Summer classes

I'm so excited to be getting a schedule down this summer and get myself back into blogging. I love blogging.. keeping memories and randomly writing thoughts.

Well I guess summer time is the time of challenges and classes because I have found a couple that go hand in hand and I am over the moon about it!

I've been struggling with my blogging because I just want to post pictures and let them do the talking..but there is so much more than just a picture..there is a story behind it.

If you come to my house and look through my pictures I will tell you what happened while I was taking the picture..what happened after...yadda yadda.. you would probably get bored with me quick...
but..i don't do that on my blog.. why? I don't know!

I guess I feel like I can't get what I want to say from my brain to the keyboard and make it sound interesting enough for you all to want to read it.

I wrote a post earlier about a Free 8 week class that I am taking with Kristen called "Find your Voice" ...and now I have found a cute challenge by Becky at From Mrs to Mama called 52 weeks of blogging with a purpose.

Find Your Voice is about finding your storytelling voice. We are awesome people with amazing stories, so this summer we’re going to work together to find the most genuine and authentic way for you to tell those stories.
We’ll be telling stories through pictures, photographs, social media, prose, and more. The only thing you need is a willingness to become the author of your own story and the courage to step outside of your comfort zone.

52 Weeks of blogging with a purpose is more of a free blog challenge. Becky has made a list of 52 topics and every Monday she will post one. With that topic you can do what you want with it. Take pictures..write....go whichever direction you want to go..you can go...

So all in all both of these classes will help me tremendously with my writing.. and my storytelling!
I'm super excited to get started because both of them have link ups so you can see other's storytelling skills!

This summer is going to be exciting...for this mama...I am finally carving out time for me...to write!

Do you have any plans for YOU this summer?

The Importance of your "About Me" page

I have been blogging for a while..but haven't really took it seriously until here recently. I have been trying to familiarize myself with "bloggy" terms and etiquette. Yes..blogging is its own little world..in fact..they call it the "BLOGOSHPERE"

I love looking at other blogs..I love reading what people have to say and what is going on in their lives at the moment. I have noticed that when I stumble upon a new blog..the first thing I do is go to their "About Me" page.

So for those of you who haven't been blogging long..I thought I would tell you of

The Importance of your About Me page

Lani Roasales is a blogger for realtors at AgentGenius.com and I love her quote:

A frequent offense we witness with bloggers is an outdated, useless, lame or ugly "about" page. When people visit websites, a shortcut for them getting to know you is to click on your "about" button, so this is your opportunity to capture them...It is like a handshake at a party

Lani has also made a list of Do's and Don'ts for your About page..so this is her list in "Nikki's version"

The Basics of your About Me page should include:

1. a picture of yourself..it puts a face with the name
2. an overview of what your blog is about...I like to read crafty, mom, organizing blogs..with a little bit of science and news blog..so when I visit a blog if it is listed as any of those..it is probably going on my read list..not that other blogs are bad..just my preference..this is also a place to tell how you are different from every other blog out there..list your niche..your "why" you blog.
3. contact info..if you write an awesome post..someone might want you to guest blog..there are so many different comment plug ins now and captcha's *where you have to type in the word from the box* that comments can get lost or never seen..so prominantly display your email. If you are worried about spam use the blogger way such as: nbrewer24ATliveDOTcom If they aren't a robot most people will know that AT means @ and DOT means .
4. interesting info about yourself...there is alot to you..so what you list about you could be a mile long..just make sure it is funny or interesting..
5. tell us your goals.. short or long term..about your blog or life *if it relates to your blog*...or just goals for your About page (to introduce yourself or encourage contact)
6. tell whether you are or are not interested in PR or marketing...there is an opportunity to make money with your blog..many ways which is a whole other post..but if you are interested list what you are or are not interested in...reviews, giveaways, etc so if a marketer visits your blog they can quickly tell if you are a fit for their product or if you are not interested at all.

What your About Me page should NOT include:

1. Your list of 100 things...to long.. to much to read...you might be able to get away with 25 if and only if they are very interesting
2. your life history from birth til now..sorry..but I don't care..I want to know what your life is like now and if you have a life that I can relate with..unless your history directly relates to your blog such as you were pecked in the ear at the age of 6 and now you write a blog for the deaf..other than that.. get to the here and now
3. irrelevant info...in other words..KISS...Keep It Short and Simple

Additional info you could add:

1. Purpose of establing yourself in your niche... are you a artsy craftsy blog, a food blog, a fitness blog, a mommy blog.. you could put in links to other sites you have written for just to establish your area of interest
2. purpose of wanting to speak at conferences ...there are many many blog conferences ...here is a place where you can give your resume and tell why you are interested in speaking
3. purpose of wanting a sponsor to go to an event.. if you want to go to an event that is related to your blog such as a conference you can ask for sponsors to defray your costs..you of course want to reach out to individual businesses with a customized request but it wouldn't hurt to list it here as well..just be exact in what you are looking for and what their sponsorship would do
4. purpose of wanting to work with marketers..do you want to host give away, review products..google disclosure policies and get you one..list it here..and put what products you would be interested in reviewing or giving away.. let them know your traffic and readers..such as you have a readership of mothers of chidlren under two...you don't have to give specific numbers...generalizations should be good as long as you give enough info.

There you go!
If you are a visual person like myself..then I suggest you go to google or bing ...or even your reader if you are already following blogs you like and look at their about me pages to get inspiration.

Hope this helped someone...Now I have to go take a look at my about me page and make sure it is up to speed! So don't use mine for inspiration!!

You're My Cuppy Cake..

This post used to the "About the Blog" page.
I have changed and changed my blog to try to find something that is me and what I like.
So I'm not gonna say this is IT..cause i have no clue..it might all change again.
Change is good..it keeps me on my toes!

But this is the story behind You're My Cuppy Cake...

You're My Cuppy Cake..







This brings back so many memories for me. It might not make any sense to you but here lately I have found out that (not being mean) ..I am not blogging for everyone else...I am blogging for ME!






So this title has alot to do with ME!






When my daughter was six weeks old...I had to go back to work. I worked at a preschool. She could have came with me...but working there for four years at the time I knew that she would be sick..and diaper rashes...she would have to wait to be fed. I just couldn't handle the thought of my angel not being taken care of like an angel.






Because first all you have to know that she IS my angel. Ever since I was a little girl..I never planned my wedding...I never thought of who I was going to marry...I wanted to be a momma! (and a teacher..but mainly a momma)






If you have the time..read my miscarriage story. Just knowing that I had a miscarriage lets you understand why my daugher is my angel...but when you have a miscarriage you feel like you are the only one that has ever gone through something like that and it is good to know that you aren't alone.






My mother told me to bring my daughter to her because she didn't want her to go to the preschool either while she was still little. So Thank God for my momma ..she watched my daughter until she was 10 months old. We have only had two ear infections and one virus! That is amazing!






While I was at work ..I thought about how she was doing...I hope I don't miss anything cute. I gave my mom my videocamera and told her to record EVERYTHING!






Everyday when I got off work I would call the minute I stepped out the door to tell mom that I was on my way and to see how everything went that day..what adventures had happened.






My ringtone on my mom's phone when I called was ....Your my cuppy cake, gumdrop, snookums bookums, You are the apple of my eye...


If you haven't heard that song .....it is the sweetest song ever!






Even at her young young age...my daughter figured out that when that song played on Grandma's phone...it was her momma! So if they were trying to lay down for a nap and I called....she was up! Then when she got older...and I called she started grabbing for the phone to talk to me.






It is amazing to me that even at a minute old...babies know who loves them!






So my Blog name is strictly something that is memorable to me..it is thought provoking to me...it inspires me to write about how life is like while my daughter is young.






I want this to be a record of her life. What she did...What she likes...






I want her to know that her dad and I never walked out of her room until we knew that she was fully asleep in her crib...we would stand there with our backs hunched over patting her little back to make sure that she was comfortable...






I want her to know that we sang her to sleep every night!






I want her to know that her daddy and her danced all the time and laughed until they cried.






I want her to know how big of a girl she is ..even at the age of one! She took up an interest in potty training around 18 months old.






I want her to know that there was not one night of teething or sickeness that she was alone...or that me and her daddy didn't hurt just as bad as she did trying to fix it.






I want her to know that is greatly loved.






I want her to know that above all else she is our priority..






I want her to know that me and her daddy consider ourselves blessed because of her...










I want her to be able to sit down one of these days and dive back into her childhood and see what life was like when she was just a little cuppy cake.