My new phone

My CMT hands are generally not nice to phones and I recently ruined another one by knocking it into the dryer during a laundry swap. Apparently the heat melts valuable parts together and renders it useless.  It was the third in one years time that I had ruined and my insurance would not cover it, so I had to buy a new phone. I was phoneless for about 3 weeks which were awful because I rely so much on my phone to remind me of things which my brain can no longer remember on its own. I am an iPhone person but even when I had some money to go buy a replacement, I had trouble paying $600 for the oldest iPhone they had available. There was no question in my mind that I needed a smartphone. Even though they are very distracting, they are a necessary evil because of all the telecommunication technology that people in today's world need to accomplish tasks in a timely manner. Instead of my usual iPhone purchase, I bought the LG Stylus 2 which I use now for $250.
I have a few complaints about this new phone. I feel like Martin Luther posting the 95 theses to the church doors. These are the things I hate about my non-iPhone:

1. Not all mini-USB chargers will charge it. I prefer a charger next to the bed, in the kitchen and one in my purse and so far I have a car charger that works and a ridiculously short charger next to the bed. 
2. The control panel is not as helpful and easy to see as my iPhones was. 
3. I don't have access to anything from the lock screen. I can see it but I have to completely unlock it and hope I don't get distracted by something else before I find the app that has the thing I actually need to do. 
4. Finding accessories for this phone is not easy. 
5. The android version of apple music does not allow me access to any of the songs I purchased on iTunes. ( I prefer to purchase music and have it downloaded so I don't use so much data listening to internet radio or for those drives between towns where there are no good old school radio stations) Technically this is Apple's fault. 
6. I am having trouble getting used to this new keyboard. 
7. Going back on my browser is easy but if u go back too far then it is impossible to go forward again. This happens often because of my twitchy fingers. (If u know how to go forward please post in the comments below)
8. Syncing my phone to my iPad is impossible. 
9. I haven't figured out how to look for my phone if it gets lost. I used a find my device app but none of my other devices are connected to it so I am clueless. Lol. (If u know how to this please post in the comments below)

Unlike Martin Luther, I have been able to look past all of my frustrations and the see the good things about my phone which are:

1. It was definitely cheaper.
2. The accessories, once found, were cheaper. 
3. I can schedule my phone to send messages at a later date and time. (Sometimes I think of something at 2 am and don't want to wake anyone up. I also can schedule a reminder text to my hubby when he tells me to "remind him."  I want to ask him, who is suppose to remind me to remind him?  Lol)
4. I can personalize this phone way more than I could the iphone. 
5. When I want to snooze my phones alarm in the morning, I can literally just flip it over and go back to sleep not worrying that I might turn off the alarm. (I know this is a bad habit but usually after the 3rd or 4th time my early bird boy comes and bugs me so I still wake up with plenty of time.)
6. To turn off the alarm completely, I have to consciously touch random numbers in ascending order. 
7. Screen shots are easier. (This may seem like an odd thing but with my CMT sometimes my fingers are too weak to press both buttons at the same time)
8. It has a better camera than my iPhone6 had. 
9. The screen is bigger. 
10. I like being able to put sticky notes directly on my home screen with to do lists etc.
11. I have a stylus attached to my phone which helps on days that my hands are super shaky. 
12. This phone has the equivalent of a popsocket which should help with the dropsies I tend to have because of my CMT hands.  (This has nothing to do with the brand but I never had one before so I feel like its relevant)
13. Because the charger next to the bed is short, I tend to spend less time on my phone at night. 

As usual I found a way to be positive about it and sure enough, the pros outweigh the cons. During my decision making process to save the difference of $350, I reminded myself that a long as I can set reminders, take notes, use the internet, email, text and call people, I will survive. My iphone will not be going with me to heaven which is the most important aspect of life.

We love our family including our pets.

My husband and I who have been married for almost 17 years now have 3 wonderful children and they are as diverse as their pets. I have a deep love for these pets as well.  Come on, what mother doesn't bond with their kids pets. We have owned dogs, cats, goats, chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters over the years but I think we have settled in with the current selection of critters.

My oldest son who is 15 has a very old dog that was rehomed to us. She is very protective but a real sweetheart who loves to go camping with us and also enjoys the occasional ride along.  She is always loyal and loving. As is my son. Reliable and loyal and quick to get his chores done with only a gentle reminder. (Don't get me wrong he isn't perfect, but he is the easiest teenager I have ever heard of)

My almost 14 year old daughter has a very feisty male cat who sneaks onto the kitchen counters whenever possible but loves a good snuggle in the afternoon.  My daughter is also feisty and likes to see how far she can push me before I scream. She was an easy baby and also an easy child for the most part. (She is an A student and never puts off homework-I wish she could teach her little brother that trick)So being a bit tougher as a teen is not the worst problem to have. She does have a strong faith and loves to cuddle up at the end of the day which melts all the tension away. These are a few of her memes with pinguino.

My 12 year old son (who is also my wacky child) has a snail. Yes, I said a snail. 🐌 It was in his room but because I am afraid his ability to remember to take care of it could kill this little guy quickly, we decided to keep him in the kitchen. He sits next to my coffee pot and I can entertain myself while I wait for my next cup of Joe.

I absolutely love the cat and the dog that need to be petted and bathed and fed often. But this little guy (who I don't feel the need to touch unless I am snailsitting while my son cleans his aquarium) has quickly become a favorite of mine. You can buy snails at the pet store but we found this guy on a fishing trip and researched his nutritional and habitat needs and discovered that we can keep up with his needs with next to nothing in costs which in this day and age is a definite plus.

If you asked my husband, he would say that I favor the wacky child in the same way. Well sometimes, I do. But any mother knows that each child is favored in one way or another.
This wacky child of mine knows his faith, loves with his whole heart and is like a ray of sunshine to every person he meets. Eventually he might get on your nerves because he has no respect for personal space and cannot sit in silence to save his neck. But we have to accept the flaws to enjoy the good qualities. My son is like his snail in that, he takes forever to accomplish most tasks. Although I would rather not be in close proximity to him 24/7, I love his heart, his sincerity and the funny stuff you never expect to come out of his mouth. A snail is the perfect critter for this 12 year old boy. It's a bit different pet like he is and he can't talk it's ear off because it doesn't have ears. Lol

In case you are planning to keep a snail of your own, please first research the type of snail you discovered and find out what his needs are. Ours is a typical land snail who can drown so we have him in an aquarium with a shallow amount of water to keep his environment humid and 2 large rocks in the bottom for him to move around on. And for us to put his food on. We feed him a small slice of tomato, cucumber or apple. He also eats lettuce and dandelion leaves (we make sure we use ones that have not been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides.) He also needs a source of calcium to maintain his shell so we crush eggshells and keep in an old medicine bottle to sprinkle in from time to time.

I am always amazed at nature and smart way in which God created us all. Pets are a big responsibility as are children.  We love these friends that God has blessed us with and I pray that all people take good care of the children and pets that they accumulate.