Hello, and welcome back! While on a brief (a bit longer than expected…) hiatus, I was thrilled to spend some time with my friend Michelle Stern, the new cookbook author of The Whole Family Cookbook and blogger extraordinaire behind the What’s Cooking with Kids website. Michelle is ALSO the owner of a certified green business that teaches cooking classes to kids (and parents!).

and she does it all from home! in her pajamas!

In this interview, Michelle shared how she went from selling Pampered Chef products as a new mom to becoming an entrepreneur. She is a fantastic person, mother, and friend.

Not only that, she’s generous! I’ve got a brand-spanking new copy of her cookbook that I will send your way. This cookbook is in full color, has over 75 recipes and is beautifully laid-out. Michelle has color-coded all the recipes and provides instructions on how to help your children cook alongside with you. This is most definitely a hands-on teaching cookbook, and my three girls couldn’t be happier.

To enter the contest, please leave a comment below and I’ll pick a winner randomly on Tuesday, April 19th.

Grab yourself a cup of coffee, and enjoy the interview! If you have questions for Michelle, please leave them below and I’ll make sure she gets them.

Enjoy! oxxo steph

Update: this contest has now ended. Congratulations to Lynn: This sounds like a wonderful cookbook. I’d love to have this for when my two granddaughters come to visit.
Thanks for holding a drawing!
Lynn

I’ll get your cookbook in the mail tomorrow morning. –steph

related: Can You make (real) Money Blogging?

The post episode 5: Michelle Stern, What’s Cooking with Kids appeared first on Stephanie O'Dea.

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, Too!

Leah Ingram is one of my role models. Leah has an impressive THIRTEEN  books under her belt, and is a lifestyle, etiquette, frugal-living, and publishing expert.

In this interview, Leah shares how she went from planning her own wedding to writing books about wedding-planning, gift-giving, proper etiquette, and her new(ish) endeavor: frugal living.

Leah’s newest book: Toss, Keep, Sell is a must for anyone looking to make a little extra money (at home, in your pajamas!) by selling  the needless clutter lurking in your closet, garage, or attic. Do you have china you don’t ever use? Sell it! Leah did, and brought in an extra $240 to her family’s budget.

Leah is chock-full of fantastic advice, and my brain is still buzzing from all the great ideas she shared. Thank you so much for joining us, Leah!

as an added bonus, Leah graciously agreed to give away her newest book: Toss, Keep, Sell to one of our viewers. Please leave your comment below to be entered into the contest. A winner will be selected March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day! at 5pm, pacific). Good luck!!

this contest is now closed. Thank you to all who entered!

The post episode 4: an Interview with Leah Ingram of Toss, Keep, Sell & Suddenly Frugal appeared first on Stephanie O'Dea.

and she does it ALL at home, in her pajamas!

I first met Jennette through her writing on PastaQueen.com, and then heard her speak at the 2008 BlogHer conference, right after appearing on The Today Show, where she promoted her first memoir, Half-Assed.

After losing over half of her body weight (Jennette lost a whopping 180 pounds!), she developed a headache that just would. not. go. away.

Jennette’s story is fascinating and inspirational—pull up a couch, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy! I’m a little embarrassed at how often I interrupt Jennette; that’s something I definitely need to work on!

[ps: if you initially get an error, try again. the video hasn’t been deleted, I promise!]

resources/sites mentioned in the video:

InnerTalk—they have subliminal message CDs.  (I guess they changed the name to MindMint.) I own a few, have used them to help boost the self-esteem of some of the children I’ve worked with in the past, and sent Jennette one to help “cure” her headache. I have no idea if they work or not, but figure they can’t hurt.

Totally Together Journal: my housekeeping shortcut site

Make My Blog Pretty: web fairies for hire! Jennette’s web design services

Jennette and her publisher generously agreed to giveaway a copy of her new book. Please leave a comment in the form below as your entry. A winner will be randomly selected on February 28th (that’s a Monday) at 9pm pacific, and will be notified by email. Good luck, and enjoy the interview!

This contest is now closed. Thank you to all who entered!

The post an interview with Jennette Fulda, and a Chocolate & Vicodin giveaway! appeared first on Stephanie O'Dea.

I am ecstatic to be able to share this video with you. Thank you so much to Mir Kamin, of WouldaShoulda and WantNot for sharing her morning coffee with me. I got up at 4am to skype with Mir—and even though I’m dead tired  (it’s 10:34 am) it was so well worth it.

Mir is a role model for all bloggers. She works full-time as a freelance writer and is one of the most professional people I’ve ever met. She’s got a great head for business, and a nose that will sniff out a scam or sensational storyline a mile away. She knows what works for her, and isn’t going to jeapordize her name, integrity, or her family for an easy buck.

In this video, Mir shares how she began her full-time freelance blogging career, what to look for when choosing/accepting clients, and advice on picking a blogging conference.

oh! and we made up a new word: weblebrity

We also go a bit off-course (it was my fault) and discuss poop. I’m sorry.

Grab yourself a cup of coffee, put on your fuzzy slippers, and welcome Mir! We’re so happy to have you.

[ps: if you initially get an error, try again. the video is definitely there and has not been deleted.]

sites referred to in this video:

Cornered Office: Picking a Blog Conference

BlogHer.com: Mir’s a contributing editor

the poop site (be aware, it’s graphic!)

The post Episode 3: Mir Kamin of WouldaShoulda.com & WantNot.net appeared first on Stephanie O'Dea.

I am overjoyed to share my very good friend, Shirley Braden of GlutenFreeEasily.com, in this first episode of Gluten Free TV. Shirley emailed me in 2008, when I was in the midst of my slow cooking challenge, and we became fast friends. Shirley is one of the most generous people I’ve ever met, and surprised me by sending a jar of homemade (beemade?) honey from her own backyard.

We’ve met in-person twice, at BlogHer Food events in 2009 and 2010, and I’m excited to be sharing a room with her in Chicago during the Gluten Free Expo in May, where we will both be speaking.

In this video, Shirley and I chat a bit about how she began sharing her ideas and recipes with the online gluten free community, what she feels about large companies “jumping on the gluten free bandwagon,” her thoughts on Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s G-Free Diet book, and whether or not blue cheese is gluten free (it is).

Thank you so much for being such a good sport about being the very first guest, Shirley! We’re thrilled to have you.

[ps: if you initially get an error, try again. the video is definitely there and has not been deleted.]

Links mentioned in this video:

Flourless Pizza! (glutenfreeeasily.com)

Crustless Pie! (glutefreeeasily.com)

Is Blue Cheese Gluten Free? (surefoodsliving.com)

Shirley’s top recipes from GlutenFreeEasily.com

Shirley’s trip to General Mills (aka the Betty Crocker Kitchen!) (glutenfreeeasily.com)

a bit of background on why my (the O’Dea) family happens to be gluten free (totallytogetherjournal.com)

The post Episode 1: Shirley Braden, Gluten Free Easily appeared first on Stephanie O'Dea.

I am so happy that I snagged Erin Chase yesterday for this interview. It was spur-of-the-moment, completely unplanned, and because of that I was unprepared.

but Erin is gracious, and since I already had her on the phone and she happened to have full-on TV makeup (she was on the morning news promoting her new book! GO ERIN GO!) she agreed.

oh and guess what? she had a sleeping baby on her lap through the whole interview.

Erin is a mom first, and (a wildly successful) business woman second. I think that’s one of the reasons I love her so much!

In this episode, Erin and I chat about how she started blogging, and how her love of helping others launched her cookbooks and the SavvyBlogging summit, website, and twitter stream.

Erin is a busy lady!

We also dish a bit about the Kardashians, blogging etiquette, and Erin provides pointers for brand-new bloggers.

After I “hung up” with Erin, UPS knocked on the door with her new cookbook, fresh off the press. It’s fabulous, and SO PACKED with fantastic money-saving information. The introduction is terribly helpful to anyone looking to downsize their grocery bills. She’s even got a bunch of recipes for making homemade “instant” oatmeal packets, which I’m totally going to do with certified gluten free oats.

Score!

We only tipped the iceberg of all that Erin has to offer, and I look forward to having her back on a day when I’m

1) wearing makeup

2) a bit more prepared!

Thank you so much Erin, for spending a bit of time with us. Congratulations on all of your success!

[ps: if you initially get an error, try again. the video is definitely there and has not been deleted.]

The post Episode 2: Erin Chase, the $5 Dinner Mom appeared first on Stephanie O'Dea.

I am so happy to have:

1) finally figured out this video software and uploading stuff

2) be able to finally give back (just a bit) to one of my blogging idols of all time, Kim Demmon of Today’s Creative Blog.

Thank you Kim, from the bottom of my heart for being so wonderful to me in the very early days of my crockpot challenge in 2008. I really don’t know if I would have stuck with it if I didn’t get the gift of readers from you and your site.

In this video, Kim and I chat about how she got started blogging, how she and her friends began their own media/ad company, what she thinks about conferences, and how she uses blogging to get out of mopping the kitchen floor.

All valuable info!

Since this is a first attempt, there are some things I’m not uber-happy with, but I figure we’ll just learn what works as we go along.

sites mentioned in the video:

No Appropriate Behavior

Skip to my Lou

The Secret is in The Sauce

Tip Junkie

(edited to add: if you initially get an error, try again. The video hasn’t been deleted, and I’m not sure why that message pops up once in a while. weird snafu.)

Coming up next: Gluten Free TV, Episode 1: Shirley Braden of Gluten Free Easily (it may be a few weeks. This is harder than it looks!)

related: Can You make (real) Money Blogging?

The post Episode 1: Kim Demmon, Today’s Creative Blog appeared first on Stephanie O'Dea.

Amy Lynn Andrews: blogger, author, speaker

this is not a webTV episode, but an audio file. I’m sorry.

Sometimes things just don’t go according to plan. Amy and I had a lovely video call, but the video part just didn’t take. We played around with different settings, and started and stopped a few times but in the end, the video ended up being a completely blank and black screen.

so, you’re getting an audio file!

Amy is a stay-at-home mom to four children, and runs BloggingWithAmy.com and AmyLynnAndrews.com where she shares step-by-step tutorials on how to make money blogging. From home. In your pajamas.

Amy has also written an EBook, Tell Your Time, which shares her time management tips and tricks. I’ve read an awful lot of books

on

time management (one of my favorite things is to go to a new-to-me library and scour the shelves for business/self-help/time management books I haven’t read. dorky, I know..) but still got an AWFUL lot out of Amy’s book. It’s only $3.99 (a steal!), and she has packed a ton of information within her 30-page text.

One of Amy’s posts, “How Much Money do Real Bloggers Make?” went viral on twitter and helped publicize her ebook and free tutorials.

In our conversation, Amy and I talk about time management and how it relates to money management, and we learn that we shower the same way (efficiently!) and I relate blogging to extreme couponing (unsuccessfully!)

Without further ado— here’s Amy!

If you have any questions for Amy (or for me) please leave a comment below and we will try our hardest to answer the best we can.

have a fantastic day!

P.S. when I started this series, I had every intention of updating it weekly. This just isn’t practical. It’s now 5:04 pm and I began fooling around with the video/audio files at noon. and I’m STILL not done! As Amy says, my life needs to be well-balanced— while I know I could do “this or that” to better business, my family and well-being need to come first.

AND! it’s now 7:50pm and I can NOT figure out the only-audio thing, so you’ve got a teensy tiny talking head. of me.

LOL!

related: Can You make (real) Money Blogging?

The post episode 9: Real Moms Making Real Money–Amy Lynn Andrews appeared first on Stephanie O'Dea.

I had the wonderful experience of meeting Amy last month during the Coca Cola Live Positively blogging event.

Amy is joyful and fun-loving. I was drawn to her humor and open heart right away, and was thrilled to learn that she was the co-owner of Little Alouette, the natural baby toy company that I have seen advertised pretty much all over the internet for years.

In this new episode, Amy shares how she quit her full-time job to become a professional freelance writer and novelist. She helps her
husband with the toy business by managing the company’s social media and fulfills orders as they come in. They are a cottage

industry, and I’d highly recommend their toys the next time you are searching for the perfect baby gift.

Amy discusses how she juggles her writing, the family business, and baby-wrangling— all with humor and grace.

enjoy the interview!

You can find Amy online:

doobleh-vay

Amy Turn Sharp blog

Little Alouette blog

The post episode 7: Amy Turn Sharp– professional writer and entrepreneur appeared first on Stephanie O'Dea.

Tricia Callahan, The Once a Month Mom

I met Tricia online in 2008, and knew right away that her site would be a fantastic resource for busy families. Tricia’s website is all about Once a Month cooking, or Freezer Meals. If you aren’t familiar with that term, it means shopping for all of your family dinners (usually dinner, although Tricia has LOTS of info/menus for lunch and breakfast) on one day and then cooking it.

All In One Day.

so then you have the rest of the month to chill!

I love it.

In this video, Tricia shares how she began her website, and how she decided to write about Once a Month Cooking. Tricia is one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve met in this crazy online world, and I appreciate that she still refers to herself as a stay-at-home mom, even though she works pretty much full-time, and now has contract workers that help her on the site.

Tricia and I talk monetization through ads, ebooks, and affiliate accounts.

I learned a lot, and know you will too.

Please visit Tricia at Once A Month Mom, and follow her on twitter @onceamonthmom

Tricia has very well done ebooks that you should buy— they are well done, informative, and reasonably priced.

Survive Before 5 (Toddler Meals for Your Busy Days)

Holiday Planning

The post episode 8: Real Moms Making Real Money– Tricia Callahan appeared first on Stephanie O'Dea.