Blog Memes That Inspire & Motivate

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Have you ever participated in a meme?  What is a meme, you may ask? In my own words, it's where one blog writes up a post about a given topic.  Then other bloggers write their own posts similar to the topic and link up to the main blog.  It's usually done on a weekly basis or some other consistency.

I really enjoy memes.  There's a large variety of memes to participate in, including meal planning, giveaways, and spiritual growth.

MEMES THAT INSPIRE AND/OR MOTIVATE THIS MOM:

Making Your Home Sing is my very favorite meme.  Nan always inspires me to make a difference in my home!  To quote Nan:

"Every day you are doing something to make your house into a home for yourself and your family (if you have one). My point with each Monday post is, what are you doing or going to do today? It can be an attitude or an action. Motivation, our attitude, baking, encouraging our husband or children (if we have either one), organization, cleaning, saving money....the opportunities are endless.'
"Whatever you're doing you are blessing your family. I just want people to post what they're doing that day or going to do that day to "make their home sing." Anything we do to bless our families, to make our homes run more smoothly, anything we do to go about our homemaking more joyfully and thankfully will apply."

Wifey Wednesdays is another encouraging meme.  I've related to Sheila in some of her posts.  I've learned from her in many of them.  My marriage is very important to me.  I treasure my husband, mostly because I almost lost him due to my own ignorance.  No, I don't always display just how much I appreciate him.  That's where this meme comes in.  Sheila shows us ways to implement new ways of improving our marriages.

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Menu Plan Monday is one I haven't participated in, yet.  However, I will be shortly.  Why?  Simply because I've started cooking meals at home more.  It sickens me to waste money on eating out, when I could cook at home for so much less money.  Plus, hubby makes the kiddos do the dishes!  What better arrangement is there?  Menu Plan Monday is a great resource for finding new recipes and meal ideas, as well as motivating you (oh, me) to make a weekly meal plan.  Meal planning has so many advantages, wouldn't you agree?

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Thankful Thursday reminds us to stop long enough to thank God for something or someone in our lives.  I know I can go days without being thankful, often complaining.  That is not what God wants from us.  This meme is a weekly reminder to stop and give thought to what we  have in our lives that is worthy of our gratitude.

This meme is hosted by three bloggers in the following rotation:

You can read some of my blog posts at ThisMomsDelight.com that were based on my favorite memes.

What's your favorite meme? Share your favorite Christian (or clean) memes with your fellow Faithful Bloggers!

~Tami

This Mom’s Thankful Thursday – 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Me

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Today's Thankful Thursday is all about getting to know one another.  That reminds me of all of the  online friendships that I am thankful for.  Yes, I have 'real-life' friendships, but it is so hard to get together with girlfriends, simply because I am a busy working wife and mom.  Lots to do! However, I can sneak in some blogging and online activities when my hubby and children are distracted with their own  interests.

That's where online friendships come in.  What would I do without your encouragement, support and advice!

10 Things You Didn't Know About Me or Maybe You Do:

  1. One of my online friendships turned into a real-life friendship.  We text, talk on the phone, and have even discussed visiting one another.  She's a treasure and I am very thankful to have her.
  2. I have a scar on my right knee from a cut I received when I was 11 months old.
  3. I never ever dreamed I would be overweight as an adult.  I was a skinny girl up until my senior year of high school.  Thanks a lot to all of the fast food restaurants and the vending machines!
  4. I'm actually adopted by one of my parents.  I feel special because I was actually chosen!
  5. I have a brother who's spent time in prison.  He almost died earlier this year.  Despite his circumstances and choices, I love him with all my heart.
  6. I really thought my first child would be a girl.  I was wrong.  Mr. Matthew came first.
  7. I really didn't want a girl.  I worried that I wouldn't get along with a girl, simply because my mom and I clashed a lot.  Now, that I'm older, I see things differently with my own mom.  My daughter and I do clash, but I know it's mostly me, because I'm a moody girl that's passing it on to her girl.  However, it's something God and I are working on together!
  8. I can't wear fake fingernails and do the laundry.  Pulling the clothes out of the dryer was difficult with them on.  So, give up the nails or doing the laundry?  Sadly, I chose to give up the nails, simply because I didn't want anyone running around naked, especially me!
  9. My teeth are crooked.  My mom tried to get me braces before I left home, but I was fine with crooked teeth then.  I now wish I would've gotten the braces.  Oh well!
  10. I have a destructive personality.  I have sabotaged relationships in the past with my own jealousy.  Another one that God is helping me change!

Share ten things about yourself! Today's Thankful Thursday is being hosted at Spiritually Unequal Marriage.

This Mom's Thankful!

~Tami

Review a Book for BookSneeze

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I review for BookSneeze

Have you ever heard of Thomas Nelson?  It is a publisher of Christian books.  BookSneeze is a program offered by Thomas Nelson for bloggers to receive free books in exchange for an honest review.

The Pros and Cons

The only downside (a con) to this program is that you can only have one request open at a time.  Once you request a book you can not request another until you've:

  • Received the book, which can take a couple weeks;
  • Read the book in it's entirety;
  • Post your review (see below);
  • Submit your review links to BookSneeze.com; then
  • Wait for the reviews to be approved (which doesn't take long).

Other review sites allow you to have more than one book requested at a time; however most of them have deadlines for their books.   The books at BookSneeze don't have a specific tour date (a pro, in my opinion).   If a book review doesn't have a deadline, I try to get my review written within 30 days of receipt.   Be sure to read the BookSneeze Reviewer Guidelines for details.

What Must the Review Include?

200 Words - The review must be 200 words in length.  When I wrote my first review, I panicked.  I didn't think I could write 200 words.  If you have this same worry, I'm sure once your fingers start hitting the keyboard, you'll come up with 200 words in no time.  I've actually had to trim down a few of my reviews.

Compliance with the Federal Trade Commission - As with anything you receive as a review item, you must include in your review that you received the item from the publisher in exchange for your review.  I always state '...in exchange for my honest review' in my posts, because I want to make sure my readers know that I don't change my opinion just to get a freebie or help promote the book.  I tell my honest opinion, and so should you! Many of the publishing siter have expressed their desire for an honest opinion of the book, so don't be afraid to write it.  However, be polite if you must write a negative review.

Where Do I Share My Review Once I've Written It?

As a reviewer, you must post the review on your own blog and on any consumer retail website.  The retail sites I share my reviews on include Amazon.com and Christianbook.com.

Join BookSneeze

As with all of the publishers and book reviewing companies I've shared, please see their website for full details and policies on becoming a book reviewer, before joining.   Once you've decided to join, visit BookSneeze to sign up for their blogger program.

Stay tuned for the next featured site to request books to read and review.  If you are interested in reviewing books at no cost to you, check out my previous post So, You Want to Review Books for the 5 steps.

Happy Reviewing!

~Tami

Review a Book for Bethany House Publishers

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Bethany House Publishers sends out an email with a selection of books to choose from every few months.

Like most publishers and book tours, they have a limited supply, so you may not receive every book you request. BHP offers Christian fiction and non-fiction. I've read some wonderful stories published by them! I even consider BHP to be my favorite Christian fiction publisher.

The following Christian fiction books are highly recommended! I'm saving the books for my daughter to read when she gets a little bit older.

I've also enjoyed some non-fiction thanks to BHP:

BOOK REVIEW EXAMPLES

Check out my reviews listed above and some fellow bloggers' book reviews listed below for examples of how to write book reviews.

  • Shawnee's Tangled Tales reviews Beguiled.

Be sure to check the publisher's guidelines before requesting a book for review.

Happy Reading!

~Tami

Sign up to become a book reviewer for Bethany House Publishing today!

Review a Book for FIRST Wild Card Tours

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FIRST stands for Fiction in Rather Short Takes.  However, FIRST Wild Card Tours offers more than fiction.  I've reviewed books of different genres for FIRST.  So far, I've reviewed the following FIRST books:

Bible Study / Spiritual Growth

Biography / Cooking

Christian Fiction

Physical Health / Diet

Working Women

Visit the reviews I've written (see above) or some other bloggers who have reviewed for FIRST to see how book reviews are written:

My Friend Amy reviews The First Escape by GP Taylor

Mom Two Ways reviews Flirting with Faith by Joan Ball and Power PraiseMoves™ DVD by Laurette Willis

A Peek at My Bookshelf review It's All About Us by Shelley Adina and Played: Pure by Rebecca St. James

After you've signed up via FIRST's Yahoo group, you'll receive an email each time they have an upcoming book tour.  Each email contains instructions to sign up to receive the book.  (Basically, you email your request to the given email address within the post.)  Sometimes they offer pdf books, as well as hard copies.   Be sure to read the blog tour site's guidelines and requirements before requesting your first book.

Not everybody is approved, since there are a limited about of books.  However, I have received more than 75% of the books I've requested.

If approved, you're name will be included in the list they send out.  Once you receive the book,  add the tour date to your calendar and begin reading the book.  The day before the tour is to be posted, you'll receive  HTML to include in your blog post.  Add it, then insert your honest review.

Stay tuned for the next featured site to request books to read and review.  If you are interested in reviewing books at no cost to you, check out my previous post So, You Want to Review Books for the 5 steps.

Happy Reading!

~Tami

So, You Want to Review Books?

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I've found a way to share my love of books and it not cost me anything! Many publishers will give out new books in exchange for a blogger's honest review.

1. Establish

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a blog. Many publishers require your blog be in existence and regularly updated for three months. I started out with Blogger.com and it is great for beginners. See Lifehacker's Five Best Blogging Platforms for more choices.

  • If you have an established blog, then you're ready to proceed to Step 2.
  • If not, then start out with reviews of books you've already read to fill in the three month requirement.

2. Send your request to available publishers. Let them know you're interested in reviewing books for them. They'll email you the offer or post it on their website, and you'll get a copy as long as they haven't ran out of copies. (See my next post for details on contacting book publishers.)

3. Put the requests on your calendar. Know how many chapters you can read in a day without overloading yourself. You want to enjoy the books you're reading. A fast read will result in a lousy and not-so-accurate review.

4. Follow the publisher's review posting guidelines. Where to find the guidelines will be available in the next post.

5. Write an honest review. If you didn't like the book, say so. That's what reviewing is all about. Readers want to know if the book is truly worth purchasing. However, do it in a manner that is polite and fair to the author.

Happy Book Reviewing!

~Tami

Five Top Wordpress Plugins

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What is a plugin, anyway?  Plugins are user-friendly coding that can make your blog do almost anything!  Someone puts hard work into creating these wonderful tools, so that you, the blogger, can give your blog what it needs to function or be reader friendly.

Akismet

A spam filter service that puts possible spam in a separate folder.  I can review them all and choose 'delete permantently' or just trust Akismet and delete them all without reviewing them.  Akismet has only placed 9 real comments (or false positives, as they call them -- LOL) in the spam folder.  That's not bad for having had 1,096 spam comments over the past six months.

Broken Link Checker

A link checker for all links on your blog, whether it's the link to one of your blog posts or an outgoing link.  This is good for reporting sites to you that are no longer active.  I usually just 'unlink' and I'm good to go.  Sometimes, if it's a link to a site that is still up and running, but that particular page is no longer active, I remove all but the main part of the link.  For example, if "http://ABlogSiteILinkedTo.com/ThisPageNotWorking' is no longer working, then I reduce it to "http://ABlogSiteILinkedTo.com", so that my readers still have access to the blog or website being referenced.

The only concern I have is that sometimes it reports a link as broken when it's not.  In that case, there is a button to click to tell the checker that the link is not broken.

Fast Secure Contact Form

Put your email address on your website or blog, and you're bound to get lots of spam, guaranteed!  This plugin allows the reader to contact you via a form on your blog.  You receive an email, in return.  Since it's not spammer friendly, I've never received any spam email via the contact form.  It also benefits your reader, because he or she doesn't have to open their email client to contact you.

Follow Me

This feature allows your readers to subscribe to your blog via RSS or email, and connect to you via Twitter, Youtube, Digg, StumbleUpon, and others.  All you have to do is enter those links initially, and they appear as recognizable icons.  (Take a look at my sidebar for an example. It's listed under my customizable heading 'Follow This Mom!')

WordPress Database Backup

Although I've never had to use this one, and I pray that I don't have to, this is a must for any blogger!  Back up your blog!  Things get lost!  This plugin gives you the option of a regularly scheduled back up.  It can be saved to your computer or emailed to you.

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Do you have any plugins that your blog couldn't do without?  Share them with me, pretty please!

Happy Plugin!

~Tami

Yes, You Can Blog! How To Start Yours Today

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I know a few people who have never heard of blogs.  It amazes me, yet I remember when I first discovered the world of blogging.  I found a new world.

I began reading a few blogs, then more blogs, then more blogs.  Then, I decided to give blogging a try for myself.

You may be asking, 'Can I blog?'

YES, YOU CAN BLOG!

There are many reasons to start a blog:

  • Journal your progress in your goals.  Your goals may be spiritual, personal, or physical.  I am blogging about my weight loss, or as I like to call it, Healthier Habits on my personal blog.
  • Journal your family memories and/or photos.
  • Share your hobbies or expertise with others, That knowledge you possess is bound to benefit another person out there, whether it be blogging about your tried-and-true recipes, crafts, hobbies or made-for-sale items.
  • Share your love of books. I love to read.  I enjoy telling others about books that I believe will encourage or benefit them in some way.  I have several book reviews listed on my personal blog.
  • Share your love for animals. Show off your pets pics and funny stories!
  • Express your passion, whatever it may be!

I started out with the intention of sharing my goals, and it has blossomed into more than that!  I blog about personal goals, books I love, freebies and giveaways that I have entered or am hosting via my blog.

Happy Blogging!

~Tami

Blogging Regrets

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I have regrets. I have regrets with my choices in the blogging world.

GIVEAWAY GLOOM

One regret I have is entering too many giveaways.  I end up with stuff I really don't even need.  The biggest problem I encounter is not having anywhere to put the free goodies (aka clutter) once I receive them.

The solution to this is to first, only enter a giveaway for something that you will truly use.

Second, have a home ready for it, should you win it. 

WITHOUT A PRAYER

The biggest regret I have is taking on something without prayer.

Choosing to review too many books in a given time can lead to reading 'cram sessions', where I don't enjoy the book's content.   Had I chosen only two books instead of five, I could've read at a much slower pace.

Choosing to participate in a workshop or something of the like.   Had I prayed, maybe I would've said no, because I don't really have the time necessary to complete the workshop's assignments, as required.  Also, had I prayed, maybe the Holy Spirit would've prompted me to ask more questions about the workshop's intent and be able to make a better decision about it.

I tend to take on too much.  I've learned through this that prayer will limit us, but that is a good thing. Taking on too much leads to stress, being cranky to our family, and going to work without any clean underwear on.  (Just kidding about the underwear, but it's gotten close!)

DON'T GET ME WRONG

I love the blogging world and most of what it offers.  There are so many good things!  However, God wants us to choose the best.   There is plenty of good things out there, but we don't have the time for everything good thing,  so we must be selective!

Have a blessed, clutter-free, prayerful blogging day!

~Tami

Introducing Tami - A Faithful Bloggers Intern

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I'm Tami, a 30-something girl in Oklahoma. I've been married 15 years and my hubby and I have a teen son and a pre-teen daughter.  I'm not sure how they went from babies to this, but it's happened and this mom is in denial!

I am a born-again Christian that is a member of  a local Missionary Baptist church.   I also teach the Beginners class, which consists of 4 and 5 year old kiddos.

I work outside the home, although my heart is definitely at home.  I haven't found a way to bring an income home, so I still report to my 9 to 5 job.

I began blogging a few years ago to have a way to journal my goals.  I like to refer to my goals as God-given desires.  That helps me remember that I should be focusing on Him in my decision-making and listening to Him for what I should be working toward.

Blogging has since turned into a source for freebies and giveaway winnings, which I love receiving both!  I also enjoying sharing these with my fellow blogging friends!  Also, I recently discovered a way to get free books by doing reviews of the books I receive.  I love to read!  Oh, I love to read!!

I have gotten off course with my goals, but I'm working toward them once again!  Here I come weight loss, as well as family and spiritual improvements.

I started out blogging on Blogger.com, but transferred my blog to Wordpress in April of this year.  I am now at ThisMomsDelight.com.

~Tami