Simple Ways To Help Your Middle-School Kids Take Responsibilities For Themselves
There may be days when you wonder whether your middle-schooler will ever be independent.
Will he be 35 and still incapable of remembering to put the toilet seat down?
Will you still be delivering her forgotten lunches when she works as a corporate lawyer in her 40’s?
Surely at least one sock will eventually make it into the dirty clothes hamper… right?
There are so many life skills we have to teach our children before they leave us to become adults. Providing the structure and safe place for them to practice (and even fail) while they develop this ability is vital for their long-term development.
Here are some ways to help and encourage them to take the initiative to cultivate their independence.
Build Your Toolbox
Timers – Timers are great way to help your kids be responsible, for smaller tasks that needed to do in an hour or less. If you have given them a phone, have them use the timer function. In the beginning, set yours for the same time so you can be sure they are responding when it goes off. There are inexpensive digital kitchen timers available in many stores and online. You can even find them at some local stores.
Most ovens also have a built-in timer function that you can use without turning on the heating element. Even an analog ‘egg timer’ that ticks the seconds and minutes away can be helpful as the sound itself may remind your child to remain focused on his task.
Paper Calendars and Personal Planners – For longer-term projects and appointments, do not underestimate the usefulness of calendars and planners. This tools can help you make your kids take responsibilities for themselves.
If you still don’t have it, add a family calendar in a prominent place where everyone can access it. Expect each family member to be responsible for adding all of their own events on the color chosen that is assigned to them. The act of writing it down ties them to that responsibility.
In addition to the larger family calendar, equipped everyone with smaller personal planners. Have informal planning parties where you share snacks or have a game night once a month after spending a little time looking at the weeks ahead and updating all your planners.
If your child is particularly artistic or enjoys crafting, you might even consider doing bullet journaling together. Its a way of planning that makes calendars and checklists very personalized and emphasizes a healthy outlet for creativity.
Checklists – When a task seems monumental, people often freeze, avoiding the task completely rather than approaching it with a well-formed plan. Checklists are particularly handy for breaking down responsibilities into smaller, more manageable portions that will provide them a quicker sense of accomplishment, leading them to increase productivity. This will help your kids on this responsibility-training time.
Consider combining a checklist with a calendar or planner, especially for school projects or other long-term goals, spacing the smaller goals of the project into bite-sized, easily-managed chunks.
Chore and Sticker Charts – If your child needs help to remember weekly or daily routines, you may want to use sticker charts. This will be a helpful tool to make them responsible, especially when they already used it when they were younger.
Any chart will do, but basically, you’ll need a column for the name of the activity or chore and a place to physically check off the completed activities each day of the week. Don’t require them to actually use stickers, but note that many kids this age (and a lot older) secretly love the nostalgia of stickers, so have some small ones on hand just in case.
Take It Slow and Be Consistent
Once you have decided on a method, set up a system together. Oversee it for several weeks, being sure you both agree on what the successfully completed task should look like.
When they seem to understand and are able to handle the task without your guidance, give them the opportunity to practice without your help, backing off slowly. The key here is to gradually expecting him or her to take the lead more and more until it is fully their responsibility.
When you see that the habit has been fully established, you can check it every week, then every few weeks, and every few months just to make sure they are really maintaining the habit of keeping track of their own responsibilities.
Throughout the process, consistency is key. Don’t tell them they are responsible to pick up after themselves, then follow them around doing it for them. Once you’ve established that it’s their responsibility, there should be a natural consequence if they fail to do it.
For example, returning to the socks in the hamper issue, if they continue leaving their socks everywhere, they will eventually run out of clean socks and have to either wear dirty ones or go without for the day.
Play the role of Coach
There are life skills we sometimes assume that our kids would picked up from us, but you shouldn’t assume your child knows to do anything you haven’t intentionally taught them. In fact, it’s likely you will have to teach them new skills more than once.
Finally, your role as the coach is to ask thought-provoking questions and reinforce good behaviors.
Here are some questions you can start to use immediately:
- Are you proud of the way you responded to that?
- What would you do differently if you could do that over?
- How do you think your actions made Sally feel?
- Do you feel good about how you handled that?
- How did you handle the situation?
Comments that inspire responsible behaviors like:
- I love who you are becoming.
- You owned that like a boss.
- Great job stepping up today.
- You are a responsible kid.
- You are really good at …..
For most children learning responsibility is something they need to learn, just like riding a bike. A few things to keep in mind when teaching responsibility: give them the tools to be successful, be patient and consistent, and coach them. Ultimately your voice as a parent becomes their inner voice. Remember to use positive words when they show ownership and responsibility as you will continue to see those responsible behaviors and actions. Give them the tools to be successful and the inspiration to grow.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leslie is the ‘mom behind the keyboard at Super Mom Picks, a parenting tips, ideas, and product reviews blog. She is a full-time working mom who has a passion for improving her family’s health, happiness, intellect, and overall quality of life experiences.
- Published in English Articles, Guest Posts Corner, Helpful Tips, Parenthood
10 Simple But Amazing Ways On How Parents Can Connect With Their Children
Written By: Tamra Cater
Do you ever think about this? How we, the parents, can connect to our children?
Sometimes I get so busy I feel guilty that I haven’t paid enough attention to my daughter or connected with her enough. However, there are always times throughout the day that I can find simple ways to emotionally connect with her. This can even be something as small as a hug or a kiss on the head. But, it’s important to me that I continually try to make a connection with my daughter. I love her and care about her, so I want her to feel that love. I don’t want her to ever feel like she has to “assume” that I love her. I want her to know it through my actions and words.
When I was growing up, I think my parents assumed that I knew that they loved me. However, it didn’t always feel that way, because they didn’t always go out of their way to say “I love you” or to give me that hug. And as I mentioned in one of my blog posts (http://www.nurturingtamra.com/how-parenting-impacts-a-childs-self-esteem/), it’s more important what the child feels and experiences in terms of that connection and feeling of love. If a child feels connected with their parents, it’s more likely that they will have higher levels of self-esteem than someone who doesn’t feel that way. So as parents, how can we all do a better job connecting with our children?
Why is Connection so Important?
We truly wanted those times where we feel emotionally bonded with our children, but what sorts of benefits does it have for the parent/child relationship as a whole? When children feel connected with their parents, they are more likely to cooperate and listen to parents. In addition, when we give our children positive attention, this helps them feel valued and builds a positive self-image. Last of all, connecting with our children is important so that children feel reassured and safe.
So what are some simple but amazing things that you can do throughout the day to connect with your children?
10 Simple But Amazing Tips for Connecting with Your Children
1.Cook or bake. This is something that my child truly seems to enjoy doing with me. I let her pour the ingredients in the bowl and help me mix the ingredients together. And you can tell by the way she talks, that she is truly enjoying it.
2. Play Chase. For some reason, this brings my daughter to laughter every time. We will run around the house, taking turns chasing each other. In my next point, I explain how laughter helps increase our connection with our children.
3. Be silly and do things to encourage laughter. For example, I “make raspberries” on my daughter’s belly, and again, she laughs a ton! Laughter releases stress-reducing hormones in our body and improves mood. Research shows that families with stronger relationships tend to laugh together more. So, laughter is such a good thing for our relationships with our children!
4. Explore a new place together. It’s always fun to go to a new park or to a new store. For example, when I first took my daughter to the zoo when she was old enough to understand what she was looking at, this was awe-inspiring for her. I enjoyed seeing how happy and excited she was! These new experiences help build memories and a stronger bond between our children and us.
5. Play with your child. This could involve putting a puzzle together or painting. As another example, recently, I was making sensory bottles with my child, and she had a blast! She got to help put the beads in the bottles. We also enjoy playing with blocks together by making “castles” and “houses.” In doing this, this helps our children feel valued and loved when they get attention and affection from us. This is such a simple way to make a connection with our children!
6. No matter how young or how old your child is, talk to them. For example, with my child, I do what I can do ask her if she had fun after she went to school and what she liked about it. I also ask her about things she likes, such as what her favorite color is. Also, when I was teenager, one thing I enjoyed most was having long conversations with mom until the sun came up. I truly felt connected to her then.
7. Put the phone down and actively listen and pay attention. This is something that I admit I need to better with. When your daughter is trying to play or talk to you, keep the phone out of reach and just focus on the “here and now.” This helps your child feel valuable and important. Listen to what your child is saying and feeling and be empathetic. Validate their feelings.
8. Read to your child. I absolutely love sitting down with my child in my lap and reading to her. This is one of those times where I truly feel connected to her. This is another type of experience that can build memories and stronger relationships!
9. Sing or dance with your child. This is something that my child LOVES! While I feel like I look ridiculous dancing or sound horrible when I sing, I love doing this with my child. I feel like this is another way I can connect and bond with her. Related to this, I think this helps encourage her interests in singing or dancing if I participate and help support her in what she enjoys.
10. Give your child a hug and smile at them. Who doesn’t love hugs and feel more connected with when we get hugs? I think the same thing goes for children. Hugs and smiles help our body release stress-releasing hormones, so we feel good in the end!
Final Thoughts on Connecting with Your Child
We live in a technology-driven world, and there are lots of people on social media. We are also busy with our jobs, household chores, making dinner, etc. However, the best moments are likely those times where we connect with our children and our family. I know that I love these moments and will always hold on to them. These are things that will never be forgotten. So, I think making time to connect with our children even in our busy lives is so important for everyone involved! As mentioned, our children are more likely to listen to us and follow our direction if they feel a strong connection with us. And it also makes us feel good knowing that we have a strong relationship with our children. Do have your own tips on how to connect to your children? Share us here!
References:
Laughter: Nature’s medicine for family relationships. Retrieved from https://www.acpeds.org/laughter-natures-medicine-for-family-relationships.
Positive attention and your child. Retrieved from https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/connecting-communicating/connecting/positive-attention
About The Author: Tamra Cater is a mother of a 3-year-old daughter and wife to a football coach. She is a professor that teaches a lot of developmental psychology classes and loves sharing her knowledge of child development with others! You can find her blog at www.nurturingtamra.com.
- Published in English Articles, Guest Posts Corner, Helpful Tips, Motherhood Life, Parenthood
7 Important Tips You Need When Travelling Hong Kong For The First Time
It’s your first trip to Hong Kong and you are very excited about it! You are thinking what you should be preparing for the trip. If you’re a mom like me, for sure you are a detail-oriented planner. If you are single, well you still need to know how to prepare for your first Hong Kong trip. I bet you are researching this topic now because you would like to be fully prepare for this trip, am I right? Then you don’t have to search more because I will help you how to do it right and with less hassle, with my seven important tips for your first Hong Kong trip, and with my own experience and preparations. Anyway, this is all we wanted – to make our vacation a relaxing one – so we have to equip ourselves with helpful information and tips that we really need to make this trip a memorable one.
MY OWN PREPARATIONS
Last year of December my mother like to travel to Hong Kong with us, her children and grandchildren, where airfare, accommodation and Disneyland tickets were all paid by hers! That’s great news for us! As her responsible daughter, and because this is our first trip abroad, I research about it and concluded that I needed to plan it ahead on my own to get the best value of our money and our time that we will be spending there. I’m saying this because a lot of people are giving this preparations and this great responsibility to travel agencies out there. But for me, after weighing things out I believe that do-it-yourself preparations are much more amenable and cost-effective than having a scheduled day-to-day itinerary with travel agencies. I will tackle this more in my future articles.
Now let’s talk about the seven important tips you need to prepare for your first Hong Kong trip.
1. YOU NEED TO BOOK AHEAD YOUR AIRFARE TICKETS
This is the first important thing you need to do for your first Hong Kong trip – booking ahead of time your airfare tickets. The earlier you do this, the better. I searched our airfare three months before our desired date. The benefit? It’s cheaper than late bookings. A month’s booking is still late for me, you missed many low airfare deals if you will wait for that longer before doing something.
I searched every airfare prices in several airfare intermediaries like Trip Advisor, Expedia, and others but I’m still not convinced. So I contacted several travel agencies that I saw on Facebook and ask their airfare promo tickets, then I go for the lowest one that has been given by Metro Wanderer Travel Agency. They proved their legitimacy since we were able to take our flights and completed our journey. When transacting with travel agencies online you need to read its reviews, try to call their given contact numbers and follow your guts because you will have to pay the whole amount by depositing it to their company’s bank account. Always do your homework and double check everything, even if it means you repeatedly message or call them. Their way of handling their customer’s concerns shows their true colors and with that it will give you some comfort knowing that you chose the right travel agency.
Now that you have your airplane tickets let’s go to the second important tip you need to know for you first time Hong Kong trip.
2. YOU NEED TO BOOK AHEAD YOUR ACCOMMODATIONS
My second tip for your Hong Kong’s first trip is to book your accommodations. Once you have your flight dates for your Hong Kong trip, you can now search for your family’s accommodation. Where would you like to stay? Do you prefer premium hotels or in affordable inns? There are some factors to consider first before you choose your accommodation. These are:
- Do you have kids with you? – Since we have three kids in our group I chose a hotel, because as what I searched, inns in Hong Kong are very small and the cleanliness is questionable. I can’t just choose randomly, I need to make sure that somehow, our accommodation is safe, clean and kid-friendly.
- The distance of the accommodation versus the tourist spots – some of the hotels are far from Hong Kong’s central district or the main town, where most of the tourist spots are located. Though Hong Kong has a marvelous MTR system it would still take time, so you better balance it.
- Do you like thrifty accommodation or money is not an issue for you? – Plain and simple.
With these pointers you will know more or less the best option for you. And where will you find great accommodation deals? I suggest you check out Trip Advisor’s list. For me, they have the best deals from the different intermediaries like Agoda and Expedia, with matching user reviews so you will never have to choose the lesser ones. Trip Advisor is a really helpful app for travelers. I chose mine from them, and it’s Silka Tsuen Wan Hotel, my best choice for my family. You will read my review on it in my next articles.
So after you got your accommodations then what’s next?
3. YOU NEED TO PRE-BOOK YOUR ITINERARIES
The third tip is to pre-book your itineraries or activities for your first Hong Kong tour. I’m not saying you have to pre-book all of your day-to-day activities in Hong Kong. Just pre-purchasing some is enough because, like airfare costs, it is much cheaper if you book your activities ahead of time. I pre-booked our Disneyland tour on Klook and I never regret it. It was the best deal! What I regret is it’s the only activity that I pre-booked. Because I thought I could book more when we will be in Hong Kong. But you cannot. You cannot book activities on Klook on the same day that you will use it. Instead, you can pre-book your activities two or three weeks before the date of the activity. So you really need to plan ahead of time. You purchased deals earlier for your future itineraries to save money and to save your time, because when you travel you want to make the most out of it, right? So the next time we will visit Hong Kong I will surely pre-booked the right amount of activities for my family.
4. YOU NEED TO HAVE A HANDY WI-FI IN HONG KONG
My fourth tip for your Hong Kong first tour is to rent a portable Wi-Fi. Yes, you need internet connection when travelling first time in Hong Kong, because literally, you will roam there without knowing where to go, can you do that? You need a map to know where will you go first. To know where and what station of MTR you will go to get to your destination. You have to know the nearest route to get to the Ladies Market. And you will accomplish all of this without asking someone out there if you have a portable Wi-Fi! You will understand this when you get there. What’s cooler is there’s an application called CityMapper where you will know where in Hong Kong exactly you are. It will guide you to your chosen destination by giving you your next steps to take, as in literally steps I can say, to avoid confusion. You’re in a foreign land but don’t fret because these tools will help you to find your chosen spots.
5. YOU NEED TO PREPARE YOUR SWEATERS
My fifth tip for your first Hong Kong getaway is to bring the right clothes for Hong Kong’s cold weather. Hong Kong has a cool air for the whole day and colder in the evening. The temperature is around 17 to 21 degrees Celsius all throughout the day. You don’t like your kids or you to get chilled. You can bring sweaters or layers for you and some jackets for your kids. I personally bring long sleeves for my outfit because I don’t want to bring another item as we roam Hong Kong. I bought light-textured and cottoned-fabric long sleeves for me. Hubby and I also bought new pairs of rubber shoes for us and for our kids because we know that long walks and long strolling are awaiting for us in Hong Kong, especially in Disneyland, so we need to be prepare for that.
6. YOU NEED TO EXCHANGE YOUR MONEY TO HONG KONG DOLLARS
My sixth tip for your Hong Kong trip is to exchange your money to Hong Kong Dollars a week before the trip. Of course, you need to do this beforehand, exchange your local cash to Hong Kong Dollars before taking your trip, though you can do this upon landing in Hong Kong International Airport. But it is still wiser to go to your local money changer and have your money exchange there, to save time and energy. When you’re in Hong Kong already you will be buying your food and everything in Hong Kong Dollars only, so better prepare your pocket money beforehand. So how much will you have to bring? I will tackle it in another article, so stay tuned.
7. YOU NEED TO HAVE AN OCTOPUS CARD
My seventh and final tip is to buy an Octopus Card upon arriving in Hong Kong. What is an Octopus Card? It is Hong Kong’s stored value card where one can use for at least everything when travelling in Hong Kong. Whether you are riding an MTR or a bus or cruising in a ferry, just as a swipe your Octopus Card and you already paid. You can also use this in buying foods in supermarkets or dining in restaurants. Very convenient right? And advanced! You can buy one in MTR Stations in Hong Kong, I bought mine in 7-11 Convenient Store. A child ages 3 and up needs to buy his own card for his own fare.
Upon buying Octopus Card you will also have to buy credits to be loaded in the card. For every transaction you made it will be deducted to your money credits. You can refund your card credits or you can still use its balance for your next Hong Kong escapade.
So there you have it, my seven cents of advice or tips to you if you ever plan to travel in Hong Kong for the first time. There are many things to prepare for, but these are very specific tips that you really need to know. This list can be a time-saver and a life-saver for you and for everyone who wants to have a stress-free Hong Kong trip. What other things do you need to know about Hong Kong? Comment it down and let me help you! – Lai
- Published in English Articles, Helpful Tips, travelling
5 Things To Consider Before Deciding To Create Your Own Blog
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means I will receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
Are you thinking of creating your own blog or website?
It’s really one great idea of you thinking of having a personal blog. Most of the people who have easy access to the internet world will surely think of creating one. Wherever you are and whatever you do, regardless of your age, gender or race, you can create and own a website. In fact, if you search online, the number of blogs and websites that is “on the air” now you might gasp and be surprised that it’s like a living community out there on cyberspace – thousands or even millions – owns a space there.
Blogging is still on its youth days, it just started around ’90s and flourishing its life today, but we can expect more from it as time goes by, and as technology will permit us too. It gives us a new platform and our “own space” online. Many people are tempting on the idea of having a blog (like me hehe..) because it is very accessible and in demand.
But first what does “blog” mean?
According to Google the word blog has two meanings, these are:
noun
1. a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.
verb
1. add new material to or regularly update a blog.
And the term ‘blog’ is an abbreviation of the word ‘weblog’, where we can see the meaning from the original word – that you, logging your thoughts on the internet and using it as your diary.
There are many different reasons why a person blogs. These are:
1. for jotting down his activities, tasks, or memorable events, whether its personal or work-related
2. to share his expertise or knowledge to a particular field
3. to express his feelings and voice his concerns
4. to make a living or extra income
People blog because it is their own way to voice their views about a particular topic or to show their writing skills. Others take a plunge to this trend for them to earn extra income by monetizing their blogs. But most people do blogging to share their passion and aspirations in their chosen life.
A person could have single or various reasons why he blogs. Whatever motivating factor a person may have, he is entitled to it. No one can question you why do you want to blog.
MY OWN REASON
As I said in the previous article this blogging idea is running in my head two years ago, but I cannot act upon it because of my own mommy oath – I want to focus first on my two kids. I can multitask and add blogging to my schedule but I decided to brush off the idea since I want to give my whole time for my baby and my toddler. Two years have passed since I gave birth to my youngest, I am now more adjusted to mommy duties and somehow I am getting used to it that I decided to create my own blog ‘for me to have an outlet and have someone to talk to’ since I am a stay at home mom and no one is there for me to chat with but my kids. There are many challenges and hardships for choosing this SAHM vocation that no one knows but us who are literally there in that situation.
So before I unintentionally misdirecting my topic here I now have a two-month-old blog! Congratulations to me! In this very short period of time, I learned a lot of things about blogging and I realized some things about it.
And how about you? Would you like to try it? Actually, you can and that is one great idea but I want you to consider first these five things before you take the plunge too. This will help you decide if you will go for it or not.
FIVE THINGS TO CONSIDER
1. You Need To Allot Time For Your Blog
It’s very easy to create a blog, actually, within an hour you can build your site. A domain, SSL certificate and a reliable web hosting service are the basic things you need to create a functional blog and make it live. Some web host providers have 3 in 1 package and cheapest plans to make it easy for those who really want to have a blog site.
But after the initial set up and everything, you still need to keep working it. It’s like putting up a business, you already finish registering the business name and legalizing it, after that you need to give your time for your business to operate.
It’s basically the same as you have a blog. You need to give your time in building its contents. And you will not complete it in a blink of an eye. You need to spend more time in creating articles, making your own graphics for your articles, optimizing the parts of your blog to make it SEO-friendly and make your blog more inviting to the eyes of your audience. You can do all of these if you can allot time for it “consistently”. Can you? You can only answer that.
The term consistency is also a relative word. It means if you can allot time to write three articles per week and you can keep up with it then you are consistent. You don’t have to set goals that you can’t keep because you do not have time for it. I myself are having a difficult time for keeping my one-published-article-per-week goal since I have to priority first my kids and the house chores.
Based on your own situation and lifestyle assess now how many hours you can spend for your blog. Remember that you will be adding your blog to your routine now.
2. You Need To Spend Money For It
This is a no secret, check the net now and browse famous blogs and websites where you will see in their appearance and performance that they really cost some cash. If you really want your blog to shine or be unique then you need to spend for it.
True there are free websites there like WordPress or Blogspot but you cannot say that it’s really your own blog since its free, right? And there are corresponding guidelines and limitations there that you should follow or else. You have no full control on your blog if you will use these kinds of free platforms thus limiting your blog’s potential and power.
Don’t fret my friend because although you need to spend on having a blog you don’t need to use all of your savings just to have a decent one. In fact, you could have a marvelous one for just a couple of dollars if you will search for the lowest and cheapest packages online! (I know a great find and it’s 90% OFF right now until April 1, 2019, so grab it here if you want =).)
Planning means you’re anticipating the near and far future life of your blog so having a reliable but cheapest web hosting provider is the best factor that you should consider now. My web host provider, Hostinger, gives the best-unlimited power for your blog at its cheapest rate, since they make long term hosting plans for you. The longer subscription period you get, the lower the price you have. For me, I chose a four-year subscription because it’s the best value offer that other hosting provider cannot give but Hostinger, and since I know my blog will stay here for that long period of time I am confident to avail it! And truly a very cost-effective decision on my part – it’s less than a dollar per month!
Spending on your blog in a wise way means you want to start right and bright. You are preparing your blog on the right track, my friend! Don’t be afraid to lose some cash for it, think of it as your investment placed in the right venture – your own site.
3. You Need To Put Enough Effort For Your Blog
We can classify effort as same as the time you give for your blog, but I chose to give it it’s own spot here since I want to reiterate its importance and show the differences between the two.
Yes, you give time for your blog, but do you use it efficiently? Do you use your ‘blog time’ wisely? Do you give your best to work it out? It’s very easy to lose track of time clicking on every article you see about the ins and outs of blogging. Reading will help you a lot but you need to choose what you read by typing the right keywords in the Google browser. And applying it in your actions is another one.
You have to give, if not all, but enough effort for your blog to grow. Its life depends on YOU. Treat it like your own child. It will not succeed on its own because it needs you. Nourish it and pamper it. You are its parent. You have the responsibility on your blog that no one has.
So for me having a blog is a serious thing that one should not overlook since he will just waste its great opportunity to send a message and touch other people’s lives if one is not determined to make it work.
4. You Need Some Writing Skills
I think this is an easy one. If you are determined enough then you can learn how to write a good article if you are not confident enough about your writing skills.
If your hobby is writing diaries or stories since child then you this blogging will be easy for you since you will just share your thoughts here! And blogging itself can sharpen your vocabulary and written communication! So don’t worry too much, you can do it!
5. You Need To Be Consistent
I already say the word consistent in the first factor, in time. But there are more things that you should be doing consistently to make your blog a successful one, at least in your own terms of doing things.
Consistency means doing the same action over time to achieve a certain goal. It’s like having a set of pattern to make a beautiful dress. Same also to your blog.
If you want your blog to be known by Google, you need consistency in publishing valuable contents.
If you want to have more readers, be consistent in posting good and helpful articles.
If you want to have your blog be SEO-friendly, you need to consistently optimize it.
If you want your blog to reach more audience and have good traffic, you need to be consistent in promoting it to different social media platforms. Yes, you will also act as a marketing guy for your blog.
If you want to monetize your blog, you need to consistently enter affiliate marketing programs or put advertisements on your page. You can also publish your own e-books or printables if you want. Or create your own product to sell.
If you want to create a community and influence others then you need to consistently try to interact with the public and make a lasting relationship with them.
It’s not easy as you can see it but if you like it then you can make it. Consistency in everything that you will do for your blog would take it somewhere else and would achieve your goal for your blog.
These are the things that I want you to consider first because I want you to have the right perspective for having a blog from the start. The secret here is you should have a passion for what you’re doing and everything else will put on its right place, perfectly.
Did I help you? What are your thoughts about this? Share it in the comments and let’s talk about it. =)
- Published in blog life, English Articles, Helpful Tips
Looking For The Best Cheapest Web Hosting Provider? I Recommend Mine – Hostinger!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means I will receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
Thinking of starting your own personal blog or a website for your business?
If yes then I’m pretty sure you are giving an ample of your time researching about your great idea – the meaning of blog, the things you should know to set up one or even the cost of making a website. Basically, it’s like you’re thinking of putting up a business and you want to know the things you should do to launch your own venture after you write your business draft plan and put your ideas altogether the next question is – where will you put your business location? It’s the same as having a blog.
After you sketched your ideas – the blog title, your blog’s niche and its contents – the ideas you will put there – the next question is – ‘What web hosting provider should I choose?’ Before answering that question let’s talk first the meaning of it.
WEB HOST PROVIDER MEANING
According to Wikipedia web hosting service “is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server owned or leased for use by clients.” So in simple terms, web host provider is your ‘space’ on the internet. Without it, you cannot create a website just like you cannot put up a business without an address.
That being said I know right now you’re thinking ‘If I needed it to build my own blog then what is the cheapest yet best web host provider out there that I could have?’ This is where I will sincerely recommend Hostinger, my blog’s web host. This is the best cheapest web hosting service that you should get.
Is it true Lai? You may ask me.
Without thinking twice the answer is yes!
Do have proof Lai? Of course! I am glad to share it with you.
MY OWN TRUTH ABOUT HOSTINGER
The idea of having my own blog site was toying on my mind two years ago but I am hesitating and brushing it off since that time my youngest daughter is only one year old and I want to give my whole time for her needs, not to mention my eldest kid’s needs too. As a mom, they are my top priorities. The idea still lingers on me until last year that Kendall is already two years old and I already adjusted to my mommy tasks (not completely but surely).
So last December I started researching about setting up a blog. Being a meticulous planner I searched answers for every question that pops on my mind until I came up to the fact that I need to secure my own web host first to make a blog. So I typed in the Google Search Engine the words like ‘best but cheapest web host’, ‘affordable web hosting’. Many suggested articles shown and I just read the articles in the first search page of Google. Several names displayed like Blue Host, GoDaddy, SiteGround, HostGator etc. I researched each of them to my own satisfaction – checking their capabilities, service quality, customer service and of course the price – which I can say is the biggest factor for me to consider since I want a truly affordable web host provider but has an excellent service to give. I typed once more the words ‘top cheapest web host providers’ an article shows the bests in the field then I saw Hostinger among them.
HOSTINGER’S BACKGROUND
According to Wikipedia again “Hostinger International, Ltd. is an employee-owned web hosting provider and Internet domain registrar. Established in 2004, Hostinger now has over 29 million users, collectively with its subsidiaries in 178 countries. The company uses cloud web hosting technology and provides hosting with MySQL, FTP and PHP. Hostinger is a parent company of 000Webhost, Niagahoster, and Weblink.” You can see that Hostinger has an established reputation in the web hosting industry since they were here for over 15 years.
Comparing Hostinger’s resume to other web hosts I told to myself that the long search is over. I already found what I need. And this is for keeps. All I have to do is to get my credit card and purchased its service online. After three days of reading reviews and feedbacks, I’ve finally settled down and convinced. Hostinger will be my web host provider and no one else. Did I say that I got my domain also from them? I purchased it first before getting a web host because I’m still hoping that I can find other candidates to meet my qualifications. But in the end, I got also my web host from them!
Before I get more emotional, here are Hostinger’s superb qualifications:
What can you say? Maybe you’re actually thinking why Hostinger is not popular like Blue Host or GoDaddy? But did you also think that maybe they’re just promotional hypes and many are missing out in this great opportunity to have a totally great web host provider like Hostinger? I compare the monthly price of each of them but in the end, Hostinger wins the lowest price. And Hostinger has a 30-day trial so if you will change your mind you can back out (but me no!) of course with your money! 100% risk-free!
For its performance, I can say that Hostinger delivers with flying colors. It’s 99.99% uptime. We need speed for our website so Hostinger gives it to us. And if you have questions when building your site their customer service is available 24/7, I’m not joking, I’m saying my experience here. Even in the middle of the night, they will assist you. They are my confidant in times of distress while building my website. I’m not an expert in this field but with Hostinger’s help, I create my own site as if I know better. Though most of my questions are trivial or very simple in the eyes of others I didn’t hesitate to relay it to them because I know they will help me. And they do.
You can get Hostinger’s service by clicking this link of mine. I hope you do, I want you also to experience their great service for their clients. You will never regret it. I promise you that. I will never recommend something that I didn’t like or love personally. This is my truth.
I will be discussing more Hostinger as my blog grows so stay tuned for it guys. Will be sharing to you guys my own journey with Hostinger and their new updates so I can help you choose wisely. If you have any questions you can say it in the comments section or contact me privately. I am glad to answer all of it. Thank you!
LAI’S RATING
5 stars (Excellent!)
- Published in English Articles, Helpful Tips, My True Reviews, Services
How To Prepare For Long Road Trips With Your Toddlers And Kids – The Do’s & Don’ts
We all love travelling, who doesn’t?
For most of us travelling is an exciting event, full of new surprises and fresh sceneries to look forward to. It makes our heart yearning in anticipation of what will happen next and makes our mind imagining what experiences we could have on the trip. We love it so much to the point that we make sure we are really prepared for it.
When I and my husband were still newly-wedded couples ten years ago, a spur-of-the-moment trip is great and desirable but now that we have two kids I don’t know if unplanned excursions are still amenable or acceptable! Haha! How can it be? Having your own children when travelling is not easy, most especially if it’s a long road trip.
Here in the Philippines there are a lot of beautiful places where you could visit just travelling by land. The longest travel that our family experience is around eight hours. The itinerary – we were going to Baguio, the Summer Capital of the Philippine. It’s in the Mountain Province so basically it’s lush greenery and slopes. Very beautiful and chilly place. The eight hours of travel time has a catch. We stop over and stay in a hotel in Pangasinan, a four-hour drive, so we were able to rest and travel again on the next day. We completed the eight-hour journey non-stop when going home. I will share with you our whole Baguio story on my future articles.
So my family made the long road marathon, right? And I can say we always made it. Because we love to travel, though we have a toddler and a kid there’s nothing can stop us from doing it! Of course except only when kids are sick. For you to prevent these undesirable circumstances and have great travelling memories I will share my own Do’s and Don’ts while having long road trips with your little kids.
THE DO’S
1. Bring Your Kids To Their Pediatrician A Week Before The Trip
This is an SOP for us as parents. Before going anywhere else have your children visit first their doctor and check their health stats. Ask their pedia if they need a vaccine for flu or other viral illnesses for them to be protected when going vacation. If you’re your kids have coughs and colds this is the right time to get medications and you still have time to treat it.
2. Do Prepare Your Kid’s Essential
Since you have kids now this is the best time to be more systematic and be more organize (somehow hehe..) As their mom and their parent you have the responsibility to prepare for their needs, you don’t want to neglect these things and just hurriedly pack and go with your family. Believe me, it will ruin your vacation and could give you more than just a headache. Of course, we want to enjoy this kind of rare moments but you can’t fully enjoy it if you cannot do some preparation and assistance for your kid’s needs.
Is this true Lai? You may say.
Of course, this is true! How can you be happy on your vacation if you didn’t do your mommy duties first by preparing your kid’s things? Your ‘mom motto’ should be “Kid’s First Before Yourself” and not “Me First Before Kids”- always think this way in everything you do for you to have a total enjoyment and happiness on your planned trip. Although we want to ‘escape’ somehow in our daily mom routines, yes I know the feeling, but you can’t overlook this part just for your own convenience.
LAI IS A METICULOUS PLANNER
In preparing things for our family travels I can say that I am a completely meticulous planner and a thorough organizer. I got these skills from my late father and I am proud of it. He taught me to prepare things ahead of time and anticipate future events by packing enough clothes and needed accessories when vacationing. Until now that I have my own family I do this. So for my kids, these are the things that I prepare for them if we will have a two-night vacation:
What can you say on my kid’s essential list? Is it long? Hahah! I told you so! Usually I only use one big bag for my own clothes and my kid’s stuff but as time goes by and kids grow up so fast I think one bag will not be enough! So are we done? There’s more!
3. Do Pack Your Family’s Needs A Night Before The Big Date
After you already complete your kid’s things you will now focus on your family’s need on the general view. These are but not limited to:
4. Do Make Sure The Car Is In 100% Condition
To succeed in long drive trips a well-conditioned car is a must. You don’t want to have any disturbance or lag because the car’s engine is overheated. No, you don’t want to have that kind of problems when travelling with your kids. Remember when something is wrong on your car you have to shut down its aircon thus making the kid’s irritated and more difficult to manage. So tell to your husband to start conditioning your car a week before the trip.
THE DON’TS
1.Don’t Stress Yourself Too Much
I know you, mom, with your hands (and shoulders) full you feel stress and agitated for all of the things that you should do and prepare. It’s natural but as I say on my blog’s second article you can control your emotions. You can and you have to. So much stress will bring you no good. You only get stressed on packing when you didn’t prepare ahead of time and you hurriedly do things the night before the travel or worst you are just packing on the same day! Wooh! It’s all in your hands mom I will leave it all to you.
2. Don’t Overdo It!
I know I said you should prepare but I didn’t say you overdo it and put everything you see in your house. There is a balance for everything. You can’t carry unnecessary items like a ceramic mug or more clothes inside your baggage since it will just put more weight on your car. Be meticulous but not in an exaggerated way. You want to leave your house for a day or two so don’t make it look like you didn’t leave at all.
3.Don’t Be Too Negative
Your outlook will have a great impact on the outcome of your family’s road trip. If from the start you think your kids won’t be cooperative or will not behave the way you want them to then you already dictate the ending scenario even before it happens. Just go with the flow and do your part to make it will be truly memorable to all of you. Children are children, they will do things that will make you frown, but when they see new places like long highways, green pastures or animals taking shelter under trees, you will see amazement and joy from their eyes you would whisper to yourself that “I’m glad they’re with me right now”.
So basically these are my two cents of advice for you and I hope you learn a lot from my tips. There’s many more of it but these are the basic things that you should remember for your family to have a cheerful and memorable long road trip.
Going back to my promise (you thought I forgot it already hehe..) here is my own list of items that I personally prepare and take ‘inside the car’. Of course, all of the baggage will be placed in the car’s trunk and as a mom, I only take the important items inside. So here it is:
I will be sharing more of travelling tips and ideas as I go along my site and create a journal of our lives. Stay tuned and subscribe at my newsletter for me to inform you my latest info about family and life. Thank you! – Lai
- Published in English Articles, Helpful Tips, travelling
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