Divorce is the worst thing any marriage can encounter, especially if the start is right and you know that both of you are working hard to save it. Though you might believe that some good things never last, you must also believe that there are good ways to make things last. No matter how heavy your problems were, you can always try different ways to make them lighter. Here are some of the effective ways you may have not done yet.
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Article Source: Happy Family Matters
How to Avoid a Potential Divorce
Taking care of your Children when you are Working at Home
Photo by Guardian Angel
Working at home like parent bloggers is a very rewarding job because you are always with your family. You are the master of your time and it saves you a lot of money, too. No gas, no traffic and no boss, so this is almost prefect. However, it can be also be a torture if you have little children to take care of. This requires a lot of patience, strategies and a good time management.
Although I am only a part time blogger, here are some practical techniques that I am sure will provide a big help.
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You can also visit my latest blog - Father Blogger dot Com as it is being updated regularly. If you have concerns, please Contact Me anytime.
Article Source: Happy Family Matters
Worst Mistakes When You Get Married
Getting married with someone you really love makes you giggle and everything that surrounds you seems so wonderful. It looks like you will be enjoying for the rest of your life. However, marriage has its ups and downs and sometimes; we are the ones who make mistakes in the way we show our love. With this, let me share to you some of them that you must avoid.
Identity loss
There are people who are so much in love that they forget who they are. It is a nice feeling when we serve the one we love, and we always want to give all the best we can. But when you stop doing something good for yourself, then you are also starting to loose your own identity. It is not right to think that if you do it, your spouse will stop from loving you. In fact, keeping your identity will inspire your spouse to love you more.
Authority loss
Allowing your self to be controlled in everything that you do is not love. You should not be a slave in a marriage, and your spouse should not be always your master. You should use your right to speak up for your self and just follow all the instructions. Both of you should have the voice in making a decision. Do not give up your rights especially when raising your children. Marriage is not a one-man show, but rather a partnership in all aspects.
Over giving
Giving without expecting for a return is the best part of loving. In fact, this is the mystery of it. But forcing your self to give something that you can no longer give can be very harmful. Chances are you are spoiling your spouse and he will get used to it. Time will come that no matter what you give, it will still be insufficient and he will keep asking for more. Having no limit is like treating your spouse like a god. Anything that is too much can kill you.
Dependency
Having someone who will love you is a dream-come true. But this should not be your only dream. Marriage is not the only aspect in life one should enjoy. You also have to learn how to explore the world of reality. If you stop having other dreams in life besides being a better half, then your life will be revolving in one person only. Someday, you may have to live alone and you cannot do it because you already have lost your focus. Marriage is a union of two hearts.
Loving someone starts by loving oneself.
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Article Source: Happy Family Matters
How Parents can understand Teenagers
Photo credit to manganite
Parenting teenagers is one of the hardest tasks of parents. But some teenagers do not realize this and they think they are not being understood. Although parents were once teenagers, some of them really find it hard to understand the younger generation. This is because most teenagers are aggressive, fast thinkers and sometimes careless. That is why parents should always be there to guide and understand them. But their generation gap seems to be a long bridge for them to travel and meet in the middle. So here are some tips on how parents should start.
Free them
The average age gap between parents and their teenagers is 25 years, and this is long enough in terms of music trends, lifestyle and technology. Youngsters love the latest fashion, gadgets and music that you may not appreciate. You do not have to force yourself to join them if you don’t want to. But let them feel the same excitement you felt when you were at their age. Allow them to be young and enjoy life. Free them by helping them to spread their wings and fly high.
Listen to them
Teenagers also have the right to be heard. You must now lower your voice, and open your ears. Although their voices are still small, they have fresh and bright ideas to share. Listening to their suggestions does not mean yours are now being left out, it only means that they are concern with what is happening around them. You should be proud because your teaching is now getting good results. Let them voice out their critical minds. After all, it is their future that is at stake.
Trust them
Teenagers are sensitive enough to know if they are being trusted or not. It may be quite hard to trust them because they are young. But if you will not trust them now, when will you trust them? We must let go of them slowly and let them be independent. Being overprotective does not mean we love them, it may also mean that we do not trust them. Teenagers are confused where they belong – older children or young adults? The way we trust them will be the answer. Let them fly but be ready to catch them when they fall.
Read them
There are teenagers who are not transparent in their words but in their image. They may be intelligent and creative, but their silence prevents them to shine. They are the ones who love to hide inside the closet. Some teenagers express their curiosity, anger and anxiety through music, tattoos and extreme fashion. With this, parents must be smart enough to read their actions. Just like babies, they need attention too. If you cannot understand teenagers, the society will not understand them either.
Swallow your pride
Before you could do all of the above, you should first swallow your pride. If you want to understand teenagers, visit their world wholeheartedly. Teenagers change their mind easily not because they are crazy but because they are full of dreams. They want to learn about everything through experience to prove that like adults, they have their own space in this world. After all, we were in their shoes once. They are not dangerous though. It is only us adults who puts them in danger.
If teenagers can rock, then we as parents must roll.
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Article Source: Happy Family Matters
How to Quit Smoking Permanently
To quit smoking is the best decision of a smoker’s life. While it is easy to quit, it is much easier to start again. This is because of the addiction to nicotine that smokers cannot resist. Some former smokers use candies, chewing gums and other rituals, but in the end it is the self-discipline and motivation that will rule. But how do we do that? I have been smoking for more than 2 decades. I am not a professional adviser about this, but I am sure the following tips are effective because I am following them.
Ask a former smoker
A former smoker is the best tip giver you can meet. He will explain you why he stop, how he did it and how he is maintaining it. Their testimonies will tell you that after all, it is not that hard to achieve. One of the major reasons why quitters smoke again is the influence from their former comrades. Therefore, if you will always go with a former smoker, you can also be influenced and you will discover how rewarding it is to stop smoking. Fear is only in the mind. If he can do it, you can also do it.
Scare yourself
The best way to scare you is to look at the data with your own eyes. How many people are dying everyday because of lung cancer and the effect of smoking to our environment? You can also start looking at yourself in the mirror and check for signs of smoking problem. You may also want to visit your doctor for a complete check up. Most likely, results will tell you that you should already stop. My father was a heavy smoker. I am glad he stopped, half a year before he died of lung cancer. Aren’t you scared yet?
Challenge your self
This is dangerous because this can be a torture to your mind. This is called reverse psychology. However, if you pass these tests I am pretty sure you will not smoke again. Buy a cigarette but do not light it. Instead, put it in a place where you can always see it. You may also go inside a smoker’s cubicle and enjoy the smell instead of smoking. If you feel dizzy and suffocated with the smoke, a big congratulations to you! This means your body now reacts negatively with the addiction. You will find it harder to smoke again.
Compute
Let us say you are smoking around 10 sticks a day / half a pack, and the cost is $0.25 (PHP 10) a day which will be $1.75 a week, or $7.5 a month, or $91.25 a year, or just tell me when should I stop. Then compute how much you could have saved since you started smoking. Afterward, compute your daily savings since you start quitting. You will be amazed to know the things you could buy if you are not smoking. Not to mention the bills you will need when you are already sick because of your bad habit.
Announce the good news
Tell it to your family and friends, as well to everybody that you can share with. If you have a blog, why not make a post about it? This is a good topic and I am sure many will be happy for you. Be proud about your achievement. You will not only inspire others, but they will also serve as reminders to keep your word. If you feel like smoking again, read your post all over again. Remember that words are very important in blogging and trust is very hard to earn. You can fool others but you can never fool yourself.
This post is to tell everybody that I quit smoking 3 days ago and I plan to stop permanently. This is my third attempt to quit but I know I can make it this time.
I would also like to commend Raden of My SEO Blog and Debra of MamaFlo's Place for admitting that they were former smokers.
Smokers do not grow old because they die young.
Related post:
Confession of a Smoking Parent
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Article Source: Happy Family Matters
How to prepare your Child on his First School Day
Photo by Guardian Angel
I would like to reserve this post as my 2nd entry to The Pinoy Parenting Blog Carnival (PPBC) and the topic is about sending our child to school.
All parents want their child to have the best education. We find the best school for them and we prepare all the things that they need. While it looks fun and exciting to see our child walk his first day of school, we must also consider his feelings. Some of them cry and rush to go home, others are very shy but some really made it through. So to make sure that special day will be really special, here are important things parents should do.
Inform your child
Some parents assume that their child clearly understand what the first day of school is. We should explain very well its importance even before the school starts. By doing this regularly, he will be asking some questions which means he is getting interested. However, if he says wants you to stay with him, stay with him. Then train him slowly afterward. Forcing your child to go to school is an advisable. You do not want your child to be traumatic with his first day.
Visit the school
When school time is getting near, visit the school together with your child. In this way, he will have an idea on what will be happening everyday. You may even tell him where he will be sitting, and how far you will be away from him during the first day. You may hear some contradictions and suggestions from your child. Consider that as a healthy response. It is good that you already know how he feels before getting into it. You can therefore make some adjustments if necessary.
Meet the classmates
Your child may be brave, but meeting with other children for the first time may intimidate him. Therefore, it would be helpful if he will meet them before the classes start. If possible, befriend other parents and introduce your child to them. The more classmates your child will meet, the better for them. It will also help the parents if they will know each other somehow. With this, you can easily get along with them when school days begin. For young children, school time is also playtime.
Meet the teacher
This is the most important part. Your child’s first teacher will be his second parent when he is in school, so you should meet her first before your child. You should act like a bridge for them to know some things about each other. Then give them some time to bond. This is to make them comfortable with each other. It is essential to build confidence to your child you leave him to her. This will also help the teacher to know the right approach to your child.
Related posts:
How to motivate your Child to enjoy Mathematics
How to Encourage your Child to Enjoy Reading
What your Child’s First Teacher Should Know
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Article Source: Happy Family Matters
The Buttered Househusband
Photo credit to s.l.o.w.p.o.k.e
Here in the Philippines, being a househusband is not quite acceptable because it is considered as a woman’s world and the culture says that the husband must be the one to bring home the bacon. This is not an easy decision especially if the husband has the higher education than the wife. But if the couple had no other choice, here is a list of important things to consider before having problems in the future.
Make an agreement
The wife should not oblige her husband to stay at home while she will do the working. This decision must be wholeheartedly agreed by both parties. You may start by considering the future of the children. Do some computations and evaluations in order to see the advantage. It is also better to talk about the potential problems and solutions especially if the wife will work outside the country.
Make proper endorsements
Most husbands are not familiar with the exact location of kitchen wares, flat iron, and other common household tools. Proper use of washing machine, time of bathing the children and other daily activities must be properly explained by the wife to her husband. On the other hand, the husband should give tips to his wife how to work safely, short cuts and landmarks, cheap gasoline stations and other travel and working tips.
Maintain healthy communication
Make open communication. Every end of the day, couples should at least ask each other, How was your day? Give some updates on each other’s daily activity, and do not neglect to compliment each other. You can even do these during office breaks or before the wife leaves her office. She should not also bring home her problems from work. Of course, she must not forget the passion of being a wife too.
Share the money talks
Although the husband does not earn money, the wife should still consult her husband how to spend the money wisely. Do not wait for your husband to ask money for his personal needs. You may buy him some but give him also to buy his own too. Similarly, the husband should respect the bread winner. You also know how hard it is to earn money.
Make the day-off worthwhile
During Sundays, the wife should do some cooking, bonding with the children and even help with their homework. The husband should also grab the chance to do some masculine work like fixing the fence, cleaning the car, etc. Also find some time to do some male exercises like physical sports and jogging. But do not forget that just like housewives, househusband has no day-off too.
It does not matter who works, it is the reason to work that matters.
Related posts:
How to Maintain a Family Budget Effectively
How to Add Fun and Laughter to your Marriage
Healthy Ways to Fight with Your Spouse
How to Avoid Money from Destroying your Marriage
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Article Source: Happy Family Matters
Pinoy Parenting Blog Carnival 1st Edition finally released
Logo from The Working Mom
I would like to reserve this post to announce that finally, the 1st edition of Pinoy Parenting Blog Carnival (PPBC) has been launched. This very brilliant idea came from who I call Doc Joey of The Working Mom. So far, there are 14 moms and Yours Truly as the lone torn among the roses, and I hope other Dads will also join.
Apparently, the topic was about becoming a parent, and different exciting and touching personal stories were submitted. My entry was about my first taste of fatherhood. Although I am not quite comfortable in sharing my family life in full details, I realized I should not be ashamed about it. On the contrary, I should be proud that I surpassed the challenges and may serve as an inspiration to others.
With this, I am inviting you to visit the wonderful posts and learn from them. For the 2nd edition, the topic will be about our young children going to school. I am sure this will be another hit in the making.
A salute to all Pinoy parents! Mabuhay ang lahing kayumanggi!
Related post:
My First Taste of Fatherhood
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Article Source: Happy Family Matters
How to Handle Professional Rivalry with your Spouse
Photo credit to newlight2
It is common for some college schoolmates end up marrying each another. This is because they have one thing in common, their interest in the same profession. Doctors, lawyers, and engineers are some of the professionals who have their spouses in the same field of work. Although this is advantageous to a relationship, here are some problems that may arise and what to do about it.
Professional Jealousy
Time may come that one of you will be promoted to a higher position and it may create a professional jealousy somehow. This problem often happens when the wife got promoted first. If this happens, it does not mean that the husband is a loser, it means you are a good inspiration to your wife. It is this time that she needs more support from you. Getting promoted means greater responsibilities.
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Article Source: Happy Family Matters
Pinoy Parenting Blog Carnival – My First Taste of Fatherhood
Photo by Guardian Angel
I would like to reserve this post as my first entry to Pinoy Parenting Blog Carnival. I am a father of 2 wonderful children and I am here to share my first taste of fatherhood.
The year was 1996 and the place is Quezon City, Philippines. My wife gave birth to our eldest child, a cute and lovable tiny baby girl in a private, but cheap hospital. She was all white and I thought she had a skin problem. The nurse calmed me down and told me it is normal because she is a mestiza. My wife has an American blood, lucky me!
But unfortunately, I lost my job 2 weeks before that very special day, but I had some money because of the separation pay. Yes, the company closed literally and in front of my face.
After 2 days, we decided to rest at my cousin’s house since we are living in Laguna then. But the day was not yet over when my cousin noticed that my baby turned yellowish and as a mother and a former nursing student, she knew my daughter is in deep trouble. We immediately rushed her to a well-known hospital to make sure proper attention will be given to my poor little angel.
During the 4-day stay in the hospital, nurses kept on doing numerous laboratory tests and frequently getting blood from my daughter’s arm. Imagine the size of a needle compared to her arms! Four hot fluorescent lamps were also placed on top of her bed. My wife and I wish that we will wake up from this nightmare!
According to the doctors, my first baby had an infection on her navel possibly due to contaminated surroundings when she was born. My wife somehow agreed because she observed that the delivery room was not really clean that time. She even noticed that there was rust on her bed.
But because only a few hundred bucks were left from my separation pay, we did not bother to file a complaint. In addition, I have to prioritize finding a new job and we were just so lucky because our landlady was kind enough not to get our apartment rent, which is 4 months after when I was finally hired again.
After almost 12 years, that little baby who almost died instantly is now blooming into a young lady. Yes, my daughter is now the most charming and talented girl I ever saw. She is even helping her mother in watching over her brother.
Sometimes, we must learn the hard way.
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Article Source: Happy Family Matters
SocialSpark – a Sparking Fresh Way to Earn Money Online
screenshot of SocialSpark
As I am looking for financial support to monetize this blog, I found SocialSpark. Although I learned that some bloggers were already members of this site, I did not join at once because I thought this is just another waste of time.
But when I was tempted to visit their site, I proved myself wrong. This is because of their great features and attractive offers. They have a community of bloggers where you can visit each member and socialize with them. Therefore, it can be good source of traffic.
But how can bloggers earn money?
Money can be earned through your blogs through Sponsored post where you will make a post about a certain product with an image, video or press release along with the post. Blog sponsorship is by posting a video, banner or text of the advertisers. Bloggers has many chances which they call opportunities. Tons of opportunities are waiting ahead depending on your blog topic and points of interest. After finding the right opportunity for you, you can reserve for it and wait for the advertiser to approve your blog. The good thing is they accept posts in English and in Spanish.
But before joining, here is their code of ethics.
100% Audit-able In-Post Disclosure
Trust is very hard to earn especially when we are on line. This is because our readers are only relying on the words we write. This is why every submitted post must contain a snippet for a Disclosure badge at the end of the post, where it is being mentioned that you are being paid for that post. This is a good way of protecting bloggers and advertisers.
100% Transparency
To make ourselves believable and convincing, we must be 100% transparent to our readers. This is why they have a community of bloggers where the public can view whose advertisers the bloggers are dealing with.
100% Real Opinions
Honesty is still the best policy. This is the best part for me. A blogger is not restricted to say anything about his advertiser. If you find opportunities that you think is not right for you, do not push yourself just to earn money. After all, lies and off-topic posts can hurt your blogs. SocialSpark admin even suggests that we should alarm them when advertisers want us to post false information.
100% Search Engine Friendly
Search engines penalize bloggers and advertisers with paid links if they have the do-follow attribute. That is why both groups agree that they will manually remove it to make it a no-follow blog.
So that’s it. I am looking forward to make good business with them and I will update you on the progress of my membership. I hope you trust me that I will keep my promise to endorse only wholesome products and family friendly sites.
Lastly, I am inviting you to join them and see for yourself the spark of socializing with SocialSpark.
If you want to receive my future posts regularly, please feel free to subscribe in a reader or by e-mail. If you have concerns, please Contact Me anytime.
Article Source: Happy Family Matters
How to Love your Mother
Photo credit to Tetê
This may be common sense but if you grew up like me without a mother, this is exciting to share. I have been transparent about my relationship with my mother. But all is well that ends well and I am so glad that we are now in good terms. At my age, I am still longing for a mother’s care, and how I wish I could have more time to show how much I love her. Nevertheless, this is what I learned during the four months of being together.
Care for her
We as adults have a life of our own. We work hard to earn money, settle down and raise our own family. However, some of us forget that they still have a mother to care for. She may not demand for an attention but deep inside, she is just waiting for you. It may not be our obligation to return the favor of taking good care of her when she is already old, but it is our love for her that will tell us to do it.
Respect her
Mothers are also humans who are capable of making mistakes. The problem with some children is they expect perfection from their mothers. If you think she has made wrong decisions in her life, respect her. Although they may be against to your principles and ideology, you are not in the right position to judge her. For all you know, she did it because she loves you.
Listen to her
Mothers can be sarcastic sometimes and she gives advises seem like a tape recorder that you hear everyday. You may even think she does not trust you especially when we were young. It is sad that some children become rebellious because they don’t understand that every word of a mother do not com from her mouth, but from her heart. You will understand her when you become a mother, too.
Scold her
Yes, scold her. Sometimes, our mothers are hard-headed too. There are mothers who are still working hard to help us but they forget that they are not getting any younger. She has been working hard since you were born anyway. They have to enjoy life too. Although this advice may sound bizarre, mothers also like to be scolded. This means that you care for her health. But be careful when you do it, mothers are sensitive.
Tell her
There may be endless ways to say I Love You, Mom! But the best way is tell this in front of her wearing your sweetest smile. Some adults are hesitant to do this and I find it absurd. Why is it so hard to tell I Love You to the person who brought you in this world? Do you know how many times she told you how much she loves you since you were born? So go ahead, tell her how much you love her and thank her for all the wonderful things she gave you, before it’s too late.
This post is dedicated to my mother, my wife and to all the mothers in the world.
Happy Mother’s day!
Related post:
How to treat a Stranger Son
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Article Source: Happy Family Matters
Get Nice and Quality Baby Clothes from Uncommonly Cute
Photo from Uncommonly Cute
I am a father of 2 wonderful children, ages 11 and 7. Clothing them is fun and my wife is choosy on their clothes. She does only consider the price and design, but also the quality especially when they were still babies. This is because babies have very sensitive skin. Low quality clothes may cause allergy to your poor babies, and it is tragic to see them disturbed. But I must admit I am leaving that to my wife.
However, when I found Uncommonly Cute on line, I was amazed with their wide collection. Yes, they have various clothes for babies, boy and girl alike, and even for infants. They are not just nice and attractive; they are 100% cotton which is the more important thing.
True to their words, I saw samples on their site and I really admire them. In fact, they are also fashionable. Elmo is a favorite Sesame Street character of toddlers, and my son loves him too. That is why I choose it to be attached here. Isn’t it really cute?
In addition, you can find their baby clothes products in various stores in different states in the US. This proves their credibility.
I know you’re waiting for this part. Of course, they also have many choices from New Arrivals and sale products.
I am not surprised when I learned that the creator of this idea Allison Friedland is a mother herself. Her daughter is of course her inspiration. But what touched my heart is that they are supporting two child foundations by sharing a portion of their profits.
My wife cannot believe that I am now more conscious about baby wear.
With this, I am cordially inviting all of you check their long line of baby clothes and feel the excitement of shopping.
Feel free to visit their site at Uncommonly Cute.
If you want to receive my future posts regularly, please feel free to subscribe in a reader or by e-mail. If you have concerns, please Contact Me anytime.
Article Source: Happy Family Matters
My All-time Favorite Family Tips
After I made my 100th post, I noticed that my archives are plenty enough but quite hard to browse. Surprisingly, some of my readers still spend time to find them and even post some comments.
Although you can see some of them on my sidebar, the space is not sufficient for all of them. With this, I decided to make a separate for page just for them wherein the readers can find it easier to choose what they want to read.
Here are some of them arranged according to categories.
Child Care
How to help a Lonely Child
How to Teach your Child to Accept Defeat
How to avoid your child to be a TV addict
What our Child can Learn from Boxing
How to Teach your Child the Value of Money
Child's Health
How to Keep your Child’s Teeth Healthy
Food Preparation Tips for Healthier Eating
How to help your Child with Scoliosis
How to Care for an Asthmatic Child
Understanding Colorblindness
10 Ways on How to avoid your Child to be Obese
Child’s Safety
How to Have the Best Nanny
How to Protect your Daughter from Sex Offenders
How to Drive Safely with your Baby
Additional Tips on How to Protect our Children from Bad Influences On Line
How to Make your Child Stay Home Without Forcing him
Child’s Education
How to Encourage your Child to Enjoy Reading
What your Child’s First Teacher Should Know
How to help your Child choose a College Course
How to motivate your Child to enjoy Mathematics
College Days – Can your Child handle it?
Problem Parents
How to Love a Long Lost Child
What Children Do Not Want From Their Parents
What Parents can learn from their Children
Tips for Husbands
Housewives - The Toughest Women ever
Tips for Wives
Battered Wife – Know The Early Signs
How to Maintain Good Communication with a Busy Husband
How to Convince your Husband to Allow you to Work
Communication Problems
Healthy Ways to Fight with Your Spouse
How to Spot and Stop a Potential Suicidal Family Member
How to Deal with Difficult Parent In-laws
How to Add Fun and Laughter to your Marriage
How to Fight Insecurities over Your Former Rival
Money Matters
How to Avoid Money from Destroying your Marriage
How to Maintain a Family Budget Effectively
Tips to Singles
Getting Married - Then Prepare for the Worst
Problems when you marry your Best Friend
How to Make a Teenage Marriage Successful
How to meet your Future Parent In-laws for the First Time
While these are my all-time favorites, there are still other tips that you can find on older posts and Category menu bar.
I will also update this page every time I feel that there should be additional posts.
Hope you like them and I wish I contributed some good thoughts to make your family happy. After all, it is all that matters.
If you want to receive my future posts regularly, please feel free to subscribe in a reader or by e-mail. If you have concerns, please Contact Me anytime.
Article Source: Happy Family Matters
My 100th post – A Token of Gratitude
Finally, I have reached the century mark of posting for this blog. How time flies! I still remember my first post last December 19, 2007. It was about the Best Names for your Child.
Although I really want to blog about parenting, I was skeptical to blog about my family, especially about the children. But I thought that it would be better if my readers will know them, somehow. After all, the picture attached was done 4 years ago and I must say, it is funny and cute. If you like to know more about me. please feel free to visit my About Me page.
Just recently, I included tips on how to have a successful marriage and how to have a happy family.
Anyway, I would like to reserve this post to thank the following for helping, trusting and inspiring me all the way. If you do not find your name here, you can remind me and I am really very sorry that I forgot you.
To my first time visitors and newbies, this may be a long post but it’s worth to read. Remember the names that I will mention and I guarantee you, they are worth to visit.
The Bloggers
Raden of My SEO Blog
He is my former buddy at work for 5 years, my first mentor in blogging, and still helping me consistently. I remember besides teaching me, I still use his PC because I really have nothing except for the eagerness and determination. I was even afraid to browse the Internet then. It took 2 more months before I bought one. Could you imagine the heart and sacrifice?
He has been blogging for years and I can say he is a master in his own right. I owe him things I can never repay.
Mr. Art of Article Specialist
Actually, our first meeting was very simple. We are doing our usual visit at Mybloglog separately. We were totally strangers, oceans apart. Yes, he is an Indonesian blogger who owns an article directory - Article Highlight. He was really determined to help me improve my writing. He praises me when I am good and help me to improve when I am not. He gave me the first taste of posting my articles on another blog, his Blognetwork, for free. He introduced to me other sources of communities including Entrecard. In fact, he sponsored my recent and only contest.
By the way, his real name is not Mr. Art. I just gave him this nickname because of his pen name. I wish some time in my life, I can meet him personally.
Meghna of Delve into the Mind of A Budding Blogger
A 12-year old Indian blogger, or I must say a sweet poet, a talented writer, a bright student and a loving daughter. I also met her at MyBloglog. A simple comment from her to one of my post made me visit her. To my surprise, she is as young as my daughter but older than me in blogging. I do not know where she gets the ideas and how she manages her time. With her attitude and dedication, I will not be surprised if she will be one of the well respected journalists someday.
Although she considers me as her Guardian Angel blogger, she will always be among my inspiration to continue blogging about children and their welfare. If you want to know why I made a post Why you should allow our Children to Blog, she is my answer.
Steve Pavlina and his forum
I am one of his avid followers and admirers. His transparency in his personal life really inspires me a lot. His transition from being a junk to a blogger with around 1.8 million monthly visitors is really amazing. His unique style of blogging is incomparable. His long posts tell it all. I have never seen a blog with a forum that deals with personal growth and development like his.
I must admit, he is one of the reasons why I am patient in blogging.
My Communities
Google Community – My first ever community and my first taste of joining a forum. I cannot mention the names of all the members who helped me but I miss you, guys!
BlogCatalog and MyBloglog – No comparison please. Both of them had wonderful people and system. I do not regret joining them. Most of my first visitors came from them.
Yahoo Answers – I am trying my best to give advises to bothered individuals and I hope that my help counted in. I will still continue to visit them although some may I will not get sufficient traffic from them.
Technorati - I almost missed this. Although some says this is only for popularity purposes, I am still buying it. This blog has now 90 fans, 51 authorities and numerous blog reactions. I do not put too much focus on increasing my rank. I believe that if you have quality content, the rank will follow through the help of your readers. But with Technorati here, I am thankful for those who fave me.
Entrecard – the community that changed my blogging career. Without them, I am still helpless in finding visitors to this blog. Many have been written negatively about them such as bounced traffic, unreasonable change of pricing system, droppers not readers and so on. But for the record, almost 75 percent of my regular visitors and still increasing came from them. They are not perfect and will never be, but I do not care. They are helping me a lot which is the more important thing and I met a lot of bloggers including my fellow Pinoy Entrecarders.
In fact, I am now rewarding My Very Serious Droppers and inviting non-members to check them out.
My Article Directories
I reserved a separate page for them. But I have to mention Article Highlight here. This is because a big percentage of my submissions have been posted on Mr. Art's Blognetwork. As a proof, you can see my recent post now live in it.
Yes, he is one of my mentors and friends. But mind you, he is very strict so do not bother to bribe him.
My Money Makers
This is the sad part. Besides Adsense and some affiliates, I got no more, but of course I am still thanking them. At least, it’s better than nothing. Honestly speaking, it is partly my fault. I did not give much effort to monetize this blog. I felt that I have to establish myself first and my readers has been my priority.
My Future Plans
1.0 Make better posts and valuable family tips. Read, observe and ask.
2.0 Discover other sources of traffic including forums, directories, blogs and communities.
3.0 Monetize this blog. I will be doing some product and site reviews. I may also re-write some of my articles and sell them.
4.0 Purchase my own domain. My URL really annoys me. Do not bother to count the number of characters; it is 24 excluding the sub-domain name! It may be a good phrase, but it is hard to encode.
Finally, I would not think of making this blog if not for my wife and children because it is my family that keeps me going. It is my eagerness to be a good husband and a responsible father that really drives me.
All my posts are dedicated to all the families in the world and needless to say, to My Creator!
If you want to receive my future posts regularly, please feel free to subscribe in a reader or by e-mail. If you have concerns, please Contact Me anytime.
Article Source: Happy Family Matters
What made me join BuyBlogReviews
I would like to reserve this post to announce that finally, BuyBlogReviews has approved my blogs! This means that I can now make a bid to write for products and sites, and they will pay me according to the agreed payment. But how does it work?
BuyBlogReviews is a community of bloggers and advertisers wherein bloggers can be paid fairly by making quality posts for advertisers. A blogger can therefore make a bid only for topics that suits his blog.
As I joined them, I realized that there are a lot of categories to choose from, and family and blogging are definitely included which I like the most. This means that my readers will not suffer from my posts that they are not interested in because the products that I will review here is very much related to families.
And according to them, joining Technorati is a great advantage to win more customers.
Besides joining is FREE, your blogs can be approved within 72 hours and payment is being sent though Paypal. But what fascinates me is that bloggers can get 70% from each review which is according to them, the highest in industry. Now, I am not wondering why they are becoming so popular these days..
Of course, they are also welcoming advertisers who would want to join.
With this, I strongly suggest that you check them out. But be sure that you read, understand and agree with their Rules and Regulations before joining. You can visit them through the banner at the end of this post.
If you want to receive my future posts regularly, please feel free to subscribe in a reader or by e-mail. If you have concerns, please Contact Me anytime.
Article Source: Happy Family Matters
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