Video of life in the moment

Canon has released the PowerShot SX210 IS, which combines the ability to take great photos & also shoot high definition video. Canon and JuiceBoxJungle sponsored me to write this post, and talk about what shooting video means to my family.If you sign up for JuiceboxJungle, tell 'em Kittencaboodle sent ya! 

I'm a camera junkie.  When we bought our digital camera five years ago, I was seriously pregnant with Little Guy and we had decided it was a better idea to buy a digital camera considering how expensive film processing was and how many pictures we were likely to take with a new baby.  And we were right.  I have tons and tons of pictures, including the very first pictures of the newborn baby Little Guy. 

 

I have shot some really cute videos that were important to my family.  I also try to catch little things, funny situations that really epitomize what our family was like at that moment.  It's been a tumultuous year, and I would be lying if I didn't say that looking at old videos and photos didn't produce a bittersweet feeling, but I have come to accept what has gone on in my life and embrace the positive things that the change has wrought. 

My life with my husband and son has always been semi-crazy and the videos and pictures don't do it nearly enough justice. Our life now is no less crazy than it was before, it's just a whole new form of crazy.  I am content with the direction in which our life is moving.  Life is what it is, and we'll see where it takes us.  I'll try to catch video of it on the way. 

The brighter side of being sick

Similasan and JuiceBoxJungle sponsored me to write this post, and they asked me to talk about the "joys" of kid-illnesses, and to mention this sweet contest for a $500 gift card!

As a mom and a step-mom, there have been a number of times where a child's illness has been "inconvenient" at best.  When my step-kids came over ill, it was never announced to us by their mother ahead of time, so we always had to change our plans at the last minute.  This would also often mean, since the information was passed through the memories of the children, that the rest of us would catch whatever it was as well.  However, as a parent, I simply sighed and carried on the best I could without letting the kids know of my annoyance. 

When Little Guy is sick, I obviously worry about him.  Mostly we've had to deal with the sniffles and minor bouts of flue.  He gets so miserable and cranky at night when he can't rest.  It's those times that I am thankful for children's medicine.  We also follow certain patterns during his illnesses. 

During the day, he and I will snuggle up on the sofa, under blankets, and watch TV.  He usually leans against me, kind of half-heartedly paying attention but just content to snuggle.  That's how I know he's REALLY sick.  At night, after a meal of something warm, filling and healthy (like my homemade chicken soup), we'll give him medicine and let it kick in.  Once he seems more comfortable, we slip him into bed and give him an extra blanket. 

While I hate when he's sick, there's something bittersweet about it too.  It's one of those times where I know for certain my son wants and needs me.  I also recognize that is something he will want less and less as he gets older. As a child, he will have his share of scraped, bruises, sniffles, and illnesses.  But the years when a kiss and a hug can heal these things passes by so quickly.  I suspect that, even when he's 30, I'll still want to go running to take care of him when he's sick.  Right now though, he thinks his dad and I hang the moon and stars and I am OK with that. 

Like smartphones for money

Honestly, I would love to have a smart phone, but our budget for phones is generally on the low end.  I freely admit that I look at the phones and drool over the features, but in the end we just cannot justify the expense.  And, while the thought of ever being without my cell phone scares me, it does not justify the need for a smart phone.  I looked at some of the costs associated with the purchases and it would be too much money for something I wouldn't get that much use out of. 

What do I do with my phone now?  Well, I talk...  And I text...  And I might play a game or 2.  But I don't really use the calendar because I don't find it particularly user friendly.  I do use the alarm clock feature for many reasons, both class-related and personal and I like the fact that I can set up to 3 different alarms.  I text a lot, so having the keyboard was a big deal for me.  I suspect I prefer texting over talking because of the whole teaching things.  I talk so much that by the end, I am all talked out. 

Now, I've been with Verizon for almost 10 years and wanted desperately to keep the contract I have because it is the most cost effective plan we can find.  Plus, we have the "go anywhere" plan which means we rarely incur roaming charges. When we traveled to Virginia, we were lucky enough to never incur a roaming charge,  And I wouldn't want to change that. 

As it is, my current 2 year contract is up.  We're doing comparison shopping for our next phone, and I've managed to convince Big Guy to at least look at some of the smartphones. Who knows?  Maybe next time I talk about phones, I'll have one.

Verizon  and JuiceBoxJungle sponsored me to write this post, and they asked me to talk about why I don't have a smartphone.