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Introducing Deb Verville; Our Newest Writer

January 27, 2011 | 4 Comments

Kids Ain't CheapFirst, before I even introduce myself I would like to say how honored I am to have been asked to join the team on http://kidsaintcheap.com/. Being a mom to four great kids always has me looking for ways to save money and get great reviews on products I am looking into buying.

Meet our newest staff writer

My name is Deb (age 40ish) and I am a wife and mother. My husband works more than full time and I work full time from my home office as a writer. My writing consists of medical, financial, family as well as anything else that may catch my fancy at the moment.

I have four biological children, (three boys and one girl) ranging in ages 20-10 yrs. (wow, how time flies). Two are in college, one in middle school and the youngest in elementary school. My days are always busy, hectic and full of trying to invent ways to multitask more than I already do. I cannot say my life is boring in any way, shape or form. And I have to admit my house is too quiet when my kids are at school.

I love to write and always have from the time I was in middle school. Before deciding on writing full time a few years back I worked in the medical field. My days were 12 hours long and I missed my kids. My days off were spent trying to catch up on everything that I didn’t have time to do during the week. I felt like I was missing too much and exhausted all of the time.

Health issues

My youngest son (age 10) was an emergency delivery a month early. He immediately required open-heart surgery and was then diagnosed with Hirshsprungs Disease.  Anyone that has a child with health issues will be able to understand when I say not only is it one of the most emotional things a person can go through but it is also financially devastating. When your child is fighting for his/her life it’s amazing how we manage to make ends meet to get through. We lost pretty much everything including our family van. He is now doing wonderfully and keeping right up with life.

What have I learned in having children? Money cannot ever replace them. I want to be with them as much as I can. If I am gone from home 12 hours a day I can give them all the toys and gadgets they want but that is not as important as the chance to be with them. I work as a writer to help the household income and I love what I do. I love being able to be with my kids and husband when needed. We don’t have luxury cars but we are comfortable and happy.

I hope to be able to make a worthwhile contribution here and learn at the same time. I am extremely grateful to be given this opportunity to write on a site that helps families unite for resources and money saving tips.

So now I am off. I have writing to do. In August of 2011 my beautiful daughter is getting married and I will then have another chapter to write and share.

Have you ever had a child with a major health issue?

Brian
Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

 
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Using Private Browsing Modes Most browsers offer “incognito” or private browsing features. Kids use this mode to access websites without leaving a record in the history. To parents checking later, everything looks clean and safe. This simple trick is often one of the first ways kids discover how to bypass restrictions. Conversations about private browsing can help close this gap. 4. Guessing or Resetting Passwords Children who are persistent may try to guess passwords to parental control apps or accounts. Others may find ways to reset them through email prompts or security questions. Once inside, they can disable restrictions entirely. Parents may not even realize controls have been altered until much later. Stronger, less predictable passwords can make this more difficult. 5. Using VPNs to Hide Activity Virtual private networks, or VPNs, let kids disguise their online locations. With one downloaded app, they can bypass geographic or parental restrictions. Some children learn about VPNs through friends or even social media. This makes it easy for them to reach content that should be blocked. Parents often underestimate just how simple it is for kids to use these tools. 6. Creating Fake Accounts When parents monitor social media, kids may create hidden accounts. These “finstas” or fake profiles allow them to interact freely without parental oversight. While their main account appears harmless, the secondary one tells a different story. Kids are outsmarting parental controls by playing both sides at once. Checking for duplicate accounts can help parents stay more aware. 7. Exploiting Time Zone Settings Some kids change the time zone on their devices to bypass screen time limits. This trick allows them to gain extra hours of usage undetected. Parents may assume controls are working, but in reality, the child is bending the clock. It’s a clever loophole that highlights just how resourceful kids can be. 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