free or close to it

Many of you photo-clicking moms like me may be starting to panic just a little with the closing of Picnik next month . But along with the other Picnik alternatives we shared a couple of months, we've found another awesome solution and in…

Though my kids generally loathe being dragged along from store to store when I have errands to run, there is one store I have no problem getting them into: The Apple Store. In fact, I usually have to drag them out when I'm ready to leave…

My sister makes this little laugh/cry sound every time her first grader brings her another one of his books. It's so awesome that he loves to write stories, and yet the amount of paper he goes through each week makes her consider plantin…

Having a multi-platform, multi-device household can be difficult when all you want to do is transfer an itty bitty song from one device to the other. It's a whirling dervish of cords, USBs, devices, and wandering MPEG files that usually …

This past weekend, I got through four fun-filled days at Disney World and emerged relatively unscathed from the perils of long lines and the whining that ensues on them. In part I have to thank the temperate weather, but I owe a huge deb…

When I told friends that my son and I were headed to Skywalker Ranch to see an early viewing of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace 3D , a startling number of them wanted me to find George Lucas and ask him " Why??? " Why Jar Jar? Wh…

There are times as a mom when not only do I wish I had three sets of arms, but three sets of eyes as well. That's why I was interested in a new DIY video monitoring system called iWatchLife . Especially because it's completely free. DIY …

Now that Google is closing down Picnik , any suggestions for what I can use to edit my photos? -Delilah We were definitely surprised to hear that Picnik is shutting down. I've used it many times to quickly and easily edit photos, and whi…

If you constantly have regret about sleeping through all those 8:30 AM college classes or have always wanted to learn another language, technology is now making it mighty easy to add a couple IQ points, in the comfort of your own homes. …

Though it is always about 100 times messier when my kids want to help in the kitchen, I've always loved their help. And since this is great cookie-baking weather, I've found a sweet little tune to play while we get busy stirring, taste-t…

Editor's Note: We've updated this post with new information we received regarding the changes to Picnik. You might have been as surprised as I was to learn the news that Google will be closing down Picnik , the go-to photo editing site f…

My kids are getting old enough to understand that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's message of equality, fairness and tolerance is just as important now as it was back when he was alive. And today on his observed birthday, I have found a great…

I recently did a round-up of great videoconferecing options for connecting with family over the holidays. But if you're one of those families that travels for the holidays, you will be happy to know that Skype just announced it is offeri…

Usually opening the Advent Calendar is the biggest thing my kids do on December 1st, but this year, they gave Santa a haircut. And a shave. And then dyed his hair pink. And none of it put them on Santa's Naughty List. Yes, Toca Boca , on…

When I first got my iPad I told my kids they'd never touch it. Ever . And here I am six months later and there's more kid apps than mama apps installed on the thing. They've worn me down, people. So I'm always on the lookout for great ap…

Some of the apps on my iPad blow me away with their technological innovation, their touch-screen capabilities, and their ability to make my kids gasp, shriek or just marvel at how cool they are. But, the latest app they are hogging my iP…

There have been times I've driven through my town on trash day and have been stupefied at the things that people are willing to just throw away--cribs, baby toys, bicycles. I understand that not every person has the time or the energy to…

You can really never have too many lullabies, can you? I love lullabies for bedtime, of course, but also to play when we need to calm down after lunch, or on lazy rainy afternoons. And when the lullaby is as pretty as this one from Ameri…

If you find yourself in front of your computer or smart phone more than you are in front of a baby book, you may love how easy it is to record all your pregnancy thoughts onto this brand new digital storybook site, courtesy of the UK meg…

When it came time for me to pick out my favorite song from Dan Zanes' most excellent, brand new CD Little Nut Tree , it didn't take me long to zero in on the duet between Zanes and Shine, the lead singer of Shine and the Moonbeams which …

H i Cool Mom Tech! Any suggestions for websites that have a good selection of free online games for kids (3rd grade/elementary school level) that are educational, but also FUN for them...so they won't realize that they're actually learni…

I'm not sure my kids or I could ever pick out our favorite Justin Roberts song--there are just too many good ones from his dozen or so years as a kindie musician. So I love that he's currently offering a handful of singles to download to…

I have a deep and abiding love for catalogs, even more than for magazines; I can spend hours curled up with a pile of shiny catalogs, dog-earing pages and tearing out examples of how I want my life to look. Don't pretend you don't know w…

We've heard people rave about Evernote as a fantastic, free way to save inspiration and ideas and access them from anywhere - computer, phone, or your favorite mobile device. But when we asked our go-to help desk, our Twitter followers a…