How to Boost Site Speed and Improve Google Ranking! #MakeMoneyBloggingSeries

 

Did you know that starting in May, Google is going to include Core Web Vitals to determine a website’s ranking? With the position Google holds over search engines, website owners and bloggers will all want to rank well!

So how do you improve your numbers? I'm so glad you asked! The new Site Speed Report on MonsterInsights is what you need! Haven't heard of MonsterInsights yet?! They are the best Google Analytics Plugin for WordPress. (Now, I wish they'd come to Blogger! hint hint, @MonsterInsights ;)

Here are some of their awesome features for you Wordpress users: 

•  NEW Site Speed Report!!
•  Universal Tracking
• Google Analytics Dashboard
• Page Level Analytics
• Real-time Stats
• Performance Optimizing
• Enhanced E-commerce Tracking
• Affiliate Link and Ads Tracking
• Privacy Regulation Compliance
  

 Whew! That's a lot of stuff.

Back to the Site Speed Report, specifically...

Using the report, you can easily measure how fast your website loads for your visitors. You’ll get an overall score for your site speed on mobile and desktop.

Plus you’ll get to see important stats to improve your user experience like:

• Server Response Time – is the time it takes for your website server to respond to your request and return data to load the website
• First Contentful Paint – shows you the time it takes to load visual elements like fonts and images on your website
• Time to Interactive – it’s the time your page first starts loading to when it’s no longer loading and is ready to respond to user interactions, like filling out a form
• Total Blocking Time – measures the time it takes until your visitors can interact with your website

We all hate when we're trying to read a product review or get an amazing recipe from a page and it loads super slow, right?! MonsterInsights will also help you improve your website’s page load speed! They provides recommendations to make your webpages load within seconds.  

Let me know if you try it, how much you love it, and I'll be keeping my eyes open for all of us who use Blogger! I hope you are all having a wonderful new year!

Take the First Step to Your Healthiest Self! #StaySafe

I was compensated for this post. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Okay guys, when this whole quarantine thing started, I was totally disappointed that I couldn't go to my cardio classes anymore! Jazzercising is one of my favorite things to do in the world and it was a fun, safe way to get in my daily workout!

It took me awhile to actually make a firm decision and start working out in the comfort of my bedroom to Youtube videos, but I've found some goodies and they are incredibly fun! My favorites are dance workouts, and my favorites by far are the videos by Bipasha Basu. Just doing them makes me feel beautiful, and Bipasha is the most gorgeous and sweetest workout instructor.

I wish I could have her as my personal trainer! But since I can't, I've just found the next best thing that sounds amazing. Plus, it helps you to safely workout when you may be doing something new and different, or outside of your comfort zone. 

Have any of you tried Fyt Personal Training? Let me know in the comments if you have and what you think. For those of you who don't know, they set you up with a personal trainer (either online or to work with in your area outside or at a studio--you pick!) It sounds kinda like Match.com except for fitness coaching. ;) I mean, they match you up with the perfect person:

• Do you want someone supportive or nurturing like Bipasha or mean like Jillian Michaels? (I don't know--some people love that!)
• Do you want to workout virtually (at home), outside, or in a private studio?
• Do you want to train in the morning, afternoon, or evening?
• Do you want a man or woman or either one?

You go through the quick little Fyt questionairre and then they e-mail you your results and you get $50 off your first month if you use the code SUMMER! Start working out, do it safely, and let me know when you do!

I love working out from the comfort of my bedroom but my BFF loves running outside in the morning. What's your favorite way to safely workout these days? 

Make Money Blogging Series: The Best Way to Track Clicks on Your Wordpress Blog Post Links!

Welcome to Part 7 in our Make Money Blogging series. If you aren't familiar with the free workshop, check it out here!

One thing that took me forever to learn was how to know what links and ideas and inspirations of mine were getting clicks, also known as "event tracking". It can be done through Google Analytics but that a bit tricky. If you use WordPress, then you're in luck because MonsterInsights plugin makes event tracking super easy and... it has a 14 day money back promise!

MonsterInsights is tried and true with over 2,000,000 Professionals using it! You can grow their business with confidence by finding out what's working for you and what isn't. Their custom event tracking allows you to track how many users viewed and clicked a certain link or button.

By default, Google Analytics tracks only pageview hits which tells you something, but not as much as you could be learning with MonsterInsights. Awesomely, it only takes a few minutes to set up!

With MonsterInsights, you get so much information! You can:

• Setup universal website tracking across devices and campaigns with just a few clicks (without any code)
• Get detailed stats for each post and page, so you can see the most popular posts, pages, and sections of your site. 
• See your website analytics report right inside your WordPress dashboard with actionable insights. 
• Setup tracking for authors, categories, tags, searches, custom post types, users, and other events with 1-click. 
• Automatically track clicks on your affiliate links, banner ads, and other outbound links with their link tracking. 
• Get real-time stats right inside WordPress to see who is online, what they are doing, and more. 
• And even more than that! Check out their site for all the perks!

I hope that, if you use WordPress, this article will give you a great resource! I would love to know if you tried it and what you thought. Leave me a comment below! 

For more in my Make Money Blogging Series, start here. I hope you are all doing well, being blessed, and staying safe!

Homeschooling at the Grand Canyon: National Parks As Classrooms

A trip to the Grand Canyon with the kiddos seemed like the perfect opportunity to teach them so much about Geology, southwest history and archaeology, as well as plant and animal biology! We also visited another nearby national park, Montezuma's Castle.  I found a variety of free resources so we focused our homeschool lessons on those topics the entire week before the trip.  Each National Park also has a free Ranger Program.  When you first arrive, head to the visitor's center to let the desk clerk know you'd like to sign your kids up.  There's a short and really cool little ceremony where the kids raise their hands and take a Junior Ranger pledge.  They receive a coloring book/activity guide and the family receives a schedule of the talks that will take place at the park throughout the day.  We attended one on deer and moose that everyone found so interesting!  All in all, our vacation was the perfect opportunity for our kiddos to experience everything they'd been learning firsthand. 

Little guy in the wilderness!  Pic by Daddy.

Montezuma's Castle, Cliff Dwelling in Northern Arizona

Free National Park Educational Resources

The Grand Canyon offers many educational resources--videos, lesson plans, and free printables for a variety of age groups.  You can find those here.  But the Grand Canyon isn't the only national park that offers these kinds of tools.  Google for the national park website you want to visit or browse them by state to discover amazing places you may never even have known existed.  At each park's website, you'll find a column to the left with various links.  Click on Learn about the Park and then on Education, and then on Parks as Classrooms.  You'll find a variety of resources!  

Local 14 Year Old Author's New Fantasy Series: Come and Visit Unicorn Ranch

Last year, our then 13-year-old daughter published her first chapter book, Unicorn Ranch! After receiving raving reviews, she decided to write a sequel which has just been released.

Back Cover Synopsis for Book 1: When Amy has to move to a new city, she never imagines the adventures in store for her. New friends, a faraway journey, and a lost princess quickly weave themselves into the story of her new life. And it all begins at ... Unicorn Ranch! Perfect for girls ages 7 and up. If you want to support our budding author and also show your kiddos they can do anything they set their minds to, you can buy it on Amazon here. Shipping is free with Prime!

My daughter was instantly pulled into this book and couldn’t put it down!! 

We LOVE this book! Hope there will be more books by this young talented author!

My daughter loved the book, she read it in two days and couldn't put it down. Hope to see more stories soon.

My oldest got it in the mail yesterday and devoured it on the way to Mass and then re-read it on the way home. She really enjoyed it! She laughed aloud in several parts and there were a lot of, "Wait; listen to this..." portions she shared with us... She was relieved to hear there is another book in the series coming out soon.

The book arrived yesterday. I read my daughter one chapter before bed - she begged for more so I read another two. She was enjoying it so much I suggested she take it up to bed with her. She has never done that before or been interested in reading on her own before, other than poetry. My husband found her under the covers with the flashlight reading late last night, and she came downstairs this morning proudly telling us she had read a few more chapters. I can’t tell you how huge this is!! She has so many special needs that makes reading challenging for her, yet I have always hoped that she would one day discover wanting to read and the pleasure there is in not wanting to put a book down because you are enjoying it so much. This book has done that for her. It is the perfect book for a reluctant young reader as the story is engaging yet easily read, with short chapters and words, if you don’t know them, that challenge yet don’t frustrate, because they are spaced out enough between the more easy to read words that the story can flow even if you have to skip a word here and there. I hope this young author is busy writing her next novel!

Party at the International Wildlife Museum! #Tucson #TravelArizona

Special thanks to the wonderful people at the International Wildlife Museum for providing my bestie with a party discount to facilitate this post!

Over the weekend, I piled up the Kia with Mema, a coupla presents, four excited kiddos, and my also-admittedly-excited self to head to the Catalina foothills and attend the coolest kid's party I've ever been to!  The party was hosted by the International Wildlife Museum, and the staff did such an incredible job of accommodating us and helping us pull everything together.

Every kiddo there was smiling and laughing and being entertained and interested for pretty much the whole 120 minutes--some of them longer, since they stayed as long as they could.  What did they say when I asked them how they liked it?  Well...

"My favorite part was learning about the animals and petting them. It was the best animal place I ever went to!" -Zoey A.

 

 

"It was the best place on earth!  Better than the zoo!" -Lulu J.

"I laughed so much!" -Olivia J.

 "I liked it!  It reminded me of Night at the Museum!" -Lukas M.

"That gator was fierce!" -Lani A.

And we mean REALLY fierce!

As far as the birthday packages go, you can check out everything that entails here.  There are a couple of options that range from $150 (totally a deal considering I just spent $160 on a bowling party last week which wasn't nearly as fun, another museum in town starts at $175, and the zoo is about $300--yikes!).  As I was saying, it's a great deal considering what you get--admission for 25 guests, all paper goods and decorations, a scavenger hunt, the pleasure of everything being prepared and put away for you, and 2 hours in the dining area.  You can also add goody bags for all the kiddos and (the coolest part!) a live animal presentation.  We learned about and got a chance to pet a box turtle, a baby desert tortoise (so cute!), a bearded dragon, a python, and a bunny.  The live animal presentation was really cool.  Loved it!

"I liked it a lot.  It was such a fun birthday party!" -Alex A.

The photos tell the tale--all of these kids had a wonderful day.  And that's what it's all about: the kids having fun, right?  But the thing is, I'm pretty sure--no, I'm absolutely certain--that I had just as much or more fun than they had.  Last night during an adult bible study, the teacher asked what kinds of things make us happy.  I didn't say anything at that moment because a million things ran through my mind.  So many things make me happy.  Everything going better than planned--that makes me happy.  Learning.  Seeing my kids smile.  Watching them laugh with their friends.  Standing on a bridge overlooking the water.  Discovering dragon flies with my littles while the wind blows a gentle breeze.  Surrounding myself with God's amazing creation.  Being able to spend time with people I love.  Realizing that I'm living such an abundant life.   And I had the opportunity to do all of those things and reflect on them and more last weekend.  Pardon me if I get a little sappy, but you've got to really like a place that can inspire such joy.  So do I recommend that my Tucsonan readers venture over to the Wildlife Museum for a birthday party or just to spend the day?  I totally do!

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Travel the World with Little Passports! A Global Adventure Delivered to Your Door

My kiddos and I will soon be receiving a package from Little Passports and I am thrilled! I've heard great things about them from other moms in my homeschool group.

Each month, Little Passports sends a box based on your kiddo's age range.  The contents inside are meant to inspire them to learn about the world! I love this way of doing geography!  Each month, they get to explore a new world theme as packages arrive filled with activities, stickers, souvenirs & more. And...

...they also have a USA edition so your kiddos can travel the 50 states of our country! 

Doesn't this look cool? My map-loving kids are going to have a blast!  The subscriptions start at only $12 a month which is definitely affordable.  They're made for kiddos 3-12 so mine fit perfectly within that age range! Can't wait to receive our kits in the mail!

Visiting the Tuzigoot Ruins and Living History

Crowning a desert hilltop is an ancient pueblo. One thousand years ago, perhaps a child stood there scanning the desert landscape for the arrival of traders. On the day this photo was taking, my children did the same. From the rooftop of the Tuzigoot pueblo it was easy to imagine such a moment.

The Tuzigoot ruins are an ancient village built by the Sinagua people of Arizona. They were farmers and artists with trade connections that spanned hundreds of miles.There's a trail to walk, homes and worship centers to explore, and a museum. There's a Ranger's Program which our kids participated in and it's all free!

Our kids loved this place! We're always visiting national parks and they are just getting so much appreciation for the outdoors, history, and taking care of and preserving our past. It makes me a proud mama!

You can actually go inside the main feature of the ruins! Walking through the different rooms, you can imagine what life was like there for people who really weren't that different than we are today. People have always been the same--living, loving, caring for their family, their friends. I love imagining what it would have been like to be a young wife and mother in such a place! And, yes, I feel so blessed to have all the modern conveniences we have today!

Maybe Arizona isn't anywhere in your neck of the woods but I encourage you to search out national parks or monuments in your state or a neighboring one. They make such an incredible field trip and are often free, especially if you are a veteran family or military.

What's your favorite national park or historical landmark? Share with me! We love roadtrips and are always looking for new places to visit!

Japan Fun Box: "Visit" Asia with Candy Delivered Monthly

This week, we learned about Asia.  I planned this knowing that we'd be receiving a Japan Funbox in the mail any day.  What's that, you ask? It's a Japanese Candy & Snack Box!

The Japan Funbox is a monthly subscription service stuffed full of Japanese snacks and there is always free shipping worldwide!  We were excited to open it and snack on the contents during a movie about Asia.

Six bags of snacks and candy were included in our box.  The kiddos were especially excited to see the pink candy whistles! They love those!  Our other favorite treats were the chocolate bar and the Tomato Pretz, similar to pizza-flavored pocky sticks. All in all, it was a super fun taste experience with a theme that was the perfect compliment to learning about Asia!

 

As you can see, the box really was packed full, especially considering this was the "Mini" version of the box. You can get Mini (5-7 items), Original (15-20 items), or Family (25-30 items)!

DISCOUNT

Use the code rev10pa to get 10% off any JapanFunBox plan!

Special thanks to Japan Funbox for this review opportunity!  All opinions are honest and our own.

Way Out West! Wranglers & Rodeos #HomeSchool

Ever since my hubby and I starred in a western play four years ago, our kids have loved the wild west theme!   There's just something so exciting about the history of the gold rush, wild horses, and the untamed west of the mid to late 1800's that kids love.  And I'm quite smitten with it myself... and not just because of the wonderful clothing styles, though I did love those costumes!

Turns out, today's Jitterbugs Funshine Express Theme was an old west theme titled "Wranglers and Rodeos".  The kiddos made some really cool horses and cowboys out of spring-type clothespins, feathers, ivory horse patterns, striped tissue paper, and doll clothespins--all of which came in the kit.  All of the kids loved making and playing with their own cowpoke riding a horse!  The directions were easy enough for them to follow themselves, which definitely was a plus for mommy.  

The lesson plan also came with a variety of extra fun ideas like:

• Sack Races
• Rocks in My Boot Game
• Wild West Baked Beans Recipe
• Bicycle Barrel Racing
• Hot Sand Races
• Western Words
• Pass the Corn
• Cattle Branding on paper

Hm... I think a trip to Tombstone is in order!