Tech Savvy Update

So Google received my plea to look into the site that has been scraping my content.  They kindly took down one of the posts with pictures featuring Little Miss Techie and Captain Computer.  1 more post containing pictures of them is still up along with 10 other posts that were blatantly stolen.  

For those of  you who have e-mailed, commented, Tweeted...Thank you!  I know some of you are wondering how I knew my content was being reposted elsewhere.  I promise to write a post about it after this is all resolved.

In other news, tomorrow is Little Miss Techie's first day of kindergarten.  I can't wait to hear all about her day over a special dinner with just her, me, and Tech Savvy Daddy.  It will be super special since Captain Computer is going to Camp Grandma and Grandpa for a few days.  We haven't had time just the 3 of us since before Captain Computer was born.

New Leapfrog Community & Tag Book Giveaway!

Are you a fan of Leapfrog’s products like we are?

Then you might want to check out their amazing new community site that features blogs and forums with product reviews coming soon. I’m part of the Leapfrog community and blog as part of the Leapfrog Teacher TAGvocates. My newest post is all about Traveling with our Tag.

In honor of Little Miss Techie starting kindergarten on Monday, I’m giving away a new copy of Dora Goes to School ($13.99) for my back to school Tag book giveaway. In this book, Dora and her friends have to help Maestra Beatriz get to school before the bell ring. This is the perfect book for any Dora loving child about to start school to use with their Tag since the fun learning activities help kids ages 4-6 build their vocabulary while working on reading comprehension skills.

Enter to win by creating an account the Leapfrog community and then leaving a comment that includes your e-mail address on my Traveling with Tag post! Please note that if you already sign in to Leapfrog’s Learning Path to connect your devices, you can use that login to leave a comment!

If Dora isn't your kids' cup of tea and you are looking to add other books or devices to your Leapfrog collection, you can get free shipping on orders of $39.99 or more from Leapfrog.com. The Let's Go to School DVD also ships free!

In exchange for writing for Leapfrog’s Teacher Tagvocates, I get to preview new products and books. I was not compensated for sharing the new Leapfrog Community or promotional offers with you. Leapfrog provided this book for a giveaway.

Please be aware that if you are not reading this post on TechSavvyMama.com, TechSavvyMama.blogspot.com, or through a feed that this content has been stolen.  Stealing published content online is wrong!

To the Site Stealing My Content

If you are not reading this content on Tech Savvy Mama, be aware that it has been stolen and placed on this site without my permission

Thanks to Google Alerts I know what you have been doing.  I know that you have stolen ALL of my August content and run the entire text of each of my posts through an automated script to find and replace some of my words with other similar words that make no sense.  

You have stolen my images, especially photographs of my children which were never to be reproduced.  

You have violated the copyright of this site.

I hope that you steal this post and others who see your sham of a site read this and know that you have taken my content and my pictures of my children and reposted them on your site without my permission.  Did you notice the copyright that appears on every single one of the posts of mine that you stole?  It was there for a reason!

I refuse to post the link to your site because I do not want to drive traffic to your site.  I refuse to validate your work with traffic from my readers.

Please be aware that I have reported you to Google and I hope that they find you soon and take down the content that you have stolen from me and countless others.

Copyright is not a joke.  This content is mine.  Not yours.  

Don't steal.  Not from me.  Not from anyone.

To my loyal readers...My apologies!  I just discovered this and am livid.  Real content again on Friday and with a giveaway!

Website of the Week: Discover the Forest

Discover the Forest

How did you spend your summer? We spent most of it outside between trips to the park, day camp, and regular visits to the pool.

With school starting, kids will be spending more time indoors than out. Our school system has many merits but I am concerned that Little Miss Techie’s time for outdoor physical activity at school is quite limited. Preschool’s extended play in any kind of weather and weekly walks will be replaced by PE class that meets once or twice a week and a half hour recess.

As a parent and a teacher, I believe that time outside is necessary to the development of the whole child. Kids need time outside to run, stretch, and get the wiggles out regardless of how old they are. To make up for the lack out outside time at school, we'll continue to hoof it to our neighborhood park, hit the trails for some fall weekend hikes, and do some backyard exploration.



One resource that I plan on using is the Discover the Forest site to explore different parks in the DC Metro area. Created by the US Forest Service and the Ad Council as part of their “Where the Other You Lives” campaign, Discover the Forest helps families find local parks and will help us locate other area parks that we haven't been to yet.



Discover the Forest is gorgeous and a pleasure to use. It's simple interface makes it easy to find what you are looking for quickly. Start by clicking on the Where to Go tab at the top right of the screen. This link takes you to a map where you can enter zip code or city and state to help you locate parks on a Google Map within the site. Click on a park location to get the address, phone number, website, and a brief description.

Next to Where to Go, is the What to Do tab. What to Do helps provide ideas on what to do on an outdoor adventure such as leaf rubs, tracking animals, learning to use a compass. You can also print The Book of Stuff to Do Outside for additional ideas for your child's outdoor education.



The site is part of a public service announcement campaign to encourage tweens to get outside and re-connect nature by experiencing it first hand. According to the Ad Council, the amount of time U.S. children spend outdoors has declined 50% in the past 20 years, according to the Ad Council.

It's so important that our kids learn about, understand and spend time in nature. With a healthy and curious relationship with the world around them, our children are more likely to feel responsible for its well-being.

You can obtain additional materials for your budding naturalists and conservationists from the Why tab in the upper right corner of the screen. There are resources to teach children about being smart in nature, being good to nature, and be safe in nature.

I was not compensated for writing about the Where the Other You Lives campaign or the Discover the Forest site. It is simply a fabulous resource that I hope you find helpful for your outdoor adventures.

Blogalicious! Are You Going?

Are you going to Blogalicious? If not, you should register now!

Blogalicious is described as the “social gathering for women bloggers of color” but is for all women bloggers to come together (not just mommy bloggers!), celebrate diversity, and a love of blogging in W in Atlanta from October 9-11. The conference is the brainchild of the brilliant women of the Mama Law Media Group- Justice Ny, Justice Jonesie, and Justice Fergie.

The Justices have assembled an amazing agenda with a tremendous speaker panel of incredible bloggers like Kim Moldofsky, Devra Renner, Stefania Pomponi-Butler, M.J. Tam, Kelly Wickham, Heather Barmore and yours truly!

I'll be there speaking about Taking Your Blog to the Next Level with Angela Benton from Black Web 2.0, Shynea Hunter the Penny Pinching Diva, and Corvida Raven of She Geeks. So if you have registered, come on by!

And if the Lush party at BlogHer was any indication of the kind of parties that we can expect at Blogalicious, I am certainly looking forward to the cocktail reception, afterparties, Sweet Suite, and girls’ night out!

And if you need a ride, Blogalicious has that covered! They just announced that Chevy & OnStar are their Exclusive Automotive Sponsors and will be offering Blog & Ride carpools for registered bloggers in your city to ride in style to Blogalicious! For more information, check out the Ride & Blog Carpool forum on Blogalicious' Big Tent to organize your group.

If you were like me and jumped on a cheap airfare, not to worry! Chevy & OnStar have also offered to transport all attendees to the Girls’ Night Out. So go ahead and pack those super fly stilettos you were thinking about wearing!

Don't you want to be at Blogalicious?

Then don’t wait to register! There are only 40 spots left and registration closes on September 10! See you in Atlanta!

DC Metro readers- Are you interested in a Blogalicious meetup? Everyone is invited to a little pre-conferene soiree that I'm planning. Leave a comment to get the 411!

Pop Quiz: Netbook vs. Notebook?

What’s the difference between a netbook and a notebook?

Perhaps you have been wondering but are too embarrassed to ask. After all, they are everywhere and it seems like everyone in the world can tell the difference.

But apparently there isn’t one. At least not anymore.

CNET tells us why it is Time to Drop the Netbook Label on CNN.com

New Blog Bling!

SmartyCard just launched a new affiliate ad program and made me a customized button for my site!

If you are a blogger who likes SmartyCard and are interested in spreading the word by joining their affiliate program, you can read about it and sign up for it here if you'd like to opportunity to share their innovative site with other parents and the chance to earn some money.

Am I sharing this because I get a referral bonus when my bloggy friends sign up? Absolutely not.

Will I make any money from this? Your guess is as good as mine!

As a publisher, I've been a part of other affiliate ad programs in the past and know how difficult it can be to find good ones. My affiliate earnings so far total $10 in an Amazon credit because my family members use the search box on my site when making purchases. Those other graphic ads you see? They are part of ad networks that haven't paid beans but that's ok. I came to realize a long time ago that this site is more about being a resource and giving me a way to share my knowledge about good technology for kids than making money. That's why I have a day job.

So if you blog and if you like SmartyCard, you may be interested in checking out their new affiliate program. Or not. And that’s ok.

I hope by posting this I may be helping a blogger find an affiliate program that works for them and that a parent of a reluctant tween learner may find that SmartyCard works for their family. That’s all.

Honesty clause: As many of you know, I've been working with SmartyCard since before they launched in March. They paid my BlogHer conference registration and their affiliate ad program does allow me the potential to earn money for every parent who signs up for their service but I was not paid anything for writing this post. I'm super excited about my customized blog bling but honestly wouldn't be writing about SmartyCard or sharing their affiliate ad program with you if it weren't something I would use with my own children or recommend for the students I teach.

PBS Parents Helps Parents Cope With Back to School Anxiety

Little Miss Techie will head off to kindergarten in just 13 days. I’m waiting for the anxiety, nervousness, and apprehension to set in but so far she seems fine. We’ve bought our school supplies, packed our school box, and have our backpack ready to go. School could start tomorrow and I swear she would skip off to meet her new friends without looking back.

Like many of my friends, I am in disbelief that my little girl is going to kindergarten already. I’m excited but nervous for her. I lie awake wondering what school will be like. The mom in me wonders if she will she know anyone in her class, if she’ll make friends on the first day, and if the day will be too long. The teacher in me wants her to be challenged while enjoying school.

If you are suffering from more back to school anxiety than your children, click on over to PBS Parents. This month PBS Parents’ Expert Q&A features Devra Renner and Aviva Pflock, parenting experts who share their wisdom through their Parentopia site and book titled Mommy Guilt. If you having nightmares or can’t sleep because you are lying awake worrying about your child’s first day of school or having, read Devra and Aviva’s sage advice in The Start of School Can Be a Nightmare about how to deal with common parent fears about the start of school.

Luckily Devra is a fellow DC Metro Mom who made the mistake of giving me her phone number. I might just have to call her for some more advice in the next 13 days!

While you are over on PBS Parents, you may want to take a look at education tab for other articles about starting school including:

• Before School Starts
• The First Days of School
• Settling In
• Parents’ Separation Pangs
• Stage-by-Stage Tips (for preschool through fifth grade)

PBS did not compensate me to share these back to school resources. As a parent of a soon-to-be kindergartener and a teacher who has seen her fair share of separation anxiety, I'm happy to share resources and tissues. Lots of tissues.

Lands' End Ultimate Back-to-School Twitter Party

Summer is almost over and its time for back to school! This year Little Miss Techie will start kindergarten for Little Miss Techie and Captain Computer is quite excited about going to preschool. Back to school means getting back into the school routine of packing lunches, laying out clothes the night before, and going to bed and getting up lots earlier!

If the thought of back-to-school shopping or just getting back into the school routine makes you feel overwhelmed, don’t worry! Lands’ End is offering up their expertise and a chance to win major must-haves at their Ultimate Back-To-School Twitter Party!


Lands' End hosts will be available to answer back-to-school shopping questions and the party will feature more than 20 product giveaways from co-hosts, 5minutesformom.com.

Get out the calendar and make a date with your computer to be at the Lands’ End Twitter party on Thursday, August 20th 
from 8:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. EST. Hashtag: #landsend

Save the date and log-on to Twitter for an evening of shopping tips, socializing and great giveaways!

Not on Twitter yet? Now is a great time to start! With all of the giveaways, who knows what you might pick up for back to school! I’m hoping for some more No-Iron Shirts (because who has time to iron!) or maybe the SunShower Swing Coat since fall it on its way!

Tech Savvy Mama Travel Picks (with giveaway!)

Our family is no stranger to traveling. Tech Savvy Daddy goes on tons of business trips and as a family, we have made countless cross-country trips with Little Miss Techie and Captain Computer to visit grandparents in California, trips to Hawaii, and beyond. Even though summer seems to be winding down, I wanted to share some old favorites and new finds that seem to make traveling so much easier. Some of these may also be good choices for back to school!

Timbuk2 Messenger Style Laptop Bags- I love my Timbuk2 for so many reasons. It’s tough exterior is made of the highest quality ballistic fabric that can withstand anything, its design features an incredible array of pockets to keep all of my devices (and pens, business cards, papers, water, etc.) in their places, a super plush corduroy lined compartment for my laptop, and a rubberized waterproof bottom so the contents of my bag will never get wet even if I drop it in a puddle.

My Timbuk2 is basic-go-with-everything fashionista black but you can choose among color combos designed for the style of bag you choose, specialty bags (like this one wrapped in a San Francisco street map) or get fancy and build your own customized bag. Select the size (small, medium or large), colors and fabrics, customize the liner, insert, logo, and if you wear your bag on your right or left side and Timbuk2 will build your bag! My sister-in-law has an amazing magenta wool bag that I totally covet and while at Yahoo! I spotted their just-in super purple bags with the Yahoo logo. Apparently they had extra pockets added. Swoon!

For frequent travelers, check out the TSA friendly updated bags with their a “clever laptop compartment” that “unzips to lay flat so you don’t remove your laptop at airport security.” Genius! Just another reason why I love Timbuk2 and would happily spend my own money on their stuff any day.


Lands’ End Eco-Friendly Backpack ($49.50)- If you prefer distributing the weight of your laptop on both shoulders, then the brand new Lands End Eco-Friendly Backpack is for you. Despite recently getting my backpack at BlogHer, it has traveled from Chicago to San Francisco to DC and has passed my rigorous backpack test. Built with 100% recycled fabric made from discarded plastic drinking bottles, this backpack is super tough, has 3 zippered pockets to keep small, medium, and large items in their places as recommended by organizational guru Peter Walsh, a well padded laptop sleeve that fits a 15” laptop, plenty of pockets to keep even the most Type A organized, and comfortable straps that won’t dig into your shoulders even with the heaviest of loads. Some backpacks make it tricky to extract your laptop when you finally reach the x-ray machine in the security line but the design of this bag makes it easy even if you pack it full like I did on the way from San Francisco to DC. This is definitely my new favorite backpack and kicks my old one to the curb. Like all Lands’ End products, this also comes with a money back guarantee. Get $5-10 off select backpacks and lunchboxes until Tuesday, August 18. The Eco Friendly Backpack is currently $10 off and on sale for $39.50!

And while you are on the Lands' End site, check out their Packland Fantasy Backpack Creator. Choose from 4 themes and create the backpack of your dreams by clicking around and adding fun features. Here's the backpack that Little Miss Techie wishes she could carry on board each flight or to kindergarten!



Water Bottles- I’ll admit it. I’m cheap and refuse to pay for an overpriced bottle of water post-security. These days every member of our family travels with their own water bottles that we fill from the airport drinking fountains once we get through security. The kids have their aluminum bottles in fun prints from Cattiwampus ($10 each but get 20% off storewide with code BACK2009) while Tech Savvy Daddy and I like our BPA free bottles like the Thermos’ 24 oz Intak ($11) or Nalgene’s 24 oz OTG Everyday ($11) because they are BPA free, leakproof, and have flip top lids. Apparently we aren’t the only ones who like Intak and OTG. Good Housekeeping Research Institute recently tested 32 reusable BPA free bottles to determine the best spill proof, easy to use, durable, stylish, and easy to clean ones and ranked Intak and OTG among the Best Reusable Water Bottles. The pictured Thermos Intak was given to me for participating in the BlogHer 5K and was well deserved for waking up at 6:30 am! All other bottles were purchased.

Headphones- Our choice for noise cancelling headphones are the Sony NC-60s($199). Even though Sony sent them to me to try, Tech Savvy Daddy has developed quite a liking for them and I can see why. The NC-60s are super plush with tons of cushion to completely encase your ears and filter out background noise so much so that you may not even hear your own children during a flight. You decide whether this is good or bad!

For the kids, we like Sharebuds MX Twin Stereo Earphones ($39.95). We just got a set to test out before our trip to California and found that the two pairs of earphones and one jack made it easier for both kids to watch the same movie, use a single Leapfrog Tag, or share an iPod without the hassle of a splitter. If you don’t like the tangle of headphones, then you may prefer the retractable ShareBuds ($49.95). Order them from the ShareBuds site and get free shipping.


Giveaway time! What did you take with you this summer that is a travel essential? Leave a comment telling me one of your travel favorites and enter to win a set of Sharebuds MX Twin Stereo Earphones for your next flight! Don't forget to include your e-mail address so I can contact you when you win!

Tweet for an extra entry and come back to leave a separate comment. @techsavvymama has posted her travel picks based on extensive summer travel! Read and win Sharebuds! http://www.techsavvymama.com

All comments must be received by Wednesday, August 26 at Midnight. Winner will be contacted via e-mail.

Can Games Be Teachers? Tech Savvy Mama Says Yes!

"Can educational games offer quality learning time disguised as fun?"

That’s the key question that Nicole Tanner from What They Play posed to me.

In her article, Games as Teachers, you can read my thoughts about what qualities software should have in order to be considered educational, if those characters from favorite shows are helpful or detrimental, how you can determine what games will provide good learning experiences for your child, and trusted educational software publishers.

To read the full article, click here!

Websites of the Week: Hide the Cheese & Andrea's Recipes

What do I do when I’m not in front of the computer? I've always loved to cook but recently I've developed a love of gardening, especially tending to our home garden.

These days happiness is having a fridge full of food from our garden supplemented by our local farmers’ markets. Last year we were constantly frustrated by deer who invaded our yard and munched on flowers and our vegetable garden. This year, with a reinforced deer fence and some serious rototilling of manure and compost into our soil, our hard work has paid off. Broccoli, onions, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, basil, cilantro, and parsley have flourished, providing a plentiful harvest only steps from our back door.

I have a binder full of favorite recipes but I’m always looking for new things to try that will showcase the food that we have grown, selected from the farmers’ market, or picked at local farms.

Here are two of my favorite cooking sites by fellow DC area moms that I always turn to in order to find recipes that showcase seasonal produce. Their sites feature easy to follow recipes and the gorgeous drool worthy pictures are definitely a bonus!

Hide the Cheese- Hide the Cheese started this spring when Margy, a mom of 3, decided to “honor the spirit of the family table by sharing recipes that help us connect as a family, either because they are recipes that our children enjoy or can help create.” Ever since I got Margy’s e-mail about her first recipes on her site, I’ve loved seeing the many wonderful pictures of her children cooking and enjoying her food and hearing about the progress of their family’s garden at her sister’s winery, Black Ankle Vineyards. I sometimes run into Margy, or husband, Gabe, at our local farmer’s markets and it is fun to see what they make out of their farmers’ market finds. Some of my favorites include Blueberry Birthday Pie and the deliciously hearty Potato Leek Soup Margy’s husband, Gabe, made for us when Captain Computer was hospitalized this winter. Huge congratulations to Margy and sister, Sarah, whose recipe for Grilled Grape Leaves Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Pine Nuts, and Rosemary was selected for Maryland Govenor O’Malley’s Buy Local Cookout.

Andrea’s Recipes- Fellow DC Metro Mom, Andrea, is idol worthy in my book. She has an amazing garden that supplies her with ingredients for her Grow Your Own challenge, regularly participates in the Daring Bakers Challenge, and her website is a fabulous resource. Her impressive archive that makes it easy to find delicious ways to use the produce surplus haunting your garden. Andrea’s recipe for tabbouleh is one of my favorites and I’m in love her delicious Herbed Goat Cheese recipe as an easy way to use my garden’s herbs and tomatoes. I also enjoy reading her fabulous review site, Andrea’s Reviews, for Cook’s Illustrated-like honest reviews of new cookbooks, food stuffs, and kitchen gear. I missed Andrea at BlogHer this year (last year we did an early morning yoga session together!) but I’m looking forward to her report from BlogHer Food in San Francisco and secretly wish she could stuff me in her bag!


Now I have a date with Little Miss Techie and Captain Computer to make a recipe of our neighbor’s Summer Peach Buckle that is just perfect for the bounty of peaches from this weekend’s farmers’ market!

Pictures from top: Captain Computer's new wheelbarrow finds a new use for our tomato harvest, Captain Computer's proudly displays a basket of peas, Little Miss Techie shows off her broccoli, our basil plants, and Captain Computer admiring our cucumbers.

Clean Sweep’s Peter Walsh Says Back to School Organization is Important for Child AND Family

It’s back to school time again! Suddenly it seems like the summer that was just beginning is now over. There are back to school sales at every turn, PTA members on the hunt for fresh blood for volunteering tasks, and the supply list that came in the back to school packet in today’s mail.

Before I head back to school as a Technology Magnet Coordinator, the final weeks of summer is my chance to get organized. Purge the house, get back into a routine, and organize myself to be as efficient as possible as Little Miss Techie head to kindergarten and Captain Computer begins his 3 day a week preschool program.

My overwhelming desire for organization and routines is due in part to being a teacher. I know that children crave routines and rely on them in order to be successful in school but I was quite impressed to hear Peter Walsh, professional organizer, author, and star of TLC’s Clean Sweep, reiterate the need for organization and routines in a webcast he did in conjunction with Office Max and featuring fabulous blogger, friend, mom, and fellow Being Savvy City Editor Ana (aka Bonggamom). During the webcast, Walsh worked with Ana, award winning teacher Heather Wolpert- Gawron, and two students of different ages to provide realistic organizational tips for home and school.

Before school starts, Walsh urged viewed to examine their living space to ensure that the organization we expect for our kids is reflected in our home. Getting organized involves the entire family. Walsh encourages parents to declutter the home by looking around to see what you have before you even head out shopping for new supplies. Sorting out pencils, paper, glue, files, etc. will curb excess purchases and help to save money.

Other tips include:

• Making organization a family value. If you value organization, your kids will too.
• Establishing clear limits and routines to develop security and routines around the ebb and flow of day
• Always “finish the cycle” by completing the task. For example, when you open a jar, close it. Or when you start a project, be sure to finish it.

Walsh said that even having the youngest children help create organizational systems within the home helps to maintain order and teach long term organizational skills. For example, have your child select a single color for items like their backpack, lunch box, and school supplies. Doing so will help parents know which items belong to which child. Also, having a single place for incoming and outgoing homework, papers, books, etc. helps to ensure that items get returned in a timely manner and not stuck at the bottom of a backpack.

Having an organized home helps kids complete homework more easily if they know where to find supplies and have a flat surface to work on. Walsh offered the following tips:

• Flat surfaces are important. Find the vision you have for a space…Think about what you want from the space, make it happen. Cluttered desks make it hard to get things accomplished and create stress.
• Use the right tools for great organization. For example, something simple like a pencil cup on a desk will help kids know where to find supplies. A desktop sorter, expanding folder, and color files can assist in keeping school supplies in one place. Walsh also talked about how to use a backpack by putting books in the biggest part, lunch in the medium size compartment, and stashing items like a cell phone and pens in the smallest parts.
  
• Make organization a family value. If you value organization, your kids will do the same. Make a point of having your kids take things out of their backpacks when they come home and get in the practice of laying clothes out the night before.
• Teach children to use a calendar. Even the youngest children can use a simple one week calendar to teach them the concept of time and the idea of schedules. Older children can use Google calendar and be assigned a certain color for all of their extra curricular activities and take charge of adding items to a family calendar.

Establishing and following routines at home may seem be easier than at school when kids are away but teachers go to great lengths to create routines and order in their classrooms from the minute school begins. From the classroom library, routines for handing in work, to the flow of the day…the classroom is the most organized learning environment there is!

When asked by Walsh about how teachers help kids organized, teacher expert Heather said that parents can help maintaining the routines that are set in the classroom by going to back to school night. Back to school night is an opportunity to connect with the teacher to begin communication that is needed throughout the year but also a chance to learn the layout of the classroom and teacher expectations.

A good portion of organization that helps maintain order at school can be done at home by parents. Heather and Ana both stated the importance of labeling your child’s belongings. Think of the number of classmates your child has and multiply backpacks, pencil boxes, lunch boxes, coats, etc by that number. Monogram backpacks (we only use our kids' initials for safety reasons!) and stick Mabel’s Labels to the rest of their belongings for easy identification.

And as Peter Walsh said, “old wisdom is good wisdom. A place for everything and everything in its place.”


No promotional consideration was paid by Office Max or Mabel’s Labels for mentioning products in this post. I did receive a great box of office supplies featuring Office Max's fun kid-centric line of Scoolio-Von-Hoolio products for participating in the webcast. Some of which will be used to help organize my home office and the rest will be given to the teachers I work with to help them organize their classrooms.

Discounted WNBA Tickets Through One2One Network

Have a basketball lover in the house? Now through the end of the season WNBA teams like the Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Detroit Shock, Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, NY Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, San Antonio Spurs, and Seattle Storm are also offering deeply discounted tickets.

Here in DC Club Concourse level tickets for Mystics games have a face value of $60 but are $15 each using the WNBA Mom Blogger Offer. You don’t need to be a mom, blogger, or mom blogger to take advantage of the discounts!

We recently got $15 seats at a Mystics game 7 rows up from the floor at center court! The seats were amazing and the kids had a blast cheering at their first professional basketball game. Little Miss Techie and Captain Computer are longtime Stanford fans since my parents have had Stanford Women’s basketball tickets forever. Despite their longevity in the stands, their seats aren’t nearly as good as the ones we got for the Mystics! Sorry Mom and Dad!

Here are the discounts by team:

• Atlanta Dream- For the remaining regular season games (Excluding 8/23 vs LA): Get $25 seats for $15; Get $19 seats for $12. For the game on 8/23 vs the Los Angeles Sparks. Get $25 seats for $24; Get $19 seats for $18.
• Chicago Sky - Up to 34% off the regular ticket price
• Connecticut Sun -Get $18 seats for $10; $22 seats for $18; $27 seats for $23
• Detroit Shock -Get $15 lower level sideline seats or $50 VIP seats.
• Indiana Fever -Buy 1 ticket and get 1 ticket of equal value free.
• Los Angeles Sparks -Get 15% off tickets in all sections
• Minnesota Lynx -Get $8 seats.
• New York Liberty -Get 33% off tickets and $10 parking.
• Phoenix Mercury -Get $43 tickets for $16; $26 tickets for $10.
• San Antonio Stars -Get over 50% off the gate price.
• Seattle Storm -Get 50% off all Storm tickets.
• Washington Mystics -Get $35 tickets for $15

To take advantage of special pricing, use this link to select the WNBA team closest to you and a game to attend and use the discount code “WNBABLOG” when purchasing tickets through this link. Remember-You don’t need to be a mom, blogger, or mom blogger to take advantage of the discounts!

Special thanks to One2One Network for sending our family to a recent Washington Mystics game and for allowing me the discount with you.

Oh, and we saw President Obama after the game. Read all about My Presidential Moment on DC Metro Moms!

Trend Micro's Carol Carpenter Shares Online Safety Risks All Kids Face..

Today’s post comes from Carol Carpenter, VP of Marketing for Trend Micro, Inc. As a mother of two tweens, Carol is also known as Trend Micro’s Cyber Mom and is committed to educating parents on how to easily keep kids and teens safe online while they learn, play and explore. Today Carol shares real and identified risks to kids that comes with them being online.


We’re mid-way through summer and for the life of me I can’t figure out where the time has gone. As a kid, I used to wait in great anticipation for these 3 sacred summer months. Of course after the first week, I would be hit with what almost all kids were hit with at the time…sheer boredom. Outside of camp or trips, there was little stimulation that could keep my interest for hours, days, weeks and months on end.

God how times of changed. Now I have children of my own; two tweens who can also get restless during summer vacation. Although there are still the normal whines of boredom in the house, I have noticed as my kids have gotten older that they are fewer and far between. Don’t get me wrong, I cherish those moments of peace. That said, I know that those quiet moments are lent to me by what I call the “one-eyed babysitter” – the computer. Like most moms, I work outside the home. The difference is just who I work for and what I do. I work for a large Internet Security company and focus my attention on technology that keeps families safe from Internet threats. Those peaceful moments usually signal one thing to me. My children are playing on the Internet surfing the Web, emailing, texting and doing much more.

The Internet gives us so much useful, important and educational information. At the same time – as a mother and a security expert, I know that the Internet could prove to be a danger for my family. Every family has to deal with these security issues when they have technology that connects to the Web including PCs, MACs, iPhones, iTouches etc. It’s imperative that everyone, including the children, know about the potential dangers in order to surf the web safely.

When it comes to kids' online safety, there are some areas of risk that my company Trend Micro has identified. Most parents that I talk to are not aware of all of them. What parents need to know is that kids are at risk of the following:

- Being targeted by aggressive or unwanted commercialism (ads or marketing that is intrusive and/or age-inappropriate) -- Some sites for kids are guilty of serving up ads that are simply inappropriate for kids (such as dating services, gambling sites). They are funded through advertising money, and are careless about thinking through the implications of the ads they are showing to the users of their sites. Some ads are designed to be so engaging, the child thinks it's a game and not an ad, so they are enticed to click away. This could end up infecting their parents' computers with malicious software that can spy and/or steal information from them.

- Being a victim of security threats such as hack attacks or scams. Social networking sites are popular among young people and cybercriminals alike. While kids are not necessarily the intended victims of crime perpetrated on these sites, they can be at risk simply because they use them. Some cybercrimes are designed to impact as many people as possible - they do not discriminate based on age. Criminals will use techniques that seem normal to the average user to lead someone to download malicious software without their knowledge (a technique called social engineering). An example of this is when a young person is offered to view a racy photo or video of someone.

- Being more uninhibited with what they say or do online because they believe they have anonymity. Kids can put themselves at risk, too. Posting information or photos of themselves that they did not intend the world to see can damage their reputations, candidacy for a job, or admission to a college. Posting too much personally identifying information (PII) can open themselves up to identity theft (even kids can be victims of this). Harassing others, if considered violent, lewd, or racist can be considered a crime. Creating or distributing music, movies, or video games that are illegally copied or infringe on copyrights is illegal.

I don’t want to cause unnecessary alarm and deliver doomsday predictions. I believe that knowledge is the best armor when dealing with the above topics. The Internet is a necessary tool in the digital age and can help educate the family in numerous ways. What I find is that parents want to help protect against the pitfalls but are unaware of the tools to use in order to do so. Part of the solution is relying on good old fashion parenting skills – time limits, open conversation etc. The other part of the solution lies in technology that can help limit the risk and act as a tool to continue talks with kids. Using both techniques you will keep your family safe from harm online.

Please check back next month for advice on HOW to protect children online.



Carol Carpenter is the global VP of Marketing for Trend Micro, Inc. where she is responsible for branding, product strategy, marketing and channel strategy for the Consumer Segment. As a mother of two tweens, Carol is also known as Trend Micro’s Cyber Mom and is committed to educating parents on how to easily keep kids and teens safe online while they learn, play and explore. Prior to Trend Micro, she served as Sr. Director of Marketing for Keynote’s customer experience testing, web performance measurement and management services. She worked closely with leading online businesses such as American Express, Barnes & Noble, Expedia, Yahoo and others to help them deliver improved customer experiences. Carol has over 14 years of product management and marketing experience related to Internet products and services and has led marketing and product management teams at Enviz, Tumbleweed Communications, and Apple Computer. Carol holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. No promotional consideration was paid for this guest post.

Wall Street Journal: Pursuing an Academic Edge at Home

Going along with yesterday's post about the summer slide (but also in the shameless self promotion category), I was recently interviewed by Wall Street Journal reporter, Joseph DeAvila for a story called Pursuing an Academic Edge at Home.

The interview was more like a conversation helping him understand how schools choose the kinds of technologies that go into their buildings, the most popular websites that our teachers use, how sites are chosen for school use, the benefit of integrating multimedia sites into classroom instruction, and my family’s favorite educational sites.

I was thrilled to see that one of my favorite online learning sites, SmartyCard, was also prominently featured in the article but it was even better to be raise a glass with Aaron Burcell, Stacy Libby, and Nicole Rodrigues of the SmartyCard team in celebration of the positive press about their innovative site at BlogHer!

Click here to read the full article.

Beating the Summer Slide

As a member of the Yahoo! Mother Board, I am presented with a monthly topic that may inspire a post. As a teacher, July's topic about the summer slide was right up my alley although a few days late because I got to visit Yahoo during my vacation!

How has your summer been? If it has been like ours, it has been filled with trips to the pool, a session of camp here and there, plenty of time at area parks, a family vacation, later bedtimes, and an absence of routine. With Little Miss Techie heading to kindergarten this fall, I’m torn between wanting her to enjoy her free time before resuming a full day of school in the fall and making sure her skills are up to par with her peers.

Summer hardly seems like the time for kids to buckle down and study but the teacher in me knows that without constant practice, the skills that students had in June are not up to par come August. According to the National Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University, students will lose upwards of two months of grade level equivalency in skills over the summer months if they aren't reading or partaking in educational activities during their summer break. Remediation in all subject areas need to be done at the start of each school year so kids start where they left off. I was never a proponent of year round school but now I see that more frequent, but shorter, breaks throughout the year prevent the loss of skills.

So what can you do for your kids during this last month of summer if you are worried that they might be victims of the summer slide?

• Visit the library. Many libraries have summer reading clubs that operate throughout August and provide a nice incentive for kids to read books of their choice. If your library doesn’t have a summer reading club, check out Scholastic’s Summer Challenge. Or if you can't seem to motivate your child to pick up a books, take a look at summer reading tips from Reading is Fundamental.

• Make a digital storybook. Take some of those pictures from vacation, import them into PowerPoint (or an online photo site if you want a published book) and sit down with your child and work with them to write about each picture. The pictures will jog their memory and help them practice writing skills. Click here for directions on creating your own book in PowerPoint.

• Set up a lemonade stand. A lemonade stand is a fabulous way to practice math. Making lemonade from scratch involves measuring all the ingredients while the actual selling requires practice with making change.

• Go to a sporting event. If your child is more at home on the a grassy field or hardwood court than among stacks of books, invite them to a baseball or basketball game where they can practice their math. Math can go beyond the basics of keeping score. Why not have they study up by looking at their favorite players' or teams' statistics in the newspaper or online before you go. WNBA is offering discounted tickets with the code WNBABLOG for all families for the rest of the season. To see the remaining games of the season for your closest WNBA team, click here to access the special pricing page.

You can also access free and subscription sites that are designed to support your child’s learning. Here are some of my favorite free and paid sites for preschool through elementary aged students.

Preschool and Early Elementary (PreK-2)

BookFlix- We’ve loved free access to Scholastic’s BookFlix through our public library. The fiction and nonfiction parings are outstanding. The site features classic stories, is easy to navigate, and you may have free access through your public library system or school. Click here for my full review. Also great for upper elementary students.

Dance Mat Typing- This typing challenge has 4 levels and begins with the basics of the home row and progresses in difficulty as kids progress through the levels. This is a great basic typing program for elementary students.

One More Story- Our favorite online story site is running a summer special. For $15 you can get 3 months of online stories by artists whose books I loved as a child. To read more about One More Story, please click here.

PBS Kids Play- Fabulous playground that features favorite PBS characters who reinforce learning through fun interactive games. Little Miss Techie loves playing to reap rewards to decorate her virtual clubhouse. I like that I can see what she’s learning when she plays through the parent center. Here's my full review if you would like to learn more.

DreamBox- This math site has drawn rave reviews from fellow moms. While I haven’t personally reviewed it, my friend Jessica (from A Parent in Silver Spring), and her fellow son and tester, Charlie, thoroughly tested it out and loved the site. Here’s Jessica’s review.

Seussville- The magical play land features many favorite Dr. Seuss characters and learning games that mirror what is taught in his books. Click here for my full review. Also good for upper elementary students.


Upper Elementary School (Grades 3-5)

SmartyCard- I reviewed SmartyCard way back in March when they first launched and sang their praises even well before they paid for me to attend BlogHer. (Here’s my review from March.) If you don’t want to commit to the pay for play just yet, check out the free content on their site.

PBS Kids Go- PBS content from shows like CyberChase, Arthur, Word Girl, The Electric Company, Maya and Miguel, Ruff appear in this awesome site that appeals to upper elementary students. My 3-5 graders had the opportunity to meet with the Director of PBS Kids Go during career day and loved "testing" the site for her!

FreeTypingGame- This site features 7 typing challenges to help your student become a more proficient keyboarder. Believe me when I say that kids could finish their work so much faster if they just practiced typing! Check out the site before turning your elementary aged child loose because I noticed some women dressed in cleavage bearing outfits in ads at the bottom of the screen. You may want to bookmark each of the 7 individual games to get around the banner ads since the games only seem to have text ads that go along with the theme of the game. For example, the Outerspace Fleet Commander typing challenge had ads for outer space bedding, typing games, and free typing jobs for cash. However, the content of the ads could change on a dime so beware!

FunBrain- This is a favorite among the 3-5th grade students in our school. They love the fun interactive games and don’t really view them as “work” but trust me, my colleagues wouldn’t let their kids “play” on this site if they weren’t learning!

Sports Illustrated Kids- There’s math involved in every sporting event whether it is the basic math of keeping score to the more complicated team statistics or a player’s averages. Sports Illustrated Kids does an outstanding job of presenting content about top stories in sports while making their site incredibly interactive. There’s also a place where kids can create their own fantasy team. Hey, if a fantasy team motivates a kid to learn during this last month of summer, than go for it!

Time For Kids- The weekly Time Magazine that arrives at your doorstep has a kids’ version that graces many classroom desktops but also has a free online version with current events at a readable level for elementary students.

These are just a few suggestions of some ways you can help beat the summer slide before school starts. For more great ideas, read posts written by other Yahoo MotherBoard members (Kim, Ilina, Julie, April, and Linsey), visit Shine and get the low down on topics about all things summer, and read research, stats, and suggestions by the National Center for Summer Learning.

No promotional consideration was paid by any of these companies for this post.