By Sun and Candlelight

Getting Ready for the Fair ...

Hello, my friends! I hope your week's off to a good start. :)

I wanted to let you know my posting may be a bit light this week, because we're preparing for our homeschool group's science fair this Friday. This will be Earlybird's first time participating in the fair (in any fair, actually) and I want to help him put together a really neat project. (If you remember, his theme is "the fantastic forest" - aka all about trees.)

So while I'm not quite taking a blog "break" this week, I don't think I'll have the time to post as much as usual. Just thought I'd let you all know what's going on. :) But please wish us luck, and stay tuned for more details on our project and of course, the science fair itself!

And have a great week, everyone!

❤

Test

Sorry for the test post, folks ... I'm trying to add something new to my blog, but I really have no idea what I'm doing. Hopefully if I figure this out there will be "buttons" after each post that will allow you (or me or anybody!) to "share" a post in some way.

I'm really behind the times, aren't I?

:)

p.s If you see buttons below this can you let me know? Lol.

Now We Are Six ...

When I was one,
I had just begun.
When I was two,
I was nearly new.
When I was three,
I was hardly me.
When I was four,
I was not much more.
When I was five,
I was just alive.
But now I am six,
I'm as clever as clever.
So I think I'll be six
now and forever.

(A.A. Milne)

*❤*

Dear friends, it was six years ago today that I started this blog!

And I know it's cliche to say this, but honestly, how time has flown. I had such fun going back through my archives to find a link for each number above. I am most amazed by how quickly my boys have grown!

When I started By Sun and Candlelight I had no idea what I was doing, but I figured I'd just have fun with it and see if it "took." I found I enjoyed the writing and the photography and the creative aspects of blogging very much ... but my main goal has always been to use this blog as a "virtual" family scrapbook. And looking back over six years' worth of memories, I'm so glad I've done this. I never would have written down all those little things that you think you'll remember, but never really do ...

All those little things that at the time seem so little, but in hindsight are really ...

What It's All About.

 So today I look forward to another year of blogging ... another year of catching memories where they fall and making time to enjoy it all. :) And I sincerely thank each and every one of you who has joined me on this journey ... for the time you spend reading and the comments you leave, your kindness and encouragement ...

I appreciate you all so very much.

❤

Have a great Thursday, my friends ... I'll see you here again sometime soon!

Announcing the Winner ... and another Spring Offer!

I'm very happy to announce that the winner of my Spring Package Giveaway is:

 EK White!!!

EK's favorite Spring Tradition is the "tapping of eggs." Now, I am not Greek myself, but a few years ago I had the honor of participating in this festive Easter tradition - and quite luckily my egg survived to the last!

But enough about me ... CONGRATULATIONS, EK! I will be in touch very soon so we can arrange all our posting details. :)

And thank you, EVERYONE, for taking the time to leave me your Spring Thoughts - explaining your traditions and sharing your beautiful memories. (Honestly, dear readers, if you are looking for Spring ideas, take a look at all these lovely comments - so many wonderful ideas here!) I so enjoyed reading every single comment, and if I could, I would send each and every one of you a Spring Package ...

Well, I can't do that ... but how about this?

I'd love to send each of you a "Springtime Newsletter!"

 This is an idea I've been toying with for a while ... creating a little homespun, handmade newsletter to send to interested readers. You all know how I love writing, and paper-crafting, and talking about the seasons ... so this might be fun!

So if you'd like to receive my newsletter, please let me know in the comments below and I'll add you to my mailing list. (You don't have to leave your "snail mail" address in the comment, I'll be in touch via email and we can go from there.)

:)

Well I am now completely ready for Spring - and very happily it feels just like Spring here in New England. It's a glorious day, and one day this week, right after lunch, I'll be taking the boys on our first "Nature Walk" of the year. I'm sure I'll have lots to "report" after that!

❤

Have a great Monday, my friends ... see you here again very soon!

A brief interruption ...

At least I hope it will be brief!

I'm "borrowing" the kids' computer this morning to post this because, sadly, my Macbook "died" last night (or at least, the hard drive did). Bill is calling the Apple store today to get advice and see what can be done. Thankfully I do have a "time machine" application that consistently backs up my hard drive (to an external device) so I'm hoping I haven't lost too much. I'm thinking of - worrying for - all my pictures, documents, bookmarks and emails ...

Please keep your fingers crossed for me that there's an easy - i.e. not too expensive - fix for my predicament! In the meantime, I hope you all have a nice week ...

I will be back here again just as soon as I can.

***

p.s. It's the Full Harvest Moon tonight - don't forget to take a peek!

:)

Oh my goodness, it's done!

I finally finished our Disney vacation blog! Every spare minute I had this past week I was working on it, and it just went live a few minutes ago. If you'd like a peek at what Disney was like for us (and how we fared during the long, long drive there and back) please feel free to peruse our pictures and notes. I must warn you, there's a whole lot of pictures to sift through, and, true to form, I use a lot of words, lol. We had a wonderful time, and I wanted to be sure to make note of every detail - the big and the small ...

I hope you enjoy it!

 :)

"Well if it's a birthday, then there must be ...

... CAKE!"

So decreed Crackerjack once I told him it was my "blog" birthday. And so (twist-my-arm), I baked a cake for my blog yesterday afternoon. ;)

Pressed for time, I used a simple snack cake mix from Trader Joe's. And whipped up some plain old (but plain good) buttercream frosting for the top ... But what of the decorations, CJ asked? Well, I'd run out of the EB-friendly, natural food dye so any "sunny" color was out. Instead I used almonds to shape a "sun," yellow candles to represent "candlelight" and added some little leaf cookies just because they looked pretty ...

After supper we lit it up - though as usual, per EB's demands instructions, there was NO singing ... 

Pretty, yes? It tasted good, too!

Before I go, I want to thank you all - SO, so much - for all your sweet blog-birthday wishes! I am honored and humbled by your very kind words and encouragement - and it means the world to me to think my blog has meant something to you.

:)

Have a lovely Wednesday, my friends. I hope to see you all again very soon ...

Happy Birthday Little Blog!

Well, I just realized that as of today, I've been blogging for five whole years! Wow, has time flown! But yes, it was March 22, 2006 that I posted my first few tentative posts, dipping my shy little toe into the vast blogging waters ...

So this morning I dove into my archives, looking back at those initial postings, and I had to laugh a little at myself, how cautious and self-conscious (but excited) I sounded!

Hello! This is my very first post in my very first blog ever. Don't have a lot to say yet, but this should be a lot of fun!

*

Colors Having trouble with the colors for this blog ... This lavender/mauve theme is not really me ~ I like yellow and perhaps blue, but the colors I'm playing around with just don't come up right. Hmmm ...

*

Good Morning Well, here is day 2 ...  and I'm still playing around with the design and uploading books and other links. I am also working on finding an appropriate photo to use with the "About" profile. I will ask dear husband to help me browse our pictures. I think it is finally time to become more computer-savvy!  I will have to start a little list of things to talk about here (otherwise I will continue random ramblings like these) ...

I am hoping to be ready (to feel ready) to "go public" with this blog by the end of the weekend :)

*

Pseudonyms If you are at all acquainted with my boys, the pseudonyms we chose make a lot of sense:

Oldest ds, Bookworm, is just that ... reading all the time, with at least two, if not three, books going at once. (Gee, I wonder where he gets that from?)  His mind is always one step ahead of the rest of us :)

Middle ds, Crackerjack, is our sensitive thinker ~ but a fireball of fun, and quick as a whip.

Youngest ds, Earlybird, is a bundle of energy, but his day (much to his parents dismay), never starts later than 5 a.m.!

Love you, my boys!

*

So this is Blogging? Earlybird is napping, and the other two are busily counting their pooled allowance monies on the family room floor (don't ask), so I find myself here, once again, at the computer, "playing" with my new blog ...

I should be folding laundry. I should be emptying the dishwasher. The bathroom needs to be cleaned (co-op meets here tomorrow!) ...

I see now what all the fuss was about ... blogging is fun!

And perhaps slightly addictive.

*

Not surprisingly my next few posts had to do with a new bird at the feeder, favorite childhood poems and plenty of thoughts on spring ... and I have to chuckle at the term "dear husband." Not that my husband's not dear (he most certainly is!) but that I initially did not reveal his "real" name. ;)

You know, before I took the plunge, I really tussled over whether or not to A. start a blog, or B. actually share it - and even five years later I still do at times. I definitely struggle with balancing it all - making time for everything my life involves. Being a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend ... and a blogger. Even now as I type up this post (at 8 a.m.), I'm up and down - getting the boys what they need for breakfast, answering the phone, finding the cat, addressing a computer issue (i.e. argument), etc. Have I started my morning chores? No. Am I hungry for my own breakfast, lol? Yes. Do I really want to finish this post so I can start the rest of my day? Yes, indeedy! ;)

I'm so very glad I started my blog, though - for one thing, it's become a wonderful journal of our family memories. I have so many pictures of the boys as they've grown, recollections of the things we did and the places we went, as well as the many things we've explored as home learners. We simply would not have all these memories preserved had I gone the "traditional" scrapbooking route (i.e. acid free paper, stickers and such).

And for me personally, it's been a great creative outlet; I really do like to write and, come to find out - I quite enjoy taking pictures. And at the risk of sounding cheesy - I really do love my life and I love sharing that here at my blog. I feel I'm a pretty upbeat person so my blogging is mostly positive, but honestly, this is just me. I don't do deep, dark or snark very well - though I can appreciate those who do. We all have our own voice (the web would be pretty boring if we didn't!) and I guess this is mine. Not that I don't have my down days - believe me, I do - but mostly I am just looking for the light in life. And so here I am - thankful for all God has blessed me with, and grateful to have an outlet for offloading some of this postitive energy!

(And now I'm definitely starting to sound cheesy, so I'll finish with this ...)

Five years ago when I started sharing random thoughts and our family "adventures" here at my blog, I never imagined how much fun it would be. How fulfilling and encouraging it could be. How very consuming and addictive it can be! But I'm glad I tried it anyway - because I've met so many wonderful people, and I've learned some pretty neat things along the way. And now I can gladly call myself an avid, active blogger - and it fits in pretty well with all my other roles in life. 

:)

So I'd best wrap up because I'm seriously running out of "me" time - but I want to say thank you to each and every one of my readers. Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by and see what our day's been like. Thank you for caring, and for leaving a comment if you have the time and inclination. And, thank you so much for being patient when I take a while to get back to you.

I hope you all have a nice Tuesday, whatever it brings to your world today. May you have the grace, strength, patience, faith - whatever it is you need - to make it through and to make it good. For yourself and for those you love.

See you all again very soon ...

St. George & Michaelmas Posts

I happened to be working online just now when a comment pinged into my inbox ~ and since I have a few minutes to myself, I thought I'd take a moment to answer ...

Dawn, I think you and I are kindred spirits. I've been reading your blog for years, now. At least three. I love it! And I wish you had a search function on it, because I have SUCH a hard time going through the archives and tags to find what I'm looking for. Today, I'm specifically looking for all your things on St George and Michaelmas. I can't find anything!

Thank you so much for this very kind comment, Herbwifemama!

First of all, I apologize for not having a search tool on my blog. I know it would be very helpful, and you are not the first reader to ask about this. I did have one installed here a few years ago, but it seriously slowed down the blog loading time. If anyone has a suggestion for a search tool that might not slow things down I would be happy to try again. I know my archives can be a bit ... erm, haphazard, lol. ;D

Now, as for your question about Michaelmas and St. George entries, Herbwifemama, you would find them under the Saints and/or Liturgical Seasons archives (though I realize those are huge archives). I would also suggest looking under my September and April archives ... 

Or, better yet ~ with Michaelmas but a week away ~ let me look for you. :D

Tea and a Field Trip on Michaelmas

D is for Dragons ~ Michaelmas Week

By George, it was Saint George!

We Slew the Dragons!

For St. George's Day ...

To be honest, I haven't yet made concrete plans for our family this year (I'll be in "planning mode" later today) but I do have this little set up in the front window:

I hope you're all having a lovely Sunday ... I've got a pot roast in the crockpot - the first one of the season - and the Pats are on later today. In addition to Michaelmas, we're also looking forward to the Equinox this Thursday, as well as the Full Harvest Moon. Lots to celebrate this week!

A quick note ...

This morning my mum alerted me to the fact that my blog has been loading very slowly for her, and so I would assume it's been the same for other folks, too. After a little tinkering and the removal of a few old (possibly wonky) links, it seems to be working much better. I hope this helps anyone who has had trouble loading my blog - please let me know if you have any other issues!

Thank you, and have a wonderful Sunday. :)

 

Playing Catch Up

First of all thank you for all the brownie pan insight! I'm still waffling on the pan purchase ... and in the meantime I have myself half convinced I could really use a pizzelle maker lol ... for the homemade ice cream cones as well as the cookies. Can you tell someone has an Amazon gift certificate burning a hole in her virtual pocket? ;)

Second of all, thank you for all the dinner menu input! I'm printing out the comments left at my last post so I can peruse them at leisure. I appreciate all the ideas very much - please keep them coming! Would it help if I paste them all into a giant separate post or is it easy enough to access the comments section of that post?

And now for a couple of recent questions:

First question from OSG ...

I also love Learning room posts. A question though, where do you store things that don't fit in the baskets? 

There is a small pile of items stacked under the file crate table to the left of the cubbies - these are mostly novels the boys will be reading later in the year - but also, EB's learning games, a Rosetta Stone program we have yet to start, and several DVD's we will be using to supplement our studies (i.e. the PBS National Parks series, etc.). I keep all my teacher manuals are in an extra large tote bag tucked away beneath the worktable. (It's parked right below the chair where I sit and do my planning.) Otherwise, the baskets fit their materials rather nicely. All their textbooks, workbooks and notebooks reside here as well as the book they are currently reading (as assigned, not personal reading - those books are all over the house lol!).

Next question from Shelly ...

perfect!!! love the cubbies :) 
where did you get your baskets?

Shelly, we bought the baskets at the same unfinished furniture store where we purchased the cubbies. I'm not usually fond of the cotton liners (they tend to bunch up and get awfully dusty) but these seem to fit pretty well and of course I can always wash them if they get dingy.

OK, well that's all for this morning ... I hope you all have a nice Thursday (raining and foggy here) and I will back here again just as soon as I can. :)

Opinions, please ...

Some of my readers noticed my little "confession" in yesterday's post that I'm thinking of writing a book. Well, here's the thing ... I'm just not sure what to write about! So many subjects interest me - organizing ideas (the file crate for instance), balancing family life (and home education), nature-based learning (monthly activities), and seasonal celebrations (big and small), etc. - but I'm an expert in nothing. I'm having a hard time narrowing my focus, so today I thought I'd ask my faithful readers for their opinions ... 

What kind of book would you be interested in reading - if it was written by me?

Of course who knows if anything will ever come of this writing venture ... I have no contacts or prospects at present, and goodness knows I have little spare time ... but I figure it's time to start doing something and see how it goes. :)

Any and all thoughts would be very welcome!

P.S. Have a terrific Tuesday, my friends ... Mama's got a brand new desk to set up today so you'll be getting a learning room post before long. ;)

Notes from my Blogging Meeting, Part 3

And now for the final minutes from my meeting last week. This is part three of three ... part one can be found here and part two, here. 

Organizing your blog ...

Well to be perfectly honest, I felt a little funny discussing "blog organization" with my guests since my own site had been completely out of date for some time! Still, we went over the general layout of a blog -Typepad's offerings at least. I like a 3-column design, but there are several others to choose from - and we also discussed how sidebars or "Typelists" can be used for various types of information: book lists, web links, previous posts, photo albums, personal notes, etc.

I showed them my category list and how I assign my posts with specifically themed tags - so as best to find them later. In my "category cloud" you can see at a glance (by text size) what themes I post about most often: family, nature, home education, food and drink, etc. The more specific your post tags are, the easier it will be to find a specific post down the road. For instance, my Nature category is HUGE ... but if I'm looking for a post about Trees, I have a separate category for that.

My Book Typelists help me keep our reading well organized. I try to update what books the boys are reading (haven't in a while, though!) as well as what book our Book Group is studying each month. I also like to post what books I have sitting on my bedside table as well as favorite book collections - for homekeeping, crafting, nature study, etc. If we're studying a certain subject - owls or Mexico or amphibians, for instance - I have book lists for those too.

Organizing our seasonal reading is particularly easy using Typelists. In my Typelist Index I have stored all the lists I've ever published. So when Spring is approaching, I can grab my "Spring Book Basket" Typelist and add it to my current blog content (removing it once Summer is upon us). I make sure to update the list with any new book titles before posting. It's a great way to remember what books we have in storage (because yes, I can easily forget!). 

I've also posted seasonal household lists - for example, a pre-Easter cleaning schedule, a back-to-school supplies list and this month's January to-do's. These are helpful in keeping on top of things around here (relatively speaking lol).

Another way I use my blog is in keeping my nature notes organized - in fact, this is my favorite Typelist of all. At the top left-hand side of my blog you'll find my Nature Notes corner. This is a "notes" style Typelist, meaning it's used primarily for notes, or text. (They can also be used for pasting images such as the birds nest at the top.) As most of you know, we are real nature nuts here - and we enjoy keeping tracks of the changes that come with every season - the flora, fauna, weather etc. On any given day I add an item to my List, dating it and writing out some observations - a migratory bird we spotted, the first rainbow of the year, how much snow fell overnight - and then post it to the List. After several days, or sometimes a week or two depending on how much I write, I scoop up all those notes and make up a post for my other blog, The Nature Corner. What I have now is a wonderful journal of a year (more than a year now) of our New England seasons and our experiences with nature. I find this to be a very easy way to "nature journal" regularly, and these collected notes make up a handy personal almanac of sorts.

Making money with your blog ...

Unfortunately I didn't have a lot of useful information to share on this topic but I felt it needed to be addressed. I am not a professional blogger, but I can see how someone can use a blog to appeal to a targeted market. It's certainly an interesting and easy way to connect with potential customers or clients. Private bloggers can also make money by hosting ads at their site - this is not something I am familiar with, but again, I know it can be done. (If anyone has links or tips on this subject, please feel free to leave me a comment below - I'd be happy to pass on information to my readers.)

Now, the way I can and do profit from my blog is by being a member of the Amazon Associates program. I know there are various ways to profit from this program, but I have only used it in one easy way. The links I post to books (in my posts and on my sidebars) take you directly to Amazon.com. If you buy *anything* when you are at Amazon (it doesn't have to be the book I recommended) I earn a referral fee. Because you came to (and shopped at) Amazon from a link at my blog, they reward me with a percent of your purchase. At the end of each month Amazon Associates sends me a gift certificate to be used at Amazon. I believe there are other options for your earnings, but this worked out best for us. 

On a final note on this subject, if you are toying with the idea of writing a book (as *big breath* I am) it is wonderful to have a blog base to feel out ideas and opinions, as well as a potential readership. I have had thoughts for a book for some time, and it's interesting to see what posts capture the most attention here at my blog. This helps me hone my focus and tweak my ideas. So a perspective writer can certainly get a great boost from blogging (if for nothing else than for writing practice!) but as with any business venture, you just never know where and when you'll make a great connection or "meet" someone who can be helpful to you in your endeavor ... and blogging is definitely a fabulous way to meet people!

Types of blogs, including kids' blogs ...

There are so many uses for blogs - the template can be used for a personal diary, a homeschool record, a travel journal, a family reunion project, a housekeeping manual, a photo journal on any and all subjects ... 

A neat way to involve blogging in your kids' lives is to give them a blog to play around with. Their sites can be password protected (meaning only people who have their password will be able to find and read their blog). Blog writing is fun but it's also a great way to work on writing skills. Ask your kids to write up a movie review or a book report at their blog - or let them post pictures from a field trip. Recently, Bookworm attended a science lab and I asked him to post a recollection of what he learned from the experience. If you are planning a family vacation, let the kids start a blog in which they can post all kinds of things from their shared experience. They'll get great writing practice as they preserve their journey in a fun and memorable way.

Blogs can also be shared by multiple authors. One blogger must own a pro level account (this is at Typepad, other platforms offer similar packages I am sure) and then invite other bloggers to join her or him in posting about a certain subject. This would be great fun for any group - including a Teen Group or a Drama Club or a Cub Scout pack, etc. The possibilities are endless!

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

At the end of my meeting I gave my guests a link to my original post in which many kind readers left comments with links to their blogs. I also shared links to two other bloggers in my homeschool group - both friends of mine and terrific ladies - Leigh and Jenney.

It's so much fun to check in with other homeschoolers (mothers, homemakers et al) and see how things are going for them - what ideas work, what struggles we share in common, how we are feeling about this place we find ourselves in at this time in our life. I enjoy sharing ideas with my readers but more than anything I am thrilled to have four years worth of memories from my family's life. I KNOW without a doubt I would never have this much saved if I didn't have this blog.

In the end, I hope my guests went home with a better feel for blogging - what it is, how it can help a homeschooling mom, and how it can be done by anyone (trust me - if I can do it, ANYONE can!). I know for myself, this meeting left me feeling so invigorated about blogging and determined to find a way to fit it back into my life once again. I know I say this all the time, but I truly appreciate all my readers - especially for your patience and support. Thank you for sticking by me, for all your kind comments and for encouraging me when I can't seem to encourage myself. :)

Blessings to you all - have a wonderful Monday - and I'll see you back here just as soon as I can!

Notes from my Blogging Meeting, Part 2

Continuing on with the minutes from my homeschool support group meeting last week, these were some of the other topics we covered:

• Privacy and publicity issues
• Finding an audience/connecting with other bloggers
• Maintaining a good attitude re blogging (i.e. the "grass is always greener" syndrome)
• Finding the TIME to blog

Privacy and publicity issues ...

My blog is public - meaning anyone can read what I write - but if I wanted to, I could protect my site with a password. This would allow only invited guests to read my posts. I decided to make my blog public but I wanted to keep the details of my personal life - and my children's lives - as private as possible. So to begin with, each of my three boys got a blog "alias." Choosing these nicknames was fun - each of their names reflects a bit of their personality - our oldest IS a Bookworm, our middle son IS a firecracker and our youngest is very much an EARLYbird. :)

I guess what you need to do is decide for whom you are keeping your blog - yourself? Your family? Like-minded women with whom it will be nice to share ideas? If it makes you uncomfortable to post pictures of your children, you can obviously refrain from doing so, or you could elect to post only pictures that show profiles or the children from a distance. Another thing to consider are the feelings of other parents whose children might be in the photographs you take. Always be sure to ask for permission to post pictures of other people's children.

Finding an audience/connecting with other bloggers ...

Now, assuming you are making your blog public, you might be eager to establish a readership for yourself. Of course to begin with there is good old word-of-mouth - tell people about your blog! Send an email out to family and friends with a link to your site, inviting them to check in when they can. Invite other bloggers to visit your blog by linking to their blogs in your posts. Ask if you can add a blogger to your "blogroll" (a list of blogs you read on your sidebar) and most often they will return the favor. If you belong to web forums (chat boards and the like) add a link to your blog in your signature. (You can add the same kind of link to the bottom of your emails.)

If you are reading blogs you might come upon a blog "carnival" in which to participate. This is a fantastic way of joining in the blogging community. I showed examples of my old Field Day posts to illustrate how a "carnival" works. Basically, one blogger hosts the carnival (a collection of links to other blogs) centered around a theme. She announces the carnival at her blog, asks people to spread the word, and invites other bloggers to send links to posts about the chosen topic. On the designated day, the hostess posts the carnival, filled with links to other blogs. It goes without saying that contributing to a carnival is a great way to get lots of new readers checking out your blog.

If you are curious to see how people are finding your blog, you can follow your stats to see who is linking to you. Typepad has a feature that allows me to see who is linking to BS&C - and I used to use Sitemeter to track stats as well, but I found it took too much of my time (it can be rather addicting to follow stats). Keep in mind, other bloggers are doing this as well - so if you link to somebody, they can easily trace it back to you. 

Maintaining a good attitude re blogging - i.e. the "grass is always greener" syndrome ...

As mentioned in my previous post, I came into blogging by reading other women's blogs. I found them interesting to read and beautiful to behold - those blogs inspired me to start my own blog. I hoped to create something similar - a quiet corner where I could share happy things and (hopefully) some useful information. It was never my intent to air my dirty laundry (both the literal and figurative kinds) but just because I don't describe in detail all my downfalls and daily frustrations doesn't mean they don't exist. It's just not the tone I am going for here. 

As a blog reader you know how addictive reading blogs can be, and as much as we love to borrow ideas from other bloggers, we can't help but compare our life to the lives of other women doing what we do - raising children, home educating, cooking and cleaning, celebrating holidays and decorating our homes. 

There are so many blogs out there, and as you read you'll find yourself drawn to certain blogs that nourish you - inspire you, help you out in some way. It's important to decide for your own peace of mind, if reading blogs is feeding you or frustrating you. 

As a blog writer yourself, you''ll find that people respond to your blog in different ways. I've had people read my blog and tell me they enjoy it - they like stopping by to see what I'm up to. But I've also had people read my blog and then tell me they won't read it again because it makes them feel like a bad mother (i.e. like they're not doing enough with their kids). I know they didn't mean it as an insult, and I don't mean to disregard those honest feelings but I can't let this change how I blog. I can't control how people perceive things, I can only control my end of the bargain.

Keep this in mind as you find your blogging niche - write and share what you want and try not to worry about how it is perceived. It sounds cliche, but stay true to yourself - blogging should be fun and fulfilling for YOU first and foremost. :)

Finding the time to blog ...

This was the biggest concern of my guests last week - how on earth does one find TIME to blog? Before I got into that (which you all know has been a real challenge for me lately) I offered this piece of advice ...

If you want to blog but feel you don't have the time, go ahead and try it anyway. When you have a little time on a weekend or one quiet evening, set up a template for a blog. You don't have to tell anyone about it - as long as you don't link to other blogs you can remain in anonymity for a while. Next time you have a moment, try a quick post. Jot down something that happened that day - a funny thing your child said, your dinner menu, a recipe you like, a list of the day's lessons, a quote you found inspiring - and just post it. Maybe on another day, upload a picture you took recently. Add a quick note for description - or not. Do this over a week or more and before too long you'll get the hang of it and see it's really pretty quick and easy to blog. Eventually you'll find a rhythm and a spot or two in your day (or week) for blogging. It seems overwhelming at first, but as with any hobby, the more you do something the easier it becomes. And sometimes you just have to jump right in and get things rolling.

As for me and my blogging "rhythm," well, I reminisced on how easy it once seemed to blog regularly. Generally speaking, I would complete a post about once a day. I have a laptop, which I keep open at all times on my kitchen counter, or at my spot at the worktable, depending on time of day. In the early part of the day I would be thinking about what my next post might be. (Often I would brainstorm over the weekend, along with my general planning, what posts I might write in a coming week.) I would start a draft and keep it open in a window on my browser. In fact, I might already have a draft saved - if I think of a post idea I always start and title a draft to return to at some point.

Usually around lunchtime when the kids were taking a break (and I'm taking a breather) from lessons, I would work on my post - put up the pictures I had on file OR take the pictures of the subject at hand. (Midday light works best in my house.) Sometimes late in the afternoon I'd find another 30 minutes or so to spend tweaking my draft. By the time I went to bed I had a post mostly ready for publishing, but I'd leave the final edits for first thing in the morning. Most of my new posts would go up in the early morning hours of the day.

It was a very efficient system at the time ... but as life rolls along, things have changed here for me lately. I am still homeschooling three children - but my oldest is now a high schooler and my youngest (who is autistic) is ready for a lot more "work" than he was in previous years. Suffice it to say my work load has increased all around. For a time it was just easier to break away from blogging in order to focus my attention on my new workload ... but now that things are settling into a rhythm again, I am finding my way back to blogging. 

Finding time to blog is a challenge for sure, but it can be done. Sometimes it's easy to fit into your life, other times you have to carve out time to make it happen. At one time I found it easy, these days I'm looking (hard) for that extra time in my life.

So ... once again I found I needed to split up a very long post, so Part 3 of my Blogging Notes will include the final minutes from my meeting

• Ideas on organizing a blog
• Making money with a blog
• Types of blogs including kids' blogs (more homeschool opportunities)

As always, thanks so much for stopping by - I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I'll be back again before long! :)

Notes from my Blogging Meeting, Part 1

Last week I hosted my homeschool support group's monthly meeting, and as hostess I got to choose the topic of discussion. I chose the theme of blogging and, more specifically, how blogging can be used as a homeschooling tool. It was fun to explore the reasons - especially my reasons - for blogging and to share the ways I fit blogging into my life as a busy homeschooling mom. Here are the minutes (embellished with hindsight and reflection of course) from my meeting.*

(*Note: I decided to break this post up into two parts because Part 1 got entirely too long!)

The ladies who joined me last Thursday night are not currently blogging, but were familiar with blogs and are considering the endeavor for themselves. After some casual chat, and after filling up our cups and plates with some goodies, we sat down to start the meeting ...

What is a blog?

A blog is basically a type of website that provides a format for posting journal-style entries and photographs along with links to all kinds of things - other blogs, websites, book recommendations, etc. A blog can be private (password-protected) or public. It can be used for professional or personal purposes.

It seemed easiest to explore the general concept of blogging by explaining how I got into blogging myself. 

Blogging, yes or no?

About four years ago I found myself reading several blogs kept by some wonderful ladies I met at the 4Real Forums. I loved the format - and I loved reading what other homeschooling moms were doing with their families: how they were handling lessons and home life, how they were celebrating holidays and special events in their lives. The photos were wonderful, and so was the conversation. I started thinking about blogging myself ... but at the time I was a hardcore "paper" journalist. I have always kept journals - simple notebooks filled with notes, scraps of paper, clippings from magazines, this that and a little bit of everything. I am very much a paper kind of gal - technology tends to befuddle me - so I hesitated to blog ... but before long the tempation became too strong to resist. One afternoon, I just sat down at Typepad and within an hour I had myself a blog! 

Blogging platforms ...

I didn't have much information to share about other blogging platforms (Blogger/Blogspot, Wordpress, Homeschoolblogger) because I've always used Typepad. And since Typepad was (and is) so easy to use, I've stuck with it. I do use the Pro level account because I wanted to be able to create more than one blog and I also wanted greater design options. This means I pay for my blog - but I find it's worth it.

Why I blog ...

So I explained how I initially considered blogging ... but I went on to describe the appeal blogging held for me. In addition to journaling, another hobby I enjoyed (sort of) was scrapbooking. I say "sort of" because I could never seem to find the time or space to get my scrapbooks going ... I knew how important it was to keep track of our family memories, and I LOVED the look of scrapbooks - choosing colors and pictures and stickers, etc. - but no matter how many times I started an album, I would get sidetracked with "real life" and materials would get hastily put away and forgotten. As a "hobby" it was frequently more frustrating than enjoyable. Not to mention I felt foolish owning so many scrapbooking materials and having so little to show for it all. When I first considered blogging I could see it as a way to "virtually" scrapbook. I would have the ability to capture memories AND play around with design as I liked to do. And of course, I didn't need a large space or a lot of materials to make it work.

Also, in my pre-mommy life, I was a writer by profession and I missed writing for an "audience." Of course in the beginning I had no idea who would be reading my posts (if anyone!) but I found it gratifying to get my thoughts down while honing my rusty writing skills. I know a lot of perspective bloggers balk at the thought of writing for an audience, but I found the more I blogged, the quicker I found "my voice" and the more easily the words came to me. Of course it helps that I am by nature a very wordy person!

Another benefit of blogging (and this is where the homeschooling part comes in) is I have an excellent record of what we are doing each month as a homeschooling family. This is helpful to me when I report in to the school system at the end of the year, but it is also an great way of keeping family and friends - especially those who don't see us more than a couple of times a year - in the loop with our lifestyle. As long as we've been homeschooling (10 years now) and as popular as homeschooling has become - I know it's still a real mystery to lots of folks. I love dispelling myths and helping people understand how actively we homeschool. We're hardly sitting at home every day isolated from the world - if anything we're out there almost every day in one way or another. We take part in lots of classes and field trips and group activities. Sure, most of our curriculum is accomplished at home, with a one-on-one focus (which is the beauty of the home learning experience) but so much of our time is spent in social situations, learning how to get along with - and learn from - others. I relish the chance to show people all that homeschooling can be - all that it is for my family ...

And if you've been reading my blog over the years, you know I also relish the chance to share ideas, and this is where my myriad interests come into play. I guess you could say I like to hear myself talk lol, but I found as I grew as a blogger that I liked to write informative posts on a wide variety of subjects - children's books, nature, crafts, my Catholic faith, food, seasonal celebrations. So my blog became a real hodgepodge of information - eclectic you  might say - and to this day you never know what I'll be talking about next!

Through blogging I found myself another new hobby, one that has quickly become a real passion of mine. Photography was something I never really thought much about before - as a mother I owned a camera of course, and took pictures when I could - but nowadays I keep my camera close at hand at all times. The best part is I have lots of snapshots of our family life from the past year, but I find photography feeds me personally as well. Taking pictures makes me feel creative - like an artist almost. I would love to draw and paint as my mum does (beautifully, with natural God-given talent) but I don't have that gift. I would love to sew or knit or create in some tangible way, but these hobbies never clicked with me. With photography I find that I can cast a speculative eye on a subject - be it a bird or a landscape or a table setting - and find the best angle to present the image to my readers. It's fun to try and catch the light just right or to see if a tight zoom makes a difference to my shot. The world is my canvas, my camera is my tool of trade - and I never would have found this part of me if it were not for my foray into blogging.

But perhaps the biggest reward of blogging is that I now find myself looking at life with a different set of eyes - more watchful, more thoughtful, more appreciative. Little things I might have barely noticed before - a grasshopper perched on the mailbox, a startlingly bright moon, the sounds of a wren in the woods - pique one sense or another and make me itch to jot down a note or snap a picture, so as to celebrate that brief precious moment before it's gone. I'm grateful to have this sense of wonder - in every day there are so many gifts just there for the taking. I am glad my lifestyle allows me - and my children - to slow down and savor the world around us.

Well, I've kept you long enough for today, so I'll wrap things up for now ~ and if you've read this far I thank you! In Part 2 I will share the rest of my meeting notes, with information on: 

• Privacy issues (names, pictures, passwords)
• Finding an audience/connecting with other bloggers
• Maintaining a good attitude re blogging (i.e. the "grass is always greener" syndrome)
• Finding the TIME to blog
• Ideas on organizing a blog
• Making money with a blog
• Kids' blogs (more homeschool opportunities)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend - it's a long one for us (Bill has Monday off) and there's a lot of "to-do's" on my list. I'll be back again soon with part 2 ... in the meantime I would love to hear your thoughts on part 1, or any questions you might have for me. I will try my best to answer them as soon as I can.

Happy Blogging, Happy Reading, Happy Living! :)

A Special Offer for my Readers!

Well this just about made my day! The wonderful folks at Night Owl Paper Goods left this comment on my Happy Things post today ...

Dawn,

Thank you so much for featuring our doily stars jotter, made from eco-friendly, sustainably-harvested wood! We’re so happy to see so many people choosing earth-friendly alternatives nowadays!

To thank you for your support, we’d like to offer you and your readers 10% off all wooden journal and jotter orders placed before January 20! Check out our selection of wooden journals and jotters at http://nightowlpapergoods.com/home.php?cat=7 and simply enter the coupon code "happythings” at check-out.

Here’s to staying organized and making a positive impact in 2010!

How sweet is that?! I am honored and thrilled to post this special offer here at my blog!

Please do take a moment to pop in at their charming website - I was perusing it the other day and there all kinds of fun things to check out. Whimsical paper goods, cards for every occasion - as lovely as they are earth-friendly. Currently I'm in the process of organizing a nice little correspondence basket for myself - I'm resolving to be better about letter-writing and card-sending this year! In fact, I just mailed out this very card to a fellow Capricorn friend this week. I loved the pattern, the citrusy shades and the feel of the paper - which was actually made from 100% recycled cotton! 

So thank you, Night Owl Paper Goods, for stopping by with your kind words and special offer - and best wishes to you for a Very Happy New Year! :)

And p.s. Thank you to my readers for your happy birthday wishes! My day was very nice - Bill surprised me by coming home early (when I thought he was going to have to work late!) and my folks had us over for a lovely birthday supper.

A few pics to share:

 

The boys gave me a dozen red roses! I set them in our sunny front window this morning.

 

The night sky as we arrived at my parents' house ... 

My birthday cake - vanilla with buttercream frosting - my favorite! :)

A note on the carnation experiment:

I've had several people mention that they've had little luck with the carnation experiment in the past. I was just replying to a friend of mine when I realized maybe the trick is in cutting the stems short ...

Before placing the stems in their glasses of water, I cut them to approximately 6 inches in length. I only did this because the flowers would fit better inside the small glasses, but now I am thinking it also enabled the food dye to reach the flower more quickly and perhaps more efficiently. 

My mum had a good suggestion too - the next day I tried snipping the ends once again - this time just a trim - and the sure enough, the flowers deepened their shades. They are still sitting alive and well on our window sill (up high out of the way of the cat)! 

I hope you all have a nice Sunday ... today I'll be turning the dining room back into a learning room (now that the tree is finally down and put away). And I'll continue tinkering with my new blog template and sidebars this afternoon ... you've probably noticed I've changed a few things. :) The banner is a scanned sheet of "vintage" scrapbooking paper ~ I liked the colors, the flowers, and the little hint of nature (a favorite theme of mine here). Many thanks to my dear husband for spending several hours yesterday working on that banner - positioning it just right, adding the text, figuring out the CSS codes. He saved me a lot of time and frustration! 

And yes ... I took down my photo. I figured it was time - I think everyone knows what I look like by now, lol! And I think (or I hope) I look pretty much the same as I did four years ago when Crackerjack took that picture of me. It's still on my "profile" page, I believe.

And I have not forgotten the minutes from my Blog meeting ~ I will get those written up just as soon as I can. :)

Have a wonderful Sunday, my friends!

Winter Learning with Earlybird

Happy Friday, Folks!

So first of all, my support group meeting last night went great! It was a small group but we talked A LOT about blogging ~ my blog, other blogs, how and why one blogs, etc. I will write up the minutes from our conversation and get them posted over the weekend. Many thanks to the kind ladies who ventured out on a cold January night to listen to me blab on (and on) about blogging and all kinds of other random off-topic stuff. :)

I must say, all that talk last night really got me excited to blog again! I hope to overhaul the design of my blog as well - for one thing, these sidebars are ridiculously outdated ... and for another, I'm getting tired of these colors ... have to see what I can do about all that!

But for today I thought I'd share a few things I'm doing with Earlybird this week. The first pictures show our "Carnation Experiment." If you're a homeschooler, I'm sure this activity is familiar to you ... we set it up with my mum the other day (EB calls these Nana's flowers):

I bought a bundle of white carnations at the supermarket - goodness do they smell nice - and we placed a stem in a small clear glass filled with water and food coloring. I kept one flower aside in plain water for comparison.

And here is how the flowers looked the next day!

 

Aren't they pretty? Magic flowers! (This would be a neat Valentines, Easter or Mother's Day activity with the kids - you could even look up what different colored flowers mean.)

 The boys all enjoyed the experiment (and Bookworm had some interesting insight on color absorption from a lab he did at BU last fall) but this was really all for Earlybird. And let me tell you, he was thrilled. We have started a small science notebook for his observations - mostly photographs, simple words and a few drawings, too.

Here's a peek at our Winter Word Bulletin Board:

 

(Btw, I did not make those snowflakes! They came pre-cut in a package.)

And at the nature table we have a page from a favorite book on display:

 

This is the loveliest book - Our Apple Tree by Gorel Katrina Naslund. It's a sweet tale of the seasons in the life of an apple tree, as told by the two little elves who call it home. Lots of gorgeous, finely detailed illustrations inside. Next month we'll visit our local orchard to find an apple tree to "adopt" this year. It will be fun to see how it changes through the seasons.

Well, that's all for me today - off to get the kids started on breakfast and lessons. I hope you all have a fabulous Friday and I'll see you all again very soon. :)

 Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday Morning, Cold and Bright

 Well, another crazy-cold winter's day is upon us, and I'm popping in to say hello! It's awfully early here ~ the rest of the family is sleeping, but Earlybird and I are munching toast and waiting for the birds to appear at the feeders ... actually, they're probably already out there ~ it's just too dark to see them yet!

I want to thank my readers for all the links left for me to share at my support group meeting. I appreciate your willingness to share your blogs with my friends! I also enjoyed hearing how you view blogging, and how it helps you as a woman (wife/mother/home educator) share and preserve what's going on in your life. I will be rounding up the links to include in a handout and taking your thoughts into consideration as I write up my notes. The meeting is tomorrow night so there's still plenty of time to drop me a line (a link or a thought) if you have time and inclination. :)

After the meeting concludes, if there's interest, I'd be happy to write up the minutes to share with you all.

And hey, speaking of the crazy-cold, how is the weather where you are?

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

Good Tuesday Morning!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! I can hardly believe another Christmas is coming to an end. I say this every year but really and truly - it all just FLEW by!

So we're getting back into the rhythm of everyday life here - slowly but surely. :) I have a couple of posts in draft, and I hope to get them up in the next day or two. It's a VERY busy week here - on top of all the regular back-to-life stuff going on this week (lessons, classes, clubs and the like), the kids have dentist appointments, I'm leading Book Group AND our Homeschool Support Group meeting (on the very same day!) and Bill and Crackerjack are preparing for their very first Cub scout camping trip!

By the way, the meeting I'm hosting on Thursday for my Support Group is all about the Basics of Blogging - and more specifically, how blogging can be used as a great homeschooling tool. If you have a blog, homeschooling or otherwise, and would like me to share it with my group Thursday night, please leave me a link below in the comments. Thanks so much!

Have a fantastic week, everyone ~ I'll be back here again soon!