Life and GPTs

I like the extra money I am getting in from Cash Crate and Deal Barbie Pays. Free money is always fun, especially when it does not take a rocket scientist to earn it. LOL. Such simple, quick, and easy work is... well... simple, quick and easy to earn FREE money. Who wouldn't love that?

Anyways, the point of this post, is that I am needing to find a balance. Since finding Deal Barbie Pays on March 2nd and still wanting to stick with Cash Crate to boost my profits this month, I am really becoming more and more bogged down. Not with completing offers or anything, but just everything involved along with it (blogging, promoting, helping referrals, and of course my family and offline life).

So many commitments, and so little time in the day to get everything done.

Of course, my family and myself comes first. If my son needs me, I am here and I will be with him for as long as necessary or wanted. I play with him throughout the day (when he wants to, funny how independent 14 month olds get). I cook and eat meals... And if I need to run a few errands or have appointments on a day, well of course those cannot be neglected.

Next comes my emails and helping referrals (sometimes comes in emails). Even if I don't have time or energy to get offers done myself, helping my downline will still help me flourish. I also don't mind helping anyone that has a question (even if they are not my referral), because good karma and a good reputation are always great things to send out to the Universe. Good things will always come back.

When all that is said and done, then I can have time to complete offers for myself (usually during the baby's first nap or after he goes to bed until midnight or later). Completing offers for me is a task to be done with complete focus. I find that offers confirm better and faster that way. I clean my computer, history, recycle bin, run CCleaner, and everything. I close all programs, maybe even restart my computer to start from scratch. My disk defrag is run weekly at the same time to keep my computer running smoothly.

Anyways, then I open one browser (maybe IE) and open my GMail and any other email program I need to check during the process. Then I open an alternate browser (like Firefox) and will use that browser for the GPT site I will complete offers on (Cash Crate or Deal Barbie Pays currently). I only do one at a time, and I alternate which browser is for emails or the GPT site. (So, the next time around Firefox would be my emails, and IE would be the GPT sites.) I also alternate which site I start with as well, and if I find one to not be confirming currently, I will switch to the other until something starts happening.

Oh and of course, lastly after all that, if I have time, is my blogging, which kind of counts as my referral support, but is still entirely on its own. Then I have to also promote it all in some way to get any kind of feedback. Just having this blog means nothing. It's not going to drive its own traffic here. Just think... how did you get here? I posted something on Twitter about it, you viewed any number of my profiles with it linked there, a traffic referral site, a forum posting I made with a link here, or a message I sent you when you asked for my tips... etc. The rarest form lately is people coming from search engines. However I have noticed an increase in traffic from searches, but that always takes time and thought when writing my posts.

All of it takes time, energy and effort. And as much as I want to spend working on offers or working on blogging (because those are my two favorite things), I still have to focus some effort on the other things to make it all worth while. So, if you have an advice for me, please feel free to leave it in the comments below or email me.

I also love to hear if you found something very useful on here. Feel free to comment, email, or let me know if I was helpful. I also take testimonials for my websites. *grin* Hey karma can be advertised for. *wink*

Home Business Ideas

I have been thinking lately of more and more home business ideas. I am still on a roll with Cash Crate, and I have even made a new blog dedicated to becoming debt free using it. So, check me out there, and once I get my check in March (which I am already guaranteed to get) I will post a pic for you all to see the proof.

In the meantime, besides pouring myself into my kids and Cash Crate, I still need more. Don't we all need more money in this income? So, until my Cash Crate really begins to add up (mostly waiting on getting more referrals, come on all and join me *wink*), I need another form of passive or aggresive income to sustain us.

My newest idea is to teach kids (or adults) how to crochet. My mother taught me, and even though I have never finished a blanket, I know how to crochet and I have always been told that I am a great teacher. The only reason I have not finished a blanket is because of my Rheumatoid Arthritis. However I think that teaching someone for 30 min to an hour a night (or day) a couple of times a week wouldn't kill my arms.

If that idea is not a break out one, I have some others. Such as:

• Tutor
• Selling on Ebay
• Pet sitting
• Baby sitting
• Selling baked goods
• Selling crafty 'recipes in a jar'

Hmm... that's all I think I got for now. Do you have any other ideas or methods you use as supplemental income?

10 Tips to Help You Get Started Earning Money Online Fast with Cash Crate

Yes, it's true. I finally cracked last night and began using Cash Crate to make some money online. I was reading an article on Work At Home Mom Revolution which directed me to Frugal Dad's post for Side Hustles To Keep Your Family Finances Afloat. He has some really great ideas, but some that would not work for me right now. However I grew more curious about other information he gave out on his blog and ended up stumbling across this post about Cash Crate being legit and how much he actually earned himself! He even included a photo of his last check for $203.22!

[For my loyal readers and friends, please click on one of my banners or visit Cash Crate.com if you are interested in joining Cash Crate for yourself. That would help me out greatly. Much appreciated :) ]

I know I had tried doing Cash Crate years ago, however I ended up not making it to the minimum (which was $10) and just became bored of the whole task. Now the minimum payout is up to $20, but I am still going to test it out.

Mostly because Frugal Dad included some helpful tips on how to get started with Cash Crate to earn money in your first month, and then I also did some research and found many other helpful hints, tips, and tricks to help you earn money the fastest using Cash Crate and with only an hour of commitment a day!

Here is a summary of the tips I have discovered, and am using myself:

1. Create a "spam" email account. Instead of using any email account that you actually look at, I suggest creating a free one that you supply to the offers. Supposedly you can use a different email address than the one you specify to Cash Crate, I'm still not sure on that. So, I created one that everything Cash Crate is directed to. I used Gmail to do so, and I applied a filter to all Cash Crate incoming emails to be forwarded to an email I do check since those are the only emails I will care to read.
   
2. Create a "spam" voice mail number. Yes, I was stoked to find this tip. Go to simplevoicebox.com or grandcentral.com (I used Simple Voice Box), and you can set up a free number that you can direct the offers to instead of one of your personal real phone numbers. The number is simply a voice mailbox that you customize, and can check (if you want). Voila. No spam phone calls!
3. Sign up for the Do Not Call list. I had already done a few offers before I found the tip about a free number, so I placed the number I was using onto the Do Not Call list in hopes that these offers will be deterred.
4. Do NOT use a fake address when completing offers. You are required by Cash Crate to provide each offer with valid information, therefore if you give a fake address you may get deleted by Cash Crate or not credited your money. Also, all the information you provide to Cash Crate directly when registering should be accurate, because they send you real checks. Giving them a false name or address will make it impossible to receive and cash these checks.
   
5. Complete the 100% free offers. After registering, go to the “Complete Offers” menu, select “100% Free” from the “Show:” drop down menu filter. These surveys don’t pay as much, but they are typically shorter and do not require a credit card to participate. These are the only offers I am going to complete. Also, sort them by 'Rating' instead of by 'Payout', because you will receive credit for the money earned from those with higher ratings faster.
   
6. Download and use Robo Form. This quick, easy, and free program installs a toolbar in your web browser, and it allows you to save profile information for things like surveys. Then with the click of a button, Robo Form will fill in required information as you have specified. Check out this video I found that shows you how to get started with Cash Crate, and has a little tid bit about Robo Form.
7. Clear your cookies before and after each offer. This will allow you to do the multiple offers, and will make it easier for Cash Crate to confirm your offers quicker. Thus changing your pending money into earned money faster! In FireFox or Flock, you can do this by going to "Tools", "Clear Private Data...", and then unselect all the boxes and only check the one for "Cookies." Then click "Clear Private Data Now."
8. Hit "No" to any and all of the special offers. You do have to submit your information to the first form as indicated by Cash Crate. However after that there will be literally dozens of "special offers" that pop up on many screens after (I don't mean pop ups). This is the most time consuming part of the whole process, and this is where Robo Form comes in handy a great deal. Even if it pops up saying you must say 'yes' to at least one offer, say 'yes' and then on the next page look for a "Skip" or "No thanks" and select that. Do NOT submit your information to any other offers except the first one required by Cash Crate. For help understanding what I am talking about, check out the video I mentioned earlier and around minute 4:00 he actually walks you through completing an offer.
9. You can hit Alt-= to fill in all NO's. When you have a page where there is a list of offers and you have to select 'yes' or 'no' to all of them (always choose no, and yes for only one if required), simply hold down Alt and hit the = key and this will fill in all the No's for you. ;) Pretty cool, huh?
10. On the final page, click on at least 2 offers, let the pages load, and then you're done. At the end of nearly every survey will be a page saying something like "Final Steps: Please complete at least 2 of the offers below." Simply click on two of the offers (usually pictures linking to the site), and let the pages load completely to make them think you visited there. Then close out of all the windows/tabs until you are back at the Cash Crate offers menu. Find the offer you just completed, and hit submit. Once it shows a banner saying it was submitted, clear your cookies like I said in #7. Voila, one offer done and pending. (Also, once you delete your cookies, you will be logged out of Cash Crate, kind of a pain, but simply reload the page and log back in. If you have Robo Form installed, it will save your log in info for you.)

Currently I have $6.30 earned in my Cash Crate account and $24.15 pending, and that was only from signing up late last night. Also, this is the first of the month, so I have 27 more days to earn at least $13.70! I have high hopes that I will be receiving a check around March 15th. LOL. 

Do you use Cash Crate? Did you have a good experience or a bad experience? If you have any other tips or tricks, please share below. Did you find one of my tips helpful? If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, feel free to post a comment below or email me at mel [dot] bail [dot] mama [at] gmail [dot] com.

Baby Chaleco ~ Chic Baby Bibs

I was fortunate to be chosen to review one of the prized waterproof baby bibs from BabyChaleco.com. When I received my Baby Chaleco, I was thrilled with the stylish and fancy material used. It is paired so eloquently with the whimsical 'car into the tunnel' design, which by the way, that tunnel is a pocket. Not 100% functional for many things, but my son likes to find things himself, so I invented a fun game by hiding his spoon in there and he would try to do the same.

You could also stuff a wet nap in there for when they are finished eating to wipe down the baby's face. I know my son can never sit still while eating (especially at parties), so I would have to chase him all over, then pick him up, find my diaper bag, and struggle to get a wipe and wipe his face down. Having this simple little pocket saves me much running around.

The Baby Chaleco features an absorbent, poly-cotton blend on top, and a 100% nylon liner underneath. So, all the drool will get absorbed into the material and stay there without soaking the baby's clothes underneath.

Personally, I not only go through clothes like no one else, but also bibs, because my son will drool right through the bib and onto his clothes. I can never just put him in a cute outfit and have it stay that way for long. Or I have to cover that outfit up with a possibly, but most often not, matching bib. And let's face it, family parties/events always seem to happen right when baby is in the peak of cutting a tooth.

But let's be honest moms out there, after the age of 6 months, there are no outfits that you can buy in stores with matching bibs. Why is it only cute for an infant that can't even sit up to have a bib and outfit set? Plus those bibs are just for fashion, and barely large enough to cover their necks.

Other bibs with this same waterproof concept that I have found in stores are usually pull over kinds with no snaps or velcro. However the problem with those is that they are never snug enough to the neck and my son will drool underneath the bib anyways. So, they are just pointless. Also, my son tends to pull on bibs of any style, however with the Baby Chaleco it was just like another shirt. He didn't even realize he was wearing a bib, so he left it alone as if I had put a vest or sweater on him.

The Baby Chaleco's fit very snuggly (but not too snuggly lol) around the baby's neck with an easy-to-snap two button enclosure over one shoulder. This makes getting the bib on and off very easy because the neck and arm hole open to one wider opening. It also makes the bib what I would like to call "pull-proof." This feature also helps when the baby is done eating and covered in whatever he was eating, because you can lift it straight off of him instead of pulling it over his head, which usually causes food to get stuck in the hair or on the forehead.

The Baby Chaleco is very chic and stylish looking, and as long as my son is wearing blue/black jeans, khakis, or blue/black sweatpants (which is just about all the options he has), this bib matches all his outfits. The shirt matching is not at all an issue, because it wraps competely around him covering his entire shirt. The velvet material in back is a very fancy touch. I was able to show my son's new baby bib off at a recent family party for a very wealthy relative, and everyone was in awe at the style and craftiness of this bib. Well, that was after I told them it was a bib. They thought it looked like a little vest, but that's because it does! I can even leave him in the bib while he is running around and no one can tell the difference. He looks just as good as ever.

You would never know that he is wearing a baby bib it looks so good. I recommend this stylish baby bib for any mom with toddlers, because it is stylish yet affordable. And it will save you loads of hassle time during family parties.

Do you have a Baby Chaleco? What do you love about yours?
If not, would you want one? Why?
Visit their website to enter to win your very own Baby Chaleco.

What is my niche?

So, it has been pointed out that I don't really have a niche on this blog, or at least one is not directly referenced anywhere. Well, yes, you caught me. As I have said before, I am a new blogger. I am trying to find my niche, my way, and grow a readership while I am at it. I have been following JessicaKnows' 15 days of Marketing, which started out easy but then I got stuck.

Being so new, I don't have any contacts and barely any tweeps that I keep a consistent daily banter with. I sort of jump into conversations very unannounced and often very unappreciated. Yes, that is making me feel insecure, unwelcome, and unmotivated to keep going. However, I just keep at it and hope that I will find my niche.

I have also read in so many places that the best way to receive feedback for how you are doing is to ask. Well, correct me if I am wrong, but I have been asking. I am practically blue in the face over it. And what do I have to show for all the questions I shovel out on a daily basis? Zippo! Am I asking the wrong questions to the wrong crowd? Or am I just being too overexcited with this whole blogging thing? Perhaps it is not for me. Well, back to the first issue, what is my blog about?

Well, I am a mom. I love to write, surf the Internet, read, play video games or computer games, learn new things, and all the while develop myself into a better person. I am here to share my journey, my experiences, and my discoveries.

I am also here to offer a hand or ear or anything else needed to others in my place or similar. I have always known what it is like to suddenly be thrust into a new area with no one beside you. I was a Marine brat (kid) for my whole childhood. I moved every two or three years to a new state, and was forced to make new friends, learn new cultures, and keep learning and growing while I was at it.

For better or worse, that was my life and it made me who I am. So, there... I am not sure what that makes me, because I do not think I am as clever as most in this blogging spectrum. I guess I will just keep reaching out and growing, and possibly just find out what I can offer to others.

15 Days of Marketing ~ Day 6

Start following this series with Day 1 here.

Day 6

I have not had much time to myself, let alone would I be able to find a few minutes a day to read. So, I will be putting off the reading part of this day's homework assignment.


√ In the meantime I did mange to subscribe too all the blog feeds she suggested. On top of that, I followed any and all of those blog authors on Twitter (is they were there), and made quite a dent in adding others to follow based on their followings. Actually, since I brought this up, I have quite the Twitter network growing. I am not sure what it is because, however I do have to say that it is not very effective. I only get responses from very few tweeps. I wish more of them out there would convo with me or just stop following so I don't keep thinking that I am being heard when no one really cares.

15 Days of Marketing ~ Day 5

Start following this series with Day 1 here.

Day 5

Well, it has been difficult to get any type of PR contacts, let alone a product to giveaway. I am on the list for a Changing Clutch, which I will be getting one for when I have my lil girl in April. As well as one of the baby wraps she makes.

Today I was at the store and just decided to buy some items to host my own giveaways (yes, I will be putting the details together and getting it going by the end of the week, so keep an eye out). At least that way, maybe the PR reps will see that and offer me more. Any one have any suggestions on other ideas?

Be sure to subscribe to my feed to be up to date on my progress and be the first to know when I launch my very first giveaway later this week.

15 Days of Marketing ~ Day 4

I have been working on this one and Day 5 for awhile, but I forgot to post my progress on it yesterday. So, today I will type of this post and Day 5's post, back to back. Also, just to keep any new readers up to date, this goes along with Jessica's 15 Days of Marketing on her blog JessicaKnows. So, if you are lost on what I am doing, read her series, because I am only posting my progress on my blog.

Day 4: Part 1

√I signed up with Twellow and followed Sarah Evans' advice to add a few pages worth of PR tweeps to follow.

Day 4: Part 2

√I have just begun to get a line written that I can use to send to all those that follow me (or follow back) that includes the link to this blog.
√I always include #15days in my tweets that have anything to do with my progress in the series. Just go to summize.com and type in "15days" or "#15days" and I will usually be near the top (@mama4kids).

15 Days of Marketing ~ Day 3

Start following this series with Day 1 here.

Day 3

I started this task days ago, but I wanted to post in working order. This day was simple, I was having trouble getting my camera to work and then my recording volume wasn’t working. However then my hubby fixed it for me the other night, and I was able to get started yesterday morning.

Out of the three options:

1. Start vlogging.
2. Sign up for 12seconds.tv
3. Confess in your blog posts, be real.

I am vlogging on 12seconds.tv http://12seconds.tv/channel/Mama4Kids Check me out and follow. Also, I am pretty sure that I am ‘being real’ here on my blog, so you could say I have all three of these covered, even though only one was required.

I will be taking a break for the holidays on this and working to launch this new blog at Blogger. I will begin again with Day 4 on Monday December 1st. Also, don't forget to subscribe to my feed to be the first to receive my updates.

15 Days of Marketing ~ Day 2

Today, marks Day 2 of me following JessicaKnows tips on her 15 Days of Marketing series. If you missed Day 1, read it here.

Day 2

1. √ I signed up with Mom Central, Mom Select, and One2One Network. And I am considering signing up with more, just because I love free stuff.
2. √ I have signed up for an account on WishPot, and begun to add products to my many wishlists. Also, it has features to write product reviews which will help me with step 4 of Day 1.
3. √ I applied for a spot on Blissfully Domestic, because I love their site. Then I signed up with Type-A Mom and I love their simplicity much more than the others.
4. √ I have signed up with NewsVine, however I am still at a loss of where to begin. I am not much a news person.

15 Days of Marketing by Jessica Knows ~ Day 1

For those of you that don’t know, Jessica knows something that you need to know (lol). JessicaKnows is a great blog for many reasons, but today I am deciding to follow her 15 Days of Marketing series to help better my Internet presence and this very blog.

I’m not going to go into much detail about what she tells us to do, because I would love for you all to get the full picture by visiting her blog and reading the series for yourselves. Instead, my postings are going to be my write-ups for my progress and the answers to the “homework assignments” she gives us.
I am also going to be posting my progress on Twitter occasionally and in the “15days” group on Twitter Moms. So, you can link up with me in both of those places as well.

Day 1
1. Include your contact info on your blog to make it more PR friendly.
√ Email: mel (dot) bail (dot) mama (at) gmail (dot) com [they didn't have an easier email name available that I liked]
√ Twitter: @mama4kids
2. √ Sign up for HARO.
3. √ Sign up with GetClicky.
4. Write some product reviews to get exposure in the PR world. [Haven't started this one yet, but when I do you will see then on this blog.]

Homework
3 Favorite Brands:

1. VTech ~ My son has so many VTech toys, and I remember my first laptop [very basic edition in black and white] was a VTech as well. Their toys are educational, fundamental, safe, reliable, and fun.
2. Sony ~ Our whole house is practically filled with Sony products, and my husband can barely pry himself away from the Playstation3 (especially now that he was finally invited to Beta test “Home”).
3. LG ~ I have loved LG for quite some time. At first, only knew about their cell phones (which all of my phones have been), however when I became an adult and now I see all the commercials for their ground breaking and awesomely unique products, I just want them ALL! Especially the washer and dryers