Since Alex switched to 2nd shift last month, we have all be adjusting to our new schedule and not having daddy home in the evenings for dinner, homework, and bedtimes. For the big kids, it’s not such a big deal, but the little ones really enjoy their daddy time and they do get more during the day however at night, sometimes they just need a quick daddy fix. In order to stay in touch and get that quick fix while daddy is at work, we have been using the Tango App on our Samsung Galaxy SIII phones.
Tango allows you to make free voice and video calls and text message. We have been using it quite a bit to video chat with daddy before bedtime and it has been a great tool.
We have also taken advantage of the video chatting on the Galaxy SIII so daddy is also included in important moments and milestones, like watching Miss Ellie walk across our living room last night.
Here’s a screenshot of a video chat I had earlier with Alexander.
He thinks it’s really cool to sit in one room with one phone and call mommy on the other and be goofy!
Once again, technology wins and helps make my life easier and keep our family connected!
Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Moms program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.
Last month, I traveled to Chicago for the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Moms Kickoff Event in addition to attending the SocialRevUp Brands & Bloggers conference. Since I was travelling with the adorable Miss Ellie this year, I had to take along someone to assist with her care when I had certain things to attend. When I was presented with this opportunity, Zack jumped at the chance to accompany me and assist me with the little one.
In exchange for his assistance in Chicago that weekend, I have been letting him use my new Samsung Galaxy SIII on the Verizon network now that Packer Training Camp is in full swing.
Now that he has been using the phone for the last few weeks as he attends Packer practice, I have asked him to share his views on the phone with me.
Zack is in LOVE with the quality of photos that the 8.0 megapixel rear camera produces. He has been taking it to Packers training camp to capture some pictures of some of our boys in the green and yellow. All of the pictures in this collage were taken with the Galaxy SIII and they have not been edited at all!
We have also been using the phone to capture some great videos. The Galaxy SIII camcorder function offers a 1080p HD video capture but there will be more on that later!
So from a teenagers perspective, this phone delivers. It offers a great camera and camcorder in addition to some super fast internet connections!
Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Moms program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.
As you all know, we recently moved into our new home. Things have been crazy around here. It took us almost a week to move everything out of our rental home and into our new forever home.
On our 3rd day in our new home, we had an appointment to have cable installed.
Yes, we were finally going to have TV to keep the 4 year old Alexander entertained while we continued to move and unpack the house. Little did I know that when I placed the order for cable that I was misinformed and that the Basic cable package we had decided to have installed only contained 13 channels!
AHHHHH!!!
Only having 13 channels meant that we lacked Nickelodeon, Disney, the Cartoon Network….you know, all those channels that little 4 year old boys love!
Thanks to my Samsung Galaxy SIII and my Netflix account, my dear sweet little Alexander was able to enjoy his favorite shows by watching them right on my phone!
I love that there is a Netflix app (downloadable for FREE in the Android Market Playstore) and it is great how well the picture quality is on the phone. It also really helps that the Verizon network is super fast and the video isn’t always buffering as it does on my Galaxy SIII on another network.
Thank you Verizon, Samsung and Netflix for allowing me to provide my son with his beloved Power Rangers and Transformers to keep him entertained during our hectic move!
Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Moms program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.
This past weekend, Zack, Ellie and I made our way to Chicago so I could attend the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Moms kickoff event along with the 2012 Brands & Bloggers Summit.
Let me start by saying I was absolutely, 100% terrified to drive not just to Chicago with 2 kids by myself but to downtown Chicago at that. You see, I hate to drive in big cities that play host to lots and lots of traffic. I prefer to be able to hope in my car and make it from one side of town to the other in less than 15 minutes, not 2 hours. However, this trip seemed to go off better than I had planned. Thanks to the beautiful 2012 GMC Yukon with a sweet navigation system, I was always prepared for what was ahead. I knew when we would hit construction, when there was a delay and just how much longer we would be until we arrived. It was also really nice that little Miss Ellie slept for all but the first 20 minutes of the ride.
When we arrived in Chicago, Zack couldn’t believe the amount of people everywhere. (The only time he had ever seen the city was from the highway on a trip to Indiana). We sat on the off ramp for over 45 minutes, spent the next 45 making our way too & finding the parking garage and then unloaded and lugged everything over to the hotel.
We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel on the 29th floor. Once we were settled in, I made my way to the Prudential Building for the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Moms Kickoff! Unfortunately, I was late to the party because of traffic but I arrived just in time to receive my shiny and new Samsung Galaxy S3 from Verizon. As you may know, a few weeks ago I upgraded my current cell phone to a Samsung Galaxy S3 (on a different network) so I already had some experience with the phone. Now that I have 2 Samsung Galaxy S3 phones on two different networks I have been comparing both the phone and the service, so be sure to watch for posts from me all about my comparisons and thoughts! After spending the last 4 days with both of these phones in my hands I have already conducted a lot of research, so be on the lookout!
After the Verizon meeting, I met Zack and Ellie back at the hotel and we made our plans for dinner and placed an order for a World Famous Chicago Stuffed Pizza from Giordano’s. This was also Zack’s first Chicago pizza experience! Of course, he loved every.last.bite. We were even lucky enough to bring some leftovers home with us for the rest of the family to try.
After we stuffed our bellies with pizza, we sat around for a bit while Zack showed me the awesome trick he learned while I was away at my meeting. Let’s just say the trick involves a window sill, a big fluffy bed and a somersault in the air.
Before we settled in for the night, we made a quick trip out to the neighboring Walgreens for a few supplies before crawling into our big comfy beds for the night.
Even Miss Ellie approved of the bed!
Watch for more about our exciting weekend in Chicago and the Brands & Bloggers Summit tomorrow! Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Moms program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product. Verizon also covered my hotel, expenses and conference pass as part of the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Moms program. Also, thank you again to GM for providing us with transportation to Chicago.
