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!

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 Gather up all of the outdated clothes and toys in your home.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!

National Sponsor

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

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!

Everyone is concerned with their own rights these days: women’s rights, animal rights, workers rights…you name it! Society tells us to be our own advocate. “If you don’t fight for yourself, nobody will” is a common philosophy heard everywhere. We are inundated with selfish thoughts. Even flight attendants tell you to fix your oxygen mask first before helping others. And while taking care of yourself is necessary and good, we tend to get carried away if we are inconvenienced by anyone in the smallest way. Through God’s power, we need to reprogram our minds to think of others first, before we insist on what is best for ourselves. The bible tells us not to even be concerned about ourselves. Why? Because God promises to take care of us and He will never leave us or forsake us. So, what rights do you have as a young woman and daughter of the king? You have the right to approach God’s throne with confidence (Hebrews 4:16) because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Trust Him to take care of you and ask him to help you focus a little less on yourself and your rights in society and more on those that are hurting, lonely and poor that may cross your path each day.

Father, help me to get my mind off of myself and my own rights. I thank You that I can come to You with confidence knowing that You will take care of all of my needs. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Written by MariLee Parrish and taken from Whispers of Wisdom for Young Women c. 2009 Barbour Publishing

This verse applies to all of us. It is so easy to fall in the trap of thinking that we are above something, or that we have mastered something or that we have conquered a sin and it will never bother us again. Be careful! This verse is a warning not to puff ourselves up with pride. Allowing ourselves to think that we have completely overcome something so much that we don’t think it will ever bother us again is prideful. We can only overcome through the power of Christ. Relying on His power every day and every hour is the only true way to overcome anything. It is never in our own power. This passage continues and says “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” This is a reminder that we are all human and are tempted just like everyone else. God promises to always provide a way out for us. It is only through Him that we can overcome!

Dear Lord, please help me not to be prideful. Help me to rely on Your power each and every day to overcome my shortcomings. In your name, Amen.

Written by MariLee Parrish and taken from Whispers of Wisdom for Young Women c. 2009 Barbour Publishing

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.

Every day is a day to be thankful for all that God has given to us: family, friends, home, jobs, and country. Are you having a little trouble counting your blessings in this season of your life? Remember that we serve a God who promises to work all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). If you are going through a hard time right now, you can be thankful that our God uses everything in our life- the good and the bad- to make us more like Him. How can you cultivate a thankful heart? Start each day by thanking God for His blessings. Thank Him for a car that runs as you drive to work, thank Him for a healthy body as you workout, thank Him for food to eat as you prepare a meal. Be mindful that the Lord is always with you and listening and thank Him often throughout each day. Do you have a thankful heart? If not, focus on who God is and all that he has done for you. Praise him and he will fill your heart with thankfulness.

Heavenly Father, thank you for all that you are and all of the blessings you have given me. Please fill my heart with thanksgiving today and everyday. Amen.

Written by MariLee Parrish and taken from Whispers of Wisdom for Young Women c. 2009 Barbour Publishing

Today I wanted to share another excerpt from one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth George out of her book Loving God with All Your Mind:

“What kinds of thoughts do you tend to have about people? I doubt that they are always pure, positive, and prayerful. No one’s are! After all, who hasn’t slipped into second-guessing, analysis, and suspicion? And who hasn’t been plagued by self-doubt or crippled by negative thoughts, insecurity, and worry? Instead of such unhealthy, cynical thinking, applying God’s principles to your thoughts—

•  Choose to think on what is true and real
• Corral your thoughts and refuse to second-guess or draw conclusions about people’s behavior
• Count on others to tell you if you have failed in your behavior
• Count on God’s Spirit to point out when you have offended someone.

 Do you want to nurture love and confidence in your relationships with others? Then changing your thought-life is key! By God’s grace and with His help, choose to think no evil about people. Determine to trust what other’s say and do. Count on others to come to you when you have failed them and count on God to reveal where you have offended them. Thoughts about people that are based on what is true and real will liberate you to generously and joyously love and serve one another. That’s what the Christian life is all about!”

This is SUCH a good word for all of us to apply to our lives, and especially those of us that run a business from home! When we work from a home office and most of our contacts are with “virtual” people through e-mail, social networking and phone calls, its so easy to second guess ourselves and the person that we’re dealing with.

We rarely meet these people in person, so we can’t read body language or have face-to-face explanations when something doesn’t make sense.  It’s important that we trust the Lord to lead and guide us in these situations. Choose to believe the best and allow the Lord to convict our hearts, and those of the people we work with, if something isn’t right.  Doesn’t that help take the stress off?

It certainly does for me!

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