Gerbera Daisy Hair Clips Winner

Alrighty - and another winner! This winner gets the felt Gerbera Daisy clips from My Family Ties. Let's have a look:
Winning Comment:

Sarah Lynne said... 43

I am an email subscriber

sarahcoulsey03 at gmail dot com

February 23, 2010 10:03 PM

Congrats Sarah. I've sent you an email and you'll have 48 hours to respond and claim your prize! Huge thanks to the sponsor for giving this adorable prize away - and there are many more to come so stay where you're at!

Moonrise Eco-Friendly Jewelry Winner

Ok - time to announce the winner of the recycled glass Cherrystone earrings!! Let's take a look:
The winning comment was:

afineday said... 74

Following on twitter and tweeted about this giveaway! Entry #1

http://twitter.com/afineday/status/9488238158

brc668 (at) gmail (dot) com

February 22, 2010 12:57 PM

Big congrats to afineday - I've sent an email and she'll have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Don't forget - I've got a ton of giveaways ending this week so stay tuned to see if you've won something. There are some great new giveaways getting ready to be posted too so don't go away.

Review of KidZui Kid-Friendly Internet Browser

Since my children have been old enough to sit, they've been exposed to the computer. They both really love to play games online, watch funny videos and learn. However, the internet is very frightening for me when it comes to my kids.

I know the dangers that lurk around online, and I know there are a LOT of things my kids have to be protected from online. Since they're old enough now to type and want to utilize the search functions (which they're not allowed to do), my fears have increased.

Being unable to leave them for 2 seconds while they're on the computer - well, that's just not practical. But leaving them unsupervised while they play - absolutely not! That's why I'm so glad to have found Kidzui - the kid friendly internet browser. I decided to give Kidzui a try about a year ago. I saw it somewhere and read that every website, video, and game that children could access with Kidzui had been pre-approved as safe by Kidzui's moderators. Therefore, I created an account.

What the Kids Can Do:

When you sign your kid up for Kidzui, they create an avatar that they can dress, customize, etc. They create a login name and password that allows them to enter their own account. Once the browser is downloaded onto the computer, it's as easy as clicking a button and your child's account comes up. They can then search right in their browser, and you don't have to be afraid of what might pop up.

Your child can play games, search for information or videos and pictures, message other Kidzui members and even share videos and websites. I was VERY nervous when I heard that they could message other Kidzui members, until I looked at how it worked. They can't actually exchange typed messages - but they can suggest that members check out the pre-approved videos or web pages. They can send greetings and become friends, but there's no danger that your child could be talking to someone posing as a child, or that your child's information might reach anyone else online.

I tested Kidzui by typing certain addresses into the address bar. If the website has not been pre-approved, your child simply gets an error message and must move on to another website or video. It's fabulous the way it works!

Parental Features:

In addition to all the fun things your kid can do with Kidzui, there are a lot of parental features. You get your own account, where you can log in and check your child's activity online, and you can approve websites that you want your child to visit. You can also not allow your child to visit certain websites that may already be pre-approved by Kidzui, if you so desire. You can see who has befriended your child and everything about your child's account. If you want to remove a friend from your child's list, you can. You have complete control! You can even set it to send regular update messages to your email inbox.

How'd It Measure Up?

My kids absolutely love Kidzui. I went ahead and purchased the year's subscription (both kids get their own account, but I only paid one subscription fee.) They were able to search the internet and feel a little more independent without me standing over their shoulder or telling them they can't go here or there online. They loved creating their own avatars, and interacting - even if it was just getting a cute new video from a friend or watching a funny dancing banana!

The best thing is that they could access some of their favorite websites from their Kidzui browser - PBSkids, Poptropica, etc. I was highly impressed with Kidzui, and I feel like it was money WELL spent! I paid about $40 for a year's subscription - not a bad price at all. However, you don't have to pay for your kid to use Kidzui...they have a free option too.


Key Points:

• Kidzui is safe for kids of all ages - everything is pre-approved by moderators.
• You have the option of using the free and limited account or becoming a member for full access.
  
• Your child can create their very own avatar, which is the picture that shows up when they send videos, websites or pictures to other members.
  
• Through your parental account, you can view all stats and information about your child's online activity, friends, etc.

I would highly recommend Kidzui to anyone with children who want to play on the internet, find information, or look at videos. It's a safe alternative and although you still have to check in on your children often, you don't have to stand directly over them while they have fun. Sign up for a free account and check it out!

I was not compensated in any way for this review, and my opinions are 100% based on my usage of the service above and how well I liked it.