Donalds Blog

When digital cameras were first released on the market, everyone was excited. Finally, here was an easy way to take and store photos. No more would our closets be plagued with boxes and envelopes housing a hodgepodge of unorganized photographs. What we didn’t realize was that soon, our computers would be filled with a hodgepodge of unorganized photographs.

The explosion of home computers and the Internet has led to an increased need for people to organize computer scrapbooks. It’s easy to accumulate literally thousands of digital pictures, and it’s just as easy to get them all mixed up. Try finding a favorite photo as you’re scanning through a list of numbers and letters. Creating computer scrapbooks makes it quick and easy to locate the photographs, as soon as you want to see them.

When preparing your computer scrapbooks, the first step should always be renaming your photos. You should use file names that are easy to understand and organize, rather than keeping the default names set by your digital photography software. Anyone who has used a digital camera or camera phone knows just how hard it can be to decipher the file names, let alone selecting the photographs. Proper titles listed in computer scrapbooks make it easy to remember which pictures you have.

One key point to remember is that all of your computer scrapbook files will be sorted in alphabetical order. This can get confusing, particularly if you’re naming pictures by date. Rather than call your photos ‘January10′, ‘April21′ etc, use the numerical format year, month and then day. Those same files will now be called 20050110Baby and 20050421Baby. In doing so, your computer will display them in the correct date order for you.

After your photo files have been renamed, you need to create folders to store the different types of photo files. Try organizing your computer scrapbooks by subject, theme or occasion. This will allow you to find your photos much easier later on. For example, create a folder called ‘Baby Pictures’ and save all of your baby photographs in that folder. By setting up and following a naming system, you’ll soon have the most well organized computer scrapbooks around.

Whether or not you print your digital photos, always create backups of all your computer scrapbook files. There are many archiving programs that can be used to compress large files, enabling them to be stored on a CD or other removable disk. It is essential that you label your CDs to keep your computer scrapbook backups as organized as the originals. You can write the title on the CD itself, but you should also remember to alter the name of the CD as read by the computer. Most CD writing software automatically prompts you to give the CD a title, but check the instructions before you start the burning process so you, and your computer, will be able to clearly identify the CDs.

Digital cameras make it easy to take and save pictures. Computer scrapbooks make it easy to find the pictures anytime you’re ready to take a trip down memory lane or share the digital images with your friends.

Barbara Miller writes for several popular web sites, including gemug.com http://gemug.com and gymif.com http://gymif.com .

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One of the fastest and easiest ways to make a living online is to go into the info products business.Don’t listen to those gurus who say time and time again that the market is saturated. And, that the internet just can’t handle another info product entrepreneur (info preneuer). Guess what? They’re wrong!

Why would I say this?

The reason that people are on the internet in the first place is because they are hungry for information. Everyone wants information! Finding niche markets for info products can be an absolute killer if you don’t know where to look. Whilst publishing niche ebooks is a proven business that can make you a lot of money, finding niches to exploit can be both time consuming and disheartening if you struggle to find any good markets.

On the internet, there is a lot of money that can be made by selling information to people.The way to do this is through ebooks. An ebook is nothing more than a book in a digital format. Sure, it can have pictures - but so can a real book.

The important part of having an ebook as opposed to a hard copy book is that the ebook can save the reader even more time than the hard book.This is because the ebook can incorporate audio, video, and hyperlinks to additional, pertinent information.

Thankfully there’s hope.In this article I’m going to show you a simple strategy you can use for finding as many niche markets to sell ebooks to as you could want.

freekeywords.wordtracker.com/ http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/

This is an amazing resource that won’t cost you a penny to sign up to.Go to the above site and start typing in niche markets that interest you.If you had an interest in fishing you’d type in “fishing”. Then all you need to do is make a list of all of the sub niches within the general niche market of fishing. These are all potential niches for you to exploit.

These same people are more than willing to pay money for the information. After all, they routinely purchase magazines, newspapers, and print books, right? On the internet, they’re even more willing to part with a few dollars if it will save them time or solve a problem for them. The secret is to make sure that the information that you provide either saves them time or benefits them in some other, emotional way.

www.amazon.com

The bookselling giants amazon.com are an amazing resource for finding niche markets you’d never have thought about entering. Go the web site and in the search bar select “books”. Then type in a niche you’d like to create a product around. For example type in “golf”. Go through the results and start jotting down all of the niche markets that jump out at you.

When many people hear this technique they immediately think “wait a sec how can I compete with Amazon?”. You won’t be of course you’ll be catering for a different market. When people buy from Amazon they have to wait days for a book to arrive. As ebook publishers we can offer instant gratification as our customers get our info products straight away as a download.

Another great thing about downloadable info products is bizarrely they are seen to have a higher perceived value. You might be able to charge fifteen dollars for a book selling it via Amazon. However if you sell a downloadable info product you can charge up to fifty dollars. Crazy but true.

www.dummies.com

This is another fantastic research tool for the niche ebook publisher. You can find a ton of niche topics across all of the …For Dummies” books. The Dummies company has made creating niche products an art form in its own right. Search through their titles in general niches that interest you and jot down potential ebook topics.

Article directories are, in my eyes, the best way to find subjects to create ebooks around. There are lots of directories in which you can go to and just type in a niche subject in the search bar and get literally thousands and thousands of ebook ideas.

The key here when visiting these sites is to just make a huge list of potential topics, and then when you’re done go to freekeywords.wordtracker.com/ http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/ and type in your topics. If there people searching for information on the subject (at least five thousand a month) you’ve just found an ebook topic that could turn into a very lucrative home based business.

I want to quickly dispell a myth about the internet. Don’t for one second think you can just throw up a site, sit back and become rich. Many would have you believe the internet is just one huge get rich quick scheme. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Done properly ebook publishing can change your financial situation dramatically.

We’re not aiming to become a millionaire here. We want to build a network of mini sites that each make about 1K a month. Being able to come up with an endless amount of niche product ideas is the key here, then all you need to do is create the product.

I know what you’re thinking. “All you need to do” is create a product. They’re hard to create right? Well no actually you don’t need to write a single sentence of your ebook. You can hire people to do so at elance.com. For around five hundred to seven hundred bucks freelance writers will create the entire book for you.

You are an internet marketer, not a writer. Have one product created, set up pay per click campaigns, write a press release and blast a few articles over the net on the topic of your ebook.Then have another one created, do the same, and just rinse and repeat.

Multiple streams of autopilot income is the secret of wealthy entrepreneurs from around the globe. Now thanks to ebooks and the internet, anyone can set up streams of income that sends money into their bank account even whilst they sleep.

Most of the internet gurus have made their money by selling information online,in one format or another. Now it’s your turn to take a share of the internet profit pie.You can do this by creating your own information product(ebook).

Andrew Dimmelow is an information publisher specialising in helping people start their own home based business. If you would like a FREE two and a half hour video showing you exactly how to get into the Info Product Business visit his site at www.insaneonlinesuccess.com http://www.insaneonlinesuccess.com

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On the Avenue to the Super Bowl

It began out as a no-brainer–at the commencing of the season, everyone knew that the New England Patriots would possibly win the Super Bowl. Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles may be a challenge, but they get to the Championship match and back out. But something unusual happened this year…

The Eagles in fact made it to the Super Bowl. For Eagles devotees, this was certainly a development. After years of working, they ultimately obtained their target of getting to the Super Bowl. If you dwell anywhere pretty well Philadelphia, you would think that fan-damonium broadened to a new altitude. Everywhere you look, all you could behold was Eagles merchandise. Fans decorated their cars to the nines with Eagles license plates, tire covers, mud flaps, flags–you name it. Fans even garnished their homes with NFL Merchandise and humongous inflated Donovan McNabb lawn ornaments.

Patriots fans did the very same. They got set for the huge game in style, because in their soul, they knew the Patriots would end up winning. For their Super Bowl shindig, they located New England Patriots snack helmets, Patriots helmet plaques, and flags. Fans even dressed their offspring in youth uniforms of their admired team.

But, wait! There were other contenders in the rivalry to the Super Bowl. The Pittsburgh Steelers had a fabulous season with their new and accomplished quarterback. Patriots fans believed that they would have to defeat the Steelers in the Super Bowl, but they dropped out in the Championship match. This was, as predicted, a major misfortune for the Steelers spectators. They are hard core fans, and are faithful NFL memorabilia collectors. They await patiently for their team to boost again, but in the meantime, they wear their Steelers hard hats with happiness.

The opposite team that was a direct menace was the Atlanta Falcons. Not only did they have amazing defense, but they had superb receivers to take them to victory. No one supposed the Falcons to go as far as they did, even their spectators. As the NFC Playoff game drew closer, Falcons spectators did everything they could to back their team. They snagged up a NFL clothing they could come across and discovered football fan faces to use rather of messy paint to cheer on their team. They made everything with the Falcons name or team logo into a treasured sports collectible. But, the Falcons fell in the Playoff game.

When it came down to the two best teams in the NFL, the fans cheered and the football flew but only one team could take it all. Patriots fans left the game happy, but the Eagles fans were plotting their revenge for the next season. In the end, the players in the NFL are important, but the fans are what carry the power and support for their team. Fans show their support in many ways, but most treasure their NFL Sports Memorabilia above all.

For more information from Leigh Winslow about sports collectibles and sports merchandise, please visit www.sports-collectibles-store.com http://www.sports-collectibles-store.com

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All of us, no matter how skeptical we claim to be, have been impacted by Folklore at some point in our lives. From those of us who refuse to utter the words Bloody Mary in front of a bathroom mirror because we believe an Urban Legend, to those of us who still peer out a snow covered window on Christmas Eve in hopes of seeing eight tiny reindeer, Folklore is a part of our lives. And, what’s more, Folklore seems to have had a hand in every aspect of our culture, with its clever fingers grabbing onto our customs and traditions and adding a new spin.

Not immune to Folklore is wine. Wine, having existed throughout the travels of time, comes with its own legends and its own stories. Whether or not the tales are true, we will probably never know. But, chances are, they are based on some truth. And, chances are even greater, the stories will become more believable with each glass of wine consumed.

So, pour yourself a drink and enjoy some wine lore. It’s Folklore that’s had a few.

Women Invented Wine

The male species is credited with the invention of both the wheel and fire, and we can probably attribute farting and belching to them as well. Thus, it seems only fair that, in lore, women would be credited for a great invention, the invention of wine.

As Persian legend goes, wine was invented when a woman, plagued by a headache, drank fermented juice from a jar used for grape storage. After consumption, she became relaxed and at ease, eventually falling asleep and waking up cured.

However, it is believed in Greek Mythology that wine was invented by Dionysus, appropriately named the God of Wine, Intoxication, and Fertility (the coupling of Intoxication and Fertility can probably explain the Greek’s booming population). As was commonly accepted, he invented wine on Mount Nyssa and soon began to cultivate grapes around the world.

While the Persians and Greeks disagree on who invented wine, chances are they both breathe a sigh of relief at the fact that at least it was invented by someone.

Abreast of Invention: The Wine Glass

Typically, we probably don’t concern ourselves with the history of the wine glass, being more focused on what’s inside. But, according to legend, the invention of the wine glass was a bit more unique than the typical run-of-the-mill appearance at the US Patent Office.

Dating back to Greek Mythology, it is rumored that the first wine glass was molded from the breast of Helen of Troy. Because the Greeks believed that there was something very sensual in the essence of wine, they wanted the glass that held it molded from the breast of their culture’s most beautiful woman.

However, in what may have been one of history’s first cat fights, Marie Antoinette, centuries later, decided she would create a new glass, molded from her own breasts. But, because Marie Antoinette was better endowed than Helen of Troy, the wine glass went from the equivalent of an A-cup to a D-cup, changing the shape of the glass entirely and, ultimately, changing how much wine a glass would hold.

Red Bearded Emperor

We all know that red wine can stain. But, what we might not know is that its ability to stain ultimately led to the offspring of white wine in Burgundy. According to Burgundy legend, an Emperor by the name of Charlemagne was an avid red wine drinker for the majority of his life. However, the more red wine he drank the more red wine would fall into his beard, leaving his naturally white beard, well, burgundy. He felt that the look wasn’t one an Emperor should possess and so he began to switch to white wine, demanding a portion of the vineyards of Corton Hill be replanted with white grapes. This, ultimately, is how Corton-Charlemagne found its way into the world of wine.

German Superstitions

Germany, a nation known for fine wines, also possesses fine wine superstitions, believing certain things can cause havoc on their vineyards and wineries. In a town called Varnhalt, located near the historical state of Baden in southwest Germany, a tradition that has been carried down by generations of wine makers perpetuates the belief that the last grape harvest of the growing season must be brought home in a cart pulled by an ox. If it is brought home in any other manner, the grape harvest will be filled with sour grapes, producing undrinkable wine.

In addition, the Germans also believe that when someone dies, the wine in the cellar must be shaken nearly immediately. If it’s not shaken, the wine stored will all turn sour.

When in Rome, Don’t Spill Wine

Everyone has always lived by the notion that there’s no use crying over spilled milk. Spilled wine, on the other hand, is another story. The Romans possessed a belief that spilling wine inadvertently was an omen of disaster, as ominous as crossing paths with a black cat or having a snake fall from the roof into a yard. When wine fell to the ground or on a table, bad things - a storm, a plague, a betrayal by Brutus - were bound to be imminent.

In fact, this is a belief that many people generally possess. Perhaps it’s because there is some validity to it or perhaps it’s because spilling wine is wasting wine, and therefore bad luck in itself.

However, spilling wine, when done on purpose, is believed to bring luck. The breaking of a wine filled glass is typically thought of as a good omen when performed at marriages. A token for a happy life, this act will lead to unyielding love and affection.

Wine lore is undoubtedly a part of our culture. Because wine is essential to history, it’s only natural that legends, stories, and superstitions come with it, packaged in the bottle of every vintage. Because wine is so magical, having its lore in our lives has the potential to replace other types of Folklore: who needs a Bloody Mary when you can have a glass of wine?

Jennifer Jordan is the senior editor at www.savoreachglass.com http://www.savoreachglass.com . With a vast knowledge of wine etiquette, she writes articles on everything from how to hold a glass of wine to how to hold your hair back after too many glasses. Ultimately, she writes her articles with the intention that readers will remember wine is fun and each glass of anything fun should always be savored.

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Learn The Kissing Signs On A Date

First dates are always loaded with pressure. It is with no small wonder having the first kiss can be as over whelming. Gabby Love at offer key signs to identify the signs that he or she is ready to take the relationship to the next level.

The sign the woman is interested in a kiss are as follows:

A. She is facing you with her arms down and body is relaxed.
B. She tilts her head upward toward you.
C. She appears not to be in a hurry to end the date.
D. She has her mouth parted.
E. She is gazing into your eyes.

The sign that she is not interested in a kiss are as follows:

1. Her jaws are clamped shut.
2. She is messing around with her keys.
3. She won’t look you in the eyes.
4. She shakes your hand and says Good Night.
5. Her chin looks like it is glued to her chest.

The signs that he is interested are as follows:
A. He has positioned himself between the woman and the door.
B. He appears to be acting nervous.
C. He doesn’t appear to be interested in leaving.
D. He has his head tilted upward.
E. He continually licks his lips.

The signs that he isn’t interested are as follows:
1. He walks the woman straight to the car or door without hesitation.
2. He keeps his hands in his pockets.
3. He continually looks at his feet.
4. He avoids eye cont at all times.

Gabby love feel that by observing the above signs will assist one in not having an embarrassing situation while on a date. Just relax and pay attention at all times.

Gabby Luv is responsible for many adult relationship reviews, websites, and observations. Discover many of the sites reviewed at www.gabbyinc.biz,http://www.24hrsofdating.com http://www.gabbyinc.biz,http://www.24hrsofdating.com , and www.gabbylove.com http://www.gabbylove.com , & www.gabbyluv.com http://www.gabbyluv.com .

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Just as in the real world, there are many costume shops on the internet that all claim to be the best source for costumes and accessories. Obviously they can’t all the be the best, but how can you tell which ones will be the best to deal with? After all, it’s a little harder to judge them from a website than it is by walking into their store and actually looking around and speaking with someone.

When shopping for a costume online, you should follow the same principles you would when dealing with a traditional store.

Find out where they’re located. Any decent web-based store will have a physical address and contact information listed on their website, in an easy-to-find spot. If they don’t list this information, or it’s buried somewhere hard to find, they may not be the best choice.

What are their return policies? Buying over the internet means you can’t actually see and feel the costume before you get it home. If what you order turns out to not be what you expected, you should be able to return it with minimal hassle.

How do they ship your costume and how quickly will it arrive? If you’re ordering a costume with lots of accessories and detail you want to be sure that it is well protected in shipping, to avoid damage along the way. And the shipping time is important, especially as it gets closer to Halloween.

Do they allow special orders? Most online costume shops carry a wide range of accessories, as well as complete costume kits. If you want to order a kit but substitute a couple of items, will they work with you?

Is there a telephone number that you can call to speak to a representative? Even if you can find all the information you need on the website, it isn’t a bad idea to call them just to get a feel for how easy it is to deal with them in person. If you aren’t happy with the quality of their service before you buy, it probably isn’t going to be any better afterwards.

Shopping for a Halloween costume online can be a lot more convenient than visiting a bunch of stores in person. You’ll probably find a lot bigger selection, for almost any age. By using these tips, you’ll be a lot more likely to be happy with your costume, and more able to enjoy Halloween.

Phil Sikes writes about Halloween costumes and other related topics for the Get In Costume website. Visit the Costume Deals blog at www.getincostume.com/deals http://www.getincostume.com/deals for some great costume ideas and other special offers.

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Teachers say it time and time again. They tell their students to “write clearly,” so that they can read what their child was trying to convey. Often teachers take this rule so far as to mark questions wrong on a test or homework assignment that are not legible, or to not give the student credit for his or her work. It is for this reason, and many others, that it is important to teach children handwriting from an early age.

Teaching children handwriting is very important. Throughout life, people use writing in almost every aspect of their lives, from writing reminder notes, to homework, writing in a journal, thank you notes, and, perhaps most importantly, in employment.

While one would think that schools, primarily in the early grades, would teach children proper handwriting, this is often not the case. Often teachers are not trained in this field, do not give it sufficient time, or are unable to train children properly because of large class sizes. Writing is the final process of thinking. When given an assignment, children will think about it, and then write it down as a final way to communicate their answer. If a parent or teacher cannot interpret what the child wrote, it can be frustrating for all parties involved. Therefore, it is important for parents, as well as teachers, to understand how to teach handwriting to children.

One of the key factors for learning handwriting is that children have a quiet place to write. In front of the television or in a noisy room with a lot of action is going to distract the child, and prevent him or her from having a productive writing session. Secondly, children need to practice what they have learned. The phrase “practice makes perfect” definitely rings true in this situation. Without constant practice, the child’s handwriting will improve just slightly, if at all. To help a child practice what they have learned in previous sessions or classes, worksheets are strongly encouraged. These worksheets can include anything from words for the child to copy down on the lines provided for them, to worksheets in which the child has to list the items shown in pictures, and copy them several times. Whatever the content is that they contain, practice worksheets are an enormously large tool in helping a child improve his or her handwriting.

There are several other games and activities that children and adults can engage in together in order to help the child learn. Making lists together, such as grocery lists or “to do” lists will help the child write out words that he or she may have practiced, as well as some new words and phrases. Learning the words to a favorite song, then copying them down onto a piece of paper is also an activity that children will enjoy, for they will feel as if they are not doing “real work.” Games and activities are important to use when teaching a child something. Practicing handwriting can get tedious. To prevent the child from getting frustrated, small games and activities help to prevent anger and frustration.

People write things down everyday, in various environments and in various forms. It is a large part of our lives, and therefore is very important that handwriting be learned from an early age. The tools and pointers mentioned above should help your child onto the path to perfect handwriting!

Nick Ramsay is the founder of the ESL Writing Wizard, a free website for parents and teachers to create their own handwriting worksheets.

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Personal payday loan provides financial assistance to an individual when his bank balance and savings are inadequate to meet the immediate expenses. They are basically a product of short term unsecured market fund.

Personal payday loans are designed in such a manner so that it can give financial support to an individual. And they get mature till his next payday. Generally, the term of payday loans varies from 15 days to 20 days but sometimes the lender can extend the term to the subsequent payday at the request of the borrower.

As said personal payday loan is the product of unsecured market fund, so there is no need to keep any collateral with the lender. Usually, the people not willing to place collateral or who are not in position to place collateral gets attracted towards personal payday loan.

Besides collateral, there are certain other factors which make an individual eligible for personal payday loan. They are:

•Regular employment
•Running bank account
•Identity proof
•Residence proof
•Post dated cheques

In Personal payday loans the lender doesn’t ask for collateral but in return of taking such high risk they charge high rate of interest. This is the also reason that why personal payday loans are known as expensive. As personal payday loan is expensive mode to satisfy financial needs so, it is suggested that it should be availed when the need is urgent.

Here, urgent implies that when there is no other option of finance is left.

Before availing personal payday loan the person must keep his eye open and consider all the clauses and terms of the loan deal. The person should ask the lender for loan quotes which will enable him to compare various offers of personal payday loan deals. Ensure that the loan deal doesn’t carry hidden cost because it increases the cost of the loan. The person should always try to avail the loan deal with low annual percentage rate which ease the repayments of loan.

Last but not least, take into account whether its repayments suits your pocket or not. Then only go for personal payday loan.

Personal payday loans are available to any person that is whether with good credit score or bad credit score. But, it is also sure that the person with good credit score will definitely be offered with competitive rate of interest as compared to the person with poor credit score.

Just to wrap up, personal payday loans are the source of fund in emergency need of finance when savings and bank account of person doesn’t support him.
Tess Ocean has been associated with Online-Payday-Loans-UK. Having completed her Masters in Finance from Yale University, School of Management. She provide useful advice through her articles that have been found very useful.To find Personal payday loans, online payday loan service, personal payday loan, payday loan uk, online payday loan application, bad credit payday loan, payday loan application, faxless payday loans, cheap payday loans in UK visit www.online-payday-loans-uk.co.uk/ http://www.online-payday-loans-uk.co.uk/

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Just because you’ve made the decision to stay at home as a full-time mom, does not mean that you can’t earn a little spending money on the side. With today’s proliferation of work at home, freelance and telecommuting job opportunities, stay at home moms have several options. Along with a wide variety of money-making opportunities, the Internet brings more than its fair share of scams and rip-offs. However, if you use a little practical common sense and are not afraid of a little research, no one’s going to take advantage of you.

There is one very basic rule that you should keep in mind at all times. If you remember this, you’ll be immune from most of the scams and questionable offers, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” No one is going to pay you $1,500 a week to stuff envelopes so forget it. You are not going to become rich off of 99.9% of what you read, and the other 0.1% takes money, effort and time. Now that we’ve got some basic ground rules, let’s look at some options.

Surveys

There are probably hundreds of sites promoting making good money with paid surveys. The question is, can you really make money with paid online surveys. The answer is yes, you can make money on surveys, and you can get free goods and merchandise. However, I don’t know anyone that makes a living out of surveys (although I am sure someone is). Many survey companies offer entries into prize drawings for merchandise or cash. Some of the offers are pretty appealing. However, like any lottery, there are lots and lots of losers for each winner. If you want to take a shot, who knows, you might get lucky. However, for the most part you will be working for free, hoping to hit a jackpot.

There are reputable companies that do pay cash for surveys. It’s doubtful that you will make a full time wage, however, it’s a nice way to get a little extra spending money. Before you pay money and invest in a list of survey companies, test the water with any number of free survey companies. One tip: Create a separate email account and use it only for survey offers. You may find after applying to a number of companies that you will get a lot of email offers. If you are not careful what company you sign up with, you may find a lot of spamish email and offers that you are not expecting. It’s nice to have an email account that you can dispose of, if necessary, or at least use to separate your personal and professional email.

Mystery Shopping

Mystery shopping can be a lot of fun. I’ve enjoyed everything from free meals to free days at Disney as a mystery shopper and gotten paid too! There are a number of mystery shopping services that you can apply to and get a constant list of jobs that need to be filled in your area. The only real skill this takes is to be able to follow directions, and to accurately remember or document (on the sly) specific points of interest and then be able to complete an online form. Attention to detail and timely completion of work are skills that will do you well in this fun job. You can take your spouse out to a free lunch or dinner and get paid for your time to complete the paperwork. Once again, you won’t get rich, but it’s a fun way to earn a little money while getting free stuff.

Freelance Work

Freelancing is the ideal job for the stay at home mom because it offers flexibility, the ability to work from home (or where ever you choose) and still earn a decent living to help support your family. In addition stay at home mom’s can get additional tax benefits for their families through their freelance employment and so help further reduce the financial strain on their families.

As a stay at home mom, you may have some very marketable skills that companies would like to pay you for on a freelance basis. There are any number of positions for writing, editing, proofreading, web design, graphics art work, research, programming and hundreds of other jobs for which people are willing to contract. You don’t necessarily have to be a Pulitzer Prize winning writer to proofread and correct text, or to retype material from an imaged file into a word processor.

Freelance work is an opportunity for work at home moms to use their time and talents when and where they want: to bid on work that they’d like to do - when it’s convenient for them to work. With a variety of jobs ranging from the data entry to programming, freelance work can consist of either short-term assignments or longer-term engagements. Best of all, you get to pick by bidding on the work you’d like to pursue.

The stay at home mom has so many options available to help add to the family income. If you are not trying to find the EZ path to riches, there are many legitimate, and free, or nearly free, work from home ideas. Here are just a few.

· Be a fundraising agent, helping groups and non-profits with proven fundraising solutions.

· Get a piece of the $2.5 Billion pet market. Start a pet sitting business, a doggy day care or gourmet doggy bakery.

· Make and sell wire jewelry.

· Sell products on eBay or your own website without having to stock inventory!

For more information on the job ideas in this article or for a list of work from ideas from A to Z, visit www.FrugalMom.net http://www.FrugalMom.net .

Candace Anderson is a work from home mom who also homeschools her 5 boys while contributing significantly to the family income through multiple works from home channels of income. Mrs. Anderson has several websites including FrugalMom.net, which is dedicated to frugal living tips and resources for the stay at home and work at home mom. For more information on frugal living or legitimate work from home opportunities, visit www.FrugalMom.net http://www.FrugalMom.net .

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Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1492 at a Tuscan farmhouse in Anchiano, Italy, near the town of Vinci where he spent most of his childhood. He was the son of Ser Piero and a girl called Caterina who worked for him. After Leonardo was born, the father and mother did not remain together. Only recently have details of Leonardo’s birth mother come to light. In 2002, Alessandro Vezzosi, Director of the Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Vinci, Italy, told the press they had found substantial proof Leonardo’s mother was a slave girl and not a peasant girl, as previously believed.(1) Vezzosi went on to report that Leonardo’s father was a craftsman who owned a Middle-Eastern female slave named Caterina. And, according to their discovery, a few months after Caterina gave birth to Leonardo, she was married off to one of the workers.

Leonardo lived in Anchiana and in Vinci until he was eight years old. Afterwards, he moved to Florence with his father. When Leonardo was 14, he became an apprentice under the famed sculptor and painter Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence. In that period, Verrocchio was the leading Florentine artist. By the time Leonardo was between 21 and 23 years old, he had become a very skilled painter. Verrocchio permitted Leonardo to help with an important painting, The Baptism of Christ (Uffizi Gallery, Florence). Leonardo painted the background and the kneeling angel. It is said that when Verrocchio saw that Leonardo could paint better than anyone he had ever seen, including himself, he gave up painting for good. Verrocchio decided he would concentrate on sculpture.

Leonardo da Vinci was said to have a great love for animals, and his journals further illustrates this. He was a vegetarian, at least in the latter part of his life (we don’t have definite proof that he was a strict vegetarian in his early life). He wrote, The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men. He also remarked, The smallest feline is a masterpiece.

In the 1480s, Leonardo painted Lady With The Ermine. The Lady in the painting is Cecilia Gallerani, the 17-year-old mistress of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. She carries an ermine for three reasons. First, for the Duke of Milan, having been appointed to the Order of the Ermine by Ferdinand I of Naples, the ermine was the symbol of heraldry on his coat of arms. Second, the ermine was considered to be a symbol of virtue and purity. And finally, it was a play on Cecilia Gallerani’s name since the Greek name for ermine is galee .

In Leonardo’s notebooks, he wrote that the ermine eats every other day. Most likely the ermine, an animal related to the sable and weasel, stayed in the studio while the painting was being completed. In the Renaissance period, soft-hair paint brushes were made of ermine tail tips. Brushes were also made from squirrel fur and fastened into goose or hen feathers - another reason the ermine might have been at home in the studio.

Leonardo da Vinci included cats in many of his sketches. On one sheet of animal sketches in his notebook, the artist portrayed more than twenty cats, and one dragon. He drew cats in different poses, alone, with other cats, and being cuddled and held. His sketches are lively and reveal the solemn affection he had for felines.

Throughout the mid to late 1470s, Leonardo worked on a series of different studies relating to the theme of the Madonna and the Christ Child, holding a cat. It was originally thought that no paintings existed beyond his initial studies for these paintings. Recently; however, Madonna with the Cat, which is in the collection of industrialist Carlo Noya in Savona, Italy, was discovered to be a painting by none other than Leonardo.(2) The painting is based on a legend about a cat being born at the same moment as the baby Jesus.

Other sketches for paintings that feature animals and are based on a legend or myth is that of Leda and the Swan. Although no actual paintings exist, there are countless drawings. The story is that Leda was seduced by the God Zeus in the form of a swan and bore two eggs, which resulted in the creation of Helen of Troy with Clytemnestra, and Castor with Pollux.

Although there are countless studies and sketches made by Leonardo, only 13 or 14 actual paintings exist today. One of these is Madonna and Child with St. Anne, painted from 1508 to 1510. The figures depicted all relate to one another, and the baby Jesus is shown tightly holding a little lamb. Da Vinci painted the lamb with sensitivity and detail. The lamb is symbolic of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death for mankind. Leonardo’s animal subjects are based on reality and are filled with vitality.

Sources: 1. observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,810926,00.html http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,810926,00.html 2. www.lairweb.org.nz/leonardo/cat.html http://www.lairweb.org.nz/leonardo/cat.html

Copyright 2006 Melanie Light

Melanie Light is an artist and art educator. She is the site owner of Pet Lovers Art at www.artzpet.com http://www.artzpet.com and Classic Pet Art at www.cafepress.com/petz http://www.cafepress.com/petz . You will find more pet artwork, gifts, and information on these web sites.

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