iOS 10 Memories - Great for Throwback Thursday

St Fredericksburg in Texas
San Antonio visit 2015

How great is the new iOS 10 Memories with the new update on iOS? It comes with the most recent update on iPhones, iPad and the Mac. It opens up great memories.

I am only discovering it now, and loving it!

I am able to see group photos, place photos, "Best of the last 3 months",  as well as certain dates on my photo album.

The throwback Thursday is from last year's visit to San Antonio in America.
Good times, and good memories!

The best mobile photography! #iPhoneography2015

The fifth iPhoneography Awards evening in Johannesburg was held last night at the iStore on Sandton Drive. This was my first time that I attended, with the family in tow. We all enjoyed it!
I will definitely bookmark this for the future!

It is worth seeing what people can do with an iPhone with regards photography. All the entries were taken and edited on iPhones! It is truly inspiring!

Africa is Absolute category

The food trucks had great food and smells

The lawns provide a great spot for catching up and enjoying the vibe!

Little Miss had a ball climbing the "hills" and running around

Inspiring entries!

The overall winning entry is by Jaco van der Walt with his "Emergence" photograph!
Stunning!

Maybe next year your entry will be here as well?
And mine! ;-)

The yin and the yang of a Thursday

Today is Thursday!

Not yet Friday, the most glorious day of the week!


Today started out with a glorious sun!

But it was cloudy...


It was very pleasant inside our air-conditioned offices

But it was extremely hot while running in the afternoon sun back to my car when I discovered my phone was not with me...


I found my phone still on my desk back at work! (Thank you!!!)

I should do backups more often... (Then I would have been worried a little bit less!)


I like my phone and everything I do with my phone

I am too dependent on my phone!


I was really looking forward to a seminar at the University of Johannesburg!

I missed it because of the phone...


I posted a yin and yang post on my blog!

I was not in the mood to post any of the pressing issues in my email...


The Student is coming home for the weekend today!

I worry about her getting back here in the traffic...


It's pay day!

I have paid most of my obligations already! (All gone!)


We can do a pay day eat out tonight!

We can't go overboard as September is also a very long month with lots of birthdays...



What is the yin and yang about your day today?

Currently...

I found this on Cat's blog: Juggling Act of Life

Listening to: Hozier - Take me to the Church
And I love this ballet version




Reading: Library Advocacy Unshushed MOOC, but struggling to keep up...

Thinking about: My wonderful Hubby who made Valentine's special with a date and movie, and he even bought flowers for the girls!

Looking forward to: Our trip to Texas in the middle of the year. Very scary, but also very exciting!

Anticipating: A very good and busy year! We are doing it!

Planning: The overseas trip (well, we should be starting...!)

Wearing: Cool summer clothes. It is the best time of the year!

Drinking: Coffee. A bit too much!

Eating: A bit more healthy. I am kilojoule counting with My Fitness App on my iPhone 6. Loving it! It seems it is starting to work as well!

Thankful: For being invited to the first International iPad Summit in South Africa the previous two days. My head still spins with all the possibilities. I am also feeling a bit more optimistic about South Africa's educational future with all the bright teachers that attended the conference!

Wishing and praying: Always my children. But it seems they are sorted this year. Little Miss has settled in nicely at school, and waves us goodbye with smiles in the morning. The Student is also enjoying her business classes this year!

Not looking forward to: My birthday! (Getting too near a big number... AAArgh!)

Dreaming about: New possibilities! In my career, mostly!


What's happening currently with you?

Little Hoots of the week #littlehoots

I was very excited when the Little Hoots app finally launched in beta.
We forget these little gems so quickly! It is a great way to keep them for future memories!
I am able to create it on my iPad. It is available for free.

Photo in the first Little Hoot by Alet Groenewald, school photographer.


Related posts: 

An app that I would like right now: Little Hoots

Little Hoot of the day: You have a boring job

Having fun with an iPhone and a MINI Paceman in Johannesburg #iPhoneographySA #iStoreSA

I had so much fun today. I got to take photos with an iPhone for an iPhoneography photo walk in Johannesburg, as well as being driven around in a Mini Cooper S Paceman.

The iPhone was on loan, and I am totally i-jealous after I saw how easy it was to take very nice photos with it.

The igers and iphoneographers have been doing it for about three years, and the big hype is taking part in the competition which launched today - the excitement of the yearly iPhoneography exhibition. Anybody with an iPhone can submit their photos to be entered in the competition.

Here are some of my photos taken on the iPhone. 

We went to Zoo Lake and the Military Museum in Johannesburg. 

With the two Techie Geeks that had a lot of tips up their sleeves:
 Jessica Meyer and Gina Jacobson

Searching for the perfect shot

Zoo Lake cat

Praying

The Mini was tested with a big wooden elephant bought by Gina
(It passed the test!)

The Military Museum

Sandton rising!

Apparently there are more photos being taken and uploaded on an iPhone than any other phone.

I can see why!

This is what I want for Christmas! An iPhone!

And a Mini Cooper S Paceman won't be bad as well!

Vine - A great app capturing those special moments

 This is one of those fun apps that also comes in very handy, capturing all the best moments of the little ones, and being able to share it immediately!
You can email, or share to Facebook and Twitter, as well as embed it on websites and blogs.

Vine is available on iOS and since June 2013 also available on Android.

It only captures 6 seconds, and it loops continuously in the playback.

I found it through librarians busy learning mobile, and are having lots of fun exploring it!

Top 5 Apps for Busy Moms

I am always checking out new apps and got this guest post suggestion which I am happy to publish. Especially if it states  that it helps "busy moms.
(Although, I think it is an oxymoron! Do we get moms who are not busy?)

I have linked to the iTunes stores, but see most of these apps are avaliable on all devices.


The Top 5 Apps for Busy Moms

Our lives are much busier than they were even 20 years ago, and moms are busier than ever.
Many moms raise kids, work, and run their households, all while trying to live their own lives. Fortunately, cell phones are helpful for anyone with a life on the go. They help people stay connected, and with apps, help people complete their day to day tasks.

Thousands of cell phone apps exist that help people accomplish their goals, and here are the top 5 apps for busy moms like yourself.

The Weather Channel

It is pertinent for a busy mother to be prepared for anything. Every single mom should have the Weather Channel app - this is the perfect app to open up first thing in the morning. It allows you to display the current temperature, as well as the short- and long-term weather forecast. The app also allows you to get the weather forecast from wherever you are. Any busy mom who runs around all day needs to know the weather forecast in order to plan their (hopefully dry) day.

Cozi

This is a wonderful app for anyone who has a lot on their plate, but especially mothers. It's so useful that you may even end up grabbing for this app more often than you need the phone itself! It's great for making to-do lists, setting reminders, shopping lists & also the family calendar - this one is key too, because notice that it's for the family. This is different from most calendars, which are only meant for one person and their appointments.
 
Grocery iQ

This app is GREAT for mothers, especially because it's basically available on every platform you can imagine. It allows you to scan prices of products when shopping so that you can get clued in on what you're getting for your money. Is that cereal a bargain, or simply a crafty way of making it look like you're getting a steal? Find out with this app!
 

Whole Foods Market Recipes

Whole Foods Market Recipes is a terrific app for anyone who wants to enjoy a healthy diet. The best thing about this app is the ability to sort based upon dietary preference. The user can sort for gluten free recipes, high fiber recipes and many other types. Kids are picky too, so luckily this app can make everyone happy, especially a busy mom cooking for many.

Kindle

The Kindle app is a great app for the busy mom. A lot of times moms do not have time to enjoy themselves. With the Kindle app, a mom can read her favorite books while waiting to pick up her kids or in those few precious minutes of alone time. The Kindle app is also great to read recipes, pdf files or magazines. Anyone on the go should look into the Kindle app, and perhaps the best thing about is that if you skip buying hard-copies of books, you have more room for storage and less to clean!

Thousands and thousands of applications exist for all phone platforms. There are also apps for all types of users and preferences. Nobody knows the importance of time management more than a single mom.

These apps will not only save a single mom time, they will also save her money!


Jessie Hughes writes about parenting, working from home and more. Her favourite piece is on the Top 10 iPhone Apps for Teachers.


Do you have any apps that you cannot live without?

Timeout in Review

Timeout

This week I downloaded  the third disciplining app of  10 iPhone apps that help with discipline, Timeout - Ultimate Discipline Tool.

This is a very simple and easy app to use.

As it is also not the ultimate disciplining route that we want to go, this won't be used very much in our household.

It is only as a very last last last resort!


Steps to use the disciplining app:

1. Select the time that time-out should last. Usually a minute for each year of age of the child. Press the button "Start". (I don't think it should be more than that?)

2. The next screen is the one on top of this post.
The time starts ticking off with the car going forward. The settings can be changed here, and the time added on. (Although, I don't think we should go that route!)

3. As soon as the car reaches the end, and the time has clicked off to 0:00, it goes to the third and final screen on the app.

4. A smiley face with the sound of cheers!


> I think this will help Mom and Dad, more than the children, to keep to the required time-out time, and not to keep the children in suspense.

>> It will help to redirect negative energy. The mere fact that we change the scenery for a few minutes with the help of an app that gives a "cheer" at the end!

>>> 4 minutes (the time I will use for my toddler of 4) is a very long time when you look at it.
It is more than enough time to break the spiralling negativeness.

>>> I paid $0.99 (R7,99) for this, which is very reasonable.


I give this app a rating of  6/10 for the cute car driving forward, and for the cheering when time-out has been completed!



Related post:

10 iPhone apps that help with discipline

KidChart - disciplining app number 2 under investigation

KidChart

I downloaded KidChart, the second of 10 iPhone apps that help with discipline.
I have to download the apps on my iPad, since I don't have an iPhone, but it seems to work just as well!

- KidChart is a very simple and easy app to use on the go!

- As a parent who like a more positive parenting approach, I would only try to focus on the smiley face, but the user could use it both ways.

- I like the fact that you can add behaviours as you go along.

- The app generated a very nice certificate which I like, attached with the specifics in a next view.

- You are able to share the accomplishments via email or Facebook.

- What I don't like is that you only get the wording when you share. Not the attached certificate. It would have given it an extra edge. It would also ensure that other people know where it is coming from. Now you only get an update with no explanation.

- You are also able to link it to DropBox, which helps to keep the accomplishments safe.

- It stores the "certificates" and "warnings" by date so that it is possible to reflect on it later. That gets a thumbs up from me!

I don't think I will use this app that much, but I will let you know in future when I change my mind.

I have send feedback to the developers about including the certificate with more information.

I give this app a rating of 5/10


Related posts:

- 10 iPhone apps that help with discipline

- Caught being Good - List

Caught being Good - List

Caught being Good

Following on last week's post 10 iPhone apps that help with discipline, I am going to look into each app separately.
I want to investigate to see if it's really helpful towards a more positive parenting approach towards discipline.

I have downloaded the Caught being Good app already, and "tested" it for the week.

I realised immediately that it needs a list of "Good" behaviour before we can use this app. I cannot just spin it every time we feel like it. The Toddler also loves the action of spinning, and she would happily press the button to spin continuously...


List of Good Behaviour for a Toddler:

- Allowing adults to talk without interruptions;

- Speaking nicely in the car driving to and from school (no screaming or whining):

- Going to the toilet on her own (including the washing of hands);

- Eating her food on her own (she does not have to finish it, but there must be some indication that she made an effort to tasting everything on her plate);

- Listening to her Teacher;

- Finishing an extra-mural class without asking Mom/Dad to hold her hand (we are looking on);

- Any feedback we get that she has been good!;

- Dressing herself;

- Well-mannered behaviour with friends, for example giving others a turn as well;

- A "Please" and "Thank you" without prompting;

- Saying "Hello" and "Goodbye" to people;

- "Good" age-related behaviour at venues/restaurants/shows - I do not expect the toddler to sit quietly for hours on end.

- Doing some small tasks such as the packing away of her toys.

- Helping out in the house, such as washing of dishes.

Do you have any more ideas for good behaviour?

Caught being Good -
rewards can be added or deleted

I like the fact that we can add rewards as we go along, and that we can change it accordingly.
I also like the fact that we can bank some of the rewards that are not possible to act on immediately, such as going to a movie!

I give this app a rating of  8/10.


Next week I will look at hAPPy family.


Related post:

10 iPhone apps that help with discipline

10 iPhone apps that help with discipline

I was alerted by Maureen Denard of FindaNanny.net about her article on 10  iPhone apps that can be used for disciplining techniques.

As we are still struggling with the Terrible Tantrums, I always welcome positive parenting ideas for handling discipline.

I don't have an iPhone, but the Ipad can be used just as successfully to download the apps.

I haven't tried all the apps yet, but I am looking forward to try out each one of them.

The write-up against each app is by Maureen Denard.

10 iPhone apps that help with discipline:

Positive Parenting Practices – "This $3.99 app is geared towards parents who espouse a more lenient, gentle approach to discipline. Positive Parenting Practices is more than an app detailing disciplinary methods, offering valuable insights into the motivation behind kids’ problem behavior and real-life solutions."

KidChart – "Charts are great tools for tracking kids’ accomplishments, chores and behavior. Unfortunately, they’re also rather difficult to carry in your pocket. That’s where this $0.99 app comes in, putting the power of a full-sized paper chart at your fingertips. KidChart is also an effective way to monitor kids’ daily behavior for later discussion, when cooler heads allow for constructive conversation."

hAPPy Family – "Encouraging positive behavior on the go is easy with this powerful app, which rewards kids with collectible marbles, ocean animals, treasures, insects or candy when they make the right choices."

iGrounded – "Teenagers are notorious for pushing boundaries a bit too far in a bid to assert their burgeoning independence. A game of consequences that you’re able to edit and modify to suit your teen’s individual needs, iGrounded is available in the app store for $0.99."

iReward – "The customizable motivational charts provided by this $4.99 app are designed for use by parents, caregivers and educators to reward good behavior. Traditional rewards, like gold stars, are among the options offered by this simple but powerful application."

Timeout – Ultimate Discipline Tool – "Tracking the length of a timeout to provide kids a visual representation of how long they are sentenced to this punishment is a snap with this application. The app isn’t loaded with extra features, but it does deliver exactly what it promises."

Tymoot – "Designed by a parent for parents, Tymoot is a $0.99 app that helps you create and set timeout timers. However, there’s a bit more to this one than meets the eye due to the Wheel of Discipline feature that allows your children to spin the virtual wheel in order to be “sentenced” to one of eight customizable punishments."

Caught Being Good – "The free CAUGHT BEING GOOD app takes the spinning wheel of chance approach to rewarding kids for undirected good behavior. You can change, add or remove any reward, and also set the probability of a particular one appearing. Surprising your child with an unsought reward for good behavior that you have not requested or directed is an effective method of encouraging her to continue on the right path, even when she doesn’t think you’re there to see her."

Positive Discipline – "Rather than a traditional punishment and rewards systems, the Positive Discipline approach relies upon a motivational system that helps kids to develop strong moral fiber, character and a sense of self-reliance. Encourage a sense of connection with the respectful, encouraging tone that motivates kids to make the right decisions in their daily lives, autonomously."

Rich Kids – Behavior & Reward Contracts for Child Discipline – "This $2.99 app combines positive reinforcement parenting tactics with a method of teaching the fundamentals of financial responsibility that helps kids grow into the well-rounded, well-adjusted adults they were meant to become. Suggested for kids between the ages of three and 15, Rich Kids is an effective tracking and incentive tool."

I think all of these apps need to be tested in your own family environment, with the input from the child. The more buy-in from the child, the more successful it will be. Of course the buy-in should be from the parents as well!

I like the Caught being Good app for being able to customise the rewards and being able to "bank" some of them until possible to complete or buy the reward! I also like the fact that the focus is on catching out being good, and not focusing on the negative!

I will let you know how it works!

The article from Maureen Denard is here: 10 iPhone apps that help with discipline

Archiving all the art

A toddler is a daily creative machine of art!

I found a great app to store all the art that's constantly being created!

I really want to keep everything, but it becomes just too much.

It is a good idea to photograph it, but with my artkive I am also able to title and date the photographs and share it from there with friends and family.

And it is stored in an archive of art!
I "Like it!

I do not get paid to say this!

The best: the app is free!

ArtKive