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!

For more than a decade, we have been known as the “Hallmark” of jewelry because people share their sentiments with our inspirational jewelry designed by the founder of the company, Jill Felts.  Together we build our faith as we build our businesses by honoring God and making a living doing what we love at the same time. Our jewelry helps you inspire, challenge, or uplift others in a tangible way.

There are many ways to work with us.  You can simply become a Customer, host a party, or join our community as a Consultant.

“Your Compelling Creations business gives you the best of both worlds – you can stay true to your family-first values, without sacrificing your own dreams and goals. You can be the mom your kids deserve and a successful business entrepreneur – both at the same time.” – M. Christensen

Join the ripple effect by becoming a Consultant!

• Earn between 30%-45% in Retail Profit on your sales at both parties and via your personal website.
• Purchase jewelry at a 30% discount.
• No required inventory to carry. Choose to have orders shipped directly to your customers, to your Hostess, or to yourself for delivery to your customers, adding that personal touch. 
• Free credit card processing through your replicated website. 
• Branded Social Media and e-communications package offered for you to reach 1000s of prospects.
• Corporate funded Hostess Reward program. Affiliate program fundraising for non-profits is available.
• Training through conference calls and recorded for you in your virtual office
• Start at only $59.95 – no yearly renewal fees.   Learn more about other bonuses and incentives as you build a team.
• Find your passion in whatever you do!  Before you begin your business, make sure you know what you want.  What are you seeking?       

v     Would you like to supplement your household income?

v     Do you want to make money on your own terms?

v     Do you want flexible hours to work around your family’s needs?

v     Do you want to put your kids on the school bus in the morning and greet them in the afternoon when they get off?

v     Do you want to participate in your children’s activities?

v     Do you want to be home when your child is sick?

v     Are you looking for your “own thing”?

v     Are you a recent “empty-nester” and looking for something with purpose?

v     Do you want to keep your weekends and holidays free?

v     Do you want to impact lives?

v     Do you like connecting with other women?

v     Do you like helping others reach their potential?

v     Are you a people person?

v     Do you want all of this without a lot of overhead, and without a large investment?

v     Do you want a business that you can take anywhere? 

Visit www.compelling-creations.com to learn more!

Those of us who work from home know that working from home can be both a blessing and a curse.  Yes, the commute is fantastic and you can make that conference call in your jammies if you’re not feeling good.  But there’s also the temptation to let work migrate to different parts of the house, setting up a workspace that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing for your home, and creating (and sticking to) a productive day-to-day schedule in the midst of household distractions.

As a Professional Organizer, I have worked with many clients whose primary office is at home.  Those who have been most successful at working from home have followed these three guidelines:

1.       Make your workspace as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. If you’re tempted to bring your work out to the couch, is it because you don’t like spending time at your desk?  Make sure your desk chair is comfortable, the lighting is good, and you have something to look at which makes you smile.  I found that I started enjoying my time at my desk once I added a scented candle and an iPod dock.

2.      Choose containers and tools that work best for you. If your workspace is in the living room and you don’t want an ugly file cabinet in the corner, there are alternatives.  Don’t avoid creating a useful filing system just because you want to avoid the ugly file cabinet.  You will be more productive and happy if you have the tools and containers that you need to support your systems, and there is no shortage of office supplies in different styles to suit your tastes.  The more you like the container, the more you will actually use it.

3.      Be intentional about the rhythm of your work time. You may thrive on the flexibility of working from home, but being productive doesn’t happen by accident.  Identify the blocks of time that are most productive for you and protect that time from all distractions and schedule conflicts.  Or, if the lack of structure of an office work-day stresses you out, then develop your own work routines to alleviate that anxiety.

The work you do is important, and you need the workspace, systems, tools, and time to do the best job you can.  Simple changes can make a big difference, both in how you feel and in how productive you are.

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Bio:

Amanda Darlack is a Professional Organizer with Living Peace, LLC, the largest professional organizing company in New England.  She loves helping her clients become more productive by setting up systems that make sense to them.  Amanda and her husband live in Gloucester, Massachusetts.  For more information about Living Peace, visit www.Living-Peace.com.

Ready….Set….Enter!

~Contest is Closed! Winner will be announced Monday~

1.  Gerber Baby- Graduates Fruit & Veggie Melts Tropical Blend AND Graduates Breakfast Buddies Hot Cereal Apple Cinnamon (winner is Leslie!)

2.  Peacock Pottery @peacockpottery -handpainted, hand crafted cross. (winner is Kolpin)

3. Be Nice Prenatal @BeNicePrenatal- Prenatal Vitamin Lemonade Drink Mix (winner is Brittany Rebello)

4.  Dream Keepers -winners choice! (winner is Andi)

5.  Tommee Tippee @TommeeTippee_NA  -Explora soft spout sippy cup (winner is Vicky H.)

6. Deborah’s Fragrant Memories- Gold Canyon Candles for Kids. The winner may choose from Baby Powder or Baby Magic. (winner is Kaycee)

7. Toymommy’s Discovery Toys @toymommy2001 ~Busy Bugs Learning Set (winner is Heather R.)

8. Great Books for Children -Barefoot Books “Who’s in the Forest” and “Hidden Hippo” board books. (winner is Kathy P)

9.  Little Card Company @littlecardco -$50 Gift card  in baby themed basket. (winner is Meredith)

10. Heartfelt Home Creations @HHCreations -Crocheted pink Pig Bib w/ Pair of Coordinating Baby Booties (winner is Connie)

11. Genesa Lambert Arbonne (Healthy  Alternatives) @Arbonnemomma -ABC (arbonne baby care)Sunscreen & ABC lotion plus a gift for mom! (winner is Alissa P)

*photos are product examples only. Read descriptions above for the actual prize.

To Enter:

Leave a comment below with a means for us to contact you.  That’s it!

Extra Chances to win:

**Make sure to leave a comment for EACH task you complete!

1) Find any or ALL of these businesses on facebook -linked above-and leave a comment for EACH business you “like” (that’s 10+ extra entries!)

2) Find each company’s Twitter ID listed above (if applicable). Follow them on Twitter and send them a quick tweet that you found them via @mommybags Blog Shower!

Don’t forget to enter for our GRAND PRIZE CAR SEAT HERE!

Official Rules: 1 Winner Per Prize. We will have 11 winners total. Contest ends 4/29/11 at 11:59 ET. Winners will have 3 days to respond before another winner is chosen.

2.  Start a website or a blog with a subscription service.  You can offer a weekly service of some sort (crafts, recipes and meal plans, lesson plans, etc.)

3.  Find contract work on www.odesk.com or www.elance.com. You need technicial skills and experience to apply.

4. Contract with a local realtor. The really successful agents are sometimes looking for help stuffing, addressing and stamping mailers.  Offer to do a bunch for free to show that you can do a  good job and then set your price. They might also need help taking pictures of new listings and cleaning homes they have listed.

5.  Trash to treasure. If you’re a fan of garage sales, consignment shops and flee markets…turning “trash into treasure” might be worth looking into. Oh, you’ll have to be a little crafty, too! Find old or antique furniture, materials, toys, etc…and give them a makeover! Then re-sell these items on ebay/etsy or consigment shops and garage sales. Test this out first, though, before collecting a bunch of junk! Gather a few things and make sure they sell before you continue.

6. Babysitting and daycare is always an option. Parents are ALWAYS looking for trustworthy christian moms to leave their children with while they are at work. Post advertisements in your church or local moms groups to find like-minded families to work for. Make sure you require a trial period. Some children just won’t mesh well with your family and the stress isn’t worth any amount of money!

7.  Teach Online. If you have a teaching degree and have decided to stay home to raise your children, you can continue teaching at home online. You can become an instructor for just about anything and hold classes in the evenings or after the kids are in bed. Learn more at Online-Education.net

8. Get involved in the wedding industry! There is a lot of money to be made here. Millions of girls spend their whole lives dreaming up their “princess-style” wedding. Google bridal sites, check out wedding magazines and find a niche that you could fill. Can you make beautiful favors, mints, cakes, or flowers? Could you plan a shower? Start a website with wedding or shower ideas? If you’re in a direct sales cosmetic or skin care business you could do facials, makeup, manicures, etc. for the bride and bridal party. The possibilites are endless. You could also get certified online to become a wedding coordinator. Visit Wedding Wire to find upcoming bridal shows in your area. Become a vendor and start earning a paycheck!

9.  Open an Etsy shop! Last year a creative friend of mine began making “custom bunny families” on etsy and it really took off!  Do you have a creative idea? Search around on etsy and brainstorm ideas that you could make work!

10.  And my personal favorite: Start a garden outdoors or in. Grow your own veggies, flowers, fruit and/or herbs. Sell them at Farmer’s markets in your area, make soaps or aromatherapy items out of herbs, grow pumpkins for fall harvest celebrations, can fruit for jellies and sell to local restaurants or bakeries, fresh flowers could be cut & sold to local businesses/restaurants, too.  The sky is the limit!

To view the original article, visit the Christian Moms Business Resource!

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MariLee Parrish is a Christian author of over 10 books and the founder and CEO of Mommy Bag Marketing, Inc. where their vision is to spread joy and Christian resources to moms across the country…one bag at a time! Are you looking for a speaker for your next mom’s event or women’s gathering? Learn more at www.marileeparrish.com

When the idea for our business first surfaced, we knew it could be a good one. After all, there aren’t too many other companies out there offering personalized photo cards with a faith-based message on every design!

We expected that we’d breeze through the first Christmas season with plenty of support from family and friends. A natural expectation, right? Surprise, surprise! It turned out that it wasn’t exactly natural for all the people we knew to enter our virtual doors and buy a Christian product.

How could we have known that coming out and proclaiming our faith via our business concept would create a proverbial “line in the sand?” On one side are those who are totally excited and totally supportive. On the other… those who say things like “how nice” and then quickly lose the inquisitive light in their eyes and take a step in retreat.

How could we have predicted this reaction, especially from people closest to us? It was shocking at first, even disappointing and a little unnerving.  But, thankfully, the Lord has delivered us from those initial moments of discomfort and uncertainty, and replaced them with moments of confidence and security in Him and in our faith and in our mission.

This experience has empowered us to discuss our Christian business with more strength each day. Faith in God and what He might do through this business has become a powerful theme in our meetings and in our evaluation of potential programs. It’s exciting to have this foundation from which to make decisions and to look for guidance. What a blessing this “Line in the Sand” has been!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” -Jeremiah 29:11

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April Goodwin is a wife, a work-at-home mom of two, and co-owner of The Little Card Company, an online site for creating modern, fun personalized photo cards with a Christian message

If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. Matthew

Today, I’d like to share a passage from a fanstastic book by Elizabeth George called Loving God with All Your Mind ©1994/2005 by Elizabeth George, Harvest House Publishers.

“The primary application of this truth is to simply obey the command and go to any person who sins against us.

            But think for a minute about what this command means for you and me when other believers obey it. It means that when we sin against others, they are to come to us in private to talk about it.

            I can’t begin to describe the freedom this truth has given me! Because of it, I’ve quit wasting time and energy worrying about what other people think of me or about what I do. I’ve also stopped wondering what others might be thinking…or what I might have done wrong. Why? Because if I’ve done something wrong, they are to come to me and tell me. Until that happens, my guesses are just that. They’re guesses…rather than fact, reality, or truth.

            I’ve stopped analyzing my every move and second-guessing other people’s ideas about me, I have experienced more peace and great openness in my relationships. I no longer fear or dread encounters with people.  I’ve stopped wondering what critical thoughts they might be thinking.

            And I’ve begun

…looking to God through prayer,

…looking to His Word, and

…looking to mature Christian mentors.”

Whew!! Isn’t that life-altering? You don’t have to worry about what other people think of you or if they are upset with you! They are God’s children first and we have to trust that He is working in their lives and hearts.  If they are upset with you about something, God’s Word says that they must come to you and talk it over! Granted, many people still choose sin. They go to the wrong person (or people) and never make things right with the person they are upset with.  But that is not for us to worry about.  Their sinful actions are between themselves and God. And we all know that many times, it IS very difficult to the right thing! I’m no stranger to sin, either! I have done the wrong thing many, many times. But God convicts our hearts and then we have a choice to make: to do the right thing, or keep on sinning. We must also learn to let things go and forgive when others sin against us.

As moms in business, we make choices all of the time that affect a lot of people. Our job is to focus on what God has called us to do and acknowledge Him in all of our ways (Proverbs 3:5-6). Worrying about how other people react to those choices just wastes our time and energy and it is not honoring to the Lord.

Father, forgive me for the times I have walked away from the right path. Help me to seek you in all things and help me to forgive when others do wrong against me. Amen.

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Would you like to receive an e-mail each time we post a new article? Never miss a yummy recipe, new contest, or great post again! Subscribe to Christian Moms Business Resource Blog by Email

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MariLee Parrish is a Christian author of over 10 books and the founder and CEO of Mommy Bag Marketing, Inc. where their vision is to spread joy and Christian resources to moms across the country…one bag at a time! Are you looking for a speaker for your next mom’s event or women’s gathering? Learn more at www.marileeparrish.com

2. Stop wasting time on facebook for personal use. I use Facebook all day long for my business so it’s hard to ignore when a personal post or message comes your way. (In fact 5 notifications came while I was typing this. 1 was just too hard to resist. Ugh!) Try your best to not respond to the personal messages until lunch time or after hours. Facebook (and Twitter) can be BIG time sucks if you’re not careful.

3. Stop wasting time. Period. Create a To-Do list before you shut down the day before. Stay on track and cross as many things off your list as possible. Set office hours and keep them.

4. Stop feeling guilty. Mom-guilt is huge when you run a Small Business. Make sure you are giving appropriate time to your family and to your business. Schedule this out on a daily basis. Then you have nothing to feel guilty about. If you are in an incredibly busy season, talk with your spouse and family about it and give the season a “time-limit.” And again—make SURE to keep those office hours!

5. Stop the e-mails! If you are subscribed to a million newsletters and updates that clutter your inbox and you don’t read on a daily basis, UNSUBSCRIBE!

6. Stop paying for services you don’t need. Check your phone bills and other services. Get rid of anything you don’t use on a regular basis.

7. Stop, drop, and roll! Drop things that cause too much stress, or tasks that you do not have the manpower or resources to accomplish right now. Roll them onto next quarter’s (or next years) to-do list.

8. Stop being negative. Having a negative outlook on business and daily issues will cause stress in your life which ultimately leads to health issues! It’s also important to avoid the people in your life who are always dragging you down. It’s time to start surrounding yourself with positive people. Your closest friends and confidants should be those who lift you up and encourage a closer walk with God!

9. Stop going it alone. Find a spiritually mature accountability partner that you meet with at least 2 times a month. Share business and personal issues. Pray for each other. The Lord wants us to carry each other’s burdens. I always feel so much better about any issue after my accountability partner and I pray about it together!

10. Stop leaving God out of your business! I was reminded of the following verse as I was writing this column: “You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:2-3  Daily seek the Lord’s will for your life and business!

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Would you like to receive an e-mail each time we post a new article? Never miss a yummy recipe, new contest, or great post again! Subscribe to Christian Moms Business Resource Blog by Email

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MariLee Parrish is a Christian author of over 10 books and the founder and CEO of Mommy Bag Marketing, Inc. where their vision is to spread joy and Christian resources to moms across the country…one bag at a time! Are you looking for a speaker for your next mom’s event or women’s gathering? Learn more at www.marileeparrish.com

2. Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 NIV

3. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14 (Relax!)

4. You do not have, because you do not ask God. James 4:2

5. God loves the pure-hearted and well-spoken; good leaders also delight in their friendship. Proverbs 22:11 MSG

6. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities! Luke 12: 48 MSG

7. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6 NIV

8. Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. Proverbs 4:6-7 NLT

9. Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14-15

10. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:11-13

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

Do you want the blessing of God on your marriage? On your business? On your life?  Abide in Christ.  This means that we remain or continue in a relationship with him.  We can’t produce fruit if we aren’t getting closer to the Lord each day.  The entire chapter of John 15 is a great encouragement for us.  Over and over Jesus tells us to remain or abide in him in these verses.  It was very important to him to get this message across.  He assures us that apart from him, we can’t do anything.  We can’t be a good wife, mother, business woman, daughter or sister unless we remain in Christ and seek his will for our lives.  Take the time and read through all of John chapter 15.  Consider how you can implement all that Jesus is saying to you in these verses. 

Dear Jesus, we want your blessing on our lives.  Show us how to abide in you.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.