Twitter has become a hugely popular social networking tool that provides people all over the world a way to communicate their thoughts, whether fleeting thoughts or serious news related thoughts. People have fallen in love with Twitter, and just like when we fall in love with a person, we tend to overlook the bad things or the potential for bad things to happen.

With all of the Twitter applications available for our computers and phones, it’s easier than ever to Tweet 24/7 whether at home or on the road. The fact is that the web remains a prime target market for sexual predators and people who want steal identities and can do so with very little but just the right information.
Here are a few Twitter safety tips that I find useful.

Twitter Safety Tip #1:
Never post your full name.  If someone ‘Tweets’ you telling you that you won a million dollars and asks for your full name and address.. uh, don’t do it!

Twitter Safety Tip #2:
Don’t advertise to your fellow Tweeters that you are going to Bob’s Dance Club located at 55 Bob Street at 11pm tonight.  If you have hundreds of Twitter followers you probably don’t know them all and might not want a few of your Twitter followers to know where they can find you tonight.

Twitter Safety Tip #3:
This is a tip for parents. As a parent of a 9 year old, I know how important Internet safety is.  I don’t want my son to have the opportunity to browse Twitter or other social networks so I close all Internet applications when I walk away from the computer.

I know that using Twitter is fun. There’s  something addicting about being able to post what you’re doing or what you’re feeling at this exact moment… and having hundreds of followers seeing it.  The instant feedback is satisfying especially for Twitter users who don’t have a lot of outside social interaction such as stay-at-home-moms or work-from-home-moms.

The bottom line is that Twitter safety is to be taken seriously.  Twitter is a fast paced environment and when people move fast, they tend to not pay as much attention to safety as they should.  Don’t you remember your middle school teacher telling you to slow down on your work?  Well, that’s what we need to do with Twitter.. slow down and be aware of what’s going on and who’s following you.

Please note that I use and enjoy Twitter am in no way affiliated with Twitter.

Do you have any Twitter safety tips to add?  Please share them with us in the comments below!  Thanks

I was so excited when I was given the opportunity to design my own branded SIGG Water Bottle because both of my kids have had a SIGG water bottle for 2+ years and I haven’t! It’s my turn now and mine is bigger than theirs! Childish.. I know. Sebastian has a ninja inspired SIGG water bottle while Madelyn has a glow in the dark space SIGG water bottle.

Now, through Cafe Press, you can design and order your very own personalized SIGG water bottle. Type whatever you want such as “Getting in shape!”, “I’m Green”, or your brand name which is what I did and you will instantly see what it will look like on the SIGG design of your choice. I chose the Leaves design (left) and had “The Mommy Insider” (my mom product review site) printed on my 1 liter SIGG water bottle. You can choose from 7 special edition designs. Stop bringing plastic water bottles to the gym and design your own SIGG water bottle that you will have for many many years. These SIGG water bottles can be washed in the dishwasher. Attach a caribeener to the SIGG top and then attach your SIGG to your gym bag for easy access to it all of the time!

The custom-designed bottles are available for $27.99 on http://www.cafepress.com/.

Learn about SIGG on their website here.
GIVEAWAY!
We have (1) 1 liter SIGG water bottle to give to a lucky reader. The 1 liter bottle is exactly like what you see pictured here with “The Mommy Insider” printed on it. Leave a comment here on TheMommyInsider.com related to SIGG, water bottles, and/or being ‘green’ and you are entered to win. Contest ends July 15th.

I’ve been using a really great gadget called the slotRadio when I exercise lately.  I am a poster girl for adult ADHD.  That being said, the slotRadio is a pre-loaded mp3 player.. keyword – pre-loaded.  People with ADHD love just about anything that’s ‘pre’ such as  ‘pre’school which gets the kids out of our hair for a few hours a day so we can better manage our ADHD and the 5 million things we have to do.   Pre-loaded means that you don’t have to choose songs to put on the MP3 player and spend your valuable time transferring songs from your computer to your MP3 player.

The slotRadio comes pre-loaded with the slotRadio Mix including 1,000 songs and you can buy additional cards that slip right into the slotRadio, just like an SD card for your camera does, that come pre-loaded with another 1,000 songs.   The slotRadio Mix card that comes with the slotRadio includes Alternative, Rock, Chillout, Country, Contemporary, R&B Hip Hop, and Workout playlists.  While I’m exercising I stay pumped with the Workout playlist and when it’s time to cool down I switch to the Chillout playlist.

More about the slotRadio + slotRadio Mix bundle:

• it’s pre-loaded with 1,000 songs
• you can buy additional cards
• it’s tiny, 2×2 inches!
• has a belt clip
• comes with earbuds
• comes with a storage case
• FM radio
• 1.5” screen for viewing artist and song information
• SIMPLE and practical navigation
• charges with an included AC adapter
• you can use your own microSD™ card with MP3 or WMA files
• the slotRadio + slotRadio Mix bundle costs just under $100

Check out the slotRadio website for playlist samples, videos, and more information.

Don’t you hate it when you get the kids out of the bathtub, you pull the drain stopper out, and the bath water takes forever to drain?  I am a visualizer and can’t stand it when that happens because I visualize everything that might be stuck in the drain clogging it.  Gross!!
So, what do you do?  You grab the drain cleaner.

I never thought about it until recently but computers also slow down because they get clogged.  Surfing the internet, working, playing games, storing files, writing reports.. all of these things take a toll on our hard working computers which ultimately leads to a clogged system.  System Mechanic and it’s set-and-forget ActiveCare 2.0 features make it easy for me as a work from home mom to get on with my work day and not have to take time out of my busy work and family schedule to perform much needed regular maintenance on my computer.

Top reasons your computer slows down and issues that System Mechanic fixes:

1. Start up overload
2. Registry errors
3. Remnants of Uninstalled Programs

Installing iolo System Mechanic is simple and watching it do it’s work is so satisfying.  It’s the same feeling as when my 2 year old blows her nose and can breath again when she has a bad cold. (like now!)

System Mechanic fixes, speeds up and maintains PC’s so they run like
new forever. The software combines more than 40 robust tools enabling novices and experts alike to clean
out their computers and keep them in peak condition.

Priced at around $49.95, iolo System Mechanic 8.0 is a great investment that will improve your PC’s performance and keep your computer running smoothly.

When my computer slows down or starts acting erratically, I get stressed.  Most likely, I am trying to get as much work done as possible in a very short period of time, and don’t have time to wait on a program to open when it should open instantaneously or to find a file that shouldn’t take more than 2 seconds to find.  Since using System Mechanic, I’ve noticed a big difference in my computer’s speed and performance.
How does your computer’s performance affect you?

This post was originally published on TheMommyInsider.com.

The ultimate gadgets have arrived!

As you may know from my other blog TheMommyInsider.com, I am a Frigidaire Test Drive Mom and have been waiting every so patiently for my new Frigidaire washer, dryer, refrigerator, microwave, range, and dishwasher to arrive.  Today was the day, with the exception of the dishwasher and the range which will arrive in July.

Here’s how this morning went down:
Tim, my husband, ran in our bedroom at about 8:05 (it’s amazing he was awake) this morning annoyingly calling my name over and over.. Alicia, Alicia, Alicia! I didn’t want to wake up. The first morning I’ve slept in until 8:00 in a very long time and he’s trying to wake me up? About 30 seconds later I heard Willie (the appliance installer) call out “Your new appliances are here!” like they do on the Home Make-Over show. That got me out of bed in record time.

Willie the main installman (word or not?), our fabulous appliance installers, and Tim from Electrolux/Frigidaire, installed our new Frigidaire Washer and Dryer quicker than I ever could have imagined.

It’s 8:45am and we’re having a party in my garage! My adrenaline is pumping and I can’t wait to report back to you when everything is installed and working!

You can participate in lots of Frigidaire goodness and enter to win new Frigidaire appliances!  Here’s how.

Tell Frigidaire what you would do with an extra hour a day and you’re automatically entered for a chance to win a suite of NEW Frigidaire appliances! Tell 5 friends for another chance to win. I know what you’re thinking.. an extra hour a day?  What a joke! Frigidaire wants to prove that you can have an extra hour a day with the Frigidaire More Me Time Guarantee.
For you internet obsessed moms, you can log on to My Motherload every day and take the Daily Dare for a chance to win a NEW Frigidaire Affinity washer and dryer just like the washer and dryer you see in the photograph above.

Join the Frigidaire Facebook page to see what 5 things other moms would do, read my mini Frigidaire Test Drive Mom posts and more fun stuff.

Alicia