Fiddledeedee.net Reviews

There are some very fun giveaways going on over at 5 Minutes for Mom through the Mother’s Day weekend!

(This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Intelius.)

Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, my mother (who was considered protective by that era’s standards) would set  us free right after lunch to wreak havoc on nature and neighborhood.  As long as we promised to be home by dinner.

Not a hard promise to keep, since my southern born and bred mother could deep fry anything, and make it taste wonderful.

Consequently, I bid farewell to my metabolism at a rather youngish age.

And off we would go, me on my green banana seated bike, with the plastic flowered basket, wind in my stringy hair, bugs in my teeth.

Carefree childhood days.  Cherished memories.

My children are not quite experiencing that type of childhood.  And it grieves me deeply.  This is a much different world that we live in today.  A suspicious world where we eye our neighbors, teachers, and even church childcare workers far more closely.

A few years ago, it came to our attention that a pedophile was living within our subdivision.  With disastrous consequences to the innocent neighborhood children who lived next door.  They found out far too late what type of person lived within 10 feet of them.

And we don’t live in a “bad” neighborhood.

Unless you consider a busybody Home Owner’s Association full of retirees who have nothing better to do with their day than to measure the blades of grass on the front lawn.

But I digress.

When BlogHer asked me to check out Intelius, an online information service, I was intrigued,

Because I watch “24.” I know that information = power.

Intelius provides up to the minute Verification Services (such as background checks), Information Services (like people searches), and most importantly, Protection Services.

A service which, in my humble opinion, is invaluable.  By using Intelius Protection Services (aka: Neighborhood Watch), I can use such functions as Identity Protection and Criminal & Sex Offender checks.

In other words, I can plug in my address, and receive a report that discloses the riffraff living in my area.

And Intelius has been recognized by the National Child Safety Foundation.  In fact, they released this statement:

“It is critical that parents use every tool available to ensure the safest possible environment for their children, from soccer practice to Boy Scouts to slumber parties.  We at the National Child Safety Foundation emphatically recommend Intelius’ reverse phone searches and background checks to our child safety seminar audiences across the country. We also recommend Intelius’ pre-employment screening services to organizations to ensure the wisest, safest hiring decisions. Intelius is simply the best tool available to parents and organizations alike for the most accurate, affordable and immediate information possible.”

As a parent, providing the safest possible environment for my children is my primary directive.

If I can’t give them the carefree childhood that I enjoyed in the 60’s and 70’s, at least I can do everything possible to ensure an innocent childhood.  A place in the world where they can be safe and loved.

A sanctuary where all they need to fear is their mother’s excessive use of vegetables in their diet.

And one last tidbit, in addition to Intelius’s data search service, the free iSearch.com search engine allows you to quickly and easily uncover information about anyone.  This is a great, targeted search that looks not only at public records, but also through social networking platforms.  Get your search started by clicking here.

I’m doing a little data gathering of my own, how has your security awareness changed since your childhood?

Pssst. To Think is to Create is having a little giveaway at her site. And by little, I mean a $500.00 gift card from Wal•Mart. Now that’s nothing to sneeze at. And I know, because we have an awful lot of sneezing going on around here.

Just head over here, and leave a comment with your best holiday money saving tip. The contest runs through December 8th.