A couple months back I made the leap into the traditional working world after an almost 8 year hiatus. I’m not saying running this blog hasn’t been work I needed a change of scenery. I needed something more fulfilling and standard. I’m loving it so far and don’t regret the decision but I know other things have suffered. This blog for example. I know I’ve neglected it and I’m not sharing the fun things like we used to but I’m still working on getting my life organized with the changes going on.
Things started falling apart. I was resorting to chicken fingers and mac and cheese too often for dinner. I was letting the kids watch too much television. I was just absent in the daily grind of home.
I knew I had to find solutions to stay on top of the kids and house. Here are some apps and tools that have gotten me and the kids better adjusted and structured.
Food.com has a beautifully designed FREE app with over 500,000 recipes that not only helps me with meal ideas but also helps me shop better by incorporation a shopping list and letting me know what area stores are having sales on those items. The recipes are just a touch away when it’s time to cook or prep or gives me ideas based on what’s in my fridge and pantry.
Heads Up is a play anywhere family friendly (with some not so family friendly options) app that the kids LOVE. When there isn’t enough time to set up a board game or get out of the house we just grab someone’s phone and we’re ready. It’s a cross between charades, head bands, Guess Who and 20 questions. One player hold the phone up to their forehead while the rest of the group gives clues to what is showing up on the screen. There are so many categories to play. For just $.99 you get the basic game. For additional small amounts you are able to download more categories. I spend more on a cup of coffee these days so I don’t mind a dollar here and there for the belly laughs that come from the kids.
Care.com is something I never thought I would need but depending on my mother and Sabreena so much during the week is sometimes a burden. There are times I need a little hand with getting the kids homework done and dinner in the oven. I live in an area where there are TONS of teens and young adults from the University. I can find someone last minute for date night or someone to come 2 days a week to make sure the kids are having a healthy snack and getting their chores done. While there is a FREE option that gives limited access Care.com also has subscription plans that may work better for families in need of more regular care for kids and elderly families.
Verizon Family Base helps me keep track of the time spent glued to a device. This service helps me not only control data usage but gives me the opportunity to see what they are doing online and who they are talking to. For just $5 I’m given the peace of mind that they kids are streaming or texting during class or downloading apps that I don’t agree with.
Any.do is more than just a to-do list creator it’s a tool to use for personal and work life where you can share tasks, notes, reminders and even files. As a family I can delegate chores to be done if I’ve stuck at the office late. Since I know I’ll be passing the farmers market each Sunday Morning I can give myself a weekly reminder to pick up the produce for meal planning.
CraftGawker is my lifeline to keep me crafty and inspired lately. I haven’t had much to come up with new ideas for arts and crafts with the kids lately so I look at other people’s creations to at least let the kids know I’m still here even though a touch sidetracked with life. Find ideas for every skill level, every medium and every crafty niche.
While I’ve linked to the iOS version of these apps many of them also come Android and some even are desktop compatible.
I’m not claiming to have my entire life completely organized with the addition of these 5 apps but I am a better mom because I took some action against the chaos that was happening. Looking for help can be easy with the help of your device that’s already in your hand. As a busy mom I turn to technology more than I like to admit but in all honesty it’s working for me.
What do you use to keep organized when on the go? What apps do you use the most to keep your home, family, personal life and work running smoothly?
Each holiday season I think about our kid’s holiday wishlists and immediately get overwhelmed. This year I didn’t let that happen because I stated early on that we’re doing a 
I know my family would love the taste of a long, slow simmered tomato sauce for our pasta dishes but I just DON’T want to babysit something like that so I opt for my kitchen hack instead.
