The NingXia Red Project: Before

I've decided to try a 30-day trial of the nutritional supplement NingXia Red. It is a Young Living product that is proposed to support normal digestive health, healthy immune function, normal brain function, a healthy cardiovascular system, vision, longevity. It's also supposed to be very rich in antioxidants. It is low in sugar and calories which is why many have used it as a means to weight loss though that is not it's advertised purpose.

My Health

Before we talk about what I intend to gain or how I intend to benefit from this NingXia trial I guess it's helpful to talk about my health.

First, I consider myself to be a "healthy" individual. The last time I have been to the doctor for an actual illness was spring of 2010. The last time I remember having a "cold" was sometime in 2012 (it's currently April or 2014). I have never had the flu. I don't suffer from allergies or any other chronic respiratory illnesses. In other words, I have a relatively good immune system (or I'm just that good at avoiding all the nasties that go around).

I'm 33 weeks pregnant. Other than Restless Leg Syndrome and a sore pelvic region, I am feeling pretty good for being so far along. I sleep well (thanks to a combination of topically applied essential oils) and I have adequate energy though I could use more (as could everyone, right?).

The last time I had a complete physical, including blood work was when I was about 20 weeks pregnant. My iron is perfect. My blood pressure is good and low. My blood sugar is ideal. My cholesterol is smack-dab in the middle of normal. In other words, from a laboratory standard, I am the picture of health.

I am a healthy weight (if not slightly underweight). I an not as active as I probably should be but I take frequent walks, I teach Yoga once a week, and I make it a point to try to move when I can.

While getting my driver's license renewed last month I discovered that my vision is now to the point where I can no long pass the vision screening at the DMV. For the first time in 29 years, I legally need glasses to drive. 

My Diet

My diet is pretty standard American. Which means it contains meat, not enough fruits and vegetables, too much junk food and not enough water. I do make a conscious effort to be better in all of these areas but I am far from the ideal.

A standard day for me is breakfast: cereal or eggs and bacon. Milk, coffee or water for a beverage.

Lunch: soup from a can (tomato being a favorite) or sandwich (PB&J or ham and cheese or the occasional tuna). Water or some kind of fruit juice for a beverage.

Dinner: Stew, Pizza, wraps... anything goes for dinner. If I'm going to get a good helping of vegetables in, it's going to be at dinner. Again, it's water or tea or maybe a coca-cola as a treat.

When I snack it is on fruit--apples being the most popular in our home. We can go through a bag of apples a week. And if it's not apples it's apple sauce. We buy it in bulk. Oranges, bananas, mangoes and yogurt are our other go-to snack foods.

In the evening I will occasionally sneak a handful of chocolate chips or piece of candy from the most recent holiday candy stash. I also have an occasional craving for doughnuts or chocolate covered raisins.

My Beverages

And when it comes to caffeinated and/or heavily sugared beverages, I consume them quite moderately. A cup of coffee will be sipped on throughout an entire day. One small bottle of coca-cola will last me all evening and I will likely share it with my husband as opposed to drinking a whole one myself. I am a little more liberal with sweet tea but not to an obsessive amount. Though I know I do not drink enough through the day, in general, water or tea is the beverage of choice.

My Energy

Because I enjoy relatively good sleep, am moderately active and don't weigh myself down with too much junk food I feel what I consider to be normal energy levels throughout any given day. I don't feel tired but I don't feel wired or overly energized. I also do not feel as though I have to rely on caffeine or any special products to augment my energy. I drink coffees and sodas for the taste and even then I drink them so moderately I do not experience highs and crashes that are sometimes associated with consuming too much of those types of drinks.

If I'm feeling low on energy it's usually because I'm not eating enough calories. I will drink a protein shake to get my boost. If I'm still feeling particularly tired I will try to sneak in a nap if I can.

Supplements

I take Magnesium and vitamins B, D, C and E, daily. I do not take a prenatal vitamin only because my last prenatal vitamins made me sick to my stomach and my midwife told me I could stop them until I found something better. I've been lazy and haven't gotten any replacements yet.

Illnesses or Complaints

If I had a complaint it would be my digestion. I have suffered from chronic constipation pretty much my entire life. I am far from "regular." Once every 2-3 days is the norm for me and my stool is often hard and uncomfortable. Bloating and general abdominal discomfort can often be the result. Pregnancy can certainly confound those issues and immediately after birthing my children I often have to rely on stool softeners and laxatives to get through the first couple of weeks.

Concentration, memory and focus are lagging. I blame it a lot on "pregnancy" brain but I find myself being far more forgetful of late than ever before. I will have to read the same sentence on a page several times to digest it and some of the simplest mental tasks take far too long for me to work through.

Joint health and strength need improving upon. Though I know much of it is pregnancy related, the pain in my pelvis and lower back needs to go. I lifted weights pretty regularly before getting pregnant with this baby but got out of that routine while experiencing morning sickness in my first trimester. The result has been loss of muscle toning in my posterior chain (back, butt and leg muscles) which is probably contributing to the discomfort in my back and pelvis. Though I'm not intending on starting to actively lift again until our baby is born, I would still like to continue yoga and other exercises to maintain what muscle I have left in those areas.

WHY?!

So, now that I've extensively described my health allow me to explain why I am undertaking this trial. By some standards it may seem as though I do not "need" it (by my own standards I would say I don't "need" it). I find that to be an added factor in why I want to try it. If I'm not really hoping it does anything for me I have no expectations to psychologically effect my results.

Very simply, I'm curious. I just want to see if it will do anything at all for me. I've been reading many testimonials from people saying all these wonderful things about it from increasing energy, boosting immune systems and even reversing vision impairment. I've also read interesting testimonials from pregnant women who claim drinking it gave them healthier placentas and easier deliveries.

The Plan

Nutritional Fact Sheet for NingXia Red

I have a two 750ml (why they can't just measure it in ounces, I have no idea) bottles scheduled to be delivered on Tuesday.

One will be my husband's and one will be mine.

My husband has also agreed to be part of this experiment to see if/how it might benefit another generally healthy individual.

He, too, is active, healthy (weight, BP, cholesterol, etc, normal), with his only complaints being soreness after workouts, seasonal allergies and lack of energy due to chasing around his kids.

We will both drink an ounce of NingXia Red every morning when we get up for 30 days and at the end of each day we will assess ourselves on 6 certain criteria:

1) Energy.
Increase or decrease thereof.

2) Digestion
Regularity, consistency, etc.

3) Joint/Musculoskeletal
Increase or decrease in soreness, aches and pains.

4) Appetite
Increase or decrease in cravings for sugars, caffeine and/or other products.

5) Mental Acuity
Whether mental tasks seem easier or more difficult.

6) Mood
Any increase or decrease in irritability, anxiety, stress, enjoyment or general feelings of well-being.

Though we aren't getting any before or after blood work, I may be inclined to check BP and pulse occasionally throughout this trial just to see any changes or the consistency of it.

I'm also going to let my midwife know that I'm taking this new supplement and ask her to monitor her perceived health of baby and uterus, etc.

Tomorrow will be day One.

Let the journey begin!

Free Oil Books: Part 1

Here are some free Kindle books for the week of April 25, 2014, featuring Essential Oils. All of the books linked are free at time of posting but prices are subject to change so get them while they're still free!
SOAP: Make Natrual Handmade Soap

Aromatherapy Beginners Remedies

Aromatherapy for Beginers

Essential Oils For Weight Loss

Essential Oils and Aromatherapy for Beginners

Natural Remedies

The Vaccine Question

Everyone who knows me knows that my hobby is infectious disease. I devour everything I can read on the subject. From the historical accounts to the science of treatment and cure or the failure of science to find either a treatment or a cure. I read about outbreaks, containment and fear of outbreaks and what is done to prevent them. I love epidemiology and virology. Of course you can't be immersed in the subject and not read about vaccines and vaccination campaigns. I even read about the ethics and civil rights surrounding those.

That being said, there's a lot of debate right now about vaccinations. You can't be a parent and have someone question whether or not you will choose to vaccinate your child.

The anti-vaccination crowd says that the doctors and vaccination companies use fear mongering to pressure people into putting poisons into their bodies. Make no mistake about it. The fear mongering is alive and well on their side as well. Fear of seizure disorders and Guillian-Barre, autism, etc.

And then there are the vastly uninformed. I've actually had people tell me that no doctor or vaccine ever really cured anything. That the eradication of certain diseases have been because of improved sanitation, not vaccines or improvements in medication.

Those statements are made purely out of ignorance. We have enjoyed several decades of freedom of deadly infectious diseases uncommon in the history of the world due to the combination of improved knowledge and sanitation efforts and through advances in medical technology.

All that being said, I have not vaccinated my children.

If my opinion could be summed up, it was best done by Dr. Russell Alexander when he gave his opinion to a committee about whether or not the government should push a nation-wise vaccination program in 1976 in fear an influenza pandemic was about to strike.

He said, "My view is that you should be conservative about putting foreign material into the human body. That' always true... ... The need should be estimated conservatively. If you don't need to give it, don't."

For better or worse and for those who have asked, here is my guideline for vaccination:

1. Risk Assessment
Some terrible diseases we commonly vaccinate against are pretty much gone from the US and have been gone for several decades. Unless traveling outside of the country or a new outbreak occurs I see no reason to vaccinate my children from those diseases.

Some diseases are mild and the natural immunity has proven to be superior to the artificial immunity. I choose not to vaccinate my child for those.

Some diseases are devastating but contracted through sexual or blood contact. I will reevaluate the need to have my children vaccinated for said diseases when they reach the age where they might be sexually active or come in contact with contaminated bodily fluids.

Some diseases are devastating and still alive and well in the US. I choose to monitor where outbreaks occur and make informed decisions based upon the risk assessment to my family.

2. Determining the Risk of Adverse Reaction
There are vaccines out there that are not commonly given because the chances of adverse reaction are higher than the chances of contracting the disease. But if there were an outbreak it would be better to risk an allergic reaction or lesser symptom than death from the disease.

Every medication has the possibility of side effects, some more-so than others. These days there are many claims that vaccines cause a wide variety of illnesses. How can you know if a vaccine is the cause?

Every year a certain number of people die from heart attacks, strokes and other random illnesses. Every year children are diagnosed with autism. And every year people naturally come down with sicknesses even as strange as Guillian-Barre. The trick is to look at the national average of a particular disease occurring without a vaccine and then to look at the average of that disease occurring in those who have received the vaccine. Unfortunately it's backward science. There usually isn't a need to look for those kinds of causes and effect issues until a certain disease seems to become more prevalent.

The questions occurring right now in many mom circles are the questions of autism and allergies. These seem to be sky-rocketing in the last decade. Is it because of vaccines or is it, in part, because we have gotten better at diagnosing illnesses in individuals we previously assumed to be within the bounds of normal?

There are a lot of people who say that doctors and drug companies cover up evidence of adverse reactions out of greed. Can there be some of that? Sure. But after having read account after account of doctors and scientists who have labored for years and donated their research and tests, spent thousands out of their own pockets to bring a cure to a certain disease out of the concern they have for their patients and their lives, I don't for a second believe that every doctor out there who advocates vaccination does it out of greed. These people see the worst these diseases can do to a human and many feel the risk of a milder reaction far outweighs a reoccurence or contraction of these diseases.

3. Know What The Vaccine Is Going To Do And What It Won't
Some vaccines protect against a disease for life. Some vaccines only protect against a disease for a certain amount of time. Some vaccines only protect against a certain strains of a disease leaving you susceptible to variations or new strains. New strains mutate all the time and therefore new vaccines must be taken often to inoculate against the new strain. Some people wonder why they should bother, then and why the push to vaccinate when it will not last? The hope is for partial immunity. A perfect example of this is the flu. The flu virus is constantly mutating and a new mutation could easily be deadly. If you are immunized from part of the virus, if it comes back in a more violent form you may still get sick but you may not die whereas someone who did not receive any vaccination or natural immunity may very well succumb completely to the disease. The hope is to save lives, not necessarily save you from ever getting sick.

The influenza virus is one of the scariest viruses out there. We think of it as relatively harmless and a few days off work but the truth of the matter is that the flu killed more people in 1918 than the Black Death. Not only is it extremely viral but as many as 17% of people who contract the flu can asymptotically carry and pass it along without ever getting sick themselves. This makes the flu very difficult to contain. There is an international network of scientists and labs monitoring the flu virus all over the world due to the fear and even likelihood of a deadly pandemic. Deadly outbreaks have been successfully contained in places like Hong Kong because of the efficiency and speed of this network.

In my life, I have gotten a single flu vaccination. It was required for work.

I have a very VERY healthy respect for the flu but I do not fear it. When I hear reports of H5N1 spreading and not being contained I will start to line up for the flu shot but until then I'm going to trust a deadly mutation has not occurred and should I contract the flu I will have nothing more than a few miserable days ahead of me.

3. One Vaccination At A Time
If you give an individual 9 vaccinations at one time and s/he has an adverse reaction, how do you know which vaccine is the culprit?

This has been a huge concern amongst parents. These days children are expected to get about 44 doses of about 14 different vaccines before s/he enters kindergarten. That's a lot to give in a very short period of time. Some of the vaccines are lumped together so that even if you are only getting one shot you are getting three different vaccinations. Three shots in a single day can mean nine different doses. It's easy to rationally see how that can be overwhelming for a little body to take in.

I believe in individual dosing for a specific threat of disease and giving time to watch for adverse reactions as well as for the body to build immunity. Certain vaccines can be obtained individually rather than grouped together though some cannot be. Or, rather, your caregiver may not be inclined to prescribe and fool around with obtaining an individual dose. That's for you to battle out with your caregiver. But if you know what you want and where your caregiven can order it from he might be inclined to help you out.

The only time I would break the "one at a time" rule would be if I felt there was an imminent collapse of our medical system on the horizon. In which case I would blanket immunize.

4. Know the Brand of Vaccine
Many people do not know that there are several brands and versions of vaccines. When they say, "I got all my shots as a kid and I'm fine so I see no reason not to vaccinate my children" what they are essentially saying is, "I ate a lasagna my great grandmother made for me when I was a kid and I liked it so there's no reason my child won't like the store bought lasagna I put on her plate today."

Ingredients change. Vaccines are grouped together or apart. Different companies have different cocktails, some with controversial ingredients, some don't. Those ingredients and cocktails come and go. And you won't (and can't) know what you are injecting yourself or your children with without researching the brands your doctor has and their side effects and what they are expected to do.

If you plan to get a vaccine and are concerned, call ahead and ask the brand of the vaccine you are going to receive and then research it individually. If there is another brand that looks more appealing you can certainly ask your provider if it's possible to get that brand (they may not know it's available) or search for a provider who administers that brand.

I choose to be conservative about what I inject into mine and my children's bodies but I understand that science and medicine have their place. I will use them if I feel the need. And make no mistake about there the need is out there that can come calling at any time. If you choose not to monitor places like the CDC's website for information on diseases and track outbreaks then perhaps blanket immunization is for you. If you believe it's all a conspiracy of greed and control and that medicine does no good then that's your choice, too.

The EMT Guide to Rebandaging a Tattoo

I got my first tattoo.

YEAH!

It's a photo-realistic bird on my left shoulder blade. But that's not important. Or at least not the point of this blog.

After lying on my stomach for four hours getting a needle repeatedly stuck in my back the artist cleaned the tattoo, folded a paper towel in half, taped it to my shoulder blade and sent me downstairs to pay and get my "tattoo care sheet." 

It goes like this:

DO’S

Shower normally
Wash tattoo 2 to 3 times a day with antibacterial soap
Apply just enough ointment to keep tattoo moist
Apply sunscreen to keep tattoo from fading

DON’TS

Soak tattoo in any way (bath, lake, pool…)
Never pick scabs
Do not re-bandage tattoo unless instructed otherwise
Do no sue alcohol or peroxide; soap and water only

While the advice was pretty much what I expected it should be, I was surprised by the recommendation that one should not re-bandage a tattoo.

I'm an EMT. Wound management is kind of important to us and a huge part of that management is covering the wound to keep debris and other nasties out of it. Keeping a wound covered also helps with keeping it moist and promotes healing. It can also help reduce swelling and scarring. These are all GOOD things. 

So, when I got home I went against my medical training and tried to do what the sheet recommended. Except the chaffing of my shirt and sheets on my tattoo was bad. Not to mention I was losing a lot of moisture due to the cold, dry, winter climate and my tattoo was getting tight and uncomfortable. Adding more ointment would help until it rubbed off on my shirt or chairs or couches and I kept thinking about much easier this would be if I could just rebandage my tattoo. So I started to do some googling to determine why it was not considered good to re-bandage a tattoo.

What I found was a lot of opinion based on hear-say that was probably based on misunderstanding, bad hygiene and ignorance. But before we can list the reasons people give about why you shouldn't rebandage a tattoo we have to talk about what a bandage is and what it is not.

What is passed as "bandages" in the tattoo industry are improvised at best and would not go very far in the medical community. These days the "in" thing to do in tattoo parlors is to cover the tattoo with plastic wrap, tape it up and call it a day. In my case, my artist put two pieces of tape over top of a paper towel and called that a bandage. No wonder infection is cited as a fear of re-bandaging. If your idea of a bandage is to cover a wound with a dressing that cannot breathe (plastic wrap) or a non-sterile paper towel you very well may have problems.

There is also a difference between a bandage and a dressing. The dressing is the part of a bandage that makes contact with the wound. The bandage is the part that holds the dressing in place. In a standard bandaid, the white cottony part that you would place over the cut is the dressing, the part with the adhesive is the bandage. To shorten the terminology we all just said bandage to refer to the entire thing. But if your tattoo is 7x12 inches you are not going to find an all-in-one dressing/bandage combo to fit it and so you are going to have to improvise your own dressing and a bandage. 

When I think of a dressing I think of a sterile, permeable (breathable) pad of some sorts. And there are MANY to choose from and cheap. There are even pads that specialize in NOT adhering to wounds. They come in a number of sizes and many of them can be unfolded to cover very large areas or taped together to make the desired size or shape.

Because you do want a tattoo to breathe I would use only medical tape to hold a dressing in place and not worry about any kind of bandage unless I was expecting to get the dressing dirty or wet. For your average tattoo, however, a sterile dressing held in place with tape is more than enough.

So what are some of reasons given for not re-bandaging a tattoo and are they valid? Let's see...

The bandage will adhere to the tattoo and damage it as you attempt to remove it.
I this sort of true. As we all know, a tattoo is damaging to the skin. In terms of the damage it does it is very similar to an abrasion which is a superficial (shallow) area of damage to the surface of the skin. Think skinned knee or elbow. They don't usually bleed a lot but they can produce a clearish liquid called plasma which is the liquid part of blood. It contains clotting factors that will adhere to a dressing or bandage. If any blood or plasma dry to a bandage and are pulled off it can reopen a wound and hinder healing or make a wound worse.


But is it something to worry about? Not really. You can purchase special dressings designed not to adhere to wounds. Also, warm water breaks down the bond of blood and plasma and one can very gently remove a dressing from a tattoo by simply running warm water over it until it falls away from the body. No pulling necessary and no added damage to the skin or tattoo.

The tattoo will be unable to breathe. 
This is only true if you are using an occlusive (water and air-tight) dressing such as plastic wrap. If you are using a sterile, permeable dressing this is not an issue.

The tattoo will get infected.
Again, this is only an issue if you are using a non-sterile dressing and not washing the tattoo properly. Slapping on a paper towel and leaving it for a couple of days so that your sweat and bacteria can fester an grow can very much cause an infection. Carefully washing the tattoo and putting a clean, sterile dressing on once in a while can actually help prevent infection.

The dressing will pull the color from the tattoo. 
I have searched and searched and searched and have not found a single reliable source for this claim. The ink of a tattoo is inserted under the outer layer of the skin called the dermis into the lower layer of skin known as the epidermis. This is where your sweat glads live and below where new skin is formed (so that you simply don't slough off your new tattoo). It is not easily extracted from your skin. If it were, we would all be losing our tattoos in our sleep on our pillows and bed sheets. If your cotton shirt will not pull out your color a sterile dressing won't either.

That being said, you WILL bleed color from your tattoo for a few days. Your skin and body were not made to hold ink and just like your skin will attempt to expel a sliver, it will attempt to expel the foreign substance known as ink from itself. This is completely normal and should not be taken as a sign that your ink is being "drawn out."

It will slow the healing process.
There is no evidence to suggest this is true. At least not if the tattoo is bandaged properly. In fact, it goes against what we known to be true about wound management which is that a covered wound heals faster.

So, should you or should you not re-bandage a tattoo?

It's totally up to you!

One account I read from a medical doctor suggested treating the tattoo like a sunburn. Keep it clean, keep it moist and if it feels better to bandage it then bandage it. Just bandage it properly and change the dressing frequently, especially if you are still seeping blood or plasma, working in a dirty environment or sweating.

Below is what I would recommend to anyone getting a tattoo as far as aftercare is concerned:

1. Remove the initial bandage within the two-hour time frame recommended by most artists. Do so by running warm water over the bandage to loosen any clots or dry blood so as not to open a wound.

2. After properly washing your hands (at least 60-seconds or good scrubbing with soap and hot water) wash the tattoo with soap and warm water. Do not use peroxide or rubbing alcohol as these products can damage and dry out your skin and tattoo.

3. Apply a thin coat (thin enough to barely make the tattoo shine (for a tattoo that covers my entire shoulder blade I use only a pea-size)) of some kind of ointment. A favorite is A&D. If you can keep it open, then do so, making sure to protect against sun exposure or soaking in pools and baths (where bacteria live).


4. Shower like normal.

5. There are plenty of reasons to bandage a tattoo. You need to work and don't want to get it dirty. It is in a location where clothing will chaff. You want to sleep and not get ink and blood on your sheets. Your skin is sensitive and looses moisture fast and you need help keeping the tattoo moisturized. If you can keep from having to bandage the tattoo, great! Leave it alone. But if you feel you need to rebandage the tattoo do the following:
    a. Pick up a package of non-stick, sterile dressing pads in an appropriate size.
    b. After properly washing your hands and tattoo, apply a thin layer of ointment to the tattoo (this will help with both the moisture and with keeping the tattoo from sticking to the bandage).
    c. Unfold or tape the pads together with clean medical tape until you have a dressing that will cover all sides of your tattoo.
    d. Being careful not to touch the part of the dressing that will touch your tattoo, apply the dressing to the tattoo and tape on all sides to clean, non-tattooed skin (avoid putting tape on any parts of the tattoo).
    e. To remove the dressing, remove the tape and then run the entire area under warm water to dissolve any potential blood or plasma clots that may be adhering to the dressing. Keep running water over the dressing and tattoo until the dressing falls away. Do not pull or forcefully remove.
    f. Change the dressing at least once a day, more if sweating or it gets soiled.

6. Do not pick any scabs or dry skin and be careful to keep the area moist.


7. After a few days, switch from ointment to a non-dyed and non-perfumed moisturizer.

Enjoy!!

Why I Chose The Galaxy Note 10.1 Over The iPad

When it came time for me to admit that I needed to downgrade from a laptop I decided a tablet was for me. The caviot was that I had never used a tablet before outside of the few moments playing Angry Birds on one at a cell phone store while waiting for my data transfer to be done on my upgraded cell phone, which, by the way, just happened to be a Samsung Galaxy.

I decided I wanted a tablet because I wanted even more portability than a laptop could afford. I was tred of trying to balance my laptop on the edge of the couch just to read an article but even a Kindle Fire e-reader frustrated me with its limitations. I still wanted to surf the internet, edit, post and take pictures.

I started my search by polling my friends on facebook and the overwhelming opinion was that I should get an iPad. Since I already had a MacBookPro that seemed like a reasonable suggestion. I decided to keep an open mind to other options, however, and began searching the internet for other tablet options. I looked at Asus, Google, Sony, Apple, and couldn't find a tablet that had it all--at least not all that I wanted but the iPad was the closest. I decided the iPad was it. The only thing left was to go to a place like Best Buy and try it out before I bought it.

I got to Best Buy's tablet counter and was immediately greeted by a clerk eager to help me out. He asked me a lot of questions as to my intended purpose with my tablet. He asked me about my music preferences, movie watching, experience with tablets and much more. He was just about to agree with me about getting an iPad when I asked, "Now, is there any third party apps or products that allow my to write on the iPad like a notebook?"

He said, "I'm sure there are, but have you considered the Samsung Galaxy Note?"

I knew Samsung made the phone they called the Note with a stylus but I had no idea they had made that into a tablet.

It didn't take me long to fall in love.

What are the things that sold me?

1. SNote and the SPen.
I could spend hours (and probably will) playing in SNote. I'm drawing pictures, editing, writing. It's so much fun. While I'm sure that there are comparable apps and products for the iPad, it comes standard with the Galaxy Note 10.1 which makes it a bonus for the money. I also love the fact that you can turn off all input except for the pen so that you can write with your hand resting on the screen and not have to worry about accidental scribbles, lines and input confusion.

It also has a handwriting-to-type option that allows you to write with the pen just like you would on a piece of paper and the tablet converts it into type. It is amazingly accurate and kind of fun though I still haven't gotten used to it or figured out in which context I would use it. Shopping lists, perhaps?

2. SD card storage.
The Galaxy is very competitively priced with the iPad. However, when you buy the iPad the amount of storage is the amount of storage. If you want more storage you need to buy a bigger iPad. Not so with the Note. I can buy any size of SD card I want and be happy with the extra storage without having to buy a different machine.

3. Widgets
One thing I was willing to give up by going to the iPad was my widgets. I'm not a huge widget user but the widgets I do use I use daily. My calendar and weather widgets on my phone are my go-to widgets for the start of my day. I was a little bummed to not be able to have my widgets on the iPad but what is it really to make a tap or two to the info you want? It was a sacrifice I was willing to make. Then I saw the widgets on the Note. I won't lie. Seeing the option for widgets made me happy.

4. Front facing speakers
Let's face it, speakers on tablets and phones generally stink. You find yourself with your hand cupped under your machine to try to direct the sound to the front where it belongs. To have two (not just one) speakers that already face you is just awesome and they sound great.

5. Camera with a flash
I'll admit it, I'm a shudder bug. I have two kids and I take way too many pictures of them. To have a flash for those less-than-ideal picture moments is great. The iPad still doesn't have a flash and I'm not sure why. Both have the front view cameras for face time or Skype though.

6. Photoshop
The iPad has iPhoto for editing photos into those charming works of art though even those who have iPhoto seem to use third party editing software more than iPhoto. Having used Photoshop in school and for many years after I am well aware of the potential of Photoshop. I didn't expect it to be so good, however. It's not just generalized editing. It is the full potential of Photoshop to include layers, color replacement and so much more. This is a program I expected to be something I would have to pay big bucks for. Instead I learned it was included. It is more complicated than iPhoto but the results are amazing and there are tutorials to help users use the program to its full potential.

7. Immediate screen shots ready to be edited
When I asked the Best Buy employee how to take a screen shot on the iPad we both stared at the machine for a solid minute before we decided it was certainly possible b6t neither of us could figure out how. I've since learned that you simply have to hold down the power button and press the home button--easy. But what's easier than a button on the screen? There is a button next to the home button and the navigate button that looks like a little screen with a star in it. Touch that and you have a screen shot. But that's not nearly as good as taking screen shots with the SPen. There is a button on the SPen. Hold down that button and touch the screen and "CLICK" you have a screen shot. Then, an editing program automatically opens that allows you to draw on, crop and basically edit the image before you can share it via and number of common outlets.

8. Multiscreen Mode
I don't know if the iPad has this feature or not, but the Galaxy can go duo-mode on me. And I LOVE it! I'm a researcher and note taker. It is not unlike me at all to be reading a book and decide I want to look a fact up on the internet or write a note about what I just read. Yeah, I could close out of my book or switch between it and the internet and/or get out the traditional pen and paper or I could tap a button that splits my screen in half and gives me the option to open the internet or SNote and do my research and take my notes without ever leaving my page. Maybe I want to take a picture of what I just read or saw, point out something funny and send it off to a friend. All possible without ever closing my source of inspiration. I've even found myself with step-by-step drawing instructions on one screen with SNote on the other, whipping out cartoons. And more fun is sure to come.

9. Lightweight
One of the reasons I wanted a tablet to begin with is I wanted something I could sit on the couch with and use with one hand while I nursed my daughter. Or something I could prop up on the kitchen counter with a recipe from the internet without losing counter space or having to worry about getting flour in my keyboard. Of course both the iPad and the Galaxy Note 10.1 are lightweight but the Galaxy is a few ounces less than the iPad. Something to note for those intending on holding it for a long time.

10. Battery Life
When I got the Note 10.1 it was at 29% battery life. It was around 3 in the afternoon and the tablet survived being played with until around 9 pm that night. I plugged it in. It charged completely overnight and at 9 the next morning I unplugged it and began using it almost non-stop. I was drawing, surfing the internet, taking video and pictures, editing video and pictures, listening to Pandora while I cleaned, letting my son play with a coloring book app, downloading apps, typing, reading books and personalizing the many home screens. When I finally gave up and went to bed at 10 pm the battery still had 20% left. The next morning I got up at 7 and started writing my shopping list in SNote. Somewhere around 8 am I got a low battery warning and was advised to plug in my tablet but I have no doubt I could have continued to use it for another hour. That is roughly 14 hours of constant usable and a full 25 hours between charges. To say I was impressed is an understatement. I was blown away. I'm lucky if my laptop gets 4 hours between charges and even my cell phone needs to be charged at least every 8 hours and that's with very minimal usage.

I read somewhere that tablets are luxury items because they cannot replace laptops or cell phones. True, I cannot type as fast or accurately on the tablet as I can my laptop and even though there is a "print" option in my tablet options I have not figure out how to get it to print to my wireless printer, something that is not a problem with my laptop. Obviously, I cannot make phone calls on the tablet and since I didn't opt for a tablet with built in cellular coverage, once I leave my house or any other wireless hotspot everything that requires internet effectively dies but such is the case with my laptop as well and if I were to get a mobile hotspot on my phone that would no longer be an issue. Not to mention one can throw a stone in any direction in most towns and hit at least two mobile hotspots, including places like Burger King, Starbucks, McDonalds and others.

I was able to write most of this blog on the tablet only switching to my MaBookPro when I got the low battery warning on my tablet. I find the typing easy enough but I wished I could prop it up just a little better. Since I didn't buy any kind of case yet I have been experimenting with the best ways to hold, prop, type and otherwise position my tablet while preforming different functions. I know I will eventually be getting a keyboard folio of some sorts to accompany my tablet and allow me the option to make it into a pseudo-laptop when needed which will effectively make my laptop obsolete.

I know I'm a little enamored right now and we'll see how much I'm still loving my tablet in a few weeks. But I think, for now, I've made a very solid choice in which tablet I thought was best for my needs.

Galaxy Note 10.1 all the way!

Why do stores not decorate for Thanksgiving?

Stores sell merchandize. Their goal is to get a profit. And almost anything can be merchandized (and is). The two holidays that engulf Thanksgiving are two of the most merchandized holidays in existence.

One of these holidays is Halloween, a holiday centered around costume parties, candy and a social permission to explore your darker side with scary movies. Decorations of pumpkins, ghosts, haunted houses, costumes for the latest movie, bags of candy. What's left not to merchandize?

On the other end we have Christmas. The most merchandized holiday of the year. It all started with the magi and we've been gift giving ever since. This is the one time of year that stores can literally merchandize everything because absolutely everything is up for grabs. On top of the compulsion to find that perfect gift for every individual you know, there are also Christmas trees, wreaths, bulbs, lights, stockings, plastic Santas and snow men to put in your front yard because you're too lazy or there's not enough snow to make a real one (Curse you, global warming!!).

Anyway, it makes perfect business sense that stores would be getting people thinking about these two holidays almost as soon as possible. While strolling through WalMart in September for toothpaste you see the bright orange boxes and Halloween masks hanging on the wall and think, "Wow, it's almost Halloween. That's a really good price on bags of KitKats. I should grab two."

Then you eat them both before Halloween and have to stop and get more the night before all those trick-or-treaters show up at your door.

Not to mention you have the post-holiday 50% off sale and while walking the aisles on your way to getting toilet paper you see the adorable raven and bat lantern that was $4. You take it home for $2 feeling like you've gotten a good deal even though somewhere in your head you known that WalMart probably got it in bulk for 50 cents a lantern. (True Story.. That lantern is sitting on my kitchen counter and looking cute while doing it, too.)

And not only can you pick up those 50% off Halloween items, but down the aisle you can also get your pick of Christmas lights and tree toppers in one stop because at 12:00 am on November 1, the midnight staff of your local WalMart was rolling out their Christmas stock and rearranging the store to house it all.

But what about Thanksgiving? Why is it overlooked?

Because you can't merchandize thankfulness. It's one of the very few ideas that actually challenges people not to spend but rather to sit back and appreciate what one has.

Yeah, you might see the occasional cartoon cut out pilgrim and talking turkey gag gift and but for the elegant, fall colored tablecloths and loads of frozen turkeys, there's nothing to sell to make someone feel like they are in the Thanksgiving spirit. You don't have to buy the perfect costume or the biggest, shiniest tree. You don't have to make your house look the ghoulishist on the block or the brightest. There's no candy to give out and no picky aunt to satisfy. All there is to eat, watch football and appreciate what you already have.

I, for one, am okay with Thanksgiving being cast aside by the merchandizing kings. Why? Because it should be left alone. Yes, I wish there were more social reminders of its approaching and more time spent celebrating and appreciating it and maybe at least a week after Halloween before we start seeing Christmas decorations out of respect. I'd love to walk into a store and just see a banner that said, "Be Thankful." But, that wouldn't encourage people to spend, would it, so what's the point?

So, we'll just have to stop relying on (or getting angry at) stores for dictating our holidays. 

We can celebrate Thanksgiving far better than they can anyway and we can do it without spending a dime.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Be Thankful! 

My Vision for My Daughter's Room

At this present time my daughter, Olivia, has no bedroom. She is eight months old and still sleeps nestled between her father and I in our bed. She has no crib, no bed, no toys specifically for her, no books and nothing but her clothes to remind her of her femininity.

She just recently acquired a dresser that was hastily refurbished by her loving mother but other than that her little life is afloat in a house of chaos her mother is on a mission to organize, decorate and define... including a space for her.

My son's room will eventually be Olivia's. We've known that from the day I found out I was pregnant with her which happened to be long before it was even finished being constructed. We also knew, however, that until she was ready to claim that room and her brother was ready to move downstairs to our now library, office and guest bedroom, he would be in that room and eventually they may be cohabiting that room. Because of this we tried for gender neutral in the paint color we chose for the walls.

The color we chose was "crocodile tears." A soft, almost moss green that is exceptionally neutral but goes well with my favorite colors: red and blue.

I admit to defeat in that I still have not made the room into a boys room for my son, Garrett, either. With bare walls and windows the room is his by name only and not by some form of boyhood identification. He doesn't even have a dresser. A toddler bed, a box of toys and a fish tank are all that make his room his. I hope to rectify that as well but in a way that can make for an easy transition when the time comes to move his boyhood down to his new room and allow Olivia to take full possession of the space she will soon be sharing with her brother as we transition her from our space.


Nothing against pink, and lots against princesses, with reds and blues in mind I've decided that my theme for Olivia will be "Strong Women." ... I have decided to construct the style of her future living space around this image and/or idea...

 

I LOVE the bold reds and blue that will already go perfectly with the space and the yellow is just the added pop that will set the room apart. 

And it opens up possibilities of adding images like these:

Again, lots of red and blue and bright yellow. I'm currently on a hunt for more strong female characters that have these colors in them. I'm not being picky about the characters either. They can be cartoons, real, fictitious, motivational posters, I don't care, just as long as they contain the colors I'm looking for and the idea of a strong, independent, capable female. I may use them all or only one or two. I'm not sure. I just want to see what I can find for now. 

I never had a bedroom that was "mine." I shared a bedroom with my sisters until I was 12 when my brother left for the Navy and I moved into his room complete with deer heads, bull whips, rifles and posters of westerns on the walls.

I had visions of a white bedroom with brightly colored flowers all over it but it never happened. I left home almost ten years ago and the room I inhabited for six years STILL has deer heads, bull whips and rifles on the walls.

I want to give Olivia something that is hers and feminine but also cool as sliced bread! And am I projecting the "strong woman" theme a bit? 

Ummmm YEAH!!!!