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Tanglewood Moms, Technology
Hey, Mom, there’s an app for that
Working for a technology startup that builds mobile apps, I’m sort of a technology junkie. I love finding apps that make it easier for me to get my day-to-day “household” tasks done or planned, keep up with the news, find a good deal, get my job done or research what could be causing my child’s weird rash. I would bet that 99% of the people reading this article have a smartphone. I would also venture to say that at least half of you are reading this article on your smartphone right now.
Therefore, here are some of my favorite apps for moms (working and stay-at-home), the reason why I use them and why I love them!
- Google Maps – When I’m out on the go, I often find myself needing anything from finding the new play place I want to check out with the kids, to where’s the nearest chick-fil-a to, to needing to find a tailor for alterations on a dress. I use Google maps ALL THE TIME. I use it to find a business in the area, pull up their profile and give them a call if needed, and then push the navigate to button and I’m on my way. Seriously, if you are not using this app you are searching for things the hard way.
- Cartwheel by Target – Have you ever had one of those trips to Target where you walk in to get one loaf of bread yet you walk out with a new dress, pair of shoes, bag, toy and snack foods to last two weeks? Just admit it. We all have. Check out Cartwheel because it gives you deals at Target. Set your self up for success when walking into that infamous shopping experience, so that at least you get a GREAT deal on your new wardrobe/office remodel/pantry fill-up/birthday present shopping trip.
- Todoist – Whether you need to set up calendar reminders, set up a shopping list or a chore list for around the house, this app does it all. My husband and i have a shared account that makes it easy for us to set up tasks lists into categories and even set due dates on them.
- Slack – So I use this app for work and it is A-MAZING. It helps my team collaborate and chat very quickly, and I can work on the go with having the app on my phone. I was talking to another mom recently about how moms could better get in touch with each other and get off the whole group text train. We know those get annoying, right? So, I started to think about Slack as an option for groups of moms to connect. If you have a play date group, why not coordinate with everyone in one channel on slack? If you have a group of sitters you’d like to message, make a slack channel and just ping them all to see who’s available. It’s not just for business, I think it can be highly valuable for socializing and family needs as well.
- Flipboard – Do you have several different magazines or new sources you like to keep up with? With this app, you can set up your preferences for topics you like to keep up with. The app then personalizes your content experience based on your preferences. As you read more of one thing, it recognizes this and keeps the content coming in those areas. It’s your personal magazine/newspaper subscription right on your phone all in one place.
- JANE – Are you too busy with kid stuff to get any shopping time in for yourself? Or do you just not want to enter into the shopping hell that it can be when taking the baby or kids with you. Check out JANE. They have really cute boutique clothing for women and children and you don’t have to leave the house. The prices are also INSANELY reasonable.
- Baby Connect – I have not personally used this one, as I’m not sure if it was out when my kids were in the infancy stage, but another Tanglewood mom recommends it. I do wish it had been around or I had known about it as a new mother while trying to figure out a feeding schedule. This app helps you track daily information about children: feeding, diapers, sleep, mood, activities, medicines, photos, and sync mom, dad, nanny, etc up so everyone is on the same page.
- Magisto – I love turning my iPhone videos or pictures into cute videos, but I’m not a videographer and I just don’t have the time to try and take that on as a hobby. Enter Magisto. It is a VERY easy app to use to create fun music videos of your wee ones. Just open up the app, choose the images and/or videos you want in your video, choose your song and click Create. Magisto takes about 5 minutes to put it altogether into a form you can quickly and easily share via social media, text or email.
- Offer Up or 5-Mile – These two apps serve essentially the same purpose, to be able to easily post items you wish to sell in your city and give people the ability to place bids and message you if they are interested. I just started using Offer Up this past weekend and was able to post 6 different items for sell within just five minutes. It is super easy to use. I also like that you can see other buyers and sellers names and ratings so you can be sure to steer clear of doing business with anyone who has a low rating. If you are tired of the hassle of craigslist, definitely check this out.
- Glympse – Need to share an ETA of your arrival time with a spouse or friend? Turn on glympse and easily share a text with that person so they know when to expect you. I particularly like to use this if I am on a road-trip solo. I’ll turn it on and share my location with my husband so he can keep an eye on where I am in case I have car trouble or something and need help.
I have countless others, but these are the top ten I would say that I use often and have also heard other moms love. Post in the comments section with your favorite apps, or shoot over a question to me.
Happy app hunting!
Taylor Shanklin, aka T-Shank, is a project manager, turned full-time mom, turned start-up lady. In 2015 she took on a new role of full-time mommy-hood and started blogging. After a few months of learning to deal with all-new encounters with both the joy and lunacy that comes along with raising her littles, Taylor took on a role as marketing director for a technology start up. She now spends half her days, podcasting and writing marketing plans, and the other half at the playground and cooking up fine bowls of macaroni and cheese. She spends her “me time” drinking insane amounts of coffee and diet coke while writing about the ups and downs of raising a family.
