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5 tips to help you survive a blog conference

February 8, 2012 by Jennifer 3 Comments

Blog conference season is among us with the Blissdom Conference only two weeks away. There will be many bloggers attending their first blog conference this year. Conferences can be be overwhelming even to veterans, so never fear if you are having a little anxiety about attending your first conference. I attended my first conference in 2009 when I went to BlogHer in Chicago. Why did I pick the biggest conference as my first blogger conference? I am not so sure, but it helped get my feet wet.

Here are my 5 tips to survive a blog conference.

1. Check out the conference hashtag on twitter such as #blissdom. Start conversations or even reply to people in the stream. Get to know other attendees before you even get to the conference. Plan to meet-up at the conference. You will not feel so alone once you get there.

2. Do not try to attend all sessions and every party. Your body and your voice will get too worn down. It is not worth the tired feeling. Take time and relax in your room. Drink water and eat a healthy snack to re-energize while you are in the room. Your body will thank you!

3. Leave the heavy laptop at home. All the muscles in your body will be aching from carrying the huge laptop bag around with you. Believe me, I am speaking from experience. A tablet, an iPad or netbook works perfectly as each of these technology devices can be easily stored and are very light-weight.

4. Pack comfortable shoes. I know we all want to be fashionista’s but there comes a time that we need to pamper our feet. You will do a lot of walking at these conferences and blisters are not fun at all on your first night. I am unfortunately speaking from experience once again. Pinterest can be your best friend to find super and stylish shoes.

5. Bring business cards. You will network your little heart out at these conferences. There is no way to remember everyone that you connect with so in return you cannot expect everyone you meet to remember you and your blog.

Tiny Prints have such creative business cards that will help you stand out among all the attendees. You want to make a great impression as this is your personal brand you will be representing at the conference.

Just remember to relax, don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation and you will do just fine. Let me know if you would like to connect. Remember, I was once a conference newbie 🙂

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

We can all make a difference!

February 8, 2012 by Jennifer Leave a Comment

Life is so much more grand when friends join other friends to make a difference. Who said we need to sit in our house and only look at our walls without letting anyone in? Life just would seem so miserable to me. I have a heart to help others and be there for others. Now, granted life is so busy right now with my work schedule and all day on campus three days a week, that I do not have as much time available these days. This busy schedule pulls me away from helping others like I would want too, but I still can manage a bit of online time right?

Friends as we all know, autism has been on the rise for the past few years. Now, I am in no way or fashion going to get in a debate here on why the increase. I do know though, that more awareness needs to be brought to our attention. If we all work together, we can make a difference. Recently, I was made aware of the Autism United Organization. Their tagline is “If we join together, we can make a difference.” This statement is 100% truth.

I see through my computer screen every day how much my sweet and dear friend Nan has to go through during her child’s autism journey. She loves her son unconditionally and is such an awesome mom. She is committed to all his daily therapies, his daily medicines and his well-being. She is his voice. Even when insurance shuns them and are not willing to pay for his therapies anymore, her husband and her work hard to ensure he still receives his therapies. I try each day to be there for her, support her with words and love, and just lend a listening ear. Can you imagine if she had no one to talk to and had to keep this all bottled in? I would not even want to begin to imagine.

When is the last time you reached out to a friend? When is the last time you gave encouraging words to make their day better? Let’s put our woes behind us and remember that others are going through a different struggle daily. It helps to build a community just as Autism United as done. Here are a few of their objectives:

1. Raise autistic awareness
2. Bring together a community of people dealing with Autism
3. Share stories of inspiration
4. Provide quality information and help to those in need
5. Work with top autistic research facilities
6. Provide special education and developmental learning resources

Moms… let’s all join together and make a different for Autism Awareness. Will you please?

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

New Kid Trend Alert – Bath and Body Works PocketBac

January 29, 2012 by Jennifer 3 Comments

How do you keep up with the latest trends? My girls are the ones that have to keep me up on the latest trends. Who knew that I could be so involved in social media, but be so far behind on the latest kid trends. Thankfully, my girls are fashionistas and love to dish on the latest trends when I pick them up in the carpool line. The latest trend to hit here in NC is the PocketBac holders from Bath and Body Works.

The girls love to use these holders on their lunch bags, their back packs and their little purses. It is so cute and actually a trend that I am loving for healthy reasons. The girls love to use their hand sanitizer now after they eat lunch, come in from playing at recess at school or any other activities they may be taking part in during school hours.

The holders range from $.50 to $4.00 here in NC. Of course, my frugal self allow the girls to purchase the $.50. Also, the miniature sanitizers are on sale right now for 5 for $5.00. I hope this trend will stick as it is an affordable one, a cleaner one and shall I say fashionable one? 🙂

According to the girls, they test out each others different sanitizers and see which ones they like the best during class. I have to say, well thought out marketing for the Bath and Body Works team.

How to avoid Computer Vision Syndrome with your tech gadgets

January 24, 2012 by Jennifer 2 Comments

Technology is surrounding us more and more every single day. Most kids received some type of technology gift for Christmas. I will go ahead and admit, my girls both got mini laptops for Christmas. Several kids got the new Kindle Fire, or an iPod touch, or even an iPad. Technology can rule your kid’s life if you do not set forth technology rules. It can also ruin your kid’s eye sight.

While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting screen time for children and adolescents to two hours per day, recent studies are finding that children ages 8-18 are spending more than 7.5 hours a day consuming electronic media, from computers and smartphones to e-readers and tablets. How will this increased use impact our tech-savvy children’s eyes?

Digital eye strain, or computer vision syndrome (CVS), is a term for any number of eye or vision- related problems that can occur from using a computer or digital device. Symptoms can include blurry vision, difficulty focusing, dry or irritated eyes, headaches and even neck and back pain. I know I can relate with several of these symptoms. My eyes can get so dry and I have to get up and leave the computer. Most of the time, I have to grab a wet washcloth in order to stop the burning. If this is happening to me, you know it can/will happen to your kids.

How can you prevent computer vision syndrome? VSP shares their tips.

Watch the time. The best way to avoid CVS is to take frequent breaks to refresh the eyes— follow the 20/20/20 rule. Every 20 minutes, make sure your child takes a break to stare at something about 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Also make sure to limit device usage to around two hours a day. This can be a challenge, but the average usage is almost four times that! For children two and under, avoid digital devices all together.

Create a kid-size work space. When working at adult desks, children sometimes have to crane their necks, look up at the screen or sit uncomfortably to do work. Avoid this issue and set up a small desk with an adjustable chair that provides good back support.

Keep the proper working distance. The distance between your child’s eyes and a screen should be approximately the distance between his or her elbow and knuckle. If your child is leaning too close to the computer screen or holding reading material close to his or her face, it could signal an underlying vision problem.

Schedule regular eye exams. Children’s vision changes often and it’s important that they have the best vision possible when using digital devices to help avoid CVS. This starts with a comprehensive examination by an eye doctor, not just a school screening. Children should have their first eye exam at six months of age, then at three years, before starting school and every year after that.

Go outside. Playing is healthy for the body and mind. Research also shows that two hours of outdoor play each day can help prevent nearsightedness. Of course, sunglasses are non- negotiable. Children have larger pupils and are susceptible to more UV damage than adults.

Let’s band together and help avoid Computer Vision Syndrome. Remember there still is life outside of technology. Kids do not need technology 24/7!

Thanks to Nathan Bonilla-Warford, O.D., F.A.A.O. for providing these awesome tips. He practices at Bright Eyes Family Vision Care in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Bonilla-Warford has lectured on visual care of children, the importance of vision in personal development, and options for controlling nearsightedness.

VeggieTales Releases New Silly Song

January 24, 2012 by Jennifer 3 Comments

I don’t know about you, but around our house we love to be silly. We love to be silly with songs so VeggieTales silly songs rank high in our household. Stress, intense pressure from school, a fall, or even just having a bad day can be turned around quickly with a case of the sillies.

Your day can go from bad to awesome with a simple song. I present you the newest silly song from VeggieTales. Get ready, be silly and have fun with “Bubble Wrap.”

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