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What I’m Reading – November, 2016

By Sharla Kostelyk

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A perfect vacation in my mind is one where I’m able to read and read and read. At the beginning of November, we went to Mexico to celebrate our 20th Anniversary. I cannot remember another vacation where I was actually finished all of the books I brought with me. This time, I even had to borrow one from the lending library there! It was bliss.

november-readsThe Stand by Stephen King – I finally finished reading this humongous book. According to my husband, it is a science fiction novel which is surprising because I don’t usually read science fiction. I started reading it on my friend Christie’s recommendation. Loved it. There were parts that dragged on a bit but in general, it was an amazing book. A classic representation of good versus evil written in the way that only Stephen King can write it.

Betrayed by Lindsey Harris – This true story was shocking and unthinkable although I certainly was able to figure out who was ruining this family’s life much sooner than the mother was. I did find the book to be predictable and was somewhat frustrated that the mother couldn’t figure out what was going on but I do know that it’s certainly easier to be on the outside looking in and thinking that it must have been obvious when so many involved did not see the truth so it must have been well hidden.

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena – I had heard this book was along the lines of Girl on the Train and Gone Girl in that it is twisty and relational which is what intrigued me. Considering that this is the first novel by Shari Lapena, I was impressed. While I didn’t find it as twisty as the other books it was likened to, I did find it an enjoyable read.

For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards by Jen Hatmaker – I know that there’s currently some controversy surrounding Jen Hatmaker and I have no intention on commenting on that. This book had been recommended to me and it was very thought-provoking.

At first, I’ll admit that I was really bothered by the chapters that seemed out of place in a serious book. There was a chapter making fun of certain fashion trends and I found that strange because it seemed judgmental in a book about showing love and grace. There were other chapters like that as well HOWEVER, after I decided to see them another way, I wasn’t bothered by them anymore. I decided to see them as commercials. Some of the topics in the book were quite heavy so these “commercials” were actually a nice way to infuse some humour and lighten the mood.

I dog-eared the book in many areas that I want to revisit and give more thought to. I already have plans that will increase the weight I put on relationships in my life based on things I read in the book.

Trafficked by Sophie Hayes – Wow. This is the kind of story that changes your paradigms. I will never think of prostitution or human trafficking the same way again. Trafficked is the true story of a girl from the UK, a smart, pretty, well spoken girl from a middle class family, who was trafficked by someone she knew, someone who was her best friend for 4 years. The terror she experienced defies words.

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What I’m Reading – July, 2016

By Sharla Kostelyk

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I just love that I’m getting back to reading again. It’s like an old friend had moved away and is back in town. Part of what got me back into the habit of reading is joining a book club a few months ago.

This month was much busier than usual because I’m working on a new website for a product that I’ve been creating behind the scenes for many months but I was able to make some time for reading because of a camping trip that we went on.

We went camping to Nakusp, BC with my husband’s family, most of his brothers and sisters, their kids, their kids’ spouses, and their kids’ kids. Including us, there were 57 people there! It was pretty incredible. Below is a picture of most of us, taken by my niece Amy of Amy Amirault Photography.

Kostelyk campout 2016I’m not usually a camper. In fact, I don’t even like the outdoors, but I really enjoyed this time with family and I liked the slower pace. I spent some time reading on the beach and just visiting. There was also lots of time spent around the campfire or going for walks. It was such a nice change from the usual chaotic pace of our life.

My July Reads:

The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews

This was our book club selection for the month and to be honest, it wasn’t my favourite. I found it to be super predictable. I think that other people would probably enjoy this book but I have a harder time with light reading and this probably fits in that category.

Launch by Jeff Walker

As I mentioned earlier, I am about to launch a product that I’ve been working on for many months so on our long drive to camping, I listened to the audiobook of Launch. I found that the first 5 chapters were well, (how shall I put this?), quite self-serving for the author, but there was pure gold from chapter 6 on.

For anyone planning to launch a book, product or business, I would highly recommend this. I found that listening to it as opposed to reading it allowed me to take notes (Mark was driving obviously as it wouldn’t be safe to take notes and drive!).

Gray Mountain by John Grisham

I like John Grisham books. They aren’t my very favourite ever but I know that I’ll enjoy the read. It was sitting on my very tall pile of books to read. Knowing that I won’t have much time now that we are back from the lazy days of camping, I thought it would be a perfect choice. I’ve only just started it so I can’t say much for it yet but I’m sure it will be a quick read and it sounds interesting.

When I wrote last month’s reading recap, I was still waiting for my book club selection to arrive. It was Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson and it was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I had read a bit about the author and the book ahead of time and knew I was going to like it. I LOVED it. It was the kind of book that challenges you to think about what you believe about certain things and why you believe them and to think about a section of our society that you probably don’t give a lot of thought to. It was challenging in the best ways and I’ve been recommending it to others.

You can check out what I read last month by clicking here: June, 2016 Reads.

What are you reading right now?

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What I’m Reading – June, 2016

The house will have to fend for itself. I've got a book to finish reading!

By Sharla Kostelyk

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I love reading and always used to have a book in my hand, but for a few years, reading took a back seat to writing and parenting and homeschooling. Even in my downtime, I wasn’t reading because my brain was too tired and TV took less effort. Recently, I rediscovered my love of books. I also joined a Book Club for the first time which I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.

Here are my June reads:

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

I’ve been reading this aloud to the kids for a few months. It is taking awhile to get through as it is leading to such profound discussions. This morning, it led to a science lesson on how genetic diseases are passed down. Mostly, the discussions are about feelings, bullying, jealousy, choices, and our treatment of others.

Wonder is about a boy with facial deformities as well as medical issues. What I love about reading this book to the kids is that it is told from the perspective of many of the characters including the boy, his older sister, friends, a bully, and the sister’s friend. Since many of our kids have special needs and are also all the sibling of a special needs child, it has led to a lot of discussion and even some breakthroughs and healing. If you are parenting special needs kids (or even if you aren’t but want your kids to better understand what it would be like to be in their shoes), I highly recommend this as family reading.

The Stand by Stephen King

Stephen King is one of my favourite authors even though I can’t read his super scary stuff. One of my all-time favourite books is his The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. My friend Christie has been telling me to read The Stand for years. It’s her favourite book of all time. It’s a really long book (1,200 pages) and it’s one of those books that once you get into it, you can’t put it down. It was because of this book that I created this image to put on my Facebook page!

The house will have to fend for itself. I've got a book to finish reading!I’ve heard that when it comes to The Stand, you either love it or you hate it. I’m only a quarter of the way through it, but I can pretty much tell that I’m going to fall in that first camp. Stephen King is a master of character development.

The book begins with a plague and becomes about a battle between good and evil. I’m still in the early plague stages of the read and already, I’ve wondered if I’m coming down with a case of Blue myself as I got the sniffles within hours of starting to read it. Christie says that happens to her every time she reads it too!

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

This is the book my Book Club has chosen for this month. Mine hasn’t yet arrived but from reading the reviews, I know this is going to be a book I love. Many of the reviews reference To Kill a Mockingbird, one of my all-time favourite books and the story sounds like the type of book that I gravitate towards. I don’t know if I would have discovered it without it being selection in my Book Club, so I’m excited and thankful for the opportunity to read it.

I’ll let you know in July what I thought of it. I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish these this month as we have a lot going on (Jonah’s graduation, a niece’s wedding, Father’s Day, homeschool wrap-up, in addition to the usual chaos) but I hope to finish so that I can start on some new books for the summer.

What are you reading right now?

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Essential Tools for Professional Bloggers

By Sharla Kostelyk

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Blogging has been a tremendous blessing for me. Some days, I still can’t believe that I have a career that allows me to stay home with my kids and earn a living. It has also allowed me to meet incredible people online, some of whom have become true friends and it gives me the opportunity to challenge myself daily.

Earning a living as a professional blogger takes hard work but there are some essential tools that sure can make the job a lot easier. This is a great list!Image Copyright: prapass / 123RF Stock Photo

By no means is blogging an easy way to earn money, nor is it a quick fix to a financial problem. Earning a living online takes years of hard work. If you find a book or course or website that tells you differently, I would suggest that you not invest your time or money in their products because there is no “get rich quick” scheme when it comes to earning a living through blogging.

When people approach me about becoming a blogger, I am honest with them. I usually start off by asking them, “are you prepared to put in more than full time hours earning little to nothing for at least one or two years?” If their answer is “yes”, then I tell them more about how to get started and I tell them what the longer term potential is for earning.

I’ve tried to break down what I consider to be essential tools for professional bloggers. There are many other things such as social media scheduling tools and VA’s that could be added to the list, but I’ve tried to focus on what I feel are the tools that will give you your biggest bang for your buck so to speak, the tools that I couldn’t do what I do without.

the basics:

If you are just getting started, I don’t suggest spending a lot of money until you know if blogging is right for you. You will need a website (preferably a .com) and a host. When you are starting out, you can use something like Bluehost as your blog host, but as soon as you start getting a significant amount of traffic to your site, you will want to switch to a host that caters to larger bloggers. I use Black Chicken Host and am very happy with them.

For the design of your blog, you can start with a free wordpress theme, but you will likely want to upgrade to a Genesis theme and may even need to invest in a web designer if you aren’t inclined in that way.

You will need a computer or iPad to blog on. I use a MacBook Pro and I love it because I can take it with me anywhere and can even blog from the kids’ swimming lessons or while on vacation, but any computer will do when you are first starting out.

photography:

Photography has never been my strong suit. In fact, up until this past December, all the pictures on my blog were taken with my iPhone. Images are increasingly important to a blog’s success so I took a deep breath and decided to figure out how to use a proper camera. A professional quality camera isn’t necessary when you are starting out, but I had reached a point where I felt that I needed to invest in this camera.

Once I started using a real camera, the book Tasty Food Photography was a huge help. I still have a long way to go, but it has helped transform my photos, particularly the recipes.

Tasty-Food-Photography-on-an-iPad

Of course, in order to take pictures, you need a good camera or an excellent camera phone. If, like me, you live somewhere where natural light is not in abundance, you will also need lighting. You can purchase expensive lighting and also have to worry about backdrops or you can use a Shotbox and get both in one.

ShotboxThe Shotbox works with any smartphone or camera and provides built-in, adjustable lighting. It comes with some backdrops but there are lots of easy ways to make your own without spending a fortune. I often use scrapbook paper or linens. You can also use the Shotbox for making videos.

Using the Shotbox to improve your blog photographyYou will also need a photo editor. I use Picmonkey. It is a free online photo editing website that allows me to make some basic edits, create collages and add text and watermarks. I pay a small monthly fee to have access to some of their upgraded features. I mainly use my own images, but when I do purchase stock photos, I usually use 123rf.com.

your own products:

Creating your own products isn’t a blogging tool, but I had to include it in this list. Earning money blogging whether it be through ads, affiliate sales, direct marketing, sponsored posts, or related income streams such as virtual assistant work, coaching and speaking is achievable, but those income sources are related mainly to traffic and that is something largely out of your control. Working to create your own products allows you to control more of your earnings and can really change your future.

Currently, about 1/3 of my income comes from my own products, mainly from the sales of my Chicken Dump Recipes and Beef Dump Recipes ebooks. I am working towards having 2/3 of my income come from my own products. I am in the process of creating a video e-course as well as a series of freezer meal plans and writing two more ebooks. I am THAT convinced that product creation is the most important factor in increasing blog revenue. Having said that, you need to create quality products and market them well.

In order to market them, you will need to build your email subscriber list. I currently use ConvertKit for my email list.

If you are already an established blogger, you can easily create an ebook from your existing content or based on subjects you write about. This book is excellent for putting you on the path towards putting out your ebook. The author of the book also offers editing services which I have used (and wish I had used for some of the books that I tried to edit myself).

BLOGTOBOOKCOVER200x300education:

The internet is always changing. Social media platforms and their algorithms change all the time. The only way to keep on top of what is new, what is working and how to grow is to continue to educate yourself. Listen to podcasts, read the latest developments that affect bloggers, follow relevant groups on Facebook, read books not just on blogging but on marketing and business, and take courses.

The courses you take or books you read will depend somewhat on what you are currently doing on your blogging journey. I’m in the middle of creating a video e-course so my recent education has been focused on e-courses, sales funnels, video, and email subscribers. In the past when my focus was on other areas of my blog, my research reflected that.

One thing that even as a veteran blogger I have found helpful is changing the way I blog based on information hidden in my Google Analytics. The book Skyrocket Blog Pageviews Using Google Analytics is great for this.

Skyrocket Blog Pageviews with Google AnalyticsAnother book that I found helpful is the book 17 Strategies to Increase my Page Views from 17K to 350K+ a Month in 9 Months. It has actionable points that even bloggers who already have high page views can benefit from.

How to Increase Blog Page Views in 9 Months

other critical tools:

a blogging tribe – having a network of other bloggers that you can brainstorm with, ask questions of, be honest with and ask for honest opinions in return, promote each other’s posts, and grow with is absolutely invaluable. I would not be where I am today without my blogging friends.

blog conferences – attending a good blog conference can propel you to the next level as it motivates you, educates you and most importantly, allows you to network and form connections. I am an introvert, so I have always chosen smaller blog conferences that have a good reputation as far as their content goes but that limit the amount of attendees so that I can meet people and not feel overwhelmed. This year, I am going to push myself out of my comfort zone and attend a larger conference. Blog conferences can also be a place for you to meet brands and form ongoing relationships with them that can be mutually beneficial.

a positive outlook – social media platforms change their algorithms or disappear altogether. Viral posts lose their steam. Posts that you worked 12 hours on and were sure would be the next big thing fizzle and die a quick death. Your traffic can take a nose dive. Commenters can attack and be cruel. Spammers or bloggers can steal your posts or images and try to claim credit for them. Other newer bloggers can surpass you. You can feel like you’re not part of the blogging “in” crowd. This job can be discouraging on the best of days. A positive outlook and a glass-half-full attitude are essential tools for surviving. A sense of humour doesn’t hurt either!

chocolate – As I write this, it’s 1 a.m. My kids are sleeping, but I know that tomorrow is going to come before I’m ready for it. Right now, my kids have Chicken Pox and they are itchy and miserable. I have a sponsored post that is due, too many emails to return, some technical issues to work out, and an Easter party to plan. Chocolate is my friend. Not quite the same way that Jesus is my friend, but some days, it feels almost as necessary.

caffeine – I suppose that for some, this is optional, but for me, it is an essential tool to my blogging survival. Even though tonight will be a late night of work, I will still set the alarm to wake me up early tomorrow so that I can get some work in before the kids wake up (because did I mention that they have Chicken Pox?!) so caffeine will be needed tomorrow and the next day and the next. My caffeine takes the form of tea or Pepsi but for others, it may be coffee.

What are your essential blogging tools?

Essential Tools for Professional BloggersImage Copyright: undrey / 123RF Stock Photo

And of course, I would love it if you would sign up for my email updates.

How to Blog for Profit without Losing Your Soul

Why Your Blog is Failing and How to Fix It

Other Ways to Make Money From Home

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Top Posts of 2015 on The Chaos and The Clutter

By Sharla Kostelyk

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2015 was a big year both for our family and here on the blog. For our family, there were many changes and happenings including a 22 day road trip to British Columbia, Portland, San Francisco, Monterey Bay, Anaheim (to say hi to Mickey Mouse of course), Arizona to visit my dad, Moab in Utah to finally see The Husband’s “happy place”, and Montana. There was also an emergency appendix surgery, a child starting school for the first time, a few trips to the ER, I turned 40, a trip for The Husband and I to a conference on early trauma and brain development, me speaking at a blogging conference in Virginia, and more of the happenings that go along with having a large family.

Top Post of 2015 on The Chaos and The Clutter including time saving freezer meals, parenting advice, two viral posts, and more. Plus my 3 favourite posts that didn't make the list.Here on the blog, things were equally exciting as what started as a hobby transitioned into a business and a full time income. I experienced my first viral post and then a second! What was more rewarding than the viral posts and the income were the emails from readers who were touched or helped by something I had written. That truly made all the very late nights worthwhile!

The top posts of 2015 were:

Chicken Dump Recipes – It’s no surprise that this was the top post. It went viral twice this year, in January and then again in April. I was seen by millions of people (it’s strange for me to type that number, let alone believe it!) and it spawned two follow-up posts and two cookbooks.

It’s still hard for me to imagine that a method of cooking that I have been using to save time for over a decade is now saving time for people all over the world because I decided to write about it!

Minute to Win It Family Fun Night – This post has been popular for years and I’m glad that the fun we had as a family is helping other families and youth groups and friends to create memories together.

More Chicken Dump Recipes – People just can’t get enough of these recipes!

Beef Dump Recipes – Created after the popularity of the chicken recipes and after many requests for more variety, the beef dump recipes are helping families save time and enjoy dinnertime. This also spread more quickly thanks to being featured by Buzzfeed.

2 Words That Will Transform Your Family – I love that so many people were able to read this because it means that parents and kids are being helped by the addition of these two simple words.

From Freezer to Crock Pot (and Gluten Free) – Once every two or three months, my friend Christie and I get together and make freezer meals. We have gotten very efficient at it because we’ve been doing it for a long time. These are a few of the recipes we use.

Create an Anti-Anxiety Kit for Children – The anti-anxiety kit that I created for Dancing Queen was a game changer for her in terms of helping her to calm down and teaching her strategies that she can use and I’m so happy that it’s helping other families as well.

Resources to Teach Kids About Their Emotions (and How to Manage Them) – It took a lot of work to teach this skill to our kids because of their specific needs and it is something I continue to work on. I believe this skill has helped them in many other areas as well.

Home Organization Hacks – Well as the name of my blog suggests, I could use all the help and hints I can get when it comes to organization and I’m not surprised that others are looking for tips in that department too.

Freezer Meal Recipes – These are three family recipes that I adapted into freezer meal recipes since that is how I do most of my cooking when it comes to suppers.

How to Make Your Own Sensory Balls – This simple and inexpensive way to make sensory balls is one I still use. I make dozens every year.

Crock Pot Pizza Casserole – It looks gross, but kids love it and I always get emails from people who rave about it so it continues to be a popular recipe.

100 Things I Learned from Anne of Green Gables – I wrote this from my heart and as a gift for someone very close to me so it was lovely to see that it resonated with so many people.

Why I Marched My 12 Year Old Son Into the Police Station – Hmmm, this was one that I wrote the day of the event and where the words just poured out of me without much filter and I was pretty nervous to click the “publish” button. I wasn’t sure what kind of reaction it would receive but the response was overwhelmingly positive and it quickly spread through Facebook and was read by over 30,000 people in one month! I still get the occasional private email about it so I’m glad that I wrote it even though it wasn’t my easiest day.

100 Gluten Free Snack Ideas – Apparently I’m not the only one who finds coming up with snack ideas for our gluten free son to be a challenge!

My favourite posts of 2015:

The posts I’m most proud of writing this year didn’t make it into the top 15 in terms of popularity. In fact, only 1 made the top 40. But I am proud of them because I think they have the potential to really help other families.

Helping a Child Through Trauma – Two of our kiddos have been forever changed by trauma and learning to parent them in the way they need has been probably the biggest challenge of my life thus-far. Sharing a bit of what we’ve learned will hopefully help other families.

7 Things No One Tells You About International Adoption – I’ve had this in my drafts folder for over a year, maybe several years but I had to wait until I was sure I could finish writing it with the right balance of honesty and yet protecting our kids’ privacy. Again, I hope it helps others.

How to Support a Family Whose Child is in the Hospital – We spent four years in and out of the hospital with Miss Optimism. It was such a scary time and a hard time. I wanted to write this to help other families now that we are on the other side of it. Two friends who have also been there helped me and I’m really happy with how it turned out.

I am excited for all that 2016 has in store. Thank you for your friendship, your readership, your support, and for you allowing the words that I write into your homes. I appreciate you.

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Home Project Planner

By Sharla Kostelyk

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Last year, we renovated our bathroom due to some mould issues. I would like to tell you that we planned ahead and did up a budget for the project, that we thought about what needed to be done ahead of time, but we didn’t. What started as a bathroom project and a small renovation of our bedroom turned into two bathrooms (we discovered mould in the adjoining wall when we demoed the original bathroom), more in our bedroom than we had planned, the kitchen ceiling (caused by a leak when something happened to one of the bathroom pipes during the renovations), the homeschool room ceiling (to accommodate for a drain above), and a paint job through most of the main floor and the upstairs hallway (when we had to cut through the wall at the bottom of the stairs when the new bathtub got stuck)!

I know that there are things that cannot be planned for, but had we planned ahead and at least done up a budget, we would have been much more prepared for what was to come. Our two week, one and a half room renovation ended up taking three months and affecting five rooms and the hallways and entry. It also cost us triple what we had imagined.

Household Project Planner printablesI’m hoping that this simple printable set helps other families avoid some of the disasters we encountered. Planning ahead can help you foresee potential challenges and delays. It can also help you be able to purchase supplies on sale, have what you need on hand, know how much time to allot for projects, and cut down on stress.

These printable worksheets can be edited so that you can type right in them and plan for every house project you have this year from the very simple (changing lightbulbs) to the more complex (building a deck, finishing a basement or renovating a kitchen).

I suggest that you print one of the Household Projects sheets to create an overall plan for the entire year and then print as many of the Project Plan sheets as are needed.

Household Projects Planner

To download the PDFs, simply click here or on any of the images on this page. I sincerely hope this can save you some of the headache that home renovations or household projects can entail.

Household Project Plan Worksheet

Happy Renovating!

If you’re looking for other household tips and organization ideas, you may want to follow me on Pinterest.

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