Guest Blogger | 3 Boys And A Dog

Three Basic Blog Design Mistakes Commonly Made in Today’s Amped Up Blogosphere

December 14, 2011 By Kelli 4 Comments

There are several principles to blog design that most bloggers out there abide by or at least understand as the convention. No doubt, however, it can be very easy for bloggers to get caught up in the excitement of web design and go majorly overboard with their site design or severely under think their design and create a site that is dull and immediately outdated. Obviously, both sides of this spectrum are bad for successful blogging. In today’s competitive web 2.0 and HTML5 influenced online world, these basic design principles get lost along the way. Blogging relies heavily upon the design and usability of your site. The appearance and usability of your blog is essential. Without clear, attractive, and useful web design, it can be very difficult to find, interest, and keep a regular audience for your blog. These three blog design flaws are prevalent among bloggers throughout the web and are hindrances to the success of several wonderful and enlightening blogs out there.

Tricky to Read

Readability is one of the most important aspects of a blog. Obviously, you write your blog entries so that you can share useful or entertaining information with people around the world. However, if your blog is difficult to read or decipher purely from a web design perspective, you are likely not getting the audience you had hoped (and, in all likelihood, deserve). Readability is key. This is a basic principle in web design that has gone somewhat overlooked by blogs across the blogosphere. Some of the common issues include small text, bad color contrast, difficult fonts, or a combination of the three. You want to choose a text setup that is easy to read. Type should be large, but not too large. Your font of choice should be unique, but clear. Your background color should contrast significantly with your text color. All of these things seem very simple and straight forward; however, many webmasters overlook them for flashiness and glitz.

Visually Messy

Another common issue among blog design elements is the relationship between text and images on a page. All too often, webmasters will choose blog design elements that are messy and distracting. Hoping to create something that is different and unique, many web designers opt for busy layouts with numerous images and lots of colors. This creates a site that is visually noisy and ultimately difficult to focus on. Scattered layouts with too much information and movement on one page are visually unappealing for users. It is essential that a website be easy to navigate. As with writing style, users want web layout and design that is clean, concise, and easy to read.

Unrecognizable Links

While this mistake is a less significant aspect of blog design, it is nonetheless distracting from the quality and content of your blog. By default, text that is set as a hyperlink is displayed in a different font color and is underlined. This helps readers notice and locate the hyperlinked material and is the standard convention for web links now. By not using this convention, you make it more difficult to find that link and you risk confusing (or annoying) your readers. Moreover, the underlining of the hyperlink helps the color-blind and those with poor vision locate linked text. Sticking to convention for this aspect of site design is probably a wise decision.

Byline:

Guest article provided by Jane Smith who is a freelance writer and blogger. She writes about free background checks for Backgroundcheck.org. Questions and comments can be sent to: janesmth161 @ gmail.com.

Filed Under: Blogging Basics, Guest Blogger Tagged With: amped, basic, basic design, blog, blog design, Blogger, blogosphere, blogs, commonly, communication, computing, designing, mistake, mistakes, neologisms, social information processing, usability, web 2.0, web design, web designs, world wide web

Are you a Reader? Can you write Reviews? I need you!

December 13, 2011 By Kelli 1 Comment

Hi y’all! I am looking for a regular contributor on the deal site to review books – you must be a pretty fast reader and able to review at least 2 books per week. I will have a specific form that I want you to follow when reviewing the books, so that will make it easier on you.. You will write it up on my wordpress site and submit it to me to review your writing, check that all items are there, and schedule it to post. For the most part, you will have no contact with the PR reps.

You will be reviewing romance, mystery, kids books, cookbooks, self-help books, DIY, and more. You will need to rate it on a certain scale (I will provide the scale), etc. Honestly, I am looking for a good writer and they don’t necessarily have to have a blog. They will need to have the time necessary to devote to reviewing the book and advertising the review in several places. Many of the book reviews also need to be posted at Amazon and Good Reads.

For more information, please see the complete post at my deal site.

Thanks!

Filed Under: Guest Blogger, Reviews Tagged With: books, contributor, reading, review

A Teachable Moment: Nurture Yourself During the Holidays!

December 6, 2011 By Kelli 3 Comments

Dr. Susan Bartell

Nurture yourself during the holiday rush…really!

Are you exhausted? I know that I am! After fighting crowds at the mall, baking mountains of cookies, and managing meltdowns by overtired kids, every parent is ready to drop! It’s difficult to avoid the insanity of the holidays, which is why it is so important for you to find a few moments to care for yourself. After all, if you feel cheerful and energized, rather than tired and stressed, you will be better able to juggle your way through the next few weeks. It doesn’t take much to get the relief that you so desperately need, so please enjoy these tips, as my holiday gift to you:

Turn up the tunes. Loud, fun music will lift your spirits and distract you. When you dance and sing along, it will definitely put a smile on your face. Soothing music will signal your body to relax and it will help you slow down.

Breathe in. Certain aromas have an instantly calming effect on your body. Lavender, rose, vanilla and many other scents will send signals to your brain to become calm and feel good. Carry an aroma that appeals to you in the form of a small container of balm, cream or essential oil. When you feel stressed, open the lid and inhale the soothing smell.

Breathe out. Stress can make your heart race. To slow it down, breathe in for a count of five, and breathe out for five. Repeat this another three or four times. You will be surprised at how this simple technique can calm you down. It is especially effective in traffic or while waiting on line. Practice this often to get better at it.

Indulge in a mini-massage. Use your favorite lotion (extra points if you use one with a soothing smell) to massage your hands together, or to rub your feet. It may not be quite as good as a professional massage, but your body will still thank you.

Limit caffeine. Too much caffeine amplifies stress. Although you may be exhausted, resist the urge to drink too much coffee. Don’t forget that there is also caffeine in some tea, soda, and chocolate.

Sip a cup of hot, herbal tea. The act of taking a moment to boil the water and brew the tea, will give you a time out. Then, since it’s hot, you will be forced to sit and sip it. Pick a flavor that feels calming (perhaps chamomile).

Stretch. The next time you watch TV with the kids, or chat on the phone, give your back, legs and neck a gentle stretch. You’ll feel your body instantly de-stress.

Exercise—even for a couple of minutes. Run upstairs or jog to meet the school bus. Your body will release feel-good endorphins that will keep you going for a while.

Take a hot shower or bath. The warm water will soothe your aching body and give you a few minutes of peace and quiet—if you’re lucky!

Filed Under: Guest Blogger, Holidays / Seasons, Teachable Moments Tagged With: Dr Susan, holidays, nurture, Parenting, self, Teachable Moments

12 Jobs for Kids in the Kitchen

November 29, 2011 By Kelli 2 Comments

Ask stay-at-home caregivers what the toughest time of the day is and you’ll hear a universal response: dinnertime. This is the hardest segment of the day when moods turn to the dark side and tummies begin to growl. Not only is the food-prepping parent responsible for getting dinner on the table, but must concurrently keep the kiddies relatively calm. And hum a joyous song while doing it, a la Snow White.

Expect that, especially during cooking-heavy holidays, you will orbit the kitchen much of the day with tiny tots and testy teens trailing close behind. Embrace this obvious reality now or prepare to pull out every hair in your swiftly graying head. Get cookin’ with the kids–even the youngest ones! This does not mean you hand the torch to Junior to put the finishing touches on your holiday crème brulee. Is does mean, however, that you plan ahead to integrate the whole family into mealtime preparation.

Toddler Time
Developmentally, toddlers pose the toughest challenge for a cooking parent. Carol Williams, a registered dietician at Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, tells parents that, “Touch is a sense used to help get unfamiliar foods closer to a child’s mouth,” which means that your picky toddler may be more willing to eat your slaved-over meal by cooking with you. Don’t expect to keep a tidy workspace, she explains in an article for Baby Zone, but take advantage of her enthusiasm to help.

Sanitary Specialist: Wash hands, put on an apron and discuss how to correctly measure ingredients. Continue to remind Junior not to eat the ingredients as you prepare them.
Super Scooper: For ingredients that don’t need to be measured perfectly, let him scoop the measuring cup and dump the goods into the proper place. A simple green bean casserole is tough to mess up. Avoid doing this with baked goods, which need to be precisely measured.
Can Opener: Electric, safe-edge can openers make life so much easier, plus you can help your little one learn how to safely open cans with it. Let Junior open the condensed milk and pour into the pumpkin pie puree himself.
Relish Tray Artist: Letting your little one put carrots, celery and olives onto the relish tray gives him great sorting practice. It’s helpful to have a segmented tray for the task. Try out this Good Housekeeping Relish Tray recipe for some inspiration.
Utensil Utilizer: It’s just more fun to stir the squash casserole with a colorful Head Chefs spoon than with a boring stainless steel one! Since it’s a hefty splurge, grab a coupon code before ordering.

Elementary Kids
Older kids have more muscle control and ability in the kitchen–and are still enthusiastic to help! Not only can they learn simple cooking tips, but also reinforce key concepts they’re learning in school. From adding fractions and experimenting with properties of liquids to reading and following directions, cooking is academics in action.

Meat Monitor: Help your child learn about the meat thermometer–stick it in several foods and liquids of varying temperatures. Then explain how hot it should be inside the turkey so that it’s completely cooked (180° deep in the thigh). Have her check on the turkey as it cooks to watch the temperature rise.
Cookie Decorator: Elementary-aged kids have a blast icing sugar cookies (plus it takes them a long time so you can make good progress on other dishes). Bake, cut and cook the cookies ahead of time, then help your child learn how to hold the icing bag so it doesn’t squirt out of the end. Pick up detailed tips on decorating with kids at Real Simple.
Mix Master: For simple foods like stuffing or mashed sweet potatoes, let your child dig in with their hands to mix the food. Help him use the rubber scraper to incorporate all the ingredients as well.
Recipe Reader: Give your child free access to gather goods–especially larger items in the pantry. Sharpen their literacy skills with new food terminology and turn ingredient gathering into a scavenger hunt.

Teens
Award-winning Chef and author of father-daughter cookbook Rick & Lanie’s Excellent Kitchen Adventures, Rick Bayless advocates total transfer of control to older kids in the kitchen (within good reason, of course). Give the responsibility of preparing an entire dish to your teen and watch him step up to the plate. “Kids will do just about anything, if they’re in charge, ” he says. If your child isn’t interested in food prep, here are some other ways to make him feel included.

Home Decor Hostess: For the kiddo who doesn’t care to be in the kitchen, recruit his or her decorating and cleaning sensibilities elsewhere. Let her arrange the place settings with fancy napkin folding and put her on post-cooking clean-up duty.
Coupon Clipper: Get your older child on board with saving money! Challenge him to use that smart phone for something other than excessive texting, and have him use a mobile coupon app from sites like CouponSherpa.com to save on items in your Thanksgiving shopping list. Incentivize savings by giving him the difference on the retail cost of the food items and the amount he actually spends. The more he saves, the more he gets back in cash!
Cake Kings and Queens: For the uptight cook who just can’t let go, give your teen a dessert recipe (or let him pick his own). If it bombs, it’s just one of many desserts.

Guest article written by Ashley Grimaldo who comes from a long line of penny pinchers and enjoys blogging on money-saving tips and advice for frugal-minded parents. She lives with her husband and three children in Bryan, Texas. Ashley has been featured among such media outlets as Redbook, The Chicago Tribune, Time.com, and CBS News-Houston.

Filed Under: Guest Blogger, Just for Kids, Meals / Menus, Parenting Tagged With: 12 jobs, carol williams, cookie, cooking, Desserts, finishing touch, food, food and drink, food prep, for kids, green bean casserole, icing, in the kitchen, jobs, kids, kitchen, snow white, tiny tot, tougher

How to Get a Child Off the Couch and Active

November 22, 2011 By Kelli Leave a Comment

Getting kids away from their TVs, computers, and gadgets is one of the greatest challenges today’s parents face, and it is not getting any easier. Many parents understandably want their kids to be up to date with all the modern technology, but for every gadget and game our children gain, something is lost. Today’s kids are losing interest in the simple enjoyment of outdoor activities and sports. If we do not push back against this trend, we may be raising a generation of overweight and unhealthy grownups.

Healthy households

For parents who want to get their kids active, it is important to establish moral authority by getting active themselves. It will not work if you command your child to go out and play while remaining inactive yourself. There must be a household culture that encourages good habits as a matter of course.

Parents too often consider themselves above the law, so to speak, when it comes to doing what we urge our children to do. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that because you work hard to make a living and also run a family, you do not have time to set a good example through exercise. But in reality, there is time for all these things. It is about making a priority of exercise.

If it helps, think of it this way: Every parents wants to live to a ripe old age so they can see their children grow up, and exercise is one of the key ingredients in achieving this. So even if you have to set aside other nonwork activities, make daily exercise your most important appointment. Adopting this type of attitude will be good for the whole family.

Impose healthy activities

Most kids fully understand why it is important to be active and get exercise every day. They just either do not care or prefer more sedentary activities. But if no amount of talking up the importance of health is going to change a child’s mind, what are parents to do?

The answer is simple: Present alternatives, and make your child try them. Remember, when your child is fully absorbed in watching TV, surfing the web, or playing video games, the idea of going outside or participating in a sport is not going to seem very appealing. This is one of those situations in which you must exert some parental authority, even if it is difficult at first.

There are a few ways to approach the situation. One is to tell your child that they will be participating in a sport (or another physical activity) and allowing them to choose which one. If necessary, present a few choices. Kids do not always take initiative on their own, so parents need to be front and center in encouraging activity.

Restrict less healthy activities

If applying parental authority via gentle suggestion and encouragement does not work, it is time to take it to the next level. Many kids will never give up their sedentary activities until their parents actively place limits and set rules. This is not the most enjoyable part of parenting, but it is something we all must do from time to time.

If you need your child to get more physical activity, it is a simple formula: Restrict the things that prevent him or her from getting that physical activity. For many parents, the magic number seems to be two hours of media time per day-which should include TV, video games, internet, and all other electronic devices. This has been confirmed by multiple studies finding that kids who consume two hours or less are healthier than those who consume two hours or more.

And ultimately, while no one is suggesting that today’s kids should have no access to the latest technologies, it is up to the parents to use their discretion. If computer, video game, or phone use is getting out of hand, remember that there was once a time when young people were perfectly content without these things. Our kids, too, can learn to entertain themselves in other ways.

Guest article provided by Jamell Andrews who authors many insightful articles on parents and children. She is a firm believer in the many uses of natural remedies for colic.