{There's an App for that}

This week I was on a business trip to Stockholm.

Ready for dinner in Stockholm

I flew with British Airways, and had downloaded their iPhone app which allowed me to keep track of my scheduled flights, of which I had 4 - Glasgow to London City to Arlanda and back!

Anyway, I'm amazed at how easy it was... It's been 4 years since I was last on a plane, and things have changed since then.

I didn't need to print any documentation - my boarding card was on my phone and it was scanned at the desk. Simple! (I didn't trust the system on the way out, so still printed the hard copy, but solely used my iPhone app on the way back!). I didn't have any luggage to check in, as I was literally there for an evening meal and then a day of meetings before coming home. I went straight from the taxi to security to the gate to the plane. Hardly any queues and limited hanging around. Result!

I also didn't take any currency with me. Usually I'm faffing around trying to get a good exchange rate etc etc., but because I wasn't there for long and the taxis in Sweden accept credit cards... that's all I needed.

And then when I landed back in Glasgow (when it was permissible to use mobile phones again), whilst still on the plane I used the Hampden Taxi app to book my taxi so that when I walked out of the terminal building and across to the car park, the taxi was there and I didn't have to hang around.

The only thing that I wasn't impressed with was the food. Yes, my flight from London City to Arlanda was only two hours, but this was the measly sandwich we were given. It was tiny!

I can't get over how useful my smart phone is, and how did I ever manage without one!!

What other apps would you recommend that I check out?

{Fabulous Finds: iPhone Apps for Kids}

I thought I would share some of the apps that I have downloaded on my iPhone, specifically those for toddlers. For a while my son was literally obsessed with my iPhone and I couldn't even take a call without him screaming his head off to have a shot. However, he seems to have calmed down now and will happily play a game for 5-10 minutes and then give it back to me...phew! Here are his favourite apps at the moment:

Toca Boca Helicopter Taxi

My son loves to fly his little helicopter round the house! The brilliance of this app is that it's not a game... it just turns the iPhone into a little helicopter. 

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Kidztory

These interactive stories are fantastic, our current favourite is 'The Lion & The Mouse'. To start with I had to turn the pages myself for my son (it would have been brilliant if there was a 'play this story as a movie' option) but now he is capable of turning the pages on his own. There is also a wide selection to choose from, and my son loves them all.

Pi'ikea Interactive Alphabet

Each letter has an animation... each touch of the Apple takes a bite out of it, the Dinosaur roars, the Jack in the box pops out... you get the idea! This app also has a 'baby mode' which auto advances each alphabet card in the series.

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Ladybird Baby Touch Peekaboo

There are four categories in this peekaboo app: farm, sea, animals and vehicles. Again, this app has a 'play all' feature which auto advances between them - ideal for smaller kiddies. My son laughs his head off when the penguin jumps off the ice into the water! 

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And here is my wee boy with my phone... (his squint is really noticeable in this photo - we're being seen at the local hospital for it.  It's thought he is long sighted and needs glasses but the optician has not been able to determine his prescription as he won't co-operate at the moment! I think he's just a little too young. We'll get there eventually...).