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I think I may be moving...

www.leighawen.tumblr.com

It seems really easy to use. Check me out if you like!

Making Cash with Online Survey Panels

Fishing for Money- image by shuttermon

I posted a new article on Suite 101 about making a bit of extra money giving opinions through online survey panels. I thought I'd expand on this a little and offer a personal opinion about each of the sites I've been involved with.

Check out the article for the background information and helpful tips if you're interested:
http://working-solo.suite101.com/article.cfm/online_survey_panels

Lightspeed Consumer Panel

Surveys are e-mailed to members that sign up and open panels are also posted on the website itself. I have pretty good success with this panel. One of the frustrations with taking surveys online is the fact that you may spend a few minutes trying to qualify for a survey and fail every time because you don't fit their specific demographic. I've been a member of this panel since August 2009 and have a total of 2775 points. Points can be converted into anything from $1 Amazon.com e-certificates for 330 points to magazine subscriptions, gift cards and paypal deposits. Of course, the higher the item price, the more points it takes.

Opinion Outpost

Surveys are e-mailed to members. If you don't qualify for the survey, you are offered a consolation prize. You can choose a chance at a $50 instant win, a chance to give money to charity (very small amount) or an entry into a $750 sweepstakes. I have never won any of these prizes. Members earn points that can either be converted into Amazon.com e-certificates or a check. The minimum threshold is $5.00. I've been a member since October 2009 and have earned 530 points. It takes 50 points to reach the threshold so this is definitely a good panel to belong to if you're looking to earn points quickly.

Global Test Market

Members of this panel are also e-mailed available surveys. Surveys are either worth points or sweepstakes entries. I've earned a total of 1545 market points since joining this panel in July 2009. Market points are worth .05 per point and once 1000 points are obtained, members can request a check. Although it took a while to meet the threshold, it was really nice to get that $50 check in the mail.

Toluna

Toluna is another panel that offers members points for doing surveys. Members can also earn a small number of points for being active in the Toluna community. This means that members can post questions or opinion polls and answer other members' polls to earn points. I have yet to earn points in this way. Toluna recently raised its threshold for payment by check or paypal to 60,000 points. When the threshold was lower, I received one check for $10, but have not yet met the threshold since the change. Toluna surveys seem to be difficult to qualify for and don't offer that many points for such a high threshold.

Surveyhead

This panel rarely sends out e-mails and I generally check their site to see what's open. This panel lists available surveys including how much they are worth and what the chances of being allowed to participate are. This is different because members can choose not to even attempt the surveys with a low chance of qualifying so you don't waste your time. I've been a member since October 2009 and have not yet met the cash-out threshold of $25.00. It seems to take a while, but I don't check the site everyday for new opportunities. I also tend to get disqualified pretty often.

NPDOR and Sweepland

NPDOR administers the surveys and members earn points to play in Sweepland.

I'm not sure why I still belong to this panel. I rarely get surveys and although members earn a lot of points, they can't be converted to cash or prizes. Instead, members choose to enter their points into a drawing for different prizes. The more points you enter, the better your chances for winning. I've probably earned around 2000 points and have yet to win anything. I've been a member since October 2009. Prizes change each month and vary from cash, digital cameras, exercise machines, etc. The one reason I probably still belong is the excitement of the unknown. It's like playing the lottery. There's always hope, I guess! Plus they have excellent customer service. I wasn't awarded my points properly and I was given 500 extra points for my trouble.

Tips to Maximize Earning Potential

I think the best way to earn a bit of money compleying surveys is to only spend your time focusing on 2-3 survey panels. It can take a lot of time and energy filling these surveys out and you want to focus on the ones that offer the best rewards for your effort.

I've never personally paid to be offered survey opportunties, but I hear that those types are out there. I don't really see the point since there seems to be an abundance of free opportunities.

Also check out SurveyPolice.com for reviews, ratings and complaints of many survey panels.

Most sites offer a bonus for referrals so that's another way to get some extra points- refer your friends!

Thanks and I hope this was helpful!

2010 Thoughts and Resolutions- Happy New Year!

I am completely buying into the new year's resolution making idea for a change. 2010 will be a great year. It has to be! After a year full of financial problems, marital strife, babies with heart problems, moms with breast lumps and seemingly endless sickness, my little family is ready for some peace, love and of course, happiness.

I want to be a better mom and I know that they key to this, for me anyway, is patience. I need to be patient with my wonderful, beautiful, albeit challenging children.

I want to remember that childhood is a special and fleeting time. It's not a time that parents and children should simply "survive".

I want a childhood for my boys that I never had. One that is celebrated, maybe even somtimes celebrated quite loudly. I don't want them to grow up and look back only to realize that their childhood was something they had to "get through" so they could get on with life.

I need to remember that youth is transitory. My own early youth was over before I even felt it. I'm still relatively young and I should act it.

I need to be a role model for my children. Children sense tension and unhappiness and as wrong as it is, oftentimes they blame themselves for a parent's unhappiness. I have to break that cycle.

2009 was full of challenges that nearly bowled me over. I'm sure 2010 will have its own unique set of challenges, but my own mindset has to be different. I need to change my karma, change my family's karma.

I'm still working on figuring out how to do that. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

For now, I think I'll just focus one thing at a time; developing and maintaining Patience in my household.

Happy 2010!

The Not-So-Magic Bullet

I've been wanting a Magic Bullet blender for a while and finally got one for Christmas! Well, I actually got it for myself before Christmas- merry Christmas to me!

I've been so excited to use it and imagined the wonderful, nutritious smoothies I'd drink everyday for breakfast. I imagined making homemade baby food and all kinds of other great things. Unfortunately, my imaginings didn't live up to real life.

After about 5 smoothies, my Magic Bullet seemed to get stuck on the lock mode. If anyone has one, you know that a great way to crush the ice is to use the 'pulse' mode. Well, my little processor kept on going even when the 'lock' mode was disengaged. Even as I tried to pull the cup out, it kept on chugging.

I ended up unplugging it and trying again. Same thing. Then I realized that the base had eaten away at the rubber bottom of the blade because it was stuck on lock mode which meant that my blade was now essentially useless.

So far, I haven't gotten any response from my e-mail to customer service. I even bought a new blade and re-read the instruction manual in case the cause of the problem was user-error. I cleaned the base to ensure that it wasn't sticky and stuck on lock mode. Even after all that and an extra $15 for a new blade, it still gets stuck!

So...no nutritious, delicious smoothies for me this new year. :( I won't be buying another Magic Bullet any time soon. At $50 a pop plus the replacement blade, it's been a tremondous hassle and a waste of money.

Shoe Envy

I've been searching for the perfect pair of shoes for months now. I've had the picture in my mind of exactly what I wanted: mid-heel, loafer type look, brown. And I've been unable to find that pair of shoes anywhere! Even after purchasing a pair, I've gotten them home only to realize that they're not exactly what I want. I may be black-listed for returning too many pairs of shoes!

So after months of searching in store and on-line, I found the right pair. These pretty, little Enzo Angiolini pumps. Medium warm brown. Squared-toe with a gold buckle. Perfect heel height. So I ordered them from Overstock.com.

Big mistake!!

My shoes come in the mail and I anxiously try them on. Very tight, very uncomfortable. I think, "Hmmm, maybe my feet are swollen from walking all day. I'll try them on tomorrow." Unfortunately, tomorrow comes and the shoes still don't fit. They probably wouldn't have fit even if they were a 1/2 size bigger.

So I look into the exchange policy at Overstock.com. They don't have one. Even Big Lots has an exchange policy! I have to return the shoes and pay 8.00 in shipping/handling Then buy another pair while waiting for the return to show up on my credit card and pay shipping for the new pair.

Way too much work for one pair of shoes. I value stores with great return and exchange policies. I'm a repeat Kohl's customer because of their excellent customer service and return/exchange policy.

So my pretty, little pumps are simply gracing my closet while I figure out how to stretch them out.

And let me tell you, that will be the last time I buy shoes or clothing apparel from Overstock.com!

Support Aiden

Please check this website out...

http://www.supportaiden.com/

If you're so inclined and are looking to renew magazines, it would be great to do it through this site where 40% of revenue goes to the family.

www.helpaidennow.com

Thanks!

Is this child ever going to stop screaming?

I haven't posted in a while. The reason is 1) Both of my children have lost their minds and have been out of control and 2)Fall TV started!!

I don't know why, but when my youngest was born, I kept thinking, "Okay...once's he's 6 months old things will be easier." Well, he's 7 months old, almost 8 months and things are far from easy. I can't even see easy way off in the distance!

My older son is 27 months old. He is in the throes of what I assume to be the 'terrible twos'. My younger son still isn't sleeping through the night, still doesn't have a schedule and still is extremely active. I know I'll kick myself for saying this, but I wish he would just crawl. I'd rather chase him around then listen to him cry and not be able to figure out that he's frustrated because he can't reach something he sees across the room!

I follow the Baby Whsiperer books' advice and it worked wonders with my older son, but C is just not interested in being 'Shhh'd and patted' to sleep. He is also seemingly not interested in any form of schedule whatsoever. He does, however, thoroughly enjoy that last night-time bottle at 10:30 pm that the books refer to as the "dream-feed". I was hoping to be done "dream-feeding" so that mommy might be able to go to bed at 10 pm, but C is quite determined that he requires those extra 6 ounces.

So at this point, neither child is sleeping. I'm in the middle of a world filled with temper tantrums, teething, runny noses, crying fits, seperation anxiety and night wakings with no end in sight! Plus I have to say my dear, clueless husband is just that...completely oblivious and clueless to the daily stressors.

My sanity is hanging on by a skinny thread, but right now they're both sleeping. *big sigh* For now... *Bigger Sigh*

OK, that's enough mommy complaining...gotta go watch Glee! A new guilty pleasure!

A Letter of Apology

Dear Fellow Mothers,

This is my note of contrition. I have been judgemental, but it stemmed from a simple lack of understanding as to what it takes to be a mother. Now that I am a mother, I understand. Oh, how I understand.

*To all the mothers out there with screaming, tantrum-throwing children in the toy aisle at Wal-Mart: I now feel your pain. I'm sorry for snickering beneath my hand.

*To all the mothers who arrive at work with spit-up on their shoulders, hair in a pony-tail and no makeup on- I'm sorry for giving you that sad, sympathetic smile like I understood what it took to simply get out the door in the morning. I really do understand now. It truly is a miracle when I can get to work on time, much less have concealer and mascara on.

*To all the mothers out there that let their toddlers watch television; I admit I judged you and and felt sorry for your children who would surely be damaged by excessive TV time. I now know that a little bit of Elmo won't hurt anyone.

*To all the mothers who I have observed offering candy in exchange for a moment of peace; something I said I would never do. I get it now. Sometimes peace and quiet is worth just about anything.

I would like to apologize for all of the above acts and any others that I forgot to acknowledge. When you see a frazzled mother looking like she's holding on by a single, solitary thread...send positive, happy thoughts her way. That woman might eventually be you someday.

:)
Leigh Anne

Things I've learned from working with people with disabilities and their families...

I thought I'd remain in the same thread and continue writing about my job and working with people with disabilities. Here are a few things I've learned in my 10 years...

• Everyone has a gift. Some are just more apparent than others.
• Joy can be found in the everyday part of life.
• Being called "special" isn't all that special.
• Dancing will always make me feel better. Always.
• People will stare. Who cares? Just wave at them.
• Parents with children with disabilities are the best advocates.
• Behavior plans are supposed to teach appropriate behaviors to the person with a disability, but many times staff really should have a behavior support plan of their own.
• Don't let people write you off just because you're different. They will try.
• It's not about another person's disability, it's about their will and desire to live their life to the fullest.
• Every person is unique. They are not simply their disability or their label. She's a woman who loves dogs, likes to play Wii and works part-time at Tim Horton's. She also has Down Syndrome. It doesn't and shouldn't define her. He's a teenager who loves to play The Sims and likes watching baseball. He wants to go to college after graduation. He also has Autism, but it doesn't define him.
• I have so much more to learn.

My Experience With Special Olympics- Thank You, Eunice Kennedy Shriver

I've been working with children and adults with disabilities for 10 years now. I was in college and looking to pad my resume when I applied for a job at a group home that 8 people with mental retardation or developmental disabilities called home. My first day was filled with tasks that I never thought I would do and people that I never really knew existed. After that day, I called my boyfriend and said, "I really don't know if I can do this!" I told myself to give it a month.

I'm so glad I didn't quit after that first day or even week. I began to learn that each of those residents weren't simply defined by their label of "Down Syndrome" or "Cerebral Palsy", but were individuals. They each had their own personalities, likes, dislikes and quirks. They had bad days and good days, just like me.

Working in that group home, I got my first taste of Special Olympics. You don't know what it's all about until you've experienced a competition first-hand. It's a seriously big deal to the athletes that participate.

Special Olympics has afforded people with disabilities the opportunity, many for the very first time in their lives, to participate in an individual or team sport. They have fans in the stands. Some events even have cheerleaders. Competition can be serious, but everyone has fun.

It's amazing to watch a person who rarely interacts and smiles even more infrequently, listen to applause and simply light up. It's wonderful to watch athletes slap each other five and cheer just for finishing.

Back then I didn't know about the founder of Special Olympics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who passed away this month. She was a pioneer during a time where people with disabilities were segregated, thrown into institutions for the rest of their lives. People were essentially stored in warehouses. It was shameful. But this woman, Eunice Shriver, used her money, her connections and her generous spirit to make a difference. A difference that will last and that has made an impact on how everyone views people with disabilities; as people with abilities too.

The Special Olympics Creed

"Let me win; But if I cannot win; Let me be brave in the attempt."