Build a better blog day 4-spotlight on bloggers I admire

Day 4 task for the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge is to analyze a top blog in your blogging niche.

So, I thought hard about blogs on my reading list that are bigger, more successful- that have a good size audience and have sponsors or ads on their site. Two that came to mind are;

1) Spirit Bee

I enjoy Spirit Bee because her blog is a friendly, cheerful place. Bright colors, whimsical fonts and a cute theme cleverly tied together. Her faith is evident and forefront in her writing and sharing. Spirit Bee has been blogging many years- this makes her special, I've read that most blogs are abandoned before they are 2 years old.

She blogs in a natural way about her world, parenting/family are top subjects- and homeschooling is right up there with a huge, healthy amount of posts. Ahh- there's a lesson for me, if you consider yourself a homeschool blogger, then post about homeschooling. Aha!

I noticed also, that Spirit Bee is very generous with mentions, blogroll and that she does a bit of guest posting around- she has a post up at Blog Her right now- My Early Homeschool Journey

Go on over and visit, you know you want to... go on, I'll wait till you get back...

2) Meg at Tuckers Take Tennessee

Another blog I added to my favorite's list- and when this assignment came up, I thought of her, but could not remember the name of her blog. I gave a shout-out on twitter, looking for the pretty, blond, Southern homeschool blogger who had a welcome video on her sidebar.

Her site is very pleasing to look at, very well organized with many drop down menus. It is easy to navigate. Her welcome video caught my attention right away, it's a bit different- and her personality, sweet and memorable- was evident on it.

She has been blogging a little more than a year, and already has quite a following. She hasn't blogged about homeschooling much, yet- her children are still young. She has many giveaways, guest posters, reviews and crafts. There is a lot of interesting content for moms here. She also has started up a few Christian Women groups and memes. She is a busy, fun person- and shares her knowledge freely, as evident by the several, detailed tutorials on her site.

Her blog is a fun, bright place and her faith is also very evident, through her posts, memes, and Bible verses she shares about. Go visit Meg, too- you'll have fun. Promise.

If you can think of successful bloggers in my niche of family & homeschooling, please share in the comments!

Homeschool moms always... A list

31 Days to Build a Better Blog Day 2-

Day 2 Challenge: Write a list post.

I felt a little under pressure for time, so I went with a funny list. I did this type of list once before, early on in my blog career. You simply come up with a fun starting sentence, google it, and write down all the answers that make sense or are printable. My very first list was a "Jennifer should..." list, and it was fun to write.

Homeschool Moms always... (a google list)

1. Homeschool moms always have a special camaraderie.
Except when discussing charter schools, Harry Potter, Halloween, t.v. or unschooling-then it's take no prisoners time...

2. Homeschool moms always will continue to help.

3. Homeschool moms always will be notified when I post new things.
Subscribe to my blog! look on the sidebar!!

4. Homeschool moms always are a highlight of each week. To the librarian.

5. Homeschool moms always realize the great privilege of teaching their children. Except when we want to run far, far away. But then we come back/are talked down or have some chocolate and we are good to go...Or when the Dentist asks them which month they were born and they reply that we didn't learn that...!

6. Homeschool moms were not always as political as today. Bless our hearts.

7. Homeschool mom always need a good source for free printables and worksheets.
And a hiding place.

8. Homeschool moms always try to schedule a little something.
To take to our hiding place...

9. Homeschool moms always refer to this hour as their 'lifeline'
This is the time after school-work is done, when we put our feet up, go to our hiding place and have our little something, which might or might not be a Mike's hard lemonade, the official drink of the Well-Trained Mind homeschool boards.
It really is.
I haven't had one though.
Yet.

10. Homeschool moms say there is always tomorrow.
Because there is always one more resource, one more craft, one more field-trip, one more connection and one more memory to make!

31 Days to a better blog- Day 1

When I first ran across Pro-Blogger's e-book: 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, I knew I wanted to do it. At the time, I knew I was a little too busy. I also knew that I tend to start things and not finish them. It's a Jen thing.... So, when I found out that the SITS forum over at Blog Frog was forming a group to work through the book together- I was totally in! (though I bought the book and linked up on the start day..-it's a Jen thing...)

(If you want to join up, I think you still can- click on over, Pro-Blogger is even giving a discount to the group!)

Day 1 Challenge:

Write your elevator pitch:

It was suggested that you might consider putting your elevator pitch on your business card...so after much debating, writing and scratching out- I came up with this:

Home is Where You Start From - finding the sweet spot in learning.

The assignment also suggested a longer elevator pitch, which really took some work on my part. -I'm sharing that part over at the SITS forum.

I enjoyed the stretching this assignment gave me. I was really challenged to think about the goals I have for my blog, the reasons I re-visit other blogs, and which direction I want to take my little spot on the internet. I also had to think about the sort of posts I've been writing and how they meet or do not meet my goals.

Thank you SITS and Blog Frog for giving me the push and encouragement to tackle this project!