Reading rules Iphone use

I struggle with addiction.

A facebook addiction. And I'm only halfway kidding. I have always wanted to be in the know, and want to be the first one to know when someone announces an engagement or a baby, or anything of the like. And I love how it's connected me with people I haven't seen in years. It's a tremendous support system for me, actually, as I have some friends who comment on things and it makes my day. Words of encouragement, love, happiness, and oohs and ahhs over my son's pictures make me beam. I happened to glance at my news feed the night Bin Laden was killed, and otherwise I would have missed that and the president's statement. So it's got its really good points.

BUT...

I update my phone many times a night so I don't miss ANYTHING. And I find that the nights I put it down "early" and go to bed to read are the nights I have the most joy.

I don't have a lot of time to myself for exercise without rearranging other people's schedules, and I hate doing that. But I have a good amount of time most nights for eating a quiet meal with my hubby, watching my favorite shows, or the beloved, always enjoyable, reading. As I said, and this is KEY, I find that the nights I DO put the phone down, I'm MUCH happier. I feel like I did something, instead of wasting my time on my phone. Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time, but I don't enjoy wasting it this way.

I am going to make myself stop looking at my phone past, let's say, 8:15. If I miss something, I miss it. Surely that highly important information (which usually ISN'T) can at least wait until morning.

Sure, hubby is on the phone or computer a lot too, but he reads a lot, too. So there just has to be a time for me to stop it. And if I do it, I need to reward myself. So, the teacher in me says I deserve a sticker for each day I do it. And who doesn't want to see a perfectly filled calendar with stickers? :)

So, for now, after 8:15 pm on regular ol' weeknights, this is my rule:

Real Simple Energy Tips

From the first edition of the Energize your Life magazine covers, I bring you my favorite techniques.

1. Splashes of color in your life (in your wardrobe or on your walls, or anywhere!) are said to wake up the brain!

2. Citrus smells are energizing, so get that grapefruit bodywash for your morning shower.

3. Pop a peppermint.

4. If you stand in the sun for 20 minutes, even on a cloudy day, in the morning, you should have a good burst of energy to take you through the day.

5. Take care of things that zap energy during the day. Make that dentist appointment. Take the dog to the vet. The next day, you'll feel relief, not burden.

6. Really, really exhale when you breathe out. Any way you can rid your body of toxins, the better off you'll be.

7. Do an inverted pose to send blood to your brain to wake it up.

8. Before bed, calm yourself. Concentrate on happy things, and ditch the iphone and computer before bed. Even TV is better since it's less interactive. I prefer the quiet, welcoming pages of a book.

Maybe you can use some of these too...?

Disaster to Euphoria

Picture it.

First day of Spring Break. Beautiful day. Outside with hubby and friend shoveling mulch (them, not me). I am taking a picture with my GLORIOUS iphone. Then I was wiping off the precious screen. And my butter fingers came out full-force, and it fell. On the concrete. Over half of the screen was shattered. I was devastated.

I have had this phone for three months. It was my anniversary present. My school computer kinda sucks, so my phone is pretty much my computer. Until this phone, I'd never had one so useful. All the other ones sounded great when I got them, but then promptly broke or malfunctioned or something. But at least I could make a phone call. For us underpaid teachers, this is my true luxury. I LOVE this phone. And I was terrified at what this was going to cost us. It was nowhere in the budget to fix things like this.

I made a few phone calls to people I knew had had something similar happen. They are all very good Mac customers, and Apple had replaced their phones, free of charge.

It was my only hope.

So, I made an appointment at the Genius Bar in the Apple store, and they took me a little early. I was actually nervous. Money makes me very nervous and it's a source of tremendous stress for me. Always has been. Michael at the Apple store helped me. Listened to my story. Here I am, trying to look cute with my baby on my hip, and rehashed the fact that I was sick this week, and how awful it was... I told him it was functioning except that when I made calls, the other person couldn't hear me. He listened, and said he was going to make a "one time exception." He sent me home with a new phone. I was in and out in 15 minutes. I had backed up, so when I re-synced with hubby's good computer, it was like NOTHING had ever happened.

When I left the Apple store, after profusely thanking him, I almost cried in the car. I was very close. I was BEYOND relieved that this would not cost our family anything.

I don't know if it's a policy at Apple to help people like me out, but whatever the reason, I thank them for bringing such happiness to me. This is NOT temporary happiness. It's not just "how nice that was!" If not for this, I'd have had to have paid SO much, for my clumsiness.

It's a tremendously SIGNIFICANT happiness moment for me, that will last a LONG time.