As a Baby Boomer, I’m trying to get my “ducks in a row” and develop a supplemental source of income for my pending retirement.

As a professional Paralegal for over 30 years, I established Paralegal Virtual Assistant Services.

Recently I was interviewed by the Connecticut Law Tribune, and I’m very excited and would like to share that interview with you. You can read the entire article HERE.

Currently I’m in the process of having a new web-site makeover, and switching to a new host for my Virtual Assistant site, so stay tuned!

If you think being a Work At Home Mom is something you’d like to do and and are looking for information on starting a  Virtual Assistant Business; are looking for a Guide to Writing for Pay, or perhaps a Proofreading Guide, check out these links or visit Moms Talk Network for more information on how to get going.

I’m open for business, so please stop on by and check out my services at Paralegal Virtual Assistant Services ~ I offer freelance Virtual Assistant Services for not only the legal specialty field, but also Administrative, Business, and Blog and Forum Maintenance.  I’m also available to assist you with eBay Listings and postings.

Entrecarder of the week!

COPY THE BANNER AND BLOG ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE THIS WEEK.
—————————–

EntreCard Find of the Week is now a collaborative effort between Moomettesgram’s Musings and
The Mom With Brownies.

I luv participating in Entre-Find of the Week!’ What a cool way to share the newest blogs you’ve EC dropped in on!

NOT JUST A MAMA

I’m excited to tell you about this Saturday’s Entrecard Entre-Find of the Week, which is written by one incredibly talented young gal ~ Wife, Sister, Blogger, Writer ~ Friend.

On her About Me page, Not Just A Mama, Penny reveals some very personal facts to her readers, and immediately draws them into her world:

• I did not graduate from high school;
• I wish I had;
• I miss my Mom;
• my family means everything to me;
• I’ve written a book I hope to have published one day, hopefully before I die;
• I’m a twice published poet;
• I enjoy designing websites;

And that’s just for starters! Besides offering Free Blog Templates, you’ll find interesting articles about

• Being a Mom
• Family
• Holidays
• In my Defense
• Internet Land
• Me Me Me
• Nothin’ Really
• Relationship Stuff
• This Wicked World
• Work

Please take a moment to stop by and drop your Entrecard (which is above the fold ~ yeah~), read the articles, and leave your comments!  Please mention you found the site through Moomettesgram’s Musings Entre-Find of the Week!

Who was your favorite EntreFind this week? Click here to learn how to play. Don’t forget to come back after you blog about your weekly favorite to leave the link to your post below. We want to read your favorites too!

Many of my readers know that I’m an eBay Power Seller through my Store, Moomette’s Magnificents, as well as a Moderator on Suzanne Wells’ eBay Coach Free Forum.

Suzanne is an Internationally recognized eBay Authority, Author-Extraordinaire of The Stay At Home Mom’s Guide to Successful eBay Selling, and Administrator of the Ebay Coach Free Forum. (If you sell on eBay, it is THE place to be for up-to-the minute advice on anything and everything eBay!)

Suzanne is an expert on finding inventory (cheap, or free) to sell on eBay, and has amassed oodles of products from  CVS, RiteAid, Walgreens, and various other stores.  eBay Coach wants to do a little Pre-Fall cleaning at her house, and is looking for someone to take it off her hands.

Here is what you get:

(2) Tubes Aveeno Sunscreen SPF 55, $18 value
Burt’s Bees Color Keeper Shampoo, 8 ounces, $9 value
Burt’s Bees Healthy Healing Carrot Lotion, 8 ounces, $9 value
Itch X Lotion, 3 oz, $10 value
Love’s Baby Soft Cologne Spray, $12 value
(2) Oral B Cross Action Power toothbrushes, $14 value
Almay Intense i-Color Kit, $22 Value
(2) Almay Triple Effect Mascara (blackest black), $16 value
Quattro Surf Style Razor and Case, $5 value
Aquafresh Advanced Toothpaste, $4 value
Neutrogena Lip Balm with Sunscreen, $4 value

Here’s how to play.

Post this contest on your blog. Leave a comment at Suzanne’s blog, eBay Selling Coach, about why you want all this FREE stuff, that links back to the post on your blog. If you don’t have a blog, post this contest on a forum or group. Leave a comment that links back to your post.

The winner will be announced Monday, August 25 - we have to do something to make Mondays fun!

Should I happen to be the winner, I’ve indicated that I will be donating the prizes to the local Social Services Agency in my town, or to the local Shelter for battered women.

As part of my Grand Master Plan,  I’m hoping to try to retire next year. For the last 1-1/2 years, I’ve been building up my various ecommerce businesses, one by one.

It all started when my daughter was planning her wedding and I mistakenly decided to buy her a Celtic Tiara to wear at the reception. I bought it on the internet, and she promptly made me sell it on the internet. Little did she know she was creating a monster, as I plunged full speed ahead, opened an ecommerce store, and became a Power Seller. And who doesn’t believe in the Luck ‘O the Irish?

Opening an ecommerce store obviously meant that I had to invest in some office supplies to get my momreneur ebiz going. Superwarhouse.com is a one-stop shop for all home and business office needs. It’s also Eco-Friendly, and carries name-brand products.

If you’re going to sell on an ecommerce site, the most important thing, besides inventory, is you’d have to have a good-quality camera My favorites are the Canon Digital Cameras. Canon has announced a new initiative, Generation Green that combines the company’s eco-friendly printer products and solutions under one corporate brand. Generation Green is divided into three product classification categories: Eco-Conscious, Eco-Standards and Eco-Friendly. More and more people I know are making a concerted effort to go Green!

I also needed a postage scale to weigh all my packages that I send out for items I sell. I also had to purchase a tape-gun, packing and shipping supplies such as bubble wrap, packing tape, poly mailers as well as printing paper.

My second ecommerce business venture is that I established a Virtual Assistant website specializing in Administrative and Paralegal Assistance. I’ve been a professional paralegal for over 30 years, and this was a natural progression for me. In order to run such a business, I need to purchase items such as a scanner and am looking into Laptops as well.  The Epson scanners and HP laptops are one’s I’m definitely going to look into. However, Sony has announced their own plans for helping the environment by introducing the Sony VAIO Eco Friendly Notebook to the market. The notebooks are available in a range of “eco” colors, which include leopard print and floral patterns. Having a laptop gives me the flexibility to use Wi-Fi and work from almost anywhere! Since my Charming Son-In-Law is originally from Vermont, I can take it up there when I go to visit and never miss a beat on either my ecommerce business or my VA business!

There’s just so many choices at superwarehouse.com that I’ve definitely bookmarked the site as one of my favorites.

I promised I’d share my tips on how I’m jump-starting  my second career and planning for my retirement.

Now I’m going to let you in on a cool webinar that’s going to be taking place August 27th at 9 pm EST that can help you promote your business in time for the upcoming Holiday Season ~

The Cost?  Only USD $1.00 ~ yes you read right!  SPACE IS LIMITED to 40 people!

You get:

• The chance to ask as many press release/public relations questions as you want
• An mp3 copy of the event so you can listen as many times as you need to
• Special attendee only bonuses and discounts

How can you pass on this?  If you’re seriously trying to market your products and are interested in public relations and media attention, give this a shot for $1.00~

Hope to be ‘talking’ to you!

Read more on this terrific opportunity ~

Press Release Mis-steps – What you don’t know can make all the difference
By Patrysha Korchinski

As a publicist, my job is to help my clients get media coverage. The tool I use most often on their behalf is the simple, but highly effective, press release. What I do isn’t rocket science; seeking publicity can be an in-house job for most small business owners.

Press releases can seem like a panacea for small business owners. The prospect of getting free publicity in exchange for a couple of hours of writing and submitting a 400 word release seems like a great deal. And on the surface – it is a great deal.

The publicity generated from one release picked up by a major media outlet can increase awareness and sales with a far greater impact than buying advertising in the same outlet.

Under the surface though, lurk thousand of disappointed publicity seekers who for one reason or another did not get the coverage they desired.

I used to believe that the reasons for the failed attempts lay mostly, if not entirely, on the message within the release.

The headline wasn’t strong enough
It read like a sales pitch rather than news
The subject wasn’t newsworthy

While those are definitely factors that will get your press release a one-way ticket to the circular file, most serious business owners I’ve met don’t fall victim to these mistakes. They took the time to craft newsworthy releases that were topical, relevant and well-written. They had the initiative to create a targeted media list to submit to – and yet still they struggled to get coverage.

What was going on?

It was only when I dug deeper and examined other aspects of their failed efforts that a few trends began to emerge. There are factors in press release pick up that the professional publicist innately utilizes for the benefit of their clients that most small business owners just aren’t aware of.

The timing of your submission is one component that is often to blame for poor results. You see, each media outlet has what is called a lead time. This is how far in advance they need to start working on stories that will eventually appear. Magazines with a large circulation tend to have the longest lead times, often 9 months or longer. If you send out a release geared towards Christmas to a major magazine in November, you’ve missed your window of opportunity by eight months!
You don’t necessarily need a publicist to get over these hurdles, you just need to be aware of what hurdles exist. Overcoming them is usually a fairly simple matter. As I said before, getting media coverage is not rocket science. You can improve your odds significantly with a little fine tuning.

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For more tips on turning the odds in your favor, you’ll want to grab the free special report.

Click on the link for the FREE IMMEDIATE DOWNLOAD !

Continuing my little expose on how I’m doing in wally world as a WAHM, I’m going to further expound on my adventures in Twitterville.

First, I’m going to say this work-at-home Gram from Dysfunction Junction, CT is finding it’s a ton of fun ~ I enjoy getting the little pop-ups on Twitterfox, and getting to know the personalities of all my Tweeps.  While working late at night, I haven’t had the opportunity to watch the Olympics.  However, there’s one gal who updates regularly, every 10 minutes or so, on what exactly has been going on!  She’s so entertaining (besides being the author of a terrific blog, Send Chocolate, that I suggested last night that she bottle all the commentary on the Olympics into an eBook!

But I digress.  Seriously, Twitter is an excellent platform for micro-blogging and marketing your product, be it a blog, service, eBay store or mission.

If you find yourself in a position that you need to understand your target customer as well as keep up with various ways of marketing to those potential customers, Twitter is one of the most powerful and popular tools out there right now!  This new type of network communication has been taken up by companies and individuals alike in recent months and for good reason.

To get a better understanding of Twitter, let’s first take a look at the format.  Essentially, Twitter is a program that allows you to make very small, public posts.  Because these posts are so limited (they max out at 140 characters) they can easily be sent to a number of different locations all at once.  When you have written a Twitter, it can appear on the twitter website, on short message services, instant messaging sites or even on third-party applications like Facebook or Twitterific.  Folks can even add a script to their blog or website to show their most recent posts and the posts of others!   I have a blue widget box on my right sidebar.   Your Twitter messages, also known tweets, will appear to anyone who has chosen to follow your updates.

There are several advantages to this type of communication.  The first thing that you’ll discover is that it allows for a much more immediate relay of information.  The shortness of the message forces you to be very brief, and this alone can create interest in those reading.  Because tweets are so short, they often lead to frequent posting, which is excellent when you’re looking to communicate with people and to get to know them.  While Twitter is, by default, public, you can restrict the people who see your material with the ease of checking a box in your profile.

Actually, although I rarely have to do this, last night and so far tonight have been the exception.  I believe it’s a full-moon this week, and true to form, the crazies are coming out of the walls.  I, along with a few of  my fellow Tweeps, have had to block several people.  If these folks have a trillion people that they’re following, and only 1 or 2 followers of their own and no website listed - that’s a sure sign of a Spammer or bored teen, and an instant BLOCK.  But don’t let that discourage you.  It happens in e-mail programs too.

You’ll find that not only can you post tweets, you can also receive them.  Once again, the immediate nature of this service lends greatly to its appeal.  Want to follow someone’s updates and see what they are up to with their business or life in general? Simply sign into your Twitter account, type in their Twitter address or username and click the “Follow” button.  That’s all there is to it!

The amount of time that’s spent reading the messages is very short, and you can be in contact with people a great deal more than you otherwise might be. In essence, you can get to know each other much more quickly than if you were just reading each others blogs or profiles.  The look and feel of an instant messaging service helps add to this ability.  Think about it for a minute, do you feel more connected to those on your messenger list than the blogs you read? Twitter is the same way.

I used Twitter extensively this week with my website designer for my Virtual Assistant website.  We both are on Twitter and when I sent her an e-mail either responding to her design questions, or making suggestions on the site design myself, I sent her a Tweet to let her know that ‘you’ve got e-mail.’  Simple!

For many, whether they’re looking for friends, clients, or someone to help them out with a problem or workload, getting in touch with others is important.  With Twitter it’s never been easier!

Don’t forget to Follow Me!

Entrecarders!
WHO DID YOU FIND WHILE DROPPING THIS WEEK?!

It’s time for us to give out some linky love to our favorite Entrecarder of the week!
COPY THE BANNER AND BLOG ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE THIS WEEK.
—————————–

EntreCard Find of the Week is now a collaborative effort between Moomettesgram’s Musings and
The Mom With Brownies.

I luv participating in Entre-Find of the Week!’ What a cool way to share the newest blogs you’ve EC dropped in on!

Yes, I know today is Sunday, and as usual, I’m always a day late & dollar short.  Since Slugger’s arrival about 10 days ago, I’ve found myself helping DD out with ‘Lil Moomette.  It seems that since Charming Son-In-Law went back to work after a short “family time leave,” DD has had a meltdown of sorts and is finding out that….geez, being a mommy of 2 isn’t a piece of cake!  So who does she call?  Her own mama!

Anyways, I’m here today, ableit late, about my friend Kim’s new website, JA Blog Grapics.

Long before JA Blog Graphics was born, I had Kim do a few 125 x 125 banners for me. You wouldn’t believe how talented she is, it just blows me away!  See, Kim is an architect by profession ~ and that just amazes me too.  Kim has a natural talent and eye for presentation.  Kim also writes a mean blog at What’s That Smell, and is also one of my award winners of Moomette’s Best WAHM/Blog Site Award.

While I’m at it ~ What’s That Smell is sponsoring a Virtual Baby Shower ~ and Moomette’s Magnificents Olde Towne Shoppes is one of the sponsor/donors ~ you have to see the cool Baby Blankets that I’ll be donating!

Besides banners of all sizes, Kim also does Headers & Sets.

Like my new Banners?  Kim did the WAHM Guru one for me, matching Plug Buttons & a non-static Avatar, as well as the “Been Around the Block” one promoting my Product Reviews.

Now I’m all gussied up for all the WAHM and eBiz forums that I belong too.  No longer is anyone looking at my Maxine Avatar!

So if you’re in the market for some unique artistic talent to promote your WAHM blog, site or eBay store, go check out JA Blog Graphics, and let Kim know Moomettesgram sent you!

Who was your favorite EntreFind this week? Click here to learn how to play. Don’t forget to come back after you blog about your weekly favorite to leave the link to your post below. We want to read your favorites too!

Many of my Twitter followers and friends on the various eBiz forums I belong to know that I frequently stay up until the wee hours of the morning working on my websites. Additionally, I still work a full-time job and of course, have responsibilities at home.

Obviously that combination is not ideal for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, I’m a Baby Boomer, so my energy level is not exactly that of a 20-something year old anymore. (Although in my mind, I feel as if nothing’s changed!) The aging process, as well as lack of sleep can often result in mood changes that ultimately can affect all aspects of one’s life. Just click on my ‘Rantings’ tab for some excellent examples of late night posts!

Recently I had the opportunity to review SAM-e Complete, formerly MoodPlus, by Nature Made. SAM-e is a naturally occurring compound that is found in all living things. It’s distributed throughout the human body and it contributes to maintaining mood levels and promoting joint comfort.

SAM-e levels tend to decline as people get older and certain groups of people, including those with low mood, tend to have lower levels of SAM-e in their bodies.

I received one box of SAM-e Complete, which contained 36 Enteric Coated Dietary Supplement tablets. Each Serving Size is one tablet, 400 mg and comes in foil blister packs to ensure safety and freshness.

The suggested use is to take one tablet per day, preferably on an empty stomach at lest 30 minutes before a meal. Taken as directed, SAM-e indicates that it has been proven to restore a healthy mood in as little as 7-14 days when taken daily.

How does SAM-e work, you may ask? Simply put, according to the website ~

SAM-e helps other molecules in the brain do their jobs making you feel like your normal self. When SAM-e levels run low, those other molecules can’t do their jobs as effectively, and you can feel out of sorts from a mood standpoint.

Although there is a Good Housekeeping Seal prominently displayed on the box, I would highly suggest consulting your Doctor before deciding whether or not SAM-e is something that would be beneficial to you.

People with bipolar (manic) depression should not take this or any other product containing SAM-e except under a doctor’s supervision.

If you are pregnant or nursing, or taking prescription antidepressant medications, consult your doctor before using this product.

For a limited time, Nature Made is offering a $3-off coupon when you try SAM-e. Click here to get yours.

SAM-e is also available online at most of your favorite retailers.

I’m going to make a few interesting observations on Social Networking Forums and Web 2.0 here.

While I don’t purport to be an expert, I have seen a change in direction from when I first started blogging.

Recently I’ve received several e-mails from some of the forums I belong to asking me to stop back & show my face.  Since I’ve been online, I’ve joined countless WAHM and Business forums.  While I still belong to all of the original ones I’ve joined, (outside of the ones I’ve gotten kicked out of, including Facebook ~ read about it here too) I only actually keep up with just a few.

Here’s where I’m going with this.

The newer forums I’ve joined, such as Mom Bloggers Club, Posh Momma, Hip Mama’s Place, MomDot, Moms United in Business, Cafe Mom and others, have all the bells & whistles where you can add your own “About Me” pages; put up your banner logos; website information; links to your blogs; article bases, Wow!  You can comment on other peoples pages ~ join groups, start discussions and more! There is just sooo much social interaction, it’s mind boggling!  There’s Twitter Groups; Entrecard groups; Digg Groups; Regional Groups; and on and on.

Some of the original forums ~ the ones that are sending emails saying “Please come back ~ visit us again ~ we’ve added new Contests to get you to come back ~ they just.don’t.get.it.

The format is older ~ just a list of topics, and you get to add a verrrrry limited siggy.  That’s it.  It’s so hard to keep in contact.   One particular forum, the bloggers mentioned they don’t use Entrecard (now, if you have a Blog, Entrecard is really a “Must-Have” for traffic.)  See my previous post HERE.

Also, hardly anyone knows about, much less uses Twitter.  I can’t even begin to tell you how much traffic I’m now receiving since I started “Twittering.” For those of you who don’t Twitter ~ it’s considered a form of micro-blogging, and there is definiately an audience for it that you need to capture.

Now what’s ironic about my observations, is all this is coming from me, a Baby Boomer Gram.  I’ve made light of the fact in the past how as a Boomer I’m struggling (well, not really, I’m a Geek at heart) to keep up with technology, and always have to stay one step ahead of the curve & my kiddos.  (Read THIS POST.) Now I’m not fresh out of High School, College or anywhere even close.

The difference between the new Web 2.0 forums and older forums is like night and day; analog and digital; VHS & DVD; Tape Decks and CDs.

Forum Administrators have to keep ahead of technology if you’re going to retain your membership.  Members are going to flock to where there are bells, whistles & graphics nowadays.

We are all spread so thin today and only have a limited amount of time to spend online, and obviously want to maximize that time to our fullest potential.

Why does it take Gram here to point this out?  What do you think?

Do you find yourself drawn to the newer forums?  Are you still frequenting the older ones?  Hmmm?

It’s hard to believe that Labor Day here in the USA is just around the corner!

The holiday season will be fast approaching, and the mad rush to plan all your social engagements will be in high gear.

Technology has made it ‘easy’ to print your own birthday cards, party invitations and announcements ~ if you’re not computer-challenged.

I’d like to share with you a terrific source for Holiday Cards and Party Invitations that I recently had the opportunity to review.

I recently became a Grandmother for the second time and will be helping my daughter plan my new grandson’s Baptism. A religious baptism or christening is often the first special occasion in honor of your newborn baby.  Tiny Prints offers a wide selection of unique, custom christening and baby baptism invitations and announcements that can be personalized with all the appropriate details of the special event. Their baby christening and baby baptism invitations range from classic and to more contemporary, and are printed on quality stock paper.

As a Work-at-Home Mom and online Boutique storeowner, I realize the importance of branding and staying in contact with my business partners. Exchanging holiday cards has become a long-standing tradition among business associates. Strengthen your corporate relationships with personalized, photo Christmas, Hanukkah or Happy New Year greetings. Tiny Print in-house experts will enhance your photo with complimentary touch-ups or upload your corporate logo.

Let Tiny Prints become your one-stop source for all personal and business needs.

Tiny Prints is offering readers of Moomettesgram’s Musings a Special Discount.

Use Tiny Prints coupon code TPBR136508 to receive 10% off your next order of stationery, invitations and photo cards. Expires 12/31/2008.