Undercover Mama Breastfeeding Tank Giveaway {Something Special For Mom Hop}

I'm so excited to share today's giveaway with you! Undercover Mama is my favorite breastfeeding accessory. I did not receive anything from them to post this giveaway, but they are graciously providing the giveaway prize. I wear Undercover Mama shirts every single day. Literally. Every day. They're amazing!

 

Welcome to the Something Special for Mom Giveaway Hop hosted by the Blogging Mamas Network. Mother's Day will be here before you know it, which is why a group of fabulous bloggers have come together to share gifts and giveaways that are perfect for the special lady in your life! Be sure to hop around to them all, including the Grand Prize of a $100 Gift Card to aka originals! Enter to win the hand stamped jewelry Grand Prize here.

 

Breastfeeding moms, let's talk about fashion. Yes, there are some great clothing options out there these days. Thankfully we're not still in the dark ages when it comes to practical clothing designed for mothers with nursing babies. But what I've discovered is that a lot of times, the really nice nursing clothes have a high price tag to accompany them. I simply don't have the budget to purchase a complete wardrobe just for breastfeeding - especially because a postpartum mom has a body that is constantly changing sizes!

I've been nursing for over three years straight now, and by far, my favorite find for making breastfeeding easier - whether at home or on the go - is the Undercover Mama.

This nursing tank is designed to attach to your favorite nursing bra. You wear it under a normal, non-nursing shirt. The Undercover Mama keeps your skin covered when you pull up a shirt to nurse - but allows super easy access because it's clipped onto your bra. It could not be any more simple.

Undercover Mama is my go to gift for any new mom who is breastfeeding, and I have a secret desire to own one in every single color available. Right now, I have Black, Blueberry, Cream, Gray, Lime, Red, and Brown. Next on my list is definitely Emerald. Or Navy. Or Pink! I've found that I prefer a size smaller than my "normal" size. I like my undershirt to be fairly tight, to keep any extra post-baby skin in place. Make sure you check the size chart before ordering to ensure you get the size you need.

 You can find out more about this awesome company on their website. Make sure you follow along on Facebook and Twitter for contests!

Giveaway

One Director Jewels reader will win a an Undercover Mama nursing shirt of choice! This giveaway will end on May 15 at 11:59pm CST.  This giveaway is open to US readers only.

To enter the giveaway, follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below (you may need Javascript enabled to see the form and it may take a moment to load)! Once you complete the first entry, the other options will open up so that you can complete them as well.  All of the "extra entries" are optional - you can do just one, or as many as you want! Winners will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Once you have finished entering my giveaway, hop on over and enter to win the Grand Prize! Then hop around to enter all of the other fantastic giveaways, too!

So Easy Being Green, Viva Veltoro, the Blogging Mamas Network, and the Something Special for Mom participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations. I received no samples or compensation for featuring Undercover Mama in this giveaway. For more information, you can read my Giveaway Policy and my Disclosure Policy.

Small Business Success with Organization by Office365 from GoDaddy {Giveaway}

This post brought to you by GoDaddy. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

I operate three businesses out of my house: this blog, my drama classes, and my Etsy shop. Sometimes, I think I'm brilliant. Most of the time, I think I'm crazy. Small business ownership is challenging, stressful, fun, and maddening all at the same time.

There are a few things that are especially important to me as the proprietor of my varying enterprises. I want to be sure that each of my brands has its own unique style - but where I have some crossover, I also like for them to be unified. Keeping track of business expenses, sales, sponsors, and more is almost a full time job by itself, so it's crucial to stay organized. Thankfully, organization has always been one of my strong suits (if you saw how many different folders I have to store old emails in, you would probably be shocked) - but even I am challenged in this area sometimes.

I like to sort and answer email on my phone in the morning before my kids wake up and climb off of me to start their day. Email is the only project I typically tackle from my mobile - most of my files are either saved on my laptop or my desktop, so I have to wait until I am at a physical computer to deal with other projects. However, I think that may be changing because I just learned about Office 365 from GoDaddy. Why should this software change my productivity strategy, you ask? It is pretty fantastic because it allows a business owner to access Word, Excel or PowerPoint files, email, contacts, and more from any linked device - and it saves all the changes everywhere! It's like having a business headquartered in the Cloud. Amazing.



I don't have any business employees (yet), but if the day comes, the Collaboration and Online Meeting Solutions offered by Office 365 will certainly be useful. It has the capability to allow multiple users to view and edit a document at the same time. It's like a real life brainstorming session! And another great thing about this software is that there is no advanced IT knowledge required. I set up my account quickly on my own, but Office 365 from GoDaddy is designed for small businesses that don't have IT departments and help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Maybe you already have a small business - or maybe you're thinking of starting one. Either way, here are my top three "must-have" items for running a small business!

1. An Idea - A Really Good One. Businesses succeed when they are able to generate something for their consumers that no one else can make. I am proud of the unique, handmade, one-of-a-kind items for sale in my Etsy shop. I'm thrilled when I can create online content that someone else finds inspiring. But of my three businesses, the most successful is my drama program - which has been running for over ten years now. It's never marketed outside word-of-mouth and continues to grow each year. My business model for the classes are unlike anything I've seen elsewhere, and I believe that's the key to its success.

2. A Computer and a Designated Work Time/Place. When you are first starting out, find the time to sit down and make some goals for your business. While this can be done via a device, I find it easier to have some dedicated work time with a real computer to make sure you know where your business is headed before you jump in headlong. Time set aside just to work on your business model may be difficult to come by if you're a stay/work-at-home mom like I am, but it can be done and it's so worth it.

3. Organization. Regardless of what you are doing or writing or selling, at some point you have to make sure all your ducks are in a row - or you'll have a serious nightmare next tax season. Do yourself a favor and keep track of every business expense and every hour that you work. This is where Office 365 from GoDaddy comes in handy. I can add a Hobby Lobby craft supply receipt to my Etsy spreadsheet immediately after I make the purchase via my mobile, and find it there when I go to balance my accounts later. I can tell you from years of experience that this is more convenient than having a huge pile of receipts to sort through when you've forgotten what half of your purchases were. Please make sure you're keeping business receipts for tax purposes - but ease your organization by entering them ASAP!

What features of Office 365 from GoDaddy would help you most in your small business?

Giveaway

One Director Jewels reader will win a 1-year Office 365 GoDaddy Business Essentials plan, and 1-year .COM, .NET or .ORG domain name registration! This giveaway will end on May 12 at 11:59pm CST. This giveaway is open to US readers only. Winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or prize will be forfeited.

To enter the giveaway, follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below (you may need Javascript enabled to see the form and it may take a moment to load)! Once you complete the first entry, the other options will open up so that you can complete them as well. All of the "extra entries" are optional - you can do just one, or as many as you want! Winners will be contacted by email. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
All views expressed are my own. For more information, you can read my Giveaway Policy and my Disclosure Policy.

Why You Should Use Your Real Camera Sometimes

After Addie was born, I wrote a post about using my cell phone camera all the time because it was more convenient. And, to this day, the majority of my photos are taken with my phone camera. It's almost always with me. It's small and easy to grab and takes decent photos.

But it doesn't take great photos.

Sometimes when I go to clear my camera memory card, I realize that the only things I've photographed in weeks are products for blog reviews, Etsy shop items, or staged photos of birthday parties and crafts. This is not why I bought a fancy camera.

Yes, it's nice to have the proper equipment to take all of those photos - because they are important. However, in twenty years, I will care a lot less about seeing all of the interesting books we read or toys we played with than I will about the photos of sweet little faces and sticky hands and hair that's desperately in need of a cut.

Kids change so quickly. Way, way too quickly. So, snap away with the cell phone when it's the option you have. It may produce some of your favorite photos. But, if you have a nice camera in your possession, get it out and use it.

I snatched this shot with my DSLR in the flower aisle at Hobby Lobby last week.

Take a photo of the sleepy smile of your little one when they first wake up in the morning. Or what they look like when their face is stained with strawberry juice at lunch. Or the glee in their eyes when Daddy comes home from work. 

Don't just shoot at your house. I have so many photos that were taken in our living room. Nothing is wrong with that - but in twenty years, our kids might also be interested in seeing photos of themselves riding in the car or holding your hand at the store or sitting in a Sunday School class with their friends.


Think outside the box and shoot some new photos of your kids this week. Don't miss the opportunity to capture life's littlest moments. They'll be the ones worth remembering someday.

Wordless Wednesday: Take Your Kids To Work Day 2014

Also known as all the plaid and all the cute.

What's New at Adelaide's Attic {April 2014}

I haven't posted an Etsy shop update in a long time, because I haven't had a lot of time to craft! Finally last week, I was able to finish quite a few outstanding projects, and there are some new beauties in my shop! I'm most excited about the Disney Princess inspired hair clips - I just wish my daughter had enough hair to wear them! Maybe one of these days? 

Adelaide's Attic by Director Jewels is growing as a shop, and it's such a fun business venture. I'm highlighting a few of my favorite new items below. Please share with a friend if you see something they might love. Use coupon code DJBLOGREADER for 10% off your purchase in the shop anytime - just because I'm happy you're here!

Mint Rosette Headband on Houndstooth Band by Adelaide's Attic

Set of 8 Disney Princess Inspired Hair Clips by Adelaide's Attic

Miniature Owl Plush Toys by Adelaide's Attic

Set of Elsa & Anna Disney Frozen Inspired Princess Hair Clips by Adelaide's Attic

Navy & Pink Chevron Rosette Headband by Adelaide's Attic

Owl Ribbon Tag Security Lovey Blanket by Adelaide's Attic

Individual Disney Character Inspired Hair Clips by Adelaide's Attic

If you're a blogger who would be interested in featuring my shop in a review and giveaway, feel free to send me a message! I only take on a small number of promotions at a time, but I'd love to get you on my schedule.