The Network Writing Mom

Tribute To Mothers

With Mother’s Day right around the corner, my mind’s been on my mom lately. I won’t be visiting her, buying gifts, or sending a card because she died 15 years ago. Instead, I’ll be honoring her memory with a remembrance project, sharing family stories, and saying a prayer.

I’ve also updated my lens, How To Celebrate Mother’s Day When Your Mom is Deceased.

It’s one of my favorite lenses because I wrote it from my personal experiences. I wanted to write a tribute to my mom and help others who have lost their moms. Visitors have left wonderful stories about their moms and ideas on honoring their mom on Mother’s Day.

Of course, I’m a mom too, so the holiday will be spent with my teen son and sharing stories about a grandma he never met, but who would’ve loved him to pieces. Read more about the reason I hope this Mother’s Day tribute lens will make my mom proud.

Many Squidoo lensmasters are discovering the benefits of creating a Facebook Fan Page. A big benefit (which differs from Facebook groups) is that Facebook Fan Pages are indexed in Google, so your work will appear in search results. Creating a Fan Page gives you another avenue to connect with like-minded people, as well as broaden your online presence.

Fan Pages can include many sections, such as a place for Notes, Discussions, Photos, Videos, a Profile, and a Wall. Every section has its own URL. If you post your Squidoo lenses in different sections, you’ll get backlinks to your Squidoo lenses.

Fan Pages allow fans to post on the wall, and it’s a great idea to enable fan posting. Those posts appear on their Facebook personal wall for their friends to see. Think of it as a indirect referral – their friends will check out their post, and then join your Fan Page.

I started my Facebook Fan Page, Jennifer Akers on Squidoo, to help newbies create their own Squidoo lenses. I offer tips, like how to create the best Squidoo lens and how to promote your lens. I encourage Squidoo friends to fan my page and share their own lenses (you’ll get some traffic and backlinks to your lenses).

I created my Fan Page to share quality information about Squidoo. If you know of a Squidoo resource: blog, social site, Facebook fan page, website, class, book, etc., please stop by and share.

Since so many Squidoo friends started their Facebook Fan Pages, I wanted a way to keep track of them all. One way is to favorite a Fan Page to another Fan Page. Whenever I run across a friend’s new Fan Page, I add it to my Facebook Fan page.

I also created a Squidoo lens on Squidoo Lensmasters’ Facebook Fan Pages. If you have a Fan Page, please visit and add your link to one (or more) of the Plexos. I divided the lens into Fan Pages by Giants, All Lensmasters, and Angels, with a special section for Fan Pages offering Squidoo news, updates, tips and resources.

I’m excited about connecting with people I might not have otherwise met. By creating a Facebook Fan Page, I’ll have the opportunity to share my passion for Squidoo and help newbies discover the wonders of lensmaking.

So … do you have a Facebook Fan Page? Let me know how it’s working for you. Also, remember to fan my Facebook Page, and share your Squidoo lenses.

What makes your holiday special? Last night, my best friend and I talked about activities that make our holiday seem magical.  We shared our definite favorites, like giving to others. As part of a Dora Christmas Carol contest, Twittermoms and Nickelodeon recently asked bloggers about their favorite holiday activities with their kids. What a wonderful topic! My husband, son, and I have a few traditional, holiday activities. Here’s a look at our family’s favorites.

1. Decorating the house — my grandmother used to set up her Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving. While I’m not always ready on that day, we start getting things out of the closets and storage. It’s fun as we plan where the tree will go and have a “mini-Christmas” just opening the boxes and admiring the decorations.
2. Looking at neighborhood lights — we enjoy looking at all the Christmas lights and know the best, neighborhood displays. We love spotting the new, creative, or funny lights. Our son likes most any kind that moves. The last couple of years, we’ve visited one neighborhood where they collect donations for Hospice in exchange for donating their huge Christmas light displays for the public.
3. Making cookies and fudge — another holiday activity that was passed down from my mom and grandma. My son and I have re-created their recipes every year. My husband helps me with the fudge to make sure it turns out the right flavor and consistency. Sometimes, the cookie decorations change (especially as our son grows older), but this tradition is a must-do every holiday.
4. Watching Christmas movies — we watch some favorites, like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (the animated version and then Jim Carrey’s version), and Charlie Brown. I watched all those as a kid, too. My husband and son have added to our list with Spongebob’s First Christmas, The Christmas Story, and Christmas Vacation.
5. Giving to Someone Less Fortunate — we donate to the Salvation Army bell ringers, to our son’s school, and often to a new place. The importance of doing this is not in the amount we give. We feel grateful for what we have and feel there’s a responsibility to help others. Though it’s nice to do throughout the year, the holidays amplify the feelings of gratitude and giving.

What do you do with your kids? Do you have favorite holiday activities? I’d love to hear what makes your holiday special.

Check out Twittermoms and Nickelodeon for their wonderful topic starter — it’s bringing out holiday spirit.

Watch Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure Dec. 6 on NickelodeonGet the Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)Favorite Holiday Activities with Kids

Watch Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure Dec. 6 on NickelodeonFavorite Holiday Activities with Kids

Since I’m a freelance writer and Squidoo enthusiast, I thought an appropriate blog name would be Squidwriting. To those who haven’t read my Squidtop blog, you’ll find information on Squidoo, writing, parenting, and social networking. It’ll be a place to share my lenses, as well as interesting lenses from other lensmasters.

I’m thrilled to be on SquidLog. With professionalism and pizazz, they entered the web with their online magazine. Now, SquidLog is expanding with the creation of a social network. Squidoo lensmasters are generous, and I’m humbled to be a part of such a dynamic and caring group of people.

I meant to blog about Twttrlists last week and then other projects came up. I made a few Twttrlists to try it out. I thought it was a fun idea to use tweets in building a lens.

My first lens was on Best of 3 Breakup Words. The 3 Breakup Words started as a fleeting Twitter game using the hashtag “3BreakupWords”. I added funny tweets and a tweet by Justin Timberlake.  I wanted the lens to be fun, so I left off some of the really nasty tweets. I also added Squidster’s lens, Best of 3 Words After Sex, since the topics were related. Depending on what words you said after sex, you could be hearing some breakup words.

The second was the Best of Google Friend Connect. This one is in the top 100 Twittrlist list. I added content from Squidoo lenses, Hubpages, and YouTube. I liked how the lens came out.

I’ve already gone back and added new tweets to each lens. I entered both in The Best Twittrlist Contest. Plus, they will count toward my Giant Squid count, though I’m trudging closer to the deadline.

I’m enjoying reading everyone else’s Twttrlist too – great ideas out there. I’m not surprised – Squidoo lensmasters are a creative and smart bunch of people.

I just read about an interesting Twittermoms contest, based on the latest movie release “Away We Go”. The movie is about a couple expecting their first child, and they’re traveling the U.S. in search of the perfect home.  It sounds like a funny and sweet film.

The contest is asking participants to answer, “What Does Home Mean to You?” I think when I was younger, I would’ve answered somewhere close to my mom. She made me feel special, safe, and loved. What could be better. Now, my answer has changed a bit because my life has taken many turns: my mom passed away 14 years ago, I’ve moved several times, I’m a mom of a 12-year old, and I remarried 6 years ago.

Home isn’t a particular house or a lifestyle, though I’ve called many places “home” for those reasons. Home is a place where I have freedom to be myself and to be surrounded by people I love and who love me.

Right now, my home is with my husband and son, and we truly enjoy spending time with one another.  We accept each other’s foibles because no one should be a cookie cutter person. We cheer each other’s successes and soothe the temporary losses.

Our house is filled with lots of hugs, laughter, and love. That’s home to me.

If you want to enter the contest, visit Twittermoms Away We Go Contest. I can’t wait to read everyone’s responses and see the movie (it’s out now in select cities; June 25th for nationwide release).

For my family, Memorial Day has always meant family get-togethers and big barbecues. Occasionally, we’d attend a local parade. Memorial Day also signaled the end of the school year. It was a casual holiday that brought some welcomed relief from school projects and job stress.

Of course, the real reason for Memorial Day is far more meaningful than family picnics. Memorial Day is a day to remember our fallen veterans for their service to our country. The holiday brings feelings of pride in our nation and a sense of debt and gratitude to those who sacrifice their lives for our country. While my family doesn’t usually attend formal memorial events, we strongly feel military men and women deserve to be honored – their personal sacrifice and dedication is beyond what most of us are willing to do.

I hadn’t made a Memorial Day lens, but I searched for lenses that I thought brought all the aspects of the holiday together. Here are some outstanding lenses on Memorial Day.

For those of you who are planning family get-togethers, visit Everything You Need for the Best Memorial Day Barbecue Menu. It really does include everything you could possibly need for the best barbecue.

If you’d like ideas on how to remember our fallen soldiers, read Remembering on Memorial Day. This is an excellent lens, packed full of information, like The National Moment of Rememberance, the history of the buddy poppy, teaching children about Memorial Day, and the National Memorial Day Concert.

Memorial Day – Decoration Day describes the history of the poppy, including the poignant In Flanders Fields poem, 21-gun salute video, and links for more resources, such as Memorial Day printables.

To understand the meaning of Memorial Day, visit Memorial Day Military Tribute.  The lens honors our fallen soldiers, with videos on the meaning behind the day, a Memorial Day prayer, and “Amazing Grace”, sung by Judy Collins and the Harlem Boys’ Choir.

No matter how you celebrate Memorial Day, please take time to remember our brave soldiers who fought for our country. Considering their sacrifice, it is the very least we can do.

It seems like Mother’s Day sneaks up on me every year. It’s almost here again – Mother’s Day is May 10, 2009. I’m not sure why it surprises me. Maybe I’m busy with writing, taking care of the family, and other things. I don’t stop to think about it. Besides, those other people in my family (like my hubby and son) should be thinking about it, right?

When my son was old enough to realize moms had their own special day, he couldn’t wait to give me a treasure he had made himself. Even though he doesn’t make gifts in school now, he’s still excited about doing something special for me. My son’s joy is contagious, and Mother’s Day is special no matter what he does.

Mother’s Day is a day of both celebration and remembrance for me. While I’ll enjoy the day with my family, I also take part of the day to remember my mom, who died over 13 years ago.

I remember the first Mother’s Day holidays without my mom. It was very difficult emotionally. How do you celebrate a holiday when the honoree isn’t there? A couple years ago, those feelings led to a lens on How To Celebrate Mother’s Day When Your Mom is Deceased. I poured a lot of my thoughts and feelings to create and update the lens, and in doing so, I’ve enjoyed a different connection with my mom. I’ve updated it and added a personal story I had remembered recently.

If it’s your first Mother’s Day without your mom, visit and find resources on grieving, healing, making remembrance gifts, and more. I hope you find it helpful for yourself, children or grandchildren, or friends who have lost their mothers.

I had created another Mother’s Day lens, Perfect Mother’s Day Gifts – Unique Mother’s Day Gifts.  I enjoy finding unusual gifts, like poetry and personalized gifts.  This is a fun lens, with kid projects to make on Mother’s Day, poetry books for your wife, books to share with kids, and personalized gifts, like M&M candy gifts. Stop by and share your favorite gift-giving on my link list.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Mother’s Day!

In January 2007, I started writing on Squidoo and fell in love immediately. One lens turned into another and then gave me ideas for yet another … you know how it is. When I found out about Giant Squids – those honored Squidoo lensmasters who create 50 quality lenses – I wanted to be one. It’s a goal that’s slipped farther down on my to-do list, since I haven’t been close to the required 50. 

As the latest challenge started, I thought about it again. Can I make 28 or so lenses (I’m adding a couple over the required 50 for good measure)? I wasn’t sure I should add it to my goals. Maybe I should try next quarter? Before it opportunity slipped again, I became inspired by a surprise visit; Kab visited my lens, Jennifer Akers, The Best Freelance Writer Ever.

She invited me to her team, Kab’s Fab Squid Squad. Oh, it’s nice to have support – I accepted. Motivation from other Squid friends just might push me to meet this goal. And I’m excited to meet new friends and encourage their goals of becoming a Giant Squid.

For all my fellow Squids who are working toward Giant Squid, I challenge you to make your best and keep your eye on the goal. You can do it!

With your help, I can too.

Have you heard of the new tool, Google Friend Connect? At first, I didn’t really understand the versatility of this widget. The Google Friend Connect, or GFC, is a widget that creates a mini social network on your blog or website. As visitors find your page, they’ll join and be able to chat with other members of your site.

As the site owner, you can customize the widget to fit your blog or site. It’s very simple to install – Google has a guide to help you choose the correct code. 

Visitors join Google Friend Connect by signing on with a one log-in profile (such as an account through Google, AOL, etc.). Members won’t have to set-up a profile for every site that uses GFC – they’ll be able to join quickly, just by using one main profile that works across the internet. As members join new sites, those places are added to their profile. Members can invite their friends to join sites, thereby creating a growing base of contacts to each site. 

Once you join Google Friend Connect, you can discover new sites by clicking on someone’s “head” or profile photo. You’ll see all the sites they belong to, which connect to GFC, and you can join those sites and blogs. It’s great to find other niche sites or discover blogs you may not otherwise know.

I joined Events Listed’s GFC. I enjoy visiting with friends and having instant connections across any site using GFC. Once I had set-up my profile, I only need to hit ‘join this site’ whenever I find a new site using GFC.  I also enjoy exploring sites off my usual topics, and I’ve found great places through my GFC contacts.

Website owners will enjoy a mini social network on their site.  Their site will grow through their members’ interactions and invitations to others. It’s a simple installation with code that you copy and paste. Non-techie people won’t have a problem adding GFC to their site.

It looks like a win-win situation for both website owners and visitors. Here is a video that explains it in better detail. There is huge value in GFC. 

Google Friend Connect 

Let me know what you think. Are you using it on your site? Do you enjoy it as a member?