With Amazon's Prime Day coming up on July 16th, you might be toying with the idea of buying an Echo device. While not everybody is a fan of the device (I just found out yesterday that my brother-in-law is a non-fan), I absolutely love our Echo Dots (yes, we have two). The one in our bedroom is named Echo and the one in our kitchen is named Alexa.
Alexa is "mine" and I think she's pretty great. Here are a few reasons why....

1. Weather Forecast- Sure, there are plenty of weather apps and I can always look online or watch the news, but I love hearing "Currently, in Waterbury it is __ degrees. The forecast calls for______".

2. Jeopardy- I love the show and really enjoy playing it with Alexa. The girls love seeing just how much their Mom knows, or more often, what stumps her.

3. Jokes- Just ask Alexa to tell you a joke and she does. It's a great way to brighten your mood and the jokes are family friendly, so I don't have to worry when I hear the girls say "Alexa, tell me a joke". 

4. Music- This is what Alexa gets used the most for in our house. There is a great deal of power in the speaker and it is perfect for listening to some tunes from your favorite streaming stations while making dinner, washing the dishes, or trying to rearrange some furniture.

5. Turning Lights On or Off- Okay, so this one may seem like I am just a little lazy, and sometimes I totally am. However, when we use this feature, it's usually because one of the kids forgot to turn a light off and I have my hands full. It's nice to say "Alexa, turn off ____ light" and have her do it and say "okay". Also, with the Alexa app on our phones, we can turn lights on and off while we are away, so that it looks like someone is still at home. 

These are just a few of the reasons we love our Echo devices. If you have one, tell me which cool features you love to use so I can check them out. If you don't have one, let me know which features you'd like to try.