Y - You're Going to Make It! #atozchallenge

Y ou started off on an adventure

O utside your comfort zone, perhaps

U' ncharted territory

R  eluctant, maybe:What have I gotten myself into?

E  xcited though, of course



G  aining momentum

O  verjoyed with more visitors, and

I  nteresting new blogs to read

N  ew friends and followers

G  oing as fast as you could


T  owards your goal

O  nly onward


M  aking one step at a time

A  lmost done now!

K  nock it out of the park!

E  lation!


I  incredible

T  ime had by all!

If you've made it this far, as I said at "T", you're going all the way.  Be proud.  Stand tall.  Your Survivor Badge will be available tomorrow!

~Tina

X-cessive #blogging during the #AtoZChallenge ?

Now that we're near the end of the challenge, some of us might be exhausted, and with reason. It wasn't easy to do what we've done, otherwise it wouldn't be called a challenge!

You might be planning a blog hiatus, or at the least, more sleep.

X-hausted Copyrighted Susan Utley

Well, while a little more rest might be in order, if you truly want to reap the benefits of the challenge, make sure you make a few blogging changes:

1. Try and stay in touch with the new bloggy friends you made.
2. Blog at least once a week, and more if you can.
3. Pre-schedule at least some of your posts so you have more time to visit.
4. Visit 10 blogs a day, a few of them your regular friends, and some new ones.
5. Consider making guest posts on this AZ blog to promote a cause or your book or product.

So yes, after x-cessive, x-hausting blogging, we recommend more x-hilirating blogging, only at an easier pace. Stay tuned to hear more about the A to Z Post Challenge Road Trip.

A to Z Post Challenge Road Trip.

A to Z Post Challenge Road Trip.

And do not forget to make your Reflections Post-- the linky will be open on 5th May on this blog! Link your Reflections post on this linky, and NOT your blog.

Your posts would help us cohosts learn what to do better next year, and you might learn from each others' experiences!

Woohoo!

We're almost there!

This is just a quick hello, we hope you're (still) having fun, and here's a little earworm for your Saturday. Give yourself a big WOOHOO for making it almost the whole way through the Challenge! We've said it a lot of times, but it bears repeating: we are SO glad you all decided to participate, and that you've stuck with us through this amazing month of A to Z madness.

Enjoy your well-earned day off tomorrow. Rest up and let's finish strong!

Woohoo!
~ the Co-Hosts

V is for Vietnam

Welcome to V day happy challengers! 

I'd like to be slightly serious for a moment and share a book title with you about the Vietnam War.  To be sure, war is not a kid subject but it provides a good opportunity for kids to study the reasons and the effects of war.  The problem is, though, that sometimes the subject matter is too intense for our little ones to handle.

I found a series, mostly aimed at the younger fellows, that brings the serious subject to a level they can understand.

Vietnam: I Pledge Allegiance by Chris Lynch

Few authors write about history and war and this is just the kind of stuff young guys like to read about. Read the blurb from Goodreads.com and see if you don't think your guy might like this:

Four best friends. Four ways to serve their country.

Morris, Rudi, Ivan, and Beck are best friends for life. So when one of the teens is drafted into the Vietnam War, the others sign up, too. Although they each serve in a different branch, they are fighting the war together--and they pledge to do all they can to come home together.

Haunted by dreams of violence and death, Morris makes it his personal mission to watch over his friends--and the best place to do that is in the US Navy. Stationed off the coast of Vietnam on the USS Boston, Morris and his fellow sailors provide crucial support to the troops on the ground.

But the Boston itself isn't safe from attack. And as Morris finds his courage and resolve tested like never before, he keeps coming back to a single thought.

He made a pledge. He must keep them safe.

What do you think? Sounds great right?  The only other author I know of that writes about this topic for the guys is Walter Dean Myers.

What do you think? Have you read anything by Chris Lynch or Walter Dean Myers?

~Pammy Pam, An Unconventional Librarian

Up, Up, and Away #atozchallenge

English: Hot air balloons, San Diego, California (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 




       So you're thinking that it's time to wind down with the blogging?  April has been grueling for some of you.   Some got stuck a ways back and linger on a letter from earlier in the alphabet.  But you who endured are ready to hang it up and give it a rest...

         Not so fast!  The A to Z jig may be up but now it's up, up, and away with better blogging!

          Do you feel like your blogging and writing has gotten better during the month of April?   I hope so because that's partly what the Challenge is all about.   Did your follower numbers go up?   They should have if you were networking like you should have.    Did your comments go up?  Again it's a matter of networking in the proper way.

          Bottom line is did you learn anything new in April?  About yourself or about blogging?   Or how about all of the great information presented in the participant posts?   There was a real wealth of learning experience to be had on all accounts.

          What's up next?   How about the Reflections Post coming up on Monday May 5th.  If you choose to participate in this event--and I encourage you to do so--on May 5th you can sign up your link to your post reflecting on your A to Z Challenge experience.  

           Tell us about how your April went.  Offer your suggestions for making the next Challenge better or just let us know what's so great about the way it is now.   You can link to your favorite posts on your own blog or those on other blogs.  Tell us about blog discoveries you made during the Challenge.  What you say is up to you.  It's your Reflections Post.

           Later you'll want to be watching this blog to hear about the A to Z Post Challenge Road Trip.   The Blogging from A to Z Challenge doesn't have to end at the beginning of May.  You can stay with the community for the rest of the year.   Stay tuned to this blog for more information.

             In fact you'll want to keep coming back to the A to Z Blog throughout the year for more updates, more useful blogging tips, and more fun.   We will be accepting proposals for guest posts as well.  See the contact page for information on how to reach us.

            Don't feel down because the April Challenge is almost over.   Keep looking up!   There's still more to come.

Related articles

• #atozchallenge: Reflections Post -- Home Again
• U for Upward and Forward in the #atozchallenge
• Very, Very Near to the End... ( #atozchallenge )
• A to Z reflections #atozchallenge