Not a New Blogger, Not a "Pro-blogger"

I've had my blog for five years now, and it seems like I have a nice amount of followers, but I only have a few truly loyal commenters. I know it's up to me to do the things that will attract more readers, so I continue to read articles about how to do that.

Most articles will tell you to write quality content. I agree. Many will tell you to find your "niche." I read an article today that was a link from Mom Bloggers Club, and finally, there is someone who disagrees with the notion of narrowing your blog down to one type of post (only reviews, only homeschooling, only issues for working moms, ie. finding your niche. Most of them have already been done and done well.)

I really love how Brit Reints put this, and I quote her:

"To be honest, I think you should ignore the experts on this one. I mean, sure, establishing yourself as the premier expert in a tiny niche is a proven path to “success”, but… you just want to start a blog. Right? I mean, isn’t this about you writing?"

"Write about something you love and will not get bored with quickly. Write about things that you read about and enjoy talking about and get excited about sharing."

She hit the nail on the head in my opinion. She had additional advice, of course, but you'll have to go read her article if you're interested. I just wanted to share this tidbit.

Vote for the Top Blog

One of my favorite blogs is Dandelion Wishes. If you have never visited Mamarazzi at her blog, first of all, where have you been? Just kidding. But seriously, she has an awesome blog... Happy Lists, Queen for a Day, cooking with her daughter, a dose of humor in pretty much every post.

She's been nominated for Top Blog 2010 by The Blog Guidebook. She's made it all the way to round FOUR! She's also offering prizes to those of us who vote for her, so I voted. Will you?

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Mean Girls

My daughter had her first experience with a "mean girl" last week. My poor baby! It breaks my heart. She's one of the sweetest girls I know, and I'm not just saying that. Oh, sure, she and I butt heads often, but I'm just so lucky to have her! She's got a smile that can light up a room, she's sensitive, kind, and she's a little shy. I'm so angry with that stupid mean girl!

High school! What a complex roller-coaster ride. Same thing with college. These were some of the best, most cherished times in my life, but the good memories will always be tainted with nightmares about mean girls (and sometimes boys) who made it their mission to make some of us miserable.

There was the remark about my rear, that hitting the diving board with my butt (like we were all doing on purpose) wouldn't hurt me because I had so much padding.

For putting me on "weight probation" my sophomore year in drill (dance) team, then letting girls much bigger than I make the drill team the following year with no restriction. Was that humiliation necessary? I wasn't even fat then! I only wish I was that size again!

For those who commented on my weight, height, choice of friends, choice of boyfriend, personal choices, character, etc. here's to you, mean kids!

To the girl who tried to smother me with my pillow as a way of making fun of me for sleeping with the pillow over my head - what is your problem? (I'm serious. She was supposed to be my "sorrority sister" too!)

For the girls who laughed at me in a variety of situations. And for the ones who ostracized me becaue I wasn't rich enough, pretty enough, good enough, whatever enough.

And to the girl I knew growing up who ended up at my university, what did you accomplish by calling me B***h in front of all of my friends? And so many, many other things that I could probably go on forever.

Yes, here's to you Shannon, Tricia, Tammy, Chanda, Stephanie, Christie, Sherrie, and all the rest. (Yep, I went there - naming names!) And don't let me forget the professor who sponsored the college dance team who told me that I was one of the worst dancers on the team. Thanks. Guess my years of dance lessons were a waste.

People don't realize how much their derogatory comments hurt and how they last. There are things I will absolutely never forget no matter how hard I try. I'm grown with kids of my own, and their remarks still bother me. Maybe I'm too sensitive, but I just can't forget! And now my daughter is going to have scars, and I can't fix it.

Glade Sense and Spray

Queenie is the winner!I love the new design of the Glade Sense and Spray. It's so modern and fresh-looking. Most of all, I love the fragrance! The Sense and Spray has a built-in motion sensor that automatically releases a burst of fragrance when motion is detected. Clever!

Did you know that fragrance is one of the easiest ways to update your home? Don't have the money to remodel? Fragrance can change the ambiance in any room.

Have a little money to spend? Painting is a good option. It's not too expensive, and changing even one accent wall can create an entirely different mood in a room.

Another easy way to create a warm and inviting mood in any room is by changing the lighting. This can be achieved by changing lamps or lampshades, adding track lighting to an accent wall, or even using dimmers on overhead lights.

Adding accessories in different colors and textures is another easy way to update a room. You may want to add a burst of color with throw pillows or a rug. Check out lots of tips from Erinn Valencich, interior designer and frequent HGTV guest. She has teamed up with Glade to bring you easy, affordable ways to improve any room.

Whatever you decide, fragrance is definitely the easiest way to create an inviting atmosphere in your home, and Glade Sense and Spray makes it easy with no electrical cords and no open flames. I'm loving the Vanilla Lavendar fragrance in my powder room (which is right next to the kitchen). And the design is a perfect fit for my decor.

Would you like to win one? Great! It's easy! Just leave a comment on this post.

There are things you can do for more entries, but please come back here and leave a comment for each one. Contest will end at 11:59 CST on December 16, 2010. Please make sure I have a way to contact you via email if you're the lucky winner. Random.org will help me choose the winner.
Receive an extra entry for each of the following things:
**Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post, come back here and tell me about it.
**Tweet this post. Leave a comment here with your link/user name.
**Friend Forgetfulone on Facebook.
**Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect.
** Join a discussion in my Blog Frog Community.

This post was sponsored by Glade Sense and Spray who provided the product for review and giveaway in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions in this post are 100% mine.

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The Nativity

Not everyone who reads my blog is Christian, and I love that we can all have our different beliefs, religions, and holidays. But since I'm Christian, and this is my blog, I want to talk about Christmas for a minute. Do you have a Nativity set in your home? I have a darling Dreamsicle set.

I started wondering, though, why is it called the Nativity? (This is the English teacher in me.) The root word is native. That makes me think of natives as in native people. Then, I did some searching in my brain and realized that plants can be native to a certain area (belong), so maybe that meaning is why it is called a nativity.

I had to look it up to be completely certain. Technically, the word nativity means "birth or origin." (I learned something new.) In this particular meaning, it means "of or relating to the birth of Jesus Christ." So now, it makes sense to me! I'm so glad I cleared that up!

And speaking of The Nativity Story, have you ever seen the movie from 2006? It's a wonderful reenactment of Joseph and Mary's lives and their journey leading up to the birth of Jesus. My twins were ten when it came out, and I made them go with me to see it. I'm so glad I did. I believe it gave them a clear sense of why we celebrate Christmas. As the saying goes (among Christians), Jesus is the reason for the season!

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