We were ecstatic yesterday because for the first time S received his earnings from Adsense from his website which he put up 7 years ago. Would you believe it? According to him he spent hours and hours building that site and the characters that go along with it because he enjoyed it and he hoped that someday he will earn something from it but it never did happen. If you are wondering what the site it is all about, well, it is about Mugen. If you are like me then I know what your reaction is, "What? I have never heard of such a thing!" That's why to be able to explain it to you I looked at Wikipedia and according to it M.U.G.E.N. is a freeware 2D fighting engine that allows anyone to create characters, background stages, and other game objects through interpreted text files, graphics, and sound compilation. I hope that helps but in my own words from what I see him doing, he programs the characters from KOF (King of Fighters) game to make it do moves that are hard to beat in a game. Well, it's really complicated for me so just see it for yourself and visit his website. Anyway, not until I started blogging did I realize the value of that old website of his. It was then that I learned about page ranks, alexa ranks, etc. So when I noticed that his website has a page rank 2, an alexa rank of 24,947, and has already reached more than half a million visitors (650,000), I was really impressed. If only it were a blog, huh?! lol Anyway, I was convinced there is no reason why he shouldn't be making any money there when other websites that have a much less number of visitors are already cashing out. The problem was convincing him, I even told him to add a blog to his website but he just refused to believe there's money there, but thank goodness he heeded my advice and put adsense on, at least. So, yesterday we went to the nearest Western Union and cashed out and he was really happy he has received some compensation from all his years of hard work. And would you believe, my once skeptical husband even started his own blog! I am so happy S is finally sharing my interest in blogging.

I love being a stay-at-home mom and being with my son 24/7 but honestly there was also a time when I got bored just staying at home. Aside from taking care of Z, my everyday activity would be doing household chores which is not my favorite activity, watching TV which I used to love but over time I got bored with it too, and going to the playground which was great but when it’s raining then we are stuck at home. So after much thought and hesitation (because it will be an additional monthly expense) we applied for broadband connection at our home so I can find something worthwhile to do with my time. I discovered blogging almost 4 years ago when I was still pregnant with Z, I loved reading blogs and spent hours and hours browsing other people’s blogs and checking out what they are doing with their lives and learning from their experiences. Years later when I checked the blogging scene again I discovered that bloggers are now earning through their blogs so I decided to put up my own blog too. After just a few months, I started blogging in March, I am already earning through my blog. Of all the earning opportunities out there my hands down favorite is definitely SocialSpark. It has given me the most opportunity with my blog and I have met lots of stay-at-home moms there too. This is the best earning opportunity a mommy like me could ever want because they give enough time to submit an opportunity so I can cook and feed my family and still have time to submit a paid opportunity. So if you are a mom like me who is looking for something productive with your time and earn additional income too it will not hurt if you try your hand at blogging and join SocialSpark. With the rate the inflation is going we need all the earning opportunity we can get, don’t we? Do not forget to sign up in the mailing list once it gets public. See you there!

I really enjoy being a stay at home mom, I am happy that my toddler and I are always together and I do not have any guilt of leaving him to a yaya just like before when I was still working. But quitting my work means we have to live on one income so we have to make a bit of adjustments in our lifestyle. But still I wanted to find ways to earn at home so I can enjoy both worlds so when I heard about SocialSpark, I signed on right away. SocialSpark is a social marketing network where you can not only meet advertisers for your blog but you can also interact with fellow bloggers.

It has been just a few days that I have signed with SocialSpark but I have already met a couple of friends. I was surprised when I opened my email and there were a few messages from fellow bloggers, whom I did not even know, saying that they would like to add me as a friend and they were propping my blog. In case you do not know, a prop is like a positive vote for your blog. It has been fun checking out their blogs and and giving out props as well.

If you already have a blog and want to sign up for SocialSpark, just go here and fill up a registration form. You will receive a validation email and then you can add your blog. Just so you will know I will post here SocialSpark's code of ethics:

-100% Audit-able In-Post Disclosure
-100% Transparency
-100% Real Opinions
-100% Search Engine Friendly

I have to go now, see you there!

Even though I am a newbie blogger I have always noticed the sign payperpost in the blogs I frequently visit. I am always on the lookout for ways to earn in the net but I just assumed that I was not yet qualified for payperpost since I just started blogging last March. I am a stay at home mom with a toddler almost ready for school so every penny counts in our household. So with nothing else to do one day, and just reading another of my usual blogs I decided to click the PayPerPost logo on the side and try my luck. I was pleasantly surprised when I read the qualifications and that my blog met all of it. My blog just turned two months a couple of days ago and I was quite active with my posting. Early the next morning, I received an email from payperpost that my blog was approved. I was ecstatic! Suddenly my hobby can be the source of additional income. I am planning to enroll Z in a reading program for 3 years old and I would not have to depend on my husband for that. Thank you Payperpost!

I was so busy with my work yesterday that I did not get to take care of Z. He was constantly coming to me for some attention and wanted to sit at my lap but I needed not to be bothered because I was listening to an audio and transcribing it. I explained to him what I was doing and I knew he understood because I constantly remind him that when mommy has to work he needs to play by himself and be quiet. But since he is only 3 I could not expect he would obey. Good thing my brother in law, Paolo, was here for a summer visit. He played with Z, cooked our food, gave Z his meal, brushed his teeth, and tried to put him to bed by pretending he was also asleep.lol. After a few times of Z going out of bed to check on us, he was finally put to sleep by his tito's threat to turn off the aircon if he didn't go to bed.
I was so relieved that he was already asleep and I resumed my work and got to finish it at midnight. I was so exhausted, I frankly have no experience in transcription and I am still very slow at it. Some people do it for only four hours but I can do it twice as long as that.
Shortly after submitting it I was shocked to see Z wide awake again and quite happy at that. Inside I was happy he woke up because I was feeling guilty all the time I was working. I called him to bed and we talked. He told me his usual stories about his friends. I could tell he missed me because he was extra sweet. Imagine my surprise when he told me, "Mommy, you should kiss me here (pointing to his nose), here (pointing to his cheeks), here (pointing to his forehead) and here (pointing to his lips). I usually ask him to do that when he wants me to do something for him. And to think that this was the first time he did it, he surely missed me that much. I am not complaining I love being able to work in our house, but I really need to do it efficiently and fast without sacrificing the quality. I am happy I do not have to leave Z to work but I still can not help feeling a twinge of guilt. Z went to sleep that night with his arms around my neck, he insisted that we face each other. When I thought he was already asleep I shifted my head to the other side. He promptly woke up, sat straight and told me not to face the other side. The love of your child is the best thing in the world, right?

We were hesitant to get internet because of the extra cost, but I was bored out of my mind watching tv and stuff. So we finally decided to give it a go and see if I can find something useful to do online. For the first month I surfed and surfed to find home based jobs, I found a job doing encoding work but the pay was very little. Finally I got accepted to do transcription work and the pay is good. The work is not steady, my first week I only got 2 projects and my 2nd week I got 3 projects. But one project is equivalent to a day's work pay in the office and tax free too. So I am very happy with my home based job, I can finally pay my internet bills and help with other expenses.