Category

Best Apps

The most useful, engaging, and well-designed apps for parents and kids.

Jump on the Word Wagon bandwagonBest Apps

Jump on the Word Wagon bandwagon

There are so many kids' apps geared towards teaching letters and phonics and let's be honest, a lot of them suck. But when we hear that developer Duck Duck Moose has got one out, we sit up and take notice. Word Wagon is a very cute kids'…

A Kentucky Derby app? You bet! (Heh.)Best Apps

A Kentucky Derby app? You bet! (Heh.)

Down here in the South where I live, the Kentucky Derby is a pretty big deal, complete with an annual neighborhood party and a very competitive lady's hat contest. But you don't need a party invite or even a ticket to Churchill Downs to …

How to Cook Everything, right from your iPadBest Apps

How to Cook Everything, right from your iPad

These days, I've pretty much shelved my cookbooks and rely solely on my iPad to help walk me through my kitchen masterpieces. Or attempts at them, anyway. So when I heard that one of my favorite food writers and New York Times bestsellin…

New shopping spree enabler! Call a support group!Best Apps

New shopping spree enabler! Call a support group!

I always used to look forward to catalogs appearing in my mailbox. Now that I am more eco-conscious (and busy), catalogs are like paper spam, or at best, something for my kids to cut up for art projects. While I still enjoy the experienc…

The coolest way to teach kids the value of a dollarBest Apps

The coolest way to teach kids the value of a dollar

Those of you who are long-time readers of our sister site, Cool Mom Picks , may have heard us rave about Readeez DVDs , which introduce kids to phonics, reading and good music in a way that is fun, playful and effective. Now they have a …

I've seen the future and it is Mobile PayPalBest Apps

I've seen the future and it is Mobile PayPal

It is a crazy, crazy world, when you can essentially wave your phone at another phone and poof, a payment has been made. And you know? That's PayPal Mobile in a nutshell. Let's just say if you've got an iPhone, Android or Blackberry, the…

My BodyguardBest Apps

My Bodyguard

After "I love you," I'm pretty sure that the next phrase I've said most frequently to my kids is, "Be careful!" While we parents often take the safety of our families the most seriously, are we doing the same for ourselves? A new app rec…

The new PBS website drives the Earth Day message homeBest Apps

The new PBS website drives the Earth Day message home

If I want my kids to celebrate Earth Day every day, it helps if they understand the little issues that all add up to make big changes. In other words: Why I screech when they forget to recycle a piece of paper. (I admit it. I screech.) T…

Lojack for your cell phone - that's TekTrakBest Apps

Lojack for your cell phone - that's TekTrak

How many of you have you misplaced your phone and had to call your mobile number? My hand is raised over here. But for the times that I've called my number and my ringer has been off, and I've spent a good 30 minutes retracing my steps t…

Free financial advice right on your smart phoneBest Apps

Free financial advice right on your smart phone

A few months ago, a reader asked us to find some cool budgeting apps for iPad , and many of you tweeted your love for Mint.com. So we decided to give it a whirl ourselves, and let's just say it's confirmed that we do indeed have the smar…

iHandy Carpenter - essential tools in your back pocketBest Apps

iHandy Carpenter - essential tools in your back pocket

We recently re-painted our living room and designated one wall for our arrangement of black-framed photos. In my haste to get the project done, I eyeballed placement--never a good idea. It looked nothing like the spread I saw in Restorat…

e-Cards that are so moving. LiterallyBest Apps

e-Cards that are so moving. Literally

Here's a new twist on the growing market of instant e-Cards--an app that lets you customize an animated message for just about every occasion. Also? It's free The YourCards app has a great selection of video e-cards that your children ar…

Welcome CBS Early Show viewers!Best Apps

Welcome CBS Early Show viewers!

We're so thrilled that you caught our Editor-in-Chief Liz Gumbinner on the Early Show this morning talking about the Babycenter.com Mobile Moms research . Or if you missed the segment, you can watch it right here. We're the first to admi…

Dads Dig This: NPR Music appBest Apps

Dads Dig This: NPR Music app

We're thrilled to welcome Grammy nominee Brady Rymer as a guest Dads Dig This blogger. He's one of our favorite family music artists whose new album " Love me for who I am " is just out! If you're on the lookout for a trusted place to di…

Light it up Blue for World Autism Awareness DayBest Apps

Light it up Blue for World Autism Awareness Day

As someone who worked with families affected by Autism, I know how much research and awareness is still needed. So aside from donning blue today, I'm doing what I can to contribute to the second annual Light it Up Blue campaign to celebr…

I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow on your iPadBest Apps

I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow on your iPad

When my children discovered the Three Little Pigs storybook app on a friend's iPad, I had absolutely zero doubt in my mind that we'd be running home to purchase it that very night. In a word, this app is masterful. Or to use more words, …

Sing your baby to sleep with your smart phoneBest Apps

Sing your baby to sleep with your smart phone

Even though I'm the one with a few music degrees, it just so happens that my husband is the bedtime songbird around our house. Only problem is that he travels much of the month, leaving me to try to recreate his original lullabies for ea…