I really enjoyed myself at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Presents… “Fully Charged” this week, I guess I should be telling you how much the four year old (mini me) liked it but, let’s focus on ME! I go back into kid mode when I’m at the circus, I have to get cotton candy, fresh squeezed lemonade in a keepsake cup and fun circus memorabilia for mini me. I was jumping in my seat due to a few surprises and at the edge of my seat when the performers were up high performing some challenging stunts. I always love to see the animals, the elephants especially. They are so smart, cute and they make me smile at every performance.

I loved watching the Tigers and are amazed with their performance, I’m fine as long as they are kept in their cage. That Roar…. Is really scary but they’re adorable. I give HUGE kudos to the animal trainers that have to work with the tigers up close and train them to perform. That seems like a very dangerous job! The human fuse took my breath away and made my heart stop for a millisecond, by being placed in a rocket, flying across the arena and then bursting into flames! That was amazing!

The entire show was GREAT! I think everyone should experience the circus. One hour before show time, families can meet the performers, get autographs, and see an amazing elephant that paints at the All Access Pre-show –FREE with a purchased ticket! As a bonus you can enjoy a coupon code for a discounted ticket rate. ** Please not that this offer is only good for certain price levels listed on the coupon. For more circus information and to purchase tickets, head over to the Time Warner Cable Arena website.

Related posts:

1. Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey “Fully Charged” is Coming The time is almost here! February 1-5th, 2012 Ringling Bros....
2. Are You Ready for Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey “Fully Charged” It’s that time again… What time do you ask? Circus...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Guest posting today is my sister O_Laing and she’s giving you the dish on our social life and how I’m the bomb dot com sister to have! My heart is full! Read On…

So my kids think I’m gross because when it comes to love and marriage I would marry my sister! If she was a dude she would get it! (Yes it’s gross because if she was a dude that would make her my brother but, you get what I’m saying…)

I have had such bad luck with men and marriage that I view my sister as my ultimate mate. She takes me on the best dates. She’s the ultimate courter. If there was a dowry involved she would have my family’s money, a goat, plus three cows because she knows how to show a girl a good time (sexual undertones not intended).

When I relocated to North Carolina from New York in April 2011, I thought nothing could be worse than leaving my city of lights and 24 hour hot spots for the country, but life happens and things have to change. I was so depressed but then *theme music* Jen to the rescue took me out and showed me that the Bull City and the surrounding areas have a lot more to offer a city girl than green pastures.

Some of our big moments were when the Hurricanes played the NY Rangers at the RBC Center in Raleigh. She took me to the Ledge Lounge (VIP baby) where we ate bbq and drank red wine. Now that’s how hockey should be done! More women would be interested in hockey if they knew it came with wine. Who told her to invite my NY prideful ass to that hockey game; I was so excited and screaming for NY! The gentleman next to me moved to another section.

My New Year’s Eve was scheduled to be a dud because for the first time I would not see the ball drop (now a big ol’ screen countdown) in Time Square but again to sweep me off my feet *theme music* Jen came up with two VIP tickets to the New Year’s Eve Extravaganza put on by BD Entertainment, SEVEN Productions & K97.5. We were in VIP drinking and dancing on plush carpet eating buffalo chicken wings and woo…flash backs…I had a ball! That was definitely a second or third base date night if she were a dude. Yeah I had that much of a good time!

We also have these mini dates in between big events to keep me interested; we’ve gone to Dame’s Chicken & Waffles, Applebee’s, Foster’s Market and on our last date night she took me where you ask?….to Red Lobster! (You have to say lobster in your best ghetto girl drawl) Lobbbbbssssta!

Over the years we have had our beefs but I would give my right & left leg, two kidneys, and a spleen for her. I love my sister she is always there for me. Reciprocity is a must and I have my own ways of showing her my appreciation (once again sexual undertones not intended) but nothing as grand as our dates!

As you can read I have a great sister aka boo love, she’s mine and no you cannot have her nor do I share.

Related posts:

1. Ultimate Blog Challenge Take Two! I did the Ultimate Blog Challenge back in October of...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Photo Credit: O"sullivans Interiors

I recently attended a lunch & learn sponsored by The Durham Black Chamber of Commerce (DBCC) and the speaker was none other than Joye Speight owner of Virtue Events – Event Designer & Consultant. Joye specializes in weddings, social events, and corporate services. The focus of this particular meet up was to enlighten entrepreneurs about coordinating and hosting open houses or business launches and creating brand awareness for your company. Think about it, if no one knows who you are and you host an open house or launch party, this gives them an introduction to you and they’ll get a first impression of you and your company. There are some key things to remember when planning an event and they are as follows… Event Planning #101

Set measurable goals and objectives. If you are going to work with sponsors for your event, identify who you’re potential sponsors can be and make sure it’s a good fit. Sponsors should be contacted 4-6 months prior to your event date. Tip: Thursday Mornings in between 9-10 am are the BEST times to call and follow up with a potential sponsor. Corporate companies have set budgets for sponsorships. Sell yourself. Why should they sponsor you and what do they get In return for sponsoring your event. It has to make sense for them too, whether it is booth space at the event, their logo on your website and all printed materials etc.

Always create TWO guest lists. List 1: People who can use your service or who are interested and List 2: friends and acquaintances. The overall goal is to create interest in your business, product or service. Your result should be a solid lead list created by having people sign in, and also collect business cards. How do you get people there? It’s good to have at least 2-3 press releases ready to go. Send personal invitations to the people on your guest list. Make sure you have sufficient Wi-Fi and a media room for media guests to tweet, blog and promote your event. Create a buzz!

The design of your party should be infused with your personality. Keep it fun, informative and entertaining to keep your guests interested. Keep everything consistent with your branding. The food should satisfy sponsors and guests. Have a photographer on hand to capture the event. Don’t try to host too many different audiences. You can have as many open houses as you want to cater to each niche. Mingle and talk to each guest! You can also consider a virtual launch party, within a certain time frame and send evites with your site location. Taking it a step further you can coordinate a twitter party at the same time to generate traffic back to your site and engage with your guests on twitter, make it an interactive experience.

This was great information that Joye enlightened us with.  I’ll be using the information to coordinate an upcoming launch party! I hope this information was helpful to you, I know it was to me! Remember NOT to overwhelm yourself, that’s where Joye steps in to save the day! If you’re in need of an event planner head on over to Joye’s website Virtue Events to see how she can be of service to you. What events have you planned? Were they successful? What ideas can you bring to the table? I want to know…

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The time is almost here! February 1-5th, 2012 Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey “Fully Charged” will be at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. Are you planning on going? Well how about if f I told you I’m offering a giveaway for four tickets to opening day. One lucky person will get a chance to take the family to the circus and have some family fun!

Just let me know in the comments what you love about the circus? If you’re on Twitter follow me @JaelDesignsInc and tweet me why you should win for TWO additional entries. Leave me a comment and let me know you did it! Lastly you can subscribe to my RSS feed or add me on Google plus for THREE additional entries. The links are in my sidebar for each item. Good Luck! Winners will be chosen on Saturday January 28, 2012 at 11:59 pm. Here is a festive Circus Coloring Sheet for your little one to enjoy!

A bonus is that one hour before show time; families can meet the performers, get autographs, and see an amazing elephant that paints at the All Access Pre-show –FREE with a purchased ticket! As a bonus to my loyal readers enjoy a coupon code for a discounted ticket rate. **Please note that this offer is only good for certain price levels listed on the coupon. For more circus information and to purchase tickets, head over to the Time Warner Cable Arena website.

Disclosure: I am receiving complimentary tickets to see Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey “Fully Charged” for participating as an ambassador in this campaign.

Related posts:

1. Are You Ready for Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey “Fully Charged” It’s that time again… What time do you ask? Circus...
2. Spa Week Is Coming Up Day 5: Ultimate Blog Challenge – National Spa Week Photo...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

We are looking for female “BOSSES” in the NC Triangle Area to work on a project and have parts of your life documented.

If you are a thriving entrepreneur and you are confident, independent, and socialite on the NC scene doing your thing, then we would love to hear from you.

Please submit a short bio and head shot or video for consideration. Deadline to have content in is February 10, 2012.

This is NOT a paid opportunity, however it’s an opportunity to showcase you, your business and your overall BRAND! Please send information to Email: info@thesheeos.com

Once the bios are reviewed invitations will be sent to all chosen participants for an exclusive mixer to be held on February 18th, 2012 where we’ll share more information about the opportunity with you.

Related posts:

1. Ford Focus Electric Hit’s The Triangle It’s not surprising to me that the Raleigh – Durham,...
2. Are You Ready for Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey “Fully Charged” It’s that time again… What time do you ask? Circus...
3. Triangle Wide BlockBuster Open House(s) This Weekend This weekend many Triangle BlockBuster store locations will host open...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Thanks to Walgreens for underwriting this post. I was paid as a member of the Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all mine. Visit http://www.discoverbeautywithin.com.

It’s a new year and what better way to start off the year than to make some beauty resolutions. Resolutions are about reflecting on the changes we want or may need to make in order to motivate ourselves to actually make the changes. I started to think about what I needed to change about my daily beauty routines and the answer is EVERYTHING! So, I’ll share with you my top ten beauty resolutions that can be purchased from your everyday neighborhood drug store. I’m curious to hear what beauty resolutions you come up with.

Beauty Resolution #1: Hydrate & Moisturize my skin before leaving the house. It’s January and we all know that the cold weather is taking it’s toll on our skin. It’s always good to moisturize and hydrate your skin before stepping out into the cold. Your skin tends to dry out more and even become flaky and crack at times during the cold winter months.

Beauty Resolution #2: Using a Facial wash or cleanser to keep my face nice and clean without drying it out. There are many facial cleansers you can choose from just be sure to read the label and see if it fits your skin type. I have oily skin but, it’s dry in certain areas. Johnson & Johnson Facial Scrub and Neutrogena Facial Wash both work for me.

Beauty Resolution #3: I don’t always eat a well balanced meal. Taking certain vitamin supplements can help with the stimulation of healthy hair, skin and nails. It’s good to take a daily multi vitamin or Women’s One A Day to promote healthy skin, hair and nail growth. Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and Biotin are all great supplements for promoting these qualities.

Beauty Resolution #4: My hair can sometimes dry out like my skin. I can definitely say that I need to add more water to my diet, however I am notorious for using a great leave in conditioner to help as a detangler, moisturizer and heat protectant before blow drying or flat ironing.

Beauty Resolution #5: Every girl wants to have nice looking lips whether your wearing Vaseline, chap-stick, lip gloss or a medicated lip balm. Chapped lips aren’t cute! Remember to put on your lip wear, so they can pop! Muah!

Beauty Resolution #6: Say it with me EXFOLIATE! Nothing feels better than when you have just finished washing your face or body with a exfoliation cleanser and it feels nice, smooth, looks healthy and radiant. To achieve this look you MUST exfoliate on a regular basis.

Beauty Resolution #7: Some people think that the summertime is the only time to really break out the sunblock! Nope, we need to protect out skin from UV rays at all times. You can use sun protection year round. Whether it’s a sunscreen or sun block be sure to keep some handy if you’re going to be exposed to the sun for long periods of time.

Beauty Resolution #8: I tend to get blemishes from time to time. I don’t pick at my skin but, no matter what I always have a mark that is left to remind me that I had a dark spot here, a pimple there, or even my allergies affect my skin. A great concealer will keep my skin looking blemish free. I follow that up with my foundation and I’m as good as new.

Beauty Resolution #9: I’m not huge on makeup however, I want to start wearing it a bit more. I am doing a lot more event hosting and attending networking and marketing events and I’d like to change up my normal look. When I wear make up I like it to look as natural as possible so I stick to natural earth tones. I’m very simple! A little mascara, eye shadow, concealer, foundation, (mild blush, eyeliner?) depending on the event, complimentary lip gloss and I’m ready to go!

Beauty Resolution #10: I’m always on the go… I’m prone to take showers ALL THE TIME. I can’t tell you the last time I actually took a bath. My goal is to take a relaxing bath periodically. I know this won’t happen on a daily basis. I just want to get a nice scented bubble bath or NOT, I can get an unscented bubble bath and light some aromatherapy candles and relax until one of my four lovely children interrupt my groove! That’s my life!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

It’s been a while since I’ve spoken about blog commenting etiquette but, I think it’s time to have that talk again. The last time I spoke about it, I was ranting on twitter. This time I’ll put it in writing so that anyone can refer back to this post at any given time should they feel the need to. If I change my views on my blog commenting etiquette at any time I’ll be sure to update the content. Disclosure: These are my views and opinions on my blog commenting system.

While I am a firm believer in “You are entitled to your own opinion” and “Freedom of speech” that doesn’t mean that you’re going to sway my thought process. I openly DON’T discuss politics, religion, or sex because they tend to be real debate starters that sometimes more than often get ugly online. I’m sorry I don’t debate in comments, or on any other social media platform. Especially NOT twitter! It’s a PERSONAL choice and I’m sticking with it. Now, I have opinions on all those subjects but, I choose not to discuss them online. Most often if I read a blog and I disagree strongly with the content to the point of anger, I don’t leave a comment. If I see a tweet that angers me, I let it go! Some comments and tweets are downright ignorant (My opinion)! I don’t have time to waste debating online, and allowing someone else’s beliefs to upset me. In the end I have NO control over their belief system or how they think.

I love comment moderation! It allows me to view comments before I publish them, delete them, or mark them as spam. I also have the choice to address the comment if necessary. I don’t endorse controversy in the blogosphere! While I appreciate every comment that I get, I’ll respond to those that have a positive tone and not a negative one. I read all my comments and if I disagree with something, I’ll still post your comment. You just may not get a response from me on the subject matter. I guess you’d wonder why I didn’t just delete the comment. Well like I stated in the beginning… I believe in people being entitled to their own opinions alongside of freedom of speech however what people need to understand is that you should be able to (agree to disagree and move on)! People don’t do that, they have to try and convert the person to their beliefs or try and prove that their theory is correct. That’s why there is so much controversy on certain subject matters. Let it go! We are all different and think differently, just accept it!

That being said… If I write about a subject, service, product or host a giveaway from a company that you loath, you can always leave my blog. It’s that easy… just click out of it! If you feel compelled to leave a comment I’ll publish it as long as there is no profanity and it’s not degrading. If you wait for me to respond to a comment and I strongly oppose your views or it was just an ignorant comment (in my opinion), don’t hold your breath! I’m curious as to how my friends in the blogosphere handle crazy comments? Are you fond of your delete button with ignorant comments? Do you think I should respond to a comment that may upset me or that I oppose? Do you debate within your comments? Do you have some sort of commenting policy in place for your blog readers? I want to know…

Related posts:

1. Ultimate Blog Challenge Take Two! I did the Ultimate Blog Challenge back in October of...
2. Analyzing My Baseline & Blog Traffic Okay, remember I told you I was going to join...
3. Rethinking The Name Of My Blog Day 3: 21 days To A Better Business Blog –...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I love when I go into an establishment and see promotional items that have social media icons printed on it to promote the businesses social networks. Sometimes it just says (become a fan!) and then lists their website address, others may have everything spelled out for you so there is no guessing or searching to do. When dealing with social media and building a following you want to give people simple steps to follow. The other day I ordered take out for lunch at a fairly new Chinese Food restaurant in town. Upon leaving I grabbed a menu and it had their location, phone number, business hours, social media icons and website information. I went back to the office and immediately went to their website to see what it looked like and go to their social media pages so I could fan and follow. There was just one issue… their social media icons weren’t listed on their website ANYWHERE!

I proceeded to search and see how long it would take me to find their social media pages. It was a bit frustrating because well first of all I thought they needed to be listed on their website; secondly their twitter handle wasn’t the exact name of the restaurant and that was insane to me especially because that’s what people would automatically think to search for with the links not being available anywhere else. After about fifteen minutes of looking for these social networking handles I finally got it only to see that it was a HUGE fail and not everyone is going to do what I did to find them. I also noticed that they aren’t very active on their social networks and don’t have much of a following. My advice would be to first and foremost add the social media links to their website on the front page. I can understand that not all twitter handles may be available exactly the way you want them to be but, you need to try and keep it as similar as possible to your business name and that’s why being able to link to it from a business website is so important or wherever the social media icons are placed online.

Social networks are used daily to develop communication between a business and potential clients or existing consumers. Successful marketing strategies tend to go viral. The key is to develop a plan when integrating social networks into your business. If you are clueless but willing to learn, I’d advise seeking a consultation with a social media marketing specialist and creating a plan that works for YOU that you can integrate into a scheduled routine. Consistency is a huge part of successful social media marketing strategies. If you are overwhelmed with the thought of adding one more thing to your plate then I’d say you need to consider hiring a social media professional to keep your social media pages current, by updating content frequently and engaging with your audience so you maintain your following, continue to grow and keep them informed. There’s no need to play hide and seek with social media for businesses, they should be (in our face) front and center where everyone can see them! What are your thoughts on this? Have you run into similar situations?

Related posts:

1. Social Media Marketing for Business I recently contributed a piece over at social Buthafli.net social...
2. Social Media Mom (Aholic) It’s no secret that I love social media! It’s a...
3. Social Media Has Changed My Life Significantly Thank you to BING Social Search for sponsoring my post...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Related posts:

1. Wendy’s Berry Almond Chicken Salad is Berrylicious! This past Saturday I was able to meet up with...
2. Recap: Yo Gabba Gabba Live! Yo Gabba Gabba Live came to The Raleigh Memorial Auditorium....
3. Women’s Empowerment 2011 Saturday March 19, 2011 the RBC Center will be packed...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

It’s that time again… What time do you ask? Circus Time! Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey is coming to the Time Warner Cable Arena -Charlotte, NC in February “Fully Charged”! The show is scheduled February 1st through February 5th, 2012 with many show time options to choose from. I had the opportunity to see the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth earlier this year and it was incredible. I hadn’t been to the circus since I was a child and it really brought back good memories. My three year old had a ball and it was his first time to the circus. He can’t wait to go back!

I’m looking forward to seeing all the amazing performances and exotic animals from all over the world. Mini Me is looking forward to all the animals, clowns and motorcycle stunts. A bonus is that one hour before show time; families can meet the performers, get autographs, and see an amazing elephant that paints at the All Access Pre-show –FREE with a purchased ticket! I missed this opportunity earlier this year and plan to be in attendance in February. As a bonus to my loyal readers enjoy a coupon code for a discounted ticket rate. **Please note that this offer is only good for certain price levels listed on the coupon. For more circus information and to purchase tickets, head over to the Time Warner Cable Arena website.

Disclosure: I am receiving complimentary tickets to see Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey “Fully Charged” for participating as an ambassador in this campaign.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.