Well, I didn’t think I was ever going to get back to my blog.  We have had a run of viral upper respiratory junk run through our family that has kept me busy tending to my children, my husband, and myself.  I hate giving medicine to my kids or taking medicine for that matter, but sometimes you just have to.  After a couple of weeks of enduring the coughing and the hacking and the nasty, never ending supply of phlegm and snot, we kicked the virus to the curb.

Then, much to my excitement, I get a notification from Adgitize that pop-ups are not allowed.  Huh?  What?  Pop-ups?  I don’t have any pop-ups!?!  So, I type in the URL for my blog ready to prove what I already know and, yes, you guessed it, there is a stinking pop-up.  Apparently, some random, worthless individual felt they had nothing else better to do than to screw with my blog.  While I am flattered that so much time and attention has been given to inserting some inconspicuous code into my blog, I would prefer that this individual use his or her obvious grandiose intelligence for something a little more important such as finding a cure for cancer, or developing a new green technology, or even determining if there is life on other planets.

Instead, I get the lazy ass, introvert who thinks it is a form of entertainment to sneak into someone’s code and violate their blog.  Look dude, if you are seriously that bored, come to my house.  With 4 kids, there is never a dull moment and it can actually be very entertaining around here.  Or, if you prefer, sit at your little weenie computer or laptop and keep jerking people’s chains with your code hacking knowledge.

I’ve actually appreciated having the opportunity now to learn more about the worthless hacking community out there and how vulnerable wordpress blogs can be.  I thought I would share some sites with good information about protecting your wordpress blog from hacking.  Here is a site that offers a plugin that will scan your blog for possible unwanted code, you can access it here. BlogSecurity is a blog that provides information about maintaining WordPresss Security. Holy Shmoly has a great blog post entitled “Did your WordPress Blog Get Hacked?” and it provides a lot of great tips and resources.

I’m still working on improving my blog and fixing code, so please bear with me as my site will likely undergo many changes while I work to improve the security. If there is one thing I have learned through all of this, it doesn’t matter how good your blog is, if it is not secure, then it can be accessed by unwanted lurkers and all your hard work will be wasted when your wordpress blog has been hacked.

If you read my previous post (Blog or Build?), then you know that there are 2 ways to have solid web presence: a blog or a theme-based content website. While both platforms allow you to distribute content to visitors, only one platform is considered an “evergreen” that will grow and flourish over time with little maintenance. This means that to invest in a piece of the web real estate and create a web presence that will be available to visitors for years to come, you should consider developing a keyword-focused theme-based content website.

Being a mother of 4 and an in-home child care provider, I am immersed in parenting and children’s issues on daily basis. Nearly a year ago I decided that I possessed a lot of valuable information that I wanted to share with anyone that was interested in children, child care, parenting issues, and preschool education. I researched online how to best go about doing this and soon realized that, for the long-term, I would need to develop a website. Sounds easy enough, right? I mean, buy a domain, set-up hosting, and there you go.

Well, that’s great if you are already experienced in HTML, SEO, know how to build traffic, understand about link building, know how to do keyword research, and a whole host of other things. Since I wasn’t proficient in any of those areas, I dug around the internet a little deeper trying to find the right tools, system, product, software that would get me on the right path to not just building a website, but building a successful website.

I still remember the day that I found IT! Site Build It!, that is! What is Site Build It!?

Well, not to sound like a sales pitch, but here goes. Site Build It! is an all inclusive package complete with a very comprehensive Action Guide, multiple tools for research and development such as Search It! which helps you analyze and select the most profitable keywords to use in content pages, as well as many valuable resources for monetizing your site from PPC to hard goods to e-goods to affiliate programs.

For a complete tour of SBI! (I can’t do it justice here), check out the Video Tour or take a Quick Tour.

There is so much more to tell about my experience with SBI! that I can’t fit it all into just 1 post. Once you have had a chance to read about SBI!, check back for my next post to find out about the website I built using their guidance and other special features.

Why do you blog? Is is to share personal information, a daily diary of sorts? Is it to share the most current and up-to-date news about your topic? Is it to reach the masses with unique content related to a topic with which you have a lot of expertise? Is it to promote an e-business or an affiliate program?

There may be many reasons why you blog, but there are only a handful of reasons that make blogging a perfect platform for anyone trying to create genuine web presence or establish a true e-business. For example, blogging is a good foundation if you have a news-oriented site or like to post your thoughts for the day. Blogging also improves the web presence and can help to drive traffic to an established theme-based content website.

However, professional bloggers, and professional promoters of blogging, usually fail to mention the “dated-content treadmill” that they so desperately run upon every day. What happens when you stop blogging? You watch your traffic melt away. Why? Because Search Engines know that blog posts are like newspapers… good only for wrapping fish after a few days.

And, according to Google, blogs deliver a poor quality visitor. The following is a direct quote from Google Analytics 101, written by Google in April 2008…

“Blogs usually have high Bounce Rates no matter what since
normal visitor behavior is to read the newest post and then leave.”

Human visitors instinctively know that, too. Most visitors do not want to read 6 month-old news (i.e., a blog post). Theme-Based Content Sites, however, are totally different. How? To find out the answer to this question, read more and decide, “Do I Blog or Build?”

Check back to read my next post about my theme-based content site that I developed with SBI! and how I use this blog to promote it.

I wanted to share one of my websites with you, Best Directory Search. Basically, it is a general web directory. I accept family-friendly websites and blogs that are organized into easy to browse categories. All reciprocal and regular submissions are free and are generally reviewed and either included or rejected within 24 hours. Featured listings are $10.00 for 1 year and are listed at the top of the category in which it is listed.

I have added a section for Blogs under the Computers and Internet category. Just click on Computers and Internet, then Blogs, then on the appropriate Blog category. Once there, click on Submit Links. Submit your site or blog information and I will review it for inclusion into the directory. It is a good quality directory and has been improving in ranking since I started it about 6 months ago. I also have a blog attached to this directory that has some useful information.

If you would like to submit your blog, please check out Best Directory Search or Best Directory Search Blog.

Bloggers –You control what you review with Reviewme.com

When I Grow Up

Here’s the note the teacher received the following day:

Dear Mrs. Jones,
I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer.
I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it. Her picture doesn’t show me dancing around a pole. It’s supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot.
From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Smith

**My sister-in-law sent this to me so I’m not sure where it originated.  However, I thought that this would be a fun way to say TGIF!  Have a great weekend.

Breast cancer is a disease that has impacted the lives of so many of us in one way or another. Sometimes the outcome is difficult to bear and sometimes the outcome is miraculous. I want to share a story of a neighbor, who became a close friend, that actually has a happy and inspirational ending.

About a year ago, a neighbor of mine was sharing with me how she was helping her neighbor across the street who has stage 4 breast cancer. I was shocked to find out that this woman was enduring chemotheraphy sessions, battling this disease, and trying to care for her then 2 year old. Her husband traveled often 2 to 3 weeks at a time, so she was left home alone to maintain her home, care for herself, care for her child, and get to and from the many doctor’s appointments.

She was new here and didn’t have many friends yet. She and her husband had moved here from Romania. Her family was still in Romania and unable to help her much because they own a shop and couldn’t leave it unattended. Her husband had some family here, but they basically shunned her because their religious beliefs prevented them from supporting her decision to receive medical care.

Upon hearing about her breast cancer, I asked several other neighbors and fellow moms if we could work out a schedule to provide a rotating meal service to her. We introduced ourselves to her and told her that we were here to help her in any way she needed. So, we began providing meal service, we took turns taking care of her daughter, and 2 moms took turns transporting her to and from doctor’s appointments.

Soon after meeting her, she underwent a double mastectomy. What an incredibly painful and debilitating surgery! Obviously I don’t know first hand, but watching her battle cancer while recovering from an intense surgery showed me just how much strength and courage it takes to keep positive and keep one foot moving in front of the other. However, breast cancer was not done with her yet.

During her recovery, she continued to take chemotherapy treatments. I’ve never seen someone so sick and so weak actually manage to still be alive and breathing. There were many times that I doubted her body’s ability to pull through, but I never doubted her will to live. She was so angry at her breast cancer that she refused to let it beat her. One final blow was the discovery that the cancer had spread and she would need a complete hysterectomy. At the age of 32, this was devastating news as she had always wanted more children.

Instead of slipping into a state of depression, she channeled her frustration and anger in a very positive, therapeutic way. She had always had a passion for photography, but had let the breast cancer lead her away from something she enjoyed doing. So, she decided that despite still feeling weak and still facing another big surgery, she would buy herself a new camera lens, begin taking pictures of all things beautiful, then try to make a business out of it. She created Oh So Posh Photography and, due to her incredible talent, has been very successful.

You could see a bright light from within as she continued to fight off her breast cancer. This was the exact therapy she needed. In September, her father flew in from Romania to help her while she had her hysterectomy. Great news soon followed her latest surgery, her cancer was in remission and the doctor’s were hopeful that she had finally beaten this horrible disease.

Life seemed to be returning to a new normal. Just before Christmas, she received some devastating news from Romania. Her father who had seen her through her surgery suddenly died due to an upper respiratory illness. Unfortunately, the medical care he received in his country was not adequate enough to help him overcome what was basically a cold. After all that she had been through and overcome, it was such a terrible blow and has been struggling to come to terms with the situation. However, she said how fortunate she feels that he had been with her just a couple months before and she took some really amazing photos of him with her daughter, his granddaughter. At the time, she did not know these would be the last photographs she would ever take of him.

I personally am amazed by her neverending strength. You never know when you will meet that one person that you so admire and look up to. I’m so grateful to have met her and come to know her well. She is a true inspiration to all breast cancer survivors and sufferers. Take the time to get to know your neighbors because inspiration may just be waiting behind your neighbor’s door.

Our 2 oldest boys play football and there is no doubt that our 2 1/2 year old, whose first words were down, set, hut, will follow in their footsteps. If the boys aren’t watching football, they are playing football, or at football practice, or reading a football book, or designing football plays. The 2 teams closest to our heart are the New York Giants and the Florida Gators.

Sure, we show some love for our Texas teams, the Dallas Cowboys, the Texas Longhorns, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders. But, our oldest son has played on the New York Giants in our hometown for 5 years and our other son has played on the Florida Gators for 2 years. During that time, we have learned so much about these teams that we couldn’t help but feel like they were a part of us.

As with many sports, there are always those players that don’t present themselves in the best light; however, Tim Tebow and Eli Manning have served as great role models as well as many of the other NY Giants and University of Florida Gators players.

University of Florida Gators

Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford will certainly put on a great show this evening as both will want to show why they are the Heisman Trophy winners. It’s amazing how a little game of football can bring our family of 6 together for just a few hours as we cheer, scream, cringe, and celebrate. It’s so much fun to have a family activity that all of us enjoy, even my 9 year old daughter.

So, as we express our love for the Gators with our Gators T-shirts, Gators caps, and Gators shakers and push the button continuously on my son’s stuffed toy Gator to hear the Gators fight song, we remind ourselves that his is all in good fun, it’s just a game, and win or lose, we love our Florida Gators.

GO GATORS!

With 4 children, life can get a little, well, hectic to say the least. Our kids are 11, 9, 6, and 2 1/2. We are usually rushing in a very organized although seemingly chaotic way to get everything done in a given week. It would seem that weekends are for relaxing, sitting around eating bon-bons, and catching up on a few loads of laundry.

Not around here. We primarily spend our weekends at many of the kids’ sporting events changing spirit shirts in the car so that we can show up ready to cheer on each team. Somewhere in the middle of running to games or practices, we have to manage to eat a few meals, go to the grocery store, and restore the house to livable conditions without the use of hired help.

Well, on a given Sunday a few weeks ago, the absolute unthinkable happened. It’s a chain of events that will forever haunt me in my mind, thoughts, and memories.

We had a busy day ahead and scrambled to get out the door to begin our day of activities. We dropped one of our children off at a friend’s house so we only had 3 children (11, 9, 2 1/2) with us on that unforgettable day. We proceeded to the children’s favorite place, the grocery store. After hearing all the whining and complaints about “It’s going to take forever” and “How many things do we need because you always tell us it won’t take long, mom” we entered the store.

Things started off fairly well until about 30 minutes into the shopping excursion, our 2 1/2 year disappears around the corner to find a “hiding spot.” “Hiding spot” is code for going poop. We all give each other the “Oh, great” look realizing that this is not only taking up time, time that we don’t have because we still need to finish shopping, squeeze in a bite of lunch, then rush the 11 year old to football practice in about an hour.

While the toddler proceeds to do his business and my 11 year old is complaining that we need to hurry or he will be late to practice which would mean the world will come to an end, I instruct my husband to pick up some baby wipes. Of course, in the midst of rushing earlier in the day, I neglected to grab my diaper bag. I did have a spare diaper in the car, but no way of cleaning the mess.

Now, here is where it gets really fun! While my husband checks out, we realize we really are cutting our time close so I take the kids over to the nearby McDonald’s to pick up lunch. While waiting for the food, I placed our poop infested child on a seat next to my daughter. While she complains about the offensive odor, I decide to check the damage. Just my luck. I no sooner pull the diaper gently back before I am fingertip deep in, yes, you guessed it: poop! My now horrified and shocked face is enough to communicate to my children that we have a problem. I rush to the restroom to perform a surgical scrub on my finger. I used all available soap in the soap dispenser, but, lucky for me, the water pressure was severely lacking and it took 5 minutes just to generate a single bubble.

Disgusted about the potential e. coli making a home under my fingernail, I inform my husband that it is now imperative that we find another bathroom where I can change “stinker” and re-wash my hands. However, time was moving at hyperspeed and it is now apparent that we must leave right now to get the 11 year old to practice on time. So, off we go, poopy diaper and all.

Upon arrival at football practice, I look back and see that the little Poopinator has fallen deeply asleep in his warm steaming stench. My husband and I decide to give him a few minutes to rest before disturbing his sleep and suffering the wrath of a prematurely awakened child. After about 15 minutes, we decide we have to change him, it’s do or die.

Keep with me here, the best is yet to come. As I lifted him from the car seat, I realize we have a serious situation on our hands. The compressed poop has now risen over the top of the diaper and is now pancaked into his shirt and pants, not to mention the Picasso like picture that is painted all over his back. This is not good! We decide that this is going to require some serious intervention. Another shopping trip, but this time for a set of clothes, a clean bathroom, and a fresh start.

There is a major retailer nearby. Notice, I did not give the name of the retailer for I am so ashamed of the circumstances I am about to reveal at this major retailer. Still being a little drowsy, the 2 1/2 year old wants to be carried in the store. However, this is completely impossible and, while I do love my children with all my heart, I just can’t bear the thought of wrapping my loving arms around all that poop. So, I scoop him up and place in the cart standing up and let him hold on to the seat back. Today of all days, he doesn’t want to ride like this and screams the whole way through the store about wanting to sit in the seat, drawing attention to the fact that I’m such a terrible mother for letting my child stand up in the cart.

I try to scan the clothing options quickly and tell my husband to go grab diapers and wipes because we inadvertently left them in the car during this whole ordeal. While my husband is off diaper browsing, my 2 1/2 year old is about to spontaneously combust if he doesn’t sit down in the seat, so I finally give in to his hysteria. I pick him up and set him in the seat. Should be a simple process right?

Well, the whole seat contraption collapses and falls inside the basket with my child still sitting in it. Now, here’s the best part. As if in slow motion, the impact of the seat hitting the inside of the cart causes enough force to be placed on the delicate poop filled diaper and allows about 1 cup worth of slimy poop to go flying into the air and then land in the bottom of the cart.

Stunned, speechless, and hoping I’m really in the twilight zone, I stand motionless unsure if I can really believe what just happened. My daughter that is with me is laughing so hard she can hardly speak or move. I quickly try to assess the situation and determine my next move. I try to steady my son in the cart while pushing the cart over to the diaper aisle to get my husband’s help. Only, to my continued horror, as I am moving the cart, a path of poop is being generated on the carpet of the little boy’s clothing section. The movement is causing the poop to seep through the holes of the cart on to the ground. Did you get that all on camera, Mr. Major Retailer?

Time to abandon cart. Just about this time, my husband returns thinking all is status quo. As he approaches, I am giving air traffic control signals to keep him from stepping in the poop trail. We grab our child and run for the nearest check out counter.

We decide that the changing process would be a 2 person job and make way for the family restroom. Of course, the family restroom was occupied. However, it was strangely quiet for a family restroom so after a minute or so we knock. There was no response, but we continue to wait determined to gain access so that we can have privacy as we bathe and clothe this sweet mess of a child. After 10 minutes, the sound of the flushing toilet and subsequent water running from the faucet indicates that our time is near. Finally, the click of the lock and the door opens. Emerging from the “family” restroom is a 70′s something elderly women who proceeds to walk into the women’s restroom as though maybe she needed a little more bathroom time. I’m not sure if there was some Alzheimer’s involved, but we just needed to get into that bathroom.

While attempting to clean our son, he is not at all cooperative. He is shouting at the top of his lungs, “I hate you” and “Why you do this to me?” We are certain that security is going to bust through the door at any moment to accuse us of child abuse and for causing a store-wide health hazard by abandoning the poop cart. However, after several minutes, we are back in the car vowing never to show our faces in that store again.