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Forbes
21-07-2025
- Forbes
Hearth Display: This Organizer Fixed Our Family's Daily Schedule Chaos
Hands down, the number one question I get asked by all three of my kids every single day is: 'What are we doing today?' It's quickly followed by, 'What's for dinner.' As the household keeper of the Google calendar, paper calendar and mental calendar, I quickly grew tired of saying, 'Check the calendar' on repeat. And with a trio of school-age kids who all play sports and maintain robust after-school lives, keeping up with all those shifting schedules and separate calendars was becoming impossible. Add in chore lists, adult to-do lists, family doctor appointments, work events and meal planning—and I was completely overwhelmed. So a little over a year ago, when I got the opportunity to test the Hearth Display, I was all in. Deemed a 'family organization solution,' for all that 'invisible labor' of the primary parent, this sleek screen is now my all-in-one family to-do list, organizer and calendar that we simply can't operate without as a busy family of five. The Hearth Display is an all-in-one family organizer that's beautiful and functional. Illustration: Forbes / Photo: Hearth It took the place of all the whiteboards, paper calendars, sticky notes, digital calendars, apps and more. I'm not exaggerating when I say it's changed my life as a working mom, too. It's the first thing my kids check in the morning and before going to bed to know what's happening the next day—and it looks beautiful on my wall, which they may not care about but that certainly makes me happy. Keep reading for my Hearth Display review and to learn all about my yearlong experience with it. The calendar is by far the most used tab of the Hearth Display in my house, by adults and kids alike. I love how easy it is to add new events, so if my kid has a playdate, I can tell them to just add it to the calendar. Adding things to the calendar is easy enough on the display that my kids now do it on their own, and it also syncs to both my Google and Apple calendars. I also sync my kids' sports calendars from other apps like Band to keep it all centralized. You can add new events directly on the screen, through any of your synced calendars or via the Hearth app. For visual people like me, you can assign a specific color to each family member so you can see your calendar's entries color-coded by person. A feature I haven't taken enough advantage of is that you can take a picture of a schedule, say for example, a handout you get with your kid's soccer game dates on it, and text it to the Hearth Assistant, which will then put them onto your calendar for you instead of you painstakingly manually inputting each one. The couple times I remembered to try this, it worked out flawlessly. Just note it doesn't happen right away—it takes a day or two to process it. You can also text the same AI assistant to add singular events here and there, but I find it's easier to just add them myself. Hearth Display Hearth Display My youngest has been using the Routine tab of the Hearth Display since before she was 5. You can program kid-friendly visual cues to remind little ones of what they need to do in the morning, afternoon or both. This may be one of my favorite parts of the Hearth Display, as it's clearly designed with young children in mine. I have things like do your homework, put your lunchbox away and pick up toys for the afternoon routine. She loves clicking the 'done' button under each one to see the fun confetti sprinkle over the screen. For my older kids, who started using this when they were 9 and 10, the routines were fun for a few months, but like all things, they lost interest and had to be reminded to check it daily. That's likely a parenting task that no product can take off your hands. The Routines part of the Hearth Display is easy enough for even little kids to use on their own. Forbes/Esther Carlstone Lists Creating to-do lists, grocery lists and custom lists (like birthday party supplies) are another option within the Hearth Display. You can assign each list or a specific task on each list to different household members. Admittedly this is a part of the Hearth Display that I wish were more utilized in my family, and I think if my kids had their own smartphones for it to pop-up reminders to them from the app, it would be handy. Until that day, however, I have to remind them to look at the lists and complete the tasks. They do add things we need to the grocery lists, which has been convenient, and having all the to-dos in one centralized spot to look at—even long overdue home maintenance items—is helpful to my family. Meal Planner The addition of the Meal Planner section is a recent update that I'm sure was much requested by current Hearth Display users. The only downside? My kids think it's hilarious (or hopeful) to leave meals they want us to make. Rewards Another new addition that's been fun and given my older kids (and the younger one, too) renewed interest in completing their routines and to-dos has been the addition of rewards. They can 'earn' a certain parent-designated number of coins for specific tasks and when they collect a certain number (again, that number is set by you), they can earn various prizes. Hearth gives you some ideas to start out with like a movie night, 15 extra minutes of screentime and more but you can add anything you can think of to motivate them. Weather This may seem like a tiny feature, but it was one I was so glad to see appear during an update a few months ago. My kids are constantly asking what the weather will be like and what they should wear, so it really helps foster that independence of checking for themselves and making a decision based on what the weather says. Sleep Mode You can upload a family picture, or any other picture, to be displayed when the monitor goes to sleep, leaving it to look just like a digital photo frame, which I love. It's also handy when you have guests over and you don't necessarily want them to see your family's endless to-do lists. Today's Wellness This is the newest feature added to the Hearth Display—so new that I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but I'm excited. Meant to promote emotional wellness, you can add it to your child's routines to prompt them to pick an emoji that corresponds with how they're feeling right then. I love that it's an opportunity for them to take a beat and reflect on their feelings and build emotional intelligence. Final Thoughts On The Hearth Display The first six months I owned the Hearth Display, there were a few hiccups, like the touchscreen not responding smoothly when we tried to add new items or freezing every once in a while, but since then there have been a number of software updates that seem to have addressed all of those and added some really cool new features. The Hearth Display isn't the only digital organizer and calendar out there these days with competitors like the Skylight Calendar and Cozyla Calendar also offering a way to streamline multiple calendars and to-do lists into one efficient display. Other editors here have tested those smart calendars, but for me, I honestly can't imagine going back to my old pen-and-paper-wall-calendar life. Not only is the Hearth Display aesthetically pleasing (visitors frequently ask me about it), it's intuitive, easy to use and actually helps to reduce the daily mental and paper clutter of my life, which as a busy parent, makes it 100% worth it.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Yahoo
Boy, 7, Struck by Out-of-Control Car While Playing on a Trampoline: 'The Mother Was Just Screaming,' Eyewitness Says
The car was carrying a family of five when it crashed through several properties on July 19NEED TO KNOW Several people, including a 7-year-old boy, have been seriously injured after a car crashed through multiple properties before eventually coming to a stop in a shed 10 feet in the air Police told local outlets that the out-of-control car, which was carrying a family of five, first hit a parked car and then struck the boy as he was playing on a trampoline on July 19 The investigation into the incident is still ongoing, but authorities said alcohol was not a factorSeveral people, including a 7-year-old boy, have been seriously injured after a car crashed through multiple properties before coming to a stop in a shed. According to reports from local outlets Welt and Focus, a car carrying a family of five — including a 42-year-old male driver, a 43-year-old woman and three boys, ages 11, 12 and 13 — crashed in the town of Bohmte, Lower Saxony, in Germany on Saturday, July 19, at around 8 p.m. local time. The car, a Volvo XC60, first collided with a parked car in a farmyard, and then smashed into a hedge before traveling into a nearby yard and hitting the 7-year-old boy, who was playing on his trampoline. The car then flipped over and landed in the upper part of a shed, nearly 10 feet off the ground. Police told the outlets that the car seemingly traveled so far due to the slippery terrain. Around 50 firefighters, 12 emergency volunteers, 12 ambulances, two rescue helicopters and more than a dozen police officers were called to the scene of the crash. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. One neighbor in the community, Daniela Viss, told TV 7 News that she had just gone inside her house when she heard the crash. "I was sitting on the balcony all afternoon, and when it happened, I was inside eating. I just heard it crash loudly and thought, 'Holy cow, what just happened?' " she said, per Focus. "We immediately ran outside and saw this car crash into the roof. The mother was just screaming. Then my boyfriend immediately called an ambulance, the police, everything." The 7-year-old boy sustained serious injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital, police told the outlets. The driver and three boys suffered minor injuries, and the 43-year-old female passenger also sustained serious injuries. They were all taken to local hospitals. Police told Welt that investigators took a blood sample from the driver, and his driver's license and the vehicle were confiscated by the prosecutor's office. A spokesperson told Focus that alcohol did not play a role in the incident. The investigation is ongoing. Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for further information about the incident on Sunday, June 20. Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Yahoo
Boy, 7, Struck by Out-of-Control Car While Playing on a Trampoline: 'The Mother Was Just Screaming,' Eyewitness Says
NEED TO KNOW Several people, including a 7-year-old boy, have been seriously injured after a car crashed through multiple properties before eventually coming to a stop in a shed 10 feet in the air Police told local outlets that the out-of-control car, which was carrying a family of five, first hit a parked car and then struck the boy as he was playing on a trampoline on July 19 The investigation into the incident is still ongoing, but authorities said alcohol was not a factorSeveral people, including a 7-year-old boy, have been seriously injured after a car crashed through multiple properties before coming to a stop in a shed. According to reports from local outlets Welt and Focus, a car carrying a family of five — including a 42-year-old male driver, a 43-year-old woman and three boys, ages 11, 12 and 13 — crashed in the town of Bohmte, Lower Saxony, in Germany on Saturday, July 19, at around 8 p.m. local time. The car, a Volvo XC60, first collided with a parked car in a farmyard, and then smashed into a hedge before traveling into a nearby yard and hitting the 7-year-old boy, who was playing on his trampoline. The car then flipped over and landed in the upper part of a shed, nearly 10 feet off the ground. Police told the outlets that the car seemingly traveled so far due to the slippery terrain. Around 50 firefighters, 12 emergency volunteers, 12 ambulances, two rescue helicopters and more than a dozen police officers were called to the scene of the crash. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. One neighbor in the community, Daniela Viss, told TV 7 News that she had just gone inside her house when she heard the crash. "I was sitting on the balcony all afternoon, and when it happened, I was inside eating. I just heard it crash loudly and thought, 'Holy cow, what just happened?' " she said, per Focus. "We immediately ran outside and saw this car crash into the roof. The mother was just screaming. Then my boyfriend immediately called an ambulance, the police, everything." The 7-year-old boy sustained serious injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital, police told the outlets. The driver and three boys suffered minor injuries, and the 43-year-old female passenger also sustained serious injuries. They were all taken to local hospitals. Police told Welt that investigators took a blood sample from the driver, and his driver's license and the vehicle were confiscated by the prosecutor's office. A spokesperson told Focus that alcohol did not play a role in the incident. The investigation is ongoing. Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for further information about the incident on Sunday, June 20. Read the original article on People
The Sun
16-07-2025
- The Sun
We moved to a cheap as chips European country with 3 kids – houses are less than UK train tickets & our food shop is £43
A FAMILY-OF-FIVE have left the UK and moved to a cheap as chips European country. Now, not only are the houses cheaper than UK train tickets, but their weekly food shop has been majorly slashed too. 2 And that's not all, as luckily for these parents, who have three children, their petrol costs are also now a third of the price. Posting on social media, a couple who are known as 'Fresh Start Sticks', have shared an insight into their new life in Bulgaria. The family made the decision to move abroad in search of a 'homesteading life,' which is a lifestyle focused on self-sufficiency and often involves practices such as small-scale farming, food preservation, and crafting. Standing in front of their three-bedroom house which they bought without viewing it in the flesh, the mother said: 'We bought a house in Bulgaria for less than a UK season train ticket, but the price is secondary to the reasons why we made the decision.' While the mother didn't confirm how much they paid for their home, the cost of a yearly train ticket in the UK varies significantly based on the specific route and class of travel. The most expensive annual train ticket in the UK is typically for journeys into London, with routes like Harlow Town to London Liverpool Street costing £3,496. However, some long-distance routes, such as those from Canterbury and Southampton into London, are set to rise more than £300 to £7,100 and £7,477 respectively. The savvy mum explained that buying the home was a 'massive risk' and while it 'isn't perfect' it's worth it for them. She then acknowledged their reasons for leaving the UK, as the content creator highlighted: 'We were running out of steam in the UK, things were not getting any better, in fact, it was getting worse - a lot of people's attitudes had changed, things were different, people were different. 'We did a lot of research before turning up in Bulgaria - for us, Bulgaria ticked all the boxes, it was warm in the summer, the only thing that we were a little unsure of was the winter, which gets down to -20.' We lived in one of the UK's most expensive seaside towns but house prices were mental - so we saved £293k by packing up and moving abroad The mum-of-three explained that the Visa process was a bit of a faff, but this wasn't the only issue they came across. She continued: 'When we came to Bulgaria, there were so many pitfalls that we unfortunately fell into and that was the first thing that really irritated us.' As well as the lengthy Visa process, she shared: 'The estate agents were showing us properties that were derelict and we were not interested in anything that was beyond what we could live in, and also the fees to get your visa were astronomical.' Huge savings In another clip, the mother got candid about the cost of living in Bulgaria. Opening up about her costs, she confirmed that the family spend around £43 a week on food shopping. They also spend around £26.60 on fuel and £15 a week on fresh fruit. When it comes to their miscellaneous spending, this normally costs just £6.65 a week, bringing their total weekly spend to around £91.25. The parents confirmed that this is much cheaper than what they were previously spending, as they explained that whilst in the UK, they would normally fork out between £60 to £80 a week on petrol. How easy is it to move abroad? Brexit means British citizens now have to apply for visas to move to countries within the EU. While some countries residency restrictions are easier than others, here's what you need to do at home before moving: Notify HMRC about your upcoming move. Let your local authority know and provide a forwarding address. Contact your mortgage and utility providers and bank before leaving. If you have paid enough UK national insurance contributions, you can qualify for a state pension abroad - contact the International Pension Centre. You can sign up to the Royal Mail's redirection service. If you have outstanding student loans, contact the Student Loans Centre. If you have children, give due notice to childcares and schools. Meanwhile, their supermarket food would typically cost them £180 a week and fruits would set them back between £70 and £80 a week. With a total cost of around £320 a week in the UK, this savvy saver beamed at the 'big difference.' And not only are they saving a huge amount, but they are also on a mission to reduce their spending even further, as the couple have plans to reduce their shopping costs and grow their own food on their land. Big divide The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ freshstartsticks, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 521,400 views. But social media users were left totally divided by the family's decision to move to Bulgaria - whilst some thought they would 'love' it, others expressed their concerns. One person said: 'Enjoy your life in Bulgaria.' Another added: 'Very cool! Welcome to such a beautiful journey.' A third commented: 'You'll love it in Bulgaria.' Meanwhile, one troll slammed: 'I couldn't even be paid to move there.' A second chimed in: 'There is a reason why it's so cheap!!!' Someone else asked: 'I'm stunned 😳, why have you done this? I have no words.' Whilst another claimed: 'This is just reckless 😖 I pray for your children and the hell they'll have to go through.'
