Things have been a little quiet around here because we have all been really sick. Like pneumonia sick.  Let’s let that sink in for a moment. I had PNEUMONIA. When I first got sick, I could tell everyone was thinking I was being overly dramatic because I honestly could barely get out of bed. Can I tell you the feeling of vindication I felt when the doctor told me I had pneumonia? Take that, suckers! I am one sick lady and I’ve got the meds and diagnosis to prove it.

Now that I’m on the up-and-up, I am a veritable machine, getting things done for the holidays. I’m like one of those annoying people you love to hate because I am so productive, but still kind, somehow finding the time in my busy day to remember to bring you chicken soup when you’re sick even though I, myself, have PNEUMONIA. I anticipate it lasting about four more minutes.

While it’s here though, let’s get things done! I’ve put together a list of my Seven Favorite Apps of the Moment. That’s all I have to say about it because obviously I’m so busy I only have time to write 1200 words on the subject. Like I said, MACHINE.

Pinwheel

My niece and nephew live on the other side of the world so I don’t always know what they have already and, of course, I want to be The Best Aunt in the Universe and send them The Coolest Gift Ever so I was so happy to hear about Pinwheel.

Brought to you by the bomb-diggity’s at Babylist, it lets you compile lists of gift ideas and current clothing sizes for your kids so folks can avoid duplicate presents and send them things they will actually use (avoiding the dreaded clutter). Think of it like visiting Santa without the long lines and exorbitant photo fees.

They also have some of the best Gift Guides for little kids around so if you’re expecting a present from us anytime soon, AVERT YOUR EYES.

Curbside

Full disclosure, I like shopping at Target. There are days when it’s been raining all week and we’ll head over and get an iced coffee and kill an hour, wandering the aisles. But those days when it’s Place #4 on my to do list and all I need is ONE PAIR OF PRINCESS SHOES for the birthday party that’s in an hour, and, ohmahgawd, are you kidding me I have to unbuckle these car seats AGAIN and jam everybody into a cart and listen to the shrieking as we abandon Elmo in the toy aisle? Yeah, those times, not so much.

On those days, I’m using Curbside, a concierge service that lets you order what you need through their app, then has people who run around Target to pick up your items and hand-deliver them to your car. Like I drove up to the Target doors and the lovely gal put my purchases in the trunk, because she didn’t want me to bothered with getting out of the car. It was like a mini-spa vacation – okay, without the massage or cucumbers or windpipe music, but pretty close. Bless you, Curbside.

Only available in SF Bay Area right now, Curbside generously gave me $50 to try it out and with the code FABULISTAS will give you $10 off your order of $20! So go buy yourself something nice. 

Shoebox

It used to be that every time I wanted to take a photo I had to delete 14 in order to have enough room, a highly effective method for making yourself insane. Then I downloaded Shoebox, which automatically uploads all my photos to their cloud for $5 a month from all my devices. Now I only have to delete 200 photos once a week so my sanity level is pretty much through the roof.

It also has this adorable feature where they email you every day what happened on that date, say seven years ago. It is so much fun to see how little the kids were, what we were doing on that exact date, and how skinny I used to be. Seriously. How was I so skinny?

Lugg

You know how you always buy more at Ikea than you plan and then you get to your car and realize you have car seats and people to go in said car seats and no room for the dining room table you just bought on a whim? Lugg will take all of your stuff to your house and even drag (or lugg!) it into your house. They’ll pick up your craigslist find and bring it to your house or basically move anything you might need to hire a U-Haul/truck for. It’s like your new best friend with a truck who doesn’t complain you just called them last week.

Only available in the SF Bay Area right now; all moves are just $30

Wunderlist

I have tried about every to do list manager out there. Seriously, OmniFocus, Things, AnyDo, EasilyDo – it’s almost like I feel like if I can find the perfect organizational tool, I’ll be organized? OMG, therapy session, puh-lease.

Anyway, I think I’ve landed on one that actually continues to work. The differences are nuanced (perhaps a longer post?), but Wunderlist is awesome because, first, it’s easy. I don’t have to take a class like some of the other ones (which is fine, but I’d rather take a Zumba class to work on my butt) – it’s super-simple and let’s me create lists quickly and then (this is the kicker) lists within those lists. So, my list for “Christmas presents” can be broken down by person and gift. Mama Heaven.

Plus, it syncs everywhere, has gorgeous design, and is FREE. Go get organized and then we’ll meet back her to discuss how it’s totally made us better people.

Stacks

It’s almost the holidays so it’s safe to assume you’re going to owe people money. While Stacks can’t take the sting out of the money leaving your bank account, it is hilarious enough it hurts a bit less. Basically, you upload your friend’s photo and then you “make it rain money” on them. It’s totally ridiculous and totally awesome, which is pretty much the point of apps, correct?

1Password

You don’t need me to tell you that you need to protect your passwords (see any celebrity lately). But the problem most of us run into is how the hell are you supposed to remember all those crazy combinations that are supposed to keep you safe?

1Password is so good. It generates a random password for each site and then remembers it and automatically logs you in. I can honestly say I don’t know what I did before it (um, used the same two passwords and prayed a lot?).

As always, what did I miss? I love a good app so let me know and I will try it out!