Under Construction – New Theme Soon!

I will be changing the look of ahappyhippymom.com… AGAIN.  I believe the current theme might be causing some lag and load issues for some readers? I’ve received a few comments that the site was not displaying correctly in a couple of browsers so I’m on a hunt for a premium theme or might try to even design one. Be on the look out in the next couple of days for the site being down during the construction for a few hours.

Tips and Tricks For Getting Your Kids To Bed On Time

During the exciting holiday season it becomes harder to get  kiddos to go to bed on time and to actually stay in bed.  It can become a nightmare for parents and a huge challenge to deal with the overtired cranky child the next day who fought to stay awake beyond their sack time. With a few simple tricks and positive coaching the bedtime battles can be alleviated.

Tips & tricks for getting your kids to bed on time and getting them to stay in bed.

1. Try and stick to a bedtime routine.   Give your child a good 30 to 45 minutes to settle down and get all the night time requests satisfied.  If its having a sip of water, hugs and kisses,  or a trip to the potty make sure its done before he/she is expected to fall asleep.
   
2. I always include a bath or shower in my kids routine to help them settle down.  It helps calm the nighttime nerves and it is a reminder the day has ended and been washed away.
3. Read a bedtime story to your child or allow 10 minutes of magazine time before turning out the lights.
4. Have the room a nice cool temperature of no more than 70 degrees to help get your child snuggled in and cozy.  If the room is too hot it can cause them discomfort and keep them awake.
5. The dark can be frightening to some children,  but the room should be dark enough to discourage extra added stimuli.   All video games, televisions, or radios should be out of reach when the lights are turned off.
6. A reward system can be a great motivator to get your child to go to bed on time.  Have a chart visible with the times he/she fell asleep without giving you trouble and at the week’s end reward with some extra game time or possibly a night time pass for an extra hour on the weekends.
7. Most importantly be consistent.  Children have a built in manipulative nature and can sway the best of us.  Don’t give in to the demands of extra fiddlings or nighttime romps.
   

These are my suggestions and they seem to work for my family.  Do you have a routine to get your kids to bed and to stay asleep till morning?

Twittermoms and Drama U Contest

Do you have your own tips and tricks to getting your child to bed and staying there?  Twittermoms and Drama U would like to hear about your routine and will reward the first 100 bloggers who share their stories a pink Cozy!  Additionally they will give you a pink Cozy to giveaway to one of your lucky blog readers!  Go here to read how to enter. (The St. Eve Kids Cozys are one size fits most girls sizes between 6-9)

Happy Thanksgiving To All Of You!

Happy Thanksgiving to all you wonderful peeps out there!  I hope your having an exceptionally great turkey day and you are building new traditions to be passed down to your kiddos!

More Than A Day

As Thanksgiving Day rolls around,
It brings up some facts, quite profound.
We may think that we’re poor,
Feel like bums, insecure,
But in truth, our riches astound.We have friends and family we love;
We have guidance from heaven above.
We have so much more
Than they sell in a store,
We’re wealthy, when push comes to shove.So add up your blessings, I say;
Make Thanksgiving last more than a day.
Enjoy what you’ve got;
Realize it’s a lot,
And you’ll make all your cares go away.

By Karl Fuchs

Reviewing Products and Blog Sponsorship Programs

I’m sure most of you know I review products and like to share my candid opinion about items here on my website.  When I first started  writing my  blog my sincere intentions were focused  on sharing my personal parenting experiences and connecting with other stay at home blogging moms.  My motives still remain the same, but I also realized there was a need for unbiased product evaluations!  Being a mom is rewarding in so many different levels but lets face it—it can also be frustrating, stressful, and emotional draining.  The last thing I want to have to worry about is if a product lives up to its description.  Is it truly green or is it a greenwashed product?  Does it perform as it promises? How about- is it actually a good value compared to similar items on the market?  Who can benefit by using the product? All these questions can be answered by moms who have tried and tested a wide array of products.  In return,  their hard work to  bring you the truth  saves you money plus time.  Don’t be fooled, it is not always easy to write up reviews.  It takes research, putting yourself out there to be criticized, and then after all your efforts you wonder if anyone actually read the review.

Compensation

Yes, sometimes (not always)  mom reviewers are compensated with a free sample for their reviews.  Why shouldn’t we be?  It takes time out of our schedules to assess and write opinions about a product.  In return a company receives attention and gets their product noticed via social media marketing.  They recognize how influential a mom’s opinion can be and the spending power behind us motivated moms.  The mom and PR partnership can be a beautiful beneficial relationship for everyone  IF  honesty is portrayed on both sides.

Expect Rejection

When I first began taking an interest in reviewing products I was a lost lamb in a jungle. I did not have a CLUE on how to contact companies to request a product for evaluation. To be honest, I am still ignorant in this procedure and usually let  companies approach me first.   I have made a few pitches in the past and never heard back from the companies.  I know this is all part of the review process, but rejection is never fun!

Join a mom blogger club.

I have learned an abundance of information on how to connect with PR and request products by joining several mom blogger clubs.  My favorite of these clubs is Momdot, since Trisha brings a professional but relaxed personal atmosphere to the table.  I have been a VIP member there for quite a few months and would highly recommend the Momdot forum to anyone who is interested in starting a blog or wanting to hang out with a terrific group of knowledgeable ladies.

Blog Sponsorship Programs and Networks

Get involved with authentic blog sponsorship programs.  This is an important step in maintaining to keep your review possibilities steady and offer your readers exciting giveaways.  If you happen to enjoy toys (I LOVE toys), GrowingTreeToys.com has a wonderful blog sponsorship program.  The educational toy company has a list of several QUALITY toys you can request for a review.  For example,  I will be reviewing a cute Dress Up Pirate Toy in a couple of weeks.  If you are interested in reviewing toys you can apply for the GrowingTreeToys.com blog sponsorship here.

Check out the pirate…

Uprinting.com is another great company who sponsors blogs.  The  online printing company consistently provides my readers with free product giveaways and happens to be an  eco-friendly business.  Would you like to be sponsored by Uprinting.com?  Click  here.

MyBlogSpark  supplies you with exciting new products for review and innovative ways to share the info with your readers.   The network was developed by General Mills (an outstanding company) and is made up of hundreds of bloggers.  MyBlogSpark is  supreme for offering bloggers opportunities that match their interest.  Products may include food and beverage, beauty,  home, electronics, and more.  If you would like to join the network go here.

Search around!  There are several more programs out there in the blogosphere that will match your interests.

Be Sensible

If your just starting off  writing your blog traffic might not be adequate enough to request prime expensive products.  It takes time to build a reader base.  Be prepared to give companies your blog statistics and please be honest with the numbers.  Lying is unethical and only hurts you in the long run.

Blogging Skills

If you would like to learn how to increase your traffic and broaden your blogging skills try listening to ProBlogger Darren Rowse.  He is a full time blogger who makes a remarkable living by blogging.    In my opinion he is a blogging genius and has tons to offer.

Competition

Competition can be healthy, but it can also negatively consume you.  There is nothing wrong with trying to better yourself, but don’t do it on the expense of others.  If all your energy is geared towards competing with other blogs, you have lost focus on why you started writing and need to reevaluate yourself. Most importantly, remember to keep your content original!

Clear Remedy Giveaway Reminder.

The Clear Remedy Giveaway will be ending in a few days so please make sure to get your entries in!  You can tweet daily on Twitter for an extra chance at winning the whole system valued at $165!

Don’t forget,  there is also a discount coupon for 30% off your order (no minimum)  and free shipping!  To get your discount use  GETCLEAR30 upon checkout.

If you have any questions on how to enter please email me at michelle@ahappyhippymom.com,  and I will help you.

Yesterday- Only human

I was having one of those days yesterday where you want to stick your head in the nearest sand pile and wait for it to pass. Aiden my sweet but extremely demanding tot was bouncing off the walls and winging his food across the room onto my rug. No BIG huge deal since this has been a usual daily activity but the constant throwing himself down and banging his head on my floor was enough to make me crazy! He is not even quite two yet and I’m scared to see what his behavior is going to be when he supposedly reaches the terrible two stage.   I swear he had me shaken by the days end.

Kylie my almost teen daughter went to school acting fine, but when she came home-WOW she was freaken miserable! The backpack went whipping across the kitchen and she stamped upstairs to her room without a single hello.  I gently knocked on her bedroom door asking her if everything was ok and received a stern FINE for a response. Hormones right? They have kicked in on the same day Aiden decides to flip out.

Even the pets were acting oddly.  My cat was biting my dogs back.  The poor dog was running around the house with him attached to her side.  They usually play nice together but something ruffled their fur.  AWFUL!

Hubby was actually the only sane individual residing in my house yesterday. He was calm, sweet, and helpful. Hmmm…something is definitely off balance here.  Who snatched my husband and replaced him with this guy?

I’m only human and I was about to crack.  I could not wait to jump into my pajamas and pull the covers over my head!

Hopefully everyone will be back to their normal selves today and yesterday was just a passing moment!

HAPPY EASTER!

Feedburner Dropped You…?

If you were subscribing to my RSS feed you might not be getting my updates anymore. I apparently offended Feedburner with my last lengthy post and lost close to 3/4 my subscribers. I also slipped in some nasty character coding by using Wordpad to compose my post. Feedburner punished me by further informing my feed was invalid. Sorry Feedburner, I will be more careful next time!

If you would like to still receive my updates please subscribe again.

Thank You!

Ultimate Blog Party 2009!

Added March 22 2009

I just wanted to tell everyone who was nice to leave a comment that I plan on stopping over to your blogs and getting to know you more! I want to visit each and every 1193 currently listed family blog! I am getting busy accomplishing this starting NOW! I’m sure it is going to take me ALL week so if your blog is listed on the bottom…I will see you Friday! Thanks again and Happy UBC!

Added March 23 2009

Ok…This might take a lot longer than I expected. I’m only at 101 on the list and think I may have missed a few blogs in between! I’m having a blast!

Plus, I forgot to add the prizes to my post! I guess I better check them out too! Woo Hooo!

Prizes
#7 , 89, 19 , 102 , 58 (for my mom)

My Wonderful Walls.com.

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