Rudolph Camera ($)

Just like the Grinch camera. More photo fun! Turn people into rudolph, misfit toys, and even have your picture taken with the scary Bumble!

Christmas Fun – All In One, Holiday Spirit, Interactive Songs and Games for Children (entertainment) (free)

The title of the app says it all.  What it doesn’t say is that it’s just a sneak peek at the full, “paid” version.  Fun for the toddlers.  I’m not going to lie, it’s definitely cheesy.

Christmas Tale (book) (free)

Cute interactive storybook app for kids.  It comes from the same company who created the Christmas Shareable app in Part 1.  I must say, this one is way less cheesy and worth checking out if you have kids.

A Christmas Santa (game) (free)

This game is hands-down my absolute favorite Christmas app.  Besides the fact that the Santa in this game looks like he came straight outta South Park, the game is great, mindless fun.  All you have to do is launch Santa and help him fly as far as he can through the air.  My kids think it’s hilarious when Santa drops smack into the snowy bank below him.  You need this app.

Starbucks Cup Magic (interactive/entertainment) (free)

If you hit up Starbucks this holiday season, you can use this app to bring your cup to life.  Sort of.  I guess it’s neat or whatever.

Shop Advisor (informational) (free)

Shopping advice, bar code scanning, gift ideas, etc.  While I don’t rely heavily on just one deal-finding app, this one is nice to have and refer to when you’re in the gift-giving spirit.

An Origami Christmas Tree Learning Experience (informational) (free)

Learn how to make an Origami Christmas Tree.  Please note: you’ll actually need real paper to be able to make the tree.  Or, if you’re really that lazy, you can just tap through and watch as the friendly iPhone app robot makes one for you.

iSnowflake Lite (interactive) (free)

The app itself is kind of wonky.  I had placed my “cuts” and the app crashed on me…twice before I could finish.  Just like making paper snowflakes, old school-style.  However, I would recommend just making them old school style instead of dealing with them vanishing before you can finish them.  So frustrating.  Plus, you can’t hang these ones up all over the house.  Here’s one I made:

Letters for Santa (book) ($)

This is an iPad only app that I received a promotional code for.  I haven’t been able to check it out because I don’t have an iPad.  Looks cute from iTunes.  If anyone checks it out, let me know how you like it.

Angry Santa! (game) (free)

Pissed off at someone?  Relieve stress as you help Santa flick Elves across the forest.  Enjoy a nice holiday tune while doing it.  Yeah, that’s about it for this one.

Hope after reading my posts you found something new and entertaining for your iPhone or iPad!

*Check out Christmas iPhone Apps – Part 1 for the rest of the Christmas apps.

(Click on any of the app icons to be taken directly to that app in iTunes)

Toca Hair Salon – Christmas Gift (interactive app) (free)

This one can be fun for the kids or maybe for you, if you ever wanted to try your hand at being a beautician.  See how awesome I made Santa Claus look?  I’m sure he’ll be back for more…

moreNoel (camera) (free)

This is a very simple camera app with just a few features to spruce up your holiday pictures.  I use it sometimes to make my pictures look “dream-like”, such as this one:

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (story app) ($)

If you have kids around, this is a great story app to have.  It’ll give them something to do in the car on the way to Grandma’s house. You can pair it with the Grinch Camera App:

Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition (camera) ($)

Pure entertainment.  Take pictures of unsuspecting party-goers.  You can do things like this:

Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift (game) (free)

Cut the Rope is a cute, challenging game.  The goal is to feed Om Nom (the green, booger-like thing) candy.  Takes some strategic thinking.

Christmas Wallpapers & Backgrounds with Xmas Glow Effects (entertainment) (free)

So, if you’re into this sort of thing, you’ll like the option of picking from a seemingly endless amount of backgrounds for your iPhone or iPad.

Christmas Shareable Book – Wacky Version – The Coolest Interactive Story Greeting Book (entertainment) (free)

This app is ridiculous.  It’s the epitome of cheesy apps.  I think you can send greetings to people from it but I don’t really know.  I didn’t get that far.

Cityville Holiday Town (entertainment) (free)

If you like those interactive community-building ‘Ville games, this app is for you.  My six year old really digs it.

Jingle All The Way (interactive/book) (free)

Very cute, quality app from Hallmark.  Fun for the kids.  It has a story and other interactive features.

123 Sticker: Free Musical Sticker Book (Christmas Edition) (interactive) (free)

Another one for the kids.  It’s a sticker book.  You can take the “stickers” and decorate the scenes.  The app comes with six scenes, two of them are winter-related.  You only get the Christmas tree scene for free, pay for the rest.  Eh…

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (book) ($)

A classic.  This interactive book is narrated and if you tap on the characters, you will hear the original voices from the claymation tv special.

*Click here for Christmas iPhone Apps Part 2!

Two of the apps in the Big Kid Life series (there are five apps in the series) that we’ve been exploring have been quit exceptional. Great quality, fun and interactive learning for the kids and for the first time, insight on what they’re doing and what they’re learning, just for us, the parents.

It’s no surprise that these apps are innovative and visually appealing. The team of professionals who created and designed them come from successful entertainment companies such as; LucasFilm, Electronic Arts and LeapFrog to name just a few. The Fingerprint team is pretty impressive.

Here is some quick information on two of the apps we’ve been playing with that were just released today!

First up is, Big Kid Life: Fairy Princess.  I have two little girls, so of course, this app is right up their alley.

This app is simple and easy for kids to understand.  My 6 year old plays it on her own and I help my 2 year old navigate through it. The suggested age range for the app is 4-7, which I do think is appropriate.  What I like about this app in particular is the ability for kids to help create a story from start to finish and then, recall the pieces of the adventure and finally, listen to the story played back to them.

Next up is, My Big Kid Life: Veterinarian.  A perfect app for boys and girls and one I highly recommend getting.  It’s chock-full of interactive fun and learning and I just love it.

This app allows kids to become virtual doctors.  They have animal patients to care for and a purpose, they must bring the animals back to good health.  They x-ray the animals and are whisked off into a touch-and-seek game, which incorporates identifying sounds, shapes, letters, and different objects.  Identify as many as you can before the time runs out and you’ve helped your patient heal!  They’re learning and also feeling a sense of accomplishment throughout their playing.  Big Kid Life: Veterinarian is hands down, one of my favorite apps for kids.  The suggested age range for this app is 3-6 years, which is spot on.

Here’s the coolest part – four out of five of these brand new Fingerprint apps are FREE for a limited time.  You can’t not download them. You just can’t.  Your kids are going to dig them, I promise.

Click this link to open iTunes and download four of the debut apps from Fingerprint.  The titles are:

• Big Kid Life Firefighter
• Big Kid Life Veterinarian
• Big Kid Life Fairy Princess
• Fingerprint PlayMaker

Enchanted Tales – Snow White has just been released in the iOS and Android markets by omBooks (Oceanhouse Media Digital Books).  This fairy tale is the first in a series to be released by Oceanhouse, one of our very favorite digital book publishers.  As you know, with two young daughters, anything “fairy tale” is tops in our book.  So, of course, Enchanted Tales: Snow White was an instaHIT in the Mueller household.

Next on the list…an app for the infamous Once Upon a Potty, y’all.

I will never forget the first time I watched this introduction to learning how to use the loo.  I watched it on a VHS tape and I thought it was the silliest thing ever.  However, my then two year old daughter was intrigued.  The countdown to potty training has begun again for us.  I sat down on the couch with my toddler the other night and we watched Once Upon a Potty (for girls), together.  It’s still as goofy as I remember and my second daughter was just as intrigued at my first.

We will watch the lovable Prudence in Once Upon a Potty: Girl until we are blue in the face or until she finally uses the toilet, whichever comes first.

There is also a boy version of this omBook – Once Upon a Potty: Boy, starring Joshua.  I am willing to bet this version is just as delightful as the girl version.

Make sure to check out Oceanhouse Media, as they have plenty of educational apps available.

I go through phases of wanting to exercise and not wanting to exercise. I’ve been in a very long phase of not wanting to exercise. I feel like I may have snapped out of it today.

The weather has warmed up significantly, as in, it’s May but it feels like August.   So the girls and I went out for a walk yesterday.  I’m usually the one complaining but it wasn’t me this time, it was the 5 year old.   She’s been fighting a chest cold and I thought it would do her some good to sweat it out a little bit.   It was 80 degrees at 9:00 am, so, sweat we did.

This morning after preschool drop-off, I took the 22 month old out in the jogging stroller.  I have never jogged with it.  We’ve had it since 2007, so there ya go.  There’s a first time for everything, right?

I’m not saying it hasn’t been jogged with, on the contrary.  The mister used to take Hailey jogging and now that she’s outgrown it, Teagan is the lucky one.  Anyway, I decided to take a stab at it this morning.

Verdict: It was very hot.  The breeze was nice.  I was really slow.  It felt so good!  I do believe I will make this jogging with the toddler in the stroller a regular thing.

We have this Jeep Overland Limited Jogging Stroller:

I know I wrote about it a long time ago but I can’t find my review for the life of me.  I’ll link up to it if I ever find it.  Anyway, it’s been a great jogging stroller (per my husband).  Let me jog with it a few more times and I’ll let you know my thoughts.  It’s great for walking, this I know.

I also used the Runkeeper iPhone app to track my progress.  It’s not the first time I’ve used this app and it won’t be the last.  There are some new features that I need to check out and then I’ll post my review of it over at TechGeekSphere.

I dont’ feel the need to weigh myself and I have already planned on cutting back on the junk that I usually eat.  I am more or less looking to get more active.  Hopefully you will see many posts like this one in the near future.

Oceanhouse Media has stole my heart once again.  They now have that timeless Dr. Seuss story, Horton Hears a Who, available via iTunes for the iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad.

My daughter’s first trip to the theater was to see the 2008 big screen version of Horton Hears a Who.  Now that we’re an iGeek family, we have the beloved story tucked snug inside of the “Book” category on my iPhone.

Hailey is learning to read, so one of my favorite things about Oceanhouse Media’s story apps are the reading choices offered.  She can read it herself, flip the pages and hear the story read to her (as each word in the story changes color so she can follow along), or let the app auto play (the story is read and progresses automatically).

All this week, OM is offering a discount on their Dr. Seuss apps, as well as hosting app giveaways to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday.

These links will take you where you need to go:

• All of the OMbooks Dr. Seuss apps (several new books have been released and discounted app prices are listed)
• Oceanhouse Media’s Facebook fan page (where the giveaways are happening)
• Oceanhouse Media on Twitter (stay current on new apps and promotions)

Thank goodness there’s an app for the Dr. Seuss’ book, Fox in Socks.  It’s a tongue twister and of course, the story happens to be one of my preschooler’s favorites.  I don’t mind having someone else read it to her at all.  Have you read it?

This is just another great family app offered by Oceanhouse Media and available for $3.99 through iTunes.

(They’re not kidding!)

Check out the following apps and have some fun:

Rudolph Camera – .99 this week through iTunes (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad compatible)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer digital book – 1.99 this week through iTunes (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad compatible)

Tacky’s Christmas digital book – 1.99 this week through iTunes (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad compatible)

Grinchmas! game – .99 through iTunes (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad compatible)

Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition – .99 through iTunes (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad compatible)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! digital book – 1.99 this week through iTunes (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad compatible)

The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree digital book – 1.99 this week through iTunes (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad compatible)

*We were sent free promo codes to check out the above apps.  All of the apps are fun for the whole family and that is our honest opinion!

Are you heading out to the theater tomorrow to see Shrek Forever After?  We’re going to wait for a nice, quiet afternoon matinee…during the week, so we can really enjoy the movie.

Since we’re not going to opening night, in an effort to satiate our excitement over the last flick in the Shrek series, we’re checking out the Shrek Forever After iStoryTime kid’s book app from FrogDog Media.  The app (for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad) is $1.99 and can be purchased and downloaded through iTunes.  You can click on Shrek to get there.

FrogDog has got more great iStoryTime app kid’s books, so, stop by and check them out.

My iPhone keeps me company while I’m feeding the baby or swaying her to sleep.  It also provides entertainment to my four year old when she’s restless.  Half of the apps I have are for me and half are for her.  Not to mention I have at least three movies loaded and some episodes of Blues Clues.

Now that I’ve professed my geeky love for my phone, I’ve got to tell you about a couple of new apps that were just released.  They are here just in time for the holiday and they are HOT.

If you don’t know who the Grinch is, or the adorable people from Who-ville, then I guess you’ve been living under a rock.  Two new notable iPhone apps are all about the Grinch and we can’t get enough.

The first one that I fully abuse every day is the Dr Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition ($2.99 at the iTunes app store (app store > photography > Dr. Seuss camera – The Grinch Edition)).  Here are some of the holidayriffic photos I’ve taken since downloading the app:

They are scaled down in size here but the originals are easily greeting card size.  I have been showing them off to friends and family and I have about a thousand more where these came from.  It’s too fun and we all get a good laugh.

Next on the holiday list is Grinchmas ($1.99 at the app store (app store > games > Grinchmas)).  You can be nice or you can be naughty in this one.  Throw snowballs or presents at the Who’s houses, depending on your mood.  Don’t worry, we’re pretty sure no Who’s were injured while playing the game.

Here are a couple of screenshots of the light-hearted Grinchmas app:

These two apps are available for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Soon I’ll post a list of the other apps we enjoy…hopefully, if you have an iPod Touch or iPhone, they will keep your kids entertained on the long trips to visit family and friends for the holidays.  I know they will work like a charm for me!

Thanks to Oceanhouse Media for providing me with promo codes for these two apps.  They would have been well worth it to purchase!