Several months ago, something my husband bought online came with a free Echo. That’s how Alexa was adopted into our family. Since her arrival, she has become a daily part of our lives.
I love her because she listens and does everything I ask her to do! Well, that and I love that I can be making a meal and realize we need to add something to the grocery list, and I don’t have to stop everything to manually add it to my Cozi grocery list or write it down. I just tell Alexa, and it’s magically added to my grocery list.
Here’s how we’ve integrated Alexa into our daily lives:
- Play games like 20 Questions and Name that Tune
- Spell words or pronounce words (She’s a great reading and writing assistant.)
- Count down to Christmas (one of Mr. 4 year old’s favorite questions to ask her)
- Listen to podcasts, audiobooks, and music (like Hamilton)
- Set timers and alarms
- Give regular reminders (like take your vitamins every morning)
- Tell jokes
- Set the house temperature
- Turn on/off and/or dim automated lights around the house
- Change the color of our deck lights
- Lock and unlock doors
- Open and close the garage door
- Activate the robot vacuum and security system
- Turn the TVs on or off
- Add items to our lists
- Determine debate winners (e.g., how many Pokemon are there?)
- Read choose-your-own adventure stories (The kids found a Scooby Doo mystery that they enjoyed.)
- Give weather reports
The kids like her so much that Mr. 4 year old often declares his love to her, to which she replies, “Thank you. I’m flattered.” Now if you want to have some more fun, ask Alexa who she loves.
