Sitting here, sippin' tea and thinking about what I want to do with this blog in the New Year.
I've wondered if my title has been misleading to some of those who have Googled home school blogs, only to find that I don't write exclusively about home schooling. So, I have some questions for those of you who read my blog regularly. Eh, feel free to jump in if you are new! Would you be so kind as to leave me a comment or two? Even if your name is Cindy Lou? (Dr. Seuss is leaving the building now.) Some guidance for this less than a year-old blog would be welcomed. I'll pose some questions to get ya started, but feel free to toss in some extra thoughts/tips. I will take all that I can get. Your opinion matters a lot to me. After all, if you are going to take precious time out of your day to read my musings, then I think you should have a say here. ;) So, whatcha wanna read about?
Do any of these ideas sound fun/good/bad/weird/amazing?
1. Random product reviews (home school/beauty/toys/books/misc. categories)
2. Devotional writings
3. Recipes (These would be gluten free, and posted when I am well enough to eat what I bake. Otherwise, you'll get the musings of a grumpy chef.)
4. Should I try harder to enhance my photos, or are you okay with the fact that I sometimes take the lazy way out and just post them in the rough stages? What kinds of photos would you like to see more/less? Do I post too many, or not enough?
5. Too much sarcasm? Not enough? More? Okay...more then. ;)
6. Do I post enough home school stuff to qualify as a true home school blogger?
7. Do you like cats? No? Why are you on here? (Just kidding...sort of...)
8. What is your favorite post thus far?
9. Do you like giveaways? Contests? Prizes? Or is that gimmicky?
10. If you could choose one thing for me to post about, what would it be?
*Thank you for understanding that I still have NO IDEA what I am doing.
There are my top ten questions and ideas to get you started. I'd like to apologize for not sticking to a tight blogging schedule. This is something that I am unable to fix. Most of you know that I struggle with health issues, so I am only able to post when my health allows. This bums me out because I LOVE connecting with my blogging buddies, and I enjoy writing, but something has to give when I'm in a flair-up. BOo. I know. :(
Okay, back to happy things. :) I have adored each and every one of my readers. I am positively giddy over the fact that I have a consistent international audience. It boggles my mind to think that people are reading my randomness all over the world! Please feel free to leave a comment if you are outside of the U.S. I would love to know more about you. Heck! Leave a comment if you are my next door neighbor. I think you all rock!
I hope this year blesses the socks right off your feet!
Happy 2012!!!
Cheering you on & checking the fuel gauge,
Layla
1) I like product reviews
ReplyDelete2) Devotions are good :)
3) Recipes are good! I've cut way back on grains, and found that I can tolerate dairy much better now...
4) Don't bother enhancing unless you just enjoy it.
5) More sarcasm please!!
6) You could post more home school stuff, but I'm not complaining.
7) I love cats!
8) I really liked your post about My Father's World back in August... While I don't think I'll be using them, at least not next year, I love knowing about great companies!
9) Doesn't everyone like giveaways? I've yet to win one, so go for it!!
10) I've only been reading for a few months, so you may have covered it, but I'd love to hear what a typical school day/week/month is like. I will be homeschooling my oldest daughter next year (4th grade), and I just want to see how other people do it.
1. I'm not personally a big fan of reviews; I generally skip right past such posts when I'm on my Reader. Every once in a while, I'll read one, but not often.
ReplyDelete2. Devotional writings - yes, please. :^)
3. Recipes - Not particularly, whether gluten-free or otherwise. I have my own health issues so I am picky about what I cook, too. Therefore, I don't experiment with random recipes online much.
4. Your photos are just fine - great even because they're usually so funny. :^)
5. LOVE the sarcasm! That's why I nominated you as Funniest Blog this year!
6. Do I post enough home school stuff to qualify as a true home school blogger? Yes. Homeschool blogs don't have to be only about lessons. After all, all of life is learning...so pretty much anything goes on a homeschool mom's blog. At least that's what I tell myself 'cause my blog is rather eclectic, too. :^)
7. LOVE cats!!
8. What is your favorite post thus far? Not sure - but I've loved a lot of them.
9. Do you like giveaways? Contests? Prizes? Or is that gimmicky? Don't mind them. I read them often and sometimes enter. I read those more th an I do reviews. :^)
10. If you could choose one thing for me to post about, what would it be? Hmm...maybe more specific about your health concerns if you feel comfortable. I think it could really minister to people.
Other advice: Just keep at it as you are...and don't try to be some kind of "perfect blogger." There is no such thing. If you just blog as who you really are, you'll gain an audience "by osmosis." If, on the other hand, you somehow aim to "build an audience," that becomes inauthentic and, thus, uninteresting. :^)
Hey lady I love your blog! And not just because I love you! I will answer your questions.
ReplyDelete1. If you are reviewing something about home school I would love it, but otherwise I hate product reviews. I don't read the other blogs I follow when they post a product review.
2. Devotional writings would be great, I love your other blog where you write from your heart stories about you and your Father!
3. Recipes for gluten free would be wonderful. There aren't enough gluten free recipes out there. Especially those you know have been tested by someone you trust. There are lots of people like you that can't have gluten.
4.I don't think that your pictures should be edited, unless you really like doing it. everyone loves a picture. I would say include a pic if you can on most posts.
5. I love your sarcastic tone on your blog! It makes you you!
6. Don't really know the answer to that but I would love to know more about your home school, but that is just me :)
7. Only if Tigers count!
8. I loved the one where you just wrote down your thoughts, it was very creative as a writer. You are so funny! I also love it when you stand for someone on your blog and send us to other great people.
9. I love contests if I don't have to jump through many hoops to enter.
10. I would love to see how God gives you motivation when you are sick and how you keep on trekking through the pain. So many people out there in pain just need to know how to move through it and you would know all about that. You are a great writer and I think you reach and inspire many people. I know you inspire me, remember to let God guide your writing as I know that you will!
Layla, I love your blog.
ReplyDeleteI do reviews for my blog and enjoy it. I read some reviews, if the product sounds interesting.
I don't like contests (because I never win. ;) )
I never read recipes. Sorry.
Love the sarcasm and the photos as they are.
Your blog counts as a homeschool blog, because YOU are a homeschooler. It doesn't have to be all about that specifically.
Just be you. I love the articles where you are REAL with messy house and tight budget and dreams that aren't exactly being fulfilled.
I also like the Just Write posts. Contributing to those on a more regular basis would be my only request.
Hugs to you. Love the blog as it is. Don't change too much.
Brooke, I too have found that I now tolerate milk! That happened after I took out gluten. Interesting. As far as enhancing photos, I don't enjoy it. LOL I have no idea what I am doing half the time, and it shocks me when I actually get them to show up on my blog. (Yay, you like cats!) I actually received a lot of good and not so good feed-back on my Shurley English review. The "bad" wasn't directed at me, but apparently some people don't like Shurley English. (Imagine that?) I plan on doing an update for that review. So, thank you for putting in your two cents, as it brought that back to my attention. :) It's also funny that you asked about my typical homeschool day. I wrote a silly mock-up as my first post, but I never went back with the real deal. Hummm...guess I should have done that. Congrats on your upcoming homeschool adventure! I think that you will find it to be the biggest blessing imaginable, with some challenges and adventures thrown in. I'll be looking forward to your posts on that. :) Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions. God bless!
ReplyDeleteTina, thank you for commenting! You have such an amazing blog, that I feel like I have much to learn from you. ;) Mine will never be as organized. I feel like I know you since we are Facebook friends. :) I have had more "yes" answers to the "review" question, so I may decide to post them once a month, making them short and sweet. Perhaps that wouldn't be too much? I would be okay with writing about my health issues. I have feared boring my readers with that, but if you think they might be interested, then I'll write that post. I won't be adding a recipe section to my blog. Let's face it, I am too lazy to stay committed to that! LOL I might throw one in here or there, just to give a shout out to my gluten free friends. I wouldn't expect to see a lot of recipes though. :) Just trying to get a feel for what people like to read about. I am RELIEVED to know that I write enough to qualify as a homeschool blogger. That was one of my biggest worries. Homeschool encompasses my life as much as everything else, I just don't want to write about it ALL the time. I plan on being myself (thank you for encouraging me to do that), so be assured there will be a steady stream of sarcasm. P.S. Thank you for nominating me for that contest! It was SO MUCH FUN!!! *Cats RULE, dogs DROOL!*
ReplyDeleteBrownie, what can I say...I am so blessed to know you IN PERSON! I luv you too! I am finding it funny how people are so split about product/book reviews. Those are actually some of my favorite things to read. :) If I write them, I'll do my best not to annoy people. LOL (That would be a first.) I appreciate that you read my other blog. I think you are the only one, but if that's so...yay! I love that you do. <3 It means a lot to me. I do find it much easier to write about something I stand for (you can probably tell). It flows better than just writing about my day. I do want to keep this blog even. Some lighter posts, some heavier. I totally agree about having pics on every post. I was shocked to see how many more "hits" I got on my other site when I did that. (Though I get far less hits there than I do here.) I think you dished out the best advice when you said to let God lead. You are truly an inspiration, sister. You really are. (And tigers totally count.) P.S. I hate jumping through giveaway hoops. If I do any more, I won't make people do all of that jumping. ;)
ReplyDeleteCrafty Cristy, you have become a fast friend. :) I love your reviews...LOVE THEM!!! How about I do some giveaways where everyone is a winner? Let me think about what I can do with that. ;) It's okay if you never read recipes, not everyone likes the same things. I am seeing a 50/50 split in the opinions of publishing recipes. Interesting, indeed. The reason why I post pics of my house/mess, letting you in on the imperfections, is to assure my readers that you don't have to be the perfect housekeeper/organizer/life manager to homeschool. Anyone who is called to do it CAN do it! And I hope that it makes you feel more at home here. :) Thank you for the encouragement to continue the Just Write posts. I LOVE doing those! I can go crazy nuts and nobody seems to mind. I definitely plan on liking up more posts with Heather (at the E.O.) I promise to both listen to my viewers, while staying my old crazy self. (((HUGS))) right back at ya!
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