hipmommy's blog

I am so frustrated with my work at home business. Well, I think it is my fault for not focusing on one thing. I am actually all over the place. Being pregnant is not helping me either. Right now, I work as a freelance graphic designer. I take jobs based on word of mouth. I've done booklet designs, post card designs, t-shirts designs, web designs and other graphic related jobs for my clients. Beside my offline freelance work, I have my own t-shirt shops online. I design t-shirts and sell them. I make decent money from these shops but I know if I put more time and effort into these shops, I can potentially bring in more income. Oh and as you might know, I do profit nice income for blogging, too. I'm juggling to do everything while I take care of my 4 year old as well. I just want to cry right now. I am so disorganized.... Ever since I got pregnant, I can't really focus/concentrate.... I guess I need to sit down to come up with an outline to prioritize things. Wish me luck. Thanks.

I wear eyeglasses and I think it is time for me to get a new pair. It has been 3 years since I got my current pair and I am ready for a new change in style. However, with my financial situation, I need to look for a pair of affordable priced eyeglasses. There is a store called zennioptical.com that offers exactly what I am looking for. The zennioptical.com offers stylish quality prescription eyeglasses from as low as $ 8 along with a Case. I am very interested in the style of eyeglasses. Take a look at the picture that I embedded with this post below. In addition to its low priced glasses, zennioptical.com has appeared in a several news media such as Fox Newx TV, The Clark Howard Show and so on. I was happy to read other people's opinions about this company via The Clark Howard Show's website as well. If you are interested, visit the website http://clarkhoward.com/liveweb/shownotes/2007/06/27/12362/ to read more about it. I am very excited about possibly purchasing a new pair of glasses at low price from zennioptical.com. I love to shop to get some great quality products at low price. Currently, zennioptical.com is offering new frames that have just arrived at its online store. If you are looking to purchase a new pair of eyeglasses, you must visit zennioptical.com to check out their stylish eyeglasses online!

This weekend is my birthday weekend. My birthday is on Sunday and I will turn 34 this year I don't feel 34 and I hate looking at this number. I usually try not to think about my age at all. I keep telling people that I am 27 years old.  My daughter thinks that I am only 4 years old, which is her age...lol  Anyway, even though this is my birthday weekend, I am not doing anything special. Well, I just do not have any energy to do anything with this pregnancy. I basically told my husband that I just want a strawberry cheese cake for my birthday and that's about it for my celebration. It is kind of sad but at this point of my pregnancy with all the problems, I really can't do anything....... Oh I forgot to ask. Anyone celebrating birthday this Sunday? So far, I've only met one person that shares the same exact birthday and birth year. It will be cool to find more people who shares the same birthday.

Are you interested in Movado watches? If so, visit the watchery.com to browse through a variety of quality beautiful Movado watches! At the watchery.com they offer incredible prices on Movado watches in many different styles. If you visit its website, you will immediately notice awesome discount prices on Movado watches.

If you are a big fan of a Movado museum style, they offer 38%-57% OFF on this particular style. Besides Movado museum, they also carry styles such as Elano, Eliro, Eliro Horizontal, Estimo and many many more styles with deap discounted prices. I personally think that no other store can compete against this kind of incredible deals that they offer at watchery.com.

My husband is in need of a new watch, so I am seriously thinking about making a purchase through watchery.com. I think that this will be a perfect christmas gift for me. This is a perfect gift idea for anyone who is looking to buy gifts for their friends or loved ones as well. If you are already trying to start some christmas shopping, visit watchery.com to see its great selections of quality discounted watches.  I will guarantee you that you will be happy to see a great deals and high quality watches!  Visit watchery.com today to find more deals at its website.

I have been a bit upset this week. I found out from my OB Doctor that I have a low lying placenta also known as placenta previa. It is a condition that placenta is partially or fully covering the cervix. Towards the end of my pregnancy, this condition might get fixed on its own. However, if it does not change its position by week 32, I will have to schedule an early c-section to have my baby around 37 week of my pregnancy. My doctor also has warned me that I could possibly have some virginal bleeding without any symptoms. With this condition and my anemia I am very very worried about my baby. I am just praying for my baby to born healthy. Wish me luck.

Do you know a company called 123RF? Well, it is a leading company that offers royalty-free digital stock photography. I am a graphic designer so I can tell you that royalty-free stock photos are very handy for any graphic projects that I do for my clients. I love the fact that 123RF stock photos are professionally taken photos and are very affordable. Consumers can actually buy a stock image for as low as 19cents per image.

Currently, this awesome stock photo company is offering a 123rf Search and Win contest. All you have to do is use their search engine to search for a photo. One lucky winner each day will win a new Wacom Bamboo and others will win 123RF credits. It seems like a great contest that doesn't require much effort. I know I will search their site for stock photos on my next product.

Speaking of graphics pads, I have a Wacom device and I love it when using Photoshop. Its an older model but still works pretty good. The new Bamboo model looks even better. They market the device as helpful with handwriting recognition for Microsoft Office or another program. The Bamboo can be used for much more than simply avoiding typing. The Bamboo pad can be used for drawings with your favorite graphics program or using it just as a mouse. Here is one example of someone using the Bamboo to create a drawing.

Check out the contest by 123RF and win today!

I am tired but I just can't go to sleep. I wonder if this is because I took a long nap this afternoon. As my pregnancy progress, I am feeling more uncomfortable. I am starting to feel some awful lower back pains as well as feet pains. I have gained almost 30 pounds already. Most people can't even tell that I am pregnant, so I do not know where my pounds are going...... I just can't wait to have this baby!!!

My household has been very disorganized for the past few years. Our family can't find anything in our home. Since I've gotten pregnant it has been worse finding stuff in our household. Due to disorganization, sometimes we end up buying items that we already have in the house. Talk about wasting our money! I am getting frustrated and I think it is time for our family to start organize stuff. We need to start labeling boxes, File folders and cabinets. Labeling File folders in my kitchen can help me with my daily task. I have so many cooking recipes and by labeling my recipes by cuisines can make my life little easier during cooking time. I was thinking of purchasing Dymo labeler that can be used for many labeling needs. Besides organizing my File folders, this labeler seem to be very handy for back to school time. In a few weeks, my daughter will be going back to her pre-school and I need to label some of the items that she is going to take with her to school. Dymo labeler also offers labels that can be created and iron on to clothing. This is very convenient. I do not have to use ugly black markers anymore to write my daughter's name on her clothing anymore. If you are preparing for back-to-school organization or any other organization, you must check out DYMO Labelmaker!

Oh my, I am trying to concentrate to do some work but it is not going anywhere..... My daughter has been playing her piano right next to my desk. I really can't say anything her because she is practicing for her next piano lesson with her teacher. I love the fact that she loves playing piano and leaning well but I need a quiet place. Maybe I need to purchase a pair of ear plugs to avoid this background noise. I need help

As many of you know I am pregnant, but I am already planning on losing weight. I want to get back to my pre-pregnancy shape after I have my baby. I was looking through a few websites and found a great DVD program called XFLOWSION™ - revolutionary TRIPLE TRAINING™. This great work out program combines three major proven exercise programs in one. It combines the best exercise moves from martial arts, power yoga, and dance. I love martial arts, power yoga and dance. This is a perfect exercise for me to do it all in one. Doing these individual exercises could take all day long, but the combination of these exercise will give me results in 1/3 the time!

According to the XFLOWSION™'s website, this program was created by a Celebrity trainer ERIC PASKEL. He is known for helping out celebrities in Hollywood to keep themselves fit and healthy. This program will burn fat and tones muscles. It is a fun DVD that offers fitness  with original rocking tracks played by a world class live band. This program is perfect for busy people who are looking to lose weight, look healthy and do so on at comfort of their own home. I believe that XFLOWSION™ is a very reputable program that you can trust because they were featured in several well known magazines such as SHAPE, Healing, Health, SELF, FITNESS and so on.

To find more information about its products, you must visit xflowsion.com today. You can watch the short clips of video on its website and see what this exercise program is all about. The website also offers awesome deals on XFLOWSION™'s DVD's. Start your TRIPLE TRAINING™ today and start living a healthy lifestyle. 

I woke up early this morning to take my iron pill & ate my breakfast. After breakfast, I felt very sleepy and I fell a sleep on my living room couch. Next thing I know was already passed 3:00p.m.. Wow, I just can't believe how much I slept. This pregnancy has been so much different from the last one. Not having enough iron is making me very tired and sleepy!!!! I thought I was getting better but my iron level has not really gone up to a normal level. I am still in a low side. I am sure that I will be battling with anemia after giving a birth to a baby as well. My Doctor has already warmed me about that since child birth causes women to lose a lot of blood. I hope everything goes okay with me. I am getting tired of not be able to do stuff with my daughter!

I've always enjoyed playing bingo at school and also with my family. My High School Spanish teacher used bingo game as part of her teaching tool. She used to make students play bingo during a class and it really made it so much fun so learn. I've also used to play bingo as a child with my brother and my mom after dinner. I have so many nice memories of playing bingo. My family still play bingo when we all get together during holidays.

Now I am a parent and would like to teach my daughter how to play bingo and start making some good memories with her by spending time with her. I was looking via website and found out that the company called Screenlife has come up with a game called Disney Bingo DVD game! My daughter is a biggest fan of Disney so I think Disney Bingo DVD will be perfect for our family to play.

This bigo game is not just a traditional bingo game, it is interactive and also teaches kids numbers, colors, and matching skills with their favorite Disney characters and movie clips. I think that this is a great way to teach my daughter a concept of playing bingo and build her academic skills at the same time. The game allows 2 or more players to play at the same time and ages 4 - adult can enjoy playing this awesome bingo game! The game itself comes with 1 DVD, 6 double-sided bingo cards, 150 bingo chips and set of game rules. Just watch the promotional video I embedded below. It looks so much fun to play this game. The price of this DVD game is very reasonable. I found that Amazon.com sells it for $19.99 but it is now on sale for $15.99. At amazon.com, this game has received 4.5 stars of customer reviews. I truly recommend other parents to look into this game and make a purchase from amazon.com today! This might be a great gift idea for Christmas 2008!

I finally had enough energy to deep clean my kitchen & living room this past weekend. It's been since 2 months since I've cleaned my house and I was disgusted by what I saw. My husband has been vacuuming and stuff but he never really dusted....... so I had to move everything and get all the dust off of the furniture and so on. It took me about 2.5 hours to clean. I wanted to clean upstairs as well but I was so exhausted and all my energy was gone. I think I pushed myself a little too much yesterday. I am so tired today and don't feel up to cleaning. Hopefully by tomorrow I'll have more energy to clean again.

Would you like to Order checks online? Yes, VistaPrint is currently offering 25% off of Checks that you order through them. All you need is to enter this coupon code "Checks25" at its checkout . VistaPrint's checks can add a personal touch to your checks and will make it stand out . You can choose a different types of checks from business wallet checks, personal wallet checks, three-to-a-page checks and computer checks. Personally, I think that using the VistaPrint's checks is a lot more fun then just looking at a boring bank printed/issued checks. They've got tons of designs/templates that you can browse through to pick the right design that you like.

In addition to its great FREE offer, VistaPrint offers a variety of other services. VistaPrint offers professional printing services on postcards, address labels, stamps, thank you cards, holiday cards and so on. I am a graphic designer and I often use VistaPrint's services for my freelance work. The quality of VistaPrint's printed products are great. Every time I use them, I am very impressed with their services. I never had any problems with them at all. VistaPrint is a place that consumers can trust. They are very reputable and VistaPrint's prices are very reasonable & affordable. If you are looking for a dependable printing company with high quality products, visit VistaPrint today. I guarantee you that you will get great services and great quality products from them.

My daughter is going to have a group piano lesson tomorrow afternoon at her teacher's house. I am kind of getting nervous. Well, she will be performing in front of kids around her age for the first time. She has been practicing her song very hard for all this week but I don't know. I hope she does not get too nervous. I just want her to enjoy what she loves to do. She is excited the fact that she gets to meet other piano students and looking forward to her group lesson tomorrow.

My neighbor has shown me how to make necklaces and other jewelry out of beads and I really would like to get into it. At first, I thought that the prices of high quality beads would cost me a lot of money but I was wrong. There is an online wholesale beads shop called BeadsOfCambay.com that offers a great selections of high quality wholesale gemstone beads for up to 30% off. I browsed through the website and fell in love with the gemstone beads that BeadsOfCambay.com offer. This website is great for stay-at-home/work-at-home moms who are looking to create their own beads jewelry making business.  BeadsOfCambay is a family-owned and managed provider so they truly will care their customer as they are taking care of thier own family. They are very proud of their products and believe me they understand everything about precious beads that they sell. Their staff are experienced and will give you awesome services. If people are interested in Beads of Cambay's special news, I encourage my readers to sign up for their e-Newsletter. Their e-Newsletter will give you exclusive savings offers, sneak previews and many more information that can save tons of money for you. Visit BeadsOfCambay.com today and start browsing through their beatiful selections of high quality beads!

I just went to my 20 week ultrasound and found out that I am having a little girl. I was a bit disappointed because I wanted a boy but I'm now okay with a girl. My daughter was thrilled to hear that she is going to have a baby sister. She was actually praying to have a baby sister every night she went to bed. Well, my daughter's prayer definitely worked for her. My husband was very happy to hear that it is a girl as well. I am half way through this pregnancy and can't wait to meet my baby girl!

I use credit card often to pay my business expenses and so on. Doing my own business from home means that I also accept payments from my clients. I have been mostly accepting cash & checks but I think it is time for me to start considering to have credit card processing for my business. I recently did a job for one of my clients and his check bounced. I was left with no payment and got charged by my own bank for returned check fee. Being a small business owner means I have some cash flow problems time to time, so when I researched on a company called Merchant Advisors, I was happy to see services that they offer other than credit card processing. They offer Business loans, business cash advance, accounts receivable factoring and more. I also like the fact that once I sign up with them, they will provide me with a dedicated Advisor to assist with all my needs. In addition, Merchant Advisors has 20 years of experience in this field so it seem like that this is a very trustworthy company. If you are considering credit card processing for your business like myself, visit their website today and read more about Merchant Advisors's services.

It has been tough for me for the past few months....first going though morning sickness then anemia. I was not able to do much with my blog/online money making stuff but I am finally getting my strength back to get back to my routine work. I am still not 100% back to normal but sure have more energy than before .  I miss my online income that I was making before and can't wait to start earning money.  Since my mom's divorce got settled, I am now focusing on paying off my student loan. My goal is to pay off my student loan within next 3 years. I hope I can do it!  Wish me luck!

As many of you know, I run a few websites including this one from my dedicated server. It allows me to have my own domain name and not someone else like blogspot.com or something else. Occasionally, I shop around the various web hosts providers to see if I can find a cheaper price. I found a good site that does comparisons and reviews of the various vendors called Web Hosting Rating. The site is great because I know I will pick a high quality provider instead of some cheap provider that goes down all the time. Believe me I have some bad experience in the past for not researching on web hosting providers before I made my purchase. It is a very good idea to use Web Hosting Rating website to read up on reviews and research to protect yourself/business. In addition, Web Hosting Rating site has tons of beneficial articles that you can read as well. If you are in need of a new hosting provider, check out Web Hosting Rating website to find a cheap and reliable web hosting provider for your growing business.