When kids play, they commonly dig through their toy box in search of their favorite characters who become part of an imaginary play world with a story line that is made up as they go along. This is the idea behind Disney Infinity, an open ended world of possibilities where players possess the infinite possibility to mix and make their own adventures, build their own worlds, and create their own games with their own rules through a game that will work for all gaming platforms. According to John Day, Producer at Disney Interactive, Disney Infinity is “what it’s like to play with toys on the living room floor as you dump out a box of toy and you invent your own stories, games, and rules. It doesn’t matter what brand, all toys play together.”

Players start by purchasing the Starter Pack for their gaming system that contains the video game, Infinity base for character figurines to sit on, 3 Play Sets (Monsters University, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Incredibles), 3 Infinity characters (Mr. Incredible, Jack Sparrow, and Sulley), an Infinity Power Disc, and web codes to unlock unique content.

The 3 Play Sets that come in the Starter Pack serve as the worlds that characters can play in and gadgets. Items from the Play Set are added to the Toy Box where characters, buildings, weapons, gadgets, and more that can be mixed up to create a game. The Toy Box is an open-ended environment where play is only limited by imagination and creativity. According to Disney Interactive, it will be a place to “battle enemies, solve puzzles, overcome obstacles and complete a variety of other unique quests.” Here’s a look at the Pirates of the Caribbean Play Set and how the characters, gadgets, and environments come together in game play.

In addition to the items in the Starter Pack, additional character figurines can be purchased to add more characters to Disney Infinity play. Characters are available in sets such as Villians, Sidekicks, and Cars for $29.99-$34.99 per set or individuals for $12.99 each. Individual characters include Mater, Dash, Violet, Davy Jones, Francesco, Captain Barbosa, Mike Wazowski, Randall, and Mrs. Incredible will be sold separately.

Power Discs are another element that are part of Disney Infinity play. Discs are physical toys that come in two shapes- hexagon and circle. Circles are put under character figurines and provide various characteristics during game play such as health and power. Two can be combined and stacked under each figurine. Sometimes when two are stacked, a third one will come up as a hidden characteristic, providing the character with an additional power.

The hexagonal power discs allow players to customize how their world looks. Some unlock new toys such as items that can be found in Disney Parks but become part of the virtual game world. Examples of such items include Cinderella’s carriage, Dumbo, the cannon from the Toy Story Midway ride at Hollywood Studios, Cinderella’s castle, Spaceship Earth, and the Matterhorn. Power discs are available in blind packs with 2 two a pack, allowing players to collect and trade them, providing an in real life social aspect to game play.

With a launch date of August 18, Disney Infinity will not only provide endless imagination when playing but also promises to provide young game enthusiasts with the opportunity to exercise creativity as they build fully functional games through the platform that can be saved, uploaded to Disney, and reviewed for possible inclusion on the Infinity platform for others to play. The powerful editor will allow kids to build games, configure behaviors of objects such as the score board when a soccer goal is scored, and control time in their platform games.

Summary

Disney Infinity is a place where Disney characters from the past, present, and future come together and go into their own worlds to play games within games. It’s an exciting platform that encourages open-ended play in players young and old as they interact with favorite Disney and Pixar characters and engage in game play in their worlds but also incorporates elements from Disney Parks.

I have to commend Disney for also encouraging video game creation through the platform. I can see players of all ages and both genders being motivated build their own games and submit them for review with the reward of them being shared with a wider audience.

My only concern about the game is the cost. Starter packs for Xbox 360, Wii, Playstation, and WiiU will sell for $74.99 on Amazon. Add in additional characters (individuals are $12.99, sets range from $29.99-$34.99) and sets of discs ($5 for blind packs of 2). As Disney creates new characters through movies, new content will be added with players clamoring for more discs and character figurines for game play providing play only limited by the depths of your pockets or generosity of others who can gift additional play pieces as birthday and holiday gifts for years to come.

For more information on Disney Infinity:

• Visit the official Disney Infinity site
• Like the Disney Infinity Facebook page
• Follow Disney Infinity on Twitter

Disclosure: Disney Infinity was shared with me as a guest of this year’s Social Media Moms Celebration Conference. As an attendee, I paid a conference fee and additional travel expenses but received perks at a substantially-reduced rate. I was not asked or required to publish content related to the conference or Disney. All opinions are my own. Photos courtesy of Disney.

Sometimes the things we can’t see in our homes are often the most hazardous. Dust mites, mold, and seasonal allergies to tree and flower pollens put tiny visible particles in the air that trigger our allergy symptoms but what about the things that we can’t see such as carbon monoxide? Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates causes carbon monoxide poisoning and results in 400 unintentional deaths per year. It’s a fast acting killer that kills within minutes but can be prevented by using a carbon monoxide alarm.

Disclosure: This post was written as part of a compensated campaign with Kidde to spread awareness about how to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning and deaths in homes. Images courtesy of Kidde. Amazon Affiliate links included.

With 75% of all homes having a potential source of carbon monoxide such as a water heater, fireplace, furnace, generator or any other fuel-burning appliance, it’s staggering to know that only half of U.S. homes have a working carbon monoxide alarm. You never know when a source of carbon monoxide will start leaking deadly CO gas which is why a carbon monoxide alarm is just as important to have in your home as a smoke detector such as the Kidde Worry-Free Carbon Monoxide Alarm.

The Kidde Worry-Free Carbon Monoxide Alarm provides up to 10 years of protection from dangerous CO thanks to a sealed-in lithium battery that powers the alarm for a decade. Having an alarm that will work for 10-12 years provides reassurance that you won’t have to change your batteries each time you turn the clock forward or backward, giving you one less thing to do. Also, the long lasting battery helps prevent those annoying reminder chirps that come as a reminder to change your batteries before they run too low.

Kidde’s Worry-Free Carbon Monoxide Alarm is available at local Home Depot stores and through Amazon.com and is easy to install thanks to a one-screw mounting bracket. Simply put the mounting bracket in place, align the alarm with the mounting plate, and rotate the alarm until it clicks into place. The alarm is automatically activated when the alarm is attached to the mounting plate. A brief chirp tells you that the power supply has been activated.

Tomorrow, Saturday, May 18, Kidde will be participating in Safe Kids Day in New York City where communities around the world are gathering together to celebrate and raise awareness and funds to protect kids from injury. The day consists of a fun-filled celebration at Highline Stages, with games and activities to help kids stay safer in the home, outdoors, at play and on the road so if you’re in the NYC area, feel free to stop by to learn how you and your family can be safe from household injuries.

Often called a social network on training wheels, Club Penguin serves as an introduction to the online world for kids ages 6 and above. It provides a multitude of learning opportunities for children and parents alike. After my behind-the-scenes look at Club Penguin through my visit to headquarters and being privy to things that I’m not even allowed to write about, I believe it is the best way for kids to learn about appropriate social interactions and social networking in an age appropriate way.

Disclosure: I was invited to Club Penguin headquarters as part of a press trip with Disney Interactive who covered my travel expenses to attend.  I was not asked or required to publish content related to Club Penguin and all opinions are my own. Photos courtesy of Club Penguin and Disney Interactive.

“We put safety above all else. Kids need to feel safe to have fun,” Vice President and General Manager of Disney Interactive, Chris Heatherly, said during our time at Club Penguin. Seeing how the company’s three pillars of safety, human interaction, technology and tools, and education, were echoed over and over again was most impressive.

Human Interaction

As soon as a child creates a penguin, a human behind a screen moderates each and every name submitted to ensure that no personal information is shared. Children can be as creative as they want as they name their penguin but each name is reviewed by a member of the human global moderation team that consists of over 200 people in four locations. Moderators check to ensure that kids aren’t giving up any personally identifying information, such as first or last name and address, in their screen name before being allowed to enter the Club Penguin community.

The virtual Club Penguin world is always being moderated by teams located at the Kelowna headquarters and in locations such as Brighton, Sao Paulo, and Buenos Aires. In addition to worldwide moderators, Club Penguin has a global security team that works around the clock to intervene in serious situations. They scan conversations in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German and review chat logs, looking for inappropriate conversation, bad words, and even players asking fellow penguins for their addresses. When the moderators see something inappropriate or kids testing the rules, they send a reminder to kids. The first infraction comes with a warning but subsequent ones come with a 24 hour ban. The second inappropriate action results in a 72 hours ban (3 days in the eyes of a kid is a LONG time!).  The third infraction results in a forever ban where the player is removed from the site.

Each time a player is subjected to a ban, it provides a teachable moment for kids and parents alike. In some instances, Club Penguin has received phone calls and emails from kids and parents that provides the company with a way to partner with parents to educate them about why their child was banned.

Technology and Tools

During our visit, we got an exclusive behind the scenes look at how Club Penguin works to always keep kids safe. The technology behind Ultimate Safe Chat works to select words from predetermined dictionary to make it more efficient for kids to communicate and make friends quickly without having to worry that what they’re writing is spelled perfectly. Standard Safe Chat uses predictive technology to autofill words that also assists with spelling.

Of course there are many more tools besides word filters and moderation software. Club Penguin employs sophisticated innovative technology that I got to see as a friend of Aunt Artic that is truly impressive but is so super secret that I can’t even write about it. Just believe me when I say that it’s awesome! After seeing how it works to keep kids safe, I truly trust everything that Club Penguin is doing behind the scenes to ensure that our kids are safe while playing in this vast online playground.

Education

“We strive to put safety at the highest level . We have the responsibility of teaching kids beyond the world of Club Penguin,” shared Gerald Poitras (aka Styoma Storm), Head of Online Safety.

While playing in the virtual Club Penguin world, kids learn to stand up to bullies thanks to a one click reporting mechanism that empowers them to report bad behavior in the community. Being able to stand up and report bad behavior among fellow penguins is taken very seriously by everyone at Club Penguin but also sends an important message to players that they don’t have to be bystanders. The community feels empowered to report those that are violating the rules of the penguin world and this creates a culture of respect. It also teaches kids that they don’t need to be bystanders. Such lessons are not only important in the virtual world but also in real life situations.

Club Penguin also provides plenty of tools for parents to be educated about online safety issues through various avenues. Through the Parent Tools resources available upon logging into the website, Club Penguin helps parents find answers to frequently asked questions. A monthly parent newsletter goes out to educate families through tips and links to resources by online safety partners. The notification dashboard is also a way that families can access tips about the game and conversation starters for ways to parents talk to their kids about important online safety issues or topics such as screen time. Club Penguin also makes a timer feature available to parents to help limit game play on a daily basis and they provide notifications about progress and rewards as well as bans.

“The minority of parents engage with tools on a daily basis but throughout the lifetime, parents do engage with it a couple of times. For kids who get banned, parents start to use the resources more,” Petras said. “We see a big opportunity for finding ways to reach parents where they are, send notifications via Facebook. Email can be spammy so we’re trying to find different ways along with more automation of ways we can communicate.”

To learn more about Club Penguin, visit my post: An Introduction to Club Penguin 

In a world filled with penguins, puffles, and igloos, Club Penguin empowers kids to be who they want to be through online game play in a fun digital playground that introduces them how to interact socially in a virtual space in a safe way. Last month I had the opportunity to visit Club Penguin headquarters in Kelowna, British Columbia as they opened their doors for to media for the very first time for a peek inside their igloo. What I discovered was a company filled with employees who genuinely love their jobs and care deeply about the kids who inhabit the Club Penguin world.

Disclosure: I was invited to Club Penguin headquarters as part of a press trip with Disney Interactive who covered my travel expenses to attend.  I was not asked or required to publish content related to Club Penguin and all opinions are my own. Photos courtesy of Club Penguin and Disney Interactive.

If you’re not familiar with Club Penguin, the Canadian-based company was started in 2005 by two fathers who wanted a safe place for kids to play online. Today it’s the #1 virtual world for kids globally. Through the years, over 200,000,000 (yes, million!) penguins have been created by those living in 190 countries and playing in 5 different languages. These days the average time spent playing Club Penguin is 30-40 minutes three times a week. There’s always lots more traffic on the servers before or after school with an increase over the weekend too.

The Club Penguin world is incredibly diverse not only because of the worldwide appeal but also because it is a site that boys and girls inhabit equally. According to Chris Heatherly, the Vice President and General Manager of Disney Interactive Worlds (aka Spike Hike in the Club Penguin world), penguins aren’t gender specific and kids cross gender lines in their online game play.

In the land of Club Penguin, inhabitants have the opportunity to do four things: role play, socialization, customization, and game play. Game play involves kids having their penguin to visit multiple indoor and outdoor rooms that spark community, role play, and social interaction. Kids go to certain places in the online environment for a certain type of interaction and play.

The Club Penguin team has noticed that what is happening in a player’s life or in current events, such as the election, Super Bowl, pop culture, or natural disasters is also reflected online. For example, following Hurricane Sandy, Club Penguin moderators noticed that kids pulled together, rallying the community to stay safe.

Club Penguin also encourages their players to be who they are through self-expression. They’re able to customize their penguin avatar through clothing, hair styles, and accessories using coins earned by playing any one of the 26 available games. The coins are the Club Penguin currency that are used to shop for additional outfits for their penguin, items for their igloo, or nurture and care for their pet Puffles.

At any given time, there are 40 different areas that encompass Club Penguin world but this also ebbs and flow based on specially themed parties that are always eagerly anticipated by players. Parties provide the audience with an opportunity to purchase special outfits for their penguins during a limited period of time, visit an area that has been completely re-imagined, earn special badges or backgrounds for their penguin trading cards, and play games that are not usually available.

The Club Penguin world encourages open ended play that is recognized and celebrated by Club Penguin staffers who like to “encourage kids to be wacky, crazy, be themselves” by paying close attention to what the community wants. Heatherly says, ““Club Penguin is like a cardboard box. Kids have props to make their own creative stuff. We give them the tools and let them make the play.”

Club Penguin’s 4 aspects of putting kids first

Heatherly also expressed the importance of listening to their audience and incorporating ideas into products they make by saying, “anytime an idea comes from a kid, it’s more powerful than when it comes from us.” Case in point- the rainbow puffle. It had been something Club Penguin players had been asking about for awhile. This spring penguins could earn the coveted rainbow puffle through a series of game play challenges that needed to occur over a series of days but cumulatively only took 15 minutes of game time.

Club Penguin members can join for free and or pay a monthly subscription where a flat monthly fee allows them full access to the various parts of the Penguin universe and the myriad of games. Unlike other online sites for kids, Club Penguin game play does not require any additional payments outside the monthly cost. This puts parents’ minds at ease. Hooray for no astronomical surprise credit card bills!

Coming next: How Club Penguin Teaches Kids About Safe Social Networking

Disney has always been known for it’s stories whether told through film, television, music, song and even in three dimensions as guests visit Disney Parks and share their experiences but through their new Story app, they’re providing everyone with the ability to shoot, create, and share their own stories using iPhone photos. This week Disney released Story for iOS, a free app that allows individuals to use the photos that are taken with their iPhone to share what Walt Disney called “magnificent commonplaces” by creating photo albums that can be immediately shared. It’s a powerful tool that allows families to share favorite moments in real time with loved ones quickly and easily from the palm of your hand.

Disclosure: Story was shared with me as a guest of this year’s Social Media Moms Celebration Conference. As an attendee, I paid a conference fee and additional travel expenses but am receiving perks at a substantially-reduced rate. I was not asked or required to publish content related to the conference or Disney. All opinions are my own. Photos courtesy of Disney.

How to use Story courtesy of Disney

Start by downloading the free app from iTunes and upon opening it on your iPhone, photos from your camera’s album are pulled in to the app. Called My Moments, photos are sorted by date and are immediately compiled into a 20 picture photo album with the date on the cover.

The app’s animation will slide your photos from left to right, allowing you to view them in album form. Tap on any photo to edit, remove, add a 75 character caption, or adjust the layout by dragging and dropping photos on to each other to make a collage. Add an entire page of text using up to 150 characters.

It’s also easy to customize your Story by creating a story from scratch. Add photos and video from your camera’s library or shoot photo or video right from your phone to incorporate directly from the screen.

Just be sure to not delete photos from your phone that you might want to save for future stories using Story. Once they’re deleted from your phone, you’ll need to transfer the photos and video you want to a folder then synch it to iCloud in order to be able to access them. Emily Vanek from ColoradoMoms also recommends using an app called Cyberduck, a free FTP client, to transfer them back on to your phone and Andrea Updyke from Lil Kid Things suggests storing items in a Dropbox folder.

A Story also offers 5 different themes: Story, Classic, Modern, Fresh, and Mickey to give your My Stories a different look and feel.

Once your story is ready, it can be saved under My Stories. It opens like a book and pages unfold beautifully, allowing you to soak in special moments. Creations from the Story app can also be immediately shared via email, the web, or social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Individual My Stories can also be embedded into blog posts. Those that you share your stories with don’t need to have the Story app to view these special moments.

Disney’s past apps have been developed with a kid-focus but Story is an app designed for the whole family that is a must-download especially as summer vacations are on the horizon.  The easy to use interface allows kids and adults alike with a platform to create and share stories. Kids will love being able to transform personal photos into storybooks. Parents can appreciate the fact this interactive app uses photos as built in story starters that encourage writing and creative storytelling.

Here’s my very first Story that I created during my first day at this year’s Disney Social Media Moms Celebration!

From an online and personal safety perspective, be aware of what photos you are including in your album just as you would be with any online photo sharing tool or social network. As you an see from the above story I created after my first day at Disney Social Media Moms, my Story can be viewed by anyone who has the link and since the HTML is readily available, it can be embedded in anyone’s website. It’s important to be aware of who you’re sharing your Story creations with as those with links can further share them, leaving distribution of content, such as photos of your children, outside your control.

Summary

While the app is great in it’s simple form, I’d love to see some additional functionality such as the ability to rotate photos as part of the edit feature. Photos are imported from your camera as-is meaning that if a photo is taken upside down, you will need to rotate it in your camera before it is imported into My Moments. I’d love to be able to create a Story and order a hard copy directly from my phone since so many of my photos live digitally. Perhaps these features will be added in subsequent updates.

Regardless, Story by Disney is a fabulous free new app that is a must have that allows you to compile those special moments into stories that can be shared for generations to come.

Mother’s Day is Sunday and if you are still shopping for the perfect gift for your wife, mom, grandmother, or other much loved woman in your love, it may be too late to place online orders from most websites but it’s not too late to pick up some great items from local retailers or capitalize on your Amazon Prime membership for fast delivery. I know for a fact that my husband tends to shop at the last minute when it comes to gifts. He tends to spend a lot of time thinking about it but when it comes to buying, it’s generally done within the week before the occasion. If your guy’s shopping style tends to be more like my husband’s, point him towards these products that can be conveniently found in the Target Electronics section or will ship in time using Amazon Prime as long as they are ordered soon! Samples were received to facilitate my review but no compensation was received.

1. Mara Mi Cases, Folios and Clutches for iPhone 5 ($24.99)— Maybe it’s me but I don’t think that anyone can ever have enough accessories for their iPhone. Pretty prints from the Mara Mi line adorn paper party goods but also a wide selection of gorgeous tech accessories in a variety of vibrant hues and patterns such as this floral one that sets my Marimekko-loving heart aflutter.  Available in store from Target Electronics

2. Yurbuds Inspire In-Ear Headphones ($29.99)— When I run with Oliver, my four legged 90 pound running companion, there’s nothing worse than having my headphones fall out and having to stop to manage leash and earbuds. I’ve heard rave reviews about Yurbuds from fitness enthusiasts like my friend Michele from Scraps of My Geek Life. Unlike standard earbuds, Yurbuds are designed to fit smaller ears and feature FlexSoft™ and TwistLock™ technologies that help them stay in your ears even during the most rigorous workouts. The soft silicone that goes in your ear is water and sweat resistant and easy to clean with just a wipe post-workout. Available in store from Target Electronics

3. Blendtec Designer Series Blender ($454.95) — When is it ok to give household appliances as a gift? When they’re high end and the price makes them something of a splurge that that she wouldn’t normally purchase for herself. Blendtec is the Cadillac of blenders. It makes quick work out of blending absolutely everything. If you’ve seen their Will it Blend series on YouTube you know the motor is no match for smartphones, golf balls, glow sticks, and even an iPad so imagine how quickly it will crush, whirl, and blend to create delectable recipes in your kitchen like juices, hummus, soups, pesto, frozen drinks and more! A flat sealed touch area featuring touch screen controls, such as the speed slider and single touch blend cycle buttons, means precise control and an appliance that cleans with just one wipe. So go ahead and replace that buttoned blender that emits a gross burning smell every time you turn it on. Trust me, she’ll thank you.  Available from Amazon Prime.

4. Kindle Paperwhite ($119)— I’ve loved the fancy features of the Kindle Fire and Kindle HD but when it comes down to it, all I want for myself is a Kindle that has an amazing battery life for me to use for reading when I travel and the Kindle Paperwhite is that device. I’ve fallen in love with my Paperwhite because it’s highly portable yet features a 6” screen that’s perfect for reading on the go. Covers fit like a glove and don’t add much weight or bulk to the device so it’s still easy to stash in a small purse. The bright screen provides plenty of contrast and auto-adjusts depending on the light in your setting for comfortable reading at all times. Purchasing books using Amazon Whispernet ensures that they’re delivered to my device via the cloud with a single touch and without a wait. This is a device that’s truly worth every penny. Available from Amazon Prime.

5. Samsung GC110 Camera ($449)— After seeing friends with this camera at various conferences and press events, it’s my new object ‘d lust. Sure, the white case is striking but what is even more incredible is the giant touch screen interface on the back that runs on Android Jelly Bean. Thanks to wifi connectivity, the camera allows you to share and upload videos and photos via email and social media platforms on the spot. The GC110 also features a 17x zoom and lots of filters to take your best shot before you share it. It’s a highly functional gorgeous camera that takes incredible photos. Available from Amazon Prime.

6. Speck FabShell Case for iPhone 5 ($29.99)— Gone are the days of unattractive utilitarian cases for iPhones thanks to Speck. I’ve been a fan of their cases for a long time that are soft yet durable and provide just the right amount of grip but the new FabShell cases are not only pretty but provide dual layer protection. The hard outer shell protects your iPhone from the bumps and bruises of daily use while the soft inner shell absorbs any shock that can come from dropping your beloved device. Available in store from Target Electronics

I love and hate spring simultaneously. Each year I look forward to winter’s thaw turning into a bevy of beautiful blooms but the pollen from trees and flowers is horrendous for allergy sufferers such as myself. It’s fitting that the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has declared May to be Allergy & Asthma Awareness Month since it’s the peak season for allergies.

Disclosure: As a family afflicted by seasonal allergies, I’m happy to be involved in the Sharp PCI Air Purifier Room to Breathe campaign that has provided compensation for my time and as part of my involvement. Amazon affiliate links are included in this post.

Growing up in California, I never had allergies before moving to the DC Metro Area. While Washington, D.C. isn’t listed among the top 2013 Spring Allergy Capitals as a challenging place to live with allergies during the spring (DC is #66 out of 100), my symptoms start are triggered as soon as the new green leaves start to emerge on bare trees and last while I enjoy the spring blooms.

How do you know if you suffer from allergies? Allergies can occur throughout the year and symptoms often include a runny nose with clear discharge, stuffy nose, violent sneezing, wheezing, coughing, and eyes that are watery and/or itchy. Symptoms last as long as you’re exposed to the allergen. According to the AAFA, “There is no cure for allergies, but there are prescription and over-the-counter medications treat allergy symptoms.” Sometimes allergies can be mistaken for the flu but this helpful chart can help determine the true cause of your symptoms.

According to the AAFA, allergy and asthma control begins at home. Many people with allergies stay indoors when outdoor air is full of pollen and spores but dust mites, animal dander, and cockroaches (!) can cause flare-ups from inside the home. AAFA encourages allergy sufferers to control the air quality in your home, office, and car to reduce allergy and asthma symptoms. The following six tips can often help improve indoor air quality to reduce allergies.

Remove sources of allergens that trigger allergy symptoms. Pets, carpets, overstuffed furniture, stuffed toys, bedding, and non-encased mattresses and pillows are the culprits of allergens. By reducing the number of stuffed animals in the home, aggressively cleaning bedding by washing it in hot water, and encasing mattresses and pillows in anti-allergen protectors helps to reduce indoor allergens caused by dust mites.

Stop dusting. Isn’t it great to have an excuse to clean less? Believe it or not, dusting often disturbs surface allergens. Lisa Frame of A Daily Pinch decided to quit dusting one day and that has helped immensely with her son’s allergies. Even though dust bunnies wage war under the sofa, her son has gradually adjusted to the dust laying around the house.

Use an air filter. Throughout the year we run a central air filter in our home and change the filters regularly. Every time we change the filter I’m totally and completely grossed out at what it has caught from the air we’re breathing. Portable air filters such as the Sharp KC-860 U Plasmacluster Air Purifier features a true HEPA filter to trap allergens and dust while the internal generator kills bacteria, microbes, and germs. It runs quietly to purify rooms that are up to 341 square feet and won’t cost a lot to run thanks to the Energy Star rating.

Throw away the humidifier. Humid environments provide a rich breeding ground for dust mite and mold. Instead, run the air conditioner that removes moisture from the air.

Prevent pollen from entering your home. Keep doors and windows closed, remove your shoes at the door, and shower at night to rinse off any pollen that is on your hair that can be transferred to your pillow and bed linens.

Become friends with your HEPA vacuum and use it at least once a week. The AAFA says that while vacuuming doesn’t get rid of dust mites that are deep in carpets and mattresses and also has a tendency to stir up dust, it’s still helpful in getting rid of allergens.

If you or your family members are suffering from allergy symptoms described above and are looking for ways to combat allergy and asthma attacks, join me for the #RoomToBreathe #gno Twitter party hosted by Mom it Forward and sponsored by Sharp PCI on May 14, 2013 from 9:00 – 10:00pm EST. You can also visit SharpAirUSA’s Facebook Page for additional tips and stories.

This post was written as part of a compensated campaign with beEverywhere for Macy’s.

Music aficionados who are fans of Far East Movement and their hit single, Like a G6, have the opportunity to meet the group and hear how their culture has influenced their musical style as Macy’s stores around the country celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM). Far East Movement has transcended barriers and created a diverse fan base who is “united by their love of FM’s propulsive beats, infectious energy, and classically melodic cadences.” They are the first Asian Americans to ever achieve a #1 hit with their platinum single Like a G6.

Events will feature live performances by FEM where guests can take home a fan memento and the first 250 people to make any $50 or more junior’s or young men’s purchase during the event will get a digital photo with the band and special music swag bag. Everyone has the opportunity to visit macys.com/celebrate from May 1st through May 31st for a chance to win a trip for two with VIP experience to the International Secret Agents (ISA) Concert in Long Beach, CA courtesy of American Airlines and a $1000 Macy’s shopping spree!*

To kick off APAHM, Far East Movement will be in Washington, D.C. at Macy’s Metro Center on Thursday, May 9 at 5:30 pm. Those interested in attending can RSVP using this link: http://apahmmetrocenter.eventbrite.com

Here is a list of where you can catch Far East Movement at Macy’s locations around the country during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and for additional information about in-store events, visit this link: For full information about the events, http://bit.ly/MacysAPAHM

Washington, DC— Thursday, May 9 at 5:30 PM

• Macy’s Metro Center, RSVP: http://apahmmetrocenter.eventbrite.com

San Francisco—Saturday, May 11 at 2 PM

• Macy’s Union Square, RSVP: macysahm@eventbrite.com

Houston— Sunday, May 19 at 2 PM

• Macy’s First Colony Mall, RSVP: http://apahmTX.eventbrite.com

Costa Mesa, CA — Wednesday, May 22 at 6 PM

• Macy’s South Coast Plaza, RSVP: http://apahmOC.eventbrite.com

New York— Thursday, May 23 at 6 PM

• Macy’s Herald Square, RSVP: http://apahmnyc.eventbrite.com

Chicago, IL—Thursday, May 30 at 12 PM

• Macy’s State Street

Please note events are subject to change or cancellation. *No purchase necessary. Open to residents of the contiguous United States (and D.C.) 18 years and older. Employees of Sponsor and their immediate families are not eligible. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes ends May 31, 2013. For complete official rules visit macys.com/celebrate. Images courtesy of Macy’s.

As the school year draws to a close, the teachers in your children’s lives can use your help to get through the final stretch of the year.

Disclosure: I am working as a consultant on the Office Depot REAL Change #TeachersChangeLives campaign and am compensated for my involvement that includes this post. All opinions are my own.

Here are 5 ways you can help your child’s teacher as they count down days until summer vacation.

Offer to volunteer. Even if you haven’t been able to help in the classroom, there are always plenty of things that can be done at home. Offer to put together the last Scholastic Book Order (LINK) packets to send home, collate memory book pages, and let your teacher know you’re available to help with last minute coloring and cutting for end of the year projects that can be done at night in front of the television.

Pitch in to help with end of the year plans. Each school handles end of the year parties differently but if it is the teacher’s responsibility, offer to shoulder some of the burden. Collect money, volunteer to make a grocery run for supplies, or help with some reconnaissance to determine what your teacher would love as an end of the year gift.

Send an email from asking if there are any supplies that the classroom needs to have replenished. Classroom cabinets always spill with the abundant donations from the start of the school year but by this point of the year, items like hand soap, hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes, and tissues start to run low. If your teacher doesn’t use a wish list, sending an occasional email asking if you can send in a box of tissue from home or pick up a bottle of soap when you’re running errands will be most appreciated. In our kids’ classrooms, Little Miss Techie came home last week reporting her room is out of wide ruled paper and antibacterial wipes while Captain Computer’s room faces a tissue shortage!

Encourage teachers to set up a page on AdoptaClassroom.org to help fund the purchase of resources and materials for next year. This national site allows individuals to adopt a classroom by entering in a teacher’s name, school, or location. It can be a great way to provide some seed money for a large purchase like an iPad for instructional purposes, new rug for whole class instruction, or even the everyday essentials. Donations made through AdoptaClassroom.org can be a great way for family members to support your child’s education by giving to their teacher plus they’ll get a nice tax deduction since gifts are tax deductible.

Send in a pick me up. A handwritten note (link to butterfly note post), freshly picked flowers from your home garden, or a favorite sweet procured quickly in the grocery store checkout line with an end of the year countdown are thoughtful and fun.

Finally, don’t forget that tomorrow- Tuesday, May 7- is Teacher Appreciation Day and if you’re in need of a quick gift, check out my 7 Teacher Appreciation Gifts for Around $5 that features items easily procured at Office Depot!

I’m sitting at the airport exhilarated and completely exhausted from a weekend well spent reconnecting with friends and meeting new ones, being inspired, and taking a leap of faith to do something that I never thought I would this weekend. Being partially sponsored by Safely.com to attend, my time spent at Mom 2.0 was work despite what my Instagram stream may suggest and any pre-conference press by the Wall Street Journal.

Mom 2.0 is billed as a conference that features “an open conversation between moms and marketers” and unlike other conferences I’ve attended in the past, I was impressed by the pre-conference research that brands did to know who I was and what I did. They were involved in the conference Facebook page prior to attending, listening to conversations and contributing. They read our contributions to the conference Pinterest page where we had the opportunity to share who we were. They emailed and tweeted us ahead of time just to say hi but in an unobtrusive way. They were ok with me letting them know that their products weren’t a great fit for me or the sites I contribute to but were genuinely appreciative of the conversation and time I took to stop by to learn. It was refreshing to say the least.

Before it’s time to board this flight home, here are some of the companies that made the biggest impression on me during the conference and 3 ways you can learn more and interact with some of the brands who were there.

Dove. Did you know that 6 in 10 girls stop doing what they love because of anxiety about how they look? 4 never stop and it is for this reason that Dove’s newest campaign, Girls Unstoppable, celebrates empowered girls. These girls are our daughters, nieces, classmates, and fellow competitors on sports team. Chances are you know an unstoppable girl.

Dove’s partnerships with Girls Inc. Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Girls Scouts of America ensure that this message will be shared far and wide. I also love how they’re partnering with Scholastic to share this message with teachers in classrooms throughout the country.

Dove also created meaningful engagement between conference attendees and local young women by bringing us together at Mom 2.0. Yesterday Dove transported girls to the hotel to meet with attendees who served as mentors. According to conference participant, Glennia Campbell of The Silent I, the girls she talked with had an incredible internal confidence. To her, it was the best part of the conference.

What can you do? Read more about Girls Unstoppable and if you’re so inclined, share your story. Katie Couric is looking for a mother daughter team to share their story on an upcoming show!

Shot at Life. Vaccinations in the United States is such a controversial topic but on a global scale, they are saving children’s lives from diseases and giving them a shot at life. 1 child dies every 20 seconds from a disease that can be prevented with a vaccine. 1 in 5 children lack access to life-saving immunizations that can keep them healthy. The cost to vaccinate a child to protect them from a lifetime of disease only costs $20.

I have been a fan of Shot at Life since hearing about the campaign a couple of years ago but am constantly reminded about the work that needs to be done from my good friend and Shot at Life champion, Elena Sonnino, who spoke on a panel with Amanda Peet (yes, THAT Amanda Peet!), the incredible stories shared by individuals like U.S. Paralympian and polio survivor, Dennis Ogbe, and those shared through social media by fellow bloggers through campaigns like Blogust.

What can you do? Take some time to learn more about Shot at Life and how you can get involved to spread the word or become an advocate.

HLN. I admit to not knowing much about HLN before Mom 2.0. I had heard of the show Raising America but got to know the executive producers and host, Kyra Phillips, more through the helpful tips that were shared in Get Noticed by HLN and then later through my Shark Tank opportunity where I had the chance to pitch them. What impressed me most about HLN is how open they were to the blogging community and their use of social media not only to source possible experts for their show but also for show ideas. Oh, and that Shark Tank opportunity? My pitch went well and Kyra and her team green lit me to be a guest on a future show talking about technology from a parenting perspective so we’ll see!

What can you do? Have a story idea or might you be a great contributor for an upcoming episode? Follow HLN Raising America on Facebook or tag and follow tweets with #RaisingAmerica