BOGO sale on all ads!

It's been way too long since I did any kind of ad sale {or any kind of call for sponsors, in general}, so I figured why not right now!  If you purchase ANY ad for the remainder of July, you get August free.  You actually will get the first part of September too... 60 days total! 

That's 2 full months for the price of 1! 

On every ad space!

I've only ever done this for my small and medium ads in the past, so those that snatch up the 2 large ads and the 1 banner ad are really getting a great deal, as you'll also be featured in a highlight post and have the options for a giveaway if you'd like.

Just go to my advertise page and click "buy now" on the ad space you want to purchase.  You'll then be directed to Passion Fruit to upload your amazing banner and make your payment.  That's it!  Your add will go up as soon as your payment is clear and remain on the blog for 60 days!

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at jennifromtheblog at gmail dot com and I'd be happy to answer them!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

So? What do you think??? Personally, I love it! I didn't want to stray too far from the old blog design {which I adored} but I still wanted something new and fresh.

This has been an ongoing process, and with my good friend Steph, we were able to make it happen. I did all of the design work and she did allllll of the HTML. I just love her and really don't know how she puts up with me. No really. I even told her that. After everything was uploaded this morning I said, and I quote straight from G-Chat...

i don't know how you put up with me
i'm such a PITA
but you always do and it always looks perfect
THANK YOU!

She really is the best. So Steph? Again... thank you.

Anyone that's interested in a fresh new blog design, should really check her out. She's offering $5 off any one of her blog designs for JFTB readers so be sure to contact her.

Oh, and let me know what you think!!

And the blog gets Christmasfied.

Come on, you know I had to do something. ;)

Happy December!

Uninspired

I'm feeling extremely uninspired to blog since returning from Disney World. I haven't even really thought about my blog since coming home, actually. I didn't check it once while I was away. I'm just feeling... blah. I've been in my own little world since September 30th and I don't really want to return to the real one. Not yet.

But alas, I'm here.

And then today? I got an email from a reader. And it really upset me. Mean emails and comments usually don't bother me, I delete them and move on. But this one did. I love my readers and all, but this blog has always been for me. I've never tried to hide that.

It's also the end of an era. I removed my blog from Top Baby Blogs. I don't know... I'm just kinda tried of TBB. I just hate asking for votes. I'm over it.

TBB, you and me? We had a good run. And I thank you for the readers you gave me. But I'm moving on. Sorry. No hard feelings, ok? xoxo

So I don't know where I stand right now. I hope to be back soon. I'd love to tell you about the 4-girl baby shower we had for my sister. Or that she went into labor at just 35w pregnant on Sunday night {they were able to stop it.} Or that potty training will be the death of me. Or all the details of our Disney trip. Or even our lovely Sunday at the pumpkin patch with the kiddos that I missed so damn much while we were away.

I'd love to tell you all about it. I hope my inspiration returns soon. I really do. For now? Please bear with me. Because I really do love you guys.

Y3W | A little housekeeping...

This time tomorrow, we'll be in Disney World, so there are a few things I'd like to discuss before we head out for a week...

1. I am not bringing my MacBook. {Ya know, the one that's attached to my hip? Yeah... that one.} This is a vacay away from everything. {Fine, we'll have the iPad to watch the Phillies games... so sue us.}

2. I will have my {very old school} iPhone with me {oh puh-lease release the new iPhone pronto, Mr. Apple} so be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram!

3. I have asked 3 of my very good friends to guest blog for me while I'm away. I have also scheduled 2 posts that I wrote, so be sure to stop back next week for some great entertainment =)

4. I had 3 amazing giveaways end last night. The winners are:

• $250 Cash Giveaway: Entry #61 of 1,400 | Jennifer Kness
• ItWorks Giveaway: Entry #6 of 27 | Tessa
  
• Tantillo Italian Foods Giveaway: Entry #24 of 72 | Rachel

Thank you to all those who entered! The winners can email me and I'll get you all set up to receive your prize!

5. The kids are all packed up. Us? Not so much. I have a "to do" list that is a mile long. I'm at work today, since it's been insanely busy, so I have to be sure to get everything done after we drop off the kids tonight. It's going to be a long night with very little sleep {meh, we can sleep on the plane} but it will all be worth it when we arrive in Disney World by 9:15am right? RIGHT!?!

6. Does anyone have any wonderful Disney tips for us? We downloaded the "Disney Wait Times" app for our phones. Any other fun apps? Tips? Anything we need to know?

7. We made our dinner reservations back in March or April {'Ohana, Le Cellier, Raglan Road Irish Pub, Teppan Edo & Margaritaville in Universal} but do you have any quick-service places that we should try??

8. Tip of the Day: If you are going to Disney World and won't be renting a car {like us} I found a shuttle {thanks to a few emails from readers!} that seriously just calmed my nerves a bit {oh, and saved us a small fortune!} It's the Mears Shuttle and it picks you up right in front of your hotel {yes, even if you're staying in the park} and takes you to Universal Studios. It runs every hour and was only $38 round trip total for both of us. WOOT!

9. Any "OMG you can't miss this" rides? We're going to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios & Universal. {I've never been a fan of Animal Kingdom, so we're skipping it.}

10. I'm doing a little better since my post yesterday. I honestly just want to get the good-bye's over with. It's not that I just want to dump my kids and go, by any stretch of the imagination... it's that I've been dreading this moment for so long, that I just want to get the sadness out of the way already. It's like delaying the inevitable. These next 24 hours will be hard, but I'm hoping I can get past that once we're on the plane.

Whew. That was a lot. Thank you for everything guys... you're seriously the best!

Catch ya on the flip side ;)

So, listen.

Checking in real quick... work is crazy.

So, listen. I just caught up on all my emails and my large ad September sponsor had a family emergency {awww, thinking of you Kristie!} and has pushed her ad back to October. So, my large ads are both SOLD for October, but they're open for September. Yep, like now.

EDIT: Both large ads are sold for September! Thanks so much everyone!

Therefore, I thought I'd offer a little sale:

You can have the large ad for $25 in September!
{normally $35}
It includes:

• 250 x 250 ad button placed at the top of all other ads
• single feature blog post and interview
• 3 social media links
  
• giveaway opportunity {not req'd}
  

Email me if you're interested. First come first serve.

Thanks loves... I'll be back as soon as I can with a "real" blog post. Because? I missed you tons. Here's another picture to hold you over...

I need your help! Pretty please? *muah*

Y3W | Going to BlogHer!

You've probably noticed this button on the side of my blog for about 2-3 months now...

And I'm happy to say that I'm lucky enough to be going to the BlogHer Conference this August in San Diego, CA!!!

I am beyond excited for this opportunity.... you guys have no idea how grateful I am. There are fellow bloggers that are going to be at this conference that I have developed great friendships with and I will finally be able to meet some of them in real life. That's huge. And? I know this sounds crazy, but I actually think I might cry meeting a few... I will just be that excited. {Ahem, Molly.}

Sponsors
First, I would not even have such a lovely opportunity if it weren't for my sponsors Medifast & Boudreaux's Butt Paste. I am oh so grateful for them and I want to send out a huge, gigantic thank you to these two fabulous companies who have supported me for quite some time now.

THANK YOU!

Newbie
Okay, so. After talking to a ton of people and reading a million posts like this very one I'm about to write... here is a newbie's take on this conference.

Paper
Of course, anyone who has ever attended this conference knows... you need business cards. Yes, business cards for your blog. You just meet so many people there and it's nice to exchange names, emails, twitter handles, and of course, blog addresses while you're there.

Below are some of the things I designed for myself...
Stickers {from Moo.com} with my blog button on them. These will be used for my sponsor swag bags {hot pink bags with some sweet Medifast & Butt Paste swag & coupons, etc in them all folded up and sealed with this gorgeous little sticker =}
My blog business cards, complete with a QR code =) {Moo.com}
Media cards. {VistaPrint} These turned out exactly how I envisioned. I wanted them to look like you were seeing my actual blog through a computer screen. They're complete with a Mac logo and camera circle at the top {because that's how I see it everyday =} On the front of the card is my blog URL, and stats/info about my blog...
...and on the back is info about me/the fam =)
Roommates
I'm lucky enough to have some pretty amazing roommates at BlogHer:

Chelsey- The Paper Mama
Kelly- The Turnip Farmer
Stephanie- Goober Monkey

And I can't wait to spend my very first BlogHer with these lovely ladies! Watch out San Diego!

Schedule/Parties
We got the BlogHer11 Pre-Conference Guide a few days ago so I started to make my schedule after reading about some of the sessions, etc. And? It's getting a little bit out of control. {Click to enlarge.}

I'm leaving for the conference a little early... August 3rd, so that I can meet up with some wonderful people and hang out at the beach for the day. It will be so nice to be there before things really kick off on Thursday! And? I can't wait to meet these pretty little ladies in person: Stephanie, Chelsey & Torie. And on Wednesday night, we're hoping to meet up with some more fabulous chicas for a GNO!

But? BlogHer is not all about the sessions and networking though. No. It's really about the parties. Here are a few that I'm super excited about:

{Also? The FlipFlop Wine Tasting Party!}

Attire
But what will I wear?? Seriously... I had to do some reserach about what you should be wearing during the day and then at night to some of these parties.

Warning: I tend to overpack. But Chelsey had a great packing strategy... she said she plans to take 2 outfits for each day and then 1 dress for evening wear. Perfect. Here are a few items I plan to take...

Day 1: Friday
This dress is SUPER comfy and I love it. I also plan to bring a cardigan, of course.
Dress: Kohls

Day 2: Saturday
Shirt: Old Navy | Capri's: Kohl'sExtra outfit #1
Shirt: Old Navy | Skirt: LOFT
Also packing jeans for this outfit!

Extra outfit #2:
Also with a Cardigan.
Dress: Anthropologie
Evening wear...
I've decided to go shopping in my sister Kacy's closet and I'm taking a shit ton of her ADORABLE dresses.

The Limited:
White House | Black Market:
White House | Black Market: {and probably my favorite dress ever}
Now this dress looks adorable on and makes anyone look super skinny. {Skinny? Yes, please!}
White House | Black Market {seeing a trend yet?}
And yet another adorable dress from White House | Black Market:
LOVE.

So, there you have it. I also have to start making a packing list, ya know... so I don't forget my spanx pj's & toothbrush. We'll also be sure to have extra bags {for all that swag we'll be getting} power strips and extra chargers {4 ladies + iPads, laptops, cell phones, etc = a ton of wires everywhere.} I'll also be wearing comfy shoes/flipflops during the day and comfy cute heels at night. Don't want to come home with blisters.

Oh, and did I mention this occurs on my birthday weekend? No? It does. Well, it's close enough since my birthday is the day after we come home!

And, although I am SO EXCITED about going to the conference, I also know for a FACT that I will miss my babies and husband the second I leave. It will not be easy. So although it looks like all fun and games... I will surely be missing my pretty little family back home.

But how often do you get an opportunity like this?

So, thank you to my wonderful husband for taking care of the kiddos while I'm gone. You guys will be missed more than you know. {I know he's rolling his eyes and saying "yeah right" as he reads this. I know it.}

And, to those of you who have made it this far? Bless your hearts.

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Have a lovely weekend!

Help keep us in the #6 spot!!
Thank you!! *muah*

Changing things up a bit!

With July quickly approaching, I'm doing my usual monthly call for sponsors. But? I'm changing things up a bit. =)

As we all know, advertising is one of the best ways to promote your blog/site/shop and what's more perfect then seeing your pretty little ad button on the side of your favorite blog? {No, I'm talking about my blog. Sheesh. ;}

Well, besides the usual ads, I'm now offering ONE large ad per month! This ad spot will have its own feature post highlighting your blog {or shop, or website, etc} with an interview, links to all your social media pages, a giveaway opportunity to further highlight your shop {certainly not required!} and will be placed at the top of all other ads!

Like I mentioned, I will only take 1 large ad per month, so email me now to reserve your spot!

Before you jump on this delightful opportunity, here is a little more info on my ad options and blog stats:

Monthly Pageviews: 62,000 +

All-time Pageviews: 496,000+
Google Friend Connect: 1080+
{Public- 720+ | Private- 360+}
RSS Feedburner: 940+
Twitter: 575+
Facebook : 325+

Email me... I look forward to working with you! =)

As always? Thank you!

Y3W | HELP!

So, they've reset Top Baby Blogs again {like they do every 3 months} and I need your help! Can you take a moment and click below to vote? You can vote once a day! I will love you forever. Okay, fine I will love you forever anyway... but can you still vote? THANKS!! *muah*

And just so my begging isn't the only thing you observe here today... I wanted to share with you a picture I took with my cell phone while out on a boat trip yesterday. Sticking with the Y3W theme, let's call it "view from below" {like that? I just came up with it. Yep, just now.}Bonus points to anyone who can tell me what bridge it is! ;)

Join the Your Three Words Blog Hop!

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Have a lovely weekend everyone and thank you so much for voting! It means so much to me!