Looking for Web Hosting Services Made Simple

Many of the readers of Mommy Space own their own website and/or blog. Having a blog or website is a must in today's world if you're going to make the most of your business' potential. Additionally, many of us work-at-home moms have found that a well run site, can actually become a source of income in and of itself. With that said, finding the right web hosting service is priority number one.

If you're uncertain which web hosting provider will best suit your particular needs, step one is to compare them side by side! That makes just too much sense does it not? lol I'm currently looking over the web hosting reviews section of the Web Hosting Geeks website, which gives me a comparison of well-known hosting services, listed in order of ranking, providing a 5-star rating, customer reviews, features (including price), and any bonus features provided by the service. This is a must-have resource if there ever was one!

Before you buy your own domain name, you might be interested to know that many of the hosting services listed at Web Hosting Geeks include a free domain for the duration of your commitment to the hosting service you select. Others offer a free year of domain service.

The Web Hosting Geeks also provide links to specific "best of" hosts... for example you might be looking for the best budget blogging host of 2009 or the best web ecommerce web hosting. It really pays off to chose the best hosting service to suit your specific needs and goals.

For those of you who are into supporting environmentally friendly businesses, they even have a list of the top eco-friendly web hosts!

So, whether you're looking for your first web hosting service or a new service, be sure to start with Web Hosting Geeks where you'll find bit of direction and a whole lot of confidence in your ability to choose the right hosting service for you!

Wahm.com Has a New Look!

Website: Wahm.com

Today I went to one of my favorite online forums for women (they even have a few men) who either desire to work from home, or who already and guess what I found? A fresh new look! I've been a member of this forum for years, and will admit I grew accustomed (and very comfortable) to seeing cute little hand-drawn graphics, but today they're gone! It always takes awhile to adjust to the new look of a website. I don't initially like change and I'll be honest... it's taking me a little bit of time to warm up to the new look! lol

At the same time, I really do love the landing page! It looks more up to date and professional than what was there prior. The actual forum, where I've spent most my time over the years is what is slowing me down. It operates a bit differently and seems to me a bit slower, but the same wonderful ladies are there and once the site owners fine-tune the new site, work out the bugs, and give us our avatars back I think I'll feel right at home again!

If you've not been to Wahm.com, and you are in fact looking for work-from-home opportunities, you should! I highly suggest the telecommuting folder for starters. If you're looking into a particular opportunity, like for example Avon or Pampered Chef, they have specific folders for just about every available opportunity! There's even a blogging folder, for women who earn their income blogging, but it's located at the very bottom of the forum options. Sort of hard to find and as of today most of the posts are missing, but it looks like they'll be back in place once their technical guy gets on it!

Favorite WAHM Sites?

What are your favorite work-from-home-mom (WAHM) websites? Whether message boards, job boards, news sites, or informational... please consider sharing with Mommy Space any websites you've found to be worthwhile. We're working to create a resource page of favorite WAHM links and resources for busy moms like you!

Thanks in advance and we hope you're having a wonderful Wednesday!

Why Does WAHM So Often Spell SCAM?

I can't tell you all how frequently I find suspected scam jobs online when searching for telecommuting opportunities... even articles. Type in work-at-home and the results are even more troubling. One would think there weren't any legitimate jobs to be found for a mom simply wanting to be home with her kids and actually they are hard to find.

Today I was looking, mostly for the sake of posting on this blog, but before long was so completely disgusted by all the sharks asking for money or making ridiculous get-rich overnight claims that I just couldn't read anymore.

Not so very long ago, I found someone on an online message board who'd been scammed by a poster on Craisglist, advertising a data entry position. She was only taken for $49, so she was lucky. I've seen women lose far more. Even on CareerBuilder I've seen the sharks trying to feed on the desperation of those looking for home-based income. It's a HUGE problem and there isn't enough being done to stop it.

If it's so easy for someone like me to spot a suspicious ad, how is that these people are able to post to job boards and not get caught? How are so many of these vultures able to walk away with the money of the innocent?

There is legitimate work, but honestly it's not usually a dream job you'll find. It's not simple, it's not always home-office friendly for moms with young children, and it sometimes does take an investment... you may need to buy office equipment (don't send money to anyone in exchange for a job!!!!).

Be careful ladies. There are a lot of red flags, but the biggest of them all is the money flag... when they ask for your personal banking info, ask you to set up a bank account, or ask for money directly. If you face anyone wanting anything that seems odd or out of the ordinary... run the other way!

Win Cool Prizes Through Blu Frog!

RIBBET! Oh, my apologies... I was just reading over the list of cool prizes you can win over at Blu Frog and got a little too excited. You'll see why here in just a quick sec...

BluFrog is giving away a BluGamer gaming package which includes an Xbox 360 gaming system complete with Rock Band 2! My son has become a pretty good drummer playing Rock Band and he's uh only 8 years old... so hey, if you don't already have this you might wanna enter! They're also giving away 2 cases of BlueFrog energy just for kicks!

Other prizes include a Happy Blu-Year trip to New York City's Time Square New Year's Eve celebration! You know the one you see on television every year that you think you'll never get to visit? Ya, that one! You'll get to stay in New York for 3 full nights and enjoy a helicopter ride for 2 over NYC! I'm soooo going to enter this contest. My husband and I haven't been anywhere together in 10 years of marriage and this would be perfect!

Another prize package my husband would love would be to win tickets to Lollapalooza which is an amazing assortment of musical talent from rock, to funk and hip hop, it's all gonna be there! Not to mention it's taking place in his favorite American city of Chicago IL... so ya, that would be a good one to win too.

Ok... so you get the idea right? You need to click on over to BluFrog now and enter their contest. You have absolutely no reason not to. So go now and visit www.itsabluworld.com and check it out! Have questions about the rules? Have no fear, your contest rules link is here!

It's a Blu World and blu is currently my favorite color of the rainbow!

Creative Ways to Build Your Home Office

Working from home usually means you'll need some sort of office space with all the latest gidgets and gadgets that will inspire confidence in prospective clients... but how do you pay for it all? This is a problem I've had for years and consequently my office isn't very showy... which hasn't been a huge issue, but I have yet to acquire everything I really feel necessary to reach my potential.

What I currently have is a decent desktop with highspeed Internet access, one of those all-in-one printer combinations, a very standard cell phone and a laptop that is at the repair shop! lol

Today I was trying to imagine creative ways to make my home office a little more techy in order to keep up with the competition and had a couple brainchildren. I've named one freecycle and the other Amazon.com. lol

A friend of mine has been getting all sorts of freebies from freecycle to fulfill her love of craftiness... everything from free patterns and material, to free storage units to store her supplies in. I've been watching in amazement as she drives one direction, then the next, collecting all sorts of cool items their original owners felt compelled to part with. Did you know you could find office furniture, used printers, used cameras... just about anything on freecycle? It's true!

Then there's Amazon.com which doesn't give anything away, but they do have the capability to share with anyone who cares to know all those items on your wish list. So let's say your parents are wondering what you could use for Christmas... maybe your spouse or your in-laws? Why not start building your list. Mention the list in casual conversation. I'm not suggesting you say "hey, go buy me something from my Amazon list", but you could share that you're building a list of essentials you'll hope to one day gather for your home office.

Amazon.com is wonderful as many of the products are cheaper than what you'll find them priced at locally and if it's sold by Amazon you can usually get free shipping when you spend more than $25. There's really no downside. Even returns are simple!

Ok, just wanted to share those thoughts before they left me! lol See the benefit of blogging is I can share what pops into my head before it leaps out and find it later within the context of a post. Yes... I'm blogging as much for my own benefit as for yours! lol

Mommy Happy Blue Jeans in Premium Denim

I need new blue jeans and the Armani Exchange has 'em! Not your everyday blue jeans either, but high-quality, body-flattering jeans in premium-quality denim. They are your source for premium quality denim starting at just $98.

My current jeans are just ok, nothing fancy, but I will tell you they aren't at all dressy and are somewhat unflattering. I absolutely love to wear jeans... with just about anything and since they're such a wardrobe essential for most active moms, why not get the very best quality? We work hard, but don't have to look like we do! lol

I think my favorite pair of jeans at the Armani Exchange are the J24's which are a wing printed boot cut. I always go for boot cut over straight leg... even though I don't normally wear boots! lol Just love the way they hang better. Don't you love the jeans displayed in this post? I love the washed color and the pockets hold a very modern day classic look. They're flattering and have a young look to them, but I think a 37 year-old mom to 2 would even look pretty amazing in these!

I also like the J70's which is a rhinestone flare cut. They have the cutest little label on the back filled in rhinestones. I love it! These jeans like the others on site come in a wide arrange of sizes too... so even if you're not as slender as the model online, so long as you're a size 14 or smaller, you'll find what you're looking for!

Finally, I think the Harem Jeans are adorable. They look like knickers in a way, but are flattering to your figure. You'll definitely want to check them out!

Be sure to take a few seconds out of your busy schedule and enter the "text AX contest"SMS campaign and be in the running to win a free pair of denim jeans by texting the word "DENIM2" or ARMONI (276264). They'll be giving away a pair of denim every day in July!

This site offers all sorts of cool incentives so be sure to check them out often. Recently they had a coupon for $20 for all purchases made at full price exceeding $100 of non-discounted merchandise. How cool is that?

Armani Exchange also has a cool blog... be sure to check it out at AX Blog.

Finding Time for Work

May I just say that I'm tired? lol So tired! Have I written about this before? Surely I have and in fact seems like it wasn't all that long ago! My dilemma however isn't exhaustion, but finding time for work.

With the kids home all day, everyday and with the activities we've been involved with I'm slowly realizing that for WAHM's Summer isn't the time for business building. If you're trying to start a new business or grow one, you're going to battle for time. That being said, I've had to loosen my money making expectations slightly over the past couple months and just accept that I'll likely be broke come mid-August! lol

Come school time I'll be working hard, giving my ventures everything I've got. This will be the start of a new season in my life... with both my children in school all day I will have time for networking, recruiting, writing, and creating. I'm involved with a number of different business ventures that require different skills and stretches towards my comfort zone. That's completely cool though... I actually like to step outside my box and try new things... love to face new challenges which for me usually involve talking in front of people... presenting ideas and information aren't my strong point and yet I've been doing more and more of that over the last few months. Mostly through volunteer work, but I believe the skills I'm building will help me tremendously in my business ventures!

My overall goal for mid-August through mid-May of next year is to be prepared to either take the Summer off completely, or to have an income stream that continues based on work I've done previously... through residual income streams and affiliate marketing techniques. That would be such a wonderful life wouldn't it? We shall see what happens!

Breakdancing Babies are here!

Too Cute!!! A great laugh for any mommy... or anyone who appreciates dancing babies!