Welcome to App Friday, our weekly link exchange of family-friendly apps. This week we are focusing on Apps for Parents, since happy parents are a key part of a happy new year! Our specially-priced selection (some discounted, some free) includes apps for household management; calendar coordination; and tips on life, relationships & resolutions. So much of our time at Moms With Apps is spent discussing apps for kids. But this App Friday, we get to explore some ideas just for Moms.
Let’s begin with Rosie Wayper, our mom developer from New Zealand, and her app HomeRoutines:
What is your app about?
HomeRoutines is a productivity app for the home sphere. It’s designed for keeping track of the recurring jobs you need to do every day or every week, without cluttering up your calendar or your regular to-do app. It helps you remember to get those things done, and happily gives you some recognition for the little things that keep all the household wheels turning. HomeRoutines is like a household management notebook or control journal, only on your phone.
The app also includes a Focus Zones section for your monthly or Spring Cleaning type tasks, a To Do list for one-off jobs, and a chirpy wee Accomplishments list which shows everything you got done at the end of the day. There’s also a built-in timer, which is fabulous when you need a bit of encouragement to get moving. Set it for five or ten minutes and get on with a task that needs doing… it’s very motivating.
What makes your app special?
HomeRoutines is forgiving and positive, and reinforces what you did get done, rather than what you didn’t. Your checklists reset when you choose so you can start with a fresh checklist every day or every week, and each time you complete a task you give yourself a gold star instead of a check mark. Slowly developing routines is a wonderful way to build positive habits, and HomeRoutines is there to gently remind you what to do next.
What’s in it for me?
We have reduced the price of HomeRoutines to celebrate the New Year. The regular price of HomeRoutines is $4.99, but for App Friday December 31st, you can download HomeRoutines for only $.99. This discount also applies to HomeRoutines for iPad. If your New Year’s resolutions include a goal of a cleaner, more peaceful home, then HomeRoutines will be a great help.
Next is Kidopolis, a social networking tool for moms to make playdates more accessible. Here is some background from Eliza Carey, creator of Kidopolis, which was co-produced by Night & Day Studios.
“As a first time mom, I discovered how difficult and isolating parenthood could be. I did the mom groups and all that jazz, but when my son was old enough to need more interaction I came to the conclusion that entertaining my son solo, while not losing my mind, was nearly impossible. So I did what all moms do, I scheduled playdates– some successful and more not. As all parents know, each family has their own routines, appointments, and temper tantrums! I wanted a way to be in contact with my friends and my son’s friends so when a spare hour presented itself, my friends could easily locate each other…. in real time!! Ideal for an impromptu playdate, and more importantly, a chance for parents to connect.” Kidopolis is FREE until March 1st!
Finally, we have an app that is non-traditional in the Moms With Apps world because of the 12+ rating which means it’s a little more mature in content, i.e., “relationship” advice. But hey, it’s the New Year, and not a bad time to dive into relationship advice!
Men Are Easy New Year Resolutions is an app supplement to Lynn Rasmussen’s hardcover and Kindle book. In the app, you will find tips and checklists based on a summary of the book’s content. As the app description states, “we are interactive women in an interactive world”. Lynn urges us to seek a new approach by applying simple ideas from the science of complexity. To help kick off the new year, this app contains a Resolution Checklist with the ability to earn badges and share with friends. Curious? Download for FREE on App Friday, Dec. 31th.
As always, thanks for making App Friday such a fun event. We plan to continue the program into 2011 and already have some great apps in store for you starting next week. Best wishes for a prosperous and peaceful New Year!!!
App Friday Link Exchange Our goal at Moms With Apps is to spread the word about family-friendly apps. Do YOU have a favorite app to share? Please participate in our link exchange and post it down below. Include the app name in the Link Title, your email, and a URL to the app. Thanks for your participation!
Thank you Moms with Apps for all the wonderful apps and advice. So looking forward to continuing to benefit from your words of wisdom!! Best wishes for continued success in 2011!!!
Thank you so much for all you do to promote family friendly apps. I enjoy reading all your updates and have shared your resources with other Moms and teachers.
Absolutely love the home routines app. What a great price for all that it does for me. It coincides with my fly lady and I can edit it to fit my needs.