I Choose To Be Positive!

I have noticed that things are very negative in the world right now and since Christmas has just passed and the joyful feeling always seems to pass all too quickly, I have been thinking about how to combat such negativity.  Everywhere you turn there is something being reported in the news or talked about in public that can bring you down, can cause depression or feelings of doubt and unhappiness.  I don't want to feel that way - do you?

Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day.

 OnePerfectDayBlog.net

I write in a personal journal as much as I can and I try to speak my heart in these pages because I want my children and grandchildren to know who I truly am.  I want to use these journals to remind them about all the good in life because there is so much to be joyful about.  Most of my writings are very positive because I have always wanted to be a happy person but I do have down days and I do write some things that may not be as uplifting as I would want them to be but that is life - that is MY life sometimes and I know that they will learn from my thoughts and feelings.  I am not presenting my true self if I am only writing the good and the positive although, I wish I could!

For this reason I want to make more of an effort to point out things that are good in every day living.  This will make me be more thoughtful about what goes on each day and help me to recognize those tender mercies that may some days seem far from me.  I want to know these things when they occur in my life.  For this reason I have decided to make a slight change in my journal writing to help me focus on the good.  My goal is to write about or mention at least one unexpected positive thing that has happened during that time period that I am writing about.  If I am watching for these moments I will be more mindful of the blessings I am receiving every day whether they are apparent or not.

Some examples of good things or blessings that have come my way in the last week that were expected are:

1. I was able to talk to all of my children and grand children this week during our Christmas celebrations.   Priceless!
2. Spending time with one of my beautiful daughters and just enjoying her company.  Also priceless.
3. Receiving all the beautiful Christmas cards from family and friends.

Some examples of beautiful things that have happened this week that I was not expecting:

1. Pulling up to the pump at the gas station and finding out that it was only going to cost $36.00 to fill up my car rather than the normal $50.00 because the price of gas has gone down significantly.  This one almost made me cry - seriously! 
2. Getting a text from an old friend saying she missed me and that she was thinking about me.  My heart still skips a beat when I hear from an old friend.
3. Learning some additional skills that will help me take better pictures - something I have always been interested in but not very good at.  I have a long way to go but it feels so good to understand better how to use light in photography, for example.

Another thing that I think will help to keep positive thoughts always in the front of my mind is to watch for and make notation of positive and encouraging thoughts that I am confronted with each day.  I have listed below just a few that I have found.  Some are spiritual and some are just uplifting.  Take a look because they might inspire you too!

Put Your Positive Pants On!
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We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong.  The amount of work is the same. 

Carlos Castenada

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Keep looking up . . . . that's the secret of life.

Snoopy
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Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.

Dr. Seuss
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Sometimes when things are falling apart they may actually be falling into place. 
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The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.

Mark Twain
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Life is like a camera.  You focus on what's important to capture the good times, develop from the negative and if things don't work out, take another shot.
Author Unknown
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If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sun beams and you will always look lovely.

Roald Dahl
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I am FABULOUS!
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Spread love everywhere you go.  Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.

Mother Teresa
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Start each day with a grateful heart.

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Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Ephesians 4:29
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  Folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
Abraham Lincoln 

There are so many good things in life to focus on but sometimes it can be hard.  Find ways to keep positivity in your life.  Share it with others and if you come up with some creative and new ways to do it, please let me know.  I would love to hear them!

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Walmart's Savings Catcher - Gives You Your Money Back!

If you shop at Walmart on a regular basis, you should be familiar with Savings Catcher and if you aren't, I'm going to tell you all about it right now.  Walmart provides you with a way to save even more money on your everyday grocery purchases without much effort at all.  It is so simple and you actually will get money back on a Walmart giftcard!

Here is a quick step by step tutorial on how it works:

You submit your receipt to Savings Catcher in one of these three ways:

1. Enter the receipt number (the TC number that is at the bottom of your receipt) into Savings Catcher at savingscatcher.walmart.com.  
2. Scan the code at the bottom of your printed store receipt using the scanner in the Walmart app on your phone.
3. Register your phone number using the Walmart app or debit card reader located at the in-store checkout.  If you do this option, each time you check out at your Walmart Store you will be asked to enter your phone number and Walmart submits your receipt for you!

Savings Catcher compares the prices of the eligible items you bought at Walmart to the advertised prices found in the print and online versions of the weekly ads of top retailers in your area.  The ads must be valid at the time you made your Walmart purchase.

If Savings Catcher finds an advertised price that is lower than what you paid for the exact same item at Walmart, you will get back the difference in the form of Savings Catcher Reward Dollars, which can be redeemed for a Walmart Rewards eGift Card or Walmart Buck$ added to your Bluebird by American Express Card, which can be used to make purchases exclusively in-store at Walmart or online at Walmart.com.

This really is so simple and there aren't any tricks or hitches to this.  Here are a few important things that you may be thinking of as you consider using Savings Catcher:

1. There is no minimum purchase requirement.
2. You can submit up to 7 receipts per week to Savings Catcher.
3. You have to submit your receipts within 7 days of purchase.
4. Savings Catcher applies to your in-store purchases only.
5. If you use coupons, Walmart still compares your purchase based on the full price of the item, not the after coupon price and refunds you the money if they find another local store with a lower price.  Sweet!
6. Savings Catcher lets you know within 72 hours if they found your items at lower prices and automatically puts the funds into your Savings Catcher Account.

 I have posted several screen shots to show how this all works so I apologize up front but it is not complicated at all.  If you do the majority of your grocery shopping at Walmart, you will thank me one day! 

Go to www.walmart.com.  Up in the right hand corner of the screen, click on the tab "Savings Catching."  Right next to the "Help!" tab.

On the next page click on the tab "Hello, Sign In" in the upper right hand corner.

On this page, go to the bottom and click on the "Create Account" button.

Fill in this basic information and then click on the "Create Account" button at the bottom of the screen.

 

Once you have created your account you will be able to see this. This main screen shows you the balance of your account so here you can see that I have $2.47 in my Walmart account.  This balance does not have an expiration date so it will always be there.  Once you are ready you can transfer this balance to an electronic Walmart gift card on your phone.

The other box is where you can enter your receipt information.  Each time you go to Walmart you will enter your receipt information here.  The TC# which is at the bottom of the receipt and the date of purchase.  Hit "Add Receipt" and wait for Walmart to let you know if you are going to get any money back.

This screen shows you all the receipts you have entered.  So if you look at this screen, on November 25th I entered a receipt for $27.97 and I got back $1.26!  It doesn't sound like a lot but one, I am getting that money back and two, all I had to do was scan the receipt and Walmart does the rest.  It only takes about 5 seconds to scan a receipt.

This screen is where you can redeem your cash for a Walmart eGift card OR an American Express Bluebird card which gives you double the amount of money back!

Here are the instructions for the Savings Catcher app for your phone:

 

When you upload the Walmart app to your smartphone and open it up for the first time, this is the screen you will see.  Tap the "Savings Catcher" tab at the bottom of the screen.

 

On this screen the first thing you will be able to do is tap on the "Scan a Receipt" button.

On this screen you will scan the box at the bottom of your Walmart receipt and that's it!  You can also type the information into the receipt if for some reason the scanner doesn't work and then tap on the "Type receipt info instead."  You will now just wait for Walmart to contact you to let you  know if you will be getting any money back or not.

 This screen lets you keep track of all the receipts you have submitted and whether you are getting any money back or not.

And last but not least, this screen lets you keep track of the balance in your Savings Catcher account on your phone.  I use the app because I always have my phone with me and it is just easier.  The other thing that you can do with this screen is click on the "Get It Back" button and it will allow you to apply the money in your Savings Catcher account to an eGift Card or the American Express Bluebird card.

So, if you do a lot of your grocery shopping at Walmart, you definitely need to put this app on your phone and give it a try.  No matter how much money you save, every dollar counts and it's nice for a store to give you some of your own money back!

Good luck!

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Santa Doesn't Wrap The Presents He Brings You - Who Knew?

 

As Christmas Day gets closer I have been thinking about the traditions that our family have cherished over the years and how they have enriched the fun and excitement of the Christmas season for our kids.  There is one in particular that I am thinking of that I want to share with all of you now - especially those of you who have small children.  When I first became familiar with this tradition though, I was so surprised!

Now if you believe in Santa Clause - STOP READING RIGHT NOW!  This post is strictly for mommies, daddies or non-believers only!  I do not want to be responsible for ruining someone's childhood by giving away a secret here.  

When my husband and I had been married for two years we were preparing for our first Christmas at home with our little boy, Matthew, and we were excited about sharing that day as a family.  When we celebrated our first Christmas with Matthew he was only 6 months old so he was only interested in eating and sleeping and we had traveled to Idaho to spend the holidays with my husbands family.  

This Christmas we were still in school and like most young couples, we did not have a lot of money so things were going to be sparse but we didn't care.  We had each other and our little boy and we were really looking forward to waking up Christmas morning and enjoying the day with him.  

In preparation for that big day we had purchased one or two small gifts for each other and a few for our son.  They were all carefully placed on a shelf in our bedroom closet - not that we needed to hide them because our son was only 1 1/2 years old so he didn't really know what was going on and wouldn't know what to do with a wrapped package anyway.  One morning when my husband headed off to school for the day I was in that Christmas spirit of wanting to decorate, bake, listen to Christmas music and wrap presents and so that is what I did - all day long.

After feeding my son I put him down for a nap and quietly went into my bedroom to grab the presents that were hiding on the top shelf of my closet.  I took the packages out to our living room where I had the wrapping paper, tape and bows waiting for me.  I carefully took each package and one by one wrapped them up taking my time to make sure that each one looked like it had been wrapped by a professional wrapper.  After I finished wrapping each package I carefully placed each one under our tree and marveled at how beautiful it looked.

I spent the rest of the day putting up decorations around our small apartment, baking holiday treats and listening to Christmas music.  It was a wonderful day for me and I will always look back on it with great fondness and affection for that first Christmas with Matthew where he might understand a little about what was going on.

That evening as I was standing in our tiny kitchen preparing dinner I was feeling so accomplished about the day and looking forward to my husband coming home so that I could show him what I had done.  I was excited!

When he walked in the door he put his things down as normal and gave me a hug and a kiss.  We talked for a few minutes and I pointed out all the things I had done that day except the presents under the tree.  I wanted him to notice that himself.  When he finally glanced over at the tree and saw the presents underneath he said, "Are those ALL the presents wrapped and under the tree?"  I told him that they were and asked him if he liked my wrapping job!

 This is little Matthew on Christmas morning.  The very reaction Santa hopes to see on every little persons face!

He looked at me with question in his eyes and asked me where the Santa Claus gifts were and I told him that everything was wrapped and under the tree.  He looked disappointed and I felt bad but more than that, I wondered what he was talking about!  In the house that I grew up in everything was wrapped and hiding in a closet until Christmas eve. 

My husband explained to me that some gifts were supposed to be wrapped and under the tree and that these presents were from and for family members and friends.  Santa Claus gifts did not show up under the tree until early Christmas in the wee hours of the morning and they were certainly not wrapped because Santa does not have time to wrap every single gift that he delivers.  This was the first time I had ever heard this news.  I was shocked!

I was shocked and then I was sad.  I was sad because I felt like I had let my husband down and how could I not know that Santa Claus actually brought gifts and that they were never wrapped?  I was embarrassed and I felt bad about ruining Christmas for my little boy.  
 

Here it is in the middle of the night AFTER we unwrapped the Santa Claus gifts!

My husband could see by the look on my face that I was upset and he quickly came up with a solution.  You won't believe what we did!  When our little Matthew finally fell asleep my husband and I sat down beside our beautifully decorated tree and carefully picked up each package and shook it until we figured out which gift was which.  We then took the few presents that my husband said were supposed to be Santa Claus gifts and unwrapped them and put them back in the closet where they would stay until very early on Christmas morning.  You learn something new every day!

 This was the next day, December 26, 1984, at Gma Meng's house.  See how nicely the Santa Claus gifts are displayed?

 

My eyes were opened to something else new that night that was never a part of my Christmas experience but has been since that time up to this day.  Santa Claus actually sets your gifts out nice and neat in beautiful piles around the tree for each person before he leaves your house!  He also fills your stockings that are hanging on the fireplace or wherever you have them, and places them beside each persons pile of presents.  Crazy!

There is one negative side to all this Christmas prepping and presentation and that is that the mommy and daddy of the house have to be up to help Santa make all this magic happen so that means they have to stay up late OR get up in the middle of the night to help.  Yikes!  That is hard to do!  One year my husband and I fell asleep and didn't wake up until we heard the kids going down the stairs.  We had to tell them to go back to bed while Santa finished up.  Hard to do when the sun is already up!

I have to say that of all the things we do at Christmas time, I think this particular tradition is great.  Even to this day with kids that are  all grown, when they are at home, they expect to see a nice pile of presents just for them sitting around the tree, some presents wrapped and some not wrapped.  It just wouldn't seem like a proper Christmas without this perfect display of Christmas.

It doesn't have to be expensive and it doesn't have to be a lot of gifts.  It is just important for it to look like Santa was there!

Happy Christmas preparations in your home!

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Christmas Music Can Make Your Kids Do Crazy Things!

 

I used to think that Christmas music was meant to be listened to only during the holidays but several years ago on a Saturday afternoon in late August I found out that this was not true at all. 

The music in this Christmas classic just takes everyone back to their childhood.  Another album with jazzy tunes that really get you in the Christmas AND cleaning mood!  HA!

I was trying to get my kids ages 9, 6 and 2 1/2 to help me with our weekly Saturday house cleaning but I wasn't having much success.  I told my boys to clean up their room by picking up their toys, taking the sheets off their beds, putting clean sheets on their beds, vacuum and dust their room.  Now this probably sounds like a lot of work for kids these ages but they had done it before and I had all faith in them!  They weren't very good at any of these tasks but they could do them well enough and I always tried to encourage them to be independent and learn how to do things.  

 This is definitely a fun Christmas song that can get your kids moving!

The problem was, you would have had to have know my boys back then.  All fun and games they were and it was hard to get them to concentrate on anything unless it was somehow connected to or associated with a computer game or a cartoon.  I didn't care how long it took as long as they tried and I thought they were doing their best but I could see that they needed a little encouragement but what should I do?

Okay, so this album by Josh Groban is not really an upbeat selection of holiday music but it is beautiful!

I had my daughter Jennifer tag along with me to help me pick up toys and dust with a feather duster.  She thought this was fun and what better way for her to learn then to let her dust everything at her level.  I knew from experience that I would only have their attention for a short period of time and that I needed to get them excited about what we were trying to do before they all jumped ship.  Once one heads south, they all go.  You loose all control and you might as well give up.

 

This is the cutest movie and we have watched it hundreds of times.  The soundtrack to this movie is also fun and will get your kids moving.

As I was trying to keep them all focused - hard to do no matter what age they are - I started to think about things they had been talking about lately or that they were excited about and I remembered that my boys had been talking about Christmas a few days before.  They had a long conversation about what they wanted for Christmas and how cool it would be if certain presents were under the tree.  They also talked about how much they loved Christmas dinner, seeing their relatives and listening to Christmas music.  Christmas music.  Bingo, that was it!

Amy Grant's Home for Christmas album has a country flare to it that got my kids to dance while they worked.  It was cute!

I went into our family room where we kept our stereo and put in a few Christmas CDs, put it on the random function so that it would jump around to different types of music and cranked it up so that we could hear it all over the house.  I was sure that our neighbors would think that we were crazy but if this worked, there was going to be a lot more Christmas music playing in my house.  I didn't tell the kids what I was doing because I wanted to surprise them and see what their reactions would be.  Priceless, that is all I can say!

Michael Buble has a voice that just melts your heart but listen to him sing holiday tunes and you will definitely be in the mood do just about anything!  It just makes you happy.

As I stood in the hallway outside of my boys bedroom I watched as they realized that Christmas music was blasting through our house.  They looked at each other, smiled and started dancing around their room, singing as they cleaned.  Again, they were still very young so their cleaning skills were not that great and there were things that were left undone but I didn't care.  They were trying, they were learning and their room was getting cleaned.  They were making progress and I wasn't going to have to do it all myself.  Genius!

 

There are no words on this album but man is this selection of clarinet Christmas tunes beautiful - and fun!

I'm not really sure how or why it popped into my head to put Christmas music on to motivate my kids to clean in the middle of August but I'm so glad I thought of it.  I am also not sure why the kids came alive when I turned the Christmas music on other than it was familiar and gave them good feelings - good enough to start cleaning that is!  I guess it was just one of those moments as a mom when you feel like you hit a jackpot and figured something out.  

This is one of our family favorites that is filled with cool, jazzy Christmas tunes.  Be sure to check out "I'm Gonna Be the First One" and "Frosty the Snowman!"  

If you want to get your kids in a cleaning mood or if you need to just get them excited about anything, try turning on some Christmas music - no matter what time of the year it is.  Your kids will love it and you just might be able to get them to also help with other chores or tasks around the house like cooking dinner, doing their homework, etc.  You never know! 

Merry, Happy Cleaning!

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Thank You Notes - Who Needs Them?

A few weeks ago I was feeling very sentimental and I was reviewing in my mind some of the important things that I learned as a young girl.  Children soak up so much at a young age and one of the things that I remember my parents saying over and over again was to always say thank you. Say thank you for the ride home, say thank you when someone gives you something, say thank you when someone offers to help you and remember to say thank you when someone compliments you.  I think as a kid, sometimes I felt like I was saying thank you a few too many times but really, I probably didn't say it enough.

Why did my parents and why do countless others stress to their children the importance of expressing gratitude?  I believe it's not only because it's important to thank people but also because when we stop and express feelings of thankfulness to someone our hearts are softened and we want to be good because we see how we have affected someone else with our words.  Gratitude changes us and can encourage us to be a better person tomorrow then we were today.  It also makes us feel good and who doesn't want or need that?

As a young girl I loved to write - write in cursive to be exact - and I found that writing notes to people actually made me feel good.  So I learned to really love to write letters, to send people Thank You Notes, birthday cards and any kind of card that would bring people joy.  There aren't many things more wonderful then getting a letter or a package in your mailbox, are there?  It beats all the other terrible stuff that can be in there!  I am not as good about sending notes in the mail as I used to be but my heart is certainly still there!

What happens if we feel gratitude but we don't share it?  Well this quote by William Arthur Ward explains it exactly:

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.

William Arthur Ward

Over the years I have collected a variety of cards because I have always felt like it was important to have these tools at my fingertips so that I could say thank you as soon as I had a need to.  I have this box in a closet and I have kept it stocked with various types of paper products so that I would be able to express my thanks at any time and for any reason.   Whenever I get the urge to send someone a personal message, I turn to this trusty box.

I have a stack of plain stationary that I have had for years - truly, I think my daughter who is now 22 was just a baby when I purchased this and I still have quite a bit of it left.  Apparently I don't like cursive THAT much!

I also have this stationary that was given to me as a gift that is so very nice.

Birthday cards are also in this box.  These you can get at Walmart in a package of 12 for $1.00. You can't beat that!  Cards don't have to be expensive and in fact, you can make them!  I don't think people would want you to spend $5 - $8 on a card for them anyway.

I also have blank note cards that I have used quite often because it is nice to put your own beautiful and personal thoughts on a card that has a spectacular picture!

This is another set of blank note cards that I love.

I think the art of handwriting notes and letters is falling by the way side.  Why hand write a note to someone when you can send them an email, an instant message, a FaceBook message or a Tweet? Because it is so much more personal and people really appreciate when you take the time to write them a message by hand, put it in an addressed envelope with a stamp and mail it.  And it not only let's people see your personal side but they have something they can actually hold that you have touched.  There aren't many things better than that!

Thank You Notes - Who Needs Them?  Everyone does.  Go write a Thank You Note today!

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It's So Competitive - How Do I Get Into College?

Are you getting ready to start the college application process and are you feeling totally overwhelmed? If so, here are a few tips to help you get started and don't worry.  Everyone else is feeling just like you!

         3.7 gpa

Make Sure You Have Good Grades - So this seems really obvious and you may be rolling your eyes at this first tip but there are many high school students who don't take this seriously.  If you don't have upwards of about a 3.6, chances are the more competitive schools will not even look at you so if that is what your goal is, you should really focus on your grades.  By the beginning of your senior year you should be able to breeze through your last year without effort if you are doing things right.  

Sample transcript from Kolbe Academy.com.

Have A Well Rounded High School Transcript And Resume - Getting really good grades isn't enough to land a spot in a good school.  You need to have a well rounded transcript and resume in order to attract the attention of the schools that run the programs you are interested in. Activity in leadership programs, community service, sports programs, religious youth groups, or service to political organizations are all great activities that will add to your academic resume.

     

              Harvard           New York University     George Washington 

Make A List of Preferred Schools - Gone are the days when you could apply to just 1 college and get in. Higher education is so competitive right now for many reasons so you really need to be on your game when it comes to picking schools that not only have programs that meet your needs and wants but that also look favorably on your background and educational experience.  All schools are looking for well rounded students so researching and finding the ones that match your resume is important.  Don't skimp on this step because you don't want to waste your time on a school visit that could end up being costly.

First page of FAFSA form.  

Whether Financial Aid is Needed Or Not, Fill Out a FAFSA - The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is an important form to fill out the year you begin applying to colleges.  The FAFSA is used to determine your families contribution which is done by conducting a "need analysis" based on your families financial information such as income, assets and other household information. All of this information will be required to fill out the form and it does take a while to fill out but it will be worth it in the end.  This form is also used by state agencies and schools to make decisions on grants and scholarships that are offered locally so make sure you fill this baby out!

Sample college recommendation letter.

Get Strong Recommendation Letters - When admissions committees are comparing your SAT/ACT scores and grades against other candidates for their enrollment spots, strong recommendation letters can put you over the top.  Most universities request one or more letters from coaches, teachers and other high school officials to provide background information on your application so make sure that you choose good references.  Be particular about who you choose to write your letters.  Be confident that they are very familiar with you and your abilities, that they are good writers and that they will be dependable to make sure that your letter arrives before the deadline date.  This is an important step in your application process so it is imperative that you are confident in your references.

          

Take Classes to Prepare for the SAT or ACT - Nobody likes taking these tests but they will be an important part of your application process especially if you have problems with standardized tests and it is important to do well no matter which test you take.  Once you have decided which test to take sign up to take a prep class. The SAT and ACT prep courses run from $300 - $1,000 which includes everything from the course, proctored tests, access to the website, on-line instruction and a money back guarantee, depending on the package you purchase.  If you think you are going to need a jump start on the test, you should look into taking one of these classes.  

Make Sure Your Essays Are The Best Example of Your Writing - Last but certainly not least is the essay that you will be required to write for most of your applications. There will be a different topic request for each school so be prepared to be creative and thoughtful in your writing.  This writing sample will give the universities you apply to a view of your writing ability as well as your view on a particular topic and how you express yourself.  Just like a cover letter for a job application, the essay you write for your college applications can make or break your submission.  TAKE YOUR TIME!

Well, these are my top tips to help you get your application noticed by the colleges you apply to.  The schools will be particular about all aspects of your application so make sure that you are giving the whole process your undivided attention.  Each school will have a different focus so it is important that you make sure each piece of your application is complete and the best representation of you.  You usually only get one shot at this so give it your all!

Enjoy the application process!

I am not an expert at college admissions - just a mother who has helped her 4 children get into private schools.  My advice and opinions are strictly my own.   

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My Shopkicking Update - It Works!

Just a quick update to let you know how my Shopkicking is going.  Since it is the weekend and I was playing the waiting game yesterday before heading to work I walked around a few stores and was able to earn another Target gift card!  I earned enough points just walking into some key stores and scanning a few items to earn another $5 gift card and it really didn't require much effort on my part.

Before leaving the house yesterday morning I spent just a few minutes yesterday morning checking out my Shopkick app to see where the most points were available in my area.  After dropping my daughter off at work I drove about 1 mile down the road to a mall and I was able to hit a store that was offering 200 Shopkicks for just walking in the door!  A few steps away from that store there was another store in the mall that offered 50 Shopkicks.  500 Shopkicks gives you a $5 Target giftcard so I was halfway there after just about 3 minutes!

I then walked over to a strip mall where there were 3 other stores offering Shopkicks for just walking in their door and then additional Shopkicks for scanning items - one of which was scanning a printer that offered 100 Shopkicks.  By the end of the day I had earned 1,124 Shopkicks for just walking into stores and scanning items.  I didn't spend a dime!  That gave me the ability to get a $5 Target gift card that is now safely stored on my phone along with the $2 Target gift card that I earned the day before.

There are several other gift cards that are available through the Shopkick program other than the Target card.  You can earn gift cards from the following businesses:

Target
Starbucks
Macy's
TJ Maxx
JC Penney
Old Navy
Floral Shops
iTunes Cards
American Eagle
Best Buy
Sephora
Lowe's
Samsung
Redbox
Toys R Us
GameStop
Movies
Gas
Nike
Sports Authority
Papa Johns
Tiffany & Co.
Hyatt Hotels
Chanel

Now my test was to see if Shopkick really worked and my plan is to build up a gift card to use for Christmas presents this year and ease the stress of this time of year.  Everyone can use a little less stress at Christmas, right?!!  I'm looking forward to that!

I don't typically go to the mall anymore so I was very disciplined in my visit there yesterday.  I didn't buy anything and just went in to get my Shopkicks and then headed right back out.  That felt so good!

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.  I am having a lot of fun with it and I think you will too!

Happy Shopkicking!

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Shopkicking - It's As Cool As It Sounds!

 

In my search for ways to save money and sometimes even earn money at the same time I came across Shopkick.  The basic idea behind Shopkick is that you earn Shopkicks (points) for scanning products when you are in the store and those Shopkicks add up to money on your choice of gift cards at major stores.  You also earn Shopkicks by just walking into the store, as long as you have your phone's Shopkick app turned on!  I was skeptical when I first starting reading about it but it was free so I was going to try it out.   

DISCLAIMER!  Unlike the last couponing post where I said I was going to keep it short, I really am going to keep it short and sweet this time with very simple instructions on how to use this awesome app.  After downloading the app from iTunes (for iPhone users) or GooglePlay (if you have an Android) you will do the following:

  

 

Pick the stores you want to Shopkick in.   

  

When you are ready to walk into the store turn the app on.  I do this when I am walking from the parking lot and into the store and there is a signal that is sent from the store to your phone that lets the app know you are there.  Depending on which store it is you will get a certain amount of Shopkicks for just walking into the store!  For my visit to Walmart I received 30 Shopkicks.

To start scanning in the store click on the blue bar that lists how many "kicks for scanning products" are available for that store.

  

No you are ready to scan!   When you are in the aisle of the store that has the product you want to scan, click on the black scan button next to the product and the following screen will show up:

 

This screen is what you will see minus the upside down desktop (I was taking a screen shot with my phone that's on/off button is broken . . .  you don't want to know all that.  When you have this screen pulled up scan the barcode on the product (Start Kist Albacore White Tuna) and wait for your phone to let you know it has approved your scan.  This can take a minute or so the first time or two until your phone figures it all out.  Once you have done it a few times, you will be a pro!

 

Now this is my home page.  As you can see I have 17 Current Kicks and 517 All-time kicks.  Since I was testing this out, I cashed out my first 500 Shopkicks for a $2.00 Target gift card and it worked!  I made $2.00 without really any effort at all and it was very exciting.  Since I cashed it out, it starts over again.  You can choose the denominations of what you want on your gift cards so you can cater it to what you want or need.

     

You can also let the phone let you know where the deals are by clicking on the Area button or sorting by everything that is available to you.
 

You can also connect your debit or credit card to Shopkick and when you purchase items that are on their Shopkick list, you can get additional Shopkicks for your purchases!  I haven't tried this out yet.

Look at your store's Shopkick page before you go to the store.  This will let you know where the Shopkick items are in the store.  I head right for the area of the store that has the most items to scan so that I make the best use of my time and get the most Shopkicks.  They build up fast so get to scanning!

Give it a try and let me know what you think.  Again, it's completely free and it is actually kind of fun.  My thought is to save up Shopkicks to use later for a birthday or maybe even Christmas!

Happy Shopkicking!

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