Hello long lost friends! I’m officially back from my crazy-May sabbatical with the monthly series My Five Favorites! My lovely friends and co-hosts Jennifer of Dimples & Tangles, Pam of Simple Details, Kris of Driven By Decor, and I welcome Sarah of Thrifty Decor Chick to the party this month, and we’re so glad she’s here!
Sarah is a DIYer through and through, and one of my favorite transformations of hers is the dining room-turned-library that she completed last year!
Hop on over and pay Sarah a visit when you’re done here, you’ll be so glad you did!
This month we’re all sharing our favorite gadgets, and you might think I would go straight to tools and things I love for home improvement, but with three teenagers in my house and Father’s Day on the close horizon, what I actually have on the mind are all the techie gadgets around our house that we love. Here’s my list of geeky faves and I’d seriously love to hear what kind of gadgets float your boat too, so at the end please be sure to let us all know! Affiliate links are included in this post for your convenience; you can read about affiliate links right here.
Some of these items might make a great gift for the dads in your life!
Car Vent Phone Holder | $9+
I used to use a magnetized phone holder for my car, but when my phone broke, the Apple store told me that the stick-on magnet I put on my phone (that attached to the console-installed stand in my car) actually hid the serial number on the back, made it difficult to repair and could potentially void the warranty!! WHAT?!!!
Mark uses this inexpensive car vent phone holder which I bought for my new phone; it easily clips onto the car vent and holds a phone at eye level, making it perfect for following GPS. The piece that attaches to the vent can be rotated horizontally or vertically and the grip holds various sized phones.
Cell Phone Grip and Stand | $10-$15
File this as one of those things I didn’t think I needed, until I saw Mark prop his phone on the kitchen counter to follow a recipe. Hmmmmm. I need one of those.
The kids love them too – this cute floral one is Peter’s girlfriend’s.
Think of how useful this collapsible little gadget would be to watch podcasts or facetime your bestie while you fold laundry. Right???? (THIS is hands down the best amusement to whittle away piles of laundry by the way!)
They come in a bunch of different designs.
Bluetooth Water Resistant Speaker | $15
When I went to take a picture of this item in my own home, I realized I’d have to spend an hour cleaning my kids’ bathroom, so forgive me and let’s just go with this stock photo, kay?
It’s the beloved suction cup SHOWER SPEAKER for belting out those Taylor Swift lyrics, and we both know you know them. #darlingimanightmaredressedlikeadaydream
My kids have this one and I’m trying to shorten their showers and our water usage with a TWO-SONG limit, but when that third song comes on, I admit it’s hard to get out. #alliknowiswesaidhelloandyoureyeslookedlikecominghome
Apple TV | $150
This is one of those things that I did not understand why we needed it, until we had it and now I can’t live without it. Okay maybe I could LIVE without it but let me just say this little gadget is a welcome luxury that makes streaming shows from Netflix and Amazon a breeze (have you watched Goliath with Billy Bob Thornton on Amazon by the way??? It is SOOOOooooo good. Our favorite series thus far!)
The small box rests on top of our TV and is barely visible when you’re in the room.
This latest version can be voice controlled with Siri which is so Jane Jetson-awesome. Next thing you know I’ll be telling the Apple TV to make dinner and *POOF* it will appear on the dining room table!
Jawbone Big Jambox Bluetooth Speaker | $180
Mark gave this to me for my birthday a few years ago and I must admit, I was *less than* excited at first (although I think I hid my lack of enthusiasm pretty well!) However, I have music on all the time, and the sound quality is pretty amazing with this thing.
I LOVE how we can use it wirelessly in and out of the house, with our laptop, iPad, or phones to queue up Pandora, iTunes or Spotify. We bring it on the deck or out by the fire pit, and I use it in the garage when I’m working on a project, and it’s easily obscured in our bookcases. It’s on 95% of the time I am awake in my house. Love it.
Those are a few of my favorite tech gadgets, do you have any others you can share?
Come check out these blogs for 20 more tried and true tools and gadgets!
& our guest host,
Thanks for stopping by sweet friends, I’ve missed you! XO
Catch up on the MY FIVE FAVORITES posts here!
