TRICK OR TRACK! Fun Apps and Tracking Apps

It’s almost that time of year again. The time when your inner child emerges and you get giggly with anticipation. Who doesn’t want to dress up (I’m not talking about all of you out there that have read “50 Shades of Grey” and you’re well…we’ll not get into “that” *lol* totally different post). From “zombies” and “vampires” to “zombies” yes, I keep coming back to “zombies”. Fascination with “Zombies” is at an all-time high! I’m not afraid to admit that out of all the things to be scared of “zombies” tops my list. It’s not funny. I seriously have a phobia of this. I even looked it up and the few “clinical terms” used were shot down based on either not being “greek” or being “too broad” and a couple suggestions were made. Regardless, I know I am not ALONE in this *shudder* and I’ll curse a black cat or throw salt over my shoulder or whatever; to just ward off something I may have just written about to keep from becoming true (I already know I’m going to have nightmares now … great).

So since we’re not discussing rocket science or “vampires” or “werewolves” and all the other “fun and imaginary ghouls” that seem to always find a place in someone’s home out there let’s see what we can “dig up” on “zombies”  … just stay away from my “brains”!

1. Aaah! Math Zombies ($1.99): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aaah!-math-zombies/id428185527?mt=8
2. Aaah! Word Zombies ($1.99): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aaah!-word-zombies/id429610830?mt=8
3. Zombies vs. Literacy (free): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zombies-vs.-literacy/id393601768?mt=8

Maybe you have younger kids that want to get into the spirit of things and have some fun as well? There’s apps for that as well!

1. Coloring Pages – Spooky coloring book for kids full of fun monsters like “zombies”, “witches”, “ghosts” and “vampires” ($1.99): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coloring-pages-spooky-coloring/id472616489?mt=8
2. Kids Halloween Flashcards* (free): https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/kids-halloween-flashcards*/id473077363?mt=8
3. Halloween! (free w/IAP .99¢): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/halloween!/id454310900?mt=8
4. Monsters for Kids Halloween (.99¢): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/monsters-for-kids-halloween/id473301507?mt=8
5. ClickyStickey Halloween Sticker Book (.99¢): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/clickysticky-halloween-sticker/id469318152?mt=8

Let’s face it there are a TON of apps for Halloween. From learning to coloring to counting down the days and more. What about us? The parents? What’s on our minds aside from what super cool costume we’re going to don in order to walk our kids around in eager anticipation of “candy, candy and oh.em.gee MORE CANDY”. I know I get excited thinking about it. Unfortunately, my kids are still in the “don’t dress up mommy” or should I say “mummy”, although this year they are thinking it may be okay … so long as I don’t put anything on my face! I take that to mean I am scary all by myself *lol* so “BOO”! I can’t wait to decorate! I tell myself this every year; however, since having my kids it has not really been an option since around age two (2) and three (3) respectively it scares them too bad. I tried to put out a scarecrow last year and you’d have thought I had taken our mailman and stuffed him with hay! My daughter screamed bloody murder while my son cried. Well, a fog machine maybe. No. Not going to work. I have a son with respiratory issues after having been in congestive heart failure for a couple weeks. His lungs have never fully recovered so that was not a bright idea either. Ahhh, glow sticks! Remember, my kids wanted to lick the monitor… biting glow sticks WILL GET YOU A TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM … I guarantee it!

Some of you may even have kids that are tweens or teens. You know the ones that I hear tell are kinda like “zombies” themselves. They grumble to you upon waking and after school go to their lairs or hallowed dungeon err I mean room…possibly not to be seen again unless food, water or bathroom is needed. Hey, we were all those ages once, right. It’s hard. What happens though when your little bundle of cuddliness wants to go out on Halloween night by themselves – with friends no less! Do you let them? I am sure the worst is running through your mind (again, you were that age once … and who knows what mischief you or even myself got into). Some of you have even given their tweens or teens a mobile phone (a cell phone / a smartphone / an iPhone). There’s apps out there – so long as your kid doesn’t decide to leave it in the mailbox on the way out or hide it in the shrubs you can keep ‘tabs’ on them:

1. Google Latitude (free): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-latitude/id306586497?mt=8Offered as both a separate app and as an opt-in feature that’s part of the free Google Maps app, Latitude enables users to share their location with friends or family members. After downloading the Maps app, you can choose to “Join Latitude” and invite your children, who must also enable that feature on their own phone, to share their location with you. Once someone accepts, they appear as an icon on Google Maps. Available on Android, BlackBerry, Apple and many other devices.
2. Lookout – Free (free): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lookout-free/id434893913?mt=8Worried parents can use Lookout, which was intended to find a lost phone or secure data on a stolen device, for tracking their children instead. After downloading the app onto your child’s phone, you can log in online, click on the “missing device” tab and see where the phone — and your child — is on a map. Available on Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7, iPhone and iPad.
3. Find My Kids ~ Footprints™ (free for two months after that, $1.99 for a three-month subscription, $3.99 for a year or $5.99 for two years): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/find-my-kids-footprints/id400119299?mt=8This paid app includes parental controls that allow location tracking at all times, and it is password protected to keep a child from tampering with it. Parents can download the app onto their child’s phone, create an account and tweak the settings so the location of their child is updated every few minutes, every hour or only when they are on the move. You can also configure the app to share data for only a limited time span — for parents who want to keep an eye out only on special occasions like Halloween. Available only on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
4. Trick or Tracker Child Locator ($4.99): https://www.amazon.com/Trick-or-Tracker-Child-Locater/dp/B00633592WA Halloween-themed app, the Trick or Tracker will send text messages with location data to a preset phone number. To use, a parent must download the app onto both their own phone and their child’s phone, choose one password to sync up the two devices and pick a time interval to get regular text updates (say, every 15 minutes). The app also lets parents create a digital fence to encourage their children to stay within a certain area. If he or she strays outside that “geofence,” the parent’s phone will be notified by text message. Available only for Android phones.
5. SecuraFone (free version; Premium version has a low monthly cost): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/securafone/id474033697?mt=8This app, designed for teenagers, allows parents to set up geofences and receive a text alert any time their child crosses a virtual boundary. With one press of a button, an SOS feature also automatically places a call to a predetermined emergency contact and alerts other emergency contacts via text or email.For teens with wheels, SecuraFone can temporarily lock down the email and text messaging functions on a smartphone when the device is traveling at a high speed. The app can also send an alert if a preset speed threshold is passed. All settings can be tweaked through a password-protected online account. Available on iPhone and Android phones.

Again, those are just a few. You have everything from decorating jack-o-lanterns (or pumpkin’s as we call them) on both iPhones/iPads/iTouch and Android/Smartphones. The big question is ‘what ever will I be this year”? My thoughts on that…why wait for Halloween? Do something different and throw a “Monster Mash” in June or August as a going-back-to-school party or for a slumber party. Anything to be fun and dress up and maybe just maybe your kids won’t be as quirky as mine and suppress your inner-child for yet another year *lol* but when this “mummy” finally gets to let loose all I can say is “booga wooga wooga” you better run my yummies *abawahahahahahaBOOOO”!

Photo courtesy of Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/58696328@N04/6295288249/sizes/z/in/photostream/