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Sneak Peek of Barnum Bailey Circus Coming Into Town

February 2, 2011 by Jennifer Leave a Comment

It is almost time for the Biggest Birthday Bash ever. As I posted recently, the Ringling and Barnum Baily Circus is coming to Raleigh, NC next week. All new and super fun show is in store for all ages. Guess what? I get to give you a little sneak peek to just get the whole family excited for the show.

Don’t forget that I have a nice discount for you as well. The discount I am able to offer is a flat $12 price for tickets in the $23 and $15 price levels. The code is “MBLOG11” and is good for Thursday night and both shows on Sunday. Click here to purchase your tickets.

Countdown mode is in full force now 🙂

Do Not Let Anyone Steal Your Bliss

February 1, 2011 by Jennifer 7 Comments

This is a quote from this past week’s Blissdom conference in Nashville, TN. I left on a jet plane last Wednesday and landed in Nashville, TN just a short 1 hour and half later. This was my first trip to Nashville and my first time to the Blissdom Conference. One word – Amazing!

My traveling partner Carolina Mama and I showcased the pink cowboy hats and we were off to take the Gaylord Palms Opryland hotel by storm!

The opening keynote from the awesome Brene Brown left me a little teary eyed for sure. Honestly, though there could have not been a better way to start the conference!

Take a look at my tweets from the opening keynote and you will see how our whole online community needed this!

Who is on your short list of who their opinion of you matters? Don’t worry about what everybody else thinks! AMEN!

Personal attacks are so wrong. We are a community. Why attack people? Delete them out of your life.

“without vulnerability, there’s no love, belonging, joy, gratitude, innovation, creativity, accountability”

It is ok to have boundaries… you need them.

If you do not put value on your work… don’t expect anyone else too!

“If you talk bad about others on twitter… I am going to block you” YES!!!

Pretty thought provoking words huh? I was shaking my head in agreement so much.

Next up was my wonderful partner in crime at BabyCenter Dina Freeman’s speaking panel on “Peek Behind the Curtain of PR-Blogger Relations” – She rocked the panel along with the other speakers.

Here are my tweets from the session –

Online influencers aka bloggers are an essential part to the Public Relation teams of Brands.

When Good Morning America Calls, PR brands know what to say, but do not always know where to start when Bloggers call.

Different agencies to everything different, there is no standard all across the board. Agencies are trying to work towards that.

When working with a PR agency ask yourself what is your value and reach…

The better story you give a PR Agency, the more positive they will have to share back with the client.

PR relationships with bloggers are a two way street. Remember that. It is not just one-sided.

Be patient with PR agencies. It can take time to get your pitch completed. It can’t happen overnight.

Be realistic in your pitches and be professional when writing the pitch to PR agencies.

Successful Pitch to PR: What is unique and differentiated about you vs. others? Let your personality shine!

Be short and concise. Get to the point. The PR teams are on a strict schedule. Follow-up. Be persistent.

Be very specific in your pitch and make sure you know the product you are pitching about.

Give PR a reason to believe in you. Attempt to understand the PR team. Cultivate a relationship. Why should they work w/you?

PR agencies do keep log lists of bloggers that have sent them great pitches. May not can work w/you now but want to in future.

Don’t lose sight of quality content on your blog. Reach, Quality and Creativity all count in a PR’s eyes.

Do not copy and paste a Press Release. Write in your own words. Be authentic with your voice.

PR agencies do not just look at the traffic on your blog, they look at your total reach in the social media scene and your voice.

Entitlement… know where you are. We have to get back to quality. Leave the drama behind not on your blog.

Really eye opening as we bridge this gap with bloggers and PR companies. This year is going to be a really big year with bloggers connecting with brands on more ambassador and spokesperson levels and I love that as a blogger. A blogger actually uses these products and really knows the details behind the products so it just seems natural that we are able to promote the products for the brands. Great things in store for 2011 for sure.

That night we were able to hit the red carpet with Jockey. I showed up with my black boots on and ready to mingle with some of my wonderful and supportive blogger friends.

Amy Hodges (@amymchodges) and I

Kelby Carr (@typeamom) and I

Michele Chestnut (@chelechestnut) and I

Amanda Henson (@highimpactmom) and I

Then we decided to take a stroll and get an indepth look of the Gaylord Palms Opryland. One of the managers stopped us and asked us if we knew the stairs we were standing on were famous.

The stairs were actually used in the remake of “Gone with the Wind”… pretty neat!

The changing water was ever so cool. I will share more video about this neat area and other interesting areas of Gaylord this week.

It was time to hit the sack for the night and gear up for a new fun day at the conference. The sessions were just so informational at this conference and I walked away really feeling energized. The closing keynote was by Scott Stratten @unmarketing who is just the coolest guy ever! He gets social media and knows how to really ride the waves of the social media effects. Can’t wait to hear him more!

Two quotes I walked away from his keynote:

Amen! People who hate on you, criticize you, and put you down are jealous of your success.

Do NOT let anyone steal your BLISS!!!!

Wonderful conference and cannot wait to attend again next year!

You Can Have It All With Butter

February 1, 2011 by Jennifer Leave a Comment

Healthy living doesn’t mean you have to give up great taste. Great recipes can be created without having to gobble up hundreds and hundreds of calories.

Thanks to the new campaign with I Can’t Believe It’s Butter, “You Can Have It All” with your recipes. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® has partnered with Actress Kim Cattrall to show consumers they can have it all — especially when it comes to their food.

Actress Kim Cattrall, left, and Chef Alex Guarnaschelli toast the launch of the new I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter “You Can Have It All” campaign at Butter Restaurant, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011 in New York. (Jason DeCrow/AP Images for I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter)

Chef Alex Guarnaschelli of Butter Restaurant in New York created six unbelievably delicious dishes made with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!, including: Fresh Cranberry Spread, Savory Herb Spread, Unbelievable Biscuits, Buttery Grilled Shrimp with Tomatoes, Crustless Quiche with Goat Cheese and Scallions, and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Cookies.

It’s so amazing to see the brands we love create the easy and healthy recipes to help us with creating a healthy lifestyle within our whole family. My hubby is loving all the new recipes and this is a guy that when we first got together turned his nose up to healthy foods including vegetables and fruits. We are making real progress here and he is actually asking for the I Can’t Believe It’s Butter than regular fattening butters. There is hope… I am telling you 🙂

Howard Johnson Wants To Send You to Harlem Globetrotters

February 1, 2011 by Jennifer Leave a Comment

Harlem Globetrotters are such a fun memory of my childhood that I will always treasure. When I first heard about Howard Johnson teaming up with Harlem Globetrotters to send their guest, all those fun memories came rushing back.

Get this… If you stay two nights with any Howard Johnson, they are going to let you see the Harlem Globetrotters on them! The best part is, you are able to stay at any Howard Johnson and then choose any city you want to see the Harlem Globetrotters. You do not have to see the show in the city that you stayed in a Howard Johnson. Pretty cool right?

Stay with a quality hotel and receive a fantastic time with a great basketball show. Win win for all!

Bringing in the Big 8th Birthday with Ice

January 25, 2011 by Jennifer Leave a Comment

Having a Birthday Party via an Ice Skating rink provided lots of smiles, laughter and most of all so much fun. It was finally time to celebrate a special little girl’s 8th Birthday. That special little girl would be my precious M!

She has waited so patiently to have her birthday party since she is my little bundle of Christmas joy. Having her birthday party in January just provides a lot more open up schedules with all her friends, so it is what worked well for us this year. Since, she is such a huge winter lover and loves to ski and ice skate, her choice was to have an Ice Skating party. I wasn’t too sure at first how this would go over, but I could just put any doubts out the window as the party was a huge hit by all.

The party was such an answer to this busy mom’s schedule as all I did was pay one set fee and the Ice Skating Rink took care of everything. All we had to do was show up. They provided the cake, all the decorations, the food, the drinks, the ice skates, tokens to the game room and even the goody bags. No stress on this mom at all. M hit the ice as soon as we arrived and looked like she had been skating for years of course. I see more weekends at the rink in our future 😉

M – 8 Years

Oh how I love thee…

You are an amazing young lady who has such a gentle spirit that will be there for anyone. Your teacher says that everyone just loves and adores you in class. She always writes to tell me she wants to have a child like you. You are super smart and very determined to figure out anything. You are very quick to rebound if someone tells you that you are wrong.

You are such a helper as you have been since you could walk. You want to be there to pick up that paper for your classmate, help mommy in the kitchen, help your sister read and teach her to tie her shoe, and even help mommy clean around the house.

You are a friend to everyone and will never release any mean spirit towards anyone. If someone is having a bad day, you are quick to the draw to cheer them up and make them smile. You are always wanting to pray for others to get well.

You love God. You are asking lots of questions and making sure the things you do is what God would want you to do. You love going to church and being involved. You love our devotions.

You are such a computer geek like mommy and can figure out any technology. You text mommy on daddy’s cell phone when mommy is on her trips. You are able to send pictures through daddy’s phone and even send an email. You are an amazing young daughter.

You love being such a girly girl but you still love your sports as well. Softball to be exact and are counting down the days to season starts again. Just like your mommy. Oh how I love you so much.

Looking forward to see what the next year brings with your joy.

Forever Love,

Mommy

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