i love the way she blogs

Mean Mommy Acadamy Guest Post

2011-04-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

I am happy to introduce Jordan from Mean Mommy Acadamy. I visited her blog after she left a comment here and was amazed by her beautiful blog. You all need to head over there and take a look. She did it herself!! for free!! I asked her to write a guest post for us today and she graciously obliged. enjoy :)

-Lilly J

So you’ve seen ‘em. Those fancy-schmancy blogs that look so high tech, are different from the rest and have oodles of buttons that you click. And they actually take you somewhere. Oh. I know. A year ago, I was there. I surfed the blogosphere drooling over these gorgeous blogs. I coveted them. But I didn’t want to pay somebody money when I had a magic card in my back pocket. That magic card’s name was GOOGLE.

Oh, no. I wasn’t going to pay someone when I could use my mad question asking skills and figure it out on my own. I’m kinda cheap that way. I see something I like and the first question that pops into my head is: “How can I make that myself”.

It’s a curse, really. Ask my husband. ;)

So I started out small. The questions were basic, but essential to growing my blog. Here are some samples of my first Googled questions:

How to create your own header on Blogger (I typed Blogger since that is the platform I use, but just change that to Wordpress, or whatever else you are using, for your questions).
How to create my own background in Blogger.
How to change the color of the area behind my blog posts on Blogger.
How to change my font on Blogger.
How to create my own blog button.

And so on. Just the basics - don’t take on the big stuff just yet. And get ready to start learning your html code. It’s a whole other language, but don’t be scared. You can always fix your mistakes. I little friend of mine is the ‘Undo’ command. Hold down command Z on the Mac, or control Z on a PC. This has saved me many times. ;)

(Side note: Blogger is making their platform SO much more user friendly, so you won’t have to search as many things, or go into your edit html code as often as I did back in the day {fyi- I feel so mature and wise using that phrase: back in the day}. I’m not too familiar with Wordpress, but I heard they have many cool features to take out the guesswork when it comes to designing your blog.)

Once you start getting familiar with your html code, get ready to start asking the tougher questions.

How to center my post title in blogger.
How to create a Twitter button…
How to widen the space between my blog posts and sidebar…
How to center items in my sidebar…
My blog posts directly to reader’s inboxes…
How to create an email me button…
How to make my pictures bigger…

Don’t be afraid if you don’t know the exact wording. Experiment around until you find something remotely close to what you are looking for, and go from there. I didn’t know that blog buttons were called just that, so my first question was something insanely ridiculous like: how to create an image on my sidebar with html code for people to put on their own blog.

No laughing. This is a true story…

After a few failed attempts, and searching through several Google pages, I learned the actual name of what I was looking for: Blog Button. I went from there: How to create a blog button.

It’s all about trial and error, and you have to be willing to learn. Be prepared for a healthy dose of discouragement, but you will find that, over time, it gets easier and easier, and your blog will evolve into what you had dreamed of.

Be patient.

Be prepared to look back and say, Wow.

Be prepared to be embarrassed at some of the stuff you came up with during the learning process. But just laugh at it. And then throw it in the recycle bin. ;)

Be prepared to realize that the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know. Don’t let it frustrate you. This isn’t a race -- just go slow.

Don’t be afraid to ask. If not Google, then your fellow bloggy friends. Or just search this amazing blog (seriously, I learned so much here). You will find some valuable resources that you can turn to - you are already on the right track reading I Love The Way She Blogs. I came across it during one of my Google-terrogations. (Awesome new word, I know.) My blog (www.meanmommyacademy.blogspot.com) wouldn’t be where it is today if people like Lilly didn’t write amazingly insightful blogs, taking the time to teach the rest of us how to make our own blogs better. Kudos to them! *Dashes to the gold sticker file and starts handing out gold stars* I am so grateful to people who volunteer their ‘secrets’. (And I’m grateful for the technology we have to simply sit down at a big grey box, type in some letters and have any question in the world answered in mere seconds.)

Don’t be afraid to get weird looks from your spouse when tears start to well up because it’s not turning out how you want. (Not that this has EVER happened to me. *cough*). Stock up on the Kleenex’s and get to work. You’ll have such an amazing sense of pride when you’re done. Remember to start out simple, keep it clean (less really is more), and just practice, practice, practice!

And then keep it real. Keep it YOU. -- xoxo

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Thanks so much Lilly for having me guest-post today! I am so honored and ridiculously flattered! I won’t go into the details of how I giggled like a school-girl and almost jumped out of my seat when you asked me to be here, because that would be embarrassing, and I don’t want to tarnish my reputation. ;) So a huge, ginormous Thank You will have to suffice… :)

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Jordan is a SAHM of 2 beautiful kids who remind her that ‘stupid’ is a naughty word. They also get the words ‘burp’ and ‘toot’ mixed up. Often. She is a Mom by day, a Piano Teacher by afternoon, and a Terrible Sleeper by night. She blogs over at Mean Mommy Academy (www.meanmommyacademy.blogspot.com) about such mind-blowing excitement. ;)

Blogger: Going Modern?

2011-03-19T12:48:00.000-07:00

Blogger's new Dashboard

Blogger Buzz just announced some new changes for the look and feel of Blogger. Click the link to read about it.

Blogger will be changing their POST EDITOR and the DASHBOARD, among other things. I'm sure we will all benefit from the changes, but as we saw with the last change to POST EDITOR, there may also be some delays and set backs. All in all, it's good to move forward, and Blogger is in need of renovation!

Spring Cleaning your Blog

2011-02-24T11:31:00.000-08:00

Just by simply walking into someone's home you learn a lot about who they are. From the art on the walls to the clothes on the floor, everything says something about the people living there.

There is a reason why we "spring clean" our homes. Things build up and pile up almost on their own and spring is a great time to sort through it all.

Have you ever thought about what the design of your blog says about you? People sometimes click onto a blog and then off again before they could even read a word. Why? Usually because the look of the blog tells them what they are going to get. I personally have clicked off of many blogs that simply looked too immature, assuming that they didn't have any content worth my time.

So let me challenge you to "spring clean" your blog! Take off those old buttons. Put up some news posts, and by golly change some colors.

My husband and I are in the middle of some major spring cleaning at home. Our large projection tv nearly caught on fire! So it's out of the house and we have pleanty of room for a flat screen! We searched all weekend for a console/ tv stand and I think I finally found one I like!!

flat panel tv stands

Leave a comment with your address so we can all see your "clean" blog!

Happy Blogging!

-Lilly J

More Free Blinkies and Buttons for your blog

2011-02-23T05:08:00.000-08:00

Blinkie Heaven has a lot of small blinkies like the one above. Including ones that say, "I like pretty things" "Twilight Fan" and "Missing my Angel".

The next 3 come from My Cute Graphics.

But I aLwaYs find the best buttons at Shabby Blogs. There are many more where these came from.

Happy Blogging!
Lilly J

Free 'I lOvE ComMenTs' Buttons...

2011-02-11T06:09:00.000-08:00

Click Here to find these butttons and more on Blogaholic.

Free Paint Sample from Valspar

2011-02-04T06:13:00.001-08:00

Just posted on HappyDotMom a link for free paint from Valspar!

New Buttons on "The Cutest Blog on the Block"

2011-02-01T17:51:00.000-08:00

Go Here to find LOTs more :)

Happy Blogging
-Lilly J

Free Blog Buttons for your Sidebar..Blogger or Other

2011-01-24T08:14:00.000-08:00

Go to Oh Hello Friend to get these cute Email me Buttons for Free! Just Click Here.

And then go Here to Just Something I Made to find some colorful (and Free!) Email Me buttons for your sidebar.

And if you are looking for a whole list of buttons (about me, email me, sponsor, contact, twitter, facebook, etsy... I could go on and on) then go Here. They are all in black and white so they all look great together. And the are all FREE, of course.

Happy Blogging!

-Lilly J

Free Buttons!!

2011-01-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends! I was just on I'm Clothed Much and totally impressed with Elaine and her blog. She has a fabulous writing style and super cute clothing ideas... not to mention tons of blogging ideas. She rocks and she offers FREE BUTTONS ... note: they lead to her blog, which is such a fun blog.

We need a Blog of Inspiration STAT!

And Remember! Tomorrow is the last day to enter HappyDotMom's Giveaway!

Art Print Giveaway

2011-01-10T06:35:00.000-08:00

Check out the giveaway on HappyDotMom! Hurry... it ends on Monday.

Happy New Blog

2011-01-05T13:14:00.000-08:00

Hope your New Year has been as motivating as mine has!! This time of year is just PerFeCt for setting goals and making big changes. And if you are searching for something to change why don't you change the look of your blog? I found a new blog today that has free blog backgrounds and a free buttons and blinkies. It's called:

Go Here to check it out!

Happy Blogging

-Lilly J

Don't Leave Them Hanging: Product Review, Little Looster

2010-12-15T06:53:00.000-08:00

Hello All! A few weeks ago I was contacted by Monica at Little Looster and asked to do a review of her product the Little Looster Potty Stool.

Truthfully, I was hesitant to consent because I do not currently have a POBOX and we all know that it is unsafe to give out your home address. After doing some research I found it to be a legit company and was excited to contact her to start the review.

Monica is a mother and I love her story about how this product came about:

"My husband, Phil was tired of hearing me complain about having 3 stools under our toilet in order to give our little ones any sense of comfort or confidence. I dreamed of my "wrap-around" ultimate stool often. Finally one day, Phil, sat me down in our living room with cardboard, tape and an exacto-knife and basically told me to put my money where my mouth was."

How great that she had her husbands support! She is already a success if she has that kind of love and support :)

The product came quickly and professionally packaged. I took a picture of my 4 yr old and 2 yr old using it. (But it really is just for one child at a time. lol) I love that it can stay by the toilet and doesn't need to be moved around. I love the rubber on the bottom that keeps the stool from sliding. And I love how easy it is to wipe clean. It is a hefty solid stool and has worked so nicely in our bathroom.

If you have a small child I would highly recommend you purchase this stool. It is much more useful than those small potties that need to be cleaned out!!

Check out this link if you want more information:
http://www.buyloosterbooster.com/

I just loved having a chance to do a product review. What have your experiences been with product reviews?

PS: Did you see that I'm a new member of Amazon Associates? Has any one else tried Amazon Associates?

Free Photo Editing to Make Your Own Header!!!

2010-12-06T07:10:00.000-08:00

You know how much I love picnik.com... I make all my headers and buttons on picnik.com. It's free!! It does not install any programs on my computer!! I just upload my photo and get to work!!! Want to see a few:

The site is very user friendly... but if you feel like you need someone to walk you through it go here... this lady's tutorial is right on :)

Wouldn't it be great if picnik.com knew how much I advertised for them and they paid me?

Make Your Own Wreath for $5

2010-12-04T13:06:00.000-08:00

Go to HappydotMom for the tutorial :) Have a great weekend!

Is it Worth it to Advertise on Your Blog?

2010-12-03T18:52:00.000-08:00

Have you considered putting ads on your blog?

What stops you?

I've been meaning to use Google Ads for quite some time... but I just kept putting it off. I was sure that I wouldn't get enough traffic to make it worth it.

But now I am in the application process and will be happy to report back to you whether or not I think it is worth it.

I am very curious if you have used ads on your site!! Tell us what you wish you would have known before you got started.

Little Looster

2010-11-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

Hope ya'll had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I was contacted by Monica at The Little Looster

in which she told me about her ~~invention, product~~, bAbY The Little Looster.

This stool is so perfect for potty training and I can't wait to try mine out!

My two year old is almost ready :)

Watch the comerical above and check out the link below!

Happy Holidays!

Lilly J

http://www.buyloosterbooster.com/

christmas shopping

2010-11-23T16:01:00.000-08:00

Hello! Here I am thinking about the holidays and all that is coming. Tomorrow the kids and I will get out the Christmas decorations and I'm sure in time I will be wondering what gifts to give friends and family. As far as shopping goes I do have a discount to share: Whistle Bird Collage has a discount exclusively for readers of this blog!

Take 10% off at check out with the coupon code: 2010CHRISTMAS

And most items already have Free Shipping and Free Gift Wrap for a limited time.

Go Here to visit the etsy shop and see if you can get any of your shopping done early :)

Do you have a shop or product you would to advertise on i love the way she blogs? Email me at ilovethewaysheblogs@gmail.com

How to change the color, font or image of Blogger Pages

2010-10-12T06:54:00.000-07:00

Since my last post on Pages I've received a few more questions that I would like to address.
Shari Winterstein said...
Wow - that sure was a huge help! I'm a new blogger and I've been trying to figure this out for a month. I also have a question - when I finished putting the pages links in they came in in red and I want them to be white. Can a person change the color of the print? Thanks for your help!

Yes Shari, a person sure can change the color and it's not even hard :)

start at your BLOGGER DASHBOARD
then hit DESIGN
then BLOGGER TEMPLATE DESIGNER
then ADVANCED

From there you will see a whole list of text that you can change the font and color and size of. To change the Pages Tabs you will hit the TAB TEXT option. On the same screen you will also see a preview of what will be changed on your blog if you hit APPLY TO BLOG (orange button in top corner).

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

Daniela said...

People do have direct links now and I just can't figure it out. Let me know if you do. I hate that you have to click on the tab and then click again to take you where you need to go.

And my reply was this:
I should have mentioned this earlier! If you are interested in making direct links you can use a LINK LIST in place of PAGES.

just go to EDIT LAYOUT
ADD A GADGET
add LINK LIST

and create your list from there, you can then move the list around to a location you like. The new gadget will just be on your sidebar at first, but you can drag it to the location you want; the most popular places are under or over the header, of course.

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

NL10 said...

I just want to know how to add an image as your tab, I've seen it before but...

This is a little trickier, actually it's a lot trickier, but I've done it before. You will need to create a button for each tab you want. For example I want a small icon of a home to be my home tab so I create a button using the instructions here. I will create all the buttons I want and then put them into one HTML WIDGET that I will drag to the position just below my header. whew... it's a lot of work, but can be done!!

Happy Blogging!

-Lilly J

Blogs of Inspiration: The Daily Grapefruit

2010-09-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

I have been reading a quiet little blog for the last year and savoring every morsel of it.

This blog has been a refuge and an inspiration to me personally

and I think it's high time I shared it with you!

The Daily Grapefruit
is a beautiful example of an uplifting mommy blog.
Becca posts about her life as mother of four, a photographer and a cook. If you become hooked to her blog, as I have, then soon you will be asking yourself,
"What would Grapefruit think of this?"

Continue on to read my interview with this inspiring blogger.
And click here to find my all time favorite post of hers.

What inspired you to start blogging about your life as a mother? Have you set a goal for your blog? If so, what is it?

I was sort of an anti-blogger for a long time. I'm pretty private, so I'm not sure I understood the need to post my life for the entire world to see. My sister-in-law, who knew I loved journaling and photography, kept pressuring me to start one. So, in an effort to get her off my back and keep the in-law peace, I finally consented! Even though every post made me feel like I'd just flashed my stretch marks to the whole world, I was instantly hooked and couldn't believe I'd waited so long to start. It's such a great outlet for me as well as a connecting thread between me and my family. And, already, it has become a treasured record of my family's life.

My biggest goal for my blog is to record my thoughts as a mother for my kids to read at some point. I guess that also includes my thoughts as a wannabe chef, since that is such a huge part of my life. But, as my sister is constantly reminding me, my kids will never have the time to sit down and read all 5 million pages of my life. So. I also blog to connect with other women. Some posts are extremely personal for me, and are difficult to put out there. But I find other women really respond to my honesty and, in turn, validate me. And that makes my vulnerability worth the pain.

What mistakes do you think new mommy bloggers tend to make?I can't really speak for others, as I make plenty of mistakes myself. But I think the best advice is to have fun. Be real. Be yourself. Write about what inspires you. And, most importantly, master that pound-shedding feature in Photoshop. Honestly, so many women feel so insecure when it comes to blogging. I'm not a professional photographer. I'm a horrible writer. I have no idea what to say. I'm not funny. Or creative. Or, or, or... Just go for it. Decide who your audience is, which will help immensely. Don't copy someone else's style. Stick to your guts. Be authentic. You won't regret it and your kids will (hopefully) thank you, someday, after they've resurfaced from the teen years...

Have you ever regretted a post? If so, why? And what did you do about it after the fact?
Haven't we all experienced blogger's remorse? I hope I'm not the only blogger out there who's been embarrassed a time. Or two. Or three. Or four... After a post has settled in, sometimes I go back and realize that my kids might feel embarrassed, or ashamed, or singled out, by what I'd written. If so, I just remove it. That is not the point of my blog. I only want to post things that I feel sure won't cause any hard feelings at some point in the future.

Do you have certain guidelines for yourself about what you will and will not post?Definitely. I really try to focus on the positive moments of my daily life. I also want to be real so that my readers (and my children) can see that life is not a fairytale. Some days are a real struggle. But you can always find joy. Always. I want my blog to be a place that other women can come and feel validated, but also, encouraged to relish our great role as women. And cooks! (I know. Not really related. But trust me, womanhood and food are more connected than you think! At least, it sure felt like it last night when I was crying on the couch over a fight with my daughter while shoveling a bag of potato chips down my throat at the same time...)

Which bloggers have inspired you?

Honestly, I don't have much time to read too many non-family, non-friend blogs. I know there are so many out there! One of my favorite food blogs is Orangette (http://www.orangette.blogspot.com/), by Molly Wizenberg. I really loved her book, A Homemade Life. I also wish I could take photos (and cook!) like La Tartine Gourmande (http://www.latartinegourmande.com/). And David Lebovitz (www.davidlebovitz.com/) is always a great read as well.

In what ways do you think your life has changed since you've started to blog?

I am more connected with my parents. My siblings. My friends. My husband. And women all over the country. Blogging heightens my awareness of the immense beauty found in ordinary life and helps to realign my perspective. And, most importantly, it (sometimes) gets me out of doing the dishes. Oh, honey, I'd love to help, you know I would, but I've really got to finish that post...

*all photos in this post come from dailygrapefruit.com *

Find out who reads your blog!

2010-09-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

How do you keep track of your blogs traffic?

Do you wonder who reads your blog or how new readers find your blog?

My favorite free blog tracking service is SITEMETER.

I like finding out what key words in google are leading readers to my blog. I have used the free service for a few years and have found it to be easy to install and navigate.

But you know what is even easier?? Blogger has added a STATS tab to their dashboard.

Click on STATS to find out:

how many readers come to your blog each day
where your readers come from
what your most popular posts are
what sites refer readers to your blog

and much more

Happy Blogging!

Lilly J

Using the new Template Designer

2010-09-13T05:17:00.000-07:00

I found a great site that explains how to Personalize the new Template Designer.

Click Here: Great Tutorial!

The New(ish) Way to Add a 3rd Column to Blogger

2010-09-10T08:02:00.000-07:00

This one's for you Eleanor

If you are not comfortable with changing your html to make your own 3rd column, then you will be happy to know that there is a faster and easier way to add a 3rd column (or 4th if you want it) to your blog. Blogger now has a DESIGN section on the dashboard that allows you to make some drastic changes that were not offered before.

And remember, you can preview as you go so there is no reason to worry about making changes and then not liking them once you see them live.

Here is the step by step

from your dashboard click DESIGN

then NEW TEMPLATE DESIGNER

Here you will find a world of options for your blog. You can pick and try as many as you want and none of them will change your blog until you hit APPLY TO BLOG.

(as a matter of fact I am playing with changes for my blog in the next window)

Now back to the 3rd column:

Go to LAYOUT

and here you will see many options for changing the look of your blog.

So go ahead. Try it out. Let me know how it went ;)

Happy Blogging

Lilly J

Welcome back to ilovethewaysheblogs!

2010-09-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

I Love the Way She Blogs is back from a long hiatus!

We have had a pretty busy summer:

helping our friends sell their house
buying our own house
kids finishing school
moving to a new state
teaching the kids to say "yes mam" (as required by the new state :)
two family weddings on the other side of the country
starting school again
and home renovations!

But truthfully, the reason for the hiatus was that I was more than annoyed with Blogger. Sometimes I find their site SO frustrating, because certain features (like photo uploads) will just stop working.

I know I'm not the only one.

So, I am curious which version of Blogger my readers are currently using. Are you using the update in BLOGGER IN DRAFT? Or have you stuck to the trusty ORIGINAL BLOGGER?

Let me know what is working for you! Leave a comment or take the poll on the right sidebar.

It feels good to be back.

Expect more posts to come.

Here is a picture of our renovation room. I will post some 'afters' in the weeks to come... should we ever finish!

More on Blogger in Draft and a New Site to check out

2010-03-27T16:29:00.000-07:00

So I see a few of you have tried BLOGGER IN DRAFT, which is basically a test site for Blogger. Blogger in Draft seems to have a lot of improvements from the older Blogger site.

THANK HEAVENS!

With Blogger in Draft you can:

easily add captions to your pictures

spell check (some of us missed that)

add video

add a location to each post

and most importantly UPDATE THE LOOK OF YOUR BLOG

I would love to see your new designs!! Please comment here with a link of your blog so we can all see what you've accomplished with Blogger in Draft.

Using 3rd party background images is still allowed.

And if you are looking for a new site try the one below:

The Biggest News in all of Blogland!!!!

2010-03-26T06:22:00.000-07:00

Blogger has FINALLY undated their blog design options! Now you will not need a third party to update and change your blog. You will not need to know HTML! You can make the changes on your own.

I'm freaking out a bit... this is big! So check out this new blog from Blogger that explains it all!

Blogger in Draft

more to come...