Life is so much shorter than I ever realized and these moments far more precious.
It has been a bittersweet year this year filled with beautiful surprises and great sadness too. It has made me realize just how precious these moments with my children and husband are, and renews my focus on savoring all that is precious while I am clutching it in my hands.
Thank you for another beautiful year and for celebrating and caring for our family enough to add my blog to your reading list. I don’t take for granted a single moment of this unexpected career path or the people who have helped me create all of this!
Enjoy some virtual birthday cake and I can’t wait to see what this year has in store!
I would like to extend a warm welcome to this month’s Parents Magazine Readers. You can find the February issue on newsstands this month and there is a great article on moms who are making the waves in the internet community. Our site was listed as one of those resources and it was a thrill to be featured among so many amazing women!
My name is Amy and I am the Founder of MomAdvice.com. I am a busy mom of two and live in the beautiful Midwest with my web designing husband and our two children. I love to cook, knit, drink coffee, take pictures, and am a total bookworm. I am dedicated to anything that will help make my life simpler, keep me on my budget, and that promotes family time!
We started this site six years ago as a platform to share about all of those topics that I had been searching for when I became homemaker. How do I cook? How do I clean this house? How do I keep my children entertained without breaking the bank? How do I manage a daily routine? Most of all though…how do I do all of this on a limited income?
Please grab a cup of coffee and let me shake the dust off of a few of my favorite reads on the site. If you like what you see here, you can subscribe to my feeds and never miss another thing on our site again! We have a landing page where it makes it easy to subscribe to our blogs and you can even subscribe to my article feed.
I love staying connected with my readers so you can find me on Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, and Ravelry…just to name a few! Chances are, if you search for someone named momadvice, you will likely find me there!
Regardless, I am so thankful for your visit and I hope only to offer inspiration that will make your life easier!
I just want to say a special thank you to each of you for visiting my website and sharing it with your friends, family, and your own readers. We had another great month and it is all thanks to you. I hope to continue offering support through our site, lots of giveaways for our readers, and a place where you feel valued and cared for. If there is anything you would like to see on here, please contact me (amy@momadvice.com) and let me know what you would like to see in the upcoming year.
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to my feeds and never miss another thing on our site again! We have a landing page where it makes it easy to subscribe to our blogs and you can even subscribe to my article feed.
Please take some time this month to check out each of their sites. They are amazing at what they do and we are thankful that we have such great supporters!
I just want to say a special thank you to each of you for visiting my website and sharing it with your friends, family, and your own readers. We had the highest amount of unique visitors since MomAdvice began five years ago! I am so proud!
I hope to continue offering support through our site, lots of giveaways for our readers, and a place where you feel valued and cared for. If there is anything you would like to see on here, please contact me (amy@momadvice.com) and let me know what you would like to see in the upcoming year.
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to my feeds and never miss another thing on our site again! We have a landing page where it makes it easy to subscribe to our blogs and you can even subscribe to my article feed.
Please take some time this month to check out each of their sites. They are amazing at what they do and we are thankful that we have such great supporters!
I just want to say a special thank you to each of you for visiting my website and sharing it with your friends, family, and your own readers. We had another great month and it is all thanks to you. I hope to continue offering support through our site, lots of giveaways for our readers, and a place where you feel valued and cared for. If there is anything you would like to see on here, please contact me (amy@momadvice.com) and let me know what you would like to see in the upcoming year.
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to my feeds and never miss another thing on our site again! We have a landing page where it makes it easy to subscribe to our blogs and you can even subscribe to my article feed.
Please take some time this month to check out each of their sites. They are amazing at what they do and we are thankful that we have such great supporters!
I just want to say a special thank you to each of you for visiting my website and sharing it with your friends, family, and your own readers. We had another great month and it is all thanks to you. I hope to continue offering support through our site, lots of giveaways for our readers, and a place where you feel valued and cared for. If there is anything you would like to see on here, please contact me (amy@momadvice.com) and let me know what you would like to see in the upcoming year.
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to my feeds and never miss another thing on our site again! We have a landing page where it makes it easy to subscribe to our blogs and you can even subscribe to my article feed.
Please take some time this month to check out each of their sites. They are amazing at what they do and we are thankful that we have such great supporters!
I had the unique experience of attending a fantastic movie premiere of a great family film that I know you are going to want to see! I was given the opportunity to have a round table discussion with the stars and directors of “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” and earned a small place of honor on the red carpet to interview and photograph the stars.
Sony hosted a wonderful event for bloggers to learn more about their products and offer in-depth photography tutorials from the amazing Me Ra Koh. For someone who is still figuring out the world of photography, I was more than willing to participate in such a fun event. We got to take our cameras out on the Sony Studio Lot and even gained a little behind-the-scenes access on sets that were being built for future movies.
All that being said, I really want to focus on what a wonderful movie this was for children and adults alike.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is about an aspiring inventor, Flint Lockwood, who is the socially awkward genius behind some pretty bizarre contraptions. His inventions include everything from a pair of spray-on shoes to a monkey thought translator. Flint is determined though to create something that will make people happy.
When Flint’s latest machine, designed to turn water into food, accidentally destroys the town square and rockets up into the clouds, he thinks his inventing career is over. Until something amazing happens… cheeseburgers begin raining from the sky.
Unfortunately, the people in the town become increasingly more greedy and the mayor decides to change what the town was once famous for (sardines) to a town that is famous for raining food. The greed and demands from the people force the machine to begin making more and more food and the town is threatened to become buried in a food avalanche. To save his town and reputation, Flint has to figure out a way to stop it and save them from certain disaster.
The movie is a delight for the eyes and will make you hungry just watching it. The animation is superb and food highlights include the raining cheeseburgers and a fantastic animation sequence with orange Jell-O. In other words, be sure to have lots of popcorn to feed your children or suffer through the whining for food through the entire show!
Anna Faris
Mr. T
Neil Patrick Harris
The film features the voices of Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Bruce Campbell, Mr. T, Bobb’e J. Thompson, Benjamin Bratt, Neil Patrick Harris, Al Roker, Lauren Graham, and Will Forte. The film is written for the screen and directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller.
The directors were fantastic and truly kid’s at heart. Sitting down with them and hearing the excitement in their voices was contagious. It was truly a delight to see the pride that they felt about this project and see their favorite childhood book in animation form.
What Parents Need to Know:
– The character of Sam Sparks will be a winner for your daughters. Sam Sparks, played by Anna Faris, is the local weather girl who is hiding just how intelligent she is. This movie will show your little girls that it is totally cool to embrace your inner geek and that you should never hide how smart you are for anyone.
– There are no death scenes. Many children’s movies have death scenes which frighten my small children. The mother is in a scene in the beginning of the movie and then it is later said that she has passed away, but no heart wrenching scenes that you wish had to fast forward through. Of course, no death is ideal, but Flint’s sequence with his mother is an important one and shapes the character of Flint.
– This movie is timeless. The directors purposefully decided to create a movie that could be enjoyed years and years down the road so they omitted pop culture and anything that would not be enjoyed for years to come.
– Your whole family will love this movie. I appreciated the funny sense of humor and comedic timing in the scenes. I know that my hubby will appreciate the fantastic graphics that can truly be appreciated with those 3-D glasses, and I know my kids will love just how cool it is to be smart!
Catch this flick with your entire family when it premieres on September 18th! In the meantime, be watching for some great reviews and information from the other participants at this event:
I give this two mommy thumbs up for fun entertainment and a thoughtful discussion about how cool it is to be smart and believing in yourself!
HOT TIP: Get a FREE movie ticket to watch Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs when you purchase any Spot Shot product! Great deal, there’s even a $1 printable coupon you can use on your purcha
se. (Courtesy of Heather at Freebies 4 Mom!
(Disclosure– My travel and airfare were covered by the Sony team. To read more about how things are handled by MomAdvice.com, be sure to read our full disclosure.)
I gain the most inspiration for my blog and my life through other bloggers. In order to fill our notebooks each week and to keep things fresh on here, I read a variety of blogs!
I wanted to highlight just a handful of great bloggers that make my world go round. I will continue adding to this list, but these are just a few of the people that have made my life better. I encourage you to add them to your daily reading to help breath inspiration into your life. As I write this I realize how many special friends I am overlooking. I promise to try to do this regularly so I can include each and everyone of you that have done so much for me!
Simply Simple Living
Small Notebook– Rachel is one of my absolute favorite bloggers and has been for a long time. Her blog is clean and easy to read with simply great information on simple living to help inspire you. I would say that the blog helps me to maintain my focus to spend less, organize more, and prioritize better. She is also a fantastic person and I look forward to reading her blog each week!
Simple Mom– Tsh has truly been one mom that I admire greatly because of her dedication and focus on simplifying life. Her tagline, “Live simply, stay sane.” really resonates with the person I strive to be. Her posts inspire me to declutter, to look at playing with my children in new ways, and challenge me to be a better home manager. Her community is fantastic and I love to read the comments that are generated after her entries. If you are not reading Simple Mom, I encourage you to add it to your reader for inspiration.
Simply Beautiful Decor
A Soft Place to Land– Kimba is one of my favorite bloggers to read to breathe inspiration into our home decor. When I see her projects and easy DIY tutorials, I think to myself, “I could totally do that!” Whether it be ping pong wreaths or decorating my front step, I am constantly inspired by her approachable nature towards home decor. She is about the sweetest person I have ever met and I am so proud to call her one of my friends. Run to her blog today!
Nesting Place– The Nester is a legend, in my book. When I saw her at a conference, I think I gasped a little because I was seeing her in person. She was so famous in my eyes- hundreds of comments and the most fantastic home decor I had ever seen. I never said anything to her and I felt a little sick about it when I got home…to which she apologized to me later and said she was afraid to talk to me because she thought I was big time. Seriously? Which is exactly why we all should talk to the people we think are big time because they may think you are big time…which is a vicious and horrible cycle. Even though I am kicking myself for not seizing my moment with her, The Nester has given me the opportunity to look at my home decor in a whole new way. In fact, I will never look at window treatments the same again. She is thrifty, humble, and a generous giver of advice on her blog.
The Inspired Room– Melissa’s blog is full of her life’s theme…authentic living. I love an authentic life and you immediately get the feeling that Melissa is just as authentic as her blog. She offers thrifty advice on home decor and achieving the coveted look of magazine-living in a budget-conscious and real-life design.
Simply Amazing Foodies
goodLife {eats}– If you are looking for some inspiration in the kitchen, look no further than Katie and her beautifully designed blog. I love that Katie’s recipes inspire me to incorporate fresh foods in our diet and that she makes cooking easy and effortless. There is rarely a recipe that I see there that I don’t want to try. You will love her blog- I promise!
Dine & Dish– I have been reading Dine & Dish for a long time now, but only recently had the opportunity to finally meet Kristen in person. I don’t know how to explain this, but hugging her felt a little bit like coming home. She immediately feels like an old friend and is so generous and warm in spirit. She has a way of weaving stories of her home and life into beautiful recipes that you have to share around your dinner table. Her food photography is stunning and she is just one of those bloggers that shares what she knows without hesitation. I love people like that! Please be sure to visit her new Clicks 4 a Cause and find out how you can help her sweet friend Ann (or raise funds on your blog for a cause of your own)
Simply Crafty Mommas
Make & Takes– If you haven’t visited this site for crafting inspiration, then you need to. Marie is a fantastic momma who inspires me to create with my kids. Her crafts are simple and straightforward. She isn’t afraid to get a little dirty with the glue and scissors and she inspires me to craft with my children. I love that her projects are approachable for those of us who were born without that crafting gene.
zakka life– This is a blog that is often featured in our weekly Notebook because I get so much crafty inspiration from it. Jessica has some of the best crafts for kids and I just love her tutorials for families. I wish I had a creative mind like her, but I just don’t. I will settle for reading her fantastic blog each week though to get ideas that will score me the coolest mom on the block points.
Simply Great Deal Finders
Money Saving Mom– Crystal is a good steward of her finances and I adore her blog for just that reason. She has a knack for finding the best deals and offers sound financial advice on how to get those finances back on track. She is as genuine as they come and I guarantee you that if you add her to your reader, you can rest assured that she can find those deals for you and guide you down a positive financial path.
Freebies 4 Mom– Heather is a fantastic blogger who shares all of the best freebies on the web. She not only shares information about freebies, but also about great deals you can score with coupons when you hit the grocery store. I am a huge fan of her Money 4 Moms section which shares creative ways that moms can make a little extra cash on the side. Add her to your regular reading and you will definitely benefit from it!
Not enough blogs to read? Be sure to add some of these blogs to your weekly reads!
Zen Habits for productivity The Simple Dollar for better money management Soule Mama for crafting and creative parenting inspiration Design Mom for design and decor inspiration Daily Danny for eco-friendly living, crafting, and decor
Share the love today! Who are some of your favorite bloggers to read? Who makes your blogging world spin around?
I just want to say a special thank you to each of you for visiting my website and sharing it with your friends, family, and your own readers. We had another great month and it is all thanks to you. I hope to continue offering support through our site, lots of giveaways for our readers, and a place where you feel valued and cared for. If there is anything you would like to see on here, please contact me (amy@momadvice.com) and let me know what you would like to see in the upcoming year.
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to my feeds and never miss another thing on our site again! We have a landing page where it makes it easy to subscribe to our blogs and you can even subscribe to my article feed.
Please take some time this month to check out each of their sites. They are amazing at what they do and we are thankful that we have such great supporters!
By now, most people are familiar with Twitter and how it works. If not though, we have a handy article, What in the World is Twitter?, that can help you decide if Twitter would be beneficial for you personally or for your blog/business.
There are many applications and tools that you can use to help bump up your Twitter experience. Here is a gathering of great tools to make your tweet time a little more effective.
Reminder & Organizational Tools:
Twitter Timer: Add this guy to your list of friends and send him a direct message (DM) when you need to remember to go to the dentist or a friendly reminder that next week is your best friend’s birthday.
Remember the Milk: We highlighted Remember the Milk in our family planning tools, but Remember the Milk can also be used through Twitter as well. Add Remember the Milk to your list of friends and send DM’s to remind yourself to pick up milk…or your kids. You know, those important things in life!
Commuter Feed: Wouldn’t your morning commute be smoother if you knew where traffic was backed up or where accidents have occurred? Commuter Feed is a free service that lets you see reports on traffic incidents in your local area using Twitter. It works for any city that has an IATA airport code worldwide. Even if you don’t input the information yourself, you can look up your city and see what was recently posted to keep up-to-date on what is happening in your neck of the woods.
Fuel Frog: This great site works with Twitter and help you easily track the gas mileage on your vehicle. This can be a great way to track the fluctuating gas prices, see how you are doing on your gas mileage, and keep track of mileage for your job.
Twitter Efficiency Tools:
Twitter Snooze: Is someone being a tad too chatty and you are feeling overwhelmed with their tweets? Is someone live-blogging at an event and you just want to tune their tweets out for a bit? You can visit Twitter Snooze and put their posts to sleep until the event is over, without blocking your friend or ruining that great relationship.
Twitter Search: This is great if you are off of Twitter for a long time and want to double-check to make sure you didn’t miss any posts about yourself. Just search for your username (in my case, momadvice) and it will pop up all of the conversations you have had or any tweets that were intended for you. You can also use the search to keep up with something/someone you are interested in. You can read what everyone is talking about in the current events, politics, fashion and find out what people are sharing on your favorite topics.
Twitter Feed: This service works with your blog’s feed and automatically sends out a message to let everyone know when your feed (blog) has been updated. This is a great way to automate the process to let your readers know when you have new and amazing stuff on your blog.
TweetDeck: This is great for people who like to micro-manage their micro-blogging tools. TweetDeck enables users to split their main feed (All Tweets) into topic or group specific columns allowing a broader overview of tweets. You can group people into groups (locals, PF Bloggers, Must Read Mommas) so you never miss an important tweet again. Once created these additional columns will automatically update allowing the user to keep track of a twitter threads far easier. Basically, it makes it so you can see exactly what you want to see and you are able to view up to 48 hours worth of the tweets that you have deemed the most important, without having to hunt.
Lifestyle Improvement Tools:
Tweet What You Eat: If you are working on improving your eating habits, then this tool should help you in tracking your caloric intact for the day. Tweetwhatyoueat (TWYE for short) is a Twitter-based food diary. Use Twitter to track what you eat, and now your weight, by ‘tweeting’ food items to your personal food diary on Tweetwhatyoueat.com from your mobile phone, IM or through Twitter.
Qwitter: This tool can help you if you trying to quit smoking. As with most of these tools, you can add Qwitter as your friend and then let them know when you have had a cigarette and journal how you are feeling as you taper off the cigarettes. This tool was brought to you by the state of Florida and I just love anything that can help people make a positive lifestyle change!
This list only encompasses ten great tools, but if you are looking for even more great ways to use Twitter, check out this list of 140 great Twitter Tools from Mashable!
Do you use any tools for twittering? Let us know what tools you find most helpful!
