Verizon Droid Razr Review-How to manually refresh emails

I feel a little silly admitting I still don't know all the in's and out's of the Droid Razr, but then on the other hand I love that I am still learning/finding new things.

Here is something I discovered today while wondering why my email wouldn't refresh. Sometimes it's not always an automatic thing like some of us may be used to. So if you're staring at your phone wondering "why aren't you showing me my latest emails, I've already seen these one's from four days ago" here is what you need to do.

Depending on which app you use for your email it will go one of two ways. Here is the first way which is by using the email app where you can group different email accounts into the one app.

1. Don't yell at your phone (it's not the phone's fault, really I promise).
2. Open your email.
3. See that little double arrow in the upper left corner, click it.
4. It's not in the menu/three lined area so don't look there.
5. Depending on the last time you refreshed your email it may take a bit, but not too long so don't keep pressing buttons. Just give it a minute or two and you will be all up to date.

The second way to have your emails is if you have the direct app, say Gmail for example. Again this is a very simple process and it makes me wonder how on earth I didn't discover it sooner. 

1. Open app

2. Click menu/three lines at the bottom of the screen

3. Click refresh

Wasn't that easy! I tell you the things you learn while in the midst of frustration can be awesome and make you feel rather silly that you're just now learning something new when you probably should have known it by now. But hey I will look on the bright side and take it as lesson learned and now I know what to do next time my phone doesn't work it's magic and auto refresh.

Claritin Mom Crew

Now that spring has sprung (shhh I know I am a few weeks late) that means it's allergy season. Yippee! Unfortunately my whole family suffers from allergies. My boys are lucky that theirs are minimal, the occasional sneeze attacks and runny noses with the rare asthma flare up, but for my daughter allergy season can be miserable. In addition to the sneezing and runny nose my daughter has eczema that flares up as well as hives that come and go.

While we all love Spring time because it's so beautiful outside it can also be dreaded since spending time outside can mean more susceptibility to allergy attacks. It's hard because the simplest of things that most kids enjoy aren't always as joyful as they're meant to be. Such as picking flowers for Mommy and rolling around in the grass (we don't even attempt that one anymore). We have tried almost all of the childrens allergy medicines that there is to try but the one constant that has always worked for her is Claritin. I am thrilled to announce that I am part of Claritins Mom Crew. What does this mean? It means I will be learning and sharing some tips with you all in dealing with allergies. You can find some very useful information on Claritins Facebook page here.

Wordless Wednesday-The beauty of nature

I love nature and being able to see it/watch it is truly an amazing thing. And best of all it's something to share and teach my children. The kids have been so excited to watch these little birds grow, I'm might be a bit sad when they leave the nest. On second thought I may not, the mess they have made of my front door is disgusting so I wont miss that. Oh who am I kidding, they're too cute, I will totally miss them.

And I love flowers. I even have a tattoo of three orchids on my calf and I have two more flowers tattoos picked out. They're so beautiful and fragile yet they bloom every year and bring a little bit of beauty even to the smallest of places.
By the way does anyone have any idea what type of flower this is?

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

 

Find your perfect style with Style United

I like to think of myself as a stylish person, one who knows the latest fashions and that I keep up with the current trends. The reality though is that I kind of have my own style of fashion. And I fully admit it's rather boring. I am a jeans and shirt kind of gal and I go for the comfort over the stylish options. Heck I still have some clothes that I wore in high school. Not that I fit into them anymore, yet there they sit in my closet.
I recently heard of a site that will help you find the perfect style, naturally I was instantly intrigued. And when I learned that it's not just for clothes but for your skin, makeup and hair as well. My first thought "bring it on".

Here's what you need to do. Sing up for an account at StyleUnited.
Once you are signed up you can either browse through the site or you can start by taking the Style 360 quiz. These are the four quizzes:
1. Fashion Focus
2. Mad for Makeup
3. Skin Deep
4. Hair Affair
Don't worry the quizzes only take a few minutes each and some of the basic questions such as you age are remembered so you don't need to keep inputting it. Once you complete each quiz StyleUnited will you give a result based off your answers with style suggestions complete with fashion approach, color palette, your ideal outfit (that you've put together), and of course your wish list. One of the things I really liked about the quiz was each time you receive a new question there is a tip on the right hand corner that applies to which quiz you were taking. For example, did you know that you have approximately 20,000 pores on your face?
After you finish all four of the quizzes you can will be able to view your complete style profile, from head to toe ideas and tips made just for you. I almost forgot to mention that StyleUnited also offers a 1 on 1 consultation. How awesome is that!

My results for the fashion focus quiz was: Casual Cool with a hint of Classic Tailored. I mean tell me these are not some seriously cute styles, especially those boots, swoon.

If you join StyleUnited you are eligible to enter their New View, New You Giveaway sweepstakes. What is the prize you ask? Two winners will receive a $500 gift card for Macy's or Nordstroms (winner's choice).
So make sure you go sign up, take a peek around, do some quizzes and then go enter the fabulous giveaway here.

*I was given the opportunity to use StyleUnited for this review while working with SheSpeaks. I will also receive a beauty gift from P&G. All opinions therein are my own*

Wordless Wednesday-National turtle day

I recently heard that today, May 23 is national turtle day. Who knew right? I find it a little funny because on my drive home yesterday I saw this tiny little turtle walking in the middle of the road. And me being the bleeding heart for animals I pulled over, ran across the road & brought him/her home with me. Like I said bleeding heart.

 In celebration of National Turtle Day Groupon is having a fundraising campaign called the American Tortoise Rescue. If you are interested in supporting this campaign click HERE to view all the details on Groupon. 

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

 

Sunset Sunday-Country Roads

I had to go digging through the archives for this weeks Sunset Sunday photos. They aren't that old, took them about a month or two ago. I haven't been able to get any sunset shots recently because most nights around here have been cloudy. If it isn't cloudy and I do manage to get a shot it's typically from my cell phone. And while cell phone photos can be awesome the quality isn't always the greatest, especially when you take a shot while in a moving car. Yeah doesn't always turn out the clearest.
I love digging through the archives and finding gems such as these that I have totally forgotten about. These were taken one day while driving around exploring the surrounding areas. I am not sure what town this is or even where I was but I've always enjoyed driving country roads and exploring with my children.

Do you love sunsets? Have tons and tons of photos of them or maybe even just a few? Craig from StayAdventurous and I would love for you to join us in Sunset Sundays. On the last Sunday of every month we will include a linky at the end of our post for you to share your photos. We can't wait to see everyone's Sunset Sunday photos!

Wordless Wednesday-A week in review picture style

I haven't taken my camera out for a little while but I've been snapping photos with my phone like crazy. I love technology. So here is a little peek into our life over the last week.

 I somehow managed to get a photo of not one but two butterflies

 With 80 degree weather you have to pull out the pool

 And of course we can't forget weekly trips to the park!

 And because it's early morning and I like to torture people share my creations, I give you egg sandwich, healthy and completely filling.

 Oh look more torture. Mushroom chicken, this was AMAZING! And again healthy. 

  I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living my baby you'll be.

 Gross yes but kind of neat to look at, as long as it's not in my house

 It may be a bit hard to see but there is water at the base of the plant

 I love sunflowers, they're wild yet vibrant and beautiful

And last but not least, last nights creation for dinner

There you have it, a review of our week through photos. I think my favorite part of this passed week has been watching the kids smiling faces while either at the park or playing in the water. What was your favorite part of last week? 

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

 

Winner Winner chicken dinner

It's time to announce the winner of the Cuddly Monkey Goddess Tote Giveaway. Are you excited? I'm excited.

Commenter #19 was: 

 

CONGRATS Rajean! I will be contacting you shortly.

Wordless Wednesday-Good morning

One of the things I enjoy most about getting up at the butt crack of dawn so I can take my son to the bus stop is being able to experience the sunrise with him. It's always a gorgeous sight but getting to share it with my son makes it very special.

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.

Creating Unique Mothers Day Gifts with YesVideo

Those three kids are my heart. They made me a Mother and it is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. Mothers Day had never really been a big day for me, not because I don't love being a mother but because I always felt I didn't need a gift just because I was a mom. For me every day was a gift, one that I have been very blessed to receive. But (you knew there had to be a but coming right)in 2009, six years after becoming a mom I received my first Mothers Day gift from my son.

As soon as we got home and he gave me my gift I took a picture of it. I know it's hard to read so here is what the card says "Thank you for loving me. Thank you for cooking breakfast. Love Stephen". A long with the card he gave me a plant in the most adorable little planter that he painted. Yes I cried, and my heart swelled at the most perfect gift I had ever received. I told him I would cherish it forever and never throw it away. The idea behind it was solid, except that part of my gift was a plant and sadly I have a black thumb. I took such good care of my little plant, I even somehow managed to keep it alive for almost a year but one morning I woke up and found the plant wilted and just not looking good. I had no idea what could have happened since the day before it seemed to be doing so well. And then I noticed the planter. It was molded. ::::Insert tears:::: I knew it had to be thrown away. I had to break my promise of keeping that gift forever. You may think I was over reacting a little but I am very sentimental and an emotional person and it was my very first Mothers Day gift. 
Every once in a while I look back on these photos and I am so glad that I snapped a quick picture because now I have a way of remembering that special gift as if it were yesterday. And now I have turned it into a tradition of sorts. 

Each year if my children make me a Mothers Day gift I photograph it. This was last years gift. Warning, if you are the type that easily cries you may need a tissue when you read the poem that was attached to the back of his hand print.

One thing that I absolutely love about receiving gifts from my kids that they've made at school or home is that they are all unique Mother's Day gifts. There will never be one that is exactly same. Even if they have the same concept behind them they are all different because the person behind it is not the same. And who knows, maybe when the kids are older I will take all of these photos I will have collected and make a gift for my kids like a DVD. YesVideo offers tons of services in preserving your memories to DVD's, whether it be via video tape, film, memory cards or prints. They do it all. In addition to being online they are also located in several major retail stores. And of course you can find them on Facebook http://fb.com/yesvideo and Twitter: @YesVideo and even Pinterest http://pinterest.com/yesvideo. Be careful on Pinterest though, they have a bunch of amazing boards on there and you may spend hours just browsing through.



*This post was sponsored by YesVideo in honor of Mothers Day. All opinions expressed here 
are my own.*

Sunset Sunday-2012 Super Moon

I have been crazy busy this last week and haven't much down time to get out and take pictures but I wasn't about to miss the Super Moon this year. I went out at two separate times. Once while the moon was rising and then at 10:35 which is when reports said it would be at it's fullest. I'm not sure if it would just be at it's fullest in one particular area or what but it looked bigger to me as it was rising instead of when it was all the way up. I'm not expert so who knows, maybe it just looked smaller because I was tired.
Anywho, seeing as I don't have any new photos of recent sunsets I thought I would share the two photos I have of this years super moon.

Around 9:35 as it was rising

At 11:35

Do you love sunsets? Have tons and tons of photos of them? Even just a few photos? Craig from StayAdventurous and I would love for you to join us in Sunset Sundays. On the last Sunday of every month we will include a linky at the end of our post for you to share your photos. We can't wait to see everyone's Sunset Sunday photos!

Cuddly Monkey tote bag review plus a giveaway

I know you are probably wondering what exactly is Cuddly Monkey. The name alone had me intrigued and when I found out they were a tote bag company I couldn't resist visiting their site.
"Cuddly Monkey was born in the heart of Soho in the design studio of Stag&Hare, a team of brand strategists and designers with a passion for creating and exploring. The current selection of totes range from $68 to $94 retail value".-Cuddly Monkey 

Cuddly Monkey recently came out with a new selection of tote bags that are stylish and functional. The outside is made with 100% cotton canvas and the inside linings have fun designs that are eye catching and they complete the fun styles of the bags.

The Goddess tote

Isn't this lining the cutest. I love the POP of color it brings to the bag.

If you are obsessed a lover of bags such as I am you will love these tote bags. I chose the Goddess bag and wow is this thing huge! But not too big that I can't use it. There is a fine line between big bags and overly big bags that are really just for show and not daily use.
When traveling long distances or even to the park for a picnic, I have a habit of throwing every thing I own into my bags and with three kids that go with me everywhere that tends to be a lot of stuff. Most tote bags do not hold every thing I want to bring and I some times end up bring two, possibly even three bags with me but the Goddess bag holds it all. I did a test run and I was able to fit lunches for four, drinks, my camera, wallet, two phones, makeup, diapers and wipes and still have room! These bags are perfect for little outings and still cute enough and completely versatile to use as an every day bag.

Today I am giving one Goddess tote bag from Cuddly Monkey to one of my readers, yay!

Mandatory Entry:
Leave me a comment telling me how many bags you own.
(If your closet is completely overflowing and you can't possibly count the exact amount of bags you own without wasting an entire day just leave me an approximate figure).

Optional Entry:
Tweet about the giveaway. Example tweet "I just entered to #win a Goddess Tote Bag by @cuddlymonkey from @Shanamama9197 http://bit.ly/IH9smi #Giveaway" Don't forget to leave a comment with a link to the tweet.


You can find Cuddly Monkey on twitter at @cuddlymonkey or Facebook.
*Note* Doing either or both of the above will not gain you an extra entry for this giveaway but if you feel like showing them some love or keeping up on the latest news twitter and facebook is a great way to do so.

Giveaway is open to US residents only and will close on May 10, 2012 at 11:59pm. The winner will be notified within 24 hours and will have 48 hours to respond.

*Be Everywhere provided me with a Goddess Tote Bag & will send one directly to the winner of this giveaway. The retail value of the Goddess tote bag is $88. All opinions expressed therein are my own.*

Wordless Wednesday-Mud puddles

It may be messy, it may stain clothes, carpet and the siding on your house, it may take three times to wash it out of your child's hair, ears and nose BUT seeing the smile on your child's face while playing in the mud takes all of your worries away and you just enjoy the moment. 

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

The Bonafide Life, Better in Bulk, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Momblog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist, High Impact Mom, BrainFoggles, The Centsible Life, Rachel Ferrucci, Lil Kid Things, Resourceful Mommy and Zensible Mama and don't forget to link your own photo stories.