Surveys for Holiday Cash?

I considered myself a bit of a skeptic when it came to websites that say they are going to give me money or gift cards for completing surveys online. I have been burned to many times in the past signing up and getting nothing more then SPAM SPAM and more SPAM, with no reward for my time. Recently I decided to do a little investigating to see if I could come across any sites that really paid me for my time. Now do I expect that I can quit my job and live off the rewards from online surveys, UMMMM NO, but if I can earn a few extra dollars before the holidays why not give it a go. To my surprise I have managed to find some websites that really do what they claim and pay me for my input! Here is a review of two sites I have found so far... DISCLAIMER, no I do not work for any of these companies, the information here is strictly my opinion, I am not an informational site that should replace doing your own research or reading the individual sites terms and agreements!!! With that being said here are my reviews.

Opinion Outpost

The very first site I am already in love with is Opinion Outpost. Opinion Outpost requires you to register for a free (I would never pay for any survey site) membership which requires a valid email address and some basic personal information. Once a member, Opinion Outpost gives you cash and rewards for completed surveys that you qualify for. So how do you get the cash and rewards you may ask?!?! Opinion Outpost offers a variety of cash out options including Amazon gift cards, Cash paid via PayPal, VISA prepaid cards, Sweepstakes entries and more. You get to choose how you would like to be paid. There is a minimum account balance required to request rewards, for example 100 points ($10) for PayPal payments or 50 points ($5) for Amazon gift cards. From my experience so far surveys offer 5 - 25 points per completed survey and I have been able to complete 4 -5 surveys per day. As a bonus members are eligible to win $10,000 in their quarterly prize draw, entries into this drawing are often given even if you do not qualify for a specific survey. All in all my points have added up fairly quickly, again I am not going to get rich off this site but a $20.00 Paypal payout in a weeks time is nothing to shake a stick at!  

MintVine

The second site I wanted to review today is MintVine. MintVine much like the first site requires you to register for a free membership which requires a valid email address and some basic personal information. MintVine offers Cash paid via PayPal, Dwolla payouts ( I have no experience with this payment method), or Amazon/Target gift cards as your payment options. The minimum account balance required to request PayPal, Dwolla payments, or gift card codes is 1000 point ($10). Most surveys that you qualify for and complete are worth 70 points each ( I did get a 200 point survey at one time) but can vary with each offer. MintVine also offers Local Deals and other Offers that can be purchased and completed to rack up the points even faster. Points can post immediately to your account or may sit in a pending status which will be awarded upon approval. Again overall I have had a great experience with MintVine and yes I really have been rewarded for my time!

You can click on the name's of either survey company to be directly linked to their site. When looking to sign up for any survey sites I have a few personal rules I follow. One I have a dedicated email address for my survey sites, coupon, sites and any other type of "deal" sites. It keeps my regular email free from potential clutter from sites that send multiple emails per day. Second never I mean NEVER give out passwords, credit card information, banking account numbers or anything that may come back to bite you in the butt if you sign up for something that is not legit! Read the terms and conditions of the sites you sign up for, this way there are less likely to be surprises in the future, and again do your own research. Most people are going to put out their own personal bad experiences for sites that they have not been pleased with. Google away and make your own informed choices!

Thank you for taking the time to read my survey site reviews, please feel free to comment below. Remember the opinions above are just that my opinions, but I hope you will find them useful and informative!!!    

Book Report: Illustrated Stories for Boys

Being the Mommy to a young boy I have experienced first hand that finding a great story book for a boy can at times be a challenge. With the abundance of  books that have fairies and princesses I am always looking for something with just a little less glitter and sparkle.
I recently got my hands on Illustrated Stories for Boys by Lesley Sims and Louie Stowell and I am just so excited about the stories as well as the amazing illustrations in this book! From pirates and robots to giants and knights this book is a collection of fun adventures geared to capture the readers imaginations.
Illustrated Stories for Boys is a collection of 16 stories including:

The Masked Pirate

Robot Racers

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Jon and the Green Troll

The Tale of the Haunted TV

The Band of Robbers

Sinbad the Sailor

Victor Saves the Village The Terrible Tidybot

The Story of Shiverham Hall

The Pesky Parrot

Sam and the Giants

The Tale of the Kitchen Knight

Attack of the Swamp Monster

Robot Robbery

Treasure Island

Whether racing with robots or sailing the seas with Captain Winkle this collection of stories will take its readers on one action packed adventure after another. I don't think I could sum it up better then my five year old, when saying that "this book is AWESOME!"
This and other amazing books for children are available from Usborne Books and More just visit ~  https://b4121.myubam.com/shop 

  

My First Book Report

Having a 5 year old of my own, I have found that I have a real passion for children's books. Reading books in our house has become an every day event, and I don't just mean a few minutes before bedtime, we read books all throughout the day! I have found the stories and lessons in a great children's book are often things we as adults need to remind ourselves of from time to time. One book we have recently added to our home library is Jonathan James and the Whatif Monster by Michelle Nelson-Schmidt  and this is one of those books that everyone big and small could learn from!
Jonathan James is a young boy who is often visited by the Whatif Monster, and this fuzzy little green guy likes to remind Jonathan about everything and anything that could go wrong. "What if it’s scary? What if they laugh? What if it’s hard?" all these questions keep running through Jonathan James head every time he want to try something new. Then something clicks and the tone changes, suddenly whatif isn't so scary. What if the Whatif Monster is wrong!!! Jonathan James and the Whatif Monster reminds us that trying new things can be fun, not to be held back just because we may fail, because if we don't try we will never know. What if....  Whatif is the best decision we have ever made and we succeed beyond our wildest dreams!
Jonathan James and the Whatif Monster is available through Usborne Books & More!

Back to School Already!?!?

     It feels like summer has just started but no sooner do the kids walk off the bus on their last day of school does it seem the back to school advertisements start! My little guy is 5 now so for him Kindergarten is just around the corner. He couldn't be more excited, but I know for a lot of children going off to school for the first time can be a scary thing. 

     Something we have been doing in our house is reading books about the first day of school to familiarize him with the different activities and routines that he may encounter while in Kindergarten. One of the books we read, on almost a daily bases, is Usborne First Experiences ~ Going to School, as well as having tons of fun with the Time for School Sticker Book. Since we have been doing this my son asks just about every morning, "Mom is it time to go to Kindergarten yet"? I have a feeling I am going to have a harder time with this transition then he is, but hey mommies just worry like that sometimes :-) There are so many amazing books out there and every minute we spend reading together is just such a joy. I want my son to enjoy learning, to love reading, and to do his very best in anything he puts his mind to. 

 

I have recently become an Usborne Books and More Independent Consultant and love the opportunity I have to share my love of reading with so many children. If you are interested in any of the amazing books or products offered by Usborne or have any questions feel free to contact me anytime! JUST VISIT =} Usborne Books and More today! 

Green Moms

     I have been really considering a better ways to live, finding the best choices for my family and living a healthy and clean lifestyle. Now these type of changes don't just happen overnight but every little thing I can change will add up over time.

      I have come across an amazing website called Green Moms Meet and WOW do they offer some amazing ideas, suggestions, and free products to try with your other Mommy friends. They "offer exciting opportunities for moms and their friends to try and review natural, organic and eco-products and services, and share their honest feedback through the Mom Ambassador program". Now you do have to apply to become a Mom Ambassador and commit to trying and reviewing any products they send to you with a Mommy group you are in or run. If you already get together with your Mommy friends this is really an amazing opportunity to try and offer your your honest opinions to companies doing their best to offer natural, clean, and organic products for you family! Remember even small changes add up to make a positive impact on your families health and happiness!

   

Welcome

 
   I am so excited to be starting this blog and am happy you have decided to take a minute of your day to join me here. I have big plans for this blog and want to make this a place for mommies (or daddies) to find useful, fun and educations information in our journey to raise happy and healthy children. I dabble in couponing and am sure I will be posting some great deals when I find them, love to try new products and more than anything want to give the gift of reading and education to as many children as possible. I will soon be joining an amazing company called Usborne Books and you will be able to find book reviews on some of the AMAZING books and products they offer. 

     To start off today I want to share a great deal for the kiddos who love their Rice Krispies in the morning.

           Jewel-Osco has Rice Krispies and a variety of other Kelloggs cereals for $2.50 a box and when you purchase 3 you get a free gallon of milk 06/11/14 - 06/17/14  right now coupons.com  has a $2.oo off 2 boxes of Rice Krispies coupon available for printing!

 Rice Krispies (3boxes) $7.50 + Milk $2.75 = $10.25 - $2.00 

coupon - $2.75 free milk = $5.50

 I am always happy to answer any questions about my posts or if you would like to leave any comments please feel free to do so! Again Welcome and Thank You for joining me!