The Perfect Formula for Learning at Old School with The Damsel

Do you like to learn things?

Do you like to laugh?

Do you wish you knew the simple ways to get things done like they used to get done - with stuff around the house, cheap to get, or at least with multiple uses?

Well then it is time that you join me in attendance in one of my favorite places on the Internet - Old School - Self Reliance 101, with one of the greatest teachers I know, The Damsel.

I was first introduced to The Damsel back in November when I first joined my StumbleUpon group. The first post I read was about fruit flies. I read the post and understood - I, too, hated fruit flies -  I was amused - Was this woman writing about herself in the third person?? - and I learned - the "Cup of Death" is simple to assemble and implement with the Damsel's clear instructions.

I thought it must be a fluke. A great, simple, short post highlighted among many others that could not have all possibly fit this beautiful formula: relevant, fun and educational - I was so wrong - this IS the Damsel's formula! This is what you will find each and every time you attend The Damsel's class. Now, not all of her posts contain recipes for death traps, but every single one will either teach you something or leave you in deep thought about something. As a teacher, myself, I could ask for nothing more from each of my lessons.

Enough. I am wasting your time. I'm making you late for class! Here are some of the posts on my must-share list:

• Spring Cleaning
• Caramel Popcorn, Lazyman Style
• Nostalgia as a Life Choice
• How to Make Your Own Jet-Dry - sort of
• Walking to School (or Biking)
• How to Wash Windows
• The Last Week of School - Old School Style

I had to stop myself. This list was a lot longer a minute ago, but I want you to go explore the school grounds for yourself. Get on over there! The Damsel is waiting and I'm sure she has something wonderful to share with you today!

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This post was written as ta part of my continuing series on My Stumble Buddies. To be a part of our StumbleUpon party to read and stumble week by week, come visit the Kludgy Mom community in Blog Frog!

Other Stumble Buddy Posts:

• Are You Reading Read Aloud Dad?
• Get a Clue With Kludgy Mom

 


**Don't forget Rivera Runs Through It now has a brand-spankin' new FaceBook Fan page waiting for YOU to LIKE it!!**

Get a Clue with Kludgy Mom

I can't think about StumbleUpon without thinking of Kludgy Mom. It is not that this is, per se, her claim to fame, it just happens to be how our paths crossed in the winter of 2010. I was going through Darren Rowse's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog for the first time and became curious about using StumbleUpon as a promotion tool for my blog. I had no idea what it was, but I found Kludgy Mom's blog and was swept away by its design, its simplicity and her depth of knowledge of social media.

The first post I ever read from the Kludgy Mom blog is one I continue to recommend to new Stumblers to this day:

• How to Use StumbleUpon: Tutorial

What I learned in that post has been enough to turn me into a stumblin' junkie that has StumbleUpon as one of my leading traffic sources month after month.

Since that time, Kludgy Mom has continued to teach me about Social Media, introduce me to new ways of finding income on the Internet and make me laugh with her and at myself with her fabulous sense of humor. As you will see when you visit Kludgy Mom's blog, she is a woman of many talents. She claims in her tagline that Kludgy Mom is "the art of living haphazardly," and while the haphazard part of that statement may be what initially draws our attention, it is this Austin mom's art that wows us post after post.

Some of my favorite posts from Kludgy Mom are:

• What Twitter is Good For
• Finding Work From Home Opportunities
• App Girl to the Rescue
• How to Sell Groupons You Don't Want Anymore
• Why Blogging is Good for You

Take a moment now to head on over to the Kludgy Mom blog to see what her latest post is about - and be ready for anything: social media, product/app reviews, a recipe, a lesson for bloggers, or just a humorous post about a day in the life of Kludgy Mom. Whatever it is, I am sure you will be better off for having read it!

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This post was written as the first official post of my continuing series on My Stumble Buddies. To be a part of our StumbleUpon party to read and stumble week by week, come visit the Kludgy Mom community in Blog Frog!

Other Stumble Buddy Posts:

• Are You Reading Read Aloud Dad?

 


**Don't forget Rivera Runs Through It now has a brand-spankin' new FaceBook Fan page waiting for YOU to LIKE it!!**

My Stumble Buddies

Every single week I participate in a discussion in the Kludgy Mom BlogFrog community where bloggers get together, share posts they're proud of and help boost each other up using StumbleUpon. It has been an amazing experience. Since I started participating this past winter I have learned so much about blogging, social media, the Internet, myself, places around the world and my fellow Stumblers.

As each week passes, I keep thinking these bloggers are awesome - I want to share them with everyone! And, in little ways, I have - very often my Stumble Buddies are featured in the "Food Reads" or "Good Food (Recipes)" section of my Friday's Food Finds segment on my Searching for Sustenance blog, or I've linked to their blogs on a relevant post (like in How Darren Rowse Forever Changed my Life in 10 Days), but so far only one Stumble Buddy has received the type of spotlight treatment I would like to give to all those who have taught me so much, and that is Read Aloud Dad in a post I wrote entitled Are You Reading Read Aloud Dad?

It is time to spread the love. Each week another one of my Stumble Buddies will be featured here on Rivera Runs Through It. For now I will leave you with the links above to give you a taste of what's to come and an open invitation to our weekly StumbleUpon discussion that starts each Wednesday. It's open to all bloggers, it has a couple of rules, but if you are interested, come check it out at the Kludgy Mom BlogFrog Community this Wednesday, June 1, 2011 will mark the beginning of WEEK 37.

Are You Reading Read Aloud Dad?

From the first time I first read a blog post by Read Aloud Dad I have been a faithful follower. I love reading, I love family and I simply adore the fact that this blog focuses on the unification of both. Read Aloud Dad takes his role seriously as dad, as reader and as a children's book reviewer. I love his policy on reviewing books:

"I review only the best children's books available - I buy what I review.

In the beginning I considered whether to accept books for reviews, then ... after a long think ... I decided against it.

Read Aloud Dad's - "I review only what I buy" policy - provides more freedom and I can be true to my opinion."

In my most recent reading of his blog, I am happy to report that Read Aloud Dad has revealed his origin story in How Reading Aloud Made Me A Better Father. I believe this post is a must read for all who have some relationship with young children. Read Aloud Dad takes us through the steps of his realization of the power of reading with his children

"Children's books almost magically opened up the the channels of communication. They broke down all the walls. "

How many of us have experienced this same idea - either through being read to or by sharing the reading experience with a child ourselves?

I highly recommend that everyone check out this blog. Read Aloud Dad's recommendations are so fantastically thought out (I have already purchased his Pinocchio book of choice for my cousin's daughter) and filled with the best intentions. Within each post is the outpouring of one man's love for his two children - this blog and the work he does to inspire each post is, undeniably, a labor of love.