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Baby Rabies

pregnancy & parenting

  • Start Here
    • About Baby Rabies
    • Baby Registry Top Picks
    • Favorite Pregnancy Apps
  • The Book
  • Pregnancy
    • Birth Stories
    • Perinatal Mood Disorders
  • Parenthood
    • Babies
    • Toddlers
    • School Age Kids
    • Parenting LOLZ
  • Photography
    • Photography

      6 Stunning Photos You Would Never Guess Were…

      February 11, 2019

      Photography

      Simple Tips For Editing Snow Photos On Your…

      December 13, 2018

      Photography

      I Wrote A Photography eBook And This Is…

      December 6, 2018

      Photography

      Creative Lighting Ideas To Help You Take Great…

      November 27, 2018

      Photography

      Learn How To Take And Edit Photos On…

      November 19, 2018

  • Reviews
    • Reviews

      The Answer To Last Minute Holiday Gifting For…

      December 19, 2018

      Reviews

      I Was Never A Barbie Girl Until Now

      October 1, 2018

      Reviews

      Finally! Jeans For My Jean-Averse Kids!

      August 22, 2018

      Reviews

      If Your Kid Loves Dump Trucks & Garbage…

      August 13, 2018

      Reviews

      Nobody Tell My Kids ABC Mouse Is Part…

      September 4, 2017

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Tech

One Of My Favorite Travel Apps Just Got Better For Families!
TechTravel

One Of My Favorite Travel Apps Just Got Better For Families!

by Jill February 14, 2019
written by Jill

I can’t stop procrastinating, and that’s ok! I’m done guilting myself over it. It’s how I operate and honestly procrastination has it’s perks sometimes.

There are even companies completely dedicated to living that last-minute life, like HotelTonight. The longer you wait to book a hotel room through their app, the more you save! That means you are right on time to book something for tonight, and even this coming weekend. You can use the app to book hotels for future dates, too.

We had a chance to take a very last minute trip to Fort Lauderdale last weekend and got to hop on over to the Everglades. 

I’ve worked with HotelTonight a few times before, and they are sponsoring this post, too. You know a brand is awesome when we team up long-term, you guys.

In the past, though, I had to be careful about messaging, only promoting their last-minute hotel reservation app as an option for a solo or couples getaway or staycation because the app didn’t have the option to book multiple rooms at one time for larger groups or families. 

THAT ALL CHANGED! HotelTonight is now an incredible option for last-minute-lifers who want to book rooms for their whole family or big group! This is a brand new update. 

On the iOS app, you can book up to 4 rooms in a single booking. Just open the customized search menu located on the top of the screen and select the number of rooms you’d like to book. If you’d like more than 2 people to stay in a room, that’s still up to the discretion of the hotel and could be subject to additional fees. I’d call just to be sure. 

In Fort Lauderdale, we stayed at the Pelican Grand Beach Resort in two rooms. It was boys vs. girls!If you’d like to save $25 off your next HotelTonight booking, use my referral code JIKRAUSE.

The two rooms were not connected, but we did manage to get on the same floor with just one room separating us, and that room wasn’t occupied. It was being renovated.

When you book more than room, it will note in your reservation, but it’s best to call the hotel ahead of time or a HotelTonight rep to ask that they work to get your rooms next to each other. 

Leyna was not complaining about the silence and solitude in our suite. We kept all the clothes and toiletries and general mess in the boys room so our room really felt like a quiet escape at the end of the day.

I love this option for larger groups just as much as I love it for solo or couples getaways and staycations. HotelTonight partners with hotels at a variety of levels- from basic to super luxe. I always discover quirky boutique hotels in great locations through their app, but you also have the big brand chains to choose from, too. 

If you haven’t downloaded the HotelTonight app, be sure you do that. It’s free and even when I’m not planning to escape somewhere that night (though the idea is always tempting), I love to see what their Daily Drop is.  This feature offers up to 30% off HT’s already low prices, but the catch is after you swipe you only have 15 minutes to book it. Sometimes it’s SO good that I want to make up an excuse to get away.

Thank you to HotelTonight for sponsoring this post. If you’d like to save $25 off your next HotelTonight booking, use my referral code JIKRAUSE.

February 14, 2019 2 comments
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Keep Your Errands From Running Errant- A Must Have App For All Busy People
LifestyleParenthoodTech

Keep Your Errands From Running Errant- A Must Have App For All Busy People

by Jill November 30, 2016
written by Jill

Tomorrow is December! AHHHHHHHH!!!!

via GIPHY

It’s fine. I’m fine. Only a million things to do between now and Christmas.
WAIT. I MEAN BEFORE I HAVE A BABY WHO IS DUE ON THE 16TH. I don’t even get until the 25th!

I’m working with Allstate on this post to tell you all about their incredible new free app that has been helping me manage my chaos lately. 

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So you know when you’ve got about 10 errands to run, but you don’t know where to start or where to go next? So you just drive and hope you come across all that you need without crossing town 3 times? Just me?

On Saturday, I had to pick up my new contacts, run to the grocery store, pick up a prescription, stop at a couple stores to check out their holiday sales, then get home in time to help with dinner. It was important that I didn’t miss any of these stops, which is pretty typical of me- to get home and then be like, OMG THE DRUG STORE, YOU IDIOT.

Enter the Allstate Quick Trip app (gah, I love me a good app). Note: these are pics of the app provided by Allstate because I realized if I showed screenshots of mine that would show everyone exactly where I live and grocery shop and go to the eye doctor, and I’m not saying you want to stalk me, but the internet.

A Must Have App For All Busy Parents | BabyRabies.com

Imagine that I synced the app with my calendar, and it pulled up all the tasks I had for the day. Also, imagine that I had entered my tasks into my calendar at all (because that rarely happens). Since I hadn’t, it wasn’t a big deal because you can enter the tasks, complete with address and time within the Quick Trip app, and then they automatically go to your calendar.

A Must Have App For All Busy Parents | BabyRabies.com

THIS is when the magic happens. The app takes into account what time you need to be at each place and for how long, and arranges a route for you that makes the most sense. No brain cells required!

A Must Have App For All Busy Parents | BabyRabies.com

And I think we can all agree that at this time of year we have very few brain cells to spare, even if you’re not pregnant and due to have a baby in 2 weeks.

What I like about this app, other than the ease of coming up with a route to get me to all my stops throughout the day, is it gives me a great visual of what I need to accomplish. It’s also perfect for all you list-makers out there.

A Must Have App For All Busy Parents | BabyRabies.com

LOLOLOL at me ever going to pilates at 6:30 in the morning. I will totally go pick up that cake, though.

I know life is getting a little hectic for all of us right now, and then the first of the year will come, and we’ll be like, “Gonna organize my life so hard this year!” So the Allstate Quick Trip app seemed like a natural fit for me to tell you all about. It’s free, it’s in the App Store, it could make your life a little easier. Hope you like it as much as I do.

This post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. All opinions are mine. As the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most–but to guiding people to live the Good Life, every day.

A Must Have App For All Busy Parents | BabyRabies.com

 

November 30, 2016 0 comment
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5 Things I’m Loving This Cyber Monday
BabiesLifestyleTech

5 Things I’m Loving This Cyber Monday

by Jill November 28, 2016
written by Jill

The turkey is officially all gone at our house, thanks to a giant pot of turkey soup I made for dinner last night. (It’s just chicken soup, but with turkey because I am super creative.)  The trees are up. The toddler is sneaking candy canes every chance he gets. Joy! Merry! Bring on the holidays!

So while I’m in holiday prep/nesting mode, I thought I’d share a few things I’m loving right now that you might love, too.

1. First, the Santa’s Bag app is rocking my Christmas list right now, while also holding me accountable to a budget.

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I love that it’s so easy to add gift ideas for each person, then mark them as purchased, wrapped, given, and even allows you to add a note about where it’s stored! How many gifts have I forgotten I’ve purchased until I randomly find them the next year? It’s embarrassing. Only thing to be careful about is there doesn’t seem to be a password function, so prying eyes may be able to easily access all this info if they know how to work their way around your phone.

2. Another great app that I’m checking a lot right now is the Slickdeals app (it’s also on Google Play). Even if you just check the “Frontpage” a few times a day, you’re going to find some really great deals. Be sure to read the comments. You can learn a lot about a deal and if it’s a good fit for what you need.  The biggest con to having this app is the urge to buy stuff just because it’s such a great sale. Related: I’m using an app that holds me to a budget this year.

3. We are about 3 weeks-ish out from baby’s arrival, so it’s this weird place where I don’t want to send out holiday cards before he comes. Plus, I don’t want to stress about birth announcements in addition to holiday cards. I’ve worked with Minted a lot over the years, and they are stepping in to save the day again, this time with combo holiday/birth announcement cards! Here are a few designs I’m currently considering…

minted_babyrabies_2

Ideally, I’ll have all my addresses updated in the Address Assistant by the time baby gets here. Then all I have to do is upload our pictures as soon as I have them, and Minted will print the cards AND the envelopes, complete with addresses. Recipient addressing is free! All we’ll have to do is stuff, seal, and stamp. I’m hoping I can pay the kids to do that part.

If you’re in the market for holiday cards still, or anything that Minted sells (and they sell SO much beautiful stuff), their Cyber Monday deal is 20% off EVERYTHING with code CM2016.

4. One of the best stocking stuffers I ever got for Scott was a gift card to Dollar Shave Club. They aren’t having any big CM deals that I can find, but if you’re as stumped as I am about what to put in your partner’s stocking (and this is also EXCELLENT for women, too- I exclusively use their razors), get you one of these.

5. Finally, if you want to get a head start on Giving Tuesday (which is tomorrow) and still want to take advantage of come Cyber Monday free shipping, check out the St. Jude Gift Book. You may remember I got to visit St. Jude Children’s Hospital earlier this year. It was an eye-opening experience in so many ways, and I truly think they are a worthy cause to support.

You can view their gift book here:

And order online here.

They have so much, from cute coffee mugs and t-shirts, to aprons and home decor. And a portion of every sale goes straight to St. Jude.

This Maya Angelou Inspirational Lantern is one of my very favorite pieces.

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Okay, gotta go! To Target! Did you know you get 15% off storewide there today? (A few exclusions apply.) I saved SO much money yesterday, but forgot a few things we…er… need. Yeah, we need them. We need them more than I need to clean this house. Promise.

November 28, 2016 2 comments
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10 Ways My Apple Watch Makes Life As a Parent Easier
LifestyleParenthoodReviewsTech

10 Ways My Apple Watch Makes Life As a Parent Easier

by Jill January 13, 2016
written by Jill

When I made my Christmas Wish List for my husband, I threw the Apple Watch on there as the very last thing, never actually thinking he’d get it for me. I didn’t even know if I truly wanted it, but my list needed more stuff for him to choose from. I wondered if maybe it was more gimmicky than practical.

And then he got me one- a beautiful 38mm rose gold with lavender band. I love her, I love her, I love her! Not just because she’s gorgeous, but she makes my life easier. No gimmicks. Definitely practical.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Dec 27, 2015 at 12:38pm PST

Here are just some of the ways my Apple Watch makes my life as a multitasking, work at home parent easier.

Calendar reminders

I can’t tell you how many times this has saved me already. Most days I get so immersed in work that I used to look up at the clock and couldn’t believe my 2nd grader was going to be walking through the door any minute. No more surprises, and no more moments when I see a strange number calling through and suddenly remember it’s time for an important call. Whether I accept a meeting invite for a business call, or a set a reminder to go off 10 minutes before my son gets out of school, the watch alerts me with a gentle buzz that’s impossible to overlook.

Calendar function
Beyond the alerts, it’s easy to access and scroll through my calendar, and even input new events via voice dictation. I hardly ever use Siri on my phone, but she’s a natural extension of the watch and she does a pretty great job of understanding me.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Jan 7, 2016 at 9:06am PST

Weather at a glance

The current weather, including temp and chance of precipitation, is displayed on my watch face. Seems small, but it’s nice to glance down and know whether I need to wrap the toddler in his warm coat or if a jacket will do before we run out the door.

Texting

It’s SO nice to immediately receive all texts and reply quickly without having to keep my phone on me. Our two oldest spend their afternoons running up and down our street, playing with all the other kids (best. street. ever), and all the parents keep in touch by texting to let each other know where they’ve all landed. It’s pretty key that I get texts on time, especially when someone is looking for their kid or letting me know mine is at their house. I can reply with the quick phrases that are already in there (you can add your own too) or I can use voice dictation.

Evernote

Love me some Evernote. The best marriage of Evernote and the Apple Watch that I’ve uncovered is the list function. Make a grocery list in Evernote, access it from your phone, check off items on your watch as you pick them up in the store. AMAZING.

Phone calls

I think everyone realizes you can take a call on your watch. That seems like the most obvious use. BUT did you know that your toddler can be on your phone playing a game or watching YouTube and you can still make a receive calls from your watch? I’m just saying this really comes in handy when I’m grocery shopping, checking off my Evernote list, and my husband calls to tell me to add a few more items to the list. No need to rip the phone from the toddler’s hands, causing a meltdown in aisle 9.

Directions while driving

I try very hard to keep my hands off my phone while driving, and take distracted driving seriously, especially when my kids are in the car with me. But sometimes I need directions to places, and I use my maps app on my iPhone. With the Apple Watch, the directions pop up on my watch face, and it buzzes to let me know a turn is coming up. Far safer than holding my phone in one hand while I drive, or looking down at it on the dash.

Staying active

The watch comes with an activity tracker that tracks your daily steps, calories burned, distance walked. It also reminds you to stand up every hour, and gives you a goal of 30 minutes of exercise a day (you can adjust that, that’s the default). Throughout the day, I get gentle buzz reminders to stand or encouragement to keep moving, along with a visual of where I am for all my goals for the day.

In addition to that, I’ve added Seven, a 7 minute workout app, to it. I try to do at least one 7 minute circuit a day because it’s just 7 minutes, right? Meanwhile, while I’m doing that, my activity tracker is counting all of it.

Killing time

Just like the iPhone, it’s great for getting a whole lot of nothing done, which comes in handy when I find myself rocking a nosy toddler to sleep who is too distracted by my phone these days. I’ve downloaded the Rules! app- a game (though I think I hate how panicked it makes me feel), and have some apps I like to browse, like Zulily and Craigslist. They are really paired down in comparison to their phone counterparts, but still fun.

Distancing myself from my phone

Yesterday I saw an important email come through via watch notification. I could tell from the first sentence preview that I needed to reply ASAP, so I asked the kids to sit tight for a minute and hopped on my computer. Most of the time, though, my emails can wait. It’s nice to know I can leave my phone behind and still know when/if something urgent comes in.

ALSO RAD?
If you have the BabyRabies app (and I mean, you do, right?) you’ll get notifications every time I put up a new post. You can get notifications for a lot of your apps that are already on your phone.

I’ve only had my watch for a few weeks, so I’m sure I’ve yet to unlock loads of potential. And some of you who have one, I’m sure, probably have some other cool ways you use it to make your life easier, so PLEASE tell us in the comments!

10WaysMyAppleWatchMakesParentingEasier

 

 

 

January 13, 2016 13 comments
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6 Reasons We Love our Roomba
Home Decor & DIYReviewsTech

6 Reasons We Love our Roomba

by Jill November 9, 2015
written by Jill

Sponsored by iRobot Roomba, which is amazing because I love them, and I’m about to tell you why.

When we bought our house last year, we nearly doubled the square footage we were used to living in. That’s a lot of space to keep clean, including the swoon-worthy hardwood floors in 80% of the downstairs level.

We didn’t buy much when we moved in. Not even a new couch, which we SO desperately need and still don’t have. I always swore I would not take the old one with us to the new place, but life happens.

We did, however, carve out a bit of our budget to purchase an iRobot Roomba 870. We’ve had it just about a year, and I can honestly say we don’t regret a single penny spent on it. It’s been so worth it.

Here are 6 reasons why we love BeeBop so much. (Oh, did I forget to mention we named him?)

1. He’s a part of the family.
Let’s start with that. Within days of his arrival, the kids began calling “him” BeeBop, and the toddler began following him everywhere. When we hear his beeps from another room, letting us know he’s leaving his dock to begin cleaning, Lowell comes running, yelling “BeeeeeeeeBoppppp!” and when he (softly) bumps into our feet while he’s trying to get around us, we’re like, “Look out, BeeBop!”

We talk to him and about him like he’s a legit pet, except far better because no pet of ours has ever done the exact opposite of shedding hair all over our floors. So I will refer to it as him, he and BeeBop from here on out because it just feels rude not to.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Feb 9, 2015 at 6:50am PST


2. He really works.
Yes, he keeps our floors clean from hair to crumbs and everything in between. We have textured floors (hand scraped hardwoods), and he gets it all. He gets underneath the cabinets and works his way around chairs. Every now and then we’ll have to stop him before the whole floor is finished to empty his container, but that’s only if it’s been a long time since we ran him. When we are good and run him every day (or at least every 2 days), he gets through the entire floor without needing to be emptied. IMG_5490 3. He’s low maintenance.
Like I just mentioned, we do have to empty his container at least after every cleaning, but it is so simple. Just pull it off, dump it in the trash, put it back. We’ve had to clean the brushes a few times, but other than that I don’t think we’ve had to really think about him. And we’ve used him a lot this year.  He even docks himself to charge when he’s done! (He lives under the foyer table.)

Also, no need to babysit him to keep him from going into rooms or off stairs. Ours came with 2 virtual wall lighthouses that we set on the floor to create invisible barriers to keep him out of the garage hallway and our bedroom. We could even let him go to town upstairs and not worry because he’s built to not commit suicide… meaning he knows to stop before falling over ledges. IMG_5492 4. He helps us keep the rest of the house picked up. 
Okay, don’t get too excited. I’m not saying he sprouts Go-Go-Gadget arms and picks up for me, but since we can’t run him when there is stuff all over the floor, we are more inclined to pick up on a regular basis. Usually we run him at night, after the kids have gone to bed but before we go to bed. Scott and I use this as an opportunity to tidy up together, and it leads to one of us doing the dishes while the other puts stuff away. It is SO nice to wake up to a clean house AND clean floors the next morning. IMG_5485 5. He can do all the floors.
We have carpet in our downstairs bedroom and tile in the downstairs bathroom. He can do it all, and there’s no need to change any settings.

6. Our dog thinks he’s just one of us.
Maybe not a practical application, but it’s hilarious watching our dog Callie interact with him. She treats him just like another toddler, letting him bother her until she finally gets the energy to to just walk away.

A video posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Jun 22, 2015 at 5:48pm PDT

Right now you can get free shipping on any Roomba from iRobot.

I really can’t say enough good things about ours. It’s definitely an investment, but it’s been a worthwhile one for us. If you’re on the fence or have any questions, let me know. I’ll do my best to answer them based on our year-long experience.

This post includes affiliate links. All opinions are my own. 

November 9, 2015 9 comments
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This is FREAKING Awesome- The BabyRabies APP!!!!!!!
BloggingTechVideos

This is FREAKING Awesome- The BabyRabies APP!!!!!!!

by Jill November 5, 2015
written by Jill

DA DA DAAAAAAA!!!

So when my blog was down for an effing month thanks to hackers I had a lot of time to turn lemons into lemonade. And the best thing to come out of that time, I think, was this— the BabyRabies app, available for FREE in both the App Store and Google Play.

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Here’s a list of some of the stuff that makes it OMG SO EXCITING I’M SO EXCITED

  1. Easily access all my posts, starting with the latest. Then either scroll through from the home screen OR flick left or right from within a post to see the one before or after it
  2. A powerful search function for that one post you have no idea when it was published, but you’re pretty sure I wrote it.
  3. A menu that divides my content into categories and also gives you access to all my social channels in one spot, making it easy to check in on my FB, Twitter and IG.
  4. A Favorites feature!! Love a post and want to save it for later? Favorite it by clicking the star at the top. It will show up in your list of Favorites that you can access via the menu.
  5. Reading available even without wifi! The posts that you’ve saved or are already loaded can be read even when you don’t have internet access.
  6. Super easy sharing, including to Pinterest with a feature that easily lets you pick your favorite image.
  7. SUPER easy commenting!
  8. Push notifications! If you’d like (and you can totally opt out if you don’t), you can get push notifications for all my posts, OR for just posts in certain categories!

I have a lot more planned for this app, but I couldn’t wait anymore to share it with you all!

So many of you have expressed that you love catching up with me when you have a few minutes, but that means you’re on your phone and the phone reading experience was just… blah. I totally agree. That’s why I set out to find the BEST reading experience for your mobile devices, and I totally think this is IT.

If you get a chance, check out the short video I posted above where I walk you through it really quick.

And then, OF COURSE, download it! (Free!)

Google Play- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ml.BabyRabies

App Store- https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/babyrabies-blog/id1050105493?mt=8

A HUGE thanks to Privet for sponsoring the launch of the BabyRabies app!!

Privet Logo

PRIVET is a live mobile community that allows users to seek advice and support anonymously without judgement. Use PRIVET to raise kids, improve relationships, and find answers to what matters most – Life. Crowdsourced. – myprivet.com

Seriously, check it out. Download it! (App Store and Google Play)

Then invite your friends, and join in. Ask questions, confess, express concern, wonder anonymously (or not), just  be sure to keep it nice. For real. Privet is all about the judgement-free zone.

privet5Privet4

 

November 5, 2015 0 comment
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Make Reading Less Scary
ParenthoodSchool Age DaysTech

Make Reading Less Scary

by Jill October 26, 2015
written by Jill

HomeTeam by Panasonic is sponsoring this today to introduce you all to their Make Reading Less Scary campaign and something I KNOW you’re going to love that you can try for free (no credit card needed!) for 30 days. 

Scott travels for work pretty frequently, and the weeks always go the same way. On Monday, I’m a total rock star. The house is clean, the kids get a homemade meal, story time, and I enjoy wine in silence while watching some RomCom after bedtime.

But by Wednesday? I’ve given up on anything other than keeping the kids alive. FORGET story time. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Sorry, kids. We’re going to count that 3 hours of TV I let you watch tonight while I tried to catch up on dishes and deadlines as your “bedtime story.”

Reading to 3 kids can be scary for me those nights. Mostly because I’m afraid I’ll never get to sleep, and I am just plain tired at that point.

Scott always says to me he wishes he could help out from afar, which we both know is impossible, but it’s the thought that counts, I guess.

Except now? Oh, he actually can. (Be careful what you wish for! Muwhahhahahahaha!)

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Because now I can send the bigs to their rooms with their tablets, and he can do the reading for me while I rock Lowell and read to him. Yup, no matter where he is, as long as he has a computer or tablet with him and wifi, he can read to them or play games with them using HomeTeam from Panasonic. 

IMG_5350

“Technology doesn’t have to mean the end of quality family time. HomeTeam was designed to improve social health and promote family connectivity. As a video chat service that lets families separated by distance play games or read together all on the same screen, HomeTeam is bringing families together over thousands of books ands games for kids ages 3-12.” – MakeReadingLessScary.com

This is beyond just him reading a book over  video chat. They can actually scroll through the HomeTeam library together, select a title, and then read it right there on the screen, either with video enabled, or just the microphone.

Screen Shot 2015-10-24 at 3.36.47 PM

Some of the Halloween themed titles. So fun!

The app is available in Google Play and the App Store, but you can also access HomeTeam from a Mac or PC, so no need for anyone or everyone to have a tablet to participate!

We have it easy when it comes to parents being gone for work. Scott and I are never gone for more than a week (maybe 2) at a time. But how great is this for families that miss out on seeing parents or even grandparents for long periods of time?!

And how many times have you tried to have a conversation on the phone or FaceTime with your kid and they don’t really know what to say?

Reading starts conversations, leads to natural questions, and helps kids open up.

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Not to mention, you can play age appropriate games together on HomeTeam, too!

Registration is quick, and inviting friends and family members to join your team is easy. You can add up to 5 people on one family account, and it’s FREE for the first 30 days. You don’t even need a credit card to sign up and give it a try.

After that, it’s just $8.99/month (up to 5 family members). When you think of all the books you have access to in their library alone, that’s a pretty great deal.

Make reading less scary in time for Halloween for the kids AND you. I hear grandparents may be willing to join in the fun and read bedtime stories while you “check” the candy.

IMG_5358

 

October 26, 2015 1 comment
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The One Day App Is My New Digital Hoarding Obsession
BabiesReviewsSchool Age DaysTechToddlersVideos

The One Day App Is My New Digital Hoarding Obsession

by Jill October 22, 2014
written by Jill

I’m a self-diagnosed digital hoarder. My computer files are probably hiding hundreds of dead, flat cats. My desktop (the one on my computer screen) is a virtual fire hazard. I have so many pics on my iPhone that I’d rather just pay for a more expensive one with more memory next time than delete any of them.

I’m a sucker for capturing the everyday moments, and I’m grateful for the memories that hog my disk space. I may not have baby books for any of the kids, but my Instagram archives tell their stories better than any pen on paper could.

I have dozens of small videos of little moments of them each as babies. Like this one I captured of Lowell the other day…

I noticed as I went through my piles of digitized memories the other day, though, that the videos of the kids decrease dramatically as they get older. There’s no more hurry to switch to video to capture the cute milestones. Most of the time, they aren’t interested in even doing anything for the camera. I have to snap the majority of their pictures on the sly.

But I do still want to capture these ages and stages on video, knowing I will cherish hearing those little voices coming out of mouths with missing teeth someday.

One Day app makes it easy and fun to interview your kids or yourself, and it's FREE! - BabyRabies.com

When the creator of the One Day app told me how easy it is to use his app to create creative, fun, short videos by interviewing my kids (or even myself!), I was immediately intrigued. And I’m really excited they are sponsoring this post today because I know a lot of you are going to have so much fun with this.

I made about 5 videos with Kendall yesterday, including this one all about the future, according to him.

I actually had no idea he wants to be a firefighter and a policeman! Also, I didn’t catch this on camera, but right after he said maybe he’d marry his little brother, he looked at me and said, “What? Some boys marry other boys.”

I mean. Could not be prouder!

One Day app makes it easy and fun to interview your kids or yourself, and it's FREE! - BabyRabies.com

One Day app makes it easy and fun to interview your kids or yourself, and it's FREE! - BabyRabies.com

So basically it was a fun exercise in having, like, a real discussion about real stuff, disguised as this video we made together. But also with the added bonus of the video that I’ll get to hoard forever (and back up in case all my hoarding leads to my computer/phone crashing).

The app is FREE! Unfortunately for you android users, it’s only for iPhone right now, but they are growing fast, so maybe it won’t be long before it’s available to everyone.

It’s really simple to use. My biggest hangup was making enough room in my camera roll to store the videos. Obviously. But you just ask each question, then record the responses. The app takes care of the rest for you, including adding background music and piecing everything together.

There are plenty of sets of questions to choose from. I’m looking forward to doing the animal sounds one with Lowell as soon as he gets to that point. And there’s a Halloween one! I think I might be adventurous and try that one on Kendall and Leyna at the same time.

There are sets of questions for literally all ages. You can even put together a video of your newborn, though clearly they aren’t actually answering questions for you. Instead, you’re recording things like their coo, and their smile.

I easily uploaded these to YouTube from my phone, but you can also share via a link One Day provides you. That way you can control who you send the link to, and don’t have to worry about who can view it from public platforms like Facebook and YouTube.

Here’s the link to Kendall’s video.

We hare having so much fun with this. I am pretty sure you all will, too! Go! Download it!

Thanks to One Day for sponsoring this post. I love to get paid to tell you all about things that I’m excited about

October 22, 2014 5 comments
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ReviewsSchool Age DaysTechToddlers

Google It- On Tech & Parenting

by Jill September 4, 2013
written by Jill

“Is his belly button supposed to bleed like that after the cord comes off?”

“I don’t know. Let me Google it.”

********

“When does Skylanders Swap Force come out, Dad?”

“Let’s look it up.”

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“Can you please give her something to keep her still until the chips get to the table?”

“Hand her my tablet.”

********

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Oh, modern parenting, how we love you.

When I think about how my parents managed without microwaves (for most of my youth), and DVRs, and DVD players for the car, I weep for them. God knew what he was doing, putting me on this earth at just the right time to have my first baby when the smartphone hit the masses.

Though, I actually didn’t have a smartphone when Kendall was a baby. Our breastfeeding relationship was like something out of the pioneer days. I had to watch infomercials with the volume off while up with him at 3am.

::shudder::

We are a tech loving family, it’s true. We have incorporated it into our lives fully, including our newest addition- the Samsung Galaxy Note tablet. Scott uses it all the time and goes everywhere with this now, which means he’s always got it when the tiny people start to get restless.  Don’t get me wrong, we try not to be those parents who are always shoving devices in front of our kids in exchange for silence.

Unless we are out to eat… or it’s been a really long day… or we are in need of a bribe.

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With the good- like the sweet silence of children watching a movie on a roadtrip- comes the bad- like the ability to ask Google about any bump I find or twitch I feel in my body and have the first result come back with “blah blah blah CANCER.”

While I think we have it a lot better than our parents in many ways with all this technology literally at our fingertips, I also think we deal with more stress than they did simply from being overwhelmed by access to too much information.

Some days I have to step away from social media because I can’t handle seeing anymore “cautionary tales” of things that can go wrong and diseases my kids can get pop up in my feeds.

Other days… most days, though, I’m grateful for how technology lets me connect with so many people. I’m grateful that I can always reach out and crowd source, or just know that someone is there to commiserate. I’m grateful to have this virtual water cooler as a work at home parent.

No doubt, technology has changed how people parent. For better or for worse? What do you think? How has it affected you?

 

Full disclosure: Staples.com provided me with the Samsung Galaxy Note Tablet  for review. The thoughts and opinions expressed are strictly my own. Feel free to shop their entire line of tablets online.
September 4, 2013 6 comments
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ReviewsTech

The Windows Phone Is Making Me An Awesome Wife

by Jill March 10, 2013
written by Jill

Scott and I couldn’t be more opposite sometimes.

He’s an early riser, I like to stay up late.
He’s a letter-of-the-law kind of guy, I like to leave stuff up to interpretation (and push the speed limit).
He doesn’t like pumpkin pie or stuffing, I just… GIVE THEM ALL TO ME, honey.
He’s a PC, I’m a Mac.

He’s been wanting to try a Windows phone for a long time, and in one of the few instances where having a wife who “makes a living” (quotes totally deserved) blogging pays off, I got to grant his wish.

I asked what a few of his favorite things are about the Windows phone, and here’s what he said:

1. He likes that it’s Microsoft Office compatible. He’s been traveling a lot for work lately, giving presentations, and he’s able to review his Power Point slides while he’s traveling.

2. He loves using One Note to keep track of all his notes and sync them across to his work and home computers (both PCs). Bonus for the ability to add audio notes by simply pushing a button and speaking into his phone.

3. He’s downloaded the TuneIn app, which let’s him listen to Blues hockey games whenever they are on, no matter where we’re at. And he’s accessing his Audible.com membership through their app for the Windows phone. For the kids? He’s added Netflix. These are all pinned to his home screen so they are easy to access.

In short, he’s falling in love with it just like I knew he would.

And I have to say, even though I’m still a Mac at heart, this Windows phone IS pretty cool. It’s super easy to customize, and I love how you can keep in touch and keep track of people across various social media platforms at the same time. The display is gorgeous, and I give the camera 2 thumbs up. Time will tell if it wins me over 100%, but I’m pretty sure Scott just asked it to be his 2nd wife.

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Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Windows Phone.

For a chance to win a new Windows Phone, click here to take a quick survey!

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Windows Phone.

March 10, 2013 2 comments
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