It's here!

My iPhone 4S arrived today! It wasn't originally scheduled to ship until today and therefore wouldn't arrive here until next week. So I'm even happier.

I've gotten all the necessary programs on it. Now I'm just playing around it and seeing what else I want. Since I've been at work all day I haven't gotten to play around with Siri much but I'm looking forward to that as well.

Mean while, I am super glad it's Friday.

It's been a pretty good week. A rough start but had a phenomenal day Thursday and a spectacular Friday. So that makes it all okay. Don't know what I'll be doing this weekend. As of right now I have no plans.

I think I will be doing some Christmas decorating though. I know. It's very early. But I'm very excited. And since my family isn't have Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving Day but instead on Black Friday, I've decided I want the house fully decked out for Christmas by then. And of course I will be working all that week. So the decorating is going to be this weekend and next, when all four of us are home and together.

And of course there is always the MOUND of laundry to do. Plus I'm so incredibly behind on my DVR. Like 2 or 3 weeks on some of my shows! It's a tragedy. It really is.

So, Happy Veterans Day! Hope everyone has an awesome weekend! I'm going to resume playing with my phone. lol.

Ditching the Droid

So, in a week, my cell phone contract is up for renewal.

It's a day that has been marked on my calendar for about 6 months and I am quite eagerly anticipating it. Ticking it off excitedly. Reminding my husband. My mom. My kids. My dog.

Yep, next week! I am so excited because finally, FINALLY I am getting rid of this piece of crap phone and getting a new one. But not just any new phone. No sir. I am making the switch to the iPhone.

Two years ago, I signed up with Verizon and committed myself to the Droid and the Android OS. I wanted an iPhone then. Kinda. I mean, who wouldn't? But they were awfully pricey. And Verizon's plans were cheaper then as well. So, I went with Verizon. And I chose the Android because it seemed really cool at the time. And of course, then the iPhone wasn't available from Verizon.

Ugh. Well, Verizon is still better. I'm happy with my carrier. Not so happy with my phone.

The phone itself is on its last leg. I'm notoriously hard on cell phones. My temper and tendency to hurl them across the room doesn't help. But just day to day life with me is tough. My phone goes everywhere and does everything. It's in back pockets, my purse, the diaper bag, the cup holder, coat pockets, the baby's mouth, the toddler's hands. Life is hard for my cell phone.

The OS is terrible. It's like the Mac vs. PC debate. Windows will always have more problems because of how many types of computers run it. With Apple, they make it all. From the hardware to the software. Therefore there are no compatibility issues. There aren't glitches and quirks and hold ups and malfunctions. Apple doesn't release iCrap. It releases the MacBook and the iPad and the iPhone. Good, solid, long lasting products that are dependable. I am thankful that I have not actually ever needed to make an emergency call on my phone. Because 98% of the time it freezes up, blacks the screens, dials the wrong number, hangs up, mutes out, restarts itself, etc. when I'm trying to make a non-urgent call. I'm sure an important call would just cause it to implode.

So next week, I'm getting an iPhone. And I am so excited!

The ABSOLUTE GREATEST gift...(aside from my kids, of course...)

Yes, that's right. I know I've been slacking on my blog lately but I have a really good excuse. Okay...its mostly just an excuse. Actually the end of last week, Blogger was down and I couldn't blog even though I had several good blog ideas during that time that of course I can no longer remember. But on Thursday evening my Mother's Day present finally arrived. And since then I've been dedicating all my spare time to it.

So, what did I get you ask...

*drum rolls*

An iPad 2!

(Please disregard my seriously chipped purple finger nail polish)

I have wanted an iPad since they came out. At first it was just a "hey, those would be neat to have" sort of want. But as the apps have improved and developers have created better and better ways to utilize the iPad's unique capabilities, my desire for one has increased 10-fold. By the time the iPad 2 came out this past March I felt like I absolutely had to have one and began trying to con my husband into getting me one convince my husband I needed one.

Finally I found a reason for him to get me one...

Educational apps...

No joke. There are tons of them. And not just crappy flash cards with the alphabet on them. But really neat applications that can entertain your kid while also helping them learn colors, shapes, alphabet, math, etc. I'm not talking about handing my two-year an iPad and telling her to go play, reducing our interacting and adding to her total screen time. But instead using the iPad to replace some of her existing television or movie time. Using the iPad creatively to draw and play and learn and not just sending her off by herself, but using the devise together as a way to help me TEACH her. How cool, huh?

So, as a collective family present to me, I finally got an iPad. Granted, I won't be receiving any more gifts until Christmas (or so my husband says...haha) but I have my iPad.

Hooray!!

Now I've loaded it up with books for me and Evie, a couple of games for me, of course Netflix and HBO and Facebook, and some educational games for Evie. Honestly, the games for Evie are pretty fun. Even if it is kindergarten and preschool level addition and subtraction or matching games. They're fun! I even got a game for Josh...in case I ever let him play it.

It's amazing watching Evie use the iPad. It's so impressive to see her immediately "get" how it works and poke the animals to make them talk or pull the string to turn of the lights or whatever. I know the device is supposed to be easy to use and intuitive, but seeing a 21 month old use it is still pretty incredible.

The only downside is that I am a little obsessed. I do most of my internet surfing on the iPad now. Even though I have a laptop at home, just because the iPad makes it more fun and more intuitive. Same for Facebook and email. Now I'm even more excited about my cellphone contract being up for renewal in November since Verizon finally has the iPhone (and the white one has been released!) so I can get some of the App Store apps I love on my phone. The iPad is super portable but I hate taking it with me EVERYwhere because it is big and expensive and not made to be as durable as a cell phone. And now that I've experienced the super awesomeness of iOS, I really hate my Droid with its lame Android OS. I mean, I hated it before. But now I really hate it. And it's less personal issue and more legitimate complaint now. The Droid seems so ugly and dark compared to the Apple devices. Ugh.

So I'm an Apple convert. Living an iTunes and App Store life.

But I'm a happy convert!

Facebook rules but what about when my kids want one?

Do you ever stop and think about how different the world is since Facebook?

No, I'm totally serious.

When I was in elementary and middle school I participated in pen pal programs. We would write to kids in other states or other parts of the world and thought it was soooo cool. Think how silly that must seem to kids today. Wow. Write a letter to a kid and then wait two weeks to get one back? Gosh, why? Now we can have a video chat with kids on the other side of the world instantly. You can do video tours of museums, landmarks, zoos. You can see the world from your computer desk. Heck, with tablets and smart phones now, you can see the world from a park bench, a local cafe, heck, while using the john!

How bizarre our children will think our childhoods were.We didn't even have cell phones until we were teenagers. They'll wonder how the heck we kept up with all of our friends. How we got in touch with someone. What we did with our free time. How we survived without apps and navigation and games at our fingertips all the time. It's wild to think about.

Technology is one thing. But Facebook. Now Facebook is amazing. And scary. And has really changed how society functions.

I admit I'm absolutely obsessed with Facebook. I post pictures all the time, I update my status several times a day at minimum, I'm friends with people from work, college, high school. I get status updates via text message from my close friends and family and I have the Facebook app on my Droid. Yeah. Obsessed.

A lot of negative can come from Facebook. Hi-tech bullying for example or stalking. But a great deal of positive as well.

My church's women's group has a page where we post prayer requests, talk about issues and events in our lives. We support each other, offer up advice and plan benefits. It's a great way to keep up with events going on at the church. Since our church is kind of large, its a wonderful way to get to know all of the other women better. I've gotten to know some of them much better and it has really made me feel more at home in the church.

Another benefit from Facebook is keeping up with my family from across the country. I get to see pictures of cousins and new babies and know what's going on in their lives. I get to offer support when something goes wrong and celebrate when things go right. It helps keep us close when the busy bustle of our daily lives doesn't allow us the time to talk. And with all the kids and hurried schedules, we don't frequently have time to talk.

Facebook even offers the chance to reconnect with friends you haven't spoken to in years. People from high school or college that you just haven't been able to stay in touch with since you've moved away and started your life in the real world.

A lot of the time, we focus on the negative aspects of Facebook. People getting in trouble for things they post about their boss, people over sharing about their lives, people posting some really inappropriate pictures, or kids seeing things they shouldn't see. We think about how much it has taken away. The barriers people used to have in the lives and the privacy we thought we all needed. Those don't exist now. Not for those of us in the Social Network generation. For better or worse, that's what we deal with.

I really dread the day that my kids want a Facebook page. I don't know how I will handle it. And I know with the way things move, that day will be coming sooner rather than later. A lot sooner than I want. I don't see how I can not let them have one when I spend so much of my time and energy with Facebook. Of course, their Facebook usage, and internet usage in general will be very closely monitored. I'm going to be one of those mean parents that has parental controls on all the computers and blocks. I'll be reading text messages, emails, status updates, monitoring pictures. I've seen how much a hasty upload can do to someone's future. The wrong picture could turn up on the internet when they're trying to get into college or get a job.  It could ruin them.

There are a lot of complications for parents in the Social Network generation. With technology more and more advanced...I can't imagine what will be around by the time my girls are starting school. Compare technology today to technology five years ago. It can blow your mind. I get a little panicky just thinking about it. Especially with two little girls. I don't know, I just worry more about girls than boys.

But who knows, maybe the Facebook thing won't last and by the time my kids are old enough to want a page it'll have just died off.

Yeah...right.