My family of seven spends a lot of time together. We eat dinner around the kitchen table every night, everyone shares a bedroom, and we sit together at church every Sunday. We see a lot of each other.
And then summer happened.
This summer has been different from every other summer I can remember. Instead of extra family time, we’ve been more spread out than ever. In fact, the last time the whole family was together was June 14. Since then, at least one person has been missing from our house. It’s just not the same without everyone here!
My 13 year old daughter, Necco, is staying with my sister all summer to help with her kids, and since Necco doesn’t have a phone of her own, we’ve come to rely on Skype to stay up to date with everything that’s going on. We have LOVED it, and it doesn’t feel like Necco has been gone for so long, either.
Benefits of using Skype versus a phone to stay in touch
- We can see the person we’re talking with, and not just hear their voice. Seeing someone “live” like that makes the distance seem a little shorter.
- I can let the kids talk as long as they want without worrying about cell phone minutes being eaten up. And I can use my cell phone for other things if needed (like checking email!).
- We can Skype on multiple devices – my phone, my iPad, or any one of the computers in the house.
- We can still Skype while we are on the go.
Because we’ve been able to Skype with Necco while she’s been gone (as well as Skyping with everyone at home while I’ve been out of town), it doesn’t feel like we’ve been away from each other so much this summer. I love seeing AJ and Reese’s faces when they hear that Necco is on Skype. They drop everything they’re doing and run to the iPad to chat with her.
Yes, there have been plenty of silly faces and sticky finger prints left on my iPad from all of the Skype conversations….but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Well, other than having us all together again….which won’t happen until sometime in August!
Summer travel with technology Infographic
Enjoy this fun infographic from Mom Central about summer travel and technology:
How do you keep in touch with friends and family who live out of state or travel away from home?
Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Skype. I received Skype credits to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.
© 2012, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.
We love Skype here too! For nearly 10 month my husband worked 3 hours away – would leave Sunday night and return Friday. It was a LOOOOOOONG 10 months. We used Skype almost every night. He would read my daughter stories each night . It was great!