i didn't know i needed you so badly

i love you, new iphone

 

seriously.

not the most techie person around.

perhaps i can hold my own,

but definitely not the

'have to have the latest' 

kind of girl.

my girls were teasing me about 

my slow as molasses

hip and happening 

iphone 3g 

(all of 8g by the way)

so after 2 1/2 years 

and 

one free upgrade i decided it was time.

can you say,

know your socks off?

lightening speedy?

and i haven't even met siri yet, 

but i know i'll love her.

just so happy in iphone land right now.

do you have one? 

do tell.

as always,

Grag gets a new Iphone

Guess who is a new texter?

The rumor is true.
Grag got a new iphone.

Not sure she is ready for this.

This is why we are walking
slowly into
the new millenium.

This is her first picture
taken on a phone.
Ever.

Sweetest silver lining:
watching sweet Tess
teach her technology-resistant grandma
how to input contacts into her new phone.

Life is good.

Doing our part to stay connected.

Any good stories on
how you've helped a baby boomer
walk into new technology?

5 Friends

Five Friends

Yes.
Five friends I think about every day.

Let me give you a little background here.

I have decided these five items have become my friends
because I have a goal, you see.

I am very goal oriented,
if you want to know the truth.

Hence,
let me tell you about my goal.
Retract, let me show you my goal.

This is the new
NOOKcolor

Normally, I'm not the most gadget-y gal.
But I made one mistake, one fatal mistake.

I went to the Nook station at
Barnes & Noble
to take a little looksie.

Uh oh.
Danger zone.
Turn back!

Too late.

I was sold.

And when I found out that the Nook has an e-reader contract
with all Public Librarys across our great nation.
That's right all my fellow readers out there.
Translation: FREE E-READER DOWNLOADS!

Not to mention this little e-reader is in FULL color
AND
it has wi-fi.
Need to check email? Facebook? Your fav bloggie?
You have arrived, my friend.
This has it all.

Needless to say, meet my new goal:

NOOKcolor.

So,
why haven't I up and bought it yet?

I've got to save for it.
(remember that goal oriented part?)
This bad boy ain't cheap,
but I do believe it's well worth the $249 (ouch!)

So, back to the reason I'm telling you about my 5 friends...
These 5 friends are going to be good to me to meet my goal.
They will make me money and save me money.

Friend #1:
The public Library
I've mentioned this guy before but I can't deny my love affair with him.
This guy will help me utilize my future new e-reader without breaking the bank.
I will save money and prevent from spending money when I spend more time here.
Who doesn't love that deal?

Friend #2:
eBay

This is the greatest invention since sliced bread.
I'm sure most of you know the value of this bad boy.
If you have not met him, please, please, please
familiarize yourself with him.
He will not only make you lots of moolah,
but de-clutter your cabinets, closets and life.

Hint:
Anything that is easily shippable AND has a brand name
is even more friendly to this guy.
Get to know him!

Friend #3:
Mr. Craig and his famous list

See Friend #2 for easily shippable items.
This guy is for the big, bulky and "too much hassle" to ship.

Think:
furniture, appliances, wall mirrors.
You get the picture.

Smaller audience than Friend #2 but just as valuable for
making and saving money.
Plus, it's environmentally sound
(ahh, you can sleep a little better knowing you are
recycling good stuff to people who need it for cheap prices.)

Friend #4:
Home Made Lunches

Paying for lunches out can be a serious money pit.
If small people in your house pack lunches,
and big people in the house pack lunches this
can add up to oodles and oodles of money saved.

*Just make sure you've got good and healthy stuff to pack in those lunches.

Easy!

Finally,
Friend #5:
Still thinking about this one.
Thought you people out there in cyberland
might be able to help me out.

What is your favorite friend (method)
that helps save or earn you cold hard cash-ola?

Spill.

I'm all ears.

Can't wait to hear your ideas.

Favorite Freebie - PICNIK

Just discovered this.
Love.

I think you will, too!

Peeps, meet Picnik

This website allows you to do really nifty,
cool things with your photos.

Oh.
And it's absolutely FREE.
Who doesn't love FREE?

Check it out...

Original Photo

After applying 'BOOST'
(what did I tell ya?)

*Home pics of our pad left behind in San Diego

Original Photo

After applying 'HDR-ish' effect

Original Photo

After applying 'CinemaScope'

Cool, huh?

One more for the road...
Original Photo

After applying 'Cross Process'

You can even add text and symbols.

Makes me a better "photographer".
Don't you think?

Do we not love modern technology?

Take a sec.
Stop on by and play around a bit.

Let me know what you think.

Lonny- Favorite Online Mag Just a Click Away

Looking to peruse those long lost magazines from days gone by?

You remember the ones:
Domino
House & Garden
Blueprint

Well I found a great replacement for those long lost mags.

Lonny

This clever little concept comes in the from of an

online magazine


or a
home decor website.


Take your pick...

Founded by Domino alumni
Michelle Adams and photographer Patrick Cline,
Lonny launched in October of 2009.


You can find the current issue Oct/Nov 2010
celebrating it's one year anniversary.

Let me know if you found this useful.

As always,


for visiting.

Tweens, Teens and Screens

Went to a recent PTA meeting at the middle school. Little did I realize
I would be turning that meeting into a blog post.

The meeting talked to parents about the ever changing land of technology
and the role our kids (and us) play in that land.

Kids primary way of connecting is through technology.

Here are some statistics:

84% have internet access at home
66% have a cell phone
70% have a TV in their bedroom
29% Have a laptop


Kids between the age of 8-18 years of age spend up to
53 hours a week in
front of some type of screen
(computer, cell phone, tv, hand held game, game console, ipad)

That's as much as 7 hours a day...
add texting and it's as much as 10 hours a day


I thought I'd share the nuggets I personally got out of the meeting:

1. As parents, it's better to provide guidelines, limits and consequences
rather than lay down the hammer with rules regarding technology.
In fact, having a family meeting and deciding together is the most effective
way of ensuring all will actually follow those guidelines.

2. Kids NEED direction and limits up front...despite what you may think,
parents remain the greatest influence in your teen's life...
use that influence in a positive way.

3. Make sure your computer is centrally located and not behind walls or doors,
especially in bedrooms.

4. When it comes to your kids having a social network account,
make sure you are a FRIEND of your kids and you know their password.

5. Warn your kids of posting personal information online
(phone numbers and addresses)


6. When the appropriate age, NOT letting your teen have a FB account
could have a negative effect socially.
Technology isn't going anywhere. Walk into the light...

7. Be proud of turning off electronics during dinner
and perhaps even 30 minutes before bedtime.

8. Inform your kids to "expect" any parent to read what they are writing on Facebook.

9. Don't accept a "friend" you do not personally know.
Define the word know and friend.

10. Be knowledgeable and conservative with privacy settings.

11. Create a family SOS text for your teenager when they need help.
"I lost my contact" means come get me...no questions asked.
Respect that.

12. Continually educate yourself with the technology your kids use:
visit their favorite websites regularly.


Navigating through the world of technology can be a very scary thing,
even for adults.

It's our job to walk our teenagers through this uncharted territory
with character, caution and good decision.

Here are some additional resources available to help:
Web Filters
http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/
Websites
CommonsenseMedia.org
(Check game and movie ratings for age appropriate media)
NetSmartz.org
National Center for Missing & Exploited children
http://www.safekids.com/
Online Safety & civility
getNetWise.org
http://robinraskin.com/
raising digital kids
http://www.whattheyplay.com/
family guide to video games

Publications
Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age
The Plug-In Drug
Negotiation Generation

This is serious stuff.
I got a lot out of that meeting.
Came home, sat down with my girls and
discussed much of what is in this blog post.

Hopefully we all think of these things as we watch our kids spend
hours in front of monitors and screens.

Let me know if you have further tips on
how you monitor technology in your home
and if you have found this post useful.

As always, thanks for visiting.

Laptops and Ipads, Oh My!

It happened...
It was wonderful.
It was decisive.
It was earned.
It was ownership.
It was deserved.

Payday!

As you know, back in February, my girls started

3 sisters sitting service


You can read all about it here.

Lo and behold they started getting calls, and more calls and
now we call those calls "regulars".

It's been great.
The girls stood tall in responsibility.
They became savvy little financiers.
They made financial goals.
They saved most of their money and
spent a little.

...all part of moms grand master plan.

Finally it was time.
They were ready to make that BIG purchase.

We researched.
We picked and
we purchased.

It was pure reward.
Check it out...



As parents we love to make our kids happy
and shower them with stuff they'll love.

But nothing is sweeter than
seeing your kids pay for a well earned, well deserved
item of choice that
they worked for,
sweat for and
saved for?





Delayed gratification builds character.

Would love to hear some
good sweat equity stories on your end.

Thanks to my mom and dad for teaching me
good old fashion saving techniques and passing those on to my kids.

As always, thanks for visiting.

Sync It

How do you organize your family events?

Call me slow on the uptake but I just discovered
the greatest tool since DVR.

GOOGLE CALENDAR


This little guy allows you to coordinate multiple events,
various family members and many team sports.

I'm telling you...this is great.

I have a new position on my daughters travel soccer team
which has opened up great opportunities
for me with regards to
my once meticulous
organizational skills.

I had to pull out the big guns with this bad boy.

If you don't have a solid, working calendar to organize your busy life,
please let me recommend you look into Google Calendar.

I'm even able to sync my calendar to all the parents on the team, as well as
send reminders to the players...not to mention my own children.
And we can't forget syncing to our iphones...

Check it out!

As always, thanks for visiting.
Oh, but before you go, tell me how you keep it all together?