Category Archives: Blogging

Reflecting on My “Word” of 2014

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Word for the year #oneword365 #myoneword

A couple of times throughout the year, I’ve thought about the “word” I chose for 2014 but now that it’s December and I look back to the impact of focusing on this particular concept, it’s hard for me to believe. I have to admit that, at times, I have felt like a pawn on a chess board but more often, I facilitated, initiated or went along with all the changes during the past year, so I really can’t complain.

At the beginning of the year, I chose “MOVE” as my word for a few reasons; 1) I needed to make our 1800 sq. foot house more functional for our family of 6; 2) I needed to start moving physically (and I did for a while); 3) I had a desire to get back to writing; 4) I wanted to move money and make progress in the budgeting and planning department of our lives and 5) I wanted to plan meals and eat healthier.

The year began with some remodeling with the help of a local contractor and by February, Mark and I were sleeping in what used to be our living room. Hannah and Kate each had their own rooms and our dining room became our new family room.

Most of our family had “moved” within our house and we were enjoying it. What felt like extra space was really just a more efficient use of the space we had.

Less than 2 months later, my aunt had a minor fall and overall had been declining rapidly both physically and mentally. My mom decided it was time to bring her home to Pittsburgh (either to her apartment or to a nursing home). I offered our newish first floor bedroom and we MOVED my aunt in.

When I envisioned the changes within our home, I had no idea that we would make room for a new family member. My aunt hasn’t lived in this city since she left to teach over 50 years ago. I always just assumed she would die in place or go to a nursing home (near her home) when the time came.

I don’t think this practice of choosing a word is magical or anything.  For me it’s more effective than goal-setting or making resolutions (which everyone knows are useless) because it’s simple. It’s so much easier to focus on applying one principle to many areas of my life than to haphazardly attack a variety of goals.

This word was effective for me because when I felt overwhelmed by a task or something I wanted to do, I just thought about moving forward with baby steps.

If clearing out a whole room seemed too daunting, I just filled a box at a time and moved it out. If words didn’t seem to come, I just wrote a few. Just kept the cursor moving. If I was fearful of making a big financial decision, I just moved a smaller chunk of money.

Aside from my aunt’s status, almost all of the kids “moved” from homeschooling into a brick-and-mortar school during the course of the year. Big change, that! Luke’s still at home plugging away at his cyber school because it allows him to train for tennis as much as he needs to.

Many years I’ve been nostalgic or reluctant to choose a new word because I felt there was more work to do with the old one. Not this year. I’m ready for some stability and ready to move on to a new focus? See, I can’t get away from the word!

I still haven’t chosen my word for 2015. It may take me a few weeks but when I do, I’ll share it. I find other people’s “word” posts inspiring. Plus, I usually need the accountability.

Do you choose a word for the year?

Nikon D3100 on Clearance!

Nikon D3100 on clearance at Target stores!*

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If you’re in the market for a great entry-level digital SLR, Target has an incredible deal on the Nikon D3100. It’s available in stores only for $299.00! I’ve been pricing this model for a couple of years and it’s never been this low. In the past year or so, it’s been hovering around the $450 range (depending on the lens package).

I’m guessing Nikon is discontinuing the model. I checked other sites to compare. Amazon is selling the same kit (18-55mm DX VR zoom lens) for $409. B&H Photo is currently selling this package for $389 (B&H always has the best deals, a great warranty program and typically has a few extra accessories with their products-like SD cards and/or cases). Target’s website is selling it for $429. So, $299 is really a steal.

My daughter has used this camera for almost 4 years and loves it. Don’t get me wrong, she’d love to have a more expensive camera but this one has served her well. She’s taken tens of thousands of photos and has even produced some finished videos with it. It’s held up great with a lot of use.

The D3100 has a light-weight, easy-to-handle body compared to other DSLR’s

There are more expensive Nikon models with higher megapixels, to be sure. Unless you’re a professional, though,  14.2 mp is plenty. As you can see by the shot below, the D3100 takes professional quality photos:

Rafa Cincy Tennis

Western & Southern Open Champ

This would be a great entry level camera for a kid who’s considering photography as a hobby.

If you end up picking one up, let me know. I haven’t been this excited about a bargain for a while.

 

*You might want to call your local Target stores to check if they still have any left. Also, the card in front of the display model indicated a price of $429 for the kit to match the price online. The display camera, itself, had a “clearance” sticker on it with the $299 price, which is why I originally thought the price was for the floor model. I have not called other Target stores to confirm that they also have this model for the “clearance” price but I don’t see why they wouldn’t if they have it in stock.

 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Second Firsts by Christina Rasmussen

Are You in “The Waiting Room”?

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Second Firsts by Christina Rasmussen

I heard Christina Rasmussen interviewed on “The Unmistakeable Creative“, a podcast that boasts insanely interesting guests. So far, it hasn’t disappointed, but Christina is one of my favorites. I knew I would buy her book, “Second Firsts“, even before the interview was over. I also knew that this would be a book that nearly everyone I know should read.

Since I can’t do justice to Christina’s journey to this place where she helps people take the steps necessary to live beyond unbearable grief and loss, I won’t attempt to. She is a gifted storyteller and you’ll relate to her own painful experience whether the source of your grief is the death of a loved one (in her case, her husband in her 30’s), divorce, illness or some other trauma.

What’s different about Rasmussen’s method to help people step past grief and emerge from loss is that it combines brain science with actionable steps. In other words, she shows you how you can literally change your brain in order to change your life. She describes how we can physically change neural pathways and create a new mind map by making small but definite and effective changes in our behavior. But it’s not all science and cold pragmatism. She’s compassionate and thoughtful and mindful of the sensitivity all along the journey. I appreciate her admission that it’s impossible to prepare a person for loss.

This book offers hope to anyone who feels stuck between two worlds and are living comfortably (or in quiet desperation) in what Christina so appropriately identifies as “the waiting room”, that place of familiar identity, safety and protection from the confusion, suffering and pain that life inevitably serves up.

I think so many of us are recovering (or still suffering) from loss of some kind and get so used to functioning after loss but fail to truly live and thrive.  The busyness of a distracted life tricks us into thinking that we’re healthy and productive but we have a sense that something is around the corner.

I know this book is important and can help so many people walk through the most painful experiences to a loving, happy, hope-filled life.

If you’re not quite ready to buy the book because the work and the walk out of the waiting room is terrifying, I encourage you to click around Christina’s blog. She’s active there and you’ll feel safe in that small space on the web. You might find the courage you need.

Linking up at Elizabeth Foss‘ blog:

                                                                                                                               needle and thREAD

 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through a link on this blog, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. I appreciate it. Even if you don’t use the link…BUY THIS BOOK! It’s awesome

 

 

Kate

The Best Excuse for Breaking a Promise to Yourself

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Kate

Kate on her birthday

Since committing to the 500 word challenge, I have been setting the alarm earlier and only hitting snooze twice (I can’t conquer all the bad habits at once) in order to write before the rest of the house wakes up.

If I’ve had a restless night’s sleep, I’ll skip writing in the morning if I expect a chunk of time later in the day. (I’m a shrew when I’m tired).

Friday was one of those days where I knew I would have at least 3 hours of down time after dinner in order to write my 500 words. Three of the kids had plans and Mark always works late on Fridays. Kate, my 13 year old, likes to watch the “Modern Family” marathon on Friday nights so I knew I would have uninterrupted time to write. (I know I’m going to hell for all the TV this family watches since we upgraded the cable from basic only).

I was all set to take the laptop into our new finished basement room for some quiet when Kate asked if I wanted to watch “Modern Family” too. I really didn’t but I knew it was important to spend that time with her. I could have brought the lap top with me when I plopped myself on the couch next to her, but then I might as well have been alone in the basement typing away.

You might be thinking, “That lady’s just rationalizing, who wouldn’t rather watch ‘Modern Family’ than stick to a commitment?” Well, you may be right on point A, but not point B. I may be rationalizing but I don’t enjoy watching TV that much-even “Modern Family”. Oh, it’s hilarious, but there are a hundred things I’d rather do than sit and watch TV.

Here’s the thing, though, my first priority is always my family, especially while the kids are still here. First on my list of responsibilities is nurturing relationships. As you can imagine, life with almost 4 teenagers (11-16) can sometimes be…..volatile. A 13 year old girl is often in the eye of whatever storm happens to pop up. Kate’s been feeling picked on and misunderstood lately and she needs all the relaxed interaction she can get. Although TV is a passive pursuit, when a person wants company, it becomes an opportunity to connect and relate.

I’ll never regret being intentionally present with any person in my family. To be honest, I probably don’t make time for it often enough. Which is ironic because the kids are home all day for school. If writing suffers for it, I’m totally fine with that.

Kate and I laughed together, talked about other things and when she asked if I snored like Gloria while I was pregnant, I admitted a symptom much more embarrassing that horrified and amused her at the same time. She may use it against me one of these days in the heat of a teen microburst but it’s worth it if it strengthens our connection.

As I wrote before, I made the 500 word challenge a priority. Obviously, I’m hoping to improve my writing skills but I honestly think making time for it will make me a better everything….wife, mother, friend, sister-you get the idea. The practice of writing must light up a part of my brain that helps me be more organized, calm and focused. I credit the act of writing an ebook this summer with helping me to truly enjoy an unusually chaotic 3 months. I typically don’t deal with chaos and extended time away from home very well.

Although writing is a priority, the burden is on me to carve out time for it that doesn’t interfere with my primary vocation as a wife and mom.

So, I’m forgiving myself this time because I was reminded that life, especially with kids, is unpredictable. Clearly, I need to be more disciplined to wake up early if I want to write.

If you want to establish the habit of writing, check out Goinswriter.com. In addition to the chance to join in the challenge, there’s lots of inspiration and practical advice to help you write better.

My 500 Word Challenge and an epiphany

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500 word challenge

 

Photo Credit: PublicDomainPictures via Pixabay

The 500 Word Challenge

I accepted the #my500words challenge, invitation, inspiration, whatever you call it, issued by Jeff Goins over at Goinswriter.com. Basically, it’s a challenge to write 500 words a day during the month of January. Write….every….day….for 31 days….fun, right? I jumped in when I learned about it on January 3rd.

As a result, I’ve been waking up earlier or otherwise making time to write 500 words every day. Some days, it’s been easier than others. I love to write and look forward to any opportunity to sit down and do it. I haven’t dreaded it yet but these past couple of days were disappointing because I wrestled with what to write and struggled for words.

I figured out that my approach was all wrong. I was treating this challenge the same way a high school kid might view a writing assignment with a minimum word requirement (which, by the way, is absurd). The fact that I was approaching it like an assignment turned it into a chore.

But now I get it. The purpose of the challenge and the reason I accepted it was to get me back into the habit of writing. Making a point to write every day puts it back on the radar and I’m telling all those other things that take up time in my day that writing is a priority. I don’t need to convince anyone else but my own brain needs to get a clue.

At this point, (with no boss or other work obligations) I have complete freedom to make writing a priority.

I don’t have a job outside the house and as the manager of our home, I have a lot of discretion to decide which tasks and activities take priority. Ideally, those are ordered for optimal wellness for each member of the family. Naturally, that will shift for everybody and there will be conflicts but overall, the biggies will take precedence. I can put writing on the priority list and practicing the habit will help me remember to do that. If I had a job, admittedly, finding time would take more discipline and I admire people who squeeze it in to more demanding or less flexible schedules than mine.

The content of what I write is irrelevant within the suggested guidelines of the challenge (emails don’t count). It’s just important that I write….everyday.

I was sabotaging this new habit before it had a chance to take hold because I was forcing myself to engage in productive writing. (Sometimes being practical can be a curse). If I didn’t have a blog post or an ebook chapter planned for the daily session, I was struggling to get around to the writing or not motivated to make time to do it at all.

I took the advice of another participant who suggested opening a word, text edit or drive doc and just start typing away. More specifically, he suggested typing with my eyes closed (which I might also try) but just writing whatever comes to mind with eyes wide open is working fine for now.

Whether I end up putting those words to work isn’t important. If it’s junk, I can either edit later or ignore it. The point is to…as they say…get #assinchair and get the words down.

Practicing the habit of writing will help me discover things about myself and the craft of writing that will propel me forward and help me understand when I’m most productive, how to brain dump without editing and how to write even when the conditions aren’t ideal, among many other things, I’m sure.

If you’re reading this, you must have some inclination to write. It’s not too late to jump into the 500 word challenge. Thousands of people have been motivated by it and are sharing their progress, which is inspiring. Formally signing up adds an element of accountability and you’re more likely to follow through. Check out the details at Goinswriter.com.

Laws of Motion

My “Word” for 2014

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Laws of Motion

In the past few years I’ve chosen “simplify” and “fearless” and those words were perfect at the time. I don’t think I chose a word for 2013 but I seemed to accomplish a lot so I’m fine with that.

It always takes me a while to decide and I never put the pressure on myself to choose something by January 1. I’ll continue to simplify and confront my fears. My new word feels right and appropriate for all the areas of my life and I can’t explain how it sort of just popped up, but it did.

“MOVE”. That’s my word. For my 2 friends who might still read this blog, I’m not referring to my household. I’m staying put in my 1800 sq. ft farmhouse. I love it here. But in nearly every other category of life, I need momentum.

Mark and I celebrated our 20th anniversary in 2013. That’s all good and I’m grateful to be with him but in some ways, I feel like we’ve let life happen to us.

When you’ve spent 18 years in a house and it doesn’t feel that much different than when you moved in, it can be a little discouraging. I’m determined to “move” on some big house projects so it functions better for our family. With the help of a local contractor, all of us are moving within the house. That plan to make our house more livable and functional for us includes creating a 4th bedroom for our family of 6 without an addition. We’ll be moving people and stuff from room to room. That will undoubtedly be the biggest change but at the end of it the girls will each have their own bedroom and the boys will have a bigger room. The boys don’t mind the room they’re in but it drives me crazy. Their current room will accommodate one person (Kate) much better. Hopefully, the new family room will comfortably seat more than 3 people.

I think it was last year at about this time when I had plans to finish painting the trim in my bedroom (and the rest of the house). Yeah, that still isn’t finished. I’ll be moving on that project. I think I’ve had blue tape on my bedroom wall for an entire year (unless it’s been two-yikes).

I literally haven’t committed to exercising since Hannah was born….16 years ago! I intend to do something to move and sweat on a regular basis. No excuses. If I need shoulder surgery as a result (one of my excuses), I’ll deal with that.

I’ve committed to writing 500 words a day in order to get moving on writing again. Last summer, I accomplished a goal of writing an ebook. I was able to write nearly every morning before the house woke up. I published the book on Amazon on August 29 and two things combined to sabotage my writing for a while. First, I was so sick of words I couldn’t think straight. Second, school started and Mark was up early for a class 5 days a week. I discovered that I have a hard time writing with distractions. It’s also hard for me to write at night.

I’m sure there are other areas which will benefit from some movement as well. I need to move money and move clutter out of the house and garage (that’s a given). I’ll keep you posted.

What are you doing for the new year for a fresh start? Choosing a word? Setting goals? Making resolutions? Starting a new habit? (Speaking of my new habit…I forgot to discuss this with Mark but I’ve been writing down my expenditures. I’m even including mileage to and from tennis -40 miles round trip-so we and Luke have a better idea of the cost). Sorry for the digression…I’d love to hear what you’re doing.

If you want to join the 31 day 500 word a day challenge, head on over to Goinswriter.com to get the details.

Khaled Hosseini-And the Mountains Echoed

Reading and Writing: What I’ve Been Up To

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Khaled Hosseini-And the Mountains Echoed

 

If you’re here from Elizabeth Foss‘ blog, WELCOME!

Sorry I’ve been absent this summer. When I launched this new blog, I had big plans for updating it regularly and telling you about the new kitchen in my mom’s apartment among other things. Then…the summer of going all over the place hit but it’s been great. I definitely want to write about that as a wrap up. Not that anyone but me cares, I just want to remember everything we did.

I read a lot of ebooks and blogs about blogging and writing ebooks. (If you’re interested in any of the titles, let me know).I could read about both topics endlessly but I decided to write an ebook! I’m in the process of having people proof read it, then I’ll convert it to a format that’s compatible with Kindle and it will be available as a download. I’m hoping to launch that in a couple of weeks. I also built a new website related to the topic (PA Homeschool Law) which I made public TODAY! (I’m nervous and excited)

Let me say this (and I promise to write a more in-depth post about it later), all my research convinced me that EVERYONE is an authority on some topic(s) which can translate into an ebook or ebooklet. What I’ve read about digital publishing is definitely consistent with my behaviors as a consumer.  For example, I love to read and tend to purchase inexpensive (or free) titles that focus on a limited topic. So, I really  will write about my experience jumping into it, including what I learned.

I did manage to read some fiction this summer. Just one book, though….the new Khaled Hosseini novel, “And the Mountains Echoed” and it didn’t disappoint. I love his writing. He’s a great storyteller and is what I call an efficient writer. By that, I mean he can portray a landscape, a character, a culture and a voice without a lot of unnecessary words. He does a great job of introducing the culture of a different country, its history, its triumphs and troubles. I’m painfully ignorant about most other countries, especially middle eastern ones. So, I have liked that aspect about all three of his books. Remember, Hosseini wrote ‘The Kite Runner” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns“.

Possible Spoiler Alert, But Maybe Not

If you’re like me, you don’t like to hear any details about a novel before you read it. I won’t give anything away but I have one major criticism about this book. It jumped around so much that I ended up not really caring about ANY of the characters. He tells each segment beautifully and I figured out the connections but I ultimately didn’t connect with any of the characters.

You know how sometimes you’ll care so much about a fictional character that you find yourself thinking about him or her as you go about your day? That wasn’t the case here and it was disappointing. In spite of that, it was a page-turner because the story was well-crafted. I’m still glad I read it.

Let me know if you read the book and what you thought.

Since Elizabeth posts about books on Thursdays, I’m commenting over there.
needle and thREAD

Head over to Elizabeth’s blog and check out what she and others are sewing and reading. You might be inspired!

 

 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. I appreciate it.

 

 

 

Why I Made the Move from Blogger to WordPress

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Making the move!

Making the move!

Back in March or April of this year, I decided to begin posting on my old Blogger blog more consistently as a way to record things happening at home, to get back into the habit of writing and to tool around with photos and content from a technical standpoint. Once I was posting more consistently and looking into blogging more seriously, I decided to switch from Blogger to WordPress, here’s why…

When I started the original blog in 2010, I truly wanted a journal. The problem was, by then, most of the kids were too old to share too much about their lives. Somehow, I stumbled across DIY blogs and I got lots of inspiration from them. Even though I’m severely design and decor-challenged, I began to post basic tutorials on things that I’ve tried, always with the byline that if I can do something, anyone can. I also love simple recipes, so I decided to post about our family’s favorites. Education, in general, and homeschooling, in particular, are always intriguing topics, so I occasionally write about learning or brain stuff. Finally, I LOVE BOOKS and write about books that I’ve loved or that we’ve enjoyed as a family. I write about random things here and there but those are the main topics.

The question is….why change? Blogger is very user-friendly especially for someone like me who doesn’t speak code. I was planning to have Hannah change my blog design a little and when you explore that to any extent, the debate about blog platform inevitably surfaces. Believe me, I had no intention of switching but more than a few articles made it clear that WordPress was a better choice for a few reasons. Design options being one, ownership of blog content and the popularity of WP among serious bloggers were others. I learned that Blogger owns your blog content and could delete it for any reason. You can read more about that here and here. Although that seemed unlikely, the thought of it was a little troubling. So I looked into switching to a self-hosted platform and asked for the minimal startup costs as a Mother’s Day gift. That way, if this interest peters out or life gets in the way of this hobby, it’s no different than getting a gift that ends up in a closet somewhere. (Though I can’t unload it on Craigslist-BOO!). It was fun to choose a domain name that matched my original blog title. It’s fun to own something on the internet-sort of. I chose a host service (Hostgator) that will allow me to register unlimited domains which allowed Hannah to make the move from Blogger (she’s way faster than I am). I’m also trying to encourage Mark to start an authority site about tennis and I can use the same host server for that.

I decided to make the switch to WordPress sooner than later because at this point, I don’t have a huge readership . If I ever do find my voice or a certain niche, it will be harder to move it later. I can experiment now without much disruption.

I went back and forth about whether to start completely fresh or import all the content from my old blog to this one. I settled on something in between. I did import all posts (including the cooking and simplicity blog posts from the old blogs. Then I went through and deleted some. Others, I reverted to draft mode. Still others, I need to go through and fix the links to or from. That’s a little tedious. I also made the old blogs private so that they aren’t publicly visible anymore but I still have a record of them. It’s nice to have a semi-fresh start.

I’m glad you’re here. Hopefully, you’ll get something useful.

Photo credit:

*This post contains an affiliate link. If you decide to purchase a hosting package from Hostgator through this link, you will not pay extra and I will receive a commission. I appreciate your support and am hoping to write more about my experiment in monetizing this blog.

Welcome to My New Blog Home!

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house

I decided to make a semi-fresh start. From now on, I’ll be posting on this new site and will no longer be posting on my old Blogger blog. I went back and forth about whether to make a clean, fresh break, hand-pick certain posts and topics from the old blog or just import the whole darn thing. I opted for the second choice. As amateurish as it is….the old blog still has lots of my life on it, I likely would refer or link to those posts so I just decided to bring them all over, sift through the mess, publish relevant ones here and either delete or keep others in draft. Bear with me, it is a raging hot mess. I’ll be going through posts one by one, fixing links, deleting non-essentials and just learning my way around WordPress. I’m glad to be here, though. In the meantime, browse around. Send me a note or comment to let me know if something is not working AT ALL!

I’m so glad you joined me for the move. Come back for lots of new content. I will have new posts in the next few weeks including an Aldi price comparison, a short series on some surprising challenges about homeschooling, a look at the IKEA kitchen we installed in my mom’s apartment, a close look at cyber school and what I’m learning about the business of blogging and ebook writing.

Since school is almost out (June 7 is the official last day for my children), of course, my first priority is the family and enjoying the summer with them. I’m still hoping to post semi-regularly.

Well, That was FUN!

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I have mentioned in passing that I am trying to post more often as an exercise in writing. As I’ve been clicking around reading about the art of blogging in general, I have been intrigued by the idea of earning money while doing it. It turns out that successful bloggers who write about successful blogging are also having success earning money while doing it. Not to mention the various niche blogs (design, do-it-yourself, cooking, family management, homeschooling, special needs, you name it).Blogging for an income is by no means a get rich scheme. It takes time and effort and a lot of work. There’s a lot to learn about codes and links, traffic and technology. I definitely understand that. My thought is that if I’m investing time and energy to this hobby, I might as well apply some strategies that I’m reading about to see if I can make a little pocket change.

I’m fascinated by bloggers and internet entrepreneurs who have discovered these strategies and are super transparent about their methods, mistakes and earnings. I am planning a post about my favorite resources for this subject.

I read 2 blogs regularly, Elizabeth Foss‘ and Sarah’s over at Clover Lane. Two moms who I admire for their honest writing about family life. Both of whom have monetized their blogs to some extent. Sarah got in relatively early on the Blogher network after she started a blog on a whim. I emailed her about a year ago to ask about it and she said that at first she might earn pennies or dollars. As her readership has grown, she has sometimes made a lot more from banner ads through Blogher or affiliate links from companies whose products she’s reviewed. She doesn’t do a lot of reviews or sponsored posts and I’ve always gotten the feeling that her reviews are completely honest. By the way, Blogher doesn’t just accept any blog. I’m not sure what their criteria is but you have to be accepted.

Elizabeth has Amazon links which give her a small commission on sales through those links (according to her disclosure…I have not discussed this with her personally) and also runs direct sponsor ads on her sidebar for companies that make products that she has used or really believes in. These are in the form of different sized squares or rectangles on her sidebar. Like Sarah, Elizabeth’s affiliation does not influence the tone of her blog and you never get the feeling that she’s endorsing a product that she doesn’t believe in or writing an infomercial just to make a sale. When she gets a new sponsor, she does a post about them to introduce her readers to the people behind the product and sometimes has a giveaway to give readers a chance to try something out.

About a month ago, I decided to start using my affiliate code for amazon. I had signed up for an account more than a year ago but didn’t bother to learn how to install my affiliate link. I wasn’t that interested in earning money with the blog, wasn’t posting too often, don’t have much traffic, blah, blah, blah.

Since then I learned how to include my affiliate code with links and yesterday I discovered a sale which earned me………ready for it………$0.16! Yes, that’s an exclamation point! I am not kidding when I tell you how fun that was to notice.

The thing is, I love books. I read a lot and I love to talk about books, so it’s pretty natural for me to have links to books I love or books that we’ve read together as a family or listened to together or that have inspired me in some way. Whether you purchase through Amazon or pick it up from the library, I hope you read the books I talk about.

Federal law requires all bloggers to disclose affiliate relationships and I have been doing that since including affiliate links in posts. I always want to be up front. I think it would be fun to write about this topic (blog monetizing) to encourage others to try it if I have some success.

Honestly, I don’t anticipate raking it in. I haven’t quite found my voice here and even in my own brain haven’t clarified the point of this blog aside from sharing some information about projects, tricks, things that I’m learning or reading about and occasionally writing about funny things that happen in my home so I don’t forget. But that’s totally fine.

I’m working on some technical things behind the scenes which I plan to share as soon as things are ready. In the meantime, I’ll be posting but a little less often than I have been. For all 2 of my readers…Hi Kel!…I’m sure this will be devastating. Because I don’t have a huge following, now is the perfect time to attend to this stuff.