Let’s Get Ready with Cedar Valley Publishing

How to build a successful business and brand on a shoestring budget is something all mom entrepreneurs wish they could figure out. Stacey Kannenberg was able to accomplish just that.

She left corporate America to be a stay-at-home mom with the idea of starting her own home business. After being inspired by the Oprah Show, Kannenberg said he had her ‘aha moment.’ She has now sold 60,000 copies of her self-published book line, broke into the school market and garnered over 700 mom blog reviews.

As an author, publisher, consultant, blogger, speaker, motivator, keynote, spokesmom and Mom CEO, Kannenberg now runs four companies from home, while balancing her family schedule as well. Her books include: Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten!, The Spanish/English Edition iA Prepararse Para Kindergarten! and Let’s Get Ready For First Grade! They are used inside homes, preschools, head start programs, libraries and inside over 400 school districts, nationwide.

In addition to being an author and presenter, Kannenberg also blogs. She has created a national platform “Get Ready To Learn Mom” and her blog features “Let’s Get Ready” topics on education, parenting, product and book reviews, publishing and Mom Entrepreneurship.

She also does consulting work on the side to help support her publishing business.

Kannenberg definitely suggests social networking as a key marketing tool. She is active on more than 40 networking sites. She has been on hundreds of radio shows, featured in over 30 magazines, 25 newspapers and over 30 television segments.

Her books can be found here, and her blogs can be found here and here.

Should you, or someone you know, be featured in Success 101? E-mail Dawn at info@marketmommy.com to find out how. Be sure to include Success 101 in the subject line.

As a parent, I’m sure you’ve encountered the same thing I did when our girls were younger — the boxes, wrapping paper and bows were way more fun for the babies and toddlers than the gift was!  Since then, when I hear of a friend or neighbor who is getting a new appliance, I immediately ask if we can have the box from the item - it becomes a castle or a fort or the coolest clubhouse on the block!

Enter www.BoxWorks.biz - the coolest website I’ve seen in a long time!  Not only is Jason promoting the GREEN life that I so desire for myself and for others, he’s offering some exceptionally entertaining fun - instructions for box creations such as fire engines, jets and SO much more!

Here’s an illustration of how to make a candy bag out of a box:

The whole goal is to get kids engaging in building, spending quality time with their parents and re-using resources to create fun things they can then play with.

Visit www.BoxWorks.biz today!

Since I’ve been promoting a more GREEN world, I wanted to share a couple of contests with you, that www.GreenHalloween.org is promoting!

Follow these links to some Green Halloween contests:

• Green Halloween® T-shirt Design Contest
• Crayons® Beverages Pumpkin Design Contest
• BabyLegs Photo Contest

Don’t wait!  Begin to change the world around you, one GREEN Halloween at a time!  And if you do, please leave a comment and tell us how you’ve “turned GREEN”!

Steph from www.findingchaos.com is our big winner for the beautiful www.smartmomjewelry.com necklace.

CONGRATULATIONS, Steph!

Please email me at stacey (at) cedarvalleypublishing (dot) com with your mailing address, and I’ll get this stunning necklace to you.  As I look at your blog, you are most deserving and in need of this lovely gem!

Many people want to be greener, but they’re unsure how to get started. In my latest appearance on The Morning Blend, I offer suggestions on how to make celebrations more green-friendly.  Great tips for everyday moms about how to make each celebration more about “green” and less about sugar.

 Please wait while the movie loads. It should begin to play automatically…
 

For more information about having a GREEN Halloween, please visit these sites:

• http://www.greenhalloween.org/

• http://www.celebrategreen.net/
   

I love to post and I love it when people comment on my blog, but there is an art to posting!  Here are my top 5 tips to making the most of posting on a blog!

• Be genuine!  Read the post and respond from your heart!
• If you don’t have anything of value to add, don’t post!
• Many bloggers only accept comments with real names, pens names or avatars rather than posting as anonymous!
• Don’t be buy me, buy me, buy me!  It’s a turn off! 
• Get in the habit of exploring other blogs and comment often!  It’s all about networking!

I have some great friends today that started with a simple blog post!  Check out the MIMA Summit Blog Carnival blog at http://mimasummit2.blogspot.com/ for more information.

I love what Jeff and Jodi are doing over at Playgroups USA.  I am a HUGE fan of playgroups!!!

I admit it – I was a bit lonely being a stay-at-home mom in a new house in a new town.  It was an Oprah show that reminded me that networking is key!  I had a friend who was in a playgroup and asked if I could come along to see about starting one in my own neighborhood – it was fabulous!!!  To start our own local group, I would network with other moms at the local playgrounds and parks and if our kids were playing together I would invite the mom to bring their kids to our house for an informal play date with other moms from the area.  I explained that I was new so if they wanted to bring a friend along, that would be great!  Our playgroup network turned into our PTA and, to this day, includes some of my closest friends!

Playgroups USA, LLC (www.playgroupsusa.com) founded by Jeff & Jodi Van Lom is a growing, online community that helps parents and caregivers with young children to find the perfect playgroup.  Jeff and Jodi believe in the need to provide a resource that helped reduce the amount of isolation and anxiousness of new parents. Playgroups provide a built in support system and a way for children to learn to socially interact in preparedness for school. To provide even more assistance to young families, Jeff & Jodi took it one step further.  A sister project in Oregon called RaisingFamilies will soon provide a comprehensive resource of services all in one place so parents can gain quick access to qualified providers.  RaisingFamilies will link families to resources that provide services for many categories including autism, neglect, childcare, baby brain development and, of course, finding a playgroup.  Like Playgroups USA, the Raising Families project at www.raisingfamilies.org will one day serve a national audience.

Hip hip hooray for playgroups!

Have you ever seen anything so stunning?  Can you imagine wearing it around your neck?  This is one piece of jewelry that every mom of babies should have!

http://www.smartmomjewelry.com/

Know what I think?  Only a SMART MOM would design and create soemthing like this! 

This is called “teething bling” and what mom hasn’t had a baby pull on a necklace?  This one is perfectly safe for babies, and for moms! 

Now, certainly, this bling doesn’t *just* have to be for moms with babies — ANY woman can wear this fabulous jewelry.  That’s the beauty of it — it’s specifically designed as a teething ring, but the colors and designs of all of the Smart Mom Jewelry is so that it’s versatile … and wearable … no matter who you are!

Here at CVP, we have one to give away, too - to one lucky winner who puts their name and email address in our comments.  Open to US residents only, and only 1 entry per person / email address.  The drawing will be on Monday, September 29th and the winner will be notified on this blog and via email.

Come now, who wouldn’t love a piece of this beautiful www.SmartMomJewelry.com? 

Simply visit the Ringling Bros. website (www.ringling.com), type in your zip code, select your show date and enter the coupon code: MCC and you will receive a 20% discount code on tickets for the following additional shows: 

Grand Rapids, MI on Sept. 18-21, 2008
Denver, CO on Oct. 2-13, 2008
Boston, MA on Oct. 8-13, 2008
Cleveland, OH on Oct. 24- Nov. 2
Chicago, IL on Nov. 6-30, 2008
St. Louis, MO on Nov. 6-9, 2008
Auburn Hills, MI on Nov. 12-16, 2008
Highland Heights, KY on Feb 27- Mar. 1, 2009
Cincinnati, OH on Mar. 4-8, 2008

The circus is a family tradition for Heidi and Megan.   They still talk about going to the circus in Hayward, WI with Grandma Helene, Uncle Brett and cousin’s Julie and Eli.  It was an amazing day!

Nothing quite compares to the experience of the circus: the anticipation followed by the sheer excitement of the lights coming up, the performers riding in on elephants, the colorful clowns and the acrobats flying through the air. Many of us remember the magic of the circus from our own childhoods-one of the rare things that we can now pass down to our children as well. The circus has had such an influence on us as Moms, in fact, that in a recent Mom Central survey, 88% of Moms regard it as a “not to be missed” childhood experience.

Attending a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus provides more than just a night out. It creates a memory that lasts a lifetime and a tradition that can be carried on from year to year and generation to generation. As one mom said, the circus is “worth every smile and mesmerized stare.” From the laughs that come at the clowns’ expense, the gasps of delight at seeing a motorcycle making its way across the high wire, and the huge grins that come from seeing elephants and tigers up close, the circus truly feels synonymous with childhood.

As we get ready for a variety of new and exciting Ringling Bros. shows in cities across the country this fall, Mom Central is pleased to help you share in the enchantment. Simply visit the Ringling Bros. website (www.ringling.com), type in your zip code, select your show date and enter the coupon code: MCC and you will receive a 20% discount code on tickets for the following Boston shows:

Wed, Oct 7:00PM
Thu, Oct 7:00PM
Fri, Oct 7:00PM
Sat, Oct 11:00AM, 3:00PM, 7:00PM
Sun, Oct 11:00AM, 3:00PM, 7:00PM
Mon, Oct 12:00PM, 4:00PM