Posts Tagged "Ella Announcements"

Remote Workers Awards Day

Posted by cafebebemama on Sep 11, 2009 in Uncategorized | 10 comments

Yesterday (10 September) was a goregous autumn day!  Blue skies, crisp air and a phenominal location in which to enjoy it- Cliveden House.  Why, on a weekday, were we all there?  Well, you see, I was nominated for an award!  An award, you say!  Yes, an award!  Do tell!

I applied for the Netmums Work from Home award, sponsored by BT & Remote Employment, as a whim really.  They were offering lucky winners the opportunity to win a start up kit for the home business of their choice.  There were some brilliant home businesses on offer and I was particularly drawn to Truly Madly Baby because of their brilliant selection of baby/toddler and child products.  Those of you who know me know that I’m goo-goo for baby and toddler products and have turned that passion into a non-paying passion with my website, Cafe Bebe.  I have always wanted to run my own business and now, with a 1-year-old to care for, a house to manage, a husband to keep happy and all of this on one income, I’m quite keen to provide a bit more for my family.  The endless hours that I have put into Cafe Bebe have been very rewarding and I will continue to forge on with it but it doesn’t top up the bank balance!  I need a financial boost and I was hoping that winning my own home business might be just the boost we need.

I filled in endless fields on the Netmums Work from Home application and sent it away, not thinking much about it.  I found out 2 weeks ago that I managed to get short-listed for the Remote Employment Awards and was going to have to go to Cliveden House to find out if I was a winner.  Gee, how horrible!  Please do check out the Cliveden House site as the place is truly magnificent and I was honoured just to be able to visit it.  Hubby and Little Miss enjoyed it a bit more than I did as they ran around the grounds while I was in the awards ceremony but we’ll definitely go back sometime in the near future to enjoy it properly as a family.

The BT Remote Employment Awards ceremony was very nice.  The setting was gorgeous and I was in the company of some amazing people who have started up their own businesses and are making a massive difference in the big wide world.  To tell you the truth, I felt a bit of a fraud!  I don’t have my own business!  I have a pretty great website that I spend a lot of time on writing reviews, running competitions and promoting amazing mumpreneurs but it’s not a BUSINESS in terms of money or spreadsheets.  I didn’t even have business cards to hand out (must do this soon, note to self) as I didn’t think ahead properly!  Ding!  But I got to be inspired by some wonderful speakers, I got to meet the amazing Amanda of Ella Announcements who is a wonderwoman and I got to win a little something!

That’s right, I won something.  Well, won…actually, it was 3rd place in the Netmums Work from Home category.  And, cheeky, there were more than 3 contenders…there were 9 actually!  I have to admit, though, when they announced my name in 3rd place, I was just a wee bit disappointed.  This is my competitive nature, I suppose.  But still, I got mentioned and got a prize as well.  And guess what that prize was?  I unrolled my little scroll to find out that I had won a) a book by Antonia Chitty called “A Guide to Promoting Your Business” (she’s brilliant, by the way) and b) A starter kit from Truly Madly Baby worth over £160!  That’s right folks!  I am now the proud owner of a home business!  Very soon, I’ll be selling baby products and making a difference AND making some money for our shriveled little bank account.  I’ve already been in contact with the powers that be at Truly Madly Baby and will be attending a Training Session on 26 September to get the ball rolling.  How great is this?

So, little old me has won!  I’ll continue to forge on with Cafe Bebe and one day that may bring in a bit of income as well but in the meantime, I will be selling some amazing baby products, making families happy and contributing to our family in the process.  Woo hoo!  Just tooting my own horn a little bit.  Hey- guess what else?  I managed to win a Samsung Tap and Take camera the other day as well!  All I did was Tweet about it on Twitter (I think once or twice) and boom…I’m now the proud owner of a new, state of the art camera!  How the heck did that happen?  When did my ship come in?  I missed the fog horn sounding its arrival.  Well, until it pulls out of port, I’ll sit back and enjoy a bit of the glory!  Thanks for listening.  I’ll post some great snaps that hubby took of Cliveden House while I was being awarded.  They weren’t taken on the new camera as we haven’t received it yet but they’re still very nice!  Cheers!

British Mummy Blogger Love

Posted by cafebebemama on Aug 21, 2009 in Uncategorized | 15 comments

I started Mummy Blogging in May.  I’ve done a few blogs in my time but I needed a creative outlet and something to do during nap times.  I started looking for other Mummies but all I could find, initially, was Mommies, not Mummies.  I’m American, you see and for whatever reason, the only blogs I could find were American Mommies.  They had so many product reviews and seemed to be getting so much STUFF.  And oh, the giveaways!  But they were never offering international entries. (Do you know how much it costs to mail things from the US?  Lots!)  I enjoyed their blogs but was finding the actual blogging difficult to find amongst all the reviews.

So, in June, I googled Mummy Blogs, UK and guess what I stumbled upon?  British Mummy Bloggers!  Ooh…how nice.  I might not be British but I am a Mummy and I was Blogging and I’m as-good-as British so why not?  I sent in my membership request and within a day or so, I was an official member of British Mummy Bloggers!  That was about 200 members ago!  I have found so many wonderful Mummies and friends that I just have to gush for a bit.  And British Mummy Bloggers has given me opportunities that I never dreamed I might have.  Ready for some prime gush?

*Susanna, founder of BMB, author of A Modern Mother, has created a brilliant social networking site that I know a lot of other Mummy Bloggers are extremely grateful for.  She’s given us forums, opportunities to promote any and everything we’re working on, pointed us in the direction of PR’s and journalists, acquired sponsors like Silver Cross and scheduled meet-ups like the one held at the Rainforest Cafe in London in June.  She’s connected some amazing mummies and daddies who have formed friendships and learned a great deal from each other.  Thank you Susanna (a fellow American as well…who knew an American could found a social networking site called BRITISH Mummy Bloggers!).

*I had my first experiences writing product reviews because of BMB and Silver Cross .  I actually received, tested, reviewed and GOT TO KEEP the Silver Cross Halo pushchair and Doodle highchair.  They continue to be staples in our household and I can’t believe that I now am in possession of such amazing products all for the exchange of a review on my wee blog.

*Connections, Connections, Connections- Had I never found BMB, I would never have gotten the chance to write reviews as a “freelance” writer (I like that title) by commission from MadeForMums website (I got PAID!!); I never would have found Liz Jarvis’ LivingWithKids where I’ll be reviewing products in the near future (can’t wait!); Sally Whittle of The Great Toy Guide would not have been the recipient of 4 of my toy reviews and I wouldn’t have been in line to receive a few lovely things to try and review.  I’ve had the great fortune of being in the right place at the right time but were BMB not putting it out there, I’d still be wondering how I could bring in a bit of the “bacon” for our family.

*I’ve become a better observer of my daughter and have been photographing her more so I can continue to share our adventures.  My family all live in the US and they don’t get the day to day joy of Little Miss.  With my blogging, they are able to have a window into our lives and feel better for it. 

*And finally, I’ve met some absolutely amazing people who make me feel better about myself as a mother and a writer, who have helped me to fulfill some dreams and who have brightened my days and nights with their words and laughter.  There are many of these brilliant women but 4 stand out for me: OMG, We’re Pregnant, Violet Posy, Ella Announcements and Bambino Goodies.  These women have made my Café Bébé a successful and lovely reality.  They didn’t need to help me!  They most certainly did not get paid to help me!  They just responded to my techno-dim cries for help and took from their own personal time to help out wee me.  What women!  So, if you like what you see on Café Bébé, a lot of credit goes out to these ladies.  See their sites and you’ll know where their genius lies.

To wrap up…I just want to say thank you…thank you to BMB, thank you to Twitter, thank you to Café Bébé readers/followers/subscribers because you’ve given me a bit of myself back and for that, I am very grateful!  Until next time…