OnSugar Blog

Lots of moms like to think out loud and CaraSubi is one of them. Here is an excerpt from her latest post to Cara On Sugar.

All of us are still reeling with shock, anxiety, and sadness over the recent tragedy in Japan spawned by a 9.0 earthquake, herculean Tsunamis, and now a fear over a possible nuclear disaster. No one saw this coming. Natural disasters do not convenience us with an advance notice of the time and place when it strikes. Before 2:46 p.m. people in northeast of Tokyo were going their daily routine. An hour after that time and still in a daze after the shock of the earth’s shift, they had to run for their lives when a 30 foot tsunami washed over the coast.

And while we continue to help in our respective ways, we should also contemplate our own preparedness. Continue your efforts to help Japan. Keep exerting your benevolence. But while you do this, safeguard your own security and that of your family's by formulating a plan for times of calamity. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

1. Formulate a Disaster Plan. Utilize the information shared by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). They have an excellent website to help you and your children become prepared.
2. Write your will. There are a number of sites that offer this service. I prefer Legalzoom.com which charges $39 for basic and $49 for comprehensive. This is a small price to pay for the peace of mind for your family.
3. Scan significant documents (i.e. Wills, Passport, Birth Certificates, Bank Accounts, Property Deeds and Titles, etc.) and store it on a secure online cloud. By using the web as your repository, you can access pertinent documents at any time and any place.
4. Hold a family meeting to reinforce your Disaster Plan. Everyone should know their respective roles.
5. Insure what is critical starting with your home. Also deliberate on acquiring life insurance for extra financial security for your family.

Want to see the rest? Keep reading CaraSubi's post here, or start following Cara On Sugar. Have something to say? Start your own OnSugar blog! It's easy, it's free, and we just might feature your post on our site!

Lots of moms like to think out loud and HouseofAnais is one of them. In this excerpt from her post, she shows us how she made these adorable bags for her lil one's birthday party.

Miss Anaïs had her birthday already, but I was very late booking for party venues, so the children's party is not until the weekend. Anaïs has been busy working on her goody bags.

The idea with the goody bags was to have something more useful and be a bit more "green," i.e. no paper or plastic bags. Since the age of the partygoers varies between 5 and 9, we did custom-tags using glitter cards, stickers and twine. The content includes books based on the guest's age, silly bands, pencils, ply dough and some candy, as I think a lot of parents are annoyed to have their house filled with silly plastic stuff.  And of course the little twins got their own little bags too.

See how to put these fanciful goody bags together, here. Want to see more? Start following House of Anais or start your own OnSugar blog. It's easy, it's free, and we just might feature your content on our site.

Here's an excerpt of a post from OnSugar blog Beauty and the Budget on how you can sniff out the perfect perfume.

Before Christmas, I wanted to change my signature scent. I went to Nordstrom and sampled several fragrances. I was eyeing Dior's Miss Dior Cherie and Marc Jacobs' Lola, but you'll be surprised what I ended up with — a $20 bottle of Wish Pink from Victoria's Secret. Sure, it was a gift, but I ended up really liking it! So naturally I was disappointed that the scent was discontinued. So, I'm back to square one — whiffing coffee beans at department stores in between sampling perfumes.

So how do you really shop for perfume? How do you know what fragrance is right for you? And should you really take your partner's preferences into consideration?

To see Beauty and the Budget's advice, be sure to read the rest of her post. And don't forget, you can start a blog of your own, too. Just create your own site and share your own beauty tips. You could be featured right here on Bella.

Lots of moms like to think out loud and PatiBF is one of them. In her latest post to her Baby Style blog she highlights her latest find.

I love Zara Baby and I'm absolutely obsessed with the new shoes for Spring. Take a look at some of my faves. Message to Zara: please bring more inventory to US stores or open up online shopping in the US!

Want to see more? Start following Baby Style, or start your own OnSugar Blog. It's easy, it's free, and we just might feature your post on our site.

Whether you already have a blog and are looking for more traffic or are thinking of starting one, let us help you. We already have a thriving community of bloggers on OnSugar and are always looking for more.

Here are some of our favorite sites that we regularly reblog and feature on our weekly Community Roundup.

• Life Forward
• MeEntirely
• Ali Takes Manhattan
• The Enchanted Life
• Mydisfunkshion
• The French Wife
• Confessions of an Online Dating Queen
• The Last Normal Girl on Earth
• Just a Girl

Now are you ready? Get started!

The queen of fabulosity, Kimora Lee Simmons, is set to launch her own anti-aging skincare line with Makari de Suisse this Spring. OnSugar blog Blaq Vixen Beauty tells us all about the collaboration.

"The first signs of aging make us realize how quickly time passes. Shinto Clinical skin care will open your eyes to a beauty that runs deeper than any trend or gimmick. It's about self-confidence that allows you to put your best face forward."

For 2011, Kimora Lee Simmons plans to extend more of her fabulosity in the form of a new anti-aging line geared towards multiethnic women. In partnership with Swiss skin care company Makari de Suisse, the Shinto Clinical line is comprised of plumpers and products to keep moisture in the skin. If I'm not mistaken, Shinto Clinical was originally called the KLS Gold Skin Care Line. The word Shinto means "the way of the gods." Very fitting for our favorite glamazon!

Want to see more? Follow OnSugar blog Blaq Vixen Beauty now! And don't forget, you can start a blog of your own, too. Just create your own site and share your own beauty tips. You could be featured right here on Bella.

Lots of moms like to think out loud and PatiBF is one of them. In the latest post to her Baby Style blog, she shares her latest find for her daughter.

I had no idea that American Apparel had kids' clothing. I would have never shopped there for myself, but something about eccentric retro fashions meets kids sounded extremely appealing. So meet the best find ever and my new favorite item for Sandra: Sparkle Silver Liquid Leggings! Really, they go with everything, and I must say Sandra rocks it. Sandra's tee is also American Apparel, and the cardigan is H&M.

Want to see more? Start following Baby Style or start your own OnSugar blog. It's easy, it's free, and we just might feature your content on our site!

Lots of moms like to think out loud, and trixie360 is one of them. Here is the latest post from her Nice Mommy, Mean Mommy blog.

Or good mommy, bad employee?

Seems like a pretty sh*tty deal if you have to choose. And choose we must.

If I were to give my job everything I'm capable of, to put every ounce of drive and passion and creative fire into my work...I'd never see my kids. If I drove my kids to every appointment, made healthy organic meals from local sources, stayed home every time someone runs a sliver of fever and gave all three of them my full attention the minute I walk through the door each night? I'd be canned within a month.

Neither of those outcomes are acceptable, so I half-do everything. Giving both my employer and my children the short end of the stick. Apparently this stick of mine has no long end.

My kids get ignored or put in front of Dora while I work on a PowerPoint deck or take a call from the office. My child-free co-workers watch me leave every day at five while they put one or two more hours in at the office. So everyone resents me, and I resent being resented.

What's the solution? Find a way to work from home? That doesn't solve the "Oh Mom's on her laptop again" issue. Get a job that doesn't require (or inspire) me to be "always on"? I can't raise kids on a retail salary — or whatever sort of job a person can just forget about between shifts.

It's frustrating because I don't see any way out. Except ceasing to care.

Want to see more? Start following Nice Mommy, Mean Mommy or start your own OnSugar blog. It's easy, it's free, and we just might feature your content on our site.