Online Communities Connect Families With Daycare

Demand for childcare is at a record high in many cities in North America, and it can be a challenge to find daycare in those years before your child starts school, or even after-school care when they begin public school and you head back to your career. Finding Mary Poppins’ double might be a tall order, but a great babysitter or daycare option will have a curriculum of teaching and socializing children. High-quality childcare improves peer socialization, school readiness, and language skills, and when you find the right option, you’re setting up your child for success.

With all the stress entailed in finding childcare so that you can get back to work and you career, it can seem overwhelming at first, but you no longer have to scour the newspapers for reliable daycare options. Going online can help you find a place for your son or daughter in a daycare or with a babysitter, and even help you find occasional sitters for those weekends or week nights when you have a social or work function. But skip the usual classifieds that you might turn to find second-hand furniture or a good deal on movers – there are websites you can use that specialize in helping families find childcare like Sitter.com. With listings in hundreds of cities across North America, you are bound to find a sitter or daycare in your price range with the availability you need to get back to work. What differentiates a site like this from generic classifieds is the availability of certain features that make it safer and easier to hire:

• Favorite Lists: Make lists of the sitter profiles you find promising so that you can easily consult them later to call for interviews or hire when a cancellation puts you in a tight spot.

• Make Notes: Take notes while you interview a candidate and then put them into private notes that you can attach to a sitter, like a digital Post-It; they’re not visible by the public or the sitter, but for you to consult when you make a hiring decision 

• Privacy: A good site should also protect your contact information by disguising your phone number and email address in the initial part of your interaction with potential employees; later, when you’ve hired someone you trust, you can give them your real phone number.

• Customer Support: A great site gives you help along the way, and that means assistance making wanted ads or user profiles, and tips on how to build a relationship with a daycare provider.

The internet is ideal for comparing many different babysitters and new daycare options, while maintaining your privacy with features like identity protected phone calls and emails. It’s an especially useful feature if you’re worried about providing your information before you’re convinced that you want to hire the individual or send your child to that daycare. Reliable websites also track the calls and emails users send to watch for patterns that suggest their communication system is being used by spammers.

On a site like Sitter.com, you can search by city, neighborhood, and ZIP code to a daycare or a sitter near you, but you can also narrow down your search by language (an important part of encouraging bilingualism in your child), transportation, availability, qualifications, and even additional tasks like pet sitting and special needs. Daycare is an essential service for many families; you need all the tools and resources you can get your hands on when you’re trying to find a childcare solution. There’s no need to line up overnight for daycares in your city; turn to an online community that takes its role connecting families and providers seriously, offering customer support for using the site, a frequently updated blog with all kinds of tips on how to find childcare, and technical features that simply make your search easier. Spare yourself all the trouble you can and focus on identifying the best option for your family and your child.

Review - Safe Email For Kids and Teens through KidsEmail.org

As a parent, security and safety are few of the aspects in my daughter's life which warrant paramount concern. The world is filled with vile people who will not stop at anything to spread their malicious presence and activities. And these people can do that online where they can target our kids who are easy preys.

One thing that I strive to achieve is to keep my daughter safe in her online activities. At my age, I am still getting horrendous mails from spammers and other malicious senders and I really get very upset about them. Imagine how kids will react if they read one in their own emails or see some unsightly contents in the internet?

You might wonder why some kids have emails now. Modern age and the accessibility of social media and internet are some of the reasons why the younger generation now are more exposed than ever. As a parent, I try my level best to broaden that safety circle where my daughter belongs to and it includes her online presence. One way of achieving that is to subscribe in www.kidsemail.org.

KidsEmail.org is a site where parents can create an account for their kids, including teens.  This platform aids the parents to customize safety settings on their kids' email accounts and curb any signs of misuse and receipt of spam mails.

The site's many features include:

Mail monitoring

Time management

Mail queue

Block senders

Contact manager

Custom mailbox folders,  mail interface, background for your kids to enjoy and change and can attach drawing from the paint tool

The pictures below is how your kid's email interface will look like when he or she is signed in.

It is every parents' nightmare to know that our kids' safety are breached. So, I highly recommend this to everyone with kids and even those without but who has young relatives who can benefit from this safe email service. Our children and the youth deserve to be protected and safe in their online activities. We cannot stop the advent of technology to take part in their lives but what we can do is to help make it safe for them.

KidsEmail.org can be used in iOS, Android and web platforms. You can try KidsEmail.org's service for free for 30 days and you will not be billed for the usage. You can then later on subscribe to a monthly or annual subscription which you can do before or after your trial period is over.

KidsEmail.org has also been given recognition for their service and mission to keep our kids safe with their usage of email. Below are their recognitions:

To know more about KidsEmail.org, you may visit their website or follow them in their social networks in Facebook and Twitter.


Disclosure:

All opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and based on my personal evaluation of the site and the service offered. I only review products and services that I like and will find beneficial for everyone.

Best Online Games for SAH Moms

Let’s get one thing clear – Stay at home mums are busy. In fact, they are very busy. However, everybody needs a little thrill during the day and if you're at home rather than in the office, there is no reason why you can't amuse yourself or relax with a great online game or two.

However, here are some great ideas to you started.  

• The Hoff

Well, if you like the one and only David Hasselhoff, you will love this game. The Hoff’s winning smile among the thrill of slots is a winning production. The aim of this game from Betsson Casino is to uncover a winning combination of symbols when you spin the three reels on offer. In this case, land three grinning David Hasselhoff faces and you win. There are plenty of videos and bonus rounds to keep you entertained, too.    

• Super Crate Box

OK, so this might not sound like the most advanced, high-tech game out there. In fact, it is a little retro. If you remember the classic game Donkey Kong, then you have a pretty good idea of what the layout looks like. And yet, Super Crate Box is also enormous fun to the point that it is addictive. Your mission is to stay alive as long as possible as you come under attack by monsters. However, this is a counter-intuitive game where instead of slaying monsters, your task is to stack as many crates as possible. You may find what appear to be useful weapons inside the boxes, but you will gain more points by not killing the monsters and angering them further. Sounds crazy? Possibly. Great fun? Certainly.

• Wunderputt

Don’t let golf put you off.  Yes, this is a golf-based game but it is a more magical and enchanting interpretation of the game than you could possibly imagine. Wunderputt is not just a round of mini-golf. It is the ultimate mini-golf challenge played in a fantasy 3D world. The course just keeps on unfolding with inventive surprises along the way. Don’t be surprised if a rainbow turns into an obstacle on the course or if a space rocket appears and hinders your game. It is all part of the creative and imaginative fun of this delightful golf challenge.

• The Wikipedia Game

Interested in trying something completely different? While most online games focus on fantasy and adventure, the Wikipedia Game is an entertaining and at times educational game of discovery. It is most certainly an addictive experience. The rules are simple, just Wiki yourself from one random given subject to another in as few steps as possible. You might for example start off with Mike Tyson and need to find your way to Scooby Doo. It is also quite a social experience with plenty of people taking the challenge at any one time. Enormous fun and you may learn something along the way!

• Auto Club Revolution

You don't need to be a petrol-head in order to love this game. Auto Club Revolution allows you to race cars or simply drive for pleasure using exceptional graphics. The range of luxury vehicles is huge, meaning that you can experience what it is like behind the wheel of the car of your dreams. You can also share the experience with a whole community of users, enhancing the experience even further. However, if you are into car mechanics, you can also give your chosen car a new look and tailor it to your exact preferences.

Quick Shopping At Double Tap Jewelry At Instagram

I fancy accessories so much but I also enjoy a good bargain. I found these nice affordable pieces of funky, unique, classy and playful accessories at Double Tap Jewelry in Instagram. And yes, I had an online shopping experience while browsing through the numerous lovely pieces of accessories in their Instagram profile.

Before you proceed with shopping, you have to register at http://dtsales.co to get started. Once you are done registering your contact/shipping info and mode of payment details. You can now proceed to Double Tap Jewelry's profile in Instagram.

The selection is not quite vast yet but there are enough to choose from. Once you've decided on what to buy, click on the photo and on the description, it will be mentioned how many they have on the stock. I am just a little concerned about that aspect since Instagram is not interactive and probably not designed to handle e-commerce to track inventory. I am not sure if someone will regularly update the description of the picture when someone actually buys it. However, the whole experience is so convenient. I just hope there's a dynamic ticker that will indicate how many "actual" stock is left.

This could have been the easiest and fastest way to do a transaction. I enjoyed the selection process and really appreciate the fast transaction which is just to leave a comment "sold" on the picture you want to buy with your email address. And that's it. They will ship you your order and charge your card details which they have in the file when you registered in http://dtsales.co.

The whole shopping experience took me less than 10 minutes. I think that's a good amount of time to spend on an online shop for accessories.

Check out their profile in http://instagram.com/doubletapjewelry if you fancy a treat!

Golfing in Germany

Everybody I know who plays golf say it is an easy game because you hit this ball with a metallic club and wish it will land in the putt or it becomes a "lost ball."

My hubby is an amateur golfer. He golfs for leisure and not for sports. At times, he would be with his other friends who share the same passion as his to play golf in nice courses in our area. Sometimes, they visit neighboring towns to check out their golf courses. He has not tried golfing in Europe yet, more so in Germany since lugging all those heavy golf clubs would mean extra expense for our part when we travel. However, whenever we travel, he checks out prices of golf clubs and other golfing accessories there and see the price difference.

We are thrilled to chance upon a site about golf courses in Germany. Although the language used is German, it is still helpful to find Golf shop with all the list of the best online golf shops in Germany. It also has menu for golf courses there which one might try out while having a vacation in Germany, be it a business or a leisure trip. This list of online golf shops in Germany is very usable when you want to check out the nearest golf shop from where you are currently staying.

We were in Germany few months back and have found the country very conducive to golfing especially when the weather is permissible like spring and the early summer. We tried out the mini-golf range in the Olympia Park in Munich and found it quite interesting and exciting considering my handicap. My daughter loved it too and would like to play more if only she had her own golf club! It was certainly fun.

With the sprawling greens, I can just imagine the excitement of a golfer to be able to play in these well-maintained golf courses.

Please Support My Personal Cause At Teespring.com

Teespring.com is new crowd-funding website that allows you to create your custom t-shirt and sell it without any upfront cash. It also prides itself for handling the logistics part of your shirt campaign by providing the shipping cost, shipping them to your customers and tracking the sales for you, all at zero risk!

So, I took the challenge and created my own personal cause for my dream to put up a small handmade card business which until now is still in the drawing board. For one, I don't have the means to set it up, two, i don't have most of the tools required to make fancy handmade cards which I can sell and help augment my income. Life's though now so I am looking for ways to generate income even if it means starting very, very small.

The t-shirt I designed has my fave motto on it to remind me to never give up on my dreams.  It will be printed on a Hanes Tagless shirt only when the order is 50 and more.

Please help me in this endeavor. You may find the details of my personal cause here:

http://teespring.com/Riadreams

The t-shirt is only $15 and Teespring.com has a shipping rate available for US, Canada and International. Your purchase will definitely help me get closer to fulfill my dream.

Thank you for your generosity.

To have an Online Shop

Like I mentioned in my previous post, I am already contemplating on what to do to keep the income coming once I retire from the corporate bondage. The maximum years I can sacrifice in the corporate bondage is another 5 years just to augment the savings. After that, it is decision time for me if I want to go on or move to a different direction.

Online shops are sprouting nowadays. I have a cousin who is flourishing selling fashionable wears and branded bags and shoes through the internet. I may go towards that direction because I love fashion, I love clothes and bags and I love to travel. I already have my leads on where to get what. My only concern is the setting up of online shop. I know I have to go about the formalities of ecommerce web hosting to be able to set up my own site and accept payments too.

It is still a long shot because I have to gain patrons. I need to start somewhere but if I am still tied at work full time, it will be hard for me to put this in motion. The plan is there. I just need to have the right time to execute it. I hope it will be sooner that I expected it to be.

Web Directories

I did not know what web directories were when i started blogging more than 2 years ago. I thought it was another site just like the telephone companies' yellow pages which hold numerous names of websites and their respective URLs. Well, I guessed as much. Web directories are indeed repository of websites in the World Wide Web and sites and their links are further segregated per categories. This makes it easy for the user to search for a specific site based on the topic.

As I got into the blogging scene more intensively, I decided to enlist on several web directories to boost my audience reach and crawl my feeds around the world.

I looked under www.freewebdirectories.org and other safe and friendly web directory sites and checked what they could offer me. Apart from the other online directories I have enlisted before, I am considering to widen my reach and increase my ranking if possible.

Online Study

Time is very essential to a working mom like me. Pursuing graduate studies as a goal was different then when I was still single or newly married because I didn't have that many responsibilities to mind. I used to take up MBA units back in the Philippines but due to time constraint and health reasons, I voluntarily discontinued my post education.

Back then, online degree was not yet heard of or maybe it was just sprouting into existence that people who wanted to pursue their studies need to physically go to their colleges or universities of their choice. A lot has happened from 1995 to the present time germane to distance learning.

I enrolled to an online degree last 2007 for half a year and having done that has given me the edge in terms of skills and qualification. I find this mode of learning as conducive and convenient to working people who have to juggle their careers and life in a balance. The mode of learning was according to my own phase and I learned to manage my time effectively and efficiently. Albeit, social interaction was kept to a minimum as the lessons were conducted online. I still managed to meet my classmates through online chat sessions which were scheduled on a weekend. I had fun and I am looking forward to take my next online degree in the future.

Teen Education Site

As a parent of a soon-to-be teen, I cannot help but wonder about how my daughter will fair in her studies when she reaches high school. She is currently in her 5th Grade in an international school and lessons are getting harder each change of term. I know I have to start preparing her for the inevitable - the rigid high school subjects!

Brightstorm is a good site to get courses to aid your kid's studies with subjects we commonly have difficulty with like Algebra, Writing, History and SAT tips. It has been a while since I got out of school and it would be difficult for me now to teach her the rudiments of some of those difficult subjects especially Math which is my Waterloo. I am quite relieved that this site can offer great tips in covering those subjects. I know this will be very beneficial for me when my daughter starts her high school session. At least when that happens, I am better prepared and we can both handle the onslaught of Algebra problems like a piece of cake.

It is easy to get around the site. You will have to Sign up for a free brightstorm account and choose the subject you want to cover. I choose the Algebra II (probably) Won't Kill You of Joshuah Thurbee and found the course fun and interesting. I suddenly had a flashback of how I dealt with my Algebra woes during my high school days. I found this course an eye opener and saw Algebra in a different perspective, or should I say, in a better and positive perspective because I found the subject loathsome! After taking this free course, I have seen the good side of Algebra!

Brightstorm gives storm of benefits like:
- Educational Effectiveness
- Value
- Funness
- The professionalism of the content
-Sign up for a free account and have access to a free episode

I'm sure, my daughter will have a fun time going through the courses in Brightstorm.

Shower My Blues Away

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I have been bugging the developer of our flat to fix our shower fixtures for quite some time now. All I ever want is to have a decent bath to start my day right without worrying if the shower will even work or not. It is even annoying to come home and see your bathroom become a mini-pool area from the leak and busted pipes of the shower system.

Prior to moving in this flat, I was already having this weird thoughts playing in my head on how I am going to rip off the shower and replace it with a nice, top-of-the-range shower accessories with anti-leak shower enclosure and simply enjoy my bathing time without any hassle. Thinking about those great improvement ideas made me and my husband take the flat right there and then.

I have always wanted a spa-like bathroom with enough space to walk around and the shower area is not cramped in one place. So we plan to have the master bath refurbished with frameless glass shower enclosure and a soothing steam shower to complete the spa look! Of course, the ubiquitous bath tub will be there too. Thinking about how my new master bathroom will look like after the installation of the new shower kits and shower enclosure is already giving me certain calmness, the same kind of feeling you get when you are being pampered in a luxurious spa. All that comfort right in my own private master bath!

I have checked numerous sites specializing in shower improvement with upgrades on shower kits, shower enclosure and steam showers and found an amazing site which captures the very kind of shower system I want. Unlimited Showers carries wide range of high quality shower kits and enclosures which emulate luxurious bathing experience without paying the luxurious cost! Their high quality shower kits, enclosures and steam shower are even offered at discounted and clearance price. My hubby does not mind shelling out extra cash for the shower doors just to ensure the great bathing experience by using Unlimited Showers’ products. Some of the products are either in glass or acrylic but we prefer the acrylic type. Having an extra jet shower will be a treat but if in case we do get one, I want one that simulates rainfall. As for the enclosure, I just want a simple, frameless type that can be affixed on the corner so I still have more room to move in the bathroom.

Oh, I can't wait to shower my blues away with Unlimited Showers!

Monday Party Games - Kitchen Escape

Due to my princess' insistence, I am posting this game because she loved it so much and she's such a kitchen fanatic (wish I had the same gusto as hers). I swear, I had to ask her help to get my way around this kitchen game. Good luck finding ways to get out!

Click to play Kitchen Escape

Some Kind of Luck

I remember the times when my mom and her friends used to take us out for a quick thrill. We used to go to casinos and play the slot machines and watch other players there. I was already in the right age then so I understood how it worked for her. Honestly, I too found it fun and thrilling especially when your slot machine starts conking out coins that would fill up the bucket in your hand. My mom had won the jackpots many times already and I lost count while dad gets consolation prizes.

The advent of modern technology has created more options for players. Now they can go through the internet and play internet casino right at the comfort of their homes. Gone are the days when we used to take long drives to get to one of my parents' favorite hangouts - the Regent and that was in Clarke, Pampanga. No more waiting time to get a decent spot and gone are the waft of tobacco and cigarette smoke. Just you and the computer. Oh the days! I wonder if mom knows. Hmmm...

Online Shopping Quest

Shopping has taken a revolution. Gone are the days when you have to drive to the malls, outlet factories and depots to check out stuff and sometimes, you even have to go home empty-handed. The introduction of online shopping has given a great sigh of relief to buyers like me because:

• No need to drive to the mall and waste gas and look for car park space
• Saves time
• Less hassle
• More time to consider whether to buy an item or not
• Easily remove the unwanted items from your online cart
• No kids to bug you to buy this and that
• No kids to pull items from the shelves and dump in your cart

With the above pros on shopping online in mind, I often purchase goods like clothes, stationery supplies for my arts and crafts and body and bath products. EcoQuest has many variety of products to offer ranging from clothing to jewelery and even training materials you can utilize in the office. It is like a one-stop-shop for the busy buyer.

Moreover, one criteria that EcoQuest has which makes it a superb online shopping site is that is a secured site with the proper legal securities like SSL certificates. A secured online shopping site like this a good avenue for serious buyers.