mwwah.com.au

Winning Wednesday!

2011-07-20T12:04:00.002+10:00

Thats right today is the day we announce our winners for the competitions that recently ended on our site...
This fortnight we had 2 competitions:

Comp #1:

Seedling Baby sizeless pocket MCN (Red & White)

"The Seedling Baby Sizeless Pocket Nappy is an Australian-owned, affordable, simple, effective, practical one-size nappy designed for use from birth to potty training, without the need for covers, liners or pins.

A Day In the Life of a MWWAH! #2 Julie Clark- Jungle Bumz

2011-02-28T20:21:00.001+11:00

The day for me starts off when I hear my alarm on my phone go off I roll over trying not to squash my baby bump { I am currently 24 weeks pregnant } and switch my alarm clock off and then I lay there in bed for about 5 mins thinking about the list of things I need to get done and what order I should do them all in.

I get up out of bed and wake up the kiddies { I have 3 of them my oldest is 6 years old, my second oldest is 4 years old and my youngest will be 3 in a couple of weeks time } for school { my oldest is in grade 1 this year } and I start to make breakfast "ok weet-bix or toast" comes the typical everyday saying and I go about making bowls of weet-bix and Vegemite on toast, I sit down quickly while they are eating their breaky to have a bowl of weet-bix or a couple of pieces of toast and quickly check on emails.

"Finished Mum" comes the morning chant from the now awake and fed kidlets ok time for a shower i pop them all into the shower and tell them to have a scrub before the day starts as I head off into the kitchen to make My oldest her School lunch for the day "Nooooo that's mine" LOL yep here it comes the typical everyday morning squabble over toys in the shower i head on in and take away the toys and tell them all that they need to have a scrub and not play with the toys until they are all washed and clean

I go back to making lunch while they have a scrub and then I get their clothes ready and on the couch, then I go in and give the kidlets a once over with the Loafer to make sure they didn't miss any spots. "OK out we hop" I get them all out and dried and lead them into the lounge room where i dress my youngest and help to dress my second oldest { he does pretty good but needs some reminding that the tags on clothes go towards the back } while my Oldest dresses herself.

Next comes the hair brushing Drama, it's funny the moans and complains that they each give me because they hate getting their hair brushed LOL if only someone would brush my hair for me every morning!

OK so the kiddies are all dressed and ready to head off so now it is my turn to have a quick scrub and get dressed before we head off. "Alright grab your bag and lets go" we head out to the car and I buckle them all in { we sometimes walk but today I just want to get home as I have a lot of work to do } Bbbbrrrrroooommmm!!!! hehehe off we go!!

We arrive at the school which is { OK I am quite lazy sometimes } literally a 1 minute drive away *Blush and we all pile out of the car to take my oldest into her class where I sit down with one of the other mums every morning to change the reading Folders over for another day. "Bye mum" my oldest says to me as the school bell rings "Bye honey have a great day" we have about 60 seconds worth of kisses and hugs between My Oldest Child, the younger kids and I then we head back to the car and drive home.Were Home and ready to start the day off with some motherly duties ok first is to put some washing on and do the dishes { Insert classical music here } .... Woop!! ok I am done :) "MuuuuuM I'm Hungry" ok it's morning tea time so I make the younger two kidlets some morning tea..... Hmmmm actually come to think of it I am hungry too LOL so I make myself some morning tea and I quickly sit down to check Emails and FaceBook again.

Ok time to get some sewing done so I put on the radio { I tend to get my Sewjo while listening to music } so here I am 24 weeks pregnant dancing around the lounge room and sewing,cutting and snapping nappies while my 2 younger ones play puzzles or marble run on the lounge room floor, I stop every now and then to sit down and help them build their towers or help fix their puzzles. Lunch time rolls around quickly and I get back into the kitchen to make some lunch for the kiddies and while they eat i quickly run around and tidy up the house and sweep the kitchen floor "Oh Crud" I forgot the washing...Ooops LOL I quickly duck outside to hang it out and by the time I get back inside the kids have finished eating their lunch and have gone off to get ready for a midday nap, my youngest sleeps well during the day but my second oldest prefers to play quietly with his train set.

While they are both quiet I make myself some lunch and sit down to check on Emails and Facebook once again and once I have finished I get back to the machine to sew some more............Beep Beeep!!! my alarm clock goes off and it is time to wake my youngest up from her nap and get the kids ready to go pick up my oldest from school, ok go to the toilet wash your hands and lets go! we have to leave early otherwise we wont get a car park { it is madness if I get there too late } Phew!!! we got a park and we all hop out and go sit with the other mums to have a good old { and muchly needed Motherly chat }.

The school bell rings and then it is a mad rush to get back to the car before everyone else gets out the gates so that we are not sitting in a hot car for ages when the traffic builds up around the roundabout and traffic lights, we lucked out today as there was roadworks so we were in a little bit of traffic O'well were home now thank goodness!! I make the kids a cold drink and I put some cartoons on for them to wind down for the day and I race to beat the post office closing I find myself constantly looking at the clock as I sew { I swear time goes slower when your watching the clock or is that just me hehehehe } hubby gets home from work and we all load up into the car to do the post drop for the day, I prefer to do it when hubby is home so I don't have to drag the kids into the post office where they behave like kids ;) Hehehe Phew!! what a load off today's fluffy bundles have been posted off and is now time to head home and cook some dinner.

I am now in the kitchen cooking dinner for the 5 of us while the kids have a play in the back yard now that the sun has died down a little { we have No shade in our back yard due the the neighbors cutting down every single tree in their yard }. "Ok dinner is up" we all wash our hands and sit down at the table for dinner which is home made Burgers tonight Yuuummmmoooo!!! it is the funniest time of day and I really look forward to sitting down as a family while we eat dinner and talk about the days we all had.

Dinner is over so I tidy up the kitchen and do the dishes while hubby checks his emails on his computer and the kids wash their hands and watch their cartoons, once I am done hubby helps me run a bath for the kids and give them a scrub and tonight is Hair scrubbing night so it is even more fun LOL, once they kids are all clean we get them dressed into their PJ's and they sit down and have quiet play while I get back to the machine for an hour before I decide that I would sit down and write out about my day to share with all of you :).

Today ends here where we put the kids to bed read them their books and then I sit down for 30 mins to help my oldest with her homework :) and then we tuck them all in and say out goodnights and then hubby and i sit down at our desk and Facebook and read Emails before having our showers and heading off to bed ourselves.

I hope you enjoyed reading about the day in the Life of a WAHM :) I look forward to reading some other stories about how others spend their days.

Over and Out

Julie xx

JungleBumz Facebook ~ Website

A Day In the Life of a MWWAH! #1 Jess Simpson

2011-02-19T20:38:00.001+11:00

A Day In the life of a MWWAH

Jess Simpson (26) Mum of 2 with another on the way and general manager of mwwah.com.au.

Click goes the TV and my eyes pop open hesitantly. Master J (6) is an early riser and always goes out to watch Telly... trying to be quiet but it never happens. Bird starts to whistle over and over and over again and Miss T (2 1/2) wakes up and I know its time to get up. Kids begging for breakfast as soon as I emerge... 2 sec I say running to the toilet for what seems like the hundreds time since I went to bed... Ahh the joys of being 29 weeks pregnant...

Breakfast for the kids, clothes ready for hubby to go to work, seed for the chirping bird, washing in machine and dishwasher to unpack and get ready to reload from breakfast. 9.30am Hubby leaves for work and I quickly check emails as I'm expecting an important reply however this is the start of my non working day. What starts out to b my day off ends up with me doing the countless things you seem to do when your in business.

So I sit here at my desk working busy as a bee giving more of myself to help others and I suddenly look at the clock and realise it's now 11am. I'm still in my PJ's, hair and teeth not yet brushed, I haven't eaten breakfast yet but hey clothes are in washing machine, dishes are in dishwasher and kids are content and occupied one is reading a book and one is watching her favourite show.

I have a cuppa and a piece of toast, take 2 mins to have a shower get dressed and brush my teeth and hair and I start to feel like a woman and not a tired old hag! I sit down to interact with my daughter and we just start to laugh and play and I hear the "DING" of a email. Hmmm, do I or don't I check?

Deciding to ignore it while I make some lunch for the kids I have this nagging feeling and urge to check what is waiting in the inbox... It may be important...Someone may need me... It could be a potential client?

After I've made the kids lunch I give in to the urge and once again I'm back at it working hard on multiple tasks, facebooking, tweeting, adding web content, returning emails and PM's all while chatting with the kids, singing songs, playing Scissors-paper-rock, reading books, helping with puzzles, maths questions on Master J's DS then hanging out washing for 10 minutes for an eye break from the PC and a stretch and then back to the content writing once again.

Before I know it it 3pm Saturday afternoon, time to go out to pick up some milk and bread and much needed toilet paper and then back home to get a start on dinner. Chicken and Vege stir fry with rice we all sit down to eat, back to cleaning up , dishes in dishwasher, kids in bath, washing off the line. Kids watching Madagascar while I have some one on one adult time with hubby and talk about his day then story time and kids brush their teeth and into bed. Now looking at the time its almost 8.30pm and the day is not yet over. I'm back to answering questions, liking new pages, thinking of concepts and ideas, emailing clients, sourcing content, helping clients advertise on the site and more.

As I write this it seems exhausting and a long tireless day but I LOVE every minute of being able to have the best of both worlds. Being a mum and working around my kids works for me and loving what you do makes it easy to do your work each day.

Tomorrow however is a FAMILY day... and I couldn't ask for any more than that!!

Multi-tasking Women Who Achieve Heaps!

Est. May 2009

Founder Jess Simpson

Aim- Share, Support and Showcase the many talented, inspiring, motivating and truly amazing women out there. From free & low cost advertising options to resourceful articles, stories about other women and much more...

Read our reviews... Prizes to be won!

2011-02-07T09:00:00.000+11:00

Yes thats right we have a few new reviews with GIVEAWAYS!!!

As a new feature we have been offering reviews for some time now and we have quite a few interesting items coming up. Check out the latest and enter the competitions to win!!

New MWWAH Team Members and New Issue of More Than Mums out Now!!!

2011-02-06T19:03:00.000+11:00

Many of you would have heard that I (Jess) have been looking for more helpers and team members for mwwah.com.au as the arrival of baby #3 gets closer and with my aim to grow and expand mwwah.com.au.

Aside from our fantastic helper on Facebook (Kylie) who does our awesome shoutouts we now have a marketing specialist who is also a MWWAH working with us to bring you some fantastic marketing resource articles.

Natalia is the Managing Director of Across The Verge, a marketing company, specialising in marketing solutions for small to medium businesses. With a background in marketing, advertising and sales, Natalia started her own business in 2008 to focus on the creative and strategic side of marketing. Natalia’s goal is to share her passion and expertise with other businesses and assist them with their marketing goals to result in growth.

Find out more about Natalia (or our other team members) on our website by checking out the "Meet The Team" page. You can also read Natalia's first exclusive to mwwah.com.au article Marketing - a must for small business! (You have to be registered on the site to view these FREE resource articles, but don't worry it's FREE to join ♥)

We have also launched the Third issue of More Than Mums feat. Inner-B.

More Than Mums Issue 3

We also have the FREE profile's to offer members a presence on mwwah.com.au. Utilise this feature, add your logo or image, add your business bio, links etc and be seen from our site today! Its free so nothing to loose and LOTS to gain!

Goodbye January, Hello February!!! (pssssttt....... winner announced)

2011-02-01T11:13:00.001+11:00

Wow we are in month 2 of 2011 already, where has the time gone. Have you all accomplished those goals and set achievements you wanted to for January, or has 2011 kicked off to a slow start??

For many of us with children things were probably on a go slow during the holidays but now the children are all starting to return to school it’s time to step things up.

We have decided to bring back our TOP MWWAH monthly competition where we give away FREE advertising. The traffic flow through the TOP MWWAH sites list is fantastic. As thanks for all the traffic flow at the end of February the Top ranked business will be our Magnificent MWWAH! I know we used to do a poll to determine the winner with the top5 ranked businesses but we have decided to make it easier we will just announce the top ranked business #1 for that month!!

Pop over to the list and be sure that ALL your info is up to date; this includes your links, text and most importantly your banners both on the list and from your site! Your reciprocal banner MUST be placed on the same place you have linked to your advert banner (shown on our list)!!

So if you have added your banner to the Top sites list and:

linked it to your website then you MUST have our banner on your website
linked it to your facebook page then you MUST have our banner on your welcome page
linked it to your blog then you MUST have our banner on your blog

Any top ranked business who does not comply with this will not be selected as the winner! Remember this is EXCHANGE advertising. It benefits you as much as it does us. Working together to utilize the joint traffic is what makes it work to the best of its ability.

Remember the list has lots of traffic flow so utilize your space on the list by creating an advert to suit the specs and be sure your advert is visible to ensure people click on it and visit the linked URL. We have LOTS of missing banners meaning people will not click on the listing as they appear incomplete. For tips and info on the TOP MWWAH sites list visit {HERE}

Top MWWAH businesses can only be selected as a winner once in the 12 month period. However if you do happen to be the top site at the end of the month we will still recognize this with a social media shout out and we will also offer a $10% discount on any paid advertising for that business as a thanks.

This month we have selected the top ranked business as the winner. From now until the end of Feb the new rules are in place. I will post the details on the website also for future reference.

Our January Magnificent MWWAH is Party Kit 'n Kaboodle. Congratulations! Please email info@mwwah.com.au

Reviewer needed!!

2011-01-18T08:55:00.000+11:00

I'm on the look out for women who have very recently had a baby or are due in the very near future. We prefer that this pregnancy was/is a second or subsequent pregnancy and they did not use a postnatal wrap after their first birth (this allows the ladies to compared the difference between recovery without a belly wrap to recovery with a belly wrap)

We are happy to have a spread between natural and caesarean birth

The ladies doing the review should be prepared to wear the belly wrap snugly around the waist night and day for 4-6 weeks after birth.

We don't want to be too restrictive but it would be great if we could find the women with websites and/or blogs of their own within the maternity/baby sector who would be prepared to post the review to their own site and networking sites such as facebook, and allow us to link into the review from our site.

For those ladies who do have their own site we would like to know the following information to be able to make our selection.

Tell us a little about yourself and your site
URL:
How many monthly visitors do you get to your site?
How many subscribers, members or followers do you have?
Do you have a Facebook Page?
Your Facebook URL:

If this sounds like you please email info@mwwah.com.au with necessary details ASAP!!! You will need to commit to the 4-6 week period and fit the criteria.

Help raise over $10,000 for QLD flood Victims!

2011-01-15T17:50:00.000+11:00

Bloggers we are asking for your help to re-blog this on your blog so we can exceed the $10,000 target in the next 24 hours and even double or triple it!

The Wholesale Baby Charity Auction is coming into its last 24 hours and we need your help to exceed the target of $10,000 and really help those affected by the recent floods!

There are many businesses including work at home Mums and Dads who have come together to get behind this Auction to make it a success and Nicole McIver is an example of what a Mummy with young kids can do to help families in need out!

There are over 300 items for you to bid on over 2 albums at the Wholesale Baby Page on Facebook and items for all the family to win! ( mwwah.com.au have even donated an advertising package!!)
The auction closes at 5pm AEST Sunday the 16th Jan the target we reach is up to you how many people can we reach and get to bid!

Win an advertising & promotion package worth $200

2011-01-08T09:37:00.000+11:00

Want to increase your exposure?

Need more traffic flow to your MWWAH Business??

Want to win an Advertising Package on mwwah.com.au as well as a Promotional Package from LBM Designs (Valued at $200)?

Visit the website fo more information on how to enter!

Win a Purple Babasling worth $99??

2011-01-08T09:27:00.000+11:00

Love to hold your baby close?

BabaSlings.com can cater to everyones needs. Whether you are looking for a baby sling or baby carrier to accommodate your baby to sleep and breastfeed in a pouch style position or a hip sling for your toddler.

To enter into this draw simply visit the website.

Be sure to check out the Terms and Conditions and Good Luck!

Win a Website Review Package (valued at $149)

2011-01-08T09:05:00.001+11:00

Website not performing as well as it should be?

Thanks to Donna from The Dot Com Network we have a fantastic prize to giveaway.

How would you like to win a "Website Review Package" (valued at $149)?

Donna has been the best help to me over the last few months helping me out with the nity gritty side of the website and she has loads of useful information that is definitely worth while to MWWAH's.

Check out our website for more information about this fantastic prize!!

Helpful Business Resource Links

2011-01-06T09:45:00.001+11:00

Today I thought I would share some important business resource sites to find information from that will be of use to many of you.

So here they are:-

Business.gov.au - offers you simple and convenient access to all the government information, forms and services you need. It's a whole-of-government service providing essential information on planning, starting and growing your business.

I LOVE this site for a wide variety of information from Business checklists & templates, Info on grants and assistance for small business, Government and business associations directory, links to apply for and look up ABN Numbers, tax info, home based business info, registration & licences, how-to guides, etc.

BEC Australia -is a not-for-profit organisation whose primary role is to support and grow the national network of Business Enterprise Centres and provide representation on behalf of its members to key stakeholders.Of course there are many more but I felt these were the vital ones that many of you need to check out... I hope you find them as useful as I do

Business Enterprise Centers Australia are a GREAT resouce with local events in your area. I'll be attending a few myself this year after hearing about them at a networking event. In NSW alone there are over 40 centers accross the state. be sure to check them out, look at the resources available to you and attend a few events.

ACCC- The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is an independent statutory authority. The ACCC promotes competition and fair trade in the market place to benefit consumers, business and the community. It also regulates national infrastructure industries. Its primary responsibility is to ensure that individuals and businesses comply with the Commonwealth's competition, fair trading and consumer protection laws.

This site provides information on many topic from dealing with customers, product safety, dealing with other businesses, running your business, industry codes of conduct, professions & competition, product safety and labeling requirements, etc. They also provide information for the consumer like consumer guarentees for goods & services, warranties, resolving an issue, how to write a complaints letter, your rights, shopping and pricing, product safety etc.

Kochies Small Business Builders - This small business website from Kochie's Business Builders, Australia's top rating small business TV show, is dedicated to providing useful information, tips, ideas and advice from leading SME experts to budding entrepreneurs, small business start-ups, sole traders, small business and medium-sized business owners

Ok so this one might not be a .gov site but it is still very useful for hints tips and avice, articles etc. I am a fan of Kochie's Business guides and i'm sure you will find some aspect of this site useful. The even have a section for Women In Business, families in business and cover important issues like marketing, sales, fnance and tax etc. check this one out!!

Scam Watch-a site to help you recognise, report and protect yourself from scams. Explore SCAMwatch to find out more about the scams that target you or your small business.

I think this one speaks for itself... Very useful tool for those small businesses who may not be aware of all kinds of scams going around... find information about different types of scams and even report a scam!

ATO - The Australian Taxation Office is the Government’s principal revenue collection agency, and is part of the Treasurer’s portfolio. Our role is to manage and shape tax, excise and superannuation systems that fund services for Australians.

We all know of this one... all the resorces you need to know about tax related issues and business. a MUST to check out for ANY Business

NEW FEATURE!!!! Let Us Sell YOUR advertising space

2011-01-06T08:20:00.000+11:00

Do you have website or blog traffic? Would you like to utilize it?

Have you ever thought about selling advertising space on your site or blog?

A new option we are providing will be helping other businesses sell their advertising space*.

Using our website "Advertising module" we will be able to provide in our system the feature for our interested businesses to purchase advertising space on other websites and blogs. Basically we'll become an "Advertising Agent".

Sound interesting... Read more on the website

New Years Business Resolution Tips

2011-01-01T12:40:00.000+11:00

In line with our New Year... New MWWAH Launch we've come up with some New Years Business Resolution Tips.

{New Years Business resolution tip #1} Goal setting is a valuable practice - as long as the goals lead to success rather than distress. Start with the more obtainable goals to build your motivation and confidence. Think of goal setting as the process of drawing the map. Paint the picture of where you would like to see yourself, and then write a list of actions that you’ll need to undertake to reach this goal

{New Years Business resolution tip #2} Learn something New! Learning something new will add to your skills and add a new dimension of interest to your life. Ask yourself where you feel your business knowledge weaknesses are then find a course or books that can help you to learn more. There are plenty of short courses that only require an hour or two a week, as well as online courses, blogs and web sites that can help you boost your business knowledge. Depending on how you choose to learn, you may meet new and interesting people, who may become customers, colleagues, or friends.

{New Years Business resolution tip #3} Delegate- we all want to work less and earn more. Here's one of the greatest secrets of time management: successful delegation. There are so many things to do when you're running a small business; it's easy to delude ourselves that we need to do all of them. Start by writing down every activity you undertake for an entire week, and then review the results. There are likely a number of activities that don't help you achieve your goals, or could be done by other team members. Focus on working to get those low-payoff activities either delegated or dumped. If you're a solo worker, perhaps consider outsourcing these duties to somebody you know who could do the work. Delegation is the key to a healthy work-life balance.

{New Years Business resolution tip #4} Put time for you on your calendar-take the time to recharge and refresh yourself; a healthy work-life balance demands time out. All work and no play is a recipe for mental and physical disaster. Try planning activities that require your attention out of the office and away from communication -- take a walk with your children, go camping for a weekend, or head to a museum and turn off your phone. If the thought of having an email-free evening scares you, your business is in control of you, and you're not in control of your business. Being smarter about how you spend your office time can allow you to enjoy more home time. If you won't invest in yourself, who will?

{New Years Business resolution tip #5} Find an efficient workspace -Working from home, distraction levels can be disastrous. I set aside a chunk of hours each week where I leave my home office to work. I put a timer on myself and my efficiency is far greater, as I go there, get my stuff done and go home again. Procrastination nearly disappears when I work away from my usual space. Spring clean your business. With a fresh year you should do your best to have a fresh start. That means cleaning out your inbox, ridding yourself of old messages taking up space. It means physically cleaning up the office. A chaotic mess of a workplace is unproductive and causes problems.

{New Years Business resolution tip #6} Remember the phone? Pick it up. Pick up the phone and engage. Don’t send an email. So much time is wasted with back and forth emails, where tone and content can be misunderstood. Don’t be afraid to have a good old chat, stop hiding behind your computers and social media pages. A phone call might take a little more time initially, but can eliminate all the in-between lag time in sending and awaiting response.

{New Years Business resolution tip #7} Drop what's not working for you and move on. All products aren't going to be super sellers, all sales methods aren't going to work for everyone, and all suppliers or contractors aren't going to be ideally suited to your business. If a technique or a product or a business relationship isn't working for you, stop using it. Don't invest a lot of energy into trying to make the unworkable workable. Move on. Something better will turn up. Also build rock-solid procedures. The right procedures will make your business run more efficiently. A good system will allow for increased workload and reduce the amount of effort you need to spend on repetitive activities. Having procedures reduces the chance of errors, and increases your ability to think beyond the routine. Think of the differences between a business with procedures and one without.

{New Years Business resolution tip #8} Ask a client for a referral. It seems simple, yet many business owners never consider asking their existing clients for contacts with others who may need your services. It can seem to be a hurdle to ask the first few times, but it doesn't need to be. It's amazing how simple it is to ask for a referral. The best part is that word of mouth doesn't need to cost any more than a thank you card. With social media asking for referrals has become simple yet many are finding it tiresome as it seems to be ALL businesses doing it Connecting and networking has become more about tagging and spamming Facebook walls. Try to find other methods of asking for referrals like sending out an email or newsletter to your contact database to being new clients in. Rewarding existing clients who do send you new clients (by either offing a small discount or perhaps a small gift to say thank you) can be an excellent resource and a great way to network.

{New Years Business resolution tip #9} Join a new business organization or networking group. There is nothing like talking to other business people for sparking new ideas, refining old ones, and making contacts. Networking groups are becoming increasingly popular these days. Building a strong referral base is good business and a good way to do this is through networking groups. Whether it's a group specifically designed for networking or an organization dedicated to a particular type of business, in person or over the 'Net, making the effort to be a part of a group will revitalize you and your business.There are other advantages as well as these groups provide opportunities for social interaction and learning.

{New Years Business resolution tip #10} Celebrate Accomplishments, Recognize Opportunities. Savor and enjoy every step you take, no matter how small it seems. Give yourself a pat on the back or reward yourself in some way. When you reach a goal, it is certainly cause for celebration. Celebrating an achievement tends to anchor excitement & positive emotions while keeping you motivated and inspired to move forward. Success isn’t really success unless we enjoy it. An opportunity is a favorable set of circumstances that creates the need for a new product, service, or business idea. Observing trends, solving problems and finding gaps in the marketplace are how you identify an opportunity.

Also remember... Achieving a healthy work-life balance is like maintaining a good relationship; you have to keep working on it.

I have many more tips to add to this but its 1am January 1st 2011 and I think it's time I took note of #4 and have some me time (in the form of sleep time..lol) I hope you find these useful.

Goodbye 2010!! Hello to a bigger, brighter, better 2011... A New Year...... New MWWAH!!!

2010-12-29T14:44:00.000+11:00

As 2010 nears the end I'd like to take this time to thank you all for being so supportive. We are the original site providing this type of service and with the new launch we hope to continue this and more. we Will be live on the web 2 years next yr in May and hope that the new site and content will be beneficial to you all. As always we pride our self on interaction with members and always look forward to hearing thoughts and ideas about how we can improve things and also on services you wish us to provide. I'm looking to expand mwwah in 2011 and have MANY new things planned.

Speaking of planning~ being close to the start of a New year is time to go over your Business plan!!! Plan for the New Year and what you hope to achieve, set goals, work out what is and isn't working etc use this last few days to concentrate on this aspect of business!!! Let make 2011 the year for us all to shine and show people what mwwah-preneurs can achieve!!

What are Your New Years resolutions for 2011???

7 days until Launch!!!

2010-12-26T20:47:00.001+11:00

With just 7 days to go I'm madly working on last minute things. I hope the launch will be as successful as I dream it will be. I've put lots and lots of work and many hours into it so please stay tuned for January 3rd's Launch!!!

4 days out from Christmas and still working... are you?

2010-12-21T12:32:00.000+11:00

I'm curious to know how many of you are taking time of this festive season? I've been ordered by my OBGYN to take time off due to Blood pressure issues but with so much on my plate I 'm still trying to multi-task these things while resting..*sigh... I just can't seem to switch off

So it got me thinking... am I the only one who is working through the festive season? Who is closing their online doors and having a forced break?? How long are you taking off? Are you going away or just having a family break at home? What are your plans for New Years?

I'd love to hear what you all have planned.... please share with us ♥

5 days til Christmas... from a stressed out MWWAH!

2010-12-20T19:23:00.001+11:00

For a while I pondered the question...Why should I blog?? After taking a break from blogging for about 8 months. I was wondering why people would want to read what I had to write... I'm not a journalist... I'm just a Mum of 2 trying to create a network/community for other like myself. I've decided that many of the things that occur in my day and in my life as a MWWAH-preneur could possible be occurring in your life also...

This made me re-think the whole blogging idea and concept... So I'm bringing it back....

5 days out from Christmas and not long until the big launch day I'm stressed to the max; kids running wild, fighting, annoying each other, mad rush around the shops to get final things prepared for the BIG Christmas eve/day fiasco not to mention the cleaning of the house and also business related things as well as try to relax with this pregnancy... Phew... I'm exhausted just writing what I've been dealing with...

So why do we do it to ourselves... what does it feel like we mothers take on SO much just for a few days of the year. I feel like everything is on my shoulders; all the planning & preparation for Christmas is my duty...I've been asked by people "What do you want for Christmas?" The answer is... I don't know... But perhaps we Mothers/women should be asking for some pampering!!! Some me time, some quiet peaceful me time, I know I could sure use some... How about you? What are you asking for??

Hitting the ground running...

2010-11-20T15:10:00.011+11:00

So you started your home business and things start out steady, balanced and just how you want them. You have the perfect business/life balance; your business is gaining more popularity and therefore gaining a bigger customer base. Business increases, you start to spread your wings and perhaps take on a little bit more. Now you're finding the businesses that you created, as well as your domestic / family duties are now not so balanced. What do you do when you get to the point when you find you are juggling so much all alone that you are no longer hitting the ground running but in fact running yourself into the ground?

Starting a Home business is one of the best things I have ever done. I get to keep my brain active and challenge myself daily all while still being the most important thing in the world to me and that is being a “Mum”. It enables me to be there for the kids with flexibility that many parents need these days. It also makes me feel like I have accomplished something in life and gives me a new label aside from just housewife and mum. Sometimes it feels like being a Mother means your life becomes another person’s life; that the things you yourself desire or want are just dreams or fantasies or part of another lifetime. I'm not saying being a mum is awful in fact it's the most joyous aspect in my life. Growing, nurturing and teaching a child while they grow is one of the most rewarding accomplishments in the world. It's just reality that being the carer and nurturer of a child (or children in my case) means that they are my main focus and I used to feel that being a mum is all I would ever be (until of course they grow up and leave the nest).

I wanted to do something with my time, skills, determination and really just for ME. I started to feel that now my eldest was in school that daily domestic duties and raising just one child throughout the day wasn't enough. I felt I could achieve much more. So now I am not only a mother of two (with one on the way) but also a one woman home Business operator. I perform nearly ALL aspects of this business on my own and have always been determined to do so. This has meant however that what I set out to create has jumped to the next level and I’ll admit it’s very overwhelming at times. The needs of my family have stepped up (with preparations for our new arrival) but so have the business needs. At times I struggling to keep on top of things being the administrator, web designer, social networker, manager marketing consultant, PR representative and all the rest as well as trying to do all the usual things in life and for the family.

Being the sole person responsible for this growing business has meant that many things have been pushed aside to the "to-do list" or just plain forgotten. Hundreds of emails a week, averaging 2000 wall posts a week on our Facebook social networking page, Directory listing approvals, top MWWAH sites list approvals, adding content to the website, doing book work and accounting, More Than Mums Ezine, Twittering, marketing the business & networking, sending out media releases to try to expand our customer base and many more business things that I do are becoming quite a handful for just one single person to fit in to a spare few hours a day.

I’ve been working out how I can get out of this rut, how I can change the situation before I start running myself into the ground. Late Nights, early mornings, weekend work! There is only so much one person can do before he/she breaks down. I’ve decided that if I'm facing these challenges that perhaps many of you are also facing them. This why I have decided to put together a list of articles that will help us all throughout our business journey and help us follow the right paths to avoid running ourselves into the ground They will be available for members of the site in the "Resource Article" category of the new site.

I myself am doing my best and to juggle everything that life, family and business throws at me. I hope that the articles I find useful and add to the site will also benefit you. I think it also helps to know that others are experiencing what you are going through also. It's time to share and support each other by sharing our stories and tips for better success.

Women: Doing it for themselves!

2010-09-20T15:02:00.000+10:00

We all know women have this innate ability to multi-task and just when you think they couldn’t possible juggle anymore at once you discover that they actually can and do!! Being a 26 year old mother of 2, (with 1 on the way) this is exactly what I discovered through my online business mwwah.com.au (Multi-tasking Women Who Achieve Heaps).

Back in late 2008 when pregnant with my 2nd child a search began to find products for her new baby that were eco friendly and allergy free. Having had my 1st child who had suffered allergies and reactions to food additives and had skin conditions like eczema I knew the challenges I could soon be facing. Large department stores at that time did not stock such products and even their “sensitive” skin care ranges for babies were not suitable for my 1st child’s skin conditions. I had heard from other women through parenting forums who had children suffering similar things that there were products out there; you just had to know where to look. Word of mouth was a great way to find out about them but keeping track of the products and business was the difficult part. My web browser favourites list was growing daily and was soon filled with hundreds of tiny small businesses.

The search started with cloth nappies with my desire to be environmentally friendly and knowing my 1st child Jordan had suffered severe eczema from typically used disposable nappies. Also the knowledge of the harsh chemicals used in disposable nappies and their possible side effects made me determined to steer clear of them. This led me to discover the MCN- modern Cloth nappy industry created by women (mainly mothers). It was this search alone that opened the doors to the wide world of products made, sourced and sold by women and mums all over the country.

It was in January 2009 that I decided to start planning to spread the word to others about these inspiring women and their innovative, unique businesses and hobbies. After researching and discovering that there was yet to be a site that listed these fabulous businesses in one place I started a social media page on Facebook and started to form my website mwwah.com.au (launched May 2009) and it has been flourishing ever since. Using social media to help build the foundations of the community I set out to provide FREE and low cost advertising and marketing options for these small but BIG hearted businesses and to show others what else was out there. What started as a small group of women has now turned into a huge community of inspiring, motivated and determined business women. It has grown so much so that many new websites and social media pages are now being created just like mwwah.com.au.

It seems that with the ever increasing costs of living from mortgage rates rises, increasing utility, petrol and food prices through to school and childcare fee’s many families are struggling and finding it hard to get by. Women also face the hard decision as well as social scrutiny over their choice to either to return to the workforce or to continue to be a stay at home parent. Many of them simply have no other options and are forced into their decision. This is due to many older generations staying in the workforce longer which means many families rely solely on school, after school care or childcare for their children. This often means their wages are used to cover these ever increasing fees and other costs involved with working (like travel).

Although Australia has been fortunate with the Global Financial Crisis it has still put a strain on families and it is this that has started the trend of home and/or online business. With this new trend or niche of home and online business comes more confidence for women and a sense of pride for being able to achieve what they thought was impossible. Work and life balance that many families strive for is now in reach thanks to the advance in internet. A mwwah-preneur with a modest amount of funding, broadband connection, relevant skills, creativity and a good idea can launch a successful online home business. The increased flexibility that is gained by being your own boss means that many women/mums are getting the best of both worlds.

In addition there are other strong forces. Women are having children later in life meaning many have optimized skills, increased contacts and relevant experience required when launching a new venture. Also with parts of the corporate world being not as supportive more highly skilled, business-savvy women are in a better position to start-up their own business that ever before. Add to this the newly approved Paid Parental Leave scheme that comes into effect early 2011 and this trend could definitely be accelerated. Eligible ‘Primary Carers’ of children can receive up to 18 weeks of parental leave pay at the national minimum wage, which is currently $570 a week. Many new mothers may re-think plans to return to previous roles during this time.

Through mwwah’s success I have seen a huge increase in women starting up hobbies and small home businesses. Many think that these hobbies/businesses are mainly mums at home sewing or hand making items but that is just not the case. These women are highly skilled and very motivated. Many of them do use their skills to create items themselves like clothing, candles, cards, etc to sell at markets and in their online stores but there is also a lot of professional service businesses out there too. Businesses such as virtual assistants, SEO & marketing, web and graphic design, copywriters, recruitment, women with published books, women who have a unique concept and have their idea designed, created and mass produced and much more.

The range of businesses are limitless and there are always new fresh ideas coming from mwwah-preneurs. It seems women really are “doing it for themselves” we are filling in the gaps and providing products and services consumers want, need and desire. Support the mwwah-preneurs today and watch this niche grow!

Something new and exciting happening

2010-07-15T12:05:00.000+10:00

I have some exciting news... I'm working on a brand new website for mwwah... stay tuned for more info for our 2011 launch...

Back to blogging

2010-06-20T08:09:00.001+10:00

So I've decided to start blogging once again... How do you find blogging??

Win a FB Welcome page By @Snapshot Occasions.

2010-01-07T12:50:00.000+11:00

WIN a Facebook Welcome Page for your Business. Designed just for you by Snapshot Occasions!

Check out their FB page for details!!

Happy Christmas

2009-12-20T17:37:00.000+11:00

Just wishing all our family, friends & fans a very Happy & safe Christmas.

See you all again in thge new year.

December Marvellous MWWAH Comp Now closed!!

2009-12-01T17:57:00.000+11:00

Great results this month.
1449 hits on our Polling page and over 2500 hits (Total) on our site for last month.

After checking all 586 votes lodged it seems we had 81 votes that have been lodged by the same IP. (Not sure how)

Finaly number are :

1st place 231 votes (minus 60 which were double votes). {171}

2nd Place 119 votes - (Minus 1 which was a double votes) {118}

3rd place with 67 votes- ( No doubles) {67}

4th place 3...2 votes (minus 1 double) {31}

Our December Winner is.......................................

Great new offer from Family Capers

2009-11-23T16:19:00.000+11:00

mwwah.com.au members are entitled to 10% off VIP Membership at Family Capers.
To see whats on offer visit http://www.familycapers.com.au/VIP-Club/how-to-join.html
To take advantage of the offer email forums@familycapers.com.au to arrange a special invoice and access.

Voting Poll is now Up on the site

2009-11-23T08:31:00.000+11:00

Voting Poll for Marvellous Mwwah comp is now up.
We have had many nominations emailed to us and we now have Ten sites in the draw.

Get voting HERE

Remember 1 vote per IP address is counted.
Poll closed as of 5pm 1st December.

Add the link and get your friends, family and fans to vote for your business if its listed.

Businesses nominated include.
Cre8ted by Linda,
JazzyLee Kids Biz,
Snapshot occasions,
4 lil darlins
Blankie4me
Oz handmade
Pretty Things distract me
Letters from Santa
Lunalei
Bowtique

Congrats to those nominated.

December Marvellous MWWAH Nominations

2009-11-21T11:27:00.001+11:00

Yes, Its that time once again to start taking nominations for our next Marvellous Mwwah!

This month will be extra special as this winner will have their page up during the Christmas month.

This months winner will not only win the FREE advertising on the Site of the month page (which includes logo with link and up to 3 pictures and also text supplied by mwwah business owner on who, why and when they started, background of business whats coming up etc) they will also win a small advertising slot in the Mwwah Sites page

Standard rules apply:
-Business nominated must be a MWWAH business
- You can not nominate your own business
-Top 10 Nominations will go to a voting poll listed on mwwah.com.au
-Nominations opened until Monday 23rd November til 5pm.
-Voting poll then opened until 1st December 5pm.
-1 vote per IP address will be counted.
It is advised to seek help from friends, customers etc to place a vote for your business. Great opportunity for some FREE promotion for your business.

Voting poll will be listed HERE

Nominations can be made on our blog, facebook, guestbook on our site or even emailed to jess@mwwah.com.au

Giveaway-Mini Me Comp!

2009-11-19T09:37:00.004+11:00

As we are no longer allowed to have FB competitions we are having them on our Blog.
We have a choice of prizes.
* Small Advertising slot ( 6 month slot)
* MWWAH T-Shirt (Limited Sizes left)
* MWWAH Mug

Being a mwwah my kids see me doing business/work things. If I step away from the PC after doing business things within 5 minutes my kids are imitating me either writing, pretending to type or clicking the mouse. My Daughter has even started to put my shoes on and walk round with her handbag... lol.

So this months Giveaway the Mini Me Comp is basically sharing your experiences.
Either tell us in 25 words or less how your child imitates or pretends to be you (or Daddy)
or email jess@mwwah.com.au a picture if you have one.

Entries close Thursday 10th 5pm. Winner announced on the weekend following.

-Please Note This Comp has been edited . No longer the Mini MWWAH But Mini Me...

Marvellous MWWAH FREE Advertising Comp!!

2009-11-04T11:28:00.002+11:00

After trialing so many ideas for this comp- forum votes, Facebook votes, blog post comments, then the ratings system we have now found a new improved way to vote which doesn't require registration, log-in, email address, even your name isn't needed. The new POLL is located on our home page for easy of use, fast, efficient voting. All that is required is select your answer and click vote.

Hopefully with this new system in place our monthly FREE advertising comp will be even more successful.

Vote for Novembers Marvellous MWWAH now by visiting our homepage.

Great New Sites listed!

2009-10-25T09:46:00.000+11:00

As we approach our 4th month live we have some awesome WAH (Work At Home) sites listed.

From our most recent:

Fluffy Lime

Purely Natural Living

LR Everyday

The Oz Material Girls,

Lila & May

Essence Of Balance

Pretty Things Distract Me

Boutique Bambini

MilaRuby Designs,

Butt-A-Fly Nappies

Tell Us About it

Maz-a-licious

Be & Me,

Your Cheeky Monkey

The Photo Fairy

Bodelicious

Kreated By Kel

Ticklefish Tots

Mazzle Dazzle Designs

Here comes trouble

Alterna-tykes,

Check out our site to find the above businesses.

Thanks to everyone who has joined and to everyone who uses the site to find great WAH businesses

FREE advertising Comp!- November mwwah Business of the month Nominations!

2009-10-22T19:58:00.001+11:00

mwwah business of the month nominations

Once we have our nominations we can all vote towards mwwah business of the month and this winner and business will feature on our main site.

Rules for nominations include.

- 1 nomination per person
- Members can NOT nominate their own mwwah business this month
- Nominations opened for 1 week
- No nominations will be counted after 5pm on the closing day for nominations to be counted.

-This month nominations need to be lodged on our Facebook discussion board or by commenting on this blog post.
-Please include a reason for your nomination if you'd like to.
- The 5 most popular nominations will then be put up for voting by fans for mwwah business of the month
- I vote per person will be counted only.
- Once voting is closed the winner will be announced and the page on the main site will be constructed.

-mwwah businesses also have the option to show our award logo on their site also.

So add your nomination below & Good Luck!!

Congrats to Caddie From MilaRuby Designs

2009-10-20T19:50:00.000+11:00

Congrats to Milaruby Designs for being nominated and voted by mwwah members for "Business of the month"

MWWAH Top100 Businesses list.

2009-10-01T17:25:00.000+10:00

MWWAH now has a top100 list... check it out on the site or click HERE

Also Nominations are now closed for October Mwwah Business of the month.

Nominations included:

MillaRuby Designs
Purely Natural Living
TanyaRenee Photography
Butt-a-fly nappies
Belly Bumps to Baby Hugs
Lunalei

Poll now opened until Sunday 5pm. Vote for one of the nominated businesses HERE

Winner gets FREE Advertising on our "Mwwah Business of the month" page and

the option to display our award logo on their site.

WIN! Cushie Tushies for your little one's cute tushie

2009-09-21T12:43:00.001+10:00

Hey, weren't Shell and Cath from Cushie Tushie's fantastic in their Super Mum interview?
And those nappies. Goodness me. Too. Cute. Babies these days, huh? They really do have it all.
Well, they are so super fantastic that they have a little surprise for a {mum space} reader. That's you. Yes. You. The one reading this.
The lovely ladies want your little one's tushie to get the deluxe treatment so they are giving away a couture nappy and matching wet bag in the winners choice of print. Just head on over to the Cushie Tushie site and then swing back here to leave a comment with your choice of print.
Want extra entries. You can get three more big ones. Here's how to get 'em:
Blog this giveaway and get 1 extra entry
Subscribe to or follow this site and get 1 extra entry
Twitter or Facebook this giveaway and get 1 extra entry
Just be sure to leave separate comments saying which of these you have done to get your extra entries. Good luck!
I'll be drawing a random winner next Friday, September 25.

Check out Mum Space HERE

"Mwwah Business of the Month" Nominations

2009-09-17T16:44:00.002+10:00

Nominations so far for "mwwah business of the month"

Butt-a-fly nappies
Belly Bumps to Baby Hugs
Lunalei
MillaRuby Designs
Purely Natural Living X2

Nominations close as of 23rd September 09.
Voting poll will be opened for 1 week following that. Most votes wins the FREE advertising on the "Mwwah business of the month Page"

Check out the pervious pages
http://mwwah.com.au/Mwwah-site-of-the-month.php
and
http://mwwah.com.au/Mwwah-site-of-the-month6.php

Online Store

2009-09-09T08:24:00.000+10:00

Well here at mwwah.com.au we are in the midst of having our shop section set up. Once this is done our merchandise will be listed ready for sale.

Over 530 twitter followers this week and slowly fans are still switching from our old facebook fan page.

We have a few new advertisers this week. We have just set up "The Oz Material Girls" to our "Fav mwwah business" page. Check it our HERE

Yes Twitter again!!

2009-09-04T20:13:00.000+10:00

Well we now have over 400 twitter followers within a few days. Lots of new mwwah businesses contacting us about our site which is great... Keep them coming.

Our Store section of the site is being worked on as we speak ready for some mwwah merchandise.

Nominations are now opened for "mwwah business of the month" Check it our HERE . Check out this months winner MAZ-A-LICIOUS.

Heard a wonderful quote today which I felt like posting...

What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us....Ralph Waldo Emerson.

T-Shirts

2009-09-03T14:14:00.003+10:00

Well we have a few shirts on order and looking into the mugs still. Would love to get some aprons made up and also some envirobags but still searching.

In the mean time still searching for a mwwah business to help out with merchandise. Would still rather help out my fellow mwwah then to go to a big printing company.

250 twitter followers as of today. YAY!!! ♥ ♥

We also have a few new members to our forum... Welcome!!

Mwwah Merchandise Search!

2009-09-02T15:12:00.001+10:00

Looking into merchandise but would really love to help out other Mwwah businesses. The search begins for mwwah businesses who can help us out!! email jess@mwwah.com.au if you think you can help out!

Twitter followers

2009-09-02T15:03:00.001+10:00

All I can say is WOW... 199 followers in 2 days of having our twitter account.
We have also started our FB profile. Please feel free to add us. Facebook Profile

Mwwah on Twitter!

2009-09-01T12:29:00.000+10:00

Lots of new things happening. New mwwah businesses joining our site everyday.
Yesterday we signed up for twitter. Check it our here

Since then we have had a boost in hits on the site and also a few new new sign ups.
Still running the opening special of $5 (12m) advertising on the "fav mwwah sites" page
but get in quick as spaces are filing quickly.

Welcome to mwwah!

2009-09-01T11:35:00.000+10:00

mwwah.com.au is a site dedicated to businesses run by Mums Who Work At Home.

Check out our site here http://www.mwwah.com.au