How to start a blog

• Check out blogger.com. You can set up a blog for your business or family.
• Blogger is free.
• The design is basic, but it would be a start. You can choose from a selection of templates. I like the 3 column format, with text in the 2nd column. You can use the sidebars for links to other sites or a listing of your favorite blogposts.

Getting serious about blog design

• Once your blog is up and running with the blogger template, you can look in to experimenting with free themes. Search for “free themes.” A free theme will give your blog design features not offered with the free blogger platform. You can insert the free theme in to your blogger blog. I am not techie…but I got it to work.
• If you get serious about blogging, you might want to hire a designer to create a custom design so that you don’t have a “free theme by XX design” in the left-hand corner of your blog.
• Blogger does not include a header. A designer can create a header for you. Remember: Your header is who you are…what you write about. When anyone comes to your blog the header should “say” what your blog is about. See the two girls pillow fighting on my blog header? The image represents that I blog mostly about raising tween and teen girls…no matter what their behavior is like!
• If you are on twitter, tweet out a request for a designer to help you. Many designers are new to the business. You may get a good deal on a design for your blog or a custom logo. A good friend — @OhMariana — asked if she could do a blog header for me. I was thrilled! I had no idea how to make a header that was more than the name of my blog. My friend not only created my header, but transferred my blog to WordPress. I owe her a great deal…she gave me the tools to brand myself!
• A designer might also help you make the transition to a more advanced platform, such as WordPress. Coding can be tricky. I have seen many a tweet from someone who has fiddled with code without knowing what they were doing.

Branding yourself

• With a blogger blog your url will be, for instance: http://www.writingmylifeoneblogatatime.blogspot.com/ or whatever you decide to name it. This blog title was a mouthful. Imagine typing it out each time. Shortening my blog url to http://www.musingsfromme.com led me to branding myself.
• If you use your blog as a business even if your business is not a profitable one, consider creating a custom url for your blog. I played around with names, but stuck with my twitter name as my new blog domain name. “Musings from Me” is what I am thinking, writing, or dealing with.
• You can buy custom domain names (urls) at Godaddy.com. I bought http://www.musingsfromme.com/, so that no one could copy my blog name.

Does this help? Anything not clear? Let me know in the comments.

…I can barely blog about any of it. You see my girls read my blog. It would be uber awkward for one of them to read a post about them that they considered to be embarrassing. Note: Any post I wrote about with any level of detail would be considered embarrassing.

I started blogging when my youngest was a preschooler. I “got serious” about blogging the fall he entered kindergarten. My son is still quite bloggable. He’s a character. Like his sisters, he is not easy. There are times I want to tear my hair out. I am already gray so cann0t blame his antics on my gray. I wish I could blog as freely about his sisters.

Most days I could do with a good pee-poop-barf story. Some very bloggable incidents that I would have blogged about then and would LOVE to have available to blog about now… No names or identifying details are included to protect the innocent. Let’s recap a few incidents From my pre-blogging days…

• projectile vomit coming from the face of a smiley baby who had stomach flu that day before. Why oh why did I give a full 8-ounce bottle?
• poop dripped on the floor, carpet, staircase, changing table, clothes, and oh me after a particularly awful hasty-did-not-make-it-to-the-changing-table diaper change.
• a toddler who intently watched an episode of the Teletubbies about Po jumping in and out of a puddle who then peed on the kitchen floor and jumped in and out of the puddle of pee singing the same song about the puddle that Po sang.
• a trip to the shoe store where one toddler had an explosive diaper incident after drinking apple juice for the first time at a Mexican restaurant. Anyone remember Chi Chis? I think we had 5 explosive diaper incidents at this shoe store after a meal at Chi Chi’s. Anyone remember Chanticleer Stride Rite in Gaithersburg?
• The numerous pairs of underwear — from the “child who would not do #2 on the potty” — I threw out after I had my “I’m not rinsing out any other pairs of underwear” incident!
• The brilliant idea to make the “child who would not do #2 on the potty” scrub the underwear.
• The baby who refused to drink a bottle on the first two times offered, but would accept on the third try.
• The  infant who refused a pacifier after it was offered at naptime who I found in the bassinet with the pacifier resting on his head.
• The toddler who found my stash of pacifiers that were offered but never accepted in a drawer in the days leading up to the birth of our new baby. Yep, the toddler proudly walked around sucking on a pacifier for weeks. I even found some hidden in pajamas and her bed.
• The infant who slid out of back seat of the double stroller at Chi Chi’s after Daddy did NOT fasten the belt. I saw the stroller moved back, looked in the stroller, did not see the infant, panicked as I thought she had been kidnapped, and then looked down to find her on the floor of the restaurant amid crushed tortilla chips.
• Another Chi Chi’s incident…this time from a “I won’t eat anything toddler” who threw a cup of yogurt that hit the chair of an enormous, muscly guy. I was able to clean up the yogurt without him noticing. Phew.

What is your favorite story you blogged about? What do you not blog about?

We keep uniforms washed, pads of all kids stored in sports bags, shoes thrown all over the makeshift mudroom in the garage, and cold drinks in the fridge. With three sporty kids and one sports mad husband, we go through many, many cold drinks. Cold drinks refresh and revive our kids. Hydration is a number one priority for our family.

Like other protective equipment, proper hydrating and fueling have a major impact on an athlete’s safety and performance, especially with heat waves. To help keep athletes safe and performing their best during the hot summer months, Gatorade and the NFL created “Beat The Heat,” an educational program focusing on the dangers of heat-related illness and the importance of taking the proper steps to reduce the chance of illness and injuries. This information is especially important for Moms because children have an increased risk of dehydration and exertion-related heat illness due to their size and other factors.

Our son is a new football player. His uniform and helmet is dripping with sweat at the end of a long practice. A sports drinks allows him to stay cool and refreshed during practice. Our girls play indoor volleyball. No heat issues, but both play all-day tournaments. A refreshing sports drink gets back in the game.

I remind my kids to bring a water bottle to ever sports practice and event. Water does not replace the electrolytes and sodium lost in sweat, so it isn’t enough to protect kids against the summer heat and humidity. The right sports nutrition and hydration, including Gatorade, can play a vital role in helping young athletes get the hydration and fuel they need to stay safe and perform their best.

You can help. Download a free Gatorade Heat Safety Kit found at www.nfl.com/trainingcamp. For every unique download Gatorade will donate $1 to “Beat the Heat” charities up to $20,000.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Gatorade’s “Beat the Heat” campaign and received Gatorade samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

My writing either works or it doesn’t. When it doesn’t I will edit and proofread and rewrite and eventually post the darn thing in desperation. I have to post something.

The posts that are easiest to write are the review/giveaway posts. Now picking and choosing winners can take longer. If you entered a giveaway recently I’m picking winners…I mean it!

The posts that are most difficult to write are ones to do with my family. That’s funny isn’t it? I’m a mom blogger so my family should be easy to write about. Wrong. I have a teen and a tween, so I must pick and choose what I write about. Both girls read my blog. It would be awkward to post photos or write something that both found embarrassing. Come to think of it almost ANYTHING I post would be considered embarrassing by one of them.

I could do with a good poop-barf-pee story any day of the week. Mom bloggers with babies and toddlers have it made — in my opinion. ANYTHING my kids did from age o-7 was extremely bloggable.

The posts I can’t write are about my family. Why am I unable to write about my extended family? Two reasons:

1. Their stories are not mine to tell. I blog about our family of 5 only. I make a reference now and then to grandparents or aunts and uncles, but rarely go in to detail. I will post photos of the grandparents, but not of other members of my extended family.
2. I cannot blog about issues involving my extended family. I have about 10 pages of e-mails that I will not blog about. The issues are too private for me. This past week I wrote some of my most heartfelt, deep, and moving writing about a series of issues in our family. I can’t write about any of it. As much as I am disgusted by the behavior of others I cannot write anything for all the world to see that might embarrass someone now or in the future.

So, I stick to the posts I can write about. I am grateful to have a place to write down my thoughts, views, hopes for the future, and anything else that crosses my mind. Yay for blogging!

But, I can’t avoid the whole “getting older” issue. As much as I’d like to, but I can’t. I was told at my last checkup that I need to take a fish oil supplement. I was not happy. But, take the medication I must.

I was in the doldrums of “having to take a daily medication” when a company I do reviews for reached out to me with a review that was right up my alley. I was asked to review Nature Made Sam-e Complete.

Nature Made Sam-e is a natural way to restore your healthy mood. I can absolutely stand behind that! After a summer at home with my children, I could do with a mood lightener! When your emotions get out of balance you can feel moody. Nature Made Sam-e acts as a mood stabilizer…a natural mood stabilizer.

From the manufacturer of Nature Made Sam-e Complete…

Supplements like fish oil and vitamin D have found their way into our daily routine to support everything from a healthy heart to immune health. From the trusted brand, Nature Made, a supplement clinically proven to naturally support a healthy mood could be the next addition to your regimen.

As we get older our bodies start making less SAM-e, a naturally occurring compound, which ultimately works to maintain a balanced mood. Nature Made SAM-e Complete helps replenish your body’s natural levels of SAM-e and when taken daily it can begin to help naturally restore a healthy mood in as little as 7 to 14 days. For more information, please visit www.sam-e.com.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Nature Made and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review.

So, here’s my #BlogHer Dos post…

• Do bring recycled shopping bags — empty ones. When I go to a blogging event, I generally get a recycled shopping bag as a parting gift. I save all the bags for grocery shopping. I used about 8 recycled shopping bags to carry all my #BlogHer goodies home. I used the bags to wrap my shoes for the journey to BlogHer.
• Do find a bag for using during the conference. I did not want to leave my laptop in the room, but wanted to be sure that I had a secure bag to hold the laptop. I found a padded backpack from ION Network. The bag was a little cumbersome to carry, but…
• …on my busiest day I carried my evening outfit, another pair of shoes, a comb, and deoderant to freshen up before my evening events. Carrying a change of clothes meant I could go to more events without a stop back at the hotel.
• Do plan your days at BlogHer. I knew what events I had RSVP’d to. What parties I wanted to get to. What sessions I wanted to attend. Planning ahead saved me time on the ground at BlogHer.
• Plan transportation from hotel to event to event. I used my cozi calendar to schedule my events. With each cozi listing, I added the address and the distance in miles between each event.
• I used Mapquest to map out my route. I was not familiar with NYC so Mapquest showed me the distance between each event/party. I logged the mileage in to my cozi calendar.
• To further refine my navigation research, I used HopStop. With HopStop I could log in addresses and map out whether subway, walking, or cab would be quicker and/or cheaper. I cabbed it about half time, walked a quarter of the time, and took brand-sponsored shuttles the rest of the time.
• I used my Palm Pre Plus like it was my third hand. I checked my cozi calendar for my schedule, checked e-mails, and tweeted. But…
• …the Palm Pre Plus battery does not last all day, so I found the iGo Everywhere Charger. This device saved my bacon on more than one occasion. Smartphones eat batterries. The Plam Pre Plus may eat batteries more than most, so the iGo Everywhere Charger is an absolute must for travel…blogging or personal.
• Do share stay in the BlogHer hotel. I found that I liked being close enough to my room that I could drop off bags during the day. Several times I returned to my room to change or recharge my phone/laptop.
• Do find a roomie to share your room with. I bought a ticket late. I found a roomie by chance. Christy tweeted that she was looking for a roommate. I think it was a tweet. In any event, I loved sharing a room with Christy! After each of us had trudged around NYC/hotel each day, it was refreshing to come back to the room to share the day’s events. We saw each other a little during the day, but mostly chatted in the room. I need to post about my decision to “go it alone” at BlogHer.
• Christy had booked the room for 4 nights, which meant I was scheduled to come to BlogHer a full day early. I weighed the pros and cons of only staying 3 nights. Christy was flexible. I knew I could arrive on Thursday morning and still get to events. In the end I decided that arriving a day early would give me a chance to get acclimated after coming from my family vacation. Another plus to arriving early was getting to meet up with other bloggers the day before the conference.
• Do bring your clothes on wire coat hangers. I placed my clothes on the hangers in my suitcase. I didn’t have to transfer clothes to hotel hangers.
• Do plan out outfits at home, but be prepared for changes due to weather, comfort, etc.

I have a few Don’ts, too:

• Don’t bring two rolling suitcases….FULL. In my defense my second rolling suitcase was small, but it was full. The recycled shopping bags came in handy, but I was loaded down with 2 suitcases and 8 bags on the journey home. Yay for porters. Ouch for the big tip I gave to the porter.
• Don’t bring shoes to BlogHer that have never been worn. I brought 3 pairs of sandals. Didn’t wear any of them. Wore an older pair and a pair of black flip flops for the entire trip. Comfy…even if not stylish.
• Don’t forget to charge ANY electronic devices overnight. Again my iGo Everywhere Charger was a lifesaver.
• I would say Don’t bring a laptop as I had little time to blog or post anywhere due to time and connectivity problems. I found it reassuring to have the laptop with me, but it really wasn’t necessary.
• When meeting up with someone at a conference as busy as BlogHer, be prepared to have to call the person even if you are both at your designated meeting spot. It can be hard to find people in a crowded lobby or meeting room.
• Don’t go to the MomSelect Suite at the end of the first day of BlogHer as there will be nothing left. Many of the tables were decimated. I picked up some samples of cold and flu medicine, which will be helpful this coming winter. The vendors I met were lovely, but I missed meeting the reps and getting the Build-a-Bears, WebKinz, Kung Zhu Pets, and HexBugs samples. I do appreciate all the fabulous opportunities I have had with MomSelect this past year–I was hoping to get more out of the Swag Suite.
• Don’t wait til 3 p.m. on Saturday to go to the Expo Hall. A GIANT #fail on my part. Many of the vendors looked bored. Tired. Ready to go home. Not ready to engage. ready to tear down booth. It was discouraging to feel as though the Expo Hall vendors were already done.  I complained to a Freeman rep. I motored my way around the Expo Hall picking up samples, exchanging business cards, and making the best of it. My advice…go first thing in the morning of each day. The vendors will be fresh…and enthusiastic.

So, there’s my Dos and Don’ts List. What’s on your list?

You would think that since my children are 14, 11, and 7 that this summer would have been a breeze. Nope. It was an utter nightmare.

Thank goodness my teacher/administrator husband was off for part of June and all of July. He did the swim practices, camp runs, and play date drop offs. But, it was still hard to do work in set hours. I frittered time away on twitter when I could have been writing. It is also extremely hard to work when you know your family are having fun at the pool.

Health club? Have not exercised since early July. I believe I can verify my visit with a lone foursquare check-in.

When the kids weren’t in scheduled activities, all 3 clamored for screen time. I forced the older two to go outside and play, but really it was a losing battle. The days of entertaining kids outside with a swingset, bubbles, and chalk only work with the 7 yo.

Now that my husband is back at work…well our situation is actually worse. Swim team is over. I scheduled no camps for August. The camps I scheduled for July were only half-day for 2 weeks. I only did camps for the older two. This month I am working in between high school volleyball practice, playdates, and football practice. Why oh why is there no internet access at the practice fields?!?!

School can’t start quick enough.

Anyone want to do coffee on Monday???

The only plus to this otherwise trying and hectic summer? I bought a boatload of crafts from Michaels. The kids have done Model Magic, popsicle stick building, Perler beads, gimp thread, duct tape purses, and sand art. My kitchen is a mess but I have a little peace each day!

On the Thursday of BlogHer I was invited to a very intimate gathering with Chris Evert. Evert is the spokesperson for Hood Simply Smart Milk. Hood produces milk, sour cream, egg nog, juice, and other family favorites.

I RSVP’d based on Chris Evert. I’m not a tennis player, but I grew up watching Wimbledon. During my teen years I followed Evert, Connors, and Navratilova faithfully. For some pics, go here. My husband loved the Wilson tennis ball signed by Chris Evert!

Thursday was a whirlwind kind of a day. Before the Hood Simply Smart Milk I watched a fashion show featuring ordinary kids in back-to-school clothes. No pint sized models in this group…just ordinary kids. The fashion show was another BlogHer brand-blogger event. This time the sponsor was the American Association of Orthodontics.

Style ‘n Smile was hosted by Jennie Garth of 90210 and the new 90210 fame. Jennie seems very unHollywood. A genuine moment from the Style ‘n Smile fashion show was when Jennie introduced her daughter…the final model in the show. As each kid was introduced they showed off not only cool back-to-school clothes but what braces they were wearing…braces, Invisaligns, retainers, or no braces. For some pics, go here.

As a long-time reader and purchaser of Scholastic Books I jumped at the chance to attend the Scholastic in the City event. I was a guest at the Scholastic Books offices with a number of bloggers familiar to me, including the founders of MomSpark Media — Amy and Haley. Great event on my fave topic…books! Many good pointers about early childhood literacy.

Do you remember bringing home the Scholastic book order form? I don’t remember the order form, but do remember the book mobile visiting my elementary school. I purchased several books I still have…my mother has them in her basement for the grandchildren. The takeaway from this event was that teachers can have a dedicated website for their classes. Very good idea so that parents can see what books the teacher recommends.

I soon realized that the book in question was by a reality TV star. I am a reality TV junkie like no other. So, hearing that a Project Runway finalist had written a book was intriguing enough. But, hearing that is was written by none other than Laura Bennett was the icing on the cake. I had to have that book.

Laura was kind enough to hook me up with a copy of Didn’t I Feed You Yesterday? A Mother’s Guide to Sanity jn Stilettos. I corresponded with Laura about the book and an upcoming book signing. Laura was every bit as gracious as she was during Project Runway.

The book is hilarious. Laura spares no one in this book. Husband, only daughter, older boys, younger boys, herself, and even the baby are not spared from her words. She hones in on each family member’s foibles. The result is a tightly written book where every chapter captures the essence of Laura’s life. Funny moments as well as poignant ones.

Bennett gives a synopsis at the beginning of the book describing everyone in the family from her confirmed bachelor husband, Peter, to the woman who is referred to as the “Peterkeeper.” Zoila — the Bennett’s housekeeper — is a trusted and integral member of the household.

Bennett’s household is a machine. Is it well-oiled? Well, I’ll let you read the book to find out.

Like many New Yorkers, Bennett spends weekends outside of the city. Her description of leaving the city on the weekends is a stitch. She describes how New Yorkers exaggerate about how close their weekend home is to the city. One hour from New York might actually mean two hours.

Bennett tells the story of how her kids are ready to kill each other before they have even left the city. All moms and dads who roadtrip can relate to the kid who needs to use the bathroom as soon as you pull away from the rest stop after the kid in question assured everyone he didn’t need to go. Grrr.

I could almost smell and visualize the wreckage left in Laura’s SUV after a stop at a hamburger joint for an on-the-road lunch. My old van never recovered from the “we shall not speak of the milk spilled on the seat” incident.

Bennett’s book is a glimpse in to an ordinary family living an extraordinary life in New York City. Bennett is a mom first, and a fashion designer/reality TV star/author second.

I was given a copy of Didn’t I Feed You Yesterday. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

MyLikes is proving to be a good one to join. Basically, here’s how it works…

Like Sponsored Tweets, I receive an e-mail every couple of days. The e-mail lists items, products, and services that I might like to like. I go through the list to find products that I have already used or reviewed or seen in a store or…well you get it. If I have not had some form of contact with a product or service, I’m not liking it. How credible would I be to you — my readers — if I liked tobacco or a nudist colony?

This blog is family friendly. I only choose items on “MyLikes” that I like and I know you will like.

Do you want to try out MyLikes? If you click and join, I know you will like it. It’s an easy way to make a little extra cash. It’s easy to use. You can pick and choose the MyLikes that you want to select and tweet to your readers. Oh and you can add to your Facebook wall as well. You can add to you blog, too.

Here’s a recent MyLike that I can stand behind. Do you see how I added something a little something about how my family liked it? When I review products on this blog, I always had a Musings from Me touch of authenticity.

Bling iPhone Cases – www.bizrate.com

If my tween had an iphone she would love the Bling iPhone cases. Part fashion statement. Part protection. #ad

sponsored like

Jill Berry’s profile on MyLikes