Music is my muse...

I'm currently reading a book called "My First Novel". I love the suggestions they have for spuring the mind to be creative. I never really understood why when I write on WORD and a word is underlined or sentence, it drives me crazy to see it. So of course I go back and add whatever it wants to make it happy and stop pointing out that I made a mistake.

The right brain doesn't like it. Our left brain is the creative side...the side that says "just keep going" while the right brain is saying "hey you dummy who think can write, you made a mistake." That is so me.

Anyway the book is awesome. Another suggestion was to create a playlist, or more accurately, a soundtrack for your story. I'll will say, I had a few songs I had already put in a special folder for certain scenes. Like for example, my dark character, I play "Under the Milky Way", to help me create the evil darkside that exists in him (however the softer side of the song, which is the good wanting to come out). And for the dying father, "Mad World". So now I have added even more songs as I go through the reworking, leaving me on draft number six.

So if you're writer and you're stuck, think of a song that would fit if your story was a movie and let it take you deeper into your imagination!! It's an amazing ride!

A Light into the Darkness- A Novel

With her cozy new family, in the middle of the Okefenokee Swamp- surrounded by the heritage of the Cherokee Indians- Jessie is happier than she has ever been. Even though the tiny shack did not have running water or electricity, she feels at home and loved. She has her suspicions that she has entered into a whole new dimension in time, some sort of alternate existence, but all she cares about is that she’s safe. There is no way her scheming, sinister mother or Seth- her betrothed fiancé- will find her; at least that’s what she hopes.
Hunter, an attractive young man who lives at the shack, struggles with his feeling's for Jessica. It’s not until the stranger in the meadow appears and shows interest in Jessica that Hunter begins to realize his true feelings.
In a whirlwind of events, Jessie must decide. She must choose which path to take. One path will lead her down a dark twisted path of revenge and destruction while the other path will lead her to let go of her past and trust in something bigger. Either decision will end up costing her something.
Jessie’s journey has just begun. Her previous life and her new life- now on a collison course that will end in an explosive battle- she must now stand firm and protect the ones she loves at any cost.
www.shellygoodmanwright.com

Learning Rx AWESOME!!

I can remember the first day of school for my oldest child. We were both so excited. I thought about how much fun school was (well until Jr High) and how much she would love it. It started off great, but half way through the school year, we were talking about "special" classes and "extra" help. Give me break, this is Kindergarten. I blew off and as she started 1st grade, she hated school. Homework that should only have taken 30 min would take hours. Tears and more tears as the year progressed. I started getting more involved and doing a lot of extra work at home. It just seemed like so much for a 6 year old. Meanwhile, my middle child had started Kindergarten and seemed to be doing great. Toward the end of year, it was suggested that I hold her back a year (based on maturity and her size). I couldn't believe it.

The next year started and I got a call from my oldest's 2nd grade teacher. "I think she should be in 1st grade". I told her no. She suggested maybe testing her for "Special Ed". I said no. I got the books at home and started working with her along with the teacher. We made great strides, but she was still staying below grade level. My middle child was facing the same issue's in 1st grade as she was in Kindergarten. I'm not saying she isn't immature, but she's smart and catches on to things quickly. And after researching on the web, the only ones who support retention is teachers!!!

So I heard about this Learning Rx program from a friend. Okay, it's an expensive program. And I was very hesitant. 5 weeks into the program, I KNOW this not only is going to give them the confidence and the I CAN attitude, but they will have skills that will help them throughout their lives. My 6 year old can tell you right now the first 20 presidents backwords and forwards in under 2 min. My oldest can in under 1 min.

I plan on continue to post on this site. Learning Rx is the answer I've been praying for and I wanted others to know.

Travel or Move To Colorado!!!

There are many things to see and do all over Colorado. Moving here in 1996, I have really gotten to know the best places to go and some of the best places to eat!! We are a family of 5, so it's important that places are "family friendly".The pictures on this page are ones I took myself of the different places I've been (or just right outside my door). Denver is a great place to visit. Not just for ski season, but all year long. Here are some of my favorite picks for Denver.

1. Embassy Suites Hotel. They have great rooms that include a full breakfast bar. They will even make you omlets how ever you want them!!



2. The Denver Aquarium. This is a wonderful place to eat and play at. The food is superveb (if you like seafood), and the kids love walking around looking at fish, sharks, birds, and yes, tigers. If you live here, it's totally worth getting a family membership. Just going twice pays for it's self and you get %15 off food and gift shop. Well worth it.



3. Children's Musuem. The kids love this place. So much to do. It's also a great value to buy a family membership that pays off after the second visit.


4. Casa Bonita. This is a must!! It's a restaurant made to look like inside a cave. After you get your food, you'll sit around this huge waterfall and watch divers jump into a pool at the bottom of the falls. The kids are so entertained that you can actually enjoy your food!! Which is pretty good. In addition, there is an arcade, kiddie rides, puppet shows, and a scary cave!! Try to get there before the busy time and ask to sit close to the falls.


5. Fat City. This place is great for kids of all ages. I had little, little ones, the first time I went here. They had so much fun in this huge foam ball house that was only 4 dollars per kid for as long as they wanted. They also have inside rides, blow-up mazes, indoor golf, skating rink and bowling alley. It's just an all in one place to go for the whole family.


6. Lakeside Amusement Park. We stubbled across this one by accident one day. It was neat because becides being a full amusement park, it had little kiddie carnival games just outside of the park. You buy tickets for the rides so you don't have to pay a big expensive one ticket price and the kids have fun too. Check their site as the hours and times change.
8. Colorado Mills Mall. This is a really nice, HUGE mall. You can get really good deals, certain times of the year. There is many restaurants to choose from, becides the food court, a Jillians (sort of like a Dave and Busters), and a movie theater across the street. So plan a whole day there.


9. Lone Star Steak House. This place has a HUGE slide in the middle of the restaurant. I can't say that their food was exceptional, but where else does a steak restaurant cater to kids.


10. Elitches. I've gone a few times, but my kids are too young for this place. I'm sure in a few years, it will be one of the favorites.


11. Musuem. The musuem is always a great choice. My fav part was the planet tarium. My kids loved it.


12. Denver Zoo. This is a really nice, well layed out zoo. I love Monkey Island. I swear one of those monkeys are going to fall on someone's head!!!

Another favorite spot of mine is up I-70 west to Breckenridge. We spent last 4th of July and it was just perfect. If you've seen any movie where there is this small perfect town, rides for the kids, and a beauitful stream running through it, well that's here. Not only a great ski town, but perfect for a summer getaway. Plan a family reunion and rent a 1/2 million dollar house. They are cheaper in off ski season.
Visit Breckenridge

If you travel more southwest, you will come across Cripple Creek. For those of you who gamble, there you go!! I like taking a drive in fall where you can see the most beautiful tree foliage in the country.

Colorado Springs

Don't let people fool you. It does snow here and if you're coming from the south/west, you could be in for a little surprise. There is nothing like a beautiful, snowy day though. This picture taken right off my sundeck. Isn't it just a beautiful winter day!!

Things To Do

• Garden Of The Gods
• Seven Falls
• Pike Peak Highway
• Cave Of The Winds
• North Pole
• The Broadmoor Resort
• Recommended B &B's
• Blue Skies Inn
• Old Town Guest House

There is lots to do here also. I do have pictures of the attractions I've been too, but seems like I've placed them somewhere I know not, so I'll have to update that later.

There are so many activities the city does every year and different times of the year. The picture is of the annual balloon glow held around Labor Day weekend. Free event (if you can find parking) and the kids love it. They even have a balloon that they inflate sideways so the kids can walk inside. You really don't realize how big they are until you do.

More Surveys

Oops, here's a few I forgot to mention.

Lightspeed Panal www.lightspeed.com This is a pretty good one. You get points that you can redeem for cash or gift cards. I've cashed out several times just this past year. If you qualify, you get pretty good points.

Test Spin www.testspin.com Well if I ever qualified for these surveys, I think it would add up fast. But it seems either I don't get to it before they close the survey, or I don't qualify. Good thing is that you'll know right away if you qualify or not.

HCD Research. I don't have the address for this one. This one has been upgrading their site and rewards.

My Opinions my.opinionsquare.com Another one where I havn't qualified for much. But their is potential.

Zoom Panel www.zoompanel.com This one can be very good. You get alot of surveys. They don't pay cash, but again you can build up points for other things. I got the first two Harry Potter books with my first two rewards. The problem is that the surveys can be long. They also fill up fast, so do them as soon as you get them.

It won't make you rich...but

Hello All,

My name is Shelly and I'm a stay home mom living in Colorado Springs, Co. I've got 3 beautiful girls ages 3, 5 and 7. Even though my husband makes a deceit living and I get the privilege to stay home and raise our kids, I have days that I want more. I don't know how I got started taking surveys on line, but I remember spending hours and hours trying to find ones that I could actually receive cash or prizes without having to spend any money or use my credit card. My husband would have been very concerned if I was using my credit card to do those trial offers, (because I probably would forget to cancel in time) so I stayed with ones that were absolutely free. There are so many sites that want to charge you to give you the names of these companies, but you shouldn't have to pay anything. It takes some research to find out what companies participate in making surveys and then ones that pay or only enter you into a drawing (which I stay away from). This is an on going research project for me. Just yesterday I found out that McCornmick will let you sign-up to be a panelist. You may only get 4 per year, but they will mail you the product to test, and they will also mail you a check from $20-$60 after you evaluate the product. That's pretty cool. Again, it's not much, but if you continue to find companies like that, it will add up. I'd like to share the companies I've found so far. Book mark this blog so that you can check back as I add more. Absolutely and totally free. I hope that I can help others get checks here and there. Just this month, I got $100 total. Now I did have one that I let points build and then I cashed out at $60 and another was a special survey at $30.

The only thing I ask is that if you are asked who referred you, if you would cut and paste swright011699@msn.com my e-mail, so that I get credit for it. Although some won't give you anything for referring, so I'm not doing this for that. You also have the choice to either mention me or not. But it would be great if you did!!:)

NFO Surveys http://www.mysurvey.com/ This is a great one. You can cash out after you reach so many points or you can redeem for other things, including gift cards or amazon.com gift certs. Last year I had over $100 in amazon certs. It really helped at Christmas.

My Points http://www.mypoints.com/ I love this one. You can purchase stuff and get even more points. I order a lot from Oriental Trading for my church. The cost is the same as if you ordered from the site directly and almost always I've gotten free shipping. I would add this to a special folder because you will get a lot of ads from this one. You get 5 points every time you open the site they are advertising. Don't worry about spending time reading the ads, just clicking on it and letting the page download gives you points. I get gift cards to Red Lobster and Home Depot once I've built up enough points.

Kidzeyes www.kidzeyes.com/ This is for those of us who have kids. What's really great is that you will get a survey and your kids will get a survey so the points build up really fast. So far since Jan, I've cashed out $60!! My kids are young, so obviously I fill out the surveys on their behalf. I've gotten to watch new cartoons to give my opinions on. It's really fun!! You will get a parent consent they will send you by mail to mail back. It's worth it. They don't ask for anything personal online to make our kids "unsafe".

Global Test Marketing www.globaltestmarket.com/index.php I love this one. I got the opportunity to see a movie and review it, one year before it hit the theater. I also got points and made $10 for reviewing the movie. This is a good one. You get many opportunities to qualify for the surveys with pretty good compensation.

Pinecone Research. This one is only by referral and only when they open it up their panel. If you are interested, I'll take your e-mail down and when they allow me to refer people, I'd be happy to. I don't think this is one you get compensated for. No matter whether you qualify for a survey or not, you get a check for $5. I get at least 2 a month or more.

Survey Savvy http://www.surveysavvy.com/ This one is okay. Maybe you'll qualify for more than I do. I've cashed out some money, but it's not a big one for me. They also don't send me many surveys, so that could be just based on my profile.

Your 2 Cents http://www.your2cents.com/ This is a better one. You have to take the surveys pretty quick as they fill up. They are based on first come, first serve. The survey are pretty short also, which is why the pay might be somewhat smaller. It has potential.

Harris Poll Online http://www.harrispollonline.com/ I like this one. Depending on whether you qualify or not, you get points. When you do qualify, you get pretty good points. I get gift cards for rewards.

Greenfield http://www.greenfield.com/ Not one of my favorite. Only because the ones that offer cash pay out, either I get to it too late (close the survey) or I don't qualify. Although I did get a $10 check from them once for winning one of the sweepstakes. So it can be worth it, just hasn't been great for me.

InBox Dollars http://www.inboxdollars.com/ This one is definitely NOT one of my favorites. I guess it can be good if you are willing to do the trial offers and remember to cancel in time. Also if you shop a lot on line with their clients, it could be worth doing. DON'T sign-up for the gold membership. I did over a year ago and still have yet to see any referrals. Just let the points

build up until you can cash out. If you just click on the ads for points, they add up VERY slowly, I wouldn't recommend it.

Send Earning http://www.sendearnings.com/ This is just like the one above. I'll probably cancel it once I get one pay out. Again the gold memberships do nothing. I think these two are connected somehow.

Things to remember when doing surveys:

1. When you first start filling out the applications, be patient. It takes some time to get your information circulating. At first, I thought I had wasted time for nothing. I now average at least $50 a months (some months more).

2. Be honest. Some of these companies really check your knowledge of a product. If you spend 10 min and then answer something wrong, it can kick you out and say you don't qualify for the survey. So you just waisted your 10 min. Also they will put in trick questions, example question 5 will say check box 3. If you are just clicking and not reading, it will kick you out and then you may not see a survey from them in a while. Happened to me.

3. Fill out the boxes where they want you to explain something. Be very detailed and specific. This will help you get more surveys. Most of these survey companies have other companies attached to them and could invite you to join an exclusive survey panel (I belong to two now and they pay better).

Well that's about it for now. I do have other surveys I do, but until I get them in my inbox, I forget what they were and if they are worth sharing. I'm currently checking out Mystery Shopping and how to do it without paying to learn about it. Also how to be an online mock jury and get compensated for it. I'm not sure about it yet, so I won't post it as of yet. So please check back often, as I'll add to the above list. Thanks for visiting my blog. Happy Survey Taking!!!

Shelly Wright