Welcome to our weekly roundup here at 5 Minutes Around the Blogosphere.

As you know, you can come back all week and add a post or giveaway to our Linky. Be sure to check back often, as new links will be added daily. You don’t want to miss out on something fun.

What’s been going on at 5 Minutes for Mom?

• The Dirt on Blogging Media Kits
• Please Tell Your Friends-Special Needs Trailer Bike Almost Sold Out
• Sun Safety Tips
• Greek Custard Pie
• Nature’s Hand-Granola Your Family Will Love
• Checking in With the Sisters-Be the Person
• Design Expert Kelly Edwards Shares DIY Tips for your Kids Room
• Confession Time-I’ll Tell You Mine if You Tell Me Yours
• Have you checked out the current deals featured at 5 Minutes for Deals?

Giveaways at 5 Minutes for Mom

•  NEW! Lance Cracker and Madagascar 3 Giveaway
• NEW! Sambazon Smoothies Giveaway
• NEW! Table Topics Happiness Cube Giveaway
• NEW! Back to Blocks Giveaway
• NEW! (Book) Scribble Diary Giveaway
• Centrum Prenatal Vitamin giveaway (100 winners)
• Neato Robotics giveaway
• Mega Blocks Steer Me Steve Giveaway

Giveaway Winners Announced!

Giveaways galore! We’ve got more winners to announce for giveaways that ended this past week. Congratulations to all our winners! Emails have been sent…

The winner of the HTC Mobile Phone Giveaway is Stephanie Jones.

The winner of the Smartmune Giveaway is Mon Waters.

The winner of the Rabbit Air Minus2 Air Purifier Giveaway is Jeanne Tennant.

Please note: all giveaway winners were selected using random.org.

Giveaways Around the Blogosphere

Would you like to share a fun giveaway? Please add it to the Linky below. You can come here any time this week to add in your link. Don’t miss out on the fun. Be sure to visit throughout the week as the linky grows, and more sites are added.

Or if you prefer the traditional linky….

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom Advertising and Communications contact, Jennifer. You can find me blogging at For Such a Time as This and tweeting at @jennifer_sikora.

Today’s guest post is from Lisa. I can totally relate to what she is sharing about today–FOOD! Be sure and comment and let us know your thoughts as well

There was a version of me… not too long ago… that ate everything. Absolutely everything. Oh, how I loved food… and those days when junk food seemed to have no adverse affect on my health or weight.

One day, in an effort to shed my unwanted pregnancy pounds, I decided to become a vegetarian.  I stopped eating meat about three years ago, after my son was born, and allowed myself to have one “cheat food” – pepperoni pizza. Oh, that pepperoni pizza! I let myself eat it whenever I wanted. I ate it pretty much on a weekly basis, but slowly I didn’t have a desire to eat pepperoni pizza as much, and my intake decreased. My tastes were changing, and I was ok with that.

Image courtesy of Bigstock

But, it was the day I decided to try “natural’ peanut butter that truly changed my life. Well, it wasn’t the day I tried it, so much as the next time I had “regular” peanut butter. I tasted things in that regular peanut butter that I have never tasted before. It tasted like chemicals, not food. I couldn’t believe I had eaten regular peanut butter for so long without ever noticing.

Since then, I’ve been making more of an attempt to eat more real foods. You know – the foods that nature created for us to eat. Real fruits, real veggies, real beans, real grains. I started eating things that came from a tree instead of a box.

But I didn’t realize what I was doing to myself. Slowly, ever-so-slowly, I was un-poisioning myself. I was teaching my body what real food tasted like. And, I started to become a quite picky eater. The things I used to love started to taste less and less like food. There was a growing list of foods I could barely force myself to eat.

• Those pre-packaged rice sides became inedible - they tasted like I had poured a packet of dirt over some rice.
• Ramen noodles went from bad to worse.
• Boxed macaroni & cheese? I can’t believe my body used to process this stuff as food.
• Pizza rolls? Oh, they still sound yummy… but they taste nothing like pizza, sauce, cheese, or anything. I don’t know what these are supposed to taste like, but it sure ain’t pizza.
• Lays potato chips? They taste like they’ve been sprayed with Windex. A LOT of Windex.

Everything tastes like processed junk, and I have no choice but to learn how to make my own food from scratch. I had never imagined I’d turn into this quasi natural food advocate, but It’s certainly something I am fully embracing. But, I still have my “cheat foods” – Doritos, Diet Coke, and others. I will stop eating whenever I decide to. Or whenever they start tasting like crap. Whichever comes first.

What about you? As you get older, do you find your food choices changing? Is your body speaking to you about what you are putting in it?

Lisa Brown is the proud mother of a 3-year-old Phoenix and 9-month-old Ariana. In addition to being a vegetarian, she’s also a stay-at-home-mom, breastfeeding advocate, cloth-diaper lover, and a loving wife. She spends her little bit of free time blogging at It Keeps Getting Better 

Lolli here….

My mom is visiting this week. We’ve gone out to lunch, shopped for bras, watched Downton Abbey and exercised together. It has been a wonderful couple of days. I always enjoy time with my mom, particularly because she lives so far away. Well, that and the fact that she really is a wonderful mom who gave me a childhood filled with positive memories. I suppose it’s because of my mom’s visit that this article by Shanna on 5 Minutes for Parenting stood out to me.

Be the person you want your child to grow up to be

One of the greatest life gifts my parents gave me was the dialogue throughout my childhood that I could be or do anything I wanted. They were so convincing that I believed them. The conversations weren’t comprised entirely of sunshine, rainbows and unicorns, but were instead always very matter of fact. If I wanted to do something, there wasn’t doubt that it could be done. My parents encouraged me to research it, figure out how to make it happen, and then do it.

Later in life I learned that not all families are so supportive and that my own was probably more the exception than the rule. It was only after realizing that did I become more purposeful and aware of what I was teaching my own daughter….

Finish reading this post….

Checking in with the Sisters is managed and written by 5 Minutes for Mom writer, Lolli. You can find Lolli blogging at Better in Bulk and tweeting at @1momof5.

Do you remember when I revealed to you my recent secret project?

I am writing a children’s book about BUGS for the National Pest Management Association.

It’s a fun project and it’s exciting to see it now coming to life through the fabulous work of illustrator Colleen Madden.

Here’s one of Colleen’s rough sketches for the first page of the book…

The first phase of my book writing process was researching about bugs and other “pests”, pest management, children’s books about bugs etc. I spent a ton of time reading books and websites and gathering notes.

My secret weapon for keeping it all organized was OneNote 2010.

I used OneNote as part of Windows Live which stored the file in the cloud in SkyDrive. I loved that I could access my research notes and my manuscript anywhere and from any computer. It really helped simplify my research and keep my project organized.

About OneNote:

Capture Notes: OneNote makes it easy for you to capture and remember notes and ideas—no matter where you are or what you’re doing.

Manage your lists: Use OneNote to keep your current grocery list, your daily to-dos at the office, and your Saturday errands in the same place. Check items off your lists as you go, and stay organized throughout the day.

OneNote is available anywhere, anytime: OneNote can be accessed from your desktop, laptop, or mobile device. OneNote is currently available for the Windows phone, Iphone, Ipad, the Android and the Symbian.

How OneNote works:

Watch this short video on how to use OneNote.

Disclosure: We are Microsoft Windows Ambassadors. All opinions are our own.

Written by Susan Carraretto, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom
I answer to the name Mommy Blogger, but prefer the term Mom Blogger.
Talk with me: @5minutesformom and Facebook.com/5minutesformom
Pin with me at http://pinterest.com/5minutesformom/

Jennifer here-

My favorite on-the-go snack is Lance Crackers. I’m not just saying that to get you to buy them. I really love the flavors in their snack crackers. They have been a part of my family’s snack options for years.

In fact — hubby’s favorite is Cream Cheese and Chives, my son’s favorite is the Peanut butter, my daughter’s favorite is the whole grain (she is the healthy eater in the family), and my favorite is the peanut butter and honey.

Lance recently sent me a huge thank you gift box in the mail full of all of our favorite Lance Snack crackers as well as a few fun Madagascar 3 branded items to have fun with. We have had tons of fun in the evening doing Mad Libs– you can never get too old for those!

The cool thing is this — we’re pumped about getting to go see Madagascar 3 on June 8th when it comes out in the theaters. Lance is sending us so we can enjoy some family time together ( I might even sneak a few packs of Lance crackers in my bag to munch on during the movie — shhhh!)

Enter to win a Lance Snack Cracker and Madagascar 3 Prize Pack

Lance Snack Crackers and Dreamworks have partnered together to bring awareness to the wholesome and delicious flavors of snacking on the go. One 5 Minutes for Mom reader is going to win a prize pack full of goodies ($60 value) from Lance Snack Crackers PLUS movie tickets for 4 to see Madagascar 3 when it comes out June 8th.

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter the giveaway. Remember that the more ways you enter, the better your chances are of winning.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was sent a prize pack of goodies from Lance Snack Crackers. All opinions listed are my own.

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom Advertising and Communications Contact, Jennifer. You can find her sharing her thoughts at her own blog Jen’s Journey. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Guest post submitted by Sommer from Green and Clean Mom.

If you’re a blogger do you need a media kit? I am often asked this question. I’m going to give you my opinion based on three angles. One as a professional blogger who works with brands and wants PR firms and companies to work with me! Second as a blogger who has a product to sell and therefore market – which is not easy! Third, as a consultant who works on blogger outreach strategies, programs and engagement. And it should be plainly noted that this is my opinion and not the opinion of any of my past or present clients – gotta love a disclaimer!
Okay, here it goes. What I’ve come to learn is that some bloggers say they want to work with brands, they’re PR friendly and they’d like to be an ambassador or review a product for a company, but they don’t have a media kit or any information on who they are and why companies should work with them. What some bloggers say and what they provide the brands, PR professionals and companies – well that’s a different story. Other bloggers actually feel that they should be swooned, courted and chased after if a brand or PR firm really wants to work with them. And some just aren’t sure how to create a media kit or why.  Others know they need a media kit but have to find the time. It’s a mixed bag.

Blog Sampling

Not too long ago, for a potential review program, I visited 110 blogs – most of which I had heard of and whom I follow on Twitter or Facebook. I was curious which of these blogs indeed had media kits for me to learn more about their social media footprint. I wanted to learn more about past brands they had worked with, if they had any clients, testimonials, press and if they accepted advertising. Of course, yes I was looking for some blog stats. I’ll go into why the numbers do matter in a few minutes but what I discovered from visiting the 110 blogs startled me. I was trying hard to align these bloggers with an opportunity and struggled.

• All the bloggers were PR friendly and wanted to work with brands and businesses.
• Only half of the bloggers had media kits or provided statistics, testimonials or details and most were outdated {I am guilty there, updating mine.}
• Maybe a third of the bloggers offered media kits if they were contacted.
• The remaining bloggers had nothing.

Here’s the problem. If there is no media kit, I have to look for the details on my own and it’s likely I am not getting accurate information. In fact I know I am not getting accurate information because what I see as a blogger and what the free sites like compete.com show are not even close! If a blogger provides it for me {yes it is more convenient} it will be more accurate and reflective of what they want me to see.

Think of it like this: Do you want me to see you with or without your makeup? Come on — put your best foot forward if you’re really PR friendly.

Ah, and contacting a blogger for their media kit means my email will either end up in the “spam folder”, starred follow-up folder, accidentally deleted or just never replied to because G-mail swallowed it. Some bloggers reply with a canned message but then why not just put your media kit on your website? It will take either several attempts to get a media kit through an email or contact form or it just won’t happen. Note, there are rare cases when it is easy and I pinch myself.

Don’t Give Away the Farm

A media kit is not just about numbers but yes the numbers matter and I’ll get to that. If you are a blogger your media kit can include any of the following:

• Demographics – who reads your blog; where are they from, their ages and do they have kids?
• Screen shots of your social media properties and numbers for examples.
• Screen shots of your stats from more than one source. What Google says and your hosting says might differ.
• Who you’ve worked with, write for and where you’ve been mentioned – a visual collage!
• Testimonials from clients, bloggers, campaigns you’ve worked on, PR professionals or brand you’ve represented.
• Information on how to work with you, advertise with you and connect with you. This is where you can provide a screenshot of available advertising spots and rates.

Yes, rates. But that doesn’t mean you give away the farm. Feel free to not publish your advertising rates because another blogger can find out what you charge if they wanted to, but why not help other bloggers and give them examples? If you consult, offer special services or speaking rates keep this private if you’re not comfortable publicly sharing it. If you’ve provided a well-rounded media kit they’ll contact you for more information – just reply to their darn email!

Tip:  Consider making your media kit visually appealing, easy to view on your website or download for viewing at a later time.

Numbers

Okay the numbers matter. It’s true. You might not like it, but it’s true.

Follow me with a sensible business mind here and put emotions aside if you’re already foaming at the mouth.  Companies want to work with bloggers and they get it {most of them}, they want it and they really do love this new media. They’re interested in building a program, gaining a bloggers trust, working long-term to build relationships and partnerships. They do want to pay. The problem will always boil down to money. Doesn’t this happen for your own business or in your home? Think about it. I know I need a higher speed internet service and I want to it but can I afford it and is it necessary? Can I do my job without the upgrade? There are lots of ways to answer that question.

Think about it:  Your blog is your business if you’re doing reviews, making money and want to grow it. So how would you handle working with bloggers and where would you spend your marketing dollars. Put the shoe on the other foot.

So what do the numbers really mean? Regardless of whether your blog stats are small or large for any campaign it comes down to a cumulative total that matters.  When a review campaign can garner 750,000 page impressions and reach 189,000 people, for an example that I just pulled out of a hat, these are numbers that mean an increase in brand or product awareness and at the end of the day help the company or brand meet their objective – whatever it is.  They are also report worthy — something tangible for the traditional marketing and advertising person to see.

Think about it:   If you put your money into a program to market your business what would you expect to see?

Yes, brands are working with bloggers because they’re more than numbers but there has to be justification of some sort at the end of the day and because a blogger is humorous, has great Instagram photos, has blogged for five years and is really, really nice – just doesn’t cut it in the board room. Sorry. When pitching a blogger outreach program, ambassador program or any number of creative ideas, there has to be a hook — a reason that explains if money is taken from this bucket and put into this bucket there will be delivery and here are some numeral examples and here are the “other” spectacular benefits {backlinks, SEO, building blogger relationships, potential great person to hire full-time, and the list goes on and on}.
The bottom line is: if you want to work with brands, PR firms and companies do yourself and them a favor and create a media kit – even just a simple one to begin. And it’s okay to use a template like this free one – just get one!
Hopefully I’ve convinced you, inspired you and helped you to understand why I think media kits are so important for a blogger interested in growing their blog as a business. You can check mine out over here and for further reading I suggest Your Blogs Media Kit , How to Build and Attractive Mom Blog Media Kit and How to Write Your Media Kit.

This guest post was written by mom blogger, Sommer Poquette. You can find Summer sharing her heart on her site Green and Clean Mom. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

I am new to this whole eating healthy thing. I am trying so hard to eat right and lose weight. Eating healthy can be a real pain in the butt for someone who has eaten unhealthy their entire life.

We were recently contacted by Sambazon about trying out some of their new smoothies that hit the shelves this spring. One of our writers, Catherine, tested them for us and found out that they were in fact pretty tasty.

The Chocolate Almond Coconut Milk Protein Superfood Smoothie was the first one I popped open on my busy rush out the door.  Wow! The flavor burst just stopped me in my tracks.  I was expecting something a little grainy and thick but it was smooth and tasted wonderful. This smoothie is packed with healthy omegas and 10 grams of protein.  I loved how full it kept me!

 

 

The new Supergreens Superfood Smoothie features the “new” hip superfood, kale.  I was excited to try this one mostly because I know I don’t get enough green food in my diet and this was a way to do that!  It is packed with six greens + fruit (nutrient-rich blend of grasses, kale and sea greens plus a hint of ginger with the sweet flavors of acai, mango and bananas) which gives you two servings per bottle.  I also love that this does not contain green tea.  This smoothie gives me energy without the side effects of caffeine.  Although I didn’t find the taste of the Supergreens Superfood Smoothie as nice as the Chocolate Almond Smoothie, it was still delicious.  My advice is…drink it cold.  It’s much better chilled.

About Sambazon:

It all started in 1999 during a trip to Brasil when local surfers introduced us to açaí. We were blown away by all the incredible flavors and potent nutrition of the local fruits. We wanted to share these amazing superfoods with the world – but in a way that respected the people and protected the natural resources of the area. So when we discovered that sustainable growth and harvesting of Amazon superfoods was not only possible, but could also create jobs and help protect the rainforest, we knew it was an opportunity of a lifetime. Before we left Brasil, we had a plan in place and in early 2000 Sambazon was born.

Click here to find a retailer near you.

Connect with Sambazon

• website
• Facebook
• Twitter

Enter to win

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter the giveaway to win both flavors. Remember, the  more ways you enter, the better your chances are of winning.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We were sent some of both of Sambazon’s newest products to try. All opinions remain our own.

It’s no secret that I am not the most organized person in the world. In fact, I loathe organizing. I love the end results from it, but I cannot stand the actual process of getting to the end point.

Having said that, I found some new ways to organize and decorate Jackson and Olivia’s rooms last week as I chatted with  design expert, Kelly Edwards. You may know Kelly from her show on HGTV  Design on a Dime, or on Style Network’s Tacky House. Well today, Kelly is going to share some of her inspiration with us for sprucing up our kids rooms and getting them a bit more organized — DIY style.

I love her idea of a locker for Jackson’s room — now if I could just find one!

DIY Projects for Your Kids Rooms

What DIY tips do you have to share about sprucing up kids’ rooms?

Written by Janice, co-founder of this Mom Blog 5 Minutes for Mom

If you like this post, we would love it if you gave it a Stumble, Tweet, Pin, or Facebook Like. Thanks so much! We really appreciate your support of 5 Minutes for Mom.

Jennifer here–

I don’t know about you, but I could definitely use a vacation!! Now that summer is here, all I can think about is laying on the beach and relaxing with my family in the sun. If you are wishing you were on vacation as well, why not try to win an all expense paid vacation from Land’s End?

Okay, I’ve got a confession for you… 

If you’ve seen my many tackle posts revealing my messy house, you’d know I can’t throw anything away. I still have clothes I’ve owned since high school. But what you might not know is…

I am a domain hoarder.

Janice and I own hundreds of domains and today I just renewed about 60 of them. Yes, today I was on the phone with Go Daddy and just dropped a bucket load of cash renewing a ton of domain names.

So as I’m joining in the BlogFrog conversation that Go Daddy has sponsored asking bloggers ”What’s something most people don’t know about you?”… I figured my domain hoarding habit is one character trait you might not yet know about.

You can find out all sorts of fun tidbits about your blogging friends by joining in the BlogFrog conversation below and by searching the hashtag #behindthebrand on Twitter.

And here’s a little known fact about Go Daddy…

“Did you know Go Daddy works around the clock to keep children safe online? Cyberbullying and illegal online pharmacies are just a few of the issues Go Daddy works to combat. Driven by the belief that the Internet should be safe for everyone including children, Go Daddy has helped pass both the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act and the Protect Our Children Act of 2008.”

Now It’s Your Turn

Tell us something we don’t know about you… how about a juicy confession?

There’s a lot you don’t know about Go Daddy! Including all the tools they have for bloggers! Check out www.godaddy.com to learn more!

Join the conversation for your chance to win 3 year Unlimited 4GH Hosting from Go Daddy! 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Go Daddy. The opinions and text are all mine.