I’ve fallen a bit behind on my carnival inclusion updates! If you haven’t been by to read these collections of blog posts, please drop by!
June Carnival of Children’s Literature - Fathers in Children’s Books, June 23rd
Carnival of Family Life: Father’s Day Edition June 16
What are some of your favourite blog carnivals to participate in or to read? Let me know in the comments so that I can drop by and visit them!
I’m delighted to say that I was interviewed at Notes From My Nest for the week of June 23rd - July 2nd. Please stop by and join us for coffee in the “Coffee With” feature. You can learn more about my impetus for starting a blog, my family etc.
While you are there you can also enter a contest for a handmade, designer handbag from Pink Lemonade Designs if you are a U.S. resident.
Enjoy!
The easiest way for a beginner to get started with blogging is to use a free blogging service, like Blogger.com or Wordpress.com, there are many free services available including Homestead Blogger, Homeschooling Blogger etc. I’m not going to do a comprehensive list here, but if you do a quick Google for free blog hosting you’ll find many providers.
Sooner or later though, you may find yourself wanting your OWN domain name, or you may want to host Wordpress yourself, complete with all the neat plugins and widgets that you can install yourself. Your reasons may vary - perhaps you like to do some sponsored posts on your website, and have found that your free blog host is disqualified for certain opportunities (hosting your own blog will always qualify you for more opps), or maybe you have found that a neat domain name is available and you’d love to have a snazzy and easy to remember blog name, maybe something shorter than “jennifersbloghere.blogspot.com”for example.
How do you find a reliable host for your new blog though? How can you even determine what to look for in a website hosting company? There is definitely a learning curve when it comes to purchasing domain names, finding a host for your site etc. I just found an interesting website tonight that has many free web hosting articles for you to browse through and read to reduce this learning curve. These articles cover everything from choosing a domain name to shared hosting, and cpanel tutorials. If you are just starting out, or need to look up a certain topic related to website hosting, why not take a peek? Their main website also lists some cheap website hosts that they recommend. Happy learning!
Well, my faithful blog readers know that I’m always on the look-out for ways to monetize my blog, and bring in some extra income for our family. Some of the other opportunities I have taken have provided enough monthly income to pay the monthly high speed internet bill, so we can now get off of dial-up!
I just became aware of another money-making income for bloggers, it looks new, and promising! BloggerWave is a new company - based in Europe - that connects bloggers with advertisers. Their goal is to become Europe’s largest advertising media for bloggers (and they pay in U.S. funds). Blog approval times are currently very short, this blog was approved in less than one business day.
The website looks very user friendly, and I think that it will be easy to learn the ropes there. I look forward to writing more posts for them in the future.
Whew, it seems like all I have had time for lately is updates! But don’t worry, I have a new review on it’s way - soon - for The Captive Princess by Wendy Lawton, it’s a historical fiction/biography of Pocahontas, and I hope you enjoy the review! (I won it in a blog contest too - mentioned in a previous update!)
Our Boys and Manners Giveaway (don’t forget to enter!) was featured at 5 Minutes for Mom today! Woohoo! I feel like a ‘real blogger’ now ;). If you haven’t visited them yet, they often have great giveaways, and are run by two work-at-home moms. These talented ladies run two toy stores online, in addition to their blogging efforts! You can visit their stores here: A Rocking Horse To Love and Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles.
I also see that we were featured in the latest Review Bloggers Carnival! I’m so excited to find carnivals we can participate in :). If you like reading reviews, or have a review you’d like to submit for inclusion next time, head on over and check it out.
Well, we are heading to the BIG CITY for the week to build fences and visit with my family. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some good blogging in while I’m away, but…hard to say! I wonder if I can bring my computer ;). Might be quiet around here…
Thanks for reading!
Time for a quick round of updates!
I have a new book review up at Christian Children’s Book Reviews - Jesus Loves Me, currently my 2 year olds FAVOURITE. She just loves this book.
Camille is having a contest for a 1 year subscription to Homeschooling Today, go check it out!
Don’t forget to enter our contest for Boys and Manners Contest Giveaway, right here at the Quiverfull Family Blog.
Carnivals: A bit late, but we were included in the Carnival of Family Life this week, hosted at Live from Waterloo!
That’s all for now! Thanks for reading :).
I was just awarded my first blog award from my good online friend Camille! Thanks so much, this is such a delightful surprise for me!
Well, Camille certainly made my day last week! If I could award it right back to you, I would! Now, according to the requirements for this award, I am to choose six more recipients of it - bloggers who “Make My Day”.
So in no particular order :):
Stephanie is the blogging friend that lives the closest to me to date! She is around 2.5 hours West of us. I haven’t met her in real life…yet, but it is wonderful to be able to correspond with her through email and keeping up with her blog updates. She is my unassisted birthing hero, an inspirational, homeschooling Mom of 7!
Laura of Laura Williams Musings lives FAR away from us geographically, but I visit her blog daily to check out her daily contest round-ups (who knew that there were so many free goodies and contests to be won in the blogosphere? I’ve only realized this in the past couple of months!). I also enjoy reading her book reviews from a Christian perspective and hearing about her adventures in the garden and homeschooling her 7 children. I have learned a lot just from watching her blog and seeing how she has things set up on her site. How would I ever have found the FIRST Blog Tour Alliances without seeing those buttons in her sidebar?!
Penny Raine on her hose farm always includes so many photos on her blog, photos of her garden, photos of her family, lots of great pictures! And…she is the one who turned me on to PayPerPost (see red button in right sidebar to sign up - I’ve made over $90 in two months)! That in itself is worth a prize! Thank you sister!
Mimi Pearson - I’m going to drop this award on her personal blog, though I’m not too familiar with it. Mimi is the hard-working, Christian, homeschooling mom, who also organizes the All FIRST Alliance Blog Tours (watch for an upcoming post)! I am in awe of the work that she does online, tirelessly promoting Christian literature - for free. I’m also so thankful for the opportunities that she has opened for me - a whole new world of online book reviewing. Thanks so much Mimi!
Mama Archer - Host, organizer and administrator of the Quiverfull Blogroll - see right sidebar. Thank you so much for connecting the Quiverfull blogging community together through your efforts. Sometimes we can feel so alone in this area of our walk with Christ, your efforts have provided a sense of solidarity.
And one more! Jocelyn, organizer of the Homesteading Carnival. I have been participating in the carnival for a few weeks, and even had the opportunity to host one of the carnivals (and have another hosting slot booked in August). Thanks for bringing all of us homesteading bloggers together!
Now I’d better get to bed! I’ll have to drop in on all of these special ladies tomorrow to let them know about their award!
Well, I’ve had 9 days of Entrecard so far, and I have to say, it is a bit addicting! I’ll be able to drop everyone much faster, and with more regularity after our high speed internet arrives - sometimes in the next two weeks? Please, Lord? We don’t have an appointment set yet with the installers :). I love visiting the other blogs, keeping up on posts, helping to promote other blogs, and being promoted in turn. Sometimes finding like-minded blogs is a bit of a treasure hunt in and of itself!
I noticed this type of post on another blog, and thought I’d do something similar to celebrate my first week (and a bit) at Entrecard.
Here are my top 7 droppers for my first 9 days at Entrecard. Thanks so much for dropping me!
#1 - My good blogging friend Camille at There is a Season.
#2 - Seeking Things Above
#3 - Cheaper by the Half Dozen
#4 - Lora’s Journal
#5 - Mommies Home.net
#6 - All Cute Cats - cute cat pictures, really really cute 
#7 - Lofty Matters
Thanks to everyone for coming by and ‘dropping’ in on my blog! If you haven’t tried Entrecard yet, and are a blogger looking for some new visitors and traffic to your blog, I recommend that you check it out!
The good folks over at SocialSpark.com are asking their blogging members who we would like to have advertising on our blogs.
I’m thrilled to be able to answer their question! As a blog that focuses on issues relating to Christian family living I have a number of suggestions for advertisers that are not widely represented throughout the blogosphere.
• Cloth diapers - We have been cloth diapering since our first child was born, it is such an economical choice for larger families, because many children can use the same set of diapers. I’d love to promote this money-saving choice to our readers.
• Vision Forum – What conservative Christian family with a heart for returning to God’s ways for the family doesn’t find Vision Forum’s products inspiring?
• Christian book publishers, or specific titles – I love reviewing Christian non-fiction and fiction titles here on my blog, it would be neat to be able to have an ongoing sponsorship with a Christian publisher, or a specific book title.
• Homeschooling products – Many of the blogs readers are homeschoolers, so it would be a great tie in for a curriculum supplier to offer a blog sponsorship or advertisement.
• Homemaking products – Aprons, modest sewing patterns, meal planning services, recipes etc. Every mother needs to be domestic in her high calling as a wife and mother – advertisements for these tools would be useful for our readers.
I would just be chomping at the bit to write promotional posts for these types of opportunities. Many of the opportunities that become available are of a general interest nature. While I am more than happy to write for those opportunities, some advertisements more focused to our readers would be very exciting.
In my ongoing search to learn more about the blogosphere I joined Entrecard today. Simply said, Entrecard is a blogging network designed to exchange free advertising between blogs, drive traffic to your blog, encourage comments between bloggers and to meet others throughout the blogosphere.
I had noticed those little Entrecard boxes in the sidebars of blogs but never knew what they were about until I headed over to the site and took the tour. I’m still experimenting with it and learning my way around, but so far it seems fun - and there are quite a few Christian/homeschooling type blogs that participate if you dig for them.
Today Entrecard announced the release of their free e-book for Entrecarder’s; free for anybody to download, explaining the ins, outs and basics of carding at http://entrecard.com/static/entrecard_official_ebook.pdf. To quote their blog:
Our free ebook has arrived for everyone to download! If you’re new to Entrecard, and wondering what to do first, this E-Book will guide you along the way. And if you’re an intermediate or advanced user, it’s packed full of strategies you can use to get the absolute most from our service. Download from the link above.
They have also newly introduced the ability to add multiple blogs to the same account (we only have one so far). Sounds easy to do, and I actually saw the link in my own dashboard, AND if you do add additional blogs the good folks at Entrecard will enter you in their prize contest of 15,000 Entrecard credits - woohoo, think of the advertising you could do then!
Here’s what they have to say:
Today we rolled out a feature everyone has been asking us for since we launched:
the ability to add more than one blog to an account!
Starting today, you can add all your blogs to Entrecard simply by going to your Dashboard and clicking “Linked Blogs” in your Dashboard navigation.
You will be able to choose whether to link your account with another EXISTING account, or to register a NEW BLOG with Entrecard, and automatically link it to your account.
You can switch from one blog to another, and drop or advertise as either one, from the very top right of your Entrecard screen. Where your email address is displayed there will be a link to “switch” to another account of yours.
Add just one more blog to your account, and you’re automatically entered to win 15,000 credits!
So, if you decide to start Entrecarding, look me up and we can exchange “drops”, and I’ll add you to my favourites!
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