A Mom's Review of the Kindle Fire HD 7"

I used to have shelves of books in my basement.  The shelves held some old friends that I read more than once.  But, it was also home to bargain bin books, gift books, impulse buy books, school text books, Bibles, self-help books, finance books, plenty of diet books, and devotionals.  If you went down there you might think we were reading type people.  You know the ones who curl up with our cats in our bay windows, snuggled in a blanket, drinking a cup of joe.  The kind of people that disappear for hours enjoying the turning of each page and the smell of the paper.  But I wasn't.  I was just terrible at getting rid of clutter.  

So, last year I decided to pick out an e-reader and give it go.  I really wanted one that worked like a tablet without the complication of figuring out a tablet.  After hours of research, I made the decision to order the Kindle Fire HD 7".  The perks of my Amazon prime account helped too.  I have had it for almost a year now and I would love to help others understand what a mom can do with it so you can be a more informed consumer!

Top 5 Reasons I love my Kindle Fire HD

1. E-books

• Downloading them is easy and quick.  No more going to the book store!
• Buying- I load an Amazon gift card to my account and use it for my book buying.  It automatically deducts ebook purchases from my Gift Card rather than a bunch of small purchases on my debit.
• I can read in the dark.
• Negative- I did have a hard time reading outside while lying on a blanket.  The screen isn't made for that.
• I literally emptied my bookshelves in the basement.  Now before you go all Fahrenheit 451 on me, please read below:
• I am a mom.  If I have not read those books up til now, they probably aren't interesting enough to waste my time on.
• I don't want to use my precious down time re-reading books I've re-read before.
• With a Prime account you can download one free book a month.  As a newish mom that's about all I have time for anyway.
• I feel kind of spoiled now because I literally don't want to try and hold open the pages of real books anymore. No more loosing a page or finger cramps for me.
• It's great to be able to highlight stuff I like or that stands out at the touch of the page.
• It's also great to be able to look up words you don't know instantly just by highlighting the word!
• Kids books are in beautiful color on the Kindle Fire HD.  
• I have to say though, nothing beats a good hands on sensory book.

2. Videos

• The sound on the speakers is better than my laptop.
• With my Prime account, I can stream tons of great Nick Jr. shows, Veggie Tales, and old school shows my kid loves to watch.
• When I need to go to the bathroom or unload groceries from the car, it's quick and easy to set up.  I play a video and it buys me a few minutes of my kid sitting safely in his crib. (Kindle outside the crib of course).
• The streaming video's are great for me too.  Whether it's youtube, Hulu Plus or Amazon Instant Video's it's great for some mommy down time.
• Car Rides- Downloaded a 2 1/2 hour Blues Clues movie for $7 before I left on my trip and I set it up where my 17 month old could see the screen in the backseat and enjoyed the 4 hour drive.  I can't see purchasing a portable DVD player as I can download just about any movie I want and never have to carry around a separate DVD case to hold the movies.

3. Apps

• The 7" screen keeps me from using my phone apps now.  It's so nice and big.
• I have 2 or 3 apps for my toddler.
• I can check Facebook, email, Google calendar & get sucked into Pinterest much easier than on my phone.
• I struggle with focus when it comes to cleaning so I downloaded a great app called "Motivated Moms". 
• It has been a huge aid in helping me be more productive in cleaning my house.
• It assigns you daily tasks which you can edit, change or add to.
• It cost $7 but that's what I pay for a planner every year anyway.
• The "lite" version is free and may be perfect for you. Try it out first.
• If you don't get to check something off the list it eventually comes around again.

Here is a day in my life on Motivated Moms...

• There is also a free calorie counting App called My Fitness Pal that literally has more stuff in the database than programs I paid to participate in online.  Ones that involve counting points. Wink.. Wink..
• At the end of the day, it will tell you what you will weigh in 5 weeks if you ate like you did that day.
• Skype- This thing makes it super easy to skype with out of town grandparents or for business meetings at home while my kid naps.

4. My Husband Got His Own

• Because he is on my account with his own Kindle we can share books, music & movies!
• He kept stealing mine to watch his car repair and tutorial videos while he worked in the garage. (That's a reason why they are great for dad's).

5. Portability

• It's flat.
• It's lightweight.
• It fits in my cross body purse/diaper bag.
• I can take it to business meetings instead of hauling around a laptop.
• I can take it on car rides for entertainment.
• I can use it in my car as a radio because the speakers are excellent!

If you love "i" stuff, go for the more expensive tablet.  I prefer Google stuff so that's what I got and I love love love it!  Amazon customer service is always amazing!  

These are my thoughts on the Kindle Fire HD 7".  If you have questions, want to share some helpful apps that you have discovered or talk about why you love yours please share with us!