blogging

8 Reasons to Consider Starting A Twitter Account

“I just don’t get Twitter,” I remember saying to Tim when I first started my account in the spring of ‘08.
“It all seems a bit narcissistic – tweeting or twitting or whatever-you-want-to-call-it about your life. And, besides, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with all of those updates. Oh, and people on Twitter must [...]

I blog because…

I blog because I am a writer.
It’s imprinted in my heart. It’s who I am.

I blog because I cherish relationships.
It’s a way to connect with people – from Santa Cruz, Sydney, Syracuse, and Sicily (and everywhere in between).

I blog because I want to record the simple beauty of the everyday.
Because the everyday is [...]

Finding My Bliss (right here) (right now)

A lot of my friends are in Nashville tonight.
They’re laughing and hugging and talking and taking pictures and wearing really cute shoes.
The Blissdom Conference is all about “following your bliss, which means dreaming impossible dreams – and then making them possible through creativity, passion and direction.” That’s a pretty cool mission for a conference if [...]

Products for People Who Work at Home: CushDesk by Belkin

We have a modest home with 3 bedrooms, a great room, a spacious kitchen with an island, and an unbelievable view from our [very small] backyard. Our 3-year-old is in one room. Our 10-month-old is in another room. And we are in the master bedroom…which leaves no room for an office. That’s actually A-OK with [...]

Products to Promote Your Business: DPS Banners

When I was filming the promotional video for my ebook several months ago, I had to do a few takes (okay, a lot of takes…).
As a result of those practice sessions, our 3-year-old took to saying, “MetropolitanMama.net” out of the blue…which is pretty much the cutest thing ever.
In fact, I joked to Tim that she [...]

Products to Promote Your Business: Post-Up Stand & Ghirardelli

Sometimes you have to spend a little money to make a little money…whether your blogging or starting an Etsy shop or launching a coonsulting biz.
For example, if you plan to exhibit or speak on a local or national level, it would behoove you to purchase a few promotional pieces that you can use again and [...]

How to Promote Your Business at a Trade Show or Expo

I live in a small town with over a million people.
That is the best way to describe Tucson, AZ.
We have lots of people and lots of wide open spaces and lots of communities within the larger community, but…few freeways, no real public transportation system to speak of, and no hoppin’ downtown environment.
I sometimes bemoan the [...]

Themed Weekend: Entrepreneur

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison
Tommy Edison was a smart man. In case you need a refresher from high school history, he invented the phonographic, the motion stop camera, and the light bulb. Three inventions that changed the world.
His perspective on life [...]

TOP 10 Blog Posts of 2009

Drum Roll, please…
Here’s a look back at my TOP TEN favorite blog posts from 2009:

Birth Story {March 18, 2009}
The (Un)Importance of Date Nights {october 25, 2009}
Intentional Acts of Kindness Idea: Person Of the Week (POW) {September 20, 2009}
Themed Weekend: Marriage {October 23, 2009}
I’m Not Your Typical Pastor’s Wife {August 23, 2009}
Be the Change Idea #3: [...]

A Mom 2.0 Story {why I’m opting out this year}

Once upon a time, some fun + well-connected women planned a cool kicky conference called the Mom 2.0 Summit. They scheduled the 3-day conference for February 2010 and labeled it as a place to “talk shop with social media influencers, industry leaders, and leading brands.”

A curly-haired Arizona mama with green eyes and a dimple in [...]

Out with the old, In with the new

The blogosphere is pretty quiet tonight (do you hear it?…that’s the sweet sound of silence online as people spend their days sipping cocoa, taking walks, cooking, laughing, lingering, working around the house, and doing family things).
I certainly have been offline a lot the past few days.
Today, for example, we had a leisurely family morning. We [...]

Breaking into Product Reviewing

What do you do when you want to buy a product – whether it be a new pair of jeans, a blender, or a baby carrier?
I do two things:

Check the ratings on Amazon.
Search “[product name] blog” on Google.

I do that second step because I love to hear the authentic, honest voices of bloggers.

I like to [...]