Don't forget to party with us tonight on Twitter!

I hope you will join us tonight on Twitter from 9:00pm - 10:30pm EST for our second party to announce the spring line up of offerings at The Mom Entrepreneur Co-op Shop.

For a listing of the fantastic prizes we will be giving away as well as how to participate, read our official invitation post from the other day.

Am I losing my mind?

I had a phone interview yesterday with a writer from Parenting NH Magazine. The hardest question she asked me was: "What is your age?" I paused, did some calculations in my head (what year is it..., how old are my children...), then answered, "39 I think".

Tip for saving money on going out to eat

I wanted to share with you a great site I have been using to purchase gift certificates for local restaurants. Occasionally you can purchase $25 gift certificates from Restaurant.com for only $3.00 each. I have done this three times now and find the savings are great especially in this economy when you still would like to go out and eat every now and then.

Today, I found an even better way to buy gift certificates at Restaurant.com. I signed up at Ebates.com, then purchased my gift certificates at Restaurant.com through Ebates.com and earned 15% back on my purchase. That makes the certificates about $2.55 each. Great deal! In addition, I received a $5 sign up bonus at Ebates.com.

The $3 for every $25 Restaurant.com gift certificate promo ends March 31st. Use code SAVE at checkout to get your discount.

So here is what you do to save:

• Go to ebates.com using this link…> (sign up for free today - it only takes 15 seconds and you'll also get a $5 sign up bonus (I'll get one too!))
• Search for Restaurant.com in their list of stores
• When on the Restaurant.com site, enter your zip code to see what restaurants are in your area
• Purchase the $25 gift certificates you want (pay attention to any special restrictions)
• Enter code SAVE at check out
• Print out your gift certificates
• Pass along your Ebates.com savings idea to your network

If you have additional savings ideas, please share. I went to the grocery store today and saved $40 using coupon layering techniques that I have been learning. I was psyched.

For more savings ideas, I suggest subscribing to the following blogs: http://neverpayretailagain.blogspot.com/, www.consumerqueen.com, www.coupondivas.com/, http://www.shop4freebies.com (this one is great for freebies and samples – I have gotten dozens of great items in the past few weeks), and I recommend www.thecouponizer.com for storing all of you wonderful coupons!

Happy savings!

Join us on March 31st at 9:00pm EST for our second Twitter party!

We are doing it again!

Our first Twitter party in January to launch The Mom Entrepreneur Co-op Shop was a huge success. We gave out 27 prizes in two hours and introduced the awesome products and services our new Shop offers to over 75 party goers.

On Tuesday, March 31st from 9:00pm - 10:30pm EST, we will be hosting our second Twitter party to announce our spring line up of offerings at the Co-op Shop.

In addition, we will be sharing tips for balancing motherhood and running a company, and giving away some amazing prizes. Join me and dozens of mom entrepreneurs from our Online Support Group as we chat the evening away.

Following is a list of the fantastic prizes you will have a chance to win:

1. Free 1.5 hour phone Beyond Balance Exploration session for working moms with The Executive Moms Coach (valued at $275).
2. Free one-year subscription to The Dinner Spin (valued at $48). The Dinner Spin is your weekly menu planner. Each week you receive seven creative, yet convenient dinner ideas in your inbox. Choose the recipes you want to prepare; customize your grocery list and follow the clever tips outlined each week in the menu game plan.
3. Free t-shirt from Just Be Products. Winner's choice (valued at $15-$24). Show the world how you...Just Be.
4. Free download of the popular ebook PR in Your Pajamas: Practical Publicity for Time Strapped Mom Entrepreneurs (valued at $29). Learn why you don’t need a press release, how to put together a media pitch and a media list in just minutes, the questions you need to ask a reporter when they call you, and more PR tips that helped sell a mom business just 9 months after starting.
5. Gift certificate for one-month of service to care4hire.com (valued at $29.99). Care4hire.com is an online database for families and caregivers to search babysitters, housekeepers, tutors, elder/companion care, pet sitters and other miscellaneous services.
6. Free copy of The Power of Women United from Discover Birth, which hits shelves this month (valued at $34.97). This book explores the triumphs and tragedies of 22 amazing women who forged their own path to success. This extraordinary book will touch your heart as it helps you to find your true self and follow your dreams.
7. Free LaborKit (valued at $54.95), includes over 18 high-quality items to help prepare for birth and make labor more comfortable. Breastfeeding friendly. It’s everything you need for the big day.
8. Free Yoga Booty Ballet workout DVD from Team Beachbody (valued at $30). Yoga Booty Ballet is a dynamic fusion of yoga, booty sculpting, and dance that will make you feel strong, confident, and beautiful!
9. Free Super-Soft Clean Shopper from Babe Ease (valued at $34.99). Protect your baby from nasty shopping-cart germs with the tried-and-true Super-Soft Clean Shopper! Designed to cover the entire seating area of a shopping cart, this product is fluffy and comfy, and it comes complete with a matching drawstring tote, a safety strap, toy loops and pockets. It's also machine washable and dryer safe!
10. Free set of books - Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! and Let’s Get Ready For First Grade! from Cedar Valley Publishing (valued at $40).
11. Free long sleeve t-shirt from Me Time (valued at $29). Winner picks design.
12. Free Personal Child Stories custom made book (valued at $30). All books are created for each unique child using personal photos and custom text; no two are alike. You choose the theme!
13. Free satineesnugs bear blanket from My Embroidered Gifts (valued at $19.95). Winner chooses name to have embroidered on blanket.
14. Two free product coupons good on any fast fixin items at fastfixin.com from Consumer Queen (valued at $7.99).
15. Free Boca Beth Beginner Backpack (valued at $49.99).

Twitter party attendees will be asked simple quiz questions and will need to visit the Co-op Shop to find the answer. Tweet the answer and include the hashtag code #TMEcoop.

Winners will be determined by a sequence of random numbers, which will be generated using Random.org. Public recognition will be given to the winners in Twitter who will need to email their name, email address and phone number to traci@themomentrepreneur.com.

To follow the party, simply follow me @TMECoopShop or visit tweetchat.com, enter the code #TMEcoop and follow the party's conversation.

And don't forget to shop The Mom Entrepreneur Co-op Shop for Easter, Earth Day and National Women's Nutrition Week as well as every month in 2009.

Make sure you are also following the Co-op Shop on Twitter to be alerted of special offerings and sales from now until Easter.

The top 30 things I am grateful for

On this beautiful first day of spring, I am reminded of many things that I am grateful for.

The economy is still troublesome. We have been affected by it in many ways, but it certainly has helped me focus on what is good around me and I remain optimistic and hopeful about the future.

I welcome the change. Change is very good and change is coming. I think you have to get on board and embrace change or you will be left far behind. So in addition to change, following is a list of more things I am grateful for.

My top 30 things I am grateful for list:

1. PTA bingo night with family - good cheap fun
2. a supportive husband who gives flowers just because
3. beautiful, healthy children
4. my parents who are always there
5. my older son who has the babysitter call me to see if he can watch a movie since he is grounded
6. a smart brother who supports my websites for very little or no money
7. a creative friend who is an amazing designer and developed The Mom Entrepreneur brand for barter
8. my supportive friends in The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group
9. readers of my blogs
10. coupons - I just rediscovered these; great savings
11. interviewers who are prepared
12. creative websites that offer solutions
13. a lenient landlord who waived a late fee on office rent - clients pay late, rent is late
14. mint Oreo cookies - taste really good crumbled on chocolate pudding
15. billmelater.com
16. my Blackberry
17. President Obama - he will do great things
18. caller ID - yes, I know the medical bill payment is late, stop calling me!
19. Craig's List - great for selling office furniture you no longer need
20. cats that sleep all day instead of chasing your cursor on the screen while you are trying to work
21. publicists who know what The Mom Entrepreneur is about when they pitch me - you know who you are:)
22. people who return my calls and emails instead of blowing me off - I try to reciprocate
23. auto responders letting me know someone is on vacation
24. email signatures - I like to know more about the person I am responding to
25. Joomla - love this platform
26. Twitbacks.com - so quick and easy
27. people who understand and respect the balancing act of a mom entrepreneur
28. friends who genuinely give and expect nothing in return
29. people who are not afraid to tell it like it is
30. clients who continually entrust me with their projects

Next time perhaps I will make a list of the top things I am not grateful for:)

What are you grateful for?

Bust-A-Meal can help you with dinner, TONIGHT!

This is the direct message I received from someone I followed on Twitter today. As much as I do not like generic messages, I felt this one spoke to me. I instantly went to the website www.bustameal.com.

The site continued to speak to me...

• Do you dread family dinner? me - YES
• Do you dread deciding what to feed your family every evening? YES
• Are you in a rut cooking the same things over and over? YES
• Are you spending a fortune, yet there is nothing at home to cook? YES

It felt as though this company was reading my mind. I answered a few quick survey questions and then was offered several solutions.

I signed up for a 30-day free trial!

Then I was brought to a very simple and easy to navigate interface, which said it would help me plan my meals by entering different information about my tastes in food and dietary restrictions.

I was not able to complete the information it asked for, but will come back to it this weekend. As a busy mom entrepreneur, I think this is going to be a very useful tool. I will keep you updated.

Any other online meal planning solutions you would recommend?

Congratulations to the winner of our HP printer giveaway

Congratulations to Michelle Pratt-Lienhart of Just Be Products, LLC. She is the winner of our HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One (printer, scanner, fax and copier) giveaway.

"Thanks Traci for the great news today! We've been talking about getting an all-in-one for a while now, but just never had the extra money to do it. This new printer will probably replace my other ink jet, my fax machine and my eight year old laser printer. I love the option of duplex printing to save paper and money. I can now print my flyers in-house instead of going to the printer for them!"

Enjoy Michelle!

To blog or not to blog? free presentation slides

Recently, I was invited to sit on a panel and make a presentation for the NH Creative Club about blogging. I was speaking to an audience of very creative individuals, but not many of them were bloggers. I decided to outline the basic concepts of blogging and how to build an online community using social media.

Many members of The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group have asked for my advice about how to make their blog more effective, increase traffic and extend their reach online. Once I finished the PowerPoint slides, I realized that it was an informative presentation for beginners or experienced bloggers. Getting back to basics and revisiting what makes a blog successful is the best way to grow to the next level.

You can access the presentation at this link...> (click mouse to switch slides)

I welcome your comments and feedback.

I love this sentiment

Thanks to my friend and colleague Laurie Storey-Manseau, who writes a blog entitled Walking in My Sleep, for this great sentiment: The only way we’ll get through this is to do it together. Reach out to one person today and offer these words of encouragement. Read the story here...>

What is your top 10 must have as a mom entrepreneur?

Great article recently posted by Lisa Druxman entitled: Top 10 Must-Haves for Mompreneurs. Lisa is a member of The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group as are most of the women quoted.

My top must-have? My Blackberry (or should I say crackberry)!

Only 2 days left to enter for a chance to win a new HP printer

There are only two days left to enter to win an HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One (printer, scanner, fax and copier) and specialty supplies package valued at $450 for subscribers only. The contest will run until 5pm EST on March 17, 2009 at which time the winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries.

To learn more about this amazing printer, read our first post about the contest.

OK...so here are the simple rules:

• You MUST be a subscriber of our blog. Our awesome giveaways are for subscribers only. If you are not yet a subscriber, you can do so via email or in a reader or click on your favorite web aggregator to the right.
• Answer the following trivia question correctly: How much can you save in terms of costs per page and energy use when using an HP Officejet Pro (versus a competitive laser printer)? (HINT: the answer can be found at http://budurl.com/st5x.)
• Email your answer to traci@themomentrepreneur.com and put "HP Printer giveaway" in the subject line. You must confirm you are a subscriber of our blog. (You may only enter once.) You will receive a confirmation email for your entry. If you do not, email you answer again.
• Wait patiently until 5pm EST on March 17, 2009 to see if you are chosen at random as the winner. (Winner chosen at random from all correct entries using a sequence selection of numbers from random.org.) Winners will be contacted via email and announced on this blog.

That is it! Easy enough. GOOD LUCK!

Getting ready to send a package of goodies to Peter Shankman at HARO

Dear Peter Shankman:

The members of The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group want you to be familiar with who we are and what we have to offer through our Co-op Shop.

The support group consists of 600 amazing mom entrepreneurs each with their own unique offering. Tonight as I pack up the large sample box we are sending your way, I am becoming more familiar with the products and services that our group sells. You and Meagan are in for a treat!

Here is a list of what this package contains:

• "I Like It Dirty" Me Time t-shirt
• $25 gift certificate to Navan Foods
• Set of three Let's Get Ready books from Cedar Valley Publishing
• Chic Super-Soft Clean Shopper from Babe Ease, LLC
• $15 gift certificate to Little Jumping Beans
• Book about Peter Shankman entitled Peter Counts to Ten from Personal Child Stories
• Ecofriendly Journals, Photo Album and Cards from Sweet Organics and Naturals
• Teach Your Child Spanish music CD, DVD, coloring and activity book and puppet from Boca Beth
• Set of Parent Success Cards from Horizons Development Remediation Center
• $15 gift certificate to Let's Go Strolling
• One free month of service to Care4Hire.com
• "Just Be Green" t-shirt from Just Be Products, LLC
• Lil' Hands Gardening tote with products from Education Perks
• Free business directory listing, one month free banner ad and one month of free counseling/coaching from ParentsRPeople.com
• Three, free 12-month subscriptions to The Dinner Spin
• 5 free hours of Virtual Assistance Services from Creative Virtual Office
• Three, free downloads of the ebook PR In Your Pajamas: Practical Publicity for the Time-Strapped, Cash-Crunched Mom Entrepreneur from PR in Your Pajamas
• $100 gift certificate for pampering at the Dorit Baxter Day Spa in NY thanks to Just Between Friends
• $50 shopping spree at DoceVidaFitness.com
• $50 gift certificate to Coco-Zen
• Free business card design with purchase of 1,000 cards from Pages & Stuff, Inc.
• Assortment of all natural products from Sassy Shampoo

In addition, you will be receiving several cards in the mail from members thanks to the generosity of Diane Walker from Send Out Cards.

Since we are advertising in the afternoon edition of the HARO on Monday, March 16th, we felt it was important for you to get a sense of what our members offer.

Whatever items you and Meagan are unable to use, please donate to your raffle or to a local charity. We are all about "paying it forward" and want these offers to be shared with others.

Thanks for all you provide through the HARO. Enjoy!

P.S. Membership in The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group is free. Please help us spread the word about this resource. Thanks!

Win a new HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One (printer, scanner, fax and copier)

This month, HP, the world’s largest technology company, unveiled three new families of HP Officejet inkjet printers that allow small and medium-sized businesses to create professional-quality color documents.

The Mom Entrepreneur was offered the opportunity to hold a contest for an HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One (printer, scanner, fax and copier) and specialty supplies package valued at $450 for subscribers only. The contest will run until 5pm EST on March 17, 2009 at which time the winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries.

Some of the key features of this new printer, include:

• Designed to increase efficiency and support marketing efforts, the HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One delivers professional color documents.
• A four-in-one ENERGY STAR® qualified device, the HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One enables print, scan, copy and fax functions as well as fast print speeds, embedded wireless networking and key features to help save paper.
• Produce print shop-quality documents using HP’s full line of specialty matte and glossy HP brochure papers; newly formulated HP Officejet pigment inks with papers with ColorLok® technology yield professional, durable color documents that dry quickly and resist water.
• Eliminate cables with embedded wireless 802.11g networking and Direct Digital Filing to quickly capture, manage and share documents among up to 10 users.
• Versatile printing device features automatic two-sided printing and copying, a junk fax blocker, scan to computer, HP Smart Web Printing as well as the ability to preview, select and print high-quality photos from memory cards using an intuitive 3.45-inch color touchscreen LCD.
• Save more and print more pages with fewer cartridge replacements using high-capacity, individual HP Officejet ink cartridges.

OK...so here are the simple rules:

1. You MUST be a subscriber of our blog. Our awesome giveaways are for subscribers only. If you are not yet a subscriber, you can do so via email or in a reader or click on your favorite web aggregator to the right.
2. Answer the following trivia question correctly: How much can you save in terms of costs per page and energy use when using an HP Officejet Pro (versus a competitive laser printer)? (HINT: the answer can be found at http://budurl.com/st5x.)
3. Email your answer to traci@themomentrepreneur.com and put "HP Printer giveaway" in the subject line. You must confirm you are a subscriber of our blog. (You may only enter once.) You will receive a confirmation email for your entry. If you do not, email you answer again.
4. Wait patiently until 5pm EST on March 17, 2009 to see if you are chosen at random as the winner. (Winner chosen at random from all correct entries using a sequence selection of numbers from random.org.) Winners will be contacted via email and announced on this blog.

That is it! Easy enough. GOOD LUCK!

Ideas for cutting business costs

I value the information I receive from The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur Blog (great name)! A recent post included 32 Powerful Ways to Cut Costs in Business. In the spirit of streamlining and becoming more efficient in business, I wanted to pass along these useful tips from Mike Michalowicz and his readers.

Internet Marketing Forum to be held in Portsmouth, NH

Join The NH Creative Club

What:
Internet Marketing Forum

When:
Wednesday, March 11 - 6:00 - 9:00 pm

Where:
The Portsmouth Pearl - Portsmouth, NH

As a creative professional, you already have everything you need to successfully build a business through internet marketing - yet harnessing this information for web, print e-blasts, social networking and a myriad of other venues can be a challenge for anyone.

Join the New Hampshire Creative Club for a lively discussion about the far reaching potential of the internet as a marketing vehicle for your clients' businesses - and your own.

Presenters:
Brett Houle, SendLabs
Email marketing - For your business and your clients

Sean Owen, wedü
New Tools for New Media - A targeted approach for maximizing response rates

Traci Bisson, Bisson Barcelona
Social Networking - To blog or not to blog

For more information, a description of presenter topics, bios and an agenda, or to register, click here...>

Price:
Members: $5.00
Non-Members/Students $15.00
Cash Bar

Directions:
The Pearl is located at 45 Pearl Street, just off Islington Street 2 blocks from downtown Portsmouth.

Off Route 95 -Take Exit 7 off the exit head toward downtown Portsmouth on Market Street Extension (a right headed north or a left if headed south). Just after passing the Sheraton Hotel on your right, take a right onto Deer Street. Take a left at the next light onto Maplewood Avenue. At the second light, take a right onto Islington Street. Pearl Street is the third road on your right and The Pearl is the last building on your right at the end of the street.

Vote for mom entrepreneurs in the StartUp Nation Leading Moms Contest

The following members of The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group are competing in the StartUp Nation Leading Moms Competition. Please show your support and vote! Voting ends at midnight Pacific Time, March 31, 2009. You may vote once a day for as many members as you want.

Baby Fish Mouth
Playgroups USA
Tees for Change
Just Be
Cushie Pushie
OriginOne
Nannies4hire
Gratitude Games
Cedar Valley Publishing
Cottonseed Clothing
Lily Lane Cakes
Old World Limited
Sweetsation Therapy
Beautiful Kids Natural Products, LLC
Sweet Organics and Naturals
Gourmet Chocolate Bon Bons
CouponDivas.com
Mimi & Maya
Charmed Life Products, LLC
Pitter Patties
Aristotle Circle
Madama Griffitts O'Hara LLP
Adventures of Scuba Jack
Psi Bands
Education Perks

One of the hardest working mom entrepreneurs I have ever met

Kristina Reiko Cooper is an amazing mom entrepreneur. In addition to being an awesome client, she is the epitome of a mom who is always on the go and truly balancing it all, including a hot musical career, international travel and a newborn.

I had the opportunity to meet her at her CD launch party last November in NYC. That is me pictured with her to the right.

Following is an article my publicist, Adrienne (who is also a mom entrepreneur), wrote about Kristina's everyday juggling act. Thanks Kristina for being an inspiration to all of us!

Internationally-Acclaimed Cellist Experiences Unexpected Adventures on World Tour

In the past few months, critically-acclaimed cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper had her first baby, launched a new album, embarked on a non-stop international concert tour and experienced quite a few unexpected adventures along the way.

Cooper has quickly learned the importance of humor while adjusting to new motherhood in the midst of a whirlwind performing schedule.

“Life on the road is pretty much a circus. I’m in the midst of an international tour, traveling with my baby, my cello, a nanny, a bassinet, a breast pump, toys, a baby gym, stroller, laptop, formal concert gowns, frozen breast milk, a water sterilizer, diapers, wipes and three fully-packed suitcases,” Cooper explained, laughing.

“Language barriers have caused issues for us, too. While we were in Colombia recently, an airport official could not understand that Cello Cooper was not the baby, since the cello had a seat on the plane and the baby didn’t, because I was planning to hold him the entire way. We were delayed for an hour trying to explain the situation and almost missed our flight,” Cooper added.

Recent highlights from her busy life include:

• Cooper was giving birth during the collapse and bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers – where her husband worked as CEO of their Israeli office. While Kristina was in labor with – and delivering – their first baby, her husband was fielding calls from frantic investors and the media. The day their baby was born was also the first day of the U.S. stock market crash.


• The pre-concert backstage ritual is nerve-wracking and fraught with superstition. Many musicians insist on eating a particular food or taking a nap before a show. Cooper spends all of her time and energy thinking about pumping milk, wondering when and where she can pump in the midst of the pre-show chaos, stressing about whether she’ll have enough time to pump again at intermission, thinking about how to keep the milk cold in unfamiliar venues and always worrying about whether her breasts will leak through her formal concert gown during the performance.


• During one recent trip, both four-month-old Zack and the cello were randomly selected for a security check. Security officials required that Cooper play the cello to prove it was really an instrument. Then, concerned about allowing liquids on the plane, they asked Cooper to drink her own breast milk – or wake up her sleeping baby to have him drink from each of the three bottles they were carrying on board – to ensure it was milk and not a dangerous substance.


• In the midst of childbirth and the beginning of the worldwide financial crisis, Cooper was preparing to launch her new album, Stone and Steel, followed by an extensive concert schedule and publicity campaign.

Cooper is traveling extensively, performing at the world’s most prestigious venues. Within a two month period in early 2009, she will perform in the following locations, bringing Zack, the cello and the nanny along: New York, Israel, London, Colombia, South America, Japan, Kazakhstan, Indonesia and Canada

Kristina Reiko Cooper’s latest CD, Stone and Steel, is a scintillating combination of the ancient and the modern. Cooper, a resident of New York City and Tel Aviv, is well-known for her adventurousness and her passion for new, popular and contemporary works. In her newest release, she takes some old classics and musically expresses them in a completely fresh and novel way.

Cooper has found great success in numerous forms of media, from her best-selling DVDs and CDs, to television performances and commercials, magazine covers, print fashion ads and even her own magazine columns.

She has been the featured soloist with such highly regarded orchestras as the Prague Chamber Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony and the Tokyo Yomiuri Orchestra. Cooper is a frequent featured performer at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Jerusalem’s Henry Crown Hall, Toronto’s Roy Thompson Hall and Kioi Hall of Tokyo.

As a chamber musician, Cooper received the Walter M. Naumburg Chamber Music Award first prize. She has been a member of many renowned ensembles, including the internationally acclaimed Quartetto Gelato, Musicians from Marlboro, and The Whitman String Quartet, and continues to perform as part of the contemporary music group Continuum, and the popular and eclectic ensemble Intersection, also known as Kristina & Laura. She is also the musical co-director of The Israel Chamber Music Society.

She has been featured on National Public Radio, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, NHK in Japan, KBS in Korea, WNYC and WQXR in New York City, as well as in television broadcasts for CNN, PBS, CBC Television, CBS’s 60 Minutes, national Chinese Television, KBS Television in Korea, Fuji Television and NHK Television in Japan.

Cooper received her bachelors and masters degrees in music and her doctorate of musical arts from The Juilliard School in New York City.

When not on tour, she currently splits her time between New York and Israel, where she’s a Visiting Professor of Music at Hebrew University and Musical Co-Director of The Israel Chamber Music Society.

Learn more at www.kristinareikocooper.com.

I saw a Robin!

Perched upon a Sumac twig, which was sticking out of a newly formed snow bank, I saw a fat, red-bellied Robin. Spring is coming!

...And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid-air stands still...

- Robert Frost

Stay away from these foods!

I love the Fabulous After 40! blog. Deborah Boland and JoJami Tyler (The Glam Gals) posts are always jam packed full of great information.

Today, I learned about the Top 10 List of Worst Foods.

Several weeks ago I joined Weight Watchers Momentum program. The trainer at each 30-minute, weekly session does a great job of educating members about different types of food. You really need to look closely at food labels when shopping. Turns a quick 15 minute trip into a one-hour educational shopping trip. But as a mom entrepreneur, who has the time. I wish I could afford a professional shopper/chef!

I have learned a lot by using Weight Watchers eTools. Their site is very educational and helps you to learn about certain foods and the best ways to prepare them. I have used many of their recipes. It is just a process of re-training your brain how to cook healthy.

Growing up, my grandparents fed my brother and I unhealthy snacks such as Twinkies, Coke and potato chips. We would eat while watching Lawrence Welk. Not the best memories!

My parents fed us Macaroni & Cheese, pot pies, tuna fish and peas on crackers, etc. Who knew?

I also like Kraftfoods.com. Their recipes are simple to follow and each contains the nutritional information. This makes it easy for me to evaluate how many Weight Watcher points it equals.

Kraftfoods.com will also email you free recipes weekly and they have their 1 Bag, 5 Dinner's program, which allows you to make five dinners from one bag of groceries. The recipes are easy to prepare and, best of all, Kraft gives you the recipes and the grocery list in an easy print out.

What resources do you use for educating yourself about foods and staying healthy?

Have you visited our Resources list lately?

The Mom Entrepreneur website contains a Resources page, which includes a list of grants, contest, awards, media opportunities, product reviews, etc. The list contains dozens of opportunities targeted to mom entrepreneurs and is updated monthly.

Check it out! If you know of a site that should be added to our list, please email traci@themomentrepreneur.com.

The Mom Entrepreneur in the news

Recently The Mom Entrepreneur was featured in the news.

On February 23rd, we were featured in Foster's Daily Democrat in an article entitled Mom business owners get help online. On February 28th, The Grand Island Independent featured us in an article entitled Putting family first - Mompreneurs strike out on their own.

For links to more features about the Mom Entrepreneur, visit our Media Room.