How To Be Over The Moon Happy In Your First Job

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We all have people in their lives that are stuck in jobs that they hate, and it breaks our hearts. We only get one life and we should do all we can to ensure we are as happy as possible, and a big part of being happy comes from enjoying our job. That is why it is so important you don’t just jump into the first thing that comes your way, but spend some time seeking out a job that you can enjoy. Get that right and the rest will follow.

Happiness, good health and prosperous career where you excel. All of these stem from getting a first job that you care about. Of course, this is easier said than done. After all, landing a job you can fall in love with is no walk in the park. But if it will make you even a smidgen happier then it is absolutely worth the hassle.

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Choose Your Passion

The more passionate we are about something the more enjoyment we are going to get out of it. It’s simple. So before you start trawling through the endless job postings on the infinite number of job sites, take as long as you need to think about what you are passionate about. That is a sure-fire way to land your dream job. Don’t worry, it doesn’t need to be something as specific as graphic design or copywriting. It can just be that you are a people person, which can then open up loads of other doors for you, such as customer service, sales associate, waitressing, personal trainer and much more. The more you can work out about what makes you happy the better chance you have of doing something you like.

Knowing What To Look For In A Job

Before you start looking at job postings, try making a list of things you want in a job first and then start looking. That way you will be able to measure your compatibility. If you come across some on your journey then just add them. It could be that you want somewhere that offers good health plans or helps veterans get back on their feet, or has opportunities to advance, or the chance to work with people. Then look at the job postings, say this one by Dollar General http://jobapplicationcenter.com/dollar-general-application/ and check off what they offer against what you are after. Then make a list of all those jobs that match your needs and list them in terms of most compatible. Voila, your road to a happy working life is underway.

Have Fun With Your Resume

One of the worst parts of trying to land a job that you will enjoy doing is pulling together a resume. It is just tedious and tiring and all sorts of other words beginning with T. So why not have fun with it instead. There is nothing that says you have to write your resume in that standard - and fragmented - format where everything you put down lacks cohesiveness. You can write it as a story instead, as explained at http://www.resumehacking.com/add-punch-resume-story. In fact, we urge you to. Not only will this make it a bit of fun, it will also give your life up to this point a narrative, while also encouraging your resume to stand out. But, best of all, the only companies that will reply will be the companies you know you will fit in with. You’ll know they are the kind of companies you will enjoy working for.

UPDATE!!!! The McLoughlin Dream House/Land 2014 Edition

UPDATE: We found our dream house and are moving around Halloween 2017! Check out the preliminary post here! It's creepy how many of our requests were answered!

I'm doing quite a bit of organizing around this house lately in preparation for a new homeschool year. This year the kids will be in grades 1, 3, 6, 8 and 10 and I'm feeling the weight of my 16-year-old gearing up to head out into the world. I decided it was time to clear off shelves, pack things up, get rid of things that would distract me from my main job of Homeschool Mom.

I came across a piece of paper from Sunday, April 27, 2014. It was a list of things we each wanted in our house when we moved. I can't believe it's been over 3 years since we made that list. We are really having trouble finding a house on land that fits with our family. Or if we DO find what we could love, life gets in the way and someone else grabs it before we can even take a look. Or it's just too dang expensive, like this gem.

Thought you might enjoy seeing what our wishes are. Especially the wishes of the littlest kids in our family, who were just 4 and 6 at the time the list was made. Some of the things we wish for are very telling about us as people and what we value most! We all started dreaming of country living after we spent five weeks in Wyoming on a ranch while my husband was working there in 2012.

This photo was taken on the day we made this list. Yes, Sam is naked on the dining room table. If you come over for dinner, you might want to bring your own Wet Wipes.

Daddy, age 47
Garage space for the fishing boat (3-car and big barn for workshop)
Newer -- no major remodeling
Big kitchen (he likes to cook and can)
Covered patio
Land -- minimum 5 acres

Mommy, age 43
Mix of woods and land -- weeping willow, lilac bushes, minimum 10 acres, sledding hill
Reliable WiFi for work and homeschool
Big kitchen and basement/rec room, bookshelves, fireplace
Not close to road/not too close to neighbors
Pond like in Wyoming

Joel, age 13
10 acres so we can ride four-wheelers; climbing tower with pool
Pond with fun amphibians and reptiles and fish
Wildlife
Good neighbors with kids
Good hide and seek house with man cave

Michael, age 11
Pond
LEGO nook or room
Big backyard
Nice neighbors
Lots of birds chirping all the time

Callie, age 9
Own bedroom
Blossom trees
Calm neighborhood, not close to street
Swingset
Chandelier

Eva, age 6
Hot tub
Basement with video game place [note: we don't even play video games besides Minecraft on the PC]
Garden in my room
Live in my own gingerbread house
Our table to be decorated with diamonds

Samuel, age 4
Sledding hill with snow that never melts
Pond for paddle boating
Big Foot but not a real one
Spongebob Movie
House to be pretty with decorations

Keep Your Whole Family Warm This Fall: Top Advice Moms Need

Now that fall is here, the weather has taken a dip. It means that our family are more likely to pick up a chill. After all, we know how easy it is for kids to pick up cold bugs. And once one child has got it, the other kids in your family will get poorly too! Therefore, you need to keep them warm this season to avoid them getting ill. Here are some top advice on keeping the whole family warm this fall!

Make sure they are wrapped up when leaving the house

When our body gets cold, our immune system drops, and we are more likely to pick up flu bugs. Therefore, it’s so important to make sure the whole family are all covered up before they go outside. That means, making sure they all have thick wooly jumpers that are going to keep their body insulated. Also, it means getting them a scarf, hat, and gloves to ensure they stay nice and toasty. Even if you haven’t got much money, you can easily knit them some that they can use on a daily basis! That way, they will stay toasty, and it will prevent them from getting cold bugs this season!

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Fit their beds with warmer duvets and blankets or maybe even consider a Bedjet

You should also make sure that your family are all warm at night time. If they are cold in bed, they will start shivering while they are asleep and are more likely to pick up a flu bug. Therefore, you should ensure they have a warm duvet which they can wrap around themselves at night. Also, you should get them an additional blanket which they can also cover their body with, so that they keep at a good temperature. That way, they will avoid bugs and stay cozy this season.

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Make sure the heating is set to a moderate heat

You should also ensure you have the heating working efficiently if you want to keep your home toasty. Set it to a moderate heat so that it fills the house with warm air. You should make sure you get it maintained so that it will work efficiently. You can look online and discover Save Home Heat and other companies who will come out and maintain your boiler. Also, getting it maintained will ensure it’s working efficiently to lower bills too! Just make sure you draft proof your home so that you don’t lose any of the heat from your home.

Buy a log burner or an electric fire for your living room

When your family are sitting in the living room, it’s easy for them all to start feeling a bit chilly. Even if your heating is on, it might not keep the living room warm during the fall.  Therefore, you should buy a log burner or an electric fire for your living room to keep the room warm. Putting a fire on for an hour or two can keep the room nice and warm so that your family can stay cozy while sitting in the living room. It also makes a lovely feature when you have friends and family over.

Image from Pixabay

And remember to make warming food for your family. Food such as chili and soup will help to keep your kid’s body warm and will keep flu away.

August 2017 #Swagbucks Referral Bonus and My Daughter Rules the World

It may almost be the end of Summer, but you can still earn big bonuses at Swagbucks, a rewards site where you earn points (called SB) for things you're probably doing online already, like searching, watching videos, discovering deals, and taking surveys. Then you take those points and exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, or PayPal cash. I've personally earned quite a bit of PayPal cash using Swagbucks for the last few years.

When you sign up through me this month, you can earn a $3 bonus! Here's how:

1. Sign up using this link

2. Earn 300 SB total before 9/1/17. You'll get a $3 (300 SB) bonus for it!

3. That's it. It's super easy, and Swagbucks is for real. I use it myself, and I've earned hundreds of dollars over the last few years and usually get PayPal cash, which I then use to buy homeschool supplies and other things the kids need.

I'm sorry, but if the kids are going to use my phone to take pictures of themselves and create funnies, I'm going to post them for everyone's enjoyment :-)

Have You Ever Had Shave Ice? #TropicalSnoKC

Back in 2015 my kids' fabulous grandmother took us to a little building in a parking lot. It was called Tropical Sno.

My mom fell in love with shave ice in Hawaii when she would go with my dad every year. I got to go with them to Hawaii one year when I was "in between situations" (memoir to come, haha) and remember it tasting like summer. You can pick up to 3 flavors in your shave ice and it is YUM! You can also make it meatier by putting some ice cream in the bottom of it for your shave ice and flavorings to run into.

$15 for 5 of us to have 5 small shave ices … so about $3 for a small. 

If you are in Kansas City, check out this local business this summer! Do you have a shave ice establishment in your town?