• RIP Ed McMahon. #
• @crankypantz *grabbyhands* #
• RT @WomensIntlNews: RT@GoDoSomething Charitable groups highlight violence against women and girl refuges…. http://tinyurl.com/lpyuyc #
• RT: Are you a woman entrepreneur? Follow Women Entrepreneur for the latest articles and advice http://twitter.com/WomenEnt via @EntMagazine #
• We expect a review! RT: @hereslizz: My epilator thing just arrived. I'm excited and scared. Damn evolution! Why do I still have body hair? #
• Sad to hear of the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Micahael Jackson today. What a sad day in history. RIP Farrah, RIP MIchael. #
• RT@youngbillymays #wearblue4billy – Wear blue tomorrow in memory of Billy- I didn't come up with this but it made me smile #

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• RT @iVillageBuzz: A lot of gender debate in the last few days w/ the 'pregnant man' delivering #2 http://tr.im/ogX6 #
• On Beth Ditto, "Promoting" Obesity & Fat Shame http://jezebel.com/5291129 RT @jezebel #
• RT @jezebel: How Self-Help Books Hurt Women http://jezebel.com/5291177 #women –> tired of 'how you need to change to get a man' books, too! #
• RT @iVillage: Your Skinny Jeans Might Be Hurting You (They Say) http://is.gd/15eML #
• I hope his hair wasnt' hurt!!!RT @iVillage: Rob Pattinson Hit By Taxi in NYC http://is.gd/15DHG #
• Can I get a show of hands? ANyone care??? NO? Okay….—> RT @iVillage: Lauren Conrad Spills Spencer's Secrets http://is.gd/15vRV #
• RT–>NEW Site Launch!–>#FUEL Your Photography http://twurl.nl/ksjcjp #
• Happy Father's Day to the P-Hubs! Love, the P-Dubs #
• RT @WomensIntlNews: How necessary and sacred good Dad's are to well-being…http://bit.ly/7UnYe #
• Some good ideas for our summer vacation challenge! RT @iVillage: Easy Ways To Make This Summer The Best One Ever http://is.gd/180IM #

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• RT @jezebel: Plus Vs. Petite: Why Retailers Find It Hard Making Clothes To Fit Most Women http://jezebel.com/5284796 #women #
• am watching The Office on TBS. I don't get what's funny about this show. Have not laughed once. *turns it* #

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From the “Moms Getting Fit” forum at ivillage.com: How much weight did you gain while pregnant?

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This post is courtesy Kristi Royse, CEO of KLR Consulting and her information packed, informative, encouraging blog linked2leadership. Please enjoy this guest post and feel free to drop your comments below !

Next Big Idea: Brand You

“The business enterprise has two, and only two basic functions: marketing and innovation. It is not necessary for a business to grow bigger; but it is necessary that it constantly grow better.” Peter Drucker

Innovation and new business ideas emerge party from inspiration, but mostly from hard work. You must establish the right roles and processes, set clear goals, require relevant measures and review progress at every step of the way.

Even the most astute executives may not recognize a great opportunity when it presents itself. What then can we learn from both inside and outside the organization? How do you decide which bright idea to back and identify that will yield success?

It starts with Personal Brand.

A personal brand is the powerful, clear positive idea that comes to mind whenever other people think of you. It’s the values, abilities and actions you stand for; who you are, what you do, and what makes you different or how you create value for your target market.

Instead of starting with segmenting, targeting, product, price, etc., you start with YOU. You define who you are and what makes you unique, and then you build your brand around that core set of values. From there, you identify exactly what segment of the market you want to service and how best to do it.

Effective branding often means targeting a smaller, better defined market with a much more focused message. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, the smaller you make your target market the greater your chances of success.

In Tom Peters’ words, “branding means nothing more (and nothing less) than creating a distinct personality and telling the world about it.”

What are you doing to develop your personal brand and find your next BIG idea?

How will it impact the people that you lead?

Linked 2 Leadership is a group of global professionals dedicated to leadership development, organizational health, and personal & professional growth.

This group strives to maintain and communicate the highest standards and disciplines involved in personal leadership effectiveness.

What’s the first sign that you’ve got too much going on and you need to take a break?

Sleeplessness?

Grinding teeth?

Headache?

Irritability?

Comment and tell us your signs that Calgon needs to take you away!

We all make stupid money mistakes. Find out if you’re making bad money decisions with this advice from Kodak spokesperson and money expert Laura Rowley.

from: @ivillagebuzz
Source: iVillage.com

1. Get Burned on Heating Bills

A programmable thermostat costs about $30 but can save as much as 25 percent on your energy bills by turning down the heat (or air conditioning) when you’re away from home or sleeping, according to the Energy Department. For the average utility payer, that works out to about $250 a year. Boost your savings even more by setting your water heater at 120 degrees or below.

2. Paying for 200 Channels You Don’t Watch

The cost of cable television has risen 77 percent since 1996, double the inflation rate! Americans pay an average of $60 for cable, but only watch 15 channels, according to a Consumers Union study. If you pay for premium cable services—extra channels, HBO, etc.—call your cable company and put your service on “vacation mode.” You’ll still receive basic service but save temporarily on the premium channels. If you don’t find yourself missing those extras after a month or two, call and make the change permanent.

3. Not Realizing That Talk Can Be Cheap

Mobile plans are complex and ever-changing. Make sure you’re getting the best deal at the web site letstalk.com. Services such as Billshrink.com and Validas.com analyze your cell phone bill for a small fee and show you where to find savings. Billshrink says its clients save up to $300 a year. Alternately, switch to one of the new pre-paid services from Sprint or Virgin Atlantic, which offer unlimited voice, text, web browsing and more, for just $50 a month.

4. Washing Money Down the Drain

You can reduce your water bills 25 to 60 percent by replacing your old showerheads and faucets with low-flow aerating models for $10 to $20 each. Look for fixtures marked 2.5 gpm (gallons per minute) or less. The average household spends about $475 a year on water, so savings can range from $120 to $285 annually. (To determine how much water your household uses each day and how much you might save, see this government site.)

5. Getting Bitten By Energy “Vampires”

Appliances and electronics in “standby mode”—turned off but still plugged into the wall—suck up power. One study found vampire power consumes 5 percent of U.S. electricity and costs $3 billion. To avoid the loss, plug all of those items into fuse-protected power strips that don’t guzzle energy from the wall when turned off.

Moms share their “I was so tired that I… ” stories!

Having kids can be a joy, but it can also be exhausting. Our community recently shared stories of the crazy things they did when their kids were young, and their bodies were massively sleep deprived.

Check it out at parenting.ivillage.com.

Sure women love social media—did you ever have any doubts?

orignally posted @ eMarketer.com

Source
The “2009 Social Media Study” from BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners found that women are turning to all sorts of social media for fun, entertainment, community and connection.

More than one-half (53%) of the US female Internet population of 79 million actively participated in some type of social media at least weekly.

Of the female social media participants, 75% took part in social networking and 55% used blogs.

Nearly 23 million of the social media users read blogs.

But many women went beyond merely reading: 12 million posted to blogs and 8 million published them.

In fact, women who used blogs were more than twice as likely to do so when they were seeking information, advice and recommendations than were women who participated in social networking.

When providing advice or contributing to a community, more women also turned to blogs than social networks.

“The scale of social media usage among US women continues to grow, and blogs remain the go-to resource for those who want to gather information, share ideas and get reliable advice,” said Elisa Camahort Page, COO of BlogHer.

Note: To read an excerpt of Ms. Camahort Page’s eMarketer interview, click here.

Women are so enthusiastic about reading and writing blogs, they are stealing time from other media to spend more in the blogosphere and on social network sites.

“Bloggers represent a highly engaged and influential segment of social media users for brand marketers looking to connect to consumers online,” said Susan Wright, president of Compass Partners.

By Lara Galloway from Mombizcoach.com

[Source ]

Is it just me, or is the crazy busy-ness of summer all ready full upon us?

There is so much going on for mom entrepreneurs right now. What an exciting time for us to be in business,  and for us to be learning and growing!

I have not one, but TWO very special teleclasses scheduled for next week to tell you about. One is about my new, favorite, hot topic: publicity for mompreneurs. The other is about one of the most important, foundational requirements for a successful life: taking exquisite care of yourself.

On Monday night, June 8th, at 8pm ET, I will host a special episode of my BlogTalkRadio Show with special guest Helen Coronato of weekendpublicist.com.  Helen is a publicity guru who has created a fabulous virtual workshop in which entrepreneurs can create their very own press kits in one weekend. If you’ve been wondering about how to get the media attention you deserve without spending several thousand dollars,  Helen’s tools, templates, live feedback and coaching will help you do just that. Our show will tell you all about her upcoming virtual workshop (on June 13-14) so you’ll know exactly what to expect. And there’s a special deal for Mom Biz Coach show listeners–you can’t afford to miss this, moms!

*** If you’d like to be eligible for the special discount Helen is offering to our show guests, be sure to swing by www.whatmomentrepreneursneed.com and fill in the email form. ***

And then on Tuesday, June 9th, we welcome LaSara Firefox as our guest speaker in the WoMEN: What Mom Entrepreneurs Need Teleseminar Series. In the sixth installment of this series, LaSara will share with us some “Daily Rituals for Self-Care,” something most of us mom entrepreneurs don’t get enough of. LaSara, mother of two, is a successful author (Sexy Witch a non-fiction/self help book), a life coach and NLP practicioner, and founder the Ecstatic Presence Project and Global Family Awakening: an educational, peace and humanitarian family adventure club. With all she has going on in her own life, LaSara is focused on creating support systems that support your whole self!

I feel so fortunate to be able to surround myself with such wise, supportive and generous women as Helen and LaSara. Please mark your calendars and visit the Mom Biz Coach Show on BlogTalkRadio for call-in and listening options for both shows. You can even set up an email reminder so you don’t forget!

I look forward to hearing you on the call!

If you have questions or comments for either of my guests this week, you can leave them here and I’ll do my best to address each of them.