This week’s photo challenge theme is “We Heart Kisses” and ironically I don’t have that many pictures of people, kids, or anyone kissing. I had to go WAY back, so far back it was taking with a point and shoot before I even had a DSLR. This photo is of Bizzie Princess and her Daddy. I love it!

As I was scrolling through my photography library, I found this shot of a friend and her daughter, taken at Disneyland.

It’s funny because I remember always trying to get our shots of kids kissing but they never want to cooperate.

Thanks for a fun challenge this week.

This guest post was written by Christine Howell, a stay at home mother and freelancer who often writes about education for Online College Guru, a directory of online colleges.

If you’ve got a few little ones of your own, you might find it nice just to see what other moms are going through. There’s something to be said about the bonds that mothers can form with one another because they all struggle in some way to keep their children happy while maintaining their own sanity. Something that you might think about as a mom, a mom-to-be, or just someone who likes moms is to follow some mothers on Twitter. That way you can see what others are going through on a day to day basis and try to pick up on ways to improve your own parenting. Here are 25 amazing moms to learn from:

@DebMomOf3: As you might have guess, Deb is a mother of three girls. She is unemployed, but as we all know, kids are a full time job. She has an astounding 5,400+ followers on Twitter, making this Michigan mom the talk of the social network scene.

@blendedfamily: This mother of a blended family has a combination of kids to deal with. She hasn’t Tweeted in awhile, but her 3,600+ followers indicate that she’s at least something to look at. She has a website as well that is devoted to living as a blended family, and you can see the link there on her profile.

@thriftymom63: This mom is a bit of a nomad, moving just about anywhere and sharing secrets about living on a budget. She uses her Twitter account to share her savings ideas with people so that they may have a frugal life as well. With over 2,600 followers, this mom must really know her stuff.

@opus_6: This Orange County mother is followed by more than 2,200 people every day on Twitter. She has over 4,000 Tweets, which goes to show how avid she is about conversing with people. She deems herself a soccer mom, and she is highly patriotic in her posts and overall views.

@ageekmom: Shannon is a Texan with a bit of an eclectic personality. She has a toddler, and she exists as a combination of a Southern girl and a bit of a nerd all rolled into one. She has more than 2,100 followers on Twitter and a whopping 11,000 (gasp!) Tweets to her name. Needless to say, she’ll keep you entertained.

@mom_of2boys: Tracy is from Ohio and she is obviously the mother of two boys. She uses her Twitter account to tell people about how to lose weight, how to save money, and basically how to handle some of the obstacles of motherhood. She’s got over 1,800 followers, and many of them subscribe to the blogs she has on her account as well.

@MomsNotAll: This New Orleans mother is proud to say that she is a mom, but she’s more than just that. She has a blog that she keeps up, which you can find linked to her profile. She has more than 1,700 followers and over 1,000 posts, so you could venture to say she is a bit active on the site.

@ThetaMom: As you might have guesses, this mom is proud to have children in Greek life. She works at home and has two kids under her belt, but she is still an avid writer and blogger online. Living in the garden state, this mom has more than 1,700 followers and 2,600 Tweets, making her quite the converser on the site.

@themomjen: Jen is an avid blogger, reviewer, and all around advisor with some children under her belt. She uses Twitter to help share her product reviews and general experiences with other users. With a whopping 9,000+ Tweets to her name, this mom gives her 2,000+ followers something to read up on.

@thismommyworks: This California mom is quite the busy bee. She is married and has a full time job, yet she still finds time to keep her Twitter account up to date. She’s got 1,200 followers and more than 2,200 posts, so most of the time you can find her posts to be quite entertaining.

@dvoraknc: this mom isn’t exactly someone you might bring home to your own mom, but perhaps her eclectic attitude is something that can be seen as refreshing. She is a nudist and proud to be just as she is. With close to 1,000 followers, this North Carolina mom is slowly becoming a Twitter sensation.

@motherofthevine: This mother in Chicago has a flare for tasting wine. Her Tweets focus on that passion, though some mom-related posts always seem to work themselves in. She has close to 300 Tweets and an avid following of almost 1,000 people.

@scrappin_mom: This recently moved mother is a wife with two lovely children. She teaches preschool at a Christian school, and she now lives in Orange Country. She has almost 1,000 followers on Twitter, and her 800 posts indicate that she is active on her account.

@AtHomeInAlaska: If there is such a thing as a “regular” mom, this woman is it. Living in Alaska, this mom Tweets to over 900 followers about just being an average woman. She likes to cook, hike, garden, and or course, spend time with her children.

@Mom_to3boys: This Ohio based mom obviously has three boys. She is a proud advocate of adoption, and she enjoys baking cookies. In her 1,600 posts, she talks about all this and more. Close to 900 followers tune in to see what she has to say.

@Marla_Mom: Marla is a stay at home mom who has two lovely boys to take care of. While she stays at home, she also acts as a beauty consultant for Avon and Unit Leader. She has over 800 followers on Twitter, and she is a resident of the state of Deleware.

@wifemomme: This woman has got quite a lot of spunk. She is a feisty Cuban with children, and she has close to 2,000 Tweets on her profile page. More than 750 people follower her on a daily basis, and those people all love to hear her soup off about fashion, zoology, wine, children, and anything else that may pop into her mind.

@tmhmom: This woman has four kids to deal with every day, and she has labeled herself “The Mother”. She has a medical degree and a generally sound mind, so her Tweets can get quite interesting. With more than 2,400 of them to choose from, you should be fine amidst her 1,700 followers.

@subumom: This stay at home mom is an avid reader and Tweeter. She as close to 1,300 followers and more than 1,700 Tweets to her name, and she lives in the state of Connecticut. She has two children and more than 500 books in her personal collection, making her the go to gal for all things reading.

@motherthinker: This mother has three children and a law degree to back up her name. She likes to Tweet, as indicated by her 3,200+ posts, and closer to 800 people follow her just to see what’s going on. She is an activist for local education, and she has her own website, which is linked to her profile page.

We have randomly selected the 5 winners of the Family Party: 30 Great Games Winter Fun game for Wii.

Congratulations
#2  – Angela
#68  – damon
#43 – Jennifer Short
#29 – Heather
#20 – Amanda

About Family Party: 30 Great Games Winter Fun
Players can choose from over a dozen cute characters dressed head-to-toe in customizable winter outfits, participate in up to four player action (including multiplayer co-op), and get in the spirit of playing all-time favorite winter games as they compete and unlock new games and challenges, achieve high scores and win medals!

If you didn’t win and still want to get the game, its available now for $19.95.

Looking for a great Valentines Day Gift for the techie, photog, entrepreneur mom in your life. Then check out some of these gift ideas but hurry, Valentine’s Day is only a few days away.

Flip MinoHD Potable Video Camera
Whether you want to record those special moments together, or create heart-felt messages for a long-distance Valentine, the gift of video is perfect for Valentine’s Day. This 2nd generation Flip MinoHD has been created with a sleeker design and is available in brushed metal. It hold 120 minutes of recorded video, has a larger screen, and stereo sound.
Flip MinoHD is available for $229.99 @ www.theflip.com

Professor Kobre’s Lightscoop
The Lightscoop has probably been the most useful photography accessory I purchased this year. For months I was avoiding taking pictures indoors or in low-light because I hated how the pictures would turn out using the pop up flash. The Lightscoop improved my pictures and allowed me to stalk my kids with camera in hand from morning to night. This one will nicely fit into a stocking.
Price: $34.95 or 2 for $69.90

DISCOUNT: Bizziemommy.com readers can get an extra 10% off, use coupon code GRTPIX @ www.lightscoop.com

Capture Life Necklace
If you have a photography loving mama in your life then this charm necklace will make the perfect Valentine’s Day gift. The necklace features a sterling silver circle hand stamped with “Capture Life” and is paired with an adorable Sterling Silver Camera Charm. This necklace comes with a 16, 18, or 20 inch chain.
Available @ Etsy Shop Cinnamon Sticks

Poloroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer
Polaroid has reinvented instant photography for the digital age with the Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer. Sleek, stylish, and easy to use, the Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer lets you share photos whether you are on vacation or just hanging out with your friends.
Available for $39.99 @ Amazon.com

Small Jill E Camera Bag
If you are looking for a camera bag with a lot more style then you’ll want to check out the Jill-e collection.  Fits SLR camera and 1-2 lenses. Dual carrying handles. Removable shoulder strap with pad.
Now available for $159.99 at bhphotovideo.com

Laptop Tote Bag
A ergonomic designed bag to help mom carry it all. Perfect as a diaper bag, room for a laptop or camera, a great ALL AROUND bag for mom.
Now available for $98.00 at careerbags.com

HP Mini 210 in Sonoma Red
Small enough to fit into most purses or bags, HP Minis are easy to use at home on the go and make the perfect gift for mom this Valentine’s Day.
HP Mini 210 now available starting at $299 @ www.hpdirect.com

Mom Entrepreneur: Cyndi Harlin
Business: Bella Merce
Website: www.bellamerce.com

Bella Merce means beautiful merchandise. We create quality handcrafted jewelry using natural gemstones, Swarovski crystals, sterling silver and copper, featuring our Keepsake Collection of custom hand stamped jewelry.

What inspired you to start your business?
Bella Merce was born out of a need to be creative. I have always loved designing with different colors and textures, so creating unique jewelry was a natural “fit”. The Hand Stamped Keepsake Collection was added to our offerings, because, as a mother and wife, I know what it’s like to proudly display the names of my loved ones for the world to see. I put a lot of effort into coming up with new designs that will bring smiles to the face of my client’s when wearing one of my pieces. Whether it is a new mommy who has just brought her first child into the world, the grandmother bragging about her fifth grandchild or the bride-to-be, each piece is handcrafted to reflect the love and excitement of life’s milestones.

How long have you been in business?
Bella Merce was founded in January 2009 and our on-line store went live in October of 2009. Throughout this initial year, in addition to our website sales, we have participated in several art and craft shows.

What did you do in your past work life?
Besides being a full-time Mom of two, I was a Divisional Manager overseeing four manufacturing facilities regionally located in the U.S. I then became a successful real estate agent in the Northwest. After relocating back to Texas I pursued my interest and desire to create custom jewelry as a business.

Describe your ideal workday.
Start off with my normal routine of sending my two teenage daughters off to school,retrieving new website orders and catching up on emails,etc. The ideal scenario would consist of discussing a unique custom piece with a new customer that has a truly sentimental meaning to them. I have created custom pieces for anything from a unique way to announce to a grandmother that her daughter was expecting her first grandchild to a bracelet for a customer who had lost both parents in the same year and we designed a custom piece together which featured a special childhood phrase. After that, off to the workshop to make some new inspiring pieces to offer my customers.

What have been some of your major successes?
From beginning with natural gemstones and sterling silver, to adding the hand stamped sterling silver and copper to produce more inspirational and keepsake quality pieces. Also, after being on-line for only one month, we began receiving 150 unique visits to our site per day – very exciting!

What have been some of your major challenges?
One of the major obstacles during the holiday season was the fact that our shipping system was not as automated as it should have been and therefore too time consuming. As soon as we could take a breathe after the holidays, contact was made with a company that will be helping us with the programming side of implementing a new shipping system.

On those impossible days, what motivates you to keep going?
The love of my family and fortunately the many positive responses that I have received from my customers.

Do you have a motivational quote?
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. ~Theodore Roosevelt~

What is your balancing secret in managing a business and family?
I try to keep a schedule (and stick to it) that allows me to spend quality time with my family so that I can continue to be productive in business.

If there was one piece of advice you could give your children about running a successful business, what would it be?
Passion and perseverance.

Do you have a favorite business tool and/or resource?
Customer feedback and social media interactions.

What is next for your business?
The addition of several new designs, including a hand stamped social status line which features a person’s URL or Twitter username. We also have several art and craft shows scheduled for 2010.

Your two cents sales pitch
If you want a truly unique, quality piece of jewelry that has meaning, Bella Merce would be most pleased to accommodate your wishes.

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

I didn’t have an iheartfaces.com picture this year so I thought it would be fun to check out some of the hottest SLR camera bags out there. I have a serious bag buying habit and it started long before I had a camera…

There was this girl who loved purses, she would buy them so often they would fill her closet. It almost became a habit. If she couldn’t find a cute outfit to wear, she would ALWAYS be able to find a bag she couldn’t live without.

Then that girl got married and discovered that her husband wasn’t fond of her purse habit so she had to toned it down a bit. A bag would pop up every now and then but it was ALWAYS on sale (it was honey, really).

A few years later that girl had a baby and found a new reason to buy another bag. Stylish diaper bags were a necessity so she may have bought a few. Luckily she owns a baby boutique and was able to get a couple more. She had one for herself and one for her husband, since he frowned when he was forced to carry the “girly” bag. Then child number two came and those cute girly bags just wouldn’t due for her bouncing baby who was fond of blue.

Now that girl was getting sad, because her little ones were growing up and she no longer had a need for her stylish diaper bags. What’s a girl to do without a reason to buy another bag.

Well that girl bought a camera, need I say more…

That’s right I’m itching to buy a new camera bag and with all the fabulous choices out there I can’t decide which one to get.

Epiphanie Bags
http://www.epiphaniebags.com/
These bags are set to come out next month (February) and I can’t wait.

Jo Totes

This is another one of my favorite SLR camera bag, I love that there is enough room inside to include your basic purse necessities.

Kelly Moore Bags
www.kellymoorebag.com
I love how flexible this bag is you can easily transform it into a diaper bag or laptop case.

Emera Bags
www.emerabags.com
Another super stylish camera bag designed for woman.

What do you think? What do you carry your camera in?

Don’t forget to enter to win one of our fabulous giveaways going on this month and ending soon!

giveaway: win some family time with this wii game

new year, new mattress giveaway

Good Luck!

I have a confession… Even though I am a self proclaimed tech junkie there is one “non-techie” thing that I can’t seem to let go of. I am an obsessive note taker; I love to write things down in a notebook. I love to have it and my hands and visually see what I need to get done.  As a result there are notebooks everywhere in my house; in fact there was a time when I would buy a new notebook every time I went to Target.

That was until I was introduced to the moleskin, I’ve seen them a zillion times but never bought one until last year and now I’ve gone through well let’s just say several.

What do I like about the Moleskine?
The Moleskine gives me the flexibility to create my own customized mom planner and organizer. I’ve tried every mom planner out there and still never found EXACTLY what I was looking for. I’ve even tried using my Iphone calendar to schedule updates and changes and google calendar for any important editorial due dates and meetings. None of them worked as well as my customized solution.

A Moleskine Hack for Mom Bloggers and Mom Entrepreneurs
I bought the standard Moleskine size (3.5 x 8.25 inches) and divided into six categories; calendar, monthly goals, blog calendar, blog ideas, giveaway/review calendar, to do’s, and free space.

Calendar
12-month calendar.

Monthly Goals
I got some help with this section from www.productiveflourishing.com, he offers some really great calendars, planners and organizers. This section fills 2 pages, left side covers Major Events of the month and Objectives. The right side is divided into the 4 weeks of the month.

Blog Calendar
Because I own and write for several different blogs I broke this section up in two different ways. For this blog bizziemommy.com I am scheduled to post on a daily basis so this calendar is broken down daily for every week so I can plan out each post.  For blogs that I post on once a week I simplify the calendar with room to make notes on 4 posts a month.

Blog Post Ideas
Anytime I come up with a blog post idea I write it down in this section.

Giveaways/Reviews
To help organize my reviews and giveaways I put them in another section so I can schedule them evenly throughout the month.

To Dos
This space is reserved for anything I have to do for my online store, from redesigning a page, adding products or publishing an online newsletter.

Free Space
The great think about the Moleskine is even after adding all the space for the calendar and goal setting there is still plenty of free writing space, which is something you don’t usually find in a “ready-made” mom organizer.

When it comes to organize your business, blog and life, do you keep track with a paper organizer or digital?

Guest post by freelance author Melanie Citron.

Considering joining the ranks of women who’ve decided to take back their lives and start working for themselves? If you have the goal, but are unsure how to reach it, here are some tips to help you leverage your biggest asset—yourself—and start earning money through your own home-based business, not someday, but now.

1. Start your own website. This might not seem the most logical place to start, but it’s actually a great learning experience and foundation. You don’t need technical skills, since excellent free website builders will guide you step-by-step in establishing your home base on the Internet. What you do with it is limited only by your imagination. Do you have a hobby, talent or avocation? Use your site to showcase your cooking or gardening expertise with recipes and how-to articles, your decorating ideas with a portfolio of photos, your creativity through stories or poems, or your travel adventures through a blog.There’s information all over the web on how to get your site discovered by the search engines, attract more visitors, and develop affiliate and advertising links to generate automatic income from your visitors. And the experience you gain in the process will yield dividends as you discover other opportunities in the e-commerce community. Read on for some examples!
2. Sell your arts and crafts online. Many women have talents for making jewelry, one-of-a-kind knitwear, embroidery, fine accessories, greeting cards featuring their own artwork or photography…the list is endless. If you have a craft, online stores can help you sell your work to buyers worldwide. There’s eBay, of course, and also sites that specialize in handcrafted and vintage items, like Etsy ($88 million in sales in 2008 alone) and Silkfair. Membership is often free, with a 3 to 3.5% commission on your sales.
3. Your photos are worth money. Your website provides a great venue to display and possibly sell your photographs. But there is also a thriving online market for “stock” images. Businesses (including other websites) need to illustrations but don’t want to hire full-time photographers or pay steep prices for rights. Many rely on photo brokers like BigStockPhoto, Fotolia and ShutterStock, where you can upload your photos and receive a fee or a percentage whenever someone uses your photos.
4. Words for sale. Similarly, many businesses are hiring freelance writers on a per-job basis. And the online world needs a lot of words…someone writes the words on every website you see, and if you have any gift for writing, that someone could easily be you.
   Online freelance exchanges connect writers with clients who need them. Elance, GetaFreelancer and ODesk are three of the largest. More than 25,000 jobs were offered on Elance in the last 30 days.

   You don’t need professional experience to get started. If you’ve been writing articles or blog posts for your own or other websites, you can use that work to demonstrate your ability and win bids. You can write about things you know, and you’ll learn about an incredible range of new stuff as you do the easy research for other projects.

5. Open a bookstore. Another way to develop and monetize your website is to offer eBooks related to your interests. If you don’t have the time or inclination to write your own, you can buy the rights to resell existing eBooks through online book brokers. Just search on “eBook rights” and you’ll find them. Once you’ve paid for the rights, all resale profits are yours. If you haven’t done so already, find a website builder, such as Wordpress, and build yourself a virtual bookstore.
6. Practical office skills are valuable too. Increasing numbers of small businesses and entrepreneurs have discovered the advantages of having virtual office assistants, and this has become another thriving freelance niche. If you know how to make appointments, keep a calendar, book a flight, make phone calls, handle correspondence, etc., you’re a candidate for this kind of job—part-time or full-time if you prefer. Elance, ODesk and other online sites can connect you with clients, as can recruiting sites like Alpine Access, Virtual Office Temps and Team Double Click.
7. Advice on offer. Offer your training, expertise, and experience to those who need it. More and more people are turning to the Internet to ask their questions about how to make, do, or fix just about everything. Websites like JustAnswer or LivePerson hire experts to answer all kinds of questions online.

   You can extend these services locally by advertising through word of mouth to friends and neighbors, and flyers and posters on community bulletin boards (physical and virtual). Include your URL in your ads and leverage your website to market your services.

8. Teach the children. Virtual teachers are also in demand. If you have a degree, you don’t need classroom experience to provide online tutoring. Bilingual, math and science instructors are particularly in demand at sites like tutor.com and TransWebTutors.
9. Get paid to shop. Have you seen ads for “mystery shoppers” and dismissed this as a likely scam? It’s actually a legitimate business. In a world of chain stores and franchises, business owners can’t be on site in all their stores to ensure that everything runs properly. They rely on local shoppers to visit their establishments and report on their experiences. Shoppers View, Service Excellence Group and Service Intelligence can connect you with the opportunities in your community.
10. Get paid to clean your house. You know you have closets and cupboards of household goods, clothes, kids toys, tools, etc., that you should have cleared out long ago. A lot of that is sellable through eBay, Craigslist, Hoobly and efleaa. Once your own house is in order, you can turn your love of flea-market, garage-sale, bargain-hunting into turnaround profits online as well.

Why wait? Don’t hesitate! There’s fun as well as profit to be had as you explore a whole new world of personal and financial opportunities.
About the author: Melanie Citron is a freelance author who wants the web to be open to everyone. She regularly researches and writes about great free or low cost resources to help all have a great presence on the web. See more of her writing at BuildMySiteforFree.com.