Holiday Gift Guide and Giveaway

Check out the Nickelodeon Award Winning blog at www.blog.wnykids.com!  It is featuring www.WhyStoryBook.com in it's Holiday Gift Guide and Giveaway!  Just by commenting on the blog, you could be entered to win 20 FREE greeting cards or a 12x12 storybook credit! 

Want extra chances to win?  Blog, tweet, or post something on facebook about the giveaway and you will get extra chances to win!  Just send us the links to your post!  Plus, be sure to check out some of the other amazing gifts you can win all week!  Good luck!

Nominated for Nickelodeon Parent's Picks Award

Blogging has become my new obsession.  I have really enjoyed learning about all of the aspects of writing and building a blog.  A number of months ago, some dear friends of mine and I put together a local website for local families to find what to do and where to go in WNY.  As moms, we were always looking for great things in our area.  We tired of looking all over the internet and searching.  Stacey and Melissa had also put together an amazing Baby Expo here in WNY and had met a number of great people with family friendly businesses.  We decided to combine all of our resources and create the site and blog for our community.

Our blog at WNY Kids was recently nominated by Nickelodeon for a Parent's Picks Award.  Along with our blog, there are other great businesses that have been nominated.  In order to win the award, we need your help!  Please click here to vote for us.  Others I ask you to vote for are:

Best Family Photographer - SH Portraits

Best Pizza - My Tomato Pie

This nomination is really exciting!  Check out the site and check out our blog!  

Great Contest

I have found a great contest on a great blog!  Moms and those of you who know moms of little ones have to check out this site!  The blog is www.mommysidea.com.  Also, check out www.elliebags.com.    The prize is a blog makeover (something that I am in desperate need of as you can see!)  Check out the contest at www.mommysidea.com!

Here's how to enter . . . 

1. Visit http://sweetpeadesignstudio.com. 
2. Come back here and leave a comment telling us why you want to win this giveaway. 
3. Be sure to leave your e-mail if you don't have a blogger ID.  Bloggers- you must have a public profile and listed e-mail for us to find you. 

Who wants extra entries?! 
(Please leave a separate comment for each entry.  Current subscribers, you can use these extra entries too, since we’re so happy to have you here!) 
4. Sign up for our Mommy's Idea feed or e-mail feed. (Over to the right.) 
5. Become a follower of Mommy's Idea. 
6. Blog about and link to this giveaway. Please leave your blog url in your comment. 
7. Stumble this post or www.mommysidea.com. 
8. Add our Mommy’s Idea button and/or Ellie Bags button to your site. 
9. Tweet about this giveaway.

I am back!

WOW! It has been a while since I have posted a blog. I have to admit that I have gotten myself into so many different avenues that I have not been able to concentrate on one thing in particular. However, after taking a short "hiatus" in the month of April, I am back!

While still being very new to this whole blogging thing, I am seeing the potential and the benefits of it. That is why I am committing to be being a better blogger and really "beefing" up what I write about. So, please stop back often!

My goals are to not only write about how to preserve your own memories, but also about some of things that I am preserving with my own family as well. I am also going to be looking to write about one thing that has inspired me each day. I have found that with so many busy schedules, it is sometimes hard to take a step back and really see what is going on around us. My goal is to be more "in the moment" and learn to be thankful for the great things around me. I am so blessed to be surrounded by an amazing family, great friends, and really great inspirational people! In the process, I hope that I can inspire you to do the same! So here is to a wonderful and inspiring day!

Live Life...Inspired!
Kelly

New Year - New Things!

Happy New Year!  As I look back on 2008, it was a very interesting year. A lot of good came from the year, but a lot of craziness also took place.  My goal for this year is to always take a step back.  I realize (as I am sure many others have before me!) that worrying about everything does not necessarily change the situation.  With all of the hardships that people are facing, I plan to simplify and spend more quality time with my family teaching them to simplify as well.

I know, I know.  We all start out with good intentions and the next thing you know we are back off the wagon (just like the diet that I started yesterday!  I am already into the chocolate!) However, I feel like if I don't really work on this resolution, I am not only failing myself, but my kids too!

I am so fortunate to have met some really great ladies who have started a social network on ning.  We are called WNY moms.  I am going to be doing a blog with tips for dealing with education and creative ideas for kids.  The other ladies are all doing other blogs with great tips on how to go green, organization, recipes and more.  I look forward to learning from others this year and connecting more with other moms.  That has been difficult for me since so many of the people that I know do not yet have kids.  While I love all of my kidless friends to death, I sometimes find it hard for them to relate to the stuff that is stressing me out.  They are my continued support though in getting out and doing other things that help me to stay me!