susiej/reviews

Soon, we’ll be able to control our electric bills the way we control our grocery bills — making informed choices before we “spend” by using coupons (electric company rebates) and taking advantage of “limited-time sales” (running the dishwasher during non-peak demand periods.) The result will be a new electricity system that makes us more environmentally conscious by using renewable energy sources (wind and solar), reducing our carbon footprint, and giving us lower electric bills. For once, we’ll be in charge of our own electric bills — knowing how much it will cost to charge our cell phones before we plug it in.

AEP is busy installing new systems that will effectively pull our homes out of our outdated model of inefficient energy-draining consumption modes, into an environmentally-conscious infrastructure that addresses the issues of global warming, limited resources, while decreasing your home’s electric bill. (How inefficient are you? Measure your family’s own Carbon Footprint here.)

AEP launched an initiative called gridSMART® in 2007, with Silver Spring Networks with the initial gridSMART pilot starting in 2009 in South Bend, Ind. (Check out this video here.)  The grid will soon arrive to a neighborhood near you, as a natural upgrade to AEP’s aging infrastructure to 20th century power grids. The GridSmrt will “broadcast” power from a few central power generators to a large number of users, so that the power can be “routed” in efficient ways to respond to a very wide range of conditions, including peak demand periods. The result will allow you to monitor your own energy consumption so that you can take advantage of price savings during low-demand periods. For example, during the summer, customers who volunteered allowed AEP to raise the temperature in their homes using a programmable, communicating thermostat. AEP will offer consumers the option to receive a rebate in return for allowing AEP to send set back signals to a Programmable Communicating Thermostat during peak load conditions.

And for the environment, the smart grid will allow electric companies to use use renewable energy sources, like wind and solar, while reducing the need to build more fossil-fueled power plants.

A smart grid is made possible by applying sensing, measurement and control devices on our appliances, furnaces and air-conditioners with smart meters. They read information about grid conditions to system users, operators and automated devices, making it possible to dynamically respond to changes in the grid.

A smart grid includes an intelligent monitoring system that keeps track of all electricity flowing in the system. It also has the capability of integrating renewable electricity such as solar and wind. When power is least expensive the user can allow the smart grid to turn on selected home appliances such as washing machines or factory processes that can run at arbitrary hours. At peak times it could turn off selected appliances to reduce demand.

Soon, we’ll be able to receive alerts via text, email, and telephone call as you move through the energy tiers towards higher costs for electricity. Plus, in the event of the a power outage, the utility company will know immediately — no need to call in to report the problem.

“I wrote this post after attending an informational luncheon on behalf of Silver Spring Networks and Mom Central Consulting and received a gift bag and gift card as a thank you for taking the time to participate.”

Tags: household // 1 Comment »

This is sponsored content from
BlogHer and LG Text Ed

Here are the answers to the cell phone questions — if you haven’t done this little exercise with your kids, I highly recommend doing dthis. I was lucky to have all three age groups covered in my house. I was surprised at their answers… and I learned something from this exercise. Actually asking them the questions, was much more educational. I noticed that if they didn’t know the answer, and realized I wasn’t going to provide it, they were more likely to hear what I had to say. This is a great way to not only get a dialogue going with your child, but to actually get them to buy-into the decision making process and hopefully, internalize some valuable facts that could save a life.

Because this topic is so important for our kids and their futures, BlogHer really wants to get the conversation about texting, sexting and safety going – both with our kids and among parents. It will match LG’s donation of .50 to dosomething.org for every comment on this post, so please give me your insights. Dosomething.org will get a $1.00 for each and every one.

My 15-year old is quite aware of the issues of sexting and responsible driving. I want him to know the basic rules of cell phone usage  — but also engage him in an open conversation about sexting and responsible driving.

Do you know that sexting can be illegal?

A: “Yeah, I knew that. Dare officers came to our school and talked about that, along with illegal music.”

What would happen to you if you got caught with a sext message, or a nude photo on your phone?

A: “They have you suspended, from school, and confiscate your phone.”

Have you heard about the cases where kids have been prosecuted for sending or receiving sext messages? What do you think of that? Is it right?

A: “I heard a rumor that someone got a picture of her naked, everyone knew about it – but no one got caught.”

What would you do if you were in a car with a driver who talks or texts while driving?

A: “Tell them to watch the road. I think those voice-command thing would be great, so that you could talk, text and drive at the same time.”

What do you think about laws that will make cell phone use illegal while driving?

A: “Has anyone ever really died from that? I think they should make it legal, as long as you can watch the road at the same time.”

Do you need down time?

A:  “Actually, I love getting a text when I’m studying. It’s a great distraction.”

The little ones: Ages 7 and 8.

These kids are too young for cell phones. But, they are so full of imagination when it comes to them. Their answers are best viewed here:

My 12-year old.

We are starting to have a serious discussion about getting a cell phone for this child. My main concern for this child is responsibility – both socially and financially. To many boys in this age group, a cell phone is not just a convenient way to tell mom and dad it’s time to pick them up from soccer practice, but as a social toy. For example, a friend of his, who does have a cell phone, thought it was funny to *69 and call my oldest son’s cell phone over and over again. When I realized what was happening, I sat them both down and explained the “minutes” scenario, and how unnecessary calls like this could end up costing someone else a fortune. My questions include:

Do you know *67 calls can be traced?

A: “No,” followed by an uncomfortable scowl on face.

Do you understand the difference between anytime minutes, friends and family, and how much each minute costs?

A: “No. Did you know people could get a $500 phone bill?”

Are you aware that calls coming into your phone – calls you do not make yourself – are charged against your minutes? What would you do?

A: Turn off my phone.”

What would you do if someone sends you tag texts or continuous re-dials on your cell phone?

A: “Hit delete a bunch of times? Call the person up… or the parent?”

What if you received a mean text message?

A: “Report it to parent.”

Has anyone you know ever received one?

A: “No. “

The further he got into the questions, the more receptive he was to showing me how “responsible he is with a cell phone.”

Tags: products // 2 Comments »

Help! We need moms with advice to share on picky eaters! With four boys in the house, there’s always one who is going through a picky eater phase. Rare is the night that I can come up with a family meal that pleases each and every one of the boys – so I improvise. My pediatrician says, “don’t push.” They’ll eat when they’re hungry. So, I come just short of preparing separate meals for everyone (a definite no-no), but I do try to accommodate everyone’s tastes be creating a “de-constructed” dinner. For example. If we’re having pasta, I set the pasta out in a bowl with nothing but salt and a bit of Parmesan cheese. Beside of that bowl is the bowl with the sauce, and the third dish includes the meat. In this way, the kids who “don’t want their food to touch,” can have their food separated, while my ravenous teenager can pile up his plate with as much sauce and meat as he wants.

This solution works great for meals like pasta or build-your-own burritos — but how can you de-construct a yummy meal like lasagna? Meatloaf? Or an omelet? Sometimes with kids, it’s more about the texture of a food rather than the taste. The slimy cooked onion in a soup, or a cellulose piece of celery is enough to turn some kids off for years. To account for these limitations, whenever I serve soup I’m counting on all of the vitamins from the vegetables permeating the broth and noodles. So, I give kids one of three options when they eat soup: 1. Soup straight with crackers. 2. Broth only. (A hand-held strainer is invaluable.) 3. Veggies only, no broth.

I am only dreaming of the day when I can finally put a meal on the table and the boys have appetites big enough that they are actually fighting over the food—and there are no leftovers (I’ll donate all of my Tupperware containers to charity at that point. I’ll have no use for them.)

For great tips from moms just like us, sharing experiences, ideas and advice on how to get kids to eat better, visit Chef Boyardee’s Club Mum. Club Mum is the perfect resource for moms to learn helpful hints on a variety of topics, which can be applied to their own family. Club Mum is also on Facebook with daily tips, recipes, articles, questions and a terrific and active community! Club Mum is an online community by moms, for moms.

Share your own best-kept parenting secrets, learn from other moms and connect with some of our great mom bloggers! Please list your meal-saving strategies for picky eaters in the comments below. Everyone who comments will be entered in a BlogHer giveaway for a $200 Visa gift card. There are more chances to win here:  BlogHer.com exclusive offers page. Rules: No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods: a)      Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post b)      Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post c)       Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post d)      Visit the official rules for additional forms of entry. This giveaway is open to US Residents aged 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. The Official Rules are available here. Sweepstakes ends 5 PM PST, December 23, 2010.

Tags: products // 237 Comments »

This is sponsored content from
BlogHer and LG Text Ed

I can remember when seat belt buzzers were installed in cars – and the big conversation/worry my parents had with me about driving was to “always wear your seat belt.” Today, with four boys, the conversation around safe driving encompasses much, much more. In 2008, 5,870 people were killed in crashes involving driver distraction according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The proportion of drivers reportedly distracted at the time of the fatal crashes has increased from 8 percent in 2004 to 11 percent in 2008, the report adds. The “under-20 age group had the highest proportion of distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes.”

Driving aside, there are legal consequences to sexting. Research from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project found “that 4% of cell-owning teens ages 12-17 say they have sent sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to someone else via text messaging”; 15% say they have received such images of someone they know via text message.” These of coming-of-age mistakes are permanent and easily transmitted and archived for the world to see. While the social embarrassment can be horrific, there are legal consequences as well. Sending sexually explicit depictions of people under 18 is a felony in all 50 states, even if the sender is also the subject. Receiving such media is also illegal. As a result, sexting carries with it the possibility of being charged as a sex offender or child pornographer.

Because this topic is so important for our kids and their futures, BlogHer really wants to get the conversation about texting, sexting and safety going – both with our kids and among parents. It will match LG’s donation of .50 to dosomething.org for every comment on this post, so please give me your suggestions on questions for my kids. Dosomething.org will get a $1.00 for each and every one.

This week, I plan to have cell phone talks with each of my boys. With ages spanning 7 – 15, I do have a lot of ground to cover. Below are some of the questions I’d like to cover – but I need your feedback to. What else should I cover during our conversation? (Remember, your question/comment will be matched, generating $1.00 for Dosomething.org.)

The little ones: Ages 7 and 8.

My kids do not have cell phones. The biggest question my kids have is “why not us?”  I remind them that there is always an adult with them who does have a cell phone.  That seems to calm them down. But, they do use my cell phone – so I make sure to cover the basics with them – what to say when you answer a call, and how to hold the phone so that the other person can hear.  More importantly, I want to hear their answers to these questions:

• What do you do when the driver of a car you are in is talking on a cell phone or texting while driving?
• If the child has a cell phone, do you think they should talk on it when they’re talking to you?
• If you had a cell phone, who would you call?
• What would you talk about?

My 12-year old.

We are starting to have a serious discussion about getting a cell phone for this child. My main concern for this child is responsibility – both socially and financially. To many boys in this age group, a cell phone is not just a convenient way to tell mom and dad it’s time to pick them up from soccer practice, but as a social toy. For example, a friend of his, who does have a cell phone, thought it was funny to *69 and call my oldest son’s cell phone over and over again. When I realized what was happening, I sat them both down and explained the “minutes” scenario, and how unnecessary calls like this could end up costing someone else a fortune. My questions include:

• Do you know *69 calls can be traced?
• Do you understand the difference between anytime minutes, friends and family, and how much each minute costs?
• Are you aware that calls coming into your phone – calls you do not make yourself – are charged against your minutes?
• What would you do if someone sends you tag texts or continuous re-dials on your cell phone?
• What if you received a mean text message?
• Has anyone you know ever received one?

My 15-year old is quite aware of the issues of sexting and responsible driving. I want them to know the basic rules of cell phone usage  — but also engage him in an open conversation about sexting and responsible driving.

What would you do if you received a sext message?

• Do you know that sexting can be illegal?
• Have you heard about the cases where kids have been prosecuted for sending or receiving sext messages? What do you think of that? Is it right?
• What would you do if you were in a car with a driver who talks or texts while driving? Have you ever done it yourself?
• What do you think about laws that will make cell phone use illegal while driving?

That’s my list so far. I’ll be having this conversation this week… please leave a comment about your additional questions, so as I leave no stone unturned.

Tags: teen // 3 Comments »

Teens boys — are impossible to get excited on a Christmas morning. So, I was thrilled when I received a large box in the mail — a real Six String guitar, that is both a guitar and a video game. Power Gig: Rise of the SixString Guitar, the first and only music video game that uses a real guitar as a controller and teaches the fundamental skills of guitar playing in the process.

A game for teens that does not involve shooting.

Kids need more music in their lives… and playing music develops concentration and memory and sharpens hand-eye coordination. And according to NAMM, studies show that music enhances intellectual, physical, emotional, and social development.

While Power Gig: Rise of the SixString Guitar is “Teen” rated, the rating is due only to mild lyrics in the game’s popular songs we all know and love from radio play over the past half-century, from Eric Clapton’s Layla to John Mayer’s Your Body is a Wonderland.

To play Power Gig, all you need is the Xbox 360 system. The band kit comes with the game and the SixString guitar controller so you can start playing right away.

Tags: boy, products, teen // 1 Comment »

This is a sponsored review by BlogHer and V8 V-Fusion + Tea.

When I was a little girl, I watched my mom dip into a sinfully looking thick red juice, that looked as exotic as the bright red lipstick she wore occasionally on the nights she went out to “paint the town red” with my dad.

“It’s tomato juice,” she said. “Here you might like it. I like to sprinkle pepper on mine.”

And with that, I took a swig, and was immediately hooked. I loved the taste of tomato juice, with pepper; I often look back on that moment at marvel at the simplicity of getting a kid to like a drink that is so healthy. I wonder what my mom did right, and where do I go wrong with my boys – not one of them would ever touch that stuff.

It didn’t take long before I migrated over to V8 juice, same great taste of tomato juice, but with the added benefit of not just tomatoes, but carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress and spinach. (That’s 8 veggies, if you’re counting.)

But now, the people at Campbell’s have really rocked the vegetable world with their new V8 V-Fusion drinks. Each one, and there are three flavors, containing the exotic veggies you would find on a Saturday morning stroll through the farmer’s market, including sweet potatoes, purple carrots, yellow tomatoes – and a variety of fruits, depending on the flavor you choose. The addition of green tree gives V8 V-Fusion the antioxidant benefits of Green Tea. Check out the flavors and nutritional benefits on the V8 page here.

The New V8 V-Fusion Drink. Now in purple…

Blogher is giving one of my readers a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card. Leave a comment to let me know about your first experience with vegetable juice. Plus, there are 9 other chances to win from other BlogHer Bloggers — check them out here. The program runs from 11/15-12/10/2010.

To enter, leave a comment.  For a second entry, you can:

• Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)
• Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)
• Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

Tags: products // 283 Comments »

This is sponsored content from
BlogHer and LG Text Ed

Each comment left on this post benefits DoSomething.org with a $0.50 donation!
The teen years bring the era of risk taking and sexual exploration. Throw in a smart phone with video and photo capabilities and it’s understandable why research from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project found “that 4% of cell-owning teens ages 12-17 say they have sent sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to someone else via text messaging”; 15% say they have received such images of someone they know via text message.”

But due to the technology, these of coming-of-age mistakes are permanent and easily transmitted and archived for the world to see. While the social embarrassment can be horrific, there are legal consequences as well. Sending sexually explicit depictions of people under 18 is a felony in all 50 states, even if the sender is also the subject. Receiving such media is also illegal. As a result, sexting carries with it the possibility of being charged as a sex offender or child pornographer.

Still, to be sure, imagine the embarrassment to a teen to find their pictures posted on a public forum or social networking site, or even displayed on computers in school. Whether the ramifications are legal or social, sexting makes the sender vulnerable to more risk than one ever intended.

Teens may really need a phone, but, as parents, do we really need to pay for the data plans to support pictures and videos for them too? Parents, let me know what you think in the comment section.

Tags: products // 6 Comments »

On Thanksgiving Morning, with the house in a tizzy with a turkey that went into the oven at 6, with the smells of salt,
rosemary and turkey wafting through the house, the kitchen is already in full
swing. The sinks are full of dirty dishes, the counters are covered with bowls
waiting for the vegetables, and the kids stumble down the stairs struggling to
find their cereal bowls.

Instead, on that morning, I serve them a bowl of pumpkin – kind of
like a pumpkin milkshake, except that it’s warm. The pumpkin makes this drink
full of beta-carotene. , Each cup is filled with freshly
grated nutmeg, ginger and comfort spices — you can make it in one big batch,
store it in the fridge and drink it all week.

Here’s the recipe for 6 servings:

• Six cups of milk. Soy or cow’s milk. Optional on the whether
  you use 2 percent or whole. If you want something really decadent, use 3
  cups half and half and one half milk. We used 2 percent only, it was very
  good.
• 2/3 cup of sugar. (You may need less.)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree. Canned, or fresh. This is a
  great way to use up left-over fresh pumpkin, if you have a bit left-over
  from your pie.
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract.
• 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon All Spice
• Cinnamon & Sugar for sprinkling on top
• Whipping cream, optional.

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.
2. Heat on low, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved.
3. As soon as mixture comes to a simmer, remove from heat and
   serve in mugs.
4. Whip up whipping cream for top, and sprinkle with cinnamon and
   sugar.
5. Store left-overs (seriously, call me to help you finish) in the
   fridge for breakfast.

What is your favorite special occasion
breakfast? Leave a comment here and let us know and you’ll be entered to win a
$100 Visa Gift card. There are twenty five other bloggers giving away a $100
Visa Gift Card, so enter their contests too, check BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page to learn more. Official
Rules can be found here.  To enter, leave a comment. For a second entry, you can,

• Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)
• Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

·        
Sweepstakes ends 5 PM EST on November 1,
2010.

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 Love Your Cereal.

Tags: products // 92 Comments »

Cereal: The Ultimate After-School Snack

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

While cereal with milk is the perfect, ready-in-seconds go-to breakfast, this meal sometimes makes it rounds again as an after-school snack. Each bowl is full of calcium, vitamins and nutrients. It’s the perfectly-contained snack-in-a-bowl, as the kids can pour their own, into a portion that satisfies the after-school hunger pangs with little mess and fuss.
I’ve even been known to pull out a bowl of cereal for myself, after the kids have gone to bed, and my stomach is growling, and I still have miles of chores to go before I sleep. It’s the best, and healthiest way I know to calm late-night hunger cravings.

What is your favorite food in a bowl? When do you serve it? BlogHer is giving one of my readers a $100 gift card. All you have to do is leave a comment here letting us know your favorite meal in a bowl.

There are twenty five other bloggers giving away a $100 Visa Gift Card, so enter their contests too, check BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page to learn more. Official Rules can be found here. To enter, leave a comment. For a second entry, you can,

• Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)
• Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

Contest ends October 25, 2010.

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 Love Your Cereal.

Tags: products // 90 Comments »

This is sponsored content from
BlogHer and LG Text Ed

Teens Imitate Their Parents When It Comes to Texting While Driving

In 2008, 5,870 people were killed in crashes involving driver distraction according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The proportion of drivers reportedly distracted at the time of the fatal crashes has increased from 8 percent in 2004 to 11 percent in 2008, the report adds.

More telling is the fact that the “under-20 age group had the highest proportion of distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes”

When my phone rings and I’m in the car with the boys, I ask one of my sons to answer the phone. “Why mom?”

“Because I’m driving.”

“So.”

That “so” opens up the chance to talk about the facts:

• Distraction from cell phone use while driving, whether hand held or hands free limits a driver’s reaction as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent, according to a University of Utah study.
• Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent, according to a report by Carnegie Mellon.

While my words and statistics sound impressive, and one would think those facts alone should be enough to make an impact, but they probably don’t. I’m probably 100 percent guaranteed that they don’t. Teens are notorious for letting information go in one ear and out the other. The real gold lies in what I’m actually doing – I’m keeping my hands off the phone – that’s the message their getting.

Since they were toddlers, we’ve watched our kids imitate us, repeat our ill-chosen words and, sometimes in our horror, do the exact things we’ve hoped they didn’t see us do.

Research backs this up: Parents are the biggest influencers on how teens drive – and it’s not what we say – it’s what we do. Almost two-thirds of high school teens say their parent’s talk on a cell phone while driving; almost half say their parents speed; and almost a third say their parents don’t wear a safety belt.

Because of the dangers of distracted driving, some states have already adopted legislation around cell phone use. While a full cell phone ban will probably never pass, the message I’m trying to model for my kids is that no phone call, no e-mail or text message is worth someone’s life.

How do you handle your cell phone around the kids while you’re in the car?  Leave a comment for your solutions. Each comment this post receives benefits DoSomething.org with a $0.50 donation per comment up to $5,000.

Tags: products // 10 Comments »