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“When witches go riding, and black cats are seen. The moon laughs and whispers, ‘tis near Halloween.” – 19th century postcard

Get your popcorn and Snuggy ready for a brand new set of chilling premieres this Halloween season that you don’t want to miss! We’ve compiled a list of 5 new spine chilling shows for various ages and genres that promise to send everyone on the edge of their seats.

1. Lore. This anthology series premiere will be airing on Amazon Videos October 13th. The collection of 6 episodes showcases a new story line in each show. Combining documentary footage and cinematic scenes to bring real life horror stories and their origins to the screens in a new chilling light, this one is sure to keep your senses peaked.

2. NeverKnock. One of two Syfy original premieres this October, NeverKnock will show on the 15^th during Syfy’s Halloween marathon. This chiller tells the tale of a murderous event at 59 Oakwood Lane that sets the legend for what happens to all who knock at the door. The imminent doom for all who dare should make you pull your feet up off the floor.

3. Stranger Things 2. We can’t leave out our favorite Netflix original’s season premiere on October 27! Stranger Things 2 takes place on Halloween in 1984, a year after the season one events. You’ll see the same set of main characters face a brand new set of supernatural phenomena that are sure to keep you guessing once again!

4. Michael Jackson’s Halloween. This one-hour animation will be aired on CBS October 27^th.  With the soundtrack from the “King of Pop”, Michael Jackson’s music sets the stage for two millennials and a dog named Ichabod who find themselves on a mysterious adventure at a hotel called This Place Hotel… on Jackson Street. The younger crowd should be shaking in their socks right up to the end of this one.

5. Halloween Baking Championship. If the typical thrillers and chillers aren’t your cup of poisoned apple cocktails then you may want to head over to the Food Network’s second season of the Halloween Baking Championship! This competition series of 8 bakers and their chilling creations should keep you entertained as their ghoulish gluttony makes or breaks their chances at the $25,000 grand prize.

If these aren’t enough for your monstrous horror demand, check out these Halloween Marathons:

1. AMC’s Fearfest Horror Marathon

2. Freeform’s 13 Nights of Halloween

3. Disney Channel’s Monstober

4. TCM’s Classic Horror: Tuesdays in October

5. Syfy’s 31 Days of Halloween

Following our child safety theme for this month, let’s talk about cyber safety for a minute.  As adults, we know the consequences of handing out personal information, but there’s a little more to consider when you allow your little ones screen time.  It only takes a few clicks to be in places they shouldn’t be or share things that could put them at risk.

Here are 5 things to consider if you allow your children to have access to the computer:

1. Have the computer in a community area of the house so that they are held accountable and you can monitor what is popping up on the screen. Even the most innocent child could find themselves accidentally on a site they shouldn’t be.
2. Set rules and consequences and make sure your children know exactly what is expected in terms of acceptable uses for the computer. Decide ahead of time if and when you will allow Skype or email to be used so that your children know exactly what you’re comfortable with them doing.
3. Keep a bookmark folder just for them so there’s no confusion what those acceptable uses are.
4. Explain why you don’t give out personal information and explain that sharing information, including filling out forms with your address and phone number, is NOT acceptable without permission. When playing online games, give them a pseudo name to use instead of their real name to reinforce that no personal information is given out.
5. Talk about cyberbullying. It’s not just on the playground anymore, and knowing what it is and how to respond to it could help your children stop it before it becomes an issue down the road. Be a “safe person” that your children can come to if they witness or experience any form of cyberbullying.

That said, if you’ve made it through these 5 steps and still allow your children screen time, here are some great sites below that encourage learning for various ages!  The world wide web can be an amazing source of knowledge and great tool for skill building.  In addition to November being National Child Safety month, November 8th is National Parents as Teachers day, so I encourage you to take a moment tonight after dinner and teach your children something new today!

Babies/Preschool

BabyTV

Agnitus

Preschool/Kindergarten

Sesame Street

PBS Kids

ABC Mouse

Kindergarten/1st grade

FunBrain

Starfall

Gradeschool+

Kids Discover

Time for Kids

Cool Math

Those who have children know how something inside of you becomes the almighty protective bear when it comes to the safety of your Littles.  Anything can happen in the blink of an eye, and sometimes just when you think you’ve covered all the bases, the unexpected unravels your world.  November is National Child Safety & Protection month, so what better way to kick off the month than diving into some gadgets, devices, and apps that can help keep your kiddos safe!

I’m pretty sure the manual that everyone swears should exist once you have a child would start with Childproofing 101: keep children away from outlets, but there are various gadgets that can help to prevent those little fingers from going in dangerous places.  These power strip covers by Safety 1st keep little crawlers safe if they wander under a desk that looks intriguing.  When the living room becomes the play yard, you want to know that your electronics aren’t posing a risk when a ball rolls under the end table.  We put plugs in wall outlets, but can often overlook those power strips that you think are hidden away.

From crawler to cruiser, kids never stop moving and you never stop wondering what they’re doing or where they’re going.  When they reach that age of independence, there’s controversy as to whether it breaks the privacy barrier to tag your children with GPS devices, but this Smart Watch takes tracking to a new level.  The watch has a voice intercom for quick and easy communication, a one-key SOS feature for distress calls to be sent directly to the guardian, and GPS location including WiFi indoor positioning.  While you’re teaching independence, you can sit back more comfortably knowing they are safe and where they’re supposed to be.

Then (most likely after a ton of begging) your kids are finally able to stay home alone.  While the thought of parental freedom sounds pretty awesome by then, it can quickly become bittersweet after “what if” thoughts race through your head and you consider bolting the doors shut with a million separate keys and codes.  But “what if” you had a Video Doorbell so you could visually see who is at the front door from a smartphone, tablet, or PC.  Protect your home and family while out of the house by answering the door remotely with HD video and two-way audio communication, so your children don’t even have to answer the door.

When your teen, on the other hand, insists on going out on the town with her friends (and also insists that it’s not “cool” to wear that cute little Smart Watch you got them as a toddler anymore…) then consider an app on her smartphone as a compromise …you know, just in case!  Apps like Life360 allow you to track your children, but it also comes in handy if they lose their phone and you need to hunt it down.  Win win for parents!  You know your children are safe as well as their lost electronics.

The ultimate catch is when the wheels arrive, and you send your kids out the door – with the keys.  Oh yes, every parent has to go through that pit in their gut that first time they give up the co-pilot seat and send them out into the world.  Even if your young driver is responsible and reliable, vehicles aren’t, and that’s where devices like the Zubie can come into play where you can connect to your vehicle’s device via an app on your phone and find its location as well as retrieve diagnostic results on the vehicle itself!  Make sure your kids are safe behind the wheel and prevent accidents before they might happen by knowing their vehicle is safe and sound.