I've been going to Blissdom Canada since the its inception. In the first two years, I was on a speaker on panels, and I've been a Community Leader in subsequent years.When the conference was first created, I was so excited to have a conference that was targeted to Canadians. I've been blogging for ten years now (I'm a dinosaur)(In more ways than that one), and while I love conferences held in the States that allow me to hug my friends who also share their feeeeeelings online, not all of the panel topics applied, and a lot of sponsors couldn't be bothered. We're Canadian, eh?
Blissdom Canada has been consistent every year, in that it keeps the numbers at a level that isn't overwhelming, and allows you to connect with those you want to. It also changes every year—be it the style of sessions, or round tables, or everything else they do. They have the pulse on what is happening in our crazy online (and offline!) world, and are continually evolving to meet our requests and push us on the path we may be too scared to start on.
BlissDom is always a weekend where I come back happy from late-night chats with friends, recharged from all of the people who speak, excited about the brands who (are Canadian, and) I connect with, and inspired to do better. To be better.
I'll be going to BlissDom Canada again this year, because missing it is not an option for me. It's given me the opportunity to work with brands who fit into my life and my personal site. It's also given me the opportunity to connect with people who have given me freelance writing work, including my site here at YMC.
Here are 5 reasons that you need to invest in yourself and come to BlissDom, too:
1. You are worth it. If you're a mom, you are probably used to putting your kids first, but it's okay to put yourself first once in awhile. You're worth it.
2. You will be inspired. You will take away at least one thing (probably many more) that will give you that kick of inspiration you didn't even know you were looking for.
3. You will make connections. Whether you are looking to form friendships with other writers, or develop relationships with brands, or both, this is the place to do it.
4. You will learn. There is so much wisdom shared both in the sessions and panels, and in late-night dinners, that you will walk away with a full heart and a full brain.
5. You will not regret it. Everyone has a different experience, but I've yet to hear a single person say that they regretted attending. You will experience the above four points and so much more.
Long story short, you need to be at BlissDom Canada. Will I see you there this year?
Find out why blogging makes this woman a better mom!
And check out these 10 Stress Busters For Conference Goers.
For more articles, tips, and tricks to help you get organized and make the most of your blog and business visit our BlissDom Canada 2014: How Do You Find Your Bliss? page.
Membership Has Its Perks!
We’re offering a special discount for BlissDom Canada to our YMC members. Use our special code for 15% off your BlissDom Canada Conference pass. Find out the details here.
Bonus! BlissDom and YMC want to send you to the conference for FREE this year in the #ThisIsBliss Contest. Have you entered yet?
Erica sent me the results of a survey about how much the Tooth Fairy pays per tooth, on average, and thought I might want to write about it. She was right, because it's one of those topics that comes up often among parents. When my first child lost his first tooth, I had NO IDEA how much I — I mean the Tooth Fairy — should pay.
I got a quarter per tooth when I was a kid, but I'm a child of the seventies. That was a long, long time ago.
My son didn't lose his first tooth until second grade, even though most of his friends started losing their teeth in first grade. He was a late bloomer with his first set of teeth — he only had the two bottom chicklets on his first birthday — so he lost his first tooth later than most. When he finally lost that tooth, I asked him how much his friends were getting, and then confirmed with their parents.
$5.00. Per tooth. FIVE DOLLARS PER TOOTH.
I — the Tooth Fairy — could hardly pay him any less, lest he think the Tooth Fairy liked everyone else better. It didn't break our budget, so $5.00 became our standard payment per tooth, for each of our three kids.
We asked Eileen to ask our Facebook community what they — the Tooth Fairy — paid their kids and we got some great responses.
There are many more comments on Facebook, but you get the idea.
This is just me estimating, so it's not scientific at all:
20% of moms pay $1.00 and under
30% of moms pay $2
20% of moms pay $5 and more
5% of moms don’t give money
(I can crunch numbers and do long math in my head, but you ask me to estimate, and I'm in left field most of the time.)(The above may not be accurate, but maybe it is now, long after the Facebook post went live.)
Speaking of crunching the numbers, I crunched some numbers for you guys, depending on how much you pay per tooth. Kids have twenty (Twenty!) baby teeth, so here's how it flows:
$1.00 per tooth = $20
$2.00 per tooth = $40
$5.00 per tooth = $100.00
(Woah, but also awesome for the kids' savings.)
I totally love the glitter idea, and wish I'd done that when they were little. My three kids are older and all know that I am the Tooth Fairy now, so they get a hug and zero cash, which I guess balances out the $5.00 per tooth I forked out in their younger years. The younger two still have a few baby teeth to lose, so maybe I'll throw some glitter the next time they lose a tooth and call it a win.
How much does the Tooth Fairy pay for teeth in your house?
Being self-employed can be scary at times. Will I get that contract? Will I generate enough income? How can I take a vacation if I don't get vacation pay?
Being self-employed also has a number of benefits—flexible hours, the ability to work in yoga pants (if you're working at home—I suggest you put on real clothes if you are going to work at a client's office), and the ability to deduct more expenses from your income. CRA knows how being self-employed is beneficial to the taxpayer (and detrimental to their tax revenue), so they have some pretty strong guidelines about who is considered a contractor, and who is considered an employee. That being said, if you fit the criteria for being self-employed, there are more deductions available to you than are available to someone who is an employee.
1. Business use of home.
Do you have an office space in your home? Take that square footage divided by the total square footage of your home, and you can apply that percentage against your home costs (property taxes, insurance, mortgage interest, repairs, etc.) and deduct that total from your income. (Scroll to the bottom of this form.)
2. Auto expenses.
If you're driving to and from client offices (or to events, etc. if you're a full-time blogger), you get to deduct a percentage of your annual auto expenses (insurance, gas, repairs, etc.). CRA is sticky about correct mileage used for calculating the percentage, but it's not too hard to track. Write down the kilometres or miles on your odometer on January 1st and on December 31st. Each time you drive for work, write down the distance you drove. The total you drove for work divided by the total you drove all year is the percentage you get to use.
3. Travel expenses.
Are you a freelance writer/blogger? Do you travel to conferences? Your flight/hotel/meals are fully deductible. Keep your receipts and deduct them from the income you receive.
4. Internet and telephone expenses.
While a home line is not deductible, the percentage of your cell phone and Internet costs that are related to your work are fully deductible.
5. All other expenses related to your work are also deductible.
Capital Cost Allowance (CCA)—also knows as depreciation—on items, such as computers, plus software, office expenses, and all other expenses listed on the T2125.
Do you have any questions about the above? Or if any other expenses are deductible? I'm here to help you claim all that you can.
How To Use Your Kids As Tax Deductions.
How To Take the Stress Out Of Tax Time.
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