Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts

Thursday, February 28, 2013

A Month in Review: February 2013

 It seems that the year has got off to a running start with hardly a moment to breath, but of course there is always time to blog!  And so if you've been (MIA - missing in action), here's what's been happening on Mel's Mouthful on Mothering



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Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Top Posts: 2012

I am grateful for all of you who visit and comment on this blog. As a form of creative expression, connecting with an online community and keeping family members updated - this really is a very rewarding place to be. And as this is the end of 2012, it is only fitting that I post about my most popular posts this year. It's always interesting to see what my readers enjoy the most.

Most popular posts for 2012









So there you have it, a real mish-mash group of topics.
My conclusion: that there are numerous wannabee Chinese speakers who are dreaming of being a rock star and believe the freedom of homeschooling without stress will allow them to tour the world, while writing about their experiences of tasting escargot. climbing Table Mountain and dreaming big.
singing Chinese boy
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Sunday, September 30, 2012

Jesus and Jeff

I love bloggers, because they are people like me, who find their creative outlet in words.  Imperfect beings but putting it out there for others to enjoy, learn from or chat to.  Here's a new blogger, in fact someone I know personally - a man who wants to share his passion about Jesus and some of the insights he has gained through life.  Why not pop over there today and show him some blogger lovin'  - make a comment, even if you don't agree.  We bloggers are sensitive souls and love to know that someone out there in the big world wide web is reading what we write and that it's meaningful.

I especially found his article on An Attitude of Thankfulness thought provoking and touching.  Here's a small excerpt

Today I was reminded of that time again when one of the women in my church had to move her home in one of the townships.  So a group of us men and women showed up and literally took apart her house and attempted to put back together what I would call a few pieces of scrap wood and metal to call a 'home'.  Once again I had that overwhelming feeling of wanting to take as many of those people living there (especially the children) and settle them in Canada to give them a better hope of a future. Once again I was  overwhelmed also with thankfulness for everything that God has given to me.
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Monday, June 25, 2012

Reasons I love Twitter


I didn't get into this tweeting thing quickly, I Facebook more than I tweet.   Maybe it's because I enjoy looking at everyone's photographs and I understand most of the comments.  Whenever I went to look at my home page in twitter there were all these ###### and @@@ and tinyurl?  And this just looked like a lot of rather random individuals who were swearing comic book style.  Of course, my confusion has lessened (to some degree) and I enjoy reading and following a number of tweeters.


Reasons that I love twitter: 
(because I am a twit I can hear some of you say! Well that could be it but there are far better reasons than that). 

*  It's short and sweet - because comments are limited, you can scan comments really quickly

*  Keeping up to date with my favourite bloggers is a lot easier than getting their latest posts in my inbox.  Normally in their tweet they will mention what their post or article is about and then I can decide if I want to read about it or not. By doing this I avoid cluttering up my inbox.

* I can look up specific subjects and see current trends by the types of conversations people are having which keeps me up to date with current events in South Africa and worldwide.

* I get to practice the art of summary - boy is that hard for someone like me who likes to chat.  140 characters, that's all you allowed (and that includes the spaces between words!) But its immensely rewarding to know that you can!

*It's good for business/blogging/sales/marketing - whatever you are doing, Twitter gives you the platform to announce it to your peers or those interested in what you write about.  And then they spread the word by retweeting it (yep there is such a word but that will be explained on another day) and if you're lucky, it will spread far and wide.

* I don't have endless hours to blog but I can share information that's really useful very quickly, without having to sit down and write a post about it.

* It's on my phone, which make tweeting all the easier!  And I can share photos too.

* I get inspired.  I read articles, I chew on quotes and allow them to speak to my soul, I make friends and I reply randomly to tweets I like.




And if this is your first visit here why not Sign up and make sure that you get each post in your inbox or alternatively follow on the RSS feed.

Why do you love twitter, or have you avoided it as just another social media platform?
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Monday, March 19, 2012

Blog Fast

There may be some of you that would have noticed that I have been absent from my blog for the last 3 weeks.  Shocking I know - how dare I do that to my followers, readers, friends, acquaintances, strangers, dogs, cats and anybody else who I haven't included in that list. 

But I had a question

Why was I doing this?

You may have read my post about how all of this started because I wanted a Kindle.  But then that changed and I just loved just being part of your lives.  

But I did wonder to myself why? 

I often sat up till late at night..... writing, thinking, looking, reading and researching. Who would have thought that blog writing demanded so much time.  But it does. 

So back to the question..... Why?

And while I was considering the answer to this question, I realised that though I love being part of your lives I need to be careful of neglecting mine. Neglecting to sleep and get enough sleep to wake up refreshed.  Making time to read at night or to catch up with my administration.  I found that everything was about stats - what others were writing about - who was reading my articles.  

AND SO I STOPPED!

And you know what?  Though I have had so many thoughts about topics I would like to write, I have loved not working at night, I have loved going to bed early.  I have loved not feeling driven by a self induced external force (not sure if that's possible but basically feeling like I have to write because of everyone who reads my articles)

What I have been doing online is tweeting on Twitter, pinning on Pinterest, faking on Facebook (kidding - but couldn't think of a catchy rhyme) catching up with my friends and trying to catch up with my Mandarin which has been sadly neglected.  

And as for the question of why I am doing this - when you know the answer - please let me know - because I simply love it and cannot think of any other more meaningful reason than that.

I realised that (surprise surprise) the world did not stop turning when I stopped posting
That life is worth more by living, it than writing about it.
None of you will be in any way harmed if I go missing in action now and again.  
Its good to keep perspective, and its good to fast the things that seem to grab a hold of your life.


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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Why I blog?

It all started with a Kindle.  Yes purely materialistic (who would have thought).I had heard of bloggers who were able to buy a Kindle by selling things through their blog and I thought it was the way to go.

I have a wish list of things that I would like to buy and a Kindle, Nook or iPad would definitely be on the top.  All I want to do is be able to read lots and lots of books!  So I decided that I would start a blog so I could also buy a Kindle.

That was almost a year ago and guess what?  I haven't made a cent..... yet:)  I know pathetic isn't it?  But my reasons have changed too.  What has happened instead is that more and more I have realised that my greatest desire is to to honor and to encourage women who embrace the calling of marriage, motherhood, and home management.. Women are the heart of the home, they determine the atmosphere and they are raising the leaders of tomorrow.  

So if I make money - great! And if I get to buy a e-reader, even better - but really it doesn't matter anymore. I just want to make a difference and touch lives.
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Monday, June 20, 2011

Blogging: Decorating your blog


I love playing with backgrounds on my blog. It's the non-graphic-designer-wishing-she-was, that gives me such a thrill to change the way my blog looks. I really don't like having the generic backgrounds that Blogger offer. They are fine for a start, but the more I read blogs (and I read a lot) the more I want it to look more professional or appealing.

To help you along, I found a number of blogger backgrounds which are free.  Its not difficult to do, all you have to do is go to the backend of your blog, add a gadget - the html one - and normally you just have to copy and paste some "web language" into there and it transforms your blog. Why not give it a try. If it doesn't work and you don't like it, then you can remove it afterwards.

Most of them offer plenty of blog backgrounds for free and then there are also some that you pay for, or parts you pay for like blinkies or buttons. The free ones are lovely and are more than sufficient to make your blog look elegant and charming.


Have fun!!
WARNING: Changing blog backgrounds can be a very addictive activity, proceed with care.


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