RSVP for #GNO for a Colorful Chat on Creativity & Kids Crafts Tuesday on Twitter
July 27, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 118 Comments
Want some tips on how to survive the season and create your own affordable fun to fire up kids’ imaginations before they head back to class? Then tweet the night away with other Mom It Forward gals at #gno this Tuesday on Twitter.
- What: Crayola Creativitycast on #gno (Click here to learn more about #gno!)
- When: Tuesday, July 28, 9-11 p.m. EST
- Where: Tweetgrid (Use hashtags #gno & #crayola.)
- Topic: Affordable Fun 101
- Who: @ajpassey from Because Babies Grow Up, @cerisecheri from Crayola, @cindyhopper from Skip to My Lou, @emom from Woo! Jr., @makeandtakes from Make and Takes, @razzmatazzrob from Crayola, @skybluestacy from Crayola, @youcanmakethis from You Can Make This
- Party Favors: Click here to check out this week’s giveaway sponsored by Crayola.
- RSVP: The link list is not working this week, so please leave your Twitter ID in the comments.
Family Service Project With Kids Crafts Brighten Up Center for Abused Children
April 1, 2009 by Carissa Rogers · 2 Comments
Photos courtesy of Marie From makeandtakes.com.
Utah families participated in a service project Saturday, March 28 complete with kids crafts, yummy treats, and Christmas joy! Christmas joy? What? Aren’t we in the wrong month? Nope! Not at the Christmas Box House.
In 1997, The Christmas Box Foundation, with support from the community, agreed to fund and build a new shelter intake/assessment and residential facility. This facility has greatly enhanced services to abused and neglected children and reflects a statewide model for delivery of best practice assessment and treatment services to victims of child abuse.
When children enter the Christmas Box House, the first thing they see is a large Christmas tree surrounded by teddy bears and all kinds of stuff animals. Decorated each month by a different organization and based on a theme fitting the month, the Christmas tree is a welcome surprise for these children. The gift for them? A safe place to live and a brand new stuffed animal to keep them company during their stay!
Marie from Make and Takes partnered with Mom It Forward to decorate the April tree. First came making the crafts (donated by Provo Craft):
Leslie Mingo of www.dylbug.com helps her little one make spring decorations for the April tree.
Next came the finished product. Which was in greater abundance—the smiles on the kid’s faces or the decorations? They did a terrific job!
Then came the treats. Cupcake Chic generously donated mini cupcakes for the event. Who said we have to wait til heaven to get our reward? LOL! They were divine. And I won’t lie, they were a bigger hit with the moms than with the children 
.
And last but not least… the tree! Decorated for kids, by kids.
Happy spring! What will you do this month to Mom It Forward?
What’s The Trick? How Can I Grow My Blog?
March 25, 2009 by jyl johnson pattee · 4 Comments
Marie LeBaron is a 30 something stay at home mom to 3 silly kids. Before life as a mother, she graduated with a teaching degree in Early Childhood & Elementary Education, after which she taught four years of Kindergarten. After her first child was born, she decided to read books and sing silly songs at home. She misses the classroom, but she now gets to bring the fun and learning into her home and ours. You can follow more of her projects at her parenting blog Make and Takes.
Here’s a few tips and tricks to help increase traffic to your blog.
As I’ve been blogging for 2 years and currently have just over 4,100 daily subscribers, I know most of these tips have helped my own readership grow.
Niche Blogging – Find your passion and blog about it. It’s much easier and comes more naturally if you blog about something you love. It could be food, parenting, photography, knitting, design etc. If you’re genuine and real in your posts, people respond to that and want to read more.
Submitting Posts – There are some great sites that take submissions for related posts and can bring you new readers. Here’s a few to check out:
- Stumble Upon – here you must submit other sites as well as your own.
- Kirtsy, Digg, Delightful
- Craftzine, Get Crafty, The Craft Crow, Tip Junkie
- Tastespotting, Foodgawker, FoodPhotoBlog
How-To Type Posts – A post with a recipe or directions to make something are very popular with sites like Stumble Upon or Kirsty. They tend to bring a lot of traffic, as people love to see how to make things for themselves.
Use Twitter as a Business Card – Twitter is great for building relationships with people, but it can also be great for sharing your site with others. Try to follow people who are in your area of interest. Chances are they will see your profile and click on your blog link, seeing who you are and maybe staying a while.
Responding to Comments – When someone leaves a comment on your blog, try to comment back or even email back to readers who may be new to your blog. It helps them feel welcome and you can say thanks for sharing their comment. Chances are they’ll find you took the time to say hi and they’ll come back to read more.
Leaving Comments – Visit other people’s blogs and share a comment. Who doesn’t love to get comments? Read their posts and comment with something relevant to add, letting them know you’re genuine!
I hope these tips and tricks help. What else have you found to help increase traffic to your site?
Photo by flickr.
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How Can You Develop Stronger Relationships With Your Kids Through Crafts?
January 28, 2009 by jyl johnson pattee · 3 Comments
Marie, today’s guest post author, is a mother of 3 and the founder of Make and Takes, a place for ideas and crafty tidbits for home, family, and fun. She is the channel editor of Blissful Kids at Blissfully Domestic and also can be seen on Alpha Mom – Holidays.
Even though we’re busy with our kids all day, sometimes we miss the opportunities to just ‘be’ with them, developing the relationship. With work, school, play dates, meals, and bed times, we can sometimes over look the need to strengthen our relationships with our kids. Crafting can be a great way for you to develop your relationship with your child in a fun and encouraging way.
Here’s 3 ways to develop your relationship with your kids through crafts!
- One-on-One Attention - Kids love attention and they need it from loved ones. Doing crafts or projects together with your kids can let them know you care. Even if you’re just sitting in a chair next to them while they construct a tower or a flower, they love to know you’re there.
- Problem Solve Together - If your toddler is ready to use scissors, your 1st grader trying to read instructions, or your teenager is beading a bracelet, you can use this time with your child to see how they work. While crafting or completing a project, we can see what skills they’re using and what skills they can better develop.
- Just Talk – Creating a friendly and fun environment can lead to open communication with your child. If you’re sitting side by side together working on a project, ask them about their day, about school, about friends, and just talk. See what’s on their minds, what’s bothering them, what their needs are. This can be a great way to get to know them better, finding out more of their interests.
Check out these fun features from Marie’s Crafts and Activities to help you develop your relationships with kids:
