HiTechMommy

TODAY Show - Halloween!!

I LOVE Halloween tech!  Here's a TODAY Show segemnt alll about it! Enjoy!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

How Steve Jobs Changed My Life

 

Starting in about  2001 I was part of the cast of a TV show on TechTV called The Screen Savers with the likes of @KevinRose and @MorganWebb. I had been on the show for a while and learned to love technology as well as the culture that was associated  with it. As I moved over to the show Call For Help, along with @LeoLaporte, I began to love working in television altogether and was approached by a producer to switch to celebrity reporting. I was excited by the offer and went to Palo Alto to discuss it with a good friend that worked at Apple. The campus was mind blowing and the place was a buzz because it was right around the time that dumb ass left a prototype of the iPhone in some bar because he was wasted. My friend and I sat in his office and he handed me a MacBook Pro.  He told me I should stick with the tech and learn to love computing even more.  That's when I fell in love with Apple as a company and the mind power of of Steve Jobs. 

Like the rest of my generation, I've learned to repeatedly bow down to the company and will always hold a special place in my heart for Apple products.  I've proudly shown the Apple logo literally hundreds of times on TV and  I rolled around with it on the back of my car for years.  I will put the sticker on my new car tomorrow. 

Steve Jobs was the man that made Apple, Apple. He will be missed and the part about the whole death that has me twisted is that he was so young.  I'm sad for Jack's generation that they aren't going to get to witness the man who would make up ideas in his head, then will the people around him to make them reality. And they would.  Out of thin air.  Who does that???

I will miss him but feel lucky to have been touched by him.  

This is a video I will watch for the rest of my life.  It is one of the most inspirational speeches I've ever heard and hope you enjoy it. 

RIP Steve Jobs. 

 

Can your kid do this?

I thought Jack was good at singing but I now have to rethink that one. This little girl is 8 and is utterly amazing. You HAVE to watch this!

 

 

Born?

 

 

This is a look at what the new Facebook pages look like and this part freaks me out. Born?  Funny thing is that Jack's whole life WILL potentially take place on Facebook.  What do you think?

 

 

Tech That Teaches

Yup, the summer is almost over moms and dads and time to start thinking about hitting the books. I've worked with the following companies to bring you some tech that'll help get the school year started off right!

I don't know about your house but back to school time around my home means it's time to start getting back into the groove of things.  My favorite part about the routine I have in place is dinner time at the table with the whole family.  This is when we get to connect and actually talk about the world.  One of the best resources I've found out there to help keep the kids in my house abreast of what's really going on in the world around them in an appropriate way is the site GoGoNews.com.  The "Big News For Little People" site helps explain global news to my whole family in a way that I have trouble with at times. How do I explain the market crash or other hard news? This is how I do it! And for the kids just learning to read the stories have a "listen" button!  Games, puzzles,jokes and more more keep us all learning together. Subscribe to the FREE newsletter to get the news each week or when it breaks.  We do!

Everyone knows that keeping mom (or dad) organized keeps the kids organized as well - so having the right smartphone is essential! This is the new Droid 3 and it's a must have for this time of year. It's the worlds thinnest QWERTY keyboard phone and with the 4' display nothing has been left behind. Getting homwork assignments done ontime, getting to practice on the right days, making sure they are where they need to be is a done deal with this amazing phone. PS: It's flying off of the shelves so go get yours now!

Lastly, Living Language by Random House is a fantastic learning system for exploring new languages, especially when the kids in the house are trying to learn them too! It's really amazing how much you get inside of this little box!  For $179 you not only get 3 course books, 9 audio CDs, an app for your phone, online courses and the online community, but you get a PERSONAL e-toutor!  It's fantastic!  You can actually speak to a tutor about the things you're learning so that you can truly grasp it all.   There are 4 languages to choose from and each one teaches you in a different way. As a parent who has a little one learning Spanish this year I'm excited to reinforces what he's learning by putting my time in to learn as well. 

 

Yup, Jack actually said...

During a recent wellness checkup for Jack, the doctor asked Jack, "What is your favorite food?" Grinning, Jack said, "Avocado." The doctor went on and asked, can he ride a bike, does he sleep well, does it hurt to poop and do you like bath time? But then the question came..."How often do you brush your teeth?" To which Jack earnestly replied, "I brush my teeth every night at my Daddy's but I never have to brush them at my Mommy's." 5 seconds of horrifying silence was broken only by the doctor chuckling saying Jack should brush his teeth every night no matter where he is. Where was a hole I could crawl into? I looked to the web for help. 

Check-In for Checkups directly benefits the Children’s Health Fund, an organization founded by Paul Simon and pediatrician/child advocate Irwin Redlener, MD. Children’s Health Fund provides comprehensive medical, dental and mental health care to homeless and low-income children.
Click into Check-In for Checkups everyday with your own healthy habit and each time Clorox will donate 10¢, up to $100,000, toward vital doctor visits for these underserved children. Involve your own children in healthy habit discussions, log into Check-In for Checkups every day, enter their healthy habit and watch the tally board go up!

You can guess what our first Check-In for Checkups healthy habit was! Mmmm, benefits children who might not otherwise receive medical attention, easy to use and gets Jack to brush his teeth. Win Win Win!

Tell me your first Check-In for Checkups healthy habit. Did it stem from an embarrassing moment?

P.S.   I wanted to say congratulations to the Techmamas  on being named one of the top 100 websites for women! In a recent blog they mentioned Check-in for Checkups being run by Clorox. 

 

Great Article

If you're looking for a hi-tech school for your kids then I've just read an article that I think you may enjoy.  Here ya go. 

 

Cat 

Party Supplies

                                 VS. 

Jack's 5th birthday is this weekend and I'm rushing to get everything together.  Yes -  it's Tuesday and the party is Sunday which means that I'm a major procrastinator. Anywho...I'm looking to outfit my house as well as the little people in it with some major pirate's booty by Sunday. So the questions I have for you all is - Amazon or Oriental Trading Company ? Which would you rather order from? 

Seems like the prices are better on OTC but I know Amazon will get the job done.  Thoughts? 

 

Bad Mom?

I know I'm a good mommy so don't let the fact that I posted a link to this book  steer ya wrong.  I think it's so funny and it hits the nail right on the head.  If you have a child that's under the age of one then this is a great book.  Jack, however, will not be listening to me read it.  

 

Cracks me up