• A Place to Call My Own

    by  • January 30, 2012 • 1 Comment

    I work at home, which calls for a quiet place where I can think while I’m writing articles and blog posts, reading emails, and doing the other miscellaneous tasks that come with the job. However, until this week, I didn’t have much in the way of quietness or productivity. I was working out of our master bedroom. James placed a small desk in the corner of the room, and it wasn’t much, but it gave me a flat surface to rest my laptop so that I could get my work done. Most of the time though, it was easier just to sit on the bed and work. Yes, this was a disaster, as I’m not as productive sitting anywhere but at a table or desk when I work.

    Having a three bedroom house and one child, we have a spare bedroom. We were using it as a guest room, but since no one stays overnight, and when they do they complain the futon is too hard, we decided to clear it out and convert  it into my home office. We moved the small desk from our bedroom into this room.

    The futon was sold to make room for me and my things. It’s still not a lot, but I am saving to purchase a better desk so I have more storage space for office supplies and files. I am thinking about moving the printer in here from James’ desk in the living, since I am the only one that prints.

    Needless to say, I am much more productive now that I have a place to call my own. I like that I can come in here and get away from the distractions of family, TV, and everything else that was keeping from working before. Plus, sitting in a chair rather than on my bed makes me feel more alert and ready to work. I know that I can’t leave this chair until I’m finished, so I get my things done a lot quicker now!

    For those of you who work at home (or blog), do you have a home office? If not, where you get your work done?

    Guitar Related Things

    by  • January 28, 2012 • 0 Comments

    My husband is really into guitars. He currently has an inexpensive one that I bought him for Christmas about four years ago, and he would love to replace it with something name brand and more expensive. He’d also like to have a guitar stand to hold this instrument in when he’s not playing it. Given that we have a small child in the house, I don’t think it’s wise to invest in something expensive at the moment…especially since he allows said small child to play the cheap guitar at 16 months old! :)

    My First Blogging Conference!

    by  • January 27, 2012 • 2 Comments

    This past weekend, I happily purchased my first blogging conference ticket. I will be attending Reviewer’s Retreat this June. I am beyond excited. I have been blogging for almost 5 years, but I still feel so new and behind on some of the modern practices of the blogging world. I’ve only been doing product reviews, hosting giveaways, and trying to really increase my following since October. Hopefully, after this summer, I will have a better grasp on everything that I need to do in order to be successful with this site!

    What is Reviewer’s Retreat?

    Straight from the website:

     

    Reviewer’s Retreat is first conference geared specifically toward the issues and challenges faced by bloggers in the product review genre, a topic that is lacking from most conference agendas.

     

    There are lots of informative sessions to attend as well as numerous chances to get to know fellow bloggers and the sponsoring brands in attendance. Because it is specifically designed for bloggers who review products, you also get to learn more about the important concepts, including pitches, photography, and keeping stats. I am particularly excited to learn how to work better with brands. I also can’t wait to meet some of the familiar faces I frequently see on blogs!

    Who’s Speaking?

    A long list of speakers will be there to teach the different aspects of being professional with your blog. One that I am anxious to hear from is Amy Bellgardt from Mom Spark Media. I just joined the community over there, and already I love it! Amy’s site is always informative, and I’m sure she will have plenty of good info to share.

    Another speaker I can’t wait to see is Megan Paullin from Sunshine and Sippy Cups. I have been following her blog for a while now, and she’s awesome! Every week, she posts blogger opportunities that are so helpful…I seriously stalk her website all day on Wednesday, waiting for that post! :) Hearing from her at the conference will no doubt be beneficial as well!

    The Location

    This year, the conference is held at the Great Wolf Lodge in Concord/Charlotte, NC…which is an experience in itself! The hotel has a huge indoor waterpark that you can enjoy as part of your stay. There are a number of other activities as well, such as an arcade and miniature golf. James and Sawyer are tagging along, so they will be able to have lots of fun “daddy/son” time while I’m soaking up all the blogging knowledge I can.

    You can learn more about Reviewer’s Retreat by following the #RevRet12 hashtag on Twitter or visiting the website!

    Disclosure: I wasn’t compensated or asked to write this post. I’m just excited about my first blogging conference so I decided to share info about it with my readers!