Tag Archives: kids

Safety First: Find Out Who Has Your Number

In today’s world, you need to be extra careful with your phone. When you start receiving many calls from unknown phone numbers, it is natural to be concerned. This is even more of an issue when your children have their own phones. You want to make sure your kids are safe and not approached by strangers, even on the phone.

You may notice many different numbers calling or just one or two. If you have a pre owned phone, you might get calls from people who think you are someone else. This can make it difficult to know when to answer.

When you are teaching your kids to be safe on their phone, here are a few helpful tips for dealing with unknown phone numbers.

Don’t Answer

When an odd number shows up on the caller ID, it is often best to simply let the phone ring or decline the call.  Have your child show you the phone number on the caller ID so you can initiate a reverse phone lookup. When a child answers the phone, they may give out information they shouldn’t. Not answering means they won’t get confused by a strange caller and give out personal information.

Keep It Private

Kids often put down phone numbers on school forms and social media. You should talk to your child about not giving out their phone number, except to close friends and family. If your kids are asked to fill out any papers at their school or for sports, tell them to put down a parent’s number instead.

If you have teenagers that like to be on social media, make sure they do not put any of their contact information on their accounts. They should also keep all of their settings on private. Otherwise, strangers may be able to get their phone number off of their social media pages and call your child.

Keep the Phone Close

Kids often set things down and forget where they put them. Talk to your child about keeping their phone nearby, in their bag, or in their pocket. If the phone is out where it can be seen, someone may pick it up or see their personal information. Your child is likely to have pictures on their phone that could end up in the wrong hands. Be sure to use the reverse phone lookup anytime you want to know who is calling your child’s phone.

There are times when you just do not feel right about a phone number that shows up on your caller ID. You can easily find out who the caller is by checking with a reverse phone number service. Strange numbers can be especially concerning when the call is going to your child’s phone. Talk to your children about what to do if a strange number shows up. Make sure they save the number so you can find out what is going on. Safety is key when it comes to unknown numbers.

This is a collaborative guest post. The ideas and views do not necessarily represent those of Mommy Ramblings.


Leave a Comment

Filed under Family, Guest Post, Tech

10 Time-Management Tips for Busy Parents

Let’s face it, most parents feel like their days are a game of beat the clock, and more often than not they end up losing. Trying to keep everything together and get that huge to-do list done can lead to frustration, losing your temper and feeling overwhelmed.

Life is unpredictable, especially with kids. Even when you plan, emergencies happen. You may not be able to avoid chaos altogether, but here are 10 Time Management Tips that can benefit busy parents. Following these tips can help bring order and peace back to your life and help you make the most of the time you have.

Prioritize 

I cannot stress the importance of this, knowing what is a priority and what is not, is key to getting the things that matter done. Every day write your to-do list and prioritize your tasks into what you need to take care of immediately, what you need to do during the week and then your more on-going or long-term tasks

Delegate

This is so hard for some of us, but as a rule, if you can delegate a task that is not something you absolutely have to do yourself to a person that you feel will do it 80% as good as you would, delegate it. It doesn’t mean you are not a good mom if you don’t go up to the school to copy and distribute 1,000 fundraiser flyers. Let someone else do that, and it will free you up to do the things that only YOU can do.

Batch Tasks

Look over your to-do list and see what tasks you have that you can batch. This means if you have to go to the bank, post office, kid’s school and the dentist, try to do it all in the same trip. This saves time and gas money!

Get organized

If you are always running late because you can’t find something you need; it is time to get that under control. Get a filing cabinet for all your important papers, birth certificates, passports, insurance documents and more. Have your kids place all homework, library books, permission slips and other things in their backpacks each night. This will save frantic library book searches in the morning.

Have everyone lay out their clothing the night before. I really like these weekly clothing organizers for kids. Having your kid’s clothes picked out and organized for the week ahead, will make mornings less stressful.

Family Message Center

Install a family message center in a central location in your home. Make sure that everyone uses it to communicate what is coming up, post shopping lists,  permission slips and school papers that need to be signed, important reminders and more.

Use the Internet

I cannot stress enough what a time saver doing things online has made in my life I shop, pay bills, do research and more online. If you do have to go out to a store, check out their current sale flyer online and make a list of what you need to buy. Taking the time to do this, will get you in and out of the store faster without forgetting things. While online, you should check to see if there are any special coupons or promo codes that can be used in store.

Purge

Do a clothing and toy purge and make it fun. Promise the kids a treat like going out for ice cream, when you go to donate the purged items. This way you won’t drive around for months with those bags in your trunk. Trimming the excess from your lives will make you feel a lot lighter and make cleaning less of a chore.

Meal Planning

Plan your meals for the week. This will simplify your shopping and you won’t be running out all the time to get something for dinner. Use a slow cooker or pressure cooker, to help you get dinner on the table easier and faster than ever. Make extra when you cook to freeze and save, or check out some freezer meals you can make ahead for the whole week.

Assign your kids Chores

Giving kids jobs to do helps them learn responsibility and improves their self-esteem. Even little ones can help with certain tasks. You can use chore charts to make it easy for kids to see what their responsibilities are.

Learn to say No

This is so important, because our inability to say NO effectively, is the reason we end up with too much on our plate. It is okay to say NO, and to say it often. You can say, I would love to help set up the school book fair, but I just cannot take on any more projects right now. Once you say it a few times, it will get easier.

Following these 10 tips can help you bring some order to your life and save you time and stress. What are your favorite ways to manage your family and your time effectively?


2 Comments

Filed under Family, kids, Life

How Pre-Planning Your Child’s Summer Benefits Both of You

When your kids get old enough to start making decisions, it’s difficult to know when to step back and when to take over. No one wants to be the helicopter mom, but you want to make sure your kids are getting the best opportunities. Summer vacation is one area where you want to get more involved.

Here are a few ways pre-planning your child’s summer benefits you.

1. You can make decisions together

When you have to make arrangements at the last-minute, oftentimes, you’re calling the shots without any input from the kiddos. But if you give yourself a little time, you can talk things over. Sure, some things won’t be negotiable, but you can let your kids choose whatever activities they can.

As soon as the options are available, collect all the possibilities and discuss them with your kids. Make sure you keep any scheduling conflicts in mind. It may help to grab a pencil and mark up a calendar. If you have more than one child, this may be a process that takes some time.

2. Your kids will have more opportunities

All the popular summer activities sell out fast. So, if your kids are going to be going to camp or taking some extracurriculars, you’ll want to book them in advance. It could be the difference between adventure camp and knitting 101, so this is very important.

Stress the importance of choosing wisely because most activities cannot be changed after you make a deposit.

3. You can arrange more free time in the summer

Just like the activities, good childcare can sell out fast too. If you’re planning to put your kids into a program or book the most reputable nanny, you’ll want to pre-plan. And as a bonus, you may be able to book more date nights if you make arrangements with a babysitter early in the season. You can even schedule a night every week or every other week to get away with your significant other.

4, You can finalize your vacation

If you book your vacation before you plan your kids’ activities, you may regret it. For example, what happens if there’s a big soccer tournament the week of your vacation? If you had booked the extracurriculars first, you could have worked your vacation around the big events.

Plan your kids’ camps, sports practices and music lessons before you decide when to take your family vacation. This will also save you from spending money on weeks of programs you won’t be using.

5. You can plan for anything

When you know what your summer is going to look like, you can plan. For example, if you’re taking a road trip, you can pre-plan vehicle service. Things like this can easily get away from you, so try booking any important appointments as soon as you plan your summer activities. This may include doctors’ visits, dentist appointments or even haircuts.

Planning doesn’t solve every problem, but it can certainly help you get the most out of your summer. What are your best summer planning tips?

 

This is a sponsored guest post. The views and ideals expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Mommy Ramblings.


Leave a Comment

Filed under Family, kids, Life, Summer, Summer Camp

“Aliens Ate My Homework” Available Now! #Giveaway #AAMH

While we were without power, an intergalactic adventure, Aliens Ate My Homework arrived on DVD, Digital, and On Demand Tuesday, March 6th! The film adaption of the first book from the popular Rod Allbright and the Galactic Patrol series by Bruce Coville follows a pair of middle schoolers racing to save the world from destruction after extraterrestrials invade Earth.

My kids finally got to watch this and they loved it!  We also, enjoyed watching it with them.  I think most parents will like it as much as their kids.

Aliens Ate My Homework entertains and empowers young audiences with humor, heart, and a whole lot of imagination. The film starring William Shatner is the first of a planned series of inventive action-comedies from Universal 1440 Entertainment, a production entity of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

You can watch the trailer below:

Aliens Ate My Homework features the voice of two-time Emmy Award winner William Shatner (“Star Trek”)  and comes from director Sean McNamara (The King’s Daughter). The film also stars Jayden Greig (The Shape of Water), Lauren McNamara (“Summer of Dreams”), Kirsten Robek (The Edge of Seventeen), Dan Payne (Star Trek Beyond, Watchmen), Ty Consiglio (Wonder) and Alex Zahara (“The Man in the High Castle”).

Aliens Ate My Homework is a suspenseful family comedy which follows the adventures of sixth-grader Rod Allbright (Greig) and the extraterrestrial lawmen known as the Galactic Patrol. When a tiny spaceship flies through his window and lands on his science project, Rod and his cousin Elspeth (McNamara) meet a group of friendly aliens, including Phil, a talking plant (voiced by William Shatner). The earthlings quickly join the aliens’ adventurous mission to help defeat an evil alien criminal. After discovering the evil alien is disguised as a human – someone he knows all too well – Rod and Elspeth race to save the world from total planetary disaster.

BONUS FEATURES on DVD and digital

  • Not of This World: Creating Alien Life Forms – A look at creating some of the film’s Alien characters, showcasing the work of Emmy-winning visual effects maestro Todd Masters and his creature effects team. Viewers will get a peek at what it takes to bring the creatures to life on-set through the magic of prosthetic make-up, as well as practical effects techniques like oversized sets and puppetry.
  • Aliens Ate My Homework: From Page to Screen – This piece will give viewers a peek at the process of turning the novel into a film – from concept to production and visual effects. Featuring behind the scenes footage plus interviews with the cast, filmmakers, and author Bruce Coville.
  • On the Set with Bruce Coville – The beloved author gives viewers a peek at life on the set of Aliens Ate My Homework while providing details on the origins of the Galactic Patrol book series.
  • The Galactic Patrol Wants You! – A closer look at the members of the Galactic Patrol featuring Grakker, Madame Pong, Rod Allbright, Elspeth, and Phillogenous Esk Piemondum, aka Phil. In this featurette, the intrepid crew of the Starship Ferkel will reveal details on their current mission and will inform viewers on what it takes to become a member of the Galactic Patrol.

You can download and print some fun Aliens Ate My Homework Activity Sheets below.

Giveaway:

Universal 1440 Entertainment is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! One lucky blog reader will win an Aliens Ate My Homework DVD! Thank you to Universal 1440 for the review movie and for sponsoring this out of this world giveaway on Mommy Ramblings! Open to US residents.

Aliens Ate My Homework DVD Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Enter for your chance to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!

Continue reading


41 Comments

Filed under Family, Giveaway, Movies

Tips to Help Keep Your Kids Safe on the Internet

Your Child Will Be Exposed To The Internet

There are a wide range of threats to children online. These threats come in many different forms, from cyberbullying to identity theft schemes to predators who want to meet your child offline. These threats can be daunting and difficult to fathom, but with solid awareness and a plan to keep your child protected, your child can avoid most online pitfalls.

Your child is going to be exposed to the internet. In this day and age, it is unavoidable. Your child will be online at school, or at a friend’s house, and you won’t always be able to directly monitor them. You can’t prevent your child from being online, but you can instill good habits and keep tabs on their internet use in general. Here is what you need to do in order to keep your child safe when they are online.

Defining Safe Internet Use For Children

The first thing that you need to do is work to understand what safe internet use for children is. You should instill in your children that they need to keep their phone numbers, home addresses, and personal contact information offline. They shouldn’t talk to strangers online, and you should let your children know what types of websites are acceptable for viewing and which types of websites to avoid.

A child without direction could give away personal information to a stranger in a chatroom. If a child feels uncomfortable or that they made a mistake online, they should contact an adult they know and trust immediately. One easy way to keep you and your child’s personal information safe is through the use of a VPN.

 

Parents And Children Need To Stay Aware Online

There are new dangers popping up online each year, and parents need to know the dangers so that they can keep their children protected. There are email phishing schemes that seek to gain access to children’s personal information with a seemingly harmless email message. There are the risks of cyberbullying and pornography. Parents should stay aware of the risks and keep their children up to date on new potential threats online.

 

Tips For Parents

The good news for parents is that when children stay safe online, they can have a good time and learn more than if they were offline. The key is to establish rules early in the process so children know what is in bounds and what is off-limits. Make sure that your children use strong passwords and always log out of their email and social media accounts, so that they don’t allow access to the next person who uses their computer (such as at a school computer library).

Parents should always read the fine print on social media sites that their children join, so they are aware of the information that brands and other third parties can gain access to.

This is a sponsored guest post that does not necessarily represent the views or ideals of Mommy Ramblings.


Leave a Comment

Filed under kids, sponsored guest post, Tech

Miffy’s Adventures Big and Small: Play Date with Miffy is Available on DVD

This week a new Miffy adventure debuted on DVD. Miffy’s Adventures Big and Small: Play Date with Miffy lets you join this curious young bunny as she learns all about the world around her, along with her best friends Melanie and Grunty.

Miffy and her friends embark on adventures and new experiences and help teach children about colors, numbers, shapes, and songs along the way. All along the way, they have fun celebrating kindness, respect, and friendship.

Jump in puddles, take a ballet lesson, play hide and seek, and much more in these eleven fun-filled playtime adventures! Jump in puddles, take a ballet lesson, play hide and seek, and much more in these eleven fun-filled playtime adventures!

This is a wonderful DVD for any pre-school child. What do you think?

 


2 Comments

Filed under DVD, pre-schoolers

Oh Susannah: Things That Go Bump Tour #OhSusannahBooks #Giveaway

If you are a regular Mommy Ramblings’ reader, you know we have been fans of Carole P. Roman’s books since her very first children’s book came off the presses. That is why I am thrilled to be part of this blog tour for her new book, Oh Susannah: Things That Go Bump. 

This is such a great book! As a mother who is a passionate reader, fostering that excitement and love of reading in my children, is very important to me. Finding books that captivate their interest is crucial to me. This book does exactly that!

Susannah Maya Logan is not having a good day. I think all kids can relate to that. She does not want to go to her best friend, Lola’s sleepover. Sounds strange doesn’t it? What kid does not want to go to her best friend’s sleepover? Well, the reason is,  Susannah thinks Lola’s house is big and spooky, not to mention, a ghost is said to live there! Beyond that Susannah’s big brother, Kai, loves to tease her with scary stories. What big brothers don’t? Scaring little sisters seems to come with the big brother job description. I should know, I have 3 older brothers.

As Susannah goes through the day, she sees people dealing with things that scare them. Her sight-impaired friend, Macy, is terrified of unicorns. Imagine that, I guess she doesn’t know how people are going crazy over unicorn everything. Another boy at a party is frightened by clowns. Who could blame him? With all the scary clowns around in the news and movies, I don’t think he is alone in that fear.  Susannah’s teacher is afraid of getting a cold. I can relate to that, I hate when people come to work or school sick.

All of this helps Susannah to see that everyone is afraid of something. Everyone except Lola. Susannah wishes she could be more like her best friend who is not afraid of anything. At least she thinks Lola is not afraid of anything.

Susannah learns that people all have different ideas of what is scary and what is not, they are the only ones that can determine the difference.

I really enjoyed reading this book with my kids, because my youngest son has some fears that can make him miss out on things. This story provided a springboard to discuss exactly that. It opened a dialogue, I think many parents will find useful. Best of all, it was natural to discuss my son’s feelings as they related to Susannah’s fears. This book is for kids 7-10 years old, but can be read aloud to younger children too! The book is illustrated by  Mateya Arkov

Stay in the loop with author Carole P. Roman on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, her website and Goodreads.

Giveaway:

Enter to win an autographed copy of Oh Susannah: It’s in the Bag, Oh Susannah: Things That Go Bump, and Oh Susannah: Color with Me, by award-winning author Carole P. Roman—plus a set of 48 colored pencils!

One (1) grand prize winner receives:

Value: $52+

Four (4) winners receive:

  • A copy of Oh Susannah: It’s in the Bag, autographed by Carole P. Roman
  • A copy of Oh Susannah: Things That Go Bump, autographed by Carole P. Roman
  • A copy of Oh Susannah: Color with Me, autographed by Carole P. Roman

Value: $27+

Oh Susannah: Things That Go Bump Giveaway Rules:

Giveaway begins September 20, 2017, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends October 20, 2017, at 11:59 P.M. MT. Giveaway open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Prizes provided by Carole P. Roman

Continue reading


13 Comments

Filed under Blog Tour, Books, Giveaway, Review

“Blaze And The Monster Machines:Wild Wheels Escape To Animal Island” DVD #Giveaway

TIME TO REV THOSE ENGINES AND ROAR LIKE A BEAST 

WITH BLAZE AND THE REST OF THE MONSTER MACHINES 

 

BLAZE AND THE MONSTER MACHINES: 

WILD WHEELS ESCAPE TO ANIMAL ISLAND

The mighty monster machines are back in an all-new DVD collection, Blaze and the Monster Machines: Wild Wheels Escape to Animal Island. In this high-octane DVD, available September 19, Blaze and his friends find themselves on Animal Island, transforming into high-speed animal trucks in order to save the day. Fans can join the gang as they thwart Lazard the lizard-truck’s evil plan, help their new friend Tooks the toucan-truck, travel to Insect City and cheer on Blaze in the Super Sky Race.

As always, Blaze, AJ and the monster machines go on wild rides and use their S.T.E.M skills to solve the problems around them. Created by Nickelodeon and distributed by Paramount Home Media Distribution, Blaze and the Monster Machines: Wild Wheels Escape to Animal Island races onto DVD on September 19, for the suggested retail price of $14.99.

If you have kids that love monster trucks as much as mine do, they will love this DVD that gets them thinking as well as entertaining them. We are happy to announce you can enter our giveaway below for your chance to win this great DVD.

Giveaway:

Paramount Home Media Distribution  is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog reader will win their own copy of Blaze and the Monster Machines: Wild Wheels Escape to Animal Island DVD ! Thank you to Paramount Home Media Dist. for the review DVD and for sponsoring this fantastic giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. Open to US Residents in the contiguous 48 states.

Blaze and the Monster Machines: Wild Wheels Escape to Animal Island DVD Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Enter below using the Rafflecopter Widget. Good Luck!!!

Continue reading


14 Comments

Filed under Giveaway, Movies

God Our Maker Board Books Blog Tour & #Giveaway #BabyBibleBooks #WorthyKidsIdeals

I have always loved reading to my kids, I loved it so much, I read to them in utero. It is so much fun to share colorful board books with even our youngest babies. It really tunes them into the love of reading as well as being a special time to share together.

Author, Gary Bower, fell in love with picture books at an early age on his mother’s lap. As he grew, he entertained himself writing his own stories, jokes, poems and skits. As an adult, his years of professional and volunteer experience ministering to children and teens, combined with thousands of story nights with his twelve children, have helped him polish his storytelling skills.

Gary’s board books, “God Paints The World” and “God Loves The World” are delightful books to read with children and they are sturdy to hold up to little hands. These books introduce even the littlest ones to God’s love and the beauty in the world he created. They make a beautiful gift to give to a new baby, Christening gift or baby shower gift.

About the Books:

God Paints the World takes children on a tour of God’s colorful creation. Each spread groups nature’s animals and objects by color, such as yellow dandelions, a shining sun, and chirping finches; and brown squirrels, trees, and crunchy nuts. Parents will love this early concept board book that teaches little ones about colors and the God who created them.

God Loves the World teaches little ones that God’s children are very diverse, and very, very, loved. Regardless of their shapes and sizes, colors and ages, interests and abilities—God cares for and loves each of his wonderfully unique children. Parents and little ones will love the book’s bright illustrations and inclusive message: “God loves all so very much!”

Giveaway:

Worthy Publishing is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. One lucky blog reader will win both of these books! Thank you to Worthy Publishing for the review books and for sponsoring this inspirational giveaway on Mommy Ramblings. Open to US Residents in the contiguous 48 states.

God Paints The World and God Loves The World Board Book Set Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Enter below using the Rafflecopter Widget. Good Luck!!!

Continue reading


7 Comments

Filed under Blog Tour, Books, Giveaway, Review

Discover Bic Gel-ocity Gel Pens- Dry 3X Faster -#BicGelocity

If you have been bitten by the adult coloring book bug or love making colorful creations, chances are you will love the Bic Gel-ocity gel pens.

 

Bic Gel-ocity Pens come in vibrant colors and dry 3 times faster than other gel pens which means less chance of smudges. Perfect for kids and adults these gel pens write smoothly and produce stunning results. I tried them out recently and was very impressed. My kids loved them too. I cannot wait to use them with my adult coloring books while on vacation. See my video review of the pens below.

Bic Gel-ocity Gel Pens come in an array of colors and pack sizes. Have you tried them?

 

I received this product for free from Smiley360 in order to facilitate my post. As always my words and views are 100% my own. 


4 Comments

Filed under Crafts, Review, Smiley360