3 Kids and Us

School Daze: Smartphone Apps to Keep Your Kids on Track

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21st-century kids are busy, busy, busy. A combination of homework, after school activities, at-home chores and social obligations can be hard to manage. Good thing there are some great smartphone apps that parents and kids can use to stay on track. In the interest of happy futures for everyone, we’re pleased to present some of the top Android apps for parents and kids.

Study smarter, not harder

An innovative app called StudyBlue facilitates the crowdsource creation of study guides for high school students and college scholars. Classmates and teachers can use StudyBlue to build flashcards and shared notes. Available for iOS and Android, this handy homework app is completely compatible with Evernote. The free version is very effective. Upgraded versions cost less than ten bucks a month and are worth the cost, advises Raising Arizona Kids magazine.

Speaking of Evernote… Photos, web pages, written content, and memoranda may be easily organized with Evernote. Students use Evernote to put together customized notebooks that may be shared or exported. Synchronizing editable notes projects is simple and quick with this excellent app for Android, Windows and iOS devices. The bare-bones version is free. For additional storage and more uploads, go for a paid plan.

Students can share audio notes via phone call and save them for future reference with Call Recorder for Me from Apalon. This cool Android app is legal to use, as long as both parties to the call know that it’s being recorded. For after-school homework groups, Skype is fun and easy to use. Parents might wish to monitor their students’ video chat time, however, because it’s easy for kids to use Skype for goofing off, too.

MyHomework for Apple and Android helps kids track homework assignments and upcoming examinations. Teachers who use the app can upload study files and test scores and remind students to study for tests. Parents may monitor the app to provide additional incentives that keep kids focused.

Reading and rewards

Kids who log into Biblionasium may find it easier to stay up to date with classroom reading assignments. The free dot com site facilitates communication between parents and teachers and offers incentives for completed reading assignment logs. Biblionasium also offers a search feature to help parents and kids find age appropriate reading material for after school fun.

Organize family meetings and events

Virtually every family member can use Google Calendar to manage their time. With a short learning curve, this free app lets parents and kids maintain individual calendars with color coding to emphasize super important upcoming events. The app can be synchronized across all platforms and devices and is one of the best methods of staying on track, says Learning Liftoff magazine.

Being a kid can be even more fun when time and efforts are organized. Parents who help their kids stay on track reap the rewards of happy, well-adjusted students. Try a few of these apps to see which ones work best for you and your kids.

Magic Moments – Here’s How to Keep Your Digital Memories Safe

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There’s a lot to love about digital photography; it’s instant, it’s sharable and there’s no need for piles of hefty family photo albums gathering dust in the closet. But those photo albums were a great way to keep memories safe. In the good old days, once photos were developed and tucked securely into a photo album – barring fire, flood or apocalypse – they were literally safe as houses.

Not so with today’s digital images. Experts estimate that one third of us have lost images for one reason or another. When you snap images on a phone, your phone can auto upload them to the cloud, but safeguarding images taken with a standalone digital camera needs a little more work.

Regularly Transfer Images to Other Devices

Digital cameras can hold thousands of images but all of those wonderful pictures could be gone for good if you lose your camera or memory card before you get around to transferring the images to another device.

Get into the habit of loading the images onto your computer at home so that they aren’t languishing on your memory card.

If your camera has Bluetooth, transferring your images is child’s play; just maintain a connection between your camera and computer or tablet, and your image files will automatically transfer themselves.

Embrace the Cloud

A good cloud storage service is essential. When you use the cloud to back up your images and video files, they’ll always be safe and you can access them on any device.

For the utmost security, the cloud service that you choose should be a market leader. So many apps these days offer some amount of free cloud storage space but there’s no guarantee that these companies will still be around in 6 months, never mind 6 years, so stick with safe options like Google Drive, Amazon Cloud Drive, Microsoft One Drive and Drop Box.

All of these providers give you plenty of free storage -15GB in the case of Google Drive – and for a small fee you can purchase more if you need it.

Broken Laptop? Don’t Panic!

Don’t despair if you have images saved on a computer hard drive and your machine bites the dust. Computers and laptops regularly fail, but the data on the hard drive is often perfectly fine, you just have to access it.

If you fancy taking a screwdriver to your desktop or laptop computer, you can liberate your hard drive and hook it up to another computer. This is simple to do on a desktop computer, just release the screws on the case, slide the side panel off, then unplug the drive.

Laptops take a little more work, and the best idea is to use another device to view a YouTube video showing you how to go about it for your model.

Sometimes, though, the data on the hard drive is corrupted or overwritten. Fixing this kind of problem is beyond the capabilities of most of us, so in this case you need to hand your drive over to experts like the secure data recovery professionals at Secure Data Recovery who will retrieve all of your irreplaceable images for you.

This type of service can even help when memory sticks and flash drives get corrupted.

Taking a few minutes every week to manage your digital images will keep them safe and sound and ready to be viewed whenever you feel like taking a trip down memory lane. And even if disaster does strike there’s a very good chance that a professional can recover your cherished images.

Twelve Tips for Taking Your Kids to Visit Loved Ones in Assisted Living

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We are taught to value people of all ages in our society, from the young to the old. However, the most elderly, living in nursing homes or assisted living, often feel disconnected from family, becoming isolated and excluded. This is particularly the case, when family members have moved out of the home town, or have relocated overseas.

One way to develop stronger connections between our older relatives and the very youngest is to plan a visit to their home or facility when in the neighbourhood. This can have tremendous benefits for both young and old.

Here are the top twelve tips to plan a fun visit for the entire family.

  • Plan your visit a minimum of one week in advance. Be sure to let the activities director know you are bringing the kids and their ages.
  • The best time to visit a nursing home, unless you are planning a meal together, is mid-morning from 10:00-11:30 am, in the afternoon from 2:00-4:30 pm, and sometimes in the evening from 6:00-7:30 pm. Otherwise, check with staff to learn when meals are served or if you can bring food into the facility.
  • You can make the visit informal, just talking one-on-one, or you can plan to have your kids do a presentation like singing songs or planning an activity together like colouring.
  • Children may also bring presents for their grandparents, such as drawings and colourful, handmade cards. Other appropriate gifts for special occasions include bright lap blankets, pillows, and warm, non-slip slippers.
  • If you plan to bring food, live flowers, balloons, or potted plants, be sure to clear it with the administration as some facilities have restrictions and your loved one is likely on a special diet.
  • Before visiting an assisted care setting, spend some time telling your kids about the loved one you will be visiting. Talk about anything they might have in common including, their interests and background.
  • Take some time to reminisce with your senior loved one and acknowledge their lifetime of experience. This will allow senior adults the ability to maintain their dignity and to feel respected and valued
  • With all of your children, discuss your loved one’s limitations and needs.
  • Remind your kids that the facility is your loved one’s home, so privacy and space should be respected as much as possible.
  • Children may need some encouragement to move past their shyness. Prompt them to talk about their interests, school, hobbies and sports.
  • Plan to stay for at least an hour or two. Most residents have plenty of time on their hands. Your visit will probably seem very short to them.
  • This is an excellent opportunity to help your kids learn promise keeping. If you promise to return, begin making plans immediately.

After the first time taking your kids to visit your loved one in a nursing home or assisted living, talk to them afterwards about the experience and ask how they felt. Talk about how their visit made a difference in the life of their loved one.

Understanding the Popularity of Botox

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There are lots of products within the beauty and dermatology industry to help improve the health and appearance of the skin. Two of the most popular ones, however, are laser treatment, and Botox treatment. When considering how many Newport Beach Botox specialists exist, it quickly becomes clear that this is the most popular of the two. Let’s take a look at both, however.

What Is Laser Skin Removal?

Through laser skin remove, skin that has been damaged by time and the sun is removed. At the same time, the body is encouraged to grow new, healthy, glowing skin. This is a particularly effective procedure for wrinkles on not just the face, but also the neck. Additionally, it targets the entire complexion, and not just the wrinkles.

Laser skin removal is very popular because:

  • It helps to remove premature wrinkles.
  • It doesn’t hurt.
  • The procedure is very quick.
  • The effects can be noticed very rapidly.

There are some drawbacks to the procedure, however, including:

  • It does involve some preparation and aftercare.
  • It is not permanent.
  • It is not as effective on really deep wrinkles.

What Is Botox?

Botox is a toxic substance, the botulism toxin, that was originally developed to treat a variety of medical conditions, including eye muscle spasms, migraines, and excessive sweating. However, it quickly became clear that it was also very beneficial in treating the appearance of wrinkles. Botox injections are now one of the most performed cosmetic procedures the world over.

Botox is popular because:

  • It is affordable.
  • It is relatively painless
  • It is a quick procedure.
  • The results can be noticed quite rapidly.
  • You can have preemptive Botox, which means you avoid wrinkles later on in life.

At the same time, it has some significant drawbacks, including:

  • Results only last for around four months, which means you have to have it repeated quite often.
  • Some bruising can occur at the injection site.
  • There are possible risks associated, although these are rare.
  • The procedure is not as effective on very deep wrinkles.
  • It doesn’t affect the complexity of the skin, so other signs of aging remain in place.
  • It cannot be used on every wrinkle, not even on the face.

These are just two of the cosmetic procedures that have gained in popularity as of late. As they become more affordable, more and more people are having either laser wrinkle removal or Botox completed to make them look younger again. We live in a society where looking young is hugely important, and this does bring with it another risk: addiction to cosmetic procedures. It is very important, therefore, to choose a reputable specialist, who will only perform the procedures as often as is required. Without that, laser wrinkle removal can take too much of the skin layer away, and Botox can lead to a frozen face. Unfortunately, there are quite a few unscrupulous “specialists” out there, including those who host Botox parties, making it all too easy for people who want too much, to be able to get it.

Some of the Things You Need to Keep Your Dog Healthy and Fit

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If you have a dog, you will want only the best for them. This can get out of hand sometimes, with thousands of dog accessories available on the market. These accessories range from the fun (toys) to the practical (beds), and from the important (feeding bowls) to the unimportant (summer sweaters for long haired breeds). The dog is yours, and you will know just how much you want to invest in their accessories, and whether it matters to you to make your dog even more beautiful than their natural beauty allows. Unfortunately, if you are not entirely sure about what accessories your dog needs, you are likely to find yourself overwhelmed with the array of choices that are out there. So what matters?

What Matters with Dog Accessories?

The most important thing with a dog accessory is that it improves the health and happiness of your dog. With certain things, this is clear. For instance, you need a water bowl so that your dog can drink properly. With other things, it is not as clear. For example, a Yorkshire Terrier with long hair does not desperately need a sweater during the summer. However, if this makes them look cuter, which means they get more attention, then it does in effect serve their overall happiness. At the same time, wearing a sweater that is made of too thick of a material could make them too hot.

So what are some of the things you may need?

  1. Dog beds – This is a truly essential accessory, because it is vital that your dog is comfortable. You wouldn’t sleep on a cold, hard floor, and nor should they. Even if you allow your dog to sleep in bed with you, you still need a dog bed as well. Dogs sleep a lot more than humans, and they have to have a comfortable, cozy spot to be in.
  2. A collar and lead – Another essential accessory that will allow you to take your four legged friend on walks. Dogs require far more exercise than a house with a standard garden can give them, and they must be taken out for walks. Not just that, however, they absolutely love it! Do, as much as possible, try to let your dog walk off the lead. This means they will get a whole lot more exercise and stay really health. Hence, try to choose a lead that is easy to snap on and off, and work on your recall.
  3. Food and water bowls. Dogs love nothing more than eating, and they need to drink even more than what us humans do. Make sure you monitor their diet, while always having water available to them at the same time.
  4. Toys are an absolute necessity, because dogs love to play. Do be careful, however, that you don’t overdo it with the toys. They will become far too stimulated and excited. Don’t overdo it, in other words, but just have a few select toys to encourage different types of play (tugging, pulling, shaking, chewing, retrieving).

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We left our home in Sydney, Australia many moons ago in May 2012 and, other than a brief stint back in Perth for Christmas and a wedding in early 2014, we have been travelling the world nomadically ever since, running a business from our laptops and we’re here to show you how to do it!