Sorry it's been so long since my last post, but it gets crazy around our house this time of year. Since my husband and I both teach, things are winding down with the end of year activities. He is the senior sponsor, so he deals with the senior trip and has to get things ready for graduation. Not to mention he coaches the track team.

I was planning on doing another online offer. This time through either Netblue or Nuitech, but so far I haven't found an offer that works for me. With Nuitech, you have to keep all but 2 of the offers for at least 60 days and some of their offers are very expensive. Maybe I'll just wait awhile and see if something else comes along that works out better.

I have still been doing surveys and am anxious to see how that all pans out. I have tried 2 bank offers and so far they both seem great. I've even done a little bit of Christmas shopping through cashbaq.com and at scholastic.com on recommendation of Carrie. Check out their sales and 75% off sections. You never know what you'll find. I did get my $50 rebate back from Verizon Wireless on my new cell phone. I'll put that in with my secret stash and save it for a rainy day.

I've been checking out several sites for taking surveys. Some of the sites that seem to be pretty good are:
Vindale Research - They claim to pay between $5 - 75 for each survey you complete. I made $5.00 today for doing research on a credit check company. It was pretty interesting. When you do these types of activities you have to make sure to mark down the date you need to cancel by if you are joining something.

I get a lot of opportunities to do surveys for Survey Spot. I'm not sure how good the pay out is on it. I'll let you know when I get rewarded in the future. Another site is zoompanel.com. On this site, you get points for surveys and then cash out for products.

Send earnings is another site that you may do surveys, but you can also earn money by reading emails and playing games. Check it out by clicking on the send earnings icon on the sidebar of my blog. This pays out at $30.00.

Next time I'll discuss the affiliates that can be added to your blog for another way to make money. Keep on using those coupons and hitting those sales to save money also. With the economy the way it is we can use every bit of savings we can find!

Today is Easter Sunday and we had a great service this morning. Our church is really trying to reach out to those in need of a church in our community. We had a special service held in the high school cafetoium. There were 300 people present which is about twice the number we usually have. The place was pretty full. We would have never been able to get that many people in our church building or even to find parking places for everyone. It was an awesome service.

The praise band did a great job and Shawn, our preacher, always has a fantastic sermon. Today was different though because of the cardboard testimonies that were given after the sermon. It was just so touching. I had tears rolling down my cheeks most of the time during this part. It just brings to your attention how God works in other peoples' lives. The young people who gave their testimonies were brave and sincere in sharing their struggles. It was just a great service. All the glory to God!

Listen here, sugar

When I really want something, I make sure I've done everything I can to help out whomever I want it from. Sometimes you have to give a little to get a little.

I've been studying up on bank offers that reward you for opening an account. ING Direct has a deal going on right now that rewards you with $25 when you open a high yield savings account with a minimum deposit of $250. You can set this up with automatic deposit, but you don't have to. I figure who can turn down free money in this economy. If you want to know more check out ING Direct or at Carrie's blog www.moneysavingmethods.com. Carrie has the low down on this deal. If you are interested, send me an email and I will send you a referral.

Next I'd like to find a checking account to link to my pay pal account for all my surveys and mystery shopping deals. More about those another time.

I have been looking at another good website, www.mommysnacks.net This site has tons of information on saving and earning. Check it out when you have time.

It's that time of year when the students begin to get restless.I teach 8th grade health in a rural middle school in Southeastern Indiana. This is a very trying time of the year. The students are definitely ready to be out! As the weather warms and the sun shines, the longing for being outside increases. Not to mention the raging hormones that hinder the learning process.

We just started our unit on drugs. It's amazing to me how so many of them seem to have all the answers to life's big problems. It scares me a little how they don't seem to have regard for each other or any self respect. There has been a breakdown somewhere along the line as to the difference between right and wrong.

Is there even such a thing as a conscience any more? I am concerned about where society is headed if something doesn't change soon. Many young people aren't worried at all about the consequences they might face for doing something wrong. If the adults don't make a change in the way we handle those who break the law, I fear things will get much worse.

But, I don't want to leave you with the opinion that all students are bad. There are many outstanding young people who are concerned about their education and doing the right thing. If I didn't have some hope for the future, teaching would become a task I would dread. So far, I haven't gotten to that point yet. I still enjoy working with the students. In fact, some students who seem to not get along with most adults, I have good relationships. I think it's because I try to see the good in everyone and I give them the caring that so many of them crave. I really wouldn't trade my teaching career for anything!

Yesterday evening we had our Easter Cantata at church. This is the first time I have ever been involved in anything like this. I really enjoyed being a part of this group. We had a good time when we rehearsed and some days there was a meal to follow! Who can pass on a meal that you don't have to cook.(Not me, just ask my husband.)

The cake and punch afterward was delicious and so was the time spent with friends in Christ. The church that we go to now, often has get togethers like this. We also have pitch ins and those are especially fun in the summer time when the kids can get outside and play.There is just something comforting about time spent with others who share that common bond.

Our church is growing in leaps and bounds. We have a wonderful preacher who is more than anyone could hope for in a teacher of the gospel. Shawn knows his scripture and has studied the Bible extensively. But it is much more than that. He's approachable. Many of the young people in our church have benefitted very much from the time he has spent with them individually. I don't know how he finds the time to do all that he does. I'm sure God has a hand in that somehow. Shawn was in Canada this past week and wasn't back in town for church yesterday morning, but he had a solo in the cantata and everyone was sweating whether or not he would make it back in time. His flight got changed and he ended up driving from Dayton, OH back to our little town of Milan. He got there about a half an hour before the start of the cantata. We were all glad he made it back in time, but probably not as much as the guy who was going to have to sing his solo at the last minute!