iTunes: Selective Syncing

Another helpful blog for those who may not know.... and as always, you can click on a photo to enlarge it if it isn't big enough for you to see.

I found the first time I plugged my iPhone into my computer and opened iTunes that it automatically started syncing apps I had downloaded on my iPod. I went a little nuts when I first got my iPod (first Apple product I owned) and downloaded hundreds.... no I'm not exaggerating... of apps. Many of which I did *not* want on my iPhone.

In playing around in iTunes, I noticed there is a way to set exactly which apps you want synced to other Apple products without having ALL of them sync.

Here's how you do it:

1) Open iTunes (or plug in your device if you have it set to open iTunes automatically when you connect your device).

Don't even judge me on my music collection! =P

2) On the left side bar, locate which Apple product you want to sync under the Device heading.

Yes I am a nerd and named my iPod Titanic, my iPhone Brittanic, and my iPad mini Olympic. NERD PROUD!

3) Click on the App link on the top toolbar under Apple logo.

4) In the upper left box, you'll see a list of ALL the apps linked to your account. Simply go through and uncheck the ones you DON'T want to sync to that particular device.

5) Uncheck the "Automatically sync new apps" under the bottom of the list. This will keep new apps that have been added to your account from syncing to this device. If you do want it to sync, you will need to make sure it is checked in the list above.

6) Repeat with each Apple device you own.

You can do the same for photos, videos, music, etc. Just click along the top toolbar for each section and make your selections. It's that easy!

Hope this helped you keep your devices neat and tidy!

Whatever Wednesday

Tornado had to show me his magic trick the other day.... Enjoy!

Tackle It Tuesday

I realize I'm a day behind with this post.... but I was too busy trying to get last minute birthday stuff and start on some Christmas shopping yesterday morning.  Which of course ate up all my cleaning time.

I've had a "new" desk waiting for me out in the garage for a while now.  I just never got around to actually cleaning out my old one and moving them around.  So that was my task today!

Before:

After:

 
The nerd in me is really excited too because I finally did my first Pinterest idea!

My old desk will be moved into Monster's closet to help organize it a bit.  But that's another Tackle It Tuesday for the future!

Monday Memories

As Tornado's birthday is just days away, I've been reflecting a lot on the past 3 years.

His start in life wasn't easy but he's overcome so many obstacles to get where he is today!  I'm sad and excited at the fact that his last day of therapy is on his birthday.  Now we will have time for the normal activities that I've always taken for granted....   I just don't know what those activities are? Haha

Even though he still looks small, he's grown a lot... as apparent to us now when he walks under certain pieces of furniture.

His vocabulary is astounding and his speech therapist couldn't be more thrilled! Every day he pops off with a word we didn't know he knew!  Like this particular day while we were out shopping:

 

From a grumpy old man to a goofy monkey... I'm so excited (and completely terrified) to see where we go from here!

Happy birthday Tornado!!!!

Long time, no update!

I'd say it's been a while!  Well over a year.... but what can I say? I've been BUSY!

In October 2011, I finally found a job.  After nearly a year of searching, I was hired on to work in a boarding home with elderly people.  I was honestly hesitant at first.... I mean... I do caregiving every day at home.  Would I like doing it outside the house too?  I can say wholeheartedly, I LOVE MY JOB!  The hardest part is saying goodbye but helping those who need it, it's worth it!  This past year has been amazing!

As for the tykes.... well.... they keep me busy!

In March we finally got an individual provider (IP) approved through the state to come in and care for Monster.  We'd been using an in-home company but we're having difficulties with the staff.  Since Erin came on, it has been wonderful and a lot less stressful!  She's amazing with both boys and they love her to pieces!

Monster has been pretty stable this year.... or so I thought.  Back in June we did an overnight EEG at Children's to decide where we would go in treating his epilepsy.  We were scheduled to be there for 48 hours but after 13 hours and 8 seizures, the doctor said he felt they had enough data and we could go home.  Little did we know, he had way more than he needed!  In that 13 hour time frame, Monster not only had the 8 seizures we saw and documented.... he had a TOTAL of 43 seizures.  FORTY-THREE!  And other than the 8 we saw, NONE of the others had any physical indications that he was having a seizures.  I knew he had a lot... but I about fell out of the chair with the doctor gave me that number.

We have since switched him off one medication and onto another.  Unfortunately, we haven't seen any results.  The doctors have said before with each new medication we try, our chances of controlling the seizures decrease.  We will keep pushing on though and do whatever we can to get them under as much control as possible.

Tornado.... wow.  He's definitely a tornado!  Hard to believe he's going to be 3 in just 3 days!  Where has those last 3 years gone?  One minute he's a small baby whimpering at us, now he's a little boy telling us what he wants.  Such new territory for me!  Haha  But he can be a lot of fun even though he's just as much of a headache.... like most toddlers I'm sure.

Indy has had an eventful year as well.  The beginning of the year saw the sale of his company to another local company.  He's gone from owner to employee.  It's been a change for him but I think he's enjoying it.

I'll leave you with a few newish photos of the clan!  Enjoy!

iPhone Guided Access: Tornado Lock

After mentioning the 2 main reasons I finally upgraded to iOS 6 on my iPhone (panoramic camera and Guided Access) to a friend... she asked me to explain Guided Access... which I have come to think of as: Tornado Lock.

This, in a nut shell, is what I've learned about it and how it works.

Guided Access allows you to lock yourself (or Tornado in my case) INTO an app.  By using Guided Access you can disable the hardware buttons -home, power, and volume buttons- as well as make certain areas of the screen untouchable.

Here's how you use it....

To start, you will need to go into Settings>General>Accessibility to turn ON Guided Access.  It's under the Learning heading about 2/3 of the way down the menu.

You will need to enter a 4 digit passcode to be able to unlock Guided Access when you're done using it.

Once you've done that, continue on.

Since Tornado loves Perry, I'm using the Where's My Perry? app as a visual guide.

1)  Open up an app.

2)  TRIPLE click the home button.  This will open the Guided Access screen.

 

3)  In the Guided Access screen, draw a circle around the areas you don't want touchable.

I love that I can draw a box around the whole screen when I let Tornado watch Netflix on my phone so he can't continually hit pause!  SCORE!

4)  Click the Options button at the bottom.  Here is where you can change settings for hardware buttons, touch, and motion.  Click DONE when you're chosen your settings.

5)  Once you have your settings and areas set, click Start in the upper right hand corner.

Now Guided Access is active and you will see a gray scale area over the areas you don't want access to.  This makes them inaccessible.

To turn off Guided Access, TRIPLE click the home button.  Even if your hardware button are disabled, it will work!  Enter your passcode then hit the End button in the upper left corner.

As long as your kiddo doesn't know your passcode, you don't have to worry about them accidentally triple clicking and unlocking it.  The downside though is if they input the wrong passcode, you are locked out from another attempt.  Each failed attempt adds time to how long before you can try again - much like if you have a passcode set on your phone.

That's all there is to it!  It's a great option to allow your young kiddo access to his favorite apps or tv shows without worrying about what else s/he could be doing while they have "control" of your iPhone.

Review: Mindful Body

 

 

My amazing friend Nicole has opened an online shop - Mindful Body - to sell beauty products made from all natural ingredients. She opened shop on October 15 (happy birthday to me!) and has been working her tail off to keep inventory in stock!

I couldn't pass up buying some soap and helping out a small business!

I could not be more thrilled with her products! The pumpkin spice/vanilla soap smells amazing and the exfoliating soap has worked wonders on my dry skin!
 
I started noticing some dry patches on my hands a couple months ago.  No amount of lotions or scrubbing was making it go away.  I got so desperate as to use Tornado's eczema ointments.... but to no avail.  The itching and pain were unbearable!

 

But after just ONE washing with the exfoliating soap.....

WOW!

The irritation was much less and most of the dry skin was already gone.  My palm still has a ways to heal but the patches on finger and knuckle are almost completely gone after only a handful of washings! (Ha no pun intended!)

The real kicker - and true test of this soap - was when I used it on my feet.  My horribly dry, cracked feet!  A-MAZ-ING!  I cannot believe how smooth and soft my feet are!  (Sorry forgot to take photos of my feet! Heh)

I've also been using the exfoliating soap on my face 2-3 times a week.  My face stays smoother and feels less oily since I started using it.  This soap doesn't make your face dry out like other bar soaps do.  I've had less acne break outs too!

I haven't used bar soap regularly in probably a good 20 years (give or take) but I am now a convert!  I will no longer be replenishing my body wash as I run out.  From  now on, it's Mindful Body's soap all the way!  I'm excitedly awaiting my order of a vanilla/almond swirl bar!

And if her soap wasn't amazing enough.... her lip balms are FANTASTIC!

I love my tube of sweet watermelon!  It's not waxy feeling and doesn't immediately soak into my lips like other lip balms or chap sticks do.  My lips stay smooth and moist for a really long time.  Some days I only have to apply it once or twice to have smooth lips all day.

I simply cannot rave about Mindful Body enough!  If you haven't checked this amazing shop out, you NEED to!

http://www.mindfulbodynaturals.com

And tell her Sherri sent you!  ;)  (Do I get referral credit, Nicole? Hehe)