Digital Layout Share #2

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I felt in the Christmas mood still today and decided to create a digital layout of Christmas yesterday. I included the best present I got on the layout -- my new purple laptop!

Also, if anyone is interested there is a code on my sidebar to get $10 off the purchase of the My Memories Suite software.

The Digital Mom Handbook Review (ARC)

TITLE: The Digital Mom Handbook

AUTHOR: Audrey McClelland and Colleen Padilla

PUBLISHER: Harper Business

PAGES: 232

MY RATING:

BACK COVER BLURB: To work  or not to work? That seems to be the bottom-line question for most mothers today. But Audrey McClelland and Colleen Padilla are proving that the equation is changing. Both of them left the corporate ladder behind to stay home with their children, but instead of permanently keeping these women out of the workplace, this choice was the catalyst to their reinvention. Audrey and Colleen literally blogged, tweeted, Skyped, vlogged, and Facebooked their ways to the top. In The Digital Mom Handbook they show other moms how to find middle ground -- via the frontier of the Internet and these seven basic steps:

1. Find your passion
2. Hang a digital "shingle" and start typing
3. Find your tribe
4. Make opportunity knock and learn how to answer that door
5. Manage the Benjamins
6. Don't forget the children
7. Live happily ever after

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This is a good starter book for anyone who is thinking about creating a blog. I myself do not have children, but I still found this book helpful. The first point that I really enjoyed that this book made is "writing about your passion is not work" (page 26). I agree with this 100%. If you center your blog around what you love to do, you will not feel like you are working, and you will enjoy your time more.

A great feature of this book is that there are real stories from people interspersed throughout the book. It just shows you that this is a possibility and people have done it before. It's great to read about other people's experiences to learn from them.

I love all of the lists in this book. It makes it so easy to read through them and check off in your mind if you have done the things they are talking about or if you need to spend some more time on them.

The appendices in this book are so valuable, especially Appendix A. Appendix A has a section for each social media platform and explains how it works, the terminology and other tips.

A few things I learned from the book that I found helpful:

• "When possible, title blog posts as if they're news headlines" (page 51). This is such great advice. You want your blog titles to pull people in and cause them to read what you spent so much time and effort on writing.
• You don't have to say yes to ever offer given to you by companies. Pick and choose the ones that are relevant to your blog.

COVER: Cute cover. I like all of the pink accents.

I received an advanced reader's copy of this book for review from Amazon Vine.

Digital Layout Share #1

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I was bored the other day and decided to play around with my digital scrapbook software (My Memories Suite) and I created a layout. I just thought I'd share it with you.

This is a layout of my dad taking a nap in the backyard the Summer of 2006. He's very fond of naps :)

Also, if anyone is interested there is a code on my sidebar to get $10 off the purchase of the My Memories Suite software.

In My Mailbox #5

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

 From Tammy @ Blue Roses Heart I won:

1. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

2. Keeping The Moon by Sarah Dessen

From Lori @ www.clarklori.com I won:



1. Blood Red Road (ARC) by Moira Young

I am SUPER excited about this last one. I bought this during Cyber Monday and got a pretty good deal on it. It is such an awesome book and I love it!

1. Harry Potter From Page To Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey by Bob McCabe

What did you get in your mailbox this week? Leave me a link to your post.

Prefense Hand Sanitizer Review and Giveaway

 
I was given the opportunity to try out Prefense Hand Sanitizer and I am glad that I was chosen for this opportunity.

I want to start off with the one bad thing that I have experience with this product is the way it was shipped to me. The bottle of hand sanitizer was shipped to me in a bubble wrap envelope. After going though everything packages deal with during shipping, my bottle of hand sanitizer got squished and leaked  in the package. Probably about 1/4th of the product leaked out of the bottle. I wish that it had been sent to me in some sort of small box instead of the envelope, but that was the only problem I had with the product.

Now, with all that being said, I love the product itself. One squeeze of the pump produces enough hand sanitizer to completely cover my hands without being too much.

My favorite feature about the Prefense Hand Sanitizer is that it does not have the harsh scent that other hand sanitizers have because it does not contain alcohol. I also like the size of the bottle as it fits easily in my purse. This is extremely convenient because I can just pull it out of my purse and quickly sanitize my hands when I need to, especially before eating out.


Here are a few facts about Prefense hand sanitizer:

• Prefense is only made up of all-natural ingredients and does not contain alcohol
• You are protected for 24 hours or up to 10 hand washings after using Prefense
• Prefense is safe for kids as it is non-toxic
• It will not dry out your hands, and will actually smooth and soften them
• It protects against germs such as staph, strep, E.Coli and more

You can purchase Prefense hand sanitizer on their website or enter my giveaway for a chance to win one 8oz. bottle of Pre-Fense Foaming Hand Sanitizer.



I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. Sponsored by Tomoson.com

Diamond Candles Company Review/Giveaway Opportunity

There is a post up on Celebrate Woman Today's blog about reviewing and hosting a giveaway for soy candles from the Diamond Candles Company.

The idea behind their candles is such a great one. I think it is so clever and I would love the opportunity to review a candle as well as host a giveaway for you guys so you can also enjoy a candle.

Basically, every candle contains a mystery ring with a monetary value of anywhere between $10 and $5000. I think it would be so fun to take a product that I use all the time (candles) and when the candle has burned down, get a nice surprise of a beautiful piece of jewelry.

If any other bloggers are interested in trying to participate in this opportunity as well, click HERE to be taken to the post to sign up.

In My Mailbox #4

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

I was super excited to get a R.A.K. from two people this month. These are my first R.A.K.s. Thanks you two!

From Briana @ The Book Pixie:

1. Better Latte Than Never by Catherine Clark

From Ann @ Annabell's Book Nook:







1. Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin
2. The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
3. Sarah's Key by Tatiana DeRosnay

And I also got a book a few weeks ago that I forgot to post. From Denise Jaden (Author of Losing Faith) @ www.DeniseJaden.com:



1. I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

What did you guys get this week? Leave me your links and I'll stop by!

In My Mailbox #3

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

I won at contest from Tiffany at For Those About To Read :

1. Manifest by Artist Arthur

From Amazon Vine:

1. Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Chronicle Books Happy Haul-idays Giveaway

Hi Everyone! I am participating in the Happy Haul-idays contest by Chronicle Books. Up for grabs: $500 worth of books!

How to participate:
Bloggers: Write a blog post with a list of books from Chronicle valued at up to $500. Also, choose a charity that you would like to receive $500 worth of books from Chronicle.

Readers: If I win, I get to choose one lucky reader who comments on this post to win all of the books on my list! So leave me your comments for your chance to win!

Here is my list of books:

1. Cake Pops by Bakerella

$19.95

2. Cake Pops Kit by Bakerella

$19.95

3. Perfect Pops by Charity Ferreira

$16.95

4. Quick and Easy Mexican Cooking by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee

$22.95

5. Boo by J.H. Lee

$12.95

6. Best Friends Forever by Rachael Hale McKenna

$14.95

 7. Creature by Andrew Zuckerman

$60.00

8. The Space Between Trees

$17.99

9. Keys Journal by enormouschampion

$9.95

10. Bike Journal

$9.95

11. Evolve Eco-Journal by Nikki McClure

$10.95

12. Stuff on My Cat Journal by Mario Garza

$10.95

13. Fat Journal by Oh Boy

$12.95

14. Curious Cats by Mitsuaki Iwago

$16.95

15. The Kittens of Boxville by Ryosuke Handa, Yoneo Morita, and Tracy Sunrize Johnson

$14.95

 16. Kittenwar Card Game by Fraser Lewry and Tom Ryan

$10.95

17. Kittenwar by Fraser Lewry and Tom Ryan

$9.95

18. Funny Bunnies Notecards by Laurie Frankel

$13.95

19. ASPCA Complete Guide to Cats by James R. Richards

$24.95

20. ASPCA Complete Guide to Dogs by Sheldon Gerstenfeld

$24.95

21. The Art and Making of Stars Wars: The Old Republic by Frank Parisi and Daniel Erickson

$40.00

22. The Art of Toy Story

$18.95

23. Paul Frank: Rock Out with Julius! Journal

$12.95

24. The World Almanac for Kids Puzzler Deck: Dinosaur Science by Christine Economos

$9.99

25. Vunce Upon a Time by J.otto Seibold and Siobhan Vivian

$16.99

26. Cath Kidston Masking Tape: Yellow Stars by Cath Kidston

$8.95

27. Cath Kidston Cupcake Liners by Cath Kidston

$9.95

28. The Sock Knitting Kit by Alyce Benevides and Jaqueline Milles

$19.95

TOTAL: $494.82

For my charity I have chosen The Book Bus. This is a great charity that is helping young children explore the wonderful world of reading. Here is a little bit of info about this organization:

The Book Bus Foundation (Charity number 1117357) aims to improve literacy rates in Africa and South America by providing children with books and the inspiration to read them. The Book Bus currently provides a mobile library service for children from disadvantaged communities and families in Zambia, Malawi and Ecuador. Our Book Buses tour schools, hospitals and orphanages to promote reading and storytelling to children who would otherwise have little or no access to books. There's no doubt that stories can make a difference to children's lives and with story tellers onboard, the Book Bus can help maintain the link between local society and its own stories as well as providing inspiration with new stories from afar.

The idea of using a bus to bring books to children is not a new one but our Book Buses are more than simple mobile libraries. Our onboard volunteer crews engage with children and their teachers, promoting reading in a way that is creative, inspiring and above all, fun. By mixing books with enjoyment, our volunteers can encourage an early interest in reading. Through repeat visits, regular book donations and help with developing library spaces, they are working hard to sustain that interest.