Wordless Wednesday: Butterfly Chakra!

Just feeling 'Butterfly Zen' on the advent of my first transformation of the year, details to come!
Happy Wordless Wednesday Butterflies! Bloggers post your Wordless Wednesday links here!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post!

@Britax launches new #BOBMotion Stroller at @REI SOHO in NYC! {#Photos} + Nab an Amazing Deal and find out how to win one of your own! cc @SafeConBritax

BOB Motion Stroller Demo Display Table at REI store in SOHO New York City

For all my fellow New Yorkers, run NOT walk down to the REI store in SOHO! Team BRITAX is there doing demos all day of the new BOB Motion Stroller that is available for sale right now exclusively at REI. You can buy them online at www.rei.com too, but it's only today when you can enter to win one in store! They are also donating up to $5,000 for Sandy Relief Efforts! Anyone who takes a photo of themselves with the new BOB Motion Stroller and uploads their photo to BOB's Facebook page, they will donate $20 per photo upload to Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts, which the city really needs right now! It's a super cool win/win!

BOB Motion Stroller on Display during Launch Demo at REI SOHO Store in New York City!

ABOUT:

BOB, the leading manufacturer of high-quality strollers for active families, and recent addition to the BRITAX brand, introduces its first four-wheel stroller, the MOTION.

Following BOB’s 15-year focus on its signature “jogger” strollers, the MOTION’s lightweight aluminum frame represents the company’s most compact design and  complements the BOB joggers as a daily stroller. 

BRITAX Marketing Director and Product Development Specialist Jon McGuire demos new BOB Motion Stroller at REI  Store in SOHO New York City - exclusive launch!

Made for everyday freedom, the MOTION is designed for parents on-the-go.   From the first day of parenthood, the MOTION is ideal for active family outings, including trips to the park, as well as the mall or playgroups. Helping parents juggle the chaos that accompanies parenting, the MOTION features a one-hand, quick-fold with an automatic frame lock and a padded, adjustable handlebar for effortless maneuvering.

Check out the Adjustable Handles on the new BOB Motion Stroller!

The new stroller includes the BRITAX Click & Go™ integrated adapter for convenient attachment to the BOB B-SAFE™ in matching BOB fashions or BRITAX fashions.

SEAT:

The BOB Motion stroller accomodates up and through to 65 lbs

14" wide

18" wide Seat Back

Seat to the tallest center of the Canopy is 26"

Colors: Orange, Navy and Black

PRICE:

Retails for $349.99 USD and is being sold exclusively at REI at this time! (Remember you get free shipping when you pick it up in store!)

PROMO: 

Through Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 customers who buy a BOB MOTION stroller can get a free BOB B-SAFE infant car seat during BOB’s FREEdom in Motion event, simply add both the BOB MOTION stroller and the BOB B-Safe infant car seat to your cart when ordering online at www.REI.com, enter code “SOHO-MOTION” at checkout.

Left: Tracy from Ascending Butterfly and Right: Divina from  Dancing Hotdogs, aka 'Britax Charlie's Angels' reunited again!

Things to Note: They do not include the tire pump, this has to be purchased seperately! Remember you must purchase by 01.18 to get the free carseat, the carseat will not be free after this date. This is NOT a jogging stroller, this stroller is suited to non-joggers or those who want to use this as their everyday stroller as an accompaniment to the jogging stroller!

If you nab this great deal, please let us know! And don't forget to tell Britax and REI on Facebook that you saw the BOB Motion Stroller here featured on Ascending Butterfly!

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FTC Disclosure: The Britax Hispanic Digital and Social Media Outreach is in partnership with Mami Innovative Media, a communications and digital marketing company that pairs multicultural and Latino bloggers with influential brands and blogging campaigns. I am a blogger brand ambassador and Latina Advisory Board Member for Britax and while this post is NOT sponsored and NO monetary compensation has been received for sharing this experience, I am part of a long term campaign that does provide additional incentives for my participation. However all opinions are 100% my own. You can connect with BRITAX on Twitter and Facebook

Monday Motivation: Keep Calm and Believe On! #inspiration #MotivationMonday

I have been taking my own advice about carving out much needed time for myself, and I took a long weekend to re-group, de-stress, and just be. Doing so definitely helped to put me in a much better mood, and give me much needed perspective and I can now tackle a new week with energy and enthusiasm!

I hope all my butterflies out there had a wonderful weekend!

I will be closing out the yurbuds giveaway and contacting the winner shortly, and this week stay tuned for a new giveaway, and if you need a hint as to what it will be, read HERE.

Happy Monday Butterfly! What do you believe you can do this week?

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post!

@LuckyMagazine Bloggers Luncheon with @JaneIredale + @JeanGodfreyJune Lucky Beauty Director #beauty #makeup #inspiration

Last month in the midst of holiday madness, a whirlwind of personal and professional events, (including Spring and Summer 2013 Previews how bizarre is that right?), came a gem of an event that left me truly inspired and uplifted afterwards, a bloggers Luncheon with Jane Iredale hosted by Lucky Magazine.

My first introduction to the brand was during the Makeup Show in NYC in 2010. When I got to the Jane Iredale booth I met Kevin Mendleson who is now the Global Educator for the Jane Iredale Cosmetics Brand. He gave me what I considered then and still consider to this day a total transformation. His makeover truly transformed the way I saw myself.  And that of course started my fascination with the brand. Kevin actually really took the time to understand my lifestyle, my rush out the door barely time for anything mornings, down to my eating habits and diet! I was pleasantly surprised, he gave me a ton of advice, and decided on giving me an all out glam girl look and he *gasp* introduced me to the muted/aka 'Nude' lip! (and I was delighted that he did appreciate the work that goes into my signature custom daily red lip). He made me let go of my comfort zone and help to see myself in a new way.

And that inner/outer combination is what exactly Jane Iredale is all about!

So in a mixture of personal pictures, professional pictures and quotes, here is a recap of the luncheon:

Lucky Magazine Jane Iredale Bloggers Luncheon, Pro Shot used WITH permission!

Before the event began we were given the chance to write out a question we wanted to ask Jane! Which I thought was fantastic, nothing scripted, and everything straight from the heart and on the spot!

Left: Lucky Magazine Beauty Director Jean Godfrey-June, Right: Jane Iredale, President and Founder of Iredale Mineral Cosmetics (makers of jane iredale)

Our Moderator and all-around 'hostess with the mostest!' was none other than Lucky Magazine Beauty Director, Jean Godfrey-June (can I be her when I grow up?), and many of us curious bloggers also wanted to know Jean's answers to many of the questions that were also asked of Jane.

"Good skin is important to the longevity of a career" ~ Jane Iredale

Left: Jane Iredale, President and Founder of Iredale Mineral Cosmetics (makers of jane iredale) Right: Lucky Magazine Beauty Director Jean Godfrey-June

"I asked myself, why can't we have a makeup that's GOOD for the skin?" ~ Jane Iredale

Much like me Jane is NOT yet a mom, but dotes over her 'furbabies'. She said "Having two dogs helps, they have to be walked, they have to be taken care of - that at least gets me out of the office! One of my absolute favorite quotes from the luncheon was:

"To be a successful entrepreneur, you have to have passion for what you are doing then that passion is all consuming" ~ Jane Iredale

 

We learned that the company came about after a broadway show that had flopped in a week left Jane searching for what was next. I personally think being at a standstill be it personally or professionally is where our best ideas come from, and hearing someone that has reached such an amazing level of success say the same just added fuel to my flame to stick with my passions, allow myself to sometimes go down the rabbit hole and see where it leads!  When Jane said "The Public Failure, it was just ugly, but I learned that I didn't know enough about it to take on writing a Broadway show, but it was good. If that hadn't happened I wouldn't have started my company", I think it was an 'a-ha' moment for everyone. I doubt there is anyone out there who can't relate to personal or professional mis-steps of their own. But it's what she did with that 'failure' that led to her ultimate triumph and victory.

"Lifestyle and diet are absolutely key, I think supplements help a lot with Health. What you put on the skin is absorbed by the body." ~ Jane Iredale

Jane's Greatest Moment? - The first testimonial that came in from a consumer

How Jane Defines Beauty and who she thinks is beautiful? - "Beauty is very nourishing for the soul, whether it's a person or place or art. Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep - they have both inner and outer beauty!

What does Jane do in her 'spare time'? - "I love to read. I love Gardening, it resonates to everything I do" She also likes to play Golf and hang out with her Dogs!

When asked - What do you have in mind when you design? she replied "Things I have personal interest in, and things consumers would like. We have two seasonal collections that are really, really about color."

When asked - Do you have advice regarding criticism of your work? I really loved her response:

"It's hard to deal with, but you can't ignore it. The worst thing you can do is pretend it didn't happen. you have to face it. And have some objectivity. Confront it, deal with it, it's an opportunity to learn." ~ Jane Iredale

Jane Iredale's Advice for women over 35:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - Don't ignore makeup

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - It's not about wearing less and less, it's about ADJUSTING

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - Feel free to pay attention to trends, but adapt it to what works for YOU

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - Too much blush can be aging

How to prevent the dry skin look that mineral makeup can sometimes impart in winter:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - Use a tinted mouisturizer

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - or you could also try a facial spritz then pat your face gently to set the minerals

What is the #1 benefit of using Jane Iredale Cosmetics?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - It lets skin breathe and function normally. The skin is the body's 3rd lung and 3rd kidney, it must breathe, it's important that you are NOT blocking things!

What are your preferences for applying Foundation?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - For Powder - Definitely a brush!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - For Liquid - I use my fingers but many of our artists will use a brush with Liquid also

What is the Go-To Product in your line?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  - Loose Powder as well as our Lash Conditioner (to help them grow and keep them healthy!)

I found Jane to be a true inspiration, and the luncheon was incredibly empowering!

Jane was nice enough to give us a gift to give to YOU, so stay tuned butterflies for a Jane Iredale Cosmetics Giveaway coming SOON!

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FTC Disclosure: I attended a Lucky Magazine Luncheon as a member of the Digital Press. Our lunch was provided and Jane Iredale provided a product sample for editorial consideration, however this is NOT a compensated post and no monetary compensation has been received to recap this event. All opinions are 100% my own.

Wordless Wednesday: Nail Art! #beauty

I don't have an official Wordless Wednesday Linky Widget, so please feel free to post a link to your Wordless Wednesday as a comment here so we can all visit yours too!

Happy Wordless Wednesday Butterflies!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post!

Today's Words of #Inspiration: Happy Monday! Try todays #affirmation on for size!

Day SEVEN of a brand new year butterflies! Are you excited? I am. I am feeling filled with anticipation of victory, blessings, new paths and new destinations! A new week has begun and I made sure to start it with affirmations! I say intstead of singing 'Manic Monday' think 'Magic Monday' instead!
I am definitely not telling you to cover the sky with one hand, but you can shape your day with your thoughts so why not make them positive ones?
Buried under a mountain of emails? STOP! Take a 5 minute break. Even if the most walking you can do in those five minutes is a quick trip to the water cooler, then take it.
Buried under an insane to-do list? You won't get as much accomplished if you are harried. Call someone right now who makes you happy. Stopping for just a moment will help you center yourself. And in the end you'll be able to accomplish more than if you just rush through that list like its a marathon.
How are you coming along with your resolutions? Don't give up on them. Break the main goals down into steps, and take yourself one step closer by the end of the week. You have 51 weeks left to make this your best year ever!
Todays affirmation: 'I deserve love, peace, prosperity and serenity.'  - When your day gets hectic, stop and say this. Say this when you get up, and again when you are headed to bed. Keep reminding yourself of this!
Happy Monday Butterfly! Because we all know a Happy Butterfly, is an Ascending Butterfly! :)

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. But if anyone wants to sponsor a Daily Inspirational post, please contact us! :)

Weekly Moment of #Gratitude + #Fitness Giveaway + DUH #Winning!

What I am grateful for:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Using bad moments as a learning experience! -  I won't go into too many specifics out of respect for someone else's privacy, but life has thrown me the chance to use a recent bad experience I went through and make things easier for someone who is currently going through something similar. We sometimes go through personal challenges and not understand the rhyme or reasoning behind them. I can only tell you that those experiences teach you to be more sympathetic and understanding to others. Sometimes life will challenge you or slow you down to teach you humility, patience and sympathy, but if you take those challenges and use them to help others, your spirit really does grow.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - New Year New ME! - I think the challenges of 2011 and 2012 have helped to create a new me. I was robbed of a lot of things that really matter spending almost a year and a half in and out of the hospital, but one of the things that drove me the most crazy is lost time. Part of New Year, New ME is giving myself the gift of time. Being a little less Type 'A', and a lot more type 'G' for 'Go' with the flow, instead of just go, go, go!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - DUH WINNING! - There hasn't been tons of spare time these past few weeks, but even with the business of the holidays I took some time out to visit some of my favorite blogs and doing so really paid off, I won some totally neat contests! Last year attending the Inaugral year of The Niche Mommy Blogging Conference allowed me to finally meet in a person a blogger I was already following Maria from Blogging, Babies and the Bayou, and I visited her blog and saw her post about adding soybean oil to your favorite holiday baking recipes and entered her contest for a $25 Walmart card which I won! I'd say it was a win/win all around because while I love to cook, my baking skills could definitely use some help, so I got great advice and won something I can definitely use! And then came a win that nearly made me fall off my chair, I won an an HP ENVY 23 TouchSmart AiO Computer! As most of you know when it comes to computers I'm pretty much HP loyal, but my last 3 desktops and laptops that were all HP died out on me WAY faster than they should have. My laptop died during my second hospital stay last year and my current desktop (a four year old HP Touchsmart) is literally on it's last legs, so I do have to tell you I cried tears of joy when I read the email from Kimberly @ She Scribes telling me I won her HP Envy giveaway! I got the chance to meet Kimberly for the first time many years ago at a back-to-school event for Staples, then we saw each other again at the World Premiere of The Sorcerers Apprentice on the Red Carpet, and since then I try to visit her blog as often as I can. I like her reviews and I've been using HP computers myself since College and couldn't wait to see what she thought about the Envy and quite frankly never in a million years did I think I'd actually win. I knew I told the Universe what I needed and asked in Faith, and feel super blessed and super grateful for both of these wins. Both emails put a smile on my face and were amazing starts to what I know is going to a very blessed year!

What are YOU most grateful for this week Butterfly?

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What are you grateful for today? I'd love for you to write in and share what you are grateful for this week. The more you say it, the more you speak it, and the more you live in gratitude, the more you will find reasons to be grateful for, and the more reasons that the universe will send you to be grateful for. So join me on this journey of gratitude and inspiration. And you can post here daily (even though my list will be posted weekly).

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me on Twitter here (@Tracy_Iglesias) Twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field at Twitter:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias This Week's 'Moment of Gratitude' and Active Giveaways!  - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

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Giveaways!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ New Year, New YOU Giveaway!: @yurbuds Inspire for Women Sport Earphones Review + Rafflecopter Giveaway - 1 Winner, Ends 01/11

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Gratitude Journal Reco:

For those of you who are interested in keeping a gratitude journal this year, here is my recommendation and where to purchase it:

Make this Your Best Day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post, all opinions are 100% my own. Journal Recommendation uses an Amazon Affiliate Link. Questions about our Disclosure? Please visit: http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/p/disclosure-policy.html

Winner Announcement! + #Giveaway Reminder!

The New Year is now in full swing, how is it treating you so far butterflies?

We closed our holidays buying guide with the biggest giveaway for a BOB Stroller from Britax! And we have a lucky winner to announce!

Kelley R., Entry #1533 is our winner! Please join me in congratulating her!

And because a lot of new people came in for this giveaway, I want to post a reminder that bears repeating. While some people select a winner in rafflecopter and then see if that person completed all the entries correctly, I do the exact opposite. I do check each entry individually. Which means that entries that do NOT qualify, are deleted BEFORE I even draw the winner. I only think it's fair that the only entries in the running for a draw are all qualified ones. That makes it fair for everyone. So for those of you who press every entry in rafflecopter and leave them all blank. I catch you. I delete ALL your entries. If you are not a follower, and have not completed the main entry, ALL of your entries will be deleted, regardless of the amount of extra credit that was done.

And because this question came up on facebook I want to address it here. When you enter using rafflecopter it assigns your entry a number. That remains your assigned entry number. When I delete disqualified entries, it doesn't change the assigned numbers. The BOB Stroller giveaway originally ended with just under 2,000 overall entries. After deleting bogus entries it went down to 1,471 entries. The winner is # 1533, that is because while entries above and below that number were removed, rafflecopter retains the original number assigned to an entrant at the time of their entry. So Kelley R. is very much a real person, and her entry # assigned to her by rafflecopter did not change just because other entries were deleted.

We started our first week of the New Year with our daily Today's Words of Inspiration feature as promised, we deviated only on Friday to bring you the first in our annual January series of giveaways: New Year, New YOU! Our first giveaway will help anyone who put Fitness on their agenda as a New Year's Resolution. Runners Rejoice because our first giveaway is yurbuds inspire for women sport earphones, designed specifically for women's ears, these will NOT fall out while you are running! Whether it's a full on jog, or a power walk on your agenda, these will make it much more fun!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post.

@yurbuds Inspire for Women Sport Earphones #Review + #Giveaway - 1 winner, Ends 01/11 #Fitness

Happy New Year Butterfly! As this is the week where most people dust off last year's resolutions and change the year on them to the current one, with Fitness being number one on the list, I thought we should start the year talking fitness, and my favorite thing MUSIC!

Music has been a lifelong love and with an older cousin who is a well known club DJ, making mix tapes was a big hobby of mine, and now it's playlists for every possible mood and occasion. Before blogging, I went through a wide variety of portable music players and an even wider variety of headphones and earphones.

Then I started blogging, then hit the twitter scene and it was the perfect place to find and connect with other music lovers. I became 'The Official #TwitterPartyDJ' and not long after did music accessories start to appear. I'm definitely not complaining, but when it comes to my headphones and earphones I'm super picky, so not everything I try out makes the cut.

I grew up around the DJ scene and you will always see headphones, I was always the oddball who preferred earphones and I still do. So when MomSelect asked if I was interested in trying out yurbuds® Inspire for Women Sport Earphones I definitely said yes. Let's face it, with a name like 'Inspire' these couldn't be a better fit (no pun intended). But our mission statement here is simple: 'To Seek out and Share the best sources of inspiration both on and off the web.'.

About yurbuds®

When you're sweating through a workout, the only sound better than hearing your feet pound the pavement is your favorite song in your ears! We've all had that moment when we're powering along to our go-to song when all of a sudden our earphones come loose and the music comes to a screeching halt, along with our motivation. Luckily, our friends at yurbuds® are changing that with their new Inspire line, designed specifically for women.

  

Since its arrival on the sports equipment scene, yurbuds has made an impact on athletes everywhere as the only earphones with patented TwistLock™ technology, guaranteed never to fall out. The new Inspire for Women features that same technology, and the FlexSoft™ comfort fit, while being specifically designed to fit smaller ears. Available at Target for $29.99, these performance fit earphones are sweat and water-resistant, provide exceptional sound, and are the perfect training partner for the female athlete.

My Take:

I was a bit nervous at first since they are specifically designed for smaller ears that they would make my ears sore, because I actually tend to use larger bud covers on other pairs, but once I got used to 'twising' them in place, it all fell into place. So here are my pros and cons:

Pros:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - They do stay in place. I have NOT had them fall out, they definitely don't come out until I take them off myself.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Good Sound, even though they are not touted as 'noise cancellation' earphones, they do help to block out some ambient sound, because of the fit.

Cons:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - I don't why it is, but these do attract dust to the silicone on the earphones more than other pairs I've used. Thankfully this can be remedied because you can remove the silicone buds and wash them off, but I will admit I'm not Ms. Delicate Girl with my earphones, I do tend in the morning to just shove my earphones anywhere in my bag when I get off the train. These really need to go in a protective case so they don't attract dust or lint.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - I'm used to a bit deeper bass, but for the price point I really can't complain.

Final Thought: Again they are not noise cancellation so the person sitting next to you will 'hear' you if you tend to listen to your tunes a bit too loud, I'm not calling this a Con only because this is a matter of personal preference and will differ for everyone. And since these are intended for runners, no one should really hear you as you jog past! :-)

They introduced a Pro version that has a Microphone which I am thinking would have been better suited to me (not to mention I love Red) so I'll have to reach out to yurbuds and see if we can upgrade for Valentine's Day, I'll keep you guys posted!

Get Social:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 'Like' yurbuds on Facebook, and don't forget to tell them you saw them featured on Ascending Butterfly! Endorsed by 'The Official #TwitterPartyDJ'

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Get 'Tweety with @yurbuds on Twitter too!

Win It!

Our friends at MomSelect and yurbuds® know that inspiration is an important part of the Ascending Butterfly community, this is an inspiration and empowerment community, and because we want you to be inspired to stick with your fitness resolutions and goals this year, we thought we'd help to make your workouts more fun by giving you a pair too! So start 2013 on a good foot, and take your favorite tunes along for the ride! As always our main entry is easy peasy, so just follow rafflecopter instructions below to get in your entries!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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FTC Disclosure: yurbuds has provided me with a product sample for editorial consideration via the MomSelect program, as well as a pair for giveaway, however all opinions expressed herein are 100% my own. Ascending Butterfly and our giveaway sponsors are not responsible for lost or mis-directed mail.

Today's Words of Inspiration: Be What You Believe! Inspired by my new #Pajamas Edition!

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a new pair of Pajamas, and they read 'Be What You Believe'. It's a super simple, yet very powerful message. How often do you catch yourself being something your not? I don't mean in a hypocritical way. Just conforming who you are to make someone else happy or comfortable? Trying not to be offensive, or walking on eggshells around a particular person or co-worker?

It's not fun is it?

In the long run, not being what you believe just fills you up with toxic energy. Be What You Believe at all times, that doesn't mean you have to be hurtful or blunt, just authentic, honest and truthful.

Whether you make resolutions or you don't, Be What You Believe in 2013.

I'm actively trying to open my mind to all sources of inspiration so I can make positive and forward moving changes in this year, I have a lot of lost time to make up for! But if a simple pair of Pajamas can inspire me to inspire YOU, what can you find to be inspired by today?

How will you be what you believe this year?

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post.

Wordless Wednesday: The What Happens in New Orleans STAYS in New Orleans Edition + @AcmeOyster #NOLA #Travel #Food

Royal Praline Company, French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2012 - What Happens in New Orleans stays in New Orleans!

Some more way overdue photos from my trip to New Orleans for the inaugral year of the Niche Mommy Blogging Conference in New Orleans in 2012! (My New Orleans Wordless Wednesday Series got seriously interrupted so I promise I'll get them through all, at least before #NicheMommy13 that is!) I definitely hope  it's true that What Happens in New Orleans stays in New Orleans! LOL (as well as Vegas and Atlantic City,  Just Saying!) I'm glad that the Royal Praline Company agreed with us! I regret not buying that towel when I had the chance!

Acme Oyster House, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2012 - Prepare for super long lines to get in,  but the food is THAT worth it!

A larger group of bloggers headed out to Acme Oyster House, but only some of us could handle the wait, but I think I speak for all of us who made it, when I say this place is well worth the wait. the food really is amazeballs, great drinks, great service, perfect mix of locals and tourists (and when a local turns around and tells you, 'yes this is the line, even with reservations, but don't leave because you'll regret missing that meal, its the best advice ever and now I'm paying it forward and passing it along to you)

Char-Grilled Oysters at Acme Oyster House, French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2012 - We ordered  one to share, and boy was that a mistake, everyone ended up ordering their very own order of these, they are so good. The long lines were worth it,  seriously just for THIS!!!! The sauce (let it cool a bit) will make you want to lick each of your fingers for the stuff that stuck to your fingers besides the bread. So delicious they are almost sinful! and I mean that in a GOOD way! :) Oyster Nirvana can be found at Acme Oyster House!

The Char-Grilled Oysters were a HUGE hit, let's just say that quite a few of these platters were ordered to share! And sadly when you leave NOLA, you will see these and taste these in your dreams, your taste buds will salivate at the sheer thought of them! This will be my first stop when I go back to New Orleans!

Happy Wordless Wednesday Butterflies! 

Bloggers feel free to comment with your Wordless Wednesday links, we are not formal enough for an official Linky Widget around here, so just join in the fun, get laid back, and most of all, get Wordless (someday I promise I'll keep it entirely wordless).

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored, this is a recap of my experiences during my visit last year to New Orleans for the Niche Mommy Blogging Conference in it's inaugral year. I was sponsored by Britax as a member of their Latina Digital Advisory Board and Latina Hispanic Outreach Blogger and Brand Ambassador. No Monetary Compensation has been received for sharing my experiences at the conference.

2013 Today's Words of #Inspiration: Do NOT work for Free!

As most of you know I went kicking and screaming into Pinterest. Not because I'm afraid of being an early adopter, in fact many who know me come to me with questions on new software, apps, tech and the like because I am an early adopter. I was afraid of pinterest, because I knew invariably I would spend a ton of time there. And lo and behold, when I joined that exactly what happened. To me it's like facebook with the commentary turned off, so it allows you to focus on what is worth the proverbial 'thousand words' the pictures!

When I got the email notification from Pinterest that fellow Blogger Bren from B So Chic! was following me on Pinterest, I immediately followed her back, and went to check out her boards, I saw the graphic above and I just had to share it because it sums up how most bloggers feel in a nutshell.

When a blogger solicits a brand, we better have a value proposition in place, very few bloggers are being 'gifted' a thing. We are expected to not only leverage our Social Media Influence, we are expected to be a Marketing and Public Relations Power House, and a photographer, editor and powerful story teller, and a myriad of other requirements sometimes before a brand will even consider working with us.

But brands however seem to feel it's OK to come us with no value proposition in place. A review item, (no matter how high it's approximate retail value may be), isn't even close to compensating that reviewer for their time.

We can't pay our landlords or bills with the knowledge of your brand or client's (in the case of a PR firm) sales, discounts or events. We can't pay our bills with your good intentions. We can't pay our bills with tweets, instagram, pins or likes. We can only do that with payment.

A magazine editor draws a salary and gets benefits (and those vary by publisher, I worked for a number of publications before I flew the coup). They are also oftentimes 'assigned' a product. Bloggers are not. We can't pay our bills with your widgets no matter how shiny or sparkly they may be. And conversely, when we solicit a brand, more often than not it's a product we already know well so we are already consumers of that brand.

So when you get a Media Kit in response to your solicitation to me or any blogger, don't be offended. Welcome to reality. Welcome to the new digital age.

Bloggers, If you don't value your time or work, neither will anyone else. So when you are asked for what amounts to free social media consulting and PR services, put a price on it! Wipe that digital dust off your Media Kit and send it back when you receive a solicitation. And not just for the obviously bad pitches as a way to make them go away, but for the good ones too, even if you like a product it doesn't mean your time shouldn't be valued.

We read enough pitches to know when a brand is seriously looking to build a long term, mutually beneficial relationship or just use you for a one shot mouthpiece with no regards to your time, efforts, energies and talents.

I held on to this graphic and this post since last year as I saw it during the Holiday Season, and my editiorial calendar had already closed, but this post was sitting in drafts just waiting for 2013 to begin. So Bren, thank you, what may have been a simple Pinterest 'pin' for you one day, definitely inspired me to sound off on blogging on the whole.

They say the relationship between PR firms/Brands and Bloggers could always stand room for improvement, but a great start is by respecting one another's time. And YES, that very much goes both ways.

Please don't mis-interpret the title of this post, I am NOT discussing Volunteer work, you should definitely find ways to give back, and using your platforms for social good is a wonderful thing too, but let's face it, there are but so many hours in any given, day, week, month or year, and not all of them can be given away for free. I actually think the topic has merit across the board and is not specific to only blogging, consultants go through this each and every single day, freelancers and at some point down the line, every single job hunter. How many Marketing job interviews don't come with the 'write out a presentation or brief about specific ways you'd improve our Marketing Strategy' and then you are not selected, but your ideas get used anyway. Putting a price on your skills reduces the burnout and feeling of being used. Like Beyonce sings the famous 'If you like it, then you should have a put a ring on it!', you too need to put a price on it so others know how to value it! And remember, just like the cost of living goes up from year to year, your prices can and should too, so revamp your Media Kits!

I'm also toying with a full post on the differences between soliciting someone and trying to bully them, but for now I leave you all with my usual questions to spark some additional thoughts and great conversation on a topic which I'm sure many of you will have very strong opinions on!

Today's Thought/Challenge: What do YOU think butterfly? Do you think the 'business of blogging' will soon change as more bloggers put a price tag on their services? Bloggers what has been your biggest PR or Brand Fail? Why?

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FTC Disclosure: You can best believe that this is NOT a sponsored post! All opinions expressed herein are 100% my own! (Although I'm sure you can find a few hundred thousand bloggers out there who share these sentiments!)