Free Stuff

First let me start off by telling you a little bit about myself. I'm a single mom who was widow just 16 days after my son was born. I have my own house with all the bills and I only work 3 days a week so I can spend as much time as possible with my son. I've been looking for ways to make a little extra money to get us the things that I can't possibly afford with my set income. My wonderful friend turned me onto this awesome site called Swagbucks. It's simply a search engine let me explain it to you,

A Swag Buck is a "digital dollar."

 When you search through Swagbucks, Its like using Google only they reward you with digital dollars for searching with them and the results come from both Google and ask.com.You will usually win around 1-5 times a day and they appear with your search on your screen. You save them up until you have enough to cash out for a prize. They have just about everything you can imagine....books, gift cards, toys, apparel, electronics, music (just to name a few)
There are also other was to earn the digital dollars, through trivia, swag code hunts or just by recycling your old cell phones. There are many ways but its your choice to participate but you will win them, just by searching through Swagbucks. Your already searching the web, might as well get paid for it! It takes no extra time because your already searching the web, it cost nothing, there is no shipping fee's and its extremely easy to win them! I've been using it for just over a year now and have received $635 in Amazon gift cards, which I have purchased a Wii and Wii Fit with Balance Board, Super Mario Brothers, Wii Accessories, 35ft Electric Race track, I have also just bought my son's Christmas with all the gift cards I have earned using Swagbucks and I still have money left in my amazon account. You will received no emails or spam from them. You can sign up for their newsletter but it only comes out once a month and it contains a swag code for a free swag buck. Sign up here and get 30 bucks to start.

Those people who haven't signed up, can't believe they can really get something worth while for nothing But there are several of my family and friends who have signed up and their only regret was they didn't start sooner! Swagbucks has over 345,000+ fans and getting new ones everyday! So check it out and let me know if you need any help, I will walk you through it. Even after you sign up, you are under no obligation to continue using it! I'm sure you will see that that its a great way to earn some free birthday gifts or holiday gifts and even fun to get those winning bucks on your screen!
After signing up, I suggest getting swagbucks toolbar, you can do that by going to swagbucks homepage and at the top says TOOLBARS (you may have to close out AFTER you download it so it shows up) Then you will see where it says SWAGBUCKS and a search box, search anything!! Facebook, myspace, yahoo, how to make xmas cookies, mapquest, twitter ANYTHING and every couple hours you will win a swagbuck. I also suggest getting a swidget as it will tell you when a code is out and clues on where to find it. Keep earning them and then when you have enough for what you want, you can redeem them for some really great stuff! I personally think the $5.00 Amazon gift card is the best deal  and you can stack them, so it keeps adding to your amazon account. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me, I can walk you through whatever you need help with. Sign up and get 30 swagbucks to start!

Okay so I've been on a mission to find free stuff online and so far I have found 3 sites that give you tons of free items. Three of these sites are simply people like you and me that have found sites and have been kind enough to share them with others. Here we go :)

It's all Free Online offers many free samples and coupons click here to visit

Frugal Freebies also offers many free samples click here to visit

Freebies 4 mom is another great site that offers many free items click here to visit

The Frugal Girls is another great site to check out click here to visit. 

Blog updated 12/10/10

Terrible Two's

Don't get me wrong I love my son, and he's usually pretty easy going, but the last few months have been a mental challenge for me. It seems the terrible two's have set in. One minute he's happy go lucky the next it's a fit over absolutely nothing. All out throw yourself on the floor and cry about it. I know your just suppose to walk away and ignore them, but there comes a time when it's just plain annoying. I find myself gritting my teeth a lot trying to bare with him through this phase, but some days I just lose my patience with him. I'm sure it would be easier if I had a partner in raising him, but as of right now there is no one.

Quite frankly I'm not so sure I want some one right now. Life seems easier just me and my son. I don't have to worry about what someone else is doing or thinking or even telling me what I should do. This way I get to raise my son the way I want to. It does however break my heart that he doesn't have a dad. Kids need that male role model in their life. I am forever grateful for all of the male friends I have in my life, for some reason I have always gotten along better with the guys. Woman are just too much sometimes, I have one friend you can say one thing and she totally takes it completely the wrong way. Which then leads to some crazy argument for no reason.
     My in laws or ex in law whatever you wanna call them. They hardly ever see my son and when they do it's me taking him to them. Being there only grandchild you would think they would have a little more to do with him. You lose your son, you would want to hang on to any piece of him that you could, and they are lucky enough to have a grandson from him. I can't remember the last time they came to my house to see my son, and now he's at the age where he kinda knows who they are, only because I spent almost a week with them when my son's great grandpa was dieing, thinking he might help ease the pain. So now he asks to go see them quite a bit, but I don't think I should be the only one making the effort. I probably take him to see them about once a month, and they never come see him.

    There's gonna come a day when my son wants to know about his dad and there family and I can only tell him so much. I kinda need help with that from them, I wish they would understand that. Oh well what is a mother to do but worry about her son's future and his well being. Maybe one of these days they will all turn around, but in til then I'm sure I will keep worrying about this problem.

Just a Thought

Something's wrong with the world today I don't know what it is.....Haha sorry had that stuck in my head. Anyways; Do you ever think we put to much pressure on little girls to be thin and perfect? I know when I was growing up I was a little chunky and I never thought twice about it until I was made fun of almost everyday because of it. At my heaviest in middle school I was 5'2" and 134 lbs, nothing crazy, but everyday I would go to school and my classmates would make fun of me. So I decided it was time I do something about this I could take the name calling. I started running got down to like a size 2 you know those skinny girls, but yet I never really looked at myself as skinny. I have struggle with this ever since middle school. As soon as I gain a few pounds I just feel and think I look fat, could this be because all I ever saw as a role models were tall overly skinny models? I will workout for months and then all of the sudden I will get into a rut were I just stop working out. I feel guilty almost everyday when I get up and just don't take the half hour for a workout. Course then again maybe I'm just not happy with my body and I need to figure that out, but I know the root of my problem comes from my childhood. Now days this would seem more common as a lot more people of over weight, end result over weight children who get little to no exercise. At least my mom always new I was getting exercise as we were always outside playing. Now days kids spend to much time in front of the t.v., computer and video games. Wow I just totally jumped subjects but these issues are linked together and we as parents have to teach are kids how to live a happy, healthy active lifestyle, which in the long run will only benefit them. That's all for now!

Life has it's own soundtrack

I feel that music plays an important role in our lives. It helps us get through the tough times and is with us during the happy times, it sooth's the soul in a way. I can remember as a child I loved Madonna and to this day I can sing everyone of those songs, I use to dance around the room to. I can also say I love Classic Rock thanks to my parents playing it everyday.
There were two songs in particular that helped me get through the death of my brother when I was 16, Sarah Mclachlan's Angels and the other is Ozzy Osbourne's See you on the other side. I still love these songs to this day and I think of my brother every time I hear them.

Bob Marley has been one of my all time favorite's since I went on my first vacation with my late husband. We partied every night to him, and I will always remember the song that was playing when I realized I was in love with him, can you guess which song it is? One Love, of course. But there came a time where the happiness ended and hell on earth began. System of a Down was my listening pleasure then as it helped me to release a lot of the rage I had inside me. Times were tough but I never gave up on him, everyone makes bad choices, but some of us can't  dig ourselves back out of the hole we got into. There's a song by Ziggy Marley that totally describes how he thought the world looked at him I suppose which is Black Cat. A great song!
One of my favorite songs though makes me sign my heart out every time I play it, in fact I believe it's number one on my play list. It reassures me that my son and I can do this together and everything is going to be o.k. Dave Matthews Band, You and Me! Without music I don't think I would be the person I am today. Life has been a challenge and a tough one at times, but it's the one thing that has always been there when no one else could be in the way I needed.

I would like to thank all of the great musicians that have touched my life in one way or another and have been with me in the good and the bad.

A day in the life

Do the challenges ever end? I don't think so. Last night was one of those nights, a battle at bed time with my son, he didn't wanna take a bath finally got him in the tub screaming the whole time, I just try to laugh it off. Then comes pajama time with more endless screaming as I'm still trying to just laugh it off. He calms down I get him into bed them comes another fit cause he wanted to climb into bed by himself I guess, so then we do that. Finally get him to lay down and think all is good then he just starts screaming, by this time I just told him good night and I'll see you in the morning, soon he falls asleep.

Next up I'm relaxing watching the Olympics, getting ready to retire for the evening, the dogs wanna go outside, so I let them out. I let them back in and my Marley comes in with blood dripping all over the floor, he has ripped his toenail off, on the ice I assume. I stay calm at first get the nail trimmed off, get it cleaned up, everything I tried to wrap around it comes off, and every time he lick it blood would start spraying all over. About 45 minutes go by and I'm trying everything, what in the world do I do. I call one friend no answer, then I call another, he comes right over telling me it's looks alright, yeah it did tell he saw the blood shooting everywhere. Finally he takes him to the emergency vet for me. They took care of it with a bill of $220. UGH.
So this morning we get up I don't know if the poor dog slept or not with his cone and all. He's just terrified with that cone on his head, then his bandage comes off to. So far it's bleeding a little, gotta get to the store for supplies to wrap my poor dogs foot. Hope this works, and hoping for a better day today.

Life as a mom :)

 

Life as a single mom has been a fun and interesting challenge. I have a wonderful 2 1/2 year old son named Jonathan. He's been a very easy going child pretty much since he was born, don't get me wrong he didn't sleep through the night until he was 6 months old.  I lost my husband just 16 days after he was born, it was a crazy situation, so I don't know which way is worse for my son, but sometimes I think it's for the better.

Anyways I do the best I can and I love him with every last piece of me. He makes me laugh everyday, I think children have the power to heal you if you let them. He does have his moments as all two year olds do, and sometimes you just have to hold your breath and walk away from them, during a temper tantrum over the littlest thing, which is almost funny.

He's definitely a true boy he's all about cars and trucks, which we don't leave the house with out 5 or more, oh and don't forget kitty and mouse cause it's the end of the world :) He chases the dogs and cats around the house with his dump truck thinking its a game and there running in fear of being ran over. the things that make you smile when you think about it.

 

I love how kids have not a care in the world, they run up out of no where hug you tight and say I love you mommy, nothing feels better than that. You can take the good with the bad, and it will make a stronger person in the long run.  I have dated and I would like to find the one, but at the same time it almost feels like a hassle, everyone always seems to wanna change you. I've done just fine on my own so far I don't need anyone but I would like to have someone.
 I guess when I find him he'll think I'm perfect.

All right this is my first attempted at writing about my son and I. I do find it hard to talk about everything with any one friend. It's almost like I have to chose what I tell them. I need somewhere I can talk and not be judged by people, just help me with the challenges of everyday life.