So I can do the Math on the increase of my children. Sometimes I look at them and wonder how it all happened. The math is the easy part. The hard part comes now I have four children to juggle, each with different needs and personalities; strengths and weaknesses; likes and dislikes.
I strive to raise my children together as a team but treat them all individually. I don’t parent each one the same but I love them equally.
Why it’s not the same but still fair
A word: Trust. My children trust me. They really do and this scares me. They know I strive to treat them fairly as individuals, so even when it’s not the same, they can accept that (even when sometimes they don’t like it).
A saying: It all comes out in the wash. It means, although something is not fair at the time, it works out to be fair in the end. I believe this works where there is trust.
Examples
Presents:I don’t always spend exactly the same amount of money on each child, although I do give the same amount of presents. This is especially true while the children are young and have little concept of monetary value (a lovely state to be in).
Clothes: Sometimes one child will need new clothes and the others don’t. I don’t buy them all something just for the sake of being equal. Soon it will be their turn to have new things too.
Expectations: My eldest daughter is messy, creative and disorganised. My second daughter is organised, driven and emotional. I allow for them to be who they are so this means adjusting my parenting expectations accordingly. I don’t expect my messy-creative-disorganised daughter to have her room in the same state as my organised-driven-emotional daughter.
Television:I remember saying to Mum one day of my younger sister, “We never watched that movie at her age!” Ah, now it’s coming back to visit me. My youngest child has watched things on television earlier than my oldest child. I have to be careful of this sometimes. On the other side of the fence, my eldest child enjoys extra privileges due to her responsibility and age.
Photographs:I have photos of my first baby at every stage of development. Over the course of every subsequent child, although there are many photos, they aren’t documented so well. That’s life.
When all is stripped down to the basics, I don’t treat the children the same but I absolutely love each one equally, for who they are, with all my heart.
My children …all different …all precious.
Other Be A Fun Mum Links
Choose Which Hill to Die On: The Terrible Twos
Little Billies, Toast and the Terrible Twos
External Link
Photographing Kids Tip 1: BeFunky Giveaway
Be A Fun Mum: BeFunky. It has a ring to it, doesn’t it? Welcome to my Photographing Kids Series. I was going to call it “Capturing Kids” but visions of the Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang, Bang came to mind, so Photographing Kids it is.
To mark this occasion I’m doing a review and giveaway with BeFunky: a photo editing program for everyday people. {hands up for everyday people}
Photgraphing Kids Part 1
When I originally thought of “Capturing Kids” I meant encapsulating a child’s essence: their innocence, imagination and beauty.
Tip 1: Try watching a child through your camera without any “say cheese” prompts. Children are so interesting to watch and I often capture my best photos when I just watch what they are doing.
BeFunky
You’ve taken some great photos and you want to do something fun and funky with them? BeFunky is a one touch photo editing program for everyday people. In addition to many standard photo editing features like brightness control, hue, cropping and contrast, Be Funky also provides a HUGE range of special effects you can apply to photos. The highly customisable options mean you can go for something far out like PopArt or conservative like black and white; do something fun like cartooning or striking like oil painting. It’s up to you. I’ve done a quick snap shot below of some effects.
Left to Right:Original, Black and White, Old Photo, Sketching, Underpainting, Stencil, Border and Text, Text Only
Be Funky Video Tutorial
To demonstrate how easily I achieved the above effects, I’ve created this 3 minute video tutorial.
It’s Easy
And I mean, really easy. The BeFunky motto “for everyday people” (that’s me!), means the program is designed to be a no-previous-experience-required one. You can upload pictures from Facebook, Picasa, flickr, your computer and more. Your original photo is never ruined because BeFunky uses an uploaded copy of your photo. So go wild and have fun with your photos.
Win
The great thing about BeFunky is anyone can use it FREE! However, for special access, and the entire range of features a premiumaccount is required. BeFunky is offering two Be A Fun Mum readers an annual premium Be Funky account valued at US$24.95 each.
To Enter
* Visit the BeFunky Features Page (click this link), and leave a comment here about your favourite feature.
* The competition is open internationally.
* Valid from Tuesday 7 September to Monday 13 September 2010.
* I will draw the winners by random number at 7pm on the closing date.
* The winners will be notified via email and a post update link on the Be A Fun Mum Facebook Page.
Go on…
External Links
Other Be A Fun Mum Links
Home: Vintage meets Modern
Josh and Sharron and their three children live in a semi-rural part of Queensland on a 1/2 acre block of land. The modern home is furnished effortlessly with a mixture of modern, and vintage items, creating the perfect balance between functionality, personality and warmth. The white and neutral tones are subtlety enhanced using bursts of colour through interesting ornaments and books. The house has a modern edge yet Sharron has cleverly brought warmth and history to the home through vintage/shabby-chic furniture and accessories. What Josh and Sharron have created is truly the definition of transforming a house into a home.
What is your favourite room?
I like every room for different reasons.
What is your favourite piece of furniture?
Probably the Ikea Billy Bookcase Cupboard System in our TV room. It’s got a place for everything, is compact, highly customisable and affordable.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Magazines and shop displays. Better Homes and Gardens is my favourite home magazine.
You’ve brought a lot of history into a modern house. How have you managed that?
I started with large furniture pieces and kept them neutral and simple, and then brought colour and age through pictures, smaller furniture and nic-nacks.
Where do you find your vintage pieces?
Second hand shops, ebay and garages sales. It’s amazing what you can find and what people throw out.
How do you get a feel for what is good value?
I find ebay is a helpful research tool because it’s a great price and popularity guide. And then I go to the op shops and find similar pieces.
What are some of your great finds?
1. What: Original acrylic canvas picture Price: $450 reduced $65 Where: Closing down shop
2. What: Vintage prints Price: $3 each Where: Salvation Army
3. What: Bathroom ladder Price: $200 reduced to $50 Where: Loot
4. What: Vintage meat safe Price: $75 Where: Konnexion Shop on ebay
How have you effectively mixed the old with the new?
I’ve mixed a vintage hall table with a new mirror in the hallway entrance.
Old: Vintage hall table New: Mirror Price: Wall stand ($80) mirror ($25) Where: Hall table (Konnexion Shop on ebay) Mirror (Target).
A second-hand fireplace brings warmth to a stark room.
What: Fireplace with original lead-light cabinets Price: $180 Where: ebay
How have you created different living/sitting spaces?
By sectioning rooms off with furniture and crating many places to just sit, inside and out.
What advice would give someone home decorating?
Don’t be afraid to try something different and be prepared to shop in second hand shops to find the treasures within. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make a house, a home.
“You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make a house, a home.”
Have a “you” space
You will often find me here. This is my place. I love looking out at my garden and the spinning wheel. I often sit here, look out and enjoy what is around me.
Other Be A Fun Mum Links
It’s been interesting to analyse the change in my parenting style over the course of raising four children. I often think about my poor first born as bearing the brunt of much learning on my behalf. With my first child, I adhered to a strict routine, yet during my experiene in caring for every subsequent child, I’ve become more relaxed and flexible, to the point I’m in danger of becoming an flexible-routine-baby-carrying-room-sharing advocate. I never would have imagined myself being where I am today; however, here I am, four children later, on the opposite side to the fence to which I started. I’ll do a more detailed post on this topic soon because my evolved parenting style doesn’t quite fit with attachment parenting or Babywise style parenting.
What has all that have to do with baby slings? I’m a huge fan of baby-carrying; that is something that has been constant over my years of parenting. Baby-carrying is a wonderful way to bond with a baby. Snuggling close to mother can be comforting to a young child, especially when they are uncomfortable, in pain or sad. I see a baby sling as an extra arm, and what Mum doesn’t need one of those?
There are a lot of baby carrier/slings on the market. Personally, I’ve used Baby Bjorn, FisherPrice and recently a Jazslings with my niece. I met Wendy, designer of Jazslings, at the 2010 Connect2Mums AusMumpreneur Conference. After the conference, we met at 3 Little Monkeys and Wendy demonstrated the product. I was impressed and knew right away this product was worth sharing.
(Pictured: Wendy at the AusMumpreneur conference)
What I love about Jazslings
The design
* Jazslings is designed by an experience mother of four. I love that.
* The designed-for-a-mum-by-a-mum factor is obvious when it comes to usability and function.
* The one-piece design means there are no clips and no fuss.
* The sling can be easily machine washed.
Even support
When I wore the sling with my one-year-old niece, I noticed the weight was evenly distributed from the outer shoulder (Deltoid) and across the back. The broad strap distributes the weight across the back and torso so there’s no direct pressure on the top of the shoulder (Trapezius) like many other carriers. This makes a lot of sense as the deltoid muscle is the strongest muscle in the arm.
Fun colours and fabric choices
I’m a sucker when it comes to trendy designs. Flower Power (2) if a favourite of mine.
Cotton Collection
1. Dreaming 2. Flower Power 3. Natural 4. Night Garden 5. Poppy 6. Vintage
7. Cherry 8. Jade 9. Licorice 10. Turquoise 11. Popscile 12. Tutti-Frutti 13. Tribal
Organic option
The sling also comes in this deliciously soft bamboo cotton.
Versatile carrying positions
The versatile carrying positions facilitate the needs of the carer and cater for the growth of the child. If you look carefully at each position, it’s apparent the sling is acting as you would naturally hold a child in your arms.
The girl in the purple top is my gorgeous sister pictured with her second child (1) and one on the way (bun in the oven). She will soon have 3 children under three years of age so she’s going to need the sling for sure.
Note: There are different sling sizes according to body type.
Breastfeeding
An absolute favourite feature is the ability for the mother to easily and discretely breasfeed while the baby remains in the sling.
Longevity
The sling can be used until a child is 3 (or 20kg)
Safety
There have been concerns in terms of baby carriers and child safety. Wendy has written a comprehensive article covering these issues and you can read it here.
Dolly Sling
I think this is absolutely adorable. You can buy a dolly sling in these bright colours.
Testimonials
I’ve been researching Jazslings, and slings in general, and this is some of the feedback I’ve received:
“My youngest is now 8 months and I still use it for him and I used it for his big sister too so they certainly last the distance (big sis is nearly 4). This is a product I highly recommend.”
– Mel (Mother of 2)
“This is fabulous, especially on those trips into the shops when you know you are going to get a trolley, but can’t carry no.3 & hold no. 1 & no. 2′s hands and a bag all at once without it.”
– Kathryn (Mother of 3)
“It feels even.”
– Emma (Mother of 3)
I love this product.
Jazslings: Wear Your Baby
Other Be A Fun Mum Links
If I Could Go Back I Would Buy
External Links
Childishness or Foolishness
Childishness or foolishness?
There’s a vast difference between the two; however, finding the line can be difficult. Childishness can be defined as actions or behaviour befitting a child. Rather, foolishness pertains to the lacking in judgment or discretion. In terms of applying this to parenting, punishing childish behaviour can be damaging to a child’s emotional and developmental wellbeing (1). On the other hand, concentrating on enabling a child’s ability to make good choices is a skill that’s imperative throughout life (2).
My Examples/My Understanding
Childish: I’ve had a busy day and my poor children have been dragged along with it. In this case, I have to lower my expectations; so then, if my children’s behaviour is appalling, who’s fault is that? Mostly mine. So I have to bear the brunt of it.
Foolish: My son (3) knows how to annoy his sister. Sometimes he hits her, not in anger but because he knows he can get a reaction out of her. I get the power thing, but the attitude of subjecting someone to suffering for a temporal feeling of gain is not a habitual attitude I want to foster.
Childish: I meet a friend in the shop with my 2-year-old. My 2-year-old has never seen this person before and my friend leans down close and says, “Hello!” My child goes “eh” and turns his head into my shoulder. This is perfectly normal behaviour for a child. I don’t expect my toddler to embrace someone new right away.
Foolish: I expect my 9-year-old to be polite, even if she feels shy. Saying “Hello” when greeted is within her capabilities. If then, she has a bad attitude and just decides to be rude, well, that is something I would address with her.
When it can be tricky
When I read the post 10 Things I won’t Discipline, I was reminded to carefully choose what behaviour to discipline. The author, Zoey, has thought about what she believes to be childish behaviour and therefore doesn’t discipline. I’m not entirely into writing lists because what is important for one can differ from another, and not necessarly are either right or wrong. However, I get the message behind the post: don’t punish natural childish behaviour.
Childish: Zoey left a permanent marker within her child’s grasp, and of course her 2-year-old found it and I’m sure, had a lovely time drawing on the walls. You see, that is childish behaviour. Of course a 2-year-old is going to experiment with an available pen.
Foolish:I’m not speaking for Zoey here, rather I’m writing about my own experience on the situation. This EXACT scenario has happened many times with my own children due to pens being left out. If my child hasn’t done this before, I explain that walls, unless it’s a special wall, are not for drawing. Here is where foolish behaviour can come in. If then, my child, who I know understands my expectations (and I’m careful about this; true understanding can take some time), deliberately disobeys me, this, in my opinion, can be seen as foolish behaviour, if repeated over and over again.
Why is it tricky? I find it difficult to decide which battles to choose and the balance between having a functioning house (and a sane mother), yet a nurturing one.
Choose the Hill
Obviously, expectations differ according to the age of a child and family situation. With a toddler, this is when “Choose which hill to die on” comes in. (Intrigued to know what means? You’ll have to read the post.) So, if enforcing “no drawing” on the wall is not where you are at, just keep pens away from busy hands, and if you forget, do what Zoey does and suck it up.
This is a expert from my post Little Billies, Toast and the Terrible Twos:
“Your child hasn’t moved on from a sippy-cup like other children? Your child is taking a l–o–n–g time to get the sharing concept? A wise parent is guided by others, but filters everything in regards to how it fits in with their own family values. Stick to your plan and be guided by how your child is doing rather than what other children are doing. Remember you, and your child, can’t master everything at once.”
Choose your battles carefully is my point, and this will differ with every family.
Finding the line
How to find the balance? I like to look at it like this: much of childish behaviour comes down to actions rather than attitude; much of foolish behaviour comes down to attitude rather than actions.
If the actions are powered by a foolish attitude, I work on it. If the action is just that — a childish action, I think of it as childish behaviour. (I own that attitude can be childish at times too; I’m speaking generally here.)
I found this helpful list from GrowingKids.org:
* Don’t assume your child knows rules. Explain things to your child as age appropriate.
* Don’t assume your child will realize that if something is wrong, similar things are also wrong.
* Be sure your child understands what you are telling him.
* Be sure you tell your child not only what not to do, but what to do.
* Observe your child for a moment before assuming he is being disobedient.
Personality factor
I do wonder how four extremely different people could come from just two but it’s true: all my children are different. In my post Personality: Heads and Tails, I discuss the negative and positive side to personalities. This also can be applied when deciding what is expected from each child (if you have more than one). For example, my eldest daughter is naturally disorganised, yet creative, and so I accommodate for this as much as I can. I don’t expect her room to be tidy all the time. In contrast, my number two daughter loves to be organised and her room is often tidy. I don’t think it’s fair to hold my eldest daughter to my second daughter’s expectations. They are different and have different strengths and weaknesses.
Expect to be judged
Alas, sad but true. Can I tell you a story? When I was young, I lived in a remote village in Papua New Guinea for some years. Meat was rare, so my Mother taught me to spread peanut butter thick on bread as one of the many measures she took to ensure I was cared for nutritionally. Soon after our return to Australia, our family went visiting and for lunch, we made our own sandwiches. The lady was horrified at how much peanut butter I put on my bread and told my Mother so, implying that I was greedy. I’m sure my Mother felt terrible but she wasn’t angry with me. She just explained that I had done nothing wrong, but need to respect the rules of the respective house. You know, I still spread peanut butter thick; to me it is just the way it’s meant to be.
In my own experiences as a mother, I too have been judged many times for my actions. If I use the example of drawing on the walls, some may dissaprove of the expectations I have for my 2-year-old and the lack of a 100% child proof house. In my case, I’ve lived in rental properties for 10 years now, moving every year or so and I’ve had 4 children under six years and so to me, it’s important to teach my children not to draw on the walls from a young age. The reasons? Firstly, the house we live in is not our own. Secondly, although I do teach my older children to put pens away, it’s impossible for me to stay sane if I was to run around and pick up every pen that was left out. I’m going for sane here.
If parents could support each other without judging each other, it would be a very wonderful thing. Be discerning: yes; judgemental: no.
Expect to be wrong
If you are anything like me, you are going to get the balance wrong — a lot. I’ve learnt to constantly eat humble pie, say sorry to my children and pray. I don’t know anyone who gets it right all the time so you’ll be in good company.
Is it working?
My daughter (9) spontaneously came to me this afternoon while I was typing away, sat on my lap and said, “Mum, can I just sit with you for a little bit because I feel like I haven’t been really respectful of you lately. I love you so much.” Bless! What a joy. Through all my mistakes, I must be doing something right.
There is so much to take in account when parenting, that’s why it’s SO HARD!
Is your child’s behaviour childish or foolish? Take a moment to decide and eat humble pie if you’re wrong.
References
1. Campbell, R. 2003, How to Really Love Your Child, Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, IL. p.38.
2. Fisher, R. 2005, Teaching Children to Think, Nelson Thornes Ltd, Cheltenham, UK.
Other Be A Fun Mum Links
Choose Which Hill to Die On: The Terrible Twos
Little Billies, Toast and the Terrible Twos
External Links
SuperParents: 10 Things I won’t Discipline
Father’s Day Craft: The Best Dad for Me!
Father’s Day is celebrated at different times around the world. I never knew that until today. The idea for creating a day for children to honour their fathers began with a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd. Sonora adored her father and, while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909, she felt Fatherhood should be recognised also. Through her influence, the Spokane Ministerial Alliance decided to hold the first Father’s Day celebration on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington. Father’s Day all started with a woman. Why am I not surprised.
Australia: Sunday 5 September 2010
Belgium: Sunday 14 June 2010
Brazil: Sunday 9 August 2010
Spain: Wednesday 18 March 2010
Sweden: Sunday 8 November 2010
Thailand: Sunday 5 December 2010
United States of America: Sunday 20 June 2010
Father’s Day Paper Craft Card
My children are making this Father’s Day Card for their Dad. I’ve included a free PDF print out if you would like to do it also.
Materials
Glue
Sticky tape
Scissors
Father’s Day Craft Template (click to print)
Instructions
1. Colour all paper doll men on page 1 2. Cut around dotted lines on page 1 (you will have 2 pieces)
3. Pinch line on page 2 between fingers 4. Cut both lines on page 2
5. Tape paper doll men together 6. Thread paper doll men through slots on page 2
7. Tape the end of the paper doll men to form a circle 8. Taple single paper doll man on the indicated section on page 3
9. Fold page 2 in the middle with the words on the outside 10. Fold page 3 with the words on the inside
11. Insert page 3 into page 2 12. Tape pages together on the top, bottom and side (allowing room for the paper doll to slide through)
13. Card complete #one 14. Card complete #two 15. Card complete #three
How it works
Other Be A Fun Mum Link
Father’s Day Gift Ideas: Theme It: Father’s Day
External Links
I admit: I do love dressing up. However, I don’t ALWAYS dress up. Many days you will find me in my favourite Canterbury ugly rugby jersey, jeans and my red shoes. I look daggy, I know, but I’m happy to go to the shop — and even meet friends for coffee in this outfit (oh, have you decided not to go out with me?) There’s comfort food and there’s comfort clothing. This is my comfort clothing. When I need a little TLC and just need to be comfortable, I wear this and am confident to go out as I am. I don’t like to be bound by always looking good; I like to dress up because it’s fun and I enjoy it.
Oh, and do a hair flick for me, would you. You know you want to. Go on, no one is watching {looking over shoulder}.
Rugby Top: AT LEAST 10 years old from a Canterbury shop.
Shoes: Target
My Tip: Enjoy comfort clothes when you need a little TLC. Don’t be bound by fashion, enjoy it.
What I love most: This is a close call between red shoes and the jersey. The jersey is winning by a tad.
PS: I really DID go and meet friends for coffee in this outfit.
“When your day is a little blurry, wear red shoes because they always look bright.”
See other My Style Posts
My Style: Brown and Black and Fashion Trends
My Style: 23.10.09: Planning a Special Outfit
My Style: 11.7.10: Soft Side of Edgy
My Style: 22.6.10: Casual Elegance
My Style: 20.6.10: Introduction
External Link
A Year of Blogging
In a year of blogging, I’ve discovered many things. I found out more about myself and analysed the way I parent. I’ve discovered my love for writing and my hate dislike for folding washing. I’ve almost quit numerous times and picked myself up the same number. Through my blog I’ve met wonderful people and uncovered a job I can do from home. Blogging makes me feel — alive.
After a year of blogging, I’ve listed my 12 top if-I-could-go-back-and-do-it-again tips.
Top 12 Blogging Tips
1. Write about what you love!
What do you love? What are you passionate about? This tip comes in at number one. If you are writing about something you love, it will drive you and your passion will come through your writing. It’s a winning combination.
2. Write well
Being a blog author provides you with an opportunity improve your writing skills. I cringe when I read my earlier posts but then, I see how far I’ve come, and how much I’ve improved; it’s a journey; keep learning. I am.
3. Don’t be afraid to be selective
Don’t be afraid to be selective about your blog content. Did you know there’s a blog soley inspired by owls; a blog collecting one million giraffe pictures from people all around the world; a blog about all things vintage and retro? Be creative. Write about your passion.
4. Branding
If your blog content is broad, for example, a parenting blog, consider creating a brand. Be A Fun Mum is really me, but then it’s not. Be A Fun Mum has become its own entity. Consider creating a logo, slogan, custom template, defining components, inspiration, philosophy, testimonials, quotes and categories to blog about. This doesn’t have to be expensive: I have no design qualifications, IT or marketing experience and I’ve been able to achieve all of this myself; I’ve not paid one cent to an outside party. If in doubt, google it. There is endless amounts of advice out there {waving arms}.
5.Write personally but with a broad application
Successful bloggers balance the “keeping it personal” and the “keeping it widely relevant”. If you plan to write a personal blog for family and friends — got for it. However, if you are planning a blog to appeal to a wider audience, think about crafting each post with the above-mentioned balance.
Instilling Fear: A family Zoo trip turned into a post about passing personal phobias to children.
Dr Tired and Cranky: “Feeling tired” turned into a how-to-survive list.
Choose Which Hill to Die On: The Terrible Twos: A horrible morning with my toddler (beginning of post) turned into general advice on toddler training (end of post).
Turn on the Autopilot: A school drop-off story turned into a visualisation technique lesson.
Self-regulation, Concentration, Anxiety and Video Games: Pictures of my daughter’s growth turned into a child developmental timeline.
Inhibiting Play: A pirate ship turned into a personal reflection about inhibiting my children’s playtime.
An example: Susan went to the local shop to watch the free Dora the Explorer concert with her two children, Sophie (5) and John (2).
Post option 1: Blog about the going to the concert. I’m sure family and friends would enjoy hearing about the outing; however, is it relevant to a wider audience? Probably not.
Post option 2: John was squirming and, basically driving Susan nuts. Mum used creative ways to keep him occupied so big sister Sophie could enjoy the concert. Widely relevant? Absolutely.
Post option 3: Susan writes a humurous story about taking a 5-year-old and 2-year-old to a concert. Widely relevant? Probably, if it’s well written and funny.
6. Voice
Stay true to yourself. Be who you are and show personality, or “voice“, in your writing. Think about how you speak, and well, you know, like, um, sorta — feel your way through the words. HA! But make it readable. Be you.
7. Edit
This means spelling and grammar — of course — but also the often neglected conformity in post layout and design. Think about headings, underlining, font style, text alignment and photo placement. Experiment to find what works best for your blog style.
8. About and Contact
Keep your about page and contact page current. The about page is the first page I will look at on a newly-found blog. Depending on its contents, I’m swayed to subscribe — or not.
9. Social Media
Social Media sites like Facbook, Twitter, BlogFrog and Formspring are a helpful way to bring exposure and community to your blog. Start with an application you are comfortable with, for example a facbook fan page. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
10. Community
Blogging is personal: it’s about communication and community; it’s about viewpoint and passion. I try to reply to every comment (through my comment thread) and email. Visit many blogs and leave a comment, especially in the early days of blogging. Bloggers help bloggers.
11. Welcome Page
Create a welcome or site map page. As your blog content increases, it’s important that archived posts are accessible. I’ve created a landing page for visits from Facebook and Twitter to allow first time visitors a chance to get to know my blog.
12. Mix it up
I like to think of my blog as an online magazine. I keep posts varied and interesting. Some posts are filled with pretty pictures and some posts are crafty. I’ve had the opportunity to interview interesting people and write what’s on my heart. I’ve talked about fashion, done product reviews, and found some really cool stuff. I’ve written l–o–n–g posts and short ones. I’ve done all this but keeping in line with what Be A Fun Mum means. Keep it interesting. Keep it varied. Mix it up.
Practical Advice
Alexa
What: Alexa produces free analytics for web users, in an effort to provide intelligent and constantly improving data. As a blogger, it’s imperative to claim your blog site as many rating platforms use this information to produce their rankings. Read more.
What to do:
1. Claim your website. Click here to claim your site and follow the instructions.
Technorati
What: Technorati‘s goal is to aid blogger’s success by collecting, highlighting, and distributing global online conversation trends. Technorati has expanded to a full service media company connecting advertisers to bloggers, in essence introducing blogs to consumers. Read more.
What to do:
1. Claim your website. Click here to claim your site and follow the instructions.
Regator
What: Regator collects only the best blogs from around the world. The Regator difference, compared with Alexa and Technorati, is the “human” factor. Every blog is subject to review by editors for well-written, topical content. Read more about how blogs are selected here.
What to do:
If you’ve been blogging for at least 3 months, consider nominating your blog on Regator.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Search Engine Optimisation is, as Wikipedia puts it: “…the process of improving the visibility of a web site or a wepage in search.” In my words: helping people find you on the web.
Colin, from SuperParents, has kindly been working with me — oh-so-patiently — for a little while now. He has been working to convert me to the benefits of SEO. I was reluctant at first because it was like, so over my head (am I really that thick?). Secondly, I was concerned about compromising my blog content and writing style for the benefit of SEO. I would rather stay true to myself and have lesser exposure than the other way around.
The good news is I’ve been making small sustainable changes to increase the chance of searchees finding my content — and without any apparent defect to my blog style. Now, if you are like me, and all this seems too much to absorb, just take one step at a time. For me, it has been a slow progression of understanding and implementation.
What to do:
1. Make sure the URL links (called permalinks) are not numbers but are set to contain header/title information.
2. USE keywords and tags (metatags) for each and every post (I didn’t do this for a while because I didn’t think it was necessary)
3. Link to yourself (deep linking) and other website and bloggers, and keep linking back and forth.
4. Create a site map of favourite links
If you start with these sustainable changes before you move on, you are well on your way to helping people find you without compromising your content. I have a long way to go on this one.
Further reading:
Search Engine Optimization for Blogs — SEO
Analytics
Tracking statistics is important. Through gathering data from your blog, you can see which posts are most popular, what time of day most readers visit and a host of other useful information. Also, it gives you an opportunity track your progress as a blogger. A word of warning: analytics are a tool, not a goal.
What to do:
Google Analytics and AwStats are my free picks to use in conjunction with each other. AwStats uses logfiles and Google uses JavaScript to keep a record of visits.
Has blogging been a success?
For me the answer to that question is an absolute “YES!” Time consuming? Yes. Frustrating? Yes. Worth it? Yes.
Want to blog? Be driven. Be passionate. Be you.
Statistics
A year of growth (as at 31 August 2010).
Facebook Fan Page: 2,270 (and growing)
Twitter: 1004 (and growing)
Monthly page views: 68,431
Monthly visits: 18,247
External Links
ProBlogger: a man who’s makes blogging, his business.
Get in the Hot Spot: empowering tips for life and work.
41 Blog Tips I learnd While Starting a New Blog: Must read for the first time blogger.
Resource
31 Days to Built a Better Blog (which I haven’t done yet but is on my list to do)
Theme It: Father’s Day
Father’s Day: A day we recognise the men in our lives. In Australia, Father’s Day will be celebrated on Sunday 5 September 2010. I’ve collected a wide variety of Father’s Day gift ideas for your browsing pleasure.
1. Uberkate Silver Embossed Key Ring $295 2. Uberkate Silver Embosed Cufflinks $395
3. Dr Who 11th Doctor Sonic Screwdriver $29.95 4. Top Gear Super Cars Book $49.95
5. Stealth Plane Mouse $29.95 6. Easy Rider Model $39.95
7. E H Holden Ute Model $69.95 8. Dr Who Police Box Model $69.95 9. Koolaman Ma Ma Dog-tag Embossed Necklace $95
10. UHF CB Radio $54.95 11. Amazing Magnetic Key Ring Holder $19.95
12. Squiggle Photo Frame $18.95 13. Leather Overnight Cabin Size Bag $195
14. Tank Ride (Melbourne) $50 15. V8 Super School 6 Lap Test Drive (Gold Coast) $299
16. Learn to Fly a Helicopter $299 17. Deep Sea Fishing Adventure $120
18.Darrell Lea Dad’s Bag from $20 19. Land and Sea Aqua Shoe $39.95
Is there a SuperHero scene your man would love to have on his wall? Lee from Quit Your Day Job draws commission pieces, like the one below for Martia from Stuff With Thing; from Batman to Star Trek; from Superman to Stargate. Prices start from only $6. Note: May not be ready for Father’s Day so contact Lee to enquire. What a fun gift!
External Links
Other Be A Fun Mum Themes
* Dr Seuss
* Shoes
* Owl
* Bathroom
* Retro
* Vintage
My daughter is nine. For her birthday, I reluctantly purchased a Nintendo DS Lite. Our pediatrician suggested one could be a useful tool, in regulated doses, to assist with concentration and anxiety (my daughter has some special needs). I wouldn’t call myself anti video games; like most things, they can be a useful tool or a destructive object, depending on how it’s used (for example, television and food can be easily misused too). That said, I’m not a fan of video games. One of the main reasons for this is I was never into them — even as a child. To me, there always seemed to be so many other fun and creative things to do. Never-less, I’m not one to rule something out just because I don’t like it so I took a shaky step in bringing a video game into the house. {Now I really AM sounding pathetic, I know.} Moving along…
My daughter and I had a chat about setting limits on her Nintendo DS use and I left it with her, thinking to myself, that I would re-address the issue again soon. This day, I went to straighten her room and stuck on her wall was this note.
I was astonished. And I was proud. Without prompting, she drew up clear and realistic limits on her Nintendo DS use. This shows me that she is learning to self-regulate herself which is a huge achievement. I believe it’s crucial as a parent, to slowly make the transition from soley making decisions for the child to gradually handing the reigns over until the child reaches adulthood and pray they will make the right choices. It’s a scary thing. This is how I see the timeline work.
* I believe allowing your child to have a voice is a key element in this process
While it’s exciting to watch my daughter mature, it’s also a frightening thing for me: to let go of the reigns. Personally, I would like to keep a tight hold until, well, she is at least — 30. That’s reasonable, right? However, parents don’t own their children; parents are blessed with their children, on loan — for a little while.
Happy Birthday my beautiful, precious girl. I’m proud of you.
Journal articles about video games and children
Do FPS computer games enhance the player’s cognitive abilities?
Educational Benefits of Video Games
Pediatric Preoperative Anxiety
Be A Fun Mum Links
Choose Which Hill to Die On: The Terrible Twos
