Author: jameskinler

There’s nothing better on a hot day than staying inside and streaming your favorite movies and TV shows. Here are some of our staff’s favorite Netflix picks: If you like dramas, you might like… Dead to Me – Laugh and cry as you uncover the unlikely friendship of Jen and Judy, after Jen’s husband is killed in a hit and run accident. Designated Survivor – When a national disaster strikes and kills almost every member of the American government, the HUD secretary is thrust into presidency in this political thriller. The Crown – Based on the life of Queen Elizabeth II, each season of The Crown chronicles each decade of her reign. If you like cooking, you might like… Chef’s Table – This documentary series follows several culinary geniuses who are revolutionizing gourmet foods around the world. The Chef Show – Jon Favreau and Roy Choi travel around the world to learn from legends in the culinary industry. If you need something to watch with the whole family, you might like… Fuller House – Fans of Full House will love this family-friendly spin-off which depicts the life of DJ Tanner, Stephanie and Kimmy! Lost in Space – When a family crash-lands on an alien planet, they must do whatever it takes to escape dangerous situations and find their way home. If you like throwbacks, you might like…

Just because the school year is over doesn’t mean that it’s time for your kids to stop learning! Whether it be phonics, geography, or a foreign language, these apps can keep your kids motivated to learn throughout the summer. Duolingo Duolingo is a great app to help kids learn a new language. It’s perfect for kids because every lesson is gamified to make learning a new language fun and entertaining. Each lesson includes a variety of speaking, listening, translating and typing. With languages from Spanish to Klingon to Ukrainian, there’s bound to be something that piques your child’s interest! The best part is that Duolingo is completely free, but you can upgrade to Duolingo Plus for even more features. ABCmouse At $9.95 a month, ABCmouse is a comprehensive learning program that grows up with your kids from age 3 to 2nd grade. It covers subjects from reading to math to science and social studies. With over 850 lessons, your child will never run out of activities. ABCmouse also has a ticket and reward system to keep your child motivated. Google Earth You may be surprised to see Google Earth on this list, but Google Earth is a great way for your child to learn about geography and explore different locations around the world. From the Eiffel Tower to Times Square to the Great Pyramids, your child can learn about world history and see the world all from an app! The Google Earth app is free to download. Hooked on Phonics With over 275 activities, Hooked on Phonics can help your child learn to read! Perfect for ages 3-7, th

Being a new parent is stressful, wonderful and scary all at the same time. From giving you peace of mind to giving you a couple more hours of sleep, these devices can help you make the transition into parenthood a little easier! Owlet Smart Sock 2 Designed to give new parents peace of mind, the Owlet Smart Sock 2 wraps around your baby’s foot to detect heat rate, oxygen levels and sleep patterns. You can place the base next to your bed, which will glow green if everything looks good and it will notify you with flashing lights and an alarm if your baby’s levels leave the preset zones. You can view live readings of your baby’s stats using the smart phone app. The app can also track your baby’s sleep, oxygen and heart rate patterns. Nanit Plus Camera The Nanit Plus Camera mounts on the wall of your nursery to give you a perfect view of your child’s crib. The camera connects to an app which tracks your baby’s sleep trends and give you a time-lapse of your baby throughout the night. The app also uses background audio to let you hear your baby, even when your phone is locked, or you are using other apps. Hatch Baby Grow Smart Changing Pad and Scale If keeping track of your baby’s weight is important to you, then the Hatch Baby Grow Smart Changing Pad might be perfect for you! This changing pad has a built-in scale that connects to your smart phone through an app. Every time you change your baby, the scale will automatically track how much your baby weighs, as well as measure how much your baby is eating at every feeding. The information will then sync to the mobile app.

You don’t have to have thousands of dollars or a complicated camera system in order to protect your home. Wi-Fi-based security cameras make it easy! These cameras connect to your home’s wi-fi and allow you to view a live feed or save video footage to the cloud when a motion sensor is triggered. Most wi-fi based cameras also connect seamlessly to smart assistants such as Google Home or Amazon Alexa. Now anyone can keep an eye on their property and home from anywhere in the world! Here are some of our favorite home security cameras to give you peace of mind. Ring Starting at $99, Ring’s most well-known product is their video doorbells. This camera replaces your doorbell, allowing you to get a perfect view of what’s happening at and around your front door. One of their newest cameras is their doorview cam, which is a camera that you place on your front door that acts as a peephole and security camera. They also have indoor cameras to help you keep tabs on what’s happening inside your home. Their cameras include audio abilities that let you communicate with those in the vicinity of the camera. Nest Nest offers indoor and outdoor cameras that give you mobile alerts when the camera’s motion sensors detect motion. It also has enhanced night vision technology so that you can have a clear view no matter what time of day. Some of their cameras can even recognize familiar faces so that it doesn’t waste storage space or battery. Nest cameras start at $199 and go up from there depending on features and capabilities.