When you need a dentist…you NEED a dentist.  Most of us wait until we have a dental emergency to find one.  That’s definitely not the best time to be going through the list to choose one.  There’s no telling what kind of dental provider you might end up with.  The best way to find a dental service is to go in for a cleaning or check-up as a sort-of test run. That way, if you don’t click with the dentist, you are under no obligation to go back.  You are actually free to walk out during the process if you really want to.  In my case, I searched for clinics in Troy, New York. I loved the first dentist I tried out, but I did not like his staff.  The receptionist was quite rude, the dental assistant was not gentle at all, and I did not return to that dental office after the first visit.  I did, however, find an awesome dentist called Troy Dental Pros for teeth cleanings. Their dental office was helpful, the hygienist was gentle, and staff was courteous.  When he told me that I had a cavity and asked if I wanted him to fill it right then, it was a ‘no brainer’.  I didn’t hesitate for a minute and had the work done.  He completed it painlessly.  He was quick too…and gentle.  I was shocked the procedure was over already when he asked if I was ready to leave that it was “all done”.  The price was ridiculously inexpensive.  Another great way to find a great dentist is by word of mouth.  I’ve been telling all my friends and family about my new dentist.  You’ll find that when one is good, people don’t mind to share how happy they are with him or her.  If you’re looking for an excellent New York-based dentist and live in the Troy area, I’ve got the perfect pick! 

Growing up, our family never had a swimming pool because we didn’t have the money to afford one.  Instead, we took family vacations to places like Long Beach Island, New Jersey or went down to Orlando, Florida to see Disney World.  If we couldn’t do a big trip, we took smaller ones to local lakes or waterparks.  As a kid, it made me appreciate every second I was in a pool because it didn’t happen very often.  I think that one of every mother’s dreams is to create a life that’s just a little bit better than what they were given, and that’s what I did these past couple months.  I completely spaced on announcing it to my followers, but I put in a swimming pool!  Long story short, I heard about an amazing team of pool builders from Florida that had traveled to other states to build pools for people, so I hired them.  The pool installation was flawless. Sarasota Pool Builders did an amazing job. It’s nothing crazy since its modest in size and affordable, but it’s very nice and it’s something my kids now have that I never did.  That alone made me happy, and that was before I saw there faces when they walked in the backyard and saw it for the first time.

Sarasota Pool Builders was nothing short of spectacular.  I have to say I am very impressed with their ability to pick up a team of pool contractors, move them to a completely different state, and handle pool construction without any problems from day 1 for nearly 60 days.  How someone manages that seamlessly, I will never understand.  But, the swimming pool looks great.  We went with an inground concrete pool in a figure 8 design, 25 yards in length.  I used to swim in high school, so I wanted to make sure that the length of the pool was correct.  It’s now March and the project is already complete, so the waiting game begins.  I’m excited to float around on a tube in my new pool and read.  The kids have a slightly different idea.  If I’ve learned anything from previous experiences at the waterpark and the beach, there’s going to be a lot of splashing.  Bust out the floaties and lotion up, it’s going to be a great summer.

As a mother working from home, I am constantly looking for new ways to make money other than blogging.  Not being able to really leave the house is somewhat limiting, so I look for things that I can do in my pajamas.  I have experience with blogging and sending traffic to referral or affiliate links to get commissions, but I wanted to try something new.  In speaking with a few friends, I heard about a company called IDX Liquidations who is located just a few miles from me.  IDX is a wholesale liquidation company that buys and resells liquidated goods from major retailers like Bed Bath and Beyond, Walmart, Target, and more.  After doing a little bit of research, I learned that if I spent $12,000 on a truckload of inventory, I could store it in my garage and sell it on Amazon or Ebay without ever leaving my home.  After discussing it with my husband, I bought a Walmart liquidation truckload through their website www.buywholesalepallets.com and had it delivered to my house 3 days later.  It was insane because the truckload had 26 pallets of inventory! I don’t think you realize how much product that is…I know I certainly didn’t.  I way overestimated the amount of space we had.  I had to pay for liftgate service since I delivered the return merchandise to my home; residential addresses are an additional charge with any shipping company.  It took me 2 hours to unload all the goods and then another hour to pack them all into the garage in a somewhat organized fashion.

Over the next month, I sold for more than $16,000 on eBay alone.  All I did everyday was list stuff.  I wanted to focus on both platforms, but I just didn’t have time.  That means that in one month, I paid for an entire truckload of inventory through eBay sales, had $1,500 left over after shipping and fees, and still had 75% of the inventory left.  It’s crazy.  I can’t keep doing it alone though.  30 days was plenty for me to realize that I need a partner or at least some workers.  So, right now, I’m planning to hire some of my son’s friends and my son and pay them in cash to help me sort and list products.  You have to be willing to do whatever it takes to get to the goal you want to achieve.  My husband was surprisingly supportive of this idea, probably because he sees the potential for big money.  Any of you have experience selling online?  If you do, I’d love to hear about your experience.

There are billions and billions of social media users all over the world, so it is pretty safe to say that social media is a game changer when it comes to marketing your brand. In this day and age, companies need to have a social media presence to increase more brand awareness, connect with a larger audience, and expand their market into a more global scale. If you want your business to grow and to keep growing, social media is your top marketing go-to.  There are brands who use social media; but there are brands who become the superstars of social media. How do they do it?

Plan Ahead

Before you plunge into the world of social media, you should first examine what will be your goals are. What is it that you are trying to achieve with social media?

Do not be too vague about it, using blanket statements like “grow my followers” and whatnot. Be specific and as much as you can, use quantifiers or numbers (for example, to gain 10,000 likes on Facebook; or, to increase audience engagement to 80% on your website). A great is example is Dallas Hood Cleaning who set a goal to acquire 100 grease trap customers through advertising, and they achieved it because the goal was specific. A realistic, concrete target is much easier to achieve than a pie-in-the-sky number.

Research and learn more about your competition (a.k.a. stalk their social media profiles) and set a benchmark. Do not be too hard on yourself and set an unrealistic goal. Work on goals that may not be too easy but you know is something you are capable of achieving.

Setting a deadline for these goals may also help you be more motivated. And to make it less overwhelming for you, you may use the ‘level mode’ of achieving your goals, that is, setting deadlines for smaller goals until you reach the bigger goals (for example, if you want to gain 10k likes by six months, perhaps you need to achieve more or less 2k likes each month).

Capture your Market

It’s time to do more social media stalking – er, researching – about your target market. Study your audience’s demographics, their lifestyle, their industries, their hobbies, and even their routines (such as what time are they most active on social media because that is the most perfect time to post, etc.). You should first understand your audience before being able to choose your platform and tailor your social media content to their fit.

Choose your Platform

Social media isn’t clumped into this one big thing, there are a lot of nooks and crannies to navigate to.

Now that you know who your target market or your audience is, you may have a pretty good idea which social media sites they frequent to. Also, observe which sites your competition is most active on and gets the most audience engagement. Some of the sites to consider:

Facebook – users on this site are widely varied because almost everyone has an account. Entertaining videos are mostly shared among friends. Aside from creating a page for your brand, you may also create a group to really capture your niche market.

Instagram – fit for younger audience and is visually-driven. Pleasing and coherent aesthetics is the key to this site. Best for brands that rely heavily on the looks (e.i. fashion, home decor, cosmetics, architecture, and the like).

Twitter – tweets have a 280-character limit. Best for short, quick updates and for engaging with your audience at real time. Wit and humor usually gets the most exposure among users.

LinkedIn – this site is best for brands with a more professional image and audience.

Pinterest –  a visual search engine and is similar to Instagram. Most studies suggest that Pinterest is best in driving traffic back to your main website. Most popular for do-it-yourself projects, arts and crafts, or home/garden improvements. But the range of topics/subjects on the site can be very diverse.

Focusing on a few social media platforms is also better than not paying enough attention to any of your twenty or so social media profiles. Having less platforms means having more time to create good content and engage your audience. Do not spread yourself too thin.

Check out and test some advertising tools for each social media platform to figure out which will give you the most exposure and drive the most audience to your social media profiles.

Create Your Content

To drive your audience to your social media profiles, you should offer them quality content that speaks to them and that they can share among family and friends.

Determine your social media persona that ties up well with your brand. Create a ‘voice’ that your audience can most relate to while still flaunting your brand’s unique identity.

Incorporate your brand into your content with such subtlety and avoid making it too in the face. Your audience will find it annoying if they think you are trying to sell them something all the time.

Curate your content well and post only what is relevant and coherent to your voice. You do not want to have a confused social media profile which in turn may also confuse your audience.

To make things more efficient, create a social media calendar: plan out a schedule to create and post your own content, to share related content made by other users, to post updates, etc.

Aim to make your content as original and creative as possible for better chances of making it go trending and viral.

Interact with your Audience

Maintain your social media presence and make sure to not miss any opportunity to interact with your audience. Your audience must walk into a party and not a ghost town when they visit your social media profile so that they will be compelled to follow and get more engaged.

Team up with Influencers.

Another way to drive traffic to your social media sites is to team up with like-minded people who already got the following. Build a good working relationship with these social media influencers and make sure that their content also resonates with yours.

Analyze your Stats and Keep Improving. Your social media stats are good indicators of how well (or how bad) you are doing.

With sophisticated social media analytical tools available nowadays, you may identify which areas you need to improve the most (e.i. a particular post may not do well as much as the other posts in terms of comments/likes and so you may stop posting something similar in the future).

Listen to the valid concerns and suggestions of your audience.

Keep updated of the trends and take calculated risks in trying these out. It may just be what you need to boost your social media presence even more.

One of the things I’ve learned being a blogger is that people don’t care about you and what you want; they care about themselves, and you can’t fault them for that.  You have to adapt, which means writing about topics they care about. One of the tools I use to do that is called Keywords Everywhere. It’s a cool download that you can get directly from the Chrome Store.  It’s easy to install and super simple to use.  You simple install it, restart Chrome, and do some internet searches in your browser.  The tool pulls in other related searches and also shows you the volume of queries for each phrase.  If you think about it from the blogger’s perspective, you’ve just been given the answers. You have exactly what people are looking for, so you just write content to match it.

However, even with the best content, things don’t go viral on their own.  It’s important to improve the visibility of your articles by focusing on search engine optimization.  This is a way of promoting your content online to other people.  When you write great stuff, there are always people who want to read it. But, if they don’t heard about it or know you, you’ll never be found in the search results. That’s one of the reasons we’re looking for a NYC SEO company to work with.  If they can improve visibility for businesses in the largest city on Earth, they should be able to help me get more traffic to my website.  At least, that’s my thought anyways.  I hope I’m right. All I want is a few thousand visitors a month to the site and I’ll never have to work a job again.  It will allow me to pursue my passion of writing and helping other mother’s with their kid struggles.  It may also allow me to share some tips on what I learn about search engine optimization and internet marketing from the New York City agency we end up partnering with.

Congratulations, your first baby is on the way! And right now, you are a melting pot of emotions – you feel happy, nervous, elated, scared, excited, and yes, even annoyed. Do you feel annoyed at how your house seems too cluttered and unorganized? Or annoyed at how the pantry seems to lack enough supplies? Or annoyed at how the furniture is not yet baby-safe? Or annoyed at the endless list of things you need to do before you feel ready to give birth? It’s okay, you’re just ‘nesting.’

What exactly is ‘nesting’?

Most birds create nests before they lay their eggs. Nests are made up of materials mostly found in nature, such as dried leaves, grass, or twigs, and sometimes, may also include man-made stuff like plastic straws, paper, or strings. Nests provide a comfortable and safe haven for the eggs and eventually, for the young birds. Pregnant women also have that urge to create that haven for their babies. And that urge is commonly termed as ‘nesting.’ According to old wives’ tales, once a pregnant woman starts nesting, she may be nearing her labor.

What do mommies do during nesting?

Basically, what pregnant women do while nesting is making sure that everything is prepared and in tip-top condition before the baby arrives. This may mean cleaning, repairing or fixing things, organizing, stocking up, and baby-proofing.

Although nesting is perfectly okay and normal among mommies, this may also make pregnant women more vulnerable to certain risks such as falling off a ladder, exhaustion, or exposure to harmful chemicals in cleaning products or house paints. Nesting may also cause additional stress not just for the soon-to-be mommy but also to those around her.

How to create the perfect nesting ritual?

Nesting can be fun and can be a mommy’s way of expressing enthusiasm towards her pregnancy. Here are some easy steps that you may want to incorporate in creating a nesting ritual that is just perfect for you:

1. Create a list of everything you need/want to do.

You may want to organize your list according to sections, such as the rooms in your house (e.g. baby room, kitchen, etc.), or the months before your due date (e.g. things to do 8 months before due, 7 months before, 6 months before, so on), or general areas that you need to consider (e.g. house needs, hospital needs, car needs, etc).

2. Prioritize only a few items on your list and understand that you may not tick off everything.

You need to relax and be careful in your delicate condition now more than ever. Don’t be too hard on yourself.

3. Write a letter to your future mommy self.

It is great to get everything in your surrounding ready, but also prepare yourself for what is ahead of you. Reflect about what kind of a mother you will want to be for your child. Think about the possible challenges but also be grateful for this amazing opportunity. Be positive and be supportive to your future self.

4. Write a love letter to your baby.

It will be something nice to give to him/her someday.

I know most of our advice revolves around our children and how to manage little ones, but I have a story to share and a word of advice from my experience these past couple months.  As my children have gotten older, I’ve been feeling the need to make some changes to our home.  I was considering a couple renovations to expand our kitchen and potentially remodel our downstairs bathroom as well.  I spoke to a few of our neighbors to see if they had any recommendations on companies and I heard some wild stories.  My neighbor to the left, Mike, had called 3 or 4 different Portland-based contractors for estimates on his bathroom remodel and every single one provided a drastically different price.  Mike chose one of the companies that gave mid-range estimates and called some of the previous clients as part of his due diligence.  He then proceeded to begin the project, but did not review the paperwork and contract very carefully.  The bathroom contractor he chose used low quality materials and cheap labor, which resulted in some really shoddy work.  It was so poor that he stopped the contract half way through with the help of his attorney and ended up hiring a different company from further out in Oregon. My neighbor on the other side, Jane, had a similar experience – although her issue was mostly involving poor quality materials that were used to redo her bathroom.

After listening to their experiences, I knew I needed to actually visit the company showrooms in person to see what kind of work they do and to get a feel for each contractor instead of basing my decisions almost entirely on price like my neighbors (and probably most people).  So as part of my research, I visited numerous kitchen and bath showrooms to see the different woods, tiling, stones and materials offered and to speak to the owners to get an idea of how they are.  I ended up choosing one of the contractors I spoke with, and I have to say that I am very pleased with the results of the bathroom remodel. The space looks much more open and inviting.

So, all in all, what I learned is that it’s best to base your decision of which contractor to hire on factors other than just price.  Although price can sometimes be cost prohibitive, it can make a world of difference in your experience.  Yes, I paid a few thousand dollars more than what I would have with the cheapest of quotes I received, but it was worth it.  Why?  Because I was kept in the loop throughout the process, selected the items I wanted from the showroom displays, and knew exactly what I was getting (because it was all detailed in the contract).

I hope you enjoyed the story today.  Have you had any experiences with home remodeling?  If you’d like to share, please send us a message!

Do you often feel that as a working mom you are doing so much and yet you are unable to accomplish much? Do you constantly find yourself short of time as you juggle with a demanding job, household responsibilities, and your kid’s activities? If your answer to these questions is a yes then you need to know how to manage your time more effectively. Time management is an important skill for working moms. We have a few tips for you that will come in handy if you are looking forward to manage your time more effectively.

Prepare a Schedule for the Week

You can plan a family calendar for the week and share it with your spouse, babysitter, and other people who help you manage the household. Prepare a detailed list of everything that needs to be done for the week. For instance, grocery shopping, laundry, doctor’s appointment, meetings, and the weekend brunch with friends. This way you will not get stressed over missing anything that’s important.

Set Realistic Goals

Setting up unrealistic goals bring a lot of disappointment and frustration. So, it is important to set attainable goals that will help you save time. Very often we plan to do so much in the limited time we have and this is a recipe for disaster. As a working mom you might be under constant stress to get things done but you should set goals based on priority. Be flexible and if something can be moved to the next week then it is good not to overburden yourself with a lot of tasks.

Delegate Household Chores

As much as you would want to, it is good to not try doing everything on your own. You should make an effort to get your spouse and kids involved in household activities so that it eases the burden. Rather than having a list of chores, just tell the kids what needs to be done at the moment. Start with simple tasks such as wiping down the TV, putting the toys in a basket or any other task that they can take up.

Minimize your Phone Time

Mobile phone addiction is becoming a common problem that is affecting societies around the world. Very often we tend to waste our precious time on social media as a couple of minutes may turn into a few hours. Use Apps such as Screen Time, Net Nanny, and UnGlue that help you track, manage, and limit your screen time thereby leaving you with more time to do other tasks.

Don’t Chase Perfection in Everything you Do

In a constant effort to balance work and home, happiness takes a backseat. Moreover, many of us are obsessed with constant improvement that can lead to perfection. People chasing perfectionism are often hard on themselves as they feel bogged down with the desire to be flawless at everything they do.

Having a relaxed approach in life works wonders. Understand that we all have many responsibilities in life but nobody is perfect in every role. Rather than being plagued with thoughts that you could have done something better, it is important to let go.  When we know that short term disappointments cannot prevent us from achieving our long-term goals, life becomes easy.

Don’t Ignore Yourself

Amidst all the day-to-day roles and responsibilities, do not forget to take some time out for yourself. Reserve a couple of hours a week to do something that you like and pamper yourself with a relaxing massage or go out for a dinner with friends.  It is important to refresh and rejuvenate yourself so that you are able to manage your time better. Remember that taking good care of yourself will make you a better parent and spouse. It would also make you more focused on the tasks at hand leaving you more time to do other things.

Tennis star Serena Williams admitted to seeking mommy advice on social media as she sometimes finds it stressful to raise her daughter. Parenting can be a tough job for new parents no matter how much you prepare for it. Newborns can express themselves only through crying and so they might go on for hours making you panic. Read on to know what all you can do to make this new journey easier.

Understand the Needs of the Baby

Every baby is different so it is good to observe the baby’s routine for the first few days. The baby tells you how she likes to be held, whether she prefers to be rocked to sleep, and if she is hungry. As time goes by newborns become more predictable and exhibit patterns. Once you start understanding the baby it becomes easier for you to respond to her needs.

Be Prepared when you Leave the House

Things can get chaotic if you are not prepared when you are leaving the house with the baby. So, whenever you are taking the baby outside make sure that you carry an extra pair of clothes, diaper, socks, towel, wipes, and also the formula just in case the baby feels hungry.

Don’t Shy away from Taking Help

Raising a baby is tough job and it is good to have your friends and family around. Constant sleep deprivation is not only tiring but also affects your mood, so having a support system works wonders. Be vocal about what you want from them whether it is to hold the baby as you take a shower, or to grab a cup of coffee for you.

Don’t Feel Guilty

As a new mom you might constantly be in self-doubt or face other people’s disapproval on how you are raising your baby.  As parents you might not be doing something that your parents did, but you know what works out best for your baby. So, one should ward off the feeling of guilt and inadequacy.  It is only when you feel happy and energetic that you can take better care of the baby. Go out for a coffee with friend, take time out for things that keep you energized, and avoid being self-critical.

Understand that Nursing can be Hard

Though it looks so easy and natural, breastfeeding can be difficult for new moms as well for the babies. You may find it tough to latch the baby so it is good to get in touch with a lactation consultant. You can also take advice from friends who have kids.

Take Care of Your Health

Postpartum period starts right after the pregnancy and continues till about four to six weeks. During this period a mother requires lot of care for her mental and physical health. As you are the baby’s constant beck and call, you may feel a lack of energy.  So, it becomes important to focus on good nutrition and exercise.

Also, mothers are in a rush to lose baby weight and sometimes they may go for extreme dieting and instant weight loss practices that can be harmful for health. Proper diet and exercise make you lose weight in a healthy way.

Connect with Your Partner

As life becomes haywire with all the sleep deprivation and potty training, you barely get time for each other. But it becomes all the more important to take time out to be with your partner; this is one of the most critical pieces of mommy advice for keeping your relationship intact while the newborn is growing. Reserve this time to communicate about your needs and to discuss how to make things work. Go out for a date and even if you are spending time at home it is good to get together, just the two of you.

A birthday is one of the most awaited events in a kid’s life.  Whether you planning to go for a big party or prefer a small get-together with just family and few friends, it is important to make it entertaining. Read on to know the secrets of planning an easy and fun birthday bash for kids.

Plan the Budget

Have you thought about how much are you going to spend on the party? If not then think about it as it will help you in deciding the available options.  Once you zero in on the budget try your best to stick to it. Remember that there are ample of things that can be done to plan a fun birthday party even if you don’t want to shell out a lot.

Pick a Theme

It is good to involve the birthday child in the planning the theme as children are sure to have ideas about the sort of party they want. Kids sometimes prefer character birthday parties, however general themes such as unicorns, princesses, fairies, and cowboys work too.  Once you decide a theme it becomes easy to work on invitations, decorations and food. It’s always fun to involve children in small or big decisions as so many times they might come up with brilliant ideas!

Send out the Invites

Make a guests list and if you choose to make your own invitations, take your child’s help to paint or draw. Many people prefer sending out e-invites as they are easy to make and also save time.  Any birthday bash for kids need attendees!

Ensure that your invites are sent across at least two weeks before the party and don’t forget to make follow-up phone calls. This will help you in deciding how many people are coming to the party and accordingly you can plan the location, food, and the giveaways.

Timing is Important

A birthday party that goes on for too long isn’t fun as small kids tend to get cranky. So, plan for a two to two-and-a-half-hour bash. Afternoons are a good time, as you can prepare in the morning. Also, it is good to celebrate the actual day with the family and have a weekend bash as you have more time and it makes things less stressful.

Enjoy Decorating

To find some budget friendly props related to your theme, visit the nearby dollar store. You can also get some amazing deals online for everything from tablecloths, confetti, banners, and even the costumes. Get everything delivered to your home at least a week in advance as online orders may sometimes take more time.

Ditch the Birthday Cake

It is a good idea to have frosted cupcakes rather than a big cake as you can serve them all at once.  To make them look beautiful and dramatic, put a candle on each cupcake.

Arrange Simple Snacks

Usually kids are more excited about the games than the food so plan something simple and easy to eat. For instance, kids like eating cookies, chips, sandwiches, pizzas, and they are easy to grab as the kids rush to play. You can make food presentation a fun by adding a creative garnish, using a bright table cloth, and serving in colorful plates.

Go for Games that are Suitable for the Kids’ Age

Usually the classic party games such as the musical chair are easy and fun to execute. However, if you are planning on having crafts, make sure that the kids can understand them. Opt for games and crafts that require minimal supervision, otherwise the kids might lose interest and things can get chaotic.

Arrange Goody Bags to Make the Guests Feel Special

Put healthy snacks, small books, and stickers in the bag. Kids also love candies, goodies, bracelets, hairclips, and DIY crafts. Rather than packing these goods in a cellophane you can use small baskets, paper bags, flower pots, and put ribbons on top.

Follow these simple tips to arrange a fun birthday party for your kid.