Author: mamabearknows

FINALLY: How to clean up what your kids see on YouTube

Why is it so difficult to screen and filter what our kids watch on YouTube? I’ve been complaining about this forever, lamenting about the amount of garbage that’s out there, and the lack of content moderation. In fairness, it’s pretty much impossible to expect YouTube to be able to screen all of the millions of videos posted every day, but in that case YouTube should really make it easier for parents to block and screen stuff on our end.

My kids watch a lot of videos I fear will melt their brains – other people playing video games, for example, or compilations of dance clips from TikTok. Then there is the really inappropriate stuff with bad language, music videos that aren’t meant for kids, things they probably shouldn’t be learning about from strangers on the Internet.

So why don’t I just ban them from watching YouTube altogether, you ask? Because there is also an overwhelming amount of really great content available for them on YouTube. Stay with me, and I’ll share a list of our favorite wholesome, entertaining YouTube channels!

So I set out to find out how to leverage more control over the content my boys are consuming on YouTube, and I was shocked and dismayed at how complicated it is. It should be a simple matter of block this video, block this search, block this channel. But for whatever reason, YouTube doesn’t make it that easy.

The first step is to connect your child’s Google account to YouTube, if he or she has one. I was able to connect the Google account my son has through school. (If your child doesn’t have a Google account, you can easily create a free one here.)

Next, create a YouTube channel for them. I know, I know. I myself thought this was an unnecessary step, because I don’t really intend for my son to become a YouTube content creator, but alas, having a channel allows you greater governance over suggested content. Make sure you are signed in with their Google account when you create the channel, and note that if you are using a school Google account, you may not have control over editing the name of the account. My son’s YouTube channel is now his first and last name.

Now, if your child’s account has anything in the feed or watch history, you can begin to remove things you don’t like. Click on the three dots beside or under the video, and then select “Not interested” or “Don’t recommend channel.” My rule of thumb here is if it looks like the channel is full of stuff I just don’t want my kid to watch, I choose “Don’t recommend channel.” Next, go to Watch history and click the X to “Remove from watch history.”

You can also clear the search history, or remove certain keywords from the search history, although if your child can spell and type this won’t stop them from just entering the search terms again.

Finally, you can enable Restricted Mode. But in my humble opinion, Restricted Mode is lousy. It blocks content that is 100% safe and appropriate (for example the live stream of the jellyfish tank at Monterey Bay Aquarium?!), yet on Restricted Mode my 5- and 8-year-olds were watching a “kids say the darndest things” compilation video in which a little girl talks about how mommies poop babies out of their butts. *eyeroll* And know that if you decide to go the Restricted Mode route, that feature is enabled at the device level, so you will have to toggle it on on every single device your child watches YouTube with.

The filtering method I’ve described here is not perfect, and it’s not permanent. You’ll still have to go in from time to time, and weed out anything in the suggested feed or watch history that you don’t want your kid to see, and I have yet to find a way to block them from searching out certain channels or videos. If you know a way, please share.

 

Oh and as promised, here are our 10 fave “everybody’s happy” YouTube channels:

Save $50+ on Amazon FreeTime Unlimited for kids subscription

In 2019, Santa brought my boys new Amazon Kindle Fire kids’ edition tablets. They each came with a free one-year subscription to Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, which gives them access to all the apps, games, videos, books, etc. that Amazon has to offer. After the free year the subscription renews at a rate of $2.99/month, per kid. If you have up to four kids, they offer a family rate of $6.99/month.

Honestly, that’s not a bad deal, considering what I could be spending on the kids’ downloading apps, watching shows and movies, downloading books and magazines.

So when I logged in to my account to check out the renewal options, I jumped at the chance to save 70% on a one-year family subscription, for $19.99 (regularly $83.88). That’s a savings of $63.89! With two kids, I would have spent $71.76 on 12 months at $5.98, so at the very least I saved $51.77.

To take advantage of this deal, click here then tap the “Save 70% on one year” banner at the top of the page.

In related news, FreeTime Unlimited is getting a new name: Amazon Kids+. Amazon plans to roll out the change over the next few months, although parents (and kids) don’t have to worry about a thing with the change. You don’t need to do anything, and you’ll still have all the features and functions with Kids+ that you’ve always had with FreeTime, and then some.

Beat the lockdown rush: Check and stock your supplies now

Regardless of whether you plan to vote Red or Blue, and whether you agree or disagree with Covid safeguards and protocols, it’s becoming more and more likely that we could be facing another lockdown, similar to what we experienced in March.

CNN reported this morning that yesterday the U.S. had the highest one-day total of new cases, and the outlook is not looking great. The next few months will be difficult, because we’ll be dealing not only with Covid but also with the holidays and cold and flu season.

Let’s not waste time and effort debating the effectiveness of mask-wearing, government-ordered shut downs or whether this is all a hoax intended to sway the presidential election. Let’s see the writing on the wall and realize that the predicted second wave is here, and plan ahead. In an effort not to overwhelm grocery stores and pharmacies, and to avoid the crowd, let’s begin preparing now.

Here’s a list of what food and supplies you should check your stock of, and pick up if low:

Health and safety
* Toilet paper
* Tissues
* Diapers, wipes
* Prescriptions – request 90 days, if possible
* Vitamins, especially C and D
* Pain reliever/fever reducer
* Couch drops, cough syrup
* Hand sanitizer
* Hand soap
* Thermometer
* Stocked first-aid kit

Kitchen
* Canned goods and other non-perishables
* Pasta, rice
* Cereal
* Bread
* Dairy products (milk, eggs, butter, cheese)
* Baking basics (flour, sugar, yeast, baking soda, baking powder)
Note: It would be smart to come up with a general plan for two or three weeks of meal ideas, and then shop accordingly.
* Pet food
* Broth/bouillon
* Peanut butter
* Snacks
* Frozen pizza and supplies or other quick and easy meals
* Paper plates
* Napkins
* Paper towels
* Coffee

Cleaning
* Disinfectant wipes and spray
* Bleach
* Dishwasher detergent (because with the kids at home you’ll be running the damn thing every day) or dish soap
* Laundry detergent

Think about what you would need if you were home for a few weeks and most stores were closed. Ask your spouse and kids if there’s anything you should pick up for them. Don’t be the mom who forgets the Lucky Charms.

And, it goes without saying: Don’t forget the wine!

It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to start coming up with ideas of things to do at home. Make a list of shows to binge on Netflix or movies you’ve been wanting to watch. Pick up some LEGOS, board games, puzzles, art kits and science sets, or trade with neighbors. Create a Pinterest board and fill it with pins of fun at-home activities. Order a stack of books from the library. Involve your kids in the process, so you can refer them to the list any time they say, “I’m bored!”

Finally, let us not forget the #AllInThisTogether mentality. If you’re stocking up, please resist the temptation to clear the shelves and only buy what you need. Remember your friends, family and neighbors. And if things do get dire and you have supplies to spare, share.

 

Fall is for Freezer Meals!

You would not believe what this weather does to me. It’s chilly, dreary, rainy. It feels like we haven’t seen the sun in weeks and we may never see it again (I realize how ridiculous this sounds but *shrugs*).

We have the remnants of a hurricane coming up the southeast, combining with a cold front and winter storm lollygagging across from the west. It really brings out the “meh” in me.

I also found out my son’s preschool will be closed for at least the next week because of Covid.

It all makes me want to put on comfy clothes and curl up on the couch with a book and a throw blanket.

But, of course, with two crazy boys at home, and freelance work to keep up with, that’s not really an option. Well, the curling up on the couch part anyway…

Since I’m feeling so incredibly unmotivated I will probably take advantage of one of these meals I pre-made a few weeks ago, packaged up and stuck in the freezer. They’re perfect for days like today, because they’re warm and comforting, and best of all, they’re DONE. All I have to do defrost and bake. In some cases I can even skip the defrost.

A few of these are recipes I just prepared and froze. Others are meals I made for dinner one night, and just doubled or tripled the recipe and froze the extras for another time.

Enchiladas – From Damn Delicious
Mexican is hands-down my favorite cuisine, and I love enchiladas because they can be so versatile – chicken, beef, pork, cheese – and I almost always have the ingredients on hand to make them. They’re also pretty easy to assemble in a hurry, and simple to make multiples of.

You can play with the basic recipe by using your choice of protein. This recipe calls for leftover rotisserie chicken but you could also use leftover taco meat, leftover pot roast, shredded and seasoned, or just beans and cheese. You can also swap out the flour tortillas for corn, although in my experience you’ve got to warm them just so before you try to roll them or they will crack and break. They still taste good but you wind up with more like an enchilada casserole.

 

Cilantro Lime Chicken – From Smart School House

Cilantro: You either love it, or you hate it. Fortunately for me, my husband is a fan. (Jury’s still out on my boys though…)

This recipe is short on ingredients but long on flavor, and it’s another really easy, ahem, dump & go, slow-cooker meal. I think I’m going to have to come up with a better way to describe them.

If you like it a little spicy, you could add a can of diced green chiles to the Crock Pot, or for a creamier dish, add some sour cream or cream cheese.

 

 

 

Ranch Pork Chops – From Food, Fam, Crafts, Fun
I kind of hate the term “dump & go” to describe these prep-ahead slow-cooker meals, but I do really dig the concept. A couple of minutes spent chopping, dicing, and measuring ingredients, and you’ve got a freezer bag recipe you can just pour into your slow cooker for a no-effort dinner one day in the future.

This recipe takes slightly more planning in that it should be thawed before you put it in the slow cooker, so take it out the night before and defrost it in the freezer.

 

 

 

 

 

Beef Stew – From Live Simply
The only drawback with this recipe is that there are no potatoes. Potatoes don’t freeze well raw or cooked, so when preparing freezer meals, it’s just best to leave them out. This recipe uses barley instead, and it’s so hearty you’ll barely miss the potatoes. You could also add some dried beans when you throw it in the slow cooker.

I also used a little less broth than she called for in the recipe – 7 cups of liquid seemed like a lot, and we like a thicker stew – and seasoned it to taste with salt, pepper, garlic and a few herbs.

BONUS: Pot Pie or Shepherd’s pie
Okay, this one isn’t technically a freezer meal, but if you have beef stew from the last freezer meal recipe, you can quickly and easily turn it into another meal. Pour your leftover beef stew in a casserole dish or pie plate, and roll out a prepared pie crust or phyllo dough sheets over top. Trim and crimp the edges, then brush with an egg wash and bake according to the pie crust directions.

Another way to glorify beef stew leftovers is to turn it into shepherd’s pie.

Just like you did for the pot pie, spoon the leftover beef stew into a pie or casserole dish. You can stir in a dash of Worcestershire sauce and a splash of red wine if you like. Instead of pie crust, this time we’re going to top it off with buttery mashed potatoes, then bake at 350*F for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

 

Ravioli Lasagna – From Spaceships & Laser Beams

I made this one a few weeks ago as part of my Quick and Easy Weeknight Dinners Your Family Will Love post. It took me about five minutes to assemble, and I had plenty of ingredients left so I pulled out another casserole dish and made one to freeze.

I froze the extra before cooking, and I covered it with tinfoil and a Pyrex lid. When I go to cook it, I will replace the tinfoil with a fresh piece of foil – for some reason tinfoil sometimes gets weird when you cover something cheesy in the freezer and then bake it from frozen.

 

Did you try one of these freezer meals? Do you have a go-to, tried-and-true freezer meal recipe? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Quick and easy weeknight dinners your family will love

Even though the coronavirus pandemic is still raging, and we are trying hard to be safe and stay healthy, we are also trying to get back some of our previous normalcy. That means fall sports. Unfortunately it also means stressing over whipping up and wolfing down dinner – fast.

Twice a week my 8-year-old has a socially distanced outdoor workout for wrestling (since they can’t actually practice wrestling), which ends 45 minutes before we need to get him to his two-hour football practice, and I have to make dinner, get it eaten, and get him ready for practice in that amount of time. I resort to frozen pizza and buttered noodles a shameful number of times. And then my son comes home from football ravenous at 8:30 p.m., when I have to cook “second dinner.”

Weekday dinners have become a major source of anxiety and argument in our house, so I set out to come up with a good list of meal ideas I can put together in a pinch. I brought a notebook and pen to football practice one night, and while the kids ran drills and plays on the field, I perused Pinterest and saved a bunch of recipes that checked all my boxes.

Our freezer and pantry is always well stocked, but my kids are picky. I’m pretty picky myself. So it’s not a matter of just choosing a recipe and grabbing the ingredients. I have to ask myself, would I eat this? Would my kids? Would my husband? Can I make it fast? Can we eat it fast?

So here’s what I’ve come up with. If you try any of these recipes please come back and post a comment to let me know how it turned out!

Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole – from The Gingham Apron
Five ingredients. Burgers & Fries in one dish. Need I say more?

Lasagna (made with frozen ravioli or tortellini) – from Spaceships and LaserbeamsThis lasagna can do double duty, because it’s just as easy to make two pans as it is to make one, and the recipe freezes well so with 20 minutes of prep time you can bang two (or more!) dinners out. You could also use frozen tortellini for this recipe, it would just end up being more of a casserole than a lasagna.

Beef & Broccoli Ramen – from Chef Savvy
I haven’t tried this one yet – I’m waiting on some fresh broccoli from my next Misfits Market box. But my family loves ramen noodles (we call it spegwi in our house) and steak, so I figure this one will be a slam dunk.

Ham and Cheddar Crescent Rollups – from PillsburyMy crew doesn’t really do ham so when I make this I’ll substitute hot dogs, which I think will be just as good! This one is three ingredients, 10 minutes of prep time, and ready in less than half an hour. They can also be prepared ahead of time and then baked later, so they’ll be perfect for those nights when we’re running from one practice to the next.

Chicken Parmesan Bake – from Happy Go Lucky BlogChicken parm is one of my favorites, and it’s relatively easy but not very quick. This recipe puts a dump-and-go spin on chicken parm – to the tune of just FIVE MINUTES of prep time! Throw everything in a casserole dish, cover with foil and bake. No breading chicken, pan frying, etc.

Green Chile & Chicken Enchilada Soup – from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty MomI made this last night with some shredded chicken I had in the freezer, and it was so simple and so good! I added some white hominy I had in the cabinet to give it a little more texture, and I used green tomatillo salsa in place of green enchilada sauce, which I didn’t have. And I sprinkled some broken up hint of lime tortilla chips over top. I loved it!

Mississippi Pot Roast – from The Country Cook
I remember the first time I read a post about Mississippi pot roast. The blogger said her husband loved it so much he asked her to make it again the same week. My husband never likes to have the same thing too often so I thought she had to be taking a bit of literary license. But then I made it and OH MY GOD. Every time I make it, it blows people’s minds, and then I blow their minds again when I tell them how simple and easy it is.

“Maximum output for minimum input,” is how I describe Mississippi pot roast. And as if it weren’t already so amazingly wonderful as it is, this recipe is super versatile. You can make it with pork chops, pork roast, chicken breast, cube steak, etc. I’ve yet to find a protein that this didn’t work for!

 

Coming up: My next post will hopefully be similarly inspiring – family friendly freezer meal ideas.

 

 

Is this real life? Yes. Yes, it is.

Well.

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve wondered, “Is this real life?” over the past seven months, I would have a lot of money. Likewise if I had a dollar for every time someone has told me they’ve been worried about my mental health.  …thanks?

This is real life. This is our new normal. It sucks. But we’re going to be okay.

If I’ve learned anything during all of this, it’s that you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Get through today, worry about tomorrow when it comes. Ask for help when you need it, offer help when you can. And there is good in the world.

That’s all for today. My oldest is chasing his little brother threateningly with an old-school tire gauge…

Is this real life? Yup. *sigh*

 

 

Good deals on Easter Basket activities for bored little bunnies

Filling Easter baskets might be a little more of a challenge this year since many of us are under stay-at-home orders, and if you’re like me, you probably want to be extra thoughtful with your gifts – I’m thinking arts & crafts, science kits, project sets, and stuff like that. Anything that gives my kids something to do and keeps them occupied during the looooong days at home.

Here are some great buys for your little bunnies:

Two deals on Tegu magnetic block travel sets. Whale $14.53, Tugboat $12.80. These might seem a bit pricey even on sale, but trust me, they’re worth it. The regular price is $22, and even though they’re simple, kids really love them. I have this set, and I keep it in my purse for when we’re standing in line somewhere, sitting in traffic, or waiting for our food at a restaurant. Both my 7-year-old and 4-year-old like to use their imaginations to play with the blocks and be challenged to build something tough. The blocks are really well made and Tegu is just a cool company.

LEGO deals
City Satellite Service mission $8.99

City Police Patrol Car $6.99

Speed Champions McClaren Senna $12.93

Classic Creative Medium Brick Box (484 pieces) $26.49

Target has 25% off all Ryan’s World toys

Target also has B2G1 free on lots of board games and video games.

Zulily has perfectly timed Melissa & Doug deals, and if you spend $14.99+ on Melissa & Doug you get free shipping:
Make-a-Face Fashion Sticker pad $3.94 (reg. $7.99)

First Words Activity Pad $4.98

Flower Box Wooden Craft Kit $2.19 (reg. $8.99)

Mickey Mouse Magnetic Responsibility Chart $12.98

NOTE: Check shipping dates! A lot of online retailers are trying to fill orders for necessary or essential items first (like food, toilet paper, medical supplies, etc.) so be sure to look at shipping/delivery dates before you place your order. Nothing like ordering something you intended for Easter baskets and not having it ship until May…

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links.

 

Good deal alert: $4.99 (or less) racerback tanks, $13 EO diffuser, and deals on kids’ activities!

The governor ordered my county on lockdown at 8 p.m., last night. We’ve essentially been staying home, but with this new directive it’s feeling like things are getting real…

So even though I have been hard at work keeping the kids occupied, getting some work done and trying not to want to pull my hair out, I managed to scout out some good deals for you, some of which might help you make it through this time!

Good deal alert – Quarantine Edition

Under $5 for a simple racerback tank top in lots of shades and sizes. Some options are $4.99 and some are even less.

Here’s a cute woodgrain essential oil diffuser, at a killer price – $13.37 on Woot. It’s got the obligatory 7-color cycling LED function, and it has a decent capacity of 300 ml. Use your Amazon Prime account for free shipping, and Rakuten for up to 5% back.

If your kids are enjoying the free trial of ABCmouse, get two months for $5 (use promo code ABCmouse5for2), or an entire year for 62% off ($45).

I don’t know about you but I’m all about kits and activities that keep my kids busy and not watching TV or begging for my phone. Here are a couple good deals on Amazon. Don’t forget to check for Warehouse deals for extra savings. (Check out the real pasta maker – dinner’s on the kids tonight!)

How are you holding up? Just remember, we’re all in this together! #AloneTogether

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links.

Educational and entertaining YouTube Channels your kids will love

Here’s a list of YouTube Channels you can feel good about letting your kids watch. Buy yourself some guilt-free time and sanity, parents!

Because guess what? It took me all of three hours this morning to discover we could not possibly follow that neatly-organized, color-coded Covid-19 daily schedule that has been making its way around the interwebs. It’s inhuman to think that a person can educate two kids (one of whom who is in preschool and can only identify three letters of the alphabet, and the other who is in first-grade going on 27 and thinks he knows everything (and he pretty much does…), as well as “work at home,” keep up on laundry and feeding and not let the house go to complete hell in a handbasket.

  • Mark Rober – a former NASA engineer does all kinds of fun experiments and builds, and in my humble opinion, he’s easy on the eyes 😉 (I submit for your consideration the photo above)
  • Cosmic Kids Yoga – yoga and mindfulness videos, in a fun way that makes kids not realize what they’re doing
  • Monterey Bay Aquarium – they have lots of cute and informative videos about animals and sea life, as well as live-streaming jellyfish and shark tanks, and penguin habitats
  • Nick Zammeti – a woodturner/carpenter with a huge personality, this guy makes a lot of cool things out of legos, colored pencils, orbeez and other things that will capture kids’ attentions
  • Josh Builds – he conducts fun backyard experiments and he does build some cool, doable stuff like a little insect robot out of a clothespin, a portable speaker, and a simple robot out of an aluminum can. But be warned, he also builds some stuff you might not want your kids to know how to build, like a flaming slingshot…

  • Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden – apparently, like everything else, the zoo is closed until furtner notice, and in the meantime they are offering a Facebook Live event every day at 3 p.m., featuring an animal and an activity kids can do at home.
  • Art for Kids Hub – this family shares art and drawing lessons and posts a new video almost every day. The lessons are simple and you only need a few supplies (like markers and paper) you probably already have at home.
  • Homeschool Pop – tons of videos on all kinds of educational topics, like holidays, animals, astronomy, grammar, history, poetry, weather, languages, and more. The videos range from short five-minute lessons, to longer an hour-plus.