September 21st – Weekly Roundup

• I’ve been somewhat MIA these past few days because I finally launched a new project I’d been planning for a while – a Spanish-language blog. I saw a need, and went for it! My Spanish has gotten rusty over the years, so it’s also great practice for me. If you speak Spanish, or know of anyone that might be interested in something like that, please check it out: Según Mamá (means “According to Mom”)
• Marsy’s birthday was over the weekend, and we celebrated like crazy! It started with Walking With Dinosaurs on Saturday morning (review coming soon) and culminated with cake and presents on Sunday night, with tons of fun in between.
• If you’re a blogger and are interested in being featured on An Island Life, please let me know! I write the column every week. You can leave a comment here, and I’ll get back to you, or email me directly. Kailani has a huge audience and more than 1800 subscribers, so it’s good publicity for your blog. I’d love to know more about my readers, too!
• Actress and Emmy presenter Kate Walsh (“Private Practice”) put America in the stylists’ shoes and asked them to choose her hairstyle for the Emmys Sunday night – and the Modern Bob WON!  Suave celebrity hair stylist Luke O’Connor created Kate’s winning hair for her red carpet strut. Kate paired her high end fashion with affordable finds like Suave Professionals, which are salon-proven to work as well as salon brands. Modern Bob – Get the Look!
  1. Begin with Vibrant Shine shampoo and conditioner from Suave Professionals to restore shine and luster to dull hair.
  2. Next, blow dry hair in sections with a large round brush.
  3. For the side-swept bangs, take the front section and blow-dry back with a large round brush, swooping to the side.
  4. Finally, apply a dollop of Suave Professionals Sleek Anti-Frizz Cream.  Apply first to ends and work your way up to control fly-aways.
  5. Finish the look with Suave Professionals Extra Hold Hairspray.

Fun Post

• Audrey from Mom Generations writes about 5 shoes you should have in your closet.

Cool Website

• I love doodling, whether it be on the margin of my notebook, on my iPod, or online. I found this fun web application called Odosketch, which allows you to create sketches on a digital canvas with just a few clicks of your mouse. There’s also a playback feature that re-creates one’s work from blank page to complete drawing, showing the artist’s every brushstroke (including erases and do-overs).

Food

• Catching up on my blog reading, I found Tara’s secret to the best homemade pizza from last month.

Blogging

• Leticia, otherwise known as Tech Savvy Mama, recently found someone was stealing content from her site and reposting it as their own. She reported it to Google, and the site has since been taken down. Here she gives advice on how to find sites that steal your content. A must-read!
• The hardest part of starting a blog is thinking of a name and finding a corresponding domain. Smashing Magazine compiled a very helpful 10 Tools For Finding, Registering And Managing Domain Names.
• Paying for hosting fees and blog design is just part of it what it costs to run a blog. Lori, a Cowboy’s Wife, gives tips on how to avoid going into blogger debt.

Photography

• I’ve been looking for inspiration to dust off my Nikon D40 and start taking photos as often as I used to. I may have just found the inspiration I need at Digital Photography School, with 7 Photography Projects to Jumpstart your Creativity.

Giveaways

• I extended my Earth’s Best Organics giveaway for an extra 4 days. Enter to win free baby food for your little one! 3 winners. Ends 9/24.
• Is there a Souplantation or Sweet Tomatoes near you? If so, enter to win one of 5 meal passes. But hurry, because this giveaway ends on Wednesday!
• Caryn is giving away a $50 Walmart Gift Card at Rockin’ Mama. Ends 9/25.
• Amy, the Resourceful Mommy, is giving away Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Haven’t seen this yet, but it’s on my list! Ends 9/28.
• Dina, from Just Another New Blog, is celebrating her first blogging milestone – 200 followers – by giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Ends 9/30.
• Robyn is giving away two Wii games – Family Party: 30 Great Games and MySims Racing – at Robyn’s Online World. Both seem like fun! End 9/30 and 10/5, respectively.

Promotions

• Supermodel & TV personality Emme, is hanging out on ParentsConnect all September long to help mamas get gorgeous inside & out! Visit the Make Yourself Over Mama Boot Camp EVERY DAY to learn her beauty tips, style tips, and get a chance to win some beauty swag!
• For the very first time, LittleMissMatched is giving customers the chance to choose a pack of socks EXACTLY the way they want it. You can now choose from best sellers and the new fall line to create your very own, personalized 3-pack of socks. Now you can really go crazy with your creativity!
• NFL fans – win some cute Happy Feet slippers on www.nflslippers.com. Every week they pick 2 Games of the Week and ask fans to visit the site and make a prediction. The fan with the closest score to the winner wins a pair of comfortable slippers with the winning team’s logo and colors. You can see the designs at http://www.buyhappyfeet.com/HappyFeet/NFL-Slippers.

Have a great week!