favor-“ette”: limetree

It is no secret that I LOVE my iPhone. One of the cooler things about parenting “now” vs. “then” is that my phone allows me to capture any moment at any time. How often when Chelsea and Conor were growing up did I curse not having my camera as some small-yet-amazing thing was happening RIGHT NOW. So I love that having my phone (which of course is permanently “on hand”) means I never miss a thing.

But what about the other stuff? The funny little sayings (that seem to always come out when you’re in the car, or on line at the grocery store)? Or the thoughts you have that bubble up as you’re cooking dinner?

Enter Limetree.

LOGO-LIMETREE_verticalLimetree is an app that creates a virtual “timeline” of moments in your children’s lives –  photos and videos, as well as sound clips and even notes to your child. You can keep a separate timeline for each child, and both parents can contribute (right now the app is only available for the iPhone but if one parent doesn’t have it he can upload photos and videos to your computer and add them to the timeline).

I’ve been playing with this app for a few months, to make sure it was one I would actually use and happily recommend to you all.

Guys – I LOVE it. So often I’ll have a thought or watch Noah doing something adorable and want to jot it down or take a picture. I simply go to the app. Limetree time-stamps it and stores it in the cloud. And if I forget to use the app I can add a photo or video later, along with a caption and the appropriate date.

The site has a clean design and couldn’t be easier to use (trust me, if I’m saying this you know it’s true).

It was a little awkward at first, as it took me a while to remember that the app was there. But now it’s my “go to” and I’m already building a rich timeline of notes, photos and videos.

I think what I love most about this app is not about the “big moments” – first steps, first words, etc. I feel like, as parents, we’ve got those covered and well-documented.

It’s the small stuff – I’m talking really small. Hat hair. A crazy lego creation. A milk mustache. Those little moments might make it onto Facebook, or into your phone, but how about weaving them into the larger events? And maybe accompanied by a little note, telling your child how you felt that day, or what he said at the time?

That’s the essence of what the founders of Limetree have created – they call these notes the “bread crumbs that lead your mind back to that day in time”. I love that.

Future plans for Limetree include being able to create a photo album of your timeline, which is very appealing to me.

The app itself is free, and gives you 250 photos, 5 minutes each of video and audio, and unlimited notes and letters for one year.

iphone appBut Limetree is giving me twelve (!!) Premium accounts to give away to my readers. The Premium account gives you unlimited photos, notes and letters, 4 hours per year of audio, and 2 hours per year of video – at a value of $36.99 for one year.

You can learn more about the app, as well as the unique philosophy of Limetree’s founders, on their web site. They also have a lovely blog – one of my favorite posts talks about the difference between preserving “memories” as opposed to “images”.

Simply leave a comment letting me know how you capture your family’s memories – not just the “big” moments, but the small, everyday ones too.  Be sure to include your e-mail address if it’s not already linked to your comment. The giveaway is open through Sunday, March 10th at 5 p.m. EST. The winners will be chosen at random, and announced on Monday, March 11th.

Here’ s an example of something Noah said recently that went right into “the notes”:

Today you were talking about getting bigger. You said, “know what I can do when I get bigger?” I couldn’t wait to hear what you were going to say.

“Open the fridge.”

Good luck! Update: Arin, Sara, Susan, Rebecca, Lisa, Jenni, Amy, Maria , Angela, Jenna, Mari and Kristina are the lucky winners! Thanks for participating!

Note: I was not compensated for this post. I received a Premium Limetree account; the comments and opinions expressed here are – as always – completely my own.

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18 Comments

  1. Leslie on March 6, 2013 at 9:44 am

    Wow, this sounds fun and wonderful! Noah’s comment above reminds me of our most-quoted Emily moment when she was about his age: “When I grow up, I am going to cut with knives, say bad words, and go inside Weigel’s.” (Weigel’s is our local convenience store, and until she said this I did not realize that she had never been inside, because it was easier to leave her in her car seat while I ran in to buy milk!)

    I don’t even have a camera, so my iPhone serves to capture all visual memories. And so often I forget the little things the kids say! When it’s a really “good” one I usually post it on Facebook, but that’s about it (unless I end up blogging about it!). So I think I would really love this app. 🙂

  2. Arin Gornstein on March 6, 2013 at 9:47 am

    Love the idea of this app. I’ve kept a blog for my kids for 5 1/2 years. I try to remember the cute things they say, take pics of art they make and capture those very special moments that aren’t milestones. Great app!

  3. Sara on March 6, 2013 at 9:56 am

    Right now I jot down bits and pieces of memories on whatever I have near me (notes section of my phone, an actual paper notebook, scraps of paper) but then i never get around to consolidating them into one place. This looks like a perfect solution, especially since, like you, I’m constantly tethered to my iPhone. Thanks for this!

  4. Monica D. on March 6, 2013 at 10:40 am

    Great find!
    My husband has created email accounts for our kids and writes them messages for them to read in the future. It’s cool but we doesn’t record for us the moments. This would be perfect!!

  5. Steph Goodman on March 6, 2013 at 10:57 am

    This website is the answer to that voice inside my head that has been nagging me every single day…”that was hysterical, you’re going to want to remember this moment, write it down, take a picture….”it just goes on & on!!
    And if course, the answer comes from Sheri Silver 🙂

  6. Susan H on March 6, 2013 at 11:17 am

    You know what I love about this Sheri? Is the audio function. Because not only would you be writing down the memories, and taking photographs, you be able to preserve their precious little voices through the years. Our memories are on photographs, videos from several sources, and a journal I have kept. I really love the idea of this app. Who doesn’t have there phone on them nowadays?

  7. Susan H on March 6, 2013 at 11:18 am

    *their phone. (Yes, I had to correct it, because it bothers me. Lol)

  8. rebecca on March 6, 2013 at 1:04 pm

    When I visit my 90 year dad every 2 weeks (he lives a distance away) I like to make notes of what we shared and where we went. We often take walks along a boardwalk on the ocean and it’s a beautiful place to take pictures of him. We share thoughts and experiences. I am able to pass these along to his grandsons.

  9. Lisa on March 6, 2013 at 1:38 pm

    This is so awesome. Can I admit something really embarrassing? I made really cute notebooks for each of my kiddos YEARS ago, with the intention of writing down the little things I didn’t want to forget. Wanna guess how many entries there are? So sad 🙁

  10. Drew on March 6, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    “Open the fridge!” That’s awesome.

    I’ve recorded a lot of Nathaniel’s life so far on my phone and, because I have an Android phone and use Google+, all of my photos and videos are automatically stored online. I’ve also used the audio recorder on my phone to record everything from his heartbeat when he was just a fetus to the sounds he makes while he’s sleeping. There’s a fine line between being a father in love with his kid and being a stalker, eh?

    Now that Nathaniel’s old enough to be obsessed by Mommy and Daddy’s phones, we’ve had a number of occasions to watch videos, look through photos, and listen to him as he grows up.

    My favorites are his unique way of saying certain things. I try to get them recorded whenever I can, but he grows out of them faster than I can capture them. I do have him loudly saying “water” which he used to pronounce like the sound it makes filling a cup, “bLibble-bLibble?” And I’ve recorded him talking about “Bat-guy.” Lately, I’ve loved how he asks for “rubber gands.” God I love that kid.

    Sounds like a cool app, Sheri. Maybe it’ll be available for Android soon enough.

  11. Jenni Chiu @ MommyNaniBooboo on March 6, 2013 at 3:20 pm

    Sounds very cool. I definitely hope they follow through with the photo album idea – that would be a great, tangible thing to flip through.

  12. Kristina on March 6, 2013 at 4:19 pm

    This sounds great – I have always had the greatest intentions to capture all the funny little things that get said and fail miserably at it! Will definitely check this one out. Thanks!

  13. Amy on March 6, 2013 at 5:50 pm

    Great idea! I always find myself saying I need to write down all the Colby-isms I love!

  14. Maria on March 6, 2013 at 8:09 pm

    I use my iPhone to capture all of the moments but this sounds so great I love the idea!! My phone gets full too quickly because I video everything my son says, I am that mom 🙂 thanks for sharing this app with us!

  15. Angela on March 7, 2013 at 1:53 pm

    I generally take a lot of random pictures with my phone and write down funny quotes from the kids. This app sounds like a great way to combine it all into one place!

  16. l o v e l y t h i n g s on March 7, 2013 at 7:11 pm

    I’ve never heard of this, but what a cool app…gosh I wish they had this when my kids were little…but it’s never too late, it’s just different…and slightly less hilarious now that they are teens.

  17. Jenna on March 10, 2013 at 12:16 pm

    Wow, WHAT a cool app! I really don’t have a streamlined, organized way to capture/document “those moments” with the kids. I take pictures and video with my phone, write down funny things they say and post them on Facebook, or jot them down in a word doc on my laptop, or a scrap of paper if I have one nearby. The goal is to find a couple hours and pull everything together into one place where we can always have them to look back on, I’ll get there … someday! 🙂

  18. Mari on March 10, 2013 at 2:47 pm

    Right now it’s All about Instagram! I keep a running list of quotes in my iPhone’s notes, but its a horrible way to track them! A place to keep it all together sounds great.

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Hi! I'm Sheri!

Welcome to my little corner of the web where you’ll find easy, delicious recipes, the best kitchen hacks and simple tips for turning your home into a clean haven that is free of toxins. So glad you’re here!