Pre-Christmas Weekend

18. December 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Family

This weekend we’ve had some fun as a family – but not too much. There’s  something said about just relaxing and enjoying peace and quiet at home.

On Saturday we went to a friend’s house for her annual holiday party for the families of kids she has kept over the  years.  She was Kaleya’s care provider for three years until Kaleya started school.

I have to say,  she had the most awesome GingerBread House ever – they decorated up their TV cabinet :-)

the most awesome Ginger Bread House

Kaleya & friend inside the Ginger Bread House

Orange candles we made before the party - that was fun!

with all her kiddos!

Then, today,  we took a visit to the Frist Center for Visual Arts to see their Egyptian Treasures exhibit.  The exhibit was well done too – lots of interesting artifacts from Egypt.  There were some features I particularly liked – being able to download the audio tour, short movies throughout the gallery, and more — they helped give it a nice touch.  The exhibit will be there until January 8th, so if you’re local to the area you still have time to visit.

outside the Frist

beautiful coffin on display

kiddos out back

Kaleya

Now, unfortunately, it’s time to wind down and prepare for the week. At least it is a short one. :-)

We Love Our Kindle Fire

01. December 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Technology

Our Kindle Fire arrived a couple of weeks ago soon after it was released and so far, so good! It is such a cute device!

The Kindle Fire launched to much hype and for us it has very much lived up to it’s reputation.  As with all things technological, whether or not you like it really depends on personal preference.  But, we like it, use it daily, and I predict at least one more in our near future. :-)

What I really like:

  • the size – it’s smaller than an iPad; bigger than my smartphone. I think this is a perfect in-between size.  It can be held with one hand or two, and though a little on the heavy side, I got used to the weight quickly.
  • access to Amazon digital content – nuff said!  We are Amazon Prime members and thus are able to take advantage of the movies and shows provided as part of that membership.
  • Kindle — of course you can read the Kindle books. Having another device to read them on is handy.  I have been reading Kindle books for a couple of years now so now I have a perfect-sized screen to do it on
  • no fear in letting the kids play with it – it’s right up their alley too. Can you say Angry Birds?
And, of course I can access most of the Android apps I am used to – making it easy to keep up with my social media accounts and such.
What I don’t like?
  • not having a native app for gmail. But, you know what? I have that on my phone anyway, so I can deal.
We traveled with it over the Thanksgiving holiday and it is great for on-the-go. The Kindle Fire is just too handy to pass up! I’m so glad we have one. :-)