Beach Story! (and how to sign up if you're interested in Paparazzi)

A few days ago a lady emailed me asking how she could sign up as a consultant with the amazing company I work for. I usually just get spam emails asking me to buy things for a daughter's wedding with a "cheque" so I'll point that person back to my Paparazzi website on the off chance that they're really interested.  That same day, however, my daughter figured out how to open her jar of gummy vitamins so everything was kinda sorta crazy while I was picking them all up and extracting the few she'd crammed inner sweet mouth ;)

So once it was nap time, I sent her an email detailing how to sign up on the website and suggested myself as a consultant to sign under (#79784) if she was interested in using me as a mentor (because I'm part of an amazing group of consultants on Facebook that I've learned so much from already!).
I wasn't sure if she was real or not, but sure enough, I got an email a few hours later saying I had a new consultant!!  So I contacted her to welcome her, and she emailed me back with a few questions - from the beach. Because Paparazzi is that amazing that you can sell, join, and shop from anywhere. 

Really though, Paparazzi Accessories is super easy to sign up with. Even if you can't afford one of the bigger kits (there are three to choose from - $99, $299, and $499) I highly recommend the larger kits if you can - less work for you, more profit. (Additionally, the more inventory you have, the more you'll sell!)

So first step - go to this page if you're interested in joining.
They'll want you to select a consultant. If you select me, it'll email me and then I'll get in contact with you and add you to a few select, secret groups on Facebook where you can learn SO much to rock your business.
After you select me as your consultant (not just because I'm in a history-making support group on Facebook ;) ) you'll need to select a kit. The bigger the kit, the better, because you'll have to do less upfront ordering (= more profit for you!!).
Then it's a super easy checkout from there, and Paparazzi will email you with instructions on how to set up your own website and log in - they also have a great app, too! - then don't forget to find me on Facebook (Amanda Elaine Eldridge) and send me a message so I can add you to our group! :)

Are you ready to rock your new business? :)  Let's get started!   If a stranger can sign up and shop on the beach, you can, too! :)

What is my WHY?

I joined Paparazzi Accessories as an independent consultant at the end of May. I sold some of my favorite jewelry because we literally had no extra money and invested in the most inexpensive starter kit they had - $99 for at least 35 pieces of jewelry and business supplies. I could have taken that money and just paid for diapers, but I knew I had to join to help better the lives of my babies and my family.   Do I regret joining?  No. Nope. Nopers. One of my main "jobs" (at least in my head) is saving my family money.
That's why I Ibotta.
That's why I Checkout51.
That's why I collect Starbucks stars and Pampers rewards.  (last year I bought 3 of my kids' Christmas presents with rewards from buying their diapers ;) )

If I had more money I would have gotten a larger start kit to have built my inventory more quickly, because everyone knows (or should know) that the more you have to show, the more likely it is that you sell.

Not that Paparazzi doesn't sell, because it's only $5 for the grown-up items. It's not gold or sterling silver, but it is lead and nickel free - and that's important to me. My ears don't always like costume jewelry, and sometimes during pregnancy my fingers don't like my white gold wedding ring (?!).
I know there are other jewelry sales businesses out there, but I can't justify spending $35-40 on a necklace when my kids need diapers. So hey, what if I got the giant box of diapers off Amazon or at Target, and bought myself a necklace for the same price?  (and they're stinking CUTE, and I can wear them without hurting my ears or getting rashes like some of the other "costume jewelry" out there).

Their retail commission is 45%, which is more than so many companies offer. Additionally, you can earn up to 10% on commission from what your team members order each month. <3  What's not to love?

I joined because we have accumulated SO much DEBT over the past few years with our job losses, and I've already seen how it's starting to help my family. Not only financially, but in boosting my confidence and giving my daughter and I something fun to do while baby brother sleeps. :)  I also really, really enjoy finding ways to bless others with what I find and add to my inventory :)
I look forward to sharing more fun stories with you, and comparisons from stores / Paparazzi :)  (because if I can save $20 on jewelry, I WILL.) :-*

If you're interested in more information, check out my website and the fun things I get to share! :)

Make money while nursing

I know, that's a silly title for a blog post. But it's true!  I have a few tried and true (and some new-and-trying) methods to make money while nursing (or vegging, or waiting for your kid to finish going potty, or waiting on hold, ... you get the picture!) 

And I'm a big fan of being Dutch not just saving money, but making money to help my family with the little things to make life a little easier. 

Here are a few things I use: (and how much I've made since December/January when I started focusing more on actually trying with these sites and apps!) 



Websites: 

1. Ebates! - $46.50 
 If you haven't heard of Ebates, it's an amazing online-shop-through rebate app. They work with many types of retailers, including 
Lowe's, 
Target (GET THE DEBIT RED CARD!! USE YOUR WEDDING/BABY REGISTRY BONUS COUPON!) 
Ulta (says the lady who only wears mascara),
 Groupon (yay, date nights! (what's that?!)),
Walmart (did you know they sell extra huge boxes of diapers online that you can have sent to the store nearest you??) 
Kohls,
EBay, (specific departments) 
Amazon, (specific departments)
and a few in-store offers, as well, when you link your card / process your debit as a credit card and select your offer before shopping, but I haven't tried that yet...)
 They also have a browser extension "Ebates Cash Back Button" that lives next to the left of my address bar on my MacBook. It'll nag you if you're on a site that could get you cash back from shopping, and when you click the button it'll ask you if you want to open a shopping trip with Ebates. You know you do, so click it and it'll put a little check / tick / tally mark on the button so you know you'll get money back from whatever you buy. Like your mom reminding you to clean your room because she has your best interest at heart and doesn't want you to break a leg in the middle of the night! 

How it works: You sign up first, and they'll credit your account with $10 just like that!! Get a friend to sign up, and you'll get $25 and they'll get $10 Just. Like. That!   I convinced my amazing dad to sign up and he ordered something he needed and we both got paid (plus he got a percentage back of his purchase!!) 
If you use my link, 

Join Ebates right here! 

you can get a head start on your own Christmas and help us pay a few bills (which we have no shortage of after this past few year's job drought!) 

Sorry that was long. I just find it very fun and a great way to help my family financially :) 
plus, who doesn't love saving?!?!?! 





2. Inbox Dollars - currently $12.08
Another fun website, but this one you actually have to do things. Not big things, but fiddly things. You can take surveys, watch videos for cash, or open spamalicious "e-mails" (basically advertisements) through the inbox you get on their website for about 2 cents each one you open. Not a lot of money, but it takes maybe a minute to go through, and they'll email your actual email address when you have something in your inbox, so maybe a dime a day for very little effort. 
(Steps: Click the "email." Scroll to the bottom and click "Confirm this paid email." [email opens up in a new tab that you can close later]. 
And the surveys are decent as well, if you don't qualify you'll still get a dime or so for your efforts. (woot!) 
you can do your searches through I.D. as well, and only four searches a day get you 2 cents and 2 sweeps. You can get sweeps from other tasks as well, and it's fun to see what you might win. (I haven't won anything yet, but there's always hope hahahaha....) 

Join Inboxdollars! 

and then ... they have coupons!  
It's linked to the coupons from coupons.com, but if you print through InboxDollars they'll credit you a dime with every coupon you use!  (Combine that with rebate apps and you win win winnn!) 




3. Swagbucks - 529 ($5.29) Swagbucks currently
pretty similar to Inbox Dollars - surveys, sweepstakes, print coupons, watch tv, buy things, but they also have "Swag codes" that you can find by searching, or on Twitter or BookFace. 
You can earn swagbucks with all sorts of things, and turn them in for gift cards to scores of different places (I like to stick with Amazon). 

Join Swagbucks 

and once you get 300 swagbucks you get a bonus 300 (basically, one Swagbuck is one cent). You can get gift cards starting once you have 200. :) 



4. Lozo
This is a fun little site I just found - you can make a list of things you shop for and it'll email you if anything on your list appears on any of the rebate apps or coupon sites (I.e: Redplum, Facebook pages, Ibotta,...). You can also search the available coupons and rebates for things you are interested in buying when you pick up your groceries. 

Join LOZO 

5. Ipsos-Isay - currently 40 points
Go here (hehehe) once you sign up you can fill out surveys for points that can be traded for gift cards). If you don't qualify for a survey, they let you win entries for nice prizes :) 




Apps: Preview - 

6. Lucktastic - currently 22,317 tokens
Scratch Cards / Lotto. You can win 5 to 100 tokens by "scratching" lotto cards, sometimes you can win cash (I currently have 50 cents). There are at least 30 scratch cards a day :)  
15,000 tokens gets you a $10 Restaurant.com gift card, 23000 + gets you $5+ at various retailers. Most of the scratch cards have to be "unlocked" by watching a 15-30 second advertisement, but that's where nursing comes in. You can easily go through these at 4 in the morning while you're half asleep :) 


7. .... more to come! Including how much I am loving rebate apps these days~ 
Right now I'm fighting a cold and need to go feed the baby! :)  

Let me know if you've tried any of these!! :) 

Read Throgh the Rainbow Booklist Part 2 - Orange

Next on the spectrum of the rainbow comes ORANGE! Orange and red are two of my daughter's quickly-chosen crayon colors. She also enjoys using blue and purple :)

Here are my picks for orange books:

[may contain affiliate links, and any clicks made go toward the purchase of more books or birthday gifts or Christmas gifts for relatives, etc...  ]

1. Jesus Loves the Little Children, by Debby Anderson  - We received this with two other books from my mother-in-law. This is basically an extended version of the song "Jesus Loves the Little Children, with simply adorable illustrations. The "Cuddle and Sing Series" comes highly recommended, and is a nice sturdy little board book. One of my favorite parts of this book is the many cultures represented.  If you are in love with different cultures, this is a fun and sneaky way to introduce differences to your babies :)

*the other two books are Jesus Loves Me & Jesus is With Me
 also by Debby Anderson

2. Green Eggs & Ham, by Dr. Seuss - This one was a favorite growing up, and I'm pretty sure it's a favorite for many  littles :) Most kids like it because it's silly, but grownups like to use it to get their kiddos to try new things (a la Mom Tiger - "You have to try new food because it might taste go-ood."
Some other options to try once you've mastered the art of helping Sam convince your child that green eggs are acceptable -
   Do You Like Green Eggs and Ham - Nursery Edition - it's a board book with an attached squeaky egg toy!!
  The Little Blue Box of Bright and Early Board Books - several abridged Seussical titles for little ones!
  The Little Red Box of Bright and Early Board Books  - P.D. Eastman's dog stories, abridged for little people!

3. Horton Hears a Who, by Dr. Seuss -  Seuss is pretty foundational in modern literature - his whimsical rhymes are catching and lasso in kids (and grownups) to the love of reading!  A person's a person no matter how small, and it's important to remember that kids are just tiny people in the process of growing up!

4. The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, by Beatrix Potter - for any squirrel lover, or for the petty younger sibling, or the kid that likes to get into trouble, however accidentally.
   and The Complete Tails of Beatrix Potter, with four "pages" from the original books size on each page. Illustrations are the same size, so you can hold your little's attention while reading more than one "page." :)

5. Jesus Calling for Kids, by Sarah Young - a great, simple devotional for kids - The author took Scripture and wrote it out in conversational form. Topics include things like homework, friends, and family.



So there are only five on this list - I'm sure there are more, but the past few weeks have been a little on the crazy side. Bug's been awake more and mama and big sister Bear have enjoyed playing with him. Stay tuned for yellow books in the very near future (I'm trying to stay "on top of things.")


What books would you add to this list? 

Read through the Rainbow Book List - Part 1 - red!

Today is the first day in a series of posts I have planned about reading through the rainbow. ... not to be confused with Reading Rainbow, which is pretty much an amazing television show that was on when I was growing up in the nineties (Yes, we had electricity then...) 
I plan to take each color (or shade) and give you a list* of books based on my own personal reading experience with my toddler. Not all of the books are board books, nor are they all picture books. Many of the books might also have a board book and hardcover version, which makes them great for little ones who are learning to treat books with respect. My little one learned how to turn pages of picture books on her own before she was nine months old because we started reading with her as soon as we could. I know not every toddler can sit through every book, but these books were some that have extended their loan from the library or made it home from the store with us and were pulled out over and over. 


This list could be a good way to build a birthday present for your favorite little person based on their favorite color (even though we all know little people can change their favorite colors often!) 

Day One - RED! (and pink, so as not to offend any sparkly littles!) 

1. The Moon is Coming to Addy's House, by Ida Pearle - This one was renewed until we couldn't renew it anymore, and checked out again after returning to the library. Perfect for bedtime, just the right amount of words to go with the beautiful layout to keep tiny humans attentively sleepy right along with the grownup lucky enough to read this book with them. 

2. Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf - Everyone knows corks grow on and hang from cork trees ;) A classic book everyone needs in their library about a sweet little bull challenging the norm. 

3. Are You a Cow, by Sandra Boynton - I blame my sweet mother for getting me hooked on Sandra Boynton's books. This one is a great introduction to animals, as well as getting toddlers out of whatever shell they might have built that day to reestablish their own identity before bed. If you haven't read this one, please go get it right now. You are missing out on another silly board book :) 

4. A Treasury of Curious George, by Margaret and H. A. Rey - Who hasn't heard of Curious George? "He was a good little monkey, and always very curious." This volume includes Curious George Takes a Train (2002), Curious George Visits a Toy Store (2002), Curious George and the Dump Truck (1999), Curious George and the Birthday Surprise (2003), Curious George Goes Camping (1999), Curious George Goes to a Costume Party (2001), Curious George Visits the Library (2003), and Curious George in the Big City (2001).

5. The One Year Devotions for Preschoolers 2, by Carla Barnhill and Elena Kucharik (the illustrator of Care Bears) - We are starting this one this year, since we just finished the first devotional in 2016. My little one used the inside few pages for storing her favorite stickers, so we'll still pull it out to read with her this year :)  This is a perfect first devotional, especially for active toddlers. This one goes through the Bible chronologically and has the same sweet characters as the first throughout, along with a verse and prayer on each page. The "Little Blessings" books are great for toddlers :) 

^
And now my toddler's opinion on the devotional - 
weee
4a44`````````hhhjj''hhhjjjweeee4derrr00090989887ujjmm, 678oo;; /  //   

As you can see, she really enjoys it :) 


6. First Concepts - Numbers, Priddy Books - My little really likes this board book because of the many exciting flaps to lift and tabs to pull. The images are realistic and colorful, and the last page has an extra "bonus" book for the number ten that includes all the previous pages, making it great practice for little hands in turning pages. 

7. My First Bible in Pictures, Kenneth N. Taylor - Basically a "Great Illustrated Classics" type of Bible for tiny humans. Each page has a paragraph-sized story with a picture on the facing page, and an included question to help with comprehension. The pictures are realistic, and although "older" styled, beautiful. So far our toddler loves it, and it is basic enough for the littlest ones to enjoy and understand!

8. Everything a Child Should Know About God, Kenneth N. Taylor - This book is just beautiful, and the illustrations are like a vibrant vacuum that suck you in. It is basically a catechism and storybook for little ones and a great introduction to Christianity. I would recommend this book especially because of the illustrations (by Jenny Brake) 

9.  Hippo Says "Excuse Me," Michael Dahl - From the "Hello Genius" collection, (available as a board book!) we found this book and couldn't leave it all alone on the shelves. Hippo is a little bumbling fellow walking around town with his mama, and has to use the phrase "Excuse me" multiple times as he bumps and butts his way through the streets. It's pretty much adorable, and why don't you have it yet??

10. Puppies are Like That, by Jan Pfloog - Pretty much the perfect explanation for all the mischievous things puppies do. This book is great if you have a new (furry) addition to your family! 

11. Clifford the Big Red Dog, by Norman Bridwell - If you don't know about Clifford, get this book. If you do know about him, you already most likely know that Mr. Bridwell has died recently so this is a historical gem of a book to add to your collection. Any of the Clifford books are a great addition, actually! 

12. Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel, by Virginia Lee Burton - We have the board book, but either format is an amazing read and a great look back into "olden times." Ms. Burton's books are beautiful inside and out! 

13. Merry Christmas, Daniel Tiger! - This is a super lift-the-flap board book. Our copy got waterlogged, so we're on the lookout for a new one because this was one of our tot's favorites. Many of the Daniel Tiger books seem like the text overwhelms the illustrations because of the word bubbles, but this one does a great job with the balance. Plus, it's a Christmas book! I grew up watching Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, and I love that Daniel wears a red sweatshirt as a special tribute to Mr. Rogers, and he is the son of the original "Daniel Tiger." (Yes, Dad Tiger with the sultry voice is also "Daniel Tiger." 

* affiliate links. anything purchased via these links might help keep the lights on. Vaguely. Or buy a Christmas gift for a kid I know. Possibly. 

No Pictures

Today is the first day of a new year, according to the calendar. This past year God has done so much in the lives of my little family - given us a job, allowed that same job to be taken away, and given us a new little one to teach all we know about Him, His love, and His world. (Not) coincidentally, my high school  senior class verse "just happened" to be Proverbs 3:5-6,

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."

I never realized in high school how much that verse would come into play in my life. This year I might actually be able to share a few more bits and pieces about all that God has allowed into my life and the lives of my two babies and my sweet husband while attempting to put that verse into play. Several moves, many part time jobs, gaining various certifications, missing out on important family events because of money, and safely picking up two beautiful, healthy babies from the Stork Store...

In church this morning we sang the Getty's song "By Faith," and I realized just how very, very much the past few months that song has been our life. If the Israelites can set up odd rock formations to remind them of God's provision, I can at least write a few blog posts until I have time to write down physical reminders in my Bible between trips to the potty and feeding a toddler fighting growth spurts... So be prepared to hear how many are the mercies of my God!

Bluum Box Review - 6 month old - March 2015

As soon as this month's Bluum box came in the door, Bear got excited. She loves mail just as much as her mama and daddy do, after all!  The box was the usual happy red color, and everything inside was covered with tissue paper with a few heart stickers sealing it.

Here's what we received this month -

1. A cheerful piece of paper (haha) with a mother and baby and the sunshine, and a quote.
2. Weleda White Mallow Diaper Rash Cream - 1.9oz tube, $15
2. a $40 gift card toward a Hello Fresh subscription. ... It's good until December, so maybe we'll look into it later.
 ....I think I got interrupted by a baby :D

Kitty!

Cora loves her kitties! She got a grey kitty from Uncle Mark ("Kitty Kitty ")for her birthday in October and got so attached to it wet thought it might be a good idea to have a backup...  So brown kitty ("Kitty Cat") came home with us, too. Grey kitty stays in her bed, and brown kitty travels with her everywhere 😇

Chocolate milk...

Sometimes when mama makes you stay up way past nap time to run errands, you get chocolate milk. And that's just awesome. Especially when you're so sleepy that everything is just plain funny!!

Birthday season!

When you have a toddler, you go birthday card shopping with them in mind... Hence, lots of animals make their way into the mailbox...