With items starting around .79 cents, it wasn't hard for mom to fill our stockings on a budget.
Barbie has been a long time advertiser on Mommy Perks...gosh, for as long as I can recall! From Pampered Chef to 
What 
Today I am reviewing one of my favorite clients: 
Mommy Perks is proud to feature 
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How did your company start and WHY?
The why is simple - when I had first begun the business, I was a single mom and I wanted hours that are more flexible so I could be home when I needed or wanted to. I actually started working in this industry when I became pregnant. I worked from my house conducting interviews. After my daughter was born, I continued working at home conducting research. As my daughter grew older, it became more difficult to work from home so I started working part time for a research company located in an area mall. After my separation and divorce, I went to work full time. Each day I loved the industry more and more. The only issue I had was that working full time gave me no flexibility with the things I wanted to do at home and with my daughter. Being a single mom I also needed more job security than I was given.
I was lucky enough to have someone come through my office and see my talents , and, having worked with me, also become willing to invest in me. I also wanted to prove to myself that I could do this. It was very important to my self-esteem and important to show my children that with hard work and a little luck, you can accomplish big things.
What words of advice can you offer to other moms in business?
Having loving children helps a great deal. You should also have a strong support system. In my case, it was my husband who I married just 10 months after I started my business. He took care of most of the home chores so that I could concentrate on running and expanding my business.
Are you giving anything away today? If so, what is it?
Yes! We are providing one lucky winner with a goody bag of promotional items – including a gym-style bag, a reusable shopping bag, a key chain, two bendable Frisbees, and several hyper-color pens!
Your contact info:
Barbara Bridge or Michelle Finzel
President
Maryland Marketing Source, Inc.
9936 Liberty Road
Randallstown, MD 21133
410-922-6600
PCS is one of only two Arizona based businesses included in the Leading Moms in Business Competition, 2009. Congrats to PCS!
(*Click here for the press release or read below under the review)
Mommy Perks welcomes a guest blogger for this post: Ashley B. of Arizona. Thank you for taking the time to write this post about Personal Child Stories. Mommy Perks appreciates your input and time!
Want a new and exciting idea to get your child to read?
By Ashley B, Arizona
I found the perfect thing for you and your child….PCS Books!!!!!!!!!!
These books are uniquely personalized for every person and can address any issue.
I have had Shara, the owner and founder of PCS, create many different books for my family, friends, and even for myself. She has created books for:
• My upcoming wedding
• Helping my step son count
• A birthday gift for the girl I nanny for
• A book about behaving in school
• An ABC book
• And much more….
I highly recommend her business and her books. She is a very welcoming person who handles her business interactions with both professionalism and ease. She is truly amazing and very talented. She vows to give you the best and will make sure you get exactly what you want.
What I love most about these books is how they are assembled. They are all custom made and never duplicated. They are put together personally by Shara so they are flawless. They are laminated for durability and bound together. These books are indestructible. Children are unable to tear, rip, or soil pages with water or juice.
Personal Child Stories creates books that are one hundred percent yours and can be used in many different ways:
- To announce the birth of a new baby
- Teach learning concepts such as counting or ABC’s
- Memorialize a loved one
- Explain a unique situation
- Teach a new concept
- To address a special need (for autism, down syndrome, etc)
- Or as a memory book/scrapbook
- The possibilities are endless……
Another thing I admire most about these books is their affordability. They are very reasonably priced; especially when you take into consideration the time and money spent creating them. In over three years she has not raised her prices once. Plus, you will have this book as a lifetime keepsake; you can’t put a price on that!
Take a moment to follow the link below and check out the site….you will LOVE what you see!
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For Immediate Release
Contact: Shara Lawrence-Weiss
602-430-5808
info@personalchildstories.com
ARIZONA located business Personal Child Stories VOTED ONE OF TOP 200 LEADING MOMS IN BUSINESS IN STARTUPNATION COMPETITION
PINE, ARIZONA – May 12, 2009 – Personal Child Stories announced recently that it has been recognized as one of the top 200 mom-owned businesses in StartupNation’s 2009 Leading Moms In Business Competition (http://www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-2009). The competition, sponsored by VerticalResponse, recognizes the achievements of mothers across the country who run outstanding businesses. PCS is one of only two Arizona based businesses in the top 200 winners circle (Pure Child Photography being the other).
Personal Child Stories (PCS) was founded in order to fill a need that did not yet exist in the market: custom stories and books that would address any and every life situation. Research tells us that personal photos work more effectively to teach concepts and learning tools for all children, including those with special needs. Shara, owner of PCS, needed a unique way to teach her son to leave his prosthetic eye in place and to wear his glasses for safety. When unable to find anything on the market that would address such a niche issue, she decided to create custom books from home using her son’s personal photos. The books worked wonders
(http://www.personalchildstories.com/our_story.php). Years later Shara founded PCS and nowcreates custom stories for children all over the world using their personal photographs. With a background in education, early childhood development, special needs and journalism, she is able to create each book to be age and stage appropriate. All books are laminated and bound making them durable, easy to clean and safe. Even newborns can be given a PCS book in order to instill
an early love of reading – the books can be stepped on, chewed, thrown, etc, with no damage.
While PCS books are created to be learning tools, their durability allows them to double as keepsakes, offering the customer twice the value for their money.
“Moms across America were honored in this year’s ranking, showing that they’re capable of starting and running successful businesses while managing to balance family, career, home and self,” said Rich Sloan, co-founder of StartupNation.”Well over 600,000 votes were cast in support of several thousand contestants. What an incredible achievement to be named a winner, and what an inspiration for anyone looking to start their own business.”
“It’s challenging for anyone to start and run a successful business – particularly in this economy. These women are setting the standard for innovation and creativity,” said Janine Popick, founder and CEO of VerticalResponse. StartupNation (www.startupnation.com) launched the first annual Leading Moms in Business Competition in January with the support of VerticalResponse (www.verticalresponse.com) to recognize the achievements of mom entrepreneurs across the US. Winners were selected and ranked according to public votes accumulated from January through March, 2009. The elite 200 win bragging rights, promotional support, and digital winner’s emblems recognizing their achievements as the Leading Moms in Business.
About Personal Child Stories:
PCS was founded in 2007 and has grown steadily since that time. With a loyal following of friends, educators and community, PCS strives to be a niche market that fills an array of emotional and learning needs for all children – both general ed and special needs. Research tells us that the more exposure to reading materials children have, the earlier they will read and comprehend. PCS encourages parents to put books in their children’s hands from the start and to offer personal stories and books containing photos of the child – for the most beneficial reading experience possible.
Book themes include counting, the ABC’s, name recognition (top seller), welcoming a new baby to the home, fairytale style stories, potty training, training a new puppy, dealing with a special need, colors, shapes, explaining a divorce or new home…ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. PCS custom books are exactly that: CUSTOM to each customer. As individual and unique as each child. Shara’s long term goal is to work with school districts, contracting with their special needs departments, creating custom ’social stories’ that address any and every behavior issue; using personal photos and custom written text for each and every book.
*PCS founder and owner, Shara Lawrence-Weiss, was a runner up in the Working Parent of the Year contest in 2008. Judges included Sherriff Joe, Phil Mickelson and Rick Dozer. Sponsors included AZ Central, Tots Unlimited and Sunrise Preschool.
I love PCS and so does my son. I have had many books made for him and he LOVES them. They are really worth every penny and more! Plus, they are so educational!