Affiliate Love Project

I just found out about this today. Here is a quote from the Affiliate Love Project's About Us page:

"I came up with this idea after watching multiple affiliate contests out there where people were getting paid to refer others to different affiliate networks. One day it hit me. What if the money made off of referrals went to help people in need? Affiliates would still be making the same commissions as before, but the difference is now they are helping people throughout the world."

...and from the FAQ page:

"How Does It Work?
Once a month we choose a new charity or cause to support and set a goal of how much we want to raise. We then raise money in two ways. One is through straight donations, and the other is through doing what affiliates do best, and that is to earn commission. It works by affiliates signing up for affiliate networks through our site. Then when you earn commission, we take all referral money the networks send us and donate it to charities.

For example, lets say you click through and signup for an affiliate network on our site. That network gives us a 5% referral bonus on all commission you earn for life. So if the first month you are with that network you earn $1000 in commissions, you will receive your usual check from the network of $1000, and they will send us a check for $50 (5% of $1000)."

This sounds like a really great idea doesn't it? You can follow the Affiliate Love Project on twitter @affiliatelp

Also, make sure you enter to win a $250 Amazon Gift Card!

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

I just found out that today is a day dedicated to eliminating the phobia surrounding those in the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Questiong, Transgendered and Transexual community.


Getting rid of discriminations against the GLBQT community is important to me. I'm heterosexual but I have no problem with people of other orientations.


For more information on see Dr. Kathleen Young's post on the day.


Check out my reviews from my book review site that fall under the GLBQT category.

Thrive by 5: Teaching Your Preschooler About Spending & Saving

Thrive by FiveTM: Teaching Your Preschooler About Spending and Saving--free activities and other resources for parents who want to encourage healthy attitudes about money in young children.

I found this webpage while surfing the web. I quickly downloaded all the pdf files, stumbled and tweeted about it. It's a great resource for parents of preschoolers (3-5.) You've GOT to check it out. It's available in English and Spanish and has activities to do with your children to teach them concepts such as that when you spend money it's gone, how to help with shopping, that gifts don't have to cost money and how to save money as well as a few others.

There are a few links for more information too. My 3 year old already helps with the shopping, she has been for a while now. I like their idea about actually making her a list (PDF) though.

Winning Techniques Camp - Scholarships Available

Just Passing Info Along...

Twenty (20) $500.00 camp scholarships for various 2009 camp programs to be awarded to children who demonstrate a love for sport, contribute to their communities and excel academically.

Winning Techniques Camp (15 minutes North of Huntsville, Ontario) wants to reward 20 children from various communities with a $500 camp scholarship. A simple online nomination form is available at http://www.winningtechniques.com. If a child in your community stands above the rest and you want to nominate them, simply fill out the form and submit it. Nominations will close May 30, 2009 and winning individuals will be notified June 15, 2009. Scholarships available are 10-Hockey, 5-Figure Skating, 1-Golf, 1- Horseback Riding, 1-Dance, 1-Leadership and 1-Intense Watersports.

Winning Techniques Camp offers co-ed day and resident camp programs for children aged 4 to 16. Camp is structured so that children spend approximately half their day on their chosen specialty program. The balance of a camper’s day will be spent participating in traditional camp programs including Archery, Arts & Crafts, Badminton, Barefooting, Board & Card Games, Bocce Ball, Bonfires, Canoeing, Fishing, Hiking, Horse Shoes, Kayaking, Low Ropes Course, Movie Night, Paddle Boating, Rock Climbing, Snorkeling, Swimming, Tubing, Waterskiing, Wakeboarding, Wakeskating, Variety Night & Volleyball.

Winning Techniques Camp is about excellence. Instruction is provided by highly qualified professional coaches including a 10 year NHL veteran & former Figure Skating National Team member. The camp wants to reward excellence in outstanding young people by giving them the opportunity to attend camp and make life long friends with other young people that share similar interests.

REVIEW: Rock School (DVD)

Rock School is a documentary that came out in 2005. It's about a real life school for kids 9-17 that want to learn how to play rock music.

Although a lot of Rock lyrics are inappropriate for children, I think most teens at least can understand that what they are singing/playing is music and not necessarily okay for everyday talk. I really thought it would be a great movie and I gotta admit the cover photo had me intrigued. That kid is young (we later find out he's 9.) Not many moms would let their kid have that kind of hair.

When it comes down to it though, I didn't like the documentary. Mostly because I highly disliked the rock school teacher. It's possible he's different in real life than how he was portrayed on screen but he acts like a egotistical jerk. He was yelling and screaming at the kids, even the 9 year olds, using totally profane language and being really mean too. I gather that kids into rock music are tougher than I was as a child (or maybe even am now) but I would NEVER pay money to send my kid to a school where he/she is yelled at and sworn at and made fun of.

There is one boy who had a really hard childhood and admits to having attempted suicide many times. He's not great at rock music but the school gives him something to do with his time and a way to make friends. I was appalled at the way Paul Green (the teacher) speaks to the teen. Was he trying to make him attempt suicide again? Also apparently there's this little joke that's an
"inside joke" so that it's only between the boy and Paul and maybe the other rockers. But instead when Paul Green is interviewed for a newspaper, he tells the joke publicly which really hurts the teen and even makes his mom want to sue Paul.

Even if you take away the actual story, the filming itself isn't great. You can tell it's not professionally made with jerky cameras and shots that cut off parts of people.

The movie has a 6.5/10 rating currently at IMBD (out of 691 votes) so obviously not everyone agrees with me on the movie and the school. It scored even better on Rotten Tomatoes. However if you are offended by profane language or don't agree with kids listening to or playing rock music (like Black Sabbath) then don't watch the video.

My Score: 2/5
Run time: 1h 33min
Rating Canada: 14A for Course Language and Mature Theme (except BC which rated it PG!)
Rating USA: R

You can find out the ratings in other countries at the IMBD site.

REVIEW: Cascade All-in-1 Action Pacs

I don't use my dishwasher very often, mostly because it doesn't rinse the dishes as well as it should and because it's one of the kind you have to roll over and attach to the sink spout and plug it in. It's so loud and such a pain!

However when I was offered the chance to review some Cascade dishwasher detergent pacs I said sure, hoping that a certain kind of dishwasher detergent could make up for my dishwasher's faults.

I was sent a package similar to the one one the left in the photo above, but in fresh scent. The scent is so strong you can smell them through the package. They are all white with blue/green spots on the bottom and blue/green swirls of liquid on the top which are held in with a thin barrier of plastic. The pacs are a bit sensitive. I put a couple in a Ziploc bag to give to my mother to see what she thought and one was punctured on the way and leaked. So you couldn't just throw some in a drawer till you need them. You have to be gentle with them.

So what's so special about them? According to Cascade, they have pre-treating power, food dissolving power, stain fighting power, shine shield and rinse aid power.

What do I think? Well I tried them out and they did pretty well. It was nice that I didn't have to open them and throw away some packaging first. They are ready to throw in your dishwasher as is. This is more convenient and more green for our environment. Even better, I didn't have to rewash any dishes that came out of my dishwasher like I normally do (as I said before, it's old and doesn't work right.) My mother tried them out too (her dishwasher works fine) and she said they worked great but weren't necessarily better than what she normally uses.

The gel pacs are available in Fresh and Lemon Burst scents in assorted 12, 20, and 44-count varieties.

More Info:
Cascade Clean
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