Posts have been a bit sparse lately while I work on changing the design, organizational structure and ultimately the name of AutomaticMoms.

When I started AutomaticMoms.com, the focus of the site was on automation: both from a systems-creating standpoint for getting things done and from a product review standpoint as I researched products which did things automatically.

I love systems! I love things that do things without my attention or intervention! It’s probably one of the reasons why I love automatic website backup software, my Roomba vacuum, and a million other little robots and processes that do things while I sleep or work or spend time with my family.

But as I’ve been writing, I’ve found that automation is much too narrow a focus and my posts have reflected that. I’d rather have a broader theme of “moms getting organized” which, I feel, can include the topics of systems and “robots doing my bidding” while also being inclusive of many other topics. I haven’t necessarily avoided blogging about certain things due to the original brand, but I would like the name of this site to be more reflective of what this site has become so far and WILL become in the future.

That said, things will be changing slowly here. Once all of the changes have been made, AutomaticMoms.com will become OrganizedByMom.com!

Construction, deconstruction and repair of this site as I change things will cause some hiccups. Please bear with me as I make the changes and unveil an entirely brand-new and more organized site in the coming weeks. I’ll even blog about the changes as I make them in the event that some of my readers are curious about how to do it from the technical side of things.

Rebranding isn’t easy and it isn’t always fun, but it is exciting and I’m glad you’ll be here to share the process with me!

Don’t mind me….I’m just swooning over these eco-friendly (and cheap!) reusable shopping bags that are on a deep discount at Zulily right now.

This set of three bags (which are laminated inside, by the way!) is just $9.99 until 8/3/11 or until they’re sold out. Considering how cute these are (and all of the other Bring It branded items) I’d say you’d better hurry and grab these while you can.

The other cool thing about the Bring It brand of reusable bags is that the company will even text or email you to remind you to bring your bags with you! The bags even come with stickers you can use as an extra reminder to never leave these cute and sustainable bags at home!

When they’re this cute, would you ever actually forget?

Check out Zulily for these bags and other bags while they’re still available!

**Other styles available for $9.99 until 8/3/11:

I’ll admit that CSS (cascading styles sheets) are not my strong suit. I yearn for the days of yesteryear when all you needed to know was to close your *font* tags and choose one of the few web-safe fonts in your HTML. Ahh, the good ol’ days…..

But now (and then, but I was too lazy to really learn) we have CSS and it seems everything we do in web development whether it’s modifying a WordPress template or something more advanced like designing a CMS needs some knowledge of cascading style sheets.

I get the basics. I can make some changes and I can even write a bit of it on the fly and not hurt myself. But what I don’t have is a system for really learning it and absorbing it like the language that it really is. Chances are that you’ve been in a situation where editing a style sheet in WordPress yourself would be handy and less expensive to do than hiring someone to make a few modest changes, right? Wouldn’t you love to just dive into that file and whip up changes lightning fast and get on with your project? Is your lack of CSS knowledge holding you back or even costing you money?

Here’s the answer…..

Luckily, my friend Lynette Chandler, from TechBasedTraining, is hosting a 4-week CSS coaching class and you’re just in time to get signed up before it starts! In fact, registration closes on April 3rd so this is one class you’ll want to jump on FAST!

If you’ve been frustrated by CSS and have always “meant” to learn it, watch videos or check a book out of the library but never got around to it then this is for you.

If you’ve ever started learning CSS and found that you needed to ask someone a question but you couldn’t find a forum where they weren’t speaking in a tech language you could barely understand, then this is for you.

If you need a coach, who also happens to be super smart (and really nice!) who can take you by the hand and help you figure out all of this CSS stuff once and for all, then this is for you.

Have I mentioned that I think this is for you? =)

What you’ll get from Lynette…..

You’ll get four weeks of personalized training on CSS complete with weekly instructions, a place to practice your skills, someone to ask questions and even a few homework assignments to make sure you’re staying on track. She’s also including  some helpful software!  You’ll also get lesson sheets and materials that you can print up and use along with the training and save for future reference.

Think of it as CSS bootcamp with a duffle bag full of gear ready to help you kick CSS butt and get on with your projects!

Lynette is accepting a limited number of students for this training and registration ends on April 3rd so that everyone can start at the same time. If you’re eager to see the materials before the training starts, you’re in luck because Lynette will give you all of the materials right away so you can start digging in even before the class starts. Who knows, maybe you’ll learn something before class that you can use to solve one of your CSS problems now?!

If you have a WordPress blog, run a website, work for someone who has a site that you’re responsible for updating or are a virtual assistant wanting to increase your portfolio of skills or even raise your hourly rates, this training is perfect for you. Lynette is an amazing teacher and coach and I’ve had the pleasure of being in a mastermind group with her for almost five years. She’s the tech guru whose emails I rush to read each time she sends out some techie tips and tricks because I know I’m going to learn something that I can apply immediately to my work as a web developer and blog owner. She’s good…really good.

Registration ends on April 3rd so here’s the link to check it out and reserve your space.  I’d hurry!

You may have seen Kyle’s face in my sidebar….he’s the cherished angel and son of a friend and fellow Mom Masterminds member, Melissa Ingold.

On June 19, 2010 Kyle passed away in his sleep. He was just a few days from his 2nd birthday.

As you can imagine Melissa and her family are devastated, as are all of her online friends. Many of these friendships were born in the forums of Mom Masterminds, an online mastermind group of women who have created businesses we run from home. I actually joined Mom Masterminds before I was even married and over a year before I became a Mom because I just couldn’t wait to join them! It’s a powerful, supportive group and we help each other, learn from each other, and in times like this….lean on each other.

The owner of Mom Masterminds, Kelly McCausey, is offering a very special discount to new and even former Mom Masterminds members who may not have finished out their membership requirement previously. She’s offering a full, lifetime Mom Masterminds membership for only $100 which is an 80% discount off the regular price.

EVERY CENT of that $100 is going to Melissa’s family to help pay for funeral and burial costs for little Kyle.

Won’t you help a young family pay for this awful expense? Forget about the membership for a second, and think of how you might come up with money for the most awful surprise expense of all. Could you do it? Could you lean on people to help you? Thanks to Mom Masterminds, Melissa has all of us and we are lucky to have her as well.

You would be helping a family who is in desperate need to move forward. In return, you get a family…a family of women who have been in business for years, and some who may be just starting out. No matter the stage of your business, we’re there. From the monthly resources, to the extensive training archives, to the vibrant forum. It’s really been the jumping-off place for so many successful women you may follow on Twitter or whose blogs you read.

This special offer of only $100 for a LIFETIME membership is an amazing price and it’s for an amazing cause! All of the Mom Masterminds members who are promoting this discount are foregoing our regular 40% affiliate commission so every penny can go to Melissa.

To find out more, visit this link and read more about Melissa, Kyle and Mom Masterminds. Thank you in advance for your help, and I can’t wait to meet you inside Mom Masterminds!

http://www.wahmtalkradio.com/fundraiser-please-help-out-a-wahm-her-family/

…and please….pass this on! Once you’re a member, please pay this forward and tweet and post this as well! Even if you can’t join for some reason now, please pass this link on to anyone who you think might want to join and help little Kyle’s family!

THANK YOU!

Edited to add:Another way you can help Melissa while getting something else in exchange is to become her customer! All of the links below are direct links. I’m an affiliate but I’m stripping my affiliate link from them so every cent goes to Melissa.

Here’s a sampling of what she has to offer!

Online Marketer Sweetie course! Huge course full of information on how to effectively market your products and services online. This course is gigantic and only $47! You also get one free month of Melissa’s Special Report Club membership as a bonus.

More items are listed at InternetMarketingSweetie.com

Just a heads up that this weekend this site is going to be under some moderate to severe construction as I add things, reconfigure stuff and basically mess with it until it breaks.

If you’re new here this weekend (May 1-3) don’t think it always looks this wonky ok?

While I know that organizing and finding efficient ways to do things is exciting and interesting to me, I also know that for some people it’s a really tough struggle. Maybe you’re having trouble getting things done, keeping the house orderly, or just having an issue with how to solve a nagging organizational problem once and for all.

Just as we consult an accountant for tax advice and a lawyer for legal advice, might I suggest you consult a professional organizer? You’d be surprised at how many people there are out there, right now, waiting to help you get your organizing problems ironed out! Imagine the relief of having a real person standing with you in your kitchen, garage, attic or office actually HELPING to get things squared away!

In the next few weeks, I’ll be rolling out a directory of professional organizers right here on AutomaticMoms. My goal is to provide you with a comprehensive list of local professionals who are ready and willing to help you tackle your organizational issues NOW!

If you are a professional organizer and would like to add yourself to the directory, it’s free! A basic listing with the name of your business and a link to your site (and organized by state) is absolutely no charge! All I ask is that you link back here in some way, either a text link or by using my attractive new button ad (coming soon!).

To exchange links and add your organizing business to the directory for free, just visit my Support section and submit a support ticket using the “Professional Organizer Directory” category with your name, email address, name of your business and URL.

And readers….check back here in a week or so for the first of what I hope will be many potential helpers on your road to organization!

 If you need an impressive, yet inexpensive last-minute gift this might be just the thing!

Edited on Monday, December 28th to read: Both of these have been sold! Sorry!!! If you’re interested in checking out the Tag Reader system, here’s more information!

I have two Tag Reading systems available for sale, brand-new, never opened in the box and ready to go! I had intended on giving one to my son and one to a friend’s daughter but found out she already had one and that it was probably too advanced a toy for my son at his age (2). Rather than hold onto it until he’s ready for it, I decided to sell them instead. I purchased them in September and whoops….misplaced the receipt so my loss is some other little boy or girl’s gain it would seem!

Here are some details:

Manufacturer: Leap Frog
Product: Tag Reading System
Website to see a description: http://www.leapfrog.com/en/families/tag/tag_system/tag_reading_system.html
Suggested Age: 4-8 years
Included: Tag Reader wand (holds 5 books on the reader) and one Tag book, “Ozzie and Mack”, user guide, USB cable, and Leapfrog Connect CD.

Required: Internet connection required, and 2 AA batteries (not included)

PC requirements: Windows XP or Vista, Pentium III 500MHz processor, Monitor resolution of 1024 X 768, USB port, 256MB of RAM (512 recommended), 300MB of free disk space, Internet connection, CD drive and Internet Explorer 6 or higher. Mac requirements: PPC 64 or an Intel Based Apple computer, Mac OS X 10.4+, 256 MB of RAM (512 recommended), 300MB free disk space, monitor resolution of 1024 X 768, USB port, Internet connection, CD drive and Safari application

I’m offering them for $20 each (was originally priced at $49.99) plus $5 shipping for FedEx 2-day service. If you would like to buy both of them, I will charge shipping for just $5 for both.

Whomever contacts me and claims them first will get them. I’m taking payment via PayPal and will ship them FedEx 2-day on Wednesday afternoon if claimed in time. You should receive them Monday if claimed by then.

Contact me to claim one or the both by sending an email to INFO the @ sign and then automaticmoms.com!

p.s. I may upload some pics of them today if my little buy reveals where the USB connecting cord for my camera was “hidden”……:) Let me know if you need a pic before claiming.