Tag Archives: facebook

Easily Set Parental Controls with the OurPact App

Having teenagers who are on social media is exhausting. Although my kids are great when it comes to behaving themselves on these platforms, as well as the internet in general, I’ll admit, my kids spend a lot of time of the internet and at times, it is very distracting for them.

Now that they are required to have a device at school with them at all times to connect to the internet, I tend to monitor them A LOT more to ensure they are staying on task while at school. Setting up parental controls on their computers is a breeze but their phones, that’s another story.

When it comes to iPhones, I can restrict use on things but I don’t like to do that unless they are being punished and honestly, setting restrictions is a pain and can get time consuming. Most of the time, the problem I have is one of them is on their phone at school, checking Facebook or posting to Instagram and once they leave the house, I can’t take apps away without their phone in hand.

And then, I met the OurPact App, the best parental control app out there!

OurPact is an app that gives parents the ability to block apps, the internet, and even schedule device use time for your child.

The app is super easy to install and setup when you have downloaded it from the app store. All you have to do is download the app on your phone and register an account. From there, you log into the server on your teens iOS device and agree to the terms of the service and then follow the on-screen steps to complete the process.

Once you are all registered and setup, go to the app on your phone and you now have full control of your child’s device,

With the simple on-screen controls, I can decide how much time the kids have access to their apps and the internet and I can restrict things during certain times like during school hours and sleep hours.

I love the fact that while they are at school, if I see that they are being active on social media, I can easily restrict them from using it with a quick swipe.

The Power of OurPact

Schedule Internet and App use according to your child’s daily routine, and among the weekdays or weekend.
Set the number of hours your children spend on the Internet and within Apps.
Block Internet and Apps atatouch.
Allow Website and App access, whenever you feel your child “needs more time”, atatouch.
Block all apps (eg. Facebook, SnapChat, Intagram, Twitter, etc.), as you see fit.

Aside from being an awesome and easy to use app, it’s also FREE and if you know me, I like things even more when they don’t cost me extra money!

Get the OurPact App

You can download the OurPact parental control App by ParentsWare in the App Store for Free.

Connect

You can connect with OurPact and stay up to date on new features or future apps by following them on Facebook and Twitter.

For The Love of Blogging

The Great Facebook Experiment

Anne Younger Leave a comment

As you know, Facebook has changed their algorithm for business pages so that not everyone that ‘Likes’ a page sees the updates being posted. In order to make more money, Facebook has started charging to ‘Promote’ a post for you so that it reaches more people. When I learned of this, I thought it was time to take that FREE $50 Facebook advertising credit Mark Zuckerberg gave me and do a little research.

On Thursday, May 31st, I posted the following update on my fan page:

Hello friends of The Megalomaniac Mommy!! Could you do me a favor and Like this post if you see it! I am trying to figure out the adjustments Facebook has made and want to ensure you are seeing my posts!
Thank you!

This was just a regular every day post like all of the other things I post on my page.

4 hours later, I posted this:

Now we are going to see how many people see this ‘promoted’ post since I have free Facebook credit to use!

*********IF YOU SEE THIS STATUS, PLEASE HIT THE LIKE BUTTON AND/OR LEAVE ME A LITTLE MESSAGE SAYING HI—– AT THE END OF THIS LITTLE TEST I WILL BE DRAWING A WINNER FOR A ♫ ♪♫ TRULY OUTRAGEOUS PRIZE ♫♪♫ THANK YOU FOR HELPING OUT!***********

I paid $15.00 to promote this ad over a 3 day period.

Here are the results.

For those unfamiliar with the terminology, here are the definitions:
Organic: The number of people who saw your Page post in newsfeed or ticker, or on your Page’s wall.
Viral: The number of people who saw your Page post in a story from a friend.
Paid: The number of people who saw your Page post in an Ad or Sponsored Story

My first post was liked by 47 people whereas the 2nd post was liked by 138 people who viewed it. Oh, and there were also several people who commented on my promoted post that they didn’t even see it until 2 days after it was posted!

After seeing the numbers from this little experiment, I feel that I am still better off just posting a regular message without promoting it because it is obviously still being seen by others and seeing the numbers for the promoted post just seems like a waste of money.

It's All About Me

Pass the Xanax please!

Anne Younger Leave a comment

Since the arrival of Ellie last month, for some strange reason I have been on edge.
Things have become so bad that I am having a hard time sleeping.
If it wasn’t for things like my DVR, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter I would probably lose my mind.
Even on the night when I do make it into the bedroom and lay down to go to sleep I find myself constantly checking on Ellie.
Every little noise she makes while I am sleeping wakes me up.
Every time she spits up in her sleep, I am right at her side.
Every time she is quiet for an extended period of time, there I am making sure she is still breathing.
And….it’s not just Ellie that is doing this to me.
When I hear strange noises in the house I freak out.
I can’t have any blinds open after the Alex goes to work because I constantly feel like someone is watching me.
I have to check multiple times before I go to bed that all the doors and windows in the house are locked.

See….I am losing my shit.

Oh and when I do finally manage to gather my shit long enough to catch a few zzz’s I wake up over and over and over again either because I hear something or because I have some crazy, screwed up dream that jolts me awake.

Again, I admit it….I am losing my shit.

Over the last few days, things have become worse.
Friends of ours lost their daughter just shy of 37 weeks gestation.
Ellie was born just shy of 37 weeks gestation.
Their daughter didn’t make it, but ours did.
Of course, my heart is aching for them.
I have cried multiple times for them.
I have held Ellie closer, tighter and have had moments where I am afraid to put her down.
It has become so bad that I rarely allow Ellie to leave my sight.

I am at the point where I am so exhausted I don’t know what to do because no matter how hard I try I just can’t get a decent night’s sleep.

I guess it is time to see the doctor…..

Pass the Xanax please.

Uncategorized

Hunger Games: I’ve Been Sucked In – I Blame @BarefootFoodie

Anne Younger Leave a comment

Last year sometime, the Libby convinced my mom, Granny the Great, to buy her The Hunger Games.
This was the first time I had ever heard of the book.
A few months later, Zack asked me to grab him Mocking Jay while I was at Barnes & Noble one day because he desperately needed to read this third and final book in the trilogy and the waiting list at school was a mile long.
Upon hearing about these books, the Alex picked up The Hunger Games and read it and then got on my case to order Catching Fire so he could read the trilogy as well and it was the only book we were missing…..so, I ordered it.
I had zero…absolutely NO desire to read any of these books.
All I have heard for the last few months out of my husbands mouth is Anne, I really think you would like the books, you should read them…..blah blah blah…
Then over the weekend I had Zack get The Hunger Games off the shelf for me.
I decided the time had come to check it out. It seemed like everyone I knew in real life and on the interwebs was reading these books.
Personally, I blame it on Brittany and her Facebook posts, the tears she shed and the fact she read the book in 12 hours!
So it began….
Sunday night as I lay in bed I started reading it.
Less than 24 hours later…..I finished the damn book.
Yes, I was sucked in.
Instead of doing housework, responding to emails, blogging etc…..I read.
I read while I was nursing Ellie.
I read while I ate my lunch.
I read while Ellie and Alexander napped.
I read while Alexander watched the Power Rangers.
I just read and read until I finished the book.
I loved it.
Except for that one part when that really bad thing happens and I cried.
That part did not make me happy.
I slammed the book on my desk and told the Alex I was pissed and didn’t want to read anymore.
10 minutes later, I picked the book back up and continued.
Now I am reading Catching Fire. I am only about 50 pages in but I can already feel it sucking me in.
Oh and I finally caved and watched the trailer for The Hunger Games movie and now I am dying to see it.
So, if you are looking for me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest etc. and can’t find me it is because I am off reading!

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Apples to Apples Goes Digital

Anne Younger Leave a comment

Our family loves to play the game Apples to Apples. We have both the Apples to Apples Jr. and the original in our home. We were first introduced to this game at a family game night when the 2 older kids were in elementary school.

Now the news has hit that Mattel’s Apples to Apples game is going to get connected with digital, social and mobile play this winter!!

This holiday season, Apples to Apples™ will delight players and bring families together using PlayStation Network for PlayStation^®3and Xbox LIVE^® Arcade for Xbox 360^®, just before expanding onto Facebook and mobile devices. The digital versions of Apples to Apples™ will feature social gaming connectivity capabilities, allowing family and friends to share or play anytime, anywhere – in the same room or on opposite sides of the world!

I’m not sure which will be more addictive but I’m pretty sure I will be playing A LOT of Apples to Apples on Facebook!

On Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360and PlayStation Network for PS^®3 the game will feature single-player, local and online modes for up to six players. Apples to Apples™ also comes packed with all-new customizable play modes, vibrant backgrounds, and Golden Apple cards, which can be used to change the rules in fun new ways. Participants can choose between 16 animated avatars such as Pirate Apple, Cowboy Apple and Ballerina Apple. Players will also be able to post game results and boast of their clever comparisons on Facebook to earn additional rewards.

Upcoming downloadable content for the console versions will include new Golden Apple cards, partybackgrounds, and new playable apples. More than 1,000 additional cards are also bundled into the content packs to keep gameplay fresh and exciting.

Later this winter, Apples to Apples™ fans will be able to enjoy the classic card game experience on Facebook and mobile devices. Players will be able to simply jump into existing games within the growing Apples to Apples™ community, or create their own custom experience for their friends and favorite players. Innovative cross-platform play means the experience is as mobile as it is social. Facebook users will be free to challenge their friends using their smartphones, makingApples to Apples™ a truly connected digital experience. In Facebook and mobile application gameplay, participants will earn Apple Coins, Apple Cash and Apple Achievements, which unlock additional avatars, playing cards and themed backgrounds.

Apples to Apples™ is scheduled for release this winter on Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360 (800 Microsoft Points), PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3 ($9.99 USD), Facebook and mobile devices.

Disclaimer: This information was provided to me to share with my readers at my own discretion. I was not compensated in any way for sharing this information, we just really love the game Apples to Apples!