I will be the first to tell you, I am NOT an advocate of 24/7 television. Especially for children.I try my best to limit the amount of TV my kids watch, especially my oldest. He gets TV for an hour or so after chores and homework are done during the week. On weekends, he can usually "earn" extra TV time by doing extra chores around the house.Too much TV can even cause zombie-like behavior in husbands, too! That being said, I am a HUGE fan of my current cable, phone, and internet service, Verizon FiOS. FiOS makes my life as a SAHM and blogger soooo much easier in many different ways. You see, Verizon FiOS is so much more than just your ordinary cable and internet service. Don't believe me? Here are 5 ways I depend on FiOS every day that may seem a little out of the ordinary to some:
- Sprout On Demand. While I HATE plopping the kids in front of the television, I do have to admit, I use Verizon FiOS On Demand daily to entertain Sophie when she's sleepy and wants her "Sophie Time" as we like to call it here. She adores Sprout, and I can get all of her favorite kids' programs like 'The Wiggles', 'Kipper the Dog', 'Angelina Ballerina', and 'Caillou' all with the click of a button, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Much to my dismay, my little Princess is JUST as TV enthralled as her daddy, and turning on Sprout when needed is an instant toddler-pleaser! (Or should I say Magical Mute Button?)
- COUPONS! I am by no means a coupon maven and I do not know all of the ins and outs of the art of couponing, but Verizon FiOS offers GREAT coupons that can be downloaded and printed to save my family money. And saving money is always a good thing!
- Sports Widget. This comes in handy during football season, because it keeps my husband from changing the channel every 5 seconds to check scores. The sports widget puts all the current scores and stats in one handy place, so there is no need for me to guard the remote if I am trying to watch one of MY few shows. This feature gets an A+ from me!
- On-Screen Caller ID. This is SO nice to have. Many times, I will be working on the blog with a baby in my lap, and the phone will ring. With Verizon FiOS, I am able to see who is calling by glancing up at my television screen! It is there, with name and phone number displayed, so I know if I need to jump up frantically to search for one of the many handsets that Sophie likes to hide, or if it's something I can ignore and let go to voice mail.
- Parental controls. I am known as the "strict mommy" around here. I do NOT allow my kids to watch anything that promotes sex, violence, or drug use. Period. Ever. I also don't let my 11 year old play violent video games or listen to a lot of music that is inappropriate for a child. We use our parental controls offered through our FiOS service to set the basement TV (the one he usually watches) to ONLY allow programs rated PG and under will be displayed. We can even block specific channels with this! It's great because I don't have to constantly check and see what he is watching. BIG brownie points to Verizon for this one!
- I have not used this yet, but I JUST realized I can SHOP using FiOS and I can even update my Facebook and tweet my giveaways on Twitter, all on my TV! How cool is that?!
***Disclosure:I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Verizon FiOS blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
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