Pea of Sweetness

Have Fun and Stay Mentally Sharp with The Secret Society App

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As a busy mom I need to have occasional downtime. What I have found, though, is that in that downtime I want to do something I enjoy, but it has to be something that keeps my mind sharp, too. If I do something mindless, I’m more likely to fall into a slump and not bounce back! Did I mention I’m busy? I don’t have time for that!
That is why I love The Secret Society – Hidden Mystery. It is definitely my most used “game” app on my phone. It is the top free-to-play hidden object adventure from G5 Entertainment. It is free and available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, and Amazon. In-app purchases are available.
Secret Society App
What I love most about The Secret Society app is that it includes a story line wound into a variety of activities that keep my mind sharp. The majority of the activities are the hidden object puzzles. We investigate “magic pictures” to find objects. There are different levels, different ways to view the pictures (such as night mode, pairs mode, pieces mode, morphs mode, etc.), so the pictures never get dull no matter how many times you investigate the same pictures. You interact with various characters in the story line to complete quests and continue the search for your missing uncle. It’s really a compelling story line!

In addition to the hidden object puzzles there is a block puzzle, pipes puzzle, memory match, and gem puzzle. All of these activities make me think and keep me sharp! Plus, I enjoy them! If I need a quick break between blog posts, homeschool lessons, laundry, etc., I can do one or two puzzles, or if I’m winding down for the night, I can do puzzles until I run out of energy! It’s a popular game among women because it’s a great “time out” from our busy days, though I have a few male friends as well!
Secret Society App
That’s another great feature – you can connect with friends! Each friend has one of a few professions. You can help each other by sending gifts and visiting one another plus you can hire your friends and receive a benefit according to your friend’s profession – extra money, experience, chance of finding an item, etc. It’s nice to play with friends!
I have been playing Secret Society for a couple of months now, and I’m totally hooked. If you’re looking for a game you can enjoy that offers excitement, variety, and mental sharpness, I definitely recommend it! Plus, it’s free! Download it now from iTunes App Store, Google Play, or Amazon, and be sure to add me as a friend! (My code is 2AM2MU) 😉
 

Healthcare Information at your Fingertips – Healthgrades App

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Disclosure: I participated in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Healthgrades. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.
Everyone in our family have special medical needs, and we just moved. Although we moved to an area we lived previously we only had one of our three children, and we hadn’t yet discovered he had special needs. Even without special medical needs and navigating a new area it can be difficult to know how and where to find the necessary information to keep this information as organized as possible.
healthgrades
Healthgrades is the top online resource for information on physicians and hospitals, and they developed an iOS app to make this challenge easier! The new Healthgrades app helps me to make more informed decisions about our family’s healthcare because I can store important information about our doctors and keep track of appointments and reminders. Plus, our healthcare providers’ information is all right there, so I don’t have to go searching for phone numbers each time I have to make an appointment or other call. I’m even enable to find doctors based on insurance coverage, which is important because ours is very limited in this area.
One of the best features of the Healthgrades app is that there is access to over one million reviews from patients. I feel like I’m not choosing a healthcare provider blindly, but by first seeing others’ experiences. It makes the transition a lot easier! It’s hard to “start over” with your healthcare when you’ve been so comfortable with your previous doctors, therapists, etc. I can feel better now about having detailed information on which to make our decisions. Get started and download and try the Healthgrades app to use for your family!
 
 

Reading with Bookboard

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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bookboard. Regardless, all opinions are my own.
BookboardEncouraging our children to read is important to us, so discovering an app that has books for them to read and enjoy is really exciting! Physical books get easily lost and/or destroyed around here, and the kids already love using the iPad, so Bookboard is a wonderful solution! Bookboard offers a digital library for children up to age 12, and you can start for FREE with access to many different books!
We’ve been trying Bookboard for a few days, and I am really impressed with the features. For one, I was able to create an account for each child, so that means just because one of them likes a specific book doesn’t mean the other two will have to have that book in their library as well! It really tailors the experience to each child. As they read different books it chooses books that fit those interests! Giving children access to books they love is the best way to encourage them to read, so the fact that it tailors to their preferences like that is really encouraging!
Bookboard
A feature that is mentioned on their website is that it also grows with your children. As their reading level changes, the books will as well. I love that it tailors to ability rather than age as our oldest son is on the Autism spectrum and slightly delayed in reading ability. He doesn’t have to feel “behind” because it recommends books that a child his age “should” be reading. Instead, it recommends books based on his interests and abilities. Anything to encourage him to move forward with reading is a huge benefit.
Another feature I appreciate is they get rewarded with each book they read. Whenever they finish a book it unlocks a new book. It’s not a casual occurrence – it makes it a big, exciting deal! It’s really fun to see their faces when they unlock a new book and show us what it is! Plus with the Parent Dashboard I can see how many books each child has read and unlocked.
It’s a great way to make sure we have books to read when we’re away from home as well!
See More!

To get started head over to Bookboard and sign up for your free account! You can connect with Bookboard on Facebook and Twitter.

Alphie the Squid {app review}

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Disclosure: I received the product mention to facilitate my review. Regardless, all opinions are 100% mine.

Alphie the Squid

Alphie the Squid is fun and unique app available on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon.
In Alphie the Squid you take Alphie through different water adventures and are armed with all the cool tricks Giant Squid have like inking those that are a threat, camouflage, and hypnotize to draw fish to himself to eat. The game is filled with information about the Giant Squid that is unique and educational. As you go along on different adventures and discover various sea creatures they are added to your book so you can read more about them!
Check out the trailer!
You may notice the music is beautiful. That is actually one of my favorite features! I love the music! Not only is the music nice, but the game has beautiful graphics as well. I was surprised how smoothly it runs on both the iPad and iPhone.
I also enjoy how they tied in education with the game play! Our kids are too young to read (well, the older two are learning, but aren’t quite “there” yet), but they still enjoy playing the game. After they have played for a bit I will then sit down with them and open the book and talk about the new sea creatures they discovered and read all the information about them. They generally don’t pay attention to this kind of information, but because it was something they found in the game they actually enjoy it and look forward to knowing more about the creatures they discovered! The details and information provided are really thorough.

Alphie the Squid

As you continue the game you help Alphie grow, and you come across more obstacles along the way – including sharks! The game play is both challenging and fun. It’s definitely a game you can keep playing without getting bored.
Alphie the Squid has also been featured by Apple as “New & Noteworthy” in 36 countries.

For More Information:

Visit the Alphie the Squid Website
Connect with Alphie the Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
You can buy and download Alphie the Squid for only $2.99 on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon. You can try it for free for the first four levels on Google Play and Amazon.