The Census Bureau

I trained to be a crew leader for the Census Bureau, and it is awesome! The Census Bureau is still hiring thousands of enumerators for this area for the 2010 Census, so if you are unemployed, and want to make a fair wage doing a job that is both fun and challenging, you should check it out!
It is only a temporary position, and all census jobs will be complete by the end of the summer, but don't be shy, check it out!

New year, new goals

With the new year here, and the budget tighter than ever, I have expanded my horizons. Beginning tomorrow, I will train to be a temporary supervisor for the US Census Bureau, and am looking forward to having some extra cash in my checking account. In addition, I am still writing for the Examiner, who has, as of yesterday, started a new incentive program, which will be paying even more money. Money excites me!
If you are interested in writing for the Examiner, PLEASE feel free to use the link I have included, as the Examiner will pay me $50 for each referral I make. Don't hesitate to email me with questions! I write at least three articles a week, and write more when I want to. The articles that are controversial get the most hits, and pay the most money.
To write for the Examiner for YOUR city, start by going to this link and then go and watch this video. My referral info, which you would put on the line of the application that asks you who referred you (the one that pays me!Ü) is: Trina Darling, ID Code 4039.

I also, as of today, changed my "hat" so that I am now the Albany Family Examiner, and will be able to expand the topics that I am able to write about. Besides daycare, I am also passionate about foster care, adoption, special needs children, special needs adoptions, and always the dreamer, it would be fun to write about family vacations as well!
I am still making the most money on eHow, but with the new incentive program at the Examiner, and my hits quadrupling in the past month, I expect that the Examiner will quickly become my largest paycheck.

I've Been Out of Commission

I've been out of commission for awhile. My baby brother Aaron, 31, died suddenly of a massive heart attack. He and his wife, Silja (pronounced Sill-ya) are pictured at the right. I'm still consumed by it, but have started writing again because I need to do something.
I've recently re-written some articles from e-How, for the Examiner. I got a boost at the Examiner, and am now the Albany Child Care Examiner, which is much closer to home!
My articles still post for the NY Examiner. I've re-written the article on Barter Trade Exchange, and I also wrote an article on Forgotten Baby Syndrome, which is a real page turner, so don't hesitate to check them out!
The Examiner is great, and encourages re-writes and cross-links to self-promote, unlike other places that I've written for.

Emergency Bags for Daycares

I've had a lot of fun this week working on a series of articles about emergency bags for daycares. I have ALWAYS had an emergency bag that I used for every outing, and another emergency bag at our safe place (in a neighbor's garage).
A documentary buff, I have watched extensive footage of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. Ever the daycare queen, I couldn't help but think (and think, and think) about the daycares involved in these emergencies, and how they handled things. Probably daycares were closed for Hurricane Katrina, but they certainly weren't on 9/11. Photo: flickr
My biggest fear has always been that I will get separated from my children and not be able to get to them, and I'm sure that most other parents are just like me. For me, security is achieved (besides lots of prayer) by preparation, and planning.
I recommend THREE emergency bags; an outing bag, for trips to the park, McDonald's, whatever...
The second is an emergency bag that would be stored outside of your facility, such as in an unattached garage, shed, barn, etc, for emergencies such as a structure fire, where you would need first aid, water, food, warmth, until emergency personnel and/or parents arrived.
The third is a Bug-Out-Bag (B.O.B) to grab when the worst has happened, and you need to leave town quickly. This could be any number of things...wild fires, tornadoes, terrorist attacks, flooding, etc. (Fourth article not published yet)
We always hope and pray that the worst will never happen, but it can, and it HAS. A plan for your family and a plan for your daycare will not only be life-saving, it will be reassuring for everyone involved.

Baby Wearing

I had the opportunity to meet and talk with a lovely lady that I met on e-How,e-How writer Jennifer Remeika “havanargila” . She was writing an article about baby wearing, and it was such a great idea (our Wal-Mart purchased sling was a life-saver, both as a mom and a daycare provider), and her article had such great pictures with it that I was dying to use them, and she was gracious enough to grant me the permission to use her for my own means. I wrote an article about baby wearing for daycare providers, and posted it on the Examiner, and got more hits on the slide show of her pictures than I have ever had on any other article, ever! She is going to write several more articles about baby wearing, and describes how to make your own baby slings out of bed sheets, and I can't wait to interview her again!

Daycare Brush Fire

Photo:Leader Herald.com/Bill Trojan
There was a brush fire at a daycare this week, and thankfully, everyone got out okay. As usual, it reminds me to remind everyone within shouting distance to brush up on your evacuation plans (pun intended!), and remember to plan for a second safe place, off-site, so that if your safe place is compromised by fire, flood, storm, etc, you already have an emergency plan, and somewhere safe to take your daycare children.
I wrote an article elaborating a little for the Examiner, and included links to photos of the brush fire from the Leader Herald, the reporting newspaper.

New Sanitizing Info Released

NYS Office of Family and Children's Services has released new information about sanitizing for daycares. The new recipe for sanitizing toys that have been mouthed and cleaning food surfaces (like tables, counter tops and high chair trays) contain less bleach than the previous recommendation. Check out my new article!