Kate Etue

Documentaries are hot right now. Whether you're watching President Obama narrate Our Great National Parks with your kids, baking in the schadenfreude of Bad Vegan , or learning about culture and history through movies like What Happened …

Lately, a lot of readers have been asking us about apps that let you check out free library books. Or, free e-books to be technical. So here's the info on a favorite of ours, the hoopla digital app . While I love the feeling of being sur…

My teenage son and his friends are avid online gamers , so I recently broached the topic of good gaming etiquette for kids and teens with them. “What?” they asked, “You mean like when people tell you to go kill yourself when you mess up?…

I'm always on a quest for the best digital planner for the school year, because I have developed a very bad habit: Every year I get tempted by the beautiful, fun, old-fashioned paper planners I discover on Etsy or in our local stationery…

I'm mom to a busy family of six, so when I saw the Skylight Calendar in my Instagram feed my first thought was, "This could change my life." Here's the thing: I have a job. I homeschool my kids and teach class at a co-op. My oldest two k…

I've been on a search for the best waterproof iPad case, and after a long hunt I've found it! Or at least I hopeI have. So, of course, I had to share it here. Most parents want protective, waterproof iPad cases to protect against spills …

I've been a work-from-home mom long before the pandemic was a thing, but it usually translated to "work from cafe" or "work from library" mom. But, I have to say, I'm kind of happy that this past year has created the new habit of actuall…

This year, we want to stream the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but of course, we happened to have cut our cable cord years ago. Instead, we rely on several streaming services — mainly Netflix, the free HBOMax subscription that came with our phone …

We recently had a mom reach out on our Out Tech Your Kids group on Facebook, asking for the best tech to help turn handwriting into text. Like so many kids today, her daughter is using her finger to write on a school issued iPad, and the…

We recently got a question in our Out Tech Your Kids group asking about apps that read texts out loud while you drive, which got me started thinking about some tips and apps to help minimize distracted driving for teens. As parents, we n…

My thirteen-year-old is keenly focused on our family being more environmentally conscious , which I'm all about. Currently, the recyclables in my kitchen are balancing precariously on a tall black kitchen trash can stuck in the corner of…

I'm part of the micro-generation Xennials, for whom there was no better reward in middle school computer class for finishing your typing drills and DOS coding worksheets early than getting to play a game of Oregon Trail. It's one of the …

In our Out Tech Your Kids group on Facebook, a parent recently asked for recommendations for great news podcasts for kids. Our readers replied with some really good suggestions, so we wanted to round them up for you...and add a few more …

My favorite Mother's Day gifts usually involve a day to go recharge with some spa treatments , but I'm thinking this is the year to bring the spa home, right? I've been scouring reviews and reading up on the very best high-tech beauty gi…

Do you have a struggling speller? As a homeschool mom , I know first-hand how hard it can be to try to explain spelling rules to a kid who doesn't quite get it, which is why I had to share the Wordcraft app that my kids have been playing…

In a typical Oscars year , I'm pretty much an expert on the (ahem) animated film category , but when it comes to the best picture or documentary feature film categories, I've maybe seen one or two movies. But 2020 was anything but typica…

In our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook group, a parent asked for recommendations on the best stylus for kids who are getting into digital art, and the recommendations from our readers were so helpful that we wanted to share them here. From t…

We talked last week about tips for spring-cleaning your phone , and this week I'm taking a stab at my email. I'd never let my actual snail mail pile up in a massive overflow of unanswered bills and letters, but for some reason I let my e…

With spring nearly here, I'm getting antsy to clean up my yard and go through all my closets to get rid of all the junk we've accumulated over the winter. But I'm going to start small, literally, and follow these tips for spring cleaning…

We're huge board game geeks in my family. Our stack of strategy games is up to the ceiling. And while we're always up for a new game, they're expensive. So my new solution has been playing board games online before I buy! I get the full …

Parents of tweens and teens, we've got good news! YouTube is launching new parental controls specifically for kids in this age group. What a relief to those of us who see the value in letting them watch some of the content on YouTube...b…

Chances are good that you're clicking through to this article because you don't know what "tabbed gmails" even are. Right? Well, here's the deal: Gmail has a "handy" organization tool that categorizes all your emails automatically. To se…

Last month I shared my newest obsession: the Supernatural VR fitness app for Oculus. Now, after one month of counting calories and playing Supernatural 4-5 times per week, I stepped on the scale and found out I'd lost 10 pounds. I'm so e…

Have you been wondering if there are enough Apple TV+ original shows to make it worth adding another streaming service to your menu? I get it, we have a lot—and I mean a lot —to choose from these days, and my family is on a budget. Since…

Has anyone else's teens struggled with interrupted sleep since the pandemic? My kids' slower social lives and reduction in extracurricular activities certainly plays a part, but turning to tech to connect with friends is making an impact…

Nothing compares to having your kid sitting in your lap while you read a book to them , but there's definitely a place for great ebook libraries on my kids' devices too. So when I saw Readeo advertised on my Instagram feed recently, I pa…

Several weeks ago, if you'd told me I'd be excitedly looking forward to my work out each day, I'd have thought you were insane. I have never craved a good cardio session and I haven't had a gym membership in years. That said, I've recent…

Let's take a minute to applaud our teens who've been willing to quarantine this year. It's been brutal to lose so many activities they love, and they've handled it with flexibility and (mostly) good attitudes! While we'd hoped we'd be "b…

Did you all see the huge announcement from Warner Bros. yesterday? For 2021, they'll be streaming all their new release movies directly to HBO Max the same day they hit theaters. That means Wonder Woman , Dune , The Matrix 4 and every ot…

The ladies who live on my quiet, suburban neighborhood street have gone full-on neighborhood watch this week, because we've had a rash of packages stolen off front porches. Our delivery services are at maxed-out capacity, and they're hur…

Tech gifts are at the top of every one of my kids' wish-lists this year, from my 6-year-old to my 15-year-old. But with so much time spent on their computers for remote schooling this year, I'm leaning toward some of these awesome no-scr…

Ready to shop, parents! We've got the Black Friday deals for you this year. From kitchen appliances to video games to home security, we've found some incredible savings for your holiday shopping. Don't worry, we haven't included any blan…

With our kids spending significantly more time on their computers now that for many kids, school is online from home, we've realized something: they can't type. I mean, 16 wpm isn't something to brag about, champ. So we thought we'd look…

As a homeschool mom, I'm often looking for ways to mix things up for my kids so it doesn't get boring. Our Amazon Echo is often playing music or keeping track of our grocery list for us from our homeschool room, but when I realized how m…

As a brand-new homeschool mom two years ago, I have to say I geeked out a little over my first "me" purchase: a laminator. Nerd alert, right? But seriously, it's one small gadget that I've used over and over and has been a huge help in m…

Parents are scrambling right now, trying to figure out how to give their kids the best school year possible, which is why we've been working on a series of "back to schooling" posts to help make it a little easier for you. For many paren…

Every parent wants to know how to take better pictures, especially around Christmas. A few years ago I received the completely awesome gift of a DSLR camera, but I admit I haven't entirely learned how to use it properly. I've taken thous…

Just in time for the holidays, we've found 15 fun Amazon Echo skills that can help you stay organized, add a little more fun to your family time, and even put some magic into the holidays for your kids. If you and Alexa are in a rut, jus…

As a homeschool mom, there's something I've realized about myself over the past couple years: I'm not great at everything. There are some subjects I definitely teach better than others (hello, writing!), and some that I have no business …

My sixth-grader has been asking me to splurge on an Apple Watch for her lately, but I don't see that in her future at the moment. The thing is: she doesn't have a phone yet. So I see little value in spending that kind of money on a watch…

In our Out Tech Your Kids group on Facebook, we've had several questions about parental controls for Gmail, with so many kids needing and using email accounts. We did some research to see what parents can and can't do when it comes to mo…

For lots of middle school kids, back to school means back to tech. Specifically: school-issued laptops. Of course, when we're thinking about our kids and tech that they don't own themselves, but they're responsible for day-in and day-out…

My daughter and I have the same taste in books, generally, so we love sharing anything good we've read lately. That's typically been much easier to do with hardcopy books than digital ones, but now you can set up a Family Library for you…

We get all sorts of awesome questions in our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group . You are a member, right? Recently, a parent asked for foreign language podcast recommendations for kids. So, we dug around and found these 3 great podcasts …

School will be starting up soon, and that means my kids' tech will be focused more on education than Fortnite in a few weeks. Sorry, kids. I'm going to start by downloading these free audiobook apps that let you borrow them (along with b…

Gamer alert: your kids can now play Minecraft all night long—in their dreams—with the new Minecraft x Pottery Barn Kids collection that just launched. This is your chance to be the coolest mom ever, and we think if you have a Minecraft-o…

I'm not much of a bumper sticker person, although I do love a clever quip on someone else's car in traffic. But when I saw the new Mojipic mount for a car's rear windshield, I thought maybe they were on to something. This small LED scree…

This summer, July 20, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Lunar Landing. Even though space travel has been a reality my kids' entire lives -- and mine, too -- they're still incredibly curious about the cosmos. And since they're…

We know it can be really hard for parents to get a good night's sleep, but tech is here to help. We've found 3 great sleep tracking apps that can track your sleep, and help you build better habits to improve it. From waking up at your bo…

With all the not-so-great news coming out around YouTube recently -- from their pedophilia problem to the horrific content spliced into kids' videos to the infamous Momo challenge -- I've been looking for some YouTube alternatives. From …

One of my very favorite movies this year was the Fred Rogers documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor? , which simultaneously shed new light on the TV personality I loved as a child and sparked a passion for me to show my kids every favorite…

We're all for setting some smart parental controls on our kids' tech, and there are some great parenting controls built into the Xbox One that you might not know about it. From limiting screen time to blocking other users who might be in…

Next up in our Alexa Organization Series, we’re sharing some of our favorite Alexa calendar skills to help you keep your family organized. Whether you want to add events to a joint calendar, keep up with a shared to-do list, or just make…

We're getting organized in the new year, and I've found that using my Amazon Echo -- which is strategically placed in our kitchen, the hub of our house -- can be a huge help, including fitness. Yes, we're not kidding. In this post, some …

Next up in our Alexa Organization Series, we're sharing some of our favorite Alexa finance skills to help you keep your family budget it check. Whether you want to track your investments or keep up with your spending, even pay you bills,…

With the new year starting up, if you're like me, you've got organization on your mind. I've found that using my Amazon Echo -- which is strategically placed in our kitchen, the hub of our house -- can be a huge help. So, we're sharing s…

The Netflix fake ball drop has been a total parents' New Year's Eve lifesaver for us. If you haven't heard of this magic yet, you've got to check it out. If your kids are too young (or you're too tired, ha!) to stay up till the new year,…

If you're looking for an amazing last-minute holiday gift that the people on your list will love, consider a digital subscription gift. It's one gift takes up no space in their home, yet provides hours of entertainment, learning, or fun.…

Parents, the vague promise that Santa will come sometime while your kids are asleep just isn't working anymore. Our kids are too tech savvy. So, for those who are anxious to track Santa's every move this Christmas Eve, we've found three …

We've all seen the late-night news exposés with hosts shining black lights in hotel rooms, and let's just say we wish we could forget them. But now we have no reason to worry when we scrunch up next to our partners (and children, let's b…

Just in time for Christmas, we've found 7 festive Echo skills that make the holidays just a little more fun, for your kids and for you too. And hey, if you don't have an Amazon Echo just yet, this might be reason to ask Santa for one. He…

Question: how many times in the last day has your kid danced Orange Justice? If the answer is more than once, then you're going to want to check out these cool Fortnite gifts we've found for kids who are obsessed with the game. Sure, the…

We have a few Thanksgiving traditions in our family: mom's pumpkin pie, a turkey that's never quite ready when we expect it to be, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on TV. Because Lucy, Linus and the rest of the gang are just a sentimenta…

We're huge fans of Osmo around my house. The kids love to play their innovative games, and I love that they seamlessly marry tangible, hands-on play with screen time. So when I saw their new game just announced today, Detective Agency , …

Halloween is right around the corner, so we decided to round-up fun Halloween apps for kids that aren't too scary, all of which happen to be free (yay!). What a fun way to get them excited about Halloween, though if your kids are anythin…

This mama still has it going on in many ways, but let's face it: the 40s are here to stay. A brisk walk with the toddler in the stroller isn't cutting it as my daily workout anymore. So, when I heard about Tonal , a sleek, super-convenie…

Have you ever typed up a message to a friend, asking them to send some good vibes your way because you're really struggling at the moment, only to delete it before sending? (Hand raised!) I don't know if it's the fear of vulnerability th…

We've been experiencing record temps this summer, even for us down in already-toasty Nashville. So anything to make us more comfortable is welcome these days! Sound familiar to you too? So when we spotted these 3 smart, high-tech solutio…

Perhaps you've heard about the Amazon Teen shopping program , in which parents can set up an Amazon login for your teens to shop on their own. It includes lots of safeguards to make sure kids don't spend more than you want them to, but i…

If you're like us, you're deep into back-to-school shopping , but there's probably one purchase you might not have thought of yet: children's blue-light filtering glasses . Blue light from our computers, iPads, and every other device we …

Of all the STEM coding toys that have come through our door, our favorite has been Cubetto . Maybe it's the heirloom quality of the robot's square wooden housing, with a personable little smile on the front. Or the fact that they don't h…

Warning: you're about to seriously waste some time reliving your childhood. We've found the motherlode of retro computer games thanks to Classic Reload. They've collected and preserved more than 5,000 classic video games for future gener…

So, we were all a little freaked out about the story that an Amazon Echo had recorded a private conversation in a user's home, then sent that conversation to someone else. Because, oof. Beyond embarrassing, this is a major privacy breakd…

If your social media feeds are like mine, they're no longer places for me to find out what's going on with my friends and distant family. Instead, they're oftentimes the source of stress and anxiety for me, given the constant influx of s…

Brooklyn-based kindie music geniuses The Pop Ups's new album is out today, and (thanks to a sneak-preview) my kids are already hooked. To be honest, I am too. If you're new to the kid-music scene, you might recognize The Pop Ups 's psych…

News flash: our kids love video games. But they also love to help cook in the kitchen. So when we saw that the new Issa's Edible Adventures app teaches them to cook virtually and IRL, we knew we had to try it out. It's part Carmen Sandie…

Little history lesson for you: did you know that the emojis designs we use today -- and communicate almost exclusively with our tweens in -- originated way back in 1999? Like, before we even knew what a smartphone was? Japanese designer …

Geek parent alert: we've found the must-have language acquisition book for your offspring. With 100 First Words for Little Geeks , you can skip over the boring words like car and tree , and focus instead on the important additions to you…

With the warmer weather finally here, I'm looking forward to getting outdoors with my family. We're avid campers and hikers, and I have to admit, I enjoy the time we spend away from screens. Turns out, it's also Screen-Free Week, so how …

I'm a recent convert to the Apple Watch , and it's one of those little things that makes my life as a working-from-home mom easier. So far, my battery has lasted all day without me needing to recharge it, but my newest travel tip is to t…

Spring is nearly here, despite snowy forecasts even down South. But our allergens haven't gotten the note that we're not ready for them yet, and my entire family is sneezy, itchy, and cranky. And after my son's allergies got so bad we en…

If we didn't know before, we've certainly learned very recently that Facebook knows a whole lot about us. But today I discovered that they're assigning us to marketing categories, which are chosen based on the data gathered from your Fac…

Managing my kids activities -- and the time it takes me to get them there -- is one of the more complicated parts of parenting for me. Carpooling is the solution that not only saves my sanity, but also helps out the environment. We have …

Now more than ever, making our voices heard has become a priority for many of us. So when we saw this new, tiny piece of tech called BEAM Authentic , we were immediately intrigued. BEAM is a wearable screen, slightly larger than a poker …

Editor's note: Please scroll to the very bottom for some important updates on our Movie Pass experience. When I first heard about MoviePass on Facebook, I thought it sounded a little too good to be true. All the movies you could possibly…

Cold and flu season is on us, and wow, this is a bear. We've seen you stressing out on Facebook and Instagram, and we're right there with you. To help, we've found some medical apps for families that might bring a little peace of mind. T…

One of my biggest new year's resolutions is to stay organized, and getting my meals planned is key. Because the hardest part of cooking for me -- other than the kids pulling on my shirt or asking me to help them put together their 1,487-…

It's not always easy for us parents to find time to focus on our mental and spiritual health, but it's critical to being good parents for our kids. So, set aside the guilt about "me time" and download these free self-care apps now. They'…

At my house, we use our Amazon Echo every single day. I ask Alexa to place orders, find the proper cooking temperature of pork, or play my favorite playlist, just to name a few. So with the holidays here, I thought it would be fun to sha…

This year, I've become a full-on coffee addict. Welcome to life with four kids. Or, any kids...right? But between cooking breakfasts and getting lunch boxes into backpacks and driving the kids to school (no bus for us, bummer), it's rare…

The Portable North Pole app and website is hands-down our favorite way for kids to get a chance to talk with Santa. And this year, it's back with new features that make it better than ever. For kids who are clever, curious (and maybe a l…

The Apple Watch Series 3 is on our wish lists this year (hint, hint), but we know a gift that splurgy may not be in everyone's budget. So, we've collected some of our very favorite Apple Watch bands and accessories that make great gifts …

If you’re looking for the very best Black Friday 2017 shopping deals and discounts around the web, we've got you covered! And by best, we mean...best. Like, no junky stuff, no "buy one, get one 6% off." Just the best deals for the shops …

Raise your hand if you already have tickets to see The Last Jedi . Yep, we're obsessed too at our house, so I'm (obviously) looking for hot new Star Wars gifts for my kids this holiday season. At the top of my list: Bloxels Star Wars . T…

Home security has gotten really high tech lately, and we're not talking about cameras. Smart locks are helping families stay safer. Whether you want to be able to check on the kids getting home from school alone, or let a neighbor in to …

When I've served my turn as room parent for my kids' classrooms, I've really tried to give the teachers what they'd actually like as a gift from the group. But, a completely sentimental, tear-jerker gift is always a nice touch too. Becau…

We love finding wonderful ways that we can give back and help kids who need it most, especially during the holiday season, which is why we were happy to discover Daymaker . By connecting foster children with people like us via their gift…

My son is the type of kid who can't just watch Star Wars and enjoy it as a fun fantasy world. Instead, it gets his mind spinning: How do the AT-ATs really walk? Could Han really have survived being frozen in carbonite? How do the Bacta t…

Hot Wheels is getting a big tech upgrade, thanks to their newest partnership with a longtime Cool Mom Tech favorite, Osmo . You'll be able to recapture your living room floors from miles of winding plastic track, but still let your kids …

I'm hoping at least one of my kids will choose one of these amazing geeky Halloween costume ideas -- which is to say that no, my kids still haven't made up their minds about their Halloween costumes this year. Hello, kids! Time for a dec…