NaBloPoMo: Learning

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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.

More Ways to Earn Money Writing Articles

Forgive me for not posting in a few days. I was sick all weekend and am just now beginning to feel better. So much for my posting every day, huh? But I will attempt to make up for it after the end of the month!

I've recently been searching for more writing opportunities since I'm not making money with Demand Studios any more. I still occasionally write for textbroker, but honestly, the pay is so small, sometimes it doesn't seem to make it worth my time. I really can't believe how much some people expect from a writer for such small pay.

Examiner seems to be a great place for writers. With Examiner, you must apply to be a writer for them. They have numerous subjects that you can choose from, but if you are hired for a specific subject you have to stick with that subject. They also go by your location, so for instance, I was approved to be an Animal Advocacy writer (which goes right along with my last post, eh?), so I have written a few articles on various things regarding animals. I wrote an event article about a local Pit Bull adoption event and also wrote an article on why people should adopt from shelters instead of breeders/pet stores. Articles are only required to be at least 200 words and no more than 400. They feel that an article that is too long will not keep the reader's attention (makes sense). This means, that the articles can be written fairly easily. I began earning money right away. I've only written a few articles for them so far, but could see this as being a good income source once I get a lot of articles under my belt. Pay is based on a variety of things including page views, and ad clicks...etc.. Apply with Examiner here.

Infobarrel is another writing platform. Your first article has to be approved for publishing, but after that, no approval is needed for future articles. You earn money via your own adsense account, amazon, and chitika accounts. I have only written a couple of articles for them as well, but have plans for more in the future.

Seekyt is another one that also uses adsense and amazon. I have not signed up with this one yet, but would love to know if anyone reading this has any information on them?

The difficult thing with using these websites is knowing which one is the best to make money with. Should you only use one single platform, or should you spread your articles around? It's so difficult to know which ones to sign up with. I have quite a few articles on Suite 101, but have only made about $90 in the last year. Should I put all of my articles on there to grow it? Or try these other places? Ahhhh! Here's an article I wrote last year regarding ways that you can promote your articles . I still use all of these, along with facebook and Twitter.

Would love some comments from any of the other writers out there? What works the best for you??

NaBloPoMo: My Passion

What is your secret (or not so secret) passion?

Anyone who knows me, knows about my passion, so it is definitely not a secret. My biggest passion is animals. I have loved animals ever since I can remember. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a Veterinarian.. until I realized that vets also put animals to sleep. When I went back to school a couple of years ago, I originally wanted to be a vet. tech., but was worried about how I would handle that job emotionally. I cry really easily when it comes to animals being hurt. Animals are such wonderful creatures. They love unconditionally. Most of them are not born mean and they just want to be loved. Even though I ended up going to school for Medical Assisting, I still plan to do something for animals. I have plans. Once I get a job and my husband gets back to work, I want to fence in our back yard. We have a big back yard. Then I want to begin fostering dogs, especially ones that need extra socialization. I really love Pit Bulls. We have one and he is absolutely the best dog I have ever had. He is so intelligent and all he wants to do is make us happy and be next to us. I would love to, one day, take in homeless pit bulls, train and socialize them properly, and adopt them out (to a safe family). So those are my plans for the future. I have written quite a few articles on Animal Abuse, Behavior, Training, and Pit Bulls. I recently became an Animal Advocacy writer on Examiner.com (more on that coming soon, hopefully tomorrow).

My other passion is music. Not your typical country music or crap you hear on the radio. No, I don't like mainstream stuff. I like rock and metal music. I used to travel all over the country to go to festivals and concerts. I've been to close to 100 concerts, met lots of bands. Even though it is aggressive music, it relaxes me and puts me in a good mood. I'd go crazy without my music! I used to run my own underground metal music magazine when I was younger and I got to interview a lot of bands. Wow, I had fun when I was younger.

Yes, that's my fur baby up there!

NaBloPoMo: My Home

When was the first time that you realized your home was not like other people's homes?

Never really thought about this. What's to say that my home isn't like other people's homes? Maybe it's not like other people's homes because I have so many pets? A big dog and 5 cats, not to mention 3 children and two adults? Maybe it's not like some people's homes but maybe it is like others? Why is mine not like others? Because it is mine. My husband and I bought it and fixed it up. It's not completely done yet, but we have plans for the rest. It is OURS. No one can take it away from us (unless we don't pay taxes). We have no landlord to worry about, no rent to pay every month. It is ours. Our first real home. We have a room in the back that is going to be our theatre room. We just haven't been able to finish it because my husband had shoulder surgery and now that he is almost fully recovered, we are waiting for him to get back to work and catch up on bills before we can finish it. We have some cool plans for it. We already painted the walls black. We are either going to put our big screen TV out there or get a projector that plays DVDs. We are going to hang movie posters up all over the room and the hallway that leads to the room. There is a couch out there right now. Actually, the kids use it as a play room for now until we can get it the way we want it. We will eventually get some bean bag chairs out there. One day everything will be done, but no matter what, it is ours.

Advertising Works!

Things have changed over the past 10 years or so. Although the days of billboards and radio advertisements are not completely dead, many advertisers are choosing to go the digital route, specifically, internet marketing.

That Advertising Agency is a new age type of advertising agency. They work with companies of all sizes and budgets both big and small to find the perfect advertising route that works for you. They do the hard work for you by taking a look at your advertising budget and figuring out which advertising methods would be best for you and your company. This may be pay per clicks, search engine optimization, or social media advertisements on websites such as Facebook or Twitter.

They don’t just do internet marketing though, they can also design a TV commercial for you or a print advertisements for magazines or newspapers. The possibilities are endless, and they are ready to find what will bring you the best traffic. They also offer brand identity services as well, or they can plan special events just to showcase your products or business.

To ensure your satisfaction, they also offer you a way to track your advertisements so that you can see up to date reports on how successful your advertising campaigns are. Whether you are just starting your own business or have been around for awhile, advertising is key to bringing customers to your door.

*This is a paid post.

Balancing Life: NaBloPoMo

How do you balance your children, relationship, and work?

Since I'm sort of jobless at the moment, work isn't much of a problem, although I do spend a lot of time searching for ways to make money from home online until I find a job. I've just graduated college, so now I'm on the job hunt for a job outside of the home. To be honest, I don't want to work from home forever. I enjoy getting out of the house and talking to adults during the day. I'm sure I will change my mind about that once I do get a job and have to get up at the crack of dawn and go outside in the freezing cold, haha. I do a lot of different things online to earn money though, so many hours of the day are spent on the computer. I try to do most of that during the day while my kids are at school. I help the kids with their homework in the evenings and we all sit down to dinner together. On the weekends, we usually have something planned to do as a family together.

As far as my relationship with my husband goes, well, to be honest, that doesn't get much time and it's something we both need to work on. What about you? How do you balance everything?

NaBloPoMo! Say what?

I have joined this:





I decided to join for a few reasons. First of all, I really don't write a lot of personal things on this blog; I try to keep it more on topic regarding working from home. I thought this would be a great way for my readers to get to know ME a little better. Secondly, hopefully, this will keep me on track with posting every day (I know everyone will be in shock!). Thirdly, I can win prizes! eeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Of course, there may be days where I'm so busy I may not have the time to get a post written. I promise though that I will try my best to post every day, even if it's just short and sweet. Each day, there will be a new prompt for bloggers to write about. We don't choose the prompt, it is given to us. When I signed up, there were over 2,000 blogs joining this, so it's exciting for me to be the part of something so big. I hope my readers enjoy it. Is anyone else participating in this?