The Ultimate Party Post:: 2012

*This giveaway is now closed. The winning comments were: #10 - Market Mommy advertising, #21 Kidzies gift certificate and #3 LaBarrie Littles shirt.

Hello! A big, warm welcome to everyone who is joining us from the awesome 2012 UBP at 5 Minutes for Mom!! We're SO glad you're here!

First, if you haven't yet, register for the humungous prize pool! There are thousands of dollars worth of prizes up for grabs! And, we're happy to be offering a great ad package valued at $370! Don't miss your chance to win! And, be sure to read the rest of this post because we have more prizes to give away!

Please bear with me, this post may get a little long ..... but I want to tell you as much as I can about Market Mommy while you're here .... and give you the chance to win some great party swag :}

Here's a little about our site and what we have to offer mom business owners::

Founded in June of 2009, Market Mommy® is an online marketing resource for mom business owners that shows them how and where to market their businesses.  Market Mommy® offers a variety of low-cost {and free!} services to help moms on a budget.

Market Mommy® provides links to great advertising opportunities, offers free marketing advice and tips via this blog and the e-newsletter, advertises mom-owned businesses for free on the blog and in their directory and much more.

This is me, Dawn, and my beautiful daughter!Some of the site’s servicesinclude marketing consultation, copywriting, graphic design, printing of marketing materials and much more. They also offer affordable advertising opportunities, which start as low as $5 per month. Everything that we provide to our customers is low-cost and practical.

There is also a free business directory and interactive forum where mom business owners can advertise for free.  Market Mommy® can be found online asand on well as on Facebook and Twitter!

That's us in a nutshell ;) Be sure to visit our current specials page. We have some great deals on custom Facebook Timeline images going on and we're looking for a few great moms to help us expand and grow Market Mommy. More info here.

Now, on to the party :}

This post and the giveaways we've provided are made possible by these awesome mom business owner sponsors. Please visit them, show them some love, and tell them that we sent you!

LaBarrie Littles: Personalized embroidery & applique tees!

Kidzies:: Chic, Clever & Affordable!

It Works! Cecilia Fleischer Independent Distributor

Beads-N-Style:: Save 15% on anything in the store with code BLOGHOP15 until May 15!

Mama Mahoney Creations:: Simple Beautiful You!

            Rock Paper Scissors:: Personalized Paper & Gifts!

And, what you're all here for, some free stuff!

We're providing 3 {three} prizes during the UBP that ends on the 20th. These prizes are different than those listed on 5 Minutes for Mom. To register for these, simply follow the rules below!

1. Winner's choice of one onesie or shirt from LaBarrie Littles {Value:: $22-$28}

2. A $25 Gift Certificate from Kidzies

3. One month web button ad {125x125 pixel} on ALL pages of MarketMommy.com {Value:: $50}

Good luck, here are the official rules::

There will be 3 {three} winners of this giveaway, one for each prize. The giveaway will officially end on Friday, April 20, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. EST. The winner will be chosen by random.org.

To enter, please leave a comment on this post and tell us a couple of things! First, tell us which prize{s} you'd like to win and why. And then introduce yourself! Tell us about your blog, business, family, whatever! After you comment here, you can earn extra entries! {Please leave a separate comment for each, including contact information!}

1. Like Market Mommy on Facebook

2. Follow Market Mommy on Twitter

3. Sign up for the Market Mommy rss feed

4. Sign up for the Market Mommy free e-newsletter

5. Tweet about the giveaway & be sure to tag @MarketMommy and use #UBP12

Good luck & nice to meet you! I hope you stick around!

UBP 2011 From 5 Minutes for Mom!

We're thrilled to be sponsoring a prize for this year's Ultimate Blog Party at 5 Minutes for Mom. The party really is unlike anything else online. If you're a blogger, or even if you're not, I suggest you go over and browse around. Not only can you win great prizes, there are tons of great bloggers that you can network with. Many of these bloggers focus on product reviews, so there is lots of opportunity for you to get exposure for your brand.

Welcome to all of you new visitors here because of the party, we're glad to 'meet' you! Market Mommy has a ton of great resources for mom business owners. Please, take a moment to browse around our site and see what we have to offer. We have a free directory where you can list your business, and we're gearing up for a party of our own. In June, we'll turn two and are looking for sponsors for our big 2nd Birthday Extravaganza.

One reason I love the UBP is that there's blogs listed on just about every topic, no matter what you're interests. Trust me, once you start reading it will be hard to stop! And, did I mention there are some great extra giveaways goin on at a lot of the blogs? {“GirlGoneMom.com is giving away a $25 SUBWAY gift card and I have entered to win it.  Check out her UBP11 post here.”}

And, of course, be sure to register for the prizes. You can indicate your top choices, so make sure the gift certificate from Market Mommy is listed among your favs! The party runs through the 8th, so there's plenty of time to browse the prize list. But, if you want some free link expsosure for your blog, head over and join in now!

If you're new here, I'd love for you to leave a comment so we can get to know each other!

Happy Friday!

Mommy Monday:: Simply Stacie

Stacie Vaughan has been blogging since December, 2008. Her blog, Simply Stacie, features reviews and giveaways for women’s products, books and family items. She also frequently shares blogging tips and resources that she finds.

Vaughan said she has had quite a bit of success with her blog and that is one reason a schedule is so important for her. “My blog has turned into my full-time job,” she said.  “I get up really early and work throughout the day and normally stop around 4 p.m.”

She said she enjoys it, but keeping up with her blog could literally keep her busy from daybreak to sunset. “Sticking to a schedule helps quite a bit because it can be something that I could do all day,” she said.

Vaughan encourages other new bloggers to keep up their hard work. “Building a blog takes time, so don’t give up,” she said. “Just keep working at it and you will get there.”

In addition to her blog, Simply Stacie can be found on Twitter, Facebook and Blog Frog. Reach out to her if you are interested in having your products reviewed or if you'd like to sponosr a giveaway!

Bloggin' Love:: Back To School Style

If you have a blog, or a business and you don't follow Abbey {Living My MoMent} and Holly {The Work at Home Woman} you're missing out. You are missing out on free advertising, great business advise and free networking opportunities, to be exact.

Most recently, the ladies have put together a Back To School Blog Tour. And, you all are invited to participate! Not only can you get great, free exposure for your blog {if you have one} you can also register to win great prizes and meet some fantastic women bloggers along the way.

The tour will run Sept. 6 - 10 and there are already nearly 70 blogs registered!

For more information, click the button above. By the way, isn't that button cute? Market Mommy created it. If you need something created for your business, a button, banner, business card or anything else, we'd be glad to help. Our rates are reasonable, especially priced for the small business owner!

Ok, enough self-promotion, I encourage you to get signed up and join the Mr. Linky for this great blog tour. Market Mommy is also donating a prize that will be promoted on the 8th. So, check back here next Wednesday, because that's also when I'll post my special Back to School Blog Tour post!

Mommy Monday:: Frittabello, LLC

Jennifer Covello started writing and creating a baby journal in 2007. By January of 2008, she had launched her business, Frittabello, LLC.

That journal is now an award-winning piece, called “My Life.” It gives parents the opportunity to record the story of their child’s life from birth through age five. In addition, Frittabello also offers much more for mom and baby.  They offer a  line of 100 percent organic cotton and custom embroidered baby layette apparel, including onesies, bibs and hats.

They also offer stationery, custom embroidered 100 percent recycled cotton mini-tote bags, gift sets, keepsake boxes and gift baskets.

One may wonder how Covello balances it all, especially when they discover she is a single mom. “Balancing family and business is the most difficult challenge I have, being a single parent and sole mompreneur,” she said.

“Some days are better than others, but I try to make the most of my time with my children and unless it is really urgent, I try to take off my “Frittabello” hat when they are home,” Covello said.

She believes a strong support system and trusting in yourself are crucial when running a business. “The best advice I can give is to trust yourself and listen to your inner voice. It will always guide you,” Covello said. “Also, make sure you have a strong support system around you, not only to act as your own ‘board of directors,’ but to boost you up when you need it.”

In addition to the online store, Frittabello, LLC can be found on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.  In addition, Covello has a Working Mother Mom Blog at WorkingMother.com.