Crazed Mama's Work At Home Strategies

It's Thirsty for Comments Thursday... Link Up!

2012-01-25T21:59:00.000-05:00

I've just begun co-hosting the Thirsty for Comments Thursday hop. If you would like to join us, please read through the rules and post the button for us. Spread the word to your other bloggy friends as well!

Welcome to Thirsty for Comments Thursdays

Hosted by Acting Balanced, Silver Faeries and Dragonflies, Flyawaybyrdie, Thoughts 'n Such, From Couch to Marathon and Crazed Mama

Grab our badge for your sidebar or post:

Our Featured Blog for this week is:

Bonkers in Barnart

If you want to be featured in the near future, visit your fellow participants and give good comment!

What is Thirsty for Comments?

This is a blog hop dedicated to giving good comments - please, when you are visiting, actually READ the post that is linked and make a thoughtful comment!

This is NOT a hop for "I'm here from the hop, follow me back" comments!

Link up your own SPECIFIC POST that you'd like comments on - remember - no giveaways!

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The rules are simple -

1. Link up a SPECIFIC POST (NOT just your blog URL) that you'd like to have more comments on - NO GIVEAWAYS or OTHER BLOG HOPS - they will be deleted

2. Visit AT LEAST THREE other blogs and READ the posts and then comment thoughtfully on the post.

Extras (nice but not required):

Add the Thirsty for Comments button to your post
Blog about Thirsty for Comments
Add Thirsty for Comments to your Meme List!
Leave a comment here on how I can improve Thirsty for Comments :)

Win money for having the best answer!

2012-01-25T09:15:00.002-05:00

I've recently been introduced to prizes.org. It's really pretty simple. People post a "contest" with a question. The questions may be something simple such as, "name my kitten", to relationship questions, ideas for a website name, or how to increase traffic for a website. There are a variety of question categories. They offer a set amount of money for the best answer. I've seen the amounts range from $10 to $$1,000! Anyone can answer and whoever gives the best answer (decided by the person who posted the question) gets the money! Some of them are decided by votes, so you can ask your friends to vote for your answer as the best answer.

http://www.prizes.org

I haven't had much time to put into this yet because I've been busy working on a big article writing assignment, but this looks like it could be fun and I have talked to others who have been paid by this. If you have a good imagination, this could be a great and fun way to earn some extra money!

They pay via paypal which is always good (I love paypal and have never had any problems with them). So if you have a creative imagination, put your thinking cap on and give some good answers to earn money!

Microworkers and Alertpay Update

2012-01-19T20:26:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in an earlier post about joining Microworkers. I hadn't been paid yet though at the time, so I wanted to give a little update. First of all, there is a paypal logo on the Microworkers website, so when I signed up, I just assumed I would get paid through paypal. Wrong. For some reason, they stopped doing payments via paypal, so you have to use either moneybrokers or alertpay. I didn't have an account with either one, but had heard of alertpay, so I decided to sign up with them. I was a little concerned when I signed up and it said that they couldn't do bank transfers at the moment nor could they transfer the funds to a credit card, so the only options were to have a check sent to you, or a bank wire (at a fee of $15). They advertise having a prepaid debit card like paypal, but they are only accept pre-registrations, so you don't know when you may be able to get a debit card.

So I signed up for alert pay, and of course I had to send them a bunch of stuff like proof of address, and I.D...etc.. Once I was approved, I withdrew the money from Microworkers immediately. The first time you withdraw money from Microworkers, they have to send you a letter in the mail with a confirmation code on it, to use as your proof of address. So once I withdrew from Microworkers, it took a few WEEKS to get the code in the mail. Once I submitted the code, the money was deposited quickly into my alertpay account. I requested a check to withdraw the funds, and it took 12 days to get it, even though when I requested the withdraw, they said it would be sent out within 1-2 days, and it was from the US, so it should not have taken that long to get here.

So, I finally DID get paid from Microworkers, after waiting and waiting. I have more money built up in my account, but who wants to wait 2 weeks just to get a check? I am not liking alertpay, but I did just notice that it looks like they have the bank transfers turned back on. I wish I could just get a debit card like with paypal and get the money immediately.

Ah well, it's still money, no matter what! Anyone else have any experiences working for Microworkers or using Alertpay?

Valentine's Giveaway: Win a Free Kindle Fire!!

2012-01-15T01:00:00.000-05:00

BeeSavy has teamed up with bloggers to host the Heat Up Your Valentine's Day Giveaway! The grand prize is a Kindle Fire Tablet!

BeeSavy gives you the best prices for online shopping. They have everything from electronics, to home and garden products, toys, clothing, books, movies, music, and more and you can compare prices from millions of different stores to make sure you find the best price possible. They make online shopping easier by giving you the best prices for everything all in one place. All you have to do is sign up and that's it!

Now, onto the giveaway for the FREE Kindle Fire! Get entering! You have from now until February 8, 2012.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Taking Social Media to Social Action

2012-01-12T09:21:00.001-05:00

Via: Wpromote

The world of advertising has definitely changed over the last few years. More and more businesses are using social media websites to promote their business and gain more customers. Facebook is the most well known and widely used social media website and many businesses are using Facebook Marketing to reach millions of new clients from around the world. With social marketing, new customers are literally right at the tip of your finger and this has changed the way companies market their services forever.

Sweepstakes and Samples Report for December 2011

2012-01-08T16:51:00.000-05:00

December was a busy month for everyone. I didn't do a lot of sweepstaking. Just didn't take the time.. plus it was another month of no wins. Nothing at all. *sigh*. I know everyone goes through dry periods where they don't win a thing. I'm still entering giveaways and sweepstakes a few times during the week, but not every day like I did in the beginning. Maybe that's WHY my luck hasn't been as good because I haven't been entering as much? Who knows, really?

I did get some great samples and freebies in December though.

This month included a free Swiffer duster, Dove deodorant, a dog food sample, an Aero Shot energy shot (which I haven't tried yet, but I'm an energy drink fanatic so I'm sure I will soon!), and Purex UltraPacks. I also received a bottle of Purex laundry detergent, but after I finished the bottle off, i threw it away, so it is not in the pic. I got these free through Purex Insiders... you can get free full size samples from Purex and all you have to do is leave a review on their website, or on your blog!

I also received THIS free from Wendys:

hahaha, I love it! It's a little small for me, but I think I'm going to keep it for my goal shirt to lose some weight so I can be hot n juicy!

I also think that once in awhile I will post a few sweepstakes that I am entering in case any of you would like to enter as well. Here are a few that I just entered today:

Win $250 worth of free gas!! Yeah!!!

Win $1,000 gift card to buy shoes for you and your co-workers! This is an awesome idea! I entered for my husband since I work from home (but could I use $1,000 for shoes for ME??? hmmmm)

This is through the Facebook sweepstakes app.. it's for a super cute bustier bag!! I want this!!

How about YOU? Any luck in December???

Best Money Makers of 2011

2012-01-04T11:49:00.000-05:00

Here is a list of the things I have earned money with throughout the year in 2011. I'm including links to the original post describing how it works and what you need to do to sign up.

Demand Studios: I made great money with them in the beginning of the year. Then they decided to change everything around and there are no articles left to write. They were my biggest money maker and I'm still searching for something to make up for losing them.

Textbroker: This was the first place I signed up with when I first began writing. The pay isn't great, but it does help. They have changed their pay schedule to weekly instead of twice a month, which I love. The money is deposited right to your paypal account once you request it.

Suite 101: I do get payments from them once in awhile, but to be honest, I prefer writing articles that I will get paid for immediately, instead of waiting around for ad revenue. There are many places to write for like this, but you don't get paid upfront, your pay is based solely on ad revenue and hit generations.

Blogsvertise: When I first begun my journey into paid posting, I signed up with quite a few websites, but Blogsvertise is the only one that I still earn from fairly consistently. They send me an offer and if I accept the offer, I post about it and am always paid to my paypal on time.

Jingit: I haven't been with Jingit for long, but I've already earned money from them and used the Jingit debit card. It's so simple and easy to do, you just watch commercials on your computer. They are also launching an Android and iPhone app so you can earn from your phone!

I've also just begun a project with a client I came into contact with via oDesk. I'm still trying out all of the freelancing websites. Microworkers is going well, I'm just waiting for the confirmation number they are sending me in the mail to confirm my address before I can get paid. I will be posting more money making opportunities soon!

A New Year To Find Some New Blogs!

2012-01-01T13:20:00.002-05:00

I recently joined a blogging group on Facebook. It's a small group of bloggers that work together to help spread the word about each other's blogs. We decided to do guest posts on each other's blogs and alternate every so often, giving everyone a chance on every blog. My first guest post is from Silverfaeries and Dragonflies . I loved the name immediately, it sounds so fun and magical! Everyone please welcome Brandina and visit her blog. Leave her a comment and tell her that you saw her post here!

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Silverfaeries & Dragonflies is a personal blog about my life as a 30-something single mother of a 15 year old boy. There you will find articles that discuss my perspective of the world around me, issues that I feel are important and which weigh heavily on my mind and my personal attempts to start discussions regarding those issues. You will also find a number of other topics covered in the content such as recipes that I try (some at which I succeed and others not so much), tutorials on successful craft projects that I take on (in my constant struggle to find and nurture my creative self), my attempts at learning how to incorporate healthy nutrition and exercise into my family's lifestyle, yoga and meditation and whatever else happens to work it's way through my mind.

I started Silverfaeries & Dragonflies after spending a number of years desperately seeking some method in which I could express the creativity that exists inside of me while also sharing it with the world. Writing was always something that came naturally to me and throughout my teen years was the main method I used to figure out my own emotions and thoughts. So when I put two and two together, writing a blog quickly came to the forefront as a solution. As I began the journey of research about blogging, many other things about my life surfaced as well, all of them morphing into more of a basis for my blog's content. I realized that with my son being 15, I am not far from the point in life where he will decide to 'fly the coop', so to speak - leaving me an empty nester like so many other moms out there. I realized that I needed to begin searching deep within myself to find those things that I had set aside to raise my child, those hopes and dreams that I once had as a young girl, and find the ones that still meant something to me. I knew then how important it was for me to share what I learned along the way, how essential it would be for me to hear what other moms in similar situations feel, experience and think about it all. Soon after, a longing for discussion and community washed over me and pushed me closer and closer to starting up my blog.

I hope that what you find at Silverfaeries & Dragonflies is what I have always envisioned it to be: a place where we can all come together, share those deepest parts of ourselves and learn what it is that we need most. Maybe, just maybe, we can all help one another to find our own true selves and learn how to live the lives that we've always dreamed of. And hopefully, we'll pick up some new friends along the way.

Advice for New Freelance Writers

2011-12-28T19:50:00.000-05:00

If you are just venturing into the world of freelance writing, there are some things that you should do to prepare yourself.

The first thing you should do is figure out how long it would take you to research and write an article, both 300 words and 500 words. This will be just so you can know how many articles you would be able to write in an hour. Make sure that you give yourself enough time when applying for writing jobs. I had a job offer today where they were expecting me to write 4- 350 word articles in an hour. Yeah, I'm sure I could do it, but they would be shotty articles because I wouldn't have the time to do the proper research and proof read everything a few times.

The next thing you should do, is figure out what the smallest amount is that you are willing to take for your time and effort into writing an article. I am bringing this to your attention because I am seeing too many writers selling themselves short. When you are applying for jobs on freelance websites such as elance and odesk, be sure to know what your hourly rate would be. I've seen job posts where some clients are only offering $1 for a 500 word article. Seriously? My time is worth a lot more than that, and if the topic is something that needs researched, it is going to take even more time to search and read through material. I can't believe that so many people are willing to work for such a tiny amount, or that clients or buyers expect writers to put all kinds of work into an article, for mere pennies. If you are a good writer, you are worth more money!

If you are going to try out one of the freelance websites I have posted about, make sure that you know what to say when you apply for a job. Unfortunately, there are lot of other writers out there who are applying for the same job and are willing to work for pennies per article, however their articles may not be of very good quality. When you apply for freelance jobs, be sure to list any experience that you have, whether it be blogging, guest blogging on other blogs, other freelance writing gigs you have done, any college courses you may have taken, and what your areas of expertise are in. Also, always make sure to give them an example of your work. If you have never done any freelance writing, go practice by writing a few articles. Pick a subject and then write about it. Always have something to show in your portfolio. Most freelancing websites provide a way for you to upload articles to put in your portfolio or profile. Also, if the job listing includes what subjects they need articles about, or how many hours per day, be sure to include something of the same nature in your application letter.

Also, never write a specific article for someone as a test. I've had people contact me telling me, "write a 300 word article on Ohio Real Estate (ok, I made the Ohio Real Estate thing up, just as an example), for a test and then I will decide if I want to hire you." Errrrrrrrrr, hit the brakes! This is a great way for them to get a free article out of you. Don't waste your time on something you don't even know if you are going to get paid for.

Once you begin producing quality articles, clients will begin noticing you. Don't expect to get a bunch of jobs immediately, it may take time; just be patient and write your butt off!

My Other Blogs and More

2011-12-27T23:11:00.002-05:00

Just a quick post to let any of my new readers know that I also have 2 other blogs.

Rants In My Pants is my venting blog. This is where I complain and vent about things going on in the world that I don't agree with or things that just straight annoy me. I do curse in many posts, so don't bother if you are easily offended.

Madam Sarcasm is more of a personal blog. This is the blog where I just write about whatever I feel like writing about. I write about things going on in my personal life or things that are bothering me. Again, don't bother if you are offended by curse words and vulgar sarcasm!

Also, don't forget to "like" my facebook (link on the top left) and add me on Google + . Since Google Friend Connect is going to be phased out soon, I guess Google + will be taking its place. I don't mind, I actually like Google + and thinks it gives me a chance to interact more with my readers and other blogs.

Merry Belated Christmas!

2011-12-26T22:27:00.002-05:00

Here's to hoping that all of you had a great holiday weekend and spent it with your loved ones! Anyone care to do some bragging? Tell us what your best gift that you received for Christmas was? Come on, you know you wanna brag!?!?!?

Bring Santa Into Your Home!

2011-12-21T11:30:00.003-05:00

Imagine your child's or children's faces when they wake up on Christmas morning to find a photograph of Santa in their house! With icaughtsanta.com you can upload a photo of your home and insert santa into the picture, then print out the photograph and have it ready for your children on Christmas morning! This is such a neat idea and my kids would be soo excited to see a photo of santa in their house!

You can also share the photo via Twitter and Facebook and even purchase gift certificates for your friends, so that they can print a custom photo out for themselves. If you don't have children yourself, you can purchase e-gift certificates to give to your family and friends as a gift. I mean, how cool is this?:

Ok, so this isn't really my house, although I wish it were! haha. You can even take a photo of your child sleeping and put santa in his/her room! Woah!!

icaughtsanta.com

Microworkers Anyone?

2011-12-17T23:22:00.001-05:00

Does anyone have any experience working for Microworkers? I signed up with them a few weeks ago. They have lists of various small tasks you can do to earn money. Some of the tasks include writing a review on an amazon product, "liking" a Facebook page, following and re-tweeting someone on Twitter, commenting on youtube videos, posting a comment on a blog with a specified link, commenting on different forums, signing up for various websites, and downloading things. Personally, I won't download anything because you never know what you are putting on your computer that way. I work on this site sparingly, and most of the jobs only take a few minutes. As it sits, right now, my total earnings are $36.69. When I first signed up, I saw the paypal logo, but apparently they are not paying via paypal at the moment. They did for a short while, but stopped (not sure why), so now they are only paying via moneybookers and alertpay. So, now I have to go sign up for an alertpay account. I was expecting to get paid this week from them via paypal, but that's not going to happen.

I think once the pay gets straightened up, this could be a good way to make some spending money. Wouldn't pay all the bills, but would definitely help!

One thing, for bloggers, there are offers there to write a blog post for pay however the pay is rather low; usually only a few dollars. Honestly, you can make a lot more money other places (I do most of my paid posts via blogsvertise), but for a blog wanting to get a start into writing paid posts, this would be a good place to begin.

Would love to hear some input from other microworkers? Such as how quickly do you get the payment once you request a withdrawal?

More Opportunities for Freelance Workers of All Trades

2011-12-11T14:59:00.001-05:00

As I said in a previous post, I have been diligently searching for more ways to make money from home especially after the demise of Demand Studios who was my main source of income. This is one reason why it is a good idea to have more than one egg in your basket. With freelance work, you never know when a company may either go under, or change things completely, leaving you out in the cold.

oDesk offers many projects for freelancers. oDesk is not just for freelance writers, it is for freelancers of all sorts. They have job postings available for all kinds of writers, web designers, virtual assistants, researchers, customer service reps., and more. You read through the job listings and apply for the ones that you are interested in. You also bid on the price that you are willing to work for. When you first sign up, you are limited to 3 application submissions per week. Once you take the oDesk readiness test and pass it, that number goes up to 15 per week. They have other skills tests available such as English tests, office skills tests, helpdesk tests..etc., which will then showcase your skill level on your profile.

Guru.com works in much the same way. You make a profile and bid on jobs. If you win the bid, you will then be paid to do the job that you applied for. Guru also offers skills tests to go on your profile. Guru even offers jobs for interior and fashion design, photography, and videography. So again, these freelancing websites are not limited to just writing projects. You may easily be able to find something that you can do!

eCopywriters. My question is simple, has anyone worked for them? I ask because they request a writing sample when applying, and say that they will review your sample and let you know within 2 weeks (I believe) if you have been approved or not. I applied 3-4 weeks ago and have heard nothing. Even a rejection letter would be better than nothing! Anyone have any information on these guys?

I'm working with some other freelance writing websites and will post about those in the future. Good luck to anyone looking for freelance work. Feel free to leave a comment letting me know who you are having the best luck with or if you have experience with any of these places!

November Update on Sweepstakes/Freebies

2011-12-06T20:51:00.001-05:00

Did anyone else have a good sweeping month in November? Not I. I did not win one single thing, nothing. I DID however receive my prizes that I won the month before, which were the fleece blanket and the freebie coupon for Bob Evans. November was already a depressing month for my family, doesn't help when I don't win a damned thing, either, ha! I still have yet to win any blog giveaways, even though I've entered hundreds. Again, I've been entering blog giveaways, along with finding sweepstakes on Facebook sweepstaking apps. I know there are a ton more out there, but I just don't have time for all of them.

Don't forget, "like" my FB page (link on the top of the left hand column) for more freebies and sweepstakes to enter. I try to post them on FB as much as I can to pass them along to my followers.

Since I didn't win any giveaways in November, here's a pic of the freebies I got:

The black thing in the middle is an oven mitt from Private Selections. I received it along with some coupons via Bzzagent. I also received like 6 packs of different brands of crayons for a test/survey. Of course the kids got all of them after I did the survey.

Have you had any luck getting any freebies or winning anything fun? Tell us about it and where you entered through!

Pardon Me While I Fix This Mess...

2011-12-04T12:08:00.001-05:00

Is it just me, or are all of my photos/graphics missing? Last night when I checked out my blog, my header banner thingy was gone with just a big blank triangle thing? I uploaded the banner again, just so it didn't look so scary if someone checked out the blog. All of the photos or graphics I have posted in blog posts or in my side columns are gone. Everything. I thought maybe it was just a blogger mishap and was hoping when I checked it today, everything would be back, but it's not. I post a lot of photos on my other blogs and they are all gone, too. What the crap, Blogger?? Where did all of my stuff go? Do you realize what a pain in the butt this is going to be to have to go through and re-upload everything?? Is it just ME this has happened to???? I'm already having a bad day.. Hell, a bad week.. this just takes the cake. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Looking to do product reviews and more giveaways

2011-12-01T22:07:00.001-05:00

I know this blog isn't huge, but I am very interested in doing more reviews and/or giveaways along with my regular posts. If you have a small business that you would like to promote, I would love to sample one of your products and/or possibly host a giveaway on this blog. I have done quite a few sponsored reviews and a few sample reviews. I always give my 100% honest review. If you choose just to have me review your product, I will post your website url in the review a few times. If you would like to do a giveaway, I use rafflecoptor, and would offer entries for facebook "likes" and Twitter follows...etc..

I have a Facebook page for this blog where I promote many of the different things I post on here, as well as the few giveaways that I have hosted in the past. I also use Twitter to promote my links and giveaways where I have over 2,000 followers.

If you are interested in working with me on some sort of review or giveaway, please send me an email and we can work out the details.

NaBloPoMo: Learning

2011-11-30T19:36:00.001-05:00

What did you learn from doing NaBloPoMo?

I learned that sometimes I just don't wanna post every single day. Some days I don't feel like it or other days I may be just too busy with other things in my life. I don't think that makes me a bad blogger though. Sometimes people post a bunch of crappy stuff just to post. I am curious though why I haven't received any comments in quite awhile? I never got a lot of comments, but I at least got a few. I even left myself a comment earlier today just to make sure that my comment link was working. I finally open up a little bit here and everyone runs away? Am I really that boring??

There will be another NaBloPoMo for December, I think. I may participate again. We shall see.

Husband's Dentist Job in TX

2011-11-29T13:56:00.001-05:00

Contributed by Johnny Graves

I am so proud of my husband. He has been going to school for several years to become a dentist and he is almost there. We have just finished settling into our new Texas home and the new location of his residency. He has a lot of work ahead of him, but I know he will do a great job. Everything is slowly falling into place for me. I was able to get a great teaching job at a local school. All the kids here seem to be well-behaved and very nice. Our house is lovely. We found the cutest house with a little, but wonderful yard. All the utilities were already set up, including the best high speed internet service in Texas. I was thankful for that because it was one less thing I had to worry about. We should only be in Texas for a year, so I don’t want to get too settled. However, it does seem like a nice area and I guess there is always the chance we will stay here indefinitely.

This is a paid post.

The Holiday is over and time to vent!

2011-11-27T12:58:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I slacked off on the posting every day thing. I just kinda lost the mood for a few days. I'm glad the holiday is over. We had Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year. Wow that was a lot of work and I don't know if I will be doing that again! We did have lots of leftovers though.. mmmmm. I love leftover dressing. Very bad, though!

Got some shopping done. How many of you went out to face the psychotic shoppers at midnight or 4 am this year? I have done it for the past 4- 5 years, but not this year. Last year, my husband and I went out at midnight fighting the masses of annoying and rude people. Later that day, I went shopping with my mom at the same stores and they still had most of the same stuff; they just re-stocked everything. We decided to sleep in this year and head out later in the morning. We got almost everything we were looking for except I couldn't find pajamas for either of my boys. All of the bigger sizes were taken, but I did manage to find some in the girls' for my daughter. Got my sons some wrestling shoes for cheap. This will be their first year in Biddy Wrestling and they are so excited! We found everything else that we needed without dealing with rabid shoppers. Last year, I was just so annoyed and was surprised I got out of there without knocking someone out!

I also spent last week doing a lot of research on more freelance websites. I've found quite a few good ones and will be posting more about them soon once I get some time to see exactly how they all work. Here's my vent though: I was hired a couple of months ago for this freelance job. I won't go into too many details about it, but I did a little bit of work for them at first just fine. The official "launch" date for their website was supposed to be October 1. I didn't hear anything from them for awhile and was told that they had to fix some things on their website and that the new launch date would be Nov. 1 and then I would have lots of work! I've still been waiting, waiting, and waiting, with no work. So then guess what?? On Thursday, I get an email with work for me to get done. This company is out of the UK, so I explained to them that it was a holiday and that I was going to be very busy but would get to it ASAP. I got an email back on Friday saying that I had to get it done THAT day or it would be given to someone else. I was gone most of that day, and when I got home I was so tired that I didn't even open my laptop. I got an email from my "boss" yesterday saying he needed an answer ASAP. I'm feeling a little bitter now that I had NO work for a month and a half, even though I was told "any day now".. since the end of last month, then I get an email on Thanksgiving Day and was expected to drop everything to get it done... and now I lost out on that money. Would anyone else be a little salty about that??? or am I wrong???

Ok, there's my vent. I do hope everyone else enjoyed their Turkey day and had many things to be thankful for. I know many people posted about what they are thankful for .. but I really wasn't in the mood to do the same thing. Now.. onto Christmas.....

NaBloPoMo: Lucky

2011-11-22T22:50:00.001-05:00

What is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to you?

Even though I often feel down on my luck, I can't say that I have never been lucky or that nothing good has ever happened to me. I've had a lot of good things happen to me, it just seems like the bad outweigh the good most of the time. I could say that I'm lucky that I have such a wonderful mom. She is the only person that has always been there for me, no matter what. I can't say that about anyone else in my life. I can say that I was lucky to meet my husband (even though I may not feel like that all the time). He loves me despite all of my flaws and has given me strength and courage that I never had before. I could also say that I'm lucky to have my beautiful children, my pets, my house... there are many people who are a lot less fortunate than I am.

What else? I can say that I am lucky enough to have graduated college, even though I did it about 13 years late. Through all of the bad luck I've had lately, I need to get lucky in finding a job. Right now, I'm so desperate that I will take any kind of job. I've been really down on my luck, even with working online. I was making decent money with Demand Studios, but they changed how they run things. Now, only certain writers get first dibs on new assignments, so every time I log in, the que is completely empty. There used to be thousands of assignments to choose from, now there are none. I have little money making things that I do here and there, but have found nothing that even compares to a part time job, let alone a full time job. I'm still searching though. One way or another, I need to make some money either online or offline. What about YOU? What lucky things have happened to you?

Jingit: Get Paid To Watch Commercials

2011-11-21T11:40:00.001-05:00

It really is as easy as it sounds. I joined Jingit a few days ago and have earned $7 already. It's so simple and easy to do. You can log in using your facebook account, watch commercials, and get paid. You get paid a certain amount for each commercial and some commercials will have a few survey questions at the end, but they are simple questions such as "Have you ever heard of this company before?". Nothing too indepth or time consuming.

You do have to stay on the page while watching commercials. If you click anywhere off of the page, even to go to another tab or to adjust the volume, the commercial will pause, so you can't just leave it running while you are doing something else online, but you can do something else off of the computer, such as watching TV or cleaning, you just have to make sure you hit the "pay me" button at the end of each commercial..

You get paid via a Jingit debit card. The debit card is easy to sign up with, but it will deduct $2 from your Jingit balance when you first sign up. Once you receive your card, you can withdraw your Jingit money whenever you wish, there is no payout minimum that you have to adhere to.

This could be a great money maker as long as it stays successful. I've signed up for places like this before and after a few days, you log in and there is nothing there to do..so far so good with Jingit though!

Feel free to leave a comment letting me know if you are trying Jingit and if you have had any experience with them!

A Desperate Plea for Help

2011-11-18T22:19:00.001-05:00

I know I don't really get too personal on this blog, I save that for my other blog. This time, it's important. My family needs help. This is not a scam. It's 100% legit. We have fallen on some hard times and don't know where else to turn. I won't go into too many details here, but here is a link for anyone interested to read and get the details. Even if you can't help with a monetary donation, you can help by posting this link on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, wherever. Just helping to get the word out will be appreciated.

Raise Money Online

NaBloPoMo: My Crushes

2011-11-17T21:47:00.001-05:00

Make a list of everyone you have ever had a crush on in your life. Choose one from that list and describe him in great detail.

This one is gonna be fun! Ok, so I didn't make a list, because, really, that would have taken me all night! I started out having crushes at a very young age. The youngest I remember is Pre-school with a kid named Joey! That's not who I picked, though. My biggest and longest crush is actually someone semi-famous. His name is Philip Anselmo. He's a singer in my all time favorite band ever, Pantera. I've had a crush on him since I was 16 or 17 years old. I can't even explain what it is about him. First of all, I think he is absolutely just gorgeous. Covered with tattoos. His voice is very deep and manly. He tells it like it is and doesn't care who or what doesn't like it. I've been obsessed with him for almost half my life! ha! I saw his band live 4 times when I was younger. In 2006, I won backstage passes. I didn't believe it until I had the passes in my hand (btw, I still have the pass and autographed photo framed in my house!). After the concert, we headed backstage. I was like 19 years old, shy, quiet, awkward, surrounded by a bunch of beautiful groupie type chicks. I met the guitarist first (R.I.P. Dimebag Darrell), he was super nice and even teased me about being so shy. Then HE came out. Phil came out. I thought my heart stopped when I saw him standing in front of me. All of these groupies were running up to him asking him to sign their cleavage while I stood back and patiently waited my turn. OMG I love to tell this story! First of all, he wasn't paying any attention to the groupies. He would give them an autograph and not even speak to them. I don't know why, who, or what reason, but he spotted ME. I mean, like he stopped what he was doing and walked directly over to me, signed my band photo that I had with me... then gave me a hug and kissed me on the cheek. Ohhh Emmm Geeee (ok, I only say that in severely sarcastic moments, btw). It was a moment I will never ever, ever, forget.

I followed everything he did. He died from a Heroin overdose, but was brought back to life not long after I met him. A few years later, Pantera broke up, mostly due to drugs and everything bands like that go through. In 2003, his guitarist was shot and killed on stage only a few hours from me in Columbus. I remember watching videos of Phil crying over his friend's death and to this day, I still can't watch it without getting choked up. ....

Anyway, so he has been in a few other bands since then. His big band now is called DOWN. I've been dreaming for years that Down would play somewhere close around here. I knew they were scheduled to play in Michigan back in September... but wasn't sure about going up there since I dont know much about the area. That show was cancelled and ended up being moved to Dayton. I had a friend who also had a big crush on him, so I got ahold of her and we decided that we were going to do this!! This just happened on September 20th of this year. We drove 2 1/2 hours down to Dayton to see Down play. The place was packed, but somehow, we ended up inching our way up to the front row before they went on. We were in the front but kinda of at the side of the stage, and Phil came out literally right next to me. I have a photo of him pointing directly at me, lol! I was just mesmerized the entire time, couldnt' believe after all of these years, he was right that close in front of me again. I got some great photos and at the end, he grabbed my hand from the stage. I really never wanted to wash it again, but, we know that's not possible, lol. After the show, my friend and I waited out by their tour bus for like an hour, but he never came out. The other guys in the band came out, but not him. Can't blame him though, he would have been mobbed if he would have come out. I really, really, wanted to meet him again. My dream is to just be able to sit down and talk with him, hang out with him a little bit. Not that it will ever happen, but a woman can dream, right?

A stock photo of my crush.

My crush on stage, September 20, 2011 in Dayton.

NaBloPoMo: Adulthood

2011-11-16T22:05:00.001-05:00

When is the moment that you leave childhood and enter adulthood?

This is an odd question that can't really have just one simple answer. Some may say that you become an adult when you turn 18. Maybe when you graduate high school? When you move out? When you become a parent?In my opinion, I think adulthood depends on your maturity level. Ten years ago, I was over the age of 18, but when I think of some of the things I did, I'm wondering what the Hell I was thinking? I think there just comes a point in your life where something just changes inside of you. You realize that the immature drama isn't worth your time or effort any more. You grow up mentally and learn to enjoy the small things and take care of your responsibilities. You learn to stop sweating the small stuff and that you are stronger than you thought you were. That's what adulthood means to me.

Despite that above paragraph, I do have to admit that even at my age (all I'm saying is that it starts with a 3.. but what's the second number? hmm), I sometimes don't feel like a grownup. I still feel like that lost kid that I used to be. I still get shy and scared in new situations. I still act silly and immature some times when I'm in a good mood. Sometimes I even stop and think, "wow someone my age doesn't act like that, do they??". But I know when to be serious.

Funny how when we are kids, we can't wait to grow up. Then we grow up and wish we could be a kid again.