With the fast arrival of the holiday season comes every kid’s favorite time of the year and every parent’s most dreaded time of the year: winter break from school. The kids are home for a few weeks and will likely choose to occupy their time by playing on their devices. Whether those devices are gaming consoles, mobile phones or tablets, they are likely to be played for hours on end. This can be a pain point for many families during this time of the year.

With Valentines Day just around the corner, a great way to get in the mood is to share some Valentine’s themed apps and stories with your children. Here are some of our favorite apps that feature Valentine’s Day or Love – whether it be for a child, parent, grandparent or friends.

Today’s interview is with Carla Kuipers of Shiny Things.  Please visit their website, Facebook and Twitter pages.

Thank you for participating in our interview. Please tell us a little about yourself.

Shiny Things is a team of designers, developers, researchers and educators based in Sydney, Australia. Our range of apps has recently reached half a million downloads across 127 countries.

Moms with Apps Featured Free Apps

Deals are available when it is Friday in your local time zone (for the US only from Thursday 8pm PST)

Was $1.99

All-You-Can-Read “EhonKids” by Moonbeams, Inc is a universal app designed for iOS that features a variety of fairy tales from around the world.  Currently there are 18 books available with additional fairy tales being added every month.  The stories feature movie mode, ability to mirror via AppleTV or Reflector to your computer/television, page turning (read it to myself) which allows parents to read it to their children, channels that allow you to pick a specific genre of books or recently released ones and world folktales.  .

Max on the farm pro is a collection of 4 farm-themed games for children aged 3-6. It is a totally child-safe and child-friendly app with no instructions or set-up required. Kids just need to launch the app and they can start playing right away. The only option available for parents is to turn off the music.

Language skill builder is an straightforward app that helps users develop language skills through short quizes covering a variety of language concepts. It is easy to use and you can create multiple user profiles, each with detailed data collection and reports.

Decode Global is a developer with a mission, they aim to create fun, entertaining apps that also teach about important global issues. Their first app Get Water! is a fun,addictive, endless runner app that stars Maya a young girl who keeps getting pulled out of school to collect clean drinking water for her family.

The Flip Wallet is a leather case for the iPhone 5/5s from Sydney, Australia based Toffee cases. The case comes in a choice of brown or black leather with a blue check lining. I tested the brown leather case with the iPhone 5.

What are Fast Free and Discounted Apps?
These are quality apps from various genres that we have taken the time to find especially for our readers. They are on sale for a limited time only so you’ll need to be Fast if you want them at the reduced price. These apps were free or discounted at the time of publishing this article but are subject to change at any time by the app developers. As prices vary in different country app stores, always check the price before downloading. If you like these apps, be sure to share this post with your friends.

With the rising popularity of the G0-Pro and similar cameras, videos cameras are now everywhere – on Surfboards, Ski slopes, Skydiving and more. People are even filming the action with multiple cameras to get that all around view. Oregon Scientific has a different solution – the world’s first dual-lens video action camera! The ATC Chameleon Dual Lens Action Video Camera lets you film simultaneously from 2 different lenses within one camera body, so the 2 videos are automatically synched during recording and playback without needing to do any editing.

The KeyCover™ Hard Shell Keyboard for iPad mini is designed to make typing on your iPad mini easier. It is compatible with both the original iPad mini and the iPad mini with Retina display. It tested it with the original iPad Mini. It can be used with the mini in either portrait or landscape mode.

What are Fast Free and Discounted Apps?
These are quality apps from various genres that we have taken the time to find especially for our readers. They are on sale for a limited time only so you’ll need to be Fast if you want them at the reduced price. These apps were free or discounted at the time of publishing this article but are subject to change at any time by the app developers. As prices vary in different country app stores, always check the price before downloading. If you like these apps, be sure to share this post with your friends.

Do you have a child in pre-school or getting ready to enter Kindergarten ? Would you like an easy tool to informally assess their Kindergarten readiness and then to provide you with tips on how to help them in areas that need work? Or are you a pre-school teacher wanting to assess your students? Then i am-READY Pre-K Assess and Learn is a great new tool for you. It is designed for use with children aged 3-5 and allows to to both assess their Kindergarten readiness and gives suggestions on how to work on areas where the child isn’t yet ready.

Do your children like animals ? Mine do! Two of my daughter’s favorite things are animals and playing dress up, and these are combined in Miss Hollywood, the latest app from Budge Studios. She is going so excited about this app! Miss Hollywood stars 5 adorable strays which your child can adopt then treat like a star. They can groom them, dress them up, feed them special treats, play with them and take their picture with a variety of different backgrounds.

My Parents Are Crazy! is an animated, interactive book app from Confidence Through Characters, Inc. It was created by Katherine Geerdes, an educator from Southern California, and is designed to encourage children to read. It has optional narration, word highlighting,(which can also be switched on in read-by-myself mode), and the volume of the background sounds can be adjusted.

The iMums and Bamba Kids have teamed up again to bring you another chance to win an iPad Mini. This giveaway is to celebrate the launch of Bamba’s newest fun kid’s app Bamba Craft. The prize is:

Decode Global is a developer with a mission, they aim to create fun, entertaining apps that also teach about important global issues. Their first app Get Water! is a fun,addictive, endless runner app that stars Maya a young girl who keeps getting pulled out of school to collect clean drinking water for her family. Saturday March 22nd has been declared World Water Day 2014 by the United Nations and to celebrate and raise awareness Decode Global has made Get Water! FREE from March 21st-24th, then it will revert to paid. The app contains no adverts, in-app purchases or social media links. It is available for iOS and Android.

The National Film Board of Canada‘s acclaimed stop-motion animationapplication for iPad is launching today, redesigned and better than ever, as StopMo Studio. Originally releasedas Pix Stop in December 2011, the NFB¡¯s StopMo Studio now offers casual and experienced users alike a richer and easier creative experience as they animate their films using frame-by-frame stop-motion.

The Arlo Pro 2 security system from NETGEAR is the latest high definition wireless camera system in the Arlo range. We reviewed the original Arlo in March 2015, it was a great system then and has had lots of upgrades and improvements since.

MYNT ES by Slightech is a great solution if you are always losing your keys!  I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten home and not put my keys and wallet in their designated spot – this usually results in a frantic morning when we are looking for my keys and trying to get my kids out the door quickly.  Luckily, MYNT ES has a Bluetooth app and I can attach it to my keys so it will play a sound much like the “find my iPhone” so that searching is no more.

Parker the Monkey is one of the brand new Bluebee Pals that features a moving head, moving mouth, weights to help him sit as well as a very plush body.  Parker the Monkey and all Bluebee Pals connect to your Bluetooth enabled device which includes iPad, iPhone, iOS, Android, laptops and more and provides the sound/narration from whatever content you are using.  My kids love using their Bluebee Pals not just to narrate for apps, they also enjoy listening to podcasts, making phone calls and even listening to audio books while reading along with a physical book. 

Wireless Indoor Security Camera System is a battery powered home monitoring system designed for homeowners and renters which can be easily placed throughout your residence.  The companion app, Blink for Home allows you to set motion alerts, watch live HD video, customize cameras and alert settings.  Set up is super easy – you simply plug in the Blink hub and then using your device download Blink for Home.

Wonster Words Learning by 77Sparx Studio recently had a major upgrade to give children a new learning and play experience while retaining the same fun and playful approach that appeals to children.

Kayle Concepts announces their new Bluebee Pals Learning App and the latest technical release of their Bluebee Pals, interactive Bluetooth® enabled plush companions. Both represent an evolution in toy-based learning to nurture and engage children in activities important to their healthy growth and development. Bluebee Pal robotic head and mouth plushies retail for $74.99 and are available in six huggable styles—Leo the Lion, Sammy the Bear, Hudson the Dog, Riley the Zebra, Lily the Lamb and Parker the Monkey. Bluebee Pals Learning App is free and compatible with all iOS and Android devices.

San Francisco, 6 February: GOOLOO, the leading battery power expert, has announced the ultimate jump starter – portable, but powerful enough to charge virtually anything. From motoring safely through to running MacBooks or smartphones, the GOOLOO G2000 is the ultimate car accessory for all occasions

Pocket money is now moving toward digital technology with the move towards a cashless society.You can teach your children to manage money a lot more effectively than by filling a piggybank with the help of smartphones and

For many parents getting their young children to brush their teeth regularly can be challenging. Now a days, you can find an electronic brush that’s not only pocket friendly but also suits your child’s requirements and makes