5 Tips for a Gadget Friendly Guest Room

by Michelle on November 6, 2012

The following post is from Michelle of Mommy Misadventures:

5 Tips for a Gadget Friendly Guest Room | lifeyourway.net

source: N3T10

The holiday season means lots of time spent with family and friends. From cameras to smartphones to tablets, your guests may be bringing a variety of gadgets with them to help capture and share this year’s holiday memories.

You can make their visit a little less stressful by planning ahead for electronic devices.   Prepping your guest room for gadgets goes beyond having an empty outlet for them to charge their phones.

Here are four tips to help make your guest room gadget friendly.

Give your guests the power.

Recharging gadgets is often one of the first orders of business for guests as they settle in to stay. Leave one of two outlets easy to access, making sure that they are not hidden by furniture or other obstructions.

If you want to go the extra mile for your guests, how about setting up a charging station with multiple outlets? Power strips with USB ports like this Outlets to Go Power Strip with 3 AC outlets plus an integrated USB port offer AC power as well as spots for USB-powered devices.

Be an electronics concierge.

In many hotel rooms, you can often find a list of helpful information that includes information about hotel and local services. A similar reference guide can also be helpful for friends and family staying with you. Some helpful gadget/electronics related information can include:

  • Your wireless network information
  • How to access the printer
  • Info and directions for local stores that carry things they may have forgotten (chargers, memory cards, etc.)

Allow an outlet for a gadget friendly alarm.

Lots of people use the clock function on their smart phones and tablets as an alarm clock which comes especially handy when traveling. Keeping an outlet available within reach of a bedside table can help a lot.

Want to go the extra mile? Consider investing in an alarm clock like this iLuv Shaker that includes a 30-pin iPhone compatible dock.

Strengthen the signal.

If your guest room is located in an area where the signal is weak (2 bars or less), a boosting the signal can help keep your guests and their gadgets up on your wireless network. A repeater like this Uspeed Repeater Access Extender boosts your existing wireless signal so that extends beyond the standard for your wireless router.

Demystify the TV.

Once upon a time, watching TV was as simple as pressing the “ON” button. These days, this once simple task varies from household to household depending on what kind of TV you have and what’s connected to it. Writing down step by step directions on how to perform basic tasks on the TV like turning it on, choosing an input device (digital cable, DVD player, etc.) and bringing up a menu function can help prevent confusion. Providing a list of popular channels (local channels, any cable TV channels you think your guests will particularly enjoy) is also help.

What are some ways you can make your guest room more gadget friendly?

Michelle Mista is an IT professional, writer and blogger with a love for all kinds of technology. She writes about tech tips and trends for work at home professionals on her portfolio blog and muses about motherhood at Mommy Misadventures. She is on the constant quest to balance life, work and geekery.

  • http://www.icanteachmychild.com Jenae {I Can Teach My Child!}

    Beautiful post, Amanda!  Thank you so much for sharing!!!

  • http://www.myfavoritefinds.blogspot.com Carrie (My Favorite Finds)

    I would love to know more about your “Parent Handbook”.  Is it where you write down ideas, inspiration, lessons from mistakes?  That is wonderful  

    • http://impressyourkids.com ohamanda {impress your kids}

      Oh, it was my Parent Handbook from school. Like all the rules, etc. But now that you mention it, that would be a great idea to have with quotes and ideas for parenting, huh?

  • http://livingthebalancedlife.com Bernice Wood

    Good stuff Amanda. Definitely share-worthy! 
    Bernice
    Why don’t you just DO what you are supposed to?

  • http://www.burundanguitas.blogspot.com Burundanguitas

    Hi Amanda, your post is just what I needed to read. Why? because I am exactly the kind of parent you described at first (the one that want to help, to plan parties, stuff for my daughter´s – she is 4 yo – friends, etc.) and when something dont come out the way I thought, I got sad.

    Again, tks for sharing. This is the first time I read this blog. and I swear I will be around -hopefully- for so long! tks, dalys

    • http://impressyourkids.com ohamanda {impress your kids}

      Thank you! Glad to know I’m not the only one–hope to see you here soon!

  • http://oldnewlegacy.wordpress.com/ Becky

    I know what you intend to say about children being foolish, but the way it was worded needed more clarification for me.  I would say that children aren’t foolish; they just need taught how to act in certain situations.  The way I like to look at it is that families are able to act foolishly together because children have a knack at acting without fear of what others’ think of them. Adults need to relearn that trait from their children. Teenagers and young college students are apt to be more foolish in my mind.  They should know at that age the social norms and expectations and (for example) when they don’t study and flunk their class– now that’s foolish.  Talking back to a teacher at age 5, or yelling in public at age 4 is a teaching opportunity for us as parents.  I have just reread that paragraph and I do see where you’re going with the statement that kids can be foolish because their parents are able to guide them.  I just wanted more clarification, thanks!

    • http://impressyourkids.com ohamanda {impress your kids}

      Thanks for your comment! I agree we can continue to be foolish as teens/adults. That’s why I want to help teach and train my kids now! To help them away from foolish behaviors when they are older!

  • http://www.mamaworkinprogress.blogspot.com Courtney Buxton

    Yes, it has totally motivated me and you have just liberated me!  Thank you.  Seriously, a great post as we all get those “hope my kid behaves” jitters.

    • http://impressyourkids.com ohamanda {impress your kids}

      It’s just nice to know we’re not alone in wanting our kid to be perfect, huh? Next time your kid does misbehave, imagine me (and the rest of us) smiling encouragingly! ;)

  • http://momforhim.blogspot.com MomForHim

    Great post, and something we all need to be reminded of!

  • Tracy

    The whole verse in proverbs reads: Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.  Proverbs 22:15.

    I believe the verse is actually encouraging you to discipline your child so that they will grow to not be foolish.

    • http://impressyourkids.com ohamanda {impress your kids}

      You’re right. And that’s exactly my point–sometimes we see their folly and we get bogged down with it. We feel like WE’VE failed. But their folly should lead us to continue to discipline (which means “to train”), mold and develop or kids. Helping them away from foolishness!

  • Ape2016

    The thing that I come away from this with isn’t so much remember your kids are going to be foolish and make mistakes, because I got that down and I don’t get  embarrassed.  No, what I wish more people would take from this is that we shouldn’t rush to judge other parents.  We all have been there.  I am always saddened to see a mother struggling when she feels under scrutiny.  I learned this lesson the hardest way of all about 13 years ago.  My cousin had a baby and she kinda fell apart for a while.  Her house was a disaster, she was exhausted and one day when I went to visit, she was in the same PJ’s from 2 days before.  I secretly judged her as failing at motherhood, even though her baby was clean, fed and happy.  Then, I became a new mother about 6 months later and I had to eat crow.  I became the mom-zombie with matted hair, dirty PJ’s and baby bottles piled all over. I realized that I should have offered to help my cousin, rather than judge her.  Lesson learned. 

    • http://impressyourkids.com ohamanda {impress your kids}

      So true! I have definitely learned to give a kind smile to the mom w/the screaming kids b/c I know my kids may (and probably will) be next!

  • Melissa

    Great Post.

    I remember how horribly my kindergarten son would treat me upon entering the van in the carpool line.  Any ideas of happy afterschool reunions were quickly replaced with having to discipline and correct a very cranky 6 year old on the way home from school.  When I spoke to his teacher about it, she wisely pointed out that he’d just spent 6 plus hours behaving himself in school, and knew that being with me was where it was safe to relax and let some of that “foolishness” loose.  Everything did work out, but it was great to have an idea of what was causing this night and day persona.

    My son is now 16 but it seems like yesterday that we were navigating that milestone.  Just wanted to give all you new-to-school moms a “heads up” in case your kiddos have a sudden shift in their foolishness factors! 

    • http://impressyourkids.com ohamanda {impress your kids}

      Such great insight! You’re right, that first hour back to school, the very last thing they want to do is sit still, answer questions correctly or do anything productive. Thanks!

  • http://impressyourkids.org lmilla

    struggling… so bad with this…. thank you as always for the encouragement…

    • http://impressyourkids.com ohamanda {impress your kids}

      (((hugs))), Leigh!

  • Julia

    Thank you for sharing this – it is something that we are trying to deal with at moment. Trying to remember that our children are just that, children, not small adults. DH & I have been struggling to remember this. All we do is wind ourselves up and get cross with the children.

    • http://impressyourkids.com ohamanda {impress your kids}

      Exactly. Sometimes my husband look at each other and jokingly say, “Why can’t they just act like adults?!” It helps us remember how old they really are.

  • http://myjourneytoauthenticity.com/ Meredith

    Your timing on this is perfect for me…
    One week from today I will be entering the school that I teach in as a PARENT, and not just a teacher.

    I am scared out of my socks — especially with the arrival of a few new character traits that came with his 5th birthday… willfulness, talking back… stuff like that.

    Ugh.
    This helps me.
    Thank you. <3

    • http://myjourneytoauthenticity.com/ Meredith

      And I just wanted you to know that I loved this post so much that I linked to it in my weekly “Make Me Think Thursday” post. :)

      http://journey2authenticity.blogspot.com/2011/08/make-me-think-thursday.html

    • http://myjourneytoauthenticity.com/ Meredith

      Just wanted you to know that I loved this post so much that I linked to it on my weekly “Make Me Think Thursday” post.

      I would leave a link, but it won’t post.  It is today, Thursday 8/25′s post, on my main blog, in my profile link.

  • Kara

    Thank you for posting this! My not so little guy starts kindergarden next week and I have all the emotions of how will he behave? This has really calmed my fears….not to mention made me feel better about a few outings we’ve had lately where both boys (5 and 2) acted like wild animals.  Getting down on myself on the ride home as to what I’m doing wrong…now I am feeling relieved knowing most parents go through this. 

  • Becky

    It seems like God is continually reminding me to trust Him in this- I have ample opportunity to feel like a failure.  I love that He is continuing to change me and I can trust Him to work in my kid’s as well.  If I don’t want to feel like a failure when they are a mess, I need to remember that when they are amazing, it is because God is at work in their lives.  Wouldn’t it be great as parents if we were a lot less quick to judge and more willing to help a friend who is struggling?  I have been so blessed by friends who love my kids and I have learned to show that same grace to others who are struggling!  Thanks much Amanda- loved the post!!!

  • http://www.ivonneloving.blogspot.com Ivonne Loving

    It is funny how it takes posts like this to make people say: ahh! It really isn’t all the fault of the parents, sometimes a child just cuts up.  We all have, our children have also!  Why are we so quick to judge…because we ALL JUDGE all of the time, if it is not with our children, it’s our house, cars, careers, and lifestyle.  What we need to learn is to not care, people will criticize you no matter what.  Enjoy your child and your relationship with them.  The only person you should want to impress is your child.
    Thank you for the post, as always it is very helpful and insightful.

    • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life…Your Way

      Such beautiful words, Ivonne — thanks for chiming in!

Previous post:

Next post: