Spherical, Dude

Kady and Sam are in their third week on Yoursphere and are still loving it like crazy.

Kady was the first out of the two to create her own Sphere and hers is about Timbaland and Timberlake and how they are full of teh awesome. (I wholeheartedly agree, by the way.) It took a little while for someone to join her sphere, but when they did she was ecstatic! Sam's is about Bigfoot and his immediately drew a pretty good following. Why, I'm not sure, but it must be a redneck thing. Maybe? Hmh. While Kady is always checking out fashion and music spheres, Sam is more into games and animals. They both come to me with random bits of information from the "Did You Know?" box on their homepage, like "Did you know your nose makes about a cup of snot each day?" Yeah. Information only kids can truly love. The other day Kady even "warned" me about putting too much information on the internet, as advised by her homepage.

They both have played some in OurWorld, a simulation game on Yoursphere. Sam has been on it more than Kady because he's a little dude with a serious video game need. They both have avatars they customized themselves and are earning coins and completing challenges. There's an arcade in the game where they can go play all kinds of games.

I'm still impressed with the site and the kids are able to navigate it easily and by themselves. I log in every day and check on what they've been up to and in addition to checking on them online, I talk to them about what they've done, what games they've played, etc.

If you have an older elementary child or a tween who wants to play online I recommend Yoursphere. When you sign then up, if you'd use my unique referral code I'd appreciate it: YSMC-0073.

My kids recommend Yoursphere, too. Sam told me to write that. He says it rocks. Take his word for it. He's 11 - he knows everything.

I wrote this review while participating in the Yoursphere Test Drive program by Mom Central on behalf of Yoursphere. I received a free lifetime Gold membership on Yoursphere.com, Yoursphere t-shirts, and a $50 American Express gift card to facilitate my review.

Brusha Brusha Brusha

If I had a nickel for every time I asked the question, "Did you brush your teeth?" I would be a rich woman indeed. If I had a nickel for every time I said, "Go brush your teeth again because I'm not even sure your toothbrush touched your nasty teeth," I would make Donald Trump look like a poor hobo. I will never understand why toothbrushing is such a horrendous task to children. I personally like not having my teeth feel like they're wearing sweaters.

My youngest daughter is 8 and has been trying out the Sonicare for Kids toothbrush for a few weeks now. I am so impressed with how clean her teeth are getting AND how I don't have to remind her (and remind her and remind her and remind her some more) to brush her teeth. Not once since she started using it have I had to have her re-brush.

The features that impressed me the most is the timer and the step-up levels. It's so hard to get a kid to brush for two full minutes, but with the Sonicare for Kids brush she has no problem at all waiting for the little music note telling her to switch sections of her mouth and keep on brushing. Before she knows it, two minutes are up and her teeth are sparkling! The first time she turned the power on she was a little leary of the vibrations, but the toothbrush has a step-up feature that starts out with less vibration and gradually over the first 14 full brushing cycles. There's also a lower, less intense level for ages 4 and under. The toothbrush is easy for her to hold and has bright colored changeable faceplates to mix things up a little.

I am so impressed with the Sonicare for Kids toothbrush we'll be purchasing one soon for our 11 year old who has braces. He has a hard time getting things sparkly amidst all the metal in his mouth right now - I can only be sure that the Sonicare for Kids will help him, too, be squeaky clean and his teeth will be free of sweaters. :-)

Thanks, Mom Central for the opportunity to try this amazing product!

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Sonicare and received a free Sonicare For Kids toothbrush to facilitate my review.”

I'm a Yoursphere Test Driving Mom!

I am an avid user of social media and networking sites. I am also 37. Let's be real: Facebook is not for kids. If you have a kid on Facebook I certainly don't mean to offend you, I just know for a fact that there are some creepy, creepy dudes out there just trolling around looking for kids. I am not dissin' social media and networking outlets, I'm just saying let's leave the little kids off of them. Abby is 13 and after many lectures and strict guidelines we let her have a Facebook page, but it is private to non-friends, she knows the rules and what will happen if she breaks them (beheading) (just kidding) and I also have her password and check her page and actvity often.

But I also have two younger kids who are very jealous of big sister's Facebook page and there is no way I am letting them on there just yet. I am my children's biggest advocate and if I don't step in to protect them, montor their online activities and make sure they're safe then who will? They're kids. Little, innocent kids who still have a hard time discerning good intentions vs. bad ones and who to trust online. So when MomCentral sent out the call for moms to test drive Yoursphere, the social networking site for kids, I was more than excited. It's "social media on training wheels" and parents must sign their kids up and verify their identity.

And now I am more than proud to announce that I am a Yoursphere Test Drive Mom!

My two youngest have signed on and so have I. I have access to their accounts, their "spheres" and activities and I monitor their time on the site. Oh the power! And the huge sigh of relief. So far they are loving it and now in addition to Abby asking if she can check her Facebook I have the two youngest asking, "Mom? Can I check my Yoursphere?" I'm going to have to set up a schedule.....or buy more computers. Nah, I'll just set up a schedule.

Check out Yoursphere and keep checking back here to see how my kids and I are doing with the test drive! If you decide to sign your child(ren) up, email me (theredneckdiva [at] gmail) and I will share a unique code to use that will help me earn chances for a $1000 American Express gift card!

Once again I have to give a big thanks to MomCentral for seeking out the sites and products relevant to moms and their families and giving us this opportunity!

"I wrote this review while participating in the Yoursphere Test Drive program by Mom Central on behalf of Yoursphere. I received a free lifetime Gold membership on Yoursphere.com, Yoursphere t-shirts, and a $50 American Express gift card to facilitate my review."