Why All Moms Should Be Listening to Pandora

I love music. Which is funny because I wouldn't say I'm a music aficionado. I don't know who the best bands are and I mostly listen to pop music, but I love having music playing whether I'm working, cleaning, driving or playing with my kids.

But I'm a cheapskate who gets tired of listening to the same thing over and over. That's why I LOVE Pandora.

Pandora is a free service (paid if you don't want ads) that allows you to create your own radio station. All you have to do is put in one artist you like, and Pandora will create a radio station based on that artist. If you like a variety of music, you can add more, whether it's an artist, album or song.

Here are some of the reasons I love Pandora:

• It's free. Sure there are ads, but they only come up every few songs for like 10 seconds. Not a big deal.



What I was listening to when writing this post :D

• You can listen to the music you like and nothing else. If a song or artist comes up that you don't like, you can give it a thumb's down and Pandora won't play it again and will skip the song.
• You can have multiple stations. I have a station for Christmas music, soft music (great for if I'm working and want some background "noise"), pop music, Disney (for the kids), and worship music for Sundays. Whatever I'm in the mood for, I have a radio station to match.
• I never get bored. Back when I used to buy CDs and had a collection of music on my iPod, I would get bored listening to the same songs over and over. It didn't matter that I had hundreds of songs (I know, my collection was pretty small). I like variety. Not only does Pandora play the music that you say you prefer, but it will also bring up music similar to your preferences. It's a great way to find new artists!
• It has just about every artist and music genre you can think of from indie rock to Irish folk to Broadway musicals. Whatever you like to listen to, they're sure to have that type of music available. Try to get that from radio stations.
• You can have it wherever you go ... as long as you have a device for it. You can listen to Pandora on computers, smart devices (phones, DVD players, TVs), and tablets. As long as you have internet access or cell phone network available, you can have streaming music.
• This means it's great for road trips — no trying to find a new station in every new area you reach.
• And my favorite thing about Pandora is ... no DJs! I don't know about you but to me radio stations are filled too much by talking, contests, ads, etc. With Pandora it's almost all music!

Music is good for the soul. It lifts your spirits when you're blue. It makes you want to dance and sing (all good things). It can put you in a better mood. If you haven't checked Pandora out, do so!

(And if you're wondering, no this is not a sponsored post. Just getting out the word because I love Pandora that much!)

Do you have a music app that you love? Tell me all about it. I'd love to find out what other music streaming apps are out there!

5 Favorite Things of the Week - 3/1/13

So what are my favorite things for this week? Well, here you go:

1. Scout app for my iPhone. So I moved to Eastern Washington about 7 months ago from out of state and I'm still getting to know the area. The Scout app is free and gives voice turn-by-turn directions to wherever you need to go. This has been great, especially when my husband has a job at a new school and doesn't know how to get there. I've used it to get all over, and it's especially helpful when I need to go from point B to point C and I'm used to getting to point C from point A (i.e. my house) so I don't know how to get there from somewhere else. Other GPS apps often cost money for voice turn-by-turn directions, as well, which means you're constantly checking the screen to see where to turn. Voice directions help reduce distractions while driving. And no one will disagree with free. Definitely awesome.
   
   
2. Having two monitors on my computer. Last July/August, the monitor on my laptop went out and the easiest fix was to get an external monitor. Luckily my step-dad had an extra one lying around that he didn't need. This was great and essential so I could keep working. Then recently I decided to use my tax refund to upgrade my laptop to a new one. Well, guess what? Now I have two working monitors, and having two monitors is AWESOME! I'm often switching between different windows in order to research and write articles, so having the info on one screen and where I'm writing on another is really great.
   
   
3. Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie mix. If you are looking for the best brownie mix, it's this one right here. We get this at Costco (it has like 6 bags of mix in it. LOL), and it's just the best brownie mix I've ever had -- even better than my homemade brownies. It's so moist and fluffy and it has chocolate chips in there, which means melted pieces of chocolate within the brownie goodness. Yep, I'm pretty much addicted.
   
   
4. 
   Online Netflix. When you live on a tight budget, you look for anything you can cut to save money. One way we save is through not having cable TV. Instead we have the online service from Netflix. For only $8 a month, we have TV shows for the kids and entertainment for us. Sure, it'd be fun to have regular TV too, but for now it works for us and saves us money.
   
   
5. My son, Alex, turning 5! Here's Alex with a bouquet of balloons from his awesome grandma :D. Look at that goofy grin. Who couldn't love that boy! I can't believe I've been a mom for a whole half of a decade now. This will be a year of firsts, including his first day of kindergarten. 

What things did you like from this week? Please share in the comments!

Get Free Android App + $1 MP3 Amazon Credit

Right now you can get the Android app Wubbzy's Train Adventure for FREE (usually $1.99) and as an added bonus, you'll get $1 MP3 credit along with it for FREE. So get a free app and then choose a free song. This is a great deal whether you want the app or not (and the app is 4.6/5 stars).

Get it the deal while you can! This won't last forever :).

Thanks, Happy Money Saver and Clip and Follow, for sharing!

Free iPad App: Miss Spider's Bedtime Story

So when my son turned 4, we got him an iPod Touch. I know what you're thinking: "Who gives a 4-year-old such an expensive gift." But there are some caveats, the first being that we got a used one so it was a lot less expensive (and we put an Otterbox cover on it, so over a year later, it's still in great condition).

The second reason we decided on it was we wanted to get him one of those educational products like the LeapPad, but between the cost of accessories, batteries and games, we were able to get the iPod (with a lithium ion battery) and there are tons of free apps that are fun and/or educational.

So every once in a while, there are apps for the Apple family of products that usually cost money that are made free. The nice thing about these apps is you don't actually have to own the item in order to get them free. For example, right now there is a free iPad app available, Miss Spider's Bedtime Story, that's usually $4.99, but right now it's free (though that could change, so don't wait!). Don't have an iPad? No problem. Get it today and if you get an iPad someday, you'll already have the app. All you need is an Apple ID.

This is a great app to keep on your iPad in case you need to keep the kiddos busy or to share with them at bedtime.

Thanks, Freebies 4 Mom and Mobile Savvy Mama, for sharing!