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15 of the Best Apps for Moms

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Mom’s Priority Organizational Series:  Part 2 ~ 15 of the Best Apps for Moms

May is here, and moms know that means busy, busy, rivaling December!  Between countless outdoor events, end of the year parties and performances, awards ceremonies, teacher gifts, mother’s day, end of the year testing, making arrangements for summer, sporting events, and enjoying the outdoors, it is a busy, but incredibly fun time!  Mom’s Priority has put together a list of the best apps for moms, to help keep us all sane and organized through it all!  Welcome to May!  Happy Mother’s Day!

Best Apps for Moms

  • AnyList makes grocery list making and shopping simple and easy to share with other family members!  Simply start typing the grocery item, and it fills in the rest, sorting the items by type.  When you add the item to your cart, simply tap the item name and it will cross it out.  The basic app is free, however, you can purchase a premium subscription and have more options.  With premium, Any List can be used with major recipe sites like Allrecipes, saving the recipe and automatically adding the ingredients to your shopping list!  This is a great app that is making my life easier!
  • Errands is a task manager that reminds you of the commitments you make and helps keep you organized.  I have used this app for several years now and it is super simple- just add a reminder like “call the vet”, set a due date (and time, if you need that), and a reminder will pop up on your screen, based on the settings you set.  Streamlined, simple, but very valuable.  If I’m in a conversation with someone and I say I’ll do something, it’s simple to add a reminder into this app.   It’s important for me to keep my commitments, and with so many distractions, I can easily forget by the time I get back to my desk or a notepad.  This app is so helpful for that!!
  • Cozi is a popular app that helps families stay organized,  READ MORE

Advertising Disclosure: Some tips include links where Mom’s Priority receives an incentive per click or per purchase.  If you ever have any questions regarding this, please contact [email protected]. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclosure.

 

6 Good Mother’s Day Gifts

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Mother’s Day is coming up on May 8, and everyone is looking for good mother’s day gifts, including myself!  As a mom, I can share what I think a good mother’s day gift would be and hopefully give you a few ideas:

  1. For a mom who is in the thick of motherhood, between messy diapers and friend issues at school, an amazing gift would be a gift card to the spa or a day of relaxation!  That, along with a heartfelt card, is a good mother’s day gift!
  2. For a mom of a capable teenager or for a grandmother, a photo book of recent memories would be so special.  MyPublisher (the company I use to make our books) has two fantastic offers right now: FREE photo book from MyPublisher! ($34.99 value) Valid through 4/18. and FREE 8.5″ x 11.25″ photo book with Free cover option! ($39.99 value) Ends 4/26.!!
good mother's day gifts- free photo book offer

good mother’s day gifts- free photo book offer

3.   For any mom or woman, a cute bag or beach tote would be put to good use!

4.   Jewelry is always a good purchase, and a specially engraved charm or bracelet for example is very meaningful.

5.   A card with a handwritten note never goes out of style.

6.   Homemade art from a child, especially if it has their handprints, will be cherished for years to come!  Check out Mom’s Priority’s Pinterest page for lots of ideas!

Moms, from new moms to great grandmothers, more than anything want to know they’ve raised, or married, thoughtful and kind human beings who think of others.  Just this simple act of thinking it through, buying the card or gift, and arranging the time to give it, means so much.  As I get older, I am realizing the importance of this!  It is never too late to show those who love you the most, how much they mean to you!

 

Advertising Disclosure: Some tips include links where Mom’s Priority receives an incentive per click or per purchase.  If you ever have any questions regarding this, please contact [email protected]. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclosure.

Unforgettable Baby Showers

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Unforgettable Baby Showers

Unforgettable Baby Showers

I have been blessed to be either invited to or helping host baby showers for seven moms-to-be within about a month’s time!  All the love, excitement, and catching up with old friends makes all the planning so worth the effort!   A baby shower is one of the sweetest ways to celebrate the pregnancy and upcoming arrival of a new baby! It’s all the good- the excitement, anticipation, and joy-that surrounds a new baby. A baby shower gifts the parents to be with cute baby bedding and clothing, the latest baby technology and gear, and supplies for feeding, diapering, and helping this new baby sleep!  Here’s what I’ve learned from hosting a fair share of baby showers.

Tips:

  1. Simple or elaborate- keep the focus on the guest of honor!
  2. For invitations, evite works, but a printed invitation for such an occasion is simply classy and a special keepsake for the new mom!

owl invitation baby showers

    Owl baby shower invitation

3.   Send out invitations a month in advance to give guests a chance to clear their schedules.  These adorable stamps from Zazzle are perfect!

owl baby showers stamps

owl baby showers stamps

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.   Think about asking your guests to bring an item around a theme, such as books to stock the shelves of the baby’s library.  Or, if there is more than one guest of honor, think about filling baskets per mom to be around a theme, such as diapers, so the burden to come isn’t so great.  This works great when the shower isn’t for first time moms.

Baby Shower Décor

  1. Gather your boutique or heirloom baby clothes to hang on a clothesline for décor!   No extra cost!
  2. If you want to go along with this woodland owl theme, use burlap, sticks, nests, moss, and outdoor materials to decorate
    baby showers birch place card holders swoozies

    baby showers birch place card holders

    inexpensively.

  3. Keep it simple!

 

Baby Shower Food

  1. Keep the food simple, especially if it is an afternoon shower!  Petit fours or cupcakes, snack mix, a little fruit or veggie tray, and a sparkling punch is the perfect amount of food.
  2. For those of us who like everything to be coordinated, check out these plates and napkins from Zazzle.  Aren’t these great?!  There are many customizable options!
owl baby showers paper plate zazzle

baby showers owl paper plate

3.   Solid colored paper products or using your dishes are other great affordable options.

Baby Shower Activities

  1. Ice Breaker – Have guests write 3 AM messages on the diapers to give new moms and dads a laugh in the middle of the night.
  2. Games- Play identify the candy bar!  To prepare, place crushed candy bars in the baby diapers.  Wrap up the diapers like you are going to dispose of them, and have each guest take turns guessing.  Have prizes ready for the winners!
  3. Owl Bingo- Have each guest guess at which gifts will be given by writing them on the  game board.  The first to get 5 in a row is the winner!
baby showers owl bingo game swoozies

baby showers owl bingo game

Baby Shower Favors

  1. Don’t forget a small favor for the guests!
  2. For the grandma, this would make her day!
baby showers grandma button owl

grandma button owl

3.   These honey jars are adorable, and would be perfect to send home with guests.

baby showers favor honey jar

baby shower favor honey jar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of the shower, you want to feel like you helped make the day extra special for the mom to be because of all of the love that was shared, and not over the top decorations, in my opinion.  These are just a few ideas for making that happen.

 

Advertising Disclosure: Some tips include links where Mom’s Priority receives an incentive per click or per purchase.  If you ever have any questions regarding this, please contact [email protected]. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclosure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top 11 Apps for Kids in 2016

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Moms, no doubt your kids like mine use apps on their ipads and devices to play games and learn!  There are some amazing apps out there that have taught our kids so much…we just have to be vigilant in limiting the amount of time spent on technology and get our kids to GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY!!  Balance and monitoring the sites/apps (see this article) is they key, I think!  The apps below are chosen because they are our kids’ favorites!  They are usually free or very inexpensive, and honestly, very valuable to our kids’ learning and development.

Top 11 Apps for Kids

Apps for Kids

Mom’s Priority’s Top Eleven Apps for Kids in 2016

  • 11.      Starfall – This app is great for preschoolers and kindergartners, helping them learn ABCs, including beginning reading and math in a fun format with games and graphics.
  • 10.       Teach Me– Another great app, this app features customized learning by saving kids’ progress.
  • 9.       A Kid Like Me– This app is great because it teaches children about kids around the world through videos and games, opening their eyes (in a good way) to different cultures around the world.
  • 8.       The Bible App for Kids– Animated short videos of Bible stories help our kids visualize the great stories from the Bible.
  • 7.       ABCYa – This app includes many games for kids from Kindergarten up to 5th Grade that make learning concepts in math and reading fun.
  • 6.       Epic – We love this app because you have a whole library of books at your fingertips!  Over 10,000 books available with unlimited access for kids age 12 and under.  This app costs $4.99 per month, but our kids love to read so it is worth it!
  • 5.       ABC Mouse – For little ones, this is a popular app for teaching letter sounds, colors, numbers, and beginning reading through games, books, puzzles, and more.  Check the app for pricing.
  • 4.       Minecraft – Not to be left out, this app is so popular with kids and the learning aspect is phenomenal.  Building constructions out of textured cubes to create worlds, using their creativity and resourcefulness to survive in that 3D environment.
  • 3.       Brain POP and Brain POP Jr – Educationally aligned around curriculum standards, these apps include a variety of subjects to help kids learn and master educational requirements for school in a fun way!
  • 2.       LEGO Jr – Kids can use their imaginations to create LEGO vehicles and figurines to help them navigate through the scenarios in the apps.
  • 1.       Stack the States and Stack the Countries – Tied for Number 1…Our kids LOVE these apps!!  Very inexpensive for the paid version, but sooo worth the cost!  Our kids have learned state and country capitols, their locations on the map, and facts about these places.  WARNING: This app is addicting- your kid might not be able to put it down and may learn more than you know about geography in the process!

The technology out there for the next group of kids growing up is amazing!   These are just a few of the apps for kids available.  Check out iTunes for these and many more!  What are your favorites?

 

 

Be Creative This Valentines Day!

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Be creative this Valentines Day in showing your loved ones how much you love them!  You don’t have to spend much on Valentines Day…it’s the thought that counts!  If you’re not feeling too creative yourself, here are a few ideas:

A personalized or creative coffee mug or pillow…there are so many good ones to choose from, many made by creative moms like you!

 

30% Off All Mugs, Blankets & Totes & 15% Off Everything Else 

A custom crafted item:  Zazzle’s Artisan Collection – Custom Crafted Gifts

Chocolate, or something equally sweet.  You can order online at Walmart.com, and pick up in the store for the best quality.

Wal-Mart.com USA, LLC

Creative Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas at Walmart

If your loved one loves the outdoors, he will especially love anything from Gander Mountain for Valentines Day!

Creative Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

Creative Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

wrapped canvas photo

wrapped canvas photo

A wrapped canvas print is a thoughtful gift

Or, simply a card! You can’t underestimate a beautiful card, especially one that is personalized.  These cards, like Christmas cards, start at $.28 and can be produced same day, for pick up or delivery.  Extremely affordable, but you can customize them per person and have a thoughtful card to give your loved one.

Personalized cards at walmart

Creative cards at walmart

My hope is that these ideas will inspire you to do something creative and thoughtful for your loved ones this Valentine’s Day, remembering it’s the thought that counts!

Transparency Disclosure: Some tips include links where Mom’s Priority receives an incentive per click or per purchase, but we also include links that are not incentivized. We only promote businesses and services that we believe truly add value, and hope to earn your trust in that regard. If you ever have any questions regarding this, please contact [email protected]. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclosure.

Celebrate Thanksgiving with 25 Days of Gratitude: Our Gratitude Jar

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25 Day of Gratitude: Our Gratitude Jar

Our Gratitude Jar: Celebrate Thanksgiving with 25 Days of Gratitude

Last year, we started a new tradition that our kids are already asking about:  Our Gratitude Jar.  We cut pretty paper into strips and each day starting November 1, every one of us writes one thing we are thankful for.  We found a jar lying around our house and tied twine around the handle for a simple decoration, and you can do the same.  By the time Thanksgiving comes, our gratitude jar is full and so are our hearts as we celebrate Thanksgiving and begin the season of celebrating the birth of our Savior!  From our family to yours, we challenge you to do this every day in November and feel the fullness of your heart by Thanksgiving.  Don’t worry if you miss a day- you can catch up!  You will be amazed at all you can come up with to be thankful for!  We ALL have been given much, and when we celebrate what God has graciously given us, the discontent and insatiable appetite for more fades, and we focus more on what we can do for others.  This prepares our children, and ourselves, for the coming season of Christmas.  As we have opportunities to give, we do so more freely, out of our gratitude and thankfulness.

Technology and Kids

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Technology and Kids: BYOT in Schools

Technology and the way kids learn is changing at a rapid pace, and we want to give our children the best opportunities for success; at the same time, we want to protect our children from harmful sites and people that can be reachable via technology.  If you allow your child to use electronic devices at home or if your school system is a BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) system, you should read this and make sure you are giving your children the best opportunities, while minimizing risk.

One note for parents who allow their children to use the schools’ devices or utilize BYOT is that the school’s wireless network is filtered by standards set forth in the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).   This addresses concerns about harmful or obscene content available on those networks, and requires education to students about internet safety.  Because the habit of using the internet, online games, learning tools, and apps is not going away any time soon, we need to educate our children and ourselves as moms on the dangers of the internet, and establish good habits with regards to internet security.

Technology and Kids: Parent Education

A great resource for parents related to technology (and movies, but that is another post) is Common Sense Media.  This non-profit organization includes articles, educational videos, and comments from users regarding protecting yourself and your children from things like cyberbullying, stranger danger, privacy, internet security, image, and marketing to kids.  Three basic points kids with technology need to understand are:

  1. Don’t go to webpages that are not set up as bookmarks beforehand or typed in by the parent or teacher
  2. Don’t share your student # or login name with anyone else
  3. Never type in your real name or address on a website without your parents’ help

Kids learn from their parents how to make smart decisions regarding their online safety, and it’s our job as their parents to educate them.  They will need these street-smarts to navigate the increasingly complex world we live in, and we want to set them up for the best success.

 

Technology and Kids: Internet Software Controls

Even with the education parents give to their children about the dangers of the internet, it is still necessary to have an online filter to protect your children from harmful content.  According to NetNanny.com, “more than half of all children are accidentally exposed to pornography each year. ” Net Nanny is a parental controls software that protects families and helps keep families safe online.

All of the technology available to our kids is an amazing thing:  It’s astounding to think of the opportunities our children have before them!  But, we have a job to protect our children and provide safe avenues for learning.  As parents, we need to be actively seeking solutions to protect our children and provide the richest environment in which to learn and grow.  Do you have any resources that have helped you?  We are just scratching the surface with all of the technology kids access these days, and would love to hear how you protect your children!  Please comment on our facebook page and share.

 

 

 

 

Why I’m Becoming Active

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Why I'm Becoming Active ~ One Scientific Study Motivates

Mom’s Priority ~ Active Living

“The less physically active a mother is, the more likely her child will be sedentary early in life”

WOW!!  This study from the American Academy of Pediatrics keeps coming back to haunt me, as I am not as active as I would like to be!  “Mom’s Priority” means many things to many moms, and to me, it includes modeling good habits that they can one day call their own.  Being athletically active is something that I struggle with, but hope to improve upon.  With limited hours in the day, exercising often gets cut, and even more so, exercising WITH my kids is a challenge.  But, there are so many ways to incorporate physical activity into our daily routine.

  1. Start with a simple walk around the block.  The kids can ride their bikes, roller skate, walk, or run, but the key is to just get out there and get active!
  2. Download apps to get you moving and to track your fitness.  IPhone 5 and up have a built in Health app that tracks your steps and you can even input your body measurements, nutrition, and fitness info.  A great app for tracking your diet and fitness progress is myfitnesspal.
  3. Have a dance party!  This is our kids’ favorite thing to do after dinner.  Put on some music and just dance!
  4. Get outside with our kids and PLAY with them.  Too often, we’re too busy- kids and parents alike- in our extracurricular activities and workload and travel schedules- to just go out in the yard and throw the ball around.   It’s important for everyone’s future that we take time to play!
  5. Join the gym, do workout videos or apps, sign up for small races- all of these are things we can do to promote a healthy and active lifestyle for our kids.

Modeling good habits for our kids and their futures is a priority to me, one that I have been neglecting.  (1 Corinthians 6:19)  Starting today (sounds cliché, right?!), our family is making changes to our routine to accommodate being more active and fit.  As a family, we are going to track our progress and keep accountability using our Wii  fit system and separate profiles on My Fitness Pal.  Our Wii Fit will check our weight, BMI, balance, and give us a good workout.  My Fitness Pal will be the place to record what we eat, so we can make sure we are eating balanced foods each day.  Keep up with our progress by checking back here and post how you keep your family active by commenting below!  We need your encouragement!

Updated: 10/1/2015

In our first two weeks, our family of 4 lost 10 pounds and slightly lowered our BMI!  More importantly, we are becoming more aware of what we are putting into our bodies.  The kids especially are learning that different foods provide varying nutrients and it’s important to eat a balanced diet!  We’re working on building good habits- trying to exercise at least a little every day and pay attention to what we eat.  We’re not perfect and we don’t get it all done every day, but it’s a habit that builds over time.  The kids are still excited about it all because we have tied these daily habits into their points system.  Their points system motivates them to achieve goals that we set that we believe are important for their growth, like taking care of themselves, getting dressed, making their beds, completing homework, and now exercising daily and recording what they eat (for now).  We’re trying to raise competent, goal-oriented adults one day, and we have been blessed by the success of this so far, but it is a daily challenge for all of us!

 

 

Grandparents Day

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Grandparents are the best, aren’t they?!!  Grandparents Day is this upcoming Sunday, September 13, and we want our parents and grandparents to know how much we appreciate them!  We’ve created a pinterest board with ideas that we’ve done in the past and others that we’d like to try, just to give you a few ideas so you can make this Sunday a special day to celebrate grandparents!

In the past, I have made the silhouettes for myself and then given them to grandparents, as well as the photo coasters, ornaments, all kinds of handprint crafts, and fill in the blank descriptions of grandparents, which is always fun!  While grandparents day is right at the beginning of the busy fall season, don’t forget the amazing grandparents in your life!  Just a simple call, Skype, or Facetime chat lets them know how much we care.  Check out Mom’s Priority’s Pinterest board for ideas!

 

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