Almost every time I work with a mom, we end up loading 3 apps on her smart phone. You can use that amazing smartphone for more than texting, ya know? How about using it to help keep you sane?

But who has time to learn a bunch of apps, and see whether they really work? Here are my 3 favorite apps for moms.

1. Artkive. If you are a mom of young kids, you have artwork, creations, and masterpieces. Before these have a chance to get wrinkled, rumpled and destroyed, snap them into Artkive. Yes, you could use just about any photo app for that, but the magic is in the simplicity of how quickly you can tap-tap-tap your way to a really high quality coffee table book of your kid’s art. Seriously easy. News flash: moms like easy.
2. Keyring. Moms do most of the shopping, and that means they usually hold the club cards, which are now keyring cards with barcodes. This little genius app loads all those barcodes onto your phone, and makes them accessible in the checkout line. You always have your phone with you, so why would you want this? 

   Lose a little weight in your hip area…just by downsizing your keychain. 

3. Evernote. Their logo is an elephant because, well, don’t we all need to remember more? This app is special because it lets you capture any thought, picture, document, or voice memo, and then find it later, all in one place. It’s a very simple structure: notes can be grouped into notebooks. No more complicated file structure and hidden files. When you need to find something again, just search, and it will appear. Also, you can put any type of information all in ONE note. Want to put your flight reservation email, a picture of your rental car license plate, a draft of your presentation, your packing list for the trip and notes that you take while at the conference all in one place? Yeah, it does that. You can also share notes with other users and non-users, with all the embedded files. Oh, did I mention it’s free? Paid options give you more features, and a business account allows an employer control and ownership over company data, but the free version is A-MAZE-ING! Even if all you ever use it for is your Target store shopping list and birthday gift ideas, it’s a huge help. And yes, it’s about a million times better than that little yellow Notes app on your phone, because it works across all of your devices, no matter what you use. Isn’t it nice to know that all of your important thoughts are protected, and not just one driveway-drop away from oblivion? I love this little app so much, that I invested over 50 hours of training to become an Evernote Certified Consultant, and I’ll happily help you start using it to make your life better. If you or your small business is interested in trying Evernote, just click here.

These three apps are worth a mint. Download them immediately, and start harnessing the power of your gadget.

Oh, the app you don’t need? Facebook. Go and delete that puppy right now. Seriously. Why would any mom want an easier way to waste time every day? You do realize that Facebook is engineered to hook you just like crack cocain, no kidding. I have never had the app loaded because I want to make is harder to get to. It’s only one or two more clicks to get to it on my browser, and I’m less likely to lose a half hour scrolling in away that’s a little more clunky than the app. You have my permission to get rid of the Facebook app right now.