Swag Code Extravaganza: Reindeer Games! (US & CA) #Swagbucks

I love when Swagbucks has Swag Code Extravaganzas because they are one of the easiest ways to earn SB! 

What are SB, you ask? 

SB are points you earn on Swagbucks, a website where you can get gift cards for the things you do online - I've gotten almost $400 with Swagbucks! What are you waiting for? 

I have done A LOT of online shopping this year because I don't like crowds, so I have earned Swagbucks with Lego.com, Target.com, Walmart.com, Amazon.com, ToysRUs and more!

The holiday cheer begins on Wednesday, December 21st from 7 am PDT/10 am EDT to 6 pm PDT/9 pm EDT. All you have to do is look out for the Swag Code notifications, enter the code, and you earn SB (which can be redeemed for gift cards)! There will be 6 Swag Codes throughout the day worth a total of 30 SB.

Look out for the Swag Codes all over Swagbucks!

Sign up here to grab as many Swag Codes as you can and get your first gift card even faster! 

Christmas Quenchers Collector's Bills #Swagbucks

One of my favorite things about using Swagbucks is that I can get rewards for searching the web through their search engine ... it's fun to be searching for something random for homeschooling or writing or life and get some bonus Swagbucks just for hunting down information.

Every now and then they have "Collector's Bills" worth SB points that you can collect by simply searching the web. Collect them all, and you get an SB Bonus! Once you've collected enough SB, you can redeem them for gift cards to stores like Walmart, Target, and many more!

Here's all the information for this week's Christmas Quenchers Collector's Bills:

Search the web through the Swagbucks search starting Monday, December 19th at 12:01am PT/3:01am ET through Saturday, December 24th at 11:59pm PT/Sunday, December 25th 2:59am ET, and when you get a search win, you may get a special Collector’s Bill valued at either:

• 5 SB
• 7 SB
• 9 SB
• 15 SB
• 24 SB

When you get a Collector’s Bill you’ll receive the value of the bill and the bill will be added to your “Collector’s Bills” ledger. Collect all 5 Collector’s Bills and you’ll instantly earn a 20 SB Bonus!

So You’ve Got Bad Credit! Here’s What You Can Do To Change That

https://www.pexels.com/photo/money-coins-cash-currency-33692/

Sometimes in life, we can be as careful as we can with our money, but we can still get into debt or end up defaulting on a payment. No matter how hard we try, it can happen. When it does, the important thing to do is work on getting yourself back in a good place.

Whether you have unexpected costs come up that catch you out, or your outgoings have got out of control, sometimes debt or defaults can lead to bad credit. When you have bad credit, you don’t always know how to get beyond it. But, you can, and hopefully, these handy tips will show you how.

Work Out What You Owe

First of all, when you have debts, or you’re defaulting on your payments, you need to figure out exactly what position you’re in. Because, chances are, you probably don’t know exactly what is going on with your finances. So, it’s time to make everything transparent. Once you know exactly what you owe, to whom and how much, as well as where you stand with your defaults, you can start to work it all out.

Pay Off The Highest Rates First

Then, once you’ve worked out what you owe, you’re going to want to get the details together on the rates. When you’re trying to work down a debt and improve your credit, you need to pay off the debts with the highest interest rates first. That way, your debts are costing you less. Then, you move on to the debt with the next highest rate and go from there.

Consolidate Your Debts

Once you know what rates you're paying, you might be able to figure out why you’re struggling to pay them off or understand while you’re defaulting on the payments. If your rates are too high and are causing you to not only stay in debt but to get even deeper into debt, then you might want to think about consolidating your debts. If you do, you will have one payment to make each month, and it will be at one rate if you can negotiate something you can handle.

Try To Right Your Wrongs

Now that you’re on the right track, that you’re not making any further defaults on your payments, and that you’re getting closer to paying it off, you’re going to want to right your wrongs. You have bad credit, but you can work on it. Make sure that you keep making your payments on time and your credit score will improve. You might also want to show lenders that you are reliable. If you’re looking at getting an auto loan with bad credit, it could be a good place to start.

Keep On Keepin’ On

And then, you’re going to want to stay on the path that you’re on. You’re doing what you can to work on your credit score, and you’re going to want to keep it that way. Before long, you’ll notice that your debts are going down and that lenders are starting to trust you again. As long as you’re being careful with your spending and never missing a payment, it should improve in time.

McLoughlin Family Christmas Letter 2016

Merry Christmas once again from the McLoughlins! Here’s all the latest for this past year and it’s a lot!

Aron turned 50 in November, traveled to South Carolina and Canada this year for work and grew a massive garden. He also got most of our kitchen remodeled. He went fishing in the spring with the Solsbergs and the boys. He’s still active in Joel’s Boy Scout troop and now also in Sam’s Cub Scout pack, along with helping out at Theology of the Body for Teens classes. He went to Camp Savio (including Schlitterbahn!) and Medicine Mountain this past summer (with Joel, see below). He also did the Octoginta bike ride in Lawrence and rode 100 miles in a row TWICE!

Kerrie turned 45 in June and is still homeschooling while running her writing-related businesses of writing books/magazine articles, proofreading, and blogging. She gets to teach high school PE, 5^th/6^th grade Drama, and 7^th-12^th grade Creative Writing at Christ the King homeschool co-op. Kerrie and Aron did something in March they had not done in 15 years: they went away overnight together ALONE!

Joel is 15, was Confirmed in March, and is the Senior Patrol Leader of his Scout troop. He enjoyed his co-op classes of Music Appreciation, Drama, and PE last spring and now likes PE, Study Skills, Creative Writing, and Latin. He’s always doing various activities and dances and lock-ins, as well as his Theology of the Body for Teens course. He went to Catholic Camp Savio for a week in June and then Medicine Mountain High Adventure camp in South Dakota, where he discovered his love for indoor and outdoor rock climbing. He also was a spring/fall soccer referee, played spring/fall soccer, babysits, and started a terrific lawn care job recently. With all of that working, he saved up for a really nice bow he is very proud of. He got his learner’s permit in the fall and has been knocking out those hours to prepare for his driver’s license. Oliver the bearded dragon is doing well and roams the house sometimes. The adjective I would use for Joel would be: social.

Michael is 13 is a super-smart Minecraft and Lego master who is going through Confirmation classes now to be Confirmed in the spring. Last spring he took PE, Science (shark dissection!) and LEGO Robotics in co-op and is making new friends. This semester he is taking PE, Study Skills and Engineering. Michael makes sure we make the Lego mini-build at the mall every month like clockwork. Jiggy the tortoise, who he has had for about 5 years now, is currently hibernating.

Callie is 11 and gave track a shot this past spring and is currently playing CYO basketball for Holy Cross. She got a sewing machine last Christmas and promptly made a bunch of pillows, a pillowcase, a skirt, and even a dress. She loved her PE, Science and Egyptian Mummification classes at co-op in the spring and now digs her Science Experiments, Drama and Handcrafts classes. She went to her first coop dance this past fall and lives life with flair J

Eva is 9, always talking and smiling, and had her First Communion in April. She loved her Catechesis, Science, Storytime and PE classes at co-op last spring with her friends and also enjoyed lunch and recess. Now she is taking Art, World Geography and Creative Writing. She likes to play My Little Pony, Shopkins, Littlest Pet Shop and Barbies with her friends and alone and likes to sit and color.

Samuel is 7 and is all super-snuggly boy. He’s going through First Communion classes and making new besties at co-op who like to play with toy guns and run around like he does. He played a little soccer in the spring, took up Cub Scouts, and at coop he takes two art classes, fairy tales, PE, and music. He took all the same classes as Eva in the spring. His fish, Spongebob and Patrick, live on swimmingly in our bedroom.

Here’s to a fabulous 2017 from The McLoughlins (Aron, Kerrie, Joel, Michael, Callie, Eva & Samuel)

HOPE{LOVEYDREAMRPRAYVLEARN&SINGTLAUGHJACCEPTASLEEP

3 Telltale Signs Your Relationship Isn't Ready For Marriage

A lot of couples see marriage as the end goal, something they want to happen. However, there are times when a relationship just isn’t ready for marriage. Here are three telltale signs that you and your partner shouldn’t tie the knot:

(pixabay: http://bit.ly/2i6jsZi)

You Have Lots Of Heated Arguments

Arguing is pretty much part and parcel of being in a relationship. Every couple will have little disputes here and there and differences of opinion on certain things. The difference is that a functional relationship learns how to get over any arguments and keep them at a minimum. If you’re involved in lots of heated arguments with your partner then you might want to reconsider is things are really working.  The more you argue, the less likely it is that you will make this relationship work in the long term. If you have aspirations of marriage, then it should be with someone you get along with most of the time, not someone you argue with all the time.

There’s Mistrust And Lots Of Lying

Trust and lies are things that decide a lot of relationships. If there’s a lot of trust between the two of you and you don’t lie to one another, then guess what? You’ll have a happy and functional relationship that may just be perfect for marriage. On the other hand, if one or both of you lie a lot, there will be a lack of trust. This can be very damaging for a relationship as you never know when your partner is telling the truth or if you can trust them. Lies can be damaging in so many ways for so many couples. Some people tell big lies in the heat of an argument to try and hurt the other person. An example of this is domestic abuse claims. There are many cases where a domestic violence attorney has proved that someone was wrongfully arrested for domestic abuse because their partner lied. A lie like this can ruin a relationship forever. Then, you have small lies every day that builds up and makes the trust disappear. Ask yourself, do you really trust your partner? If you have to think about it, then marriage probably isn’t wise.

You Break Up A Lot

There are some people that are in relationships that involve a lot of break ups. You’re together for a period, break up, then get back together, and the cycle repeats itself. Sometimes, couples like this think that marriage might be the answer to this problem. If you commit to marriage, maybe things will be different. The likelihood is that they won’t. The difference is, it’s more complex to break up when you’re married. You’d need an official divorce which requires an expensive attorney. If you break up a lot then the chances are you’re just not meant to be together.

The urge to get married can be strong for many couples, particularly if you have kids together. However, if you experience any of the issues above, you should put off marriage. Do everything you can to work on your relationship first, before you commit to a life together.