communication

This is a sponsored message from Relay So many parents want their kids to have the safety and security of a phone, especially over the summer when kids have a little more freedom, and a little more run-around-outside time. And yet, those…

This is a sponsored message from Relay So many parents want their kids to have the safety and security of a phone, and yet those kids aren't necessarily ready for all the responsibility and liability that comes with owning one. It's a ma…

One of my favorite new discoveries at Toy Fair 2017 was Turtle Mail , a cool WIFI-connected gadget that actually lets you send messages to your kids without them needing a screen. That's because your little notes print out like a cash re…

We love finding the best organizational apps for parents each year because honestly? We need them ourselves! If you're anything like me, all household organization seems to disappear over the summer as we fully embrace our laid-back, cas…

Even though my kids don't have cell phones yet, they love texting their grandparents and especially love sending them audio messages (which iOS 8 made very easy to do). Sure, grabbing my phone and sending a sweet I scored a goal at my so…

A large chunk of parenthood is about communication: With your partner, your kids, other parents, teachers, coaches, you name it. And too often, mishaps pop-up and communication goes wonky -- especially this time of year, when it seems li…

One of our top family tech picks from CES this year was Triby , the wireless hands-free speaker phone that helps keep the whole family in touch, even without a landline. The preview got us giddy for the technology to come for those of us…

I have a close-knit family. My sisters and I talk a lot any given week. The thing is, we all live in cities spread miles (and countries) apart, so we rely on social media, texting and, when time zones line up nicely, video chats. And wit…

This week at the International CES, I was honored to sit down with Andrea Smith of MommyTech TV (link coming soon!) and share some of my favorite products for families that I had seen at the show early on. I knew exactly what I wanted my…

If you're like me, you pretty much can't live without iMessage. And now that you can sync it between your iPhone or iPad and your MacBook, well, it's like a communication dream come true. Except when you need to turn it off. The buzzes a…

I cannot tell you how many times I call a fellow iPhone user with FaceTime Audio and they're all, What is this? followed by Wow, why don't I ever use it? It seems that a ton of people, at least in my wide circle of friends and family, ar…

When it comes to apps, we're all about finding the newest and coolest ones that help the busy family machine run a little smoother. And as we ramp up to back-to-school season, life is probably about to get even more hectic. Oh forget pro…

There's a lime green folder in a top drawer in our kitchen that is spilling over with paper: artwork, drawings, little wobbly letters that are getting less wobbly day by day. I've learned to let go and throw some things away, but the res…

Ever since my mom got an iPad, she has taken on the texting habits of a teenager. We go back and forth several times a day on iMessage about random questions and updates, but mostly use it to share photos. My sister is also in the mix an…

Well if there was any doubt that wearable tech was blowing up--and getting prettier--you only have to look at these pages where it seems that there's something new and cool coming out nearly every day now. Recently, it was the beautiful …

During the annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, as always, people listen and discuss all the huge new Apple news. (Hence the #WWDC hashtag we saw all day yesterday on Twitter.) Apple didn't disappoint yesterday with Tim Cook's b…

I truly cringe whenever I receive my cell phone bill. Usage charges, unlimited data, texting...oof, it adds up. I can see why the search for a good free phone service over WiFi is so important for a lot of people. As for me, my phone is …

Really young kids aren't ready for their own cell phones yet, but we love the idea of being able to communicate remotely with our elementary age kids while they're with a babysitter or just send them a funny message while they're playing…

I've been a fan of Motorola phones since way back when I owned a fabulous new, silver, late-90's Razr. (Now about $12.23 on eBay.) So leave it to Google, who now owns Motorola, to take an already awesome phone brand and together, one-up …

This has been a major week for air travelers and tech! First, Delta became the first airline to allow use of small devices on take-off and landing. (Something we tried ourselves this week and yeah, it was kind of nice not to have to turn…

Ever have that situation where you don't want to type a text and it would be easier to just leave a voicemail, but you don't exactly want to have to make a phone call either? (I know, we're so spoiled in this digital age). Well, here's t…

I was surprised when I went to send a Facebook message to someone who isn't on my "friends" list and saw the following: Either pay a dollar and get my message delivered, or let it languish in some "other" folder. What would you do? I cho…

If your Facebook page is hardly recognizable now with all those sponsored posts, unfiltered feeds and frankly, status updates from people you don't need to hear from every hour on the hour, then a neat plug-in I just found may be just wh…

While I consider myself to be tech-savvy, thank you notes are just one of those things that I always hand-write and make my kids do the same. And on the receiving end, there is something special nowadays when I receive a hand-written any…