Do you know that six years ago today is when I lived through one of the USA's worst disasters in it's recorded history? I am of course talking about Hurricane Katrina.

Since that time I have worked hard at my psychological, physical and financial recovery. I have succeeded in some areas, and still not in others.

One of the biggest steps to my recovery was my finally moving from my apartment in the French Quarter to another state. As I am no longer surrounded by people I went through the ordeal with and other survivors, I have been able to make leaps and bounds in my mental well-being. No more do I hear day in and day out about "Woe is me." Everyone around me seemed to revel in their pity party. Everyone I ran into was wanting more of, well, everything. Me, I wanted to earn mine.

That is not to say all Katrina Survivors are this way. Many have gone on to do great things for themselves and others.

Some things that happened, are still too terrible for my mind to cope with and are still boxed up. At regular intervals I open that box and try to face them. I have managed to overcome one. I am still working on the others. Afterall, while time may not heal all, it does soften and provide prospective.

This is why I was in such a panicky state all weekend when Irene was sweeping in. I know many people here on the East Coast and feared for them. Not from the storm itself. Storms we can deal with. But I was frantic to learn of the aftermath. I prayed and sent so much positive energy into the world that none would witness nor experience what I did.

So far, it looks as if my prayers and positive energy have been rewarded. While some have, sadly, perished, none of the violent chaos seems to have ensued.

If you are reading this and dealt with Irene over the weekend then know my thoughts are with you and yours as you pick up the pieces.

For the Mommies, Daddies, Aunties, Uncles, Grandparents and Babysitters out there balking at their toddlers and children playing video games, let me give you something to think about. Xbox as a Learning Tool.

Learning Tool? What? How? Well, I am glad you asked. You see, as a frugal gal, I'm all about not only myself multitasking, but my purchases multitasking. This means my gaming console must be able to do more than play video games that involve me killing vengeful players over and over.

While, your Xbox 360 lets you enter a fabuloso world of fun, excitement and camaraderie, there are some games out there designed with the little ones and families in mind. I will be listing them alphabetically. Please note that some of these titles are also available for other gaming systems.

Educational Value: Teaches Reading, History, Mathematics and Geography. A+
Positive Role Models: Varied choice of contestants to chose from like a little mini United Nations. A
Family Friendly: This is a carefully censored game and is proud of its ESRB rating of Everyone. A+
Ease of Play: The controls are easy to use. A+
Violence: N/A. A+
Able To Play Alone: Yes! A+
Adult Things: None. A+
Ages: Designed for ages 8 and up. Younger kids might need help. B+
Overall Grade: A+

Educational Value: Teaches Problem Solving via Puzzles and Fitness. Plus teaches Competition in a sporting fashion. A+
Positive Role Models: Yes! A+
Family Friendly: Absolutely family friendly. A+
Ease of Play: Once you get your Kinect set up right, this game is a snap to control. A+
Able To Play Alone: Yes but it is more fun played as a family. Up to 4 people can play. A+
Adult Things: None at all. A+
Ages: Namco says this is for everyone. But I'm saying its for anyone that can control their body. So, with help, Toddlers and up! A+
Overall Grade: A+

Educational Value: Teaches Problem Solving and encourages Creativity. Without realizing it, some fundamentals in Physics is also taught. A+
Positive Role Models: No characters so other than your little character, no role models. The game itself functions as a positive role model. C+
Family Friendly: Absolutely family friendly. A+
Ease of Play: Because there is very little instruction beyond the first 10 puzzle tutorial. Those that think inside the box will find this very challenging. B+
Able To Play Alone: Yes. A+
Adult Things: None at all. A+
Ages: EA says this is for everyone. But I'm saying its for anyone that can control their body. With help, Toddlers and up! A+
Overall Grade: A-

Educational Value: Because this game is actually 4 games, it teaches Problem Solving, Relationship between Columns and Rows, using Grids, Mathematics, Strategy, Memory, Spacial Conception and Logic. A++
Positive Role Models: The only characters are your Xbox 360 Avatars. C+
Family Friendly: Very family friendly. A+
Ease of Play: Super simple to get games going. A+
Able To Play Alone: Yes. But it is more fun as a family. Up to 4 players. A+
Adult Things: None at all. A+
Ages: EA says this is for everyone. For the younger kids teaming up with Mom or Dad is a big help. A
Overall Grade: A

Educational Value: Teaches Music and thus Music Appreciation. Encourages Competition via Teamwork. A+
Positive Role Models: The rock stars are little lego characters and thus are acceptable. B+
Family Friendly: With it's family friendly lyrics this is a fun game to play together. A+
Ease of Play: The drums and guitars are tough, the vocals are easier. C+
Violence: I didn't see any. A+
Able To Play Alone: Yes. A child can blast through this on their own. A+
Adult Things: None. A+
Ages: Warner Brothers Studios says this is for 10 years old and up. But my six year old stepson has no problem playing this. B+
Overall Grade: A-

So what does this mean for Mommies and Daddies? This means, that no longer are you limited by educational TV shows while you shower or do dishes, etc. Now, your child can be entertained and learning without commercials playing and enforcing consumerism.

In addition, all the games I listed are fun to play for adults as well and of course are all great to play as a family. This will further increase the bond between you and the kids in your life without worrying about violence, bad language, adult situations and all those other things that the video game industry has gotten a reputation for.

A couple of quick safety tips before you go on a shopping spree.
1. Creating a kids profile on an Xbox 360 console is easy and can be adjusted to prevent kids from viewing or playing anything that is rated above what you allow.
2. Do not purchase a Live membership. Why does your child need to play multiplayer with all sorts of random strangers.
3. If you must purchase a Live membership, learn how to lock down your child's profile via the Account Settings so only people on the friends list can communicate with the child.
4. Consider not having the Xbox 360 connected to the internet. Solving the random stranger thing instantly. Only plug in a few times a year for updates.
5. An Xbox 360 is like a TV. This means set the timer to limit gaming time. Check the Xbox 360 profile Settings to set timer.
6. Xbox 360 is not a babysitter! I grow weary of small children mouthing off while I am playing games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops. If you love your child, why are they playing such a violent game with total adult strangers all hours of the day and night?!?!
7. If a game is single player, take turns at the controls so you and your child are playing together. More family time!
8. Save often. Games can crash or freeze.
9. Check the game settings for a subtitles option. If there is one, turn it on and have the child read the subtitles aloud or read to the child. This will really help with Reading.
10. Have fun. It is, afterall, only a game.

Game on - family style!

I hope everyone is doing well this week. Mancreature took the day off yesterday and it put me behind a little bit as he decided to try to catch up to my 100% completion of Dragon Age 2 and all DLC. This means about every 15 minutes he was asking for my help. No matter. I'm getting caught up and he is still behind me in the game.

Enough of that let us get to the freebies!

Freebies
Address Labels - The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is giving these away. Choice of "America" or "Roses". USA

John Frieda Root Awakening - Sample via Walmart.com. USA

Saltwater Sportsman Subscription - Free via Mercury Magazines. USA

NSSF 50th Anniversary Poster - NSSF stands for National Shooting Sports Foundation. Fill out form. USA

Martha Stewart Living Subscription - From RewardsGold. USA

2012 Women's Health Calendar - Fill out info. Mailing of calendars starts in December 2011. USA

Gamer Stuff
For Xbox Gold members, grab your free Mortal Kombat Compatibility Pack 4 featuring Sub Zero Klassic Skins.

If you are on PS3, use this code (reusable) if you are in North America for the Starhawk Theme, 8AQ5-4EN5-F59D. (Thanks Matt)

I have come to the conclusion that Follow Friday on Twitter has become...mind-numbing. Now, this is not to say that I will not participate. Heck no. I will definitely still send out whom I think are great to follow on Twitter. But, I am changing it up slightly.

Every week I will single out of my Follow Friday lists between ten and twenty people I follow that also follow me back.

Each person will be given an individual Tweet and I am going to say something positive about that person and end it with the traditional #FF. Then, it is up to the rest of my followers to decide to follow that person or not. But at least this way the decision can be made more informed.

What do you think about my change to how I am doing Follow Friday?

As some of you may be aware, Beezag is the main company behind Adgenesis, a paid to watch commercials company. In the last few months, Adgenesis has branched out and offered it's paid commercial service to others.

What does this mean? This means you should double check programs you earn online with and look for a section usually entitled "Video". At least once a day you can earn from each program, even if you already watched the commercial with another company.

Currently the following programs I do offer Videos.

Beezag
Swagbucks
Cash Crate
Inbox Dollars
Zoombucks

I am sure many more will be offering this. For me, each program only takes about 7 minutes maximum to watch the commercials and enter the little scrolling numbers to enter at the end.

Be sure to check it out so you can maximize your online earnings!

Learn more about the various online earning programs by going here.