April 29, 2008
If your kids love yogurt like mine do, you won’t want to miss this coupon for a free sample of Yoplait Kids yogurt. Yogurt is a great way to get your kids to eat healthy - mine think it’s a great snack in between meals! (Yoplait in particular contains no artificial flavors or sweeteners and has 25% less sugar than other yogurt brands marketed to kids.)
1:13 pm
Filed under Buy Me!
Leave a Comment »
April 24, 2008
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Boston for a business trip. I can say I’ve “been to Boston”, but I didn’t exactly see the sights. My plan got into Logan Airport in the evening, and it was already dark by the time we got a rental car. I drove out to the suburbs (Waltham) to my hotel and checked in just before midnight, and then spent 2 days at the Boston office of my employer. Back to the airport and the trip was over…wheee!
I am a HUGE history geek so Boston is a place I want to get to soon! (Watching John Adams on HBO these past few weeks has only reinforced that interest) There are all kinds of fun and historical things to do in Boston! How about a ghost and gravestones tour? Or walking along the Boston Freedom Trail? There’s even a walking tour of Plymouth that will give you insight into how the pilgrims once lived in the area. Sightseeing tours are such a great way to learn about a city like Boston.
If you’re worried about finding your way around town, enter to win a handheld GPS from Trusted Tours & Attractions just by signing up for their newsletter!
1:09 pm
Filed under Going Places
Leave a Comment »
The Tuesday night (April 22, 2008) Springsteen show at the Ice Palace was amazing. It was the third time Jim and I have seen Springsteen in concert, and the 2nd time we’ve seen him with the E Street Band. Each time I see Bruce Springsteen in person, he blows me away. He’s going to be 60 years old next fall, but he gives you your moneys worth each and every time. The band came on stage around 8:15 and a recorded version of “Blood Brothers” played while they showed pictures of Danny Federici on a big screen. The Tampa show was the first since Federici died, and you could feel the raw emotion going around the arena. As soon as the song ended, the band started up with Backstreets and they didn’t stop for almost 3 hours! The encore alone was thirty minutes long. I love the banter that comes out of Bruce’s mouth, and the man could have easily been a preacher the way he commands your attention. We were beyond excited when the band started playing “Because The Night” (which you probably know as a hit of Natalie Merchant’s) because our kids know and love that song. Hearing 4th of July, Asbury Park and Born To Run made my night!
Here’s the set list:
Backstreets
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
No Surrender
Gypsy Biker
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
Growin’ Up
Atlantic City
Because The Night
Darkness On The Edge Of Town
She’s The One
Livin’ In The Future
The Promised Land
Waitin’ On A Sunny Day
Brilliant Disguise
Racing In The Street
The Rising
Last To Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
Out In The Street
Encore:
I’ll Fly Away
Rosalita
Born To Run
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
American Land
11:57 am
Filed under Entertainment
1 Comment »
April 19, 2008
The Monday night Bruce Springsteen show in Tampa HAS been rescheduled after all. Instead of April 21st (Monday night) the show will be held on April 22nd (Tuesday night). Monday night tickets will be honored, and if you can’t make it on Tuesday night, you’re eligible for a refund on your ticket.
The new date actually works out better for us, because the boy has a baseball game on Monday evening that he was going to miss. I hope it works out just as well for Jim - he took off Monday and Tuesday in anticipation of attending the show on Monday night.
8:04 am
Filed under Entertainment
3 Comments »
April 18, 2008
I just walked Gracie across the street to the neighbor’s house for a sleepover. As I stood at their front door, talking to the neighbor girl’s dad, I turned my head back took look at our house. It’s almost dark out, and with the lights on, I could see right into the upstairs landing and one of the upstairs bedrooms.
It was then that I realized how great the view was for the neighbors, and what they might be seeing. It’s not uncommon for me to take a shower in the middle of the day and realize AFTER I’m out of the shower that I need to grab clothes out of the laundry room. And yes, I have made the mad dash across the upstairs hall from my bedroom to the laundry room - sometimes wrapped in a towel, and sometimes…naked.
Gosh, no wonder they’re so friendly to us - they’ve been enjoying the free show!
7:30 pm
Filed under Daily Happenings
2 Comments »
About a year and a half ago, I heard about a brand new company that wanted to let ME make money blogging. My hosting fees run me about $5-$10 a month, and I had been blogging for a few years, so I thought, “What do I have to lose?” I signed up for PayPerPost in July of 2006 with the goal of making enough money each month to cover my hosting fees.
That was 1 1/2 years and 6 blogs ago, and I’m still going strong with PayPerPost - to the tune of $21,606.81 in my Paypal account. The money I’ve made from blogging has paid for:
- Orthodontic work for my middle child
- A trip to Las Vegas for my husband and I
- A trip to Amsterdam for my husband and I
- A motorcycle for my husband
- And plenty of odds and ends - new clothes, dinner out, special treats for the family…
None of it would have been possible without PayPerPost (now known as Izea) and that’s why I’m so excited about their latest product, SocialSpark. When Ted told me what he had in mind, I was intrigued. The site is one part paid blogging, one part social networking, and it’s going to change the world. Or at least the internet world! One of the biggest differences between SocialSpark and PayPerPost is the ability to make money in different ways. You can get paid for posts, like this one, or you can take a blog sponsorship and get paid a daily rate for a set number of days. I can’t wait to see what kind of companies and brands come on board for the blog sponsorships - with the amount of time I spend watching and writing about television, wouldn’t it be neat if one of the networks chose to market a new show through a blog sponsorship? Or what about a new summer blockbuster hitting the theaters - the possibilities are endless!
Now of course, not everyone will hit SocialSpark like gangbusters and earn the amount of money I have - but the potential is definitely there. The neatest thing about this new incarnation is the choices offered - it’s really all about how YOU choose to monetize your blog. Don’t forget about the social networking aspect either - getting to interact with other bloggers and advertisers is a major piece of SocialSpark, and I’m looking forward to seeing those relationships play out. Another big piece - sparks! You can set up your own free opps for other bloggers to take, and even offer to blog about their blog in return. SocialSpark is doing so much to help us build relationships with other bloggers, and make our blogs better!
If I can make $20,000 sitting at home watching TV and blogging - so can you! Grab a blog opportunity in between dirty diapers, or set up a new sponsorship while you’re cooking dinner. Accept a new friend request while the kids are down for a nap, or write up your own opp before heading out to do carpool. The choice is yours!
3:33 pm
Filed under Daily Happenings
Leave a Comment »
Jim was listening to the Springsteen channel on Sirius this morning and happened to hear an announcement about the death of E Street keyboardist Danny Federici. Of course we were saddened to hear about the death of someone in a band we love, but we were also concerned about our tickets for the Monday night Springsteen show in Tampa. Federici hasn’t been performing with the band for the past month due to his illness, but understandably, after you work with a guy for 40 years, you want to take time off to mourn his passing.
Bruce Springsteen has postponed the show dates in Sunrise, Fl and Orlando, Fl, which were to be played tonight and tomorrow night, and those dates will be rescheduled at another time. Monday’s show in Tampa at the St. Pete Times Forum will still go on. Since it will be the first show since Federici’s passing from melanoma, I’m expecting the band to do a live tribute with the songs that best display Federici’s signature keyboard style. Federici had an organ solo during “Hungry Heart”, and he played the accordion in “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)”, which is one of my favorite songs.
This will be our third time seeing Bruce Springsteen, and I think it’s going to be a night we’ll never forget.
8:50 am
Filed under Entertainment
Leave a Comment »
April 16, 2008
We’re having our first fundraiser for the Avon Walk this weekend - I’m excited! Ok, ok, I’m not too excited about standing in front of the grocery store for 6 hours begging for money, but I am excited about adding to my fundraising total. I need to raise $1800 and I’m at $200+ right now, so I’ve got a LONG way to go. My friends and I are going to wear the Avon shirts we got for signing up for the walk, and I’m bringing the small poster Avon sent me as well. It’s teeny, but it’s all I’ve got. I should consider buying a sign for our future fundraising efforts - something eye catching and to the point. I don’t normally have my car close by when we’re doing events like this, so one of those magnetic signs wouldn’t work, but a large banner would! Did you know you can design and purchase a sign from BuildASign.com in less than 5 minutes? I have exactly zero free time, so being able to take care of what I need online, and quickly, is a huge plus!
I love that you can upload your own images on the signs too - we’ve got a great picture of our team finishing the 3-Day walk last year that would be perfect!
2:40 pm
Filed under Buy Me!
1 Comment »
During our trip to the fair this weekend, we took a short break in one of the entertainment tents. It seemed like a nice place to sit and enjoy our funnel cakes and take a load off. There was a local guy singing some country songs to the small crowd, and while country music definitely isn’t my favorite genre, he wasn’t half bad. He finished up the song we entered on and started a new song…about a verse in, he walked over to the table we were sitting at and started crooning to ME! I didn’t recognize the song, but I caught something about “You’re doin’ all you can, to get in them old jeans, you want that body back, you had at seventeen…well baby don’t be down, don’t you worry about a thing, cuz the way you fool around, hey that’s alright with me! I don’t want the girl you used to be, and if you ain’t noticed, the kids are fast asleep!”
The crowd was dying at this point, as this country singer singled me out - obviously the perfect victim for this song, as I sat with my husband and three kids. I’ve since found out that the song is One Hot Mama from Trace Adkins - hey, I know who that is thanks to Celebrity Apprentice! It was the perfect thing to happen as Jim and I celebrated our 12th anniversary, and really made us laugh…
2:15 pm
Filed under Entertainment
Leave a Comment »
You know what stinks?
Wet dog. Even slightly damn dog is not a scent I want to immerse myself in. Bailey went to groomer earlier this week for a bath, and she was completely dry when she came home…but she still had that “just bathed” dog smell. Ick! I hate walking into the house and smelling the scents that come along with owning two dogs, or all of the other smells that come from day to day living. 
For example, Jim cooked bacon for breakfast earlier in the week. I didn’t notice then smell so much then, but every time I’ve walked into my kitchen since, I smell bacon grease. This picture of my kitchen was taken the day we moved in - look how clean and sparkly it was then! It didn’t smell like bacon, or last night’s chili. You can’t tell from this picture, but the downstairs in our house is pretty open - the kitchen connects to the family room, which means any bad smells (bacon, burnt popcorn, etc) easily waft their way around the whole house. I had a vanilla scenty thingamajig in the foyer, but it doesn’t seem to be doing much for the first impressions created when people arrive at our house. I have my coupon all printed out and sitting here on my desk to one of the new Renuzit TriScents - it’s just a matter of getting to the store and picking one out so I can get the house smelling brand new again.
And, in order to promote Renuzit TriScents, the company is sponsoring a $20,000 Transform Your Home promotion! What would YOU do with $20,000 to change your house? I’m thinking hardwood floors in the hall upstairs, and a nice extended patio outside on which I could park a jacuzzi. To enter the contest, just upload a photo or a video and a short essay on why your home needs a makeover, and how you’d Tranform Your Home, as well as how Renuzit TriScents can help you! Be sure to follow the official rules.
2:02 pm
Filed under Buy Me!, Home Sweet Home
1 Comment »
