That’s why so many locals love Amazon. If you spend $25 per order from Amazon (and not on their “other” merchants selling within Amazon), free shipping includes Hawaii!

So, how can you get every order to be $25 or more when you only want a book for $19.99? What about some of the other THOUSANDS of things that Amazon sells- clothes, toys, games, soaps, food, movies, etc. Surely there’s something there you could use to save yourself the $5 shipping charge. Just get to $25 and free shipping.

One of my favorite sites for finding good deals is Slickdeals.net”>Slickdeals.net – lively discussions, free alerts for keywords (like “Amazon”, “slack guitar”, or “Wii”), and their sister site SlickFillers.net. With Slickfiller you type in the amount needed to get to $25 ($5.01 in this case), and it will present a list of qualifying items from Amazon you can add to your cart. Slick! So instead of spending that $5 on shipping, you got a “free” children’s coloring book or stickers.

Count Caddy app by Tickle Tap Apps

Looking to keep your child entertained and even have them learn something while you get a break? Have you considered how handy some of the iTunes apps for iPhone are? Following up on my previous discussion of “Kid-friendly iPhone and iPod Touch” is a review of another dozen apps for toddlers I’ve written on the Hawaii Mac Apple User Society (HMAUS) website: “More Great iPhone Apps for Toddlers“. With most apps under $2, isn’t it worth getting a couple of minutes of “quiet” time?

And related:

Need to unwind yourself?  Check out “Zen Apps for iPhone/iPod Touch“

A study by statisticians at Oregon State University concluded that in the United States, the carbon legacy and greenhouse gas impact of an extra child is almost 20 times more important than some of the other environment-friendly practices people might employ during their entire lives — things like driving a high mileage car, recycling, or using energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs. [LiveScience.com]

It does make perfect sense. And, yet, we have another child coming soon…

Should there be a limit on how many children a family can have, as they do in China?

Another difference she mentioned was that baby is with the parents almost the entire time, for as much skin-on-skin contact as possible. (While this sounds great and natural, after being in labor for 12 hours like with Mason, frankly, we were both grateful for a slight break from a screaming baby so we could catch just a couple hours of sleep. (Yes, I KNOW, “sleep BEFORE you have a child”! ))

The recovery rooms seemed to be larger than Kapiolani’s. However, looking at that room, I’m not sure how Mason and I are going to handle it. It’s about the size of our bedroom, and, having a three year old try to be calm in that space, may not be so easy. There is a large waiting room down the hall, but, when we went past it seemed pretty busy with people.

All in all, we’re both very excited to delivery at Kaiser, sometime in early October.

Koi Pond — beautifully done with sounds accompanying the koi (Japanese carp). Feed them, scare them (my two year old loves that), or just watch them swim around. $.99
iZen Garden — you are your own monk at a famous rock garden. Rake the stones however you desire. Shake to reset. (There are several of these type of apps now, ranging from free to $2.99.)
Bloom — from Brian Eno, this musical and visual app treats you to a break through subtly-changing, repetitive sounds and images. This is great to hook up to speakers as background music while you work. $3.99
Bowls — can’t afford a $300 Tibetan “signing bowl” but love that droning, melodic sound? This app lets you “play” several different bowls as a way to relax your mind. $1.99
iBonsai — grow your own beautiful bonsai plant in seconds, then, move it around, shake it to remove leaves. Snap a picture and email to a friend. Then repeat… $.99
iKoto — the sound of the koto for me is very relaxing. So to have the ability to play a portable koto wherever you go — with some songs already pre-programmed — is a great way to take a mental break. $1.99
Easy Relax — choose where you want to go and let the sounds of your new “environment” relax you. From Hawaii Vacation to Fishing Time, Blossoms from India to Jungle, all within your reach. $.99 (There are many of these ambient sound apps available, ranging from free to $2.99.)
TanZen Lite — OK, this isn’t actually relaxing. It’s a game. And it can be a damn challenging game at that. However, it reminds me of staying in an ryokan in the mountains with my wife and one of these games was there. We sat watching the snow on the mountains in the warmth of our room silently playing this game.

There are apps for Chakra, meditation, Buddhism, you name it and there’s probably an app for it…

Hopefully you could find something that might help you stay in peace…

I moved from having Palm PDA’s for years to an iPod Touch. The Touch does all the things I needed my T|X to do (wireless, applications, calendar, note taking, etc.) but with a much better web browser, incredibly easy-to-use iTunes integration, and — with using Plaxo — syncing my calendar between work PC and home Mac.

But the apps are what really make this thing kid-friendly. My two and a half year old sees me working on it and says “I play papa game!” He loves to try out the fun of using that touch screen to make things happen. And, as I’ve learned from other parents, having an iPod Touch/iPhone that can hold MOVIES can be PERFECT for long flights, like to Japan! This device has probably helped lower my blood pressure level significantly (no more wandering child, screaming of boredom).

So, here are a couple of great toddler-friendly things for your iPhone or iPod Touch:

Music:
Not surprising that you can get tons of music on iTunes; songs both you and your child will like (Wiggles) or music only they will like (Barney). Find music on Amazon also that works great with these devices.

Movies and TV shows:
Most of the Pixar movies (Cars, Wall-E, Finding Nemo), Disney, and TV shows like Little Einsteins are available for sale in iTunes; very simple to add them right into your device. Prices run from $2/episode to $15/movie.

TubeTV:
is a freeware application for Mac that, when you find a video on Youtube you like, will download, convert, and add it to your device. So, those short clips of Pingu, Anpanman, or even old Spiderman cartoons, can be added for free.

Podcasts:
Podcasts are short shows that iTunes has made incredibly easy to subscribe to. There are podcasts on things for Dad (Dad Labs), Mom (Mighty Mommy’s Tips), and children (Sesame Street) — and, they are all FREE!

Apps:
within iTunes there is an App Store where you can find things like preschool educational games. This company in particular: 3DAL, LLC has great products that my son loves to do; bright, colorful, lively music, and educational, including: Preschool Adventure, Preschool Music, Make a Martian, and BumbleBee Touchbook. Those apps are only $.99 each, so it won’t break your budget too quickly. Often companies will make a free “lite” edition so you can test it — those include Shape Builder Lite and iDoodle2Lite. Other good apps for toddlers include Wheels on The Bus, an interactive version of the popular children’s song, and Koi Pond, nice for both children and adults. Many of the movie studios make an app now that should work well with children: there’s an Up app where the child pops balloons (free) and a free one for Bolt (for slightly older children).

Protection:
we’re talking about a $200+ device that you are leaving in the hands of children — be sure to buy some kind of sleeve, touch-screen or silicon wrap protection for it. There are hundreds of different kinds. A quick visit to an Apple store or online to Amazon and you should be able to find a style that will help protect against small bumps. A $30 investment that might help you if you later want to resell it. (Yep, if they drop it, you could lose it, so, keep an eye on what they are doing — child supervision. )

Anyway, hope that helps; you AND your kids!

(If you live in Honolulu and would like to learn more about your Apple products, check out the Hawaii Mac and Apple User Society: HMAUS.com.)