Genietrack Corporation is mobile software company that is dedicated to providing industry leading solutions to busy moms and dads, helping them to keep track of their children’s location in a convenient, hassle-free fashion. Parents’ main concern is the wellbeing of their children.  Thinking about how much time children spend away from their parents, at school, extracurricular activities, or out with friends, it is even harder to stay in touch.  Genietrack Mobile family safety service helps parents answer important questions by using location technology available on most smartphones:

* Is my child safe? Is my child in danger?

* Is my child at school, practice or wherever they are supposed to be
at now?

* Can I advise authorities of my child’s last whereabouts?

* Can I review on regular basis my child’s school attendance?

* How do I know when my child left school or wherever they are supposed
to be unexpectedly?

* How can I be sure they are ok without intruding in their life?

Genietrack mobile family safety service gives parents peace of mind when they are away from their children. Parents can keep track of current and previous location of their children. Parents can also setup preferences to receive real-time alerts via email or SMS messages when their children travel outside custom defined geographical areas, travel in
a motor vehicle, approach a residence of a known sex offender, or simply when their phone is turned off. Genietrack service offers the following features :

* Parents can securely view current and previously visited locations of
their kids.

* Service offers interactive view of location and profile information
of sex offenders in your neighborhood or in proximity of your kids’
location.

* Real time alerts via email and text messages are available, with
multiple alert options, including location relative to sex offenders’
residences, when your child leaves or arrives at a specified
location, speed of travel, last location visited, prolonged
inactivity, and more. Genietrack service supports geofencing with
multiple monitoring options, including mile radius.

* “Personal Dashboard” features real-time location view and
customizable weekly and monthly activity reports, and ability to
suspend or re-start tracking with a single click.

* Genietrack locator service is supported on Android and iPhone mobile
devices.

You can learn more about the company, the service, as well as watch the
product demo, at www.genietrack.com.

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Work at home tips for parents

Keep a to-do list and a calendar: This is the the biggest thing that I do to stay organized. Whether kept electronically or written down on paper and pen, keeping yourself scheduled and your tasks written down will help keep you sane and get tasks done. There are so many ways one can keep a calendar and to-do list so you just have to test different ones out and figure out what works for you. Personally, I like to use two different items and I carry them with me almost every where I go. I have my planner where I keep all of my appointments, meetings, and events and also keep track of all my children’s therapies, school activities and playdates. I then have a separate to-do notebook where I make my daily to-do lists to keep track of what needs to be done. This is where I list emails I need to send, phone calls I need to make, posts I need to write, errands I need to run and the like.

Schedule your “work” time: Once you have a calendar set up, it is important to schedule your “office hours” and then stick to your schedule {as best you can with children and other last minute things that come up}. When you work from home it’s so easy to accept lengthy phone calls or invitations from friends but if you are scheduled to work you need to dedicate that time to your business and find another time to go out to lunch or call your friend to chit-chat. I have found that scheduling my work time in chunks of time, instead of down to the minute works best for me. Also, I suggest switching tasks frequently so you are more productive and attentive to the task you are working on.

Create a space for working: Having a space dedicated to working is important when working from home. It could be a room, a small portion of a room, or even just a desk. Whatever you can find to call your “office”. I have an upstairs loft that I call my “office” and everyone knows that is off limits to go in. I also sometimes sit in the TV room to relax on the couch while I work because sitting in the same chair gets uncomfortable after a while. Having a space for working will get you in a “work” mindset and keep you from getting constantly sidetracked by the laundry, the dirty dishes, and the rest of the household chores that you need to do.

Work when you can, where you can: I’d love to work normal business hours during the day and be off on evenings and weekends but it’s just not possible during this season of my life. My schedule varies weekly and, since I take a lot of time off during the day for my children’s needs, I end up working many evening hours and weekends. I also try to be creative and squeeze in work when I can. I take advantage of naptime, bedtime, and Sinisa’s days off to work. I get work done in the car while I’m sitting in the preschool pickup line, at the pool while my son is having water therapy, and while my kids are eating lunch. They might just be short periods of time but all the minutes here and there add up.

Realize you can’t do it all: There may come a time when you can’t do everything yourself and you may need to ask for help or let something go. It’s okay. You just have to decide what is important to you and what’s not as important and what you need to do as opposed to what you can pass on to someone else. For me, my family and friends and my blog/job are the most important and I decided that my “domestic” duties weren’t as important. Many of the household jobs could be done by someone else unlike my job as mother and blogger/business owner. I realize that my home is not going to be spotless and that’s okay with me. You can also hire people to help with the aspects of business you don’t know much about or don’t have time to do. Living Your Moment was created to help parent  business owners who are in this situation. We grow Twitter and Facebook accounts, run blog review campaigns, and provide many other services for business owners so they can focus on running their businesses.

Make time for yourself and your family: If you aren’t well, your business will suffer so don’t forget to take care of yourself. Do something you enjoy every day whether it’s taking time to read a book, pamper yourself, or exercise. Making time for your family is also important. Carve out time to spend with them each day. Cuddle with your little ones on the couch while watching a movie, spend time in the kitchen making dinner together, or go for a bike ride. Your work time will be that much more fulfilling when you come back to it after taking a break for yourself.

I hope I have given you some work at home tips for parents to make working from home work for you. If you work from home and have other work at home parents I would love to hear them.

Social media monitoring tools

The world wide web is huge and it’s not possible to be everywhere all the time to see what’s being said. There are a number of different social media monitoring tools that will help you keep on top of things.

1.  Google Alerts – This is one of my favorite social media monitoring tools.  You can request that you be emailed when Google finds instances of your company name, your URL, your product name, etc.   You set up a Google Alert telling Google what to look for and you’ll get an email each time Google finds something.

2.  Topsy – Topsy will let you search the web for anything you want.  Their advanced feature (free) lets you receive an email notification as well.  This is very helpful if you are trying to monitor a competitor to see what they’re doing or you have a targeted campaign on a specific product that you want to keep abreast of.

3.  Twilert – Twilert is just like Google Alerts except it’s focused specifically on Twitter. You can set it up to send you a mention of a word (like a product or your company name) or a link (like the link to your website).  You will receive a digest of all the times it finds your search on Twitter each day. This is a great way to follow hash tags or trends that might be pertinent to your business.

4.  Addictomatic – Addictomatic will automatically scan social networking sites like Twitter, Friendfeed, Digg, YouTube, Bing web search, and Yahoo blog search for mentions of whatever you like.  These results can be viewed instantly and you don’t have to provide an email address. Visit the site every few days to see what’s going on.

There are a lot of ways you can use social media to promote your company.  It’s important that you monitor the results using some of these social media monitoring tools to make sure you’re not spending your time in ways that aren’t productive. Do you use any other social media monitoring tools? Which ones are your favorite?

Time Management Tips

Working at home can be a dream or a nightmare depending on how well you can manage your time.   One of the big reasons I began working at home was so that I could have the flexibility to be here when and if my family needed me.  It’s a great feeling to be able to go outside and throw the ball in the backyard with the kids at 2:00 if you want to instead of being held to someone else’s idea of office hours. However, the draw of flexible hours can be a negative as well as a positive.  It’s all too easy to take time out in the afternoon for your favorite television program or to take a super long lunch or coffee break with a friend.  While these things don’t hurt every now and then, if you find  yourself doing them all the time, they can eat away at your productivity.

I’ve been working at home for two years now and have come up with a routine that works to keep me on track for the most part. Here are a few of my time management tips.

1.  Try to stick to regular office hours. It can be tempting to work more or less than you need to and neither is good over all.  Determine what the ideal number of hours is to work each week and divide that up as it works best for your business and your family.

2.  Get dressed in the morning.  I just don’t *feel* like I’m working if I’m in my pajamas. I make sure to dress to the shoes in business casual clothes.  It makes me feel like I’m really at the office instead of hanging out at home.

3.  Don’t be afraid to let the machine answer the phone for you.  If you’re up against a tight deadline or have a great creative streak going on, don’t be afraid to ignore the phone and let the machine get it.  If the call is important, you can return it and if it’s a friend who wants to chat or a salesman, you’ve avoided an interruption you don’t need.

4.  Use a planner or calendar to keep track of your appointments and deadlines. Be aware of conflicting dates.  I find it’s easiest to keep a family calendar for appointments. Since I’m the one who needs to handle family appointments like doctor’s and repairmen, it’s important that I know not to schedule a business appointment with a client at the same time my child has a dentist appointment.  I find that a paper calendar works best for me but many people use apps or Google calendar as well.

5.  Be aware of your time wasters.  Facebook can be a huge help in getting the word out about your products and services but it can also be a huge waste of time.  Don’t get drawn into the playing games, chatting with friends, or otherwise wasting time that you should be spending working on your business goals.  Allow yourself so much Facebook time per day and try to stay off it at other times.

Do you have any time management tips that work for you and your business?  What’s the one thing you struggle with the most when trying to accomplish your goals? Feel free to share your time management tips below.

I chose to get a “cherry” red one and waited to receive it. I was on the lookout for a large box that would fit a bean bag seat inside of it so I was very surprised when I got a small box from the company. Upon opening it I found the insides of the bean bag chair all wrapped up with plastic wrap and tape. It was a small cube. The box also included instructions for putting the bean bag seat together and two different pieces of material, one nylon piece that was the inside liner and one suede piece that was the cover.

The first thing I had to do was open the liner of what would be the bean bag chair and set the cube of the chair filling on top of it. There were pieces of tape that were numbered so I knew which tape to remove first. I took three pieces of tape off and took the wrapping off the cube. It turned out that the insides of the bean bag were pieces of 100% recycled foam. I thought that was great that it used recycled materials instead of little beads. Once all the wrapping was off I zipped the liner closed and broke off the zipper. I then put the liner inside the bean bag cover and zipped that up. The Jaxx bean bag had to “fluff up” for 24 hours so I hid it in my room until the next day.

After 24 hours I brought the Jaxx Bean Bag downstairs and put it in our living room. The first thing both boys did when they came downstairs from their naps was jump in it. When they got off of the bean bag it didn’t rise to it’s original shape like I thought it would, it just kind of turned into a big, soft pillow (though a much “fluffier” one). That didn’t matter to the boys. They love to sit on it and lay on it while they watch television. They also enjoy jumping into it.

Jaxx Bean Bag

While it didn’t turn out to be the bean bag chair I expected it to be, the Jaxx bean bag seat is perfect for our family. My boys both have Sensory Processing Disorder and are both sensory seekers which means they crave movement and love to jump, crash, and wrestle (even more so than most boys do). This foam bean bag is perfect for them because it’s soft enough enough that we can toss them on to it or they can jump into it to get their little bodies the sensory input they crave. It’s also large enough that they both can fit on it so they aren’t fighting over who gets to use it.

Is it only for children with special needs? No! Like I said previously, this Jaxx bean bag chair makes a nice soft spot to sit or lay while relaxing that any child will enjoy. Even mom and dad can sit on it without risking it popping beneath us! It makes a good spot for story time since I can sit on it with the boys and we can cuddle together while we read.

The quality of this kids bean bag is great. The cover material is thick and strong. The suede material seems easy to care for and can be wiped clean if it gets a little messy. Also, because of the inside liner, the cover can come off and be thrown into the washing machine which is a great feature when you have young kids. I really like that the foam inside makes it really soft and the inner zipper ensures that the “insides” of the bean bag will stay inside of it and I won’t find little pieces of foam around the living room.

Bean Bag Chair Pros also has another store http://www.waterfountainpros.com/

(Disclosure: I received a Jaxx Bean bag chair from the company to review but all thoughts are my own.)

Environmentally Friendly Office

When I went to get my taxes done back in February I had a long conversation with my accountant about what business expenses can be considered as a deduction and which ones couldn’t.  Since I work from home, I wanted to know what the rules were for claiming utilities as a business expense.  I was told that if I had a DEDICATED office space that was used only for work that I could claim a portion of utilities, house taxes, etc on my income tax.  Unfortunately, I have yet to create my own personal office space and am still alternating between the guest bedroom and the living room to do my work.  I decided that I really need to create my own office space and would really like to do it in an environmentally friendly way!  So, what sort of decisions can a person make that would ensure a greener home office?  Here are a few suggestions that you may want to consider to make an environmentally friendly office:

1.  Choose Wisely: Furniture is probably one of the biggest expenses you will find in decorating your new environmentally friendly office.  Make the decision to invest in quality pieces so you don’t have to replace them often.  It may be cheaper to buy particle board shelves at big box stores but you aren’t doing the earth much good with this type of purchase. Alternative materials like bamboo, reclaimed materials, or FSC Certified Wood.are better.  You can also buy second hand and save yourself a lot of money! Buying used is a great way to go green.

2. Save on Energy: Having a home office can really increase your utility bills. Computers, fax machines lights, printers, and other electronics can create quite a drain on your wallet.  Choose fluorescent or LED bulbs instead of traditional ones to cut back on lighting costs. Turn off your computer when not in use to save on electricity and create less heat in the summer, which means less air conditioning costs.

3. Choose to Recycle: There are a number of items that are used in the home office that are easily recycled.  Used printer paper can be repurposed as scrap paper for jotting down notes and when you are done, just throw it in the recycle bin.  Most office supply stores will take back printer and toner cartridges for recycling and will often give you money back as a bonus!  Many communities offer recycling of computers and monitors on certain days of the year. For dates and locations check out Earth 911.

4. Greener Décor Choices! Bringing plants into your office will make it look nicer and also remove toxins from the air. Plants produce oxygen, increase humidity, and just add a personal touch to your space. You can also find other cute accessories like business card holders made from stone or recycled metal to add a little bit of flair to your space.

5. Choose recycled office products:  There are a number of environmentally friendly office supply stores online and many large chain stores are starting to carry ecofriendly options as well.  100% recycled paper is fairly easy to find as are pencils made from recycled denim or newspapers. Check out Eco Green Office for an amazing selection of products to choose from!

Have you adopted any ecofriendly choices in your environmentally friendly home office?

Antique Ceramic Bird Bath

The Soothing Company has a variety of birdbaths that caught my eye.  Since our New England farmhouse was built in 1865, I wanted something that bit in with a rustic look and a little bit of character. My preference was to find something that was ceramic so it would last longer than a plastic bird bath would. I shopped around for a while and was thrilled with the wide selection I found.  They even have solar bird baths!

Ultimately, I chose the Antique Ceramic Bird Bath.  It’s a deep red ceramic bird bath that has an antiqued look.  There are even two cute birds perched on the edge of the bird bath. I was worried about ordering a ceramic bird bath online but the bird bath arrived very well packaged and in perfect condition.  There were two separate pieces – the base and the top portion.   There was nothing that needed to be attached or put together at all. You simply placed the top onto the base and turn into slightly so the two pieces interlock together. The birdbath weighs 23 pounds and is nice and sturdy so I don’t need to worry about it blowing away on a windy day.  The dimensions are 19″L x 19″W x 23″H.

The Soothing Company offers a variety of bird baths to suite many price points ranging from $29.95 to $409.99 depending on the style and material you’re looking for. The Antique Ceramic Bird Bath I chose is $119.99 which is quite reasonable for ceramic bird baths.  I’m really enjoying my new bird bath and I know the song birds are too!

This bird bath comes from The Soothing Company, an online retailer, that offers floor fountains, kids bean bags, electric fireplaces and more.

Disclosure: I received a product or products in order to write my review. All opinions are mine and mine alone. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC 16 CFR Part 255 concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising.

Twitter Tips for Newbies

Twitter has been around for years but if you aren’t tweeting yet I suggest you consider signing up for an account and reading these Twitter tips for newbies. I joined Twitter back in 2007, before most people had even heard of it, and have gotten so much out of it in the past five years. Here are some Twitter tips for newbies to get you started after you sign up for a Twitter account.

Basic Account Setup

1) Add a profile picture. If you are joining Twitter I can assume you aren’t an egg.  You are a human being, so why would you leave an egg as your profile picture? It takes less than a minute to add a picture of yourself. The benefit to adding a profile picture is that you will get more interaction since people will be able to see who they are tweeting with. Many, including myself, won’t start conversations with people who have egg profile pictures because we think you are a spam account.

2) Add a bio. This goes along with the profile picture. Twitter gives you the opportunity to share a little bit about yourself so take it and tell people who you are and/or what they can gain from following you. Are you mom who will share all the funny things your two year old says? Are you a vacation planner who will share great deals on vacation packages? Or are you a fashion designer who will share great fashion trends with me?

What To {And Not To} Tweet

3) Interact with others! This is what Twitter is for. You can find people to talk to by searching Twitter for keywords, looking at who your friends are following, or looking through your “stream” of people you are following and commenting on something they tweet. Don’t worry if you don’t know the person because the great thing about Twitter is that you can talk with anyone you’d like. Still nervous about tweeting with people you don’t know? You can start out on Twitter by tweeting with @LivingYrMoment

4) Avoid only tweeting links. Sharing blog posts, deals, news, and the like are great but don’t forget the conversation in between those links. Think of Twitter as a big party. Would you want to talk to someone who only talked about themselves? Probably not. Likewise, nobody wants to follow someone on Twitter who only talks about themselves.

5) Try to keep it positive. It’s okay to complain occasionally {I do} but try to do so sparingly and make sure you are also sharing about great service, great people, and great experiences as well.

6) Use hashtags sparingly and correctly. Hashtags {a word with  # in front of it} help connect groups of people who are tweeting about the same thing. Adding the hashtag “#specialneeds” means my post will be shared with anyone following the special needs hashtag, even if they don’t follow me. When I was going to a conference last summer I was able to follow the conference hashtag months in advance and tweet with others who were going to the conference. You can make up your own hashtags or use hashtags already established but make sure that your tweet goes along with the hashtag {for example, if your tweet is about making candles, don’t use the hashtag #moms}.

These are just a few Twitter tips for newbies to get you started. As you tweet you will learn what works for you and what doesn’t. Have any other Twitter related questions? Feel free to leave a comment below and I’d be happy to answer your questions in a follow up post.

Twitter Tools

1.  Bufferapp.com – Bufferapp.com allows you to load tweets all at once and then schedule them to be released at certain times.  You can load up several days or several weeks to tweets depending on your needs.  You can even use it to load Facebook posts.  There are several different options for Bufferapp.com.  There is a free version that allows you to load up to 10 Tweets for one Twitter handle. There are also several paid options that allow you to schedule more handles and more Tweets. There’s also an analytics tab that gives you information on how many clicks each tweet has, the potential reach, retweets, mentions, and favorites.

2.  Twitter counter – Twitter counter provides information about how many followers you have and the growth of your Twitter handle over time. You can also access statistics about the number of tweets you sent out.  Graphs are available for free that show you followers, following, and tweets. You can request a graph by the hour, week, month, 3-months, or 6-months.  There is a premium version that gives you information on mentions and retweets as well.

3.  Topsy – Topsy is a search tool that allows you to search Tweets.  You can search on results for your company name, product name, website link, competitors, etc.  You can see the results by hour, 1 day, 2 day, 7 days or 30 days.  You can also use it to search on Google +.  You can even create an email alert to be sent out with mentions for your Twitter searches. I love this tool.  It’s easy to see on Twitter when someone includes your handle in their Tweet but if all they do is mention your company, it’s a little more time consuming. This takes the work out of it.

4.  TwitPic – TwitPic allows you to share photos and videos on Twitter. If you go to your Twitter profile page, you will see “Featured Images.”  You can send photos to be showcased in that area so you can show off your best products or photographs.  See my personal profile as an example (https://twitter.com/#!/scentednights)  Just sign up for an account and they will send you a special email address. You send an email to that address, attach the photograph, type your Tweet into the subject line and send.  That’s all there is to it.

Have I missed any Twitter tools that help you make your day more productive? Have you tried any of the Twitter tools that I’ve mentioned above? If so, what are your thoughts?