A great new site for kids: Galactokidz.com

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . August 17, 2011 . 8:20PM

I frequently get emails from sites that want me to promote their products on this website. I pay for my hosting and server stuff so I rarely post about stuff and “give away” free advertising unless I truly believe in something. I think most mom blogs feel the same way and we are pretty protective over what we will allow on our pages.

A little over a week ago, I received an email from the makers of the website Galactokidz.com telling me how it’s an interactive place for tweens that want to chat, completely COPPA compliant (above and beyond their standards, actually), and how it’s a safe haven for kids that want to play games, make friends and chat safely. I receive lots of notices about sites like these and I do take the time to check out the sites that come my way. This one was intriguing to me because it’s still in beta and there are a lot of great features.

What I like about Galactokidz.com was that, as a parent, I have full access to what my kid is doing when he’s on the website. There are moderators on the site at all times, also known as tour guides, so if the kids have questions they can feel free to ask. Also, my son feels safe and comfortable navigating the site and making friends there. Because it’s still in beta, there is no cost for my readers to join now, though there will be a cost in the future.

I’ve let AJ play this for the last week and he’s been hooked on it. The rules are very clear in that children are not allowed to talk about specifics about their lives and it honestly makes the site more fun for them and less stressful for me as a parent. AJ hasn’t had any difficulty with it and he has enjoyed being about to talk to other tweens about his day, their favorite sports, and their favorite games on the site. The consistency of having the tour guide there every day provides the consistency of having an adult for some kids that may not have one.

At one point, I logged on to grab a picture for this post and let AJ know that tour guide was the only one hanging out in a room and he immediately ran to get his computer because he didn’t want “tour guide” to get lonely. While there are plenty of bad things about chat rooms, they can also endorse empathy and help children learn how to relate to other people. There is no profanity allowed and children are held to strict boundaries while on the site and those are enforced. Children excel when given boundaries and they feel safe with them. This site gives them the opportunity to experience friendship within friendly boundaries.

So far, I can’t find any downsides to Galactokidz.com. As with all websites, keep a close eye on your kid, don’t allow them to give out personally identifiable information and be aware that at some point the site may charge for access, so if that happens, you may choose to disable your child’s account. What a great opportunity for the young ones that don’t have sites like facebook to be like their older siblings!

Consolidating your reward and membership cards can save space and save your sanity

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . June 7, 2009 . 5:52PM

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about detailing the contents of my bag. As you can tell, for me, less is more. Because I have to carry about 4 keys that are specifically for my office, alone, and then several for home, and about 3 that I have no idea where they belong, my key ring is growing larger by the day. The heaviness of my key chain could, eventually, affect my starter on my car.

Well, all those things, and I’m lazy. I don’t want to carry around a bunch of visually unappealing cards on my cute little keychain. Not to mention that I break those cute little keychains like crazy on a regular basis and don’t want someone using my perks, benefits or gym memberships for their own sordid means. So, how do I get around the hullaballoo of the plastic membership cards?

I recently discovered a couple of free services (one is free, the other is free for you NOW, but will cost soon, so get it while it’s hot). The one that is free for NOW, but usually costs $0.99 is called Cardstar. It’s for those of you with iphones or an ipod touch (neither of which I have, but might be nice). It allows you to download the Cardstar application to your device and then put your membership numbers into the application. When you get to a place that has a program for rewards or membership, you pull up your card on your iphone or your ipod touch and a bar code will show up on your device. Again, this is currently only available on IPHONE devices, but they are working on it for Blackberries, Androids and Palms. Hopefully it will stay free until they get the Blackberry app developed, because I’m intrigued! They are in the process of adding new reward/membership programs, but you can request any that are not currently available.

For those of you non-Appleites, there is another FREE program that sounds really promising! It’s called Just One Club Card and it will allow you to put up to 8 barcodes on a single card that you can carry in your wallet. You can create as many cards as you need and you print out your barcodes on a sheet of paper. There are some restrictions on cards, such as Blockbuster, due to barcode issues, but they are well-addressed in the FAQ and this can decrease the amount you carry in your wallet by a great amount.

One card you SHOULD carry, if you don’t already, is one more FREEBIE I found and it is the Wallet Medication Card offered by Mercy Hospital. I requested some about 3 months ago and received them within 2 weeks. Carrying mine has been invaluable because I always know my meds when I go to the doctor. I don’t have to carry pill bottles or question my dosage. It’s all there.

Here’s to lighter bags and wallets and happier shoulders!

Ooooh, Shiny: When girls like tech gadgets, too.

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . March 30, 2009 . 3:02AM

Hey, this journal isn’t just a flaming ball of negativity! Like anyone else, I get excited when I find something new and shiny that catches my eye because of the coolness factor. It doesn’t happen often because, due to the amount of time I spend on the internet daily, I see a lot of nifty gadgets, but there normally isn’t an entire site of them that makes me think I need to open my pocketbook in an otherwise nasty economy.

Today, I was introduced to mytagalongs. This site has a shiny factor of 8.5 because of the coolness of it’s gadgets. Boys have tool sites, girls have tampon cases and purse organizers. I do have several men who read this site, so I’m not writing you guys off. There were also some cool items on there that were gender neutral such as running bands to keep items in while you are getting your fitness on as well as inexpensive shaving kit cases or even an entire office to go for your briefcase.

Also, if you want to make your wife really happy, I cannot tell you how much a wife would appreciate The Handywoman’s Kit for her purse. The Swiss Co. makes another version of this for about $20 more and it’s certainly not as pretty.

I have gone forth and spread the word and I urge you to check it out. The prices are VERY reasonable as is the shipping. I placed an order today, so I will let you know if it takes forever to get here. I’m looking forward to the purse organizer. Anything that cleans out my purse can’t be a bad thing.