A resource list for beginning bloggers

I have several IRL (in real life) friends who have started blogging in the past couple of months. This list is for them. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, only a helpful one.

Both Blogging Basics 101 and Problogger are invaluable for easy-to-understand information, both for the technical and communal sides of blogging. If you're looking for something specific, use their search boxes and chances are you'll find it.

A real life friend, Jennifer (Playgroups Are No Place For Children)'s blog tips. Read them all. Seriously.

(One of the tabs is "Developing Your Brand." One piece of bloggy advice I hear over and over and over is to find your unique blogging voice and to stay true to it. There is only one you, capitalize on it! You should also develop a posting rhythm (don't post every day and then stop posting for three months). Your voice, rhythm, and design look are all parts of your BRAND. The salt shakers in my header? Part of my brand.)

Jo-Lynne's tips on increasing comments. And let me just underline one of her points -- please, please make it easy for your readers to leave a comment. Those stupid word verification boxes are on my last nerve. I can't tell you how many times I've given up without commenting after getting the letters wrong the first (couple of) time(s).

(Go in your Blogger dashboard, hit the Settings tab, hit the Comments tab, scroll down to "show word verification for comments" and make sure it says 'no.' Also, be sure your email address is entered in the comment notification email box below that so that you will be emailed when you get a comment. This is crucial for possible comments left on older posts that you might otherwise miss.)

(Also, in your edit profile tab, you should have checked "show my email address." This way not only can people reply to your comments left on their blogs, but it also links an email address to your blog. If you're worried about security, create a free email account just for your blog that doesn't use information like your first and last name.)

And my best advice on increasing your comments? Leave tons of comments everywhere you go. My perfect example of this is my friend, Mer. She comments on nearly all of my posts. So I comment on nearly all of her posts. We MET because she left that first comment, over a year and a half ago now. "Give and you shall receive." Oh, and also, be patient.

Velveteen Mind's thoughts on blogging within her Blissdom recap. I love her thoughts on blog design. There are billions of blogs. The average web surfer looks at a blog for about 4 seconds, and if you have a standard dummy template, the fact of the matter is you're not going to stop anyone in their tracks. Your design/template is your proverbial book cover. Make it appealing.

And finally, Blogger Buster's Complete List of Blogger Tutorials.

With a side of fries

I know I’ve mentioned it a time or two, but I’ve got a group of girlfriends that always go out for birthdays. We’ve been doing this for YEARS. (What can we say? It’s a great excuse! The hubbies have to honor or they would have some very unhappy wives!)

(And woe would be them. Two words: Dog House.)

(Although yes, technically in my case Andy wouldn’t be home to notice either way. My sisters watched the kids again last night; they’re the best around.)

Anyway, it was my friend Sarah’s turn this time and she changed it up a bit, both in location and attendees. Each birthday honoree is responsible for getting their own dinner together. If you wait for it to be planned, you'll be waiting a very long time.

And, as always, we shut the place down.


I’m thinking we need to start a Bunco group next.

Totally Not Surprised

Apparently someone thought it'd be fun to take a bite out of poor Mr. Starfish's appendage.

Any guesses on the perpetrator?

(Hint: it was not me.)

Click Thee Yonder

I'm over at Chic Critique again today, talking about natural deodorants.

There’s a starfish growing on our counter

We used to spend several weeks of the summer growing up at my grandparent’s house in Colorado. Occasionally we’d be treated with a trip to an amusement park in the surrounding mountains, called the North Pole.

Of course we rode rides and ate junk food, touched petting zoo animals and were carried sky-high on the Ferris Wheel. But at the end of the day, one of my favorite things to do was make a stop into the wonderland that is the Gift Shop.

I don’t remember any of the things we bought in all those years, save one. It was a tiny pink seahorse that was supposed to grow when placed in water. I have no idea if this is accurate, but my childhood memory claims it grew to the size of the bathtub at my grandparents' mountain cabin.

And I remember it having the most wonderful squishy feeling between my fingers.

Now fast forward twenty years. I took Drew last week to get his 5-year-old pictures taken (nevermind that he turned 5 in January) and afterwards we made a stop in at Michael’s. I told him he could choose a couple of dollar-bin treats for being so good at the portrait studio.

And I’ll be darned if they didn’t have those exact same plastic rubber sea creatures that grow up to 600% in water.

OF COURSE I had to get one. Just to see.


Surely we’re not the only family with odd toys?

Because there’s nothing like grilling when it’s 35 degrees out

While shopping yesterday, I noticed that country-style pork ribs were on sale and tossed a package into my cart. My dad left today, and I thought it’d be fun to have a not-so-ordinary meal together last night before he went.

And BBQ just sounded good.


Drew thought the fire was quite possibly the coolest thing ever. When they walked in with the food-laden platter, I asked him enthusiastically if it was fun to help papa and he said “I didn’t help, I just watched.”

Ever the realist.

(And no, I don't know why he's wearing SANDALS.)

Unfortunately, after dinner, I got hit with a 12-hour stomach bug and that’s all I’m going to say about that. I feel much better today, a little weak perhaps, but my kids all still have coughs. Drew sounds like a baby seal (although, no, I’m not exactly sure what baby seals sound like – I’m using my imagination) and he stayed home from school today.

We haven’t been sick in almost a year, so I suppose we were due.

(And we’re good for another whole year, right?)

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

My dad is here! He has a meeting in Atlanta next week so he flew in early to be with us this weekend. My sisters and I talked him into a riveting game of Taboo last night and obviously he’s been playing with the grandkids a lot.


My girls took a bath this morning and almost immediately I heard Madeline yell “MOM! SHE POOPED IN THE TUB!”

WOE. IS. ME.

It ended up being a CEREAL bar. Who takes a bath with a cereal bar?!

But since it wasn’t poop, I was happy as a clam. Except they had also clogged the tub with huge wads of shredded toilet paper. I spent an unbelievable amount of time straining out dripping strings of tissue paper and soggy bits of wheat product.

I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.

Andy and my dad just took Drew and Madeline to the waterfall and later (meaning naptime), my sisters and I are going to “Marley and Me” at the cheap theater. We also have a dinner invitation from my brother and sister-in-law.

It’s shaping up to being a beautiful Saturday after all.

On Consequences

I watch Nicky’s older boys for about an hour every Thursday so she can teach her music class. Drew’s in school, so it’s just Madeline and James (4 days apart) and Adelaide and Etienne (one week apart).

(No, we did not plan that. Everyone thinks it’s funny to ask.)

Anyway, they usually get along just fine – they’ve played together practically their whole lives. And on the nice days they stay outside mostly, which is great for me.

Yesterday James and Madeline thought it’d be a good idea to pick all my daffodils and come stuff them in the toilet. I didn’t catch them until I had a toilet FULL of stems. Lovely.

I did make James help me pick up three buckets full of toys he dumped out in Drew’s room. But I didn’t think Nicky’d appreciate me having him dig around in my toilet. So I let that slide.

Madeline wasn’t quite so lucky. I got a grocery sack and told her that she needed to help me get all the daffodils she’d picked back out of the toilet bowl. (YES it was clean water. Don’t freak out.)

You may be cringing. But I need my kids to know that we are responsible for our actions and sometimes (usually?) there are consequences in this fallen world.

Of course, Madeline thought it was fun. (And she has no clue what a germ is.) But that’s sort of besides the point. And yes, I changed her shirt and scrubbed her arms down afterwards.

So here’s hoping she doesn’t stuff my toilet full of flowers again.

Handmade Tutu

A few weeks ago I had this brilliant idea that it'd be fun to make my girls a tutu. (To play in, obviously. We haven't yet started the hectic craziness of lessons.)

I cut long strips of tulle and loop-tied them onto a piece of elastic that I sewed together in a loop, about the size of Madeline's waist:


Last night I finished tacking a piece of ribbon trim over the elastic and tulle knots to make it look more finished. Turned out cute, huh?


A little bit of tutu whimsy:


Even Adelaide's gotten in on the action:



Perhaps I should have made two.

When I say my house is messy, I really mean it.

We finally managed to get our recyclables out to the street today before the truck came. When we lived here before they came once a week so it was no big deal to miss. Now they do it once a month and we missed (the) last (two) month(s).

(A great way to encourage people to recycle! Make it impossible!!)

Getting rid of all that crap stuff piled next to our fence was nearly enough to make me do a happy dance. Except it was about the only bright and shining moment of the morning (well, that and the fact that Andy let me sleep in a bit).

And if you don’t believe me, I present to you Our Morning:


(Alternate title: Proof that Three Preschoolers Can Wreak Utter Destruction in Five Seconds Flat)





See what I mean?

The reason there are no children in any of these pictures is because after they tired of their merry messmaking, they went and jumped on the rain-soaked trampoline (I was in the shower).


Notice Adelaide is wearing only a diaper and her pajama shirt. (Where is your mother?) All three of them are soaked. And you can't tell, but Madeline is wearing a jacket but no shirt. About 2 seconds after I snapped this picture, she got pushed off face first into the mud. (She was walking around the outside of the net, which is actually forbidden.)

Of course she came in screaming, covered with wet dirt and leaves. I felt sorry for her but it really was the last straw. I started laughing uncontrollably. It was an impulse that I COULD NOT HELP. (Which was weird because actually I felt like crying, myself.)

They all got baths after that.

Yes, I know it's all fodder for a What Not To Do post. Guaranteed to make you feel better about your own disarray! And you older moms thankful you’ve outgrown the toddler clutter. (I'm only here to serve.)

But I can post those without shame because A) my identity is not tied up in how clean my house is and B) because now it looks like this:




Let's hope I have something more interesting to post about tomorrow.

New and Improved, with Paint

The week before my mom came, I called and asked if she'd be up for a little painting project while she was here. Her first response was "sure, the bathroom?" Um, no. (Although yes, it's also in dire need of a fresh coat.)

I had something a little more fun in mind:


In the end, I did all of the painting myself. But she was great moral support.

AFTER:


Then I found these cute little pink knobs at Target:


I'd been wanting to paint the girls' dresser white because sometime soon I'd like to move them to bunk beds (the kind with a full-sized bed on bottom).

Madeline's toddler bed is nearly too short for her and the end of the mattress is constantly falling between the slats. (Obviously SO comfortable.) And not to mention that I can't read to or snuggle with her on it since it's about the size of Little Bear's bed.

Anyway, those new (dream) beds would also be white. And I might as well get everything else prepared in the event that money begins to grow on trees.

Back to Normal

As you can see, yes, I've changed back over to my normal color scheme now that Christmas and Valentine's Day are over. I almost forgot what this looked like, didn't you? (And, if you've stumbled across my blog sometime since December, THIS is normal. Hope we can still be friends.)

Andy's got Drew and Madeline at the waterfall ("waffle"), so I've got a few minutes to jot down a couple of kid stories and phrases that have been bouncing around in my head this past week. (My mom always tells me to write these things down so I won't forget. This happens to be the place where I write things down.)

Drew came home from preschool one day two weeks ago with the bottom half of a pint-sized juice carton filled with wet dirt. The teacher mentioned something about giving it a ‘haircut’ when it grew:


He's lovingly trimmed it twice. It's the little things.

*************************

My sisters have been baking cupcakes in our kitchen recently and one of the times Drew ate at least three cupcakes and probably just as many cookies (I only noticed after the fact). So I wasn’t surprised when his tummy started hurting and he literally bounced off the walls.

The next morning he said, “Mommy, remember last night when I ate too much sugar and it hurt my heart?” He was VERY concerned about sugar intake for the next, oh, half hour.

*************************

The morning I was leaving for Blissdom, I went in to get Adelaide out of her bed (a miracle, really, since usually she climbs out of the crib herself) and found her stripped down naked, diaper and all. She had apparently SPENT THE NIGHT THAT WAY.

Every last shred of bedding, blanket, and stuffed animal was SOAKED. I went in to check on her a few nights later and sure enough, she had taken her jammies and diaper off AGAIN. What am I supposed to do, tape her clothes on??

At least she hasn’t pooped in the tub in a while.

Valentine's Day

My mom left this morning, which was sad. She was supposed to leave Wednesday but last weekend we decided to extend her ticket until today. She HAD to go home today, though, because she and my dad had tickets tonight to see Brian Regan. (Clearly I have cool parents.)

(Pretending not to be jealous.)

Andy and I gave the kids their Valentine bag o’ goodies this morning (let’s just go ahead and ignore the sugar-intake on holidays, shall we?) and then my girls and I went up to a Valentine’s brunch at my friend Sarah’s. (Which was lovely, as I knew it would be.)

Andy took Drew on a little outing and unfortunately I have nothing to say about that because you know how male reports are. (“It was good!” “It was fine!”)

This afternoon one of my sisters and I ran over to see my brother’s display at the trade show and were duly impressed. He designs and builds things, and it’s a little hard to believe my little brother has done all that from scratch. Even his brochures were professional.

Andy had to work tonight (story of my life), which is fine because we had our big date for breakfast yesterday. I hung out with my sister and kids and ate pizza and cut Drew’s hair and now I really should clean my house but who wants to do that on a holiday?

I’d rather hear your fun (and family-friendly) Valentine stories from today. Please tell!

One Crazy-Busy Week

Because my mom is here, it’s been a crazy-busy week for our little family. The whirlwind is starting to wind down and I’m able to stop and catch my breath a little. She’s the type of person that likes to cram each day to the brim and drags me into it (almost) unknowingly.

For example, she’s watched the kids so Andy and I could go out on a couple of dates, hosted a little Valentine’s tea for some dear local friends, ran errands, made dinners, took Madeline, my sisters and me out for an afternoon tea, helped finish a few house projects (which I’m saving later posts), and organized my laundry room.

Not to mention all the babysitting.

This morning Andy and I went out to breakfast and then on a nature walk. (I surprise myself sometimes.) It’s really very convenient having a live-in babysitter, even if only for a week! I was able to meet some friends for coffee on Tuesday, and different friends last night. (I could totally get used to this.)

And this probably goes without saying but my kids have LOVED IT. They’ve gotten to go to the playground and Chick-Fil-A and on bike rides and learned several new games and Drew started getting into this ABC floor puzzle she brought him.

He also had his very first school Valentine’s party yesterday and it was the cutest thing in the world to watch him share his cards and candy with his sisters.

These are the things I want to remember.

Free Shipping at Lands' End

I just noticed a free shipping code in our Blissdom swag bag, and the letter says to share with our readers. So here ya go!

Promo Code: BLISSDOM
PIN: 2175
Expires Sunday, February 15 - so hurry!!

My post for today

is over here.

The Swag Bag

I would be totally remiss in talking about how fantastic Blissdom '09 was without giving credit where credit is due. The conference was put on by Blissfully Domestic and the One2One Network and they did a fabulous job.

The Sponsors:













The Lands' End bag (pictured at top) was chock full o' goodies, including CD's, books, candy, Little Debbie treats, a reusable Walmart shopping bag, gift and ticket certificates, coupons, and a free pair of Crocs. (Or at least a code to order said free pair of Crocs.) I ordered these:


Aren't they cute?

Thanks again to Fussypants and Barbara Jones for all your hard work!

In Living Color

LIKE FLAT STANLEY. BUT NOT.


Jessica (Live Beautiful) and me. I met her at Blissdom '08 and was so glad to be able to spend time with her again.


Me with Jenny (Mommin It Up!) - my sweet table buddy from Blissdom '08.


Beth (I Should Be Folding Laundry) and me. This photo is actually from her camera and I love it.


Me with Jo-Lynne (Musings of a Housewife), who I feel like I've known forever. We also spent a lot of time with Sarah (Genesis Moments) and how do I not have a photo??!!!

Me and Colleen (Mommy Always Wins), another Blissdom '08 buddy.

Robin (Pensieve) and me. (We're going out for coffee SOON, right?!)

Tsh (Simple Mom) and me. (Met her also at Blissdom '08.)

Jennifer (Playgroups Are No Place For Children) and me. Blissdom '08 turned online friend who I like to pester with questions.

Ashley (Mrs. 007) and me. If you know me in real life you know how her blog name tickles me so.

Me and Emily (chatting at the sky). I want her camera. And she's as cute as a button.

Megan (Velveteen Mind) and me, take two. (You don't want to see the first one, trust me.)


Amanda (Oh Amanda) and me. I caught her for a photo on the way out and I'm so glad I did.

(Just a word. No, I did not stalk any of these women for a photo op, lest you think I'm some crazy person.)

(Another word. There were so many other fabulous friends there who I didn't snag a photo with and it makes me sad.)

(But it gives me room for improvement at Blissdom '10.)

Blissdom

(Bear with me as I sort through and mentally process all that I saw/heard/ learned at the conference this weekend. If you are wondering about something specific, feel free to ask your conference-related questions in the comments.)


If you are interested in blogging as a craft (meaning you want to be read by more than your mother and your best friend), I highly encourage you to attend a quality blogging conference if you possibly can. The people you meet, the relationships you build, and the information you glean will be invaluable. I cannot recommend the experience highly enough.

(Although no, I wouldn't sell my right arm for it.)

The full schedule can be found here, but because I know some of you are interested in the specific panels I went to, here's a brief list:

Day 1:

Sesson 1) Content/Readership (Maven track)

Sesson 2) Social Media/Marketing (Maven track)

Next was the kick-off cocktail party, followed by a PJ party. (I hung out with Kristen (We Are THAT Family) a little bit over pizza (while the movie was blaring at us)... and no, I did not wear my pajamas), and then talked for a bit with Jo-Lynne (Musings of a Housewife), Shannon (Rocks in my Dryer), and Amy (Mom Advice) until I could not keep my eyes open any longer.)

And THIS was calling my name:


Day 2:

Session 1) Writing with Passion - Finding your voice (Apprentice track)

Here's a photo of the writing panel (the lighting was awful, but this gives you a feel for the set-up):


Session 2) Maximizing Relationships: PR, Marketing, Brands and Ad Agencies (Maven)

Lunch. (Funny story. I sat next to Chilihead (Don't Try This At Home) but just realized I never even told her my name. Oops. Can we say social faux pas?)

Session 3) Branding: You, your blog, your business (Maven)

Session 4) Book Deals - The Inside Story (Maven) BUT I had meant to go to Success Blogging on the apprentice track. Oops again.

Next we had a special performance by Chris Mann. (I admit, I was completely skeptical. But really his performance was upbeat and actually a lot fun.)


(Still, my husband's cuter and can sing, too.)

Keynote with Jen Lancaster:


Again skeptical, again pleasantly surprised. I was going to stay longer at the closing party but really needed to get home.

Farewell, Hotel Preston (until next year):


(More photos tomorrow!)

Wherein I remind myself that God is in control. Of everything.

It was Red Day at preschool today. You know, like 'R is for Red'? I told Drew that last night and he said, “No, I’ll just wear blue for B.” (We’re lacking in the Indian category in this family. All chiefs.)

I’m not sure how much I’ll be updating this weekend, but hopefully I’ll be able to check in while I’m at Blissdom. Whenever I’m going to be away from my family I get these ridiculous panic attacks that something is going to go wrong (tell me I’m not alone).

At least I don’t have to fly on an airplane. That’s a whole other can of anxious worms. (And my dad’s a pilot! Go figure.)

For now, I’m off to paint my toes. If for some reason I don’t catch up with y’all ‘till Monday, have a fabulous weekend!

Because nothing says 'stay warm' like a freezing bowl of ice cream

I'm tired. We had one of those awful mornings where the kids woke up before dawn, took a bath and totally doused the bathroom, and then whined at me all day. My mom had gone to a friend's Bible study and didn't get here until after noon. By the time she walked in I was ready for a Break.

I grabbed my purse and left. Ran errand after errand, almost ran out of gas. Finished some more errands and shopped some, too. I'll be glad to not see the inside of a store for a while (which, if you know me, takes a LOT). So here I sit with a bowl of ice cream, enjoying the sound of nothing but the dishwasher.

It seems almost criminal to go to bed at 9:18 when there's an evening of quiet ahead, but I may surprise myself and do just that.

(Yawn.)

Totally a God-thing

The most random thing happened to me last night. My phone rang while I was getting the kids ready for bed and it turned out to be one of my old college housemates that I haven’t seen in a couple of years.

She and her mom were in the area and wondered if they could stop by (I had told Larissa to call me one evening when she was free). Since my philosophy is THE MORE THE MERRIER, I said Yes! Come over!

(Just pardon the whole bowl of popcorn my kids just spilled and smashed into the living room carpet. Oh, and also don’t mind the vacuum running full speed when you get here. You didn’t really want to hear yourselves, did you?)

I was helping Madeline into her pj’s when the door rang, and apparently Drew opened the door, let them in, didn’t say a word, and went back to his post at the vacuum. Can we say awkward?

(Not to mention the fact that he just opened the door. Clearly we haven’t had the let-mommy-open-the-door-for-strangers talk.)

As usual, the kids had every excuse under the sun about why they shouldn’t have to go to bed quite yet. (Especially with guests over.) Once they were in bed and the talking had stopped (they tell me about their “needs” through the walls, which my sisters find terribly amusing), the three of us had a WONDERFUL time together.

It was totally a God-thing. Here was a friend I haven’t seen in a while, haven’t seen her mom in even longer, and it just so happened that we’d all been going through the same life issues over the past couple of years. It was SO uplifting and encouraging to chat and find we had a surprising amount of common ground.

And the funny thing was, before she called, I had really been struggling with my attitude and impatience for Monday to just get over already. So it was truly a little God-gift to have an impromptu tea party with them in my living room last night.

(And Mom, don’t mind the popcorn under the sofa.)

Busy week ahead

When this posts tomorrow (Monday), I’ll be on my way to pick up coffee and head on over to help a dear friend pack up her house. It’s the exact opposite situation of a year and a half ago when she brought me coffee and helped me pack up MY house. (If you're new here and wonder how that makes any sense, it's because we moved back here last summer.) I’ll be sad to see her go.

But, never fear, I should have her blogging within a few months. (Especially if her mom helps me with the peer pressuring.) I told her that when one moves away, one is obligated to start a blog. Isn’t that fair? I mean, it's really the least she can do.

And then my mom comes on Tuesday (not a second too soon), which will make for a very fun week. The kids are beyond excited and so am I. We really have nothing planned beyond a painting project or two. And then there’s Blissdom this weekend. No biggie.

(I won’t mention how excited I am to sleep in a huge bed all by myself with no little people to wake me up in the morning. Bliss indeed. Maybe I’ll even skip breakfast.)

Have a great Monday!

Also, if you’re interested, I was featured yesterday at We Are THAT Family.