10 iPhone Apps for Parents

I love my iPhone. It never ceases to amaze me how many useful applications that are available that help turn my cell phone into an invaluable must-have item no matter where I am.  However, sometimes it can be pretty overwhelming when browsing the iTunes App Store. Where do I start?

Thankfully, the editors of PCMag.com have made my life a little easier by cutting through the clutter and named the 10 iPhone apps for Parents and how they can be adapted to make motherhood (or fatherhood) a less-complicated experience.

• Shazam: This app is able to identify whatever song is playing in the background wherever you are; use it to snag a sound bite from that new Top 40 hit your child loves, and get the details on whether it is in line with your family’s listening standards.
• White Noise: Babies scream, toddlers pout, and parents can often lose their minds, White Noise is perfect for taking things down a notch.
• Kindle: One of the most exciting apps for the iPhone, Kindle lets you easily bring along most any book or magazine for you and your kids to enjoy on the go. Create your own family book club or read while stuck in a doctor’s office, a book of your choice or read to your child.
• GoodFoodNearYou: When you’re on the road with the kids, avoid the fast-food joint and replace it with the convenience of this app to help you find health-conscious dining choices. Input your location and it will return scads of sides, sandwiches, and suppers from every dining destination in the vicinity.
• AllRecipes.com Dinner Spinner: If the question is “What are we having for dinner?” this free AllRecipes.com-powered app will let you choose recipes based on main ingredients, what you have on hand, and how much time you can spare for food prep. Or let it randomly selected meal plan for you.
• Sit Or Squat: When a parent hears “I really gotta go!” finding the nearest bathroom has to happen fast. Using your current location it gives you the nearest options, stats on cleanliness, changing tables and handicap-accessible facilities—mark your favorite toilets for quick returns.
• AirMe: You no longer need to wait until you get home to start sharing photos from birthdays, sporting events or school plays. Use AirMe to upload instantly to Photobucket, TinyPic, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, or Picasa without the hassle of file transfer or e-mail, and without the cost of an external gadget.
• myLite Flashlight: Never lose a pacifier in a dark movie theater again with this app that uses the screen to emit white light. This free app has a straightforward series of settings to control light color and brightness.
• Remember The Milk: This popular and effective list-making and task-management Web site, has a complementary mobile app free to the site’s paying members to help keep things sorted when you’re shuttling between work, home, and your family’s numerous appointments and activities.
• iTalk Recorder: This limited free download allows you to record and store numerous sound files for later use. Files upload easily to your PC via wireless transfer, enabling you to customize your own ringtone, preserve a special memory, or just remind yourself why you go to work each day.

Are there any apps that you find especially useful? Share!

Hannah Montana Personal Care Line (Giveaway)

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your participation.
The winner is comment #167: Jackie.
Congratulations!

Girlie Girl is a big fan of Hannah Montana. So when I found out that she was coming out with a brand new line of personal care products, I knew she would be totally into it.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

P&G is introducing a Hannah Montana collection of products such as lip glosses and shampoos perfect for tweens who love Hannah Montana and may be starting to establish their own personal care routine. These products offer the “best of both worlds” since not only do girls love them, but parents approve as well since they are trusted brands that Mom may even use herself!

MY REVIEW

We received a few different shades of Hannah Montana’s new lip gloss colors and loved them. What I really liked is that these colors weren’t bright or gaudy. It was just a tint of color and shine. Perfect for special occasions. Girlie Girl also really liked it because it made her feel pretty and feminine. And it didn’t hurt that Hannah Montana herself was on the packaging!

So if you have a Hannah Montana fan in your family, check out her new line of products. Your daughter will love them!

WIN IT!

Thanks to P&G, I have a gift bag of the entire Hannah Montana line to give away to one lucky winner. This gift bag includes:

• Herbal Essences “Drama Clean” Berry Tea and Orange Flower Shampoo/Conditioner
• Olay Foaming Face Wash
• Olay “Rockin’ Blossom” Body Wash
• Oral-B/Crest Toothbrush and Toothpaste Combo Pack
• Secret “Bella Bloom” Scent Expressions Deodorant
• Covergirl Wetslicks Lipgloss in four shades – Crush, Tutu, Patently Pink, and Shimmershell
• Covergirl Nailpolish in four colors: Pink Taffy, Pink Twinkle, Fuschia Girl, and Disco Dazzle

To enter:

• Just mention in comments before midnight, June 27th who you’d like to win this for. That’s it!
• A random winner will be selected and notified via email soon thereafter.
• The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

• Subscribe to my feed.
• Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
• Follow me on Twitter.
• Place my button in your sidebar.

This giveaway is open to US & Canadian addresses. Good luck!

Aloha Friday #87

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday.

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My question is:

Are you a Mac or PC?

The Island News

On occasion I receive emails from various companies and organizations asking me to forward their messages on to you. So, here they are in their own words . . . well, mostly.

LAST MINUTE FATHER’S DAY GIFT IDEAS

microSD Memory Card from SanDisk – For a cute Father’s Day idea, kids can actually use Mom’s phone to record personal greetings, videos and add photos to the card. Then dad can just pop the card into his mobile phone and take these videos and photos everywhere with him to view at any time. Dad can also use the card to add his own music, videos, documents, photos, etc., but he’ll always have the personalized items the kids put on there too.

CONTESTS & SWEEPSTAKES

Suave Skin is teaming up with actress and celebrity mom Holly Robinson Peete to help launch its new Suave Naturals Wild Cherry Blossom Body Wash AND encourage moms everywhere to “Shower Themselves Beautiful” every day! To celebrate this new product launch, Suave Skin has launched the Shower Yourself Beautiful Sweepstakes.  Each week, mom can create a different registry for herself for a chance to instantly win her chosen prizes, and mom will also be automatically entered for a chance to win the ultimate at-home shower for herself and her friends.  Visit www.ShowerYourselfBeautiful.com and enter for a chance to win great weekly prizes and the ultimate at-home shower for yourself and your readers.

SKIL, Lowe’s and Worlds of Discovery Theme Parks have partnered to create a Father’s Day parent-child project contest for the chance to win an all expenses paid family vacation and other exciting prizes. Outdoor projects are available for parents to do with their children, starting at age 4. Simply build the project together and submit in-action photos or videos along with your entry form on the contest Web site! To find a list of projects, tools and materials needed and official rules, visit www.SKILBuildingMemories.com. The contest ends on July 12th.

To extend thanks to those who are committed to making a difference in their communities and in other’s lives, Applebee’s is hosting contest called “Realburgers for Real Heroes” in which the person voted Applebee’s National Real Hero can win $5,000 and prizes!  Here, you can share a story about how they have made a lasting impression in your or someone else’s lives. And just for nominating, you are automatically entered into a weekly sweepstakes drawing for a $50 Applebee’s Gift Card. Nominations will be accepted through July 5th.

Sizzle to stardom by sending the National Pork Board a video featuring your “gratest” tip for the grill using any cut of pork. YOU could be crowned the “Next Pork Personality!” 3 Finalists will win an all-expense paid trip to compete in a live finale grill-off in the Big Apple hosted by celebrity chef and grilling guru Guy Fieri! Guy will serve on a panel of judges to determine who will be crowned the “Next Pork Personality.” The winner will take home $5,000, a Char-Broil® grill, grilling accessories and a two-night stay and airfare for themselves and a guest. Enter before August 31st.

Through July 10, 2009 premium business stationery retailer Tiny Prints is hosting a Facebook page Open House and has proudly partnered with our close friends in the blogging community to assist us in giving away $50 gift certificates to celebrate. In order to be eligible to win you need to become a “fan” of this page, post a link to your favorite Tiny Prints product on our “wall” and then satisfy any additional requirements at one or more of the participating blogs below. You may enter as many times as you like but may only win once. Winners will be chosen at random from those who have fulfilled the minimum requirements. Gift certificates are custom printed so winners will need to provide a mailing address once their participation has been verified. Open to all contestants not excluded by applicable local laws barring participation.

GREAT DEALS

For the first time, the parenting site Mommy Track’d is offering its wildy popular organizational supplies for FREE!  These thrifty, hip and convenient downloads will kick your clunky organizer to the curb in no time! From the EAT SHEET to the BALANCE SHEET to the MASTER CHECKLIST and more, Moms everywhere will find these downloads to be super helpful in planning weekly meals, grocery shopping, parties, projects and keeping track of things like appointments, soccer games, and family events. Just print out a new one each day, week, or month as needed!  A variety of “Tools for the Tired & Time Starved” are available here:  www.mommytrackd.com/downloads

For the second year in a row TCBY, The Country’s Best Yogurt, is swirling free cups and cones to all Dads on Father’s Day. Details are also available on the TCBY Web site.

Aloha Petroleum has designed an exciting Save-a-$-Club card to help Hawaii consumers instantaneously save money at the pump each time they use it. The card is pre-programmed to automatically subtract 5 cents per gallon instantly at the pump every time it’s used. Additionally, when the cardholder pays the monthly bill in full and on-time, the individual will receive an additional 3 cents off each gallon that they’ve pumped (to be reflected on the next month’s bill). That adds up to cardholders saving 8 cents per gallon each month, a significant savings considering the state of our economy. For more info, stop by Aloha Petroleum.

COOL IDEAS

National Geographic has a special issue of the magazine coming out next week, filled with some fabulous photo’s submitted by our readers. The fun twist is that we have a custom cover option, where you can order a special version of the magazine with your favorite photo on the cover. The custom cover is available to order at ngm.com/your-shot-special starting Monday, June 15–just in time for Father’s Day!

Raggs, the new hit public television series, is kicking off their Raggs Rockin’ Kids Search on June 1st (through June 30th), looking for 100 expressive kids, ages three to seven years-old, who represent the ideas, geographic regions and cultural backgrounds of children across the US (auditions will take place online…no travel necessary). Winners will be selected based on video submissions, which parents can upload to the Raggs.com website or mail in. Winners will be notified in early July and taping is scheduled for mid-August in Charlotte, NC. The Raggs episodes with some of the winners will begin airing with the special debut of the first-ever Halloween-themed episode. Additional shows will be released in February 2010. Further information and full contest rules are available at www.Raggs.com.

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