Read Along Apps for Kids - Story Chimes

Do you remember as a kid, reading books along with audio cassettes, and when you heard the chimes, that was your signal to turn the page?

Yes, now there is an app for that too!

Story Chimes are individual apps of stories that you can download for free, or for $.99, download an ad-free version. There are a couple of stories just in time for Christmas- Twas the Night Before Christmas and The Very First Christmas.

Other stories include classics like Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, Cinderella, Jack and the Bean Stalk, and many more. I don't mind the free version with ads, but it may be annoying if your child keeps selecting them and going to that page, interrupting your story.

These stories include the option of actually reading the book, or read along (with chimes to indicate turning the page). The stories are complete with music, illustrations, and very animated storytellers (the voices of the three little pigs are quite fun). When the chimes ring, just select the orange arrow to the right, and continue the story. You can also bookmark where you leave off, go to the Page Index to search for a page, and change the language from English to Spanish.

My two year old daughter loves these stories, and it only took her one story to catch on that she is to turn the page when she hears the chimes. It's a great way to read along with your kids if you are away from home, or use it as a convenient library to download free stories to your phone.

Visit their website to learn more about all of the different stories and features of the apps: http://www.storychimes.com

This app makes me muchappier.

My 5 Must-Have Apps

I download a lot of apps to try-out and share with moms, but there are 5 apps that I never delete, and use on a daily basis. Here are the apps that I would recommend to anyone who just purchased a smartphone for the first time, and don't know where to start. Oh, and they are all FREE:

1.  Facebook: do I even need to explain this? Go directly to your Facebook account with this app, and update status, read newsfeed, upload photos or video, or search for friends. Get app now. 

2. Weatherbug: I love being able to check the weather instantly on my phone. I can also see a 7-day forecast, see the weather of a destination I'm traveling, receive alerts when severe weather is coming, and check radar to see how far away a storm is from my location. Get app now.

3.  Netflix: To use this app you must be a member of Netflix first, but the app itself is free. This app is such a great tool to have with little ones; distract them in the car, or keep them sitting and quiet at the doctor's office while watching a movie. Plus, I love using it too; I like to watch an episode of the Office while I workout on our elliptical machine during naptime. Get app now.

4.  Pandora: You may already visit Pandora.com to listen to a custom radio station while you are at work, but get this app on your phone to take it with you anywhere. Listen to your favorite band and music similar to them, when at the gym, or just tap right into it when you want some background music while cleaning the house. It automatically links to your Pandora account, so all the radio stations you selected can be accessed on your phone too. Get app now.

5. Google: What better way to search online than Google.com? Get that instant search engine anywhere with the app on your phone. This app also features searches by a photograph you have taken directly from your phone, or speak into the phone and search. Get app now.

These are my top 5. Let me know what's in yours, or maybe let me know what should be my #6.

Best Baby Names App-Stork Drop

 Stork Drop App Review - Free App for iPhone

The Stork Drop App for iPhone is a free app that also makes finding that perfect name for your soon to-be son or daughter a lot of fun. It's almost a game really, and can connect to your Facebook so that your status can be updated with your top five favorite baby names. You know when you're pregnant everyone always asks what you are going to name your baby (and also the dreaded question of "can I rub your belly"), so share with your friends and family names you are considering (sorry, this app can't help with avoiding the belly run, but I'll look into that later...)



You start off the app by inserting your due date, so you have a count down of the amount of time you have to settle on a name. You do have to skip ads in this free app, but I'm not bothered too much by it.

Next a bunch of names drop from the clouds on the screen, and you touch and drag the names you like in the stork bag. Right after you select a name in the bag, the origin, definition and popularity of the name pop on the screen. You then choose if it is a favorite or still a maybe, and continue on.

Once there are no names left that you like, just tap on the cloud to drop some more names. You can see what names you have selected as your favorites by selecting the Favorites tab on the bottom of the screen. In this toolbar, you can also select "Snoop" and see what the highest ranked names are by this apps' users, as well as the most popular names to date. You can also select "Names List" and select famous people's names by list of categories, for example, if you select Athletics, you can then go to Baseball Hall of Fame, and find names of great Baseball starts.

If you just aren't into playing the whole cloud drop to stork's bag game, you can select the "A-Z Names" tab and go through a loooong list of all the baby names by Alphabetical order, and by gender.

This app is great and a fun way to discover new names you never thought of before. It makes me muchappier.

Click here to get the app now