Top 10 Free Apps for Moms

1. Postino (pad/phone/pod/droid) - FREE Yes, you can always e-mail a cute phone snapshot of the kids to the grandparents. But withPostino, you can send an actual snail-mail postcard of a photo on your phone. Pick your shot, add a border if you like, type an address and a message, sign it with your finger (or have your kid sign it), and press Send. The company prints your custom postcard and mails it. All you have to do is pay the postage.
Tip: For a fun, easy thank-you note that's a cut above e-mail, send a snap of your happy kid with a new toy or a pic of the giver's child having fun at your kid's birthday party.

2. Mom Maps (pad/pod/phone) - If you're getting tired of the same old, same old playdate spots, take a look at Mom Maps to mix up your get-togethers. There are 27 metro areas in the app, with more being added all the time. The app uses your phone's GPS to pinpoint nearby playgrounds, restaurants, and museums, and it vets your choices with parent reviews. Then use Meetup to call a group together.

3. Lucy Phone (pad/pod/phone/droid) - FREE It's always annoying to wait on hold for a customer service rep, but when you're trying to feed a baby or have a toddler who's about to wake up, it's the worst. Good news: LucyPhone can do the waiting for you. Hang up, and LucyPhone will call you back when a real person is on the line. Score one for moms.

4. Fake a Call Free (pad/pod/phone/droid) - FREE If you're heading to a playgroup and you knowthat mom will be there – you know, the one who can't stop bragging about how advanced little Oliver is – you can program Fake-A-Call to ring you. The app can either call you whenever you ask it to or after a designated period of time. Your phone rings as it normally does, handing you a graceful exit.

5. ColorSmart by Behr Mobile (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch) - FREE When you look around your living room and see only toys strewn all over the floor, ColorSmart lets you envision a time when your rooms won't look like mini cyclones have hit them. With the app, you can play decorator, previewing a huge gallery of rooms and altering the colors of the walls and moldings. You can even take a picture of a wall in your house and dress it up in a different color to see how it'd look.

6. Rest Area Finder (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) - FREE Pregnant women and mothers of the newly potty-trained, rejoice: Next time you're on the highway, Rest Area Finder will locate the stops closest to you. It also tells you if they have dog walking areas, vending machines, and gas stations.

7. Trip Case (iphones/pad/touch/blackberry, droid) - FREE TripCase keeps track of every piece of information you need for a family trip – from itineraries and confirmation numbers to the locations of restaurants that friends have assured you are worth a stop. Plus, your flight status is updated in real time, so you'll be prepared to occupy restless kids if there's a delay.

8. Dragon Diction (iphones/pad/touch/blackberry) - FREE When Erin Kane, a.k.a. one of the Manic Mommies and a blogger for Real Simple, goes through her mental checklist of to-dos and wants to make sure she doesn't forget anything, she usesDragon Dictation. This genius app uses voice recognition software to transcribe what you say, great for those all-too-common moments when you really can't spare a hand. "When I commute by car, I use Dragon Dictation to draft e-mails, reports, even blog posts," says Erin. "It's super helpful for getting those thoughts down before you forget them."

9. Yap Voicemail (iphone, droid) - FREE Yap transcribes voicemails to text messages (or e-mails), so you can quickly skim the message from your mother-in-law about bringing a dish to Sunday dinner without having to listen to the long, drawn-out message. It's easy to set up and lets you quickly go through your messages at a glance without the hassle of accessing your voicemail.

10. Moms with Apps (iphone/pad/pod) - FREE Yap transcribes voicemails to text messages (or e-mails), so you can quickly skim the message from your mother-in-law about bringing a dish to Sunday dinner without having to listen to the long, drawn-out message. It's easy to set up and lets you quickly go through your messages at a glance without the hassle of accessing your voicemail.

Betcha thought that I was....wait, that's morbid!

Blogging has certainly fallen to the way side with me, as with most everything else. Priority number 1? My little family of course! Orion shared his 1/2 birthday with my own dear mom AND with Valentine's Day! We played all day and then Papa Bear and I went out for a sushi dinner!

My own dear father has been in town for almost 2 weeks. He'll be leaving on Tuesday, but it's been an amazing trip! It's his first visit since Orion was born AND his first trip to California AND his first time visiting me in almost 3 years! It's been spectacular! He flew into LA and got to spend the day there and then has spent the last couple of weeks in San Diego county. And he's gotten to experience a myriad of weather....last night it rained incredibly hard and was VERY windy!

So, here's hoping I can get back to blogging....it's been an intense couple of months, so I'll be posting a few short and sweet blogs to get back on track! Orion is finally entertaining himself for longer stretches of time, so hopefully that means I'll have some time to get some of my own stuff done!

Fresh start...

I figure today is a great day to really dive into this blog. You may be asking why. Why today of all days? What about tomorrow? Or yesterday?

Well, gentle readers, today is my son's 3 month birthday and I'm fairly certain he has started teething!

Up until about 3 days ago, my son was an angel. Well, as much of an angel as an active infant can be. Then he slowly started to turn into a monster....He stopped napping for longer than 20 minutes. He started fussing more. He refused to sleep in his crib. He wanted to nurse all the time. He went from pretty well sleeping thru the night to barely sleeping at night at all. My husband commented on this change in his habits and his mother mentioned a possible answer....is he teething?

So, I opened up my trusty laptop and launched google....and google sent me back some helpful info.

*Most babies begin teething between 4 and 7 months

*Early developing babies may begin to teeth at 3 months and late bloomers may begin teething at 1 year; some babies are born with a tooth already showing!

* They generally appear in this order: bottom two middle, top two middle, then the ones along the sides and back. The last to appear are the second molars which are in the back of the mouth and usually make their appearance by babies second birthday. By age 3, your little one should have his full set of baby teeth - 20 total - and those should hang out until his permanent teeth come in at around age 6.

SYMPTOMS

*drooling (which can lead to a rash on his face)

*swelling and sensitivity of gums

*fussiness

*irritability - the discomfort is usually worse during the first teeth and later when the molars come in because of their bigger size. Babies generally become accustomed to the sensations of teething and learn to live with them; some babies are fussy during whole time that every tooth comes in; each child reacts differently

*biting

*not eating

*not sleeping well

*runny nose

*loose stools - likely caused by swallowing extra saliva, which loosens the stool.

*cheek rubbing and ear pulling - the discomfort may travel to the ears and cheeks, particularly when the back molars begin coming in. Keep in mind tho, that pulling at an ear can also be a sign of an ear infection

*fever

**Not all symptoms are agreed upon by doctors and if you see something that worries you, you should IMMEDIATELY call your doctor. Some of these symptoms may be other things, like an ear infection.

What can I do to ease my baby's discomfort?

It is strongly recommended that you contact your pediatrician before doing any of the below

*Give him something to chew on...a rubber teething ring or cold washcloth or if he's doing solids, cold foods like apple sauce, pureed peaches or yogurt can help

*Give him a hard unsweetened teething cracker, such as zwieback (no carrots...they're a choking hazard)

*A cold bottle or cup of water (if they're old enough)

*rub a clean finger gently but firmly over his gums

*if none of the above are working, try a small dose of children's pain reliever such as infants' acetaminophen - BUT CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE GIVING YOU BABY ANY MEDICATION. NEVER give your baby aspirin or even rub it on his gums to ease the pain. The use of aspirin in children is associated with Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition

*Using a topical pain relief gel (like baby orajel) is also an option, but again, consult with your doctor. If you use too much, it can numb the back of your baby's throat and weaken his gag reflex (which helps prevent him from choking on his saliva). In rare cases, babies are allergic

If the drool causes a rash on his face, wipe (don't rub) the drool with a soft cloth. Petroleum jelly on his chin before a nap or bedtime can protect the skin from further irritation.

Intro

Welcome to my blog! How about I tell you just a little bit about myself?

I'm a first time mom...my son was born on 8/14/10 and my husband and I just adore him.

I'm a wife...my husband and I have been together for 10 years, but just celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary in September.

I'm an artist....I attended Columbia College Chicago and received my degree in Theatre: Performance. I'm also a costume designer, production designer, sometimes-makeup artist, scrapbooker, knitter and seamstress.

I'm a writer...I maintain a few blogs and am working on a novel and a screenplay.

I'm a working stiff...I work 40+ hrs from home in market research.

I'm a seeker....I'm incredibly interested in all aspects in a lot of things. One thing this blog will be used for is my seeking.

What am I seeking? I'm seeking answers....as a first time mom, I'm learning as I go. This will be a place where I can share what I'm learning. I'm also interested in becoming a midwife/doula/hypnobirthing coach. In truth, I'm searching for me.

The birth of my son was an exhausting one. I spent 53 hours in labor...53 hours from the beginning of the contractions to when my son was in my arms. I had planned a water birth with a birthing center. I spent 36 hours in back labor, at which point I was admitted to the hospital and given an epidural. 17 hours later my son was born. So my birth wasn't what I had planned.

24 hours later, my son and I went home...where we began to breastfeed. I was given no release instructions and no help with lactation. My mother in law came to stay for a week 2 days later...and my mother came to stay a week after that. The advice and instruction I received told me to supplement my sons' eating with formula, since he wasn't gaining weight. I almost destroyed my supply and I definitely destroyed my confidence in myself. So that wasn't what I had planned.

At my 6 weeks post partum visit, I was informed that I hadn't fully healed. There was still a tear and a hole. The doctor who delivered my son didn't tell me anything about my delivery or how to heal. I guessed that I had 11 stitches based on the nurse counting bloody wads of cloth. I learned an herbal way to promote the healing. 2 weeks later, I had a visit with a CNM who is to be my gynocologist who finally told me that everything was healed and gave me the first real information since my child was born.

So that's a brief synopsis of my story....stay tuned to find out more!