New paid to blog

Get Paid for Blogging Smorty pays you to write your opinions. Every post earns you money. Get paid weekly. http://www.smorty.com

I am waiting for my first task, I'll keep you update. It didn't take long to be approved at all. I think it was a day.

Straight Edge, Inc. - Review Updated

I wrote -Straight Edge Inc. Review in July. I just wanted to update on the status of the products. We are still using the beach place mat, but the "set the table" place mat had to go. I'm not sure what poked the hole but it started taking on water :(. I guess that's the problem with laminated place mats!

Family vacation planning

I am still holding out for a weekend get away with my kids but now with school starting I doubt it will happen. I am going to start now planning next years trip. I was sent Kango.com to review so I figured hey I'm trying to plan a family trip I'll check it out!

Kango.com is in the alpha phase right now, so they are newbies! Their home page has links to best things to do with kids & families in California & Hawaii. Plus zoo, aquarium, museum, & theme park reviews.

Kango.com is a place to submit your reviews of places you've been & to read what others thought about the places you want to go. Leave your ratings & reviews to help out other families planning their trips. I have a feeling that they will be an invaluable resource while planning our big trip with the kids!

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Straight Edge, Inc. - Review

I was asked to review some products for my readers from this awesome company Straight Edge, Inc. They sent me a sampling of their products & my kids have been bugging me ever since their Fed-Ex arrival to get off my behind & review them!


The biggest draw to my 3 year old has been the Old MacDonald Rub a Dub book. She pressed the button to play the music at least 50 times before I took it out of the plastic. It is supposed to be waterproof so it can go in the tub. It hasn't made it that far yet, but I'm sure it will at bath time.

My 7 year old has had his eye on the Ambulance Inside/Outside puzzle. He loves anything with wheels & this puzzle has it all!

The kids wanted to take it apart as soon as the wrapper came off.


I haven't had them use the "I can set the table" Write A Mat yet. We are still eating casually outside most nights, but next time we eat at the table inside it will get used.


The Beach Read a Mat is nifty & timely! We haven't been to the beach that often yet this summer but we have been a few times. Our beach is a lake beach and not VERY sandy but they've seen all the stuff on there!

The website has a huge variety of products & is well worth the stop. There are products for most of the grade levels (I'd say the periodic table mat would have come in handy during Chemistry 101...). My favorite is probably the "Quote on a Mat" with quotes on laminated mats from Thomas Edison, Gandhi, Churchill, how do you choose just one?

Coloring Pages for girls

I just was introduced to the Doll Place's Coloring Pages. The website description says it specializes in stuff to interest teen girls but I was able to find some simple lined Princess, bear, and other cartoon images for my 3 year old to scribble on. I was able to save the image & print it out for her to use. She isn't totally computer savvy yet. But she loves to color.

The neat thing I found was the "paint" color feature! Just click on the image you want to color & the pallet pops up & you can color away. For some reason I really like lazy coloring. Just fill in the space with the paint feature, I find it relaxing! It would be more girly if you were able to add glitter! Girls like glittery stuff.

This is definitely for older girls or to be visited with supervision. Some of the artwork is uploaded by members & if you stray into the doll creation they are naked, eek!

You can upload your own pen & ink picture to "color." To save your work you only have to register for a free account, then you can share your work with friends & have them color your pictures or others.

It was worth the visit & is now a permanent resident in my bookmarks!

Payperpost Love!

Have you signed up for Payperpost yet? It is the coolest thing in blog marketing yet! I have been enjoying my experience so far. I started with my first post on March 7th and have since been paid $77.25. I also have a "due" of $32.00. It takes 30 days to get paid & they send is right to my PayPal! It's not a ton of money, but I have been able to make a couple grocery store trips & buy some adorable hair clips for the Princess.

The better your page rank the better (or more) offers you can choose from. I try to be a little picky about ones that I choose. I suppose I could find a way to relate drug rehab to frugality or personal finance, but there always seems to be something more interesting to talk about! The newest cool op is to blog about your Police concert experiences. I wish I could say that I had any. Sadly I realized that I am a "radio" Police fan! The box set we used to have was far more punk rock than we were into in the day!

I am pretty sure that the rules are that you can't do back to back monetized posts, so not all my posts are Payperpost & not all my sponsored posts are either. But I do believe that it has been my most profitable so far. I am looking forward to a long relationship!

Pay Per Post Direct

Ever wondered why some blogs "Review Me" price is so high, well the blogger only gets to keep a small % of that. The rest is kept to cover expenses. The cost of blog advertising can be high if you think about it, finding advertisers, processing payments, finding bloggers, processing payments... It all adds up, just like my grocery bill!

Plus they are only the middle man, but for advertisers to get to you aren't they clicking a link on your site? Why pay the middle man so much? Pay per Post is saying that they are going to charge us a modest %10, 5% of that goes to processing payments. I think I agree that if I'm going to do most of the work anyways shouldn't I get to keep most of the cash? The bonus is I don't have to do all the HARD work! PPP is going to market eligible blogs to advertisers, meaning more opps for us all!

PPP has made it easy, an advertiser clicks your widget, can pay using a credit card & PPP pays you (-10% fee) and sends you a nice little statement at the end of the year for your tax files.

The bonus is all you have to do is stick the widget on your blog & wait! If an advertiser finds you PPP lets you know, then you just do what you do best & blog!!!

Gotta love progress!

Hawaii for less???

If you are looking to get away from it all, want to avoid the hassle of having to wait for your US passport... Then get your stressed out behind to Hawaii! This great site has tons of Kauai vacation rental units available. Why cram into a hotel room & fight the "tourists" when you can rent a house! Take the whole family, share expenses & enjoy Hawaii like a native.

Last I checked there were 226 Kauai vacation rental units available. Units are available in lots of price ranges, locations & number of bedrooms. I looked at one 4 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath home that went for $385 a night. I don't know about you but if you split that 4 ways that's only $96 a night, that sounds pretty reasonable to me! This unit has a pool, tennis, DVD player, dishwasher, laundry & a BBQ. You can cook most of your meals, pack less & wash a load or two & just kick back and enjoy the views!

We have been wanting to take a big family vacation. My parents went to the Bahama's years ago with our extended family & it just sounded like fun. I think that Hawaii sounds like a ton of fun & a great vacation destination.

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Bug Movie

This is why I don't "do" horror flicks! The trailer for this movie made me itch. I don't remember many movies or shows I viewed in childhood, but I do remember watching some tarantula movie with my Dad. After that one I can't stand to be around furry spiders, I couldn't even force myself to watch Arachnophobia. Whether the bugs are real or just imagined remains to be seen...Unless you happened to catch the theater production.

If you truly question my weird nature, keep in mind that thanks to Signs I keep my pantry door open at all times...

That said with a cast like Ashley Judd playing the waitress with a past, Michael Shannon playing the nervous eccentric drifter, & Harry Connick Jr. playing the abusive, recently paroled ex-husband I'm not sure how I could miss the bug movie. As any good horror flick should it probes the line between paranoia & a nightmarish reality. Just sounds cool to say. Wouldn't be worth seeing if it didn't probe the line!

If you know your theater, you'll know this movie is adapted from a play created by Tracy Lett, Michael Shannon actually played the role of Peter on stage before starring in the film. I doubt we'll be seeing this one at the local highschool anytime soon! With the movie being directed by William Friedkin, who also directed the Exorcist, I bet we are in for one thrilling ride.






Don't miss the bug movie set to open May 25th!

Bid 4 Prizes - what's up with that?

Winning on the lowest bid, sounds like my kind of site. Or does it...

Okay, so I checked out the bid4prizes website & I am still SO confused. I bid an amount on a "prize" but I don't have to pay that amount, if I win? Okay, so what about shipping? Yes, I pay shipping (#7 terms of service), or wait their FAQ says you don't pay for shipping on the prizes, so why do they need my credit card #, maybe for the stuff I can get from the reward store???

What about if I don't have a cell phone. ~I know, who DOESN'T have a cell phone~~ME, ME, ME!!!~ Can't find anything, guess you have to be able to receive a text message...

You can pay $9.99 a month to get a premium membership (no ads & unlimited bidding) or you can not pay, view ads & only have 20 bids per day.

Still confused, not sure if it really works, guess if someone I know wins... Oh well, I really don't need anything on the prize page anyways!

Give a weirdoo a webcam...

To read the opportunity at Payperpost.com you'd think that Person.com - webcams, chat, personals is another you-tube-ish type of site only with webcams. Sure it's for "dating" purposes, what isn't these days. Isn't myspace a "free dating site." I had to set my profile to private I was getting so many unsolicited viewers!

Well visiting Person.com just proves to me that if you give a weirdoo a webcam you are going to have to look at his privates! I am not saying that if you are into that sort of thing, it's wrong. But, I just don't think it is the best way to make that good first impression!!! Appearances are everything & unless you are looking for a gig in the adult film world, it's probably not the best marketing plan.

New job, for me too???

I have been offered up to hubby‘s new employer like food on a platter! Their food show is May 6th & 7th, and since they need help, dh offered my assistance! So Sunday & Monday I‘ll be doing whatever they decide I am best suited for & helping out. Not sure where they’ll have me, dh finds out his assignment in the next day or two. The kids will be going to my Mom's. Thankfully the boy will have school Monday & has after school math club so it won't be both kids all day for 2 days. It would really stink if there was a freak snow day!!!

I love trade shows. It's probably why he offered me to help. Especially food ones! Who wouldn't, all the food you care to sample… But Home & Outdoor shows are cool too!

We went to a food show last year with our previous food supplier for the ice cream shop. We weren't interested in most of the Trade Show Displays but we managed to sample most of the offerings anyways. And why not, that’s what we were there to do, sample!

I found that I was really attracted to the displays that had color and movement. It was much easier to grab & go the info at some tables, especially if they were busy. Getting time with a rep to ask a question was next to impossible unless they had really specialized items. We were also annoyed by the layout of the show itself, the design seemed to create bottlenecks. It didn't work that they put a paper product distributor at the END of a row next to 2 food vendors. You had to squeeze down the isle to get to the last tables.

Displays you could walk into were nice, but if they were for a popular item were hard to get through. If there was a rep out in front of the booth they were easier to talk to. Most people wanted to be behind the table & talk over it, but the ones that attracted me were reverse. The table to the back with displays & the reps in front seemed most inviting.

It seemed like the longer the vendor had been attending trade shows the better their set up was. I guess there is probably a learning curve & also better funding for the nicer displays is a plus.

Home Security Frugal or Not, You Decide

PowerLinx Announces Groundbreaking New Audio and Video Products for 2007

Let’s start with the coolest home security system I’ve seen in a while! Secure View is security made easy. If you can screw in a light bulb you can install this security system. Because all you need is the “screw in” light bulb camera & the decoder. It seems to operate using the wires in your house! They have indoor & outdoor models available. I think they are a steal at $129.99 which includes 1 light bulb & 1 decoder.

Coming soon in 2007 is their IP net Cam, which uses your homes wiring to allow you to monitor the streaming video from up to 8 different cameras. All you do is plug the companion Ethernet bridge into any electrical outlet, and connect to your network or cable modem. It sounds like the plug & play ability of the software would even allow me to be able to install it. For the price of $249.99 I’m not sure how frugal it is, but it is certainly less than my homeowners deductible. This product is coming in July. They will also be offering new audio & video equipment, including a device that will let you transmit MP3/ipod or PC music to any room using your existing wiring.

I’m not sure you can put a price tag on good quality home security & not everyone can afford to pay for around the clock monitoring. I know even in our small township we have had several break-ins during the day & while the homeowners were home. I have been locking my doors more because of it, but I’d feel that much safer if I could monitor the outside while I’m in! I think it would be great to monitor the kids outside as well. We have several blind spots & not that I’d ever let them go outside un-attended for long, it would be nice to be able to get the dishes done while they played safely in the sandbox once in a while!

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Mortgage Low Down Review

Mortgage Lowdown is a blog about mortgages & is now hosting the Carnival of Home Improvement. I think I need to get in on that one! I have a ton of finished & upcoming projects. Plus we are looking for a lender & advice on what we should or shouldn't do, regarding our house. This looks like the spot to lurk! I need to go surf the 2 Carnivals that are up, maybe someone will have a quick fix to my sagging dropped ceilings (some people should need to take a test before they buy power tools!)

$1K opportunity

Here is a way to make your blogging pay some REAL money! Pay Per Post is announcing 1K Tuesday it started April 3rd & is running until the end of April. It means that they will be releasing a $1000 opportunity to all of their members. No requirements like Page Rank, Alexa Score, etc... So anytime on Tuesday between 12 midnight & 11:59 PM the opp elves at Pay Per Post will release an opportunity worth $1000 to whomever snags it.

I am guessing this is the Great opportunity they had us buzzing about a couple weeks ago. I am a little disappointed that it had nothing to do with Aliens...But anywho $1000 is really awesome!!! At least a little more relevant to my life, than life on another planet. Since Life where I live might as well be on another planet when compared to other places!

This event is sponsored by Zookoda, an email marketing application to get yourblog traffic increased. Sounds really nifty.

I think I am off to check out Zookoda, because it sounds REALLY cool.


***What would Frugal Momma Do with $1000 right now? I'd send $250 to my emergency fund, leave $250 on my card & give the other $500 to hubby so he can get my van running again, woohoo!!!

Heart Vault.com - Digital Scrapbooks

Ever since the GHDC of 2007 (great hard drive crash!) I have been looking for ways to put my photos & stuff out there, so I can get it back, if I ever have a problem again. The search led me to Online Digital Scrapbooks at Heartvault.com.

I gave it a go & had a ton of problems, good thing they are still in beta! I used the "slow" upload photo method, it wasn't really slow, but I found making a scrapbook to be confusing & I don't think it worked! I'll have to give it a try later & see if I can get it to do what I want it to. That said the collection of papers & "stickers" is cool.

Blogger Choice Awards 2007

The blogger awards are coming! Winners will be announced June 2nd at PostieCon in Orlando Florida. The opp read that voting is only through the end of March, but I am guessing that is a type-o considering it is already April 6th & they are still taking nominations & voting is open.

I'm not going to PostieCon, but I can't wait to hear who the winners are... I'll be on pins & needles until June 2nd, I just know it! I hope someone I "know" wins something.

The categories are neat like the "Best Food Blog," "Hottest Mommy Blogger," & my favorite "Worst Blog of all Time." Too funny!

I have a feeling I am going to be spending hours going through & reading all the nominations. I'll have to look & see if anyone I read regularly was nominated. I also have to wonder why Cass Knits was nominated for the Worst Blog of All Time... unless she nominated her self, which sounds like something I would do!!! It reads like a really good knitting blog! I wouldn't nominate myself in my own category, that's too obnoxious...maybe I should be the Most Obnoxious Blogger, no I'm sure there are worse out there!!!

I am still waiting for my email verification so I can go vote, not sure what happened to it, it didn't go to my junk file, just lost in cyber-space I guess! Not sure how I can log in then, guess I'll have to attempt to sign up using a different email & see if that works any better!

I have seen lots of badges up at some of the blogs I visit, so make sure you are clicking & sharing the love out there! Never know next time it could be you!!!

Music is everywhere

I was just turned on to Unsigned.com They have a huge collection of unsigned artists in just about every genre you can imagine. They have a bunch of Country Artists. Of course I went right for the Hard Rock genre and found a really interesting "local" band...okay Rochester isn't exactly close, but I've driven that far for a concert before (just in the other directions...) I like how the Internet is becoming more & more influential in who we listen to, we can decide, instead of having to wait for the "industry" to decide for us. Doesn't it really get to you when you buy a CD (or in my case cassette or album...eek) and the best songs aren't released for radio play...grrr. Now we can listen to whatever we want because music is EVERYWHERE online. Now you can generate buzz with out having to land the big contracts!

New Online Affiliate Program

Small Business Mavericks has announced the launch of their powerful new affiliate program. It is a 2 tiered commission plan. You can earn 35% on products you sell directly & 15% on products sold by people you refer to the program & become affiliates.

I have just signed up for the affiliate program & am awaiting approval so I can't offer any real feed back yet. They asked for the usual affiliate information. It was easy to do & only took a couple minutes!

The website seems to feature two books written by Caroline Melberg. The first "Local Small Biz Marketing Secrets How to Use E-mail to Skyrocket Your Sales
Without Burning a Hole in Your Pocket!" for $49. The second "How to Get Massive Publicity on a Shoestring Budget!" for $39.

So if you are into math, if someone bought a book from you you would earn between $13 - $17. If you referred someone who sold a book you'd earn between $5 - $7.

The website offers a free newsletter, which I have signed up for. They also have links to free articles & Melberg Marketing.

I'll keep you posted!

loudlaunch

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Baby wearing

I admit it... I never got this exercise. I loved the idea of "wearing" your baby, something about comfort & closeness. It was just never a priority to me. I did have a baby carrier, it even converted from front to back. I watched the video & we made it work for the front a few times with the Prince. By the time the Princess was born I had misplaced the video & darned if I could figure out what snaps went where. Didn't want her falling out while we were walking.

We even had one of those back pack like things for when they became toddlers. The Prince was ok in it, except he was heavy and trying to find a spot to get him off wasn't easy. But it was convenient for when we went to a couple festival things. We didn't really do anything with the Princess, second child, less money, increased gas prices... We just don't travel as much as we used to.

The idea of wearing her around the house seemed novel. At least then I'd know where she was if I had to go into a different room. ~ My children became mobile WAY to early. ~ I just couldn't figure out the carrier we had & there was no way I could have convinced dh to buy a new one.

I was just introduced to Attached to baby. They seem to have a ton of varieties & styles of slings, carriers, wraps & pouches. It also seems that the price of such things has come down in the few years since I've looked at them. I think the sling might have been a better option for me than the carrier. It SEEMS less confusing & with fewer parts!


I am really attracted to the baby legs. I have seen these in numerous places & have made them a mental must-have for my sisters kids (when she has one!). They just look so comfy & I want a pair for myself...

They also have doll carriers, wraps & slings so the older sister can pretend, how cute! If the Princess had one & we were (not possible!) going to have another, my fear would be she wouldn't pretend...

They even have an outlet for us frugalites!