As much as both my husband and I enjoy cooking meals at home, we also tend to wind up going out to eat at least once or twice a week, if not even more often than that. We both have very busy schedules and he works long hours, so sometimes it just makes more sense for my son and me to meet him out somewhere for dinner rather than to wait for him to make the 45-minute commute home.

And since we go out to eat all the time, our son is no stranger to restaurants, and he knows how to behave when dining with us. But that doesn't mean we expect him to sit there with no source of entertainment other than his charming parents for the entire meal. And that's why we always let him play with one of our iPhones or his Nintendo DS (while wearing headphones, of course) for part of the dinner.

Up until today, I never considered letting him have a little tech time as any sort of a problem.

Vine is the latest video-sharing app to hit the iPhone and it's pretty amazing. Whereas most social video apps force you to think of video as a two-minute endeavor involving titles, a three-act action sequence, and credits, Vine is quick and dirty: you take videos of up to six seconds. The videos loop endlessly when you view them later and you can stop and start the recording of a new video just by tapping the screen. This lets you take quick shots from multiple angles or even make simple animations.

In short, it's my favorite video app right now. Here's why.

On today's dose of The Daily Stir, I'm talking about Kristen Stewart and her angst for people who think that getting nude on screen takes guts, Chris Brown making Rihanna's life hell (again), and one lucky shopper who got five iPads for the price of one! Check it out:

Honesty, it turns out, really is the best policy. Especially for one woman who 'fessed up and told Best Buy that instead of sending her one iPad, as she'd ordered, the company made a mistake and sent her five iPads.

A woman named Alexa contacted The Consumerist to talk about the dilemma. Her boyfriend's mom ordered him an iPad and received a giant box with five iPads inside. What should they do with them? They felt bad keeping such expensive things they didn't pay for. But guess what? They had every right to.

I've been going through ereaders like a fiend these past few months - it seems that either Amazon or Barnes & Noble release a new one every few weeks - so I think it's time we talked a bit about which one of the latest crop is best for various users.

First, a little background. Right now there are really only four ereaders you should be thinking about. From the tablet family - meaning devices that are like iPads - Amazon makes the Kindle Fire and B&N makes the Nook HD. In the e-ink camp - the devices with black and white, high-contrast screens - you have the Kindle Paperwhite and the Nook Simple Touch With Glowlight. 

It's Thanksgiving! Hooray for thankfulness, gorging on food, spending time with loved ones, and gazing fondly at your well-behaved children as they engage in quiet, polite conversation while sitting peacefully and -- what's that? Your kids have been feral monsters all morning and you're about to cram them in a gravy boat if they don't stop galloping back and forth in front of the football game? Ah, you've come to the right place, then. If you're looking for a little child-related distraction in the form of mobile gameplay, I've got some fantastic suggestions for you.

Sometimes you just need to plug a kid in front of a smartphone or tablet for a half hour or so in order to reclaim your sanity, am I right? But it's also fun to sit down and play games together as a family, so what I've got for you is a list of my top 5 favorite mobile games that my kids and I BOTH love. Check it out:

My father kindly bought me an iPad two years ago for Christmas. And while I was unbelievably excited about the lavish gift, after a few days, I kind of stopped using it. I figured I have an iPhone; I have a laptop -- and I'm on it all day (hi) -- what do I need an iPad for? But then I had a baby and went, "Ohhh, that's why."

Here are 5 reasons every mom should buy herself a tablet. Treat yourself, ladies.

It seems like every day we hear stories of horrible things happening to our kids. From missing children to terrible car accidents caused by teens texting and driving, the world is a dangerous place. How can we keep our kids safe? 

There's an app for that.

Whether your kids are toddlers or teens, here's my list of apps that can help you keep your family out of danger -- both online and when they're out in the world.