Posts Tagged ‘technology’

Teaming With Tech

Friday, January 30th, 2015

As we head into our finally day of our first “normal” week as a family of four, I’ve found myself realizing a number of times this week just how dependent our family is on technology. So I thought it would be fun to reflect on the top five ways in which my family relies on technology during the course of a day or week. to help navigate the stormy seas and calm waters of parenthood.

Text Messages
Texting is, hands down, my main method of communicating with my husband during the course of a day. The parent handling day-care drop-off lets the other parent know via text how Rory’s arrival at school went each morning. We let each other know via text when we are heading home for the day. We regularly communicate our whereabouts and ETAs via text. Quick questions that would otherwise require emails or phone calls are asked and answered via text during meetings, breastfeeding sessions, and otherwise inaccessible time periods. We’ve even been known to text each other from different floors of the house if necessary (e.g., we’re out of ear shot or yelling might wake Charlotte and/or Rory). Whether to communicate essential information or simply keeping the other person informed, texting helps both of us feel involved in the lives of our children even if we are not both physically present. I’m thankful to have such a mechanism to stay involved, so that when we do arrive home from our respective busy days, we can enjoy the time in the present, we’re already up to speed on the day’s events (at least to some degree).

Google
Each of us blogger moms has lamented the volume of conflicting information out there on the internet. I proceed with extreme caution when seeking parenting advice or other guidance, as it seems as though you can find volumes of conflicting opinions and advice. That said, having all of that information at your fingertips is tremendously helpful when seeking basic, objective information like the instructions for the prescription that you accidentally threw out, or reviews for repairmen and/or other vendors. Google is one of my primary time-saving techniques and I rely on it at least once a day if not ten or more times.

Facetime
We are just under two and six hours, respectively, from my parents and my husband’s parents. Accordingly, we rely on video chats to keep in touch with the grandparents in hopes of allowing our children to get to know their extended family. We also chat regularly with my brother, sister-in-law, and their two boys. Rory adores his cousins. I’m consistently thankful that our kids are growing up with access to this quick and convenient method of staying connected. Sure, it is no substitute for actual visits, but it helps make the time and distance between those visits seem much shorter.

Online shopping
Amazon prime is my saving grace as a working mom. The annual fee I pay in order to get  two-day shipping on all purchases means that the time I might ordinarily spend running errands on the weekend can be spent with my family. Or, as necessary, at the office. It’s a small price to pay for a little free time. Other sites, like Diapers.com for example, have similarly swift shipping over a certain dollar amount. Between these two, I find I can meet most of my baby/toddler feeding/bathing/diapering needs.

Nursery gadgets
I’m pretty sure there is a product on the market for just about every walk of parenting life that is meant to make the task at hand faster/more convenient/less intrusive/more soothing/etc. for your child. My mom and I had a good laugh last week at a baby seat/swing that costs upwards of $300 and does just about everything but feed the baby. I’ve tried my best to make cost-effective decisions when it comes to equipping our house for both Rory and Charlotte, but there are certainly a few conveniences that we’ve come to rely upon for our peace of mind (and sanity). The top three, in no particular order, are our video monitor, our sound machines, and our fisher price bouncy seats.

What technolog(ies) do YOU rely on the most?

So Far Away

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
I like to think of myself as an ambitious person. In many cases, a desire to be successful in your field requires a certain pioneering spirit. Usually, to attend the top programs and get those plum jobs, you will need to leave your hometown. Of course, there are folks who do great in their fields without ever having left where they’re from. But my friends and I are not those people.

It’s not always easy to leave, but I’ve always been willing to do it. The fact that my parents moved across the world to follow better opportunities is likely a major reason why. And leave I have. A lot. Despite the fact that I went to college close to home, opportunities presented to me and to my husband have taken me all over the place. It’s been great. But now that I have a little one, I’m much more focused on putting down roots.

I’m looking forward to having a residence, a city, and a region that Haley can call home. Hopefully, once we are settled, we will make friends where we are, have family nearby, and feel a strong sense of community. However, my husband and I already have friends. We are lucky enough to have so many loving people in our life. But they are all over the place! It makes for fun trips. But sadly, it doesn’t allow Haley to get to know those people very well. And I am missing out knowing their children as well.

There is a silver lining in this modern age of rapid relocation—technology. Luckily, it is easier than ever to keep in touch. I’m not that into Facebook, but reading my friends’ status messages does make me feel a daily connection to them, and their kids. Quick texts with cousins miles away keep us closer than ever. And how easy is it to share pictures of your growing child? Plus, the technology just keeps getting better. Haley gets to video chat with her grandparents in the South—how I would have loved to do that with my grandparents when I was little!

Our friends’ daughter is close in age to Haley, and although they haven’t met yet, we always joke that they’re best friends. It would be great if they actually became pals. It’s hard to say if that will happen. But thanks to the modern age, it’s less a cute joke than a potential reality.

Techno-Kid

Monday, August 9th, 2010

There seem to be various opinions on using technology (television, computers, DVD players, etc..) with young children. I have seen people in cars driving down Main Street with three DVD players showing different movies on the back of each seat. I have seen parents handing over their cell phones so their young child could watch a TV show online and be entertained while at a restaurant. You see the portable DVD players on airplanes and even in hair salons. Is this a bad thing?

As both an educator and a mother, I have to defend technology. Have I seen it misused? Yes. Have I seen young children learn from technology? Yes. In my opinion, the real issue is how you use the technology. In my own situation, Brady does watch television for an average of 30 minutes per day. I will be honest, as a work-at-home mom; there are times that I sit with him and use those 30 minutes to work. I do try to make the 30 minutes of TV time educational, but sometimes he just wants to watch Thomas (which does teach some good life skills on friendship, teamwork, and more). Now I have never handed over my Blackberry to Brady (and I doubt I ever will).

I don’t have a DVD player in my car. However, if we travel more than two hours in the car, I do take the portable DVD player along and some favorite DVDs. I have also used it during flights. (I am sure that the other passengers on the planes were thankful). And the web is FULL of resources for Brady to try independently or explore with me. We don’t spend nearly the amount of time that I would like exploring all of the amazing resources. If only the days were 30 hours, instead of 24 hours! We even have a computer program that hooks up to your computer and has kid-friendly CDs (like Scooby Doo) all that teach letters, numbers, beginning reading, math, and more. Now I will be honest, we don’t have that connected yet. But it is on “the list” for August. So, yes I do use technology.

We have all seen the parents who keep the television on all day as a babysitter. Is that child learning anything? Well…. maybe. Still, I feel we would be doing all of our children a disservice if we didn’t introduce them to various forms of technology at a young age. We live in a technological world, and our children often adapt to this world more quickly than we do. Let’s be honest, there are fourth grade students who are teaching their teachers how to use certain technologies. So as parents, it is important that we keep up with the changing times and prepare our children for the future, which will definitely include various forms of technology, most of which probably hasn’t even been invented yet.

Tech craze….y?

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

Both of Jack’s parents are equipped with iPhones.  Both of his parents are addicted to their iPhones.  Is this a problem?  Some may think so and others probably not so much.  Every technological advancement is distracting to some extent.  This week, several major news outlets detailed parents’ obsession with their phones while ignoring their children’s needs as they were talking, texting, and networking away.

I do my best to put Jack before my iPhone/computer.  Yes, I am guilty; there has been a time or two where Jack was yelling for me and I didn’t give him my undivided attention right that second.  It’s usually because I’m waiting to hear if daddy landed safely on his flight or something important along those lines.  When someone is so involved that they are reading friends’ statuses or posting something to let the world know what they do every two hours, that seems a little ridiculous.

Jack has learned very quickly how to navigate our phones, and he is in the process of learning the computer.  I have downloaded educational games, puzzles, videos and many many other apps for his entertainment (all free may I add).  Let me tell you what a lifesaver it is when we are out shopping, waiting in line or at the doctor.  He is happy, I am happy and his little brain is getting exercise.  It’s amazing what tools are available at our fingertips to stimulate our brains, especially at critical times.   A little play time on your phone in moderation is okay.  I don’t know what I did in the past without mine.  Let’s hope others can come to the realization that children do come first, and Facebook can wait a few minutes.

Technology…The Good Side

Friday, June 11th, 2010

Andrew has family all across the country. Some of them he only gets to see once or twice a year. Unfortunately, some of them have never met Andrew.

However, due to the wonders of technology, they still get to watch him grow up.

Hubby has an extensive online photo gallery. Our Andrew pictures started in the hospital when he was born and we have posted over 4000 pictures since that time. We also put some cute videos up there as well. In the beginning, we would post new pictures every week. Admittedly, we’re not always THAT great at posting pictures.

Before I started posting over here weekly, we had a baby blog. We would try to post weekly (but sometimes it ended up being more like monthly) about what was going on in Andrew’s life. Some of the posts were silly. Some of them were serious. And when Andrew was in the hospital with his mystery fever back when he was 11 months, writing about what was going on helped to keep me sane.

Recently, my grandmother joined Facebook. It shocked me. But she probably got frustrated with the fact that hubby frequently posts new pictures there as soon as they’re taken – and it takes much longer for the pictures to be uploaded to the photo gallery. Now she’s one of the newest Facebook members and gets to see new pics instantaneously. (Next step is getting the rest of Andrew’s great grandparents on there)

I was shocked when my grandma put in a request for us to get a web cam. My mom helped her get set up with the same one. Now she can see Andrew whenever she wants, listen to him scream crazy songs at the top of his lungs, play with his toys. They’re not in the same room, but it’s the next best thing.

All this technology bridges the gap (and the miles), helping to bring the family closer. No one gets to spend as much time as they want to with Andrew, but I think it helps that everyone can watch him grow up through all these online means.

Of course, with the good, there’s always the bad. But I’ll save the bad side of all this techy stuff for next week’s post.

Have a great weekend everyone!