You do not have very go far these days to access free public Wi-Fi. It is available in airports, libraries, cafes, hotels and government buildings. This is helpful but it is important for both adults and kids to make sure they do not trade safety and security for convenience. Just because the public building you are in is reputable, does not mean the Wi-Fi connection is secure.

When using your smart phone or computer in a public hotspot, you need to be careful to ensure the Wi-Fi network is encrypted. Otherwise, it opens you up to the risk of having your online accounts hacked. This could result in cyber thieves stealing your personal information.

Here are two basic safety tips to keep in mind to protect your information.  And then we will explore additional ways to stay safe while online in public.

1.  Check to see if the Public Wi-Fi Network is Secure.

As mentioned, we are not worried about the people who control the Wi-Fi network.  The risk is when others around us are in the business of hacking into the personal accounts using the network.  It could be the person sitting across from you in a coffee shop, or just outside on the street. 

If the public Wi-Fi network does not ask you to enter in a WPA or WPA2 password, the network is not secure. As you are probably thinking, this is most places.  The most common public Wi-Fi networks that require a password are internet providers with home you have an account.

2.  Make sure any website you are on has https at the beginning of URL.  

An example of this is https://youraccount.com or https://yourbank.com.  Secure websites will encrypt your information as you use the site.  Unsecured sites do not have the “s” in them, such as http:// (your information is not encrypted and kept safe if you don’t see the “s”)

Unsecured websites will also show a padlock that is unlocked.  Here is an example of what a secured website looks like.  Notice how with website URL with https also has a closed lock.

Clicking the lock will reveal more information about the secure site.  Now you can be sure you are on a secured website.

On a mobile website, it will look like this.

If you are using a site that is not secure and locked, you open yourself up to hackers that can access your personal accounts and steal your data.  This could mean your name, address, phone number, address book and photos.

Hackers need see you on a public WiFi to be able to monitor our activity, so one sure fire way to to prevent this (regardless of being on an unsecured network) is to encrypt your data by using a trusted VPN. It can be turned on when you wish, such as when you are in public or traveling.

Here are ore ways to protect your personal information when using public Wi-Fi.

• It is good idea to have different passwords for each of your online accounts. This way if a cyber thief gets a hold of your email and password on one of your accounts, they will be unable to log into other accounts using the same password.
• Educate yourself on the various ways cyber attacks happen even when you are in the safety of your own home network, such as Phishing, Vishing and SMishing. Hacking through public WiFi is less common than these other methods used.
• Do not email important information about yourself for any reason.  This includes credit card details, bank account information and your personal government ID number. You should never do this even if a network is secure, not even from home.
• When accessing accounts in public, whether it is your own computer or a PC in a library, always log out when finished.
• Take advantage of 2 step verification methods being offered within your personal accounts.  This will add further security because 2 step verification means you cannot log in until you enter a secret code that is sent to you by text or via the Google Authenticator App.

If you are in doubt about the security using any public Wi-Fi network or website, it is best to restrict your activity online to general use, such as searching Google while you are not logged into your Google account.

Do not log into any personal accounts and if you find it necessary to do so, disconnect from Wi-Fi and use your personal cell data.  Even then, it is always important to ensure the websites on your account pages start with https in the URL.  Most major accounts websites are secure, but if you do not see https something may be wrong.

If you are in doubt about the security using any public Wi-Fi network or website, it’s best to restrict your activity online to general use, such as searching Google while you are not logged into your Google account.

Don’t log into any other personal accounts and if you find it necessary to do so, disconnect from Wi-Fi and use your personal cell data.  Even then, it’s always important to ensure the websites on your account pages start with https in the url.  Most major accounts websites are secure, but if you don’t see https something may be wrong.   

You don’t have to be a computer savvy parent to begin making sure your child is searching the internet from a properly filtered safe search engine. We have additional filtering of Google that blocks all bad content in your kids search results.  It’s a good start, but the best parental control apps are also recommended to keep kids protected from the broad variety of threats online.

Apart from Google search, even if using a internet filtering app, kids searching the web without parental control software installed will be able to go directly to any website that one of their friends may have told them about. There are also social media concerns, such as cyberbullying, online predators or inappropriate images.

And what about harmful texts, such as the sending of personal photos that are best kept private? What about the innocuous threats, including spending too much time playing video games? A search engine cannot control all of these issues. It takes a software application for complete safety online.

Parental Control App for iPhone, Android, Fire, Chrome

A comprehensive solution for complete online safety is software that Filters and Monitors all aspects of online activity for kids. It provides an easy to use app or access from and computer dashboard that gives parents peace of mind knowing their children are protected online.

Net Nanny by Contact Watch is the #1 Rated Parental Control Software program since 1998.  Their most recent version for 2020 is out and enables you to Monitor and Control all Online Activity on their App! View Features & Download Options

Software solutions make it easier for parents to take control of their kid’s activities online, maintain their kid’s safety, manage their kid’s screen time, as well as manage their own time more effectively so that they can continue to do what they do best: Parent.

Effective Parental Controls include:

• Web filtering including keyword and phrase filtering.
• Application Filtering (Blocking apps by category, name or age-rating).
• Monitor and manage users real-time activity.
• Centralized management of multiple computers, lap tops and mobile devices, including iPhones, Android and Amazon (Kindle Fire).
• Time management and daily scheduling.

Parents and guardians will also enjoy a slew of product enhancements, including:

• Chat filtering.
• Security options to block system changes on computer.
• Alert notifications by email or text, such as when new apps are installed.
• Invisible / stealth operation.
• Real-time tracking of users whereabouts and whether they are online or not..

Download the best Parental Control Software App

When it comes to maintaining the safety and innocence of children, the Internet isn’t just a search engine anymore. So many other elements are at needed in an effort to keep kids safe online. Not to mention, the more time parents spend managing screen time restrictions, social media friends, texting and photos – the less time parents have to focus on building a stronger relationship with their child. 

Parental Control Software becomes the “bad guy” monitoring activity. While is blocks bad content, it also puts the onus on your child to be responsible for what they do online. You only get a bad report if they try to do something harmful online.

It’s not enough to just turn on safe search. Parental Control Apps help parents adjust to the new reality. It not only ensures that kids stay safe, monitoring software can help build character in kids to make the right decisions on the internet.

As a parent, you no longer have to play the “guessing game” as to what their kid searches for online, who their friends are, and whether they are actually studying for that history project or just killing time playing games.

Do you Know? (Internet Use by Kids)

Do you know what your kids are looking at online? 41% of U.S. teens say that their parents have no idea…

Do you know how often your kids frequent social networking sites? According to the Norton Online Living report, 76% of U.S. teens ages 13-17 are “constantly” or “frequently” visiting social networking sites.

Do you know if your child has been contacted online by a stranger? 16% of U.S. children have been approached online by a stranger. Is your child one of them?

What is YOUR Internet Monitoring Strategy?

You can rely on the search engines or safe search apps for filtering services, but they are not designed to include social media or screen time monitoring. Another option is to join other parents who have partnered up with software combined with ways to help teach kids online responsibility and accountability.

Do More With the Power of Software..

• Discover how much easier it can be to have a parental control app controlling internet access for every user in your home according to their age.
• Enjoy reduced stress no longer having to hunch over your child’s shoulder monitoring their online activity or asking for their phone to search for bad apps.
• Parental focus and peace of mind can be restored knowing that full control is within your fingertips via an app or on any computer.

Learn more about the best Parental Control App!

It can be challenging to create the ideal workstation for your students. Even the most ergonomically designed settings have plenty of distractions. Today, technology is among the biggest offenders. In some cases, it’s technology that stalls students from beginning their work.

In other cases, it’s technology that diverts the students’ attention away from their work once after they’ve finally obtained focus. Video games, push notifications, you name it. These are all technological features that are distracting to educational modes. However, lowered student performance is not the only result that can stem from an intrusive work environment. 

Distractions can lead students to stress and anxiety, condition them into a mindset that deprioritizes education, and even influence them to lose interest in their studies. Still, our society is heavily reliant on technology, so ridding screens from educational settings isn’t the best solution. 

Perhaps learning the long-lost art of concentration can assist in remediation, as well as taking some time to understand how the role of sleep contributes to productivity. Mind wandering is so natural that we often don’t even realize we’re drifting focus. 

A study by Microsoft Canada found that our average attention span is 1 second less than that of a goldfish! 8 seconds! Furthermore, The Journal of Neuroscience found that continued lack of sleep could destroy our brain cells. For example, when mice are deprived of sleep, neurons in their brains begin to die. 

Although distractions are impossible to completely vanish, simple steps can point your students in the direction of success. Take a look at the infographic below for a complete reference guide on how to help students focus better.

Source: NonProfit Colleges Online

As mothers, we are often faced with dozens of impossible questions before breakfast: do the laundry or the dishes first; which child to wake up first; how to get all the groceries from the car to the fridge in as little effort as possible.

Today, I’d like to share some of my personal tips and experiences with you, and hopefully you’ll feel a little bit less alone if you are also struggling to keep up with an incredibly long to do list.

To give you a bit of background, I’m a mom of two girls (7 and 9), also the mom of two dogs, the wife of one husband and the owner of one very small business (which currently consist of me trying to grow and expand).

Here is how I try to get everything done as a mom:

Working from home – how to get actual work done

When I first decided to work for myself, I thought having the freedom to organize my day any way that felt comfortable would be an improvement on the 8-to-6 working hours I previously had.

I was very wrong.

While I can certainly pace my day how it best suits me, I now have to factor in what suits all the other members of my family as well.

The first valuable piece of advice I can give you here is to do two things: start bulking tasks and create chunks of time for work.

I try to do the same kind of work in different chunks: I start with anything creative that needs to be done (I’m a writer, so this is usually planning, research or actual writing), then I move on to emails or calls, and I do all the mindless work (invoices, charts, etc.) at the very end. Start with the most important bulk first, and work your way up to the less important things later.

The time chunks are there to enable you to ensure the kids don’t need you while you are at work. If they go to school or kindergarten, try to get most of the work work done then, and leave housework for when they come home (as they may be able to help or at least keep you company). If you are homeschooling, try to get work in while they are working on their own tasks on their own or having some quiet time.

My second important tip is to accept and get comfortable with the fact that things will never go as planned. You’ll feel more tired than usual, one of the kids will have a toothache, things will just not go according to schedule. As long as you are okay with this and don’t lose your temper over the disruptions (which is what makes them so stressful), you will be okay.

Schoolwork – how to be there for them

While we have all gone through a bit of homeschooling recently, I realize now, in hindsight, that the same general rules apply in our household whether the kids are going to school or learning from home. Here is what we have found works best for us:

• Set aside time for school and time for play – I understand the draw of having a flexible schedule, especially when you are trying to get hundreds of things done in the space of a day, but having set times for learning and playing (and everything else) usually work better. Kids love routines and it will help them prepare for what is to come, especially in terms of school.
• Designate a learning and a play area – while we have certainly tried doing homework on the sofa, I find it’s always better to do schoolwork at the same spot every time. For us, this is the kitchen table, as we don’t have space for two separate desks in our home. It feels a bit like school too, as the three of us sit down together and are able to discuss the work we are doing if we need to.
• Use extra materials – schoolwork can get pretty dull sometimes, so adding something fun and extra into the mix can often be a great way to reduce their sated minds and introduce a new but beneficial activity. We’ve recently started working with reading comprehension worksheets that provide plenty of talking points and seem to be going down well. Try to find something similar that helps your kids engage with what they are learning in a different way.

Housework – a family effort

When it comes to housework, try to remember that while all of those chores like ironing and washing up do need to get done, they are not the end of the world, and if the dishes end up sitting in a sink a couple of hours longer than usual, you are not doing anything wrong.

The thing I find with housework is that we all put too much emphasis on it. Of course we need to do it, but it does not have to take over our lives and stress us out.

Try to get the entire family involved, especially the kids. You’ll find they actually love doing some of the chores, especially if you turn it into a game or a competition, and not a boring activity that needs to get done. It’s all about the way you present the activity to your kids.

We have a chore wheel in the kitchen that gets spun every day, and we have a limit of 2 chores per person per day. That way, nearly everything (or actually everything) does get done every day.

When the kids are not old enough to get involved, make sure they are still present in some way. Iron while they are playing with their blocks or cook while they are sitting at the desk – you don’t have to work only when they are napping.

Working on yourself – and why it’s so important

Finally, let’s add one more thing to our list of “everything” that needs to get done – self-care.

Everyone always tells mothers how important it is to take care of themselves, and I wholeheartedly agree. It’s just the way you practice self-care that I have a bone to pick with.

Self-care does not have to mean meditating with a candle, doing skincare in the bathtub, going to get a massage – self-care is what you make of it, so if you like to cook, don’t not think of it as time for yourself.

The important thing is to do something you really enjoy every day. If that’s skincare and meditation, that’s amazing! But if it’s listening to an audiobook while you are ironing, or if it’s teaching your kids how to write – enjoy that too!

The less pressure we put on self-care and the more we start enjoying ourselves in our daily lives, the better care we will be taking of ourselves.

Finally

Hopefully some of these tips will help you get everything done – and remember that everything is what you make of it, and not what anyone else thinks you as a mom need to get done in a day.