Sitter Pals Review with $50 Outback Steakhouse Giveaway

One of the toughest choices about being a parent is deciding who will watch your child when you have to work or if you just want a night out. It is important to find someone who can be responsible and trusted enough to watch your most precious children. Most people in trust their children to a family member but not everyone has the luxury of that. Whether it was a job change or the family has all moved away, the parents now need to find a sitter. It is no longer the time where families live down the road from each other and moving away was pretty much unheard of, and if someone moved it was a huge deal, because it could mean it would be a long time before you saw your loved one again. Where do people find someone to watch their children? I am sure you could get a referral from a neighbor or a friend. Maybe your friends don’t want to share their awesome babysitter because they need them on the weekends and don’t want to be without a sitter for that party. So, we turn to the internet. There are sites out there that help parents find sitters and help sitters find work.

After browsing some of the sitter sites in the past, I found out about a website called Sitter Pals. It is the first social network for parents and sitters. As a blogger and someone who is very involved with social media, I love this concept. It helps you share sitters with friends, maybe you know three or four sitters that you trust but you have a regular sitter. You could help those four sitters find work and have a night out with the girls or a date night. I remember when I was babysitting, I would receive three or four calls for the same weekend to babysit. I passed out fliers door to door and had done a lot of babysitting. So, my client list was pretty long. I am sure those parents would have loved to just log on and see if I was busy or not. I hated not being available to all of them, but it was a first come first serve basis for me. I had friends who also babysat so I would refer them and they would refer me. Sitter Pals brings finding a sitter to a whole new level. Sitter Pals was created by Amanda Armstrong, who I think is a genius for this idea.

The other babysitting sites are more like finding a random sitter. Someone you didn’t know, that listed their information on a website. I tried to get babysitting and nanny jobs on a few of them. I went to the interviews to meet the parents and most of them were so far away that it wasn’t worth the gas to get there. I also was spammed all the time, by people trying to scam me. I am sure some of the people are good quality sitters, but I love Sitter Pals because you are able to share with your friends who is good and who is trustworthy. You can also book at the last minute and not have to go through your contact list to see who can babysit. You just post the job and watch the sitters come to you. You have full control with who you share with, which sitters you share, and who babysits your children.

For more information visit Sitter Pals.

Thank you to Sitter Pals for sponsoring this giveaway.

I have a giveaway for you.
One (1) lucky reader will win a $50 Outback Steakhouse Gift Card.

Mandatory Entry:
Tell me what is the most important quality a sitter should have?

Extra Entry:
Like Sitter Pals on Facebook

This giveaway is open to US Residents only.

This giveaway will end on June 4, 2011 at 11:59 pm ET

Weird Looking Actors

I absolutely love movies. I have seen so many movies. I always look at the actors features and I thought it would be a good blog post to talk about some of the different looking actors. It is really hard not to type cast an actor for a role they played especially if it a memorable one or one that might of scared you. I want to talk about four actors in particular.

1. Christopher Walken. I think that Christopher Walken is an amazing actor. I think the first movie I saw him in was Sleepy Hollow. Let me tell you, that movie scared me. I saw it on a date with this guy, who has its own crazy story all of its own. So, naturally since he was the Hessian, he scared me. He was very scary looking to me for a long time. I ended up eventually getting over it. I love every movie I have ever seen with him in it. He was amazing in The Prophecy Trilogy. I think that I have accepted that he is always going to play some kind of different role or something to do with the Mafia.

2. Dustin Hoffman. I have kind of mixed feelings on this one. His roles when he was younger he was attractive, like in The Graduate. Unfortunately, I have seen Hook way too many times to count. So, I always think of him as Captain Hook, not so much the Captain Hook that was wearing the wig, but the one without the wig. It was pretty scary looking, if you ask me. I have no doubt that he is a great actor, he was great in Rain Man when he was younger, and in Last Chance Harvey He was absolutely wonderful in Hero with Geena Davis. I just can’t help but remember how different looking he was in Hook. I know it was a costume and a role but it sort of ruined Dustin Hoffman for me.

3. Billy Zane. I am sorry but he just gives me the creeps. There is just something about him. I am not sure if it is his voice or something about his face. I think that he makes a great villain like in Titanic. He always plays actors that you don’t want to like. Even when he was the fake Damon Bradley in Only You he ended up being a bad guy and a jerk.

4. Steve Buscemi. He always plays crazy supporting roles. He is pretty goofy looking. I am sure that is part of his charm and how he gets the roles he does. He has been in so many movies from Fargo to almost anything with Adam Sandler. There is another actor that I constantly get him confused with. That actor is Sean Whalen who played Carl Wayne Bishop in Jury Duty and has been in a lot of movies too like Vegas Vacation. Sean also was in the famous Got Milk commercial where he can’t say Aaron Burr. I always get them confused. I know I can’t be the only one.

Have I forgotten anyone? What do you think of my picks? Let me know what you think!

Jewelry For Him

In the past, the most jewelry that a man would wear was a wedding band, often it was simply chosen amongst a few men’s wedding rings and was a plain gold band. Well the times they are a changin'. Now we are seeing men in stud earrings, beautiful, engraved and, even, engagement rings! Here are 3 hot men’s jewelry trends for 2011:

1. There is more to men's rings than men's wedding rings! We are seeing more and more men choose stunning rings simply for their beauty and craft, not to serve a purpose. Men are no longer limited to rings solely for marriage; they can now broaden their collection with any number of engraved bands simply for fun and style.

2. Men's engagement rings are very 2011. Women are now taking the bull by the horns, so to speak, and proposing to their boyfriends themselves. No longer is a proposal man only territory, it is becoming increasingly unisex, as are engagement rings. Often a men’s engagement ring looks similar to a wedding band, perhaps with a simple diamond inlay or some beautiful engraving surrounding the band.

3. What if he is not into rings? Then diamond stud earrings are definitely the way to go. Erase the image this evokes of large tacky bling, and replace it with beautiful and subtle diamond stud earrings. That’s what men are doing; studs are in, classic and going nowhere so this is a wonderful investment for any man.

Good luck men, let your inner jewelry aficionado loose, there is no better time than 2011!