Monday, August 31, 2009

Zoës Kitchen Sponsors Giveaways for Football Carnival!!

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The Score For Your Team Football Carnival has just gotten better and MUCH more delicious, thanks to Zoës Kitchen!!!!
Zoës Kitchen, which happens to be my FAVORITE restaurant in the world, has just given us TEN Free Lunch Cards to give to the participants of the Football Carnival!!!

Here's how it will work: Because football is all about competition, if you've participated and are on the WINNING team (based on the total counts of participation), you are eligible to win one of five of the Free Lunch Cards.

If you participate at all no matter which team (and it doesn't just have to be Alabama or Auburn - it can be ANY football team!!), you are eligible to win one of the other five of the Free Lunch Cards.

That way, everyone has a chance to win, but there's a greater chance if you are on the winning team!! So be sure to recruit all of your fellow football fans to help boost your team's numbers!!

The three ways to participate are:
  1. Post one of the buttons available on the Carnival post on your sidebar and comment on this post or the carnival post letting me know to enter you into the giveaway.

  2. Write a post on your blog about whatever you want that is football related (you can even write about how you're not quite as big of a fan as everyone else in this state like I did!!), and put the carnival button for your team at the top of it. Be sure to add your post to the linky on the Carnival post so that everyone can come visit you and so that you are entered for the giveaway!

  3. IF you are already participating, you can get one extra entry into this giveaway by following Zoës Kitchen on Twitter, OR Zoës Kitchen on Facebook.

Zoës Kitchen has an AMAZING menu, and I believe is one of THE best Alabama-based restaurants! Their Chicken Salad is literally the best I've ever had; their rice and potato salad are amazing, their grilled chicken is perfectly seasoned and extremely tender - everything there is perfection!!! I literally could eat there every day and be perfectly happy.

They have quite a number of locations, and are opening more all the time. There should be one fairly near you!

So, be sure and participate in the Score For Your Team Football Carnival so that you can be entered to win one of TEN free lunches from Zoës!!!

This giveaway is open until September 7th. The winners will be randomly drawn and announced on September 8th.

Good luck, and THANKS, Zoës!!!!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Score For Your Team Football Carnival!

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The Score For Your Team Football Carnival has arrived!!!

This is a carnival for celebrating our state's great obsession with football, for visiting your Alabama blogging neighbors, and, of course, for rivalry!!

So, write your post on your blog, and pick your team's button (listed below) to put on top. Then, come back to this post and link it up (use the post's URL and not just your blog's URL), and I'll be keeping score for which team has the most supporters!! You can also put a button on your sidebar to score another point for your team.

Be sure to go visit the other carnival participants and say hi! And I'm sure a bit of cheering for your team in their comments sections would be acceptable too - even if THEY aren't for your team. ;)

Feel free to blog about whatever football related subject you want - how great your team is, your tailgating/game watching traditions, what games you're going to this year - whatever you'd like your fellow Alabama Bloggers to read when they come visit your site! Just be sure to put the button of your choice at the top of the post.

The winning team will have Alabama blog domination bragging rights for the rest of the year!

**** Updated: Zoës Kitchen is sponsoring this Carnival!!! ALL participants have a chance at winning one of five free lunches from Zoës, and participants from the winning team have another chance at winning one of five MORE free lunches from Zoës!! Thanks, Zoës!! Click here to get all the details!****

Here are the codes for the buttons. To grab one, just copy and paste the code below the button of your choice. You can either paste it into a blog post or a sidebar (for Blogger, choose an HTML/Javascript Gadget). Let me know if you need any help!

Alabama Large (400px):





Alabama Medium (200px):





Alabama Small (150px):





Auburn Large (400px):





Auburn Medium (200px):




Auburn Small (150px):




***** Due to popular demand, the carnival is now open to ALL football teams - not just Alabama and Auburn!! I will make buttons on request so that you can show your team pride! Here are the buttons requested so far:Arkansas Razorbacks:



Mississippi State Bulldogs:


UAB Blazers:


Let me know if your team isn't listed, and I will add a button for you!

Once you have your post up, link up here!!! And.... Roll Tide!!! :)


Finding Your Audience

By Kathryn

Making money online typically requires a strong showing in a niche area. There are a few exceptions to this rule – there are always exceptions to the rule! But most bloggers have to hone in on a particular area or subject to make money online.

The majority of casual bloggers are writing about their lives. The posts are random in that the only connection is the blogger. The material can cover everything from marriage to parenting to cooking to lawn care. Finding the thing that drives your passion will help your develop a blog that has the potential to make money.

Finding Your Niche

Christina Katz has written two great books that help guide new writers to the subjects that will fit well for them. “Writer Mama” and “Get Known Before the Book Deal” both help you discover your audience so that you can write for them specifically. Here are a few pointers:
    1. Write out all of the titles that you are (mom, writer, wife, sister, friend, leader – you get the idea).

    2. Write out all of the jobs that you do or the responsibilities that you have.

    3. Write out all of the things that you enjoy doing.

    4. Combine these lists into groups. Some of the items may have a home in more than one area.

    5. Pick out three or four that speak loudest to you.

    6. Who would want to read about these items? This is your core audience and the ones that you want to speak to in your posts.
Finding your niche is only the beginning. Making money with a blog is just like building any business. It may take some time to build up the blog that will draw advertisers and provide you the income that you desire.

There will be a giveaway on my successfulfreelancewriter.com website for Christina’s book, “Get Known Before the Book Deal.” Stop by and comment if you want to be in the running.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Best Post of the Week: Week Fourteen

******** Don't forget to prepare your post for Monday for the Score For Your Team Football Carnival!!!*******

It's time to link in your best post of the week!

The purpose of this column is to make it easier to keep up with each other's blogs, so that even if we don't have time to read all of the Alabama Blogger blogs every day, at least we get the week's highlights.

So, link up, and let's start reading! And remember - the best way to get new blogging friends is to comment on other people's posts, so be sure to say "hi" to your neighbors when you visit!

p.s. - please feel free to interpret "this week" as loosely as you like!
******** Don't forget to prepare your post for Monday for the Score For Your Team Football Carnival!!!*******

It's time to link in your best post of the week!

The purpose of this column is to make it easier to keep up with each other's blogs, so that even if we don't have time to read all of the Alabama Blogger blogs every day, at least we get the week's highlights.

So, link up, and let's start reading! And remember - the best way to get new blogging friends is to comment on other people's posts, so be sure to say "hi" to your neighbors when you visit!

p.s. - please feel free to interpret "this week" as loosely as you like!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Tips to help with homework!

By Elizabeth

With our busy and demanding schedules we don't always have the time we should to devote to homework. If you are like me you say a little prayer on busy days that your child will have little to no homework when they get out of school. Luckily, my son is just in first grade and we only have a little amount of homework. Even that little amount can be burdensome when trying to deal with dinner, extra curriculars such as sports or dance, house up keep and family time. For those of you out there like me and are a little late on getting your college degree we have our own homework to throw in the mix. With all that said doing little things to maximize our homework time can really help. Kid Source and several other parenting sites recommend 10 ways to do so.
  1. Keep in touch with your child's teacher so that you know ahead of time the amount of homework to be completed. This way you can rearrange things if needed or get the supplies needed to complete assignments ahead of time.
  2. Set a homework schedule. We all use planners, our outlook calendars and such to schedule our days, this also needs to include homework time. A beginning and end should be set that way the child doesn't feel like they will be doing their homework all night. Also give children time to unwind from their day at school and unwind before going to bed. Remember to schedule weekend homework for Fridays when the subjects are fresh in their minds and nothing is forgotten.
  3. This one is the biggest one in my mind! Have your children look over their assignments and divide them into two categories: 1. what they can do themselves and 2. what they need your help with. You should only help them with the parts of their homework they cannot do alone, such as practicing spelling words or doing flash cards. Not only does this teach them responsibility but also doesn't waste your valuable time.
  4. Try to have your children hold off on watching tv or playing on the computer until after their homework is completed. They truly need to unwind their brain after a long day at school.
  5. Pick a desk or table or quiet place and designate this as the "homework" spot! This area should be quiet and well lit with supplies needed to complete assignments. This area should be used every time for homework so that feel comfortable working.
  6. Remember to use direct and positive praise when checking over homework not only for getting it correct but for completing it. ex. You've correctly answered 15 out 18 Math problems, that is the best you have done this week! Great Job.
  7. Be available to your child when they are doing their homework for any questions or help they might need. Stay somewhere close by, maybe not in the same room so as not to be a distraction.
  8. Look over your child's homework but do not correct it unless you have spoken with the teacher and they say it is ok. Errors help the teacher see where their weaknesses are.
  9. Allow a break during homework time if it exceeds an hour so that they can get something to drink or eat or a change of scenery. They can't sit for very long periods of time after they have been sitting all day at school. Insist on them only taking 5-10 minutes so they can get back to it and finish their assignments.
  10. Let your child know homework is important and valuable. Be positive when reinforcing homework times and don't just tell them to do it because they have to, explain to them why we do homework.
Using these tips should maximize your homework time and it should become part of your routine and hopefully not be burdensome to you or the child anymore.

Elizabeth is a native Birminghamian and a single Mom to 2 boys and has a blog all about them, http://luvingmy2munchkinz.blogspot.com. She is also pursuing her degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education with a Minor in Health Education. Elizabeth teaches Keyboarding and is a Technology Team Leader for the Trussville City School System.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Hometown Tour - Athens

Hello Everyone,
Christopher has a little different way of telling us about his hometown. I know your going to enjoy it. ~ Valerie

I’ve spent countless hours “looking” at Athens, Alabama. Although I grew up in Elkmont, eight miles north, many people from “the County”, like me, share a sense of attachment to our county seat. Yet for most of my thirty-four years I only saw the visceral parts of Athens. There are always the ubiquitous parts of a town with which people identify, and as a teen the local shopping centers defined Athens. Although I loved Rose’s, I was unimpressed and, like so many others, left for a university swearing loudly never to return anywhere near here. But as I spent time on the Plains, I increasingly longed for more time on my grandparent’s farm. After teaching for one year in South Alabama I came home for good.

I married an Athens girl in 2002, and we spent one year in a nearby sterile, very vanilla city. With my wife commuting to Moulton for work and me teaching at Sparkman High School, Athens and Decatur emerged as likely places to live. Decatur initially had an early edge in that we hoped for a home in an established, traditional neighborhood. So many friends from college graduated and settled in great older homes in Birmingham, Nashville, and Mobile. After looking at what seemed at the time at every house in North Alabama, we found one on South Houston Street. It had a great corner lot with beautiful flowers, was near Downtown, and was built in 1945. Better yet it was in our budget and, like so many fixer-uppers, it had great bones.

A few years ago I started running again, primarily to slow that inevitable physical decline that seems to increase when you turn thirty. Although running is a cathartic experience from the stresses of teaching, it has become something more for me. It affords me the unique opportunity to experience Athens from a perspective that is seemingly lost to many as families flock to subdivisions on the town’s periphery. I drive home, not only looking forward to the endorphin rush of running, but because I am increasingly aware that with every trip around the Downtown that I am becoming a part of the place.

Courthouse squares of the South offer substantive interpretations of the values and history of small towns. They occupy a place in people’s minds as a part of the vernacular of the South. Like so many others, we have our statue to Confederate veterans poised, his stone face permanently staring defiantly to the North.


My church, First Presbyterian, sits on the corner, seamlessly stitched into the landscape of the place. Age old hemlocks tower beside the courthouse, soaring to the pediments with gnarled limbs that have drooped and sagged with time. Really, a downtown defines us; though oftentimes we are not aware that the place they occupy in our imagination is more whimsical fancy than reality.

But on my runs, as I labor up the hill beside Kreme Delight and through our Downtown neighborhoods, Athens takes on an authenticity that I had never before realized. With every trip around the courthouse I am more conscious of being a part of the arch of time that exists in our town. I look forward to passing Hendricks and Patton Furniture and having Mr. Bucky wave at me as I jog past. Although many new developments and subdivisions attempt to recreate the experience of community, they cannot account for the sense of permanence of a traditional neighborhood within walking distance of local restaurants and shops.

Luckily our Downtown has experienced a revival of interest in the last few years, thanks in large part to the efforts of the Spirit of Athens and tourism director Jeannette Dunnavant. Village Pizza pulses with music as patrons anticipate great food in a setting that has an authenticity that a strip mall just doesn’t provide. U.G. White and Gray & Holt are like anchors, the granddaddies of the Downtown businesses. They provide an eternalness and nostalgia that every town square needs. But these businesses cannot exist by themselves as “the Downtown”; it is the traditional neighborhoods and their residents that define a place and Athens’s need attention. Once these areas decline, the ability for residents and city officials to turn them around and bring back in young, vibrant families is difficult.

My little girl, Avery, who is three, loves exploring my neighbor’s backyard. T.E.’s yard is different from ours; he has towering fig trees that Avery strips the fruit from, at least as far as she can reach, then I gather the rest for her after school snack. My wife loves our covered deck where she catches the cool breeze and a nap, until the train barrels through town. As for me the benefits of living in a traditional neighborhood are intangible and difficult to explain, at least to those who have not had the pleasure of doing so. But for those of you who grew up on Coleman Hill or in one of the historic districts, you know that it is special and that these areas are worth saving.

Thanks to Christopher for this great article that he sent to us. Also thanks to Trisha Black at The Spirit of Athens. Please be sure to visit her website. Other web sites that might interest you are Downtown Athens Alabama and The City of Athens Alabama.


If you would like to feature your hometown on Alabama Bloggers, please contact Rachel (rachel@alabamabloggers.com) or Valerie (valwonderfullife@aol.com) and let us know!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Book Giveaway - "Alabama Illustrated Engravings"

Turner Publishing has released another amazing book, and they've sent me a copy to give away to one of you!! It is called Alabama Illustrated Engravings from 19th Century Newspapers.

This book walks through a fascinating period of history where there was no Twitter, Internet, 24 Hour News Channels, or even a way to economically publish photographs to get the news out to the public. So as an alternative, publishers employed artists to draw and engrave images of places, events and people.

This practice was prevalent from the 1850's to the 1890's, and there were little more than 250 of these images published of events and people in Alabama. This book is a compilation of the most captivating and detailed images of Alabama that were published.

But they don't just provide the images - they have background information and stories to go with each one, and the combination provides a riveting relay of Alabama history during that time period.

I was immediately sucked in, reading about such events as a jousting tournament that happened at the Annual fair, the inauguration of the Confederate President Jefferson Davis, many engravings and gripping stories about the Civil War, and images from the early industrial days of Birmingham.

If you want more information on this book, the Authors, James L Baggett and Kelsey Scouten Bates, will be in Birmingham doing two book signings and speaking engagements - August 29th from 1-3pm at Barnes and Noble at the Summit, and August 31st from 4-6pm at The Alabama Booksmith!

If you would like to be entered to win a copy of this book, simply comment on this post. The contest is open until Monday, September 7th, and a winner will be randomly drawn and announced on Tuesday, September 8th.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Score For Your Team: Now With More Teams!!

I have gotten several requests to open up the Score For Your Team Football Carnival to more football teams that just Alabama and Auburn, so in the name of good sportsmanship, ALL teams are eligible to play! I have made the buttons that have been requested so far, and I will make more buttons as the requests arise.

So, if you can't find the button you need for your team, just leave a comment and I'll update this post with a new button for your team!

Be sure to review the original carnival post for all of the specifics of how to play and how to score for your team!

Arkansas Razorbacks:



Mississippi State Bulldogs:


UAB Blazers:

Center Stage: Trials and Tribulations of a Southern Gardnener

Welcome back to Center Stage where we take a fanfare look at one of the many great blogs being churned out here in Alabama. You can find past spotlights here.

Dirt Princess
The Dirt Princess just might convert me. She paints pictures of the outdoors as a place of beauty and shares stories of hard work that pays off with even more beauty. And I think to myself "I want to go to there."

Then, I remember there's dirt involved.

At Trials & Tribulations of a Southern Gardener, you will learn the inside scoop on working the soil of a land characterized by mosquitoes and humidity. The Dirt Princess has great features like Fertilizer Friday, which gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how she brings her own garden to life. You can also keep up with Kiki and wander with Bilbo as they comically make their own way in the world.

The Dirt Princess is no amateur. She is a full-fledged member of
the North Mobile Garden Society. Serious pedigree, indeed.

Jamie is a planner of events by day and chaser of shiny things by night. Follow her trails at Jamie's Rabbits. If you'd like to have your blog featured on "Center Stage" then contact Jamie so she can swing by your neck of the internet woods. Please know she sometimes shows up uninvited, so you may see your blog on stage if she really digs it.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

What do YOU Want from Your Blog?

By Kathryn

Everyone wants to make money doing something that they enjoy. Bloggers are no different. Anyone that has taken the time to build a blog and then contribute to that blog on a regular basis would love to find a way to make money using that blog. There is good news and there is bad news.


The Good News


Anyone can make money off of a blog – the amount of money will depend on the blog subject, the internet interest, the advertising dollars available and the determination of the blogger.

The Bad News

Making money from a blog is just like any other business. It will take work, energy or the luck of being in just the right place at the right time (although even those people know the market and how it works so that the can BE in the right place at the right time).

The Bottom Line

Monetizing a blog develops from different directions. Understanding more about your own needs and desires will help determine those directions.
    Who are you talking to in your blog?
    What do you want to make from your blog?
    What are you doing to get advertising for your blog?
My own personal journey into online income has led me to write for other blogs and I make my living doing that (and writing for other companies and magazines as well). Monetizing my blog has become less important and I am able to focus on providing quality posts instead of SEO, links and page rank.

Tell me what you are looking for and I will try to help uncover the key to get you through that door. Comment with your questions or thoughts about making money with a blog and I will respond to those in a follow up post.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Best Post of the Week: Week Thirteen

******** Don't miss the Score For Your Team Football Carnival announcement!!!*******

It's time to link in your best post of the week!

The purpose of this column is to make it easier to keep up with each other's blogs, so that even if we don't have time to read all of the Alabama Blogger blogs every day, at least we get the week's highlights.

So, link up, and let's start reading! And remember - the best way to get new blogging friends is to comment on other people's posts, so be sure to say "hi" to your neighbors when you visit!

p.s. - please feel free to interpret "this week" as loosely as you like!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Score For Your Team Football Carnival!

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The Score For Your Team Football Carnival has arrived!!!

This is a carnival for celebrating our state's great obsession with football, for visiting your Alabama blogging neighbors, and, of course, for rivalry!!

So, write your post and pick your team's button (listed below) to put on top. Then, come back to this post and link it up (use the post's URL and not just your blog's URL), and I'll be keeping score for which team has the most supporters!! You can also put a button on your sidebar to score another point for your team.

Be sure to go visit the other carnival participants and say hi! And I'm sure a bit of cheering for your team in their comments sections would be acceptable too - even if THEY aren't for your team. ;)

Feel free to blog about whatever football related subject you want - how great your team is, your tailgating/game watching traditions, what games you're going to this year - whatever you'd like your fellow Alabama Bloggers to read when they come visit your site! Just be sure to put the button of your choice at the top of the post.

The winning team will have Alabama blog domination bragging rights for the rest of the year!

**** Updated: Zoës Kitchen is sponsoring this Carnival!!! ALL participants have a chance at winning one of five free lunches from Zoës, and participants from the winning team have another chance at winning one of five MORE free lunches from Zoës!! Thanks, Zoës!! Click here to get all the details!****

Here are the codes for the buttons. To grab one, just copy and paste the code below the button of your choice. You can either paste it into a blog post or a sidebar (for Blogger, choose an HTML/Javascript Gadget). Let me know if you need any help!

Alabama Large (400px):





Alabama Medium (200px):





Alabama Small (150px):





Auburn Large (400px):





Auburn Medium (200px):




Auburn Small (150px):




***** Due to popular demand, the carnival is now open to ALL football teams - not just Alabama and Auburn!! I will make buttons on request so that you can show your team pride! Here are the buttons requested so far:Arkansas Razorbacks:



Mississippi State Bulldogs:


UAB Blazers:


Let me know if your team isn't listed, and I will add a button for you!

Once you have your post up, link up here!!! And.... Roll Tide!!! :)


If you haven't linked up and introduced yourself yet, be sure to go here to do so!