free apps

If you're looking for a fun way to expose kids to new languages, we've been very impressed with quality of foreign language training you get with the free Duolingo app . You can choose from dozens of foreign languages, including common o…

My family will be taking a trip to Seoul, South Korea, in the next couple months, and I'm a little overwhelmed trying to plan our itinerary. Pinterest is somewhat helpful, but there's a lot of link bait to wade through. That's why I was …

I love the idea of traveling the world with my kids, but actually getting out there and doing it is another thing. I mean, the chance that we'd go float the Amazon or climb the Himalayas anytime soon is minimal. Scratch that, it's nonexi…

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…

Don't you hate when a sitter cancels last-minute on a much-needed date night, or when you can't find one for that important parent meeting at school (the night when everyone else in your social network also needs a sitter)? I've seen fri…

If you've ever sat at a table in a restaurant for 15 minutes (sometimes longer) with fussy, restless kids, waiting for your server to bring your check so you can leave, then you should download the Reserve app ( iOS and Android ) right n…

Our Back to School tech guide continues with a bevy of the best math apps for kids of all ages. There are so many fantastic options these days -- almost too many to count (ha) -- so we've done the digging for you to uncover lots of the b…

Our back to school 2016 guide continues with our picks for some of the best reading apps for kids. From preschoolers learning ABC basics and sight words, to older kids needing a synonym for obsequious (or uh, maybe that is the synonym?),…

We parents know that science is everywhere and why it's so important. So we always love tracking down some of the best science apps for kids each year, to show kids how fun science can be, and how it's a part of pretty much everything th…

It's hard enough to juggle the after-school routine of dinner, signing homework folders, and making sure the laundry is done for tomorrow, not to mention screen time management. But lately I've been using the free Screen Time Manager app…

No matter how many times I run to Goodwill or Kon Mari my house, in just a few weeks I feel like we have more toys and video games and stuffed animals than my kids could ever play with. But, of course, they still ask for new things every…

I've seen some pretty adorable baby announcements in my mailbox over the years. I have to say, I really admire my friends who know their way around Photoshop. They can put the perfect font with their baby's photo to make the cutest annou…

Ever since I downloaded the Artkive app a few years ago, it's been my very favorite way to store all the artwork my kids bring home from school. Instead of filling up my closets with huge stashes of paper (and glitter that never stays pu…

With three kids, one dog, and enough stuff to fill a suburban house, I quickly became a convert to the KonMari method of organization, or "tidying" as founder Marie Kondo puts it. Her simple and direct way of weeding through all the stuf…

Before my family headed out of the country on vacation, I spent weeks learning Italian using the free and very popular Duolingo app . And now Duolingo lets you practice not only your foreign language skills, but your knowledge in any are…

Beyond cropping out background noise or scrolling through a few Instagram filters, I don't usually spend a ton of time messing around with my photos. But after downloading the new and free Prisma app for iOS this week, I've discovered ho…

We just returned from a family vacation to Italy, and boy do I wish I had discovered the Rome2rio app before our trip. It could have saved us countless moments trying to decide the best way to get around the various sites with three kids…

The kids have been out of school for a bit and chances are you've heard the "bored" word at least once. Or maybe you have a toddler who is ready for a new activity approximately every three-and-a-half minutes. Either way, check out the f…

Summertime is the perfect time for the kids and I to explore nearby Boston--hey, we need to do that Freedom Trail someday, right?--but, oy, do I hate driving around looking for parking. So, when a well-traveled friend told me that she'd …

If there is one gift I could give to all new parents, it would be the ability to make their baby fall right asleep on command. But since my super powers were never really strong in that area, I'll have to settle with telling you about a …

Mis Amigos! One of our favorite early-reading apps, Endless Reader , has gone espagñol with the Endless Spanish app , an adorably playful and educational preschool app for both iOS and Android users. Similar to the awesome Endless Reader…

Summer nights are perfect for staying up late, lying on the lawn (or roof deck if you're a city dweller) and looking up at the stars. But, often, streetlights and other ambient light can make it hard to see everything that is up there cl…

If you're into taking video, have I got a reco for you! It's AfterCam , a sort of "after-the-fact" video recorder that helps you capture the past 5, 10, or 20 seconds in time without clogging up your phone with tons of extra video data. …

With all the time I spend outside of the house waiting for my kids to finish a class or practice, I'm always trying to find something new to do on my phone. You know, other than continually refreshing my Facebook feed or checking to see …