Blogmas Begins......

Blogmas- Day  1

For the first time this year I will be doing Blogmas on Lioness Rebirth. Heeeeyyyy!!! 

Can you check out the Lioness Rebirth Blogmas poster? Can you say fierce?!!! I usually go girl and cute. However, I love it! Tell me what you think about it in the comments below.

What is blog? You might ask. Well, Blogmas is basically a bloggers way of counting down the days to Christmas by posting a new blog every day. 

Guys, this is going to be a serious challenge for me; nevertheless I am excited to share all of what I have planned for you. This Blogmas celebration is my way of giving the blog a new birth.  So, stop by everyday with a cup of tea or coffee and celebrate Blogmas with. I am so excited to take this journey with you. 

The Countdown Begins...........

How to Eat Healthy Fast Food this Summer

Summer is a time for fun, sun relaxation and eating anything we see without thinking about the consequences for our bodies. 

Am I the only one who does this?

If you are like me or if you want to eat healthier this summer these tips will help to eat healthier fast food this summer: 

 Control Your Portions

Do not order extra large combos or go to those all you can eat buffets and try to eat everything in sight. Instead, select the smaller sandwiches and meals that contain less fats.  

Eat More Jerked or Grilled Meats

You can have jerk chickens, grilled vegetables, or seafood; instead of deep fried chicken or chips. Remember the goal is to eat less fatty foods without punishing yourself.

Check to Make Sure the Dish is Actually Healthy

Remember, not because a dish proclaims that it is a healthier choice that does not meant it is actually healthier. Find out about the nutrition facts of that smoothie or salad that you are about to consume. For example, many fast food salads are a diet minefield, smothered in unhealthy dressing and fried toppings. 

Don’t be afraid to special order. 

Finally, many menu items can be made healthier with a few tweaks and substitutions. For example, you can ask to hold the sauce or dressing or serve it on the side. Or you can request a wheat bun for your hamburger or whole-grain bread for your sandwich.



resource site: www.helpguide.org

How to Design Your Blog Yourself

It turns out that you can design your blog yourself without needing to have any expertise in blog design whatsoever. After paying to design this blog, I was faced with the challenge of having two other blogs with no way to formally pay to design them also; so I decided to do the job myself.  Let me just say I had no formal training or expertise in this area. However, I was able to transform these two blogs into a space that was uniquely what I wanted to present to my readers. 



Here are some tools that I use to help me:

Free Templates

It was important to me to have my blog design looking visually appealing. I found that there are blog designers that actually gave away free templates that were first rate quality. You can find great free templates on these sites:

• Blogger Candy
• Wordpress Templates
• Blogger Themes
• Free Templates

I have used Blogger Candy and I have found they offer a number of templates that are well designed and easy to change to suit my preferences. 

How to Install Templates in Blogger

Here’s how to install a Blogger template you’ve downloaded from another site:

1. Log in to Blogger, and on your Blogger Dashboard, click the Design link.

2. Click the Edit HTML tab.

3. Click the Download Full Template link and save it to your computer.

4. Make a note of the file name and where you saved it in case you need it later!

5. Unzip the template file you downloaded from another site.

6. Back on the Edit HTML page, click the Choose File button.

7. Navigate to where you saved the unzipped files on your computer, and double-click the one that ends in .xml.

8. Click the Upload button.

Creating Specialized Headers

Sometimes you find a great free blog design or a design on blogger that you love but you want to personalize it with your own unique blog header.  Canva is one of the websites I used to create my headers. I find that the website tools are easy to understand and very user friendly. Plus, I do not need to know anything about design to use it. I can upload my images/logos to the site and use them. You will however need to know the dimensions for your header so that you can have the right size and you will need to save the header you have created in Canva as a picture (jpeg/png format) .

How to Install a Header in Blogger

Go to the LAYOUT window and click on “EDIT” in the header widget (little blue link). The following pop-up will open:

Browse for the header image file on your computer and make sure you select “Instead of title and description” (also, do not select ‘shrink to fit’).

SAVE! ALL DONE!


 Sources:

 http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-install-a-google-blogger-template.html

http://www.bloggercandy.com/faqs-how-to/how-to-install-a-header-image/

How to Review a Poorly Written Book

source

You are excited because you have just received your first book to review. You quickly start reading the book with bated breath because you can barely contain your excited. Ten pages into the book you find that you are struggling to move on to the next page. With each page you become more disappointed with the writer's craft. You shake your head at the poorly written plot and the conflict that you are waiting to see develop but seems nonexistent.  Finally, at page 100 you give up. You just cannot keep going. You have 100 pages left and it is too painful to continue reading. Then, you remember that you have a write a review on the book. 

What then? 

How do you review a book that is poorly written? 

That is a dilemma that a number of bloggers face. Today I want to address that issue. Here are some tips on how to review a poorly written book:

 

Your Audience

 Always remember that your loyalty is to your audience; it is not any company, author, friend, etc. Bloggers tend to develop a relationship with their core followers; while your core followers depend on your honest points of view on the products, services that you review on your blog. So, your loyalty is to your audience. You must always remember that you should always the true to your readers.

Integrity

In business and in blogging integrity is everything. It is important that you state before accepting any product (book) or service to review that you will give your honest opinion (no matter what). By doing this, you are making it known that you will not write a great review of a book that is sub-standard because you are being paid or you are requested to do so.

Decline

After reading the book you can decline to review it. This is easier if the book was given to you by the author.  You should contact the author and explain your experience and decline to write the review or explain the type of review that you plan to write. I find that the author will understand because he/she does not want a bad review to be published.

Be Unbiased

 You can also publish the review with your honest opinion. You can state to your readers that although this is your experience it might not be the same for them. If the book is from an author they are familiar with you can suggests that they can read the book and share their own experiences. 

Tips for Managing Multiple Blogs

Here are some tips on how I manage my multiple blogs:

Use One Blogging Platform

I find it more manageable to have all my blogs on one blogging platform (Blogger). My blogger dashboard has where I can see all my blogs at a glance and I find this very handy and useful.
So I suggest have all you blogs on one blogging platform that way you can see all your blogs and you can better track your blogs that way. I find that blogger helps me to do that.

Never Post Substandard Content:

 When you have multiple blogs you might feel like you have to post to keep your readers coming back; however, if you post content that is below your standards you will find that your loyal readers will lose interest and stop reading your blog. It is better not to post than to post content that is not in line with your blog just  because you feel like you have to post something.

 Set scheduled posts

 I am bad at this. But I have found that it is great when you stagger your posts if you have multiple blogs. This is especially good if all of your readers are from one Google + profile. This way you won’t overwhelm your readers. Pretend that you are a reader and you see four different posts from someone you follow from four different blogs on the same day.  I am sure you do a double take and become so confused. In short, don’t overwhelm your readers (Google +).

Find Your Niche

You need to have a clear purpose for your blog that way you will definitely know your niche and you will target that niche. When I first started blogging I had no purpose for my blog, Lioness Rebirth. I just wrote about things that interest me. However, over time I realized that my readers gravitated to posts that provided information that they found useful. So, I then focused my blog on that niche.

Network Based on your Blogs

It is good to join different communities on Google + based your different blogs. This helps because you can share with members of that community so that they can read posts that interest them from your blog. Remember to get involve. Do not make it a one way street. That way you can get a discussion going on your blog and in the community itself.

I hope these tips were helpful. Please let me know if there are any posts you will like me to share.

5 Face Scrubs Recipes

Summer is almost over, however that does not mean you cannot keep summer with you through out the year. Here are a few simple D.I.Y. scrub recipe you can create at home to beautify yourself: 

Recipe 1- Tropical Face Scrub

• Olive Oil
• Brown Sugar
• Honey
• Lemons

You can use your desired measurement. You cannot go wrong. Combine all of these ingredients until the mixture forms a paste-like substance

Recipe 2- Quick and Easy

• Cornmeal
• Condense Milk

Combine all of these ingredients until the mixture forms a paste-like substance. Then apply to the skin. It might get hard and tighten the skin. Following this, watch with warm water for a smooth youthful look.

 Recipe 3- Summer Fun

• 1 cup coconut oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 10-15 drops essential oil (optional)

Combine the coconut oil and one cup of the sugar in a bowl and mix until creamy. Then, add the essential oil while continuing to stir. After, add the remaining sugar until the formula reaches the desired consistency. Finally, scrub away and love your super soft skin! Store the remaining scrub in a tightly sealed container for later use.

Recipe 4- Clean & Cool

• 2 cups of white sugar

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 1/8 cup rosemary essential oil

• 2 Tbsp. baking soda

 

Combine all of these ingredients until the mixture forms a paste-like substance.  Place in a mason jar.  Because of the olive oil ingredient, it is ideal to use this body scrub while showering, and to clean the tub thoroughly when you are finished to get rid of any oily or slippery residue. This body scrub may be used before shaving to leave your skin feeling soft and resilient.

Recipe 5- Simply the Best

• Baking Soda
• Rag

Wet your rag and pour two teaspoons on the rag (or as desired). Also, rub baking soda into the rag. After this, use the rag to rub your skin. Then, wash your skin with water. This can be done before or after your bath.

 

 

I hope you find these useful. Remember, I am not a trained professional and I am sharing my thoughts and opinions.

 

Resources:

http://www.morethanmundane.com/2013/12/09/101-diy-scrub-recipes/

http://saltlicklessons.com/2014/09/23/homemade-sugar-scrub/