Interact Media Review -- Updated

The main place that I write now, other than revenues-sharing sites, is called Interact Media. I really enjoy writing for this site. Interact Media is a place where companies ask for blog posts, one at at time. 

Photo by Mantasmagoria, via MorgueFile

As a writer, you then have the opportunity to choose to write this content, within a certain deadline of one or two days, depending on the length of the piece.

I like it because the work is varied, the pay is not bad, depending on which pieces you choose, and the clients that I have worked with seem quite reasonable. So far, I have written about furnaces, city events and a few other things.

To write here, you have to pass their writing test. From the test results, you are given a writing rank of 1-5 stars. I am a four-star writer. I would encourage anyone to apply who is looking for a place to write for cash. The payments are done through PayPal two times a month. They have always been good about paying me.

Note, written December 15, 2015: I am much more hesitant to recommend Interact Media as a place to write these days, because the pay is so low. There are many listings for 0.7 a word. 

From what I have heard, the only way to make decent money is to get some direct assignments from clients themselves, instead of taking jobs from the job board. This is do-able, but I believe it would take a while to build up to that point.

If you are looking for some quick money, the Interact job board may be okay for a little while, but I now recommend finding some good-paying clients that will allow you to have a sustainable business. If you do work for Interact Media, try to get direct clients who request you. These should pay a lot more. 

An excellent resource is the Freelance Writer's Den. I am a member now, and am really learning about what it takes to be a freelance writer. (This is an affiliate link.)

I Got Product! Some New Healthy Foods I am Trying

Tuesday's Math: Calories In: 1685    Calories Out: 2528

Well, I got product! My gorgeous husband and I went shopping last night and I got some good products for healthy eating and boosting up FIBRE!

Bistro Express Entree

This first one is from Dr. Ben's. I have used the Bistro Express products before and wrote a review about them. Last night I was looking at the entree products and noticed that these babies are high in fibre and within calorie range for a meal. They only take two minutes in the microwave and I think would be good in a pinch. I totally prefer to cook but some days are a rush and it's nice to some healthier alternatives than junk!

Bistro Express Nutrition Information

I apologize for the less than stellar quality photos. I got a different camera and I"m having trouble getting quality photos from it.  But if you can read this, the package contains 370 calories and 5 grams of fibre!

I know the sodium content is not that wonderful but I still find this to be a good "meal in a pinch" idea. I often use the Bistro Express packages for adding  rice to a meal I have cooked. I like these and look forward to trying them.

Toppits Pop Herbs

I am very excited about this next product. This is wonderful for cooking. I know the professional cooks, like Rachel Ray, use fresh spices in their food but i have never got around to doing that. I just haven't upped my cooking to that level, and my budget has usually meant dried spices in the bottle.

Well, last night, I found something that is going to get me to try fresh spices, well almost fresh, anyways. These are from a company in Israel and they are herbs flash frozen from fresh. You pop out a cube, enough for one meal and pop it in your dish. Hello! I can't wait to try this. They have all kinds of flavours but I just wanted to try one to see how it worked. I just checked out the Toppits Website and it looks good, with some recipes on there. I also see that these are completely preservative-free.

 Kraft Dinner Smart

Okay, another one. Yes, it's K.D., or Kraft Dinner. Kraft Dinner is my nemesis. I used to eat a package of those and then feel completely disgusting. That stuff is so deadly but yet so sinfully delicious.

Well, I dared to pick up a different kind of Kraft Dinner. My camera would not take an even half-decent picture of the front of the product but it's Kraft Dinner Smart High Fibre.

It has 5 grams of fibre and 175 calories per serving (which is a quarter cup). You are still getting 6 g of sugar, and it's still pretty high in carbs but much, much better. I am going to try it, at least, because it could be another good emergency, in-a-rush foods.

 Flax

And the last product I am going to share with you is my flax. I had forgotten about flax but am trying it again. This package is already opened but there it is. Again, sorry for the terrible quality of these pictures. This was taken at night and the lamp is shining off the package.

And the fibre, just for 2 tablespoons of this stuff is four grams. Not bad for a few mouthfuls! I have been adding this flax to my smoothies in the morning and I want to try to add to some cooked meals to up the fibre content.

So, there's some product. Yesterday, was a good day. I managed to stay under my calorie range and got some walking in (grocery shopping, which I feel funny counting but at least it's some movement). That was the third day that I have been under my calorie range. I am not trying to be way under but it's just worked out to be a bit under.

My lunch meal was a bit high. I went to Tim Horton's (it's a Canadian thing!) and had the large chili with a bun, and a coffee and that all ended up being over 700 calories. I was very hungry but it did feel like too much and I kept eating. Now I know that I need to order a small chili if I get that again.

Do you have any products for healthier eating you are trying? Feel free to share!

Review of "Hadassah: One Night With The King" by Tommy Tenny

"Esther at the Palace Gate," by Botticelli 

In this post, I am going to be reviewing the book. Hadassah: One Night With the King by Tommy Tenny. This is a novel based on the book of Esther in the Bible.  This book is in the historical fiction genre, which is means it is based on historical events but the exact details do not necessarily match those in history. 

First of all, let me say that I absolutely adored this work! I particularly liked the way that the author brings us back into such different times but makes it so understandable. With his fascinating description and realistic dialogue, we can see the times and place of Ancient Persia. 

The story is written in the first-person, with the exception of a couple of framing chapters at the beginning and end of the book, and the woman's perspective gives a personal view of events that otherwise might have seemed historical and impersonal. We see how this woman's stand, in simply obeying God, changed history. But we also see the Hadassah character as someone very human and fragile, not always strong and brave, as we sometimes picture her. 

This book is a love story: a young girl wins the  heart of a king because she thinks not of how she can please herself but how she can please her master. The title, "One Night With the King" can also be a reflection on how just a short time with Jesus, our king, can change things forever for us.

I felt so inspired by this book that I actually wrote a poem about it, too! 

Next up: I really want to see the movie:: One Night with the King. 

Review of Audrey Messner's Book

Today is Beautiful Wednesday, where I talk about accepting yourself and your beauty.

I talk about this topic because I struggle with this one sometimes and although I'm not "there" yet completely, I believe that it is one of the keys to being the women we want to be.

I heard a speaker this week talk about this topic and I wanted to share her latest book called Like Yourself, Love Your Life: Overcome Big Mistakes & Celebrate Your True Beauty.  I haven't read it yet but I would like to. It's by Audrey Meisner, from the ministry, "It's A New Day," and it is about learning to accept yourself as God does.

Just a bit of background: Audrey is married to Bob, who is a pastor, and she had always been a "Jesus girl," who loved ministry, the church and God. She was happy in her marriage but started to feel a bit bored and wanting to have a bit more "fun." 

What started as a  harmless flirtation grew into an adulterous affair, and even an unexpected pregnancy. This led Audrey into the greatest self-hatred imaginable and this "Jesus Girl" was no longer perfect and did not like herself at all. 

I think many of us can relate to the part about not liking ourselves, for some reason, and this may be why we overeat, or do other self-destructive things. I know this applies to me and this is something I have to work to overcome as I am taking this weight-loss journey. It's often very deep-seated but there and inner healing is often needed to heal our bodies from destruction. 

This book is how she learned to like herself and love her life, and celebrate her beauty, based on knowing that God loved her no matter what. I have heard she and Bob share their testimony and it is powerful. They are regular hosts of the show, "It's a New Day" and I respect their teaching and testimony.

I have included a clip from them sharing their story, too.

Review of "The Secret" by Beverly Lewis

(image by cindy47452 on Flckr.com)

The book I will be reviewing is called The Secret, by Beverly Lewis. This book features two simultaneous storylines: one of a young Amish girl named Grace and another of a modern, educated young woman named Heather. The two girls are from two different worlds but are both missing their mothers and dealing with problems in their love lives. Any connection between the two girls and their respective worlds is not immediately revealed.

This book starts out with a rather slow pace and the hackneyed Amish slang can be off-putting at first but as the chapters progess, the pace quickens and the old-fashioned characters start to become real and compelling. The book revolves around the initial incident when the mother of the main character, Lettie, leaves their home for somewhere unknown with only a mysterious letter left behind. All of the family are affected by her leaving in different ways and rumours start to run rampant about where she went and what she was doing.

The book is mostly set in an Amish community and deals with the culture with great sensitivity and honesty. The Amish "friends" are neither set up as perfect saints nor maligned as controlling tyrants. Differences in personality and style between groups are recognized. Reading this novel gives a window into a completely different world than our own.

Scripture is part of this novel because Scripture is interwoven into the daily fabric of the Amish existence. Children are brought up in the Word. The main character Grace loves to read a Psalm every morning and the whole community is involved in Sunday worship, held at different members' houses weekly.  Specific Amish doctrines are not looked at but rather the way doctrine seems to affect their everyday life.

Overall, I recommend this book, The Secret, by Beverley Lewis. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading more in the series.

For more about Beverly Lewis, see this Hubpages article.

International Freelancers Day Review

I Went to A Conference Today.

Today I'm "attending" the International Freelancers Day Conference. It's different than any other conference I've ever been to. Why? Well, for one thing, I didn't have to dress up. I wore gray sweats with a stylish but oh-so-casual t-shirt and no socks. Really.

Another difference was that there are none of those little mid-morning snacks or a dinner with seven strangers at a table, with often awkward conversation. The only eating I did was some quick snacks from the fridge and some good cups of coffee.

No, this conference was an online one. And I didn't get to the morning sessions but I am presently going to some of the afternoon sessions and wow, wow, wow!

I listened to motivational speaker called Peleg Top and what a powerful topic. It was entitled "All You Need Is Love: Growing Your Business From the Inside Out" and it sent my mind spinning. What he spoke about was doing work that we love and have a passion for. And staying from work that makes us fearful. And choosing the type of work that comes from love, not fear.


This was so inspiring but also so scary, too. Scary if we don't know exactly how to do that. What this means is choosing the work that actually matches who we are. Not just work to have some money coming in. Wow, wow, wow.

He told us that when we feel passionate about what we're doing, it's not hard to market that. What does that mean to me? This is something I need to find out. I want to start working from love, and not fear.

What about you? Is your work your passion? Are you working from love or from fear?

What I am Learning About Weight Loss

Well, my head is spinning right now with ideas. I've been doing some research tonight on Pilates and also reading a book called, "The Abs Diet: the Six Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life," by David Zinczenko. David is the Editor-in-Chief of Men's Health magazine. (Or at least he was when this book was written, in 2004.)

I've been learning, and re-learning a lot. (I did read this book, which has been sitting on my shelf, a year or two ago, but had forgotten some of it.) 

This book teaches me some new things, and also confirms some of the stuff I have been learning on the copious amount of websites I have been "digesting" lately about exercise, weight loss and diet. This what I do whenever I am interested in something ... mega-research. The problem is, though, is that I tend to not write it down or organize it all. I just consume it (burp) and hope to retain it all. 

This one of the reasons I am looking forward to the blog. It gives me a place to regurgitate some of these great idea-stuffs, and organize them on paper. If someone else eventually benefits, too, even better!

So, what, briefly, did I learn tonight? The book confirms that my plan is good: some kind of strength training (for me, Pilates) and some aerobics. Strength training causes a metabolism burn (burning calories) for the next 48 hours! That's good stuff! This confirms what I had been reading on several sites lately.

Also, to eat shakes, he says, is very good. This has been what I've been doing for the last year. (Although I got a bit slack this summer.) This confirms that I can stick to my shakes. I was beginning to wonder because I was eating shakes all year, but actually gained weight. But my eating for the other 23 hours of the day, and lack of exercise was causing the problems. 

The shakes were good...some of the best food. Mine are usually made up of 2 scoops of whey protein, milk, yogurt sometimes, hemp, and fruit if I have it. Yes, I said hemp. Apparently, this is a wunderkid food ... great for Omegas and a host of other things. So, those are good. Good!!!

What else? That milk, low fat, is good for you. (There have been countering opinions on that one.) But the calcium is very good for you because it is thought to break down body fats. Good! I am a huge milk fan. I am going to keep going through this book. Here's the link:

http://www.absdiet.com/uof/absdiet/withemail/

Also, I learned a bit more about Pilates online, from the following book called Pilates, by Rael Isacowitz. Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.ca/Pilates-Mr-Rael-Isacowitz/dp/0736056238/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251789068&sr=8-2,

I learned that Pilates is considered a whole lifestyle, designed to make your whole life better, by teaching you balance, harmony, etc.  Wow! I'm not surprised ... I love it. It feels so wholesome, like my whole body is coming into alignment. 

I did Pilates tonight, after walking my route. It felt great. I was able to do more of the workout than last time. Ouch! The work on my abdomen is very intense and extremely difficult. But it felt great! After three days of no exercise, I did two hours tonight. Wow!

What a great way to end the day. Take care everyone.