J is for... #AtoZChallenge

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge. The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

Top J words:

1) J
2) Jayden (hey that's me!)
3) John
4) Jeremy

Oh wait, those are just the hosts of the A to Z Challenge. But we won’t forget Arlee and Zalka of course! What a crazy coincidence that so many of us have J names.

I chose to post for J because there are so many awesome J words out there. Names and adjectives, nouns, and verbs. Here are some of my top ten, in no particular order:

The Ten Best J Names:
1) Jayden
2) J
3) John
4) Jeremy
5) Jamie
6) Justin
7) Jesse
8) Jeffrey
9) Juliet
10) Jasmine

The Ten Best J Adjectives:
1) Jaded
2) Jagged
3) Jeering
4) Joking
5) Jumbo
6) Juxtaposed
7) Jolted
8) Jerking
9) Jingling
10) Jealous

The Ten Best J Nouns:
1) Jaywalker
2) Jellyfish
3) Jigsaw
4) Journal
5) Jungle
6) Junkyard
7) Justice
8) Jacket
9) Jetsetter
10) Jogger

The Ten Best J Verbs:
1) Jumping
2) Joking
3) Jabber
4) Jam
5) Jingling
6) Jousting
7) Jumbling
8) Justifying
9) Jarring
10) Joining

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

Coming Up With Theme Ideas #atozchallenge

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge. The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

"I'm not doing A to Z this year because I can't think of a theme."

I've heard that a couple of times over the last few years from blog buddies of mine when I ask them if they're doing the Challenge. Granted, the Challenge is a lot more fun (and is maybe a little harder) if you have a theme to tie all your posts together. But there's nothing in the rules that says you must have a theme. Back in 2014, I had the same problem: I couldn't think of a theme, so I decided that I'd just go themeless. And it went fine. I had a great time, made a lot of new blog buddies, and felt like I was part of something bigger. Granted, doing the A to Z Challenge without a theme is kind of like trick-or-treating in your street clothes, but hey, if that's what you got, you go with it.

I haven't had to do that for the last several years, because I found the secret to coming up with good themes: Don't try to do it a month before the challenge. Ideas for good themes are all around you all year, so it pays to keep track of them when they come. When you see something or think of something that looks like it might be a good theme, write it down. Write it in your journal, write it on a Post-It Note, put it on a note in Evernote (or Simplenote, or OneNote, or Google Keep, or wherever you keep your ideas), do something so you don't forget it.

The biggest lie I ever told myself was "I don't need to write it down, I'll remember." - Anonymous

And, whatever you do, don't shut your mind off to coming up with themes during the Challenge! This is a great time of year to think of future themes. Maybe you think someone has a great theme that might be good for you. Write it down. Maybe you get an idea for combining themes. Write it down.

That's a good one. Write it down. - Hal Roach

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here:

https://www.neatoshop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

H is for saying Hello (#AtoZChallenge)

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

We are in the second week of the challenge! Have people been stopping by at your blog, saying hello? One of my favorite parts of the Challenge is the visiting. A to Z really brings people together. For our tenth year, here are ten things that make visiting even better:

1. Make sure to say hi! If you stop by on a blog, leave a comment, even if it is a short one. 

2. Make sure people can say hi on your blog! Check your comment settings to make it as easy as possible.

3. Make sure to leave a link to your own blog. It is sometimes hard to track you through your Google profile, so it makes visiting back a lot easier if you leave an address!

4. However, don't just leave an address. Say something nice first. No one wants a guest who just yells "come see my stuff!" through the window without saying anything about yours.

5. Venture outside your own category! It is fun to visit like-minded people, but it is also fun to discover topics you have never really read about before. 

6. Visit back those who visit you. 

7. Try to visit a few new blogs every day! Even if just one or two, keep returning to the master list, and see what you can find. You can make new friends in unexpected places!

8. Save your favorites for beyond A to Z. Bookmark them, Follow them, or sign up for their updates. A to Z comes around once a year, but good blogging relatinships are fun all year round :)

9. Sometimes I see people sharing my posts on Twitter or Facebook, and it warms my heart. You can make someone happy by sharing something they wrote that you loved!

10. Put your creativity into your comments. We are all dedicated writers (of posts), we can brighten each other's day by leaving lovely messages!

Everybody say hi! :)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins