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Bloggertunities: Best Blogging Opportunities for Mom Bloggers 7/3

“There are three ingredients in the good life: learning, earning and yearning.” – Christopher Morley

As an online media producer – which is what you are as a blogger, right? – you have to be constantly striving to learn new things. The web changes daily. Heck, maybe even hourly! There is always a new tool to discover, a new tip to learn, a new plugin to check out, a new way to earn money to try. The moment you think you’ve hit the big time, get comfortable, and stop yearning for more… That’s the moment that the competition passes you. So – I totally agree with this week’s quote: Learning, Earning, and Yearning are what will drive you towards success when working online. And hopefully you’ll learn some new tips in this post to help you earn more, and motivate you to keep yearning for the next new cool discovery that will boost your blog up another notch. Got tips to share? I love comments – and the more great tips, resources, and links you leave in the comments of this post, the more great content there is for everyone who stops by to read this week’s post! I look forward to seeing what types of cool stuff you guys have to share {and if it’s something ongoing like a linky, let me know so I can feature it here next week.}

Tools and Good Reads

Facebook App for WP: This article will show you step by step how to add and set up the new Facebook app for WordPress. I’m still deciding if I’m going to use it… You know how much I hate adding new Plugins, but this does have some cool features. If you’re using it, leave me a link to your site so I can see it in action!
Monetize Your Blog: This week, instead of sharing all of the links to monetizing, I’ll just share this post that I wrote a couple weeks ago for the Blogathon – it has 5 Simple Steps to monetizing your blog, with resources to check out for each one.
Prize Confidential: This is a totally free way to get your giveaways promoted – simply fill out the form with your giveaway details, and get your best giveaways shared with a bigger audience – Prize Confidential.
Website Guide: This is a pretty cool tool – fill out the questions on the form, with info about your blog. You’ll then get a personalized set of recommendations for improvements to make. Free, and only takes a few minutes to fill out.
Dictionary.com: They are offering a free trial on their service right now – But even if you sign up later, it’s only $4.99 a month. Check it out, see how it can help proofread your writing… If you struggle with effective writing skills, this will MORE than pay for itself by boosting the quality of your writing. Dictionary.com Free Trial.
Finding Your Niche: While not everyone agrees, I do truly think that as the blogging world has gotten more crowded, and brands are getting more wary of choosing bloggers due to a few bad apples who fail to deliver – having something that really sets you apart is getting more important all of the time. Read tips on why Finding Your Blogging Niche is Important.

Giveaways and Events to Join

Mom Blogger Scholarship: They are looking for one lucky mom blogger to award with a $1,000 scholarship. No catch – they just want to use it as a case study, to show how a little extra funding can make a big difference. Easy to apply – check it out here: Apply for $1,000 Mom Blogger Scholarship.
Ultimate Blog Challenge: This runs through the month of July. I just got done with the Blogathon Bash {which I totally recommend you check next time – loved it!} and I’m excited to take on this new challenge now too. If you’d to join, check out the info here – Ultimate Blog Challenge.
Mission Giveaways: Madame Deals – a total blogging rockstar – has an app you can fill out to join her Mission Giveaway group. She’s a super smart cookie, and definitely worth working with! Apply here.
Baby Shower Event: This will be a series of cool giveaway events, with the amount of bloggers added to the entries depending on the size of the prize package. Learn more and fill out the form here: Baby Shower Blogger Event.
Travel Tuesday: This is super fun – send in a pic of a cool place that you’ve been, with a tip. Mama Goes Bam will feature some of them each week, with a link back to your blog. Love it, right? Fill out the form here: Travel Tuesday.
Giveaway Linky: Add your new giveaways to the Giveaway Gurus linky – Love linkys like this that show the photos. Check it out and link up your giveaways this week.
Birthday Bash: Join the Summer Birthday Bash giveaway event on Woman of Many Roles – $5 bucks gets you your choice of 2 great links into the giveaway. Get details on this event in the post.
Back to School: Yep, it’s hard to even imagine back to school when the kids are JUST getting into their summer groove, but it’ll be here before you know it. If you like to plan your events in advance, there are a few great ones to join: Back to School Blast, Back to School Bash, and Back to School Bloggie Boogie!
Baby Bash: Join Makobi Scribe and MomVantage in the Bloggers Giving Back Baby Bash to celebrate everything baby! Sounds like a great hop and is free to join with a post about the event!
Stack Your Stats: Link up your blog in this blog building hop to increase your stats! Find it here on Mommies Point of View.

If you love it then you should put a tweet on it…

I Love #Bloggertunities! The best new list of opps for mom bloggers – sunshineandsippycups.com/2012/07/blogge… #RockYourBlog2012

— SunandSipCups (@SunandSipCups) July 3, 2012

Lol, sorry, that was pretty dang cheesy. {You got the Beyonce reference, right?} Anyway, what I’m saying is, if you love this post, make sure to give it a quick tweet so your bloggy buddies can get these sweet tips too. And again – make sure to leave your best tips in the comments: Favorite linkys, event sign ups, cool hops you host, blogging tips or tools that you find super helpful – whatever! I learn a ton reading your comments each week.

Want More? CHECK OUT ALL OF THE OTHER WEEKLY BLOGGERTUNITY POSTS TOO, OR BROWSE MY BLOGGING & SOCIAL MEDIA BOARD ON PINTEREST.

Posted by Meagan Paullin on July 3, 2012 Filed Under: Weekly Opp's, Blogging Resources | 14 Comments

Celebrate with a Free Wines by Wives Membership!

About A Mom is having a one year anniversary this week!

Angela over at About a Mom is one of my best-est bloggy buddies – and it’s crazy to think that as awesome as she is, I’ve actually been blogging for a few months longer than here. I never would have guessed it – she seemed like such a pro! She says, “It’s hard to believe that a whole year has gone by, since our first blog post went up. Over the past year we’ve met a lot of fabulous people, learned a lot, and have improved so much along the way. About A Mom has given us the opportunity to experience many amazing things, but it would all be nothing without YOU – our beloved readers. So come on…lets CELEBRATE!” Wines by Wives is generously donating a one-month membership to their celebrity wine club, to help commemorate this event! [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on July 3, 2012 Filed Under: Giveaways | 1 Comment

Little Girls Love Baby Dolls: Win Your Favorite!

I’m excited to bring you guys another great giveaway featuring one of our families favorite toys this season – JC Toys makes the very best baby dolls that we’ve seen! From soft bodied to all vinyl, the cartoonish “Little Cutsies” line that totally lives up to the name, to the seriously amazing realistic details on the specialty and collector dolls, there is a perfect baby for every little girl. Love these!

“Little girls, like butterflies, need no excuse.” – Robert A. Heinlein

I mean seriously, how cute is this, right?? And there are SO many more to choose from! One lucky winner will get their favorite doll from any of these great collections… [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on July 2, 2012 Filed Under: Giveaways | 34 Comments

Why Little Girls Love Baby Dolls…

“Remember when all we had to do was to keep our ponytails straight and catch fireflies?”… Ah, to be a little girl again. The days when a crying baby could be soothed with a pretend bottle and a snuggle in a toddler bed. When being a good mommy meant dragging your dolly through the mud as you played in the backyard. Those were the days, right? Little girls love to mimic the people around them, so having their own baby doll to diaper, feed, and hug lets them copy the things that they see mommy and daddy doing. And if you want the most adorably realistic baby doll you can find, you have to check out JC Toys, and their “real baby” dolls. I’m not sure who loves this little cutie pie more – Abby, or me…

“Sugar and spice and everything nice, ribbons and curls because she’s a girl.” – Unknown

Ok, a quick disclaimer here… I know that baby dolls can be for little boys too. I am a big believer that kids should play with whatever makes them happy. Abby loves her dinosaurs, helicopters, and dump truck. And her cousin likes to cook with her in the play kitchen, and help rock the baby dolls too. So while this post focuses on little girls and dollies, I do know little guys like [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on July 2, 2012 Filed Under: Fun Stuff | 24 Comments

It’s Potty Time! Tips for Getting Started with Potty Training

It’s Potty Time! Tips for Getting Started with Potty Training… We’re in the very early stages of potty training right now. Abby is almost two, and is VERY ready to get rockin’ with this idea, but mommy has been a little reluctant, since I had NO idea how to even get started! But, thanks to the amazing peeps over at Pull-Ups, and their super fun Pull-Ups Potty Break site packed full of helpful tips, I’m ready for this new parenting adventure!

Potty Training Tips for Toddlers

I realized a couple months ago that it was time to start looking into potty training, when Abby started telling us when she was wet, bringing us a diaper when it was time for a change, and getting really interested in watching me go potty. So, we got her a brand new little potty chair of her own – and right away, she wanted to sit on it EVERY time I went to the bathroom too. I thought, “Shoot, this is going to be soooo easy.” But, like most new stages of parenting, it’s not been so simple. A few things that are working for us so far:

Pull-Ups: These rock. I love that they pull up and down like big-girl pants, but that they also have the little pull-apart tabs on the sides, like diapers, to make it easy to change big messes too. Another thing that’s cool is that there are a couple different varieties to pick from – the Learning Designs, where the cute Disney princess design fades away when it gets wet, and the Cool Alert, to help kids learn to stay dry. Very cool features to help kids learn, right? {And they have overnight options too, so that kids can keep using their fun Pull-Ups that they love, but you can rest easy knowing you’re not going to wake up to a major mess.}
Great Potty Chair: Let your little one help you pick out their own chair, so that they’re excited about using it. {And – I am now a HUGE fan of the Tidy Tots now that I’ve gotten a chance to try them. Totally rock!} Make sure that the new potty chair is in an easy to access spot too, for little ones to get to whenever they’re ready to give it a try.
Big Kid Timer: I’m kind of lovin’ this tool on the Pull-Ups site – You can download it right to your PC or Mac, and use it to let kiddos know when it’s time to sit on the potty again. You know, Potty Time!! You get to pick either Lightning McQueen or Minnie Mouse – and it really is super helpful.

There are SO many other cool tools, resources, and tips on Pull-Ups.com too – and you can pick from the stage that you’re in right now – Getting Started, Keeping it Going, or The Big Finish. And I found SO much stuff there that’s been a big ol’ help for us already. Totally recommend checking it out.

Get your own Potty Timer too

Get the Big Kid Potty Break Timer for your own computer – to remind kids during the day when it’s time for another potty break. This is fun for them – but seriously helpful for you too. I know that I was always getting so busy and distracted all day, and would forget to take Abby in to try the potty again. So this is a perfect way to remind us both.

Make sure to check out a super helpful How to Start Potty Training infographic post too, for more easy to follow tips and tricks to help make potty training a success in your home.

So, stay tuned moms. Since we’re super early to all this stuff, I don’t have too much to share for tips or trouble shooting. But I’ll be blogging about our Potty Training Adventure here for the next few months, as a part of my new gig as a Pull-Ups Ambassador. You can see some of the other helpful posts I’ve been collecting on my Potty Training Tips board on Pinterest, and I’d love, love, LOVE to hear your best tips too….

What do you wish someone had told you when you first started potty training? Share some comment love!

{I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Pull-Ups. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on July 1, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 9 Comments

How to Start Potty Training Today – #infographic

How to Start Potty Training Today – We’ve just recently started potty training with Abby… She’ll be 2 at the end of July, but she’s been showing signs that she’s ready for a couple of months now. So – if you’re in the same boat, and looking for a few helpfulPotty Training Tips for Toddlers too, check out this super smart infographic to help you start potty training today –

Browse more data visualizations.

Posted by Meagan Paullin on July 1, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

Summer Salsa Recipes – #FoodFunHop

I admit it… I’m a bit of a salsa junkie. When we got out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant, I spend more time eating the chips and salsa than I do on my actual dinner. We usually make our salsa at home, since there haven’t been too many store-bought varieties that I like much. They never taste as fresh as I’d like, and most of them are honestly pretty bland and boring.

Dip it. Top it. Spread it. Love it.

I am now a believer in store-bought salsa, after trying the amazingly unique flavors from Wholly Salsa {yep, those same folks that make Wholly Guacamole!} – This stuff is goooood. With flavors like Red Pepper and Mango Salsa, Avocado Verde, and Pineapple Salsa – they totally get your creative cooking juices flowing. I’m thinking some totally delicious Luau Burgers at our next BBQ party…

Taste it. Try it. WIN it!!

I’ve partnered with a couple of the most creative bloggers I know – This #FoodFunHop Event is hosted by Shy Babies & Little Inspiration – and you’ll find a super fun linky after the giveaway form, where you can hop along and see all of the other amazing recipes created with these totally delicious salsas. Warning, it’s going to make you hungry! Mmmmmm…… So, use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form to get your entries in – one lucky winner will get a HUGE Summer Salsa Kit filled with all of the yummy products you see in the pic above. Then take a few minutes to check out the other recipes – and enter to WIN again on every single site!!! How fun is that, right?

4th of July Salsa Dip

We put this little dip together the other day for a BBQ – the kids helped me, which is why it’s a little, um, less the perfect, lol. For the 4th, we’ll do a big dish of this – I’m going to make it a 7-layer dip, which is one of our favorites. The top layer here is a white Queso dip, but this would work great with a cream cheese or sour cream layer on top too. For the stripes I put the salsa in a plastic ziploc baggie, cut the corner off, and piped it on like frosting. We added some olives for stars { definitely needed another row of those!} and star-shaped tortilla chips. The chips are super simple – use a cookie cutter to cut stars out of tortillas, brush ’em with a dab of butter, the bake ’em at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes. Easy peasy!