The words ‘luxe’ and ‘organic cotton’ seem like a bit of a juxtaposition in general but in the case of these gorgeous sheets from Babu they are totally synonymous. Nix is still waking quite often at night, climbing into our bed and then commandeering the …
I’ve taken a sabbatical from ironing over the past few years. When I didn’t return to my prior job after having Nixon I found that activewear and yoga pants usually fall into that wonderful ‘DO NOT IRON’ category in my wardrobe. Likewise, Dave has been working …
As a mummy of two boys, a mummy blogger that works from home, the wife of an IT Project Manager who also works from home and a self-confessed tech geek, the internet is my jam. It’s both our family’s source of income and one of the ways in which we spend our downtime – connecting on social media, streaming shows and movies on Netflix and gaming (by that I mean chasing Pokemon!).
The internet is so much bigger than that though isn’t it? It’s pretty easy for us to keep a tight reign over what content Nixon consumes as we install all of his age appropriate apps and the only way he can access YouTube is through YouTube Kids, but, our 11 year old is a different story.
Ethan is very much a first-world digital native. He has a hand-me-down smartphone, an ipad, his school chromebook and access to our computers at home. I think you guys know us well enough by now to realise that all of this is very carefully and consciously balanced with plenty of sport and device free feral-boy-time – Ethan should have been raised on a farm, outside is his happy place! Thankfully, at this point, I’m still up to speed with the apps and social networks he’s using online. He doesn’t have a Facebook account but we have allowed him to use Instagram, providing his account stays private and he only accepts friend requests from people he actually knows.
He’s also very much aware that his online presence is a privilege. One of the terms of being allowed on IG was that his account was subject to random spot checks at any time by myself or his Dad. We actively enforce this to keep him on his toes, but guys, you should see the friend requests and DM requests he receives. LOTS of T&A profile pictures, most bordering on soft porn at best ::::::shudder::::::
Cue awkward conversation with my tween.
Not really, I’m exaggerating. If you’ve always had a super-open and trusting verbal relationship with your kids, then discussing boobs on the internet won’t disturb the force too much. If topics like this easily invoke red cheeks on either or both sides of the conversation, well, you have to pony-up anyway and get talking!
I recently switched internet service providers as our previous ISP was driving us crazy with slow speeds and disconnections, and am stoked to have signed on as a Slingshot Brand Partner! Like any Slingshot customer, Family Filter has been added to our account, not that I actually knew what it did.
Before I explain with words, let me show you what it does;
Here’s a Google search I did to test the efficacy of Family Filter;
Ahhhh yes. Google says my internet is porn free! Just what every mother of an 11 year old boy wants to hear right?
Over the years I’ve looked at heaps of browser-addon or stand-alone software filters that were all cumbersome, required extensive set-up and customisation and were SO freaking annoying to use that I ended up uninstalling them or cancelling my subscription. Family Filter is different in that it acts at the network level (at the source of the interwebs coming into your house!), preventing access to inappropriate and dangerous material and R16+ sites containing nudity and porn, hacked or infected sites, sites encouraging suicide and self-harm, drugs, gambling, hacking dark web…………ick. I feel creepy after just typing that list!
So, as you can see in the example above, I typed in what could be a potential search term of interest for a young teen and bam – no results! I love it! Image searches are also filtered for the same terms. The best part is we’ve had no problems with Family Filter blocking sites that we actually do want to visit, which was one of the super annoying features of other net-nanny programmes I’ve tried and passed on.
Family Filter has got to be the easiest online tool ever to access and utilize. There’s a simple on/off toggle on your Slingshot Dashboard. That’s it. It’s also FREE for 12 months and only $5 per month after that.
So obviously I’ve been thinking about the interwebs a LOT lately. I had a chat to Ethan about what kids his age can access, what they feel uncomfortable with and what we can do to improve communication.
Here are his thoughts and also my thoughts on how to counter these experiences;
What do you guys think? I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences below and perhaps we can create a compendium of REAL LIFE experience and recommendations around our kids use of the amazing, wonderful, awesome internet.
I’m so freaking glad I switched providers, I LOVE the Slingshot Family Filter product so much. I give my kids a lot of scope on their devices and I have good reason for it (that’s an entire post in itself!), but I do fret about what they might discover online before they are emotionally able to understand what it is they are seeing.
Please let me know how you guys tackle this in your homes and if you’d like to find out more about Family Filter, visit Slingshot right here.
There’s only one thing better than a great art project and that’s one that lasts for 7 days!!! This one’s all you need mamas; the 7 Day Mural can be customized to use up whatever craft supplies you have on hand, will suit whatever age/stage …
I’m sure I’m not alone in absolutely despairing over my little one’s health this winter. Nixon has been unwell constantly and it’s wearing all of us down. The poor little guy can’t seem to catch a break as his maladies vary week to week …
When I walked in to Specsavers for an eye exam last week, three things immediately hit me;
I’ve had my eyes checked twice in the past 10 years (it’s recommended you have them checked every TWO years fyi!) so was conscious that I’m long sighted, I should be wearing my prescription glasses when I’m reading or working online – so pretty much ALL day long! Have I been wearing my glasses? No. Would I have made my boys wear their glasses if they needed them? Yes.
So my reasons for visiting Specsavers were twofold. I was super keen to see how my vision was doing and it’s also World Glaucoma Awareness Month, about which I knew nothing! Sitting down with optometrist Maheep in the Albany store was the most interesting ‘health’ appointment I’d ever had and got me totally on board with spreading the word about the devastating and irreversible effects of glaucoma on vision.
After some preliminary tests (including one very strange one where air was puffed at my eyeballs!) I had a big chat with Maheep and got the scoop on why we ALL need to be glaucoma savvy.
Maheep dubbed glaucoma the “silent killer of vision” – how scary is that!
I’m not generally very ‘proactive’ about my own health (though I definitely kid myself on this one lol), but I now feel like I’ve got a good handle on protecting my vision and that of my family’s. Once you know about glaucoma and the HUGE risk associated with it, you can’t unknow it. It’s not complicated, prevention just requires a biannual appointment to track any changes in your eyes.
Too easy!
So, the fun part of any eye exam is picking out frames! I’m fairly decisive and know what I like so was able to make some quick decisions but I can imagine this process taking ages for some people as the range at Specsavers is so huge!
Here’s what I picked out;
For my standard prescription I chose a rectangle frame from Tommy Hilfiger – clean lines with a preppy, nautical vibe. Shop them here
So excited about these, I’ve never had prescription sunglasses before. I chose a classic black Collette Dinnigan Frame with lace detail on the arms. Shop them here
Competition closes Sunday 24 July, NZ residents only. Thanks so much Specsavers for sponsoring this post and spreading the word about Glaucoma!
As a child I was a reader of epic proportions, one of those kids that parents and teachers love as I always had a book in my hand, never, EVER leaving home without one! We all have our favourite authors and genres but I’m fairly …
School holidays kick off here in New Zealand next week and I like to be organised and have a pretty clear plan of what we’re going to do or where we’re going to go each day. This helps me get organised and also (hopefully) avoid …
This will probably come as no surprise to many/most of you, but alternative/natural therapies such as the use of essential oils and I generally aren’t bff’s. I’m a hard-out science, evidence based consumer of Big Drug Company Medicine. Lead me to the chemist and show me a box of Codral and I’ll pop open those foil packets and happily get on with my day!
But, I’m also not naive – I’m totally open to trying new things and experimenting with natural products that have helped so many people I know.
So, I’ve been road-testing three of the more well known and easily accessible Essential Oil variants and have found multiple ways to incorporate them into our family’s daily routines with (surprising? – to me lol) benefits.
As I’m writing this I’m also tucked up in bed, man-flu-ing hard out – with a raging head cold. I feel like my head is actually filled with solid concrete. When I first lit my oil diffuser and added a few drops of Eucalyptus oil to the water I couldn’t smell it at all (despite the fact that Dave rushed in exclaiming ‘What are you cleaning? You’re supposed to be resting?!). Now, my sinuses have cleared enough to enjoy the super fresh scent of the Eucalyptus oil. I’ve also dabbed some undiluted oil onto the neckline of my jammies to help keep me breathing easy.
The easiest and probably most effective use I’ve discovered so far, is dabbing undiluted Eucalyptus in the bottom of our interior rubbish bins and letting it dry before popping bags in. Gone are yucky smells and instead of odour, I now get a fresh burst of Eucalyptus every time I open our kitchen pedal bin. I’m also doing the same with Ethan and Dave’s rugby gear bags – SUCH an improvement!
I’ve documented the troubles we are having with Nix during the night quite extensively, so the first job on my Lavender Hitlist was trying it out as a sleep aid.
I’ve been rubbing it on the soles of his feet and dabbing some around the neck of his pajamas before bedtime which does double duty as it helps calm him down and simply be ‘still’ before we begin our nighttime rituals of reading books and talking through our day. Adding a ‘scent’ as a cue that it’s bedtime is genius as kids can tune out verbal cues in a second if they want to. I’m stoked at the definite calming effect lavender has on Nixon, he is settling to sleep much faster and he is sleeping longer – not waking up at 4.40am is a MASSIVELY positive endorsement if you ask me!
There are a couple of other ways I’ve been using the Lavender Oil:
Ok, this oil has fast become indispensable around our house!
Dave and I both run multiple times each week and Ethan and Dave have rugby training and games 4 days a week, which results in loads and loads of stinky, smelly workout clothes to wash each week. When added to your washing machine cycle, the antimicrobial properties of Tea Tree Oil help kill odour causing bacteria and leaves clothes smelling amazing – even those gross synthetic running shirts!
We are also trialing By Nature Tea Tree Oil as a spray cleaner by adding 10 drops to a spray bottle containing ½ cup white vinegar and 3 cups of water. I’ve been using it on our benchtops in the kitchen and am loving that we’ve been able to remove chemical cleaners from our food prep area. (Just make sure you research safe ratios first, as Tea Tree can be toxic to pets and humans if taken orally undiluted).
There are some big name Essential Oil brands that are now available worldwide through multi-level marketing companies ::shudder:: such as doTerra, but I’m stoked that my first foray into Essential Oils has been with products that are made in New Zealand and are available from stores I shop in all the time (ALL THE TIME lol) like The Warehouse.
By Nature have recently released their own NZ made range of Essential Oils to complement their simple, honest and uncomplicated skincare range that is available in supermarkets and from The Warehouse nationwide.
By Nature Lavender, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus Essential Oils are 100% pure, natural oils and of the highest quality, contain no nasty chemicals, no parabens, are not tested on animals and are made in New Zealand which makes them amazing value at only $5.99 each!
Competition closes 17/7/16, NZ residents only. Thanks so much to By Nature for these gorgeous oils and for sponsoring this post – I now love using them at home!