7 Bedtime iPhone and iPad Apps Your Kids Will Love

Settling kids down for the night is a struggle many parents face.   If you are a regular reader of mine you know I have had my fair share of difficult nights with my toddler (read here and here).  For many a warm bath followed by a bedtime story usually does the trick.  Kids love to be read book after book after book at bedtime.  Let's face it, it can very annoying after awhile and often puts the parent to sleep before the child.  And I don't know about other parents but I don't have much success reading my kids books when the light is dimmed and keeping the light on just seems to get them wired up again.  My kids love Dr. Seuss books but reading a 25 page book loaded with tongue twisters after 8 pm is not what I need, especially if I have the lights dimmed low.

I recently tested out a few bedtime story apps on the girls to see if I would have better success at getting them to wind down faster.  Bedtime books on our iPhone or iPad are much more convenient and the interactivity and animations that most of the apps contain really get the kids excited about settling down for the night.  Not only do they give you the choice of reading it yourself or having read to them but some even let you record the story as you read it to your little ones so they can play it back anytime and hear it mom or dad's voice.
I've listed a few of our favorite bedtime apps.  

1.  Nighty Night  $2.99

ABOUT THE STORY:  Nighty Night is the perfect App for a daily go-to-sleep ritual with sweet music and elegant narration. All around the house the lights go out, and even the animals in the barn are tired. But who puts them to bed? Who turns out the lights in their stalls? That is the task for small children aged 1-4. Watching all the animals go to sleep is a lovely way to set the mood for bedtime. 

• ✓ 2D illustration and animation 
• ✓ 7 interactive animals (Dog, Pig, Sheep, Duck, Cow, Fish, Chicken) 
• ✓ Accompanied by melodic lullaby music 
• ✓ Switch between winter and summer version
• ✓ Autoplay function 

2.   Time to Go to Bed with Sadie McKenzie  Free

ABOUT THE STORY:  Time To Go To Bed, the first in a series of interactive children's books, teaches young children about the steps involved in getting ready for bed every night. In Time To Go To Bed, children help little Sadie McKenzie get ready for bedtime, through a series of fun, rewarding steps that will in turn teach them about their own routine.

3.  Bedtime Story: An Animated Aesop Children's Book  .99 cents

ABOUT THE STORY: This is one of my favorites.  I love the narrator's voice and the way the animals jump from one scene to the next.  It is time for bed with this fun, animated rhyme that has children tap each animal to send it running off to sleep.  Have fun with Fox, Crow, Wolf, Hare, and Tortoise as all the Aesop animals finish their day and go to bed.

4.  Goodnight Safari  Free

ABOUT THE STORY: Children are at the center of the story as they help the giraffe eat her dinner, the monkey climb to bed, and the elephant kiss goodnight. Simple vocabulary and intuitive interactivity will engage young children while building their comfort with nighttime preparations. A perfect bedtime or story-time accompaniment for young children.

5.  Leah & The Owl  $1.99

ABOUT THE STORY: Read by a little girl, this book app tells the story of toddler Leah who loves to read but doesn't like to take a bath at bedtime. As kids follow her through her bedtime routine, they participate by tapping on the gold stars that appear on each page. One star reveals a missing Teddy Bear under the bed. When Leah is finally tucked into bed with the lights out, something wonderful happens. A magical owl arrives to fly her through the night to frolic with the dolphins in the ocean, alligators in a swamp, penguins on a glacier and lions on the savanna. When Leah starts to fall asleep curled up next to the lion cubs, her friend the owl flies her back to her own bed. This is a perfect story to read to calm little ones before bed.

6.  Miss Spider's Bedtime Story  Free (iPad)

Who doesn't love Miss Spider?  Read, watch, listen, and play with Miss Spider and her buggy bunch as they earn special sleepy-time rewards in this interactive story that is really five apps in one. With multi-touch animation, painting, puzzles, and games, Miss Spider’s Bedtime Story reinvents the reading experience for the entire family. Make bedtime fun time with Miss Spider and her friendly bug pack. 

• Watch story in lush 3-D CGI animation
• Touch images for multimedia surprises
• Read or follow along with spoken narration
• Play games, solve puzzles, and paint pictures
• Listen to original music and sound effects

ABOUT THE STORY: Every buggy in the Spider family is just too busy to get to sleep on time. What’s a spider mom to do? Luckily, Miss Spider and Holley find a creative way to get the kids’ nighttime routine under control—and realize they may need a bit of help getting to bed, too!

7.  Bedtime Bunny Tales: Tortoise and the Hare  $2.99

ABOUT THE STORY:  Bedtime Bunny Tales is an interactive storybook that is perfect for bedtime. This twist on The Tortoise and the Hare is not only an adventure but teaches a timely truth- that greed can be a dangerous trap.

•Unique interactivity with original voices
•Animation that bring pages to life
•3D tilting interactivity on some pages

My advice with most of these apps is check to see if there is a "lite" version first and test it out.  If your little one seems really into it then go ahead and splurge on the purchase.   I try not to download the ones that have games/puzzles but if the story is good enough then I don't let them know or that just puts us back on the crazy train.   

A Summer Favorite: Crunchy Coleslaw Salad (Guest Post)

Hello Boogies n Boo Boos readers! I'm Samantha from Life Style Love and I am excited to be here to share with you a recipe for a new twist on coleslaw salad!  I don't really have a name for it but it's one of our favorite spring/summer salads. I think we'll just call it Crunchy Coleslaw Salad. Yes, that sounds good. What you'll need: 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 2 packets flavoring from ramen noodles packages
1 bag coleslaw 2 packages chicken ramen noodles, uncooked 1 bushel green onions cashews, salted halves

Mix together the first 4 ingredients for the dressing. Shake and stir well. I often continue stirring occasionally to prevent separation. Pour dressing over coleslaw, add sliced green onions, and toss well. Add crunched up ramen noodles and cashews right before serving.

Reasons why I love it:  1) It's easy and healthy.
2) It's very different from the typical creamy coleslaw so it always tends to be a big hit in the summer, even with those that aren't typical salad-lovers.
3) It can be completely prepared ahead of time and brought to an event where you stir all ingredients together before serving. Easy-peasy. 
This is how I prepared it ahead of time and packed it up to bring to a work BBQ:

I hope you enjoy and try it out this summer!

Samantha is a twenty-something wife who started blogging when her and her husband moved. Since then, Life Style Love has grown to be about much more than their newly-located life. Follow along to read about things she creates and cooks, married-life adventures, random thoughts, and love, with small doses of wine and sarcasm along the way!

How I Spent My Mother's Day... Alone

This Mother's Day I chose to get out of the house alone for a few hours.  My husband, Jeff, was in Chicago visiting sick friend for a few days leaving me home alone with the girls till Sunday afternoon.  By the time he arrived at home I was already dressed and ready to get the hell out of there.  Don't get me wrong, I love spending Mother's Day with my family but after holding up the fort alone for four days I really just wanted some peace and quiet.
The first stop on my solo adventure was Panera, or St. Louis Bread Co., as it's known out here.  I ordered my usual Pick 2: Bacon Turkey Bravo with a cup of soup.  As I sat alone eating I started to feel a bit sad that I was alone.   Weird, right?  I am always trying to escape from these crazies I call family and there I was, alone and wishing they were with me.  I quickly scarfed down my food and headed across the street.
The second stop was the movie theater.  I get to the movies maybe once a year, if I'm lucky!  I couldn't decide between The Big Wedding, Oblivion and The Great Gatsby.   I chose Gatsby.  All I can say is, "Wow!".  I loved it.  The soundtrack is awesome and the cinematography was outstanding.   Leonardo DiCaprio did a fabulous job at playing Jay Gatsby.  I really need to go to Gatsby theme party thrown at this same level.  Unbelievable!!  If you go expecting it to be like the book you might be disappointed or pleasantly surprised.  I'm not sure everyone would love the movie but I sure did.

After the movie I walked around the mall and picked up a few shirts and a maxi skirt.  I tried everything on in the dressing room before purchasing but when I came home and tried them on again I was as sold.  Figures.
Coming home was a bit disappointing.  I walked in and could hear my husband snoring upstairs.  The girls were running around unsupervised and the house was turned upside down.  I know he was exhausted from his trip and his long train ride and I appreciate him taking over for me but I really hoped to come home to the girls fed, bathed and dressed for bed and the house in the same order I left it.   Oh well, can't always have it all.
All in all it was a good day.   Maybe next year I will ask for a family brunch and then I'll sneak out to see another movie.
Here is a trailer for the movie...

25 Free Outdoor Summer Activities for Kids

Hi Guys!  Krystal here from My Life of Travels and Adventures.  So excited to be posting over here at Boogies n BooBoos.  Thanks Jen for having me! 

Can't wait for summer?  Me either! It will be my little guy Reid's first real summer that we can enjoy together.  So without further ado, some fun  free ideas for the summer.  

1. Go on a picnic.  What says summer more than a picnic? Pack lunch and head to your local park, field or where ever and eat lunch outside on a blanket. 
2. Playgrounds.  Play on all the playgrounds in your area.  Try to check them all out before the summer is over. 

   

   Sorry, its blurry.  But slides are fast and fun!

3. Go for a walk.  Take a walk and let your child lead the way.  
4. Play with bubbles.
5. Walk around your local Farmer's Market. 
6. Draw with Sidewalk Chalk.
7. Run through the Sprinkler. 
8. Play in the Pool.  Maybe only slightly better than the sprinkler is the pool. 
9. Play in the Rain/Mud. Take the opportunity and send the kids out to play in the rain and mud. Remember, they are still kids. 
10. Make smores. Have a bonfire and roast some marshmallows for smores.  Or just eat the chocolate bars - if you are like me.
11. Set up your tent and have a camp out.  
12. Put on your helmets and take a family bike ride. Our little guy is rides with us in the trailer and loves it.
    
13. Take the kids to watch a baseball game.  I know around here there are lots of little league/town teams playing each night.  Go cheer them on.
14. Wash the Car. Drag out the hose.  Get out some buckets and old rags and let the kids go to town on the car.  
15. Go on a Scavenger Hunt.  Make a list of things you might see outside, then take a walk around your neighbor hood and look for all the items on your list. With my 16 month old.. the list would look like this: Doggy, Ball, Daddy and Cow.  Where you would see a cow in Philadelphia I have no idea.
16. Have a Pinterest Challenge.  Let your kids find a messy craft on pinterest and have a craft-off. 
17. Run Together.  Run through a field.  Run and play tag.  Run on a trail.  Run a 5k.  There are so many options. Reid & I just ran our first 5k together.
18. Fly a Kite. 
19. Plant Something.  Flowers.  Herbs. Veggies.
20. Catch Bugs (or Butterflies). Or step on them... Up to you
21. Pick Flowers. Try to discourage picking from the neighbor's prized flower garden
22. Eat Dinner Outside.
23. Play in the Sand. 
24. Swing. Really high. 
25. Lay in the Grass.  Savor the summer.  It goes by too quickly.

Krystal is a full time working Mom who spends her evenings playing referee between her toddler, husband and 2 pit bulls. She started blogging while training for a a half marathon and over the years has written about weight loss, pregnancy and travel. Follow along for parenting adventures, recipes, crafts and her attempts at running.
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The Case of the Missing Poop

I read not too long ago that blogging about one's kids is a topic that people just aren't interested in reading about, especially when it comes to things like bowel movements or breastfeeding.  Personally, I don't agree.  Poop is funny.  We all do it but we still treat it like our dirty little secret.  No pun intended.  So just let you all know, I still plan on  blogging about poop and other gross and funny events that happen in our home.
With that being said, there seems to be a recurring mystery in the Ragan house over the last few weeks...poop!  I don't know what it is about my sweet little girls (ha!) but I seriously think we need to hire a poop detective.   First of all let me say that Riley is that kid that comes up to me at least 3 times a week with a handful of poop.  This kid is constantly digging for gold in her diaper.  It's so damn gross but I have to deal with it till she finally understands just how unacceptable it really is.  Case 1 of the Missing Poop:  Bella  is about 10 weeks into potty training.  She is doing absolutely fantastic but of course she still has the occasional accident when it comes to pooping.  She walked up to me with her "cowboy walk" upset because she "went poo poo in her pants".  I helped her walk up the stairs and lead her to the bathroom where I slowly took off  her pants and her panties trying to prevent the turd from falling on my floor.   Her pants and panties were off but there wasn't a turd to be found.  I wiped her butt and there was clearly evidence of poop.  WTH?  We both just stared at one another with a confused look when she says, "It went bye-bye?"  Oh man, to this day I still haven't found any signs of the poop.

Case 2 of the Missing Poop:  Little Miss Riley came up to me with a handful of poop yesterday so I quickly carried her up the stairs to clean her up.  I wash her hands thoroughly and start to change her diaper.  Clean as a whistle!  Wipe her butt and it's just as clean as the diaper. What is happening????   My first thought is maybe the dog pooped in the house and she found it first.  I walked around the entire house and there isn't a sign of poop anywhere.
Are we the only house that loses poop turds as much as we lose socks in the dryer?  This is getting ridiculous!  
If you enjoy stories about poop then read this post about bath-time poop.