Using Tech to Stay Connected.

[Deanna Ayres]

Time flies. There is no way around it. I have discovered and decided that there is no cure for how fast time passes. The only thing we can do is figure out how to stay connected to what is important, make the time we spend away from people we love as efficient as possible so we can in turn spend more time with our loved ones. Lately I have been rattled by news of rather unexpected deaths of friends and people I grew up with. I am by no means considering myself old but I am no longer young, unphased and oblivious to the hard truths of life. 

As a mom and having realized how fast time is slipping through my hands, I want to spend as much time as I can with my kids and my husband. I want to have  a great time, teach them and help them grow. I want a lot of things for my family but between work, school, studying, friends, hobbies, chores and just plain old lazy time, I feel like we lose touch. As I've wrote before, I am a huge advocate of electronic free time and I still am. 

That being said, I have come to the conclusion that I need to work with technology and innovation not against it. Can it become a time sucker? Absolutely. But that's not the technology I need or am looking for. 

I set out on a quest to find new innovative ideas that can help me keep my family (even internationally - since half of my family is in Germany) connected and organized and something that could help me help my kids study. Sounds easy enough, right?

Wrong. While what I look for is out there, it is all fragmented, costs a lot of money, isn't quite what I want. I asked friends who suggested facebook, skype, email, instagram, google calendar as solutions; even youtube for educational purposes. But I don't want my kids on facebook, trolling youtube and seeing things they shouldn't see, and have so many different apps period. My kids have tablets, me and my husband have android &  iPhones so I need a cross functional app. Yes, I am one picky momma and I bet you are too. Oh and let's not forget that a lot of things cost money on top of it.

Last week I brought it up with my husband and complained how difficult it was to find something that I liked and I didn't know where else to look. Being the gamer couple that we are, he simply said "Maybe it's not made yet. Have you looked at startups who are beta testing?" Ahhh, so simple. I hadn't. Startups, the hidden gems. Clearly not a solution for everything but I hit the lucky jackpot (hopefully) and because I love their offer, I thought I'd share. I found 2 apps that are in beta signups right now with great backer offers that I think are worth a shot. 
One is called Hohm and is an app that connects families and appears to have A LOT of neat features. I emailed them for a better understanding of what it is that they offer. First, they replied super fast (bonus point) and gave an impressive list of features:

• Family Activity feed (in-app, twitter, facebook, Instagram integration) Don't need that (yet)
• In-feed conversations Perfect
• Task list with priority & ownership (To-do / Chores list) (post when task is complete, recurring tasks with motivators) HECK YES!
• Secure Home document storage Could prove useful, I am notorious for misplacing docs
  
• Family Photo/Video archive Love! 
• Consolidated Family Calendar Awesome, we are always busy and have crazy schedules
• Events Cool, planning bdays and reunions. 
• Family polls (what’s for dinner? Who’s going to pick me up?) YES, YES, YES!
• Family tracker (integrated into feed –dad left work, kid deviated on way home from school) I like that feature personally. One of the reasons I am super hyped up. 

This has 90% of what I was looking for in an app and then some things I didn't know I wanted till I read it (like the polls and tracker). I love that only the people who are in the app and have the passcode can read and participate. 
I have my fingers crossed this happens soon. Right now you can sign up and get a free YEAR. Nothing lost if it ends up not living up to my expectations. But if it does, I got a whole year free. That's a crazy and awesome offer. You can sign up here and get your free bonus: Hohm

The second app I found on twitter with the hashtag #beta (try it, lot's of great stuff out there) This one is for learning and studying with your kids. That's exactly what I need. I am so tired of having 6 places to practice from the schools, then what we use online and then still having to Google how they do math nowadays. I've added their intro video, it explains it much better than I could. They also have a walkthrough on their youtube channel you could check out. It's really neat. Needless to say, I've signed up for that as well. 6 months free if you sign up before the launch. Booya. You can sign up for FastTrack and receive your 6 months for free here: FastTrack

I almost feel bad for getting 2 things for free for so long. But on the other hand, I think it speaks to the quality of the apps.  No one would give that long for free if they don't believe that you'll be hooked after. Consider me hooked and lined :) 

I have high hopes for both. One to save time and connect and one that allows me to help my kids study and advance. I may learn something or rather refresh my memory - since mom knows everything ;)

What do you use to save time and stay connected? What tools do you utilize to help your kids study? I'd love some feedback and chat about the use of apps for families. Tweet me @deanna_ayres and let me know if you signed up or with alternatives!