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What have you Learned from Bloggers in 2009?

I have been contemplating this past decade, most specifically this past year.  That’s when I started thinking back on the things that I’ve learned from other bloggers in 2009.  Some of what I’ve learned are blogging/social networking lessons and some were lessons concerning monetizing or obtaining PR ops.  Perhaps the most lasting lessons though were those that effected my personal life.

Blogging Lessons

  • I learned to face blogging with a positive outlook, and to blog about what I love from Yaro Starak.  He is like a one man pep club.
  • I learned to utilize my stats to actually improve my blogging, through Darren at Problogger.  I have learned much more than that from his blog, but the assignments he gave in his 30 day challenge, that related to looking at what you already had, and finding ways to improve upon it, really hit home for me.
  • I learned to use Twitter to promote my blog from him also, but learned the true power of Twitter, from blogger/twitterers like @ResourcefulMom .
  • I learned to do my first PR related posts, though projects done through Twitter Moms.
  • I learned to take into account the companies that I hope to work with in the future, when selecting my new blog name and topic.  This was learned from an experience Consumer Queen shared.
  • I am learning more about the PR aspects of blogging all the time through the great group of bloggers in the MomDot forums.

Life Lessons

  • I learned to cherish the health of my daughter and how truly compelling a blog can be from Britta of Britta’s Blog Spot.   Her beloved grandson was a picture of health until late September of this year.  I remember her reporting several hospital visits for him, with diagnoses such as constipation.  Then one day in early October Britta asked for prayers.  It had been determined that her soon to be 1 year old grandson Asher, had a brain tumor.   Asher came through brain surgery well, but now they have to take him out of state for 6 weeks of radiation, to treat his rare cancer.  To learn more about Asher and how to spot the signs of a brain tumor, visit the blog Britta set up for him A Prayer for Asher
  • Just a couple weeks ago, we all learned to hold our children a little tighter, and cherish each minute we have with them, when @Military_Mom lost her toddler son in a tragic accident.  This terrible event also taught us the power of social media,  for both good and bad.  In the end, it was good to see that common sense and compassion won out .  The Wednesday after Bryson was lost, over a hundred bloggers lit a candle in his memory, and posted them on their blogs.

I hope 2010, brings you all happiness and health.  Make a resolution to hug your kids everyday.

Tell me what you learned from other bloggers this year?

“Sugary” Cereals aren’t Necessarily so Sugary Anymore

We haven’t been big cereal eaters in my house the past year or so.  I grew tired of the “healthy” cereals and avoid bringing foods containing  High Fructose Corn Syrup into my home (although some do sneak through).  My 2 1/2 year old daughter was more interested in other foods, so her cereal intake had fallen off, as well.

I was recently offered the opportunity to try out some of the new formulations of General Mills cereals, through a  MyBlogSpark  promotion.  The offer came with an announcement that General Mills had not just committed to reducing the sugar in their cereals, but that they had also boosted the amount of several key nutrients, that kids tend to under consume, especially calcium and vitamin D.   I decided to give them a try and was sent some free cereal coupons, to test out the goods.

When I hit the cereal aisle with my daughter, I checked out the usual simple cereals that are generally deemed healthy, but nothing was calling me.  We started looking at the sweetened cereals.  In a moment of indulgence, the Reese’s cereal caught my eye.   I checked out the ingredient label and much to my surprise, no hfcs (high fructose corn syrup).  The cereal was sweetened with sugar and regular old fashioned corn syrup.  My daughter rarely gets sweets.  I decided this would make for an excellent substitute for the animal crackers, in the shopping basket.  The cereal had a good amount of iron, and other nutrients, and I’ll admit it, mommy wanted some too.  The switch was made.

Verdict:  We tried the cereal the next day.  My daughter loved it, and so did I.  I’ll be buying it again.

Here are a few statistics from the information I received, that might interest you:

  • Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children´s diets.
  • Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child´s diet today.
  • More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures.

It has been known for quite some time that eating breakfast, improves the performance of children at school, and cereal is not only  a quick and easy breakfast, but is lower in fat than most other options.  There is much more information concerning the health benefits of cereal  here.

To promote the healthy changes to their product line General Mills is now offering a $1 off coupon good on any  box of General Mills cereal.

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Free Blog Directory List for Mommy Bloggers

I’ve been working on my back links to directories recently.  The next Google Page Rankings will most likely be coming out mid January, every little bit helps.  Although you might not get approved by some of these directories in time for the next PR release, some will go through, and many will be linked before the spring rankings. I was off by about two weeks and the PRs came out on Dec 30th.  (I only came through with a 1, but that isn’t bad for a blog that is only a little over 2 months old., and my other blogs held their ranks.) This is a great time to work on the next rankings release, since there is some delay involved.  Link work now will help in the spring rankings.  If you weren’t happy with what you received this time around, be proactive.

As I went through some lists, I found many directories, which were not actually free, and many PRs were no longer accurate.  I also found some that had either shut down, or were not currently functioning properly.  Many more directories, were simply not meant to list Home, Family, Mommy or Food related blogs… there is little point submitting to them, if that is your niche.

I thought I would save some of my blogger friends, a bit of time.  Here is my list of family & food blogger friendly directories.  Some do not have a specific category that blogs in this niche will neatly fit in, but if they had a good PR and submission was relatively simple, they made my list.  This is by no means an exhaustive list.  I will try and keep the “Blogging To-Do List” features, as projects that can be completed in one sitting.

Blog Directories for Mommy Bloggers

Directory PR *

Blogcatalog 7

Blogs.com 7

BlogPulse 7

Globe of Blogs 7

BlogDigger 6

Bloggapedia 6

Blog-Directory 5

Blogarama 4

BloggerNow 3

TopBlogArea 3

That is a good start.  You may notice the DMOZ is not listed.  While I encourage you to submit there, all reports I have gotten recently from fellow bloggers indicate the wait may be years, or perhaps never to get listed there, no matter the quality of your blog.  They are severely backed up and lack enough volunteers.

I will probably be doing another round of submissions soon.  When I do so, I’ll report back with an auxillary list.

* All PRs were checked on the day of post publication.

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Cute Gag Christmas Gifts to Make

gag christmas gifts homemade Do you have a few people on your list who have been naughty this year.  These gag holiday gifts are just the thing for them. All are cheap and easy to make, and none of these Christmas joke gifts take very long to create.   You still have time to make them.

Christmas Poo Gifts

Christmas poo gag gifts have become pretty popular over the past few years.  People have gotten pretty creative in this area, and printable tags are readily available free online, so your poo will have a “professional” look to it :D

The original and still the most popular holiday poo gift is Reindeer Poo.  There are several recipes to make your own at home, or you can simply use any brown roundish candy (ie. malt balls, brown m & ms, Raisinets or chocolate covered peanuts).  Here is just one of the many recipe links online if you want to make the Reindeer droppings yourself . (link) I would actually make mini cocoa bourbon balls myself.  Whatever choice you make, just bag the poops in any small plastic bag and staple a reindeer poo poem/tag on the top.  Here is my favorite printable tag for this: http://christmas.organizedhome.com/printable/poop-gifts/reindeer-poop

Another cute Christmas poo gift is “grinch poop”.  Green candies (usually the green holiday M & Ms) are put in the plastic bag.  Sherri Osborn has a great printable Grinch poem tag for these.  It is pre-formatted to fold over so it will be nice and neat when stapled on the bag. http://familycrafts.about.com/od/makinggaggifts/ss/GrinchPoopPoemBagTag1.htm

While there are a few other poo ideas out there, the only other one that I really found cute enough to add here is Snowman poop.   I would suggest making the poop out of mini marshmallows.  Just dip them quickly,  in warm water, to rinse off the non-stick dusting they have on them.   Let them sit on a rack for a minute or two, then roll in edible glitter.  Let them dry out, for a couple hours, before bagging.    You will then have some glistening little snowman droppings to bag and tag.  Once again Sherri Osborn has a great tag available for this craft.  http://familycrafts.about.com/od/makinggaggifts/ss/SnowmanPoopPoemBagTag.htm

Edible Coal (Lump of Coal Candy)

I found a great recipe for edible coal online.  The directions are easy and the ingredients are inexpensive.  While a cloth sack would have the best effect for this gag gift, you could just put it in a plastic bag with the poem that comes with the recipe and it would still be cute.  Lump of Coal recipe & poem

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Free Christmas Paper Craft Projects for Kids

I have found some fantastic free Christmas printable paper craft projects on the web.  I decided to share some of my favorites with you.  Just the thing for a chilly day, inside with the kids.

ScrapbookScrapbook.com has a wonderful Nativity project, for you to do with your kids.  Just print, cut-out, color and assemble.  When completed you will have a nice 3-D scene to display.  Here is a link to make your own.  You can see more views of the completed nativity set there, as well. http://bit.ly/41kTmG

I also found a printable reindeer and sleigh.  The reindeer look a little big for the sleigh, in my opinion, but you could always print it at 75% or something. It would make a great decoration for the wall of a hall or stairway, since 8 or so reindeer would stretch out a ways.  http://kidscraftzone.com/post/Santas-Printable-Sled-and-Reindeer.aspx

Speaking of reindeer, you have to check out this little Christmas reindeer box project.  It is adorable. http://familyfun.go.com/printables/reindeer-gift-box-704323/

  • Disney’s Family Fun, also has a great holiday train.  You just print, cut and assemble.  It would be cute displayed under the tree with your gifts, and the kids will love doing it.
  • http://bit.ly/6ZFgRd

They also have an incredibly cute tiny elf shelf sitter, that you can assemble with the kids. http://bit.ly/4JSbgU

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Don’t overlook origami, when doing holiday paper crafts with your children.  Origami-Fun.com has a photo list of origami projects, including cranes, flowers and stars.  These would be lovely on the Christmas tree,  as package decorations or as gifts for your child to give.  http://www.origami-fun.com/printable-origami.html

Origami-Club.com  includes simple to follow video snippets, showing you how to do holiday origami projects.  Just click on the picture of the project that interests you, and you will be given the option to see the instructional diagram or video.  I personally preferred the videos.  The link I have given leads to Christmas specific projects, but there are plenty of  other projects available on the site.  I am a bit of a traditionalist myself.  The cranes are my favorite.  This site also has some great holiday printable patterns, to make your own Christmas origami papers.  http://www.origami-club.com/en/xmas/index.html

These are my favorite free holiday paper craft projects for kids (and adults), that are all readily available online.  If you know of some great free paper craft printables or instructions accessible on the web, please share them with us.  I will be doing a separate post for coloring pages, so please don’t include those,  just crafts or printables,  that can be made into something beyond a simple colored page.

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Join the Warm & Fuzzy Campaign and Support Toys for Tots

1800flowerssecretsanta1-800-FLOWERS.com has launched it’s “Warm & Fuzzy Campaign.  The goal of this campaign is to raise $5000 for ToysForTots.  If you would like to help raise this money for Toys for Tots, and assist in supplying toys for needy children, it doesn’t have to cost you a dime.

Just send a Secret Santa greeting though the Warm & Fuzzy campaign, on 1-800-Flowers FaceBook page.  The greetings are very cute, and free to send.  The “Warm & Fuzzies” look like white tribbles :)   The recipient will not be told it was you who sent the greeting, until December 21st.  Check it out now,  you have nothing to lose and the kids have toys to gain.  We need to hit 10,000 Secret Santa greetings, by the 21st for the kids to get the $5000.  Here is direct link to start your Secret Santa greeting  http://bit.ly/warmfuzzy and help the Marines Toys for Tots program.

1-800-Flowers.com will also give all the Warm & Fuzzy people who send Secret Santa greetings, a 15% discount on their holiday collection.

A Candle for Bryson

As many of you already know Shellie (@Military_Mom) lost her beautiful two year old son on Monday, to a tragic accident.  Please join me in lighting a candle in remembrance of little Bryson Ross.  If you choose to post a picture of your candle for Bryson, there is a linky for sharing our candles, on MomDot.com

light590

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