Happy 1 Year Blogiversary To ME

One year ago, on this day, I made the jump from influencer to influencer AND blogger. I know it sounds silly, but it was a scary decision. I knew blogging would require more work, more time and in turn, more effort. It would require me to open up more. It requires me to be consistent.

The fact that people regularly read and visit my blog is such an amazing honor. To think that people take time out of their day and lives to see what I have to say! Wow, you guys, I am beyond humbled and grateful to every person who has managed to land on my page. 

I checked today and saw that I have 33 published blogs in my first year. I honestly hadn’t realized that I had written that many! I do wish that I had written more.

 I sent my payment and renewed my domain for another year. Another year of writing, sharing, learning and growing. Another year to connect, help others and simplify my thoughts. A year to hopefully write MORE than last. A year to outdo my previous year.

With my blogiversary and the New Year being so close together, I have decided to combine some of my resolutions to include my blog goals. Last year, I did this with Instagram Influencing and surpassed any goal I had imagined. This year, I plan to here, with my blog. 

Some of my goals are

1.    More recipes. You guys are aware that I am really working on my lifestyle and what I eat. I really want to start sharing how I am doing that and what I am eating

2.    My health. My health post hip replacement has drastically plummeted. I am hoping to share more of how I am tackling my health obstacles and what those obstacles are.

3.    Custody Issues. This past year I have been under court order to not share any details of our high conflict child custody case. This coming year, I plan to write, share and help others. Little did I know, our system is seriously flawed and so many people are out there struggling with situations similar to mine (custodial interference, lies, mental abuse, neglect).

4.    Amazing products. I will consistently continue to share all things that I love with you guys! Anything that helps make someone’s life easier is a win to that person. As a mom of 5, I have had my fair share of products that genuinely suck, my hope is to help people. I only share products and services that I would USE and pay for myself. I have many times tried products and opted to not share them if they are not up to my standards.

5.    Write more. I wish I could share everyday and maybe someday I will be able to. In the meantime, my goal is to write at least 90 blogs this coming year!

6.    Tips and tricks. I really want to share more of my life hacks and how we keep it together among the chaos.

7.    Listen more. I will be asking more in my Instagram stories for inspiration from you guys – what you want to read! You all sharing your thoughts and ideas mean the world to me and really keep me going!

I am sure I will think of so many more along the way! BUTTTT, this is a good start. 

Sharing my life is not always easy, but the support I have found and the people who say my words have helped them keep me motivated or really helps in anyway, keeps me writing even during the rough times. There is so much more I can't wait to share! Thank you all so much for your amazing support and all the love you give me!

-Laura

Personalized Holiday Cards With Basic Invite

*This is sponsored post, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Sometimes it feels as though a sentimental gesture, such as Christmas cards, is becoming a thing of the past. Growing up, my mom handwrote Christmas cards and includes a year’s worth of notable updates in them. So many times, I say I will do the same, but I allow life to get in the way. 



Finding Basic Invite has been my answer to conveniently being able to create and send personalized cards no matter the time of year! Specifically, this time of year, Christmas cards with photographs are easily creatable. Invitations, birthday cards, announcements, holiday and business cards are all customizable in one easy place. On top of that? There are so many options to pick from! Christmas cards with photographs are the perfect way for me to send a special communication with my family and friends near and far.

If you could pick any color what would it be? No really. Basic Invite has over 180 colors to pick from. Would you go basic Christmas colors or unique colors? It is the perfect way to make sure your card is EXACTLY how YOU want it and really sets Basic Invite apart from other online stationary companies. You additionally have the option of adding foil to your card in gold, silver and rose gold, raised or flat.

I always worry that my cards will not turn out the way I had envisioned them. What do you do what you have 50, 100 or even 200 Christmas cards that you don't like and really don't want to send out because let's face it, that is a real possibility. It happened to me a few years ago so the cards sat in a drawer and never left my house. Basic Invite allows you to print a sample and make sure it is exactly what you want. This is such a huge selling point for me in making my holiday photo cards 2019 absolutely perfect.

Once you create the perfect Christmas card with photographs or christmas party invitation, you want to make sure the packaging is exactly how you want it. Luckily, Basic Invite has you covered. With over 40 different envelope colors to pick from, your christmas party invitation idea and holiday photo cards 2019 will have the perfect finishing touch and presentation.

Making sure your recipients receive their cards or invitation is so simple using Basic Invite. Basic Invite offers an address capturing service which allows you to share a link on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media to request your friends and family’s addresses. What is better is the addresses are stored in your account and can be easily selected anytime. So, taking away the hassle of stamping and labeling your own envelopes ups the convenience factor times a million, in my book!

So now as yourself why haven’t you created any holiday photo cards 2019?

With Christmas and New Years around the corner, the biggest challenge I have now is picking a design and the perfect picture. With so many beautiful options, I want them all, how many Christmas cards with photographs are acceptable to send in one year?



Right now, Basic Invite is offering 15% with coupon code: 15FF51

RUNNNNNN, there is still time to get your holiday photo cards 2019 ordered!



-Laura

Pick Your Party Sweepstakes

*This is a sponsored post. All words and opinions are my own*

Feeling the need to travel? Great news if you are, RITZ, Oreo and Chips Ahoy! have an amazing sweepstakes going on right now. Not only will you be snacking on your favorite snack food, you could win 1 of 4 all-inclusive PARTY trips!

Ok, now the real question, what is the catch? That is always my first question! In this case, it is really an added bonus! You get to enter by purchasing Oreo Party Packs, RITZ Party Packs or Chips Ahoy! Party Packs (http://bit.ly/2NCsLSq). The catch is, snacking on amazing cookies and crackers! And for every PARTY PACK you purchase, you are able to enter.

Next question, how do you go about entering? Entering the Pick Your Party Sweepstakes is not only simple, but fun! By using their fun online method of entering, you get a fun dose of augmented reality! Go online to nabiscoparty.com and follow the instructions. You simply activate the scanner and hold your phone in front of the package! 

Once you have completed the initial scanning, you get to take a fun selfie with your favorite trip's theme! The filters are so much fun, you can even save the photos to your phone! What's best is once you take your self, you are directed to another site where you pick your trip and enter to win it! It is as simple and fun as that!

Now, let's talk PARTY TRIPS! As I stated before, all 4 of the trips are ALL INCLUSIVE!! How amazing, right? 

• Trip 1 - New Years Eve at the BIGGEST New Years Eve party, in New York City!! Bundle up and get ready for some serious fun! I know I watch NYE in Times Square on TV every year, going would be a blast! 
• Trip 2 - St Patrick's Day in the place it all began, Ireland. This trip is definitely the one I would want to win! 
• Trip 3 - Some serious partying in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. I have never been, but have always thought this would be the ultimate party! 
• Trip 4 - BRAZIL! That is right, Rio Carnival in Brazil! Is there much else to say besides, YES PLEASE?!

So now, what are you waiting for?! RUN! Enter this sweepstakes ASAP. I found all of my Party Packs at Walmart in the same isle. This is exactly why Walmart is always my go to, everything is so convenient! 

Keep me posted on all your entries! Can’t wait to find out who the big winners are!

-Laura

Toy Gifts 2019

*Some of these toys were gifted to me, all thoughts and opinions are my own*

With Christmas around the corner, checking off Christmas lists can be a bit frantic. Every year, I struggle with toy ideas for my kids so I decided to put together a some of my favorite toys. Hope you enjoy! (These are in no particular order)

•  Hape Wooden Toys - Sold in multiple stores, they are easy to find and have tons of wonderful options. Their toys are easily filtered by age range which makes it really easy to find toys suitable for the desired age group. They have large and small toys which covers gift giving of any size. 

•  Toy Box Monthly - Why not keep the gifts coming all year? Toy Box Monthly is an amazing toy subscription box. They are delivered monthly and geared for children between 4 and 8. You can pick boys, girls or mixed boxes and the price is only $23 per month with FREE shipping!

•  Owl Crate - Another wonderful subscription box option, but this one gives the gift of reading. Reading is such an important part of our family dynamic so this one is really exciting for me! We were sent the September "Legends of the Deep" themed box and LOVE it. I am including a photo that shows the contents - 2 books, tea bags, a cute fish tea steeper, and a few other fun goodies. Each box contains 4-6 goodies and is geared towards kids 8-12 years old of any gender. The subscription is $27.99 monthly (with discounts for 3, 6 and 12 month prepayments) and shipped world wide (with the exception of Peru, Mexico and Iran). 

•  WowWee - Baby Sharked out yet? Me too, but my kids sure aren't. WowWee has ALL of the Baby Shark options your family could ever want! They even have shark stuffed animals that sing the Baby Shark song to you!

•  Just Play Products - If you don't know what Ryan's World or PJ Masks is, are you even a parent. Just Kidding! Or am I? My kids are OBSESSED with them and Just Play Products has them both plus so many other options including Mickey Mouse. On top of that? They are in every Walmart and Target I have ever set foot in!

•  Octopus Watch by Joy - A smart watch for kids that helps and is cost friendly! It is a win win. It not only helps with time managements and responsibility, the Octopus watch also has a fitness tracker. Check out their website for purchase options and be shocked at how friendly the cost is!

•  Basic Fun - So many amazingly fun options from them! Cutetitos (stuffed animal burritos), mini PacMan arcade style games and Frozen II snow globes are just a few of our favorite options from them! And yes, I said PacMan, so feel free to check out the other mini arcade games for yourself!

•  My B Toys - Honestly, you probably already own several of these! I know we did before I even discovered the toy company. These quircky, fun toys are made in 100% recycled packaging which is one of my favorite aspects of these toys. Anything that helps our world a bit makes me feel so much better!

I could put a million more options, but I think these are definitely more than enough! Hope this helps y'all out!!

- Laura

How To Land Paid Collaborations

As an Instagram Influencer I have found so many different things that work and do not work. I am frequently asked so many questions on how I grew my Instagram and how I go about working with companies. Often, I receive emails from people charging to take their class or have them manage my account. This is your first mistake. You should never have to PAY to be an influencer. 

Influencing is not just posting products, it is posting content that draws followers in, that makes it attractive for a company to work with you. 

So here is my list of what to work on and how to get your page paid worthy and land paid collaborations.

1. Do not try to land collaborations until you have your page looking collaboration ready. Find some great accounts to follow! You can try checking out different hashtags in your niche to find follow worthy accounts. 

2. When I started, my photos were GARBAGE. Seriously. I thought so many were amazing and look back now questioning WHY I really posted those photos. You need high quality photos and trust me when I say, angles are everything. I take hundreds of photos before I get the perfect post worthy photo. I know we all want to post real and raw, but try to do real and raw pretty and eye catching. 

3. Use a preset. There are so many amazing presets out there, but Allie Boss are my favorite. Using a preset will help keep your feed "pretty". Some people do consistently use the same one. I have several and tend to use the photo that looks the best regardless of the preset. 

4. Know your worth! Seriously. Do NOT settle for product only. Photography, posting and staying creative and relevant is a TON of work. It is not post and go, its post and constantly interact with your followers. 

5. Engagement. I will write another blog at a later date on this, but I just want to briefly touch on this. You will not gain followers or be relevant without being seen. You have to get people to want to see your page! Go find them! Comment and like and engage on stories of all sorts of people. It is a great way to connect and to make sure you are being seen. 

6. Do not be afraid to approach companies on your own. How will they know you love them already and want to spread the word if you don't tell them?!

7. Pitch. Look, you can't just email a company and say "Hey, lets collaborate". I don't message random brands that I don't know about ahead of time. I research them and let them know why I love them and why I think my followers will love them. 

8. Grammar. DO NOT blog and Influence if you can't properly write. I saw a girl with close to 100k followers who had 5 run on sentences and apparently had no idea what a comma was. This is not the way to be taken seriously. I am not saying I am perfect, I have to go fix my writing all the time, but you should not be actively trying to do a job like this if you can't write or have someone help you edit. Oh, and, use words in the proper tense - their, there, they're, except, accept, and the list goes on. 

9. Captions. You want your captions to say something, but not too much. Find a happy medium. Do NOT post the same things over and over and over again. Do NOT make your captions too long. 

10. Do not give up! Companies have budgets and certain audiences they are looking for. Do not give up if you don't always get a yes. It takes time. 

11. Have a rate sheet and media kit. If you have questions on these please reach out to me and I will help you!

12. Know that all companies have budgets. One may pay 4 figures and one may pay $100. It is your decision how low and high you are willing to go.

I am always available to answer questions and plan to continue to write FREE blogs on my Instagramming and Blogging tips! You can always reach out to me on Instagram with any questions, concerns or topics you would like to see. 

-Laura 

Nano Well Beings - The Intelligent Wellness App

* This is a sponsored post by Nano. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Nano Premium Quarterly Box

Let's take a moment to talk health. It is without a doubt, what we live by. Unhealthy lifestyles lead to shorter lifespan, worse quality of life and can inevitably be handed down to our children. If you had the opportunity to take more control of sharing your health information and taking charge over it, wouldn't you?

I think the answer is simple, YES! In comes Nano Wellness App! We are anxiously awaiting the release, but in the meantime, why don't we talk about what it is all about! Nano App is an intelligent health an well-being network designed to support you and those you care for! Here is some ways it accomplishes that:

• It is not just an app, but a community -
• With Well-Beings, you are able to join groups tailored to the issues that matter with you and connect with others! For me this will come in so handy for my hive and autoimmune issues!
• Trustworthy resources tailored to you!
•  Ever curious about topic affecting your personal health and wellness? Let them take care of the research for you!
• Family history -
• Ever wonder what it all means and how it affects your health or future health? You can easily create your own Nano (shareable snapshot) that you can share with other family members and doctors. 
• Health Profile -
• Your personal health information that can be securely stored! Keep doctors records, test results, you name it, all in one secure place! (SO NEEDED FOR ME) Even manage your entire family!
• Personalized health -
• Specific recommendations for your personalized health, interest and goals.  
• So Much More!!!

Sign up here for early access to the Nano Wellness App!

What does Nano Premium included? A Quarterly Nano Well-Being box! It includes the best products to support your health and wellness! 

Take a look at what my box included!!

Head over to the Nano site and sign up now!!

-Laura

Our Stay At Hotel Azure Tahoe

**This post is sponsored by Hotel Azure. All words and opinions are my own.**

Tranquil and beautiful is an understatement for not only South Lake Tahoe, but for Hotel Azure. When we arrived at the hotel, I knew immediately, how magical our stay would be! The lake is LITERALLY right across the street from Hotel Azure and the hotel vibe and beauty was so comforting.

Our room was absolutely stunning from the moment we walked in. I was blown away by the size, decor and cleanliness. The room had a living/dining room and separate bedroom which would make it just as perfect for a family to fit in and have comfortable space. The bedroom window offered a generous view of the lake and pine trees as well. From the living room, there was a sliding glass door that led to a patio equipped with furniture and the most amazing view of Lake Tahoe!

The bed was so comfortable! I felt like I was sleeping in my own room. Luxury linens and pillows are not something they skimped on! Waking up refreshed everyday and ready to explore Lake Tahoe was one of my favorite parts of the stay!

Balcony View

Bedroom

Living room

I am not sure about you, but one thing that is important to me when staying away from home is amenities. We love working out so a gym is a must! Hotel Azure has a wonderful workout room with tons of equipment and it overlooks the lake. Who wouldn't want to workout with a beautiful view?! Next to the fitness center is the game room. Air hockey, foosball, books, board games, sitting area and television. My kids would definitely live in the game room or the beautiful pool right outside! The pool and hot tub were so well kept and I noticed the maintenance man checked the pH levels every morning while cleaning them out! The hot tub on a cool night is what my relaxation dreams are made of!

Hotel Azure is located in a perfect part of town. There are restaurants nearby and the casinos are about a 5 minute Uber ride. I even found a TJ Maxx and Goodwill just minutes away (obviously I had to shop). Heavenly Village was just a few miles away and has tons of entertainment including shopping and the gondola! 

My favorite part? Right across the street lies Lake Tahoe. There is a traffic light with a crossing path right in front of the hotel. We found stairs that led down to the lake and crystal blue waters. I am not even kidding when I say you can see right to the bottom! Perfect for summer since there are numerous beaches nearby! 

I am quickly counting down the days to start planning our next vacation to South Lake Tahoe! Hotel Azure is absolutely the place we will stay again and seeing how family friendly it is, we might even take the kids this time! (BIG MIGHT, kids free vacation was so needed!) I would highly recommend them to anyone! Dogs even stay free! 

Can't wait for our next visit!

-Laura