10 signs it's time to quit facebook.

Are you becoming addicted to social networking? If you recognise some of these signs in yourself, maybe it's time to step away from the computer-eh?

1. You have an overwhelming urge to tell people about the 2 for 1 offer, you just got on toilet roll.

2. When your friends call, you have a panic attack about 'actually talking to people' and run to write on their wall.

3. You and you're partner communicate through status updates.

4. You can count on one hand how many of you're facebook friends you've met in real life.

5. You have more friends on social network sites, than you have in real life.

6. You actually start saying 'LOL'.

7. You have started taking your camera everywhere to get snaps to post on you're profile.

8. You're mum has to join facebook just to get in touch with you.

9. You start repeating previous status updates "in case someone missed how funny it was, and a few people probably did'nt see it yet!"

10. You have created a seperate account for your baby/dog/favourite plant.

Car crisis?

A few weeks ago, i found myself in a nightmare situation when the water pump on my car needed replacing. The only good thing to come out of this being, that i could use the situation to write a review on my findings ( mechanic quotes, etc.) here. Well, i spent a fair while online looking, getting more and more frustrated ( and fearing for my bank balance ) when i discovered repairpal. Repairpal gives independent repair estimates, advice, and reviews on the best garages, If you're thinking of buying a car, and want a popular design like a ford escort, just click on the link for a great, and detailed owner review, to help make up your mind.
              It's very easy to use, and best of all, free! You simply select you're car, select you're service, and you're zip code or state, and repairpal does the rest for you.  As well as reviews, and advice you can use repairpal, to find your local auto shop, get information on all types of cars, and even track your service. You can also ask questions to all sorts of car problems, and get an answer in minutes. This is particularly handy if like me, you have no knowledge of cars, as it is possible to find a solution to the problem without having to pay a mechanic. They also offer an encyclopedia of common auto repairs, and if you find yourself having a problem with a timing belt  you can find out where it is located on the car, symptoms for repair, and the best way to repair it, as well as what the repair should cost, and the right shop in your area.
            One of my favourite features at repairpal is definitely the repair shop reviews. Do you live in Arizona? Take a look at Phoenix auto repairs. I love this feature as not only does it review the best repair shops for the area, and what their customers have to say,  but it also gives a detailed background of the place itself, and how it's conditions, and roads can affect you're car, and the common auto problems that can subsequently arise. All in all, repairpal.com, is definitely the full package when it comes to auto services.

How to make money from your blog.

Recently,i have been looking into making money from blogging, and i decided to share what i have learnt, with you. Oh, just want to say, in no way am i earning money from writing this post, nor am i being paid to endorse any of the websites mentioned. They are simply there because i have found them to be the best resources for making money from your blog. I hope you find it helpful.

google ads.
one of the easiest, and best ways of making money from your blog, is to use google adsense. This is where, google places adverts relating to you're blog posts on your site. Anyone who visits your website, and clicks on an advert, you will be paid for per click. If you have a blog with blogspot.com, simply click on the 'monetize' tab in your dashboard, and follow the instructions to set up the adverts. If you have a different blog the best way, is to go to 'blogskinny.com' where you will find a link to enable you to set up your adsense account. You Will find a link for 'blogskinny' at the top of this site.

blogskinny
If you are looking for other ways to make money from your blog, then 'blogskinny' (link at top of page) is an excellent resource where you will find links to advertisers that will pay you to place advertising 'banners' on your blog, and also where you can find company's who will pay you to write sort articles reviewing their products, and giving your opinion on them. You can get paid between £4-£20 per article. You can also promote your blog, and attract people to your site by submitting your blog, and/or individual posts, to blogskinny, helping to increase your traffic.

Traffic
Whether you have chosen to place adverts, and banners on your blog, and/or programs you have found on skinnyblog, to endorse products and retailers, none of these will make you much money if you are not receiving traffic to your site-right? There are a few ways to attract visitors to your site, which i will talk about shortly, but one of the most important things is to keep people coming back, once they have found your blog.

• Make your site easy to navigate, and don't crowd it too much with adverts and banners.
• Build up a readership by using other blogs, and send them to your moneymaking site.
• Use resources that are at your fingertips, such as twitter and facebook, tell your friends about your site, and what they will find there.
• Talk about what you know.

One of the common misconceptions is that, as long as you have good content, people will keep coming back, and this is true to a degree, but you also need to keep things fresh, and update regularly.

• Ask questions for you're readers to interact with you, encourage them to make comments.
• Comments are very important, you need to answer all comments left on your site, to keep conversation open, and flowing.

Blog directory
Use a blog directory like britaine.com (link on top of this page) to increase your blogs visibility. Sign up and submit your blog to other directory's, to increase your chances of your blog being seen.

Ping your blog
Every time you publish a post on your blog, it is best to add ping backs. From what i gather ping backs take the keywords from your posts (this is why its important to add tags) and add them to search engines, also increasing your blogs visibility. To do this, go to www.pingomatic.com and submit your information to "ping your blog".

I hope some of this information helps. If you have any tips of your own, questions, or anything to add (or correct anything I've said) please do so. I know i would be interested to learn from  others, who have been down this road, as I'm sure will anyone reading this. Thanks a lot :)

CAMPBELL WALKER, goodbye my friend.

Today is a very sad day. I just found out my dear friend, Campbell walker, died a few weeks ago. His sudden death has left his family, and those who loved him, shocked and aching with loss. Campbell was an inspiration to everyone he met, and touched many lives, both professionally, and personally, and anyone who had the privilege of knowing him, loved and respected him. My heart, and prayers go out to his wife Lucy, and his family. May god be with you, and give you strength at this time, and in the difficult days to come. Sleep well my friend, we will never forget you.

Legal robbery, and a box of mud!

Have you ever tried to get one of these payday loans online? It's the most frustrting, pointless, waste of time, ever! I think i've tried every payday loan company in the uk ( does'nt say much for my credit rating-oops!) I fill in the form, then it just directs me to another company, i fill in that one, and it passess me on again. Is that even supposed to happen, or is there someone there going " oooh, yea, not trusting her with any cash, i'll pass her on to 'whoever'" Grrrr, i've given up now, trouble is my details have been passed around like wildfire, and i am now recieving calls from every finance company in the country! The calls go something like this: operator: Congratulations, you have been approved for a loan of £200!

me: Lovely, when do i get it

operator: you just have to pay a finders fee of £70 then we can transfer you're loan!

What the fuck? Are they serious? If i had £70 in my bank account, i would'nt need a bloody loan now would i? I have received 100's of these calls over the last month. At first, i played along, and dutifully gave them my details, i soon realized that they all wanted money, and before long their obligatory line of "congratulations you have been approved" quickly lost it's lusre! I also got really screwd over by a company called yes loans. they took my details as normal, and i specificaly said to them "don't bother suggesting a guarantor loan for me because i have no one to do it for me (my parentswould chew off their own arms rather than go guarantor on a loan for me, i think they fear me losing their house from under them-as if! pah!) so she did the search, and came up with, you guessed it, one poxy guarantor loan. So through clenched teeth i explained that i told the person before her that would be unsuitable!! So she says "ok miss carter, £70.50 will be debited from you're account in two weeks" WHAT!!! But all you've done is a bloody internet search, and given me one poxy company that's no bloody good anyway!! I haven't had a loan, so why do you want paying? "you were told this at the begginning of the call." she said. Of course i was'nt! I would'nt have been stupid enough to agree to pay £70.50 for a google search i could have done myself! At this point i went mental down the phone, and of course, she hung up! Now i have to close my bank account to stop the bastards robbing me blind. Never again, i swear! Any number i don't recognise on my phone, gets ignored, 90% of my calls are these damn brokers, rubbing their greasy money grabbing, hands together in glee.

So, that is definatley the end of my journey into the world of credit ( i mean it this time mum) I ought to take a leaf out of my fiancee's book, and busy myself with more constructive things. Bless him, he's been working in the garden. This week he decided to build a wooden, sort of plant pot, for our tree, so he built it, dug up the tree and planted it in the box. Unfortunatley, because the roots are no longer in the ground, the tree died, so we've ended up with just a box of mud!

Pretty-huh? hehe, aww, nice try babe!

Tan-tastic!

My fiancee and i, were shopping in exeter a few weeks ago, looking for his suit for our wedding in two weeks. Now it's no secret that we are on a budget, so we were browsing through the sale rack, when a shop assistant approached us. "can i help you sir? madam?" "we are looking for a suit for a wedding." I said. "actually, our wedding." Ben chimed in. The shop assisstant looked at us as if we had just walked in, and tried to hold up the place! ( burtons, as it happens) That we would buy a suit to get married in, in the SALE section!! Shocked i was, to say the least. I mean come on, he works in burtons, how much can a shop assistant earn, that he would be so horrified that we would shop such low end for our wedding? Where does he shop on his paycheck, harrods?
Exactly how much do people spend on suits then? I figured £100 was perfectly reasonable for a suit? It's really no bloody wonder i have taken to doing my shopping online. Needless to say we did'nt get the suit that day, i gave Ben the money and sent him to get it-ha! Snooty sales people successfully dodged!

I also decided to try out some fake tan, i really don't want to look like a milk bottle on my wedding day. It did'nt quite go according to plan, i have to say. I got out of the bath, towel dried, and proceeded to spray on the strangley mahogany looking substance. I discovered you really should'nt try and use fake tan after a bath! It sort of gathered in bits of dead skin, pooled in my creases (i mean elbows, and insides of arms, and knees, mind out of the gutter) although it did kinda highlight my cleavage, but i ended up looking like i'd been tie dyed in brown paint, or more likely looking like i had'nt washed for a month! I looked like an albino street kid from oliver! So that was the ed of my tanned goddess fantasy.I suppose i could always go outside, and sit in the sun? Nah, too much like hard work! No, really though, i never, ever go brown, i go from white to red, then i peel, and instead of having a residual tan, i peel only to reveal even whiter skin underneath. *sigh* I'm actually quite glad i did'nt go for a white wedding dress now, the pure white fabric made me almost a sickly yellow colour-soooo not a good look! ;)

Talk about a wish list....

Oh wow, i have recently discovered online shopping, and one of my favourite discoveries by far has to be ralphlauren
I literally challenge you to browse this site, and not find a veritable wish list of items essential to you're summer wardrobe. ( and you're fella's too, no doubt ladies ) One of the best things about this site being, that with Ralph lauren you know you are going to get some serious quality.

I intend to review quite a few products over the next few months, all reviews will be honest, both good, and bad, and will hopefully give you some insight into what you are purchasing online. So i am going to start with a few of my favourite products from ralphlauren
If you are anything like me, you will be spending most of the summer months in cute little skirts, and the "Ralph lauren paradise solids ruffle kelley hipster" is the cutest mix of skirt, and swimwear. Just perfect for days on the beach ( even better if you want to conceal a bikini line, or the tops of you're thighs).You really can't go wrong at $47.95. I have also fallen in love with " Ralph lauren collection 'carrie' high heel sandals". Definatley the closest i will get to 'sex and the city' chic, no doubt. Just think what these gorgeous heels will do for you're calves girls.

So if you're looking for the perfect pieces this summer,ralphlauren is an absolute must!

Breast left behind.

I am comfortable with telling you this, because lets face it i’m never actually going to meet any of you face to face. My kids are 9 and 8 years old, and yet latley my breasts have started producing milk again!! I mean wtf?? I have’nt breast fed for 8 years! And no i am definatley not pregnant. So what exactly is going on with my screwed up body, huh?

Ah, what fond memories though. Waking in the morning to find my boobs like concrete blocks, hearing the baby cry and having something akin to two water pistols on my chest. Seriously though, these are the things the pregnancy books definatley do not tell you about. Imagine my suprise when i turned to greet my partner on waking, only to spray him with streams of breast milk, ( he did’nt see the funny side either ). The books fail to tell you so much about the reality of pregnancy, and childbirth, that the shock can be quite monumental. For example, nobody, and i mean nobody tells you exactly how bad the pain of childbirth actually is, and that pregnancy is the most awkward, painfull, and emotional thing you will probably ever go through. The sensation of having a tiny foot jammed up underneath my ribcage, is one of the most un- pleasant feelings i have experienced, and watching feet, elbows, and tiny hands protrude from a very pregnant belly, can only be seen to be beleived. I remember my baby actually kicked a saucer off my belly towards the end, fun times.

If any expectant mums out there are reading this, i’m sorry i’m really not trying to scare you, i just think it’s better to know exactly what to expect. Although saying all this holding you’re baby for the first time is the most amazing experience, and well worth any suprise you’re body can throw at you, and no can can describe for you how you will feel at that moment. I was in labour for 30 hours the first time, both me and the baby were in trouble at one point during loabour and i finally had a fonteuse delivery. It’s when they put what looks like a sink plunger in the birth canal, attatch it to the babies head and pull. I must warn you, that thing feels like it’s made from solid wood going up there, a memory i had definatley blocked out untill now! I have to admit, when they handed my baby over, i have never been more terrified in my entire life. I was sleep deprived, drugged, and ripped to shreds, and they just hand you this tiny defenceless baby, wheel you on to the ward, and let you get on with it! I was petrified, i remember thinking ” they’re going to leave me to look after her? I can’t even see straight.” I don’t know what i thought was going to happen, but i kind of thought i would be able to sleep a couple of hours and let the drugs wear off, before i had sole responsibility of this tiny defensless baby. It was the most frightening moment of my life. Anyway, having said that you would do well to remember to rest as much as possible in those 9 months of pregnancy, and enjoy it as much as you can, it’s a special time.

Well that was a nice trip down memory lane, who would have thought my wierd breast milk situation would envoke such recollections? If any of you ladies out there are pregnant, and want an honest answer about anything i’ve mentioned, just ask. After all knowledge is power oh, and if any of you have had a similar *mumbles behind hand* breast situation to my current one, i would welcome any advice.

emma's blog: I'VE REALLY DONE IT THIS TIME...

emma's blog: I'VE REALLY DONE IT THIS TIME...

I'VE REALLY DONE IT THIS TIME...

Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap...I've really messed things up now! My wedding is in two weeks, i don't have the largest income, and i still have to get Ben's suit, wedding rings, flowers, shoes, well the list goes on. So a few weeks ago i had a brainwave, why don't i get a credit card? So my application was accepted, i dutifully signed the credit agreement, leaving ben to look over the details. " ooo he said, the credit limit is £1500!" " nice" i thought to myself. Thats £200 rings, £150 suit, £50 my shoes, £100 flowers, etc.

And so smugly i await the arrival of my shiny new plastic friend to ease my arrival into marital bliss. Forteen days before the actual wedding day, i eagerly await the post. "oooo look how pretty my new card is. Wait, whats that on top of the letter, credit limit £100?" At this point i promptly begin to hyperventilate! Nooooo they have the decimal point in the wrong place, surely?? Sadly not as it turns out. What ben read was actually credit limit up to 1500! UP TO BEN, UP TO, AAAARRRGHH!!

Ok, so i've got myself into a mess....again! Lousy credit companies, if you read my earlier post on " Responsible lending my arse" you are probabaly tutting and thinking i should have learned my lesson by now. Unfortunatly, i did not! I can't beleive i'm actually going to admit the full extent of my stupidity right now, but hell, why not? I had a call from a company called cash finance direct, they told me they could get me a loan and all i had to do was call their premium no. ( £2.00 per min) and they would refund the full price of the call once i sent them my bill. They claimed they would guareentee me a loan. Weeks later, of course no loan, a phone bill for £200 and no sign of the refund cheque they promised me. This is not the first time they caught me out either, throghout the phonecall i had a niggling sense of de ja vous, about a year earlier they had done the same thing concerning a credit card i never received. I was so worried about the cost of the wedding i had forgotten untill i sat and thought about it afterwards. If this company ever contact you, avoid them like the plague they are!

I really can't beleive how stupid i've been, i am totally ashamed of myself folks, and have been left with a large hole to dig myself out of, i have a feeling this one may take some time. Lets hope i can salvage my wedding though?