MySurvey Member Recipes

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all our members who have submitted recipes for our Member Recipes page. Each month we feature a different theme, ask for recipes that go along with that theme, and then we publish our favorites. Selecting these favorites is difficult because we receive so many good ones!

For July we are looking for your favorite Family Reunion dish. And remember you will receive bonus points if we publish your recipe. So go to our Member Recipes page to view some of our members’ favorite recipes and to find out how to submit your recipes. Please follow the submission guidelines and be sure to include your MySurvey.com username and email address. Without this information, we cannot publish your recipe or credit your rewards account.

I really enjoy making the recipes we receive from our members, and some of them have become my family’s favorite. So now we’d like some feedback from you. Have you ever made the recipes shared by our members? If so, did you like them?

Happy No Pants Day

The first Friday in May is always No Pants Day. Typically only babies, underwear models and certain celebrities can get away without wearing pants. But apparently the rest of us can throw caution to the wind and modesty today. Skirts, shorts, dresses, kilts don’t count on No Pants Day. Only your best boxers, tighty-whities, bloomers or much less will count.

Be sure to check out the flickr No Pants Day photostream from past years. And tell - do you participate in No Pants Day? Have you seen anyone on the bus, train or street celebrating No Pants Day?

Talent Reality Shows

We recently asked our members "Which of the following ‘talent’ reality shows is your favorite?" The two favorites were American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. The majority (41%) answered "I don’t like/watch any of these shows".

Whether you like them or not, reality shows are on primetime TV almost every night and are usually among the highest rated shows. All television shows can be entertaining, but the talent reality shows can go beyond that: they give an ordinary person fame and a chance to live their dream.

It’s fun to watch ordinary people like you or me competing. It’s also interesting to watch celebrities learning and performing something different from what we typically see them doing. There are many reasons people enjoy watching these shows, but the most likely is that we enjoy watching other people compete for what they either love to do or what they’d love to learn to do. And maybe it gives us hope that we too can reach our goals and dreams or the reality that we too can learn something different.

Do you watch reality talent shows? If so, which one is your favorite and why?

New Rewards Catalog is here!

You’ve been asking for this for some time - well it’s finally here. MySurvey.com has partnered with Perks.com, an online catalog and rewards supplier, to provide you with hundreds of options for redeeming points. To view the catalog, click Rewards on the top menu, then Select Reward.

In addition to offering hundreds of new items, some other features include:

• More “cash” options like PayPal and Virtual Visa cards.
• Expanded charity options; Amnesty International, American Cancer Society, Doctors without Borders to name a few.
• Faster delivery on most items - most electronic gift certificates are emailed within a few minutes of redemption.
• Multiple mailing addresses. Reward items may be shipped to a different address than where we send your surveys.

As with all new programs, there may be some bumps along the way. We appreciate your patience as we get this new program going. Hopefully you will be as pleased with it as we are!

And no April Fooling – the catalog will be here tomorrow!

Coming Soon….

Some exciting changes are on the way for the MySurvey.com Rewards program. You will still receive MySurvey.com Reward Points each time you complete a survey. But now you will have many more options for redeeming your reward points. Very soon we will be rolling out a new online catalog with hundreds of options for redeeming your reward points including expanded charity options, PayPal, Blu Ray DVD’s, flowers, gift baskets, video games, toys and much, much more.

Be on the look-out, these changes are coming very soon!

Signs of Spring

Although it was a chilly morning here in the Midwest, the sun was trying to break through the clouds and there were signs of spring everywhere. And I feel better knowing that the cold winter months have passed and the warmer weather is on the way!

I noticed a flock of Canadian geese flying overhead this morning. The returning birds are a sure sign of spring. The birds will be busy building their nests and soon we will hear the chirping of their babies!

The kids are outside riding bikes, skateboarding, playing games and happy to not be cooped up in the house. The open outdoors is so fun for kids and there’s so much for them to do. Of course, we adults want to be outside also. Another sign of spring is when the restaurants open their patios and meals are served outside.

And even though March Madness is going strong, spring training has begun and Opening Day is less than 2 weeks away! Baseball and spring just go together. I love smelling the fresh-cut grass in the park and watching a good baseball game.

Signs of spring are everywhere. And I am welcoming them. So tell us, what are some things you are noticing that remind you spring is here?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today marks the annual feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Though originally a Catholic holy day, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved over the years into a day of music, parades, great food, and a celebration for all things Irish.

My family has a few customs we like to follow each year. Like most people participating in the festivities, we’ll be donning our greenest apparel today. And every year, rain or shine, you’ll find us downtown watching the local St. Patrick’s Day parade. We also eat the traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner, which happens to be my favorite part of St. Patty’s Day, personally.

So how do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day where you live? Does your family have any traditions? If so, be sure to tell us about it in the comments section.

Have fun and be safe!

Celebrate Humor

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter."
-e.e. cummings

There are a number of things taking place during the month of March: St. Patrick’s Day, American Red Cross Month, and March Madness, just to name a few. There’s one event, though, that often goes unnoticed each year -- and it happens to be one of my favorites. It’s called Humorists are Artists Month, and it’s a chance to recognize and tip our hats to those witty folks who make us laugh with their well-crafted wordplay and observations.

I’ve always agreed with the idea that "laughter is the best medicine." To me it seems like tough days are just much, much easier to deal with after a good laugh or two -- it really helps to put things into perspective. Looking back, I’ve realized that a good sense of humor has been instrumental in helping me keep it together some days!

Though there are far too many to name them all, among some of my favorite humorists of all-time are Woody Allen, Dave Barry, Erma Bombeck, and the great George Carlin. Even “classic” writers like Mark Twain whose work, upon a closer look, is still as funny and relevant today as it was nearly a century ago!

So, to all the humorists and humor publications alike --- we salute you. Keep making us laugh. After all, as humans --- we’ll need it!

It's Our 2nd Anniversary...

Today we’re celebrating the anniversary of Carol’s Blog --- over 2 years now and still going strong! But before I blow out the candles and take my first bite of cake (I wish), I feel compelled to offer a big hearty “thanks” to all of you – because I really couldn’t do it without you guys. And I truly mean that -- the comments, stories, ideas and suggestions that so many of you shared have been vital in making this blog a success. So from the bottom of my heart: thank you!

And so, with another year under our belt, I thought I’d take a look back at all of the posts from the past 12 months and put together a list of my favorites (and yours). So without further ado, here are the Top 10 Posts from the past year:

1. Goodbye Winter – By far the most commented-on post of ’09, it seemed that everyone was excited to see the arrival of Spring last year. Call it a hunch, but considering the amount of snow we saw this winter, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a repeat-performance this year!



2. Are You Ready For Some Football? – Like me, a lot of you guys were excited for fall -- and psyched for football season to kickoff!



3. Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! – A tribute to the late Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known to the world as the beloved Dr. Seuss. I especially enjoyed putting this one together.



4. For the Birds – This post was dedicated to National Bird Feeding Month. Lots of cool links and resources on bird feeding, plus many of you shared some great stories from your own backyard. I was amazed at how many “bird lovers” we have out there!



5. This is the End... – No, not an ode to the famous song by The Doors… this post about the end of summer drew some really interesting comments about favorite summertime memories.



6. Making Every Day Earth Day – The response to this post was overwhelming; it was very inspiring to know that so many of you are earth-conscious.



7. Friday the 13th – This was a fun one. Feeling superstitious?



8. It’s National Nutrition Month – A collection of links to great healthy-eating and nutrition websites made this one of the more popular posts of 2009.



9. Keeping Active This Winter – Monopoly, card games, dominos… anything to beat the winter time blues. With close to a foot of snow gathering outside in my yard, this post will still find relevance in the coming days ahead.



10. Bored! – This one didn’t get a ton of comments but it was certainly one of my favorites. Random links galore, including StumbleUpon, a handful of games for kids, and a cool site where you can make your own Simpsons character.

Again, thank you to everyone who visited and commented on this blog. Keep tuning in, there’s more fun to come!

Let the Games Begin!

The Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics begin tonight in Vancouver. For the next 2 weeks, I’ll be glued to my television set, trying to catch as many events as possible. Thank goodness for DVR!

I love watching the Olympics for a number of reasons: skiing, ice hockey, skating … surprisingly, I even enjoy watching curling! But the main reason I enjoy watching the Olympics is because of the strong sense of patriotism and camaraderie it brings. While I wish all of the athletes from other countries the best of luck, it’s an incredible feeling to watch the athletes from your own country bring home a gold medal. There isn’t much else that can elicit chants of "U-S-A! U-S-A!" in living rooms all across America.

How about you guys -- will you be watching the Winter Games this month? What’s your favorite event? Be sure to share your thoughts and comments with other members in the section below.

Good luck to all of the athletes this year! Go Team USA -- bring home the gold!

Winter Safety

In last week’s post, I offered a handful of tips to help make the winter season a bit less harsh. This week, our focus is on staying safe during the remaining cold months...

Driving in bad winter weather can be a nightmare. There’s snow, ice, freezing rain, etc. to contend with, not to mention that there are fewer hours of daylight this time of year. If you are able to, avoid driving altogether when the weather is bad; however, if you must drive, be sure to practice safety and take the proper precautions ahead of time. As Benjamin Franklin famously said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Another thing that helps me deal with the sting of winter is knowing how to dress for the cold. From everything that I’ve read, it turns out that layering is hands-down the best method to stay warm. Layering allows you to adjust to a variety of conditions by simply adding or removing clothing. Stick with these principles and you can’t go wrong.

As I’m writing this, the snow has ceased and the sun is out … but winter weather is extremely unpredictable (especially here in the Midwest), and things can change in an instant. That’s why it’s always good to be prepared for the unknown. Just taking a few precautions -- like storing non-perishable food, having an alternate source for heat, etc. -- can help keep your family safe in the event of an emergency. Be sure to plan ahead!

Before you know it, we’ll be talking about the arrival of flowers and the return of birds to their native areas … but until then, stay warm out there and be safe! If you have any winter tips or advice that you’d like to share with other members, feel free to add them in the comments section.

Winter Tips

Though some of you out there are enjoying mild weather and sunshine (and yes, I am jealous!), the majority of us are still digging out of the snow and ice that recently blanketed most of the country. And while I personally can’t wait until spring arrives, it looks like we have a few weeks left of scraping windshields, shoveling driveways, and bundling up like the kid in A Christmas Story. Ah, winter … such a wonderful time of year.

This week, our focus is helpful tips to take the sting out of the cold-weather season. Take, for example, snow shoveling; did you know that spraying your shovel with WD-40 or cooking spray before you start is a great way to keep snow from sticking to the blade? Try it out -- I find it makes things a heck of a lot easier.

Then of course there’s everyone’s cold-weather favorite: icy windshields. One thing you can do to combat the ice is to fill a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol and apply it to your frozen windshield. Give it a few scrapes and voila -- no more ice! I’ve also heard of people rubbing salt on their windshields to prevent ice from forming. Just a few ideas to help you enjoy that cup of morning coffee a few minutes longer…

Years ago, I would dread (and I mean dread) looking at our heating bill. But it wasn’t long before I wised-up and took a few steps that ended up saving us a lot of money. It’s amazing how a few trips to the hardware store can really cut down on your energy costs.

Tune in next week for a second installment of helpful winter ideas. In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts, suggestions, and ideas in the comments section below.

MySurvey.com & Lightspeed Join Forces

In a June 8, 2009 blog, we let you know that the parent company of MySurvey.com became part of WPP's information, insight and consultancy division, The Kantar Group. Another very similar online panel, Lightspeed Consumer Panel, is also a part of The Kantar Group. Because MySurvey.com and LightspeedPanel.com are owned by the same company, we are able to join forces to make your membership a more rewarding experience. Watch for exciting changes over the next few months, including more ways to share your opinions through surveys from both MySurvey.com and Lightspeedpanel.com.

Reward Point Donations for Haiti

Since adding Save the Children's Haiti Earthquake Emergency Fund as charity partner last week, MySurvey.com members have donated over $9,000.00 in reward points. Thank you for your generosity.

Save the Children’s Haiti Earthquake Emergency Fund

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti and their families abroad who have been devastated by the recent earthquake. Like so many other Americans, we on the MySurvey.com team look for ways to help with the relief efforts and the rebuilding in Haiti. We know that nothing can truly compensate for the many losses, but we want to do as much as we can.

A new charity option has been added for members wishing to redeem MySurvey.com Reward Points to help with the relief efforts in Haiti:

• Save the Children is appealing for $10 million in public support to help provide basic necessities to countless children and families left homeless by a devastating earthquake that struck impoverished Haiti on January 12th. Save the Children has worked on child-focused programs in Haiti for over 20 years, and its emergency response team is on the ground responding to the needs of children.

To redeem your MySurvey.com Reward Points for a donation to the Save the Children's Haiti Earthquake Emergency Fund, click Rewards on the top menu, Select Reward on the left menu, then Charity Donations.