Busy Mom

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Teens and sexting

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and LG Text Ed




You might as well accept that texting is a part of life, especially if you have teens. If you don't have teens yet, and you don't text, it's time to start, because it's how teens communicate, and I promise, you're not going to want to miss out.

For the most part, texting really doesn't bother me, it's simply a communication tool, not the downfall of society.

But, like many things, you have to teach your kids how and when to use it. When I was growing up, we were attached to the phone night and day, just talking to each other about nothing, and our parents had to teach us that other people might want to use the phone, and it was time to hang up.

And, like many things, texting can be abused.

It seems like everywhere you turn in the media, someone is "sexting" someone else.

But, guess what? It's not just limited to celebrities and "other people", it could happen at your house.

And, no, I don't believe that potential for abuse shouldn't cause you to decide that kids shouldn't have phones. Like I tell my teens (I have two), their phones are not for their convenience, their phones are for MY convenience, and that kind of sweeping decision would impact me.

So, what do you do? How do you keep kids from abusing the privilege of a cell phone by sexting?

You can't.

What you CAN do is teach them about their bodies, and sex, because the issue is more than just about having a phone and sending inappropriate messages or photos, it's about knowledge and respect. Remember, the phone is simply a tool.

In our house, my kids know that I can, and will, look at their phones at any time, and it may be without their knowledge. Now, I try not to abuse it, but I do look at their phones on a regular basis.

It's imperative to learn to use, and actually use, the same technology your teens do. I feel strongly that if you don't know how to use it, then they shouldn't have access to it.

Regarding cell phones specifically, you have to know how to use your kids' phones (don't forget about other wireless devices, too) if you want to know what they're doing on there.

When my kids were younger, they assumed I could read their text messages through the cell phone billing, and, while I didn't say that was true, I admit I did nothing to correct that misperception, and it worked for a while.

Now that they know better, I do spend some time examining their Inboxes, Sent Folder, Trash and other folders on their phones (they hide saved messages and photos in inconspicuously named folders) to get a feel for what's going on and if things are appropriate.

If someone's Inbox or Sent folders are regularly empty, then my Suspicion-o-meter is set off, and we have a little talk.

None of this is foolproof. I know, because the sexting thing happened here with one of my kids.

The actual message was fairly mild as far as these things go, but it launched quite a few discussions:

- Kids never consider that the recipient of an inappropriate message would forward or show it to other people because it's often sent to someone they "looooove..." and he/she would "never" do that. Um, yeah. Yeah, they would.

- They don't consider how it affects the rest of the family if the message were to get out. Siblings have to go to school and hear about it, and in our case, a parent is a teacher at the school.

- I really emphasize to my kids that sexting can be sexual harassment (doesn't matter if you are a guy or a girl) and that sexual harassment is ILLEGAL

- They also don't realize that they have potentially sent someone pornography and that both the subject and recipient are minors. Also ILLEGAL

- Especially with boys, I drill it into their heads that forwarding something inappropriate that they receive is distributing porn. Once again: ILLEGAL

- Most of all, though, it may not be about the phone, it's about self-respect, and someone who participates in sexting needs to learn they are better than that.

Though I've found the vast majority of my teens' phone habits quite routine, never say "never" about teens and sexting, because you just never know. Do your best to talk about it before it occurs, stay vigilant(not the same as harassing or spying) and be prepared to discuss it should it happen at your house.

Each comment left on this post benefits DoSomething.org with a $0.50 donation!

Visit LG Text Ed , where Dr. Rosalind Wiseman explains the dangers and consequences of this new form of flirting. You can also watch Emmy award winning actress Jane Lynch share a lesson on the sensitive stuff kids are sending around without thinking about the consequences.   

Kellogg's Love Your Cereal Mom's Breakfast Club- Week 12

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.



I've really enjoyed telling you about Kellogg's Love Your Cereal over the past 12 weeks, and thanks so much for your comments. This is the last week I'm giving away a $100 Visa Gift Card, so let's make it a good one!

The holidays are drawing near(I know!), and we begin to make plans with friends and family. Often (maybe too often, according to the scale), these plans are centered around a meal, such as Christmas breakfast.

Meal time is a great time for family traditions, everyone is usually together, and mornings are often spent with the immediate family before the hub bub of the day begins.

When our kids were younger, we used to have pancakes every Sunday morning, but sports now have us running out the door on some Sundays, so we don't do it as often. We don't really have any other morning traditions except for a Sausage Breakfast Casserole on Christmas morning, but I think we need to start one before our oldest leaves for college in a couple of years.

How about you? Do you have any yearly (or more frequent)morning traditions? I could use some ideas!


Cereal can be a convenient and affordable part of a balanced, nutritious breakfast. Want to know more? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (that would buy a lot of cereal)

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us about your yearly morning traditions.

Contest ends 5pm PST November 1, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive one (1)additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments OR by blogging about the sweepstakes and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Official rules

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 other chances to win a $100 Visa Gift Card.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Kellogg's Love Your Cereal Mom's Breakfast Club- Week 11

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.



It seems like all I do at home is wash bowls. We have a large set of plain, glass bowls, and it's not unusual for every one of them to be in the dishwasher at any given time.

What do the five of us eat out of so many bowls?

I'm really not sure, it seems like there are often way more dirty bowls than meals, but who am I to judge? In addition to cereal, there are so many good things that come in a bowl: soup, chili, stew, fruit, ice cream...there's a lot of possibilities.

I really like soup this time of year. Even though I'm not stellar at it (have been trying to perfect my grandmother's vegetable beef soup for years), it's something I can make and we can eat it throughout the day on the weekend, or freeze some to use on busy weeknights.

In addition to vegetable beef, I really like french onion broccoli cheese and potato soups, but, come to think of it, I really don't make those very well, either. In fact, broccoli cheese soup is best left to the restaurants, I think.

Anyway...

What "meal in a bowl" do you like the best? Are you a better soup-maker than I? Are you an ice cream fiend (that is too a meal in my book), or would you rather sit down with a bowl of fruit?

The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (that would buy a lot of cereal)

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us about your favorite meal in a bowl.

Contest ends 5pm PST October 25, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive one (1)additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments OR by blogging about the sweepstakes and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Official rules

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 other chances to win a $100 Visa Gift Card and be sure to come back here each week, I'm doing a giveaway this week and next.

Cereal can be a convenient and affordable part of a balanced, nutritious breakfast. Want to know more? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Kellogg's Love Your Cereal Mom's Breakfast Club- Week 10

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.



We've established that the morning routine can be rushed. Even if yours isn't, it's helpful to serve things you know your family will eat to make sure everyone eats a good breakfast, and you can get on with your day.

I'm fortunate that my kids aren't picky eaters, and since they're older, they can let us know what they'd like for breakfast. But, even so, it's important to keep a stock of a "go-to" item for breakfast for those times we're in a hurry or for when the other stuff runs out before we get to the grocery.

Our standby breakfast item is Eggo Buttermilk Waffles. Why no, I didn't have to name a Kellogg's product, we really do keep a lot of these on hand.

Everyone likes them, and my strange kids will also eat them frozen, so they can be a "grab and go" item in our house, as well. They're one of the first things we reach for when we grocery shop on vacation and only need a few days worth of groceries.

What's the one thing you depend on for breakfast at your house?


The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (that would buy a lot of cereal)

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us about your favorite "go-to" breakfast that everyone will eat.

Contest ends 5pm PST October 18, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive one (1)additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments OR by blogging about the sweepstakes and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Official rules

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 other chances to win a $100 Visa Gift Card and be sure to come back here each week, I'm doing a giveaway for the next 2 weeks.

Cereal can be a convenient and affordable part of a balanced, nutritious breakfast. Want to know more? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

Motivation Hurts - $150 Visa Gift Card drawing from The Laughing Cow

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and The Laughing Cow.



I'll be honest, it's a struggle for me to exercise and do the things I know I should do to be fit.

Every now and then, though, I'll get into a groove, and I do quite well, but I'm bad about waiting until I get in the "right frame of mind" before I get motivated and with the program.

Motivation found me one summer as I was hiking with friends. We were descending a mountain after an overnight stay at the top, and we were looking about as good as you might think we'd look after an 8 mile hike each way at a high altitude.

I was already a little down on myself because I was probably the slowest member of the group, and I was wishing I had been a little more conditioned for the trip, when the male members of my party "took notice" of a pretty girl headed the opposite way.

Something about that struck me, and I vowed I'd be the one turning heads next time. Don't ask me why, it was just a moment of inspiration.

I dieted and ran dutifully upon my return home. Each evening, I'd go out and pound the pavement to a little chant that summed up my situation, and matched my running pace.

Yeah, like I'd really tell you what the chant was...

Unfortunately, one evening, I got a little too far into my rhythm and inspirationally chanted my way face down into a ditch.

I got my wish, though: I was the one turning heads.

Have you done any funny things to motivate yourself or someone you know to exercise? Do tell, for a chance to win!

Share a funny story in the comment section, tweet or blog about this entry (be sure to leave a link to your efforts in the comments below), and you will be entered to win a $150 Visa gift card.

Two (2) valid entries per person, please.

Please keep your comments G-rated as any profanity or offensive content will automatically disqualify you from sweepstakes entry.

Sweepstakes dates are 10/11/10-11/7/10. Find out more from the official contest rules.

Also, be sure to visit The Daily Laugh hub at the BlogHer.com special offers page to read funny content each day and for a weekly chance to win a $100 Visa gift card at the “Play For Laughs” game, as well as to visit the 11 other Daily Laugh Curators who are also giving away $150 Visa gift cards each month.

If you share something really funny, we may even use it in The Daily Laugh!

Sunday, October 03, 2010

Kellogg's Love Your Cereal Mom's Breakfast Club- Week 9

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.



We've already established that mornings can be a hectic time, especially if your kids are older, and you have to get them out the door to school or sports, and it's always nice to have some foods on hand to make things simpler.

For us, Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars (not a product placement, we really do eat a lot of them) are a must-have when we're in a hurry.

As I've said before, there are times we have to leave the house at dark-thirty, and no one wants to get up any earlier than they have to, so breakfast is sometimes in the car. They're also good for snacks after early morning sports games when it's not quite time for lunch.

Keeping a variety of cereals around as well as Eggo Waffles also simplifies the breakfast routine for us since there's bound to be something everyone likes, and the chance for arguing (about food, anyway) is diminished.

To keep things simple in the mornings, it's also important to do a check the night before to make sure you have things like, oh, say milk, juice and food, so you can actually have breakfast the next day.

Also, like we've talked about before, it's imperative that everyone get everything, books, lunch, clothes, shoes etc., the night before so everything is ready to go out the door. We have to do it every single day, no matter how late at night it is. As a matter of fact, I need to go do lunches and drink money right now.

Do you have a special routine or foods you keep on hand to make your mornings simpler? Share it below!

Cereal can be a convenient and affordable part of a balanced, nutritious breakfast. Want to know more? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

The contest

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card (that would buy a lot of cereal)

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us what kinds of food make your mornings simpler.

Contest ends 5pm PST October 11, 2010.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive one (1)additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments OR by blogging about the sweepstakes and leaving a link to your post in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents aged 18 and older
* Winner will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Official rules

Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page for 24 other chances to win a $100 Visa Gift Card and be sure to come back here each week, I'm doing a giveaway for the next 3 weeks.

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.