Protect All Of Your Gadgets With Speck Cases! @SpeckProducts #Ad

*I participated in a campaign on behalf of Speck Products. I received a promotional item to facilitate this review and as a thank you item for participating.  All opinions are my own.       I am one of those people who is constantly worrying about making sure that all of my electronic devices and gadgets stay in good condition.  There are many reasons for this including the fact that they are very expensive and that I rely on them for a lot of things that go on in my life on a daily basis.  After all, I'm a blogger and an educator and both of these professions require constant Internet access along with the ability to communicate with others quickly and easily.      Speck’s smartphone and tablet cases are protective and stylish at the same time.  I love that I don't have to worry about bulky plastic encasing on any of my gadgets! They have tons of designs that are perfect for everyone on your list – from jetsetters to techies to parents with young kids.  We now protect almost … [Read more...]

Monday Mingle Blog Hop #135

    The time has come for another Monday Mingle. It is always a pleasure to meet those of you who are linking up for the first time and to see those of you back who have been linking up for a long time. It is so exciting to link up with you guys week after week!  It has been a while since I hosted the Mingle here at Tough Cookie Mommy due to the busy holiday season.  No worries, the Mingle will be up every Monday henceforth, I promise. ;)     There are always exciting things going on here at Tough Cookie Mommy.  We discuss important topics, try out new products, attend great events, travel with the family and conduct exciting giveaways.  Please make sure you don’t miss any Monday Mingles and remember to subscribe via email.     This blog hop continues to be for everyone with NO RULES. Personally, I hate having to follow a bunch of rules just to connect with all of you so this hop will continue to be RULE FREE!     I hope you are all ready for a great week of networking. So please … [Read more...]

Bloggers Don’t Just Get Stuff For Free!

    This past week, I read a colleague's Facebook thread where someone commented that bloggers are really lucky and that they just get stuff for free.  They went on to say that all of the reviews that we write are doctored up just to get free items and that they are not honest and authentic.  Short of having my head blow up and confetti come out of it when I read this, it's safe to say that it really struck a nerve.     Let me begin by saying that yes, bloggers are in a unique situation where brands seek them out to try out their products.  However, this arrangement is not without its strings attached.  If only we could be so lucky that companies just jump at the chance to throw rose petals at our feet... There is a reason why they want us to review their products, because we have an audience.  So, when brands send products for review, the hope is that bloggers will share their experiences around the products with their readers.  You see, there is an exchange of services.     As far … [Read more...]

Monday Mingle #134

    The time has come for another Monday Mingle. It is always a pleasure to meet those of you who are linking up for the first time and to see those of you back who have been linking up for a long time. It is so exciting to link up with you guys week after week!  Tomorrow is the last day of September and I cannot believe how quickly this month has flown by! There are always exciting things going on here at Tough Cookie Mommy.  We discuss important topics, try out new products, attend great events, travel with the family and conduct exciting giveaways.  Please make sure you don’t miss any Monday Mingles and remember to subscribe via email.     This blog hop continues to be for everyone with NO RULES. Personally, I hate having to follow a bunch of rules just to connect with all of you so this hop will continue to be RULE FREE!     I hope you are all ready for a great week of networking. So please link up and follow each other on Google Friend Connect, Facebook, or Twitter. Monday … [Read more...]

Monday Mingle #133

    The time has come for another Monday Mingle. It is always a pleasure to meet those of you who are linking up for the first time and to see those of you back who have been linking up for a long time. It is so exciting to link up with you guys week after week!  Tomorrow is the first day for students back to school here in New York City.  It will certainly be a busy week full of responsibilities and lots of excitement.     There are always exciting things going on here at Tough Cookie Mommy.  We discuss important topics, try out new products, attend great events, travel with the family and conduct exciting giveaways.  Please make sure you don’t miss any Monday Mingles and remember to subscribe via email.     This blog hop continues to be for everyone with NO RULES. Personally, I hate having to follow a bunch of rules just to connect with all of you so this hop will continue to be RULE FREE!     I hope you are all ready for a great week of networking. So please link up and follow … [Read more...]

Monday Mingle #132

    The time has come for another Monday Mingle. It is always a pleasure to meet those of you who are linking up for the first time and to see those of you back who have been linking up for a long time. It is so exciting to link up with you guys week after week!  Thank you to all of you who voted for us as we came in the top 5 of the 25 NY Moms on Circle of Moms!     There are always exciting things going on here at Tough Cookie Mommy.  We discuss important topics, try out new products, attend great events, travel with the family and conduct exciting giveaways.  Please make sure you don’t miss any Monday Mingles and remember to subscribe via email.     This blog hop continues to be for everyone with NO RULES. Personally, I hate having to follow a bunch of rules just to connect with all of you so this hop will continue to be RULE FREE!     I hope you are all ready for a great week of networking. So please link up and follow each other on Google Friend Connect, Facebook, or Twitter. … [Read more...]

Monday Mingle #131

    The time has come for another Monday Mingle. It is always a pleasure to meet those of you who are linking up for the first time and to see those of you back who have been linking up for a long time. It is so exciting to link up with you guys week after week!  There are only a few more days left to vote for Tough Cookie Mommy as a Top 25 NY Mom!  Please click on the button below to vote once daily until August 27th.     There are always exciting things going on here at Tough Cookie Mommy.  We discuss important topics, try out new products, attend great events, travel with the family and conduct exciting giveaways.  Please make sure you don’t miss any Monday Mingles and remember to subscribe via email.     This blog hop continues to be for everyone with NO RULES. Personally, I hate having to follow a bunch of rules just to connect with all of you so this hop will continue to be RULE FREE!     I hope you are all ready for a great week of networking. So please link up and follow … [Read more...]

Dear PR Person

    Today as I was going through my emails I had at least 10 emails from PR companies asking me to "spread the word" about their products or services on Tough Cookie Mommy.  Those of you who are bloggers and are reading this post already know where I'm going with this.  Of course, I have time to spread the word about your product because this blog is just a hobby and I have no other responsibilities besides providing free advertising and promotion to every company that asks me to.  Insert sarcasm here.     Let me begin by saying that it takes a tremendous amount of work, time, creativity, and money to run a blog.  Yes, I said money.  It costs money to pay for web hosting, blog design, owning a domain, etc.  I'm sure those of you who are not bloggers are probably incredibly shocked to learn this information.     Also, if you follow me on social media, you know that I rarely go to sleep before 2 AM.  That is because I am busy writing posts, answering emails, fielding conference calls, … [Read more...]

Monday Mingle #130

    The time has come for another Monday Mingle. It is always a pleasure to meet those of you who are linking up for the first time and to see those of you back who have been linking up for a long time. It is so exciting to link up with you guys week after week!  I hope you all had an amazing Summer as I know some of you have gone Back to School already.  Please share whatever tips you have for Back to School in the comments below with the rest of us!     There are always exciting things going on here at Tough Cookie Mommy.  We discuss important topics, try out new products, attend great events, travel with the family and conduct exciting giveaways.  Please make sure you don't miss any Monday Mingles and remember to subscribe via email.     This blog hop continues to be for everyone with NO RULES. Personally, I hate having to follow a bunch of rules just to connect with all of you so this hop will continue to be RULE FREE!     I hope you are all ready for a great week of networking. … [Read more...]

Monday Mingle #129

    The time has come for another Monday Mingle. It is always a pleasure to meet those of you who are linking up for the first time and to see those of you back who have been linking up for a long time. It is so exciting to link up with you guys week after week!  I hope you all had an amazing Summer as I know some of you have gone Back to School already.  We will be returning the first week in September so I am still trying to enjoy the last weeks of Summer over here!     There are always exciting things going on here at Tough Cookie Mommy.  We discuss important topics, try out new products, attend great events, travel with the family and conduct exciting giveaways.  Please make sure you don't miss any Monday Mingles and remember to subscribe via email.     This blog hop continues to be for everyone with NO RULES. Personally, I hate having to follow a bunch of rules just to connect with all of you so this hop will continue to be RULE FREE!     I hope you are all ready for a great … [Read more...]