I got my iPhone yesterday, and I’m like a kid at Christmas. Almost jumped up and down (OK, maybe I actually did a little) when the FedEx guy showed up.

One of my favorite apps, already, is ColorSplash. It allows you to turn a color photo into black-and-white and then add back just a touch of color to any part of the photo you choose.

Speaking of a kid at Christmas, here’s one of my favorite photos of my niece, after I had some fun with it with ColorSplash.

If you’re a busy parent with an iPhone, I’d love to know what apps you use to save time, stay organized and have fun! Please share your recommendations in comments.

Do you have any favorite mobile-phone applications that you use a lot?

My friend Damon Brown is researching, for an article in a magazine geared toward moms (can't reveal the name just yet), the best mobile-phone apps for busy moms – for the iPhone, Blackberry or other phones.

Damon would love to hear about any favorites you have. Drop him a line at damon at damonbrown.net. When the article runs, I'll link to it here — and you may see your name!

It happened on the way to school this morning. I turned onto a side street and a girl, about 12 years old, stepped off the sidewalk and right in front of my car — without looking.

Thank goodness I was able to stop in time.

No big surprise: She was busy texting. Looking down at her iPhone. Completely oblivious to the fact that she was walking across a busy street.

Of course, you and I don't need a study to tell us this is a problem. But talk about a confirmation: A recent study looked at how cell-phone use distracts preteens while crossing the street. Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham worked with children ages 10 and 11.

Distraction was created by cell-phone conversations with a research assistant. When distracted, the kids were less attentive to traffic, they left less time between themselves and the next oncoming vehicle and they were involved in more collisions and near misses. (Fortunately, this was all done in a virtual traffic setting!)

While cell phones can offer convenience and safety when used wisely, the study authors stress that pedestrians — especially children, who are likely to be more distracted than adults — should limit cell-phone use while crossing the street.

Seems like it might be time for yet another reminder to our kids about pedestrian safety. (Just don't call or text them on their cell phones to remind them.)

I feel like a proud mom with a big announcement: My blog said its first words yesterday! Seriously. Now it just won't shut up, and I couldn't be happier.

I met the good folks at PimpMyNews on Twitter recently, and before I could say "Hey, pimp my blog!" CEO John Atkinson was talking with me about all the cool things Parent Talk Today could do when it could talk.

PimpMyNews offers your favorite blogs in audio form. And I'm not talking about just blogs that feature podcasting or video blogging. PimpMyNews translates the written text to audio. (And it sounds surprisingly less mechanical than I thought it would. This technology has come a long way recently.)

It also converts the audio to MP3 files, which you can
listen to with any MP3 player or from your iPod, iPhone, Mac or PC.

Yep, now you can download and listen to Parent Talk Today on your iPod while you go for a walk, cook dinner, wait for your kids at soccer practice or hit the gym.

How cool is that?

To check it out (and I hope you will — this is amazing stuff), just click on the "listen to my blog" button at the top of the right sidebar.

P.S. You can read more about PimpMyNews below.