Free ebay ebook!

Oh what a week it has been! Sorry I have been incommunacado, but I think you will like what I have for you! It is a free ebook from ebay power seller, Suzanne Wells. This book has been in the top 20 at Amazon and has great reviews. I, personally have not used ebay as a way to make money from home, but that is because I didn't know how. I am certainly picking up a copy of this book and am going to look in to selling. God knows I have a million things here to get rid of that someone else might want. If it works out, I could see myself trying to get an inventory and really sell. Anyway, this free ebay ebook is a great offer for moms, and I dont typically post links to other blogs, but I think that this is a great resource for women out there looking for another way to make money from home. Every little bit helps!

So, this past week was ds' 10th birthday...I feel so much older. I am glad I had him young! Keeping up with him and all of his extracurriculars is a job in and of itself. I worked out all week, watched what I ate and lost 7 pounds, so that was pretty cool. It proves with hard work and dedication you really can lose weight. I think a lot of it was water weight (hence the high number) but we will see what this week brings. I treated myself for all of my hardwork and bought a new tv. The giant bulky 5 year old big screen in the living room has been on the fritz for a few months, so instead of dropping a bunch of money to fix it, I bought a 52 inch 1080p LCD Sharp tv. It was a pretty big purchase, but I got it on sale, at Costco (so it was cheaper), a free 2 year warranty from Costco and 2% back on it since I am an executive member, so I really cant complain. It is gorgeous and it is funny because I was worried it would be too small. It definitely isnt. So to celebrate some more we had a superbowl party here and that was a lot of fun. I really just wanted to watch The Office afterwards.

The Flu...YUCK!

Well, we are recovering from the flu. The baby had it slightly a week ago when I got back from the funeral, but it never really got that bad (thanks to the flu she got, I bet). Then dd1 got it and was sick from Tuesday until yesterday. So of course, on Friday, I came down with it.

I am feeling better now, luckily it ran its course quickly. I know I should get a flu shot, but I HATE needles. Plus, I rarely get the flu, so I figure it isn't worth it. Honestly, this was so bad, I kind of wish I had just gotten the stupid shot. Especially considering this is the 2nd bout of the flu I have had this season. Is it just me or does it seem to be getting worse? Has anyone else been sick?

Wordless Wednesday

This isn't just Halloween. It's everday.

Searching Craigslist

Craigslist can be your best friend when trying to find a work at home job. Two of my best jobs, one of which I am an employee, I found on Craigslist. When searching CL you need to keep several things in mind in order to maximize your time and results and limit applying for any possible scams.

1. Search ALL of CL, not just your regional area. Think about it, if you are in Chicago and an position is advertised in New York, but is telecommute or work from home, you are just as qualified for it. To search all of CL you will need to use Google. In the Google search box type: "telecommuting is OK" site:craigslist.org 2009-01
*Please note the year and month...you need to apply this for whatever month (or year) it is. So, for example, if you come across this post in March, you would change it to 2009-03. Make sense?

2. If you want to search regionally, type in phrases such as "work from home" or "virtual" or "remote." This will help narrow your search.

3. If you find something you want to apply to, DO NOT ATTACH your resume or cover letter. It will just get deleted. Employers are terrified of viruses and most will not open any attachments. Instead, simply paste it in your email response after you introduce yourself and write your cover letter. This will get you noticed.

4. Eliminate your personal info from your resume. You don't have to be paranoid, but be cautious and use common sense. When I submit a resume I only use my name, email and sometimes cell phone number. I figure if they want more information they can have it after we have spoken.

5. Treat a CL ad just as you would if it were an ad on Careerbuilder. This means use proper grammer, a normal font, and run spell check. If you answer the ad in 2 sentences you look unprofessional and lazy, so put your best foot forward. Remember, you probably have a lot of competition.

6. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. If the ad is only a few lines and states you can make thousands a month from home, chances are it is a scam. One thing that is great about searching CL nationally is that you can find scams much easier. Typically scammers post ads in many cities, so when you see the same ad popping up, you can be sure it probably isn't legitimate.

I hope this information helps you on your work at home search! I know there are other websites such as Indeed.com so if you have any you know of, please share it with all of us. If you have a Craigslist success story, please share that as well. I am compiling information on people who have successfully found work at home jobs and I would love to include your story!

New Diggs

So, check out the new digs! Thanks to Kateedyd I have a whole new look, new layout and everything! I really love what she did with the place. What do you think??

Flu Season is Here!

We are on the 3rd day of snow this week and what do you know, dd1 is sick with the flu. She has been projectile vomiting since 7pm last night, poor girl. It is every 30 minutes or so and just horrible. I gave up on trash cans so I put a bunch of old towels on the floor in front of her and told her just to lean over and throw up there. The poor kid takes one sip of ice water and BAM...

Supposedly the baby was spitting up over the weekend while I was gone, but she has had a flu shot, dd1 has not. I think that the baby may have had a bug but it didnt go anywhere because of the shot and dd1 just got slammed with it. I am PRAYING I dont get it. I have an important conference call this afternoon and have to go back to my regular job tomorrow, THEN I start the new gig next week. Plus, I have some articles with a deadline of the 19th that I need to write. I hate shots but I may now wish I had gotten one.

Does anyone know any good remedies for neusea? The doctor called in a prescription for Zofran which should help (I took while I had my kidney infection and stopped the puking but gave me the worst headache of my life). Wish me luck, I swear it never ends...

Out in VA

Sorry I have been MIA. I have been busy trying to rearrange my work schedule and get out to VA to be with my family and pay my last respects to my grandfather. It has been a lot of juggling but it worked out.

The best part was my pt job from home gave me paid bereavement time--5 days! It was so generous and thank god for it, I needed all 5 days. As far as freelance writing, I brought my laptop to VA with me and have been able to do a little bit of work, which has been great. I am just glad I have the freedom that I do.

Now--the exciting news. I found an ad on Craigslist about a month ago or so for a Message Board Operator position that was work at home. It was from New York, but I figured I would try and send my resume anyway. Around New Years Eve I heard back that over 300 people applied and I was one they were interested in. Wellllllll....I emailed, did a couple phone interviews and guess what?!?! I GOT IT! I am so excited. Made these last few days a little easier to bear.

Just a note--the two regular jobs I have with a steady income, working from home--I found on Craigslist. While there are some scams on CL and you have to be careful, there is a lot of legitimate opportunities out there. I am going to do another post on how to effectively search Craigslist, why employers use it and how to set yourself apart from the crowd. Stay tuned!

RIP

My grandfather who I love dearly passed away yesterday, so I have been out of sorts. Thank you for your thoughts and condolences. More to come soon...

UPDATE: An online guestbook and obituary has been posted in my Grandpa's honor. Please take a look here if you have a moment.

Party Like It's 2-0-0-9!

Happy New Year! 2009 is upon us and THANK GOD 2008 is O-V-E-R. 2008 was a difficult year and I am so glad it is over so I can move forward. I wish everyone, health, wealth and prosperity in the new year! I have a few goals I am working on but I am going to try to focus on work/finance related ones here.

• I will write more...it is becoming profitable and I know if I push myself I really can make a decent living at it. Plus I enjoy it. It is an outlet for me.
  
• I am going to manage my time. I have a set schedule with my remote position, but the rest of my day is a chaotic mess. I am going to have a real schedule with goals and things I need to get done.
• I am going to organize my office. It is a disgusting mess. I hate it. Probably why I dont accomplish enough.
  
• Thanks @HollyRigsby for giving me the idea to wake up earlier each day! I am going to do it no matter how badly I want to sleep in. I know I will get more done. Stop by Holly's blog, she is awesome and extremely motivating!
  
• I am going to keep my house more organized and pick up more often. It isn't dirty, but there is just STUFF everywhere, all the time! I am going to stay on top of it.
  
• I am going to post more work at home job opportunities I come across!

Does anyone else have any suggestions? What are YOUR resolutions?

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah & Happy Holidays

What a BEAUTIFUL day! The sun is shining, fresh snow on the ground, and Guitar Hero playing in the background!

We got home around midnight last night...we drove about an hour SW out to the in-laws for Christmas Eve (who made a vegetarian entree, so I won't go off on a tangent, I promise) and the kids along with my husband and I were SPOILED! Money, gift cards, iPod docking stations, Nintendo DS games, portable CD players, Hannah Montana everything, Chicago Bears EVERYTHING (the dh and ds have whole new Bears wardrobes). The ds's family is amazing and have so made me a part of their family. I am honored to carry their last name. They truly are amazing.

I had most of the presents wrapped, but dh and I always save some. We have a ritual, every Christmas Eve we put the kids to bed and then we wrap the last of the presents while we watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation and hang out. This is our 8th year together...(amazing because 18 doesnt seem like it was that long ago, lol). I think we got to sleep a little after 2 and 7 am came BRIGHT AND EARLY! The kids were in awe coming down the stairs. I loved watching their little faces light up (even though ds knows there is no santa, he didnt ruin it for his sisters). They went through all the presents except for a group that was separate marked "family." I took one of the presents aside and let ds and dd open it together, and seconds later, screaming ensued. They never expected that they would get a Wii so their shock made every bit of penny pinching worth it. I feel so blessed to be in a position where we can provide for the kids, give them presents like that, and that the dh and I are both working (espeically that I can work from home). I know that so many families have had a rough year and don't get me wrong, we had our setbacks as well, documented here, so I wish everyone a heartfelt HAPPY HOLIDAY to you and yours!!

They Grow So Fast!

I was reading a blog today about a mom who was going through old photos and how nostalgic it made her, so I couldn't help myself and did the same thing. This is a picture of Naya and I back in 2005 when she was the same age as...ELLA! Unbelievable if you ask me. I don't remember my little girl growing up this fast. I mean this is the same girl who was playing SingStar with me today and singing right along and dancing and beating MY score! She has her own thoughts, her own opinions, her own ideas. She can think independently and knows what she likes and makes it clear to anyone within ear shot what she doesn't like. (She is sure to give me a regular talk about why "Miley Cyrus" is better than "Hannah Montana"). It makes me think because soon Ella will be an independent thinker and like Lanaya won't "need" me anymore. Don't get me wrong, the thought of no longer changing diapers does not make me sad; however, the thought of my last little girl not being a baby anymore is more than I can bear. At the same time, I think of the day when I have all 3 kids in school full-time. I am fairly sure I will be throwing a huge par-tay!


*On a totally random note, why is it I always second guess myself when spelling the word "bear" other than when I am describing the animal, (a Grizzly Bear) or being naked (bare)?? Oh well, I suppose that is why I was poly sci major and not an English major.

We Put the FUN in Dysfunctional

SO this is an identical post from my other blog, but I didnt feel like retyping.

Finally home from our family Christmas. It pretty much went how I expected. Let's see, I was nagged within 2 mintues, criticized in 5 minutes, given a dirty look in 10 minutes, and was crying before the 1st hour was up and telling my husband we were leaving. Its not that my family is that malicious or evil or anything, (at least I like to think so) it is really that most of them are inconsiderate or insensitive or oblivious. I have 8 aunts and uncles and around 20 cousins or so (I think, I cant remember) and then I have my 3 kids. Now, not everyone goes to this family party, some people are out of state, some dont deal with the drama, and some fake illnesses and even death to get out of attending.

My biggest problem today, besides my mother, was the food. The way it works is each year 2 siblings plan/cater the event. Everyone in my family knows we are vegetarians and have been. It isnt a shock or surprise or anything. There are 5 of us and another cousin and her boyfriend are as well (but they never come, probably because of what happened today). There were about 25 or 30 people there I think which means about 20% of the party was vegetarian. Do you think there was anything that me or my children or husband could eat? 1 thing, some rice. Unless you count the bread for the roast beef sandwiches. Maybe I sound like a jerk or a whiny brat, BUT if you are going to host a party and invite people to come and 20% of them dont eat meat, why would not you not have one meatless entree OF 5 and maybe just maybe a fruit or veggie tray?? There was a Ham, a ton of Italian Beef, 3 pots of Ravs ALL in MEAT SAUCE (even though they were made by 3 different people) and sausage weiner things for the entrees. The sides were a ceaser salad and rice and cranberry sauce. While everyone else got to eat, my family could basically eat nothing. Why be so inconsiderate? If we didnt eat meat for religious reasons or allergies or something I bet there wouldnt be this bullshit! Luckily my dh thought ahead and figured people would be jerks so he packed peanut butter sandwiches and bananas. It was humiliating to bring a sack lunch to my family christmas.

Dont get me wrong, I dont expect anyone to jsut cater to me or not serve any meat at all or anything like that. All I am asking for is one thing my kids could eat, one thing. Could you do one set of ravs in marinara sauce instead of meat? Everyone likes that! I am not demanding everyone eat tofu...I really dont think it is such an outrageous request OR let me know ahead of time you have no intention of serving anything meatless and I can make something and bring it. Then, my own mother, asks my 5 year old daughter "Did you eat any of Grandma's ravs yet?" To which dd says no...my mom acts all insulted so I yell from my seat, "Uhhh, mom...you put meat in the ravs. Ummmm....we dont eat meat remember??" And my mom yells at me all indignant "SORRRRRYYYYYYYYY." And gives me a nasty look.

I wont even go into the drama with my sister. Thank god for my dearest cousin (dc), who is my best friend and surrogate sister. Without her I never would have gotten through the day. She dragged me outside and calmed me down like only she can and made it all better (like she always does).

And that, was my family Christmas. Not enough valium and vodka in the world to get through it!

Family Xmas

I am getting ready to go to the dreaded family xmas party...which is probably why I am blogging instead of getting dressed and the dh is rolling his eyes at me. Seriously, every year I hate going more and more. I know I shouldnt be putting my family on blast like this, but most of my aunts all gossip about each other and all of each others kids (my cousins), the cousins are always fighting with someone else, there is just always some sort of drama. The dh's family is so normal it's scary. They are all nice and loving and fun, none of the back biting like in my family. Seems like every year my huge Italian fam just gets worse and worse (with the exception of a few people I am close with). If you read My So-Called Blog you would already know how I got bitch slapped on Myspace by one of my cousins last week. So to try to ease the holiday trauma one of my BFs came over last night with a bottle of Raspberry Smirnoff and a Singstar game. If you dont know what Singstar is, you dont know what youre missing! It is a karoke game for PS2 and PS3 and you sing along with the song while the video is playing, it is seriously sick. So the BF and I are celebrating the beginning of winter break (she's a teacher...trust me, when you thought your 3rd teacher wasn't cool, she probably was). By midnight we're singing "I Wanna Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd at the top of our lungs and taking shots. I am still amazed we didn't wake anyone up. This continued til 430am when we finally lost our voices and passed out. Let me just say for as much fun as it was, I am paying for it today in the form of a killer headache that vicodin probably couldnt even alleviate. Merry Christmas!

Snow Day!

For the past 2 days we have been bombarded by the weatherman on the news that the "big one" was coming..."the first major snow storm of the season"..."a dangerous wintery mix"...and so on. Usually I don't listen simply because we have had a couple of light snowfalls already this month and each one was supposed to be "big." This storm actually sounded a big nasty because there was a lot more ice involved than snow, so even though last night I was dead tired and still fighting off a cold/throat thing I decided to venture out in to the urban jungle and do a Costco run...with all 3 kids. As soon as I pulled in the parking lot I thought to myself, what am I thinking? The place was PACKED, I mean, full parking lot, worse than a Saturday afternoon packed. Tre' was whining because we went straight there from soccer practice and he didnt get to go home, Naya was whining because she was hungry and there are never enough samples, and the baby was in pajamas and half asleep. So I figure I treat it like a mission--make a map in my mind of the store layout, where each product I needed was, and get in and get out. I told the kids before we even went in if anyone asked for anything Christmas was cenceled (I think they believed me b/c no one asked for anything). So of course everyone and their extended family is there and puttering around and looking at every stupid random thing in the store and walking slowly--I wanted to scream at every person who stopped in front of me "Dont you realize I only have a limited amount of time before someone has a meltdown?!?!?" I must have rolled my eyes and said oh my god under my breath about 100 times. Of course within minutes Tre and Naya and fighting and pushing each other through the aisles, in between muttering to myself about what I needed I threw in the standard, "leave your brother alone," "keep your hands to yourself" "stop speaking to your sister like that." I made it to the checkout line with a full cart and no full blown fight or meltdown and thought maybe I was in the clear--I wasn't. I knew baby was getting fussy towards the end, but I figured still had a few minutes to get out. As soon as we got in line, the tears started and of course even though I triumphantly thought I was in the shortest line, I picked the one where someone was arguing that the price of oranges was 9.79 NOT 9.99 (well I dont know if thats what the problem was, but I am willing to bet it was close to being that stupid). So we arent moving and baby just lets loose. Screaming, crying, flailing in the cart--the kind of screaming that is so high pitched you ear drums actually feel pierced and you look around to see if anything is breaking. I cant take her out of the cart because my house of bread I have surrounding her may fall AND I have to get everything on the belt and pay, so of course people are looking at me like I am beating her. Needless to say, it was a very long 8 minute wait for me and about 50 other people in line. At this point I was decided that if there was not a snow storm I was personally going downtown and standing outside the newsroom with a sign (Today show style) telling the weatherman exactly what I thought of him. Well I was woken up at 530 this morning with a recorded phone call from the school district stating school was closed, so winter break started a day earlier! The weatherman got lucky this time.

Bukisa and Random Ramblings

I wrote an article for Bukisa and it was approved yesterday and I have already made money on it! Granted, it isn't much, BUT, it is money and I'm excited. I was a little weary of Bukisa simply because it is new and I really didn't know much about it but it seems really good. Shout out to Jenny and Kimmi for letting me know about it and explaining it to me. :)

The girls are sick today and now I think I am coming down with something. I didnt feel well on Monday, then Tuesday I was fine, today I woke up with a super scratchy throat and nothing can seem to make it go away. I tried gargling with saltwater, taking medicine, cough drops. Argh! I hate this more than a sore throat. I was thinking maybe it came on since we got half a foot of snow yesterday and I was out shoveling the driveway without gloves (I know, real smart)! Oh well, it had to be done, what are you gonna do?

Okay, no more distractions, back to working and writing...I swear I really might be the biggest procrastinator in the world. :)

List of Mystery Shopping Companies

First off, let me say I have NEVER worked so hard on a blog post in my life! I spent hours researching all the links in this list, so if anything is broken or incorrect please leave me a comment and I will fix it.

I have worked off an on as a mystery shopper for about 7 years now and I really enjoy it. It is a great way to earn some extra money and you have the freedom to pick and choose your assignments so that it fits your schedule. I know some mystery shoppers make a full-time income at, but I never pursued it at that level. I think I averaged about $400 or $500 a month and worked about 2, sometimes 3 days a week for a few hours. The trick is to sign up with every possible mystery shopping company and try to get multiple assignments in the same area. If 5 different companies all have a job near your neighborhood with the same date range, you can pick up all of those shops and knock them out in one day, and you could make $50-80 depending on what types of shops were offered. I have compiled a list of mystery shopping companies in (almost) alphabetical order for everyone. As of this writing, it is to the best of my knowledge that all of these companies are MSPA members, which gives them a certain level of credibility. I have performed shops for many of companies, if not most and I have never had a problem. I wrote a step by step article on How To Become A Mystery Shopper so check that out and then come back and apply to as many or all of the companies listed! Happy Shopping!!

Mystery Shopping Companies	Contact Person	Phone
Instant-Replays, Inc.	Jodi Bray	919-861-4541
Advanis	Craig Hiltz	888-944-9212
ClientSmart	Kimberly Peterson	404-542-8882
Coast to Coast Scheduling Services	CTCSS	562-943-0646
Customer Feedback, LLC	Laurie Dortch	425-888-7700
Devon Hill Associates	Barbara Gerber	858-456-7800
Dynamic Advantage, Inc.	Gregory Doomanis	818-238-1251
GfK Mystery Shopping	Maria Noll	(212) 240-5300
Goodwin and Associates Hospitality Services LLC	Brian Calderone	603.485.4111
IMYST, INC.	Michael Hardy	734-786-8468
Management Consultant Group, LLC	Shopper	504-218-5981
Marketing Endeavors, LLC	Aaron Conley	866-445-9117
Mystique Shopper	John Saccheri	888-750-Shop
National In-Store	Carol Hovsepian	941-953-3866
Perception Strategies, Inc.	Brooke Billingsley	(877) 546-0970
Premier Service Inc.	Keren Dolan	800-452-5150
Service Excellence Group Inc	Marci Bikshorn	(800)888-9189
Service Sleuth	Tom Mills	800-723-1150 x 14
The Sentry Marketing Group	David Agius	214-295-2615
TrendSource	Scott Cranford	(619)718-7467
A Closer Look	Chuck Paul	888-446-5665 Ext. 106
A Top Shop!	Lori Niemczyk	720-283-8377
AboutFace	Paige Hall	678.989.2290
ACE Mystery Shopping	Julie Brant	866-240-7324
Advisory Group, Inc.	Shopper Contact	301-907-7470
AIM Field Service	T Lyons	(407)886-5305
Alexandria's Marketing Company	Tony Maichen	574-243-1907
Aloha Solutions	Shawn Kiley	704-989-4709
Amusement Advantage, Inc.	Christine Carson	800-362-9946
Anonymous Insights Inc	Patti Lengel	(614)761-0939
Anonymous Shoppers and Assessments of Pittsburgh, ASAP	Tracy Pavlick	412-831-1227
Ardent Services	Tracey Estes	303-525-8892
At Your Service Marketing	Lynda Childs	(940)644-2893
ath Power Consulting Corporation	M Spinello	(978)474-6464
Automotive Associates	Ron Saetermoe	949-273-6201
Automotive Insights	Jim Murphy	314-409-2206
Baird Consulting, Inc	Kristin Baird	920-563-4684
Bare Associates International Inc.	Gwen Johnson	(800)296-6699 x 3131
bds mktg	Randy Schrock	949-472-6700
BestMark Shoppers		1-800-969-8477
Beyond Hello Inc	Gary Godding	(800)321-2588
Big K Mystery Shopping	Candor Gutierrez Vara	+52 (81) 12 34 33 89
BMA Mystery Shopping	Peter Thorwarth	800-355-5040
Business Evaluation Services	Charles Stiles	888-300-8292
Certified Marketing Research Services		(518)758-6403
CheckUp Marketing	Lori Miller	800-274-9669
Cirrus Marketing Consultants	Monnie Howard	888-899-7600
CKA Group, Inc.	Shopper	800-764-1996
Confero Inc	Elaine Buxton	(919)469-5200
Consumer Impressions, Inc.	Jodi Paul	972-8671956
Corporate Research International	Jenny Miracle-Turner	419-422-3196
Corporate Risk Solutions	Kendra Webb Parker	678-566-0220
Coyle Hospitality Group	Jim Coyle	800-891-9292
Creative Image Associates, Inc.	Shopper Contact	978-582-7005
CRG Mystery Shopping	Tracey Conners	(613)596-2916 ext. 223
Cross Financial Group	Tom Hershberger	402-441-3131
Customer 1st	Carl Phillips	800-288-7408 x 3214
Customer Perspectives	Recruiter	(603)647-1300
Customer Service Experts, Inc.
Customer Service Profiles	Shopper Contact	800-841-7954 x 101
Data Quest Ltd.	Tracey Turgeon	617-437-0030
David Sparks and Associates	Shopper Contact	864-654-7571
Draude Marketing	Nancy Draude	717-371-5310
DSG Associates Inc	Shopper Contact	(714)835-3020
Ellis, Partners in Mystery Shopping (EPMS)	E Slater	972-256-3767
Examine Your Practice	Jodi Manfredi	866.505.3926
Feedback Plus, Inc.	Scheduling Manager	(972)661-8989
Freeman Group Measurement	S Baker	972-479-1345
GAPbuster Worldwide	Suzan Izzet	770.781.3181
Grass Roots Performance Measurement	Jane Edwards-Hall	305-347-4340
Guest Check	Derek Wood	303-991-6173
Harland Clarke	Linda Schrock	800-291-6117
Hart Associates	Mike Hart	419-893-9600
Healthcare Hospitality Consultants	Jesse Rosenblatt	914-307-1717 x101
ICC Decision Services	David Rich	(800)444-1717
ICU Associates	Marc MacGillvray	877-574-6682
Insula Research, Inc.	Brian Baker	614-334-2614
Integrity Auditing Services, Inc.	Lee Chidester	484-364-1033
I-Spy Mystery Shoppers	Cory Jensen	(402) 502-0579
J.D. Power and Associates	Chris Denove	805-418-8000
Jancyn Evaluation Shops	Janis Pelletiere	800-339-2861
JM Ridgway	Bob Reister	(408) 879-7503
Kinesis-CEM	Kathy Harper	206-285-2900
KSS International, Inc.	Lorri Kern	520-615-0888
Loss Prevention Partners, LLC	Charles A Borzellieri	732-588-0728
LRA Worldwide	Jeff Gurtman	215-957-1999
Maritz Research	Shopper Contact	1-877-4-MARITZ
Market Force Information	Ellyn Fill	303-402-6929
Marketing Systems Unlimited Corp	Shopper Information	(319)338-3773
MarketWise Consulting Group, Inc.	Carolyn Nankervis	920-735-4970 Ext 102
Measure Consumer Perspectives	Kimberly Nasief-Westergren	502-499-1139
Melinda Brody & Co.	Melinda Brody	407-294-7614
Mercantile Systems	Scheduler	888-222-8301
Michelson & Associates Inc	Mark Michelson	770-642-2223
Mintel International Group, Ltd.	G Rodriguez	312-932-0400
Muscle Marketing	GiGi	949-713-3904
mVentix, Inc.	Matthew Heck	888.455.2341 x104
Mystery Guest, Inc.	J. Newnum	888-269-9468
Mystery Shopper Pros	Jim Johnson	973-347-1572
Mystery Shoppers	Tiffany Gleason	1-865-450-8841
Mystery Shoppers, Inc./Game Film Consultants	Shopper Contact	866-334-3456 ext 1351
National Investigation Bureau	Jennifer Mullen	781-344-0384
Nationwide Services Group	Laura Unger	440-238-3000
New Image Marketing, Ltd.	Peter Boldrin	239-275-9979
Northwest Loss Prevention Consultants	Douglas Rector	425-271-0312
Omega Market Research	Joe Rodriguez	1-787-704-0917
Opinions, Ltd.	Jennifer Maurer	440-893-0300
People Plus Inc	Elaine Morgan	(901)362-0509
Performance Group	Shopper Contact	847-358-3100
Person to Person Quality	Michael Mitchell	(703) 836-1517
Personnel Profiles, Inc.	Kathy Kelly	800-440-8150
Phonesmart	Tron Jordheim	(866) 639-1715
Promotion Network, Inc.	Mary Marcowka	708-361-8747 x221
PROS	Catherine Bebber	800-741-7758
QSI Specialists	Chuck Kenerson	702-891-0550
Quality Assessments Mystery Shoppers	Mary Furrie	(800)580-2500
Quest for Best/Quest Associates Inc	Chuck Roam	(901)388-7203
Reality Check	Ross Thomas	(206)364-9004
Regal Hospitality Group	Russell Jerothe	813-854-1855
Remington Evaluations	Sarah Leeke	866-485-6491
RitterAssociates	Dennis Richard	419-535-5757
Second To None Inc	Jeff Hall	(734)302-8400
Secret Shopper (Sights on Service)	Paul Wilson	(763)525-1460
Secret Shopping Services	Laurie Hines	253-770-0393
Service Alliance Inc	Judi Hartleben	(303)696-2147
Service Evaluation Concepts	Shopper Recruiting	(516) 576-1188
Service Impressions	Dan Crevin	916-683-9895
Service Intelligence	Dana Conn	704-731-0171
Service Performance Group Inc	Jerry Gulyes	919-567-8300
Service Research Corporation	Brandon Stelling	402-434-5000
ServiceProbe	Christy Nichols	423-443-8602
ServiceSense	Amy Zintl	800-465-1182
Shopmetrics, Inc.	Joseph G. Hashim	419-474-6672
Shoppers Confidential Inc.	Julie Anthony	519-208-4779
Shoppers Critique International LLC	Bill Green	(407)834-3337
Shoppers' View	shopper contact	(800)264-5677
Shoppers, Inc.	Kathy Shook	800-259-8551
Shopping by Mystery	Lorraine Bowring	208-559-1550
Signature Worldwide Inc.	Jeff Scholes	800-398-0518
Sinclair Customer Metrics, Inc.	Sean Barna	(800) 600-3871
Six Star Solutions	Richard Bell	(801)274-2213
Special Interests	Cathy Stucker	281-265-7342
Synovate	Bruce Wells	312-526-4088
Tell Us About Us, Inc.	Kirby Gompf	204-453-4757
Texas Shoppers Network, Inc.	Sondra Pulford	713-984-7631
The Benchmark Collaborative	Ron Welty	888-249-9606
The Buyer's View	Nancy Coughlin	623-594-0544
The Emmerich Group	Annice Miller	952-820-0360
The Seer Group LLC	Clifton Wise	302-478-6369
TNS	Contact	404-257-5860
Vision Client, Inc.	Pierre-Paul Levesque	450-653-7653
Winthrop Douglas Inc	Contact Us	212-594-5727

Writing, Writing, and More Writing

Lucky for me that I love to write, since I have spent the entire day doing it. My latest money making idea seems to be going well and I actually enjoy it. Now that I have the hang of eHow I can say it really is easy, I swear. I have posted 6 articles in the last 24 hours and have several views and comments, which is nice. I am going to post regularly about making money through eHow and Bukisa as well as the articles I am writing so you can see for yourself how easy it is. I am pretty excited about this whole thing, so we'll see how it goes. The following are my eHow articles:

How to Get Pregnant

How to Lose Weight--Fast

How to Remove Green Water From An Aquarium or Fish Tank

How to Buy A Prepaid Gift or Debit Card

How to Remove Nail Polish From Your Carpet

How To Make A Vegetarian Holiday Dinner


See--I told you this was random! If you want to add a residual income I highly suggest joining eHow and Bukisa. I will keep you posted!

eHow and Making Money!

Thanks to a wonderful group of ladies I met online, I have started writing for eHow. This is a great way to make some money, build a portfolio and gain some experience for a resume.

First you need to sign up with eHow and sign up for the Writers Compensation Program. Once you do that, you are ready to roll! It's that easy! You write step by step articles and eHow already has the format all laid out for you. You can write about anything you want! You arent paid upfront for your article, this is residual income, but once you start building it will be a decent amount if you put work into it. According to people I spoken with, the average article earns about $3 a month, so if you write a 3 articles a day...well you can do the math! And your articles continue to earn money AFTER you write them. That's the beauty of it.

ANYONE can do this! Check out one of my articles here to see how simple it really is! You don't have to be an English or Journalism major, trust me! If you are thinking about freelance writing or wanting to make money from I think this is a great place to start. I will keep everyone posted on how much money I make!

Trying to Relax

Fridays and Saturdays are my "days off" from my regular job at Legacy (for which I work remotely) and I try to enjoy them. Each week I tell myself I am going to take some time out and relax on Saturday and do something nice for myself--a manicure, a pedicure, a drink with friends, a hot bath, something. Each week it never fails--I find myself working on other things (writing, blogging, cleaning etc.) and if I do try to do something I have 3 little voices begging to go with me.

I think moms, especially working moms, deserve more than just 1 day a year to be recognized. I think we deserve one day a week just for us! Even if we only utilize a few hours of the day, we deserve some time to regroup and relax.

Kohls Coupon

I know we can all use a little help this Holiday season, so I wanted to post a special Kohls coupon for anyone hoping to save some money!! Happy Shopping!!