Catching Up

Oy!  Time has been flying lately, and I've been on my toes keeping up on everything...except apparently my blog.  So, here's the last few weeks in a nutshell....

I enjoy being busy.  Not too busy.  Not stressed busy.  But an I have things to do and am not bored type of busy.  This week, however, will lean towards the former stressed type.  Although I'm a stay at home parent, I do run a (small for now) Kindermusik program, and all the kids stuff at a local music store (camps, birthday parties, etc.).  

This week, I am running a spring break camp, which means I'm working full time.  My girls get to come with me, which is a huge blessing.  But balancing lunches for everyone, getting the boys to grandmas early in the morning, trying to figure out who in the world will watch the boys on Thursday and Friday, having dinner on the table, keeping up with the admin stuff of my Kindermusik business, and being a one car family is simply crazy.  Crazy, I tell you.  And although it's fun, I'm always happy when camp weeks are over.

Changing subjects...I got my first tattoo last week.  For reals.  The more times I see it in the mirror, the more I love it.  One of my old youth group leaders from when I was a kid did my tattoo for me, which was extra special (thanks, Moses!).  I'm extremely surprised that I beat Ben to the punch on getting the first tattoo.  

Homeschooling is going well, and continues to be an amazing adventure.  The more I let my children take the lead on what we're learning and set the pace, the more they seem to get excited about learning.  I think homeschooling will inevitably be one of those ever evolving things...just when you think you've figured it out, everything needs to change.  

On the note of homeschooling, I've decided that in 6-7 years, I'd like to take 3 months (or so) to go travel the world with our kids, studying cultures, history, geography, language, etc.  In six years, our kids will be about 8, 10, 12, and 14.  I think these will be great ages for such an extensive and educational trip.  Plus, that gives me A LOT of time to save up for it.  

I've been really good at spending money at the grocery store (and by good I mean "bad").  I feel like it's been such a challenge for me to get back into my rhythm of shopping well and on purpose and freezer cooking.  I really need to focus and get my grocery spending back on track.  Also, I go to Trader Joe's for produce at least twice a week.  My kids eat SO MUCH FOOD.  I really never expected this amount of food consumption from my children.  It's crazy.  Four kids can eat a lot of food.  

I'm sure there's more, but that's a little snippet of life the past few weeks.  Happy belated Easter!

Pinecone Research is Accepting New People!

If you've ever wondered about a totally legit online survey company that pays you for EACH survey that you take, Pinecone Research is the way to go!  I joined this company and participated in their surveys for over a year.  

Why I LOVE Pinecone:

• They only send you surveys that you qualify for (no more wasting 5 minutes on a survey just for them to tell you "sorry, you don't qualify")
• They send you a $3 check via mail immediately after you complete a survey (no silly points systems that you can never cash out)!
• The surveys only take 15-20 minutes, and you can skip them if you want (though don't skip too many in a row or you'll get booted from the program!).  You can also do them while you watch TV like I did!
• You often get to sample pre-released products and then complete another follow-up survey afterwards for ANOTHER $3 check (I've sampled everything from food items before they hit the shelves to FULL packages of name brand diapers!  You have to keep any details of the products a secret, though!)

Head HERE to see if you qualify for the program.  They only have open enrollment every so often, so if this is something you're interested in, I encourage you to jump on it quickly!  Also, please note, they only fill a certain number of spots per age group.  Typically, they accept people in the 18-25ish age range, but I know that changes sometimes based on what they need.  It should only take about 10 minutes to complete the initial forms and they should immediately know if you qualify or not.  

In the year that I participated in Pinecone, I probably earned about $100 (average of 3 surveys per month), and received about another $50 in sample products to try.  I loved that I received payment quickly, and while it's not huge, it was an easy way to earn a few bucks while watching TV ;)