BlissDom ’09 Recap

February 17th, 2009
Meredith from Like Merchant Ships

Tsh from Simple Mom

Jamie from Blonde Mom Blog

Lindsay from Suburban Turmoil

Leslie from Mrs. Flinger

Christine (From Dates to Diapers), Colleen (Classy Mommy), & Tara (Deal Seeking Mom)

Alli, our master of ceremonies, from Blissfully Domestic & Mrs. FussyPants

I cannot rave enough about how wonderful BlissDom ’09 was. For me, it was a little like church camp where I got to hang out with some of the most inspiring women in my life, gab a bit in our jammies, profess our mad love for one another and our blogs, and I almost wanted to cry when it was all over.

There were two things that I took away from this whole conference that I want to share with you because they have impacted me greatly. So greatly, that I find it difficult to figure out the right words to say it.

1. I am doing something right.

For the first time in my MomAdvice career, I finally felt like I was doing something right. I felt proud of what I have accomplished and knew that I could not picture myself doing anything else except this. I have never felt more validated than I felt meeting and talking with all of these great women or felt more secure that what I was doing had helped someone else.

I was a little scared and overwhelmed when I arrived. This was my first conference ever and there were so many people. I secretly just wanted to run in my room and hide. I was also feeling a little sick from not eating and a day at the airport. Michelle, from White Trash Mom, immediately convinced Casey, from Moosh in Indy, to take us to Subway and get us something to eat and I then leached on to her for dear life and made her introduce me to all her cool friends. Oh, and did I mention Mrs. Flinger & White Trash Mom were my roommates? I know! How lucky am I?

By the end of the day, I was sitting down and making friends with anyone who would talk to me. Many felt like old friends that I had known my entire life and some were people I had met before. Each person inspired me more to be better. To push myself a little further. To try a little harder.

One of the true highlights for me though, was sitting at a table with Shannon, Tsh, & Meredith and just talking shop wit
h them. Such wildly smart & successful women that have inspired me greatly and I was sitting with them. I kept waiting for them to ask me to leave the table, but they never did. Those moments were precious to me!

2. I have much to still do.

There are many things, more focused on the business end, that I need to be doing. I am not doing all that I could be doing for myself and for my business. There is still a land of opportunity out there and if I want to succeed, I do need to get my ducks in a row.

Instead of feeling defeated about my list of what I could do, I am feeling empowered. I have lots I can still talk about and still share on which means I have a few more years in me to keep doing what I am doing right now. And it feels good to know that!

What I have discovered is that attending a conference has really ignited me and pumped me up. It was a great way to learn how to do things in new ways and shifted my focus towards the business of running my site.

I was so proud to get to speak and moderate a panel at this conference. What an amazing moment for someone who was attending her first conference. I hoped only that I could share an ounce of great advice that the women on previous panels had shared.

Thank you to everyone who made this moment possible for us- it was an experience I will never forget!

(For more BlissDom pictures, visit the Blissdom ’09 Flickr Group)

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Posted in Conferences | 13 Comments »

Redbox Code 02.16.09

February 16th, 2009

Today’s free Redbox code is M7DM23. This code can be used all day until midnight at any Redbox location.

Side Notes:

– If you want to rent more than one movie for free, bring more than one credit/debit card. You can use the same promotional code, you just will need different cards to charge it to. The charge will be zero as long as you return your movie on time for the next day.

– When entering in your free movie code, you need to enter it FIRST before picking the movie. On the very first screen, click the, “Rent with Promo.” Enter in the above code and then make your selection- the amount should then total zero.

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Posted in Freebies | No Comments »

Day 15: Birthday Parties Without Spending a Dime

February 16th, 2009


We received a birthday party invitation this month and I was a little worried what we could offer to the birthday girl. I am always thankful for my small stash in our gift closet when times like these arise, and headed straight to my closet for this occasion.

In the stash of gifts, I found a book, a few homemade hair bows, and a cute little iron-on transfer for a t-shirt to give her. If I had been more ambitious that morning, I would have definitely made a container of play dough, but my time was limited that day.

The kids had an amazing time at the party and our hostess provided pizza and cake which was a special treat for the kids. The children played until they were near exhaustion and I heard barely a peep on our way home. Sweet quiet!

I now realize that I don’t need to go so overboard with party gifts and that my simple gifts can be just as much appreciated.

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Posted in Gifts | 10 Comments »

Bow Ties With Sausage, Tomato, & Cream

February 16th, 2009


Would you like to prepare a dish that is going to totally wow your company? Maybe you are looking for a restaurant-quality dish, but one that can be whipped up on a weeknight? Well, then I have the dish for you!

I have had this recipe in my recipe box for years, but hadn’t tried it yet. I don’t know why I let it gather dust for so long because it was a hit with every single person in our family. It is a great balance of cream and tomato and the sausage adds a great burst of flavor in each bite.

I tried to make it a little more figure friendly by substituting regular sausage with Italian turkey sausage and substituted the heavy whipping cream with half & half. What resulted was a dish that was still rich and elegant, but shaved a little bit of the fat off of the equation.

I hope you can give this recipe a try in your rotation. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Bow Ties With Sausage, Tomato, & Cream

1 (12 ounce) package bow tie pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage (removed from the casing)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (can omit/decrease if your family doesn’t like spicy dishes)
1/2 cup diced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or half & half to save on calories)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Cook sausage. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, cream, and salt. Simmer until mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir cooked pasta into sauce, and heat through. Sprinkle with parsley.

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Posted in Main Dishes | 8 Comments »

Day 14: A No Spend Valentine’s Day Celebration

February 15th, 2009

I will admit that I really did not feel like cooking this Valentine’s Day. I spent the entire day working on a Notebook Experiment (which I will share with you on Wednesday and which I failed miserably at) and I was tired of cooking and cleaning up the kitchen.

I really didn’t want to eat out of the pantry though so I threw the ingredients in the bread machine to make my pizza dough and cut all of the little pepperonis into hearts to make the kids smile.

I called the kids to the table and no one commented on the hearts.

“Ethan, look! Mommy made hearts for you & sissy for Valentine’s Day? Do you see them? Aren’t those cool! It’s because I love you so much!”

He started to smile and then pointed to one on the pizza, “That one isn’t cut right. It looks like a circle.”

Regardless, they all enjoyed the homemade pizza and then we spent the evening playing on the Wii together as a family. The rest of the evening was spent sacking out on the couch with my sweetie and savoring those quiet moments after the kids go to bed.

Maybe we will go out next year… or maybe we will do this same exact thing again, minus the cooking marathon!

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Want to join in on the MomAdvice No Spend Challenge? Make sure to add your name to the linky list and read more about our challenge. You can also join our No Spend Challenge Flickr Group and upload your pictures of what you did each day.

To read all the entries on not spending, you can visit our No Spend Challenge category!

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Posted in Frugal, Money & Finance | 10 Comments »

Day 13: Giving To Others When You Have Little To Give

February 14th, 2009


Do you ever feel like you can make very little impact on someone because you don’t have the money to do it? I can admit that I feel that way often. There are so many around me that are affected by job loss, medical problems, and depression. Many times I feel so helpless to these situations because I don’t have the financial means or connections to help someone out of these situations. It has been weighing very heavy on my heart these days.

I had planned to make a meal for a girlfriend who just had a new baby. It is such a joy to get to bring a meal to a new momma and know that I helped make her day a little easier. Our mom’s group provides meals to new moms and I try to sign up as often as I can because it is one thing that I feel so good about doing and nothing brings me more pride than cooking for others.


When I got home, I was tired. It was a long day of running around, returning email after email, and fielding phone calls. I put on a pot of soup for our supper and heard a knock at our door. It was my neighbor and she had come over to see if Ethan wanted to come over and play. The children immediately made themselves at home in my house and I told her to head home and they could play here instead.

As she stood in my kitchen she said to me, “Wow, something smells so good!” While the kids played, I hurried up to make the soup and put it in a jar to run over to her house. She was so surprised and thankful and it was a great reminder to me.

You don’t have to have a lot to make a positive impact on someone else. What seemed like a small gesture to me means a lot more to someone than you might think.

We are so hurried, so busy, so tired. I know I often feel like I have nothing to give anyone. I realize now that a woman of small means can still give with her whole heart and make a big difference to someone else.

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Posted in Money & Finance | 14 Comments »

Day 12: Shopping Day is Finally Here

February 13th, 2009

I never did use my free coffee coupon at the airport and decided to save it as my reward for good grocery shopping. I love to give myself a little reward for staying on budget. It is usually a giant Diet Coke for a $1 at McDonald’s, but I thought I would use my coupon instead and stay true to the challenge.

The grocery shopping took much longer than I had anticipated though so once again I find this coupon is still waiting for me for when I need a little pick-me-up.

I budgeted $250 for groceries and I spent $219, leaving me just enough for our milk money for the rest of the month. I tried to cash on the coupons that I have been hording for a rainy day. I hope that we can stay on budget and I can prove to myself that with good discipline and thoughtfulness that we can put away more money than we thought.

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Want to join in on the MomAdvice No Spend Challenge? Make sure to add your name to the linky list and read more about our challenge. You can also join our No Spend Challenge Flickr Group and upload your pictures of what you did each day.

To read all the entries on not spending, you can visit our No Spend Challenge category!

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Posted in Frugal, Money & Finance | 13 Comments »

Freebie Friday: February 13, 2009

February 13th, 2009

A big thank you to Heather, from Freebies 4 Mom, for assisting us with this week’s list of freebies. Heather shares a great list of free Valentine’s Day printables for families and how to earn money in market research studies. Those are just two of many great features on her site this week. Of course, visit her site all week long for oodles of freebies! Thanks, Heather, for all you do for moms!

Health & Beauty

Red Dress Pin (American Heart Association)
Aquafresh Extreme Clean (under Savings & Special Offers)
Nicoderm CQ (Walmart)
Maybelline New York Dream Liquid Mousse (Walmart)

Food

EAS Energy Bar

Entertainment

Family Circle Magazine 2 issues (from StartSampling)
Jim Brickman’s CD Sampler (by mail from American Greetings)
Random House Book Downloads for Kindle owners (expires Feb. 28)
Living the Country Life Magazine Subscription
Metropolitan Home Magazine
Harper’s Bazaar Magazine
Home & Garden

Valentine’s Day On A Dime eBook
1-800-FREE411 (free 10 minute call on Valentine’s Day)
Knitting Patterns (free Quamut pages during February)
Crochet Patterns (free Quamut pages during February)
USA Baby e-mom Rewards

Upcoming Freebie Events:

Please call your local store or restaurant to confirm they are participating in these freebie events.

FEBRUARY
14 – Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic – Make a jewelry box
24 – IHOP National Pancake Day 7am-10pm
28 – Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic – Make a 48 race car

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Posted in Freebies | 4 Comments »

Simplify Your Wardrobe Resource List

February 12th, 2009


Thank you to everyone who got a chance to listen on on our MomAdvice Simplified Podcast on simplifying our wardrobe. Kathy offered really great suggestions for organizing the closet, what classic pieces you should invest in, where you can skimp, and tips to help with successful thrift shopping. Kathy Friend is actually the spokesperson for our local Goodwill and that is why I thought she would be such a great guest for the hour. She understands that many of us do not have the money to buy expensive name-brand clothing, but she can help guide you on picking styles that will fit you best from your thrift and consignment shops. She has been an invaluable resource to me in my career and I hope you will enjoy this interview half as much as I enjoy sharing it with you!

Here are a few of the resources that were highlighted in the show:

Kathy Friend- Kathy offers her services both virtually and locally (in Michiana). Please visit her site for more details on hiring her to help you with your wardrobe.

Bra Fitting: When & How to Do It As I discussed in our show, I had been fitted for undergarments at our local mall. What I discovered, after having Kathy correctly fit me, was that I had been improperly fitted. This article will help guide you on getting the right bra and how to do the fitting yourself. Lesson learned by me…don’t trust someone who only carries standard sizes because they will sell you what they carry.

What Is Your Body Type? This article guides you to help discover your shape and how to pick the clothes that will be the most flattering for you.

On Next Week’s Show…

Next week we will be joined by Sarah Morgan, the handbag designer behind the new eenamaria handbag line, who will be sharing tips for simplifying our accessories. Sarah joins us to explain what to look for in a good handbag, how to care for our handbags, what we should carry, and how to spot those fake purses. Sarah has not only been nominated twice for the Fashion Group International’s ‘Rising Star Award’, but she will be airing her new line on QVC this February. With her placement on QVC Sarah hopes to share her new collection with women who are modern, confident and strong women on-the-go.

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Posted in Frugal, Money & Finance | No Comments »

MomAdvice Simplified: Simplify The Wardrobe

February 12th, 2009


On MomAdvice Simplified, my weekly podcast for moms, I am very excited to share that I will be gabbing it up with my real-life friend & wardrobe coach, Kathy Friend. You are going to LOVE her and the savvy fashion advice that she offers.

Kathy is the Fashion and Style Expert on the WSBT Morning Show, the Fashion Editor of Michiana FAMILY Magazine, and Wedding Day Magazine and a Contributing Editor for and Prom Night Magazine. She also writes for a national online magazine, Blissfully Domestic.

Just as a reminder, you can listen to the show live every Thursday at 2PM EST or you can listen later right here on my the left sidebar!

I hope you will join me and feel free to chat with me in the chat room or you can even phone in your questions. If you are having trouble picking out the best clothes for you, if you struggle with finding undergarments that fit, if you don’t know how to get your closet organized…then this half hour is just for you!

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Posted in Frugal, Money & Finance | 1 Comment »

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