Kids love playing with tablets and cell phones, anything with an interactive screen really.

My kids are no exception and beg for screen time…but how can I know what they are accessing is safe?

PBS, a trusted brand to me and many others, has done the dirty work and created a table that is kid safe and super fun to use.

The Playtime Pad DVD Combo is our new favorite tablet. This tablet comes preloaded with over 23 educational games and 120 video clips, songs, and music videos that all teach reading, math, and more. It is a 7 inch Android tablet that is locked down with parental controls, which allow you to customize your child experience

With 2 kids this tablet is amazing because it has sign in features for both kids. They just touch their Icon image and their experience begins.

Being an Android tablet it does have Google Play, allowing you to download more apps if you so choose.

On the main screen you will find the PBS Video app, PBS Games app, Sing-A-Long, Paint Box (kids can create fun images with color tools and stickers), Wallpaper, DVD Player and Gallery.

This tablet is such a joy with the built in DVD player. This way when you are driving, flying in a plane or at a location without wi-fi you can simply watch a DVD instead of using apps that require internet connection (some apps on the tablet no not require internet, other’s will). This is DVD player, not a Blue-ray player, so be sure to use the DVD formatted disks.

The Playtime Pad comes with a complimentary DVD of PBS Word of The Week – a fun way to expand vocabulary.

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Staying happy and healthy isn’t always easy in the modern world. Yes, some people have a really good grasp on certain healthy habits; they might have well-rounded lifestyles which appear very appealing to you from the outside. Still, it’s important to remember that everybody struggles with aspects of their wellbeing from time to time. Some people just struggle for longer than others. So, if you’re trying to make a long-term improvement to your wellbeing, then it’s time to develop a healthy routine.

Get into a healthy and regular sleeping pattern.

The first step to developing healthy habits is to get into the habit of sleeping properly. Feeling tired during the week and catching up on sleep at the weekend will not benefit your physical health or your mental health. You need to get into a healthy and regular sleeping pattern. Rather than compensating for a sleep-deprived night by oversleeping the following day, you should try to go to bed and wake up at the same time whether it’s a weekday or a weekend. Your body relies on habits to function properly. This definitely applies to sleep; you need a balanced circadian rhythm (this is the internal process involved with your sleeping cycle).

Of course, a regular sleeping pattern isn’t necessarily a healthy sleeping pattern. Some people go to bed and wake up at the same time every day but deny their bodies the amount of rest they truly need. That morning cup of coffee is no substitute for a good night’s sleep. Neither is a refreshing shower, as nice as it might feel. A good night’s sleep replenishes your energy, but it also keeps your immune system strong, your metabolism working quickly, and it even keeps both your heart and your mind healthy. Caffeine cannot keep you healthy in the same way. So, get 8 hours of sleep every night if you want to feel physically and emotionally better.

If you find yourself struggling to relax before bed you’re not alone, around 68% of Americans struggle to get to sleep at night. Choosing natural medications such as Delta-8 can help to relax your body and mind and put you in a better place to get a good night’s sleep as well as improving your overall sleep quality too. Practicing gratitude, meditation and yoga can also invoke calming feelings to help you prepare for a good night’s sleep.

Don’t shy away from your thoughts and emotions.

The importance of a good night’s sleep for your mental health was briefly mentioned in the first point, but improving your physical health is only one aspect of improving your emotional health. If you want to improve your mental wellbeing, you need to make direct improvements to the way in which you perceive yourself and the world around you. Rather than shying away from your thoughts and emotions, you need to listen to yourself. Talking to friends and family members can help you to open up and accept your feelings. You might also want to talk to a therapist if feelings of stress, anxiety, or even depression are becoming a little too overwhelming. You should do some research if you’re wondering: “is there counseling near me?” You could get professional help and start working through your mental health problems.

Think about the food you include in your meals.

If you want to get into the habit of looking after yourself, you should think about the food you include in your meals. It’s easy to pick up ready meals, takeaways, or simply processed food items in grocery stores. However, even when you read the ingredients lists on such items, you might find yourself wondering what you’re actually eating. Artificial ingredients have long and confusing names. Instead, you should cook your own meals. That way, you’ll know exactly what you’re including in each dish. Focus on including plenty of natural ingredients. Fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes are whole foods that will give you the nutrients and vitamins you need for a healthy diet.

Unless you are someone who moves home regularly, you are likely to get a little dissatisfied with your home from time to time. If you have lived there for several years you can forget what you liked about it in the first place and get accustomed to keeping everything just as it is. We think that by making changes to our homes, it helps us to enjoy them that little bit more. As home is where the heart is, we think that it is worth considering these 3 changes to make to your home.

Plan some home improvements

It can be a lot of fun to plan in some home improvements, and you can decide how far to take this. You might plan in some huge projects or you might just alter some of the decor, it depends on your time, budget and desire to get the work done.

Starting with the exterior, try to improve your kerb appeal. You can do this by hiring a building contractor like Multi M Contracting to build you a new porch, veranda or even an entire extension. Obviously, these are large projects you can’t do yourself, but they can really add some new interest to an otherwise bland property.

Smaller exterior works you can undertake yourself include planting new shrubs, painting windows/doors or changing light fittings. Try to make things look fresh whilst also sticking to the existing character of your property.

You can make some relatively simple changes inside by adding in some new soft furnishings and accessories. For example, if you have a fairly neutral color scheme in your living room, you could add brightly colored drapes, cushions and ornaments to give the room a brand new accent color and look.

You might want to take on larger projects and look at carrying out bathroom renovations or a new kitchen installation. These will require more planning, disruption and money, but will also make a bigger impact and can add value to your home if done well.

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Rethink how you use the space

When we first move into our homes we think about where everything will go and how each room will be used. Once we are all settled in, we tend to live in the same way for many years, rarely rethinking how we use the space that we live in. Consider some easy ways to declutter your home today.

Take a step back and try to look at your home with fresh eyes. Get a friend to help you with this, if possible, as they will be able to distance themselves from your home more easily than you can. Could you use the rooms differently? For example, would changing your living areas to the back of the house and then moving your office to the front work better?

Think through how each room is currently used and swap things over if you feel you would benefit from doing so. The next step is to look at how you have each room arranged, as you could reposition all of the furniture to completely change how the room looks.

Declutter and tidy up

Sometimes all you need to do around your home is to give it a good declutter and tidy up.

Start with the exterior of your home and work your way in. You could spruce up the exterior by tidying up the yard, fixing any broken fencing or gates and adding a new front door or some plants and ornaments.

Moving inside your home, make the time to give it a good declutter. Get rid of anything that you no longer have a purpose for and be honest with yourself when you go through this process. If you have not done this before, you will be amazed at just how much you will be able to get rid of.

Now that it is all decluttered, you can tidy everywhere else up and add new personal touches to give it a homely feel, perhaps fresh flowers or a new photo wall.

The biggest battle that any remote worker has to face is trying to keep their home life and their career as separate entities. When you find a job that you love that allows you the chance to work from home, it’s easy to blur the lines. You no longer have a commute, you can build your working day around you and what works for you, but you now have to balance that day with everything else in your house. It’s not easy, but it is doable if you set the right boundaries. Your workplace has been working tirelessly to make sure you are set up and able to work from home during this time, from making sure they have CMMC compliance regulations in place to keep you and your work safe online through security measures, to talking you through the process of remote working days and how you’ll tackle them. This is a tense time for businesses and employees alike, so there will be kinks that need to be worked out as time goes on, patience is important.

You are going to have an eye-opening time of things when you switch to working at home. You’ll start off with the assumption it’s all pajamas on the sofa while you work, and you’ll quickly learn that you want to get up and get dressed for the day. In reality, setting the boundaries for your office life at home is easy enough – let’s just get motivated enough to keep those boundaries. Here are some of the best ways to keep your office and home life separate.

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Keep Home Private

Your home is your sanctuary, but sometimes remote working can feel like your work life is invading your personal space. Keep things separate by using a virtual office in central London as a way to keep your home telephone number private. Virtual offices can supply you with a bespoke phone number and answering service that will prevent any work calls from coming through to your house in the middle of the night, and will also help to protect your identity and location.

Stick To Office Hours

You need your work to be productive, and the best way to do this is to keep office hours. Don’t bleed your working tasks into before and after this time, or you’ll end up mixing office and personal time. You can keep to this even more by arranging for your office business mail and deliveries to go to a virtual PO box with physicaladdress.com. When you do this, you don’t mix your personal mail with your work mail, making it much easier to stick to those office hours.

Choose One Office Space

When you work at home, you can choose any room as long as you have a stable internet connection (which you can get by comparing Dallas internet providers or service providers in your area) along with a router that can send a good signal to every corner of your home. Balcony, garden, terrace – it’s all open for you to work from. However, it can be difficult because all of those places may not be able to keep you productive! You need to pick one space that you want to work in and stick with it. This will ensure that you stay focused on the task at hand. Additionally, ensure that your computer system or laptop is up to handle the tasks. If you think your computer is lagging behind or having technical issues, you can consult a mac repair company near your location. Preparing for WFH in advance can reduce your chances of facing any issues during work hours.

One Schedule At A Time

You have responsibilities at home, but you also have responsibilities to your job. The best thing to do is not take on the extra tasks, but to stick to what you know and do one thing at a time. Don’t over schedule yourself – it’s a recipe for failure and you don’t want to do that! When you want family time, put the computer away. Don’t leave it open to go back to time and again. Take the time to work during work time, and spend time with the family at family time. It’s a balance that you can easily manage if you take the time to do it.

Working from home is a good thing, but it can make you feel like you don’t have a balance. You need to be in charge of creating the balance and you can do it with a little self-discipline!

Do you wish you lived a life filled with fun, instead of a life filled with existential dread? Perhaps you wish you could be more laid back, but you feel like something is stopping you. Below, we’ll take a look at how you can have more fun, starting today. Remember, fun should be practiced just like anything else!

Do Something That Scares You

Doing things that scare you may not seem like fun initially, but you will love how they make you feel afterwards. Whether it’s speaking to somebody you like or taking part in a press up competition, try it! You will learn from it whatever happens. 

Stay Mindful 

Staying mindful of each moment will not only allow you to live in it, it’ll help you to see what moments require your seriousness and which you can be more lighthearted in. You don’t need to take everything so seriously! Have fun with everything you do, whether you’re speaking to a client at work or getting dressed. Wear a funky piece of jewelry. Share a joke. You won’t die! 

Do One Thing You Really Enjoy

Choose one thing you really enjoy to do today. It might be painting, reading, or even singing at the top of your lungs in the shower. You should aim to do at least one thing you really enjoy every day. 

Do Something Spontaneous 

Why not do something spontaneous? Go out for lunch with a friend or even head to a broad way show! Let the infographic below decide for you. 

Find suitable  broadway tickets

When you go on a vacation to Orlando you are probably there for an exciting family vacation!

With so many things to do and places to visit you may feel overwhelmed.

Choosing The Crayola Experience will be one of the best decisions you make.

When you visit the Crayola Experience in Orlando be sure to expect to be there for at least 2 hours. We typically stay for up to 5 hours!

This indoor facility is jam packed with activities perfect for small children and their grown-ups.

You can see the worlds largest crayon! This crayon is over 1500 pounds and is made with the exact same components as your box of Crayola crayons at home.

Crayola’s newest hit products are their Scribbles Scrubbies. These soft felted toys are made to be colored on and then washed to be reused over and over again. They come in all sorts of animals. Jungle themed, vet themed and even salon themed. Check these amazing sets out on Amazon.

When you visit the Crayola Experience at this time you will received a voucher for 2 Scribble Scrubbies to play with and keep! The animals are subject to change as the weeks past by.

At Meltdown you are able to receive themed pictures to use with your melted wax pens. Walk around the several color stations of wax which is melted inside of pens to design and fill in your picture. Use with parental guidance as the pens are meting wax and are hot to the touch. Since we were visiting during October, most of the Crayola Experience has Halloween and Fall themed options. We got to fill in a bat, a witch and a pumpkin.

Over at Dripart we were able to place a Crayola crayon of our choice into a machine that warmed and melted the crayon. We then got to move the speed of the spinning mechanism to give our spin art different textures and shape.

In the middle of the Crayola Experience is the Scribble Square. This station is an open area with floors, walls and pieces of decoration for you to color on! My 5 year old loves this area. You can use chalk and crayons to scribble to your hearts content. Each day it starts blank (thanks to the amazing staff) so you have a fresh canvas to play with. 

Wrap It Up is one of the most popular things to do at the Crayola Experience. You can make your own custom crayon label and put it on your crayon! There are over 9 colors to choose from. Use the touch screen to choose your language, a tiny image of you desire and type in your name or phrase desired. When it is complete it will show you what the label will look like. Then when confirmed it will pop out 1 crayon and 1 label. Walk over to the wrapping machines. Place the crayon and label according to the instructions provided and roll the wrap onto the crayon! It is so much fun.

As a child I fondly remember getting to do a mining experience. At the Crayola Experience this mining station is amazing! For an additional fee you can buy a small, medium or large bag of mining material. In the bag is dirt, sand, pebbles and treasures! Pour a small amount of contents from the bag into a mining tray. Slowly and gently into the flowing water. Shake the try back and forth to allow the dirt and sand to wash away, exposing your treasure in the tray. We walked away with way more treasures than I expected. They kids were thrilled with the mining experience.

These fun attractions are only a handful of the amazing experiences you get at the Crayola Experience in Orlando. Be sure to visit when you are in the area, you will not regret it!

Every parent wants to see their child live a healthy and active lifestyle. With 1 in 5 kids in the US now suffering from obesity, it is important that we help our youngsters to find sports that they enjoy. These days, most parents tend to instill the love for sports within the minds of their children as it is a great way to be fit. And in these modern times, the more help they can get to enjoy exercise, the better.

A good choice in this respect can help them to stay fit and healthy for the rest of their life. So, what are some of the very best sports that you should encourage your child to try? Remember that it should be something that they enjoy and also get health benefits from.

Swimming for Overall Strength and Fitness

Swimming is a sport that is ideal for anyone of any age. It is low impact, so they build up strength and fitness levels without the same risk of injury that is present in many other sports.

It is worth noting that the benefits found in swimming aren’t just limited to the swimmer’s physical health. It is also associated with mental health benefits such as lower stress levels and a more relaxed state of mind.

This is probably a good choice for a child that isn’t particularly competitive and doesn’t feel comfortable in rougher sports.

Football for a Great Career

More competitive kids might like the rough and tumble aspects of football. Despite the fact that while every parent worries about their little one getting injured, this is a great sport for making them stronger and tougher.

As a parent, it is important to understand that you can do little to prevent the injuries they inevitably may suffer from due to sports, it is all a part of the package. You can, however, look for a good pediatric physical therapist who can help your child recover quickly and jump safely back in.

Moreover, the physical side of football is very important, which is why NFL players dedicate so many hours of each week to lifting weights. Yet, they also need to learn numerous tactical plays and strategies as well.

Of course, an ambitious child may dream of rising through the college football rankings and then getting drafted in the NFL. If they are talented and work incredibly hard then this can be a fantastic way to get a lucrative career out of something that they love doing.

Running for Strength and Endurance

This sport is perfect for building up strength and endurance. Since it can be carried out as a solitary pursuit, it may suit children who perhaps aren’t keen on taking part in team sports. It is something that matches the personality of some youngsters perfectly. They may enjoy the sense of freedom and the sense of achievement that comes from running a good time or completing a longer distance than usual.

It is a good, overall body workout but the benefits run deeper than that. Running can help them to increase their self-confidence and learn the importance of motivation, among other things.

Gymnastics for Coordination and Artist Flair

This is a sport that offers a surprising number of health benefits. As well as improved flexibility and strength, it also builds up bone strength and boosts coordination.

Discipline is crucial in this sport, so it can be a terrific help in showing a youngster how to approach any sport as well as life in general.

Gymnastics is an ideal choice for an energetic youngster with a touch of artistic flair. It can be an incredibly satisfying pastime that gives them some wonderful moments and achievements if they work hard at it.

What Do They Prefer to Do?

Of course, your child may want to do a sport just “because”. The best approach is to help your kid find out what they are most interested in doing. Then let them give it a try. Why not get them tickets for baseball games or an ice hockey game and let them see how it’s played? That could help them decide if they want to pursue that sport

Conclusion

Of course, this is just a short list of some of the most popular sports for children. There are plenty of sports out there from horse riding to badminton which don’t see the limelight but can be quite good for your child.

If the sport is tough for whatever reason, don’t let them throw in the towel immediately. Learning a new sport can be a valuable lesson in perseverance and motivation. If they realize over time that the sport really isn’t for them, it is time to look for a different activity that might be better for them.

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Staying safe wherever you are should be a number one priority, after all, you can’t enjoy all life has to offer if you get hurt or injured whatever you do. There are many different ways to stay safe in all aspects of life, so here’s how to do it.

Safe At Home

Your home should be the place where you feel most safe, but that’s not always the case. At home you let your guard down, you leave doors unlocked and windows open. You leave items out in plain sight. You never think it will happen to you until it does.

Protect yourself by clearing the mess and drying wet floors, handling hot plates with oven mitts and locking doors even when you’re in the house/.

When moving into a new house, find a locksmith service to ensure the previous owners don’t try to sneak back in while you’re out for the day. It sounds unlikely, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened to others before. One of my friends actually had an incident similar to this. Luckily she called an automotive locksmith service in Baltimore city and Baltimore County and they managed to secure her home. Safety is always key and it’s a huge priority when you’re moving into a new home.

Safe On The Road

When traveling, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of what you’re going to see next, but this excitement shouldn’t hinder your dedication to staying safe.

When in unfamiliar places, make sure to travel in groups to stop getting lost and make sure you can use your phone, even if only for emergencies. As for driving while traveling, be sure to brush up on the traffic laws of the country you’re visiting so you don’t get into any accidents.

It’s also wise to invest in travel insurance, so even if something goes wrong at least you’re covered.

Safe At Work

Ways to stay safe at work will vary depending on what you do. Construction workers and manual laborers will have the training to protect them from the hazards of the worksite. But what if you don’t work in a dangerous environment? What if you make your money in an office? At a school? In a store?

Following Health & Safety procedures is a great way to start, as is looking out for potential dangers and removing them before they affect somebody. This can be as minuscule as an errant cable someone could trip over to a loose ceiling tile that could crack someone on the head if it is dislodged.

Safe Online

With many of us spending the majority of our time online, it’s always important to remind people how they can stay safe when using the internet.

While there is little chance for injury when typing away at your computer reading articles or scrolling through social media, there are other dangers that are prevalent if you don’t take the correct steps to protect yourself.

Primarily, you need to watch out for scams. Do not give your credit card or passwords to sources you do not trust, and make sure your antivirus is up-to-date to prevent malware attacks. While cybersecurity has gotten much more sophisticated in recent years, so have potential threats, so always be vigilant. Businesses also have to make preparations for cybersecurity threats so they’ll likely want to consider solutions such as XDR security and others to prevent attacks and data breaches that could damage both their business and their reputation. The online security of small businesses to big business enterprises is at stake without the dedication of cyber security professionals. DNS Layer Security is one of the most crucial elements that ought to be implemented for blocking malware, botnets, and other threats.

Safety Guaranteed

Being safe is something that most people take for granted. They feel safe most of the time, which is why the feeling of suddenly being unsafe is so disturbing. However, by staying smart and understanding what dangers to look out for you can protect yourself and everyone else to ensure you stay safe all year round.