Me in a Tree Review Family App Management Interactive Tool Engages Parents and Kids

Technology

In this fast-paced digital world we all live in today, computers and high tech are a natural part of just about every modern child's upbringing. With all that technology is supposed to be doing to help us, though, it seems ironic that the family structure as we know it is still suffering a huge breakdown in family communication. As a mom of four kids -- Triplets plus one more born within a year -- now all teens, I know I've been experiencing that first hand for years now.

If you're a parent of children from toddlers on up, you are likely to be having similar frustrations these days. You might even be aware that there are plenty of apps out there already that are focused on helping us moms and dads manage our kids, busy family lives and homes. The problem is that up until now, there haven't been any apps or sites that get the whole family involved in an active way. 

Finally there's a new interactive online application called Me in a Tree that fills that void and does all the things on to go contemporary families need. Not only does it virtually deliver much of what those mom and dad parenting apps already do, it actually gets parents, other caregivers and children all interacting and talking with each other within a safe private community that your entire family can tap to reconnect and ultimately lead more fulfilling lives.

According to the site founders of MeinaTree.com, this interactive awareness tool is designed to increase the efficiency of communication within the household, family time, and options for activities. The goal is to realize a general overall stronger connection and bond between family members.

Me and my family squeeze in some together time on a ski trip

I've only been experimenting with this new online tool for families for a few weeks and am amazed by how easy it was to set up. It really does so much, too, my own family has only begun to harness the potential of this new site that finally helps kids and parents literally get on the same page. 

Once you sign up, you'll set up a family user name and password. There is also the option for each family member to set up their own user name and password within their family's account. I really like that this gives kids, whether they are preschoolers or in high school a sense of feeling as an important, contributing member of their family team.

Next, to personalize your clan's private intranet you are directed to a profile page where each member of your family gets to create their own avatar to represent them. Older kids that are tech savvy can choose to do this themselves while you can help the little ones to create their online persona that only your family will be able to see. 

However you do it, each of you will piece together your own original characters picking from a color palette, a variety of skin tones, facial features, hair and eye color. New avatar functions that will give you even more options for body type, scenes, and other extras are coming soon. These customized avatars you and your kids create will be used to represent you and interact with the app's built-in communication and organizational tools.

MeinaTree.com screen shot showing my family's avatar profile page

Here you see my family's profile home page which uses pretend names to protect their privacy. When you use this application at home you'll be able to enter your real first names or nicknames because this is a private page for your family only. Each of the avatars created for my family is different reflecting each of our physical attributes and personalities. Since all six of us in my family wear glasses, I just hope Me in a Tree will soon add eyeglasses to accessorize our avatars to make them even more realistic.

After the Avatars were all in place I updated the family calendar with some activities we have planned. Then, I responded to the prompt to start a family huddle which you can designate to last for 30 minutes, 45 minutes or an hour. I set our first huddle to last for a half an hour, but I really wish there was a 15 minute option that I could try, too, as we are all so busy these days and we might do these family online meetings even more often if there was a shorter time commitment involved.

My kids in a tree trunk on one of many family road trips

The huddles are where the fun and communication really begins as everyone in the family is interacting from their own device, laptop or desktop computer in your family-only club meetings in real time. A nice thing about this aspect is that you can designate anyone in the family to be the moderator of a given huddle so it encourages responsibility and helps develop leadership skills of everyone involved. 

It is here in your online family meetings that you'll all be able to discuss things that need to be hashed out as well as look at and talk about what's scheduled on the household calendar together. And, just think, unlike in an old fashioned face-to-face family pow wow in this format no one will be talking over each other and everyone is actually holding their own talking stick at the same time. I know I'm not going to miss all that verbal volleyball that goes on at our kitchen table when we sit down to meet with our kids.

There is also a Things to Do app within this interactive site which I think is very useful that I have only just begun to explore. In this area of Me in a Tree you'll find four options that I every family needs: Family Activities, Volunteering, Parent Date Night and Parenting and Kids Programs. With so much that this offers you will likely see me talking more about this in future MommyBlogExpert blogposts as I have the chance to use these various options more over time.

Watch this brand new YouTube that just went live today to learn more about how Me in a Tree gets the whole family on board.




In summary, what I like best is that Me in a Tree doesn't tell us moms and dads how to parent or force a particular parenting philosophy or style on us. That's a really good thing because no two families operate the same way and we all have unique needs and challenges. Instead, it offers resources, tools, strategies and activities that help parents and children build on their own strengths with the end goal being a family that is synchronized like a beautiful orchestral performance.

Image from Me in a Tree

Families are invited to try Me in a Tree for a free two week trial with no credit card number. After that you have the option of subscribing to service via an annual subscription that costs $5.99 per month. You can also connect with Me in a Tree on Twitter and Facebook, too.

Parent Bloggers Wanted
Me in a Tree is seeking mom and dad bloggers from across North America, including the U.S. and Canada to try and review the Me in a Tree tool and participate in their compensated blogger program.

FTC Disclosure: This is a compensated post. Additionally, I received an annual subscription to Me in a Tree to facilitate this review. Thoughts are my own. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

Family Tech Timeout - Transforming Our Mobile Device Addictions Into Quality Time

Technology

Thinking about dinnertime are you and your children eating together and spending at least some family quality time together each night? Or, instead, are kids checking their Facebook pages while parents are scrolling through emails from work? 

Art really does imitate life as this YouTube illustrates...




Apparently this reality is universal and epidemic. According to a recent NPR poll, 25% of all children surveyed live in homes where on any given night the TV is on or someone is using an electronic device. Based on all the families I know personally, I'm guessing the real numbers might even be a whole lot worse.

With such a sad scenario around dinner tables across America 24/7 in small towns and big cities, I'm going to stick my neck out on this issue. In an ideal world, I'm going to bet that you and I both would rather enjoy family and loved ones more, especially at meal times, and not be so obsessed about all the technology in the presence of others. Right?

Like just about everyone else, I love and depend on my iPhone, iPad and a host of other devices. I also plead guilty to using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest incessantly to stay connected socially and professionally. It's time that we all recapture what is nearest and dearest to us -- quality time with family. And there's no better moment than sharing a meal together at home or in a restaurant to enjoy each other.

Is this what your family dinner looks like? Image from Foresters

That's where Foresters new Tech Timeout initiative comes in. It's a place where kids and adults can both go to take the Tech Timeout pledge to turn off digital devices including TVs, smartphones, tablets, games consoles, computers and yes -- iPods and other music devices, too --  for an hour each day for one week.

Do something good today and improve your own family's life and dinner table ambiance. To take a stand kids, moms, dads and care givers are encouraged go to the Tech Timeout Facebook.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT
Would love your comments on this post, too. Feel free to share a mini description of what your family dinner table is like these days.

FTC Disclosure: I depend on mobile technology but I am also an advocate of more quality family life for parents and their kids that seeks balance. I did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post. Thoughts are my own. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

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My Lucky Elephant Review Kids DVD Movie About Home Friendship Love & Family

Movies

All images Courtesy of My Lucky Elephant

Recently released on DVD, My Lucky Elephant is a live action movie with a new take on an old concept: that life is best spent with a sense of home, true friendship (both human to human and person to animal), love and family togetherness. I frequently review family friendly movies from both large and indie film studios for Mommy Blog Expert and this is definitely another great one I'd like to share with you that appeals to children, moms, dads and other caregivers.

Directed by Eric Schwab, who brought us blockbuster films like Mission Impossible and Valkyrie, this movie is decidedly more kid friendly and worth enjoying with your extended family. Rated PG, I found this to be entertaining and fun -- suitable for older children ages 6 and up. In fact, I was surprised even some of my teenagers sat and watched this in its entirety with me.

In this charming tale those essential things that we all hope for seem like just a dream for a parentless 10 year-old boy all alone in the world, aimlessly wandering and living in the jungle among the animals. That profound loneliness disappears when a wild baby elephant the boy names Lucky comes into his life and a deep and beautiful friendship begins to unfold.

The native boy who starred in this film had never acted before

The boy & his new four-legged friend ride through a small town on the way to the big city

From the moment they meet, the small boy and the elephant are inseparable companions. But since the reality is that they are both hungry and need to earn money for food, soon the industrious pair are working side by side in various jungle jobs alongside adults transporting lumber and giving tourists elephant rides through the jungle. 

All seems to be going well until the boy and his elephant friend decide to venture into a busy city. After a series of funny but frustrating life and work episodes, they finally discover the Academy of Art where elephants learn to paint. It is here that, after some artist-in-training suspense and hilarity, Lucky turns from class clown into the camp's resident star elephant artist with his original painting style. 

Watching these elephants paint in the movie is amazing

Elephants are just like kids when it comes to creating a mess when painting

The plot thickens for the budding artist when Lucky falls in love with another elephant painter named Candy. That's where the adventure really begins. What happens next? If you see this movie you and your children will find out what. For now, keep reading to see some more behind the scenes pictures the director gave me to share with readers as well as to watch the movie trailer toward the end of this post.

Just as fascinating as the film itself is the back story about how this picture evolved from concept to final production. Lucky (pun intended) for MBE readers, the director has shared the production notes with me to reference so I can provide you with some insight into the making of My Lucky Elephant as well as some cool trivia about the movie.

Yes, in case you are wondering, it was rainy season during shooting

Filming in a jungle river w/ an elephant & boy was no small feat, either

Directing an elephant literally & figuratively presented BIG challenges

The director reflects upon what originally inspired this movie on one of many family trips to Thailand. 

"I saw elephants walking around the jungle and in the city," Schwab recalls. "When I found out they live a very long life, often over fifty years, I knew there was a good story there."

Watch the movie's official trailer to get a taste of why this is so fun and family-friendly 

I could write an entire dissertation based on the production notes I read. Honestly, there were pages full of hundreds of details about how this amazing project came together. But, for the sake of brevity, I'll just summarize for you and share a few of the many tid bits about the making of this movie.

• Though you won't see it in the credits, My Lucky Elephant's outdoor scenes were shot in Thailand.
• Director Schwab visited with and got to know numerous Thai mahouts to aid in their search to find just the right elephant camp before settling on the one used in the film called Mateman where the animals were happy, healthy and well treated.
• In case you have any doubts: Yes some elephants can really paint. In actuality, the real life star elephant in the camp, Hong who was chosen to play Lucky's love interest Candy, commands thousands of dollars for each of her masterpieces. 
• Multiple elephants worked during the filming of this project to portray different ages, personalities and talents. A point worth making: according to the director elephants were not forced to act and filming only took place when the big guys were in the mood to do the desired action sequences.
• After finding the right place, prior to beginning to shoot footage, the director and some other key filmmakers came to the camp on multiple days to observe and learn more about the elephants and their behavior, building trust with the resident experts -- both of the human and pachyderm varieties.
• The kid, a native of the area where this was filmed, who plays the lead had never acted before. He gave his name as First, since he is the first son of the family. Originally there was to be no dialogue for the boy's role, but that changed when it was discovered that First happened to speak perfect English.
• The first-time young actor looks like a polished thespian and natural with the elephants. But in reality he extraordinary child that just acted like himself. He also spent many hours with Nam Wan (who plays the young Lucky) to bond and to learn how to be safe around elephants and to practice riding the baby elephant bareback.

Simply said, if you like heart warming stories and especially if have a soft spot for animals and elephants like I do, I think you'll also truly appreciate this film. Listed at $14.99 My Lucky Elephant from ARC Entertainment, LLC, in English with a run time of 91 minutes, is widely available on DVD for home viewing with closed captions online and in-store. 

FTC Disclosure: I received the DVD featured to facilitate this movie review. However, I did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post. Thoughts are my own. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.