Priorities + ~*Giveaway*~

Hearing our world was drastically changed when Bennett entered our lives is no surprise and certainly relatable to all you parents out there. Our day-to-day routine is now tailored with this little one in mind, striving to make sure he always feels love and protection.

My long-term professional goals have changed to be more accordant with what’s best for my family and to allow me as much time as possible with my son. Weekends are no longer focused on getting reservations at the newest restaurants or having drinks with friends. Naturally, our priorities have changed; our priority is him.

At the forefront of our shifting priorities is securing the safety of our family. When it was just me and Brian, our home safety profile consisted of smoke alarms that may or may not have been up to code and an insurance policy in case of theft. But enter this precious baby that we love more than we love ourselves and the safety and security of our household was taken off the back burner and became a real concern. Part of our budget that used to be spent on extravagant dinners, frequenting concerts and making sure I always had a new designer dress has been reallocated towards home security.

I was truly humbled to have been invited to attend an event by Comcast for Boston Mommy Bloggers. It was the first event I was invited to on account of my website, and since I love writing this blog so much, being asked to attend was very flattering. I want to be honest and say that I was skeptical that the event would be beneficial for me personally and that I would be able to pass along information to my readers with sincerity. I wasn’t trying to be cynical; I just thought that since Bennett is still a little baby and not watching cable or surfing the web quite yet that the information I received would be put away until he was a little older and the need for cable and internet safety should arise. Well, I was definitely wrong, and the information I learned was not only new to me, but it could prove meaningful and beneficial for you and your families.

Where Comcast really grabbed my attention was with their XFINITY Home system. XFINITY Home combines home security with energy management in a user-friendly system that you can control on-the-go. The service provides 24/7 monitoring that can be armed and disarmed remotely and includes live video monitoring. The live video allows you to see what may be going on while you’re away with wireless cameras positioned inside and outside your house.

The system also allows you to manage energy expenditure with the ability to control your thermostat and lights remotely. This is a perfect convenience for when you’re going out of town; you can flip on lights to make your house look occupied, change your home’s temperature to avoid wasting energy, or raise the temperature back to a comfortable level to welcome you home. Comcast has also partnered with Nest to allow you to control the Nest Learning Thermostat from the XFINITY Home App. For those unfamiliar with the Nest Thermostat, it is a sleek, extremely user-friendly thermostat that can be controlled from an app. Yes, there are other thermostats out there that can be controlled remotely, but The Nest takes it a step further by actually “learning” your behavior patterns and preferred room temperature during certain times of the day and days of the week, saving households on average 10-12% on their heating bills and 15% on cooling bills. It’s really brilliant.

While at the event I was also educated on XFINITY’s X1 platform, their newest entertainment operating system. I’m really impressed that this new system was programmed with kids’ safety in mind. XFINITY has partnered with Common Sense Media to provide ratings and reviews so parents can easily determine what content is appropriate for their children. X1 also has a section called Kid Zone. The content in Kid Zone is free no matter your level of service and passcode-protected so you can feel comfortable allowing your kids to browse through the programming independently without worrying about what they’re watching.

Because keeping my family protected is my greatest priority, it’s a relief to discover the strides being made in technology to keep my family safe and comfortable. Having this peace of mind helps me sleep more soundly, and these days my sleep is limited and precious. As a mother your head will always be occupied with worry and uncertainties. Fortunately, thanks to new technology, your family’s home safety and security doesn’t have to be one of them.

Comcast has graciously provided me a Nest Thermostat to give to one of my readers (a value of $250)! As I mentioned, it is compatible with the XFINITY Home system, but you do not need to have Comcast service to install and use Nest. To enter, all you have to do is make sure you’re following me on Instagram (@nicolesopp) and TAG A FRIEND in the Comments of the original Instagram post for THIS BLOG POST (you will see similar instructions on that Instagram post) as well as Like The Northern Magnolia’s Facebook Fan Page (@thenorthernmagnolia).. And that’s it!! It couldn’t be easier!! The contest will close 1 week from the start of the Giveaway (Wednesday September 7th at 6 AM EST) and I will announce the winner on all of my social media outlets (Facebook, Instagram & Twitter) September 7th at 7 AM EST! If you have any questions about Nest or the Giveaway please send me an email ([email protected]). The contest is open to US and Canada residents only.

Good Luck and I hope you all have a wonderful day!

(A big thank you to Comcast for sponsoring this post!)