Category: Reviews & Sponsorships

The idea for Kidworth came to founder, Rudy DeFelice, at a five-year-old’s birthday party. As he observed the birthday kid opening gift after gift in a frenzy probably not unlike this past Christmas morning at millions of homes, he recalls:

One dad pointed out that the pile represented $600 of plastic that would soon end up in a landfill, and the kid would not remember the gifts or who they were from. Not very satisfying for the kid or the gift giver – or very good for society.

Of course, a mountain of new toys is always fun in theory, but what happens when they break an hour later. Is it really worth it?

As the excitement of the holidays finally winds down and the credit cards bills slowly arrive, it’s a great time to put the holiday madness into perspective. There is a better way of doing thing in 2012. Perhaps it’s even one of your New Year’s Resolutions to focus your finances and energy in a new directions— build you savings, spend more time as a family, or take more vacations.

Have you given any thought as to how you will get there?

Kidworth is an online service that offers an excellent way to teach kids (and parents) about budgeting for the things that really matter.

Parents can register for free and set up an account with their children. (Or in my case, for my children since mine are still too young to grasp the idea of money.) Then, they can share those goals with the people in the kids’ lives.

Here is an example of the portfolio I created for my son, Scout:

Scout is five year old and does not want for much, but I know he will probably want to go to college one day… I hope. So I made a category for “College Savings” in the “Save” goals. This is a huge goal for us. Priority #1 for both of our children’s savings.

My son also enjoys karate, Legos, and burns through art supplies like it’s rocket fuel. So, those are the big items in his “Spend” goals.

The biggest charity I support is his Catholic school. Throughout the year, the school will ask the kids to raise money for the Walk-a-thon or a pig. These are items for the “Share” goals, wherein we set aside funds throughout the year to donate.

Now, when a special occasion like birthdays, holidays, or graduations come around, and someone asks what they should get the kids, I can simply direct them to our Kidworth page through our unique URL. Our personal information stays private. There isn’t even show any info on my children beyond their names and birth date. However, other people will be able to see the things they are “working” towards and contribute to them directly through the site.

There’s also an option to send an e-card to interested parties who would want to give money towards these financial goals. However, I would never do that unsolicited. Only when asked what the kids want, which always happens around birthdays and holidays.

“What do the kids want?” they ask.

“Oh anything,” I sheepishly reply since I find it a tad awkward to demand specific items and price points for other people.  After all. I can’t imagine that it’s that hard to shop for a 5- and 2-year-old! But, bless them, they just want to get the kids exactly what they will really, really love and cherish.

Caught off guard, my mind usually goes blank. Having gone through the process of discussing and setting aside specific goals for my kids, I know exactly what they need!

In Scout’s case, that would be karate classes. For Lou, it is swim lessons. So, this exactly what Mike’s parents got them this year and they really, really love and cherish it!

Disclosure: As a Kidworth Ambassador, I was compensated for sharing how our family saves, spends, and sets goals. If one of your New Year’s Resolutions was to take control of your family’s finance, look into registering for an account with Kidworth? Because it’s never to early or too late to make smarter choices around your budgeting and goals!

When I was 19 years old, I spent the Spring semester of my sophomore year at my college’s campus in Rome. For six glorious months, I not only reveled in the Eternal City, but was also strongly encouraged… nay, kicked off of the campus… to explore the far reaches of my EuroRail pass every weekend, break, and holiday. As I said… glorious.

I did all the things a respectable (if not, super nerdy) American liberal arts major would be expected to do while living in Europe on her parents’ dime.  I climbed church steeples. I entrenched myself in museums, ruins, and catacombs. I made wishes at fountains. I debated styles of architecture… as if I had any clue. I woke up one morning with a craving for waffles, so my friend Chris and I went to Belgium. Naturally.

Then there were all of the other  things I did.

For instance… I have no idea how we even got there. There is a photo of my best friend and I covered in mud and standing in the rain at some Communist rally/rock concert somewhere outside of Rome. Barely legal to vote and certainly not “allowed” to drink in our home country, we took full advantage of being young, dumb, and in Europe. The Communist rally was no exception.

A bit tipsy and completely drenched, we made the super responsible decision to HITCHHIKE back to school in the car of two Italian men named Angelo and… umm, something else. We had them drop us off at the next town over from our campus…(because it was IN the car with that two strange men who we did not know whatsoever that we decided to be cautious. Right!) Then, we walked on the side of  a dark country road in the middle of the night to get back to our dorm. It was after hours, so once we arrived, we then had to climb over the metal gate with the spikes and jump off the other side.

It is a miracle of youth and stupidity that my best friend and I are alive and have our own daughters now. When people ask if I would every let my children go to my alma mater and have the same privilege of living in Rome as I did, I think… “Umm, hell no”.

Of course, when I was in college dinosaurs ruled the Earth cell phones were no quite standard issue and spotty dial-up was accessed only at Internet cafes. What’s broadband? What’s a smartphone? My only contact with my family and then boyfriend were through payphones and calling cards. I sent a post card home from every city I visited, but those arrived long after I departed– off to another Irish pub, Greek nightclub, or German film set. ( That’s another story.) Not much solace, if you ask me.

I am only kidding about letting my kids go off to explore the world one day. My children are quite young at the moment, but I know that I can’t stop them  from growing up or screwing up any more than my parents could stop me. At least technology has made it possible to have much more piece-of-mind than my parents probably did while waiting for a random phone call from their belligerent offspring.

Bipper, the company who developed Bipper Kids as a way for parents to track their kids’ mobile usage, has recently introduced the bSafe app. It is an emergency alert button for your smartphone. Although this technology was initially offered as a feature in their mobile tracking service, it has since gained so much popularity among adults that Bipper has spun it off as a stand-alone product.

bSafe is a free app that turns your smartphone into the “ultimate safety device”. With the push of one button, the bSafe app will alert selected contacts that you are in danger and share your location using your phone’s built-in GPS. It’s the ideal companion to anyone who has to walk alone at night, an elderly relative who maybe in danger of falling, or even college kids who should know better than to hitchhike and should have probably just called an RA to come get them from the Communist rally/rock concert… ahem.

Here is a quick step-by-step on how this clever little app works:

You hope that you never have to use an app like this, but it is such a comfort to know that you have it when you do… just in case.

Learn more about Bipper and the bSafe app by going to NeverWalkAlone.com. The app is free to download on Apple, Android, and Blackberry devices through the app stores. Another way is to simply text bSafe to 84145 or enter your phone number on the bSafe site. The link to download the app will be sent directly to you via SMS.

Disclosure: I was compensated to review the bSafe app. The views, options, and irrational fears shared in this post are all my own. 

From time to time, the idea of giving an allowance is subversively bandied about Scout’s school. The classes participate in a monthly service project. One month it’s collecting coats for kids, another they are collecting gently-loved books for a local shelter. It’s all very sweet and wonderful. However, I was a bit taken a back when, a year ago, my son asked to do chores so he could buy a cow.

“A cow?” I asked amused, wondering if this was real or a flight of fancy

“Yes, a cow. Mrs. M said we need to do extra chores so we can have money to buy a cow,” he explained.

Further investigation and a note from the teacher at the bottom of his backpack later confirmed that the preschool was collecting money for Hefer International,  an organization with the goal of helping people out of poverty by giving them the tools, knowledge, and livestock to create a sustainable living.

The preschool was, in fact, going to buy someone a cow. E-I-E-I-Oooooh! 

“So could you give me some chores, Mommy?”

My (very opinionated) Opinion on Allowance

Scout was only four at the time, but already had such a kind and earnest heart. I didn’t want to say “No”, but I also wasn’t ready to confront the idea of giving my kids an allowance in exchange for chores. I suppose it is a perfectly reasonable arrangement, but there are two things that I just cannot get past:

Aren’t chores simply part of living in a house and being in a family? As in, you like clean socks, but not cockroaches. So put the dirty laundry in the basket and put your uneaten food in the bin… A cockroach-free existence is its own reward.

More importantly, I can’t name one single thing my children can do that I find worthy of payment. I mean, they certainly try. “I do it myself!” is a commonly heard rebuttal in my house. It is quickly followed by, “Help meeeeeee?”

I teach them. I guide them. I praise them. In the end, whatever it is that we are doing takes longer, is messier, and seems to require much more squealing… Who, if anyone, ought to be the one getting paid in this situation? Hmmm? 

Teaching Kids About Money

I am in no position to judge anyone’s parenting. If other families want to tie allowances to chores, it’s probably because their kids are older (and are performing duties that one would otherwise be paying a lawn service/babysitter/cleaning person to do). Perhaps it’s a way to teach kids about the importance of hard work?

As for us, I find that the exchange of money for goods and services is a simple enough concept to grasp, even for a four-year-old. The kids see Mike and I go to work everyday. They know that they will have to work one day too. That’s a given.

I see the purpose of allowance as a way to give kids an opportunity to learn how to manage money through making both good choices and bad, and with guidance from their parents. If they are going to make financial mistakes, let them make them early when the stakes are low and no one’s counting on their share of the rent.

Choices

With this mind, all of my conversation with my kids about money revolve around making choices.

Would you rather have a $5 mall pretzel or a $5 Lego set and a snack from Mommy’s purse? 

Would you rather have five little $5 Lego sets or wait to get the $25 Lego set? 

Sometimes he chooses wisely. Sometimes. But the bottom line is, I have a choice too and I reserve the right to say “no, we can’t buy that today.” End of the conversation.

Wishlists

I keep a running wishlist on my smartphone with an app called The Find (available on Apple and Android devices), with photos of the things my kids beg for at the store. From time to time, my son will go through all of the photos and realize that he wants the “super cool harbor set” more than the “police station and boat”. (Yes, I am still talking about Legos. It’s the most accessible currency for little boys.)

So now, I know what to get him for Christmas AND I’m not drowning in every set he asks for…. just the ones he loves most.

Experiences

I have written in the past about the way my kids put more value in experiences than things. I am so proud of them for this, but I also make it clear that some experiences come with a hefty price tag. Vacations, karate lessons, swim team… these things are not cheap and I am perfectly forthcoming about how we can’t afford XYZ this month because we are buying new swimsuits and floaties instead.

So how did my son raise the money to buy the village a cow?

Just because I’m not willing to tie allowance to chores doesn’t mean that my son was off the hook for raising money on his own.

Instead of household chores, I asked him to help me gather all of the toys, books, and clothing he and Lou had outgrown and take them to a local resale shop. Whatever money we got back from the sale would be his to donate or keep. We purged a good bit of clutter and made a chunk of change that day. Then, he donated  ALL of it to the cow.

I count that as two good deeds and an important lesson in giving.

Disclosure: As a Kidworth Ambassador, I was compensated for sharing how our family saves, spends, and sets goals. If you are still looking for the perfect holiday gift for a little person in your life, consider giving the gift of financial success. Consider a gift card from Kidworth. 

{image credit: Flickr, Johnson Cameraface}

I knew I had it all wrong when last Christmas- surrounded by a mountain of presents and a house full of family- my children could not have cared less about the presents. Both of them opened one gift, loved it, and quickly lost interest in the rest in favor of playing with their aunts and uncle.

I actually had to force them to open the rest of their gifts over the next three or four days, so I would have something to tell my in-laws when they called to ask how the kids liked the gifts. “Uh… they were… umm, great. Whatever they were… hehe”

They were ages four and one at the time. While this was NOT the reaction I had anticipated, I was not all that surprised. My children have always put more of a premium on experiences rather than things and I cannot be more grateful for that. Don’t get me wrong. They love toys and books and messy art supplies as much as the next kid… and of course, they often succumb to the “gimme-gimmes” anytime we are near a Lego store.

On the other hand, Scout still goes on and on about the first time I ever took him to Taco Bell and then to my office. Not a particularly extraordinary event, but a completely novel one to him. Yet, he can’t tell you the last thing he just HAD to have  at the store.

On her second birthday, Lou was more interested in the Flip camera we were using to film her, than her presents. At one point, she took over the camera and took great glee in shooting my husband opening the gifts for her. The Bitty Baby that Mike’s mom obsessed over for weeks was presented to her, then sadly, tossed aside. Months later, it still lives in the closet and is barely played with… if ever.

As I said, I’m not surprised that my kids are like this. Mike and I have been very intentional about raising them to appreciate doing over having, and we’ve taught them this by example.

In 2008, Mike lost his job. Two weeks later, he accepted a new job… in London… and I lost my perfect life in Dallas, Texas. We had a month to reassess our worldly possessions and our house, and got rid of most of it. Scout was two at the time, and watched as toys, books, dishes, decorations, furniture…  all made their way to Craigslist, Freecycle, charity shops, or were given away to friends. Then, off we three went on a grand adventure!

I can’t even tell you how many people told me that I was INSANE to leave Texas. (How could anyone leave Texas?!) Friends asked how I could just give away or sell all of our stuff. How could I give up the comfort and security of my cushy suburban existence? It was a chance to live in London. How could I not?

Eight months later, when the economy unexpectedly tanked and we once again found ourselves jobless… except this time, living abroad. We had to go through the entire process again. For a second time in his small life, my son watched as we shed belongings and packed up the rest to move back to the States. Sheepishly, we prepared to return ”home”, but not quite…

A  bit older and more aware, this second move took a toll on our son. Every night he would wake up and bring all of his toys into his bed, then sleep on top of them. It was as if he feared they would go away otherwise. My heart broke for him and, as a result, we got rid of very few of his things.

We moved a third time a year later. It was a local move, but no less harsh on my son. Night after night, he would ask, “Is this really my room, now?” and “When are we going back to our house?”. I had no idea if he was talking about Dallas, London, or the short gap in between when he and I lived with my parents.

This time in our life was THE most stressful. The resentment from it still bubbles up from time to time. Yet, looking back, it was also the most remarkable and it solidified our values as a family. So what did we learn in the midst of utter insanity?

Things will come and go.

Jobs will come in go.

Friends will even come and go.

What matters in life is the experiences you seize and the people who are there to embrace them with you.

Disclosure: As a Kidworth Ambassador, I was compensated for sharing how our family saves, spends, and sets goals. This is the perfect time of year to re-evaluate how you view the “stuff” in your life. 

Image credit: From kalastajanvaimo.indiedays.com, via Pinterest 

As you can imagine, my home is pretty tech saturated. Bings, bops and beeps, tap-tap-tap. Some days, we truly ARE the big green room in Goodnight iPad. So, it’s easy  to overlook a little button battery in a story book, light-up wand, or desk clock.

After two kids, I’ve grown accustomed to tuning out a lot of sounds and blinking lights. I’ve had do this for the sake of my own sanity. I don’t even think twice about handing my children the garage door opener, camera, or flashlight to keep them amused, but after seeing this video I will.

The children featured in this video seem to skew towards infant/toddler age, but the truth is, battery-related injuries are a threat at any age. Regardless if a child is little or really should “know better”, the outcome of accidentally swallowing a battery can be deadly. When a lithium battery gets stuck in a child’s throat, the saliva triggers an electrical current. This causes a chemical reaction that can severely burn the esophagus in as little as TWO HOURS.

Once you think about it, these types of batteries can be in some of the most unexpected places. Anywhere, really!

Safe Kids Worldwide and Energizer recently announced a crucial partnership to share life-saving tips and advice with parents and caregivers about the potential dangers of swallowing  batteries. The formation of “The Battery Controlled” by Safe Kids and Energizer shines a light on this growing issue and provides simple steps to prevent injuries and deaths to children.

Last year, it was reported that more than 3,400 children ingested button batteries. These were only reported cases. It has been suggested that the actually number is much, much greater–considering all of the incidents where caregivers just let the battery “pass” or didn’t even realize that one has been swallowed in the first place. In any case, the number of cases of children swallowing batteries has more than quadrupled in the past five years

So what can you do to help prevent this growing threat:

• Keep button batteries and devices that use them out of reach of tiny hands. Lock them away.
• Only give your child toys in which the batteries are tightly and securely fastened in a tamper-resistant way.
• If you child swallows a battery, go the the emergency room right away. Do not induce vomiting. Do not let them eat or drink anything until an X-Ray can confirm if the battery is there.
• Learn more and take the pledge on The Battery Controlled Facebook page.
• Spread the word. Share this life-saving information with caregivers, friends, family members and sitters

For more information on this important issue and for tips on how to protect your family, visit www.thebatterycontrolled.com.

Disclosure: The Battery Controlled is a campaign supported by Energizer, in partnership with Safe Kids USA, to alert parents and other caregivers to the hidden danger of swallowing coin lithium button batteries. I was compensated for this post, but the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I never endorse anything I do not personally support or have used.