I’m continuing the conversation about finding and writing sponsored content on your blog. This week’s topic is about what to do after you’ve secured the sponsored post – aka how to write the kind of content that won’t just please this company, but showcase your skills so that other sponsors want to work with you, too.

First: Clarify what they want the post to be about. Do they want a product review? A product plug? Or do they just want to sponsor a giveaway on your blog? The first step…

Back when I was pregnant, choosing all of the gear that came along with having a baby was fun. And then as my pregnancy progressed, it went from being fun to being crazy overwhelming. Everyone had an opinion and everyone thought that we needed to choose all of our baby gear right.in.this.very.second. So one day, Ricky and I were registering for all of our baby stuff. And I found myself standing in the high chair aisle…

Continuing with my series of things that people don’t tell you about having kidsbefore you have kids {like what happens to your body after childbirth}, here’s the five month edition. Here are some of the things I’ve realized {slash learned} as the mama to a five month old – that I wish someone would have…

I spoke earlier today about blogging. As I was putting together my outline for what I was going to talk about, I realized that there are a lot of broad blogging tips that I’ve never really had a chance to delve into before on my blog. So be happy, my friends – today I’m going to tell you a little more about how to make money blogging!

Just to preface all of these tips, I’m going to assume that you already have an understanding of blogging, social networking and all…

Earlier this week, my website went down. There was a snafu with the hosting – where for some reason, my new website hosting plan {for the web geeks out there} wouldn’t apply to this domain name. Which resulted in my hosting service having to switch things around manually. Which concluded with everything being deletedfrom my website.

So after sitting on hold with them for fifteen minutes, crying my eyes out as I waited for a representative to…

This morning is one of those days when I really could use a nap. In the form of aboutsix more hours of sleep. I know, I know – stop complaining, right? The reality is that I really can’t complain too much – because of a fabulous deal my Arbonne team is running until the end of the month. Are you ready? Wait for it….Fifty percent – yes, that’s 50% off of EVERYTHING until January 31st. That’s 50% off the RE9 line. 50% off of the most amazing makeup…

Having a baby isn’t the easiest thing in the world – any mom can tell you that. It’s challenging, it can be frustrating and it’s definitely tiring. But here’s the thing about all of those things: the little joys always outweigh anything else. Being a mommy can be tough, but it’s also rewarding as all hell. And one of those little happiness’s that comes hand in hand with being a mommy? Baby smiles. You really can’t help but…

Yesterday morning I was getting ready, just like any other morning. But something was a little different. I felt a little…jigglier…than normal. Suddenly, I was nervous that my jeans weren’t going to fit. I don’t know why this feeling came to me out of the blue. I just knew they were going to be tight. And you know what? They were. It wasn’t the same as the I-still-need-to-lose-the-baby-weight feeling.…

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you know that I’ve been talking a lot lately about an amazing life change that I made recently. And if you don’t follow me…well, hopefully I’ve intrigued you at least a little bit to hear more. But before I tell you thewhat, let me tell you the why.

A couple of months before RJ was born, I lost myself. Throughout my pregnancy I put up with a lot of crap that I probably shouldn’t have had to deal with – and eventually, I…

Truth: when your baby starts sleeping through the night – even if it’s just for a six hour stretch – it’s pretty much the most blissful experience you can have as a new parent. Sure, there are other joys about being a baby mama. When your little guy intentionally smiles at you for the first time, hearing that first belly laugh, the list goes on. But I’ve realized that I’m more able to appreciate all of these things now that my baby sleeps through the…

One thing I love: pizza, obviously. But I don’t love every kind of pizza. What I really love is homemade pizza. It’s fresher, healthier and…cheaper. Duh. But sometimes you need to switch things up a little from the original. Aka if you’re getting tired of the same old, same old pizzas every week {yes, we do have pizza once a week at my house. And you really should be, too…} then put a little twist on your pie this week – in the name…

mend.

The last week has been one of the craziest I can remember – which I will get into later. Because the last week was nothing compared to the last two days. My little man is sick. It’s the first time he’s been sick – so Ricky and I are pretty happy that a baby born just before the start of flu season has actually made it to nearly four months old without any illnesses! But I have to tell you: seeing your baby under the weather…

Back in the days when I was young, single and living in the city, my life revolved around…well…me. I wasn’t accountable for anyone else – and my long term plans reflected that. Once I met Ricky, that started to change. When we started planning for a family, we started really planning for our family’s future, which was a much bigger – and scarier – undertaking than I ever thought it would be. Now that we have a little one in our life, I realize how important it is for…

I’ll be the first one to admit that life is busy. Between being everything that life throws at me, I know that every once in a while I need to do a little something for me. And one of my favorite ways to do that is through amazing beauty products that give me an excuse to take some time for myself or add a little pretty to my life. Or both – because those things have a tendency to go hand in hand. So here…

There’s a mommy epidemic that’s been going around the nation lately. I read about it in blogs, hear it in news articles and see it with some of my own friends: the pressure to be a super mom. Not just a super mom – super woman. Before RJ was born, I almost succumbed to this mindset. And I was driving myself crazy. I finally reached a breaking point and realized that the image of a mom that society projects onto women doesn’t have to be…

I’m not sure if I mentioned this a few weeks ago or not, but RJ is officially on his first real food: oatmeal! It’s recommended that you start your baby on cereal – or their first solid foods – around four months because babies sometimes aren’t ready to start chewing {gumming?} their food until that point. RJ was ahead of thatmilestone: he showed all of the signs of being ready for his first solid foods, including being the…

Wow – the holidays have flown by this year. Actually, this whole year has really gone by in the blink of an eye. I feel like the last year of my life has been all about changing for the positive. I quit my job and started a consulting firm. I got married to the love of my life and had a beautiful baby boy. And amongst all of these tangible life changes, I learned a lot about life, love and relationships.…

I can’t believe that tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. It literally seems like it was just weeks ago that we brought in 2012. The year went by so fast and life changed in the blink of an eye. It went by so fast, in fact, that I don’t even have any resolutions for the New Year – other than to just enjoy life as it comes!

We’re still recovering from Christmas. If you could see what my house looks like right now, you would probably be…

Obviously, I’m a blogger. Writing is more than just a place to express myself: it’s how I relax throughout the crazy that tends to be my daily life. Since I’ve been blogging for so long {since 2007, if you really wanted to know}, I have extensive experience in creating a blogging “audience”, if you will. If you’re just starting out – or even if you’ve been blogging for a long time – you might feel overwhelmed at the prospect of cultivating a strong blog…

The past few days made up my baby’s first Christmas – and I honestly can’t believe that they’re already over! Between all of the shopping and preparing and visiting and hosting, Christmas certainly went by in a blur. I really enjoyed the past five days. But I’m also a little sad that our first holiday season with our first little one is coming to a close.

But with that being said, our first Christmas with RJ certainly was a…