1. america’s cutest last minute-tax deduction and giveaway
2. supporting president elect through a bag

* This post will remain on top so you don’t miss out on the latest contests and giveaways on BizzieMommy.com

I created several accounts throughout the years, whenever I started to get more spam mail then regular mail I knew it was time to retire the old account and create a new one.

Last year I succumbed to the peer pressure and decided to try Gmail. At first I hated it. I didn’t like the convenience of the grouped email. I was brain washed to the yahoo interface and couldn’t break out of it.

So I went back to yahoo again and created a new account and again it started to fill up with spam. I even got an email from a hit man who was hired to kill me, but he said he wouldn’t if I just gave him some money. Lucky I paid him off it’s probably the reason why I’m still alive today. But I still don’t know who hired him. I’m kidding of course; I knew it was a scam.

We started to use Google docs at work so I had to go back to my Gmail account and the more I used it the more I began to fall in love. I realized the Gmail, Google docs and Google calendar are some really great tools. Now I used Gmail on a daily basis.

As most of you know I am still working outside the home while I grow my online business ventures. So I need a system that I can access via the web.

So I set up mail forwarding to route all my business email accounts to Gmail, which allows me to respond to customers, queries, and process orders more quickly. I even labeled the email accounts to keep everything organized. I also implemented a theme for my Gmail, which is a recently added feature; I’m using the Candy theme. It’s fun and colorful.

Then I set up Google calendar to manage my schedule which I love because I can now sync my Google calendar to my blackberry calendar without having to plug in.

Google docs is another great application that I just started to use. Plus I just discovered that you can create online forms through Google docs. All you have to do is send or publish the form to someone and when it’s filled out you get the results in a spreadsheet. I just wish it could send an email alert when someone fills out the form.

Google has created/bought so many different applications that you can access all under your Gmail log in. You can access your Google Reader, your photos and more. Google makes my job easier and that is why I made the switch from Yahoo.

photo credit: dscotthirsch

TurboTax wants to help.

They are conducting the second annual nationwide search for America’s Cutest Last-Minute Tax Deduction. Your baby could win a $5,000 United States savings bond (worth up to $10,000 upon maturity).

Contest Details : One lucky baby, born between Dec. 1-31, 2008, will win a United States savings bond worth $5,000 (up to $10,000 upon maturity). To enter the contest and for more information parents or legal guardians can visit www.CutestTaxDeduction.com and submit a photo of their newest “last-minute” tax deduction. It’s that easy!

Check out last year’s winner, Baby Owen and how he is doing today. (I’m so kicking myself in the pants for not know about this contest last year)

In addition to Turbo Tax’s Contest, they have also given me some onesies perfect for your cute tax deduction to giveaway. To enter to win one of five “Cutest Little Tax Deduction” onesies leave a comment.

1) Leaving a comment = 1 entry
2) Twittering America Last-Minute Tax Deduction contest and leaving a comment = 2 entries

The giveaway will end on Dec. 9th and winner will be chosen on Dec. 11th.

*US residence only, unable to ship outside of the USA

At Birthday in a Box, busy parents can find everything they need to host their child’s birthday party. We offer over 100 themes, emphasizing classic themes such as farm, pirate, princess and sleepover. Almost all of our themes have a selection of personalized products such as printed invitations, banners, and buttons. While we offer parties for parents of children 1-13, our main niche is children 1-6. We also offer holiday themes, Santa letters, and baby shower products.

What inspired you start your business?
I hit upon the idea for Birthday in a Box when my kids were 1, 3, & 5. My daughters had been invited to a friend’s party at an indoor “fun center”. The party seemed chaotic and impersonal and my friend was getting very frustrated with the staff. So I asked her why she didn’t have the party at home, and she replied that she didn’t know what to do with the kids. I thought, “I know what to do with the kids!” I did some research about what was already in the market, put together a sample birthday box for 8 children, and included partyware and an 8-page “how to” guide based on an ocean party I’d thrown for my children. I took the “birthday in a box” to my playgroup and asked what they’d think if it was priced at $55. Luckily, they loved it! Because my children were still little, I needed something that could start small and would allow me to stay at home while it grew. The Internet was just taking hold and it seemed to be the perfect solution. My best friend put up our first site in 1996.

What did you do in your past work life?
After college, I worked in traditional retail for the May Company, then in technical recruiting for six years, and consulted on the side in database programming, technical writing, and floral design.

What is your ideal workday like?
My children leave for school by 7:15, so I start by checking our site and sales statistics for the previous day, and send an update with notes to my key managers. I aim to get to the office by 8:30, and spend the day working on longer-term marketing and technical objectives, meeting with managers to resolve issues, reading blogs and stories on e-tail trends, and communicating with our parent company. On a good day, I’d be home by 6:15 to make dinner and chat with the kids. I get to a tennis match by 8:30, and end by taking a peek at sales and emails, and then a long bubble bath with a book.

What have been some of your major successes and challenges?
I feel we’ve been successful at carving out a niche in our industry by catering to suburban mothers who lean toward classic party themes and look for items that are unique and personalized.

Technology is always a challenge. It requires you to sift through trends and fads and pursue only those technological advances that will provide return on investment and make sense on a long term basis. Owning our proprietary software platform has allowed us to adapt quickly when necessary and allowed us to shape our user interface.

On a personal note, I think one of my ongoing challenges is keeping up with the volume of email that I receive on a daily basis without sitting on my Blackberry 24/7.

On those impossible days, what motivates you to keep going?
My staff and the comments we get from our customers. I have terrific, supportive managers, and we laugh a lot.

Do you have a motivational quote?
My creative director, Heidi, says a phrase that always makes me smile. When she was running the warehouse while we were searching for a new operations manager, she started saying, “Have fun, ship stuff.” And we’ve sort of adopted it as an internal motto. Children’s party supplies are all about fun, and above all, I want what we do to be successful and fun for both our staff and our customers.

If there was one piece of advice you could give to your children about running a successful business, what would it be?
Find something about which you feel passionate, something that appeals to your personality, and surround yourself with smart, interesting people.

What is your balancing secret in managing a business and family?
I’d love to say that I’ve found it. I think it might be a mother’s curse to feel that you’re never giving quite enough to one or the other. For me, I have found that above all, I have to carve out a bit of time for myself either to exercise or take a class – something that makes me feel sane again. If I feel rested, physically and mentally, then I’m better able to balance everything else.

Do you have a favorite business tool and/or resource?
I’m addicted to my Omniture statistics. I check our site performance throughout the day. I like checking shop.org articles and other news bite emails for trends and relevant stories. I watch what moms and industry leaders are saying on Twitter. I like Fast Company magazine for cool stories on entrepreneurs. Also, I try to attend at least 3-4 industry conferences a year such as eTail, Toy Fair, and Shop.org.

What advice would you offer to aspiring mompreneurs?
Seek advice from those in business already. There are endless networks of people willing to share their thoughts and experience if you simply ask. Also, consider the impact your business might have on your family, openly discuss with your spouse, and weigh the risk/reward.

What is next for your business?
We are looking to expand our personalized product line as well as partner with other retailers to expand our product line with some great, new products.

Your two cents sales pitch?
Birthday in a Box packages and ships award-winning children’s party boxes, placing an emphasis on high-quality, imaginative favors and activities. Whether it’s a complete party package, party favors, or a craft kit, our website delivers exactly what our customers need to make their children’s parties successful! Shop, click, party!

Are you a bizzie mompreneur? Would you like to be featured and show of your product or service. Fill out our questionaire and email 411 at bizziemommy dot com any images you would like to use in your post. Interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Right, this coming from a girl who forgot the lines of the script SHE WROTE when on stage to perform it! Okay I was like 9 years old at the time. But it left a scar, a scar of fear.

So thanks to newbaby.com I’m slowly overcoming my fears and recording my crazy life on video. I have started a series called Bizzie Mommy Confessions that I will post regularly on newbaby.com and I will also start video product reviews and some other Mommy tips.

So here’s what I learned from my brief experiencing vlogging.

It is easier for me to vlog in front of a mirror so I can see what I’m doing.
You should clear personal items out of the range of the video camera.
You should look at the camera and try to keep your eyes from wandering (mine are constantly searching for something)

That is about all I can think of a 1:00 am in the morning, but I’ll post some more information as I’m learning.

Oh, did you say you wanted to see the videos thus far? You can see my vlogs on newbaby.com by searching my name bizziemommy.

Photo credit: photo credit: bionicteaching

Are you looking for a unique wine tote to use this Holiday Season? You have to check out the Flashbags wine totes, sure to be a hit with the host of the party. What a great conversation starter when you’re new to the group. Best of all, once the bottle is empty to you can use the wine tote for flowers, chopsticks, knitting needles or whatever you want. Flashbags are built to last long after the bottle is empty.

Check out my Flashbags product review.

I am thankful for so many things this year. I’m thankful my family is happy and healthy. I am thankful that Honda Accords are built the way they are. I am thankful we have jobs and a roof to live under. I am thankful that we had the chance to spend Thanksgiving with some good friends and I’m also thankful that Bizzie Boy is eating and apparently prefers table food.

A special thanks to everyone that reads and comments on my blog. I’m so happy to have met you all.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Now that I have started blogging I have become more interested addicted to social networking. After participating in Jessica Knows 15 days I decided to pick up David Scott’s latest book, The New Rules of Marketing & PR. I bought it last week and plan to start reading it over the holiday weekend.

That is if twitter, facebook, and blogging don’t get in the way.

The funny thing is I majored in Public Relations in college, but things have drastically changed since then. I’ll let you know what I think of the book in a later post.

If you want to read it yourself, Amazon.com has The New Rules of Marketing & PR on sale for $11.53.