Hey friends, happy Friday, we made it to the end of the week, whoot! My first favorite today is all about a simple product called the Circle that has changed my life. There is nothing that exhausts me more as a parent than managing internet use with the kids…from which sites they were visiting to how long they were on each day…talk about stressful! You have to stay on top of these things because the internet can be a dangerous and addicting thing sometimes. But with multiple kids with multiple devices, all that tracking made my head want to explode.
It was a problem that took up a lot of my time and a lot of my head space. I’m a problem solver, I love figuring out simple solutions to issues that are complicated. I am constantly looking for ways to streamline areas of life to reduce clutter and chaos and it frustrated me that I couldn’t find a solution in this area. For years I struggled. Maybe you have to.
And then I got the Circle and this one little tiny device took my number one parenting frustration and solved it for me. Like completely. No joke. I’ve talked about it here before on the blog and because it’s been such a life changer for me, I am going to keep talking about it. I am very passionate about this issue and the importance of monitoring kid’s activities online. You can read my detailed review HERE but in a nutshell it’s a device that connects to your router and with the aid of the Circle app, you are able to set up profiles for each child and all their devices (yours too!) and then manage bedtimes, time limits, filters, get insights about where they’ve been online and even pause the internet for everyone or just one misbehaving kid 🙂 Go check it out, I promise you it is worth it and I don’t say that lightly.
And good news Canadians, it will soon be available in stores here! I’ve been told you’ll see it within a couple of months and of course I will keep you posted as soon as I know something more.
My New Best Friend:
Okay so moving on, if you didn’t see my post from earlier this week then you haven’t met my new best friend and that’s sad. You’ve really got to meet her, she’s precious and lovely and she does so much for me which you can read all about HERE. Yep my new best friend, Pixie, is my mobile office cart 🙂
Okay so let’s get into some of my favorite organizing links for this week.
Favorite Organizing Links:
Video ~ Nikki from At Home with Nikki on Youtube did a video recently on a gorgeous pantry makeover she did and it is beautiful!
If you would love some calendars for planning ahead, here are some free 2017 calendars from Shining Mom.
If you love to plan and need some help organizing all your supplies, check out this lovely Planner Supplies Organization post from Carrie Elle.
Top Airline Tips from a Seasoned Traveler ~ @ Crazy Organized
Clean & Organize Kids’ Rooms (tips, tutorials and free printables) ~ @ Clean & Scentsible
Have a terrific weekend everyone and don’t forget to make some time for decluttering and organizing!
- This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. However, I only ever mention products I love and would recommend whether I was being compensated or not. Thank you so much for your support of my site!
Kari Ann says
I can’t wait to look into circle more! We limit the amount of time the kids are allowed on electronics. Morning chores have to be complete (through an app called Chore Monster). Sounds like I could use these two hand in hand!
Laura Wittmann says
Kari Ann, I love that I can set daily limits so it automatically turns the internet off on them and/or set a start and bedtime. I don’t have to keep track of anything!
Vanessa says
Hi Laura –
Love Friday favs!!! Please keep them coming. Unrelated…I was wondering if you could help me find a link of yours? I believe you came back from vacation and wanted to capture the flavor and you made this mango (possibly pineapple too) chutney for the top of tacos I think. I think you said it was more work then you usually like to do but was worth it. I made it once and it was delicious but used a bunch of key words on your site and can’t seem to find it again. If you could point me in the right direction – that would be wonderful!
Laura Wittmann says
I found it! It was from this post:
https://orgjunkie.com/2013/08/menu-plan-monday-august-2613.html
And it was a recipe for Pineapple, Mango and Avocado Salsa. Yum!
http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/hawaiian-tacos/
Vanessa says
Thank you! Thank you! My taste buds are already doing the snoopy dance!