Cricket Wireless sponsored this post, but all opinions are my own.
It’s hard to believe that we are approaching the end of the year! Soon Thanksgiving will be here, quickly followed by Christmas. I love the holidays, but I struggle every year with the fact that most of our family does not live near us. As you know, we live on the East Coast but we have family on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, in Wisconsin, and on the West Coast. Yes, we are about as scattered as we can be.
Growing up as a military brat, we used to send letters in the mail to family members when we couldn’t get home for Christmas. Times have changed! Now my kids video chat or send emails or texts to their grandparents in different states. Occasionally, my kids will even call. (I have a teen and a tween, so actual phone calls are few and far between!)
It’s really important to me that my kids are connected with their grandparents and extended family. Obviously, we go home as often as we can (And I’m excited that we are going to my family this Christmas!), but if we are visiting one family, that means we are missing another. There’s really no way around it.
So, how do we stay in touch across the miles, especially as our kids get older?
- We still do the old-fashioned mailed out Christmas card!
- We video chat whenever we can.
- I send emails to tell the grandparents what the kids are up to (because both boys communicate in one word sentences).
- Beer Geek maintains a Flickr account with pictures so all of our family can watch the kids grow.
- We encourage our kids to reach out to their grandparents as often as they want, through video chat, phone calls and text or picture messages.
To that end, we have slowly been upgrading Jones from using my phone to a flip phone to a smartphone with limits. (Shoo is still only using my phone.)
Jones is approaching high school (I can’t believe we just went to high school info night!), so it’s time to get him unlimited talk and text (and maybe even allow him a bit of data LOL). I don’t want him to have to choose between messaging a friend and messaging his grandmother!
Cricket Wireless is a great option for a no-contract phone—they have wide coverage, lots of phone options, and several different plans.
I don’t know what we’ll end up with for Jones, but I love that if I change my mind, I’m only committed for a month at a time! What’s even cooler is that they offer some “group” savings options. Maybe I could actually convince my parents to give up their flip phones. At only $35 a month after $5 auto pay credit, taxes and fees included, there are no surprises on the bill! This is pretty great for Jones, because who knows what data usage he could need!
Since the holidays are coming, Cricket is offering some great deals from 11/13/15 through 1/07/16.
Get more from the merrier carrier!
- Switch to Cricket and get the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime for $29.99*
- Switch to Cricket and choose from 4 4G LTE smartphones, now FREE** after mail-in rebate Cricket VISA Promotion Card.
If you are a fan of Samsung (Beer Geek and I both actually have Samsung phones), check out the biggest deals at Cricket. Personally, I can’t see why this wouldn’t be at the top of your holiday shopping list. The Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime is a great deal and a way to better help any family member or friend stay connected!
Is your family local or long distance? How do you keep in touch?
**Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime Offer: Offer ends 1/7/16. New lines only. Porting number required. Excludes ports from AT&T. First month svc charge due at sale. Cannot be combined with Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime Mail-In Rebate Offer. Activation Fee: Up to $25/line. Taxes, fees, charges & restrictions apply. Restocking Fee: Up to $25. Pricing, terms & restr’s subject to change and may be modified, or terminated at any time without notice. Coverage & svc not avail. everywhere. See store for offer details.
** Valid 11/13/15 – 01/07/16 on Motorola Moto E ($49.99), ZTE Overture 2 ($39.99), LG Risio ($29.99), and Nokia Lumia 635 ($19.99). While supplies last. Submit rebate form by 2/6/16. Must port number from another carrier (excludes AT&T ports) and activate new smartphone plan (min $40/mo). Phone price/ tax due at sale. Void in CT, RI, and Miami-Dade County, FL. Promotion Card, issued by MetaBank®, member FDIC, or CenterState Bank of Florida, NA pursuant to license from VISA U.S.A. Inc., is not redeemable for cash & may not be used for cash withdrawal at any cash-dispensing locations or at automated gasoline pumps. Card may be used to pay for your wireless bill. Card valid where VISA debit cards are accepted for 150 days after Card issuance. Must be active & in good standing for 45 days. Must make 2nd service payment w/i 45 days of activation. Limit 5 offers per household. Allow up to 8 wks for fulfillment. Restocking fee up to $25 may apply. In-store activation fee up to $25 may apply. Other charges & restr’s apply. Offer subject to change & may be terminated at any time without notice. For Card terms, visit http:/mycrk.it/RebateTerms.
And if you want to win this cute little guy:
Pop on over to my Instagram picture and leave a comment about what you want in your stocking.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and Cricket Wireless provided Barry. All opinions are my own.
you will be surprised by how much data those teens go through!
While I live in northern MN, my parents live in south Florida…basically about as far away as we could get, unfortunately. But we are very close to a lot of my husband’s family. I talk with my mom & dad on the phone, and we Facetime a lot so that my daughter can see them. One Christmas we even set the laptop up in our living room and Skype’d while we opened presents. That was fun and awkward at the same time. I also make sure to post a lot of pictures on Facebook so my mom can see them – it’s actually easier than emailing them. It’s definitely hard being so far away, but we try our best to keep in touch through many avenues!.