“By creating compelling content, you can become a celebrity.” – Paul Gillin

I realized something lately. I realized that blogging had changed my life more than I had realized. I mean, I already knew that I had made some huge changes – I work from home, instead of working in fast-paced sales and fashion merchandising. I wear sweatpants to work {if I ever wear pants….”, instead of trendy outfits that actually match. But I realized that blogging gives so many of us regular moms the chance to feel like celebrities. I realized this while we were at the {totally, completely, amazing} Nike Young Athletes Innovation Summit last week – and learned that some of my other bloggy buddies were at the Avengers red carpet event, and others were doing a super cool Disney event… I mean, seriously, how cool is that? That regular moms can create such awesome brands for themselves, and have these opportunities. So – whether your a new blogger or a pro, realize how awesome what you do really is!

Reviews, Giveaways, & cool Opps

Here’s a quick list of some cool stuff that I’ve come across this week – some great lists to get on, networks to be a part of, and things to check out!

1. Tastemaker Moms: I’m not sure what this one is all about – it just talks about cool opportunities. You can sign up now, and you’ll get a notice when they’re ready to go live. Might be worth checking out – I signed up. I like to be a part of EVERYTHING, lol. That’s why I have no time….
2. USFamilyGuide.com: You can submit your info here to apply, and it says – “Drive traffic to your blog, enjoy free activities and earn money through US Family Guide.”- I’ve heard good things about them!
3. Crowdtap: This has gotten me so many cool opps – And I just got another into another Old Navy campaign, where me and a friend both get to choose our fave pair of shorts from Old Navy, totally free. Super fun, and you can invite non-bloggy buddies too.
4. Madame Deals: She has a great blogging opportunities doc that you can sign up on – add all of your info, and a bit about what sets you apart, and she’ll contact you if she has any great events or projects that are a good fit!
5. Blog Critique: This looks really cool – It’s from Moms Do It Better, and you can sign up to get some cool free help –  Be a mentor, get a mentor, get a blog critique, or a combo of these! Learn more and sign up.

I would LOVE it if you would share any cool groups that you’re a part of too, by leaving a comment on this post. I’m always looking for new things to join, and love connecting with new peeps.

Makin’ Money Bay-bee

This is the bread and butter, right? The other swag and fun stuff is cool – but for many of us, we need to earn real income from our blogs too. I can’t pay my cell phone bill in free detergent, or coupons for new snack foods. Here are a few that I use successfully…

1. Sponsored Tweets: Super easy way to earn a little extra cash by sharing cool stuff on Twitter. Sign up here.
2. Direct Sales: Have you ever considered working in direct sales? With the influence you have on your blog, you have a great platform to promote your favorite product line, and earn with online sales. From trusted choices like Avon, to upcoming trendy brands like Allie Cat Jewelry – and there are LOADS more listed in my Direct Sales Directory.
3. Logical Media: A big variety of affiliate ads to choose from – baby samples, health and wellness, survey sites, crafty goods, and more. Super simple to use too.
4. Examiner: I have a Frugal Living column on Examiner, and was promoted to now being able to get media credentials, meaning I can start getting into local events to write about too. I’ve connected with a lot of cool peeps locally, and enjoy writing here. Check it out, and see what categories are available in your town.
5. Escalate Network: I love that they run a lot of fun promotions and contests for their affiliates – and the managers have always been incredibly helpful to me.
6. Social Spark: LOVE this place. I mean – they knocked down my sponsored post amount for awhile, since my traffic has been down due to the hacker-extravaganza, lol – But they still are a totally great place to work with. Tip: Make sure to connect your analytics, to ensure you get the right pay for your posts!
7. Integrate: If you’re already using this one – here is a post with some tips on getting started. I make really good money with them, and the biggest obstacle I hear from others is that they get confused when getting started. I swear that their ads track better than any others I use, so it’s definitely worth figuring out. Don’t worry about all of the stuff on your screen – just get the basics down, see the earnings, then you can worry about the rest!

Share your best tips too – How do you use your voice and influence to earn with your blog? Do you have an ebook? Are you an affiliate marketing ninja? Have tips to scoring sponsored posts? Share your best tips in the comments, so we can all learn something new!

Events to Join in

I was so busy last month – with all the travel, then the site being crashed for a week – that I wasn’t able to join in any events with anyone. {And the ones I had already scheduled, I had to drop out of. Such a bummer.} So this month I’m totally jumping in – and joined 15, lol. Here are a few fun giveaway events, and other fun things to join in on –

1. StumbleUpon Linky: SU is my #1 traffic referrer every single month. Learn some tips on using it, and link up your favorite posts to drive new traffic to your site too – and then visit the other links to discover some cool new content!
2. Happy Tails: This is a great giveaway event – totally free to you, and you get a great Happy Tails Canine Spa Line product to review before the event too. Totally free to join – and you’ll see me there!
3. Sunglasses: Join a few other bloggers in giving away a super stylin’ pair of Liz Claiborne sunglasses – just in time for sunny weather ahead. Learn more and join here.
4. Blogathon: This sounds like so much fun! The Biannual Blogathon Bash is coming up in June – and you can sign up now. It’s a 72 hour bash to try to get as much work done on your blog as possible, with mini-challenges, a Twitter party, and more. Love this.
5. Mystery Cooking Box: This sounds fun – I love Mystery Boxes! Another free sign up, and they’re giving away a box of goodies with a value of at least $80 bucks! Join Here.

Have an event, linky, hop, or other cool thing to share? Leave a comment with a sign up link, or more info! You know I love to party with my bloggy buddies, right?

Helpful Blogging Tools

Here are a few of my favorite tools that I use to keep creative and productive – But I am always on the hunt for new tech tips to keep me on track, so if you have any to share – Please do!!

1. PicMonkey: If you need a replacement for Picnik, you will love PicMonkey. I actually might even like it better – which I never thought I’d say about anything else, lol. It’s built so similar to Picnik that you’ll catch on within seconds, the layout is really cool and kinda retro, and there are some really awesome tools available.
2. Time Management: This cool tool has you fill in some blanks, then it makes you a customized graphic, with a chart showing where all of your time really goes each day. Very cool.
3. Shared Schedules: Whether you want to be able to coordinate events and schedules with a team at work, or the “home team” in your household – this rocks. Super easy, totally changed my life. Lol – but for reals.
4. Printable Planners: More of a pen and paper gal? {I love my online calendars, but totally rely on binders for organization too!} This is a list of all my favorite printable planners from around the web – and almost all are free.

I’d love to see some comments and suggestions from you guys too – and if you’ve written a post with some great tips, share that in the comments too, or even on my Facebook wall!

Good Reads

Here are a few cool articles I’ve come across this week that I found helpful, and wanted to share. I also am constantly adding new stuff to my Blogging & Social Media board on Pinterest, if you want to browse that for new info to read too.

1. Klout: Wondering what the heck this whole Klout score thing is? This is a great post to get you started – and she’ll be doing two more parts as well.
2. Facebook Promotion Guidelines: This links to the actual video from Facebook, clarifying the rules for giveaways. It’s not rocket science, but it confuses a lot of people. Hopefully this will help you out.
3. 10 Ways to Ignite Your Writing: Jump start your writing with some of these creative ideas. Maybe you have lots of things to write about, but you can still use some new tips to find new ways to write about them.

Have some good stuff you’ve written lately? Feel free to shamelessly self promote by leaving your links below. I love learning new tips. {Obviously, since I’ve mentioned about 27 times in this post how I’d love for you to share your stuff in the comments, lol.}

Hope these have been helpful – and can’t wait to read your comments!