When it comes to personal technology, smart phones are about as personal as it gets. We asked a few people to share their favorite applications.

Amy Corbett Storch, Maryland mother of three and author of the blog “Amalah”

Storch says she uses her iPhone for everything except talking on the phone. Her phone helps her manage her life with Noah, 7, Ezra, 4, and Ike, 20 months. She said these are the apps she is using most these days:

Microsoft OneNote: “My husband and I use this app to manage our shopping lists and other general to-dos. We can each add items as we think of them and the app syncs them up for us. You can add items from the One Note program on your computer as well. Bonus points because this app works across my iPhone and my husband’s Windows Phone 8, which don’t always play nice together.”

KidsTube: “After discovering my oldest son watching some inappropriate videos on YouTube that he’d clicked on via the ‘Related Videos’ column (where it can be hard for a kid to distinguish a Nick Jr. cartoon from a fan-made parody), I swapped the YouTube app for this one. It’s a walled garden of kid-friendly videos and cartoons. Your child can click and watch anything in the app but can’t get out to the rest of YouTube.”

Zombies, Run!: “I’ve still got some baby weight hanging around (20 months later), but I have a love/hate relationship with exercise. This running app is an amazing, hilarious spin on a couch-to-5K-like training program. The zombie apocalypse is coming and it’s … right behind you.Better run! Every session advances the ‘story’ and it’s 20 minutes of great escapist fun.”

Meghan Leahy, mom of three and parenting coach in Washington

Leahy uses several apps to help manage her life, but they are not of the organizational variety. Some of her favorite apps for her iPhone include:

Common Sense Media: “I use this app to check everything from other apps for kids to movie reviews. For instance, the family wanted to see a movie over the weekend, we used this app to read the reviews of the movie and decided against the movie! (Poor reviews, not appropriate for kids.)”

Peapod: “I like Peapod (a grocery delivering service) because I will order enough [groceries] to secure a time (let’s say tomorrow), and then as I am running around, I can bring up the app and add things to the list. So easy. Also, Peapod has a function where they can text you when they are nearby; that way you can be sure to be close to home for the delivery if you have chosen a large window.”

Amazon: “Amazon app iseverything to me. I throw things in the cart all day: diapers, wipes, crafts, books, birthday gifts, etc. I will go back later and price-check, make sure I want it/need it, etc. The cart and the save-for-later function are so convenient.”

PBSKids/WATCH Disney Jr.: “If the kids are completely kaput and we have to be somewhere, I find PBS Kids to be a safe and easy app so they can watch a good show, like Clifford. There is no screaming and shouting on Clifford, the app is easily worked by the kids and I don’t have to worry that they are picking something I don’t like.”

Christy Winters Scott, mom of three, basketball coach and television host

Scott is the girls basketball coach at South Lakes High School in Virginia and host of the Washington Wizards pre- and post-game shows on Comcast Sports Net. She and her husband, Jerome, have three children, ages 11, 9 and 6. These are the iPhone apps her family uses most:

Cozi: Scott said in an e-mail that she depends on this family app that shows all appointments, practices and games. She said she also uses the calendar on her phone to keep track of her schedule, particularly during basketball season.

Pepperplate: This app helps with dinner planning and finding quick recipes, Scott said. The app also allows users to create shopping lists and share meal plans and recipes.

Monkey Math School Sunshine: Scott said this game is her 6-year-old son Jordan’s favorite app. A monkey asks users to practice early math skills such as number recognition, pattern completion, addition and basic geometry.

The Opposites: Scott’s daughter Brianna, 9, plays this word game that allows kids to match opposites. It starts with easy pairs and gets increasingly difficult.

Family, Pages 38 on 03/13/2013