REVIEW: Kindle Fire HD to the rescue - times three

The kind people at Amazon sent me a Kindle Fire HD to review (see disclosure of this fact again at the end of this post), and I am really freaking glad they did. 

While I have not used all of the bells and whistles yet (including "KindleFreeTime," which allows parents to limit screen time per child and according to content for up to eight kids), this little device came in handy at least three times during our vacation in Oregon.

We are Amazon Prime members, so we already have a few movies for Bug in our video library.  I downloaded two of them so that they live in the Kindle device (as opposed to living only in the cloud - which requires internet access).  During the six hour flight to Portland, Oregon from Boston, having a movie available was awesome.  We flew on an airline that offers movies and tv at every seat as part of the ticket price, but there was some extra comfort in being familiar with (i.e., having already approved as age appropriate) the movie that Bug was going to watch on the plane. 

On the plane, we were divided as a family.  My husband and Squish were in two seats on one side of the aisle, and Bug and I were in two seats on the other.  Bug, anxious for his movie to start, couldn't have been more pleased when we finally reached an altitude that allowed me to turn on the Kindle and get his entertainment going.  All of which was necessary because Squish decided the only way to fly that night was on my lap.

Then Squish went bonkers, and the only thing that seemed to make him happy was to hear me sing the A-B-C song over, and over, and over, and over, and over.  He clapped and cheered for me every time I finished the song.  His praise helped to ease the pain of looking over at the empty seat next to my husband.  (Squish is not yet two.  We could have avoided paying for his seat and called him a "lap infant" - as he was so readily demonstrating in my lap, cheering me on to my next rendition of the ABCs.) 

Finally, Squish fell asleep in my arms.

The fact that I was managing Bug and Squish on the flight for the first hour and a half was definitely eased by the fact that Bug was enjoying a movie on our Kindle.

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Later in the vacation, we were in Portland with our dear friends.  That made for four adults and three children under the age of four. 

One late afternoon, all we wanted was a beer and some appetizers in a little pub type place near our hotel.  We all sat down, and things were going smoothly for the first fifteen to twenty minutes.

Then, the three-year-olds in the group grew restless.

I pulled my Kindle out of my bag, connected to the wireless signal at the pub, and started a kids' show at the table that made them both happy, quiet, and still.

We finished our beers and snacks in peace and had mostly adult conversation.  It was amazing.

There was probably a time in my life (let's say while I was prego with Bug, for example) when I would have judged a mom who set up a screen in front of her child so that she could drink a beer with her friends in peace. 

That time is over.

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When we arrived at the airport in Portland to check in for our flight back to Boston, we learned about a ninety-minute delay.  A delay that would get us to take-off by around 12:15 am local time.  A delay that put us at the well lit gate, waiting to go home, for nearly four hours with Bug and Squish at just about the time when they would normally be snuggling into bed. 

Kindle to the rescue.

Bug got to watch a movie, and it made his night.

Squish (immune to movies) needed to be walked around the airport in his stroller until he fell asleep.  I thought that it would only take about twenty minutes because it was well past his actual bedtime.  I was wrong.  Feet up, arms out, ready to sing to the ceiling, Squish was in party mode and wanted to experience every last second of the Portland airport.

Finally, my husband took over the duty of rolling Squish around to sleep, and I got to read a magazine next to Bug (who was quietly but thoroughly enjoying his movie).

*                       *                   *                   *              *

I realize I have shared only the most basic aspects of the Kindle Fire HD, but basically it is really great.  And I know that I will be taking it on work trips for myself.

(*Amazon provided me with a sample Kindle Fire HD 7" for review.*)

Is being green better than being hot, exhausted, and vehemently angry at luggage?

This morning, the four of us navigated the local bike path on our way home the airport after our week long vacation in Oregon.

The bike path?  Is that right?

Weren't we in a car driving home from the airport?

No.

We were walking with:

• four carry-on bags (one hybrid backpack/suitcase for Bug, one backpack for Squish, one tote for me, and one overstuffed backpack for my husband);
• one stroller;
• one Squish in the stroller;
• one Bug alternating between walking with his hybrid backpack/suitcase and riding on our "stroller skateboard" (an attachment to the back of the stroller that allows him to stand and ride along as we push);
• one regular sized rolling suitcase in perfect working condition; and
• one enormous sized rolling suitcase with a broken pull handle that refused to come out of its shaft - a broken pull handle that actually came to symbolize how much I love my husband and how strong our marriage is because having to steer and roll that enormous unwieldy thing along with everything else brought us to the brink of turning on each other at least seventeen times before we even made it to the bike path.

After we had taken the T.

After we had taken the Silver Line.

After we had been on a red eye from Portland.

Why were we doing this?

BOOK REVIEW - Tuke: The Specialist Turtle

Tuke: The Specialist Turtle, by Jim Ritterhoff and Melissa Tomjanovich, with illustrations  by Tory Novikova

Bug found this book in the living room and immediately started to review it himself.  He looked at every page, fascinated by the colorful illustrations of sea creatures living around a coral reef in the Caribbean.  

Bug: "There's a sea turtle!"

Bug: "There's an octopus!  Did you know an octopus has stingers?!?"

Bug: "Look at all these rays!  Can a stingray sting you, too?!?"

Bug: "A whale!"

So, we sat down and read the words in the book, too.

Tuke, a cute little turtle, struggles to find acceptance from the other creatures in his sea home.  He gets picked up by some researchers and then returns to the sea, continuing his quest for praise and love.

Will he or any other creature ever realize how special he really is?

SPOILER ALERT

Yes.

But I will let you read the book to find out how.

This book is worth checking out for its illustrations and the valuable message about the importance of sea life and conservancy.  The writing is, at times, a little awkward in its attempts to maintain a rhythm and rhyme.  But, for what it's worth, Bug loves the book and wanted to take it everywhere we went last weekend.

*Chowder, Inc. provided me a copy of this book to review.*

Jinxing it

Squish woke up crying the other "morning" (at about 4, which hardly feels like morning).  When my husband wasn't able to soothe him, I picked up dear little Squish and said, "Do you want to go rock in the rocking chair?"

He said, "yeah."

So, to the rocking chair we went.  After some calm rocking and quiet snuggles, Squish seemed restless again.

I cannot for the life of me remember why, but that was when I went to the couch.  Perhaps it was simply a desperate attempt to lie down again.  The rocking chair is nice, but when it's still dark outside, lying down to sleep is nicer.

COMMUNITY NEWS: Habana Outpost - 2013 Kid's Corner Schedule

Just got a note with the following schedule for the summer at Habana Outpost - enjoy!

Germs: friends or foes? (or, ten minutes in the life)

When I arrived at Bug's side of the playground (the "big kid" side), one of his new little friends approached me with her recently common refrain: "Can I come to [Bug's] house?"

Most days I say, "Oh, sure.  I will drop a note in your cubby, and then we can find a good time for you to come over."

Lately, I also have to add, "Remind me again.  I will put the note in your cubby next time!"

Yesterday, I realized it was time to make good on my promise to this little Friend-o-Bug.  So I said, "I will go write a note and put it your cubby now.  Then, [Bug], I will come back to get you and we'll go home.  You have four more minutes to play."

Squish and I went into Bug's classroom.  I stole a piece of paper from the teachers, which hardly seemed the ethical choice, but desperate times . . .

I wrote a note for Friend-o-Bug's  parents/guardians, whom I have never met, hoping they would not be put off by the oversized blue marker I had to use to introduce myself via their child's cubby.  But desperate times . . .

Note safely tucked into Friend-o-Bug's cubby, I looked to Squish, who had decided the little water fountain in Bug's classroom was where it's at. 

I said, "Okay [Squish], let's go get [Bug]!"

As I was walking away from the water fountain and toward the playground, one of Bug's classmates came in with her mom.

This little classmate washed her hands (as instructed by her mom).  Then she left the sink and headed toward the dramatic play area. 

Before she could get very far, her mom said, "Don't touch anything!!!"

I thought to myself, "Ah, yesssssss, the Germs . . . well, time to get [Squish] and [Bug] and get out of this Petri dish masquerading as Pre-K . . ."

I turned back to Squish - still at the water fountain - now alternating between splashing his hands in the water that had pooled by the water fountain drain and stretching his little body as long as possible so that he could get his mouth to cover the spout.

Bounce

Today, the four of us went to a birthday party for one of Bug's best friends.  All in a backyard with an inflatable kiddie pool, burgers, hot dogs, chips, drinks and an enormous Bouncy .

It was wonderful. 

Soon enough Squish wanted to climb in, and who am I to deny a toddler his time in a Bouncy?

I went in with him thinking my presence would create a protective aura - preventing any young pirates from tumbling into or over the little squish in what felt like a bouncy field.