Yet Another Canvas Factory Giveaway

Didn’t get a chance to enter my last Canvas Factory giveaway??? St. Louis Dad isn’t done giving away Canvas Factory prints just yet! What you read is exactly right, St. Louis Dad is giving away one more Canvas Factory print. So, not only can dad get his own print, mom, grandma, or even grandpa can get in on the giveaway!

These prints are so fantastic and so easy to setup and order it’s a no brainier to get entered into this giveaway. Just check out some of these amazing examples!

I love how easy it is to create the perfect print. It’s like very easy that even a dad like me can do it without a problem. The canvas’ are beautifully printed and super easy to hang in your home. They are lightweight and just look amazing show casing those perfect photos you have stored on your phone.

Getting those photos from your phone to your wall has never been easier. Canvas Factory makes the process simple and affordable. There isn’t an easier way, believe me, I have tried! Being able to take a photo from my phone and easily create a beautiful canvas like these below is exactly why Canvas Factory exists in the first place. That is why I am excited to be working with them once again!

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WIN YOUR OWN CANVAS FACTORY PRINT FOR YOUR FAMILY!

To win your own canvas print from Canvas Factory you have to like St. Louis Dad and Canvas Factory on Facebook and comment on this blog post below to tell me what your idea would be for your print at Canvas Factory. I will randomly select a winner on Sunday, June 30th, 2019. So be sure to use a valid email address so I can contact you! If the winner does not contact me in 24 hours I will select a new winner. Giveaway only available to U.S. and Canadian residents. No purchase necessary, like and comment to win!

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This post and giveaway is sponsored by Canvas Factory. Check out Canvas Factory‘s website for more ideas for even more incredible Canvas Factory ideas.

Turning Phone Idle Browsing Into Meaningful Success

It’s always the same. You made a cup of coffee, sat down, and took out your phone. You just wanted to kill a few minutes until your drink gets to the right temperature. Suddenly, your coffee is stone cold, one hour has passed, and you’re late to pick up your kids. How did that happen?

Don’t worry if this sounds like a familiar situation? We are all guilty of wasting a lot of time, mindlessly scrolling down social media apps – don’t try to deny it, surveys reveal that the average user spends almost 150 minutes every day on social networking platforms – without achieving anything. Social media consumption is the number one time waster on smartphones. Additionally, it is also interesting to mention that even though you and I spend a lot of time scrolling our social media feeds, we have also reached a level of saturation. Indeed, we watch, but we don’t engage. Needless to say, it’s a brain-numbing way of wasting your time, while there are more productive things you could do with your smartphone.

Transform your use of your phone

Learn how to  make a little money on the side

The main problem with our smartphone usage is that we tend to fall into idle activities almost immediately. If you want to make conscious and more productive use of your phone, you need to focus on activities that make a difference. Using your spare time to build a profitable side hustle is a fantastic idea, for instance. There are countless of betting apps around – you need to be careful about the ones you choose. But if you know where to look, you can start a safe investment strategy with matched betting apps. Indeed, matched betting means that you are always going to earn money – it might not be as much as if you were betting on the winning team, but it also means that you’re not losing anything apart from a few cents. In the long term, it’s a profitable way of spending 15 minutes on your phone.

Schedule your entertainment

The main reason why you might want to check on your social media network is that you’re looking for something entertaining. Social media, however, isn’t the answer. If you want to de-stress on your phone, you should consider downloading some high-quality smartphone games – you can find out more about the latest games on Kiiings, which will save you aimless searching for “games” on Play Store or the App Store. Video games are renowned for their relaxing quality – at least good games. It might not seem like a productive use of your time, but releasing stress is vital to your mental and physical health.

Click your way through a new language

Who says your phone couldn’t be educational? You can boost your skills listening to podcasts, for instance. For language lovers, there are many apps available, such as FluentU and Duolingo, to learn a new language or improve your French vocabulary. Oh la la, indeed!

In the end, your smartphone is a gadget that is supposed to help you make the most out of your day. Whether you use it for investment, education, or stress management, it’s entirely up to you. The bottom line is that there is so much more it could do for you than just showing you the latest Facebook status updates of your best mates.

https://www.maxpixel.net/Planner-Agenda-Schedule-Memo-Note-Book-Organizer-3481741

This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.

Helping Small Children Stay Organized

All parents know that raising a child is a full-time job. If there are more than one of them, then it is full-time and a half job. From making sure they wake up in the morning on time, to brushing their teeth before going to bed, there are lots of tasks that need to be accomplished. Those formative years are important to instill a sense of responsibility in them, to guarantee that they will grow up to be accountable adults. While organizing the family as a whole makes things easier for everyone, kids often need special attention as they grow and develop. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by teaching children to be well-organized from an early age.

Obviously, if the child has issues such as ADD or ADHD, the task of getting them to be more organized is going to be more difficult. Learning to stay organized is a broad subject matter and encompasses a lot of things. However, there are things parents can do to make their children stay organized. The following is a brief look at some of the best methods to do so.

Make it a Routine

One of the best ways to start getting children to stay organized is to establish a routine. For example, pick a holiday like Saturday or Sunday for cleaning the room. Obviously, small children may not have the capacity to do a thorough cleaning, but they can start by easier tasks such as putting books and toys away where they belong. In fact, as far as putting away things is concerned, (which is one of the most unpopular tasks kids like to do) you can even enforce the rule of putting it away if they are done playing with it.

Time Management

Time management is an important life skill, and its never too early to get started on it. Small children do not understand the concept of time; therefore, it needs to be introduced slowly. Adults who have difficulty in being punctual most likely picked up the habit from childhood. Since children spend most of their time playing, this would be an excellent time to remind them how long they can play.

 

Because of their lack of understanding of time, in terms of hours and minutes, you can use other methods to remind them of the concept of time. For example, you can tell them that they can play until lunchtime, or you can play after they take a nap and so on. This is also a good time to establish deadlines. In fact, following deadlines will be one of the most important skills a child can learn. Pointing to a clock or calendar and getting them to understand the concept is highly important.

 

Decision Making

Whatever routine you choose, making children part of the decision-making process can be helpful. This way, they will feel like they were also in on the plan and give them a sense of responsibility as well as a sense of pride in what they do. This is because, no human, no matter what their age is, likes to be talked down to and told what to do. Decision making will also give them a sense of being part of a team and want to accomplish tasks and routines.

Consequences

 

All adults know that there are consequences to actions. However, most small children do not know this. After all, its one thing to teach a child how to be organized but staying organized is an entirely different proposition. Most parents will go through the dilemma regarding how to discipline their children at some point in their lifetime. With small children, it never hurts to at least introduce the concept. For example, if the child is a messy eater, then introduce the concept of cleaning up after meals are eaten. As they get older, it will be easier to introduce bigger reminders such as no playing until the room is cleaned up, etc.

Daycare Centers

Daycare centers have become a modern reality, like schools and flu shots. Some care centers are accepting not only children but even babies! Since daycare centers have become a huge part of a childs upbringing, be sure to research them well by doing your due diligence, before enrolling your child into one. As with a lot of things, you get what you pay for. Some of them are very well-equipped and have the skilled staff, to teach children everything they should know, up to their age level.  This way, when it is time to enroll them in a kindergarten or school, they will be ready and confident to take on the next challenge in their lives.

World War Movies You Should See

When it comes the learning about the war and everything which happened during those stressful 6 years, there are so many things we can do as parents to teach our kids as well as to find out more for ourselves.

With the rise in pop culture and technology, it is easier than ever for us to answer questions like How Many WW2 Veterans are Still Alive? Or what date did the war officially end? However as well as reading information online it can be good for us to be able to see the war first hand and experience things in a new and unique way. This is where movies come in and make an impact. Movies can be a wonderful way to submerge ourselves in the worlds of others and it will allow us to think clearly about the sacrifices made by those brave soldiers and this is something which can allow us to appreciate it much more. Today we are going to take a look at some of the best war movies we can watch to really understand what happened nearly 80 years ago.  If you love film and want to explore different genres, check out film producer Gina Argento.

Stalingrad

This is a Russian film and it is one which gives you a uniqyue chance to see a complex love affair happen on screen during Nazi rule. It is a celebrated film and one well worth the watch.

Defiance

In this film, 4 brave brothers join the Russian resistance who are fighting again the enemy and the Nazis. During the film you will be able to see them build refugee camps for Jewish folks and try to hide them from their fate at the hands of the Nazis.

Black Book

In this film a Jewish singer goes undercover for Dutch resistance fighters and this helps them to infultrate a Nazi headquarters in the Netherlands. It is a film full of surprises and one which will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Son of Saul

In this high suspense film a prisoner of the Auschwitz camp saves the body of a boy from the crematorium. It is a film which focuses on morality and can be a real tear jerker.

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

This film is one of friendship and tragedy and focuses on the friendship between the son of a Nazi leader and a Jewish boy who is working in a concentration camp, and the bond that they form in the midst of the war. It is a true tragic story and one which shows the cost of the war.

Patton

The story revolves around the general George S. Patton and the choices he made during the years of the war.

Letters From Iwo Jima

Clint Eastwood stars in this film about what happens when you find sympathy for the enemy in a war.

The Dirty Dozen

This is one of the best known films on the list and is one which deals with D-Day on the 6th June 1944. It follows a group of convicts who band together and fight for the good in a suicide mission on D-Day. It won an Oscar and many othe awards.

From Here to Eternity

Pearl Harbour is explored in this film and we see the eve of the day of Pearl Harbour. On this day we see a few soldiers sharing loving moments in Hawaii and it follows the human connection we have with these people.  

Downfall

Adolf Hitler is easily the most famous dictator in history, and the things he set in motion during the war were things which could never be forgiven. This film focuses on what happened to him after the war as he hid himself away in a bunker. It is a film which explores the mind of a man who committed some of the worst atrocities in the world.

The Thin Red Line

This film looks into the real horrors of war and the effect it has on people.

The Longest Day

D-Day remains the most famous battle of the war and it is one which took a hell of a lot of planning and foresight. This film delves into the day as a whole and it shows the day from the perspective of a few different people on the battlefield.  

Life Is Beautiful

In this film an Italian father shelters his son from the Holocaust and this proves to be a powerful and moving look at the reality of war.

The Diary Of Ann Frank

Perhaps one of the most famous jewish victims of the war was young Ann Frank, who wrote a diary about her time hiding in the roof of a home to escape the forces of the Nazis. However after being caught, it shares the story from inside a concentration camp.

Das Boot

This film allows us to learn a little more about the drama inside a German U-Boat and gives us a unique chance to see the way it works from the other side of the war.

Inglourious Basterds

Tarantino takes the war and makes this entertaining and poignant movie which follows a woman whose family is murdered by the Nazis, and ends with a plot to kill Hitler himself in the most brutal of ways.

Grave of the Fireflies

This story follows the lives of two Japanese children who struggle to survive in the middle of the world. It is an animated movie which makes it a little different than the other ones that you may have seen before and this can be a great thing for those of you who don’t regularly watch them.

Schindler’s List

Schindler’s List is a film which is one of the most dramatic of all war films and it is one which had won a number of awards. It follows Oskar Schindler, a German man who decides to make it his goal to save as many Jewish people as possible in the midst of the war. He saved many lives and some of them are still alive today living a long and happy life because of his bravery.

Saving Private Ryan

One of the most famous war films of all is one which depicts the D-Day landings from the perspective of a small group of soldiers.

This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.