Parenting Daily

I just want you all to know I’m now an Angel. Okay, technically, I’m a CherryPal Brand Angel. What does that mean? Well, it means that this blog and my dedication to the writing lifestyle over the past few months, combined with some luck, are getting me a free desktop CPU. This is a very good thing for me, personally, since I am pretty broke, my desktop tower has been broken since November 2006 (though it makes a good decoration sitting on top of the fridge!), and this laptop acts funky now that it’s three years old. I’ll admit it first—I’d never heard of CherryPal. Have you? Probably not. They’re doing a really grassroots campaign, which I sincerely hope is successful. In return for giving some number of us (I have no idea how many) these free CherryPal units, we are expected to blog about them (honestly! They encourage us to talk about the good, the bad, the ugly, the beauty, etc.—don’t hold back!), talk about them on our social networking pages (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc.), and just be available to try to help answer questions if any of our readers, friends, and family have questions about them. The units haven’t shipped yet, due to some delays (pretty standard for a startup), but the website has a lot of good info: www.cherrypal.com AND I can offer you all my personal promotional code to use if you’d like to pre-order a unit. These units are not going to be sold in brick-and-mortar stores… maybe ever… but at least to start. The units are really affordable but bare-bones– $249. through PayPal and it is ONLY the desktop unit. No monitor, no keyboard, no mouse, etc. Which, frankly, is just perfect for me since I noted my tower broke down—before the tower broke, I had been steadily replacing each peripheral so my monitor, keyboard, and mouse are just barely used and I’m so excited to get them out when the desktop arrives! With this promotional code– CPP269– (which you are to enter on the SECOND page of the order process), $10. will be refunded to you when the order is processed. Check out the website and read up on the technology. I think you’ll be as impressed as I am. And with back-to-school right around the corner, I think this is a fabulous idea for your teen students. For teens going back to college, look how teeny the desktop is! Those dorm rooms are small, Mom and Dad! Pair this unit with a flat screen monitor, and your teen will still have room left on the desk! More posts about the CherryPal will be forthcoming once I receive it and start using it and seeing what it can do. I’m so excited! I haven’t been this excited about a computer since I heard about the One Laptop Per Child program years ago.

Woah, Dude! It’s a ranch! I probably post too many of these kinds of jobs, but these are the kinds of jobs that appealed to me when I was much younger—outdoorsy, adventuresome things. Today, we’re showcasing a job on an actual dude ranch. Located in Idaho, the Red Horse Mountain Ranch is hiring housekeep and serving staff. No, the job itself doesn’t sound all that intriguing, but the location could be very appealing to some teens. Positions are to be filled immediately until October. The obvious complication is school. Perhaps this is a good job for someone in the general area who can commute or someone who is inbetween high school and college, or who is done with school for the time being. Housing is available, as are meals. This is the full job listing.