INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you're worried about your children's internet usage, your cell phone provider may be able to help you set up parental controls. Talk your concerns over with a representative for your cell phone provider and see if there's a service you can pay for to block dangerous websites. Cell phone providers have different services for different fees. AT&T, for example, provides a free app called Data Blocker which allows you to block video and picture messaging on your child's phone. This can help if you're concerned about things like sexting. Other providers have similar services. Other apps will allow you to filter out inappropriate content. T-Mobile, for example, has an app called Web Guard that blocks all 18 and over content on your children's cell phones. If you can't find something that works through your provider, there are many cell phone apps you can purchase. These can allow you to filter content and limit the amount of texts your kids can send. Apps can help filter out inappropriate content, but they can also encourage your child to take a break from the cell phone. Many apps, for example, will send messages encouraging a child to step away from the phone on occasion. If you want to make sure a child or teen does not overdo it on their cell phone, make specific rules. Make sure your child knows how often they can use the phone, and when the phone must be turned off. Make a family rule about phone use. For example, you might make it a rule that everyone in the family has to power down their cell phones for the evening at a designated time, such as 7pm. You might even have everyone drop their phones into a basket for the night and then allow them to get them again in the morning. Some parents find it helpful to write up a contract regarding cell phone usage and have their teen or child sign it. This way, everyone knows what the rules are regarding the phone and there is little room for confusion or misunderstanding. If your child or teen brings their phone to school, talk to teachers or principals about the rules in their school. You want to encourage your teen to be respectful regarding their cell phone usage. You want to make sure your teen or child knows cell phones are not always allowed or appropriate, and they should respect rules regarding phones. If your school does not allow cell phones at all, make sure to take your teen or child's phone away before they go to school. Children and teens can easily get into trouble online. Have an open dialogue going in your home regarding safe usage of cell phones and other technologies. Talk to your teen about what they post online. Let your teen know nothing they post on the internet is ever 100% private, and that they should not post anything they do not want someone to see in the future. Let your teen know the dangers or sexting. Talk to your teen about rules regarding sharing lewd content in your state or area.

SUMMARY: Talk over parental controls with your cell phone provider. Look into phone apps that offer parental controls. Have specific guidelines for phone usage. Make sure your child or teen follows school rules. Communicate openly about online safety.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: When you're about to throw something out, think about if it could serve another purpose in your household. Often, even if it can't continue to serve its original purpose, it can be put to use doing something else. Use old t-shirts and towels as rags for household cleaning. Clean grout and other small spaces with old toothbrushes. Reuse containers you are going to throw out. For instance, fill paper egg cartons or the bottom of plastic beverage containers with potting soil and use them to plant seedlings. Alternatively, store food, office or craft supplies, or other small items in leftover glass jars. Composting is a great way to keep extra trash out of the landfill. In addition, you can use what you make to provide nutrients to your yard and garden. Basically, composting is where you take organic materials and let them decompose to create a fertilizer. You can compost everything from food scraps, coffee grounds, and eggshells to other household waste like clean, shredded paper, grass clippings, and ashes from the fireplace. Collect the items in a small, lidded container in your home. Most compost piles are outside. You can just have a pile that you turn periodically, but you can also use a wooden, open-sided bin or a wire mesh bin. If you don't have much outdoor space, you can also compost inside. You can purchase ready-made indoor compost pails, or create your own using two garbage cans of different sizes. Place a brick at the bottom of the larger can and add dead branches and/or leaves. Drill holes in the bottom and sides of the smaller can, and place it within the larger can. Your compost will be ready to use when it is dark brown and crumbly, usually after about three or four months. Incorporate it into your garden, or use it as nutrient-rich mulch. If you don't have an interest in composting, some cities offer composting and mulching for items like tree branches and grass clippings. regularly. At the end of the day, you're still going to have some waste. The best option for this waste is to recycle it instead of putting it into the landfill. Most communities have recycling programs now, and you can recycle items like glass, plastic, paper, cans, and cardboard. It helps to have a separate trash can specifically for recycling, so you can separate it out as you toss out items. If your community requires it, you may need to separate different types of recycling. In that case, try having a small bin for each type. Labeling the bins clearly can help ensure everything is recycled properly. Check for the recycling symbol on the package before sticking it in the recycling. Always rinse off items before recycling. Also, you can't recycle items like pizza boxes that are covered in grease. Additionally, you should remove the lids from plastic bottles, which are not recyclable (unless your community advises otherwise).

SUMMARY:
Repurpose old items. Compost what you can. Make a compost pile or bin. Recycle Designate an area in your kitchen just for recycling.