To Alexa or To Not Alexa

That is the question.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

A couple of holidays ago, my in-laws got my husband and I an Alexa. I guess, I thought someone like me, wouldn't utilize it to it's full abilities, because, I am not that tech savey; but my husband went ahead and set it up. Slowly we started ways to utilize it in our lives and it was becoming more and more useful.

Grocery list: One of the first things I discovered is how great it is when you're in the kitchen and you want to add something to the grocery list, but your hand is covered in some form of yuck. I find this use very handy because when I do make it to the grocery store, I will most definitely have my phone on me, so I don't have to worry about remembering to bring a tangible list with me, which was very often forgotten on the kitchen counter.

Cooking Timer: You can utilize it for cooking. You can set up a timer on the dish you just finished and move onto the next one without even stopping. This use has saved many of my meals from getting burnt because I forgot to manually set a timer.

Pump/Feeding Reminder: If you are breast feeding or pumping, it is essential to regulate your times for the best milk production. I found it to be very helpful to set reminders during this time.

Turning On/Off Lights: Alexa has plug adapters for your lamps. Especially in the beginning, your body is still recovering. Who wants to get up more than they need to then? Not this gal. Then your newborn falls asleep on your chest and you wish with all your might, you could just whisper into the air for it to magically turn off so they could slumber without interruption.

Music/Sounds: Sometimes your hands are full of baby, but you could use some calming sounds. As my daughter has gotten older and appreciates the rhythm to music, I use it to spontaneously break out in a dance party. She gets so excited!

Time out timer: Do you use time outs with your kiddos? Tell Alexa to set a timer and she'll make sure they don't sneak by with a shorter sentence because you lost track of time. ;)

Clean your room timer: Do you ever tell your child to clean their room, but you feel like you have to be right there to remind them. You can set a timer for that. I like to also set one up to them that their time is running out. Typically, that will get them into super cleaning speed. It's amusing to watch.

Distant learning/homework timer: Right now, more than ever children are learning from home. Whether it is a choice or something that you are making the best of with, Alexa is a great device to iron out the setbacks of juggling a chaotic schedule. Many parents have multiple children, with multiple learning schedules. And then you throw in the fun of randomness throwing you curve balls such as behaviors or the dogs getting into something or work calling... I like to add reminders to Alexa during the day to keep everyone on task. Can also be used during homework time.

Intercoms: Anyone remember a family member having a box on many of their walls in their home as an intercom? I don't currently have multiple Alexas or even a large house, but this seems like a useful feature that I will hopefully utilize in the future... lol. If dinner is ready and you want to let everyone know, or your spouse is working down stairs. The possibilities are endless.

CLICK HERE, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE

Children Zero to Five On my site, you will find activities, crafts, life hacks, product reviews and more! CLICK HERE to check it out.