YouData pays you

Introducing YouData, Inc., the company that actually PAYS you to see advertisements! Annoyed with all those popups that keep bombarding you? With YouData, you actually get paid to view advertisements. You choose when and how many to see, and they tell you ahead of time how much each ad is worth. Earnings are depositied into your PayPal account every Friday. You won't get rich off this network, but who can complain about a few extra dollars every week for a few minutes of "work?" The company is pretty new and will only keep attracting more advertisers, which will mean more money for you! And who knows, you might actually see something useful in one of the ads? After the first week YouData deposited $4.15 into my PayPal account. That's my ebay fund right there! :) If you're interested in free money, here's the steps to take.

1) Create your YouData Account.
You will enter some basic information. They don't ask for your mailing address, but they do require your cell phone number to send 1 confirmation text. After that, they don't bother you. They do this as a double opt-in feature to prevent spammers from entering falst accounts and to enforce the one account per person rule. And all they need to pay you is for you to enter the email address you have registered on PayPal. (Create a PayPal account if you don't already have one.) And the great thing is that, unlike many online work-from-home type programs, there is NO MINIMUM payment to deposit!!!

2) Fill out optional surveys in your MeFile. YouData gives optional surveys that help target ads specifically to you. Just click the tab that says "MeFile" and then click "surveys." It's that easy!

3) Come back to Rapunzal's Castle and look for the adstacker on the right hand of the page. It'll look like this Login using your YouData ID. Click on the lower right hand corner where it says "get ads" Then look at the top where you see a slider bar. This sort of works as a tip jar, and it's set to 50/50%. Slide all the way to the left ot keep 100% of the money that you earn. (you can only see the slider bar when you have ads to view) Then click "reveal ads" and you can then click on the ads individually. You get paid for paying attention for a few seconds. Cool, right?

That's all there is to it. I hope this was helpful. Enjoy your fun money from YouData. Thanks to Freebies4Mom for getting me started on this idea. I'm off to check my ads. Friday I'm buying the jogging case for my MP3 player!

Thank you for reading. Don't forget to sign up for more from Rapunzal's Castle, or follow Punzey on Twitter. Leave a comment, I'd love to hear your success stories with YouData.

Just a few more?

The last two and a half years that I have spent at the university have been both enjoyable and interminable. Time has passed both quickly and achingly slow. I find myself within three weeks of finals bouncing up and down at the prospect of being done with classwork. Summer clinicals will be difficult but enjoyable. To say that I am eagerly anticipating graduating in August and being able to find a job in a clinic is an understatement. I'm ready to be out of school and re-enter the real world!

Somehow, though, when I look at the years that I've spent on campus, it seems as though I didn't get half of what I wanted accomplished. The instructor for my voice class asked if I wanted to take private lessons next year. My voice carried both excitement and regret that I couldn't because I have graduated by then. There are so many courses, so many subjects that I wanted to study, but I just ran out of time. While registering for this last semester I felt like Cinderella at the ball, begging the clock to allow just one more dance. I wanted to take another art course, to study more music. My brain has been stuffed full of physics, anatomy, and chemistry, and it is happy for the challenge. But my spirit feels satisfied when the expression when I am bent over a drawing or my fingers are flying over the keyboard.

At times I look jealously at my younger, single classmates who seem to have the world open. They complain that they can't find anything interesting to fill out their elective hours, while I bring myself back to reality that, no, I can't take the 22 hours of the courses I really am interested in.

But then, when I start the ignition to my Jeep and begin the long drive home, the miles weigh on me. I do not wish to make this drive any longer. The miles weigh on me because they separate me from my children. What science can be more challenging than teaching my oldest son to read? Is there an art course in the world more fun than making dolphins and elephants shape out of playdough and then squishing them with two giggling children? Is there a human relationship more confounding and yet comforting as the marriage relationship? I may miss out on a few college experiences, but what I have more than makes up for it. My life is full, it is rewarding. It is different than that of my classmates. And crazy. :)

Maybe it is for the best that I will leave the university feeling unfinished. I have not lost my desire to learn. My mind still contains many dreams and other goals to accomplish. I will never be bored. There is always something else to discover.

50 Free prints from Snapfish plus 20% off

Special April savings at Snapfish! One of my favorite online stores, Snapfish is providing a wonderful, money saving promotion for the entire month. Get your Easter memories printed off for FREE. Or, if you're like me and still haven't gotten all of your Christmas shots printed, here's your opportunity! Or you can take the year's best pictures and turn them into a photo book, just in time for Mother's Day. 50 Free Prints plus a choice of either 20% Off Photo Cards OR 20% Off Photo Books Exp 4/30

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Update on Victoria's Secret Freebie - good until April 6

For those of you who read my earlier post about VS giving away a $10 minimum (could be up to $500) gift card with any $10 purchase-- you have four more days. I contacted Victoria's Secret customer service and found out that the offer is ending on April 6 because the gift card is valid starting April 7. Didn't want anyone to go into the store a few days late and be disappointed.

5 Tips for Flying with Preschoolers

Several weeks ago I had a madcap trip scheduled to see family during spring break. My excitement over seeing my brother who had returned from being stationed overseas was tempered with a little bit of terror over flying alone with a 20 month-old and a 3 1/2 year-old. Whether you are a new reader or an old friend, it only takes reading one post to realize that my sons are high-octane, nitro-charged, 100% BOYS! (they're very well behaved, but they're still boys...) I lost track of the times at school friends and teachers would say "You're flying with them alone?? Are you nuts???" Certifiably. but that's another story. :)

The traveling ended up being mostly pretty fun. The trip with family was a blast, and we made it home in one piece and both children present. :) To help other adventurous parents with their travel, since that season is almost upon us, here are several of the tools and tips I used.

1) Liquids 3-1-1. To make it easy, liquids 3 oz. or smaller, 1 qt. plastic ziplick, 1 bag per passenger placed in tray during security. There are, however, exceptions when traveling with children. From the TSA official site "Declare larger liquids. Medications, baby formula and food, and breast milk are allowed in reasonable quantities exceeding three ounces and are not required to be in the zip-top bag. Declare these items for inspection at the checkpoint." They will not ask you to taste the items, but they will be insepcted. They still won't let you take water through, so either plan on buying water for formula powder or buy the premixed stuff. ALso, if you have frozen breast milk or medication that needs to stay cooled, you are allowed those little refreezable packs. As a precaution, I always print out the offical rules from the TSA site in case I happen to come across a security agent who's not aware of the exceptions.

2) Going through security with children. First, they will not ask or do anything to separate you from your children! Still, keep your eyes on them... If the child is capable of walking they will ask if the child would walk through on his own. (Which they did the first time. On the way home, William wouldn't be parted from Mommy's arms). Be aware that all shoes, even sandals, must be removed. I dressed the boys in easy-to-tie shoes, and wore clogs for greater ease. I even had a compassionate TSA agent help me fold up the stroller, get the Ziplock out of the backpack, and round up the shoes! If you have more questions, check out TSA's site about traveling with children.

3) Luggage and car seats. Since most airlines have started charging for even the first suitcase (except my beloved Southwest), check with your airline's website for their policy. The several that I checked with, (Delta, United, American) do NOT charge for car seats and strollers (or you can use the stroller throughout the airport and gate check it to pick it up immediately after the flight). So you do not have to worry about paying extra to protect your child at your destination. :)

4) Medical Emergencies. The first flight of the day coming home, I looked down as we were boarding to notice my youngest son's right knee looking red. I thought it was odd, but continued with the boarding. By the time we were loaded on the plane, both knees were red with hives, as were both elbows. By the time I dug through the bag to look for medicine, they had spread to cover most of his legs and arms. Not having benadryl with me, I called for the flight attendant. They don't carry medicine on board, but she called for the airport EMTs. We did have to disembark from the plane, but it was nice to know there were people available to help. They checked out his lungs, which were thankfully clear. But now I know that airports carry medical personnel who respond very quickly, and the service is free. (unless you require an ambulance to transport you to a hospital). Airline agents were also very helpful in rebooking my flights to get me home only a few hours later. They did not charge to rebook. The moral of this story is, don't take chances, especially with your child's health. There are people available to help if you have serious concerns. I did not want to delay my trip, especially since I was taking care of two tired children, but the alternatives were to have my child's airways swell up at 20,000 feet.

5) Medical kit. Bring the essentials with you. Benadryl is now one of them... Infant Tylenol is small, and you can use with an older child, it just takes a little but more. An anti-itch cream. A few band-aids. Diaper rash cream. Your pediatrician's phone number. Orajel. You know your child and what you normally do to prepare for possible emergencies away from home, just double-check the contents and pop it into your bag. There are stores in airports, but they don't cater to children and infant needs. Just don't forget to take the nail scissors OUT of the bag...

Don't forget to come back next week when I post more tips for traveling with preschoolers!

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Freebies from Victoria's Secret

I was just in the store to claim the free PINK bag that I had a coupon for. (See freebies4mom post) and was talking to the saleslady trying to find out how I had to use the coupon. By the way, when you sign up at Pink Nation for you bag, you also get a coupon to $10 off a $35 purchase. Well, they have a sale going on for the all the underwear collections in the store, buy X and pay $X off the price. For instance, the PINK underwear that I liked was going for $10 a pair, but were on sale 5 for $25. Not a bad deal. What most people do not realize about Victoria's Secret (and her sister, Bath and Body Works) is that any deal like that, you have to buy the minimum number, but you can keep going! So 5/$25 goes to 6/$30, 7/$35, etc. So I bought 7 pairs of underwear for a store price of $35, then applied my $10 coupon and paid $25. Quite a saving to go from $70 worth of merchandise down to $25!!!

Back to the main point... I'm not sure for how long, but whenever you make a $10 purchase in store you receive a FREE gift card/coupon worth a minimum of $10!!! What happens is after checkout they hand you a small envelop with a coupon inside, which is valid starting April 3(?) You won't know how much the card is worth until that time, but each card is guaranteed to have at least $10 on it, and some go up to $500! In the very least, you're getting your money back and at the most you might win some!!!

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Fireproof and the Love Dare

My husband works nights, and I'm in school during the day. The constant comings and goings and never see each other tend to take a toll on our relationship, which is way we were both thrilled when his sister and her husband gave us a copy of the book "The Love Dare" for Christmas. I had another book I was reading at the time and in the end of January, excitedly picked up the copy and prepared for 40 days to strengthening my marriage. I knew that the book went along with the movie "Fireproof," which I had yet to see, but I didn't know much else.

Day 1 starts out with 1 Corinthians 13, "Love is patient." The few short, easy-to-read paragraphs talked about being patient with your spouse as a way of loving. I've been actively trying to follow Jesus for about 20 years now, so I know enough to not ask for patience when I pray. Somehow, whenever you pray for patience, it seems like there is a trial around the corner to give you a chance to practice it! Instead, I prayed that God would help me to show more patience with my darling Erik. Apparently I didn't work things clearly enough, or maybe God just knows my heart and what I need...

That was a Monday, which is a school day with late classes. I arrived home after Erik had left for work, put the kids to bed, took the dog out, unpacked the lunch box and backpack, repacked the backpack, and finally sat, exhausted in the recliner to check for an email about the presentation assignment from my group. About 10:15 I heard the familiar strains of "Winnie the Pooh" from my Blackberry, signaling that my DH was calling me. The first words I heard were, "Honey, you're going to hate me, but I forgot something very important and I need you to please bring it to me." Several seconds of dead air time passed before I broke the stunned silence to say "You've gotta be kidding me. You mean I have to get the kids away, drive all the way there and home, and I have classes in the morning!?!" Realize that his work is almost 50 miles away, so round trip is going to be almost two hours. He profusely apologized but insisted that he needed the item. Honestly, I don't even remember what it was. The words I had read earlier that day, "Love is patient" played like a broken record through my brain, managing to hold my tongue still from angry comments.

Reluctantly I packed up the kids, made a Starbucks run, and arrived home dreading the next day. Still, the Love Dare had prepared me for the journey and I managed to arrive home without saying anything that I would regret. And I was able to serve my husband and demonstrate love to him. Nevertheless, that was several weeks ago and I am still gathering the courage to read Day 2. Who knows what will happen afterwards? :)

P.S. Some great resources for you are at Fire Proof Your Marriage