Review: Kajeet Cell Phones for Kids

I should probably get to my disclosures up front in this one, because there are a few. I first heard about Kajeet, the new cell phone service for kids, when I got an e-mail from Craig Peters, their director of online marketing and communications. Craig wrote me back in June because he'd found the Jumping Monkeys podcast and he wanted to introduce me to Kajeet. He gave me a little bit of background about the service and we discussed the possibility of Kajeet sponsoring Jumping Monkeys.

Kajeet sounded really interesting, but I have to say that I didn't spend too much time thinking about it. Kajeet is aimed at tweens and we're light years away from that stage in our house (or so I'd like to believe.)

A few months later MomCentral asked me to review a Kajeet phone for their blog tour. I signed up and they sent me a phone and a $20 phone card to try out the service. I played with the phone for a few weeks, checked out all the features on the phone and the Web site and I was really impressed. It's obvious that the Kajeet phone service was designed by parents, not just people who try to imagine what parents might need.

Kajeet used kid beta testers to help design the phones, so I would hope that that means that tweens would like them. Since I'm not one and I don't have one, I can't tell you whether all that tween-speak on the Web site and the phone controls is appealing or annoying to kids. I can say, however, that as a parent I'm very impressed with the parental controls.

I never gave much thought to kids cell phones, but the more I read the more I learned just how dangerous it might be to give your child a regular cell phone. First consider the fact that standard phones allow your child to call anyone (thereby automatically giving anyone their cell phone number). Many plans allow you to buy ringtones and sign up for difference services. That's basically the same as handing over your credit card to your child. They'll be charged for those services and you'll be the one who has to pay.

Here are a few ways Kajeet can help you manage your child's cell phone:

• You set who your kids can call.
• You set the hours when your kids can call, to help keep them from making calls at school. (The exception to this is that they can always call home and they can always call 911.)
• You give your kids a phone allowance, which can help teach them how to budget their money. They can buy ringtones. They can buy wallpaper. They can text or make phone calls. One they've spent their allowance, that's it.
• There are no contracts and no monthly fees, thereby allowing you and your children to be fickle about the plan. Instead you get charged by the day.

I am not buying my children (ages 4.5, 2.5, and 2.5) a cell phone anytime soon. But when the time does come I'm definitely going to consider Kajeet and I'd recommend it to anyone with tweens who they think are ready for their own phone.   

Jumping Monkeys Episode 21: Ashley Merryman on Sleep and Your Kids

Today we talk with Ashley Merryman, writer, attorney, and former speechwriter for Al Gore. Ashley is the author of a recent article on how to get kids to sleep more, and is co-authoring a parenting book with Po Bronson.

We first learned about Ashley when we came upon her New York Magazine piece with Po Bronson about praising your kids. When we learned about her recent sleep research, we knew had to have her on to talk about it.

Listen as Ashley chats with us about the science of sleep and offers some surprising data about sleep and kids.

Whether you have infants or teenagers, you'll want to listen to this interview, read Po's companion piece to Ashley's sleep article, read Ashley and Po's blog and then you'll want to go take a nap.

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SPEND: Mind Candy Clothing T-Shirts for Real Princesses

SAVE: 8 Weeks to a Frazzle Free Chrsitmas

GIVE: One Laptop Per Child - Give One Get One Offer Starts November 12th.

OTHER LINKS:

Dad Stays at Home.com

Orisinal

Virtual Pumpkin Carving

LISTENER FEEDBACK:

Matt recommends Peter Potty

Tux Paint by Bill Kendrick

YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

Keepon dancing to Spoon's "I Turn My Camera On."

Read more about Keepon and the Infanoid Project.

Extraordinary

Grandpa is in the hospital again. Just like last time they are using phrases that I do not like.

DNR.

Hospice.

Extraordinary Measures. As in, they don't think they should take any.

They mentioned hospice over a year and a half ago. And if I think of all the memories we've had since then, all the stories he's told us, it makes me angry at them. I want to bring them all the pictures I've taken since they last told us that he was going to die. Look. Here he is at the koi pond, laughing as the kids throw bread at the turtles. Here we are out for dinner at a Family Style Italian restaurant for my birthday. There he is toasting champagne at my cousin's engagement party. 

They don't know my grandpa.

When we visit him in the hospital on the first day he is pale, but seems in good spirits. "Did you go to school today?" He asks Annabella. The kids tickle his toes and squeeze his hands. When we leave he says, as if he's just spent the day pulling weeds in his garden or walking a few miles on the beach, "I'm going to sleep well tonight."

Over the next week, we visit Grandpa every day. Some days are better than others. He gets a blood transfusion, a colonoscopy. They find nothing wrong. We sit by his bed and hold his hand and listen to story after story.

One day, in the car on the way home, Annabella says "I am going to really hate it when daddy is that old. And when he's that old Mimi is going to be really, really, really, really, really old." Mimi is what she calls my mom, my grandfather's oldest daughter. At the next stoplight I look in the rearview mirror and watch Annabella. She is processing everything.

On Friday night after the kids are in bed I go to the hospital so my parents and my aunt and uncle can take a break and go out to dinner. It is the first time I've been alone with grandpa since I can remember. He talks about his mother, who died of a blood clot when he was only thirteen. He talks of his sister Elsie, who had only a semester left at Skidmore, but came home to take care of the family and never went back. When my parents finish dinner they come back to the hospital.

"Meg's here," my grandfather says, "and she's taking everything down."

On Sunday when we visit he is sitting up in a chair eating lasagna. The sun is pouring through his hospital room window. We know he's feeling better because after a few minutes he says, "I appreciate you coming to visit, but I'd really rather you were out playing in the park."

Jumping Monkeys Episode 20: Cammy Blackstone

Today, by popular demand, we talk to Cammy Blacksone of Munchcast. We chat about Halloween candy, Halloween costumes, and what you should never, ever give out to trick or treaters. Cammy's favorite candy sites? Candyblog and Sweet Nostalgia.

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SPEND: The Monster Engine - $25

SAVE: Get a $10 Gift Certificate from Amazon by using Coinstar. found on Parent Hacks. Offer ends 11/8/2007.

GIVE: My New Red Shoes

OTHER LINKS:

• DC Metro Mom's Blog Invites Presidential Candidates to Speak to Them (found on the Mommy Track'd Newsdesk)
• Free Halloween Crafts, Coloring Pages, and Printables (recommended by Aaron)

SONG OF THE WEEK:

Unglamorous by Lori McKenna (singer, songwriter, and stay-at-home mom).

Buy the album at:

• Warner Bros Records Store
• Amazon
• iTunes

Special thanks to Natalie at Blue Suit Mom for giving us permission to play Lori's song.

LISTENER MAIL:

• Guillaume had a correction on what I said about Kiva. It is possible to get your money back, according to their FAQ.
• Darlene tells us about her site, Mom Defrazzler.com

Jumping Monkeys Episode 19: PickPackGo

Today we interview a few of the folks behind the new Web 2.0 travel site, PickPackGo.

Listen to the show at TWiT.tv

Subscribe at iTunes (free)

SPEND: FlipClips recommended by listener Diana

SAVE: Field Trip with Enzo - Save 10% with the coupon code "fieldtrip". To learn more about about Enzo Garcia, visit EnzoGarcia.com. A portion of the profits from "Fieldtrip with Enzo" will go to One Percent for the Planet. (We played "Monkey Motions.")

GIVE: Kiva.org

BOOK PICK: Henry Huggins - by Beverly Cleary

OTHER LINKS:

• Got Crocs? Be careful on escalators
• Blue Man Group Opens Preschool in Manhattan

VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

Richard Pryor reading the alphabet on Sesame Street

LISTENER FEEDBACK:

Voicemail about sites for twins:

Parent Hacks twins thread

Twinshock -forums (recommended by listener Sydney)

No More Obligaparties

Me: I'm going to figure out a way for Annabella to go because I have a problem not taking her to birthday parties that she's invited to.

Wise Mom Friend: Have you ever heard her mention the kid who's party it is?

Me: No

Wise Mom Friend: Did the mom invite the whole class?

Me: Yes.

Wise Mom Friend: So, the mom feels obligated to invite the whole class, even though she really doesn't want to and then you feel obligated to go, even though you really don't want to. Now that's just silly.

Me: I know!

Wise Mom Friend: If I've never heard my daughter talk about the kid who's birthday it is, then we always RSVP "no."

Me: Wow. Can I do that?

Wise Mom Friend: Yes, yes you can. 

Halloween: Discuss Amongst Yourselves

On my first Halloween as a mom, I reminisced about my own youth. A few short years later I had already turned into a Halloween curmudgeon, probably because I couldn't talk Annabella out of dressing up like a princess even though I really, really wanted her to be a super hero.

This year Annabella wants to be a black cat and we're working on making the costume with a leotard, tights, feather boa, and some face paint, so thing are looking up.

For the boys I'm going to make use of our extra Costco diaper and wipe boxes to turn them into robots. I'm planning on spray painting the boxes silver. Not sure if they'll get any additional ornamentation. Wearing a silver box might be all they need. I considered getting some Thomas the Train costumes and attaching lead pencils or lead weights to them, but I'm just not sure people are ready to laugh about that just yet.

What's your costume game plan this year?

Jumping Monkeys Episode 18: Parent Hacks

In episode 18, we finally caught up with Asha Dornfest of Parent Hacks. Listen to the show at TWiT.tv Subscribe at iTunes (free) The Flickr/Babble affair: Sweet Juniper on Flickr Babble Responds to photo-theft claims Babble's Stroller Derby: Babble Apology Not Accepted SPEND: Animoto Videos found on PhotoJojo SAVE: Make an Asthma Spacer out of Paper GIVE: Changing the Present BOOK PICK: Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina LINKS: Breastfeeding mom given more time on exam Help get YouTube Dad sensation on national TV Finkbuilt found Geek Dad

1997 vs. 2007

Do you want to go the bar after work? It's free pizza night!

Who wants grilled cheese sandwiches shaped like butterflies for lunch?

*

You're taking all the covers.

They're crying and I went in there last time.

*

Unmute! Unmute! The commercials are over.

Is iTunes done downloading the next episode yet?

*

I think it's time for me to start thinking about a real career.

I think it's time for us to start thinking about where she's going to go to kindergarten.

*

Do you want to go see live music tonight?

You want me to sing "I've been working on the railroad," again?

*

Let's ride our bikes to the bar, so we can drink more.

Yes, you can ride your bike up and down the driveway, as long as you put your gymnastic's leotard on first.

*

Did you get our tickets for the Phish show yet?

Did you pay for this month of preschool yet?

*

Do you think we'll ever get married?

Were we ever not married?

*

You forgot to turn off your alarm. It's Saturday.

Why are they awake already? Don't they know it's Saturday?

*

I love you.

I love you...and you and you and you.

*

Review: Bob Books

I am a reader. I have always been a reader. My mother took me to the library every week when I was a child. I wanted to live there. Marco is also a reader. He refuses to pay more than $12 to get his hair cut, but he won't blink an eye at buying a $30 hardcover novel every week. And, he actually reads them.

All three of our children ask to be read to several times a day, not just before bed. They see us reading our own books all the time. And for several hours each day Annabella will listen to audio books on her CD player. She recognizes letters and can write many of them. She sees her 7-year-old cousin read and when she recites books that she's memorized, she imitates the slow and steady tone he uses to sound out the words.

But if I ever try to encourage her to read on her own, she acts as if I've just tried to poke her with a corkscrew. 

I decided that maybe I was just doing it wrong. So, I was interested when MotherTalk offered to send me the Bob Books for beginning readers by Bobby Lynn Maslen & John R. Maslen. Annabella was very excited when the books arrived. The set came with over a dozen small, paper back books with brightly colored covers. And even though the books are a lot simpler than the books I normally read to her, she listened with the same quiet attention as she listens to the plot-heavy Henry Huggins.

The Bob Books start slowly, with only a few sounds at a time. The sounds that each book uses are listed at the beginning of the book. Annabella had about five minutes of patience with me asking her to sound out the letters and then she said plainly, "Mom, I want you to read it." When I tried to point to the words as I read them, she pushed my hand away. "I can't see the pictures!" I tried to encourage her a little more until she shouted with all the exasperation a four and half year old can muster, "I DON'T WANT YOU TO TEACH ME TO READ!"

I've consulted my expert sister and she assures me that her son (now an avid reader) had the same angst over reading, until one day when he didn't. Her friends report similar experiences. And yet, it's still hard to know where encouragement becomes pressure. If you take the training wheels off too early, your child can take some mean falls off their bike that they might just not recover from. Leave them on too long and they become a lot harder to take off at all.

So, I've put away the BOB Books for a while. If I'm going to do the reading, then it's going to be our steady rotation of Beverly Cleary and Dr. Seuss. I'll try the Bob Books again in a few months.

Here's a look inside Book 1 of Set 1 of the Bob Books.