As Easter is getting closer, I start thinking about past memories and what I enjoy so much about this holiday. The thing that is best for me happens on the Saturday before Easter in our area.
I always take my daughters to an Easter Egg Hunt. It is in the town where I grew up. This is only 30 minutes away, but I don't make it there as often as I should honestly. It is a huge hunt that is done all by donation.
An amazing mother's club in town has kept it going. They get eggs and fill them full of candy. They also put dollar coins, two dollar bills, and other special items into some of the eggs. They put them out different places such as church lawns. They put a lot of effort into making sure this happens every single year. They go around getting donations and even stuff the eggs themselves.
The kids are divided up into different age groups. When it is time to start, they get to run around and grab as many eggs as they can get into their baskets. I love watching the different age groups and how they are scared or just go for it. My youngest daughter was all over it last year at the age of almost 2, but this year I think she might be a little shyer about it all. My 7 year old just goes like crazy. I hope she doesn't think she is too old for it too soon.
Since I can't be two places at once, my dad always takes my older daughter to her area now since I used to go with her when she was little. I miss seeing her do it, but she loves getting papa all to herself and having this time with him.
One of the best parts of it, is watching them open up all of their eggs when they are done. They go through them all and see what prizes they picked up. We can't even go home before we do it. We have to make a stop at grandma's to check out everything.
This is something I never miss doing with my children. They have a blast at this egg hunt every year and we get to see family which is a bonus. It is a tradition I plan to keep up until they are old enough they won't let me anymore.
“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hop blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”
Monday, March 28, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
Recently someone I know lost one of their writing jobs. They were freaked out and unsure how they would be able to pay bills. This reminds me to never put all of your eggs in one basket.
What this means is to work for more than one place. If a new place is hiring, it does not hurt to apply. It is great to have options available for many reasons.
One thing is if you ever lose a job then you won't be scared. You will know that you have other options available and work to do. Yes it might take a second to regroup, but you can still pay your bills.
It is also really nice to have money coming in all the time. Different places pay at different times. Don't you love the idea of getting money every week instead of just once a month? Working different places can help you to make sure this happens.
Work dries up sometimes. You will not be able to find good titles for yourself with certain companies. Instead of just taking time off work you can go to another place and find jobs for yourself.
Find the place that you can make the most money in the shortest amount of time and work there the most. Keep your other places and work there enough to not lose the job. You will thank yourself for it later.
What this means is to work for more than one place. If a new place is hiring, it does not hurt to apply. It is great to have options available for many reasons.
One thing is if you ever lose a job then you won't be scared. You will know that you have other options available and work to do. Yes it might take a second to regroup, but you can still pay your bills.
It is also really nice to have money coming in all the time. Different places pay at different times. Don't you love the idea of getting money every week instead of just once a month? Working different places can help you to make sure this happens.
Work dries up sometimes. You will not be able to find good titles for yourself with certain companies. Instead of just taking time off work you can go to another place and find jobs for yourself.
Find the place that you can make the most money in the shortest amount of time and work there the most. Keep your other places and work there enough to not lose the job. You will thank yourself for it later.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
My Journey to Becoming a Freelance Writer
Recently I posted links to a couple of articles that I wrote about starting at home as a writer. I want to share a bit of my experience with you.
I have been a stay at home mom for 6 years now. I have tried and tried to find ways to make an income at home. I tried Cha Cha, pay to click sites, and searched for legit ways to make money at home.
One day I finally stumbled upon eHow. I thought wow do people really make this kind of money writing. I would love to do that and I know I could. I started out writing for eHow and with big dreams.
Shortly after I started there, they shut down the freelance program and changed it where you have to be through Demand Studios to write for them. I did not feel comfortable doing this so I moved on, but I still make about $15/month from articles I wrote there for doing zero work. It is all residual money.
Next I started with Textbroker. They are an amazing company to start out with. I would be so excited if I could make $10/day. Now my husband thinks that is so funny because $10/day now is more than I make if I take the day off. I get that much each day and more on residuals.
I have since branched out into writing for several different places. We all have to work and find what is best for us. I work my butt off somedays and others I don't work at all. When asked if you can make a living at this, yes you can! Can you make enough money to pay your bills? Yes! I know single moms who support themselves and their child doing this every day. I could make that much money if I dedicated the time to it that they do. I will say that I am making more money than I ever thought was possible.
If writing is what you want to do, push yourself. Realize that you will get better with time and you will learn what works for you. Don't be afraid to try things out. Most importantly remember that it is hard work. The money does not just fall in your lap, but if you work at it you can make good money at it.
I am just a normal stay at home mom in a small town in Oklahoma. You can do this, but you have to believe in yourself and be willing to put the work into this job that you would any other job.
I have been a stay at home mom for 6 years now. I have tried and tried to find ways to make an income at home. I tried Cha Cha, pay to click sites, and searched for legit ways to make money at home.
One day I finally stumbled upon eHow. I thought wow do people really make this kind of money writing. I would love to do that and I know I could. I started out writing for eHow and with big dreams.
Shortly after I started there, they shut down the freelance program and changed it where you have to be through Demand Studios to write for them. I did not feel comfortable doing this so I moved on, but I still make about $15/month from articles I wrote there for doing zero work. It is all residual money.
Next I started with Textbroker. They are an amazing company to start out with. I would be so excited if I could make $10/day. Now my husband thinks that is so funny because $10/day now is more than I make if I take the day off. I get that much each day and more on residuals.
I have since branched out into writing for several different places. We all have to work and find what is best for us. I work my butt off somedays and others I don't work at all. When asked if you can make a living at this, yes you can! Can you make enough money to pay your bills? Yes! I know single moms who support themselves and their child doing this every day. I could make that much money if I dedicated the time to it that they do. I will say that I am making more money than I ever thought was possible.
If writing is what you want to do, push yourself. Realize that you will get better with time and you will learn what works for you. Don't be afraid to try things out. Most importantly remember that it is hard work. The money does not just fall in your lap, but if you work at it you can make good money at it.
I am just a normal stay at home mom in a small town in Oklahoma. You can do this, but you have to believe in yourself and be willing to put the work into this job that you would any other job.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
"Clarity" by Kim Harrington Book Review
I recently shared with you all about the two free books I received to review. Here is my other book review on "Clarity" by Kim Harrington if you are interested. It was a great book too!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Yoplait Yogurt
I am in a constant battle with weight loss. I honestly loss then gain a little back then lose again. Yoplait Yogurt is one thing that always helps me out though. It honestly is a great tasting and low calorie snack. It is affordable and I can usually find coupons or get it on sale.
Recently I went to Yoplait's facebook page and liked it. I got a coupon in the mail for a free yogurt. I love free!
I encourage you to try this yummy yogurt and also to like their page on facebook. You will be glad you did!
Disclaimer: By posting this blog, I stand the chance to win a prize pack from MyBlogSpark and Yoplait.
Recently I went to Yoplait's facebook page and liked it. I got a coupon in the mail for a free yogurt. I love free!
I encourage you to try this yummy yogurt and also to like their page on facebook. You will be glad you did!
Disclaimer: By posting this blog, I stand the chance to win a prize pack from MyBlogSpark and Yoplait.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Starting to Work at Home as a Freelance Writer
Today I want to have you check out a couple of articles I wrote that will help you if you want to get started as a freelance writer.
Working at Home as a Writer a Guide to Getting Started
10 Legit Places that Hire Writers
Both of these articles can really help you out if freelance writing is the job for you.
Working at Home as a Writer a Guide to Getting Started
10 Legit Places that Hire Writers
Both of these articles can really help you out if freelance writing is the job for you.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Amazon Associate Program Tools: A Guest Blog
You may be aware of Amazon’s Associate Program but do you know how to implement it? Amazon offers several different tools to help you. You will want to test each tool on your site to see which performs best.
1. Product Banner Widget – A product banner widget is in essence a photo box of a product listing its details, price, and a buy button.
2. Text Linking – Amazon provides html for text linking that you can use for keyword linking, text ads, or deep linking.
3. Product Cloud Widget – This widget provides a “cloud” or grouping of keywords that relates to the content on your site. This ad looks similar to tag clouds.
4. Search Widget – The search widget allows you to place an Amazon search box on your site. This allows readers to search for any product on Amazon directly from your site.
5. Product Preview Widget – The product preview widget is like the product banner widget only it pops up when a user hovers their mouse over a selected keyword.
6. Deals Widget – The deal widget is a real time update ad box that rotates between lighting deals, deal of the day, and best deals.
This post is a guest post written by Bridget of Guide to Smart Shopping. Her blog is related to frugal living where she blogs about living frugally, shopping deals, freebies, and more.
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