January might be drawing to a close but here at Mommy Bag Marketing, Inc. We have some super exciting changes just on the horizon! We have a feeling that this year is going to be a wonderful one, so to celebrate we’re hosting a quick cash giveaway! One lucky Winner will receive their choice of $30 cash delivered via Paypal or a $30 Amazon Gift Card–and who doesn’t need a little extra money?!

Fill out the Rafflecopter form bellow to enter! Good luck!

Read more…

Blogging Success: Tips for Creating Content, Getting Traffic and Monetizing Your Blog is a new e-book written by The Work at Home Woman’s Holly Hanna.

I was excited to read this book and thankful that Holly asked for my review.I knew it would be quality material because I’ve been a regular reader on Holly’s site for years but I was pleasantly surprised to find tips and tricks that even *I* didn’t know about… and I’ve been a social media, well QUEEN, if you must know. (Leah from Peacock Pottery even sent me a crown that says so. So it must be true! haha!)

Here’s the skinny on this e-book:

• It’s a 44 page online book filled with practical tips to monetize your blog
• Advice and links that can be used by beginners or advanced bloggers
• It’s $27
• It’s available for purchase HERE
• It’s a must read and must DO!

It’s almost the New Year and what a fantastic time to prepare for monetizing your blog! Buy it today and get ready to make some money with your blog in 2012!

Thanks Holly! I’m looking forward to spreading the word about this great guide!

Press Release

Kids Meet Owls, Bears, Possums and More at Wilderness Wildlife Week
20 programs scheduled for youngsters in Pigeon Forge event Jan. 7-14

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (December 2011) – “Those Ain’t Teddy Bears in Great Smoky Mountains National Park” is one of the entertainingly informative programs aimed directly at youngsters during the 22nd Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., from Jan. 7-14, 2012.

Wilderness Wildlife Week is a salute to the great outdoors, and 20 of its 288 programs and activities are designed specifically for children. Many of the general programs would hold a child’s attention, too.

The “Kids’ Track” programs include “Whoo Did This?” (about all types of owls), “The Smoky Mountain Adventures of Bubba Jones” (a program of hiking and camping tips for kids and adults), a storytelling instruction class, “Batteries NOT Included” (about Appalachian toys and games) and “Photography for Kids and Parents.”

The “Kids’ Track” programs are scattered throughout the week, with multiple programs scheduled on Jan. 12 (Thursday) and Jan. 14 (Saturday).

The entirety of Wilderness Wildlife Week is an eight-day extravaganza of seminars, workshops, photography classes, hikes, owl prowls and even musical performances.

“It’s exciting to look at it by the numbers,” said Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism, which presents Wilderness Wildlife Week free of charge. Last year, guests came from 28 states and Canada.

“We have 240 indoor programs, plus 48 hikes, field trips and owl prowls. That’s 288 in all, and 120 of them are brand new for 2012. There are the 20 programs especially for kids, plus 22 that examine the heritage of the Smokies and more than a dozen photography courses,” he said.

Wilderness Wildlife Week, begun in 1990 as a salute to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is a major part of the four-month-long Pigeon Forge Winterfest season. Winterfest 2011-2012 in its entirety is a Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 Event.

More than 150 experts – nature photographers, biologists, raptor rehabilitators, social historians, musicians and just plain folks who grew up in the Smokies – donate their time to lead Wilderness Wildlife Week programs about natural history, wildlife, outdoor recreation, nature photography, conservation efforts and cultural history.

Among the topics: bears in the Smokies, reintroduction of elk to the national park, the Smokies’ logging history, possums, bluebirds, trout fishing, bald eagles, the Civil War in the mountains, fire towers, beginner backpacking, how to raise butterflies and how to play the dulcimer.

“The week is extremely flexible. You can come just for one program, for one day or for the whole week,” Downey said.

Wilderness Wildlife Week details are at www.MyPigeonForge.com/wildlife . Information about all aspects of visiting Pigeon Forge is at www.MyPigeonForge.com or by calling toll-free to 1-800-251-9100.
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Contact:
Tom Adkinson, APR
615-341-8796
tadkinson@bohanideas.com

We recently reviewed 3 yummy entrees from Private Selection, a Kroger Brand!

Appetizer: Southwestern Style Chicken Trumpets

Pizza: Pepperoni & Roasted Garlic

Dessert: Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes

Everything was wonderful but our favorite was definitely dessert (and my 4 year old agrees!) The chicken trumpets and pizza were great, too, but be prepared! When the box says “Roasted Garlic” they mean it!

Thanks Kroger/Private Selection! We’re looking forward to trying more of your wonderful entrees in the future!

*I’m a BzzAgent and received these wonderful products to try in exchange for my honest review!

card designed by Nicole Elliott

The December budget is always a tough one to balance! Especially during a poor economy when it has been hard to save anything extra each month for holiday giving. So what is a mom to do? Here are a few ways to make some extra cash in  the coming weeks for Christmas:

1.  Bake your most yummy Christmas treats and cut or make them into sample sizes. Take them to work or send them into your husband’s office/breakroom along with some order forms. Be creative and make something that not everyone else is making.  For example, I’m from Ohio where everyone makes the famous “Ohio Buckeyes“…(my recipe is similar but I won’t give away all my secrets!)….but here in Colorado, you can’t find them anywhere.  There is a man at my husband’s work who pays an extraordinary amount to order buckeyes from a chocolate factory in Ohio AND they are not nearly as good! Now, he can get them from me at a cheaper price, no shipping, and they are more fresh and yummy than he would get from the factory! (*local & state regulations apply)

2. Offer to decorate houses, hang lights, address and send Christmas cards, or wrap gifts! Many working parents run out of time for these necessary tasks and some older folks are just out of energy or ability to do it themselves. Post your availability in the newspaper, on facebook, and craigslist.

3. Gather up all of the outdated clothes and toys in your home. Take them to a local resale shop to receive cash up-front or sell them on craigslist. Everyone is looking for bargains on gifts this year. Don’t forget about older game stations and video games! Those still go for a lot this time of year.

4. Clean houses. This is definitely not a favorite, but if you’re only doing it for a few weeks for some extra Christmas money, you can do it! Let your friends, neighbors and family know you are willing to clean for a certain price. Again, the season is so busy that many people will be willing to pay someone else to save time on their part!

5.  Take family Christmas photos. Families are lining up to take their children to Walmart, Sears, JCPenney, etc. to get their photos taken in time to include with their Christmas cards.  If you have a nice camera and a Christmas tree, you can offer to take photos at your home! Take a few free online photography courses to understand lighting and then get to work! Practice on your own family first. You can even offer hot cocoa and cookies for the families that come through your doors. All this from a friendly mom at a price they can afford–without the lines, the sometimes rude sales associates, and the often dirty photo props used by all the other kids this time of year!

Check out more ideas to make extra cash on the Christian Moms Business Resource website HERE.

Do you have a great idea for earning extra cash from home at Christmas? We’d love to hear from you!

Around here we get excited about this weekend-because not only are we looking to score the great deals, we are all about supporting the small businesses giving them! Please shop small business this weekend–you can start with our great list right here!

contact Angelia Cliff-Johnson, Unique Body Expressions Independent Distributor at 703-336-7699

The Pampered Chef, Independent Sales Director Julie Kuetemeyer

This versatile product slices everything from potatoes and onions, to
tomatoes and lemons! Compact size and safety lock feature prevents blades from being exposed, and makes it easy to store.

$29.50

Cyber Monday Deal: With a $75 order, you receive FREE Shipping to your doorstep!!!  Only valid online Monday, November 28 until midnight (central time).  Shop now!!

Click HERE to purchase

Five Star Home Foods delivers all-natural meats and organic vegetables and juices directly to your home at very affordable prices.  Request your free sample package today at http://www.fivestarhomefoods.com/sample.php

Black Friday deal: Save 15% off your entire order when you shop at Heavenly Blessings Gift Baskets. Simply use discount code: BF2011 at checkout to take advantage of your savings on tons of great holiday gifts! (one-time use only) Cyber Monday Deal “All the Trimmings” basket on sale for $45.00 by using discount code: CM2011

Be sure to visit our Christmas Gift Guide to catch more great deals and Christmas gifts!

I was recently asked to review some cleaning products for Dust-Off. They sent electronic screen wipes, Smart Phone cleaners, and 2 Screen Cleaners. And boy, did we need them!

My 4 year old uses an older laptop of ours to play computer games on PBS Kids and the Veggie Tales website.  His little peanut buttery fingers have created quite a mess on both the screen and the keyboard. I used the Electronic Screen Wipes to clean the laptop and the peanut butter and other smears wiped away easily! The Smart Phone Portable cleaner worked great, too.

The Ultimate Screen Care Kit was my favorite because it not only worked for our laptops but also to clean off smeared DVD’s and CD’s making them play much better!

I highly recommend the Dust-Off Brand for all of your electronic cleaning needs! They definitely get this moms vote!

Find out more about these great products at www.dust-off.com

Could you use an extra $1,000?

Mommy Bag Marketing is participating in a cash giveaway over at Living Your Moment! Click on the image button below to take you directly to the giveaway! Enjoy!

National Sponsor

I never thought I would hear my husband say “Quit your day job”. WHAT? How can I quit my job? I have been working outside the home since I was 16 years old. He reminded me that I often mentioned how nice it would be to stay at home with our kids. We have two boys (at this time they were 6 and 4). “I can not be a stay at home mom” I told him. Those women are saints and have to have all the patients in the world. Looooooong story short, I decided to leave my government job that I had been at for 18 years and work with a MLM company from home that would allow me the flexibility and financial support I needed to stay at home. What was I thinking? Had I lost my mind?

As I’m writing this article it has now been 15 months since I have been classified as a stay at home mom and I LOVE IT! WOW. I love working for the best (in my opinion) MLM company in the world. I have traveled around the US and meet the most wonderful people that I would have never had the chance to meet if I had been tied to a “day” job and working for someone else. Now I get to give myself the day off (and I do quite often), I attend school functions for my boys and don’t have to ask permission to leave work early or have an extended lunch. I’m the boss so I get to do what I want, when I want. And the great news is, I do.

With this flexibility, I attend several networking events and meet other wonderful Entrepreneurs. I get to spend more time with my mom and have the time to volunteer in events within my community. I also have the flexibility to go on vacation when it is appropriate for our family and not a set work schedule.

I can’t even imagine how stressed my life would be if I had not taken the chance and explored this opportunity! I do not want to ever go back to a “day” job outside the home. So my encouragement for you is to go out there and take a chance, live a dream or take a leap. If you want more information on what my success has been, contact me Dawn Oliphant at info@greenqcmom.com or visit www.greenqcmom.com.

Dawn Oliphant