Category Archives: apps

Trips to the Apple Store

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loscerritos_hero_2xThis Christmas we got my mom an iMac and an iPhone 5.  She may be the most equipped grandma on the block.  Yesterday, we spent an hour waiting and configuring her newly purchased iPhone 5.  It was crowded but kids were in their own zone.

I always find trips to Apple Store is like going to a theme park.  It’s just as fun as going to the Legoland.  They love sitting on those foamed spherical chairs, exploring new apps, and periodically poking their heads up, like squirrels looking for nuts, to see what other kids are playing.

If you ever need a place to take kids on a rainy day, head to the local Apple Store.  Now if only they have childcare!

Decorating kids’ rooms

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Eric-Carles-Brown-Bear-Wall-Art_NI2617

Kids love bright colors, so we opted for a Spice Butternut (orange) and a Handsome Hue (blue) for our boys.

One thing we try not to do is to have frames with sharp edges and glass.  Instead,  we got wall decals and canvas prints.

Here are some of my favorite items to liven up my boys’ rooms:

  • Brown Bear Wall Appliques – Eric Carle is one of our favorite children’s authors.  His distinct illustrations are highly recognizable. Often when I get my toddler dressed, I would point to the wall and ask him what “Brown Bear” or “Goldfish” sees.  You can see the co-author Bill Martin Jr. reading from this book.
  • Cici Factory canvas prints – we have a number of whimsical prints with robots and rockets.  They have internal wood frames and are ready to hang.  What I like about them is that there are no sharp edges.
  • Green Leaf Art – These safari animals are really adorable.  For my little toddler who was born the Year of Tiger, I thought it was quite appropriate.

In my spare time, I really like browsing decorated rooms using Houzz’s iPad app.  It’s an awesome source for inspiration.

Learning to write as a kindergartner

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LetterSchool

I sent my 5yo son to a play-based preschool.  I chose a loving and nurturing environment over one with academic rigor.  While it was a conscious decision, it was still disconcerting when we were told by his kindergarten teacher that he only knew 27-28 letters (out of 56, including upper/lowercase letters and variants of a/g and others).

True to their tiger mom nature, my sister and brother-in-law introduced us to LetterSchool, an iPad app that teaches kids to write in a unique and fun fashion.