a blog for women… I'm just sayin'

Do you remember this commercial? For all you youngsters [wink wink] Peter Brady is the middle son from the 1970s hit show The Brady Bunch.

The promo jingle back in the day was that “Go Go power” of Cheerios. Today Cheerios promotions focus on Oats, know as the Heart Superfood. My boys ate Cheerios for breakfast and mom gave them to us too. It’s amazing how far we have come with food and ads yet the old standards remain. According to the Cheerios website “Three grams of soluble fiber daily from whole grain oat foods, like Cheerios® cereal, in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease. Cheerios cereal provides 1 gram per serving.” As a fan of Cheerios® for many years now, I am elated to announce two fabulous “Do What You Love” contest giveaways!

The first contest is huge and oh so exciting! Cheerios is collaborating with country music superstar Martina McBride and professional athlete Cal Ripken, Jr. for the “Do What You Love” Contest.

Now through July 23, 2010, submit a 150-250 word original story and photo, highlighting what you love to do for a chance to win an experience of a lifetime! http://www.cheerios.com/love

1. One music lover (and a guest) will tour the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum with McBride; hang out with her in her recording studio – the world famous Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tenn. – and even get VIP tickets to one of her upcoming concerts.
2. Another lucky baseball enthusiast (and a guest) will have the chance to hang out and play catch with Ripken and to tour the Ripken Youth Baseball Academy in Aberdeen, Md., with the “Iron Man” of baseball himself. Additionally, the winner will throw out the first pitch at the Cal Ripken World Series as well as attend a Baltimore baseball game seated in Ripken’s reserved seats.

The second “Do What You Love” giveaway is being sponsored right here – ya!

Thanks to Cheerios and MyBlogSpark for providing me with a “Do What You Love” prize pack, the contest information, and a prize pack to share with you all!  The “Do What You Love” prize pack includes one box of Cheerios and a $25 American Express^® Gift Card that you can use towards doing what you love.

How to Enter

Mandatory Entry – Leave a comment telling us what you love to do!

For two more chances to win the prize pack:

Second Entry – Follow me on twitter and leave a comment with your twitter name.

Third Entry – Copy and tweet to your followers:

Cheerios “Do What You Love” Contest & Prize Pack  http://bit.ly/dd0zVL #mbsspark @WomanMomFriend

One Winner will be chosen Sunday July 25 via Random.org – Giveaway is open to US residents only per sponsor rules. Good Luck!

Since incurring those nasty hacks in May on GoDaddy, I have been checking out other hosting providers. From what I have gathered thus far, the smaller companies were not hit so badly. I came across this offer for one year of free hosting and thought I would share it with you.

Robson Communications Inc. is located in Vancouver, Canada. They provide hosting plans with UNIX and Windows servers. All hosting plans included a 30 day money back guarantee, are business ready with instant activation, no monthly contract, and no setup Fees. For a limited time Robson is offering 1 Year Free Website Hosting. No strings attached, no commitment, and Robson will even migrate you from your current hosting provider free! Use Promotion Code: VHP25589 but hurry, offer expires Sept 30, 2010.

Free pens yeah!!  That is what I think when someone hands me a promotional pen. Logos are everywhere. Check out your desk drawer or desktop. How many pens, pencils, or mouse pads are imprinted with a business name or logo? How about in your kitchen, I will bet there are sport bottles, can openers, or coffee mugs advertising businesses. Not only are logo-imprinted products everywhere, often times they are within easy reach as well. Imprinted products are used to promote a product, service, or company program however, do they really work.

In 2004, a study of more than 800 business travelers, both men and women, was conducted at the Dallas International Airport area by P.P.A.I. The results indicated that at least 71% received a promotional product within the previous 12 months. Of that 71%, more than 33% had the promotional product with them, 76% could recall the advertisers’ name, and 52% conducted business with the company advertised! Over half  who did not do business with the advertising company said they would do business with the company that gave them the product. Impressions last and as you can see one of the primary advantages of using promotional products is the frequency of exposure.

My husband has been pondering the idea of using promotional products for our business. He took a local survey concerning the type of promotion product to use. Surveying numerous family, friends, and business associates whether they preferred a pen, magnet, or key chain revealed pens were the most popular. So my personal response  is a common one, not limited to women. People like free pens!  Consequently, I did a bit of internet browsing at USimprints.com and I was impressed.

In operation for more than fifty years, USimprints believes, “… people make the difference and use this belief to assure branding your custom logo on any of our promotional products will make your business stand out in the eyes of the people who have made and will make it succeed on a level your company has never before reached.”

In my opinion, contact information is most important when shopping online. Generally, I will not do business with a company that does not offer “real people” to contact. This company gives the customer several means of contact. Live chat is available to answer general questions and an 800 number for specifics. I did call the 800 number, no waiting and a very friendly, helpful woman answered all of my questions directly.

They put forward over 300,000 promotional products, including sport bottles, pens, pencils, mugs, and even umbrellas. The company offers a lowest price ‘exact match’ guarantee too. The terms of this guarantee are clearly outlined, conveying a sense of honesty. On the subject of pricing, as with most other promotional companies, the larger the quantity ordered, the lower the price per promotional product. As of this writing, there are 124 rush order promotional products available at no extra charge.

As a result, I will be getting a quote for promotional products from USimprints.com for our small business.

I would like to leave you with just one question, do you think promotional products afford the same exposure for blogs?

Being quite fond of cooking (and eating) you can imagine how excited I was when I learned of Thinkfood, a Food Blogger cookbook project collaborated with Posit Science.

The Thinkfood cookbook features 50 delicious, original, brain-healthy recipes, each created by a different food blogger.  In addition, what is even more exciting is anyone can sign up for the Recipe of the Week program. With this, you receive and preview a tasty new recipe from the cookbook, delivered to your inbox every week…. Imagine getting fifty brain healthy recipes free!  Included is information about the foodie blogger who created the recipe, exclusive cooking tips, and the science behind the brain healthy foods and nutrients in the recipe.

photo - Carrots 'N' Cake: carrotsncake.com

The first week ThinkFood shared with me this awesome Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie by Tina Haupert and this week the recipe is a main course dish, Garlic Salmon over Spinach by Kristen, author of Dine & Dish.

The ThinkFood area of Posit Science has a whole host of information is offered regarding brain healthy foods in addition to the weekly recipe. Below is as excerpt from the ThinkFood glossary:

“Sage – Sage has long been thought to have medicinal properties, and current science has borne that out. Administration of sage or sage extracts has been shown to improve memory, attention, and mood in healthy young adults, and may improve outcomes in Alzheimer’s disease. Reference: 23

23. An extract of Salvia (sage) with anticholinesterase properties improves memory and attention in healthy older volunteers. http://bit.ly/ThinkFoodSage1

The pharmacological effects of Salvia species on the central nervous system. http://bit.ly/ThinkFoodSage2

Effects of Salvia officinalis L. (sage) leaves on memory retention and its interaction with the cholinergic system in rats. http://bit.ly/ThinkFoodSage3

Medicinal plants and Alzheimer’s disease: Integrating ethnobotanical and contemporary scientific evidence. http://bit.ly/ThinkFoodSage4

Salvia lavandulaefolia (Spanish sage) enhances memory in healthy young volunteers. http://bit.ly/ThinkFoodSage5

Positive modulation of mood and cognitive performance following administration of acute doses of Salvia lavandulaefolia essential oil to healthy young volunteers. http://bit.ly/ThinkFoodSage6 ”

I thought it interesting to learn that Sage may improve the memory. This is a helpful tip for those approaching middle age. Being a bit beyond that, I have noticed that my memory is not what it used to be. Perhaps I should load up on the Sage?

Oh, I am sooo excited about this giveaway! You all know how I love to cook and being among the first to prepare and taste a new dish, Woo Hooo! Here’s a sample of the email I received from My Blog Spark, “… Enjoy cooking a sophisticated, restaurant-quality meal in the comfort of your own home. Each variety includes vibrant and flavorful sauces along with specialty ingredients like sweet basil, white wine and dried tomatoes. Delicious dinners that allow you to keep a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing taste, Good Earth dry dinner kits are perfect for whipping up a no-fail, five-star cuisine in less than 30 minutes.100% whole grain, no trans fat, no artificial flavors, no artificial preservatives, no MSG – just add meat and, voila! Dinner is served…”

At this point I was thinking, Oh yeah count me in!

The message went on to explain the gift pack, “We will send you a Good Earth gift pack that includes a Good Earth Mediterranean Chicken dry dinner kit, two sets of bamboo flatware, two bamboo dishes, a bamboo utility board and a 100% recyclable grocery tote. Additionally, we will provide you with another Good Earth gift pack to offer as a giveaway to one of your readers. “

An immediate YES response was sent!

read more »