Blogging tips for beginners

This post is a part of the #SummerBlogSocial going on at a belle, a bean & a chicago dog and Four, Plus an Angel. Today I am focusuing on this prompt:

If a real life friend approached you and said, “I want to start a blog. Can you give me a list of helpful tips?“, what 10 (or more) things would you tell your friend?

The book, Blogging for Dummies, was written for me.
At a glance blogging seems like an easy enough hobby. Just type away your thoughts and with one click of the mouse you are a blogger loved by thousands of followers eager to read your every post.
Except it's not like that at all. It's hard work.
But if you have a passion for writing and reading and are willing to put in the time and effort, the payoff is worth it. Here are some tips/tricks I've picked up over the course of my blogging career:

Seek and Ye Shall Find: If you are starting off with Blogger, which most people do, they make it pretty easy to navigate the basics and design the look of your blog. But if you are like me and want to spruce your blog up a bit, you are going to need to work a little harder at it. Of course there are people you can pay to design you a lovely blog, but if you are starting out and not ready to take on the investment you can do a little DIY blog design yourself as long as you are willing to put in a little elbow grease.

*Search for "free blog backgrounds" and/or "free blog designs". There are many good places out there offering freebies and they walk you through the process of setting it up.
*Search for tutorials on how to add things, changes sizes on things, or move things around so you can customize your blog to your own specifications. There are also many sites that offer help with simple HTML codes which are helpful to learn.
*Seek out other blogs for inspiration to get an idea of how you want to set yours up. (Just make sure that you are not copying their material!)

The Proof is in the Pudding: Once you have your blog looking spiffy, you need the most important part, the content. Whatever you choose to blog about, own it, because at the end of the day, that's the thing people are going to comment on and come back for.

*Think before you hit publish. I am my own worst enemy when it comes to this because I often write with such passion, I get excited and hit publish before realizing I made stupid mistakes. It happens. But make sure you spell check your post and try to proofread it a few times to make it easier for your readers to understand.
*Don't force it. In the beginning I got hung up on the idea of posting all the time and it killed my writing. I became so worried about what I was going to write that it affected what I was writing. Does that make any sense?? What I am saying is, inspiration, comes and goes. Don't force yourself to write a post if you aren't feeling it, because chances are no one else will "feel it" either.

Getting Over the Wall: Writers block sucks.If you are like me, material is either feast or famine. Some day's I am brimming with ideas, other days I feel stuck. Here is how I've (somewhat) overcome that "stuck" feeling:

*Take advantage of the "feast". Draft as many posts as you can during that time, so when you are low on ideas you have something to fall back on. Even if they are just a few lines, it is something you can go back to and fill in if you ever get "stuck".
*Look for a great meme or linky party to get in on. Some are weekly so you can formulate a post ahead of time. Vlog talk, Fill in the Blank Friday, and Mama Kat's are some good one's I have tried, but feel free to explore your own. You can also check out Mama Kat's and Kludgy Mom's idea bank's which are great resources if you need a bit of extra inspiration.
*Guest Posts are a great way to take a break & make bloggy friends. Don't be afraid to ask a blogger you admire if they will guest post for you. Maybe if you are lucky, they will even ask you to return the favor someday!

See the Sights: The thing about blogging. It's just as much about reading as it is about writing. If you really want to build a community and have loyal readers that leave meaningful comments, then you have to do the same.

*Don't be fake. Sure you could visit 50 blogs a day and cut and paste the same, "OMG I love your blog, hope you can check out mine at ..." comment on every ones. But is that going to get you any loyal readers?? No. Probably quite the opposite. Make sure your comments on other people's blogs are genuine and related to the post at hand.
*Aim to read one new blog a week. Maybe you'll find one you really like, maybe you won't. But you aren't going to grow your community just by reading the same blogs over and over. Need help finding new blogs?? Check out what your friends  are reading. If you follow a blog regularly, check out their blog roll or pay attention to the blog posts they retweet. I've found some really awesome blogs this way.

The Big Leagues: If you find yourself really into blogging and want to turn it into much more than a hobby, you'll need to up your game a bit:

*Buy your domain. It's the best $10 you'll spend.
*Use social media. Get on Twitter and create a Facebook Fan Page for your blog. Use them. Often.
*Really want to build your brand?? Get a Blog Assessment from Eli Rose. They can give you practical and easy advice on how to streamline your blog. They also work with you based solely on your needs, so weather you want more followers, want to work with more companies or simply want to grow your business, they can help give you the tools to succeed.

Nutshells

I love, love, love, celebrity gossip. So much so, that I kind of get in a bit of a panic when my US Weekly doesn't arrive in the mail on Thursday's like it's supposed to.

Luckily, Amanda over at It's Blogworthy posts her Celebrity Roundup every Friday, so I have something to tide me over while I wait.

I'm extremely honored to be over there today sharing this weeks celebrity "nutshells" with you so come on over and weigh in on this week's celebrity roundup!!

Who says being lazy has no benefits?

I'm a big fan of online shopping.
Working retail for 10+ years will do that to you.
I dispise malls. Everything from the mass crowds that flock to them to the fact that I have to work through said crowds as they aimlessly wander around, seemingly lost. All while pushing a stroller and trying my best to avoid those annoying cart people that pop up in front of you begging you to try the latest lotion from the Dead Sea.

Shopping from the comfort of my couch in my yoga pants, with my favorite cup of coffee...pure bliss.

Last year, a friend, who knew of my online shopping compulsions, referred me to a site called Ebates. And a love affair began.
Now let me start off by saying I was skeptical. I gave her my best side eye and said, "What's the catch?". But after doing my research and hearing about it all over the morning shows, I decided to give it a go.

Here's the concept:
You join Ebates by entering your email. That's it. Then you simply go through their site to shop hundreds of stores. Each store offers a certain percentage cash back and every day there are a few stores that offer DOUBLE cash back. Most stores only offer anywhere from 2-8%, so while it may seem like small potatoes, it adds up.
Last year, I joined right before Christmas and in February I got a check for $45. Not bad pay for sitting on my butt and doing shopping I needed to do. In my opinion even if you only do a marginal amount of online shopping, Ebates is totally worth it.

Want to know more?

Here is what I've learned since joining:

*You can receive your cash back in lots of different ways. I opted for a check, sent every 3 months or so, but they also offer things like transfer to Paypal or even the option to donate the money to your favorite charity or organization!
*There is no need to search for separate coupons or online codes because they are built into the Ebates site. Just select your store, and click on the coupon you want to use. You'll be taken to the site and it is automatically applied.
*The hardest thing about using Ebates is REMEMBERING to use Ebates. So if you join, I highly recommend you sign up for emails, "like" them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter. That way you can see what stores are offering double cash back each day.
*Aim to shop on Double Cash back days. This is where you get the most bang for your buck. From what I've seen it is mostly random, but most stores offer double cash back at least every month or so. Also, there are usually pretty good offers around the holidays. This year there were a ton of extra deals for Mothers Day, and last year almost every store went double cash back for Black Friday. I ordered our Christmas Cards from Shutterfly for $55 with free shipping and they were offering 12% cash back!

Overall, since I've joined, I've collected a little over $100 in cash back. A big chunk of that came from buying my laptop from Dell.com when they were offering double cash back, but I've also gotten quite a lot back from Sephora because I have a horrible addiction to beauty products!

 Happy Shopping!!





*I was not compensated to write this post, but I am a member of the Ebates affiliate program and do receive compensation for all referral's gained through links provided in this post. This post is based on my experience with Ebates.com and the opinions I've expressed are mine and mine alone.

Toddler Proofing

Somewhere around 9 months my son went from a baby that laid sleeping quietly, to a baby on the move.
It seemed like it happened in the blink of an eye.
One second he was pulling himself up and then, BAM, he was walking.

My husband and I wasted no time babyproofing.

Every outlet was covered.
Even the kitchen counter ones, just in case Jack gained super human strength and pulled himself up to the counters. Drawer pulls were installed. Gates we erected. Edges were covered.

Finally our home was a safe haven.
Or so we thought.

As the months passed and we crossed over into toddlerhood, we became painfully aware of the fact that we never made any revisions for toddler proofing.

Because they don't tell you about toddler proofing in the books. Or the Internet. Or anywhere.

So I'm here to fill you in.

Toddler proofing Rule #1: Revenge of the BabyProofing
Toddlers are curious and a lot smarter than we as parents often give them credit for.
For us, this realization came when Jack learned how to open the drawers, even though they had safety pulls installed in them. He even learned how to take the pull off. What's more he also learned that throwing the contents of the entire open drawer all over the floor was hilarious (to him, not us).
So do yourself a favor and fill those drawers and lower cabinets with toddler friendly like Tupperware or cooking spoons and spatulas.
Or- if you are sick of picking up potholders off the floor every 5 minutes- nothing at all.

Toddler proofing Rule #2: Yes, you can have nice things...once the kids are in college
Growing up, I lived in a pristine house, though I use the term "lived" loosely.
My mother believed in rooms that were better seen and not used. We were not permitted to eat in our living/family room which is an understandable rule. Not understandable- we also weren't allowed to sit on the couch. And my mother was constantly complaining about cleaning up.
I swore I would be different when I had kids and while I want to teach my children about respecting things, I also want them to have fun. And not be afraid of "living" in their house.
So here's the deal...Toddlerhood is messy.
The way I see it you have two options. Make peace with tiny handprints and mysterious stains or follow your child around with Windex and a broom.
The choice is yours.

Toddler proofing Rule #3: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
As you watch your babyproofing efforts crumble around you, you will be faced with an important decision. Either teach your child how to live in the "real world" and be safe or continue to protect the bubble they live in.
As a parent it is hard to watch your children get hurt. We babyproof because we don't want to see little fingers get slammed in doors. But as our children grow we have to teach them how to live among life's hazards. Yes, there may be some bumps and bruises along the way and yes, it will hurt (probably you more than them). So teach them how to close doors (gently) and how to go up and down the stairs (carefully).

And while your at it, it doesn't hurt to teach them how to use a paper towel to clean up spilled milk!

What have you learned about "ToddlerProofing"??

Christmas In July

I don't know what the weather is like in your neck of the woods, but here?? It feels like I've been whisked away to the heart of the jungle. On the sun.
So even though turning on the oven was the last thing I should have done, I did. To make these awesome brownies because they reminded me of Christmas and snow and minty coolness.
And they taste DIVINE!!
And I only pass along my most divine recipes, so here you go:

I'm a lot of things, but Baker is not one of them.
Unless you consider mixing the contents of a store bought mix, baking.
Which I do.

We were at a BBQ a few weeks ago when someone starting passing around brownies. But these brownies weren't just any brownies. (Or the "special" kind, in case you were wondering) These were the best damn brownies I had ever tasted. They were Mint Meltaway Brownies and I had to have the recipe.

I immediately went on a mission for the person that made them. She was kind enough to share her recipe with me and I gave them a try last week.

They don't look that great, mostly because I decided to use foil to line the pan. I don't usually do this but for some reason this day I was feeling particularly lazy and didn't want to wash the pan.












The good news is they taste wonderful. Just like a Mint Meltaway or a Frango Mint. This will be my go-to potluck recipe for the holidays...friends and family you have been warned!

Below is the recipe she gave me. You can Google Frango Brownies for similar ones.

Mint Meltaway Brownies
(made in 3 stages)

Step One:
Make a batch of brownies. It should come as no surprise that I use store bought. To be fair though, the girl that gave me the recipe used a store bought mix as well. You can make them from scratch if you like.

Step Two:
Mix 2 tablespoons milk, 2 cups powdered sugar, 4 tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, and 2-3 drops food coloring of your choice (green is the go-to choice).
Spread over warm brownies and chill for at least 10 minutes.

Step Three:
Melt 6oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips with 6 tablespoons butter. I did this in the microwave, stirring every minute or so until combined. Spread this carefully over the last layer.Chill.
(Note: Next time I make this I will try Milk Chocolate. I always forget that I don't care so much for semi-sweet)

Before serving let them get to room temperature.
These are extremely rich so you can cut into small squares!

Or do like me an eat half the pan yourself!
I had a little help...

Halfway there

I'm horrible about taking belly pics.
Even with Jack I always forgot, so Baby Insomnia has really gotten neglected.

But in the interest of catching up, I took a 22 week picture...

We are now officially a little over halfway there!!

Stats:

Baby's Size: A Papaya

Mama's Size: I've only gained 3 lbs. thanks to my super duper thyroid medicine. (Though I feel much bigger this pregnancy, which everyone has told me is normal.)

Baby's Gender: It's a BOY!!

I'm feeling: Pretty good! I have been getting really bad Sciatica this pregnancy, a lot worse than with Jack. It's most noticeable when I'm working and trying to sleep. Other than that I feel pretty good and, knock on wood, everything is on the up and up!

Cravings: Buffalo Chicken Anything. And carbs. Lots of carbs.

What I miss: A nice cold beer on a hot day. As a bartender, I poor cool libations for people all day. Sometimes I really miss being able to have a drink of my own. I also miss being able to paint my own toenails.

What I love: Baby Insomnia's little kicks and punches which are becoming much more frequent and pronounced. Especially when I drink cold water or have a bowl of ice cream for dessert!

I'm writing this post on the fly, so if I've left anything out, feel free to ask away!

Happy Hump Day!!

As Seen On TV

Did you ever have a moment of your life play out like something that would happen on a TV sitcom??

I did. And while I can look back and laugh now, I was mortified at the time.

Let me set the scene...

My husband & I were trying for baby 2 for a few months. I was one of those neurotic people that peed on a stick, before I was even late, in hopes that a positive test would appear. And every month it didn't I felt disappointed.

This past March, after 2 months of negative tests, I gave up. I threw in the towel on premature peeing. I decided to wait until I was late.

The only problem was I somehow lost track of dates/times/and all that other stuff women do to track their cycle.

Then one day my best friend came over and we planned on grabbing some sushi and a few bottles of wine.
Suddenly a light bulb went off in my head.
I began using my fingers to count days.
And I realized I was late.
Like 2 weeks late.
So we headed to the store to pick up a test.

We were running errands and decided to stop at a grocery store nearby.

At this moment I should pause and mention I hate shopping at new grocery stores. More so, I should mention I am kind of a grocery store snob. I grew up shopping at Jewel with my mom so it just seemed natural that I would keep shopping there as an adult. I am comfortable shopping there. I am familiar with my local store's layout, they carry all my favorite brands, and the likely hood of running into complete lunatics is low, unlike other stores I've tried to shop at. (Ahem, Walmart) The problem is they are not the cheapest chain in town, and so in the interest of saving money, I've tried turning to the cheaper alternatives. You know the stores. The ones where scooters run wild and people stare at you if you are wearing clothes that freshly laundered and free of holes. Like you are some sort of freak. Because you were the one that chose to get dressed for the day.

This was that kind of store.

So I was displeased from the moment I waked through the door.

After a few minutes of walking around confused-because I am unfamiliar to this particular layout- I walk down the "Hygiene" aisle. I scour the shelves for at home pregnancy tests. Nothing.

I search for someone to ask.

Nothing. I am annoyed.

By the time I find someone to ask I am practically out of the store. I ask her if the store sells pregnancy tests. She doesn't know. So I am prepared to leave.

I am not prepared for her to yell halfway across the store to another associate.
An associate that is standing with a troop of GIRL SCOUTS.

"Lakisha, DO YOU KNOW IF WE SELL PREGNANCY TESTS??"

I wanted to run. But I had already come this far...I might as well not leave empty handed.
So I followed her to the front of the store where the pregnancy tests were. In a little display that housed condoms, lighters, batteries, KY jelly, and Monistat. Not sure why all these things were segregated in a top secret location, or why I practically needed a background check to buy it, but I didn't have time to ponder such intricacies.
I needed to get out before the girl scouts started asking questions.

Luckily the day ended on a high note and I finally got a positive test.

The only downside??
I could have really used a glass a wine after that trip to the store.

10 Reasons I'm Awesome

The great thing about blog friends is that they can help you find all the super amazing things that are out there in Blog-land. Two such people that have never failed me are the wonderful ladies behind Taming Insanity and A Belle, A Bean, And a Chicago Dog. This Monday they certainly delivered! They lead me to the inspiring meme over at C. Mom, which begs the question, "What do I like about Me??"

This took some pondering. Which is why I was delighted to find out that this meme was open all week.

I'm much more suited for nitpicking my faults.

Finding things I like about myself would require a little more thought. Or so I thought.

See once I sat down and let all the negative thoughts leave my head, I realized that it's a lot easier than I thought to find the things I enjoy about myself!

So because I love lists, here are 10 reasons why I'm awesome...

10) I will always tell my friends and family (and sometimes even complete strangers) if they have something in their teeth or a booger in their nose or some other embarrassing thing going on. I'm considerate like that.

9) I shave my legs everyday. It's a part of my routine and one thing I refuse to "let go" now that I am married.

8) I'm resourceful and I'm not afraid to "teach" myself how to do something. I'm a bit of a dreamer and I have a lot of ideas so I figure, where there is a will, there is a way. Case in point, I knew nothing about digital scrap booking but taught myself how to do it and created my header for this blog.

7) I have an amazing memory...when it comes to useless crap. I'm your gal when it comes to bar trivia.

6) I can laugh at myself. And I do. A lot.

5) I put funny words together. Like TwatWaffle and DoucheCanoe. (See #6)


4) Though I am by no means a professional, I, if need be, can be a killer makeup artist. After all my years of reading YM and Teen magazine, I finally have something to show for it.

3) I communicate via sarcasm frequently. I also understand when sarcasm is being used, which apparently some people have a hard time with.

2) I'm creative and I enjoy the outlet I get from writing or being artistic.

1) I think I'm a pretty funny person and I love to make people laugh- at me or with me. :)

What do you like about yourself??

Time to create

Little known fact about me...I'm crafty. Sometimes.
As in, when I have time.
Which is hardly ever.

I love decorating the house and putting my own homemade touches on it. Looking at Pottery Barn catalogs and watching HGTV always challenges me to see if I can "copy" high end things for pennies. More often than not I can, it just takes a little out of the box thinking. And a trip to the nearest Hobby Lobby. If I am still lacking ideas I can peruse craft blogs for days looking for inspiration. (Which usually leads me to new projects and makes me forget what I was originally looking for)

This past weekend I was able to turn TWO of my ideas into actual, tangible creations.

Both were super easy and super cheap.

The first is Hand print art. As a mother, I naturally want a way to preserve my little guys youth. I remember when I was a kid, my parents did those hand print mold kits that everyone did in the 80's. Those are cute and all, but I wanted something I could display. Something that would fit our decor. So I made this:

Cost: $4.49 Time spent: 20 minutes (drying time included!)

Get a canvas in whatever size you like, paint it whatever color you like, and use a contrasting paint color for your child's hand print. I used acrylic paint. It's cheap, non-toxic and comes in every color imaginable.

 For baby 2, I will probably do a black hand print on a white canvas for a little contrast!



The hand prints are a part of a family theme I am putting together for some decoration behind our couch. So next on my list was this little number...

Its a small picture & poor lighting so bare with me.

I had an old 11x14 frame laying around with a 8x10 mat in it, so I printed out the lyrics to our wedding song on a colored sheet of paper. I played around with the spacing and, though it's hard to tell, I made some key lines in the song bold or in a different font.
Then I CAREFULLY cut out a printed initial and glued it to the center. (I envy those of you with Cricut machines which would have made this project much easier)



Cost: Nothing (all materials already on hand!) Time Spent: 45 mins

So there you have it, two easy & cheap ideas for decorating. They also make great gifts!

Do you like to craft?? Where do you find ideas? Do you follow craft blogs?

Rockin the Baby

I was a bad girl and forgot to play along with Shell and everyone for Rockin the Bump. Truth is, I only knew of one belly pic I took with Jack and I was too lazy to look for it. But in honor of Shell's latest link up, Rockin the Baby, I thought I'd play a little catch up.

That was me at 39 weeks. Sadly, I feel that large now with baby 2, and I am only at 21 weeks. I'll have to take a pic with this one at 39 weeks and compare!



I carried that bump for 2.75 more weeks. That's right folks, I went 12 days overdue with Jack. But after I laid eyes on him every single moment of discomfort was totally worth it. I mean just look at this little butterball...

Cute right??

The Name Game

I love my husband dearly. He is laid back, funny and generally has a good head on his shoulders. I rarely call his judgement into question...unless he is attempting the name our children.

Before Jack came along Kevin had a myriad of name possibilities. At first I laughed them off, because clearly they were too outrageous for him to be serious.

But sometimes I still wonder.

Below is a list of actual names that my husband has suggested for our unborn children. Keep in mind a few are only truly amusing if you know our last name. The rest are just plain silly.

* Wachunka Umfufu (Pronounced: Womb-chunk-a Oom-fu- fu) Also note...according to husband this is a unisex name.

*Mary Chris (funny if you know our last name)

*Mooey (appropriate for a large baby only)

*Dragon (Kevin, however, said that it would be pronounced Dragoon)

*Moxie

*Maxamillano

Did your spouse ever come up with some questionable names for your children??