Lori Seaborg

Transferred Posts from April 2005

This morning I transferred posts from April 2005.  Enjoy the flashbacks!

I'm Giving Away CDs from 3 Popular Artists!

I love it when I have the opportunity to be generous! 

On Just Pure Lovely I'm giving away CDs from two musicians: 

• Harry Connick Jr.
• Jonny Diaz

And on Freely Educate I'm giving away a CD from this artist:

• Joshua Bell (classical violinist)

Just go to those sites to enter! If the post is not at the top of the home page, scroll down or click "giveaways" in the category areas.  The deadlines for all 3 giveaways is October 23rd.

Progress Report

Yesterday I transferred 2004-2005 posts from an old Keeping the Home blog to this one.  You can find the posts through the archives links (right) or through the categories. 

Also, I added a subscribe form to this site (to the right), in case you want future posts to come to your email inbox or in your favorite reader. 

To the far right, you can view my latest Twitter feed and click on the latest posts on my two active blogs, Just Pure Lovely and Freely Educate.

That's all the news for now! I'm off to transfer more posts.

Welcome to My New Home on the Web

After months (a year?), it's starting to look a little bit like a webbie home around here.  Whew.

I'll perk it up a bit more, move a thing here or there, but more than anything, I have a lot of articles and photos to move to this site for storage (and for your reading, if you'd like).  Over the years that I've been blogging here and there, my articles and blog posts and photos have gotten scattered here and there in various places on the internet.  It's time to bring them to one home base, for safe-keeping and so I (you?) can find certain articles easier.

Thank you for being so supportive! 

psst, You can keep up with my current events best at Just Pure Lovely.  Do you educate?  You do, if you're a parent.  If so, visit my everything-is-free blog about education at Freely Educate.

Blogging Basics

Blogging Basics

by Lori Seaborg

Purchased by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, 2005

It seems that everywhere you go, there is someone speaking of blogging and of blogs.  In newspapers, online, and on television, you have been hearing new words like “bloggers” and the “blogosphere.”  There are literally millions of blogs and thousands of new ones are started up daily. 

What Is a Blog?

A blog (or, weblog) is a web page that is frequently updated.  Most blogs are made up of text and links to other web sites.  The posts are listed in reverse chronological order (the newest post being first).  Older posts are rolled into archive pages, where they may be viewed later. 

Blogs often include a title for the webpage, titles for each post, comments from readers, archives, and links to other blogs.

 

Why Would Someone Want to Blog?

You may want to blog to write an online diary about your daily life.  Or you may want to blog because you have something definite to say and nobody in your real life listens to you.  You also may blog if you have an opinion on news events, but the local paper doesn’t print your Letter to the Editor on the front page, as you’d like.  Some bloggers will blog to give advice to others. 

Business owners are starting to blog to promote their business; journalists are blogging to keep readership interested; writers are blogging to promote their books and to improve their writing; soldiers are blogging to keep family updated and to keep people interested in the war. 

There is an endless list of reasons to blog.

 

Who Blogs?

All types of people blog.  Children, teachers, moms, and even heads of state and celebrities blog. Blogging has become important to many businesses.  Blogging has also become a type of renegade journalism, so much so that many major newspapers and magazines now have blogs on their websites.  Universities have recently added blogging courses to their journalism degrees.  To see a list of the most popular blogs, click on this link:  http://www.blogstreet.com/top100.html

 

Why Are Blogs Important?

 Bloggers are credited for breaking some of the most important news events in the past couple of years.  Blogs are important because:

 

1. They allow you to be an active participant in the news; not passive.  With a blog, you can write a “Letter to the Editor” that will be published and that will likely be read by many more people than would read your letter in your local newspaper.

 

2.  Blogs allow you to learn from the experts in a subject.  If you are an expert in a certain field, you should blog about it!  Mainstream journalism has begun recognizing many bloggers as experts in their field.

 

3. Blogging allows you to write as subjectively, as biased, and as partisan as you wish.   As a blogger, you do not have to be politically correct or unbiased.  Readers benefit from blogs because they have more access to the truth since the writer is able to write freely on a subject. 

  

What Would Someone Blog?

Some blogs are just journals or diaries, while others are topical.  Many of the most widely read blogs are political.  The blogs are Homeschoolblogger.com all have “homeschooling” in common, but their subtopics vary.  Some of these blogs are focused on the Classical approach to homeschooling.  Other blogs are focused on home business or homemaking, while keeping the main topic of “homeschooling” in mind. 

Blogging provides readers with access to experts, which is one of the reasons that blogging is so popular.   If you know a lot about a subject, and if you are passionate about that subject, blog about it and soon you will have a group of readers and be labeled as the Internet expert on that subject. 

Do a simple search on the Internet, or specifically on http://www.Technorati.com and you will find as many topical blogs as you can think of topics. 

 

Who Reads Blogs?

Unless it is a private blog, anyone with Internet access may read a blog.  That includes bosses and mothers.  That also includes people who might like to send you spam or steal your identity.  Keep this in mind, but don’t be scared off from blogging because of it.

Most often, your readers will not be spammers or thieves (or bosses).  Usually, your readers will come through other blogs that linked to your blog, or through the comments that you left on other blogs.  

A private blog may be set up for a family blog, one that is personal in nature, or a blog for which you want to control the subscription.  To read a private blog, one must be a member of that blog.

 

“Blog,” “Blogosphere,” “Vlog,” and Other Strange Words

Since blogging is such a new phenomenon, new words are being invented for it almost daily.  Here are a few of the most common words you’ll see:

Audioblog:  A blog that is made up of audio sound bites.  Also called “podcasting,” if the audioblog is available in RSS.

Blog:  A webpage that is frequently updated and archived, with text, photos or video and/or links.  A.k.a. weblog

Blogger:  One who blogs

Bloghopping:  To visit one blog after another through links on each weblog

Blogosphere:  The community of blogs on the Internet

Blogroll:  A list of links on a blog.  These links are also called “friends” lists, or “links” lists.  A reciprocal blogroll is one in which only those sites linking to your blog are listed.  A blogroll may be done manually through the HTML in your blog, or it may be done through a service such as http://www.blogrolling.com

Carnival:  A weekly list of the latest articles from certain blogs.  The Carnival is often topical (“Christian Carnival,” “Carnival of all Carnivals,” etc.).  You must register to be included in the Carnival of your choice and you must submit your best post for each week that you want to be included in the Carnival.  The Carnival “travels” to a different blog each week. 

Comment:  Readers to your blog may post comments on each of your blog posts.   Their comments are readable to anyone who has access to your blog.  Others may visit the links that your commenters leave.  You have the ability to disable comments and comment reading, if desired.

Group Blog:  A blog that is written by a group of people, usually of like minds.  An example of a group blog would be a blog on Classical Homeschooling, with five different bloggers writing from their viewpoint.  A group blog may have assigned days for each of their writers, or the writers may post randomly.

Links:  A list of other blogs and other websites that you post on your blog.  You will only want to include links that may be of interest to your readers.

Link Tracking:  A method of finding out which blogs have linked back to yours.  Go to http://www.technorati.com/search  to use link tracking.

Milblog:  A blog that discusses the military (if written by a soldier, this is often called a Soldier Blog)

Permalink:  A permanent link to a specific post.  Without permalinks, the reader would only be able to visit your weblog’s homepage, which is continually changing.  Permalinks make it easier to find specific posts.

Photoblog:  A blog made up primarily of photos.

Post:  An entry that you have placed (“posted”)on your weblog.  This may be a piece of text or a photo, audio or video segment.

Ping:  A notification that you receive if someone has linked to your blog post.  You will only receive a ping if you have enabled trackback, and if the site linking to you is also using trackback.

RSS:  Real Simple Syndication:  This allows you to syndicate your blog material, similar to how comic strip owners syndicate their material to newspapers.  But with blogs, usually only a snip of the blog post is syndicated, with a permalink back to your blog. 

Trackback:  Many bloggers prefer to use trackback instead of comments.  If they want to write about your post, they may do so on their own blog.  Instead of using a permalink, the blogger will use trackback, so that you will receive a ping, which lets you know that your site has been mentioned and linked. 

Vlog (video blog):  A blog made up of video segments.

Warblog:  Blogs that discuss war and the war against terrorism. 

Weblog:  Another name for “blog.”

 

What Should I Do BEFORE Starting a Blog?

If you want to have more than just a blog of your random thoughts, you need to think about a few things before beginning your blog. 

1. Read blogs…lots of them!  Read the top blogs, and read blogs that are in the topic of your interest.  To start, go to http://www.homeschoolblogger.com for the list of their Most Active Blogs.  
2. Think about your topic and the focus of your blog. The more specific, the better.
3. What will your writing style be?
4. Choose your blog name.
5. Choose the look of your blog site.   At HomeschoolBlogger.com, you have many template choices.

 

What Should I Name My Blog?

If you are a writer or a speaker and want to promote your name, you may wish to name your blog with your real name.  Otherwise, just choose a name that fits your content.  Try to pick a name that others can easily remember.

 

How Much Control Do I Have with My Blog?

Your blog’s content is owned by you.  You may edit and delete your posts at any time.  You also have the control to delete the comments left on your blog by readers.

 

What Do I Blog About?

Choose a topic that you are intensely interested in, and that you could write on for a long period of time.  Instead of choosing a broad topic like “Homeschooling,” consider a subtopic, such as “Unschooling,” or “Homeschool Field Trips.”  The more specific your topic, the more you will be seen as the expert in that area. 

 

How Often Do I Have to Post?

You may post as often or as little as you like, but if you want to keep readers coming to your blog, then you need to post often.  The most popular blogs post several times a day, but many bloggers post just several times per week.

 

How Will I Know If I Have Any Readers?

Some of your readers will leave a comment on your blog, or may even email you.  But most of your readers will not comment or write to you.  You will want to keep track of your visitors with a “counter.”  You can get a free counter at http://www.sitemeter.com or at http://www.onestat.com . 

You may see how many other sites are linking back to yours through http://www.technorati.com/search . 

 

How Can My Readers Communicate With Me?

If you have commenting enabled, your readers will be able to leave comments for you to read at the end of each post on your blog.  Many times, these comments become just as interesting as the blog itself. 

If you have placed an email link on your blog, your readers may also email you.

 

How Can I Improve My Blog?

There are a few things you can do to improve your blog and get more readers:

1. Focus on the Content:  The best way to improve your blog is to focus on the content of your writing rather than on the fancy ways you can add graphics.  Your blog will be remembered because of its content.  It will be avoided because of its slow download due to graphics.
2. Stay on Topic:  If your blog is political, don’t post about what happened when  you walked the dog last night, unless you can somehow link it to a recent political event.  Your readers visit you for the topic that you have been blogging on.  They do not want to read your ramblings, unless yours is established as a rambling blog.
3. Post Short Blogs:  Readers want to read quickly.  Keep your blog posts short. 
4. Edit Your Writing:  Before posting, look carefully at your blog for typos and misspellings.
5. Use Headlines and Subtitles:  You may not prefer to use both headlines and subtitles, but consider using one or the other.  When others mention your blog in their own, it helps them to be able to name your post.
6. Use Paragraphs.  Cut your blog post into paragraphs containing 4-5 sentences each.  Your readers’ eyes will be blessed, and you’ll gain more readers with this simple thing.
7. Add Photos or Other Graphics to Your Blog:  Add a photo or a graphic or a video or audio file now and then just to keep your blog interesting and to break up the text.  Remember, you are focusing on the content of your blog, so do not add too many photos or graphics.  Some of your readers are still on slow dial-up Internet connections.

 

How Do I Promote My Blog?

 There are a few things you can do to bring more readers to your blog:

 

1. Blog!  Your readers want to read new posts from you.  If your readers keep coming to your blog only to see old posts, they will leave in frustration and move on to a more active blog. 
2. Leave comments on other blogs that are similar to your own.  If you are blogging on “homeschool and home business,” then visit fellow “homeschool” bloggers and fellow “home business” bloggers.  Leave comments on their blogs with a link to your own blog.  Make sure your comments are substantial so the other readers will want to check out your blog. 
3. Add your blog to your signature in emails (unless you are trying to hide your blog from family members!).  Add it to your business cards, mention it in your online newsletter, and promote it on your website.

 

Can I Make Money with my Blog?

Only a very few bloggers are making decent money off their blogs.  Some bloggers make a few dollars by accepting ads.  Most bloggers make no money off their blog.

 

How Do I Maintain My Blog?

You can post to your blog without visiting the main site, but visit your blog’s homepage regularly anyway.  While at your blog’s homepage, look for links that no longer work and for photos that are no longer showing up.  Also, look at your text to see that it looks readable.  Your blog should be similar to a newspaper column, with short, easy-to-read paragraphs and occasional photographs or graphics.

 

Are There Any Blogging Netiquette Rules I Should Follow?

So far, blogging is a free, wide-open field.   You can post what you want, how you want, and when you want.  But if you don’t follow the normal “netiquette” rules such as using short paragraphs and not using foul language, you will reduce your readership.  If you want more readers, think of your blog as a magazine or a newspaper for which you are the sole writer and editor.  Only post those things that you, as an editor, would allow. 

Blogging is one of the most exciting happenings of the 21^st century.  It gives all of us a voice, one that we can share with others who are like-minded.  It is a free and easy way to get our advice and opinion out to the world. 

Welcome to the Blogosphere!

 

 

 

Some Tips On Making It When You're Broke

I wrote the following last September (2004), when my man lost his job and Hurricane Ivan hit us, within 2 weeks of each other.  As we were spinning, literally and mentally, I learned a few things and wrote them in the below article: 

 

A side benefit to being frugal with money (ie. broke) occured recently when the children wanted to decorate cupcakes. We'd run out of sprinkles but my!, they were amazed that I could make colored sugar. They kept hollering, "Look! Mama MADE this sugar! Look, it's colored!" I've learned a few other things about being frugal in the house in this hard time:

 

* Buying generic brands in everything is frustrating to me, but it has also introduced me to a few alternate products. The store-brand Saltines in one store, for example, taste like the Premium brand.

 

* Laundry gets just as clean on a longer cycle with half the detergent called for on the box.

 

* Dishes get just as clean on half the detergent, as long as you rinse them well first.

 

* Breakfast is cheaper by far without cold cereal. Cereal uses too much expensive milk! I've been making muffins, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, etc. (my 9yo said, "Mom, I don't know why, but our breakfasts have been really good lately!")

 

* The children don't need prepared snack foods like Cheez-Its and Rold Gold pretzels. They will keep content as long as they have something when they are hungry.

 

* Free, fresh eggs from our chickens are awfully useful.

 

* Margarine, even though I'm not happy to have it instead of butter, at least spreads more easily when cold.

 

* The chickens can live - and thrive - on only table scraps (thanks to the baby, we have plenty!) and free ranging (that's a term for letting them loose).

 

*  All scrap paper should be saved.  The toddler (2) doesn't notice that one side is used when she is in a scribbling mood. 

 

*  Children are immensely amused with scissors, magazines, a glue stick, and paper.  Tell them to create a book by folding the paper  in half and stapling it (or using a hole punch and yarn) on the folded side.

 

* People love homemade cards from the children, made from the above.

 

*  Meat does not have to be a main dish.

 

*  Rice & beans or pasta can be an inexpensive main dish, with meat as the "seasoning" or as the side item.

 

*  Water and microfiber cleaning cloths (.99 at WalMart in the automotive section) can polish any window or stainless steel, and can clean any smooth surface of grime - without expensive, unhealthy chemicals.

 

* A garden is an important thing to plant each year. You never know when life will throw you a curve ball. 

 

* Hospitality is still important, even when broke.  I have been more blessed by going to a poor gal's home and experiencing her generosity with her homebaked goods and tea, than I ever have in a rich gal's home who can afford the fancy things she offers. 

 

* When you give away extra things generously, God will always bless you back.  I have seen this many, many times. 

(Originally published on my 2005-2008 Keeping the Home blog)

The Heart of the Home

"Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house." Psalm 128:3

 

She - the wife - who is the heart of the house, making it a home, she is the reward to a man who fears the Lord! (Enough children to fill a table is also part of the reward, if you read on. I'm sure your husband is glad to know that one.)

 

For some reason, it warms my heart to know:

 

1. I am part of my man's reward.

2. God considers me to be the Heart of the home.

3. My place - the point of my focus - is to be at home.

 

Are you being the kind of gal who makes a good reward? Is your husband really thanking God for this present that was given to him, or is he saying, "Uh, no thanks!"?

(Originally published on my 2005-2008 Keeping the Home blog)

Hermit Crabbing

 

Hermit Crabbing on the Gulf Coast

(how lovely would it be to spend a day like that!)

(Originally published on my 2005-2008 Keeping the Home blog - photo taken by me)

Oh, Great...Mommy Guilt Again

Did I just write about Mommy Guilt only 3 days ago?  I cannot believe it was me who wrote those words, because today I received it in a three-hour dose.  I do a LOT, but nothing well.  That's what I said to myself today. 

 

The 10-year-old was in pajamas until noon because he couldn't find shorts to wear; the 2-year-old is going through potty-training and had an "accident" on the kitchen floor; I tried making a nice lunch for my man but it took an hour longer than anyone's stomach planned on waiting; the new puppy was yapping loudly for attention that I didn't have time to give; our luggage was still packed from our trip 6 days ago; my bed wasn't made; the floors were a mess; there was laundry to do; all the children were being disobedient; and I didn't get my God time in.

 

So I finally crumbled and said to dh, "I do so many things and I want to be perfect at them all. But I don't do anything well." 

 

Do you ever feel like that?  Overwhelmed with all that you're doing, and even more overwhelmed with all that needs to be done. Finally, you reach a crying point (or a yelling point).  You feel like a failure.  So Satan gets your ear.  He tells you that you're a failure and that you're a really bad mom. 

 

Do you really think you are? 

 

I know that you're not. 

 

God knows that you're not. 

(Originally published on my 2005-2008 Keeping the Home blog)

What To Do with the Toddler & Baby While Teaching the Older Ones

On Empty Nest Mom, Cindy Downes asked:  "What do I do with my toddler and babies while I am teaching the older ones?"   Here was my reply:

 

I go by the assumption that it is true that 95% of what we teach will be remembered, so my 9-year-old and my 7-year-old teach our 5-year-old (not yet a Kindergartner) and 2-year-old. While I am working with one of the older ones, the other older one will pull out a K4 book and teach the little guy. The baby is at a copycat age and loves books, so she will sit by them while they do "school."

When they are not teaching the younger ones, my older children will do some schoolwork independently. This frees me up to do housework with my toddler following after. Our K4 child is well old enough to know how to respect the work of others, so I expect him to be quiet and read or write or else he needs to go play in his room while they work.

(Originally published on my 2005-2008 Keeping the Home blog)