Archives for April 2014
Wordless Wednesday: Genius Idea! Baby Recliner
Wordless Wednesday: I Could Live In This Bathroom
Wordless Wednesday: Curved Shower Curtain Rod For Window Treatments
Wordless Wednesday: $13000 Brewing System
Image: Engadget
Read This Before You Write A Long Blog Post
Even though really popular sites get page views by publishing list-like “articles” with usually less than 100 words, surprisingly, people prefer to read long blog posts. That’s why they follow you, right? They like your writing and find your content valuable. Maybe you post some really interesting tutorials or recipes. Maybe you share your experiences as an outsider in a foreign country. Maybe you run a business and use your blog to advertise yourself. Maybe you’re just a funny person who has a fresh take on life that people love reading! Whatever your blog is about, it’s important to find a balance between long, informative posts, and short fun ones. Check out this article by Mitt Ray at Social Marketing Writing for tips about long blog posts:
-Avoid repetition- and cut anything unnecessary.
-Include images- to break up walls of text. Especially important for tutorials!
-Make it easy to read and navigate through- use subheadings and keep sentences simple.
-Place share buttons on the bottom- for easy marketing
-Don’t force it- always choose quality over quantity.
Fun Spanish Activities For Kids
The easiest time to become bilingual is when you are a child- ideally, you learn the second language at the same time as your first one in order to become just as fluent. Anyone who learns afterward will have a much more difficult time. But, the younger the better, and practice makes perfect. Therefore, if you already have an elementary school who are fluent in English, it’s a good time to start. Check out these Spanish learning activities by Jenny at Spanish Playground. You could even use these ideas and apply them to a different language if you wanted:
–Watch first and then sing one of these two songs from Musicaeduca. For beginners, try Los Colores. For children who have more Spanish try La primavera ya llegó.
-Print, assemble and read one of the Spanish mini-books from Nelli Edge.
– Go to the library and check out books in Spanish; read them together
-Teach kids to play piedra, papel o tijeras in Spanish. It is rock (piedra), scissors (tijeras) paper (papel) in English.
How To Get A Perfect Credit Score
To be honest, you don’t NEED a perfect credit score to get ahead in life. As long as you pay your bills on time, keep your debt low, and monitor your spending, you should have a good credit score and have no problem getting approved for loans or mortgages. But, exactly HOW do you get a credit score of 850? It may seem completely unattainable, or even unreasonable to attempt it, but it is possible! Check out this post by Polyana de Costa at the Bankrate blog for one man’s story of his quest for the perfect credit score:
–Watch your score like a hawk
-Manipulate the balance and payment date on credit cards
-Avoid unnecessary inquiries
-Have a decent amount of credit
-Keep a small balance but not a zero balance
-Pay down the mortgage
Searching For a Home….With Kids
House hunting can already be a stressful experience…and that’s just if you’re going at it alone. If you add kids to the mix, it can seem like it’s not even worth it. However, it doesn’t matter how old your kids are, they are going to be moving with you (hopefully?) and I believe they deserve an opinion on where they’re going to spend the rest of their childhood. So, how do you make looking for a home fun for you and the kids? Check out these pointers by Yvonne Haas at the Trulia Voices blog:
-Pack snacks that won’t spoil or crumble, plus bottled water.
-Make sure the children understand the rules ahead of time. Let them know that they will be a guest in some one elses home and that touching the sellers belongings, or horseplay is not acceptable behavior during this time.
-Make a grade sheet for the homes on the tour so that the children feel like they are contributing to the evaluation and decision making process.
-Prioritize and remain flexible. Get to the houses that You really want to see first, just in-case things go down hill with the kids and You decide to cut the tour short. Make sure you communicate with your Realtor.
Getting Rid Of Skunk Smell
If you live out in the country, or maybe just have some really curious or unlucky pets, you might have some experience with skunk spray. It can be unbearable for you (imagine how your dog feels!) and it can seem impossible to get rid of- no matter how many tomato baths you give your pooch. However, there are some solutions! Check out this post by Jill Winger at The Prairie Homestead for her de-skunking recipe:
- 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide (this is the kind you find in the first aid section of your average grocery store. It’s very cheap.)
- 1/4 cup Baking Soda
- 1-2 drops of liquid dish soap (optional)
- Rubber Gloves (optional, but highly recommended…)
- Bucket
Put on your gloves and gather everything you will need. Once you mix the ingredients, the solution must be used immediately, so there won’t be any time to go searching for the dog, etc!