Why Do I Have To Have Such Expensive Tastes?

Posted on by Mandy

Do y’all remember my hunt for those nude ballet flats that practically consumed all of my shopping energy a couple of years ago, only I never thought I would find them because every pair I wanted was insanely expensive?  But then I found them and all was right with my world?

It’s happening again, y’all.

It’s not shoes this time, however.  It’s handbags.  Purses.  I have fallen in love with Coach handbags and I’m just positive that I could be a better me if I had one.  And again, the only thing standing in my way is the almighty dollar.  It’s the same with those shoes I wanted.  I just cannot justify spending that much money on clothes/shoes/jewelry/handbags/etc., even though I still wear the heck out of those shoes, thankyouverymuch, which is hysterical to me now considering I somehow convinced my parents all through high school that I just had to have those expensive jeans, shoes, purses, etc. But then I grew up and just had to be all practical and level-headed and responsible.

coach signature purse

Now, I’m not saying that people who spend this much on a designer purse are crazy or anything.  I wish I was brave enough to throw caution to the wind and just buy one already, but I just can’t.  Basically, to me it’s like wearing two weeks worth of groceries on my arm.  However, I can use the heck out of a purse, so part of me thinks that since I would probably use it a couple of years, it’s basically like buying three or four el cheapo purses over that time period.  Right?

So tell me, do YOU buy expensive purses?  And if you do, do you feel the least bit of guilt?  Is it worth it? 

Britax Baby Travel Systems

Posted on by Mandy

One of the most fun things about preparing for the arrival of a baby is choosing all of the must-have equipment needed to care for it.  From baby beds to play yards, it’s fun to pick out all of these things, but it also requires comparison shopping and lots of homework to decide what will fit your needs best.  One of the most important investments you will make for your child is choosing a great stroller or travel system.  Baby Travel Systems from Britax make an excellent choice for providing a comfortable ride for your baby while offering the convenient features you need for transport and storage of your baby stroller.

Britax is an award-winning company focused on designing products with your child’s safety in mind.  Their travel systems are a solid investment not only because they offer the safety features that you definitely expect in a push chair, but they’re also very versatile.  Most of their travel systems offer multiple ways to position your child to make their traveling experience as comfortable for them and as convenient for you as possible.  Have more than one child?  Their tandem travel systems offer all of these great features for two children at once.

I wish I had invested in a Britax Travel System when my son was born.  I know we went through at least two or three different strollers when one of these would have been perfect in every situation.  If you’re in the market for a great travel system that offers safety, comfort, and ease of use, be sure and give the Britax Travel System a look.

This compensated post was brought to you by Britax.

How To Be An Organized Blogger #blogging

Posted on by Mandy

blog planner

I started blogging as a stay-at-home mom five years ago because I loved the idea of journaling online and connecting with other like-minded people.  Blogging was very, very different back then.  It seemed as if there were only a small amount of blogs, my blog traffic was almost non-existent, and I was so excited when anyone found my blog and commented on a post I made.  Things like working with brands and hosting giveaways were not on the radar at that time.  Blogging was certainly easier because all I had to do was post what I wanted when I wanted and leave it at that.

Fast forward five years.  I still enjoy blogging, but I now work full time.  I also have the amazing opportunity to work with brands and do product reviews and giveaways.  I had to get a dedicated email account for all of my blogging correspondence and there are deadlines and reminders.  When I first started out, if someone would have told me how things would change this much, I would have never believed them.  While I pride myself on having an organized home, when it comes to my blog, “controlled chaos” can only describe the hot mess my inbox is and how I try to stay on top of my blogging commitments.  I currently use a system of folders in my inbox to store things I might need later and keep up with payments and projects.  I also leave things sitting in my inbox to remind me to do them.  Amazingly enough, this worked for a little while.  However, it’s not working anymore and I needed something to help me get this chaos under control and be more efficient.

HOW CAN I GET ORGANIZED?

Behold, The Blogging Planner.

 

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For the next couple of months, I will be sharing this amazing new tool to help me streamline all of my blogging business and how it’s going to be helping me become more efficient and organized.  So what makes this particular planner stand head and shoulders above all the rest?  It’s made FOR bloggers BY bloggers.

 

WHAT’S INSIDE?

Ok, so you may be thinking this is “just another planner” and that you could probably just use any regular old planner you could buy anywhere and call it good.  Not so!  Imagine having access to these features, all in one convenient place:

Monthly Pages to help you organize, with places to record income and expenses

Weekly Pages to help you stay on top of day-to-day blogging

A place to plan out product reviews

A place to record goals for your blog

Blogging conference pages to help you organize your travel schedules and more

Brand event pages

PR Contact pages to help you stay connected to individuals you love to work with

 

HOW CAN I GET ONE?

The Blogging Planner comes in the Executive Desk size or the Travel Size to fit your individual needs.  Just visit The Blogging Planner to orders yours today!

I am so excited about my new planner (I chose the executive size) and can’t wait to share with you how I will be using this new tool to help me become a better blogger.  It has everything I have been lacking all in one place to keep me focused and organized.  It can only get better from here!  Stay tuned for more updates!

I was provided with the planner pictured above to facilitate this review.  Links to the planner are affiliate links.  All opinions are my own.