Miss Mouthy’s Massive Mid-Summer Giveaway

Do you work at home? I know, as moms we all work at home. I guess what I’m asking is do you get paid for the work you do at home?

Here’s my story-after 4 years as a stay-at-home mom, my dream job opened up and surprise of surprises, I actually got it! (See this post for the “rest of the story.”) I teach part-time for an online high school so I go into my office one day a week then I fit in 12 additional hours during the rest of the week. It has been a difficult balance, to say the least. I feel like I’m always behind at work AND I feel like I’m always behind at home. Oh, and I never actually play with my kids. As I’m in this “nothing fits” situation, I had a little ray of sunshine in my mailbox.

Making Work at Home Work by Mary M. Byers is a fantastic resource for anyone working parent. It has practical “do it today” advice and longer term advice. It speaks to the guilt many moms (and dads) feel. There are times you simply need to get your kids occupied in a matter of 30 seconds and in my house, the TV is the answer. Oh, boy, HEAPS of guilt. Do you have any idea what TV can do to a kid?

Okay, this isn’t an earth-shattering concept, but it’s okay to get childcare. There, I’ve said it. I’m a stay-at-home mom so I can spend time with my kids, nurture them and shape them into responsible citizens, right? Am I a failure if I have a neighbor hood teen watch them for a few hours every other day? NO! This strategy can save your sanity and help your business, whatever it may be. So, this is one of the easy, implement-today ideas.

A longer-term strategy is to determine exactly why you are working. Do you need the money? Do you like a little break from your kids? There are lots of reasons to work, but knowing your motivation can help shape your day. Perhaps you work to earn a little latte money. Then, it’s probably reasonable to work a little after the kids go to bed and during naps. However, if you are working to cover the mortgage bill, you more likely need to set some office hours and regular childcare. You also might need a childcare back up plan.

Mary offers quick ideas for other work-at-home parents about occupying your kids and other strategies to maintain your sanity. The hours between 4 and 6 are called the “witching hours” at my house. It has nothing to do with some fairy tale land, though that’s what always comes to mind. It means that Mommy is kind of witchy so stay outta my way! Mary offers many idea for getting dinner on the table, which eases household stress in any situation, but particularly in this one.

Retirement, taxes and equipment are also covered. This really is a full-service book. I highly recommend it. If you have the whole situation under control, you’ll still pick up helpful tips. If you are more like me, still trying to get a handle on it, this book will be a dog eared resource you’ll turn to often.

Would you like to win a copy of “Making Work at Home Work?” You have 2 chances to win. One here at Miss Mouthy and one at Mary’s website.

To win here, comment about one struggle you face in your work at home situation. This must be followed to earn any additional entries.

2 additional entries-Tweet about this post. Maybe something like, “I just entered an awesome contest on MissMouthy.com. I hope I win the book “Making Work at Home Work!”

3 additional entries-follow my RSS feed

4 additional entries-blog about this giveaway on your blog.

Mary is also giving away a copy at her website and it includes an Amazon gift card as well. Check out the information below.

About the book:

Making Work at Home Work shows moms how to develop an entrepreneurial mind-set without sacrificing their families. It covers important topics such as developing a successful business philosophy, balancing time between work and family, setting realistic goals, and handling the challenges of being both “Mommy” and “CEO” while running a profitable home-based business.

In addition to including her own experiences, author Mary Byers profiles real moms with home-based businesses who offer their hard-won advice.

About Mary:

Mary M. Byers successfully juggles both a freelance corporate writing and speaking business and her responsibilities as a wife and mother of two school-aged children. She is the author of The Mother Load: How to Meet Your Own Needs While Caring for Your Family and How to Say No . . . And Live to Tell about It. Visit her website to learn more: www.marybyers.com or her blog www.makingworkathomework.com

Contest:

Contest! Win a copy of Making Work at Home Work (or another one of Mary’s books–your choice) AND a $25 Amazon gift certificate (for some WAHM essentials – Day Planner, bubble bath, funky file-folders, toddler DVDs)!

There are three ways to win:

• Leave a comment on this post

• Sign up for Mary’s quarterly newsletter where she offer tips and advice about all facets of a women’s life: WAHM, mothering, women’s issues. More info here! (http://www.marybyers.com/index.cfm?pID=569)

• Join the Work at Home Blog Ring. More info here. (http://www.makingworkathomework.com/2009/04/new-making-work-at-home-work-blog-ring.html)

Link to buy the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Making-Work-Home-Successfully-Business/dp/0800732758?&camp=sprightly-20

Miss Mouthy’s Massive Mid-Summer Giveaway

I’m not a super green person. I try to make eco-friendly choices, but mostly when it’s convenient and inexpensive. Sometimes I even feel offended if I feel pressured to be green. For example, I drive an SUV because we tow a camping trailer in the summer. I don’t drive very much, so I really don’t worry too much. Some people give me dirty looks for driving an SUV. WTHeck?

Anyhow, I bought some canvas bags to use for grocery shopping. Not too expensive, not too much trouble. However, I forget the bags nearly every time. I often forget them in my house. Why? I have no idea. There are huge, so that’s not it. Basically, this has been a foray into the eco-scene that hasn’t been successful. Sorry, I tried.

Then, along came Joey Totes. Can I say I love these? ‘Cause I do. Each of the totes has a little pocket on the inside seam. Basically, I just stuff it in the pocket. I don’t have to know a complex origami pattern to get these to fit. As a matter of fact, I can get all three from my set right into one little bag. The entire kit n caboodle fits inside my purse, and I don’t carry one of those huge hobo bags.

Joey Totes are machine washable and need to be hung to dry. I will probably only wash them if something spills. I have enough laundry to do!

Can they hold much? Oh, yeah! I don’t like to grocery shop. It’s kind of an ordeal with my two darling angels. So when I do go shopping, baby I shop. I try to get enough groceries so I never have to come back again. It hasn’t worked so far, but maybe some day!

Would you like to WIN a set of Joey Totes? Yes, that’s FREE!! It’s another GIVEAWAY!! To enter, swing by Joey Totes and check it out. Then come back here and tell me your favorite feature!

This rule MUST bed followed to enter the contest. You can earn extra entries, too!

2 additional entries-Tweet about this post. Maybe something like, “I just entered an awesome contest on MissMouthy.com. I hope I win the Joey Totes!”

3 additional entries-follow my RSS feed

4 additional entries-blog about this giveaway on your blog.

Contest closes on Wednesday, May 13 at 8 PM.

What if you don’t win? Or you don’t like to go through the trouble of entering? Through May 31, Joeytotes is offering a 10% off coupon code to Miss Mouthy readers. Just enter MISSMOUTHY in the coupon area and you’ll be set! Happy Shopping!!

Giveaway Deadline extended until August 17. See the other items from

Miss Mouthy’s Massive Mid-Summer Giveaway

I am delighted to introduce you to Break Pal, including a Giveaway below. If you are like me, you probably spend lots of time hunched over the computer. Hours pass before you know it. Perhaps you have developed a little condition called “Techno-Tushy.”

Enter Break Pal. This is an awesome program that sits on your desktop. You select the time frame and Break Pal will pop open to let you know it’s time for an exercise break. You can choose to take a break every 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes. Would you like an audio reminder or just the visual reminder. It’s totally up to you.

When the reminder pops up, you select the type of exercise you’d like to do. There are standing exercises and chair exercises. You can select breathing and stretching exercises or aerobic moves. You can burn some serious calories here!

Break Pal

If you regularly go to the gym, this probably won’t take the place of your regular workout. However, if you have a serious case of Techno-Tushy, you will notice a difference!

I really enjoy using Break Pal. Sometimes it interrupts what I was doing, but it’s very easy to click it closed when needed. Don’t do it too often, though. I also noticed the trainer has a pretty short skirt, probably for range of motion. If I wore this in my old workplace, I would have been sent home!

If you’d like mini-workouts during the day, please take a look at Break Pal.

Would you like to use BreakPal for FREE???

I’m giving away 3 non-expiring memberships to BreakPal. Here’s how you enter:

1) Go to BreakPal.com and sign up for an account. It’s simple, it’s easy and it’s free. Don’t worry, you won’t get a bunch of weird emails. This step is REQUIRED.

2) Become a fan of BreakPal on Facebook.

3) 2 entries-Tweet about this post, something like “I really hope I win a non-expiring membership on BreakPal. You can enter too at MissMouthy.com” You can write whatever you want!

4) Subscribe to my RSS feed for 3 entries.

5) Blog about this giveaway on your blog and link back to this post! It needs to be a real post! This is worth 4 entries!

6) Lastly, give me One Good Reason why you need BreakPal.

This contest will close on Monday, May 11th at 7pm, or when I actually close the contest. Just sayin’.

PS-I have lots of giveaways coming up. PLEASE keep checking in. Seriously, lots of contests!!

Cari, you will be rocking out in no time!!!

Sometimes, I hate shopping for a baby shower. As a mom, I really wanted the things from my registry…I picked those things out for a reason! However, as the guest, I like a little bit of a surprise, but I also know the mom wants what the mom wants. What’s a girl to do? I found a super baby gift idea that fits the bill.

Nearly every mom will want a baby-friendly video at some point. She may not know it yet, but the day will come when she wants just 5 minutes….just 5 minutes to go to the bathroom without a baby on her hip…just 5 minutes to chat with a friend without interruption….just 5 minutes…to breathe. Here’s where this unique baby gift idea comes in.

That Baby DVD and CD to the shower-shopping rescue! That Baby DVD is a sweet visual for babies through pre-schoolers. I “tested” it on my 2 and 4 year old girls. They were both totally enthralled. To be honest, I thought it might be a little too simple for them. You know, my genius girls watch more “advanced” programs like Dora and Handy Manny. From the very first note, they didn’t move a muscle.

Here’s the idea: the makers of That Baby DVD created acoustic cover versions of popular songs from “our” generation. Each song is then set to animation, live action or a combination. For example, with the song “When We Grow Up,” two puppets sing the song to each other, but it also cuts to live action shots of kids being kids. This song was originally recorded by Dianna Ross, then again as a duet between Michael Jackson and Roberta Flack. In, “Happiness Runs/Circle Game,” there is this fantastic, almost hypnotic, animation that flows and flutters.

The music and animation are catchy, but set at a slower pace than some of the frenetic videos out today. It would be perfect for a baby, of course, but I am excited to use this with my girls when they need to simmer down a bit. Perhaps bed time or while I make dinner, which is always a pretty hairy-eyeball time in my house.

Now for some serious honesty. I love to review products. I love to see what’s new and different. But, when I first received That Baby DVD and CD, I popped in the music one night after the girls went to bed. Seriously, if I can’t stand it, I’m not letting my kids watch it or listen to it. We are a no Barney house simply because of that horrific opening song. And the terrible acting. But mostly because of the song. When we had our first baby, we received over a dozen baby CDs. Guess how many I’ve actually listened to? Zero. I already felt like I was sleeping on my feet. I didn’t need a CD to worsen my condition.

I LOVE this music! I’ve been singing, “Pony Boy,” at the top of my lungs for the last week. I have That Baby CD in my car and I listen to it softly while the girls are with me, but I totally crank it up when they aren’t in the car! Interesting side note…on the animation of this song, a silhouette style is used. When the creators tested this on kids, each one thought this video was about them, that it was them in the video with their parents.

If you want to take a little peeky-poo, click below for a taste of this awesome find. Than, at the first sign of a shower, baby shower that is, head straight to Amazon to purchase That Baby DVD and CD. The baby will love the DVD and the mom will love the CD. Or, keep the CD for yourself. Heck, why wait for a baby shower? Get shopping today!

Now for the GIVEAWAY. Who doesn’t love a giveaway? Rules:

1) Become a fan of That Baby DVD and CD on Facebook. Come back here and post that you’ve completed this required step. Remember, if you don’t complete this step, none of your other entries will be eligible. After the winner is selected, I’ll double check this, so don’t try to be sneaky birds to get around this one.

2) Earn an additional entry for posting a song that should be included on the next version of That Baby DVD/CD (we can hope!!). I vote for My Guy and My Girl or perhaps 8 Days a Week. I thought of “Father Figure” by George Michael, but one split-second later I thought, “Eeewww.”

3) Earn 2 entries for following Miss Mouthy via Feed or email.

4) Earn 3 entries for tweeting about this Giveaway. Post a link to your tweet.

5) Earn 4 entries for blogging about this giveaway. Post the link to your blog post. Don’t be lazy, make an actual post, not just, “I’ve entered this giveaway.” Uh-uh, no way, Sister!

11 possible entries per person. One winner gets BOTH That Baby DVD and CD. It all comes down to Sunday, April 26 at 7 pm Pacific Time according to my laptop.

Let the entries begin!