My name is Mandee. I'm Mom to 5 young boys. My husband and I have been married for 12 years this September, and have been together for 15 years! I like to act silly with my boys and try to be a fun mom, but my boys still know who's boss. :)
My blog button can be found at
Mandee
http://raisingmy5sons.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Raising-My-5-Sons/160380980666918
Twitter: http://twitter.com/RaisingMy5Sons
Raising My 5 Sons
As a mommy blogger I have a lot of questions that I can not figure out the answers to
and I put them on the back burner to come back to and somehow I always find the
answers on someones blog which is what I did with Raising My 5 Sons you see I
have been struggling with what type of blogger I am and what type I would like to be
when this question was addressed on her blog. So after reading it I know now what I
want and I think I can make it happen or at least I will die trying. So I encourage you
all read the interview she was kind enough to do for my blog and I also encourage you
to check out her blog as you will learn so much. But in the meantime what type of
blogger are you and what type do you want to be?
Welcome to Raising My 5 Sons
Wow 5 sons and they all start with C;s.
Would you like to tell us a little about them and your family life? I would love to tell you more about my boys and our life! As a matter of fact I originally started my blog because I have so much to share about my boys and although I know my immediate family and friends love to hear me go on and on about my kiddos, I'm sure they get tired of me talking as well. I wanted to keep everyone up to date, and I knew that I could make some laugh along the way. (Boys do funny things!) My oldest will be 11 in September. He's super smart and will be in the 6th grade this year. Our second son is ALL boy and loves every sport he tries. He will be 8 on Friday! Our third son will be 6 at the end of August and is going to attend Kindergarten this year. He is our musical boy and loves the guitar! Our 4th son is a little wild one. He just turned 3 in May and is a little dare devil. He once rode a large exercise ball down the steps! (I have photos and they are NOT pretty!) Last, but definitely not least, is the baby of the family. He just turned 1 last week and definitely keeps me on my toes. He was walking for a couple of days before he started RUNNING! He climbs on everything, gets into everything and tries to eat everything.
We all know you are a mom and a blogger but who are you outside
of all this and what did you want to be growing up? To be quite honest with you I don't really have a lot of my identity that I had before having children. I am actually planning to post about this soon, mother's losing their identity once they have kids. Before children I had a very active social life. I had a lot of friends and we went out and had a lot of fun. After kids, not so much. I have friends, yes, but I do not go out unless my children are with me...ever. I sometimes think people are a bit intimidated by my large family and all of my kids, however they really are very well behaved boys. As for me, I'm 30 years old (I bet a lot of you didn't know that) and I love children. I often have the kids friends at my house as well, the more-the merrier! I love writing and I love going on road trips. (Although we don't get to go on road trips often.)
How long have you been blogging? Why did you start?
I have been blogging for 2 years now! I started blogging to share with others the funny things my boys say and do and to keep family and friends up to date on things. It has turned into so much more than that for me now and I love the way my blog has shifted and turned into something better than I could have imagined. I was so excited when I got my first follower, and even more excited when I had my first 100 followers.
How did you become a reviewer and why?
When I first heard about others reviewing products on their blogs I thought, I have a blog and I have a family, why not try to get something free to review. I like to speak my mind (most of the time, when it's not hurting someone's feelings) and I knew this was one way I could get my voice heard about the latest and greatest products on the market. If a product passes the test of 5 boys it's got to be a good one, right!?
I contacted a couple of smaller companies that I had seen reviews for on other blogs and that is how I started. Now I don't contact many companies (unless there is a product we really want to try) because I am bombarded with emails from pr firms and companies wanting to get on my blog. (You can get there-it just takes time, dedication and good marketing skills. :)
As a reviewer do you think it helps big businesses to work with bloggers
and why?
I absolutely do! Moms have a lot of power! Who do you ask when you have a question about something or are not sure about a product you are thinking of trying? Typically you ask your Mom or a mom friend, right? I know I do. By going straight to the people that will be buying and using the products the companies are getting their product out there and making a name for it. Even better for the company is that they aren't having to spend a ton of advertising dollars in doing so. I really do think that bloggers are underpaid, but that's another post.
Everyone says stats need to be this and this can you tell us what some good
stats are and how we would know when companies would consider working
with a blogger as I know people get turned down all the time for this.
One of the biggest things is to get followers/traffic to your blog. Actually you can have quite a few followers, but if they don't keep coming back then your traffic will go down and you might not qualify for review products. Companies want their products to be seen by as many people as they can, and some of them aren't willing to work with some of the smaller blogs that aren't getting a lot of traffic. I suggest you visit other blogs and leave comments (not just on giveaways b/c a lot of blogs don't comment back for giveaway entries) but leave comments on regular posts and when you do leave the comment leave a link back to your blog. Not only does this link help your blog name get out there, but a lot of the time that blogger will then return the favor and visit and comment on your blog. (I try to do this myself, although sometimes it does take me a bit. If you were to stop by my blog and comment on 3 of my posts-non giveaway posts that is-then you could expect me to stop by your blog and comment on 3 of your posts. It's sort of part of the unspoken blogger respect code. However, not all bloggers follow this.) Another good thing is to advertise your blog. Not everyone has the money to take out ads, however you can ask friends to tell their friends about your page, put your blog link in your signature so everyone that gets an email from you can see it, and put your link in your signature on message boards and so forth. The more people that know about your blog, the more traffic you will get!
What is your favorite social site and why? How is it used? Definitely Facebook. I admit that I spend way to much time on Facebook. I like how quickly you can stay up to date with family and friends. I also love using my fan page for my business. It is so much quicker than writing a blog post and some companies are fine with me just advertising on Facebook for them since I have a pretty decent facebook following.
I have trouble combining work and family and I seem to live on the computer
how do you not do this and do you work with a schedule or what?
I admit that I spend WAY to much time on the computer. I am often multi-tasking and stepping away from my computer (leaving it open and easily accessible) and then popping back in when I get a chance. I try to do my blogging late at night when the boys are in bed, however I schedule them to post early in the morning. Marketing my blog is important, but my family is even more important to me. I often take breaks from the computer to run around the house and be silly with my boys. They are only young once and grow up way too fast, so I make it a point to take time for them. Although I do admit that I compromise on my own sleep to keep up with everything.
As a blogger what is one item you could not be with out?
My laptop. I can't blog without a computer, and being stuck at a desk is a hassle.
As a blogger what advice would you share with someone just getting started?
I would say that if you want to grow your blog you need to be visiting other blogs. Also, join clubs such as Mom Bloggers Club and so forth. There is a ton of information there, and you can find other blogs to follow.
How does your family handle the reviews you do?
My children love reviewing products. My boys consider my blogging my job. They once told me that their friends were jealous because their moms weren't bloggers and they didn't get cool stuff. (We like to share stuff with their friends though, so they have come to love the reviews as well!)
I seem to be getting more and more products and I have trouble keeping things
straight and in one place how do you do this and do you have any advice you
would care to share?
This is a very hard thing. I actually have an office and I keep all review products in a pile. Once they have been reviewed I move them out of the pile and place them wherever I want them in my home. When the boys get a toy or something I have to take photos right away because I don't want something to happen to the product before I review it. I have special folders in my email. Whenever I get an email from a company wanting a review on a product I move it to the Review folder in my email. If I am having a special event, like the Back to School event I have coming up, I will place the products that I am including in this event in my "Back to School Bash" folder in my email. This really helps. Although I know others that make spreadsheets for all of this.
Do you have a office and if so how do you keep people out of it?
I do have an office, however it is my husband's office as well for his work. My children only go in there if they need a pencil or something, and know that it is off limits. They think my office is boring, so they don't really try to go in.
Do you work certain hours and people leave you alone or do you work whenever?
I work whenever I find time and the television is always blaring cartoons, children are always climbing on me and I'm typically covered in drool! ha ha!
I would like to work 9 to 5 but my family does not understand I work from home
and can not be bothered and the neighbors too how would you handle this?
I am not able to do this as I have no sitter and 5 kids, however if I was able to do this I would just let everyone know that your job needs you to be fully focused and it's hard to get it done with a ton of interruptions. I'm sorry, I'm not much help on this one as I have little quiet time myself.
How has the blog changed your life? Is this better or worse than when you started?
I love blogging and it has helped me be able to express my feelings on subjects and products. I love being able to help other parents, even if in little ways. Blogging has also helped me bring in a little bit of money, as well as products for my family. I love that I am helping provide for my family. Being a stay at home mom is a lot of "work" however this makes me feel like I'm doing more than just caring for the boys. It gives me the feeling of having a "job."
What was the favorite item you have had a chance to review and what would your
dream item be to review? Wow, I'm not sure, but we are going to review a new vehicle in a couple of weeks and I'm thinking that could fall under favorite and dream item. Too bad we don't get to keep it! I have reviewed some pretty neat jewelry and a pretty awesome toy box for the boys, but one of my favorite items was our new Delta Kitchen Faucet. I loved being able to help with the kitchen remodel!
As a blogger and a parent what advice would you share with someone who is starting out? If you feel overwhelmed with blogging please step back and take a break. Our children should always come first.
What is your favorite blog? blogger? and why? Oh wow, I honestly can not give you one favorite because there are so many that I like, but I have followed one blog from the beginning and will probably follow her forever b/c she is so sweet and has helped me out a ton over the years. Her name is Xenia and her blog is www.thanksmailcarrier.com Check her out and tell her Mandee from Raising My 5 Sons sent you!
I see lots of events such as blog hops do you do these and if so do they help or do they
hinder you? I used to do a lot of blog hops, but life gets busy and I don't always have time now. I do get in on some every now and then as time permits. I would say the definitely help though. It gets your link out there and people will get know you.
Is there one piece of advice you would like to share that you wish someone had told you
when you started out? I guess I wish someone would have told me that blogging can be work and can be time consuming. Starting out I thought I was going to sit down every day and write up a cute little post, and that was fine, but as my blog grew I found myself spending more and more time working on it. The more you work on it though, the more you get out of it.
Can you share one thing we do not know about you? Hmmm...I could probably share a million, but thinking of one thing that you all might actually find amusing is hard to do. How about this...I absolutely love coffee. I love it so much that I have to have 2 cups before I can really start my day. I also am addicted to frozen coffees and if I'm in town I feel the need to swing through a fast food restaurant for a frozen coffee. (Probably not great for my physique, but it's my weakness!)
