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.

State Farm Invites Individuals to Submit Causes to Assist their Neighborhood

State Farm Invites Individuals to Submit Causes to Assist Their Neighborhood Forty causes will each receive a $25,000 grant to help complete their project.

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., Feb. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Do you have an idea that would make your
community a better place to live, and would $25,000 be a game-changer? State Farm is here with the
assist. From March 3 through March 23, people from the United States and Canada can submit a cause for a chance to win one of 40 $25,000 State Farm Neighborhood Assist®grants.
 
Now in its third year, Neighborhood Assist is a youth-led philanthropic program that empowers people to identify the issues they feel are the most important in their communities. The program then connects them with a local nonprofit that can help solve the problem and provides an opportunity to receive one of 40 $25,000 grants. "People are looking for ways to help their communities," said Kellie Clapper, State Farm Assistant Vice President. "Neighborhood Assist empowers individuals to identify problems in their communities and provides funding to help create a positive impact."
 
Here's how it works. Beginning on March 3rd, people are invited to submit causes via the free State Farm Neighborhood Assist Facebook app. When a maximum of 4,000 cause submissions are received (deadline of March 23), the State Farm Youth Advisory Board will review all submissions and identify the top 200 based on a scoring rubric. The top 200 causes will then be announced on April 28 and anyone who has the free Facebook app can vote for their favorite causes with up to 10 votes per day until May 16. The top 40 vote-receiving causes will then each receive a $25,000 grant to help address the submitted cause. The top 40 vote-receiving causes will be announced via the Facebook app on May 27.
 
In 2013, over 3.4 million votes were cast as part of the grant selection process. Those winning grants
reached 40 different communities in 27 different US states/Canadian provinces. The 2013 causes were as diverse as developing workforce training and leadership opportunities for motivated, under-resourced teens to restoring a vacant theatre for use as a film and performing arts center. Winning causes came from large and small communities with the top 5 vote receiving causes coming from cities with populations less than 275,000.

This is a sponsored post. 

Rock Your Kissimmee, Florida Vacation Like a VIP

Rock Your Kissimmee, Florida Vacation Like a VIP
 
Ready to #RockYourVacation in Kissimmee? Enter the “Rock Your Vacation”
 
Instagram contest to win a VIP getaway for you and five of your closest friends. 

Kissimmee, Fla. (February 3, 2014) – Film it, Filter it, Rock it. A smart phone and a creative video is all you need to enter Experience Kissimmee’s “Rock Your Vacation” video contest on Instagram, launching today. Show how you and your “entourage” would Rock a Central Florida vacation and you could have the opportunity to enjoy adrenaline-pumping attractions and heart racing adventure, just moments from Orlando’s world-famous theme parks.
 
From now until March 16, entrants with an active and non-private Instagram account will be able to
create and post an original 15-second video. In order to qualify, entrants must follow
@ExperienceKissimmee and use the #RockYourVacation hashtag on Instagram. Once the submission
has been approved, Experience Kissimmee will post a comment on the Instagram video with a link. The user will go to that link to “verify” their entry and the video will appear in a video gallery on
www.RockYourVacation.com.

Submissions will be judged based on overall creativity and general knowledge of the destination. From among those, the top 8 videos will be narrowed down throughout a public voting period of 3 weeks using a bracket system.
 
The grand-prize winner and their entourage of five will receive a 6-day, 5-night VIP trip, during which  they will have the chance to experience the destination in a way they may have never done
before. Their getaway will include a stay at an amazing vacation home provided by All-Star Vacation
Homes, an SUV car rental for a week and a number of exclusive experiences.
 
Rock your heart rate by flying over hungry alligators on Gatorland’s Screamin’ Gator Zip line or during a rock concert at House of Blues. Meet your knight in shining armor at Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament or get carried away on a hot air balloon taking in the sunrise and sights of Kissimmee from the air. Glide across the headwaters of the Everglades on an airboat tour at Wild Florida Airboat Rides or get soaked at SeaWorld Orlando. All this and more can be done when vacationing in the popular Central Florida destination which hosts more than 6.5 million travelers annually. 

This is a sponsored post. 

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.

Helping Children Smile with Operation Smile

Every child deserves to smile. A smile is a great joy to see. Smiles make you feel better when you are down. It makes others feel better when they are down. A smile is the universal hello. You don't have to understand the language the other person speaks. You don't even have to speak. The shyest person can smile. A smile says it all. Unfortunately, some babies are born with a Cleft Lip or a Cleft Palette. It is a congenital birth defect that happens in 1 in 700 babies. 1 in 10 babies with Cleft Lip or Cleft Palate will die before their first birthday. When the baby is formed in their mother's womb their mouth or lip does not form properly leaving a hole. Babies with Cleft Lip or Cleft Palate have trouble sucking, eating and talking. It can also lead to ear infections and problems with their teeth.  It is definitely curable through surgery. My sister's best friend in high school's little brother was born with a Cleft Lip. He had the surgery and I didn't know until my sister told me. The surgery is pretty easy but not everyone can afford it.

Thankfully there is an organization called Operation Smile who correct Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate for those who can't afford it. They go to a lot of Third World Countries where a simple surgery is not an option. Many have never even seen a doctor.  Operation Smile not only helps with providing the surgery but they also provide other services and information about nutrition and emotional support.  The surgery costs typically $240 per child. Operation Smile has a bunch of volunteers including doctors to provide these children with a smile. They rely on donations from caring individuals and businesses. I know that Campus Book Rentals is donating a minimum of 80 surgeries by June 2014. They donate to Operation Smile for every text book rented.  I think that Operation Smile is an amazing charity and Campus Book Rentals is awesome for supporting their cause.

My Most Embarrassing Mom Moment.

I shared with you my most embarrassing moment when I threw up all over the bus on a field trip in the ninth grade. Now I want to share with you my most embarrassing mom moment. As a parent we all have one or two or five depending on the child and the number of kids you have. It could be something like your child said something inappropriate to someone or that they did something silly. Mine however involves me. 

When Noah was 3 months old my cousin and her three kids were visiting. Noah had a dirty diaper and of course I wanted to change him right away. So, I took him to his changing table. I know what you are thinking, he peed on you. No that wasn't what happened. I started changing his diaper and he wasn't quite done yet so I quickly closed his diaper and waited for him to finish. After he was done, I changed him. I went back to my company and was sitting there talking to my cousin. I always play with my hair so I was running my fingers through it and all the sudden. I felt something on my hand. I looked at my hand and it was covered in poop. I had poop in my hair and on my hand. I gave my cousin Noah to hold while I washed my hair in the sink. Her kids thought it was the funniest thing ever. They told their dad on the phone. I was so embarrassed. Thankfully it was my family and I was at home. Could you imagine if I were at a restaurant or the store. 

What is your most embarrassing mom moment?