The Productive Mom: Productivity At Home

Productivity At Home

03/01/2013

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! Dr Seuss Apps and eBooks Sale

I am still in disbelief at times, at the fact that having grown up in Singapore, I was never exposed to Dr Seuss books. It was only until I became a mom here in the US that the empire of Seuss literature was introduced to me and I understood how integrated they were into the early education experience for kids here in America. Once I started reading his books, it was apparent why they are well-loved by both kids and grown-ups. The signature illustrations, the play on words and rhymes, the varied topics and equally varied intensity of theme across all his books, meant that there was something for everyone. At first, we indulged in rip-resistant board books but when Oceanhouse Media reached out to me a while back to try out their apps and books, we became hooked and have for the most part, converted to using the apps and e-books.

Each Dr. Seuss digital book apps allows for three reading options and simple navigation tools. My 8-year-old likes interacting with the app – when you tap on certain words or pictures, a sound effect or the word is read to you. My 4-year-old loves the "Read to Me" reading mode. The latest versions also include a record and share feature! Absolutely fun for independent readers who get a kick out of hearing themselves read.

There are also some fun camera apps where you can take photos on your SmartPhone or tablet and then put a Seuss-themed frame or stickers on it. I find the remnants of the girls' exploration of these apps in my iPad or iPhone Photo Album. *smile*

This week, in celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday (March 2) and Read Across America Day, Oceanhouse Media, Inc., in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P is hosting their annual app sale!

In honor of this year’s “Hats Off to Reading” theme, the sale includes:
The award-winning The Cat in the Hat digital book app discounted to 99 cents
The Cat in the Hat camera app available as a free download

More than 40 Dr. Seuss apps on sale ranging in price from 99 cents to $8.99 including classic books, short stories, book collections, cameras and games.

The sale runs from March 1st through March 7th on the App Store, Google Play, Amazon Appstore, Barnes and Noble NOOK Store and Windows Store. I also read that the digital versions of all 44 books that Theodor Seuss Geisel wrote and illustrated will be available by the end of summer. Totally looking forward to expanding the library.

For a list of Dr. Seuss apps, visit the Oceanhouse Media website at http://www.oceanhousemedia.com/products/drseuss/.

You can also download a Lite version with the first few pages included just to experience it for yourself (or to have your kids try it out),

Dr Seuss's A B C Lite
http://www.oceanhousemedia.com/products/abclite/
Dr Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham Lite
http://www.oceanhousemedia.com/products/greeneggsandhamlite/
And of course a Lite version of the Camera app, Dr Seuss Camera,
http://www.oceanhousemedia.com/products/happybirthdaycamera/

Posted at 11:47 AM in Productivity At Home | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

01/04/2013

Preparing for Christmas 2013

This year, Christmas was quite relaxing but I still found myself pulling stuff together last minute, short of things to do with the kids during the long holiday break, and spending a little too much on gifts or food items during this season. So I thought it might be good to note some of the things I would like to do better for Christmas 2013, while things are still fresh in my mind.

1) Holiday Cards

In 2012: I sent holiday cards late and only to those who sent us cards this year. I have mailed cards to a mailing list in the past and this year it just did not happen due to some deadlines at the day job and because it feels like December crept up on this paper goods designer and crafter who likes sending out handmade and self-designed cards.

For 2013: I picked up boxes of recycled cards that I LOVE at deep discounts post-Christmas and included a good mix of sizes. I took advantage of a small clean-up I conducted with the tote bins in our basement and allocated a clear tote bin with these cards and other holiday items on our new "HOLIDAY-ITEMS ONLY" shelf so I will be able to find them easily next year. Last but not least, I set up a calendar reminders - one for September 1, 2012 Sunday for working on handmade cards with the kids, and another for November 22, 2013 Sunday to start thinking about penning and mailing the cards out.

2) Holiday Crafting

In 2012: The kids have craft bins with markers, stickers, paints that they have access to and we used them quite a bit during this break but what the kids worked on were not holiday-specific and it seemed like such a waste to not turn some of the fun craft ideas from Pinterest into projects.

For 2013: Totally using the post-Christmas sales as an excuse for buying crafting supplies. (Do you spy a box of clear glass ornaments for this idea in 2013?) I also allocated another smaller box for holiday craft ideas and printed a screenshot of the Pinterest board I had been pinning crafting ideas to throughout the year, and dropped it into the box. This holiday crafts box will be good-to-go once the festivities begin!

3) Gift-Giving

In 2012: My husband and I did something fun this year where we agreed to purchase only 4 gifts for one another with 1 gift being a $10 or less, and 3 gifts being $5 of less each. Can I just say this was such a breakthrough moment for us? I always struggle to get him something that does not seem like an impulse purchase, and him likewise. Instead, this rule allowed me to zone into gifts and enjoy the hunt of a good bargain, and it actually stretched the level of creativity and resourcefulness from my husband.

For 2013: For the most part, it was easy to shop for others like my mother-in-law, my kids, friends and colleagues but I would love to improve on this in 2013 by creating Pinterest boards or a Catch notebook to capture things that I come across during the year or that I hear is desired by a gift recipient. That way, come closer to the holidays or if I see a gift on sale, I can take advantage of this list and save even more money and time.

4) Holiday Parties

In 2012: When Noah and I used to live in Cleveland, we hosted parties (especially board game nights) all the time. Which is slightly amusing when you think of how much more space we have now versus the tiny ranch home we had. But we're not necessarily house-proud and did not think that we had a party-friendly place but having been to a few holiday parties this year, we have convince ourselves that our home is plenty party-friendly so . . . .

For 2013: We would love to host a holiday party and invite our Columbus/Westerville surburbanite friends over. Let the party planning begin!

Posted at 08:27 AM in Productivity At Home, Productivity December Daily | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

01/03/2013

Productivity App - Using PicFrame to Create Collages

The-Productive-Mom_Productivity-Tool-Gadget

As a mom trying to keep up with the memory-keeping responsibilities for the family, I have found a few apps that have helped me stay on top of photos we take. One of the apps that I use religiously is a photo collage app called PicFrame.

WHY DO I LOVE PICFRAME?

I love the fact that it is on my mobile phone, the same phone whose camera functionality is used by me to take all sorts of photos.

Love the integration with Dropbox. For a Project Lifer, this means that I can collage my photos on the road/in line/during most downtime, then send it to my Dropbox account, then print it when I am home.

The variety of frames and movable borders is also great.

I like the effects/overlay that are offered by PicFrame - I've tried a few others and PicFrame has some of the best sets of effects I have seen.

Here's a walk-through of how it works,

1) After running the app, you can select a frame. The most common print size I print is 4 X 6 so I select the 3:2 ratio option on the top right. On this day, I have two photos I would like to collage into a 4 X 6 print so I choose the two vertical side-by-side frames.

2) After selecting the frame, tap anywhere on the grey space (or mask area) and an option menu pops up asking if you wish to take the photo or use one in your camera roll. Select the appropriate option and then the photo to drop the photo into the space.

3) After selecting and dropping in your photos, tap on the photo again to pull up a menu for the Effects.

4) Then play around with the different effects to get your desired look.

5) Once you are happy with the collage, tap on "Share" button on the bottom right to bring up options on how to "export" your collage. I usually select Other Apps, then Dropbox since I prefer saving my photos into a Dropbox folder.

6) I choose the desired destination for my photo. I create a new folder for each day so it helps me keep track of the daily photos by date which helps with knowing which photos to print and slide into the page protectors.

04-Saving-05SelectFolder

7) Then select "Upload" and voila! Your collage is now uploaded to your Dropbox accoubt! When I get home in the evening or during the weekend, all I have to do is print these out and slide them into my page protector! This sytem has been a major time-saver and a way for me to use a few minutes here and there (imagine creating a collage while in line, in a waiting room) to complete my daily entry.

You can find PicFrame here. It's 99-cents and in my opinion worth so much more!