Category Archives: internet finds

Around the Internet

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This past week two fun things happened– I took part in a podcast with my friends Heather Sokol and Lorraine Ball, AND I got to read an advance copy of my friend Judy Miller’s new e-book, What to Expect from your Adopted Tween.

Wednesday, Heather and I invaded the world headquarters of Roundpeg, and had a good chat with Lorraine and Allison Carter about the world of the mom blogger. Joining us was Cami Back, of GetoutMom.com, and it was a great conversation regarding the changing face of motherhood and how the Internet can be a really useful tool for so many different reasons. Check it out at BlogTalk Radio.

My review of Judy’s book went up on the Open Adoption Examiner this weekend. If you are in any way involved in open adoption, or know someone who is, please read the review and get Judy’s book for yourself. All of those thoughts, fears and questions you’ve thought about yourself? She addresses them with grace, poise and a positive attitude. Adolesence is going to happen to your kid whether you like it or not, you may as well be prepared!

What else happened on the Internet this week?

My friend and cohort at Persephone, Selena, wrote a great piece on how not to talk to infertile people. She had to put a few dollars in the swear jar, but it’s a great post, with fantastic comments to continue the conversation.

Marcie wrote about not being the mom she wants to be– don’t we all feel that way sometimes?

Lori wrote on Gratitude, and it struck me. And it’s striking me now, as I attempt to link this up and the kids are playing “haircut guys.” Mam is combing my hair with a wooden comb she got with a Melissa & Doug vanity set for her birthday, and the Fox is blow drying my hair with an (empty) water shooter. Gratitude, indeed.

 

 

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Help the Fresh Air Fund Host Children

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It’s official – MaM’s foray into day camp this summer is half over. She’s signed up for nine weeks, and yesterday she went on her 5th field trip. It doesn’t seem possible, but she’s got four weeks of camp, a week of Camp Grandma, and then it’s off to first grade!

This summer, through day camp alone, she’s had serious swimming and rock climbing time. She’s learned all sorts of organized games, and has gone on five field trips. She’s having a great time, and she’s getting a good dose of indirect learning to boot.

I know not all kids get to have this kind of summer– but until I learned about the Fresh Air Fund, I couldn’t really picture the contrast. Imagine living in the city and never leaving. Never being someplace where you can run barefoot. Never enjoying a shady park, or the cool breeze of the ocean. Never playing outside without having to constantly look for cars. Always hearing sirens, trucks, and the sounds of the city.

The Fresh Air Fund helped nearly 5000 kids in 2010 alone by getting them to host families in the suburbs and countryside in thirteen states. They sent 3000 more to summer camp. They gave nearly 8000 children a summer vacation the children wouldn’t have had otherwise.

This year, the Fresh Air Fund needs 850 more host families to make sure each child has a host family. Families can host for one or two weeks in their home, and the child travels to you. Currently, thirteen states (NE seaboard) are hosting. If you live in the right area and have it in your heart, please consider hosting. If you’d like to help in other ways, here’s a link to donate, and here’s a link to the microsite, freshairfundhost.org with all sorts of banners, videos and information about this amazing program.

Do you have a few minutes to watch this video about a family hosting an eight year old from NYC? You’ll be glad you did!

 

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Summer Vacation? We Have an App for That

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We are into summer break here at the Kahuna house. It’s time for trips to the pool, time for playing on the playgrounds around time and time for summer reading at the library. It’s also time for those summer afternoons where it’s really too hot much of anything.

Enter: two fun apps the kids have been trying out for the past few weeks.

Gigglebear: Comes with Giggles for a Good Cause

MaM has been spending her iPhone time (my iPhone, her time) playing GiggleBear. Developed by an Indiana teen named Brooklyn, MaM has been fascinated with this app. Brooklyn came up with the idea for the app after complaining to her dad that all the games she was playing were boring. He challenged her to invent something better, and according to my first grader, Brooklyn did.  Gigglebear starts by players designing a stuffed animal in the “creative center”, and then taking the animal through a playroom full of games to play. After a week, MaM has a  wall of trophies in the playroom, earned by playing different games. Every touch of the screen reveals something fun. It’s intuitive enough for five year olds to play, and comes with handy directions for grown ups when needed. The game integrates the music on your iPhone, features a bathtub and blow dry for your pet and a bevy of wardrobe changes. An added bonus is that the app is set up for multiple users, my exploring what the app does doesn’t mess up what MaM is doing.

The app is available for purchase in the iTunes store, and a donation will be made to the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer research for each download. Read more about how this game came to be and the amazing teen behind it at GiggleBear.com.

Spot the Dot: An App for iPad by author David A. Carter

The fox does better with iPad apps than he does the iPhone. For starters, he can’t prank call my friend Kate on the iPad, like he does every single time he plays with my iPhone. The iPad is faster than my iPhone, and the bigger screen is easier for him to use. Enter Spot the Dot from Ruckus Media Group (I reviewed some other apps by them a few months ago). Spot the Dot is simple concept — the object is to spot the dot (get it?) of  a certain color on each screen. Every time you open the app, the dot is in  a different place, so it continues to be challenging even after you’ve played a few times. The graphics on this app are amazing — each screen is different and visually amazing. By tapping and sliding his fingers, the fox is able to navigate this game by himself. But I kind of like to sit by him and watch.

 

So that’s what you’ll find the Kahuna kids doing when they are too hot or too tired to do anything else.The trick is going to be getting them to put these fun games down when it cools off enough to get back outside!

 

Disclosure: I was provided free downloads of Giggle Bear and Spot the Dot in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are entirely my own.

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