Wordless Wednesday - Raining

It's been raining in Florida - On & Off Rain ... Very Warm Winter

Family up north has been explaining what a calm winter it's been for them. It has been the same here in Central Florida with just a little rain and sunshine soon after. This makes for very tropical feeling / warm weather. It feels like it's going to be a scorcher this summer. The funny thing is that people from the North visit Florida during Christmas and January (lots from Canada). They spend time at the beaches and even let their children swim. We find it far too cold to brave the waters at that time of year and the beach water is in the 90s during the summer time (like a bath and not refreshing at all). They come from the North and swim then, too. I would have never thought these the worst times to visit Florida when I lived in the North and dreamed of vacationing in Florida during the Winter or Summer months. I think the best time to visit is mid-March through June. The weather is like summer in the north and you miss all of the congestion during the months that people typically visit.

I'm going to go blog hopping for a while and then over to the new clubs at Social Media Examiner. Join me as a friend there and Pinterest, too :)


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

Monday Marketing Tip - Quality Unique Website Content / Blog Content Is Key

Unique Website Content / Unique Blog Content Is Still Key

It was not so long ago that Google added a feature to their Webmaster Tools that permitted webmasters to report duplicate content; kind of like a "grace" system for those who wanted forgiven for duplicate content. That was at the end of 2009 while we were waiting for the social search engine (Google +) to launch and I didn't fall for it! I have been using the Internet daily and writing website content for 13+ years. I have been following Google and Yahoo since their Internet launches. I did not fall for this duplicate content "grace" feature as I was taught and had previously confirmed that it is unique website content that distinguished us from one another and is favored by the major search engines. This makes sense, right? Yahoo / Bing and Google want to provide us with quality content, therefore it makes sense that they filter out what is repetitive information in the search engines, so that we continue to use their services.

How Does This Apply To Your Website / Blog Content?

• You should write quality unique website content (blog content) to attract new website visitors and retains followers.


• You should write quality unique website content (blog content) to stand out from the others in Google, Yahoo / Bing.


• You should write quality unique website content (blog content) for other search engines and directories that featuring your blog / website.

For example, if your mom blog does product reviews or provides PR services, put everything permissible into your own words. I say permissible because some companies have constraints on how their products or services are described / marketed. Regardless, if they are paying / giving samples to more than one mom blog, it is likely that search engines will consider yours duplicate content if you use suggested content that is too similar to what is written on another site.


Duane Forrester: Video on Establishing Authority in Bing

Duplicate Content forgiveness went to the waste side in 2011. The Panda changes and launch of Google + beta encouraged us to share others content in social settings, but Google's Little or No Original Content and Webmaster Guidelines provide assurance that unique website content is still key with Google. Yahoo / Bing states the similar in their blog post explaining how to become an Authority Site which includes a bulleted list of what they look for to determine authority sites (unique content is one of the factors).


Matt Cutts: Google Video on Good Quality Content vs SEO

Matt Cutts from Google has posted a video explaining how your good content is taken into consideration and sometimes in addition to SEO, this is why those mom blog offering PR and Product Sponsoring need to make those ads / blog content unique for the Search Engines as well as interesting to the website visitors / blog followers. Yes, you are supposed to write for website visitors above the search engines, but they both go hand in hand for your success!

The disadvantage and advantage that a good mom blogger / webmaster has is that search engines determine what is duplicate content or content spam for themselves (algorithm change for this in January 2012). It is a disadvantage if you do not know how to protect and market your content, someone else can squeeze in on your "good stuff" and claim it as their own. On the other hand, shrewd and Internet savvy mom bloggers know how to protect themselves from duplicate content. The advantage is that search engines can most often tell which content is yours and whether it is worth anyone's time ("quality"). They constantly update their algorithms (code also known as crawlers) and they hire people to serve as search engineers ... this protects you from websites and blogs that embed your RSS and content spammers that duplicate your unique writings; including articles you have made public domain on PR and article sites that permit sharing. This is why social bookmarking and link descriptions are not considered duplicate content, but a new web site that is using just feeds could be considered duplicate content.

Over the years, it has really ticked me off when I hire a "Ghostwriter" to assist with writing content, for a large projects, and it is a spun article or not unique content. It just wastes my money and time because I have to go through and fix the documents so that they are quality unique content according to Google and Yahoo / Bing. BTW - don't forget to check out last week's Marketing Tip on Good Commenting practices.

I feel the same about link engineers that put my beautiful websites - with beautiful unique content - into crappy link locations or do not know how to comment on my behalf without using spam! I have stopped hiring these link specialists at all and use screened USA assistants ... you should be careful who you permit help market your web content, too!!!

On the other hand, NOTHING has ticked me off more than someone duplicating my quality unique website content. There are ways to get passed this, so that the search engines know that you were the first to post the website / blog content. You are welcome to CONTACT ME for a consultation on how to search and protect your website content from duplicators.

In the meanwhile, just keep in mind and hold dear to your heart that NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE SAYS (seo experts, search engines, online friends), you are ALWAYS better off by having quality unique website content or blog content. With this in mind, it would not hurt to go back through your blog posts and correct what you can. This can make a world of difference for someone using Blogger opposed to Wordpress or Typepad. Blogspot / Blogger does not have the same extensions and SEO capabilities as the other two blog platforms, therefore unique content and proper external SEO will help your Blogspot / Blogger rank better in the search engines.



Have a website / blog content tip that I should add to this blog post? Did you learn anything about why you should write the "Quality Unique Website Content"? If so, please take a moment to share your thoughts below in the Comment section of this blog :)


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

Wordless Wednesday - Bean Bag Baby

Our baby "chills" in the bean bag while watching Barney!

He falls asleep on his own as long as the bean bag is near :)

This is an AWESOME milestone for this active little boy!

In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

13 Month Baby / Toddler - Extreme Child Proofing To Keep The Baby Safe For Home

Child Proofing AGAIN | Child Safety for 13 Month Old Toddler

It feels like there is nothing that we can do to keep our 13 month old baby out of mischief! He is just one curious little boy that is usually on the go from 6:30 to 7:30 A.M. until he crashes around 4:00 P.M. He will nap for about an hour and then do it again until around 9:30 to 10:00 P.M. I feel like we are living in total hyper drive right now and there is really not much that we can do about it because our toddler only understands but so much at this age.

Don't get me wrong! It is truly beautiful to watch him exploring new things in his world. I am amazed by how we can literally see the "light bulb going off" when he discovers his own capabilities; his adorably innocent and transparent expressions are how I can see what he is thinking and understanding before he takes off like the Roadrunner to do the next thing. Our 13 month old is not only cute and curious, he is frighteningly smart and stubborn about what he does understand. This makes him an unstoppable opponent these days, therefore we had to childproof our home AGAIN.

It was just one room that needed the "toddler make over" because the rest of the house is off limits and we did childproof months ago when he was learning to crawl. We have given him the entire living room which is really like having two room because it openly connects to my 10 x 10 office (we just do not use the sliding doors). In addition to that opening, he can pretty much see what is going on outside of the living room because it has no doorway (just one wall where the entertainment stand sits) and opens into the kitchen and hallway.

Initial Child Proofing Done Before He Turned One Years Old

We removed just about everything from the living room (no coffee table, end tables and accessories). All that is left in the room is low sitting leather couch on one wall, glider rocking chair, one lamp, entertainment stand w/ older TV, Today's Kids Play Yard, pack n play that holds his bin of toys and a basket of toys w/ my Legmaster to the side of the entertainment stand.

• We had to put the childproof caps into all of the electrical sockets when he was around 5-6 months because he started going for them as soon as he began crawling.
  
  
• We painted because he started licking the walls while using them to stand up. We had only cleaned the walls when we moved in to this home, but felt more comfortable giving the walls a fresh coat of paint "just in case". He eventually stopped licking the walls.
  
  
• We had to teach him not to eat the door stopper, though did end up switching to the flexible coil door stopper which he has stretched and smashed like crazy. He has finally stopped trying to use it as a teething ring. This coil type of door stopper is flexible, so it never went to the back of his throat like the straight, solid, metal ones.
  
  
• We bought a pack of floor pads (found in the exercise department of Walmart for $20) to avoid any more head and tooth injuries. He was extremely accident prone when learning to sit up, crawl and walk. He chipped his front tooth just after it first came in. It is a slant that still looks OK, but he sometimes pokes his tongue with it :( These gym mats helped a bunch and we ended up getting a 2nd pack when he was learning to walk. They are not as colorful as the baby / child mats, though they are durable and have enough cushion for small knees and to break impact during falls. They are larger than the baby mats, so less cleaning time. * We did have to take the trim from around the edges because he was pealing the strips up to chew them and he has bit off a few of the block edges, but stopped that obsession around 12 months. These mats are a "must have" if you have tile or wood floors.

(Best baby floor - Get them @ Walmart for $20 in the exercise department)

Toddler Childproofing Needs (13 Months)

#1 - Turned the couch around and use it to block the open wall ...

As I mentioned above, we turned his favorite couch around (the love seat) so that he'll stop climbing it. He almost flipped over the back of it one day, so this was necessary. It also worked out that the couch was wide enough to block the opening between the living room and office entry way. We also had to sew the hole he picked in the back of the couch after we turned it around.

#2 - One room opposed to using the play yard or pack n play to contain him.

As I mentioned above, he now has the whole living room opposed to just the space of a play yard or pack n play. We have the love seat blocking him in to the living room, though I can see what he is doing at the times that we are not in the actual living room with him. I just have to slide it over to open the area up and combine the two rooms (which I need to do sometimes, so that he can walk back and forth to give his hugs and check out what we are doing :)

#3 - Turned the Today's Kids Play Yard into a gate

Last week, my husband drilled the Today's Kid Play Yard to the walls because he kept breaking loose when we had it wedged between the couch (on one side) and the entertainment center (on the other side). It is no longer a hexigon, but one long panel that makes a semi circle, straight or edged panel depending upon how the baby pushes on it. Now that the play yard is drilled to the wall, he cannot leave the room on his own and we use one panel as a door or just step over it. I would like to mention that this Today's Kids Play Yard is one of the best yard sale purchases we made. It has heavy plastic panels that permit you to combine more than one set to make a larger play area. This is what we were going to do if drilling to the wall did not work, but it did :)

#4 - We needed to baby proof the entertainment center again.

We had already cleaned out the drawers of the entertainment center, but our baby started opening them and excessively shaking the doors (that close in the TV). It has finally gotten to the point that we needed to take the knobs and both doors off the entertainment center. We also had to put our baby's books in the cabinet area because he is still trying to chew on them and rip pages. This works out well because he will stand over there to let us know that he wants to read his books. We also have an older tube TV in the entertainment stand because I am less worried about HD quality than I am his safety. This TV is heavy enough that he cannot shake it down (as he does try to lift and shake the entertainment center) and he does hit on the TV when he gets hyped up, so I am glad we left it in the living room.

#5 - Blocking the electric sockets AGAIN ...

We have had white safety plugs in all of the wall sockets since he started crawling, but they are almost useless at 13 months old. He can pull the safety plugs out of the socket, so we had t position all furniture to block those safety plugs. It gives piece of mind, but we still have to watch because he tries pushing the couch out of his way to get to the plugs on the one wall :(


In Motherly Love,

Mother Baby Child

38 1/2 Years Older Than My Baby - Almost 40 Years Old ... Ecclesiastes 3 ... Comes To Mind

1st Trimester (Energetic, Athletic, Pain-Free, 38 Years Old)

Post Pregnancy (Exhausted, Chubby, Achy, 39.5 Years Old)

Today I woke up feeling "some kind of way" about my age. My exact thought was that "I am 21 years older than my 1st son, 25 years older than my 2nd son and 38 1/2 years older than our baby boy ... what was I thinking?" I woke my husband and tell him. He just said "yeah" and went back to sleep, but the baby gave me a nice jump on the stomach and crushed my breast with his palm. That was followed with a kiss and smile to reward me when I moaned in pain (that's boys for ya!). That was the exact moment that I thought what I never believed that I would think, "Uh, I'm getting too old for this!".

Is this what 40 is like? Different than "Over 35" now that our baby is a toddler?

As I wiggled my foot with the chronically sore heal and broken toe (I broke my middle toe a few weeks ago while tripping on the Xbox drum set that I confiscated from my tween), I realized that this was just the beginning to the aches and pains that I will feel in this second part of my life. As I adjusted my body to pull the baby back into place between us, I felt the sharp back pain where my old lady hump MIGHT be someday ...

For the 1st time in my life, I admitted to "self" that "I am getting old" and hurried out of bed in fear that I wouldn't be able to get up because of old age.

I changed the baby's diaper and started my day thinking that I need to get "things" done. I though about all of the little things that I want to accomplish today, as well as the fun things and business goals that I have planned for the rest of my life. As I played this "things game", I realized that this must be what people go through when they are turning 40 years old. WEIRD!!! I thought it would be a body crumbling and "how do I look" thing ... HUM, I guess it is :)

Aside of the "girls" being deflated from nursing again and the "baby fat" that I am trying to work down ... I know that I do not look 40 years old, but ...

My Uncle in Law's jaw hit the floor when I told him how old I was going to be 40 this summer. He stuttered an "What? I would never have guessed you were that old maybe 30" and I sighed in relief because I do not want to look like that 40 year old I felt sorry for when I was in my 20s. My husbands cousin said that she "did not realize you were almost 40. I was thinking 31 or 32 ... having a hubby face hides any wrinkles" ... OK, that works for me, but what about when my baby weight is gone? My husband is always impressed that I "do not have crows feet at all" and one of my best friends always brags that "we do not look our age" ... Yadada! Yadada! Yadada! All I can do is sigh at the words.


Credit: http://frontpagemag.com/2011/07/22/the-cartoonphobia-war-goes-on/

I am afraid that I will wake up with Hillary Clinton eyes one day soon ... YUCK!

Today, none of this matters because my sore foot and aching back told me "what's up". So did the circles under my eyes that met me in the mirror this morning. They are from a whole year of NO SLEEP from a baby boy that likes to make sure that we are still watching out for him 2 to 5 times a night ...  "Uh, I KNOW that I'm getting too old for this!". I am going to have thinning black eyes if he doesn't start to sleep at night soon. On the other hand, I am so glad that he stopped nursing before those 4 molars came in this month. I had black eyes, sore foot, aching back and throbbing nipples towards the end of his nursing days ... I assure you that sore and leaking REALLY makes you feel old!!! Anyways, now that he is not nursing and a year old, I am ready to get my sexy back for sure. Moms, I am open to product suggestion for these under eyes of mine, too ... You can go ahead and put this in my comment section - I promise that I will not write another BAD COMMENTING post if you leave an eye miracle product in my comment section!

What Do My 80 year old Grandparents Think Each Morning?

The only thought that calmed me today was remembering my Grandparents and distant Aunt Jo. All are well in their 80s and self-sufficient. My Grandparents drive and visit the office (casino) at least once a month (sometimes until a good 6:00 a.m.). Aunt Jo still travels abroad ... WOW. I remembered how my Grandfather used to tell me that "we come from a line of long livers ... you better take care of yourself". I have since confirmed that he meant that our family members live to be 80 to 100 years old; not that my liver organ was long and needed special care as I grew older ... duh! I remembered how my Grandmother said that she was "getting to old for this" when I told her that I was pregnant with my 1st child and "really getting to old for this" when I told her that I was pregnant with my 2nd child. Meanwhile, she was older than I am when I was born and she sure looked beautiful and took excellent care of me through the years, and caters to my children to this day. Now that I have our baby, she just says that "children are for the young; enjoy him". This is from a woman that maintained a HUGE gardened until she was almost 80 and wears a petite size. There's an argument for veges, chicken, pig feet, chitterlings, dark chocolate, an occasional cocktail and smoke!

C'est la via! I am almost 40 ... 

My back feels better once I get out of bed and moving for the day. My bra keeps "the girls" in check; my kids keep me feeling active and younger ... I turn to the oracles for their opinions: My mother's reply to my aches is "How do you think I feel?" and her reply to my looking young "40 was a good age". On the other hand, my step-mother's response, "40 is very young. Appreciate it for how young it is right now so when you turn 60 you don't have to say that you didn't appreciate it when you should have. Follow me ????". I told her that I hope I make it to 60 years old and she said, "You'll make it to 60 and better. Actually 60 is young if you're older." are understandable and confusing to me.

Almost 60 years old? Older than 60 years old?

Hum, I wonder if we are free from judgement if we choose to have a Nip / Tuck around 60 years old! I sure have nothing bad to say about Cher when it comes to that! She must have REALLY felt 40 years old knocking on her door. On the other hand, I know this is the way that God intends it to be. I would not have been able to have my 3rd son if He did not think that I should have a baby at 38 1/2 years old. I grew up with the first two sons and I will grow older with this baby. I will grow old with this husband of mine.

Ecclesiastes 3 also comes to mind this morning ... Praise God!

Ecclesiastes 3: A TIME FOR EVERYTHING

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
   a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 
6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. 
9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 
10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the
     hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 
12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy
     and do good while they live. 
13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil
      --this is the gift of God. 
14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it
    and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. 
15 Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before;
     and God will call the past to account. 
16 And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment
     --wickedness was there, in the place of justice--wickedness was there. 
17 I thought in my heart, "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked,
     for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed." 
18 I also thought, "As for men, God tests them so that they may see
     that they are like the animals. 
19 Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both:
     As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no
     advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the
     same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 
21 Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal
      goes down into the earth?" 
22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because
      that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

Cinnamon Rolls A La Hubby - Ooh La La :) Wordless Wednesday #WordlessWednesday

The Best Cinnamon Rolls That I Ever Had ...

Here is the link to the Paula Deen Cinnamon Roll recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/cinnamon-rolls-recipe/index.html * My husband added a cup of water instead of 1/2 cup and it turned out much better than the original recipe (we have tried them both ways). The dough is a little harder to work with because it is moister, but worth it. He just kept dipping his hands in flour to handle it better, though not hurt the moist consistency. I highly recommend :)


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

Monday Marketing Tip - Best Blog Comment - How This Is Abused By 4 Types Of Bloggers

Want To Know How To Write The Best Blog Comments For Marketing & Develop Real Friendships: This Is Abused By 4 Types Of Bloggers!

Yes, I am writing this week's Marketing Tip on blog commenting ... This is a subject that should come easy to most of us, but is abused by four types of bloggers: 1) Wanna Be, 2) Newbie, 3) Oblivious and 4) Bad Bad Marketer. Now, the person commenting can be a combination of the three (ex: The Wanna Be SEO Marketer or Oblivious Wanna Be), but they are basically all doing the same ANNOYING things that make you not want to approve their comments, none-the less, continue to associate with their blog. DON'T leave these types of blog comments (blog spam) if you want to be a respected mom blogger. Read further to understand EXACTLY what I mean! If you would prefer to catch up on previous week's Monday Marketing Tip, please do so and then come back to read this Best Blog Comment post!

Don't forget to read the Blog Comment Etiquette at the end of this post!

The "Wanna Be" Guru / Borderline Spammer

The "Wanna Be" blogger posts comments that show no discretion in comparison to their advanced blogging and marketing skills. I call them a "Wanna Be" because they come off as wanting to be a "Super Mom Blogger" when the reality is that REAL Super Mom Blog Gurus don't do the same tacky things they do. The real "Super Mom Blogger Gurus" leave genuine comments with their pen or real names attached; maybe a link or proper signature etiquette on their comments. Some "gurus" don't reciprocate blog comments at all - which is rude and snobby, but they justify it as being short on time or only time to comment on friends blogs - that should be another post about how they should hire a VA ... Regardless, the point is that "gurus" are followed because of their skill not spam comments.

Ok, so now you know the different between the "Wanna Be" and "Super Mom Blog Guru", let me explain how the "Wanna Be" ALWAYS leaves blog comments:

The "Wanna Be" abuses your Comment Luv and will "do follow" comment you to death. They leave a quick sentence that is usually not relative to what your post is about and then a paragraph that mentions something about their blog, links the name of their blog and shows the link to their blog in your comment section. They never use their real name (not on Blogger, Social Networks, etc.). They do stupid things as if they are a Newbie (like blog hopping to a heart felt post instead of finding a post that is more appropriate for their superficial comment. Most of their comments are similar to "Visiting from blog hop ... then a paragraph about nothing relative to your post followed by their clickable website link and their blog name as a clickable link ... maybe more text" ... Meanwhile, they subscribed to your RSS to come spam your blog posts and lead visitors to their relative blog posts and / or visiting from someone else's hop and leading you to their blog hop. Plus, they distract people that are commenting to your very serious heart felt blog post and encouraging more Wanna Be and Newbies to SPAM COMMENT on your serious and heartfelt blog content. They spam your social network posts ... they do not post spam comments on their blogs at all ... etc, etc, etc. They are "Wanna Be" snobs and spammers.

You might confuse a super aggressive blog marketer or blog hop hosts as a "Wanna Be" if they do this every time you hop and on everyone's blog. They especially do this on others blog hop posts / pages as to run your commenters from your blog to their blogs. MEANWHILE, the point of a blog hop is for the participant to stay at your blog and hop there first (finish visiting the list before moving to another blog hop). Although not exactly unethical blog business, it is rude - shows lack of finesse and inability to drive blog traffic any other way!

* UGG! If this "Wanna Be" is you ... tone it down or stay off our blogs! Our comment sections are NOT billboards in support of your blog marketing efforts. I personally delete your SPAM. I rarely permit them on my non-linky, heartfelt, blog posts and I do stop visiting your blog (even if you have an awesome Blog Hop or Linky) because your Mom Blog Marketing and "friendship" really STINKS.

The "Oblivious" Blog Commenter

The "Oblivious" blogger has no clue they are spamming. They have no idea that they are coming off as a "Wanna Be" or "Newbie" ... they are totally oblivious to Internet & Blog Etiquette. They are not "Newbie" bloggers; just dictionary definition "ignorant" until they learn better (if that ever happens). The "Oblivious" blogger uses all CAPS, newsletter and comment spam like crazy. The "Oblivious" blogger does not use discretion when commenting. Unlike the "Wanna Be", they comment on the non-linky / serious content posts without thinking (as if every section of your blog is for their promotion and blog hopping comments) ... they just don't have the couth / manners. THEY ARE and ARE THOUGHT OF equivalent to what is stated in stereotype jokes ... Yes, I am going to "go there" as my family trees fork from Hillbilly and Ghetto ... The "Oblivious" blogger is Hillbilly or Ghetto, per say, until she learns how to become a desired blog friend or (God forbid) one of the other undesirable types of blog commenters.

A blogger may not realize they are an "Oblivious" blog commenter, therefore it is appropriate to kindly point your standards out to them, so they know how to comment on your blog. I have seen some bloggers post a Commenting Policy, so that all of their readers know.

The "Newbie" Blogger

The "Newbie" blogger comments similar to the "Wanna Be" and the "Oblivious". They are annoying in a child-like way because they are obviously new and trying to get the word out. The nice thing about a "Newbie" is that she wants to do her best and accomplish goals, so she is paying attention to blog posts like Monday Marketing Tip and learning as quickly as she can. She eventually tones things down or steps them up appropriately to hopefully become an awesome, commenting, Mom Blog Guru. Unfortunately, the contrary is that she follows and mirrors a stinkin' "Wanna Be" and you end up ignoring her after all of her hard work in learning how to post the best comments. C'est la via!

* If you are a New Blogger, please keep reading, so that you can learn fast and correct mistakes from the start! More experienced bloggers should tactfully help Newbies out instead of abusing their blog comment areas.

The "Bad Bad Marketer" / Cockroach

The "Bad Bad Marketer" is the trickiest of all. She leaves comments that makes you want to click from the dashboard to see if it is really a mom blogger or spammer, sometimes the comments are so INAPPROPRIATE that you immediately click spam to get rid of them. On the contrary, sometimes the comments are written so well (with the link slid into the paragraph content with relevant anchor text), that it takes a few seconds to decide whether to post their comment or not. These are the bloggers that do not bother to add a picture to their Wordpress or Blogger Profiles; some do not even have a link to their website or list of blogs. They are like ghost bloggers :) They are often Offshore Outsource hires that we were tricked into thinking were quality Virtual Assistant or Mom Blog Services. "Bad Bad Marketer" uses bots, abuse "do follow" blogs and blog spams the same messages everywhere. They are like the "Cockroaches" of the blog sphere and there is nothing that you can do but click DELETE to squash them.

* I report and delete Bad Bad Marketers, so they might as well stay off my blogs!

Want To Know How To Write The Best Blog Comments & Develop Real Friendships With Other Mom Bloggers?

Read this Monday Marketing Tip blog post AGAIN ... more slowly this time, so that you can pick up and eliminate any that applies to you. There is a blog ethics and blog etiquette to adhere ... most is common sense, but there are "fine lines", too. Those "fine lines" are what we sometimes need help distinguishing (we do not pick up by just watching) and that is REALLY O.K. as long as you are trying and eventually learn what is good blog commenting or not.

Basic Blog Comment Etiquette:

1. Take the time to read the person's blog post before commenting. Mom bloggers value the opinions and / or relevant discussions of our content.


2. Comment on appropriate blog posts. Don't leave Blog Hop & Follow comments on blog posts that are not relevant unless that person did not think ahead to make one available, then it is necessary.


3. Write honest blog comments, but don't be rude (similar to if you don't have something nice to say ... but, it does not have to be 100% in support of the bloggers post, but avoid being disrespectful).


4. It is a competitive blog-eats-blog mommy world, but there is no excuse for testing "nice" blog owners and taking advantage of Newbie bloggers by commenting like a "Wanna Be" or with your borderline spam posts. No one wants that kind of friendship from you. All I can say is "Fake it til you make it" ... OK???


5. When you leave a comment, it automatically links to your Blogger profile or blog link, you REALLY DO NOT need to post a link to your site in the comment section. If you must add your link to your comment, post it just once or as part of an appropriate blog signature (like you do in forums), so that it is not spam ... SEE #6


6. Gauge each blog ... Pay attention to how Mom Blog Gurus comment on your blog and what types of comments they post on their blogs. Look at their heart felt posts as well as the giveaways, reviews, blog hops and see what kind of comments they accept. Some are lax with all ... others filter by what is appropriate per the post).


7. Make sure to come back to that blog again! Either subscribe to their feed, newsletter and / or at least their comment thread, so that you can get to know the blogger better and then filter which you should stay connected with over time. You can also connect with bloggers that you support at their Facebook, Google + and other social networking sites.

Have a blog etiquette tip that I should add to this list? Did you learn anything about how to write the "Best Blog Comment"? If so, please take a moment to share your thoughts below in the Comment section of this blog :)


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

Your Baby Can Read - Week 3

Your Baby Can Read - Week 3 - 1/30/2012 to 2/5/2012

This is our 3rd week using Your Baby Can Read and I am excited to share our experience with the program. It is becoming part of our baby's daily routine and he seems to enjoy watching the video now. I did not think that he liked the video as much as using the Sliding Word Cards in Week 1 and Week 2, but we can see how relaxed he is now. His father and I discussed a few important details as to why he is starting to pay attention and enjoy the system more.

Sorry that I posted this late ...I had to get all of the notes and video together :)

1. Your Baby Can Read uses real children as examples. His other programs use puppets and animated characters, therefore Your Baby Can Read was not as attractive to him at first, though has gained his focus by week 3. This is not just because of repetition, but because he notices they are real children making example for him. He watches them intently and sometimes copies what they say to do. His little eyebrows are raised the whole time he watches the Your Baby Can Read video and our baby is NOT easily distracted while watching Your Baby Can Read as you can see in the Week 3 Video below:
   
   



2. Your Baby Can Read uses real animals. This is the same concept as I was explained in #1 except they are animals. I was irritated at first as to why they would include animals as part of the first set of words, but our baby loves seeing the animals as much - if not more - than the children. In fact, he clearly recognizes and makes the sounds for elephant, tiger, cat and dog by this 3rd week. I am sure that the past months of exposure to these animals have been beneficial as well, BUT he makes the connection while doing the Sliding Word Cards and when we read books. His animal book is now his favorite book. "Mama Love Me" is his second favorite book. I think it's because they are elephants as he made an elephant sound when he insisted that we read it.

This is what I noticed after using Your Baby Can Read for 3 weeks:

• Our baby sometimes lifts his arms or touches his nose while playing alone, and then laughs out loud. It is as if he is thinking about it and then smiling because he did it.


• He sometimes walks up to me and does a little growl (Tiger) to try to attract me to play with him or get his animal book.


• He pointed to the cats in the magazine and then looked at me (as if to say, "do you see it?")


• He is starting to talk back to the Your Baby Can Read video. Just "hi" and little babbles as if he might be repeating.


• He now pay close attention to his Baby Einstein Wild Animal Safari where he used to run around the room and ignore it.


• He says "Hi" and does "Clap" on demand now, though still does not put those our when doing the Sliding Word Cards.


• He sits to watch Your Baby Can Read when not in the high chair, too.

Well, this sums up our 3rd week using Your Baby Can Read. As always, I am interested to know what your experience has been with the program or if you are thinking about trying Your Baby Can Read. Let us know what you think!

You can learn more about this Early Reading System,
by visiting the Your Baby Can Read page!

In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

Blue Ivy Baby Pictures - Jay-Z and Beyone's Baby Girl - They Posted Pictures Today!

Blue Ivy Carter (Source: helloblueivycarter.tumblr.com)

Jay-Z and Beyonce Posted Blue Ivy's Baby Pictures

Awe, I just happened to stumble upon pictures of Blue Ivy while checking my Twitter this evening. I have been waiting for Jay-Z and Beyonce to post their baby's pictures since I wrote my last blog post to announce that Blue Ivy Carter was born on January 7, 2012.

Isn't she beautiful?

Blue Ivy is such an adorable little baby girl. Her eyes remind me of Taraji P. Henson, but she has Beyonce's skin tone and chin. i love her head full of dark, silky, hair ... She's just as precious as I imagined that she would be!

What I love most is that Jay-Z and Beyonce tastefully posted their baby's pictures on their own and without receiving payment for them. They were accompanied by a note that said "We welcome you to share in our joy. Thank you for respecting our privacy during this Beautiful time in our lives. The Carter Family". Jay-Z and Beyonce are one of the few celebrities that did not receive payment for their baby's 1st pictures.

You can see all of the pictures of Blue Ivy posted at http://helloblueivycarter.tumblr.com

BTW - If you noticed, I have not put "Carter" near the little girl's name. I'm not sure if it will happen or not, but Jay-Z and Beyonce are trying to have their baby's name Trademarked in case they want to release a line of products in her name. Last thing I need is to forget to (TM) the name on my blog and get caught up in a trademark dispute ... On the other hand, this little diva's pictures are already all over the Internet ... people put them to videos, too.

As per my previous post about Blue Ivy's birth, I just want to extend one more CONGRATS to Jay-Z and Beyonce on your sweet baby girl. You have certainly been blessed all the way around. I look forward to seeing how life is for The Carter's in years to come.


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

Wordless Wednesday - Pregnant Barbie?

What do you think about pregnant Barbie?

OK, I wasn't going to do a Wordless Wednesday until I saw this picture ... 

Would you buy your daughter a pregnant Barbie doll?

How about the breastfeeding doll? Think these teach the norm or not?

BTW, here is the link to Barbie Midge Happy Family that sells for $110 to $125 (thanks to Nicole Searfoss for sharing the info this doll) - Pregnant Midge she has a magnetic belly and promotes family. Unfortunately, they took this one out of production in 2002 and replaced with this $69 Barbie Midge Happy Family in 2003 and also Barbie Nikki Happy Family because people complained that it promoted "teen pregnancy". The replacements came with the baby instead of the pregnant mommy doll.

Would you think the same if you saw a child with this doll?


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

Marketing Monday Tip - Hyperlinks, Image Links, Graphic Links, Banners & Button Links

How To Make Hyperlinks, Image Links, Graphic Links, Banner Links

Last week, I explained how to make your website / blog images more search engine friendly. This week, I am going to explain how to turn those images into hyperlinks / clickable text that lead to more than just your picture. It is easy to make links when you are using Microsoft Word, Blogger or Wordpress because there is a text editor / blog editor where you can click on the little Link icon that makes text a hyperlink, but what if you want to add a text link or banner on a website (mom network) where you are promoting your blog? How about when you want to add someone's blog button to your site, but they did not provide the code? Would you know how to turn that graphic into a link? In these cases, you need to know how to make a link without using a text editor / blog editor. Additionally, if you read the "ONE MORE THING" paragraph in my last Monday Marketing Tip, it explains how annoying it is - to your website visitors - to click a picture that links to nothing or the same image. It is more beneficial to YOU and THEM if a clickable image leads to a different blog post, page, service and / or product you are marketing. This is when the fun begins :)

How To Make A Hyperlink / Clickable Text Link

How To Make An Image Link / Graphic Link / Banner Link

VERY IMPORTANT - How To Make ANY Link Open In A New Window / New Browser Tab - Works for Text Links & Image Links

Now that you know how to make a link, there is one more important detail; how to make links open in a new window or new browser tab by using TARGET="_BLANK". The target="_blank" attribute is added to any link code (text link, image link, graphic link, banner link) as follows:

TEXT LINK EXAMPLE

<a href="http://motherbabychild.blogspot.com" target="_blank" title="Text Link">Link Opens In New Window</a>

Test how this link opens in a new tab or window

GRAPHIC LINK EXAMPLE

<a href="http://motherbabychild.blogspot.com/2012/01/monday-marketing-tip-image-seo.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Image Optimization - Monday Marketing Tip" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinL8U8kIwE3aLUn4k4xS95t9j3uhN5BBQGgF7eRTcy7-YfnKQw8t_K7ZE5e7MFxOT0hRl7MlpOKo4RXGPwVEJTThUDf9VZ8cRUd1QIs2V6ugDB5c5yhbSZoAOTrTjDDBr7pC3hMGR7YFc/s1600/check-this-out.jpg" style="border: none;" title="Learn how to optimize your Blogger images to get better website traffic and search engine rankings." width="500" /></a>



As you can see, by adding one simple target="_blank" to your link code, you can make links open in a new window or browser tab. The key is knowing when to use target="_blank" in your links and when NOT to use target="_blank" in your link code.

When To Use TARGET="_BLANK" / When NOT to Use TARGET="_BLANK" In Link Code

You can use target="_blank" when you do not want website visitors to leave your blog or website, but you should NOT use target="_blank" on every single link on your website!!! If all of your page and post links use target="_blank", then your website visitors will have a ton of pages open at one time and this becomes VERY ANNOYING to your website / blog visitors. They may not come back to your blog / website again, so you should only use target="_blank" if you are asking the website visitor to reference a certain page or blog post, but they will need to come back to your original blg post or page to read the rest of the information.

For Example, the link at the top of this page is an example of how it is OK to use target="_blank" to lead viewers to a blog post or page on your website / blog. I am telling the reader to go to the previous post to see what I am talking about, but come back to this post to read the new information. I have put a link to this target="_blank" blog post at the very end of the last blog post just in case the user did not remember that they opened in a new window or browser tab. I know this can be confusing, so just CLICK THIS LINK TO SEE THAT PAGE (opens in a new window by using target="_blank") and scroll to the bottom of that post to the ONE MORE THING paragraph (does not use target="_blank") that leads back to this page. I open the link in a new window from this blog post just in case they close that one; they will still have the original page open to read. I lead them directly back with the link at the end of that blog post (it does not open in a new window), so that they do not have too many of my blog pages open. I DO NOT ALWAYS DO THIS - only on posts and page where the user needs to reference another page (catch up) before reading new information.

 You should use target="_blank" when you have someone else's banner or link on your site. For example, when you have written a blog post that references their website or blog; when someone has paid to advertise on your sidebar; when you have placed blog hop or linky banners on your blog / website ... it is appropriate to add target="_blank" to their banners / links because you want your website viewers to visit their sites, but you don't want them to forget to come back to read more of your blog or website.

Doesn't that make sense?


Do not use target="_blank" on your menu links unless it is leading to a different blog or website. For example, if your COMMUNITY menu link leads to your BlogFrog, Google + or Facebook page, then it is ok to use target="_blank". On the other hand, if your COMMUNITY menu link leads to a page that hosts your BlogFrog or Forum on your site, then do not use target="_blank" because it will just annoy your website / blog visitors.

I hope this was clear and helpful to you. If not, please do not hesitate to ASK FOR HELP with website design, blog design, content development or Internet marketing!


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child