Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with Comcast New England. I received Comcast swag and a NEST. All opinions, as always are my own.

As a long time customer of Comcast I was excited to visit the Somerville, MA Comcast retail store with local Boston bloggers to learn about a variety of options available to Comcast customers. I assumed I knew all there was to know about Comcast, given I’ve had various levels of service throughout the years, man was I wrong! There are incredibly valuable programs for homes and families that are not only affordable but ultimately make our lives easier. I don’t know about you, but between juggling an active 10 year old, work, a social life, a blog and a pregnancy I absolutely need ways to make our lives easier. Breathe easy folks, Comcast is here! Their new retail stores in the Greater Boston area (Somerville, Danvers, Burlington, Nashua, Mansfield) are comfortable and informative stores that encourage new and existing customers to stop by and talk through the array of services they provide. From home security to internet to the much talked about voice remote Comcast strives to make the retail experience approachable and offers self install kits as well as options to schedule to have a technician visit your home. With so many options, I wanted to break down the top features I was most excited about:

2. Parental Controls & Kid Zone // The Scoop: As much as we may want to send our kids off with a tablet to watch a show or movie, it’s often hard to because of the range of options that exist. Within the X1 interactive platform parents have the opportunity to use parental controls to limit what kids can watch and for how long with Kids Zone. A suggestion from a Comcast employee and parent, Kids Zone is a -free- kid friendly programming platform that includes a detailed rating scale and parental description for parents as well as the ability to limit the options kids have access to based on specific age ranges. Only want kids to watch TV for 30 minutes? No problem. Don’t want them to have access to PG-13 movies? No problem. Kids Zone offers independent secure viewing, that means you don’t have to constantly peek in and monitor your kids. That’s right parents, take a shower without worrying about kids navigating to a show or movie you don’t approve of. Parents everywhere, rejoice!
3. Xfinity Share // The Scoop: This summer my kiddo attended three camps which all had performances and this school year she’ll have a running list of activities she wants to participate in. I love how active she is and I love being able to share all of her performances with friends and family who aren’t able to attend every event. With the Share App feature from Comcast, customers can share a live stream of anything, including your kiddo’s performance from your smartphone to the TV of anyone you want (as long as they have a Comcast account!). Now you can ensure everyone can watch those special moments in real time and Comcast records each stream so you can replay another time! The Share App doesn’t just share videos – send your favorite photos as well! Winning!

3. Xfinity Home Security System // The Scoop: My daughter entered 5th grade this fall and asked for more independence. Previously she attended after school everyday since Kindergarten – but apparently in 5th grade your 10 year old thinks she is 25 and wants to ride the bus home and walk home alone from the bus and wait for you at home. I almost passed out. Our kids are growing up, however it doesn’t mean we can’t keep them safe if we’re not around. Enter Xfinity Home! I had NO idea this program existed and I am so glad I do now and I know you will too! Xfinity Home is a fully customizable residential security and home monitoring system.  We’re talking sensors, cameras and more, all accessible from your smartphone. Whether you want to keep an eye on your kids or want to keep your home safe when you’re away, customers can setup motion (over 100lbs) and light sensors as well as alerts that will send a text -and- photo. Asked your daughter to go to bed and she closes her door and decides to have a solo dance party? With a couple of clicks on your smartphone you can turn her light off! Additionally, you can program when to have lights go on and off. Catching a theme here? E-A-S-Y! In the event that an alarm is triggered the account owner will be contacted as well as local law enforcement! How can I forget that Xfinity Home is also compatible with the NEST Learning Thermostat? One of the amazing items we received at the #XfinityMoms event was a NEST Learning Thermostat, I had heard about it but didn’t realize it would literally change my life! With the NEST, you can easily control the temperature of your hom from your smartphone. Over time, your NEST learns when you like your home colder or warmer and will adjust accordingly. I. Am. In. Love. The base Xfinity Home package includes three window sensors and psst if you sign up by the end of September you can get -free- installation and the service is extremely affordable at $19.99/month. $20 a month to ensure my home is safe and secure? Seems like a no-brainer to me!

4. Xfinity TV // The Scoop: Of all the features I learned about, Xfinity TV is the one I knew about prior to the #XfinityMoms event and use daily (when I don’t fall asleep at 9pm!). Xfinity TV is -free- for every Comcast TV customer and allows you to movies, shows and live TV from a tablet or phone wherever you are. With Xfinity TV your favorite shows and movies go wherever you are so you don’t have to miss anything! I mainly use the app to watch movies, but occasionally we’ll stream TV and it’s such a nice option since we removed cable from our account earlier this year. Customers can also save recordings to a mobile device without running up your precious data! Choose between thousands of On Demand TV show and movie options. With so many options, where do you start?!

5. Xfinity Apps // The Scoop: To continue with the theme of easy, Comcast has a variety of -free- apps for customers to enjoy their entertainment and features from your fingertips:

• Xfinity My Account – I have this!! With this app easily access your account, pay bills, schedule a time for a customer service rep to call -you-, schedule tech appointments, reset your modem, troubleshoot and change your Wi-Fi settings. Must have app if you are a customer!
• Xfinity Home – Easily monitor your home security, kids, pets and more on the go. Additionally you can scroll through live feeds of all cameras you have setup in your home.
• Xfinity Share – Easily share your favorite videos and photos with friends and family.

Comcast is on a mission: adapt to the busy lifestyles of their customers and make their lives easier. They firmly believe that they should fit into their customers lives, not the other way around. With the addition of their retail stores and apps, they are indeed ensuring that all customers are taken care of at home and while at home. In addition to the above features, customers can easily tweet to @ComcastCares with questions and concerns. They have made an organizational commitment to respond to all tweets within 20 minutes! In the event you need a house call, their techs have a 98.7% on-time arrival rate for scheduled appointments. Want more? No problem. As someone who is passionate about serving the community, I was extremely excited to learn about how Comcast has changed the lives of low income families. Through their Internet Essentials Program, they have provided 750,000 families internet services at no cost, with almost 19,000 users in Massachusetts alone. Not only are they committed to providing stellar service and programming, but they are committed to serving -all- in the community. Absolutely incredible!

Thank you so much to Kristin of Misadventures in Mommyhood and Comcast New England for such a fun and informative event!

Thank You! #XfinityMoms

This is a sponsored post with Leary & Co., Inc. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

Looking for a fun way for your kids to burn off some summer energy? This weekend, the CambridgeSide hosts the 7th annual, kids only duathlon! A combination of biking and running, the duathlon is a FREE event for all kids ages 5-13 and is handicapped accessible. This fun event is not timed and includes prizes, race t-shirts, giveaways, entertainment and more! My daughter and her friend can’t wait to participate in the Ride & Run on Sunday, they are looking forward to spending some time outside having fun! She competed in a triathlon two years ago and has been eager to get back in a race, so this is perfect! All event elements are first come, first served. While supplies last.

Where: CambridgeSide, Cambridge, MA | Race begins at Canal Park

When: Sunday, July 31 | Registration starts at 8:30AM and event begins at 10AM

Who: Kids ages 5-13

Register: Pre-register or Sunday at the Ride & Run

Through the generosity of the CambridgeSide, I’m offering one $50 Old Navy giftcard to a reader! Entry in the giveaway is not contingent on registering for the race. I think many of you may enjoy this as we go into August and back to school shopping!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Summer & we hope to see you there!

I partnered with Fidelity & MEFA in support of the U.Fund Dreams Tour. As always, all opinions are my own #UFundDreams.

As my daughter finishes up fourth grade in a couple weeks I am full of mixed emotions. I for one, have NO idea how or when she grew up. She walks around in my heels like she’s been doing so for years! She is finding what makes her heart happy and is focused on helping others. I never thought I’d hear my daughter happily exclaim – Mom, I helped clean up my teacher’s classroom today! Who-is-this-child?! And why can’t the same enthusiasm be found when she cleans her room at home? She is shedding her baby layers and emerging into the most amazing human being.

Like so many other parents, I want to bottle up her youth and innocence and shield her from the darkness that the world can bring. Protect her from heartache, rejection and disappointment. Letting go is not something I excel at. And as she grows taller and becomes more confident I cry a bit on the inside while also feeling so incredibly proud of the person she is growing up to be.

There are only a limited number of years until senior year and then real life, and I’m scared. She is so excited to grow up and travel and experience the world on a deeper level. I strive to support all of her aspirations, but it can be difficult without the right planning and resources. Part of setting her up for success means investing in her future and ensuring that higher education is within her reach and is not a burden to our family. Living in the heart of Massachusetts has given us exposure to the 200 colleges and universities that call Mass home and it’s instilled a sense of lifelong learning in my curious tween.

Did you know Massachusetts has more colleges per capita than any other state? Given the variety of higher education options there is an organization committed to ensuring parents and students feel empowered to smartly save for college in a way that is aligned with what their family can contribute. Saving for college panics me, to be honest. I didn’t save properly and as a result will be paying student loans off for many many long years. Just think about it – what if there was a way to invest in your child’s higher learning through making small contributions every month? Yes, it is possible with MEFA. I encourage everyone to check out MEFA’s UFund Dreams which is an interactive experience for parents to learn more about the programs  offered by MEFA while your kids get to have fun through play while peaking their curiosity for learning. A total win-win for everyone.

While I’ll be soon wiping away the tears as we say goodbye to fourth grade, I am looking confidently towards the future excited to support my kiddo in pursuing her dreams.