MEET & GREET # 20: JENILEE FROM SIX IN THE NEST.

 
Your Name: Jenilee

Where do you blog? http://www.sixinthenest.com

How did you decide on what to name your blog?
I have six children, so I was trying to think up a good "play" on that... and I LOVE birds, so Six in the Nest seemed to come naturally.

Tell us a little about you... 
Well, I am a mother and wife. I am 27 years old. I have my associate's degree in healthcare administration, and I currently work at a nursing home as a CNA and at the United States Post Office as a rural carrier. I am a MAJOR procrastinator a lot of the time, and tend to be pretty forgetful... I blame it on my crazy life!


Tell us 5 of your favorite things, and 5 of your least favorite things.
Favorite Things:

• 1.  My Family
• 2. The internet
• 3. The color green
• 4. Birds 
• 5. Spring

Least Favorite Things:

• 1. Death
• 2. Liars
• 3. Vomit/Spit
• 4. Chapped Lips
• 5. Little boys' aim

When and why did you start blogging? 
 I originally started back in October 2009 I believe...but didn't blog regularly until my friend Skye started blogging. It made me interested in it and she introduced me to review blogging.

 What do you blog about?
Family, life, reviews, giveaways...whatever else I feel like sharing.

What does your family think of your blog? Do they read it?
My immediate family loves it.. my exteded family reads it sometimes, not sure what they think of it.

When do you find the time to blog?
Lately, I don't. :/ I have been SOO busy, but I am getting back into "the swing of things" and I will be taking more time in the evening to write again!

What is your favorite blog post ever? 
 Hmm. Hard to choose! How about this one: http://www.sixinthenest.com/2011/05/family-photosincredibly-difficult-with.html

What has been your biggest blogging challenge?
I didn't realize how much work it really is. It is difficult for me to be organized like I need to. I've lost my review lists (when my children took my notebook)...that was devastating! I still have companies emailing me because I had forgotten to post their review. I also struggle with finding time most days to actually write, which is disappointing because I really do love to write.


What advice would you give a new blogger? 
 Google is your best friend! I have learned SO much just from searching for the answers to questions I have.

What are your favorite blogs to read?
 I haven't had a chance to really read any blogs recently, but I do have many blogging friends and I love to catch up with their blogs when I can!

Where can we find you? 
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sixinthenest
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SixInTheNest
Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/117094548336943918224/

MEET & GREET # 19- BRI FROM ECO BABY MAMA DRAMA

Your Name: Bri

Where do you blog? http://www.ecobabymamadrama.com/

How did you decide on what to name your blog? 
I knew I wanted something with ‘eco’ and ‘baby’ because my focus when I started was baby products as I was a new mom again and my best friend actually came up with the name and it made me laugh so I ran with it! 

Tell us a little about you...
Tell us 5 of your favorite things, and 5 of your least favorite things.
Favorite Things:

• 1. My 3 boys (even though they drive a mama crazy!)
• 2. Being a stay at home mom
• 3. Sweets (salty is yummy too!)
• 4. Watching Law shows
• 5. Finding a great deal

Least Favorite Things:

• 1. Mean people
• 2. Rude people
• 3. Liars
• 4. Scalloped Potatoes
• 5. A huge store that starts with W

When and why did you start blogging?
 I started my own blog in April after being a contributor on another blog for quite awhile, I wanted to expand the things I was able to write about and what better way to do that then start my own blog and have full control of the topics

 What do you blog about?
 Pretty much anything that is family friendly, I love environmentally friendly products for reviews especially

What does your family think of your blog? Do they read it? 
My immediate family thinks it is great and support me a lot, my extended family doesn’t really get it.  My 13 year old follows me and reads every post (he is an email subscriber!) and my husband proof reads for me sometimes but my extended family doesn’t really follow me.

When do you find the time to blog?
 I get about a 30 minute window daily between nap time starting and my oldest arriving home from school so finding time is a challenge

What is your favorite blog post ever?
Probably this one (http://www.ecobabymamadrama.com/2011/08/positive-diagnosis-update-on-tates.html) it is the update to a 5 part series in which I shared my youngests struggle with c-diff.

What has been your biggest blogging challenge?
 I struggle with every post, I am a very insecure writer and never know if my posts are too long, too short, or just not interesting.  I am also very tech challenged so simply watermarking a picture is difficult for me.

What advice would you give a new blogger?
 Network, make other blogging friends, they are invaluable

What widget or feature could you not live without?
Since I am tech challenged I don’t really use a lot of widgets honestly

What are your favorite blogs to read?
 I used to read tons of blogs however I rarely am able to now as any free time I have I spend working on my own blog

Where can we find you? 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EcoBabyMamaDrama
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/EcoBabyMamaDram
Email Subscribe: http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=EcoBabyMamaDrama

MEET & GREET # 10- SUSAN HEIM- ON PARENTING

I want to welcome a great blogger to Books R Us. Susan is the owner of On Parenting. Please visit Susan's blog and you may learn something new and interesting. Stop by every Monday for a new featured blogger of the week

Your name: Susan Heim

Where do you blog?

Susan Heim on Parenting (http://susanheim.blogspot.com)

How did you decide on what to name your blog?

Since my name was already linked to parenting through a book I’d written, I wanted to do the same thing with my blog. “Susan Heim on Parenting” is not very creative, but it tells you exactly who I am and what my blog is all about!

Tell us a little bit about you... I’m married and have four sons. Two are in college, and my twins are in second grade. I’m originally from Michigan, but I’ve lived in sunny South Florida for more than twenty years. I work at home as an editor and writer. I love to write parenting books, and I’ve worked with Chicken Soup for the Soul for eleven years.

Tell us 5 of your favorite things, and 5 of your least favorite things...

Favorite things:

Travel

Colin Firth

Jane Austen books (I named one of my sons Austen)

Coconut-flavored and -scented things

Warm weather

Least favorite things:

Big egos

Public speaking

Reality TV

Vegetables

Frogs

When and why did you start blogging?

I started blogging in 2006 when my first parenting book, Oh, Baby! 7 Ways a Baby Will Change Your Life the First Year, was published. I wanted another outlet for providing parents with great information and product reviews.

What do you blog about?

I blog about all kinds of issues related to parenting. I try to cover all the bases, from pregnancy through college. I also feature family-friendly product reviews and giveaways.

What does your family think of your blog? Do they read it?

I live with five guys -- my husband and four sons -- and they’re not the least bit interested in what I write. But that’s okay because it gives me the freedom to write about them!

When do you find the time to blog?

I write when my seven-year-old twins are at school and after they go to bed. But I’m always checking email and squeezing in work whenever I can.

What is your favorite item you ever reviewed?

The NOOK Color Reader’s Tablet from Barnes and Noble (http://susanheim.blogspot.com/2011/05/perfect-mothers-day-gift-nook-color.html)

What brand or product would you really like to work with/review?

Well, my minivan is seven years old… So, if you’re reading this and you’re looking for bloggers to review cars or vans, I’d LOVE to work with you!

What has been your biggest blogging challenge, and how did you overcome it?

I wish I knew more about computer programming and creating graphics. I’ve learned a lot just by trial-and-error and Internet research, but I wish I knew more. Fortunately, my husband is a genius when it comes to computers, so he can usually get me running pretty quickly if my computer crashes.

What advice would you give a new blogger?

Learn as much as you can and then do what is right for you. When I first started blogging, I didn’t know much about it! But I subscribed to a lot of other blogs and studied what they did.  I became proficient at using Twitter and Facebook to bring readers to my blog. But, at the same time, I don’t always follow the crowd. Just because something is new or popular doesn’t mean it’s always best. Many times, I go with my instincts.

What widget or feature could you not live without? I’m a Twitter-aholic. I love Twitter, and it’s been so beneficial in growing my blog.

Where can we find you?

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ParentingAuthor

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SusanHeimOnParenting

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/susanheim

Author Site: http://www.susanheim.com

TwinsTalk: http://www.twinstalk.com

Email: smhparent at hotmail dot com