Tag Archives: writing

Embracing Simplicity in the Blogging World

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I’ve spent the better part of the last couple weeks searching high and low for the perfect theme for my blog. No, not a writing theme, an appearance. Yes, I was worried about what people would think of how my blog looks. I tried some really fancy looking backgrounds. Then I tried some themes with cool options. Then I tried ones that worked well on the mobile devices and tablets. I searched high and I searched low and settled of something pretty simple that I was happy with. Ah, but I showed my husband when he arrived and he said it was boring and people wanted to come to a blog that stood out as special.

So, I searched high and I searched low for that theme that was both interesting and special. I tried a whopping 67 themes over the course of the week and some were nice and some were horrible. Some had fancy doohickeys and some were too complicated to even figure out. I threw my hands up in the air a number of times and said, “Forget about it. My blog sucks.”

Then I sat down tonight and thought – I really like simplicity. So what if my blog isn’t fancy? People are supposed to be here to read – not be amazed at my creative skills. So here you have it, my perfectly simple blog…..

…….and I love it!

Poetry From the Nine Year Old

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Liam, age nine, came to me with this little poem he wrote.

What if we read?

What if we read while we sleep,
Sleep while we eat,
Eat while we walk,
Walk while we talk,
Talk while we dance,
Dance while we hear,
(hear someone talk,)
Hear while we think,
Think while we say,
That we would do everything at the same time,
every day.

Penpal Kids Club – Review and Giveaway

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My older son loves to connect with other children. He also intends to be a world traveller. Last year we had the chance to be introduced to Pen Pal Kids Club when it was pretty new. We loved it then so when we were given the opportunity to review it again this year we jumped on it.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get as much time to use it as I would have liked but from what I see it is as wonderful as it was last year for connecting kids around the world and teaching them about various cultures and locations at the same time. I am so glad that we were given a 3 month membership so that not that things are settling down here we’ll be able to explore it more.

Until then here’s a little bit more about Pen Pal Kids Club:

- Encourages a love for learning about other cultures
- Helps children embrace similarities and differences
- Kids can write and receive digital postcards from around the world
- Postcards are translated into 7 languages:

  • English
  • French
  • Spanish
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • German
  • Chinese

- Advertiser-free site with built-in parental controls offers the ultimate in online safety

-TRUSTe Children privacy certification

About Pen Pal Kids Club from Shelley Aliotti the Creator and Founder:

The concept of Pen Pal Kids Club started when I was a kid…like many kids back then, around the world, I had a Pen Pal – Michi from Japan. Through her letters and mine we shared, learned and forged a unique friendship. That relationship, and fun, stayed with me as I grew, married, became a mom and now a grandmother.

In 1995, I decided to share this experience by creating My Pen Pal Scrapbook. I traveled to schools, groups, organizations and more. My Pen Pal Scrapbook made it easy and safe to share, learn and create friendships for life…worldwide.

I am proud to say that the original My Pen Pal Scrapbook has been read throughout the world. We are very excited that Pen Pal Kids Club has become more interactive, exciting and…much easier to use. Now as a global website, kids can Explore,Play and Share – within a completely safe site…from any computer! Kids are able to send digital postcards to one another and, with the speed of the internet, they can quickly see, that despite their physical and geographical differences, they are all much the same inside.

At Pen Pal Kids Club there will be no outside advertisers, members or hidden traps – this is a completely safe site. We sum it up by saying that, by joining Pen Pal Kids Club now, your family will begin safe, new adventures in Exploring, Playing & Sharing – in your home…and around the world! At Pen Pal Kids Club, on this virtual global playground, children everywhere will find that “The world is just a friend away.”

I do have the pleasure of giving away a 3 month membership to one of my lucky readers. To enter all you need to do is leave me a comment and tell me if you have ever had a pen pal and what that experience was like for you.

Addition entries (please leave a comment for each).

1) Like Real Life: Unscripted on facebook and tell me about it.
2) Follow me @mamamanuscripts on twitter and tell me your twitter ID so I can follow you.
3) Tweet/retweet about this giveaway and let me know.
4) Blog about this contest and give me your link (3 entries) – Don’t forget to comment 3 times for this one!

Comments close at 1pm Friday, June 8th, 2012 and a winner will be drawn at random.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I blog with integrity and will not endorse a product that I would not feel comfortable using within my family. My blog posts reflect my honest opinions of the products that I choose to review.

It’s NaNoWriMo Time!

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Yes, I announce this every year, and no, I have never written a 50 000 word novel (at least not for NaNoWriMo) but I can’t help spreading the excitement of possibility that comes with National Novel Writing Month. I have a few more friends joining me this year so I am looking forward to seeing how it goes for them (I’ve gotten to read some samples and I’m quite impressed).

I have the added challenge this year of writing while we have visitors. Because of that, I’m not sure if I’ll finish this year but I am going to give it my all. I’ve already changed my storyline (completely changed) three times but I’m nearing 6000 words and am thinking that my newest idea is the one that will stick. It doesn’t need a lot of research (it’s about a lady dealing with emotions surrounding her pregnancy and how an old lady she cares for helps her find her stregth within) and I’m setting it pretty close to home so I just need to look out my window for ideas. Next year, though, I think I’ll go for something completely different and write a fantasy or something of the such…ha, ha, ha….let me get through this year, I suppose!

With that, I’m off to do my writing for the day. Have a great day, my fellow writers!

Blueberries Memories

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I’ve been moaning and groaning about not having any inspiration to write. Nothing worth mentioning happens. Everything has been written before. You know? What’s the point? Well, way back eons ago I starting this blog so I could write so taking the bull by the horns again, I’m just jumping in. Looking for inspiration I found Creative Writing Prompts for Writers (a little bit of a redundant title, no?) and have decided to give it a go as the questions on Plinky are not terribly inspiring in my honest opinion.

Do an acrostic poem with the word BLUEBERRIES written down the side of your paper. Make a reference to something that is shade of blue in four of the lines.

Now, I let it be known that I DO NOT write poetry but thought that today’s blueberry poetry prompt would be more challenging than just writing a memory of blueberries. When I think of blueberry picking with my Mum who passed away when I was 12 years old and how we’d sit at the table in comfortable silence cleaning the berries after we’d get home……


Blueberry picking. Memories found.
Light from the clear sky above,
Undoing the package held tight in my mind.
Every moment is precious indeed,
Because this won’t always be.
Everything changes.
Roads diverge, people pass on.
Rivers of memories of days long ago.
Instances of joy, the wind in the trees,
Ever remind me of you.
Stains of blue on my hands as they were at the table with you.

One of my first times blueberry picking, of many, I’m sure.