Link Love

With our 21 Days of Clarity now complete, it's time to regroup and dream up another series I can stretch out over the next six months. Until then, I'll pass on some great articles/blogposts/websites I've come across lately.

Happy Wednesday!

I thought I'd start out with something that is sure to rock your world. Infant toilet training. I'm especially intrigued by this, since my three-year-old is not even close to wanting to be potty trained. When I ask her if she wants to go on the potty, she looks me in the eye and says, "Not yet." At the rate we're progressing, she'll someday be grabbing the car keys on her way to work after making that statement. At least by then, she'll be able to afford her own Pull-ups.

I toilet-trained my first child when she was four-months-old. I thought I would start this guest post with a statement that knocks most people's socks off when they hear it. "Four months old, you are kidding, aren't you?" No, I kid you not.

I had worked extensively in China and seen what mothers did there; always aware of their children's needs, able to listen to the signs that told them when their child wanted to pee and available to help them achieve their own personal hygiene at a very early age, many from birth. In our age of disassociation from our babies, when we wrap them up, place them in prams and car seats and leave then in front of TVs for hours, it seems impossible to be in such harmony with our little ones, but it is absolutely possible and many, many, many people have done it before now...

To continue reading, click the the link:

Learning the Gentle Art of Infant Toilet Training



And here is why I won't be quitting my day job any time soon. Which happens to pay less than freelance writing. Which basically amounts to negative income, because my day job is Stay At Home Mom...monetary return: zero.


Today I'm going to tell you the quickest way to drive yourself crazy and lose the joy in your writing journey. You thought I was going to say "Reading agent blogs," right? Good guess, but no, that's not it. The quickest way to lose the joy is to think or hope or expect that your first book contract is going to solve some kind of financial problem in your life.

To continue reading this, click the link:
Keeping Money In Its Place



And because I like to blog, I like to learn about better blogging from the experts. Jon Acuff at Stuff Christians Like is one of my favorite bloggers. This article made me pause about how haphazzard my blog posts often become. Like today, for instance--where I just had to make several corrections after I posted it.

Although I blog a lot, I don’t consider myself a blog expert. Folks like Michael Hyatt and Seth Godin are blog experts. But sometimes people do ask about how I write this site so I thought it might be good to share a little about the steps I go through.

Step 1: The Idea

The first thing I do is come up with the initial idea. I usually write it down in my iPhone or on a piece of paper. It will be a single sentence that I think might work as a post. Or it will be an idea that a reader thinks will be funny. Regardless, I’ll make sure I capture it and then sit on it.
To continue reading, click the link:

Four Steps to Blogging

If you've never seen my friend Jessica's blog, you need to pop over there. Jessica is simply one of the most creative people I know. In the last few months, she's really gotten the hang of this blogging thing and she's sharing all kinds of adorable ideas and thoughts. Check her out at The Chubby Dove. And tell her Sandy sent you!!


And last but by NO means least, my friend Lisa at Glad Chatter is fighting an aggressive form of cancer, as of two weeks ago. I've had a pit in my stomach and a lump in my throat ever since I learned of this. One of the wonderful things God is creating through this trial is a series of heart-felt and beautifully written blog posts. This one in particular hit me square in the heart.

Today is a Daniel Day. And I'm not sure my words are super encouraging but I need to share my struggle so you can pray. Beware there are spewing words here. (You know spewing...the honest type words that just spew when your mouth pops open.)


This week is about humility vs. vanity. I have spent many days of my life staring at the mirror. Staring, in particular, at my hair. I love my hair. The fact that it's one of my best features is something I can be found saying often. My husband can be heard saying that often. He loves my hair. Even wearing it shoulder-length was a huge step for him. He loves my hair long (I know, what man doesn't?).


This week, I wonder if I'll lose it next week.

To read this post, click the link:

Girliness

If you've written an interesting blog post recently, leave me a link in the comments...I'll pop over and read it! Really, I will!