Today marks the start of the 5th Annual Mommy Fest Blog Party and we here at They Call Me Wahmmy are participating, so let me introduce myself.

I’m Arika! I’m a little bit crazy and a whole lot of fun.  I’m a work at home mom of 3 wonderful kids.  Zach (10), Hunter (2), and Sierra (1 month). Life is hectic sometimes, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  With 3 kids, how could it not be, right?

I’m a virtual assistant who started her own business in 2005 and told the crazy life of a J-O-B good bye and opened my VA business doors full time in 2006.  Working at home has it’s good and bad points just like any other work, but I honestly don’t think I could ever go back to the corporate world now for many reasons.  I love what I do, what can I say.

The Mommy Fest event lasts all this week (May 12-16, 2008) and there are tons of fun prizes, giveaways, audio interviews and other cool stuff so be sure to stop by and check it out.  I always have a great time jumping around blogs and getting to know all the other mommies there.

Get to know tons of other blogging, partying mamas! Meet other moms at the party by clicking here and reading through some of the awesome mommy blogs of those who are partying it up with me this year.

Want to join in on the fun? Check out the party details and come on in by clicking here.

No, I’m not really on the computer today, as I’m typing this post on Friday but, wanted to share something with all you moms out there! Hope you are enjoying a day of rest, relaxation and love on this Mother’s Day.

Thanks to Susanne at the Hillbilly Housewife for posting this lovely message in her newsletter.

Why Mothers Cry …

“Why are you crying?” he asked his mom.

“Because I’m a mother,” she told him.

“I don’t understand,” he said.

His mom just hugged him and said, “You never will!”

Later the little boy asked his father why Mother seemed to cry for no reason.

“All mothers cry for no reason,” was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why mothers cry. So he finally put in a call to God and when God got on the phone the man said, “God, why do mothers cry so easily.”

God said, “You see son, when I made mothers they had to be special. I made their shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort. I gave them an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times come from their children.

I gave them a hardiness that allows them to keep going when everyone else gives up, and to take care of their families through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

I gave them the sensitivity to love their children under all circumstances, even when their child has hurt them very badly.

This same sensitivity helps them to make a child’s boo-boo feel better and helps them share a teenager’s anxieties and fears.

I gave them a tear to shed. It’s theirs exclusively to use whenever it’s needed. It’s their only weakness. It’s a tear for mankind.”

I just recently started using an email list and I’ll tell you it’s not always easy coming up with things to email my subscribers about.  That’s why I was so glad to see Alice Seba giving away this:

24 Ideas for Endless Email Topics (I highly recommend you check this out if you’re having trouble with what to talk to your subs about too.)

One problem I have, in case you haven’t noticed here, is that I tend to be wordy, especially in my emails and although sometimes I need to be to explain things to my target market, most of the time it isn’t necessary and will actually bore my readers before I get my point across. After reading these 24 email topics I realized I don’t have to put it all in one email - I can break things up a bit.  And, that’s not all I got ideas for either. ;) 

So, if you’re on my list - look out! I’ve got some good info coming your way soon.  If you aren’t on my list you can sign up for it by filling in your name and email address on the right.  —>>> 
You’ll receive an awesome report that gives you ideas for spending more time with the family…for FREE when you sign up too.

Of all times to not have my camera, this is probably one of the worst. I have a newborn baby girl who is changing so much each and everyday. We’ve planted a garden for the first time. The boys are both growing like weeds. The list goes on and on of things I should be taking pictures of but can’t because I don’t have the batteries for my camera. I’m horrible about remembering to pick batteries up when I’m shopping or out and about.

The weird thing is I didn’t use to be like that…my camera ALWAYS had batteries and was almost always with me. Any suggestions on how I can remember to remember to keep my camera with me and more importantly, keep batteries around for it?

For those of you who are members of YummyPLR, I just sent an email out with the link to download May’s articles and recipes. If you haven’t checked your email, do so now before you forget!

This month’s content includes:

10 Quick & Healthy Snack Articles &
30 Make Ahead & Freeze Muffin Recipes

For those who haven’t joined us yet, whatcha waitin’ on? Head on over and grab your spot before the price goes up again! www.YummyPLR.com

After being on hiatus for a bit Friday Free for All is back!  If you know a bit about working as an online business owner, then you know that your email marketing list is the lifeblood of your business.  If you have trouble selling to your list, or like me you, you just aren’t the salesman type, you’ll want to grab this.

Lynette Chandler interviewed Alice Seba recently regarding the topic of confidently selling to your list.  As a follower of Alice’s for awhile now, I’ve got a pretty good idea of where she makes the most money in her Internet marketing business.  Yep, you guessed it - her email lists.  Alice has a knack for selling without coming across as a pushy salesman…if that makes sense! She’s not sneaky, she’s very informative and knows how to get her list to respond to her offers :)  I’ve actually learned quite a lot from the Internet Marketing Sweetie just from watching her emails come to my inbox.

So, for our back in the game Friday Free for All, I want to let you know that you don’t have to be pushy in order to get your subscribers to buy from you.  And, now you can find out how it’s done with this free email marketing audio (and transcript for those who can’t listen or who, like myself, may have young children that keep you from listening without one ear out for them all the time). 

Click here for access to the audio and printable transcripts.  You’ll be asked to supply your name and email in exchange for this freebie and by doing so you’ll be notified when Alice starts her email coaching program a few weeks from now.  That’s not too much to ask in order to receive this great information that could potentially give you the boost you need to get those sales up now is it?

I just realized I hadn’t posted about my newest venture online yet. Just before my pink bundle of joy arrived, I decided it was finally time to break into the passive income business a bit and started a website that sells private label rights recipes and cooking articles. My mentor on the project, Nicole Dean, has since joined me as a partner.

Here’s what’s available at Yummy PLR (isn’t that such a cute name?) for members each and every month:

10 Cooking/Food Articles
30 Recipes

For those who don’t wish to receive new content each and every month, but only need a few recipes now and again or who want to add to the monthly membership content with even more articles or recipes, we will also be selling individual packs quite frequently. Right now, you can purchase one or both of the following packs separately at the ridiculously low price of 25 cents per recipe.

40 Vegetarian Recipes
40 Crock Pot Chicken Recipes

To get more information and see what a few of our current members have to say about the content, head on over to YummyPLR.com and check it out.