*I participated in a campaign on behalf of Coffee Mate. I received a promotional item to facilitate this review and as a thank you item for participating. All opinions are my own. Growing up as a Latina, coffee has played a very important part in our family as part of our breakfast routine and also as an after-dinner treat. Food and family are an integral part of growing up in a Hispanic household so it stands to reason that many fond memories are attached to meals and foods that we have shared together throughout the years. In my household, I like to use Coffee Mate in my coffee for two very important reasons, it tastes great and it comes in sugar-free varieties. When I was pregnant with my youngest son, I suffered from gestational diabetes which increased my chances of developing diabetes later on in life. As a result, I am very cautious about my sugar consumption and I love products that come in sugar-free varieties and allow me to still enjoy my favorite foods. … [Read more...]
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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...]
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...]
Are We Addicted To Social Media?
Today at work, a colleague of mine stated that she had suspended one of her social media accounts because she got into a random argument with a stranger on some political page and it really shook her up. Additionally, she feels that she has become a slave to checking her profile on her smartphone excessively. Ironically, as she shared this with me, she was busy checking out another one of her social media accounts on her phone. After our conversation, I began to reflect on my own love-hate relationship with social media. It's no secret that I am a staunch supporter of interacting on multiple platforms and of using social media as a tool for engaging others in your brand. However, at what point do we become consumed by our daily musings and exchanges there? Although there are many benefits to being active on social media, it does have its downfalls too. The question then becomes, are we addicted to social media? In order to answer this question, we have to be honest … [Read more...]
The Dark Side Of Kids On Social Media
This past week, I received an email from my sons' Principal alerting parents to an incident that occurred at the school with cyber bullying that was done on Instagram by some of the older students. He proceeded to say that the student who had engaged in the bullying would be suspended and he advised parents to be more vigilant about their children's social media interactions. I have to admit that I was really not surprised to receive this email. Not too long ago, I had a conversation with my 9 year old son where he shared with me that some of his classmates have Instagram and Facebook accounts. Although I am active on most social media platforms and I recognize their importance with regards to networking and business, I am strongly against allowing children younger than high school age to have social media accounts. I don't think that most kids this age possess the maturity to disseminate through all of the positive and negative images and comments that are posted on these … [Read more...]
Big Companies Are Listening To You On Social Media And I Have Proof!
If you have ever doubted the power of social media, I am here to tell you that it is an amazing tool not only to propel your brand or business forward but also to affect change. Over the years, I have reached out to companies over my social media platforms and had much success in creating a dialogue with them about their services or products. This week, I was able to use social media to solve a personal problem and to give a major pharmaceutical company honest feedback about their practices and customer service. Here is my story... My family and I receive all of our medications through a mail order pharmacy called Express Scripts. This past week, I received a letter from them stating that I needed to call to update my payment information on file before they could release my latest prescription out for mailing. I waited until after Christmas and promptly called them and provided them with my debit card information so they could simply withdraw payment directly from my … [Read more...]
Collect Your Family’s Milestones Into A Virtual Scrapbook Using #Lifeables
If you are active across a variety of social media platforms and technology savvy like I am, you probably have an array of family photos and precious memories posted on a variety of social networks, mobile phones and computers. It would be wonderful if we could all collect those images and family milestones and compile them into a virtual scrapbook which can be shared for generations to come. Social media is very important to me because it allows me to share photos of my sons with my family who lives in Spain. It is extremely difficult to be so far apart from our loved ones but, being able to communicate through images and updates, allows us to feel like we are still involved in each other's lives despite the distance between us. With the holidays coming up, sharing photos of our celebrations also goes a long way in making us feel that sense of family togetherness instead of lamenting that we could not all celebrate together. Lifeables is the first online service that … [Read more...]
