4 Secrets to Making Online Rewards Work for You

Going from two professional salaries to one is not easy for any family. Over the past 6 months I have found a few fun and easy ways to make our dollars stretch and still enjoy some of the unnecessary things in life.  I’m going to take a couple of posts to share these with all of you other Mammas who are trying to make a dollar stretch or thinking of coming home with your kids.

A couple of days ago someone posted a question of if Amazon Prime was worth the cost? My first response was yes of course it is! But I realize not everyone uses Amazon Prime for all that it can be.  We watch Amazon video and TV, use the free shipping, deals of the day and exclusive Prime deals. Below I’ve outlined 5 ways to rack up free Amazon credit that by the end of the year will more than cancel out your Prime membership (or you can use the rewards for whatever your little heart desires).

1.       Ibotta – Oh how did I live before without Ibotta?  All you have to do is simply sign-up, download the ap to your phone and link up your rewards cards for the grocery stores you use.  Before you walk into the grocery just unlock the rebates  you want to use. After you have reached $25 in rebates you get a $25 Amazon credit to be put on your Amazon Prime account. I use Ibotta rebateson things I buy already and that there aren’t usually coupons for like bananas or tomatoes. If you do use one for something you havea coupon for you can use both. I usually get about $25/month that is $300/year

2.     Bing Rewards – If you aren’t using bing rewards you are wasting your searches. Follow this link and sign-up for Bing Rewards you get ½ point for every search you do up to 20 on your computer and an additional 15 on your phone.  They also have promotions where you can get additional points for trivia or visiting a specific site.  After 500 points you get a $5 credit toward Amazon.  I usually get about $5/month that is $60/year

3.     Coke Rewards – If you drink Coke products SAVE your caps you can set up a coke rewards account and ear credits for different prizes. I used to use these for Fandango gift cards so that I could take my boys to the movies for free. Now-a-days I trade in for Amazon credits. If you check back frequently you can catch the specials when you only need 150 or 200 points for $5 Amazon credit. I get about $5 every two months so about $30/year.

4.      MyPoints – This is a lot like Ibotta but you can get point for all sorts of activities. Bzzagent is one way to earn MyPoints you can complete surveys and try out new products and give feedback for points. Or you can go to the MyPoints website to do surveys, shop vendors or do searches. I am new to this site but through the combination of free products and Amazon credits I am estimating this will be about $100/year if not more.

I used Amazon Prime as an example but some people have Starbucks habit or need help with groceries and each of the sites listed include different gift certificate you can use for all different needs (Starbucks, Walmart, GameStop, etc…)

Another Amazon Prime secret is if you don’t need what you are ordering right away and you choose extended shipping then most times you will get a credit on your account either for a movies, Amazon Prime Pantry or another fun Amazon product.

I get questions all of the time about the free products I try and review and these are a couple of ways I do it. I will write next week about three more ways to get free things so check back!

Ozobot: The tech toy you will want to add to your Christmas list.

Do you know about Ozobot? Don't worry, I didn't either until about a month ago. I saw the tiny robot toy on Tryazon and was so impressed with the concept that I applied to have an Ozobot party and share it with our friends. If you do a quick search for "top tech toys" or "STEM toys" or "2015 educational toys" Ozobot seems to be on everyone's list so when we were chosen to try out the Ozobot this mom was excited!

We were sent three Ozobots to try. The package includes your robot, the Ozobot a charger, two covers, practice tracks and information about registration and how to take care of your Ozobot.

 

 

I let my kids mess around with the robots for a while before their friends got here so we made sure we knew how they worked. They loved them so much they started trying to bargain with me to not give the two extra ones away - they wanted to keep them for themselves.  Once our friends got here we dove right into playing with the robots.  They were a real hit and kids ages 4 to 13 years old were able to both work together and have fun playing with the robots.

 

 

Coding without intimidation

For me the thought of coding or programming anything is intimidating. What I liked about the Ozobot was that by using color patterns the concept of coding was brought down to a level that any child or adult could not only do but understand.

 

Knowing the robot would be able to read red, blue, green and black you could practically had a marker to any child and get them started.  It did take a little trial and error in working the color combinations, darkness/shades and thicknesses to get the codes working. I was impressed how the kids we had working together stayed calm and worked through the problems to get their desired results.

 

 



 

Just the beginning

Our group was able to have fun with the print offs, codes and drawing their own courses. We downloaded the apps which were free from The App Store and the older kids were able to dabble in free draw and games section, but there is so much we haven't done yet.

 

The good thing about this toy is that you can buy it and get started right away (which is the hallmark of any good Christmas morning gift) but then once you have mastered a function you can download one or more of the apps or get on the website to learn new tricks.

 

 

Would I buy another one?

I think I will end up buying another one, especially if they continue this level of interest. Right now we are having some sharing issues with just the one and there are some games that if we had two they would be able to play together. It is not easy to find "learning" toys that keep 7 and 8 year olds interested for too long, or they figure out that they are learning but this one seems to pull it off.

 

Links for more information:

 

Ozobot Website

Tryazon Website

 

 



 

 

 

Welcoming the Stranger

Immigrant - what does this word mean? What feelings does it bring up?

Earlier this week the word "immigrant" came up. I believe the conversation went something like this "such'n'such was a poor immigrant who discovered...." My 8 year old immediately chimes in "immigrant, those are bad people." Wait, what? 

I remember when I was growing up in school we talked about immigrants with great awe and pride. The United States was a great "mixing pot" people came from all around the world to find freedom and opportunity in the US. We would read books about Italian, Irish and Chinese families coming through Ellis Island, living in the city, running stores and living great new lives.  We learned about the children of these immigrants mixing their lives and cultures speaking English at school and another language at home, blending cultures and holidays. It always seemed as if immigrants and immigration were a beautiful and vital element to the American make-up. 

Now, I'm sitting on the floor of my home school and I hear my son say "immigrants, those are bad people." I tried to unravel where these thoughts came from and what he truly understood to be an "immigrant." After much conversation I begin to find that he is taking in too much news (tv and radio). With so many heated conversations playing in the background my 8 year old son made the conclusion that immigrant=terrorist, murderer, bad people.

I immediately tried to dig into my knowledge of the Church's teaching on social justice. I said well what did Jesus teach us about "welcoming the stranger?" My 7 year old says in a questioning way "yell stranger danger?"

I don't know where to go from here.  This discussion on the gold rush has completely derailed into a million directions. Somehow along the way our country has taken a turn and another turn and another turn.  Are immigrants really "bad people?" No, not really. Yet somehow the rhetoric has slithered into our homes and hearts.  One particular politician is on EVERY SINGLE CHANNEL being heard in sound bites "they are criminals," "they are rapists," "they need to all be sent back," "I would build a wall to keep them out". That sure sounds like stranger danger to me.

I'm not saying that we don't have some serious immigration and national security issues that need to be addressed. I know that, its an important issue no matter what side of the aisle you are coming from. But how far have we come and where are we going?

Learning with Your Food

I'm starting to feel like I am getting in the swing of things when it comes to our home school. We are starting the day with math and reading which seem to be the hardest topics to get through. This has made a huge difference and given me the opportunity to take advantage of the baby's morning nap by getting some housework done (or the time to refill Joshua's bottomless bowl of cereal). I've been able to introduce a topic and then they work on it for about 90 minutes. 

The boys have been learning about maps and land forms as well as North America and places and cultures.  So today we invited some friends over and made a relief map out of cookie dough, icing and lots of toppings.

I baked two giant North America cookies this morning (before the boys woke up!).

 

 

They baked up a little chubby but we worked with it....

 

 

We started by explaining what relief and topographic maps are as well as what countries are in North America.  Then we went through step by step different land forms in North America (plains, mountains, lakes, rivers, etc...), using icing and chocolate chips to show different areas. We then talked about climate and weather patterns on the continent using sprinkles for rain and coconut for snow.

 

 

 

The best part was that all of the kids worked together and participated in the project. Lots of supplies ended up in their mouths!

 





 

The best part was eating the giant North America cookie!

6 Things to do in Columbus before you go back to school.

Since we have moved to the Columbus area I have found so many things to do with my kids. To the point where, we really don't have time to do it all. So, as I look at the things we could do before school "starts" I thought I would share them with everyone in the area.

Groveport

Groveport is a great part of town in that there is so much to do with your kids, any age and just about any day of the week.  From the aquatic center at the Groveport Recreation Center to the bike trails, there is no reason for a kid to be bored. The city also has a ton of free activities that are indoors for kids of all ages. I pulled out what I think are the most interesting but more can be found here.

KidsFest and Shredit - this is like a back-to-school, meet-a-cop, touch-a-truck all wrapped into one. Kids and parents can come to the Groveport Park from 9am-12pm on August 8, 2015 for all of the fun.

Kids Night Out - parents can drop their kids ages 6-11 at the recreation center on Fridays throughout the summer from 5:30-8:00 pm. The cost is only $10 for non residents ($8 if you live in Groveport) and your kids will be fed and worn out ready for bed when you come pick them up!

Homeschool Water Fun, Swim Time and Gym - For $25/session homeschool families can work in your Physical Ed at the Groveport Recreation Center. There are sections for kids 4-18 years old.

Preschool Programs - Grow with me, Rock'n'Rollers and Preschool Picasso. Tuesday through Friday Preschoolers can attend one hour classes each day for free.

Columbus Crew

Kick out of Reading Challenge read for 90 minute (the length of a professional soccer game) and receive a FREE ticket to the September 6 Columbus Crew game. This is actually a really great deal because usually when they give away a free ticket it is to individual players (then I have to buy tickets for the rest of my family) with this program I will have free tickets for all of my kids and will only have to buy tickets for my hubby and me.


Easton

Movies by Moonlight - Tuesday nights at dusk bring your little ones and a blanket to Easton. The next couple of movies look like good ones  Cinderella, Harry Potter and Big Hero Six.

Superhero Day - Come dressed as your favorite superhero. Games and superhero fun for heroes of all ages. Fenlon Square - August 8, 2015 11:00 am-4:00 pm


Scioto Mile

FountainSide Urban Adventures - We haven't done this yet because of the rain but al summer long the Bicentennial Park will be filled with fun free activities for the whole family.  Next week on July 29 little ones can do hands on activities and enjoy snacks on the fountain from 11:30-1:30.


Columbus Recreation Parks and Recreation

We have spent a lot of time this summer at different recreation centers. Our favorites are Whetstone and Schiller Recreation Centers. We have enjoyed tennis, golf, garden, pottery and fishing programs.  There is only one week left for the summer programs but in a couple of weeks registration for fall programs will begin and I suggest everyone check out the programming. We were told at Schiller that if we wanted to try out a sports program we could come for the last week (everything but archery, which makes sense).

Slate Run Farm

Slate Run Farm is a part of Metro Parks and like the other Metro Park locations has a ton of youth and adult programs.  Below are a couple of fun ones I found interesting but you can see all of the upcoming events for Metro Parks here.

Crafts for Kids - July 31 from 10:30-12:00 kids can complete a craft to take home. The neat thing about these crafts are they won't use any new fangled glue sticks or plastics. I'm interested to see what they come up with.

A hunting we will go - For the next couple of weeks kids can pick up a scavenger hunt sheet and learn while having fun on the farm.

Cheers and Chores - I really like this one. Kids can see what kind of chores kids had to do in the 1800's. Hopefully this will stop my kids from telling me how mean I am all of the time. It looks like this one has a waiting list - sounds like other moms were thinking the same thing!

These are just a few of the programs that I've come across. If you have others to add feel free to send me a comment. I might add some more as I come across them.

Have you found a school?

Below is a reflection I wrote earlier this week regarding our choice to homeschool the boys.  This is a decision that took a lot of time, reflection and research to decide.  I was terribly nervous about this decision - not because I didn't think we could do it, but because of the reaction of those around us.  Today this TedX video came into my fb feed and I knew that I had to share it and my reflection.

One of the first questions everyone asks when you move to a new city with kids is “Have you found a school?” or some variation of this question.  Another inevitable question is “Have you found a job?” or “Are you going to work?”

I avoided these questions at first. I might have answered “I’m going to stay home with them” or if I trusted who I was talking to I might even throw out the “We are thinking about homeschooling.” For self-preservation it took several months before I was able to confidently say “we are homeschooling.” Still I cringe each time I say it. It feels like lighting fireworks with a short fuse each time. I let it out then wait for the response.  Most times people are rather nice – saying that they admire us for trying it, or that they know someone else that does it and their kids are really smart – or at least turning out okay. I like those responses. Still sometimes people say things that aren’t as encouraging. Things like “really? Well you will have your hands full” or the unintentional but still hurtful “how will they socialize? Or aren’t you worried they won’t have any friends?” 

So, to clear things up I put together a 5 reasons why we are going to homeschool list. Since we haven’t actually started homeschooling I am interested to see if I still have these reasons after a year or two being in the homeschool trenches.

1.       Authentically Catholic Schooling – For me and my family a Catholic education is an absolute priority.  After working in Catholic Schools in Cincinnati and having my boys in Catholic schools I have found that just because a school is Catholic doesn’t mean that it is truly Catholic. With the introduction of EdChoice Scholarships and increasing pressure from our secular culture Catholic Schools have become less and less Catholic. I believe the best way to provide a truly Catholic learning atmosphere is through homeschooling.

2.       Different Learners and Individual Needs – Again, after working in Catholic schools and as a parent I’ve come to appreciate that each student is a different learner who has individual needs.  While a traditional teacher might have to juggle and manage 30 students I will be able to focus on 2 or 3 students and provide individual learning experiences for each of my learners.   I can integrate several different curriculums across different subject matter to help my sons and cater to their interests

3.       Experiential Learning – In my own life I’ve found that the best and most long lasting lessons have come through experiences.  I want my own children to experience learning in all that they do and not just experience a classroom, sitting quietly in rows, waiting for another student to catch up or being rushed along. By homeschooling lessons can be a part of family vacations, long weekends, trips to the park or their own individual interests and activities.

4.       Life Skills – While most people assume that homeschooled children are under socialized and for a lack of better words weird, the truth is just the opposite.  One of the reasons why homeschooling is appealing to me is the opportunity to work directly and indirectly on life skills. Everything from keeping a home, managing money and individual responsibility and roles are a part of everyday life.  With increased opportunity to participate in community and individual activities based on their interests, my sons will experience interact with a more diverse range of people forcing them to learn interpersonal and social skills for many different situations.

5.       Family/Community Development - This is where (I think) I might receive the most pushback from some of you. I believe that having children is not only the responsibility of Catholic married life but I believe it is also a responsibility of a parent to provide for our children siblings whenever possible. By doing this we provide our children with a community that they will have and be able to rely on for the rest of their lives. When speaking to adults who grew-up in homeschooled families; that is the number one thing they appreciate about being homeschooled – the closeness and shared experiences of learning and living so closely with their siblings.

There are probably countless other reasons for homeschooling but I said I would give you five, so here they are. In a year I hope to revisit this list and see how my opinions have changed or grown stronger.

Waiting to Move 2 - Who am I

This is the second installment of  "Waiting to move" a reflection I wrote in March of 2015.  Although some of these feelings have subsided most of them are still here. 

In yesterday's reflection Waiting to Move I reference the mourning of my old life - I think this part gives more insight.  Its 11:00 am and I think I've spent most of this morning either in tears or fighting them.  When my husband left for work this morning it quickly hit me that I truly am a Stay at Home Mom. I can't decide if my emotions are from happiness or sadness. I remember when I graduated from high school I felt this way - relieved and happy but sad and reminiscent. I guess I just have a hard time with transition and finding my true self in the change. 

I think this song from Mercy Me really puts to music how I'm feeling right now.

Who am I?

I don’t think I’ve asked myself this question recently. I remember being in the 8^th grade right before I made the final decision to go to Seton for High School and switch soccer teams I had asked myself this question. I also asked it my Sophomore year of high school, as the year ended and I was making the decision to live my life differently. Then again in college as I chose my fourth major. That might have been the last time.

When Nick asked me to marry him, with each job I’ve held or even having each of my babies I never had to ask this question. I knew who I was. How I identified myself had evolved throughout the years but I always felt like I could identify me.

When we made the decision for Nick to take a new job within his company and move out of town we made decisions that went beyond selling our house and moving over 100 miles away. Moving from Cincinnati meant that we would be moving away from our families and our support system. As a family with two working parents we rely a lot on our family network for last minute babysitters, carpools and general support. Moving away would require me to stay home – working would mean a 40+ week job that makes enough money for the boys to be in daycare and Catholic schools. The thought of doing that in a city with no family support seems impossible.

This is why I am asking myself “who am I?”

Over the past 10 years I have come to identify myself in a number of ways – wife, mother, volunteer and worker.  When my grandmother passed away in 2004 I remember Father Jack identifying her in a number of different ways – wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, friend… but what he said was the most complete and best way to identify her was as a Catholic woman. I’m sure every person feels like there are moments in their lives that lasted forever, words that echo in their ears. That was one of those moments for me. I thought to myself, “If I could be remembered in any particular way that is how I want to be remembered.”

So “who am I?” – While I identify myself as a Catholic woman, I’m not sure, that is how I will be remembered.  As my identity has evolved I continue to wear the badges I’ve earned on my “Catholic woman vest” like a Girl Scout.

“This is my mom badge, it has 4 blue stars around it because I’ve had 4 boys.”

“This one with the rings is my wife badge and that one that looks like me patting myself on the back is my volunteer badge.”

“But these, these are my pride and joy. These are my work badges. This one shows the time I spent selling telecom it’s a phone being blown up because I always blew-up my sales goals. And this one is from when I worked in roofing it’s of a woman breaking through a glass ceiling and through a roof because of the records and improvements I made with the company I was working for. And this, this one is the best of all it’s the silhouette of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton it represents the work I’ve done in my current job – the last four years of building a team, meeting and breaking goals. Making a Catholic Education at Seton accessible for every young woman.”

My badges alone show you how I’ve identified myself. Over the past 8 years I have been okay with my half-@$$ed attempt at being a good wife and mediocre display of being a mom because I have been an awesome worker. At work I’ve been able to give 110%...and why shouldn’t I? At work you are rewarded for your extra hard work, people tell you how great you are and you see the fruits of your labor immediately. Being a good wife and a good mommy is so much harder, even when you are doing things right you still have someone yelling at you. It’s exhausting and never ending.

Yet, I have always wanted to be a Stay at Home Mom (SAHM) and even more a Home School Mom.  Still, today as I am faced with everything I have ever wanted becoming a reality I am terrified. Terrified, because I don’t know who I am – or at the very least I’m not confident in who I am. 

I’m not confident that I can provide these little boys with all of the love and patience that they deserve all day, every day. Not sure that I can be the mother and teacher that they need to prepare them for the rest of their lives. Uncertain that I can guide them to become the young men of Christ that I know they can be.

What I lack in motherly instinct or natural ability I hope to make up for in faith. I am committed to providing these boys with an authentic Catholic home full of love – love for them and love of Christ. Maybe through prayer and love we might be able to survive their childhoods together.  Then at the end of my life they just might remember me the way I identify myself as a Catholic wife and mother.

Because, really just being me a wife and mother is good enough.

 

Waiting to Move

 This post was written in March 2015, it took me a while to decide to post it. Included are some pictures from when we were waiting to move.

It was October, I think. I was sitting on the ottoman in our family room putting my boots on (or maybe taking them off, because I don’t remember going anywhere after this conversation). Nick and I were having our usual casual conversation. How was your day? How did that meeting go? Are you going to make dinner? When he said the words that I had been hoping for and dreading for the past year.

Nick: “Well, it looks like Columbus might become a reality”

Me: “Okay”

Nick: “Is it okay?”

Me: “Yeah, whatever we need to do, we will make it work”

Just like that. Such an important conversation began and ended. After all, we knew this day might come. Nick had been working towards this training program for years and after making it into this year’s class we knew that becoming a branch manager was only a matter of time. And, we knew that this promotion could move us out of Cincinnati. Away from the job that I love. Away from the beautiful house we had just built. Away from our friends and most importantly our families.

But, nothing was for certain. This was just an opportunity that might become a reality. He still hadn’t completed his training program and the job wasn’t offered to him. Still, it was plain to see, this was happening.

October went on as if that huge conversation had never happened. Oh, we talked about it all of the time. There were a lot of “ifs” but no “whens”. We spoke in half sentences trying to keep the boys from figuring out what might be on the horizon but at the same time we started to feel them out on what they would think about a move and some changes.

I must have known that this move would become a reality because I soon began to mourn the inevitable loss of my current life. The hardest part was kind of knowing that this stage of our lives would soon (but not sure how soon) be gone and not knowing what the next stage would be.

 

I called my aunt who I look to as not only a spiritual guide but also Catholic role model.  I spilled it all out to her. Everything that was supposed to be a secret, I told her.  How this promotion would allow me to stay home with my boys – something I always thought I wanted but I was terrified that I would lose my identity. How I knew this would break my mom’s heart and I didn’t know how I could possibly tell her that I’m taking her baby boys away, when we had just got here.  How this was just in the talking phase and I didn’t even know how or when or even if it was actually going to happen.

She listened. She was encouraging. And she gave me the best advice she possibly could. She said “Remember the changing of the leaves. Sometimes we just want to know the outcome, get past the waiting, and the working and hurting and get to the good stuff. But we have to remember the changing of the leaves. Remember how the leaves change.”

 

Wow, I can’t tell you how many times over the past 6 months this image has played over in my head. How many times in a moment of weakness did I ask God to tell me what the outcome would be? How many times have I said “If I can just make it past Christmas” or “I can’t wait for this baby to come.”  How many times I had wished for time to move faster.

Instead of giving me the answers, or fast forwarding me to the day of my choice. He gave me the leaves. The soccer tournaments. The snow days. My uncle’s death and funeral Mass. Our last Christmas in our beautiful house. The lazy Saturday mornings. Feeling this baby moving inside me. Cuddles and kisses and even the dog has grown on me…

So, I’ll take the changing leaves. The times in between. Our new life as a family will soon begin in another city, but the most important thing is we will be together, as a family.