to folks all around the country. Most "online moms" are also very active in their communities, and many work very hard for charitable causes.

One such online mom is my friend Angela, who has bravely taken on the challenge of walking the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk in Cleveland with her mother who is a breast cancer survivor. Last year she and her mother not only walked the 60 miles in three days, but also raised $6,000.

This year times are tougher for everyone...including charities.

Angela's friend Margey of Bella Strada Studios is running a promotion with one of her beautiful products in order to help raise money for the Breast Cancer 3 Day. To help Angela and her mother in their efforts, 20% of the proceeds from the Flying Wish Paper sales through Tuesday will be donated to the walk.

Want to help Angela's team directly? Head to her Donations Page.

Thank You, Jessica (aka: the post where I cry)

I've been asked many, many times how I came to start this blog, and while I've told my story to a couple of folks in interviews or late night ramblings, I've mostly only hinted at it here and on Twitter. Now the person who came abruptly into my life and turned it upside down is moving to the opposite side of the country, so I think it's time to not only tell the story, but thank her properly and publicly.

To explain where I was in my life when I met Jessica Smith, I'm going to recap five years in just a sentence or two:

• I loved children, wanted to be a parent, made a misguided decision to become a teacher when really I just had an over-developed maternal instinct that needed to be satiated.
• I had children, stayed home, was more fulfilled than ever in my life, and knew that I'd do anything to find a way to stay home and still provide income to meet my family's needs.
• I had a creative energy that needed an outlet other than my children/MOMS Club/community anything and yearned to find like-minded moms!
• I wanted to write. And I wanted to write something that someone would read. Willingly.

Then one Sunday I was sitting in church, minding my own soul, when the pastor showed a video about becoming who you were meant to be. Now the music was moving, the images stirring, so through no fault of my own I teared up. But then the tears began to stream quietly down my face. I realized that it was time to make a move and figure out what more I was meant to be and I prayed right there, "Dear God, either show me the way to fulfillment or take this desire from me." I wanted peace. I didn't know where it would come from, but I wanted it. Now.

And then I offered Jessica Smith a muffin. Now I know I am going to alienate some people with this post. "You go to church? You like Jessica Smith? You eat white flour?" Yes. Yes. Yes.

Just a couple of weeks after sitting in church that Sunday, I was in the social hall of the very same church with my local MOMS Club. It was my first meeting as Administrative Vice President and also my first meeting with our newly merged club. Trying to be social and nosy at the same time, I mingled in with the ladies from the "other club" and offered them some muffins. One of those moms happened to be Jessica Smith from Jessica Knows. Somehow while talking about our sons, who we discovered would be starting pre-school together in the fall, Jessica mentioned that she had a website. I listened half-heartedly and nodded. Then a week or so later I checked it out. Then I started to check out the other folks she wrote about. That led me to Kelby Carr. When you first check out Kelby's personal site and read what she writes, the word "mom" does not come to mind. Instead, the words "powerful," "smart," and "frank" come to mind. I liked this world. I wanted in.

All it took was one e-mail to Jessica with a cry for help for her to call me for the most fast-paced 20 minute conversation I've ever had. I can still remember the feeling of sitting at my dining room table, frantically taking notes on the kitchen message pad. I knew that I was recording foreign words that would need to be translated later - "Blogger" "Typepad" "Wordpress" "Twitter" - but that conversation changed my life.

Just a couple of weeks later I owned URL's (!!), had a Twitter account, and a hastily created new identity, which I oddly now answer to. "Resourceful Mommy?" "Yes." The rest is history...

Thanks to that moment with God and that meeting with Jess, I've had one of the most exciting years of my life, and I can clearly see the potential to stay at home indefinitely and find fulfillment in all aspects of my life.

Now Jess is moving to California to return to the marketing world full time. We don't meet for coffee once a week or hang out over the grill every weekend - I'm not that social, and she's way too busy - but knowing that she's just down the road has been such a comfort to me. I'll miss that. I'll miss her. I know that she'll probably save some other mom like myself from the despair that is gripping her life. In her new capacity she'll have the opportunity to reach so many more...

So Jessica, thank you. And I'll miss you. Best of luck, and God bless...

Let the Busy Begin...

(photo credit: Marshall Astor)

There will be a lot going on at Resourceful Mommy over the next two weeks, so grab your monitors and hang on for the ride...

This Week:
Fun reviews - Hear what I thought of my time with EA Sports Active for Wii, how Plate Pals 4 You is helping out around the house, you'll find out what a Smooshie is, and how I'm going to kick my sugary sweet soda habit...

Great giveaways - The prizes for my Bloggiversary SiteWarming will be announced this week and you'll be able to enter to win in multiple ways. I've also got a birthday surprise from 1-800-Flowers and more! Don't forget you can still enter to win an iPhone, a laptop, and a Wii Fit. Just click on the "Resourceful Giveaways" tab. And if you're headed to BlogHer, I've got some swag for you!

Resourceful tips - Want to travel to Disney, but don't want to spend a ton while you're there? Need a fun idea for those sad mini-blinds in your kids' room? I've got some tips coming your way!

SiteWarming Party - It's not Friday if there's not a SiteWarming! Keep your eyes open for more information about the great site we're helping to re-launch as well as the prizes you can win.

Resourceful Me - And as always, there's a little bit of Just Me mixed in...

Wii Can Be Fit with #KidsWeigh - Learn and Win!

As you know, this Friday we are SiteWarming Dr. Weigh by Joanna Dolgoff, MD, as well as Dr. Dolgoff's weekly Twitter conversation, #KidsWeigh.

You know that for an hour we will be able to ask Dr. Dolgoff our toughest kids' nutrition and exercise questions as well as share tips and concerns with fellow parents - aunts & uncles - grandparents on Twitter.

But did you know that you have a chance to win a Wii Fit?

Maintaining a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle is difficult for many parents. Helping their kids do the same can be nearly impossible, but programs such as Dr. Weigh and fun fitness tools like the Wii Fit certainly help!

To Enter:

To enter to win the #KidsWeigh Wii Fit contest, check out client testimonials and fabulous Dr. Weigh success stories then fill out this secure contest form telling us which story was your favorite!

Form: http://tinyurl.com/kidsweighcontest

One grand prize winner will receive a Wii Fit. Two runners-up will receive a free one month membership to Dr. Weigh. This contest ends Friday, July 24th at 11:59 a.m. ET.

Are you ready to win Door Prizes?

Ten SiteWarming Party winners will receive gift cards to eat fresh at Subway! One SiteWarming Grand Prize winner will win one free month of membership to Dr. Weigh.

Complete any or all of the following steps and leave a comment on this post for each entry.

1. RSVP here for the SiteWarming.
2. Comment on the Dr. Weigh Blog.
3. Tweet about Friday's SiteWarming on Twitter.
4. Blog about Dr. Weigh and comment with a link to your post.
5. Blog about the #KidsWeigh Wii Fit contest.
6. Enter the Wii Fit Contest - yes, entering to win a Wii Fit can help you win door prizes!
7. Tweet any time between Noon and 10 p.m. ET with the hashtag #KidsWeigh

Good luck!