Social Media and Tech Savvy Kids: Can You Catch Up?

Now, I love the internet and my social media sites, they are not ALL bad if they are used in the right ways.
The growth of the internet has opened the world to so many opportunities for learning, education and connection. As a homeschool family we use the internet daily for learning and education, but we also know that being online can be a huge time waster if we don't watch out.
As a mom I have tried my best to keep up with the latest technology and social media sites that my children might be visiting. All three of my kids are tech savvy and have a passion for being online.
I realized that I must stay at the same level with them and educate myself about all the possible social media sites out there. This includes knowing what apps are on their phones and what sites are visited via their laptops.

How technology and socially savvy are your kids? How close do you watch their activity on social media sites? You may think you are a media smart parent, but even the smartest of parents may not know just what those kids are up too. Letting your guard down even for a little while can have dire consequences.

Long gone are the days that we worried about our kids sneaking out and meeting others down the street in the middle of the night. Today they can be talking to anyone, anywhere in the world, right in their bedroom via their cell phone. With the advancements in technology our smartphones have almost gotten too smart. Webcams, cameras, gps tracking devices and many different apps can tell a child predator exactly where your child is and just how to lure them out and away from the safety of your home.

Case in point 13 year old Nicole Lovell, a middle school student who was killed by 2 college students just recently after being lured by one of them via the social media app named "KiK". Apparently the 13 year old was social media savvy and a victim of bullying, the college student took advantage of that and used it against her for his own selflessness. Such a beautiful young life gone.....

Story here http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/02/us/virginia-tech-students-arrested-girl-killed/

Middle schooler "Nicole Lovell" age 13 stabbed to death

Do you regularly check your children's phones? laptops, tablets etc? why not? Do you ask them what they are doing? Do you discuss the risks of posting online photos, tweets or posts that might not be smart or might harm someone else?

Parental controls can also be a tool to use for parents, many cell phone and internet providers have this. Control when and how your kids are accessing the internet. No cell phones at bedtime, it is proven to affect their sleep. 

Educate yourself on all the latest social media sites, apps and language that is used in text messaging. You are the parent, you pay the bills remember that. 

Tomorrow we will explore more of those social media and smart phone apps that you might need to know about.....stay tuned

Quote of the day: Planting Seeds

 

I love this quote that always reminds me of the little things in life that plant seeds of hope and inspiration in the hearts of others . Don't ever think something so small as a friendly smile, opening a door, or complimenting someone goes unnoticed. Simple things in our life add up to much larger things to others. You might just be the ray of hope that another person needs to get through a difficult time.

 

 

Quote Of The Day: Autumn's Flower~~

Remember to bloom this week where you are planted:) ~~

 

Quote Of The Day: Momentum #quotes

I always love those people who spend more time complaining about topics or situations than producing solutions to the problems. If you are going to waste the energy complaining, why not come up with solutions instead. Move on in a positive light~~ Momentum is a forward motion, not a backwards approach in my opinion.

 

 

Quote Of The Day: Change.....

How changeable are you? How adaptable are you? Being flexible and understanding in the world today goes a long way.

 

I is for Inspiring... #atozchallenge

How Inspiring to others are you?

As a homeschooling mom that may or may not be a difficult question to answer. You are more inspiring than you think. I once thought that there was nothing inspirational about my life, as a young woman I will admit that my self esteem was low and I thought more of what others thought about me instead. Growing in Christ has helped me to overcome thru many trials and tribulations. Having a strong faith has kept me well planted in Gods word when times have been rough or almost impossible for me to bear. He has taught me that there is nothing I can not do without Him by my side. As the Bible promises, He will not put more on you than you can bear without his help.

Inspiring others is one thing I have learned to do with Gods help, he leads me to those he feels need a smile, that special touch of a nurses hand, or an inspiring blog post here or my other blogs. There is not a weekend that goes by that I don't work my busy weekender shift in the ER and someone comes across my path I know God has put there. It might be a patient that needs to talk or a family member who is scared.

How can you inspire others? First ask for God's guidance, pray about it. He will lead your path.

You are already inspiring your family, being a parent is an inspiration itself. Smile at others you meet, you never know what another person's walk is in life. Do what you do best, whether it be cooking, writing, crafting or talking, use those tools you have to help and inspire others.

Be an inspiration and pass it on, be contagious ....

Enjoy these Inspiring and Lifting Words! I love these.

Have a fabulous day!

Beauty of Homeschooling #atozchallenge

B is for Beauty

Homeschooling for our family has brought us so much closer together. The beauty of homeschooling for our family is that we can spend precious time together, time that will one day be no more. Yes we started out with the traditional school model, but found that it was just not for us. Staying home was a decision that came  easily, with prayer and guidance from above. Some of the most Beautiful things have experienced in the last 7 years of homeschooling are:

• Sleeping later
• Schooling in bed/pj's
• Saving money on gas
• School with your pets
• Knowing exactly what our children are learning
• Seeing the light bulb go off in your child eyes when they finally understand something
• Teaching your children to read and write (and other basics you know they need)
• Learning is not based on a end of grade test
• Spending time with ill grandparents for weeks at a time
• Being there when grandfather was in hospice for cancer and his last days here on earth
• Vacations, day trips, field trips on your schedule 
• Schooling when it snows and during the summer if you choose
• Taking time off when we want too
• Knowing exactly what your kids are eating (because you are fixing it)
• Deep discussions about life issues 
• Learning life skills they can actually use
• Able to move forward in a grade is learned and child is ready
• Learning is on the child's schedule not a schools
• Experiencing each season as it changes and doing school outside
• So many wonderful life experiences shared, it is hard to list them all.....

Our homeschooling kiddos have grown so much over the last several years, it has been a beautiful journey that is only just begun.

Photo A Day Jan. 2013 (challenge)

Join us on Instagram for some fun photo sharing with the bloggers at 7onaShoeString and DaysofaDomesticDad.com , use the hashtag #7SDDPhotoADay on each photo to tag your daily photo's and lets learn more about each other! So much fun!  Follow me on Instagram as @Blockmomnc and I will follow back. I love sharing pictures of my life and my family as we learn and grow daily here at home. Plus the antics of some spoiled rotten animals that think that they are people too.
I will try to post the entire month of photos here on this blog at the end of January. I challenge you to come along and join in the photo a day Instagram fun!

Dressing Up for Family Fun~

Halloween evening has always been a family fun time for our family and this year again enjoyed watching our children dress up in costume and head out to "Trick or Treat". Our oldest is 18 now, so he is the bodyguard for his younger sisters, who look in this picture like they don't need much help in the protection department.
Middle daughter wanted to be a "prisoner", we kept calling her the "Jail Bird" and she got lots of attention and photos taken of her cute outfit. My diva decided to be a ninja this year, "The Red Ninja", but of course this ninja wore makeup and hair glitter! We hit the nearby church "trunk or treats" and loaded up then headed to our local park where another church was having a fall festival event. They played a few games, we  all had hot dogs, chips, cookies and drinks , then headed back home to check the "loot". They had 2 bags full of candy, enough for all, even mommy and daddy......lol