LOBSTERFEST is going on NOW!

Lobster is definitely one of my favorite foods. When Noah really wants something, instead of saying pretty please with a cherry on top, he says pretty please with lobster on top. Of course that is really hard to say no to because he knows me so well. One of our favorite restaurants is Red Lobster. Noah asks to go there often because he loves the Cheddar Bay Biscuits and so do I. Every year Red Lobster does LOBSTERFEST where they have different lobster dishes. It is really hard to pick just one. I wish that I could have a bottomless stomach where I could eat everything. I really have a hard time picking just one thing at Red Lobster. It is such a hard decision. We had the opportunity to visit our local Red Lobster and check out the LOBSTERFEST menu. Of course I had seen the commercials over and over again. It would instantly make me starving for lobster every time. I was really excited to get to go. So, we loaded up in the car and headed there with my mom and off we went. I was starving by the time we arrived. We ate Cheddar Bay Biscuits and Noah had three of them. He would have ate them out of them if I would have let him. 

I ordered The Lobster Lover’s Dream. It had a roasted rock lobster tail and Maine lobster tail, served with lobster-and-shrimp linguini Alfredo.  It was amazing. I wasn’t too sure about the pasta before I went honestly. Any time I had Alfredo sauce, I didn’t like it. I was wrong, I loved the pasta. I filled up on the lobster-and-shrimp linguini Alfredo. I also had a salad with oil and vinegar which was great. I ended up taking home the lobster tails because I was full after the fulfilling pasta, biscuits and the salad. I really enjoyed them the next night! 

 Noah had mac and cheese of course and orange slices. He gobbled everything down really quickly. He didn’t have any leftovers even after the biscuits, which surprised me. My mom ordered the Dueling Lobster Tails. Let me tell you, she was happy to take part of this review. The Dueling Lobster Tails are a lobster tail stuffed with crab and seafood along with another tail topped with creamy roasted-garlic shrimp. It also came with mashed potatoes and she chose green beans for her side. She loved the Dueling Lobster Tails and she kept trying to get me to try the fabulous green beans. The really cool thing was there was a party going on in the next room. We never figured out what type of party they were having but there were lots and lots of red star balloons. There must have been fifty balloons and a room full of happy party goers. We were hoping it was a surprise party, but that wasn’t the case. Our waitress was nice too.  We left very full, even with leftovers. I couldn’t stop eating.

Check out LOBSTERFEST going on now at your local Red Lobster. Go quickly because it is only for a limited time and trust me you DON’T want to miss out! It only happens once a year so if you miss it you will have to wait a whole year to enjoy LOBSTERFEST. Of course they have lots of delicious items at Red Lobster!

Take Charge of your Child's Screen Time with iParent.TV

As a mother I am very cautious about what Noah is exposed to. I am always worried that he is going to see or hear something that will scare him.  He likes to watch shows that aren’t on Disney Jr. or Nick Jr. sometimes and I often wonder if what he is watching is good for him. He likes to watch the Science Channel.  We are a Christian family, so I try and make sure he doesn’t believe that we evolved from monkeys or that the Big Bang really happened. It is easy just to have him watch those shows with me or to kind of tell what it is about by reading the description.  Noah also likes to have time on my tablet.  He loves downloading new apps to play.  I have noticed before that some of the apps he downloads don’t have nudity or violence, but some of them have questionable ads on them. My son doesn’t need to be exposed to dating sites. He has downloaded apps that have some violence. Those apps were removed. He doesn’t understand the dangers of those games. I don’t have parental controls on it. It is connected to the internet and even my Facebook account.  I need to know which apps are ok and which ones are not.  Thankfully there is iParent.TV.  It will help give parents a piece of mind when it comes to apps, smart tv or social networks.

I have had the internet since I was 12. I am 32 now. I was exposed to some pretty unsettling things in my 20 years online.  When I was first online, there were only message boards. Chat rooms didn’t even exist yet. I remember being ten years old and a guy asking me what my bra size was. I was a naïve kid and I had no clue about bra sizes. Even then there were dangers. Chat rooms don’t really exist anymore, now there is Facebook. Those creeps out there are still targeting children. They aren’t doing it in public anymore. They are sending messages to children and trying to groom them. I was a 13 year old girl and I knew what it felt like to just want to fit in. Noah will not have any social media until he is 16. I know that sounds crazy but it’s not a risk I want to take. Even then I will have the password. Unless Noah gives me a reason not to trust him, I will. I just don’t trust the creatures in the computer. 

Here is more information from iParent.TV:

What is iParent.TV? If kids are awake, they are probably on a smartphone, in front of a smart TV, downloading apps, or posting to social networks. And most likely parents have no idea what they are doing. Founded by author, pastor and father Craig Gross, iParent.TV is a yearly, subscription-based website for teaching and informing parents on all things tech, mobile, devices, websites and apps for kids. The site is currently in development and expected to launch in July 2014.

The Problem is most parents don’t have an inside track to tech or social media dangers, let alone how to safeguard their kids against them.

58 percent of 10- to 12-year-old kids believe they know how to hide their online activities from their parents.

46 percent of kids said they would change their online behavior if they knew their parents were paying attention.

iParent.TV is designed to keep parents ahead of the tech curve. It will help parents understand, get involved and safeguard their children in the ever-evolving tech world. iParent.TV educates parents with all the latest trends via websites, social media, apps and devices.

 It started with a group of dads who felt like their 9 year olds knew more about tech than they did. They were right. But their idea will help change that forever for all parents. Once launched, iParent.TV will have hundreds of videos and product reviews that are current, cutting edge and trending, keeping parents who subscribe ahead of the tech curve.

How it will work? iParent.TV will be a subscription-based site costing $49 per year for parents to access videos, reviews, how-tos, and live chat support. It will be the largest website on the Internet helping parents understand what’s safe and what’s not in the world of tech. The founders of iParent.TV are currently raising funds through Indiegogo, offering interested individuals the opportunity to become early adopters with special subscription rates through mid-March. The website is scheduled to officially launch in July 2014.

I consider myself to be very tech savvy but I can always learn something new or be reminded of something I may have forgot. So even if you think you know everything, consider iParent.TV as an investment to your child’s safety.

You can save on your iParent.TV subscription by becoming an early bird subscriber. The early bird price is $29. 

Order your subscription early  iParent on Indiegogo 

For more information visit the iParent.TV website 

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Check out iParent.TV's YouTube channel for great videos and information.

Son of the Sun and Wizard Lizard App Review

Noah is a very smart and compassionate little boy. I am always teaching him about doing the right thing. I teach him to be kind to others. I teach him to forgive those who have hurt his feelings. I teach him these things every day. Sometimes I feel like I am a broken record.  There are times that I wonder if I start to sound like the grown up from the Charlie Brown specials. I get really excited when I give Noah something that teaches him something. If there is a moral, than it is such an added bonus. He is the typical seven year old that likes Star Wars or Pokemon and other stuff that doesn’t really have any educational value. Noah had, I love Reading day at school, in November. Everyone was allowed to dress up as their favorite character in a book. Noah wanted to dress up as Darth Vader, because he was him for Halloween. I said no. Noah reads a lot of non-fiction books about fish, sea life and space. I surely didn’t want to send him to school as a mackerel or the International Space Station. I would love to get him more interested in fiction books that teach him a lesson.

Noah also loves technology. I strive to find him apps that teach him things that aren’t purely educational. Noah loves to read and loves interactive story books. He has so many books that when we go on a trip, bringing tons of books is not an option. I have traveled with many books in a suitcase or a carry on. It’s not fun. Thankfully, there are ebooks and Interactive apps. I love trying them out with Noah. We had the chance to try out SON of the SUN and WIZARD LIZARD. Son of the Sun is about little a sunbeam who was sent by his Father Sun to explore the Universe. The pictures and graphics are breathtakingly gorgeous. Noah loves to play along with characters. I also use Son of the Sun as a starting point to open up conversations about forgiveness. After we played the first time, I asked Noah what he thought about forgiving others. I asked him, if he understands what forgiveness is. I explained that once an apology is given, and you accept. You can no longer bring it up. It’s not something that can be used against someone later.  We both love Son of the Sun.
SON of the SUN and WIZARD LIZARD is the first story in the series.  The first book is telling about sunbeam’s adventures on the North Pole. The main theme of this story is forgiveness. Forgiveness is so important. Saying I am sorry and really being able to forgive a friend is really important. 

More from the Developer:

This beautifully drawn storybook will enchant kids of all ages while teaching an important lesson: the value of forgiveness. Instead of the traditional hero vs. villain story, Son of the Sun teaches kids that sometimes people make mistakes, but can change for the better.
Son of the Sun combines an engaging storyline with unique interactive elements to encourage kids to explore every element on-screen.
Feed your child’s curiosity by encouraging them to roam around Son of the Sun’s intuitive landscapes, while they discover hidden objects, encounter interactive characters, create music, and put together puzzles, all while enjoying an amazing story!
Allow Son of the Sun’s narrator to guide your child through the journey, or let your child read on their own so they can improve their skills.
Features
- 20 interactive slides
- 150+ animations and interactions
- 30+ minutes of unique musical arrangements
- 200+ enchanting sounds
- 15 lovable characters
- Fun puzzles with three different levels of difficulty

Son of the Sun has helped me open up dialog to talk about forgiveness with my son in a fun and interactive way.

Son of the Sun is available on iTunes. It is compatible with iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Air and iPad mini.