Cultural centers and festivals are available in most cities and can be quite a bit of fun. While it’s easy to spend money at some events, there’s generally things you can do for free as well.

You may get to listen to the music of a particular culture or see traditional dances. You could learn a traditional art or craft.

This can be a great chance to talk about your own family’s cultural heritage or introduce the kids to a new one.

School is out or going to be out soon for much of the country. Summer’s almost here.

Have you signed up your kids for swimming lessons yet?

I consider swimming lessons one of the most important activities you can sign your kids up for. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a pool and don’t live near an ocean, lake or river. I just think it’s important that kids know how to swim.

For one, they may have friends who have a pool. If not now, then later in life.

You could also at some point move into a home with a pool or near the ocean, a lake or river where your family might want to go swimming.

Or your kids could just finally convince you that it’s time to go to the city pool.

I’ll be the first to admit that swimming lessons in the early days do not give me peace of mind. Far from it. They make me worry more!

When kids first learn to swim just a little bit, they’re overconfident. I feel that this makes them more at risk. They swim into deeper water and may be more inclined to try a pool out without supervision. But it’s necessary so that they can learn to be stronger swimmers and cut the risk down.

We have rules about swimming in my family. While we do not have a pool, my inlaws do.

Rule #1: Children are not allowed in the pool without an adult. Not even a toe or fingertip.

Rule #2: Children will obey the adults supervising them in the pool.

Rule #3: There will always be at least one adult whose sole job is to watch the kids in the pool. One adult per child is better, with each adult assigned to a particular child.

Rule #4: Children will obey their swimming instructors during swimming class.

Rule #5: No running near the pool.

My kids know that if they break a pool rule, they will not be allowed to go swimming the rest of that day and likely not the next time everyone else goes swimming.

You may also want to check out PoolSafety.gov, even if you don’t own a swimming pool.

If your kids aren’t in swimming lessons yet and are not strong swimmers, get them signed up. Lessons at community and city pools are generally more affordable than private lessons, of course, but they also fill up quickly in the lower levels. Check your city’s website to see what’s available in your area.

Working as a mobile notary may sound pretty easy, but it has its challenges. One of my cousins did it for a time and gave the business up. Even though the pay per notarization can be quite good, it’s a lot of driving at the last minute, and sometimes it’s hard to collect the money you’re due.

Most states will limit what you can charge to notarize something, and it will probably be a very, very small amount. States may or may not limit what you charge for travel.

However, if you add in the duties of a signing agent, you can earn a better living.

Skills Required

A notary must be commissioned by their state. You can learn how to do this in your state by going to the National Notary Association website or by checking your state’s website. Instructions may be in the Secretary of State section, Attorney General section or elsewhere on your state’s site.

The requirements may vary from state to state, but the basics will probably be along the lines of:

• You are at least 18 years old.
• You are a legal resident of that state.
• You have never been convicted of a felony or certain misdemeanors.
• You complete the training for your state, which may be online.

Common Expenses

You will need some basic supplies: notary seal, notary journal, fingerprint ink, notary bond, errors and omissions insurance, business cards and marketing expenses.

You will need a reliable vehicle and have travel expenses as you go to customer sites.

Possible Income Streams

Your income as a mobile notary is often determined by limits set by the state. Plain notary services are often very limited as to what may be charged. If you work as a loan signing agent you can generally earn significantly more money.

Related Scams

According to my cousin, the biggest problem was simply getting paid once she started working. You may have to be very strict with your clients about when you expect payment and keep excellent records so that you know what you have coming to you.

You should also be aware of the possibility of training scams. Check with your state so that you know what is required. In many states it’s a pretty simple process to get started.

Also make sure your insurance is from a reputable company. You will want errors and omissions insurance to protect yourself in case you make a mistake.

Recommended Reading

Tid-Bits For New Signing Agents

A post over on Jessica Knows about her experience with some reporters misreporting how she discloses on her blog got me thinking about how mom blogs in general seem to be the ones getting an awful lot of the attention when it comes to disclosure issues and advertising. There’s been a lot of talk lately about more regulation of social media marketing and how bloggers disclose. For some reason, mom bloggers seem to be a popular focus of attention.

This drives me nuts. Mom bloggers are far from the only ones getting merchandise to try in order to review it. That’s something that has been going on for a long time in many other areas, as commenter Crunchy Carpets pointed out, and as I’ve been wondering as well. I’ll quote her, as she has it right:

What I am curious about is why the ‘mom’ bloggers seem to be getting more heat about reviews than other areas on the blogosphere. Are the male tech writers getting scrutinized by mainstream media and the FTC? They all get sent free stuff. Are the video game or movie sites getting grilled for their ‘promotional’ efforts. They all get sent free stuff.
Movie sites get sent to sets and on press junkets and given all sorts of freebies in return for ‘good reviews. Their morals have been argued about for years. It is all nothing new.

All this doesn’t mean that I don’t agree with appropriate disclosure. It just means that I don’t see why it’s suddenly a big deal when mom bloggers get the things other sites have long been getting.

It strikes me as sexist too.

Momblebee makes similar points, as do some of the other commenters.

Free samples have been given in exchange for review for a long time, longer than blogging has been around. It’s nothing new. Perhaps the only new thing about it is that just about anyone can start a blog, and not have the costs associated with starting a print magazine or newspaper. It’s very open.

Yes, that means some people will lie about the products because they think only a good review should be posted. Yes, some people will be fooled into buying things they wouldn’t have if an honest review had been posted. Goodness knows that dishonest reviews are common enough in the work at home arena!

But does that mean we need special disclosure rules?

I tend to think not. I would expect the standard rules on making false advertising claims should be sufficient. Best aimed at the blogger, and at the advertiser more if there seems to be a pattern of encouraging false claims. It’s awfully hard for advertisers to control what bloggers say, after all, and still keep things honest in both positive and negative comments about the product.

There’s no doubt that the internet is very much a wild frontier in many ways as of yet. It’s much harder to control what goes on when it’s so easy for content to be created. That’s not a call for speedy, harsh regulation. There’s an advantage to the wild growth and free flow of information that the internet provides.

Should buyers beware when they read online reviews? Absolutely.

Should reviewers disclose if they got products free or have a relationship with the business whose product they are reviewing? Of course.

But no matter how the disclosure is done, it comes down to a matter of trust. A good source will be trusted with or without the disclosure.

A bad one may be trusted once or twice, but if they share false information people will learn. Certainly not as quickly as the FTC would like, but that’s going to happen even with regulation, as new sites and blogs will pop up faster than they can be reviewed… not to mention everything that is based from outside the United States.

Much as one might like all reviews to be honest, it’s not going to happen.

As a blogger or business owner, all you can do is keep yourself honest. Being transparent about when you get something for free is a generally good idea. If nothing else, it will help you if the FTC does keep getting serious about this. It also makes it clearer why you’re talking about a product that maybe you wouldn’t have otherwise. Say what you really feel, even when it’s not 100% positive.

Of course, the focus on mom bloggers may in large part be simply due to the media. And if you think the disclosure issues are going to be a problem, you’ll also want to pay attention to the part about “atypical results”. Lynn Terry has a really good post on this issue. The FTC doesn’t even want atypical results to be used, even if they’re your own experience. They only want typical results, which strikes me as beyond problematic. How can you discuss your own experience then? How do you know what’s typical?

If you review products, whether you’re paid to do so or just receive them free, or even if you’re hoping to get an affiliate commission for sales through your links, it’s really going to pay to think about what you’re saying. Have a disclosure policy and stick strictly to it.

And, of course, keep paying attention to the story as it develops. It doesn’t matter what kind of blog or site you have, if you’re talking about products you need to know what’s might impact your business.

I got thinking about this job due to my oldest sister. You see, she is a work at home computer programmer, and not a freelance one. She has a regular employer.

As with many work at home jobs, this can be done as an employee or purely freelance. You might telecommute part time and be in an office the rest of the time. But as computer programming really doesn’t require a lot of face to face interaction, it’s about perfect for working from home.

Qualifications/Training Needed?

You need to have the skills for the particular type of programming you’re going to do. In many cases, a college degree is necessary.

Job Duties

Programmers will generally have to code, test and debug according to the needs of their employers. You may be modifying existing programs or helping to start an entirely new program.

Even from home, you are often a part of a team of programmers working together on a particular project. You will need to know how to cooperate and plan as necessary with your fellow programmers.

Equipment Needed

Your basic needs will of course be a computer and a high speed internet connection. You may also use programs such as Skype to keep in contact with your employer and coworkers.

Where to Search for Jobs

Not all of these sites focus on jobs you can do from home, but it’s worth searching all around when you want to work from home.

Craigslist
FreelanceAuction.com
Dice.com
GetAFreelancer.com
Hire My Mom
Elance
Guru
LimeExchange.com
Monster
Job.com
oDesk.com
Project4Hire.com
RentACoder.com
ScriptLance.com
SearchWebJobs.com