Monday Book Review: The Digital Mom Handbook

I am such a book fanatic. A total book geek. I interned at Book-of-the-Month Club, I can't leave a Goodwill or a Thrift Store without a book. And, yes, I had built-in bookshelves put in my den to house this little obsession. To honor the book geek within, I think that every week (or every other week) I will share a book that I am digging. Sad to say, most of the books I love are design-ish related so I figure the topic won't stray too far from the topic of my blog.

Today's book that I am loving is the The Digital Mom Handbook: How to Blog, Vlog, Tweet, and Facebook Your Way to a Dream Career at Home

I have read this book twice already, folded down pages, highlighted, taken notes- you name it. For a tiny book and a cheap price, this book is chock-full of information if you have a blog of your own or if you are interested in starting your own blog. My friend, Caroline, over at SmartyPantsMama recommended it to me when I started blogging. I guess she really is a smarty-pants because this book has been an amazing business tool for my blog.

This book is written by two very successful mommy-bloggers and in the book, they share their experiences along with invaluable tools to get your blog where you want it to be. Whether you are just thinking about blogging or if you have a blog already- this book is helpful at any point in your blogging experience.

The Digital Mom Handbook: How to Blog, Vlog, Tweet, and Facebook Your Way to a Dream Career at Home

I have found this book to be an invaluable tool in growing my blog. Besides learning about the journey of the two authors, this book also includes contributions from other successful bloggers who share their unique experiences and insights. In learning their background stories, as well as the ones shared by the authors, I have come to realize that no one blog is the same and no one journey is the same either. Happy Reading!

Cleaning the Playroom...a quick guide!

Today I have the pleasure of joining the SmartyPantsMamaLUTION as the SmartyPantsMama continues her quest to share 20 quick ways to jump start your New Year's Resolutions! Go visit here to see what I have to say about cleaning up that dreaded playroom....today I might actually have to tackle mine!

Source: potterybarnkids.com via Joanne on Pinterest

This playroom is from Pottery Barn Kids via my Pinterest!

Good Decor Reading....

I have to confess, I am a book junkie. During a summer in college, I interned at Book of the Month Club in the Time Warner building in NYC. Partially because it was so cool to work in a building filled with such incredible companies right in the heart of NYC and partially because they paid me in books.

Yes, the internship was non-paying....but they had a little section in the office that was called 'the free book shelf'.....needless to say, I got paid very well that summer....in books. I would salivate over books that weren't even about interests of mine..., gardening, history, geography....I loved the photos, the random topics and that new book smell was like a natural high for me. 

While mail-order publishing did not turn out to be my life's work, I did learn a lot that summer and at the end of August, the people I worked with were gracious enough to ship home the boxes upon boxes of free books that I had accumulated in my little cubicle that summer.

Needless to say, one of the first things we did when we bought our home was to rip down the faux-wood paneling in the den and have custom built-in bookshelves made. I needed a home for my collection after all!

So, I share all this in a very interesting lead-in to some of my favorite design books. One of which I don't even physically have yet! It is the Design*Sponge at Home and is currently available through pre-order at Barnes and Noble. For those of you who follow the Design Sponge blog (check it out here), you have already heard about the amazing 50% offer for those who pre-order by end of day July 29th! (it officially ends at 2:59am EST on July 30th).This book is like an amazing encyclopedia of design and you can't beat the price!
Order now!

Here is another one of my favorite decorating handbooks that I actually got at a garage sale!
 The Pocket Decorator by Pamela and Leslie Banker. It is hard to find- but it helps me recall the terms I have forgotten since design school (klismos, batik, transom...you get the idea!)

 And one more book for the shopping list: Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook....just because it makes me feel like an authority at home!

BTW- I am super excited to be Guest Blogging at Smarty Pants Mama on Monday! If you aren't already a fan- go check it out a day in advance....and I'll see you there Monday!