Screen Drain

Photo of my desk

Before becoming a Dad, I use to spend most of my time in front of a screen.

I was constantly transitioning from one screen to the next. My choice of screens was my smart phone, my laptop, my iPad, a TV, and one of the many monitors I had in my office.

Screens Can Drain You

For me I know how powerful a screen can be and how much it can drain us. Just to think that a screen consumed more time than the quality time I should have been dedicating to my loved ones, makes me a bit embarrassed.

Making the Best Use of Screens

Every day I seek ways to make sure that time in front of the screen is used with a purpose, aligned to business, or to clearly communicate with those I truly love.

We don’t spend much time in front of a TV. Last summer we decided to cancel Cable and we use Hulu + on occasions to watch some shows and movies.

My Toddler and her First Screen Experience

My daughter, who is a bit over 2 years old now, gets monitored with her screen time.

Her first screen interactions where with my iPad. It was useful since we where able to complement in teaching her colors, numbers, and the ABC’s. We made sure those interactions where balanced out with other learning exercises far away from the screen.

Toddler’s 1st Videos

Daniela’s 1st videos where seen on an iPad or computer monitor.

Most of the videos our daughter preferred watching were created by Payasa Agapita and her sidekick Che-Ché.

Payasa Agapita and Che-Ché have evolved over time. Their videos have become more educational and practical in nature.  They are useful for parents and teachers when it comes to teaching them numbers, colors, or the vowels.

For bilingual families, there is an opportunity for you to have your kids watch videos in Spanish so they can understand and learn Spanish while having fun with these two creative and funny clowns.

Most of my screen time, when it is not tied to work, is watching something that is friendly enough for my daughter to watch.

How much time do you invest in front of a screen and how do you make sure your kids have a good balance with the many screens that surround them?

 

Parent Tips by Cyber Security Expert @kevinmitnick

Here are some tips from world-renown security expert and ex high profile hacker Kevin Mitnick on how to keep our kids safe when using a computer. 

Anything that worries you as a parent of your kids using a computer.

Feel free to ask in the comments area we will do our best to give you possible solutions.

If you want to read more about our experience at the ISSA 2012 Puerto Rico conference where we met Kevin feel free to stop by. 

Independence One Toddler Step at a Time

Tiny Baker

As a parent, one of your main goals should be to have your children go on their own and embrace the world without you needing to be there.

Every time my daughter accomplishes something that gives her more independence, I get extremely happy.

Coaching her to build Courage

I don’t want to overprotect my daughter because I know it can halt her growth in many aspects. I want her to build the courage to do things and not have to wait for anyone.

I want her to pave her own path.  Only then can she change the world by making sure she guides herself and expects more of herself every day.

Progress Makes me Smile

On multiple occasions I have seen how my daughter opens the iPad and searches for her favorite applications. Other things she does are related to self sustaining herself in the future from attempting to put on her clothes, to cooking with her mom by cutting mushrooms, and even making cupcakes or muffins; she is always seeking ways to do things on her own.

She will ask for help when she does not get the result or can’t find something. For the most part she is exploring and observing what she wants to learn and do next..

I smile when I see that she has discovered something new to do on the iPad or that she figured out how to put on a piece of wardrobe. On most occasions her mom and I have taught her how to do certain tasks but  most of the time she has figured it out on her own by observing me like inserting her favorite movie into the Blueray/Dvd.

I remember reading in Steve Jobs Biography (Affiliate link) that one of his goals was to make the iPad and iOS devices very intuitive and easy to handle. I wonder what other things can we do during our days with our daughter that things can be intuitive and she can learn on her own vs. us taking her over every detail.

I have to tell Steve that based on my personal experiences with my daughter, I can’t see how they could have made it any easier it is our job now to get into that kind of thinking where critical tasks that our kids need to learn can become second nature to them early on.

As I see my daughter exploring new things and with progress, we are committed to keep the momentum going.

Everything will be Under Control, One day…

One day I want her to say Dad I have everything under control.

But until then I will handle the next task at being independent; potty training.

P.S. Thanks Aaron Manley (owner of  Motorphilia) for helping me understand this a lot better in a simple 45 minute conversation on your long term goals as a parent almost a year ago. 

Recommended Reading

Natural Remedies for Mosquito Bites

Beach Chair and Solar Charger - photo by Raúl Colón

I know this post may seem  of subject if you live up North (It is Winter time)  but for us who live in a tropical environment, we get bitten by mosquitoes 365 days a year. Days ago my daughter was bitten 3 times in the elbow by mosquitoes and it brought me memories of when I use to feel the same way after being bitten by them as a kid.

My daughter was a bit stressed out because the bites where making her very uncomfortable.

I quickly grabbed my iPad and searched the Internet for Natural Mosquito remedies which we could use. Being a Vegan/Vegetarian family I really did not want to use any chemicals or pharmaceuticals.

I was able to find some for those painful mosquito bites and here are a few that made sense. I would like to share some of the ones I found with you:

Household Items

  • Vinegar
  • Dry Bar of Soap
  • Baking Soda & Water
  • Toothpaste
  • Salt to make (Salt Paste)

Plants, Fruits and Vegetables

  • Aloe
  • Onion
  • Raw Honey
  • Lime and/or Lemons
  • Garlic

I wonder if some of these could also be used as mosquito repellent but I guess that will be the subject for another post.

Do you use any other natural remedies for mosquito bites?

Related Links on Natural Remedies

 

Toddler Story Telling

My daughter is 22 months old and in past few months she is combing words together while attempting to make sentences.

I am amazed at how quickly she is learning and how in just a matter of days, we see improvements in pronunciation and adding words to her vocabulary.

Toddler Storytelling

Prior to her being able to mix words, I had to act like I understood her completely. I asked many questions with the intention of trying to understand what she was saying and letting her know she had my full attention. I think this serves well in motivating kids to speak.

In our family we have many storytellers including myself. My dad, Don Tito shared great stories about his past experiences and my uncle Irving was the same way when it came to educating me on world history. Our daughter definitely feels the same way when it comes to sharing her experiences.

Taking advantage of her Storytelling Skill

My daughter stands next to me and shares what she did on her morning walk on the beach with mom. She will take a mix of nouns and verbs and unite them to a point where I get to understand 95% of what she is telling me. (The other 5% I ask mom).

I get excited and amazed every time she shares something with me. I guess as a parent watching your child grow is an experience that is very satisfying.

As my daughter continues to share her experiences, it gives me the opportunity to make corrections on pronunciation and help her with the correct words to form a sentence. Little by little, she is capturing these corrections and she is definitely implementing them in her way of speaking.

How do you motivate your children to tell stories?

I see a similarities between my daughter’s storytelling and what I am doing here via my blog as I share this experience with you.

Maybe one day she can be a solid blogger or whatever they call it when her time comes along.

 

Enjoying Pictures

I am always looking for things to do with Daniela. As a parent and small business owner making time for my daughter is a priority.  It is also a challenge because I always want to spend even more time with her.

These past few weeks Lucy (my other half) takes our dog Juanga for a walk in the morning. Our daughter wakes up searching for mom wanting to be breastfed. If mom is not near, she will start crying and it is my job to get her focused on something else.

Getting her Busy

I usually offer her water and ask a few other routine questions. If I see she does not want anything I offer, then I try to get her entertained on something else.

Recently I moved some family pictures to sync with my new iPhone 5. When my daughter could not stop crying, I had my phone and decided to show our daughter some of the pictures we took on our last vacation before she was born.

When I started showing her the pictures, those of mom and dad captivated her attention, especially the ones when she was in mom’s belly. When I think of that picture it is part of capturing her story.

Pop Quiz on her Progress

While watching the pictures I was able to catch the good memory she has when it comes to identifying objects, characters (Disney), and family members.

I was able to capture how she is mixing words and understanding nouns and verbs.

Since I have not been near any other toddlers, I can’t compare my daughter’s milestones to others (I don’t think I would anyway). Everyday I am impressed by how much she is learning.

Next time she is a bit un-relaxed, I think I will repeat the exercise to show her old pictures and make it an opportunity for her to know a bit of what happened in the past via images.

My only wish is that someday she will be doing the same with my grandkids.

iPhone as a Fetch or Toddler Toy

My daughter is fascinated by anything that clearly looks like a phone. She gets very curious by watching adults talking in to a small rectangle.

Instead of her grabbing her toys, she decides to go for our phones whenever she has a chance. With my previous iPhone 4, I had an Otterbox Reflex Case.  So when she grabbed my iPhone and tossed it around it was kept safely inside the Reflex Case.

On one occasion our daughter attempted to use my phone as a toy for our black Labrador Juanga to fetch. I stressed out after seeing thinking of what could have happened if she had thrown the phone with out a case.  I am sure it would have been worst than when I accidentally dropped my new iPad 2.

An iPhone can be a very instructional and fun toy for kids when it is used properly.

When it is thrown as a fetch toy, not so much.

As a parent, I am continuously making sure I keep my new iPhone 5 away from our  21 month old’s reach. I ordered some cases from Otterbox that took longer than it should to arrive at our home. I really don’t want to be part of the statistics of spending 5.9 Billion on Damaged iPhones.

Infographic on Money Spent on Damaged iPhones

Video Comparison iPhone vs. Galaxy S3

After watching this video from SquareTrade, I felt a bit better that I choose an iPhone 5 since it seems to withstand drops and even falling in the water compared to its competitor Samsung Galaxy S3.


The combination of children and pets using phones as toys is more common these days because everyone has a Smartphone in their hands at all times.  Since we are in such a rush to do things around the home, as parents, some of us leave the phones hanging around for the dog or child to have access to them. Having a parenting blog also gives us the opportunity to talk our community about their experiences with accidents regarding their Smartphone.

The folks at SquareTrade offered the Papaheroes core team of Rick, Lucy, and I warranties in exchange for our community to learn about the warranties they offer. And we certainly said, “Yes” to that offer!  So if you feel like most of the cases are too clunky, and you feel brave enough to go case-free,  you might want to look into buying a warranty for your new iPhone 5 just in case.

DisclosureWe will receive 3 Complimentary SquareTrade warranties for our core team members devices.  I don’t feel that this influenced the writing of this post in any way.

Do you have any Smartphone nightmares?

Has your Smartphone perished at the hands of your children or dogs?

If you share your Smartphone Nightmare story, we will pick a person at random, to recieve a FREE Warranty for your phone provided by SquareTrade.

Here is a bit more about SquareTrade and what they do:

Information on Warranties

SquareTrade Facebook Page

SquareTrade on Twitter

Ignacio’s Science Rock Concert from a Kid’s Perspective

One of the great thing of using social platforms as Facebook, Twitter, and Google + is that you can connect with individuals that might have the same interests as you.

As I shared pictures of Ignacio Peña’s El Gran Debate del Planeta Tierra and commented on the great time and experience my Facebook Friend Wanda Tirado contacted me that her daughter had been in the same event.

Wanda Tirado mentioned that her kid could not stop talking about her experience of being present at what I call Ignacio’s Science School of Rock.

I took the liberty to ask Wanda if her daughter Andrea could answer a few questions on the experience. Wanda and her daughter Andrea quickly agreed and the next day I did my first interview with Wanda as my correspondent.

Here are some of the replies of what 9th grade student Andrea Nicole Berrios Tirado from the school Ernesto Ramos Antonini Escuela Libre De Musica experienced.

Interview – Andrea Nicole

Interview done by Raúl [RC] via Facebook with the help and permission of Andrea’s [ANB] mom Wanda Tirado.

[RC] Had you ever listened to Ignacio Peña before going to the Event?

[ANB] No, I had never listened to Ignacio Peña before.

[RC] What music do you usually listen too?

[ANB] I normally listen to Rap, Hip Hop, Pop, and Techno.

[RC] What part of the event did you like the most?

[ANB] I liked when the first song started and when I was reading the visuals that where coming out of the three screens during the concert.

[RC] Was there a scientist that captured your attention during the visual presentation?

[ANB] I was very interested by a scientist in a wheelchair that spoke via a computer…I don’t know his name. (Stephen Hawking)

[RC] Was there a scientific fact that you found interesting?

[ANB] How the world would end if we continue to contaminate it and also what happens in the atmosphere. That impacted me greatly.

I really enjoyed the fact that Andrea Nicole and I, although of very different ages, where actually seeing things from the same perspective. Another pat on the back to Ignacio’s team because it is always difficult to create the same impressions on different people; even more difficult when they are from different age groups.

We experienced how Ignacio was immersing kids into his style of music while captivating them with great information and knowledge of what is happening with our mother earth.

I am glad that Facebook gave me the opportunity to see “El Gran Debate del Planeta Tierra” from the lens of a 9th grade student.

Thanks Andrea and Wanda

Special thanks to Wanda for being a Super mom and super daughter Andrea for rising to the occasion so I could get her perspective.

How are your Kids learning? Are they immersed in Science?

What types of Music are they listening too?

I think taking your children to an event like Ignacio’s is a unique experience where they will learn and never forget.

Capturing Your Child’s Story in Images

As I organize and review my daily tasks, there is one that is a critical to-do item and that is to take a picture of my daughter and send it to my closest family members.

This daily task has helped me capture pictures of my daughter and document her growth the past 20 months.

Our brain tends to ignore small changes in those we see very day. If you are a parent, there is no better feeling of seeing your children grow healthy. Trying to document every detail just using your memory is an impossible task.

I have saved a huge collection of images of my daughter. Once in a while I go back and I check on the images and realize how in such little time she has grown so much.

She now talks and exchanges words with me. I tend to forget how months ago she was such a tiny human being crying for food. She has evolved into a toddler full of energy who will ask for food and water. Her evolution from infant to toddler has been amazing to watch.

Capturing those moments will help serve as a legacy of sharing my daughter’s story.

If you are a new parent, I highly recommend you start taking a picture a day of your child and storing them so in the future you can see the beauty of how mother nature takes us from one stage to another.

Are you up for the one photo a day challenge?

Clean Up, Clean Up

Something I have always heard other parents complain is how kids leave things behind and they don’t pick up after themselves.

When our daughter started to walk and move on her own around the house it added to our daily  house chores.

As any other toddler, she tends to pick things up and then leave them at another spot when she finds a new interest in another object.

Thankfully Lucy (my other half) started to teach our daughter how to clean up after herself.

The Clean Up Song

Lucy made it fun for our daughter to pick things up by singing and teaching our daughter the clean up song. Lucy has an advantage of having worked as a teacher with kids and also went to school for that. When you add to the creativity she has, I can see how something I would have tried teaching our daughter, Lucy makes it 3 times as fun.

This past Saturday was Global Coastal Clean Up Day. Since we now live near the beach we saw many volunteers arrive at the beach ready to clean up what others have left behind.

The volunteers started from the San Juan Water and Beach Club hotel where many beach visitors including the guests of the hotel forget to clean up after themselves.

Leading by Example

We joined the group of volunteers by grabbing some gloves and trash bags. With our daughter in toe, Lucy and I picked up trash while our daughter watched us and entertained herself.

Teaching others including our children to do the right thing is something critical that we all forget every once in a while. What a better way to roll up your sleeves and do some community; help clean up the place we all love to walk in the morning and enjoy the sun for the rest of the day.

Big thanks to all the volunteers and the Scuba Dogs Society who took the time to clean the coast on a Saturday morning when they could have chosen to do something else.

This opportunity to join volunteers this past Saturday made me realize that I need to do more of this. This will eventually help my daughter and others understand the importance of why need to clean up after ourselves and how we can change the world by changing ourselves first.

So as my daughter now sings

“Clean Up Clean Up Everybody everywhere,

Clean Up Clean Up Everybody doYour Share”

Note: If there are any more opportunities for the Papaheroes to get involved in community work feel free to contact us and we can take a look at how we can support your cause.

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