Home security devices: 3 simple new systems that will keep you — and all those Christmas presents — safe.

by Kate Etue | Uncategorized

As our houses are filling up with gifts for the holidays, it’s a good time to think about home security  to keep our homes safe from burglaries and just provide some extra peace of mind. Because waking up Christmas morning to no presents under the tree would be...

Daily Vroom app gives you personalized brain-building exercises for your kids. So like, an extra brain for you.

by Kate Etue | Best Apps, Educational Apps

Kids’ brains grow so fast during the preschool years, which is why they need lots of stimulation to help them develop smarter, sharper brains. Also, possibly why kids at this age are so um, challenging. Not just me, right? But often, parents are so busy doing so...

Let the StoryCorps app capture stories of your family’s history this holiday. The result is really beautiful.

by Kate Etue | Best Apps

When I’m driving around running errands, I usually have NPR on the radio, unless I’m listening to Spawned, of course. The stories that almost always end up with me in tears, searching for a Kleenex in the console, are the reports from StoryCorps which...

The Bluetooth label maker that lets you create and print straight from your phone. Type-A heaven!

by Kate Etue | Uncategorized

The geek in me is coming out strong, you guys. I’m a little embarrassed about how excited I am about the new Epson LabelWorks LW600-P Bluetooth label maker which I recently got a chance to try out (thanks Epson!) and while “LW600-P” doesn’t...

Keep calm and carry on this holiday, with the Spire anti-stress tracker.

by Kate Etue | Fitness + Health

If you’re considering a fitness tracker purchase this winter — especially with the holiday food and party season coming up, yeesh! — there’s a new device on the market you may want to consider. While most fitness trackers will calculate your...

The gorgeous SoundBlaster Roar 2 speaker proves that bigger isn’t always better

by Kate Etue | Gear + Hardware, Kids

This nice fall weather is making me want to take our entertaining outside, so the kids can run around and play while the parents can sit on the porch with a mug of hot cider (or something stronger) and chat. But since it’s kind of sad to have the...

3 fun, free toothbrushing apps for kids. Because, Halloween candy.

by Kate Etue | Best Apps, Educational Apps

Yes, we know our kids should (and do) brush their teeth without the help of an app every night. But in the spirit of Halloween fun, and you know, the bags and bags of candy headed our way, I’ve found three fun, free toothbrushing apps for the kids that are...

Bandolet: A fashionable phone clutch alternative that requires no clutching at all.

by Kate Etue | Uncategorized

Our editor Liz has been telling me for a while now how much she loves her Bandolier phone case; she even named it her cool pick of the week on the Spawned podcast. It’s the perfect accessory for taking an iPhone or Galazy phone along to parties or on dates, or...

The Earth by Tinybop: the wonderful new app for future geologists. Or just curious kids.

by Kate Etue | Best Apps, Educational Apps

We’ve found that our kids learn best if we give them the opportunity to be curious about things first, and that’s what the exploration apps from Tinybop do so well. Whether you kids are interested in the human body, architecture, or building machines, they...

The Sound Cover speaker boosts your iPad volume by 400%. We’ll let you decide if that’s a good thing.

by Kate Etue | Gear + Hardware

We’ve gotten to the point where my kids watch most of their shows and movies on our iPad. The sound is fine when just one of them is using it at a time, but when they’re trying to share it — which is a feat in and of itself — the sound can be...