Blog Button Tutorials

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Honey

Do you have a blog button available on your site for your blogging friends to grab and put on their blog?

I have had some people asking me lately how I create my buttons. Well, the process I use is a bit more involved than the tutorial I want to share with you today. I wrote this tutorial in a simple step by step format and the end result is a basic button using a photo and text.

How To Create A Simple Blog Button

Now, after you have created your beautiful button, you will want to create the grab code for it. My wonderful hubby created this tutorial to help you with that.

Grab Code For Blog Buttons

If you need a tutorial for something related to blogging, please let us know by leaving a note in the comments.

I am linking this post up with the Hip Homeschool Hop.

Top Ten Tasks For Tackling My Blog To-Do List

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Honey

Today I have been tackling tasks on the blog that have been on the to do list for far too long.

Some of the things that I have been tackling might be helpful/useful to my average, everyday readers just reading my blog (making it easier for you to read and navigate) and others will be more useful to those who are bloggers themselves and wanting to make some improvements to their blogs.

I don't know about you, but I am a very visual person, and if something isn't in front of my face I will forget to use it. That is the reason for a few of these tasks that I have tackled on my blog today.

Just a note: we are using WordPress self hosted.

I added some white space to the sidebars because they were feeling very top heavy.
I added the subscribe counters for feedburner to the sidebar so I have an easy way of checking my subscriber stats.
I added the subscribe counter for twitter to the sidebar using twitter counter.
I added a twitter widget to the sidebar that links to all of the tweets that I have favorited through twitter.
I have been collecting tons of links and putting them in draft posts (where they sit until I get around to writing a post) and I thought it might be more useful to start using my delicious account again. In order to remind myself, I put a delicious linkroll on my sidebar.
I updated my Sexy Bookmarks plugin and chose different share buttons to focus on. If something is missing that you liked or regularly used, please let me know.
I added the "Add to Any" plugin to my posts (so they show up on the front page posts and all pages and posts - even in the feeds).
I updated the blog button on the Sunflower Schoolhouse Facebook Page (which I haven't used in forever, but plan on using more regularly to connect with all my amazing readers - that's you!).
I finally got up the nerve to add a few affiliate link buttons to the sidebar for products that I have actually purchased and used. I was scared to do this because I thought it would be a really difficult process (it wasn't). Have a look and you might find something useful.
And finally, I added some legal stuff to the sidebars including: Blog With Integrity, Copyscape, and My Free Copyright.

This is my Top Ten list for Tuesday. I am linking this post to Tackle It Tuesday because this was a big job that needed to be tackled. And just on the off chance that my homeschool mama friends want to do some tweaking to their own blogs, I am linking to the Hip Homeschool Hop. If you need any help with tackling your blogging to-do list, please leave us a note in the comments and we would be happy to help you.

Our Favorite iPad Apps

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Honey

The iPad is a recent addition to our homeschooling family. I wrote (HERE) about how the iPad is changing our homeschooling. I had several requests for information about the iPad Apps that we use. So, here you have it.

These are just a few of the iPad Apps that we use for quick transition:

These are the single player iPad Apps that the kids can play on their own:

These are some of the 2 player Apps that we use for transitions between subjects and students in our homeschool:

Here are some of the iPad Apps that we use specifically for educational reasons (as well as for fun):

ibooks
pages
numbers
starwalk
magnetic alphabet This is excellent and easy to use for phonics and spelling.
drawing pad This is the program that we use for writing out our work without pencils.
art studio

And what list would be complete without a few iPad Apps For Mom?

I am linking this post up to Hip Homeschool Hop.

Disclosure: The iPad Apps listed here are ones that we purchased (if there was a charge) and actually use. We were not compensated in anyway for this post. We just love our iPad.

Reviews: If you have an iPad App (or other product) that you would like us to consider reviewing, please drop us a note through our contact page.

Ten Special Needs Books That I Have Read

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Honey

Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight by Sharon Heller. Visit the author's website and read an excerpt from the book.
Sensational Kids by Lucy Jane Miller, PhD, OTR. You can read more about the author and her foundation.
The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz. Visit the author's website to read more about this and other books.
The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Stock Kranowitz. Visit the author's website to read more about this and her other books.
Autism Spectrum Disorders by Chantal Sicile-Kira and Temple Grandin. Visit Chantal at her website. Visit Temple Grandin's website.
The Sensory-Sensitive Child: Practical Solutions for Out-of-Bounds Behavior by Karen A. Smith and Karen R. Gouze. I searched the Internet for an author website and could not find one. You can visit Amazon to read a book description and several reviews.
All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome by Kathy Hoopmann. I searched the Internet for an author website for this book as well. Here is a link to the book on Amazon. I borrowed this book from the library a long time ago, but it was one that I will always remember. It was so good. It is a very easy read.
The Kid-Friendly ADHD & Autism Cookbook, Updated and Revised: The Ultimate Guide to the Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet by Pamela J. Compart and Dana Laake. This is another book where I could not find an author or book website. This book has an amazing collection of recipes for use if you or your child is following the GFCF diet.
Raising Your Spirited Child Rev Ed: A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. You can visit the author's website and read more about this book and her other books.
I would really love to hear about what you are reading. Insert your book here.