How Alexa Runs My Mornings

I don’t know where I would be without Amazon’s Alexa.   For those that don’t know, Alexa is Amazon’s virtual assistant and she is amazing.

You can access Alexa on a variety of Amazon devices such as the Amazon Echo, Echo Show, and Amazon FireTV.  They even have an Echo Dot exclusively for kids. Amazon has even launched a Alexa powered device for your car and an Input device to turn any speaker into an Alexa-enabled device. Long story short, Alexa is taking over the world and I am here for it.

Alexa makes my life easier.  Especially during our hectic school day mornings.

So how exactly do I use Amazon’s Alexa in the morning?

Alarm

Alexa serves as my alarm clock. I have an Amazon Echo in my master bathroom and through the Alexa app I set a weekday alarm for 5:45am.  Without her I  would sleep my life away (not really, my three and five year old would eventually drag me out of bed).

Additionally, I  have Echo Dots in both of my children’s bedrooms so I set an alarm for each of them. The alarms are necessary because Monday-Friday are the only days that my kids like to sleep in which is super convenient. Also, its is important to note that Alexa is a much more effective alarm than my screaming from the kitchen.

 

Calendar

Alexa gives you the ability to link your calendar. Currently, Alexa supports Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Microsoft Exchange (so pretty much most calendars).  Once you link your calendar, you can ask Alexa to tell you what is on your calendar.  You can check your calendar while you are chasing your daughter around trying to brush her hair.  Win-win.

Announcements

When you have multiple Alexa enabled devices in your home, you can utilize them as your own personal PA system.  If I am in the kitchen kitchen finishing breakfast, I  can just tell Alexa to make an announcement that breakfast is done and it will broadcast to all of the devices online.  It sure beats having to scream through the house or run upstairs to let them know

News

Every morning as I am getting breakfast, 2nd breakfast, and the before school snack ready for my kids, I ask Alexa to play my “flash briefing”. The Flash Briefing is a collection of news curated specifically for me.  You have the ability to customize which news outlets you want to hear from.   For me, some of my favorites include NPR, The Daily Skimm, The Wall Street Journal, and the local weather.  It’s a great way to stay caught up with what is going in the world pretty effortlessly.

Reminders

Probably my very favorite way that we use Alexa in the mornings is by using Alexa to keep us on pace for getting ready. Here is how that works, I set reminders at designated times during the morning.   At 7:30am Alexa announces that it is time for the kids to get dressed,  at 7:45am she reminds my children to get their shoes on, and at 8:00am she reminds us to start walking to the bus stop.   This has been a lifesaver! It is so easy to lose track of time as you are trying to get everyone ready and out the door.  Having these reminders keeps us on pace with time and prevents us from being late.  We are always the first one to the bus stop and Alexa deserves all of the credit.

Music

If we happen to have a few minutes before we need to leave for the bus stop, I ask Alexa to play us some music for an impromptu dance party. It’s a fun and easy way to kill some time and try to get some energy out of the kids before they go to school. I created a Before School Playlist just for this purpose.

Amazon’s Alexa is seriously my favorite gadget (even though it’s not necessarily one gadget). Not only do I  love her, she is an awesome co-parent. My kids seem to listen to her more than myself most mornings. No shame here, I will take all the help I can get.

Have you used Alexa in the mornings?  What skills do you utilize?  I would love to hear! Leave a comment below.

 

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