Musings From My Minivan
2010 has been quite a year for me, with serious highs and lows. But through it all I have had some fantastic, inspiring, hard working company. On this very special, final Follow Friday of 2010 I want to acknowledge some people who I think you should take notice of. [Read more...]
I want to thank everyone who contributed to my Kmart, Giftcard Giveaway conversation. I am pleased to announce that as a result of their spirited comments, Tiffany and Zoope have each won a $100 giftcard for Kmart. 
Congratulations! [Read more...]
Giveaway alert! Starting Monday morning and finishing Wednesday I will be posting giveaway’s for Sears and Kmart. 5 chances for you to win $100 gift cards to use towards your holiday shopping for someone special in your life, or maybe for yourself. (No shame in that. You’re special too!) Here’s how this will work. Tomorrow morning I will publish a post about Sears, and Tuesday morning I will post about Kmart. The posts will highlight the changes that have been made to the stores to make your shopping experience more efficient and enjoyable this holiday season, and all year long.
“Enough already, How do I win Miss Lori?!” [Read more...]
Last year I attended several holiday parties sponsored by some great brands. But one party in particular has stuck with me all year long…literally. Dove Ultimate Visibly Smooth deodorant. Not what you were expecting me to say, huh? I’m sure, but it’s true nonetheless, and very relevant. However, truth be told, the only time I really noticed this deodorant was when I ran out of it. As they say, “you’ll miss me when I’m gone.” I didn’t notice my Dove Ultimate Visibly Smooth deodorant for the whole last year that I was using it because it silently and smoothly did its’ job. And it did it so well that I didn’t give it a second thought, (or a first thought for that matter). [Read more...]
Listen Up! Okay, after the PR pitches I’ve been receiving these last few weeks it seems to me that we are in need of a reminder post about PR and Social Media. Now I am not an expert, I am just a working stiff in this Social medium. However, I do know a thing or two about a thing or two. (Hopefully some of my even more knowledgeable friends will chime in with their two cents as well. Hint, Hint). But here is the list of my four top pet peeves, I mean suggestions, to PR folks out there to improve their social media interactions. [Read more...]
You know why being a social media influencer/marketer/business person is so spiritual for some people? Because of the work that’s necessary you to do in order to define your niche. When you work in a job, no matter the hours, (9 to 5, 10-2, 7-11), that job defines itself. You don’t have to dig deep to give it an identity. But when you build a brand online through a blog, (micro or full), you have to do a level of self exploration not usually required in corporate America. You have to identify who you are from the inside out so you can cultivate your voice. [Read more...]
Sponsored By
Cheerios® is giving you the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, your ultimate family vacation. As part of a paid promotion for their “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, Cheerios® is sponsoring my post today about what my ultimate family vacation would be. Read mine, Enter the Sweepstakes for a chance to actually win your own fantasy family trip or one of a bunch of other great prizes.
My ultimate family vacation? Oh my, that’s a tough call. Having just returned from the picturesque Miami, where all I could think about was how much my kids would have loved to swim in the ocean, I suppose I could say that; a vacation to the ocean. Awesome, yes. But ultimate? Not so much. For me an ultimate vacation, assuming I don’t have to worry about costs, needs to do three things:
Now my kids are 7, 9 & 12; girls on the bottom, boy on the top. They have a variety of interests when it comes to entertainment. And because of their varied ages and height differences, (my 12 year old is 6ft tall already), they have different physical needs and limitations for activities. And of course, they are loathe to spend time with each other on purpose.
While sitting in the Fort Lauderdale airport struggling to come up with an idea for this post I happen to overhear a man talking about a cruise. A cruise? Hmmmm. I inch a little closer, eavesdropping on his conversation. He starts talking about a sprinkler park, comedy shows, ice capades… Ice Capades! Ok, now I simply have to know more. So, I dismiss all pretense of eavesdropping and ask him blatant questions. Where did he go? What was it like? What activities did he participate in? Not only did I get insightful answers. I got to see pictures. (How fortuitous is that?) Turns out my new friend and his family went on a cruise to St Thomas, Puerto Rico and a private island in Haiti. Apparently all three places had gorgeous beaches and shopping, but the private island had zip lines in the hills. ZIP LINES, WOW!
Immediately I fired up my computer and checked out some of the cruise lines out there, and what I found was remarkable. As you would expect I found cruises going all over the World, exploring sights that would not just be pleasurable, but enlightening. Places like the Bahamas, Bermuda, Mexico, Alaska, even the Panama Canal! However, the biggest bonus happens on the ship itself. I found children’s clubs separated by age, such as 6-8 year olds, 9-11 year olds and 12-14 year olds. And for those groups there are specialized activities such as spin art, volcano creation, dodgeball, karaokee, and pool parties to name a few. And this is in addition to sprinkle parks, wave pools, basketball courts, miniature golf and more on deck. While the kids are engaged, adults have play time or relaxing time of their own. However, this isn’t just limited to daytime, there are plans in place for kids to be occupied in the evening hours too. making it possible for adults to attend evening shows, dance in a nightclub, or just have a quiet dinner.
Wait a minute! Let me get this straight. There are on board cruise kid clubs separated for 7, 9 and 12 year olds, with supervised, and engaging artistic, musical and physical activities. These clubs allows for an adult, (say me), to have some personal time to re-energize before rejoining the kids for family fun?! That is the ultimate. My ULTIMATE FAMILY Vacation.I want to take my kids on a cruise to a new World across the sea. A wild adventure which will have us dancing in sprinklers and on nightclub floors, swimming in wave pools and on white sandy beaches. Eating in ornate restaurants and in shore cafes. I want to make a memory with my children that will bring us closer by attending to our individual needs. Sign me up today!
Now, I just have to get over my lifelong fear of cruise ships. Minor technicality, right? 
Don’t forget to enter the “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, for a chance to win your own ultimate family vacation. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.
SMILE On!
ML
Level 6: Miss Lori was compensated for posting about the event mentioned in this post.
Miss Lori can be found Musing from her Minivan at MissLori.TV , Wearetherealdeal.com , YoungChicagonista , ChicagoMomsBlog , and ChicagoMoms.com. You can also see her Activating to Be Great at Miss Lori’s CAMPUS on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
This weekend I am in Miami’s South Beach at the glorious Ritz-Carlton. No, not for vacation, for something even better. Blogalicious! What is Blogalicious you ask? Well, it is a blogging conference. But not just any blogging conference, the blogging conference of the year! (at least that’s what they say on the website, and so far I think they are right.) This is only the sophomore year for this conference. Last year was their inauguration in Atlanta. I wasn’t able to be there, but I did log on through Twitter. In fact, I got so engrossed in the conversations that were coming out of the sessions that I nearly got Twitter blocked for all of my tweets. On top of that, I was contributing so much to the conversation, when Kim Coles, (who favors me a little in stature and hair), came into the session room in Atlanta people started tweeting that I was there, mistaking her for me. It was crazy, but it furthered solidified the need for me to attend this year. So, here I am. But that’s not the real reason I am here. [Read more...]
Do you blog naked? The FTC guidelines expect you to. It’s not so bad though really. It’s not like that nightmare you’ve had since you were little where you have to give a speech in front of your classmates in the buff. No, blogging naked is just about keeping your community informed about your marketing relationships so that they understand what is motivating and influencing your posts. Ever since the FTC released their revised guidelines in 2009 there has been continued confusion, and much discussion, in the social media community about how to be in compliance. One thing is clear, there are no storm troopers coming to get you. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need to pay attention to the changes, and adapt your ways of blogging, tweeting and updating. However, it’s not as difficult as you think. The meat is in your disclosure page on your blogsite, which I’ve mentioned in previous posts. But once you have that it’s all about practical application. Disclosure: these are my personal opinions and not the opinions of the FTC or it’s registered agents. ;) [Read more...]
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