ShowOff ShowCase | TheBoyandMe

ShowOff ShowCase: The One About Play

May 13, 2011 by TheBoyAndMe 1 Comment

A little blue bird might have tweeted at you that I've been shortlisted to be a Toys R Us Toyologist. Complete surprise, complete honour, completely nervous to find out the result on Monday! We had to review a toy, and I talked about how he liked to play with his Makin' Mud Pies kitchen. Those avid readers of my blog (all two of you) will know that I like to blog about learning through play, so this was an ideal opportunity for me to jabber on.

Therefore in honour of that amazing art form where your children make sense of the world in which they live, your theme this weekend is:

The One About Play

I'd like you to link up one of your posts about playing. No, don't worry it doesn't have to be deep and heavy, it doesn't have to discuss the educational benefits, it doesn't have to do any of that. It can just be about you and your children having fun together playing in the mud, or with a pillow, or in the woods, or at the park, or at soft-play. With paint, with water, dolls, action men, inaction men (my brother took apart my action man and couldn't get his second leg back on. I swear I had the world's only one-legged action man!).

Let's show off our posts about play and share some ideas.

Linky opens at 8am on Saturday and will close sometime around 10pm on Sunday, when I remember or when HimUpNorth has finally found an entry.

ShowOff ShowCase: The One That Should Have Done Better

April 30, 2011 by TheBoyAndMe 3 Comments

This weekend, I'd like you to link-up a post that you wrote that filled you with a sense of satisfaction. You typed that last full stop, pressed 'publish' and thought "yes, this will be a good one!" and waited.

But no bugger actually bothered to read it, or if they did they certainly didn't comment on it!

Why? I can still hear you shouting it at the stats counter/comments log.

Heaven only know why. They didn't deserve it, they were good posts. Like I said in my brief the other day: don't leave those poor posts being teased and taunted in the corner of the blog-posts' playground by the stat-breakers. It's not their fault that they were published on a Bank Holiday or when people were experiencing blog-apathy. They don't deserve to feel inadequate, not when they've done nothing wrong.

This weekend, I'd like you to help that post to hold its head up high! Brush them off, stick my badge at the bottom of the post and show them off for everyone to see. Don't be ashamed of them, help them shout at everyone: I SHOULD HAVE DONE BETTER!

ShowOff ShowCase: The One That Should Have Done Better

April 28, 2011 by TheBoyAndMe 6 Comments

This weekend is your opportunity to flaunt yourself in people's faces. That's not an offer that you get every day so I'd take me up on it if I was you!

I've decided to repeat the theme of:

The One That Should Have Done Better

Because actually we have all got those posts that just didn't get the viewings or the comments that it truly deserved. Don't leave those poor posts being teased and taunted in the corner of the blog-posts' playground by the stat-breakers. It's not their fault that they were published on a Bank Holiday or when people were experiencing blog-apathy. They don't deserve to feel inadequate, not when they've done nothing wrong.

This Saturday brush them off, stick my badge at the bottom of the post and show them off for everyone to see. Don't be ashamed of them, help them hold their heads high and shout at everyone: I SHOULD HAVE DONE BETTER!

ShowOff ShowCase: Favourite Photo-Post

April 16, 2011 by TheBoyAndMe 8 Comments

As you may have seen me mention, ShowOff ShowCase was only intended to be a 3-week linky, but last weekend I had a fair amount of curiosity as to that weekend's theme. Those lovely people persuaded me to continue with it, which I would like to do if you'll have me, but in an amended format: once a fortnight. Once a month I shall host a SOSC themed The One That Should Have Done Better because I like the title! And then the alternate fornightly weekend I shall choose a different theme. This weekend sees the theme of:

Favourite Photo-Post.

There are a fair few photo linkies out there, I'm certainly not even attempting to emulate them; The Gallery and Silent Sunday are too well-establised and liked (by me included) to copy them. Likewise with the newer FlashBack Friday. This weekend's carousel allows for you to share your most favourite entry into any of these, or a 365 entry, or indeed a general post centred around an adored photo. The added bonus being that if you do choose a Silent Sunday post, you can add text to it in order to explain it further.

I've trawled through my archives and managed to narrow it down to one finally. It's very hard to chose just one photograph of such a gorgeous child such as mine, so I may have taken advantage of my own rules.

Why the hell not? I wrote them after all!

So it's time for you to now link-up please and show off your favourite photo-post. All that I ask is that, if you can, you add the html to your post please in order to link back here and help spread the word about the linky and therefore the other posts.

And don't forget to visit the other blogs!

ShowOff ShowCase: Favourite Photo-Post

April 12, 2011 by TheBoyAndMe 6 Comments

ShowOff ShowCase has had an amazing response; over twenty link-ups in each of the three weeks that it initially ran. I had hoped and prayed for ten, knowing that would have been enough to know it wasn't a failure. I never dreamt of that many and am so grateful for each. What was even more fantastic was the wide-range of posts linked; recipes, funnies, emotional tales, craft ideas, etc. I discovered new blogs and found it a really good read.

As I stated in the last SOSC, it was only ever intended to be a 3-week run, but last Thursday and Friday I had people asking me what the theme was for the forthcoming weekend! I tested the waters and discovered that people enjoyed linking up and, here's the important part, reading each others' blogs. The whole point of SOSC is to flaunt the posts that people might have missed.

And so to that end, I intend to run it fortnightly, alternating between a theme, and The One That Should Have Done Better.

Therefore, this week's theme is:

Favourite Photo-Post.

We all like to take part in The Gallery and Silent Sunday. Many of us are completing a 365 photo-journey, me included. This is your chance to ShowOff ShowCase a photo-post from your blog that is your personal favourite. No restrictions of theme or words; that would be infringing upon Tara's and Jay's domains. If you want to repost a Silent Sunday with an explanation about the photo you can; my only restriction is that you must have previously posted it.

I also ask that you add the button to the post using the html which hubby has lovingly created.

Pwese, tar?! (As The Boy would say)

I'll open the linky on Saturday morning, sometime between 8am and 9am.

ShowOff ShowCase: Favourite Post About Being a Parent

March 29, 2011 by TheBoyAndMe 4 Comments

When I came up with the idea for ShowOff ShowCase it was going to be a 3-part mini-series: Most Popular, The One That Should Have Done Better, and Personal Favourite. The only problem is that, as I quickly discovered, in the world of blogging there are no unique ideas! In the past fortnight I've discovered that there are two very similar, already well-establised linkies, and for one of them the theme this week is Personal Favourite. Once I'd got over my dismay I started having a think whether I could be a little more specific in the theme for the link-up.

And so in light of the Hallmark celebration that is Mothers' Day, the ShowOff ShowCase theme this week is:

Favourite Post About Being a Parent

It could be a post that you wrote when you first became a parent where you either poured out all the love and devotion you felt for your first-born, or it might be a cry for help after a really bad night of sleeplessness due to the demon teeth. Maybe it was a moment when you were really proud of your child/children for an achievement, or possibly the first time you realised that you were all grown-up and had created another life. Either way, this is your favourite post, it's not statistics driven this time, it's not comments related, it's your choice. Go on Show Off about being a mum (or dad!).

I'll open the linky on Saturday morning, sometime between 8am and 9am.

ShowOff ShowCase: The One That Should Have Done Better

March 22, 2011 by TheBoyAndMe 6 Comments

I have been completely and utterly overwhelmed by the amazing response to my first ever linky – 34 link-ups! For such a new blogger, it was a fabulous response and I was very pleasantly surprised. We've all got our blog-posts that have turned out well and therefore we want to feel 'the blog-love' again, nothing wrong with a little self-advertisement every now and again. The theme of 'Most Popular Post' seemed to go down very well last!

But what of those posts that weren't at the 'Top of the Pops' for viewings or comments?

What about the ones that you finished writing, sat back and thought "aha, I am a veritable genius! Watch me smash the record for most views ever!", and the only person who read it was either your best twitter-friend out of loyalty or an insomniac who needed something to help them get to sleep? You've read it back several times, you know it was a decent post and still you can't get the viewings on it. Mainly because people have seen it around and assumed they've read it.

Well that's the one that I want you to link up to this Saturday (26th March). The post that was well-written or funny, but no-one appreciated it enough the first time around. Consider it Second-Chance Saturday, if you will.