As you know I do much of my main blogging on Army Wife 101 and at times am afforded the chance to go on some great trips to learn about different brands and their products. Last Thursday I flew into Missouri to visit the Applebee’s headquarters. You can learn more about my experience on Army Wife 101 when I put the post up about my visit there.

In the mean time I wanted to share here some of the outside experience I had by staying in a beautiful hotel thanks to Applebee’s known as the Intercontinental Downtown Kansas City. Here is just a quick room tour I filmed while there.

* The photos below are mine but I shared them on Tripadvisor.com too*

This photo of Back In The Day Bakery is courtesy of TripAdvisor

This photo of Back In The Day Bakery is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Yummy Cupcake Cookies!

One of my favorite things to do in Savannah was to visit places that Paula Deen would talk about on her show. Her show is what led me to the yummy artisan “Back In the Day” Bakery. This bakery makes everything from scratch and in small amounts so never a need to worry about getting day old bread or dried out cakes. While I tried so many of their tasty treats , the item I loved the most was their cupcakes. They’re made with the simplest of ingredients and no nasty preservatives and extra ingredients that no one can pronounce. The cupcakes are decorated with a simple vanilla frosting in pastel colors. The cake is super moist and light and has just the perfect amount of sweetness without hurting your teeth. And while the owner Cheryl Day’s motto is “alittle bit of cake and whole lot of frosting” the icing is not sweet and overpowering.

This photo of Back In The Day Bakery is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Back In The Day serves a variety of pastries and sandwiches and did I mention there coffee is so freaking good …yum!

Visit their site at www.backinthedaybakery.com .

In any event I began using Pinterest a few months ago and have to admit I was not impressed at first. I really didn’t understand the idea behind pinning some pictures to a board. Eventually I realized that I essentially was keeping a pictorial bookmark of cool things I came across the web, then I started to really enjoy it.

Some days ago there were quite a few articles about how StumbleUpon was helping bloggers boost their traffic numbers by thousands. I on the other hand wasn’t impressed because I had used it with no such luck and found SU to have to many penalties and just all around  be complicated. I also drew the conclusion that the only people probably using the darn thing were bloggers themselves. It didn’t seem like a site that was drawing in the everyday person, so I gave up on growing my traffic by the thousands overnight.

How The Traffic Boost Happened

Last Wednesday I pinned my first picture ( a food picture) from my other blog and by that evening I had doubled my traffic in one day. I did this everyday until the end of the week and everyday noticed significant jumps in my traffic. Not only was my traffic jumping but old content was being read again and again and the comment flow was pretty generous.

Implementing Pinning Into My Daily Blog Content

I then learned that  I could take the embed code located near a picture and place the code on my blog which would automatically link the source of the picture so that you didn’t have to worry about properly crediting anyone . Now of course the pictures had something to do with  the normal content shared on my blog ,but what I then realized is that people were now pinning those pictures from my blog too. So in essence not only was the original source of the picture getting traffic but I was too.

I also have started to pin my videos that I am doing which is another awesome way to showcase your vlogs and get traffic to your blog.

Me pinning a Youtube video from my site.

To me this seems easier then StumbleUpon and the content you can pin is actual content from your blog (past or present), not just some random pictures people throw up to somehow stumble traffic or whatever that means.

So if you’ve got travel reviews, food pictures or even product reviews that you’ve worked hard on I would quickly get to PINNING! There is so much more to learn on there but this is just the beginning for me!

Has Pinterest increased your blog traffic?

Be on the look out for my next blog post on how to pin from your website!

I then realized that maybe if I buy something I like but something they don’t like I might get a chance at actually eating or drinking it for once.

So there’s this really good juice from Family Dollar which is like Cran-Apple Grape Juice. O-M-G it’s soooo good and I swear the one time I brought it for these little crumb snatchers it sat right in the fridge and my husband and I winded up finishing it , which is the point when I realized ohhhh I like this.

Fast forward to this morning last time I checked I had a half of container left. I hadn’t drank any in two days because I was to damn busy thinking I was doing something drinking all this water on this so called diet I’m on. So I was sitting here minding my business blogging when a sudden craving for some juice came over me. I got my mouth all fixed because I just knew I was about to drown my tongue in this nice not to sweet cup of deliciousness. I get my cup ready with my straw ,go to open and the fridge and this is what I see:

See any CranGrape Juice???

 Do you believe that mess?  They drunk it up ! I know it wasn’t my husband because he is to hooked on that Trop 50 as you can see.

I swear you can’t have anything with kids LOL!

That being said here are the parts of her half time performance that sucked.

1. She seemed unsure of the routine at times. She fumbled quite a few times, and just all around seemed like she was holding back. I was looking for that burst of energy or that dramatic-ness that just wasn’t there.

2. I realize for technical reasons they tend to lip sing at big stadium events like this (well some do), but I’m going to need for her to do some better dancing. You either mess up the dancing or the singing …you can’t do both!

3. The song choices were assilicious!

4. And Nikki Minaj was up there because?

5. Cee-Lo=Cee-NO!

If you missed it check it out below:

In any event I am a bigger girl who carries her weight really well and in fact goes out of my way to do so. So, you can imagine my disdain and flat out piss-tivity when pictures like the one below pop up.

Image Credit: NoWaygirl.com

I love leggings and  I proudly wear them almost daily. I own about 9 pairs of black leggings which I like to say is my signature style now. They are easy to dress up and down and with the right shirt or short dress can be worn to a daytime event and quickly an evening outting.

Now that I am traveling more (and hope to be often) with my blog I find they are the perfect apparel to pack because they can easily be rolled up and they don’t wrinkle. They work well with flats, heels, and boots and generally have just made packing much easier for me.

So now you’re probably saying “Krystel why do you care…it’s not you?” That’s just the thing it’s easy to say that but in this society we all know that one bad apple spoils it for the bunch and pictures above are all the more reason for people to make comments such as “there should be a weight limit on leggings” or “or when did Spongebob launch his leggings line”!

While I am all for the “don’t care what people say” “and the be you and be confident cliche quotes the truth is there is a method to wear leggings the right way if you’re a bigger girl , hell there’s a right way to wear them if you are thin too but let’s just focus on the plus size for now.

 Four Simple Tips to Rocking a Better Plus Sized Legging

1. While many celebs and fashion bloggers have done the whole crop shirt and leggings thing they usually have some awesome stylist who somehow makes them rock it effortlessly. Us regular folks on the other hand usually don’t have that luxury so best bet is to aim for a shirt that covers the booty cheeks. The shirt should come mid thigh at the very least.

2. If you want to wear a shorter shirt for whatever reason, invest in a duster or long cardigan. I don’t know what it is but I feel super sexy in my long black faux cardigan (Cato’s $19.99) with my black leggings and sexy knee boots.

3. I am super frugal when it comes to clothes shopping. I don’t believe you have to spend alot to look good but I strongly suggest you invest in a good pair of leggings. Nothing worse then seeing those cheap Rainbow stores leggings on someone that doesn’t suck or hold you in at all and when you jiggle everything else jiggles too.  I have brought my best pair of leggings from Macy’s on clearance for $8.00 . Welovecolors.com also has awesome plus size leggings in many different colors which brings me to my next and final tip.

4.  Wear whatever color you want but please don’t wear white. If you do please make sure something is covering thy ass. White just “aint” right for everyone!

If you want to know more about how I wear leggings feel free to view my ” Plus Sized Girls Can Wear Leggings Too” below that was recently featured on retail chain Lane Bryant’s “Inside Curve” blog.

]]> http://randomnista.com/?feed=rss2&p=105 3 http://randomnista.com/?p=105 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRandomnista/~3/AktCXAYO2KQ/ http://randomnista.com/?p=98#comments Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:11:47 +0000 kspell25 http://randomnista.com/?p=98 [Read On] ]]> So if you’ve read my previous post then you now know I have an obsession for locations where movies or tv shows were filmed. Below is a video I shot of “Disney’s Wilderness Lodge” about three years ago when my brother and I wanted to see where an episode of “Family Matters” was filmed. We were lucky enough to run into a cast member who actually was in the episode. Excuse the threats I made to punch my brother in the face, we really do love each other.

For me reviewing products was alittle easier simply because my niche was so specific that I knew directly who to go to. All I had to do was look for companies who had military promotions and by simply writing them I could for the most part get products because I knew they wanted to reach the military community.

Because I know the average person reading this won’t be a military blogger here are my tips for getting started for the everyday Joe or Joanna Schmoe:

1. BE INTERESTED:The truth is there are lots of “mom” bloggers reviewing random shiz. Alot of it I have to wonder if they are even interested in which brings me to making it a point to REALLY review something you are interested in. I was extremely guilty at the beginning of reviewing things I normally wouldn’t be interested in just for the sake of having something to write about and also because I thought no companies would ever work with me if I didn’t. Whatever you do have an interest in what you are reviewing and make sure it is something that can fit into your lifestyle or else you will not be able to give an honest and candid review.

2. BLOGGER REVIEW NETWORKS: One of my biggest jump starts to reviewing products was “My Blog Spark“. There are many networks like these where you sign up , place your blog information in their database and they will select you based on whatever the requirements are of upcoming campaign and review that are upcoming. I have had great products that I actually use or have wanted to try come my way from these. Other sites include: Mom Select , Rafflecopter , Business 2 Blogger (yes they even have a signup form for people to review products.

3. SEND EMAILS: Don’t just send emails begging to review products or you can expect to just be tossed in the trash bin. If you are just starting out and traffic to your blog is scarce, include in the email how you can differ in your review. Please don’t confuse differ as being dishonest. When I refer to differ I mean how can you showcase the product in a different way, video, letting the kids share their thoughts, including your significant other. You want the PR rep to see what is going to make your review so different from the thousands of other moms bloggers wanting to review that same body lotion, box of cereal , laundry detergent or whatever product it is. If you have a forum or community then let that be known. Include how you plan on sharing this review so if you are going to tweet it, Facebook it , Digg it or Youtube it let it known!

4. Finding Media Contacts: This actually is not hard. On most websites if you scroll all the way to the bottom of the site where all the legal mumbo jumbo is , you will usually see an “About Us” or or sometimes you will flat out see Media Contact. Those clickable links are like gold in the blog world. Another way to find media contacts is to look through press releases that may relate to what it is you are interested in reviewing.

5. Review What You Already Have: Lastly while most people include this first I didn’t because I forgot haaa but I suggest reviewing products you already have.Most long time bloggers suggest that simply because it’s common sense to blog about what you already have handy. I suggest it because once I review (what I already have) it I tweet it to the company on Twitter. In some instances the company will want you to review more products from that line and from there a great relationship can be formed. That tip I mentioned about tweeting companies in general is a great one so regardless of whether you are blogging about something you already have or something sent to you , it’s always a good idea to tweet it.

The above tips are just what’s worked for me in the past and it’s been pretty successful. If you have some tried and true methods feel free to share them in the comments section below.

The truth is when I’m not blogging on my own blogs I am reading other people’s and I have to admit I rarely find people’s kids pics or latest growth spurt stories entertaining. I love being a mom but I don’t think my kids are that interesting (laughs out loud). I mean they get good grades, they are totally respectful and my seven year old has this odd and I do mean odd fascination with “eighties music”, but that’s the extent of me wanting to discuss them .That being said I am not one of those anti-mommy bloggers who believes that my content will be so embarrassing to my children that they will grow up and hate me. I honestly don’t think it will be that serious to them, so in essence I am all for people blogging about their kids but I just don’t think I fit into that group.

The biggest reason why I will never fit into that true “mom blogger” group is because alot of the mom blogs I read are just flat out alittle to perfect. Everyone shares these perfect meal pictures , or the perfect craft projects, the perfect home that’s perfectly organized ,  the perfect nanny setup , everyone has the perfect work from home business that one day they just started out of nowhere and everyone seems to love to travel to conferences every five minutes. Call me bitter if you will…I’m just being my normal blunt self and saying what alot of my blogger friends are thinking.

The reality in my home is that nope there are no roaches crawling around, the sink is clear and there is no piss around the toilets BUT my closet looks like a bomb exploded in it and I don’t spend my day cleaning. I can cook my butt off and am guilty of the occasional food vlog or posting food pictures here and there on Facebook but the Martha Stewart crap on some blogs just annoys the hell out of me…need I mention Pioneer Women? Honey please! My kids aren’t on a perfect organic diet and yes I have been guilty of letting them eat poptarts for a few days in a row for breakfast. I can’t do a craft to save my life (pinterest is more for dreaming and wishing I could do all those cool things I pin) and while I LOVVVVVE to travel I have a husband who is in the Army and at the drop of a hat can be called into work so constant traveling isn’t on my to do list, then again he may be getting out very soon so we shall see how much my traveling schedule changes. I don’t have a nanny and my kids aren’t that dramatic or in my face that much that I need someone to sit in another room and watch them while I blog or have conference calls.

Wow this regular blogger thing is so liberating , it feels great to share all my thoughts and not blog about anything so specific.

So tell me if you’re a blogger do you fit into the “Mommy Blogger” category and even if you’re not a blogger would you fit into this group if you did blog?

While Natalie Daise isn’t a huge celebrity by today’s standards she is most well known for her hit kids tv show in the nineties on Nickelodeon “Gullah Gullah Island”. The show also starred her husband and her real children in addition to a cast of other kids.

So you’re probably asking why I am so awestruck , well I guess I had always assumed that these folks had people who maintained their FB pages for them. I always wondered if she was actually on and would she ever comment on anything of mine. One thing I was certain of was that she was definitely pro-active on her own account.  It wasn’t until one day I put up a status discussing how I would also be a MAC computer kind of girl and she commented stating how she too loves her MAC.

I dialed my brother (also a 90′s fanatic) screeching and screaming and he shared in my excitement. Yes I know we are quite weird!

Some years back I had got the tv dad from another show called “My Brother and Me” on Nickelodeon to talk to me on Myspace but I lost my password and was never able to continue that conversation.

What celebs or famous folks are you hob knobbing it up with on FB?