Teach Your Child To Type, Read + Spell Before Kindergarten

If you follow this blog and/or my social media, then you already know,  I'm all hung up on this new App, GameBooks, created by acclaimed software developer and first-time dad, Nicholas Nadirashvili. He created the app for his son after realizing NONE of his child's educational apps used the QWERTY keyboard, but rather a straight line of buttons in alphabetical order. A, b, c, d... 

With the help of early education experts, a solid team of designers, illustrators, children's book authors and some serious input from his son, the team created fully interactive children's books, or GameBooks, designed to teach children ages 2-6 to recognize and trace letters, understand word structure and syllables, spell, type and read.  (Download Gamebooks Here!)

If studies show it's easier for children to learn a new language than adults, will it be easier for a child to learn and remember the QWERTY keyboard at a young age? I'm all about giving my son a head start.

Thankfully, he is so consumed by the super cute characters, voices and sounds, he doesn't even realize he is learning. The app allows children to interact with the game naturally by bringing the entire book/page to life. ANYWHERE the child clicks the book will interact through sounds, words, spelling, and there's dancing and singing. It's just so so so cool! 

Throughout September, FTM&D readers can get a free no-strings-attached FREE 30-day premium trial membership, and get this, all you have to do is UN-click the box at the bottom of the registration form saying you want to try 30-days free. 

I know it sounds crazy, but that's the way the team set up the secret passage for my readers so you wouldn't even have to bother registration or a code.If you have a child who is six and under and learning to read, spell, and type, this app is worth the free download.

To get started with your free premium 30-day trial and be entered into the $50 monthly drawing grab your iPad and download GameBooks here. (iPad only right now)

TAKE THE SURVEY!

The GameBooks team also would love your feedback, if you fill out a short survey you'll also automatically be entered to win a $50 gift card.

Then come back to this post and click the survey link here to give your feedback and get an additional chance to win $50!

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What Happens When Parents Make Apps

There is no doubt, technology has changed the way parents, well, parent.  I always joke about how I have no idea how my mother raised three children without an iPad. Truth be told, I'm glad I don't have to know. Technology is awesome. When used responsibly.

The top grossing iOS Apps for Children aren't traditional games like Candy Crush, but rather educational. Parents have stopped freaking out about screen time and started embracing it. There's a good reason for it too, studies show Educational apps benefit children in multiple ways, including fine and gross motor skill development, hand-eye coordination, problem-solving skills, early education shapes, colors and sound recognition, and the list goes on. 

Something else some of the top apps have in common is they are built by actual parents. Super smart, annoyed or fed up parents, that have the capability to make their life and child's easier by creating an app. I'm not just talking about educational apps either. Parents are evil geniuses and the next apps are proof.

1.  LaLa Lunchbox and LaLa Breakfast: This mom got sick of the lunchbox conundrum and created LaLa Lunchbox. In her own words: "These days I have three school lunchboxes to pack. Meal planning has never been more important or more time and money saving! Thanks to my app, I never have to face uneaten, smelly, unwanted, wasted food. My kids choose their foods in advance using our apps and while they love having a voice in their meals, I retain control over what's available for them to choose at all times." 

2. ReplyASAP: Nick Herbert got so annoyed his son ignored his text messages, he created the app, ReplyASAP, that takes over his son's phone screen until he replies to dear ol' dad's text.

3. Ignore No More: Gotta love the Mom who got so annoyed at her teen daughter for ignoring her calls, she created the app, Ignore No More. The description for the app says, "If your children ignore your repeated calls and text messages to reach them, you simply lock their phones until they call you back. With Ignore No More your child has only two options - he or she can call you back, or call for an emergency responder. No calls to friends, no text, no games, notta' until they call you back. When they do, you can unlock their phone if you choose to do so." How's that for telling your child, If you're not dying, you better answer my damn call!  (NOTE: This App is no longer being maintained. I do not recommend this app for download.)

4. GameBooks: The acclaimed software developer and first-time dad, Nicholas Nadirashvili, was dumbfounded by the fact NONE of his child's educational apps used the QWERTY keyboard, but rather a straight line of buttons in alphabetical order. A, b, c, d... So, he decided to make an app that would teach his son to type before kindergarten. And holyshit did he ever. Except, Nick, didn't stop at a Qwerty typing app.  not. Even. Close. His brainchild app, in addition to utilizing a QWERTY keyboard for lessons, the GameBooks app, teaches his son to read, trace letters, understand word structure and syllables, spell and so much more. This brilliant dad basically made books come to life in the cutest, funniest way possible. It's insane, every single part of the story or "GameBook" is interactive in the coolest way. 

Parents know exactly what their child needs, not some childless software developer trying to jump on the coattails of the zillion dollar family industry. I remember the cutest app I reviewed a few years ago, Dudley Comes Home, like GameBooks, it too was an interactive book app. My son loved it. 

Sadly, even though parents create the best apps, parents don't have the deep pockets the huge app creators have, so they can't advertise and eventually get edged out by the big dogs. Which sucks. 

Next time you are looking for an app, in any child/teen genre, consider giving a small mom and pop app a try. They will appreciate the download, and you might find a killer app for your child!


If you could make an App, what would you make?

NOTE: During the Month of September, GameBooks is offering a Back-to-school free 30-day premium membership, which gives full access to all books and interactive features. Download the Gamebooks App, Here. (Currently only available for iPad download). 

The New, Safe Way To Share + Verify Personal Information Online

 **Today, I am Partnering with Intelez, to talk about Online safety and SAFE information sharing.


You hear the horror stories every day about people being taken advantage of online, having their identity stolen, even online dating sites full of falsified profiles with profile pics showing the best photo taken in the last two decades of the potential mate. 

Then, there's Craigslist, AirBnB and Lift that rely heavily on online interaction and personal information sharing, including; Name, Address, Bank Details, Income. What a leap of faith it is to not only share your private info and bank details, but meet these strangers face-to-face! 

Bottom Line: Anymore, it's hard to weed through the Online BS. So how in the world do we protect ourselves and our children from the web of lies and stolen info?

Three Words: Anonymous Digital ID.

Recently, when a fellow parent and representative for Intelez reached out to let me know how Intelez Passport, a new progressive way to verify minimally necessary information to, is making Online information gathering and sharing MUCH safer, I said tell me more! 

Here's what I learned about the, Intelez Passport, and how it can help protect my family from online fraud and bogus info.

Intelez PASSPORT: There's and App for that!

The Low Down

• readily available (takes 3 minutes to create)
• anonymous (you only share certain attributes, e.g. credit rating; your name is never shared)
• interactive! (you can communicate via passport, gaining both ability to confirm ownership of passport, and to ask for more information)
• you are in control (you decide what to share; share as little as just zip code)
• authenticated (the information Intelez allows you to put into passports comes from trusted sources only)
• temporary (delete passport as soon as your transaction is complete)

How It Can Help You:

• With Intelez, clients use and PROTECT THEIR OWN data. With a standard background check, there is a middle-man company that accumulates data about all, and then sells access to it. NOT INTELEZ!
• Intelez puts clients in CONTROL what data is shared and how. With background checks, this control belongs to the middle-man company and the person who “runs” the background check.
• Intelez enables clients to COMMUNICATE via passports (that is, ANONYMOUSLY). Communication is very useful when there is a complex identification problem at hand – for example, Intelez users can ask “for more data” – anonymously! Also, communication is used to prove ownership, and to provide a risk-free way to talk to each other. Background checks have no such mechanism.
• Intelez can source practically ANY information for as long as it is trusted. For example, Intelez can source data from freelancer.com, allowing freelancers to employ their reputation elsewhere. The list of sources can be expanded quickly and easily, as long as someone tells us they would like to see another website added to our sources. Background checks operate mostly with data that’s open to the public.
• Validation Fairness. We observe a certain lack of balance in the way people get validated – you often see that there are those who require validation and those who look at the validation results. Intelez creates a level of trust in online transactions by providing fair, symmetrical interaction where people can validate EACH OTHER safely and easily. Intelez does exactly that.
• All data is encrypted using the strongest technologies. Background checks are all about “background check company” hoarding someone else data.

HOW IT WORKS:




There is absolutely no doubt in my mind, INTELEZ is ahead of the curve with the Intelez Passport system. The fear of sharing and collecting valid data online is very real. Without systems in place like Intelez, online sharing will continue to be a dangerous game to play with your personal info.

To get more info on how INTELEZ can help you and your family, click here.

Ready to get started using INTELEZ Passport? Click here!

Protect Your Children With This Total Tech Takeover

**Today I'm partnering with the complete parental control app, Boomerang, about ways to protect your children from the wild and wicked world of technology, apps, and video streaming.

There's no way around it, technology is our children's future. So trying to shelter my son from it, or stand over him every second he's on his iPad or my phone, is no way for either of us to live. Thankfully, some super smart parents, with no desire to helicopter parent their children's tech-time, built a solid solution, Boomerang, a parental control app that runs in the background, making sure your child does not use and app or watch something that's not age appropriate.

I can bash technology and the crazy monster it turns my son into when I try to take it away from him, but truth be told, during the cold winter months, my son gets way more tech-time than any other time of the year. It's not only the cure for his cabin fever but also my best shot at any quiet time during the day.

I rationalize the extra tech-time by limiting my son to only, learning apps. Of course, I stay within earshot, so when the kid breaks away from spelling to watch Lego builds on YouTube, I can cut him off at the pass.

Well, now, thanks to Boomerang, I can leave the room knowing my son is restricted to ONLY the apps I've approved. Seriously, this app is fantastic. The first time I downloaded Boomerang and set up Ollie's restrictions, I thought I somehow did something wrong and deleted all of my apps because they were missing. It turns out, Boomerang hid them from him!

The Boomerang app gives me total tech control, so when my son is on my phone, apps he is not to use are hidden. (Finally, my social media accounts are finally safe from him unfriending people, or worse, friending random strangers!

One of my favorite features is the ever important timer! Sometimes I'm not sure who needs the timer more, the kid or me. Both of us can get carried away and before I know it, and hour has passed. Just by looking at my son I can tell he hasn't blinked in twenty minutes. SO BAD!  The timer is key. Plus, it kind of fights the end-of-tech-time-battle for me. 

Boomerang is easy to set-up, and in a way, takes on the tech battle with your child, so you don't have to.  The app even tracks devices, so at all times, you know exactly where your family is. 

I really can't stress it enough, get control of the Tech-monster in your house as early as possible. The sooner boundaries are set up, the less of a struggle you'll have keeping your child from your apps, games, age-inappropriate material and dodgy YouTube videos of dumbasses riding in the bed of a truck through a car wash. Seriously, my son doesn't need any more bright ideas. 

To protect your child(ren) with a total tech takeover, download Boomerang for iOS or Android, then follow the prompts. The app will run in the background at all times, so it sets up in your phone's settings and will ask for control of the device, click Ok, because really, you're the one gaining complete control...

To learn more about the Boomerang app, visit the website, here. 

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Are All Parents Weather Bugs?

**Today, I'm partnering with the Weather Bug App, 

to find out if all parents are weather bugs, or if it's just me.

Ok, I admit, I can't remember much before becoming a parent. What with delivering my brain with my baby and all. Still, I can't remember being so obsessed with the weather forecast prior to parenthood. I would wake up, look outside, and dress accordingly. Now that I'm a parent, I can tell you the temps for the next week, what days there will be rain/snow/sleet/thunderstorms, the UV index, pollen count...

Is this a parent thing? Or is it just me?

It wasn't until recently when I was introduced to a new weather App, Weather Bug, did I realize just how deep my obsession with the weather went. In fact, it might be safe to say, I am a Weather Bug. But's there's a good reason for it; If I don't know what the weather will be like for the next week, how can I plan playdates, picnics at the park or rainy day activities?

I'm here to tell you, it only takes one time getting rained on at the zoo or stuck inside on a rainy day without anything to do, that will teach a parent a valuable lesson in weather-preparedness. At least, it did for me.

How's that for being prepared for anything.

I have THREE weather apps on my phone. Four if you count the one that came with my iPhone. Each specializes in its own thing. Local weather, hurricane reporting, radars, allergy and UV levels... I obsess with it all!

It all goes back to being prepared for my child's needs, which weather plays a big part in. From clothes to playdates, to food and outdoor activities, the weather plays a huge factor in planning. The more I know, the better prepared I can be. You know, like when the rain and wind move in on clear skies in less than an hour, without my weather apps, I would never know!  I even zoom in on the radar to get an idea just how far I can push our park-playdate before the first drops of rain will fall.

Seriously. I can't be the only parent this obsessed with the weather? This has to be a parenting thing!

 Ok. Maybe, I'm a little too obsessed. And for the record, he put the sunglasses on.


I knew my obsession with the weather ran super deep when I was introduced to the Weather Bug App, and flipped out. The App is a perfect combination of all three of my weather apps, but what's more, you can customize the home screen to give only the information you need. When it's hurricane season, I can move that information to my home screen.

I seriously find comfort in knowing what the weather is going to be like for the next five days.

Photo: Screenshots my Weather Bug app.

I freaking love this app!  Definitely worth checking out if, like me, you are a Weather Bug too.

Weather Bug is Available for iOS (It works with my Apple Watch!) and Android. For more info, check out the Weather Bug website, here.

Please tell me I'm not the only parent obsessing?  Please tell me you consult a weather app daily, too.

Say, Happy Mother's Day, On A Global Level

I joke about the best thing about my mother-in-law's is that she's on the other side of the world-- I'm a daughter-in-law, it's my job say those cheeky things, right?--But the truth is, having her on the other side of the world isn't such a great thing. I love her dearly and miss her dearly, especially around birthdays, holidays, and of course, Mother's Day. She's really a remarkable woman. 

As you may know, we just returned from three weeks in Australia, visiting family and friends. On our last day, we had a Mother's Day Brunch. Even though it was three weeks early, we wanted to take her to breakfast. I spent most of the time apologizing for taking her son across the world. I feel horrible about it. 

If we could, my husband, son and I would visit Australia every year, maybe even twice! Unfortunately, financially that's just no feasible.  Not. Even. Close. 

Thankfully, after eight years of working through the challenges of having my husband's family on the other side of the world, we've found ways to make it work. Ways to feel like we are there--celebrating the birthdays, holidays and births, without leaving our house. 

We video call regularly, never missing a chance to sing happy birthday, or watch presents being opened on Christmas morning. Sometimes, we even get to see our presents being opened! Which, is nice since I order most of their gifts directly from Australian shops and websites. The shipping is a fraction of the cost, and sometimes, if the exchange rate is in my favor, the product will be much cheaper than buying in the US, And the flowers are so Beautiful over there. The Birds Of Paradise grow wild and line the expressway in Sydney!

I know you might be thinking I'm crazy to buy from unknown overseas online retailers, but it's OK,  I have Paypal. A.k.a  SUPER-SAFE-SHOPPING! I've been using PayPal for my business and personal needs for five years. I even have a Paypal Debit card. Seriously. Safe. (You get cash back with it too!)

In Fact, the entire time in Australia my husband and I exclusively used our Paypal Debit MasterCard (he has one too!)  for all in-store purchases, hotels, gas, and street vendor market purchases. Never once was I worried about someone stealing my details. Paypal is not directly linked to my back account. 

Sending cash to our Aussie family is easier than ever too, thanks to Xoom! Through the Xoom App, I can send money to over 51 countries, instantly! Eight years ago when my husband and I sent our first international wire transfer through our bank, it cost $50 and took three days. With Xoom, I can transfer gas money to my niece standing at a gas pump in Australia. Seriously. 

If you have a mother you want to celebrate this year and are separated by many miles, definitely consider looking into PayPal and Xoom. Both have changed the way I interact financially with family, friends and clients on a global level.

**Looking for the perfect gift for the special mom in your life? PayPal is offering Mother’s Day shopping deals from merchants like Macy's and Kiehls at PayPal.com/MothersDay...

• 30% off at Pink Blush Maternity 4/24/16 - 5/8/16
• 35% off at Canvasworld 4/24/16 - 5/8/2016
• $35 off $65 at SuperJeweler 4/24/16 - 5/8/16
• $10 off $50 at Bits of Vintage 4/24/16 - 5/8/16
• 25% off plus free 2-day shipping at Land’s End 4/28/16 - 5/8/2016
• Buy one get one free any size jar or tumbler at Yankee Candle 4/28/16 - 5/8/2016
• Buy 3 get 3 free at BodyShop 4/28/2016 - 5/8/2016
• 20% off one item at Sur La Table 4/28/2016 - 5/8/2016
• 25% off Friends and Family Sale at Macy’s Online 4/29/2016 - 5/8/2016
• 2 deluxe samples and 2-day shipping with purchase of $35 at Kiehls 4/30/2016 - 5/8/2016
• 25% off at FTD.com
• 25% off plus free shipping on orders over $59 at Fragrancenet 4/30/2016 - 5/8/2016
• Extra 10% off Mother’s Day favorites plus free shipping when you order 5/5; 5/1/2016 - 5/8/2016
• $50 gift card for $40 at Overstock
• $50 gift card for $40 at Legal Sea Foods
• $50 gift card for $40 at bedandbreakfast.com
• $50 gift card for $40 at Jiffy Lube

or let mom pick her gift at the PayPal Digital Gifts store