Finding the Perfect Location for Your Home

Hey there.  When we first started house hunting, we put some serious thought into whether or not we were going to stay in Los Angeles.  Not because we don't like it, but because the real estate here is so expensive.  We looked into some ocean side locations in San Diego, we looked into homes in the Orange County area, and we even went out of state and checked out the Sacramento area.  We ended up, in what is our home, in Long Beach, California but not after we did our home work and checked many places out.

When considering to buy a home, price is not the only thing you should account for.  Are you looking at a house as an investor?  Something that you plan on living in only for a short period of time before you are ready to sell.  Are you looking at a house as a permanent resident?  Someone that is not looking for a house but looking for a home.  A place where they can raise a family and live out their years.  It's something to definitely take your time to consider the options.

So, are you guys home owners? What did you guys take into consideration before saying, "this is the house for us."  I'm curious to hear if every one had that "this is it" moment.  It sure felt that way with us.  Let me know.  Later!

Metallman's Reverie: Blog Income for January 2011

Hey there.  Blogging has not only become a good hobby of mine, it's also become a source of extra income.  I'm a gamer, I'm a techie, and I feel a little on the guilty side when I use personal funds on my gaming and techie needs.  Blogging has provided that extra funding and I am extremely thankful for it.  This is why I'm going to post on my monthly earnings.  So you guys can see first hand where I'm making those few bucks on the side and if you want in on it, please feel free to use the links I provide.  So let's get to it!

MyLikes - $8.03
Blogsvertise - $50.00
SocialSpark - $62.78
Personal Ads - $115.02
Total Income - $235.83

Not too bad for the first month of the year and it's definitely above pace of my $1700 goal for the year.  I received a huge boost from personal ads this month, which includes links, blogrolls, and ad space.  I have other income opportunities that I'm involved in that I didn't mention above and that's simply because I haven't gotten paid on them.  I don't want to include pending stuff since that's money that I haven't seen.  For you bloggers that haven't signed up for SocialSpark, you definitely should.  I have nothing but good things to say about Izea, Inc. and now that's they've added a referral service to SocialSpark, it's just another way that you could earn a few more bucks by blogging.  Also, Blogsvertise makes it easy to write about whatever you want as long as the link required is in the post.  This gives you huge flexibility on the topic to write about to make it flow with your blog.  It's definitely something you guys should check out.  And as for MyLikes, I like how easy it is to use.  You chose your "Like" and send a Tweet.  That's it.  And since you can link up to Facebook, you can easy earn cash with each click you receive. 

I strongly recommend you guys sign up for the above services if you haven't already.  Don't miss out earnings because you don't think you can.  There's some serious cash to be made from blogging and it surprises many people on how easy it is.  Hope you guys sign up and tell em that Metallman sent you.  lol  Best of luck!  Later!

A Friend in Chicago Needing Car Care

Hey there.  I have a friend that lives over in Chicago and all I hear is that the weather can be brutal.  If it's not the wind, it's a tornado.  If it's not a tornado, it's snow.  Right now, it being winter, she's had a tough time finding a spot to get snow tires installed on her Honda.  So I jumped online to see if I could help her find a Honda dealer in Chicago that would be able to help her out.

So once I find one that specializes in Honda Accords, I check to see if they have service and maintenance at an affordable price.  When driving in the middle of a blizzard, you want to make sure that you have the proper tires on your car.  Just check out this pic that was just sent today.

Yeah...  I'd say you'd need to make sure you have the right kind of tires to be driving in those conditions.  Considering that there's a special going on right now, she's going to take it and take advantage of the Winterization special.  Best of luck friend.  Me, being from sunny California, wouldn't know how to deal with conditions such as those.  Later!

Undecided About Web Hosting

Hey there.  You know, one of the best things I ever did for my blog get my own domain name. It shows that I was serious about my site, serious about the dedication that I plan on putting into the site, and it opened up many business opportunities for me.  The second step is getting a good web hosting plan.  I'll be honest with you, I'm still hosted on a free platform, but I've been feeling pressure from blogging buddies to try a different hosting platform.  I'm still on the fritz about it, but I know that it's also costing me opportunities since some jobs will not accept blogspot hosted blogs. 

For those of you are still looking, WebHostingFan.com offers deals and news regarding different web hosting platforms.  The great thing about it is that it eliminates the need to search the web for deals when the best deals are readily available on the first page.  Another awesome part of the site is the reviews.  They do their own review of the hosting site and rate it based on value, technical support, customer service, etc. etc.  Just check out their BlueHost review to get a good idea of how it works.

If you're in the market for web hosting, save yourself from searching the web and go directly to webhostingfan.com for the latest in deals and offers in web hosting.  I think I'm afraid to transfer my blog, but I wouldn't put it past me if one day, Metallman's Reverie is hosted somewhere else.  Later!

Do You Rate Local Busniesses?

Hey there.  Do you guys rate businesses in your area?  I mean, by going to some website online and providing some kind of ranking to show your displeasure or satisfaction to a service or business that you recently visited?  I ask because not too long ago, I started seeing these suckers on drive thru windows:

Now this is interesting.  Usually great burger joints are passed on through word of mouth but now I'm seeing that more and more are being looked at online.  My problem with Yelp.com is that it's mainly a rating system and is new to the "search for" world so I wonder if Local.com is the way to go.  I did a quick local search find that it's more of a hybrid of several rating and search systems.  Find a business and rate it, all in one location.

I say that Local.com would be a better place to go to search and rate.  I'm not knocking on Yelp.com.  I think that what they're doing is great.  I'm just saying that Local.com is doing it better.  Do a quick local search yourself and let me know what you think.  Who knows, maybe we'll start seeing more decals across business windows with the below logo.  Later!

Getting the Girls Some Clothes

Hey there.  You know what's great about being an adult?  Besides doing all the great things adults can do legally as opposed to the younger generation.  lol  It's the fact that once I buy clothes, it's almost guaranteed to stay in my closet until 1) I manage to destroy it with paint, cement, holes, etc. etc. or 2) I gain/lose too much weight.  It's a given that clothes will last you when you're an adult.  The same cannot be said for kids.  Especially young girls, who want to follow in their mom's footsteps and have a variety of clothes as their wardrobe.

With that being said, we have always been on a mission to find stylish and affordable girls clothing.  With 2 growing young ladies, what they own is quickly donated when it no longer fits and all that clothes needs to be replaced.  A new favorite of the girls happens to be Tea Collection's latest collection, Viva La Artista.  Especially since my oldest is looking to be an artist. It's definitely worth a look if you're into stylish and affordable clothes for your young ones.  I'm certain that you will find something that caters to your taste.  Later!

Find Your Dream Car with TheCarConnection.com

Hey there.  You know... I've never really been a car guy.  I always figured that as long as I had a vehicle that can get me from point A to point B, I would be happy.  I don't need a big, flashy car to show off.  But boy, wouldn't it be nice to have one.  lol  I stumbled across this site that will not only show you pictures of the cars, but will give an estimated market value and a little history behind the car.  That's pretty impressive.

I checked out the Mitsubishi Eclipse Gt, to get a glimpse of something with speed. My brother in law has an Evo and he's constantly raving about how awesome it is, so I had to check out the Mitsubishi family to see what the fuss was about. Then I checked out something that screams American, the Chevrolet Corvette.  I can definitely see myself in one of these bad boys but I don't see myself coming with a $50K windfall anytime soon.  lol  After clicking a few links, the Gmc Sierra Sle came up. I don't see myself in a truck... It's simply not my style. And that's when I realized that a Mercedes-Benz Cls550 would be luxury sedan for me.  Stylish and classy, a car that looks sleek, but not over flashy.  Kind of like me.  lol 

ll in all, it was cool to read up on today's cars and their history.  It's new and definitely informative.  Once I'm at the age (and have the cash) I know I'll be able to compare cars and make a wise decision the one that will take me to destinations in my wonder years.  *sigh*  A guy can dream, no?  Later.

Metallman's Reverie: Blog Income for 2010

Hey there.  2010 is gone and we are kick starting 2011 with last year's income report.  A common question that I get asked is, "How do I make money online?"  The answer I usually provide is, "With a lot of work!" but to be honest, that hard work is not to make money, but to build an audience that will actually visit your site, providing you with that opportunity to make money through ads, page views, and sponsored posts.  Once you've managed to have a small following, then you can turn your focus on earnings.  Here's some of the highlights (and lowlights) of my year:

• October was my best month.  Total income that month was $161.37
• May was my worst month.  Total income that month was $2.80
• IZEA, Inc. (Sponsored Tweets, SocialSpark, Payperpost) was my my biggest money maker.  Total income for the year was $563.76.
• Mylikes was an up and coming earner for my Twitter account.  I started using it in June and made $110.01 for the year.
• Blogsvertise was an up and coming earner for my blog.  I started using it in October and made $187.00 for the year.
• Total income totaled $1,074.95.  Well short of my goal of $1,500.00

All in all, I want to deem 2010 a disappointing year.  I made approx. $1,200.00 in 2009 and was hoping to increase that by a modest $300.  I believe that I would have exceeded my goal if I didn't have a few months where I was out of sync with my blog and didn't post or work as much as I should have (I'm looking at you, MAY!!!!).   However, I am excited about a few opportunities that have opened up to me.  Especially, the spot I have earned as a writer on DragonBlogger.com.  I have three articles written there and my quota is 4 a month.  It's tough to get it done when you don't have a working computer at home!!!  But I'm excited about it and I need to get the ball rolling on that. 

So there you have it.  A total of $1,074.95 made from my modest, little blog.  Not bad, no?  Short of my $1,500 goal for the year, but that's not stopping me from increasing my goal yet again.  $1,700.00 for 2011!!!  Whoo hoo!  Let's do this!  Thanks, friends, for making it happen.  Later!

Mac or PC?

Hey there.  I've been a PC guy all my life.  PC's in school, PC's at home, and the laptop is a PC.  But you know what... I'm getting tired of the viruses and the updates and the pain in the ass methods that it takes to install drivers and what not just to get "easy" plug and play devices to work.  Because of this... I'm leaning on picking up a Mac laptop for business. 

I've gotten good feedback from friends about them and some people even swear by them.  I'll admit that I don't know much about them, since I've been surrounded by PCs.  The only thing I do know is that Mac's are more expensive than PCs.  Does the old adage, "you get what you pay for" apply to computers? 

My brother in law picked up a HP laptop for around $200 this black holiday and it's running Windows 7.  I was thinking of picking one up as well, but I'm tired of the slowness and the vulnerabilities of these Windows based machines.  Maybe I just need a change of scenery from the world of Windows.  Maybe it's simply time to jump ship and head on over to the world of Apple.  lol  I think I've already made my decision... but until I have an Apple machine in my hand, it won't be definite.  Until then, later!

Christmas Spike in our Electric Bill

Guest post written by Beth Klondike

Every year I try to convince my husband that he should lay off a little bit on all the Christmas lights that he puts up on the outside of my house and in our front yard. I really think that it's kind of getting out of control by now. But he honestly just won't stop, so I put up with it anyway.

I went online to try and find some new decorations that would take up less energy than the ones that we've been using for years. While I was doing that I came across the site ClearTVBundle.com and read through it and ended up showing it to my husband. Now this was one thing that we could agree upon, so we signed up for the internet service for our home.

Well, I found some Christmas lights that are supposedly more efficient than the typical ones. So my husband ordered some of them and is replacing some of our lights with them. Hopefully they'll cut down on our electricity bill some this year.

Looking for Some Kick Ass Advertising

Hey there friends.  You know, maybe business have a hard time looking for publicity or advertising.  I think that I've been fortunate enough to be able to find a small audience that I engage in for this site.  I'm not a big company that needs all sorts of exposure, but if you are an up and coming business looking for a great advertising team, you definitely need to check out THAT! Advertising Agency. 

This is definitely an agency that thinks outside the box.  That is apparent by it's awesome tabs on their home screen.  When you see tabs labeled as "kick ass advertising" and "mad marketing", you know that you are not dealing with your typical advertising agency.  And when one of their slogans is "THAT! + Advertising Agency = Kick Ass Success" , you have to take a look and see if this is for you.

I'm in the blogging business.  I don't think that I would benefit much from this kind of advertising.  But you're in an industry that requires some publicity, some ad space, and some over all buzz, THAT! Advertising Agency may just be for you.  Plus,. they're giving a 1 hour free phone consultation so what is there to lose?  Call em up, see if they can get a kick ass package for you and if you don't like, you can simply say no thanks.  Check it out, my friends.  When a company this awesome comes about, you're almost inclined to check them out.  Later!

What a Weekend...

Hey there.  Oh man...  What a weekend it has been.  I haven't really had much of a chance to rest during the weekend since I've pretty much dedicated that time to prep for my son's first birthday.  We're going with a Super Mario Bros. theme and since it's difficult (and expensive) to buy licensed Mario stuff, the wife and I have been pretty much created all the decorations ourselves.  We've already spent a lot of hours getting them done and we're in the last week before the party and we're still not done!!!  Here goes the breakdown of our weekend...

SATURDAY

So Saturday rolls around and we're up and ready to go.  We figured that we could avoid traffic and what not if we head on over to downtown LA to check out the vendors there that sell party supplies and piñatas.  We got a tip from my compadre that there is a "party district" there and they have all kinds of stuff.  He was certain that we would find it there.  So 10 am rolls around and we're almost ready to go when I hear children scream, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! OH NOOOOOOOOO!!!!  DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD! DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!!"

So I get up and run outside, thinking that one of the neighbor kids is hurt or something is wrong.  There is a lot of commotion on their side of the fence so I go around and end up in their yard.  I see my dog, Lucy, and their dog, fighting.  Now...  Lucy is small dog.  She's what you would call a Chihuahua Terrier.  No more than a foot tall.  The neighbor's dog?  Well... she's a Pitbull.  Yup.  Lucy got into it with a pitbull and instead of her saying, "Oh crap this is a monstrous dog, I don't have a chance!", she's up all in the business snapping and biting back.  The neighbor get's his dog's attention long enough for me to yell at Lucy.  Lucy then trots of in my direction, looking like a bloody mess.  I apologize profusely to the neighbor for Lucy getting into his yard and he dismissed it as Lucy just doing what she's born to do. We have this issue where Lucy and Lacy (both chihuahua terriers) dig under the fence and venture into their yard.  They don't mind, since they're good dogs.  They don't destroy anything and they play with the neighbor kids.  The neighbor explained to me that Lucy was trying to get under the fence and when he saw her, he helped her over.  That's when Lucy saw his dog (which was in heat) and they started getting into it with each other.

So I go back into my yard to check up on Lucy.  She's bloody, but I don't see blood pouring out of her.  She does have a 1cm hole in her face.  I could literally see inside her face and that's when I decided that she can't stay outside.  She could get that infected and what not.  I take her inside and start looking up vets.  Considering that it's a Saturday, I wasn't expecting to find any open.  I called a few "emergency vets" and was told that her wound was not considered an emergency since it wasn't life threatening and was given instructions on how to care for her at home.  So I go off into the drugstore and buy a bandage wrap, some gauze, closure strips and some peroxide.  I clean her up as best as I could and get to work.  I cleaned out the wound, closed it, and wrapped it up.  She's looking a little funny, but at least she's on her way to recovery.  Check out the pic I took of her, looking like, well... she just got off a fight with a pitbull.

Lucy... Looking like Rocky Balboa. Hopefully, she'll learn to stop picking fights with pitbulls.

 

I've been addressing her wound and changing the wrap every day.  Last night, the gash finally closed but I do not feel comfortable enough to let her roam around without the wrap.  Hopefully, I can remove it in another day or so because I need to clean her up some more.  She's beginning to smell funky and since she's inside the house, I need to make sure she's as clean as possible.

That incident took up all of our Saturday morning and most of the early afternoon.  We were finally able to venture into this party district to look for what we needed.  We scored on some awesome Mario and Luigi piñatas.  We also got some Mario and Luigi piggy banks and some candy to fill the piñatas with.  Being in the Mario mood, the night was capped off with some Mario Galaxy for the the Wii.

SUNDAY

Football!!!  I told myself that today would be the day where I would just sit in front of the TV and make decorations while watching TV.  I did a lot of decorations, not so much TV.  Football games were on TV, but I didn't really glance up since I got into my creations.  The Raiders lost...  losers!  And I did see Vick get hurt.  Other than that, I got most of my info from ESPN highlights later that evening.  Decoration making didn't end til close to midnight...  and soon after disaster struck...

MONDAY

After making decorations, I took a shower a little after midnight.  I noticed something funny going on while in there.  The water was not going down the drain... hmmm...  I finish up and let the wife know what happened.  She then mentioned to me that there is something up with the toilet, to make sure I take a look at it before I go to bed.  I check it out... and notice right away that it's not flushing.  I pull out the trusty plunger and get to it.  After several unsuccessful tries...  I figure that maybe there's hair stuck in the shower drain and it's stopping the toilet from flushing.  So I start working on that.  No success.... after about 30 mins or so, and it being around 1 am, I decide to go to bed and I'll work on it tomorrow.  Before jumping into the bed, I head to the kitchen to get a midnight snack... cause that's how I roll.  lol  

"SPLASH...  SPLASH... SPLASH..."  What the...  I took one step into the hallway and I step into a pool of water...  Oh man...  there's at least an inch deep of water all over the hallway.  Water EVERYWHERE!!!  I was feeling a dumbfounded and perplexed by what I was seeing and when the wife noticed it as well, she got up and was shocked by the amount of water all over the floor.  I go into the other bathroom thinking that maybe the tub was running or something and it smelled horrible.  But I mean HORRIBLE!!!!  Water was pouring out of the toilet, splashing flooding the bathroom.  The tub was also filling up with the water.  Water then ventured into the hallway and into my son's room and the main bedroom.  S*@T!!!!  The wife and I sit for a second, and then move into action.  

I pulled out my phone and took video of all the water in the bathrooms, tubs, showers, rooms, and hallway.  I figured that I would need evidence for the insurance company.  We pulled out all of the towels and started to soak up the water.  We didn't really know what the problem was so we figured that one of the kids may have flushed something down the toilet.  We didn't really know what the problem was...  So after about an hour or so of soaking up water and draining towels, we got the water to a respectable level...  Then... I made a huge mistake.  I threw in most of the towels into the washer.  Thinking that our problem was inside the house, I figured that we would need clean towels in case there was more leakage.  When the washer got the draining of the dirty water stage... all hell broke loose.  The bathrooms started to flood again.  This time, we only had HALF of the towels to battle what seemed like a never ending flow of water...  The good thing is that we acted fast enough to keep the water in the bathroom and no more spilled over to the hallway.  I then started draining the towels in the bathtub and reusing them to soak up water.

After about a half hour or so and the water level not really coming down... the wife made the comment that maybe I'm making it worse by throwing water into the tub.  She was right.  I should have been draining the towels outside like we first did...  By this time.. it's somewhere close to 3:30 am or 4 am and we're straining water out of towels in the front lawn.  After about another hour or so, we finally got it dry enough where there is no danger of anyone slipping.  I turned off the water valves in the sink and tub, in case the kids get up and turn the water on.  By the time we're satisfied that nothing else is going to down that morning, we go to be.  It was close to 5:45 am... by then, I already told myself I wasn't going to work.  I have a BIG problem that I need to take care of.

I get up at 6:45 and drive the girls to school.  I ask them if they threw anything down the toilet that they weren't supposed to and both said no.  I dropped them off, grabbed some coffee and then got to work.  Still believing that it may be something in our toilets, I looked up getting a plumber's snake.  I picked one up at Lowe's then went to work.  I went into the toilets and nothing.  I tried the sinks and nothing.  Showers?  Still nothing... I then said that I would need to get a pro to do it.  I started looking up plumbers in the area.  I also called my cousin, who does all the plumbing for the building that he is managing and ask for his opinion.  He quickly said that it sounds like the main drainage pipe is clogged.  He asked me to look for a 4 inch pipe outside the house.  I couldn't find it.  I said I would call him once I found it.  I then called Roter Rooter.  They sent a guy out to the house to check it out and give a free quote.  He found the access pipe and said, $200.  i was like, no thanks guy.  I already have someone that's going to get it done.  He leaves and I go at it with my 25 foot long snake.  Nothing... Damn... I needed something longer.  I go to Lowes and looking for a longer snake, but the longer ones are in the hundred...  

I decided to call a local plumber and got it done for a fraction of the cost.  He stuck in a 75 foot power snake and cleared my pipe (sounds funny.  lol)  and found that baby wipes were the culprit.  It was now, close to 2:30 pm and I started to text my insurance peoples to see what's up with that.  The damage is done in the hallway.  The laminate flooring that I installed is starting to warp.  The edges have risen and it's no longer smooth.  The carpet is still damp and I'm worried that mold might start up if I can't dry it up soon.  If it comes down to it, I'm going to need to replace the carpet as well as the flooring.  I'm hearing that my insurance should cover it...  Now I have that battle to look to forward to.  ugh.   Stay dry, friends.  Until then, later!

$1 Admission to the LA County Fair This Weekend

Hey there.  I've lived in the Los Angeles are my whole life.. yet, I have only been to the LA County fair once.  I went a few years ago with my family and we had ourselves a good time.  This year, I get word that admission is only a dollar during the Labor Day weekend.  But only if you show up before 1 PM.  I'm definitely there!  With a family of 6, admission would probably run us closer to $100 so if we can get in for a $1 each, it's definitely worth it!  Here are some of the deals that are going on for $1 this weekend at the LA County Fair:

Opening Weekend $1 Specials – Labor Day weekend, Saturday, Sept. 4 – Monday, Sept. 6

• Admission –$1, 10 a.m. – 1. p.m., regular admission rates apply after 1 p.m.

    1 p.m. to closing $17 (ages 13+)

    1 p.m. to closing $12 (ages 6-12)

• Beverages – $1 for 22 oz. soft drinks at all food and beverage stands, 1 – 4 p.m.

• Carnival - $1 rides, games and select food and beverage items, in the carnival, 4–7p.m

Sounds like a good time to me!  I'm looking forward to it.  Hope to see you guys there!  Later!

Win a Free Weekend Stay at any Hampton Hotel

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hampton Hotels. All opinions are 100% mine. 

Hey there friends.  I recently had the pleasure of taking a week off from work.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the resources to take off on a leisure vacation with the family and see something outside the norm.  I'm pretty sure that with this slowly recovering economy, any accommodations that we can get for free will be a blessing.  Our good friends at the Hampton Hotels know this and are giving away free weekend stays!   

The Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes is definitely one to take part in.  It's not simply a hotel room for you and your friends or family.  No, the Hampton Hotel is offering 100 rooms for 2 nights for the grand prize winner.  Let that sink in!!!  100 rooms!  That's practically the whole hotel for you and your guests.  You can finally spend some time with those friends of yours that you haven't seen in years or invite your distant family members for free weekend stay to catch up and relax.  With 100 rooms at your disposal, I'm not even sure that you will fill them all!  They are also offering 100 First Prizes with is a free hotel stay for the winner and three of his or her friends.  That's still a great time waiting to happen.  To enter, you fill out a simple form with your contact information.  That's it!  Make sure you enter for you chance to win.  The contest ends on 9/4/10 so there's only a week or so left to enter.

It's important to get away from the stresses of work and if you can get that weekend stay for free, why not enter for that free hotel room?  It's great to bond with friends and family.  It builds for a better relationship and it stronger bonds that last a lifetime.  I already told myself that the next chance I get, we'll be taking a vacation as family.  I already have my eye on the Hampton Inn south of the Disneyland Hotel in Orlando Florida.  Yeah, we have a Disneyland in California, but this is Disneyworld that we're talking about here.  I'm sure that friends and family would have a grand time hanging out at Disneyland and hanging out in Florida.  Hopefully, I'll get that call or Email stating that I'm a winner.  Hmmm...  if I do get to be a winner...  should I give out a stay to one of my readers???  I'll have to think about that one for a minute.  lol  Until then, later!

Reboost with Boost Mobile

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boost Mobile. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends.  With all the bills that we have to encounter, it's good to know that a cell phone does not have to cost an arm and a leg.  With all the high tech phones out there, texts, calls, and web can easily total a bill of over $100 for a single user. Boost Mobile offers a wide variety of phones and plans at affordable rates.  And the best part is that they are no contracts to sign!  You won't be bogged down with the same phone or plan for years.

I'm a blackberry fan and I'll admit that having one can be expensive, but not with Boost Mobile.  They currently have an unlimited Blackberry plan where you can get talk, text, and web for $60.  That's a pretty good deal!  You can update your Facebook page from your phone or send out Tweets via the apps available for Blackberry phones. 

Another cool feature is the Re-Boost program.  You can add money to your account to pay your bill anytime online, in person, or by phone.  It's really that simple.  And if you join the Auto Re-Boost program, you'll receive a $20 credit to your account for adding a debit or credit card.  Worry free service at it's best.

Don't let expensive contracts push you away from having quality service and an awesome phone.  Check out the Boost Mobile site and find the phone and plan that best fits your preferences and better yet, best fits your budget.  Later!

Affordable Family Friendly Education at Ashworh College

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Ashworth College. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends. I have many blogging friends that are stay at home moms. Which I think is great! There is nothing better than to be able to stay at home and spend more quality time with the kids. I wish I could do that... but I'm at work. Nevertheless, being a stay at home doesn't mean that mom's don't work. Besides the sack lunches, tending to injuries, being referee, and bringing down the law (of the household at least), a stay at home parent needs to find time to be themselves before they were mom or dad. Whether that be taking up an old hobby or getting back into school and getting that degree.

Getting back to school must be the most single thing most parents claim that they simply do not have the time for. Which may be true, if you are still speaking of school in the traditional sense. Now with many online schools, any parent, or working adult, can find the time to log online and attend school and work on improving your education. Because it's flexible and self-paced, so you can study whenever and wherever you like. Now that is ideal for any stay at home parent or working class citizen.

"But I can't afford school, Metallman. It costs too much money!" Not so, my friends. At Ashworth College, you can earn that Online degree and pay approx. 50% less than the average accredited online school and unlike other programs, you are guaranteed to graduate without student loan debt. Let me translate that for you... NO STUDENT LOAN to worry about AFTER you've graduated! And with over 100+ degrees to choose from, you will find the one that you have been wanting to achieve.

Being a stay at home parent is great, but have a backup plan ready for the when the little ones are more independent. With classes being attended online, there is no need to travel to a school when you can sit in the comfort of your own home and attend class. You've been helping your kids with homework through out elementary and middle school, with an online degree from Ashworth College, you can assure that you can continue to help them for years to come.

Earn a Year Long Subscription of TrainingVOD ($399 value) and Improve Your Business

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of TrainingVOD. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends.  I'm made comments before how my blog, Metallman's Reverie, is now considered a small business.  I think it's great, but like all small businesses... I need to make sure that I'm on top of my game to protect and grow my business.  With more exposure comes increased critique and you want to put the best product out there when dealing with potential sponsors and clients.  This is where TrainingVOD has been an irreplaceable ally. 

With over 50 years of presentation experience (ranging from classrooms to fortune 500 companies), TrainingVOD gives you the look and feel of in person training in the form of 10 minute videos.  If put it in perspective, there are 7 minutes in between commercials when you watch TV so these videos are streamlined towards the common consumer.  By keeping things tactical instead of story based, the videos are perfect in giving us the information we need and how to apply those skills.

So what kind of videos are we talking about here?  The kind that will help your business grow, expand, and help you be a better leader.  With topics that range from HR & Compliance to Safety and Operations and video courses ranging from protecting your PC to negotiating styles and Sales, you'll learn a great deal of information on how to assess and deal with any scenario that you may have to deal with.

I'm currently a subscriber to the "Business Skills" set of videos (197 courses) and I must confess that the courses are definitely for the average Joe.  There is no fancy gimmicks in the videos and they definitely feel as if actual trainers made these and not graphic artists.  If I can "get it" within 10 minutes, I don't see why no one else can.  With that being said, who wants in on TrainingVOD and learn the skills to improve your business and improve your skills of being a leader? That's right, my good friends at TrainingVOD has offered one of my readers a full year of the "Business Skills" set of courses and videos for free. FOR FREE! That $399 worth of training for free when fortune 500 businesses are paying up to a $1000 for similar training DVDs.All you have to do is leave a comment telling me how these videos would be beneficial to you.  That's it.  A simple comment and you're in the sweepstakes.  On August 1st, I will announce the winner among the comments (chosen by random.org) and provide them with instructions on how to obtain their free year subscription. 

Good luck to all you friends and don't forget to check out this quick tour of TrainingVOD.  http://www.trainingvod.com/content/tour It's just a taste of how to improve your business and leadership skills.  Later!

IZEA, Inc. Introduces WeReward

 This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends.  IZEA has done it again!  From the guys that brought you SponsoredTweets and SocialSpark, they bring to you WeReward.com
The innovative way to earn rewards to do the things that we love to do best, go out and enjoy the town!

You simply Download the App via iTunes or your iPhone and browse for tasks.  WeReward will display tasks that can be done within your neighborhood.  If you're in the mood for sushi, you can browse the tasks on the application for participating sushi locations.  You take on the task and then you eat at the location.  Snap a pic of yourself enjoying it and rate the establishment.  That's it!  This particular task could be worth, let's lay, 500 points.  Where 1 point is equal to 1 cent. So technically, you just made $5 eating lunch.  Sweet!  And you can cash out once you have accumulated 1000 pts ($10.00)  After hanging out and accepting tasks, you'll have enough points to convert them into cash (paid via PayPal) in no time.  It's really that easy.  Going to the movies?  Look for a task.  Amusement park?  Look for a task.  Shopping at your local retail chain?  Look for a task.  And since you can't take a pic of you eating a movie ticket (unless you're that kinda person, lol) you can snap a pic of your receipt as proof of your visit.  This would also be considered as "checking in".  This is one of the only user generated communities where people, just like you, are rating the same establishments that you're about to check out and you know that the reviews are legit since they will be verified by the iPhone's GPS record and the photo that you take.  There is no hearsay, these users actually went there to check it out!

So, what would you need to cash in?  Well, first and foremost... the application is only available for the iPhone so you must have one of those.  The account will also need to link to Twitter or Facebook so an account there will also be necessary.  Lastly, since we are in a tech savvy world, you will need a PayPal account to get paid.  That's it!  It's free to check out so why not Download the App and check it out.  With over 15 Million businesses involved, you're definitely going to find a task available in your area or a retail store where you can check in too!  Now go and get those rewards!  Later!

Join Summer Classes with Kidzmet

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of KidzmetJen. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends.  With public schools cutting more and more of the fine arts department (music, art, sports, etc.) due to budget cuts, us parents are finding it harder and harder to find alternatives to keep that integral part of our kid's education alive.  Whether we're going through parks looking for sign up signs or searching online for classes in the area, it's always a tough search when minimal information is provided.  That's why Jen Lilienstein, the founder of Kidzmet.com, created a central location where parents can search for available classes for their children.

The focus of Kidzmet is squarely on the education of our youth. You can very easy search for classes that fit your child's need. There is no second guessing when you can easily create a search for classes based on your child's, age and interest, and best of all... your budget! Check out the search results for the Santa Barbara area:

There are several classes for the new born group.  Since my wife is a stay at home mom now, I know she'll want to look for some "mommy and me" type activities and this a great way to see all the available classes in our area.  If you're looking for activities for you kids, do not overlook Kidzmet.com.  All the information you need in one website and if for whatever reason you are having difficulties at the site, you can easily chat with a Kidzmet member by clicking on the live chat icon in the bottom right of the screen.  Best of luck and I hope you enjoy your time in class with the kids!  Later!

Find a NMEDA Dealer Near You

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of NMEDA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends. As many of us age, our bodies are simply not as strong and healthy as before. We may very well find ourselves at the mercy of a wheelchair due to an accident or an illness. Throughout all this, we should be able to be as independent as we possibly can. That's why taking your vehicle to a NMEDA dealer is the way to go.

No two persons have the same disability so NMEDA will do a personalized "in person" evaluation to assure you that they can customize your vehicle to fit your needs. Or maybe you don't want to customize your car, going straight to the dealer is your best bet in getting the best deal on a wheel chair adjusted vehicle.

Now for those of you that feel a little uneasy on getting your vehicle modified, all NMEDA dealers are the only nationally recognized accreditation program for the Adaptive Mobility Equipment Industry. That's some pretty high standards.

Just think about it for a second. Maybe you're not the one in need of a modification, but if you're a caregiver, it would definitely be a huge help. Instead of going through the tough task of helping someone off and then on their wheelchair, you can have a much more comfortable time for both you and the disabled if your vehicle is a modified vehicle done by a NMEDA dealer. And, god forbid, they would need to be rushed to a hospital, the last thing you would want to struggle with getting the disabled person in your car. It just makes more sense to have a ready and able vehicle to suit their needs. And let's not forget that it also grant them some of their independence back. They may be confined to a wheelchair but they should be able to get on the road and live as close to normal lives as possible.

I was able to locate 4 NMEDA dealers within 25 miles of where I live. I'm sure that you would be able to find one close to your home as well. Check it out and let me know how close is your local dealer. Happy driving and be safe! Until then, later!