Amplified Kids!!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-01T15:12:00.002-05:00

Life is constantly changing. I lived in Brooklyn in the early/mid 90's near this beautiful bridge. I remember rollerblading and running along the path nearly every day during the spring and summer... Today I am finally getting back into fitness and I'd like to revisit that path again. I took this picture nearly a year ago driving through, it is time to stop and smell the roses again.

Verrazano Bridge

Should I stay or should I go?

2012-01-30T10:36:00.000-05:00

I want to keep track of my workouts and progress and I'm not sure if I want to start a new blog or keep it all here. This started out about the kids and their hearing loss but then migrated to technology and now tech & fitness? I guess it truly is a reflection of me... life is always changing and improving.

2012 will be a year of change for me. Not that there was anything wrong with me before but I want to be my optimal self this year -- physically and mentally.

Join me on my journey?

Typical Conor

2012-01-15T21:08:00.000-05:00

Conor's Day out with Thomas

2012-01-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

The look on his little face was priceless.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-11T08:48:00.000-05:00

Umm yeah.

Sent from my Windows Phone

Why

2012-01-04T11:27:00.001-05:00

I've been too angry, sad and lost to really post anything in a long time. I'm still not in a great position but life is always going to be a battle. No matter what happens I will always get back up and jump into the fight.

Happy New Year. I believe this will somehow be a good year...

Adios MeeGo.

2011-09-28T08:49:00.001-04:00

http://www.mobileburn.com/chtml/mobile_story.jsp?Id=16784

Sad to see MeeGo rolled into something else but it really never had a chance.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1dxy3

Crappy hearing therapist

2011-09-23T08:21:00.001-04:00

Cait's last Hearing therapist was terrible and I was looking forward to a new one this year. So far this new one makes the other look like a sweet dream. We are 2 weeks into the school year... Last week she said she had an inservice which is bullshit because she has the starting date in an email she sent to me. This week she was late and hadn't even called the school to make arrangements. The office staff and principle had real issues with that.

I was willing to get over last weeks no-show from her but today pushed it over the edge. Cait had been calling her the fat lady and I was reprimanding her... Baby girl, you can now call her whatever you want.

On a side note, I am thankful she has the best kindergarten teacher ever.

Sent from my iPhone

Walk4Hearing is Sept 25th!

2011-09-20T10:52:00.001-04:00

Every year my family participates in the Walk4Hearing. It is a good opportunity for my kids to be around other deaf and hard of hearing kids, the walk takes place in a beautiful park and there is always a good time to be had. This will be our 4th year walking and each year it gets bigger and bigger.

The walk4hearing helps support advances in Technology - which you all know I am obsessed with.

If you are in PA this Sunday please come by and walk with us, the kids would be so happy. If you can't stop by we would all appreciate it if you would help this cause by donating what you can.

Please use this link to donate.

Amplify’d from hlaa.convio.net

Caitlyn & Conor's Walk4Hearing Page

As many of you may know, both Caitlyn and Conor have hearing loss. Caitlyn (5.5yrs old) was diagnosed with bilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss in the mild/moderate range and has been aided since 3 months old. Thankfully this was caught early and she is on target with her hearing peers.

Conor was also diagnosed in August 09 with bilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss in the mild/moderate range. He has had his hearing aids since he was 4 months old.

We are fortunate that both kids received an early diagnoisis and will be on track for typical speech development. I wish I could say that I was surprised when we found out about Conor's hearing loss but I almost expected it. Our next step is to start genetic testing and see where that takes our family. If your kid is delayed in speech or you think he/she may not hear you - please don't take the wait and see approach. Be proactive. As parents we are the kids only true advocate.

My family will be participating in the Walk4Hearing to support all those with hearing loss. I need your support to make this event a success. Please take a moment to sponsor my efforts. Thanks!

See more at hlaa.convio.net

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1d61j

Hangover prevention

2011-09-17T23:38:00.001-04:00

So we went to my brother in laws wedding reception tonight and thanks to autocorrect I am writing this. I never drink anymore but tonight I went for it full force. I don't want to wake up tomorrow morning feeling like ass so these are the steps to take for hangover prevention.

1. Stop drinking alcohol
2. Go home
3. Don't puke in the car on the way home.
4. Get a sugary drink - Gatorade works the best but I was stuck with a damn capri sun tonight.
5. Grab a handful of mortin, take with sugary drink.
6. Eat a slice of bread. I had fresh pumpkin bread that I made this morning so initially I thought it was a good idea. I'm now rethinking that and should have gone with the standard store bought because I put extra flax seed in the pumpkin bread. That may not be a winning combo with all this alcohol.
7. Drink an entire bottle of water before passing out.
8. Lastly, brush your teeth so it doesn't taste like you were licking the cats litter box.

Good night!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-14T18:52:00.000-04:00

Fresh haircuts!

Just 20 min ago

2011-09-11T20:49:00.001-04:00

The kids were punching and kicking each other and now they are best friends reading a book. Siblings.

She did it!

2011-09-06T08:38:00.000-04:00

First day of kindergarten is here. I can't believe today is finally here, she has been ready for years to do this! Of course she was embarrassed that I was taking her picture so this is the best I got. They don't let the parents in so this was as far as I could take her. When she walked through the doors she never looked back -- I'm so proud. Go Caitlyn!!!

Kindergarten tomorrow morning

2011-09-05T19:20:00.000-04:00

My sweet lady starts kindergarten in the morning. She seems much older than K in spirit. I'm sure she will do fine, it is Conor that will have the hardest time adjusting... He doesn't know life without her to pester.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-31T20:44:00.001-04:00

Samsung Galaxy S2 Comes to AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile

2011-08-31T15:01:00.002-04:00

I am beyond excited about this. My POS iPhone only works a quarter of the time and I've been waiting for this to be released since early in the year. Now I need to decide which carrier to go with.

I love how they mention the iPhone 5 as a competition, I clearly do NOT see it that way. And the bionic, sure I was excited about that earlier but have lost interest 6 months later. Motorola lags behind HTC & Samsung.

Amplify’d from www.forbes.com

Samsung Galaxy S2 Comes to AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile

Samsung plans to launch the Galaxy S2 on three of the four major U.S. carriers, beginning with Sprint on September 16 for $200.

The smartphone runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread and expands upon the first generation of Galaxy S handsets in a number of ways. It features a Exynos 1.2-gigahertz dual-core processor, a rear-facing 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture, a larger battery, support for 4G speeds, and a Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen.

The AT&T version of the Galaxy S2 has a 4.3-inch display, while the T-Mobile and Sprint variants will sport a 4.5-inch display.

All the models have a six-axis motion sensor and support touch- and motion-gestures, allowing users to flip the phone over to silence an incoming call, for instance.

Sprint will be the first carrier to launch the device, which will go by the name of Samsung Epic 4G Touch. Both AT&T and T-Mobile will retain the Galaxy S2 name; AT&T said the handset is arriving at the carrier in the coming weeks, and T-Mobile stated the S2 would arrive “this fall” at the carrier. Neither wireless operator revealed pricing for the device.

Verizon, however, will not carry the Galaxy S2. The carrier instead has chosen to release the Droid Prime as its flagship Android model.

The release of the Galaxy S2 on the U.S. market marks the arrival of what may be one of the upcoming iPhone 5′s strongest competitors. The Samsung handset has already sold nearly 5 million units worldwide, and its rollout in the U.S. may boost sales even further. With the iPhone 5 anticipated to arrive in October, the S2′s early release may give it a head start as the fall retail season heats up.

However, the S2 faces intense competition as other high-profile handsets arrive at market in the coming weeks. Besides the iPhone 5, Motorola will release the Droid Bionic, which has been delayed since spring while the carrier made modifications. The Droid Bionic may have a September 8 release date, but Motorola has not confirmed this rumor.

The S2 is expected to be the high-end flagship of a whole range of Galaxy-branded smartphones that Samsung will deploy this fall. The company recently announced it will release four more Galaxy models at various price points to reach more segments of the smartphone market.
Read more at www.forbes.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1c84l

Noblo Umbrella Buddy

2011-08-30T22:53:00.000-04:00

I've been sitting here for a few minutes (at least 20) looking at the name trying to figure why they named it "Noblo" and then I felt really stupid! No Blow!! Yeah, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed tonight. This looks like a great idea -- wish I would have thought of it.

Noblo Umbrella Buddy will keep your beach umbrella secure while you are playing with your kids or lucky enough to have a cool beverage in hand and relaxing. I vaguely remember the relaxing beach days... vaguely. Now I am constantly saying "don't eat the sand, please stop throwing sand, you can't go in the water by yourself..." and it is anything BUT relaxing. The smiles on the kids faces makes up for it though.

This is really more than a neat idea. When I went to the Noblo web site I realized what a great product this is:

Great things about the Noblo Umbrella Buddy

Manufactured in New Jersey, USA
Affordable for people and families retails at $14.99
Packaged in Eatontown, NJ by CVR; a local non-profit organization that hires mentally and physically handicapped individuals
$.05 a bag sold to be donated to USLA – United States Lifesaving Association
Invented by moms
It’s super easy to use
Available in yellow,pink, turquoise, blue, black, and bright green

How many other products do you use that are invented by moms, made in your back yard and hires special needs employees? This rocks!!

We had planned on going to the beach last weekend but Hurricane Irene visited us and put a damper on the good times. My kids absolutely love the beach and can't wait to try the Noblo Umbrella Buddy!

**Disclosure: I received a Noblo Umbrella Buddy at no cost for review

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-24T20:13:00.001-04:00

His daily ritual. At least his toilet is always clean.

The first Hello Kitty phone to run Android

2011-08-19T09:28:00.002-04:00

That is one bad-ass kitty!

Amplify’d from www.newlaunches.com

The first Hello Kitty phone to run Android

Apart from cute and adorable the Kitty is now also smart. The recently announced SoftBank 007SH clamshell runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, packs in a 3.4 inch 3D ready display supporting a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels, Infrared, Bluetooth, Felica (Mobile wallet), One seg TV tuner and a Micro SD card slot. The phone has a 16 megapixel camera which shoots video in full HD and offers similar features which you would find in digital cameras. It comes preloaded with Hello Kitty goodies like wallpapers, screensavers, ringtones, applications and the face has the cat etched on it. The phone measures 113 × 51.8 × 19.3mm and weighs 140 grams and will be Japan only.

See more at www.newlaunches.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1bjy0

Being a girl sucks

2011-08-15T08:03:00.001-04:00

A month ago I had an ultrasound due to pelvic pain and bleeding for a month plus. While on vacation in Orlando I received the call with results... Not an ideal call. They told me I had a cyst on my right ovary and uterine polyps. Once I got back home I started the process for scheduling the required appointments -- something that truly frustrated me.

With appointments scheduled all I could do is wait. They wanted a follow-up u/s in 6 to 8 weeks and a hysteroscopy as soon as possible.

Last Monday I developed severe abdominal pain where I couldn't function. I stuck it out as long as possible taking care of the kids... See the post from last Tuesday. I was admitted to paoli hospital with a ruptured 4cm cyst.

So now that the cyst is gone it is time to deal with the uterine polyps. After getting no sleep last night, I'm waiting for the dreaded Gyn for a hysteroscopy. It is cold in the waiting room and I'm nervous about how much this will hurt. I can take pain but anything in that region scares me. I don't ever want to hear a doc say "This will only be a little pressure or a pinch" when you nearly pass out from the pain. It would be nice if you bitch-slap them and say "That was just a little bit of pressure".

Time to go back... Wish me luck.

Sent from my iPhone

Verizon Samsung Galaxy S2 Is Faster, Bigger Than AT&T & Sprint Model?

2011-08-11T21:33:00.001-04:00

Please just stop all the rumors and release the damn device here in the US. I don't even care which carrier at this point. It really sucks that other countries get all the best mobile devices first. I am tired of my crappy iPhone that constantly has to be rebooted or dies at 40% remaining battery.

Amplify’d from www.gizmocrunch.com

Verizon Samsung Galaxy S2 Is Faster, Bigger Than AT&T & Sprint Model?

As the release of the US variants of the Samsung Galaxy S2 approaches, minute details are beginning to leak and shaping what we expect to see from the long awaited Samsung US models.

Samsung Galaxy S2 with 4G LTE surfaces

Now one of the biggest questions when it comes to the Verizon variant of the Samsung Galaxy S2 (Function) is whether or not it will pack 4G LTE radios. Well we can safely say that the Samsung Galaxy S2 is compatible with 4G LTE thanks to a leak over in Korea where a new variant of the Galaxy S2 has popped up.

According to Korean site IT Tong, an Samsung Galaxy S2 variant with 4G LTE, 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen, 16GB internal storage, 8-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front cameras, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and a pumped up 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon APQ8060 processor has made an appearance.

Of course, you can't just buy it and use it here in the US as the frequency is different (800MHz vs Big Red's 700MHz). But what this does tell us is that there is a Samsung Galaxy S2 with LTE already produced.

On a side note, if this is the exact same Verizon Samsung Galaxy S2 variant we are waiting to launch here, it has a faster processor and larger display than the normal Galaxy S2, suggesting that Verizon's model may have an advantage of the Sprint Within and AT&T Attain (4.5-inch 1.5GHz SGS2 versus 4.3-inch 1.2GHz model).
Read more at www.gizmocrunch.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1anso

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-10T23:36:00.000-04:00

If you ever wondered what a cookie-bite hearing loss looks like on an audiogram... Now you have seen it.

Now that was painful!

2011-08-09T09:26:00.001-04:00

Tuesday morning and I'm waking up at Paoli Hospital. It is amazing how comfortable the bed is in my room compared to the ER. The staff here has been so nice but I am anxious to go home today.

Over the past few months I've had bad pain in my lower right abdomen and it all came to a head this weekend. Sunday I felt really crappy and in pain. If you know me, you know I just tried to deal with it the best I could. I tried taking a nap and getting a ton of fluids. No amount of rest was helping.

By the time I woke yesterday morning I could barely walk the pain in my abdomen was so great. But I still pushed through and took Conor to the dentist for an emergency visit. Once we got back home I tried to get caught up on some work for a few hours. The pain was progressively getting worse so I lay down for a little bit. That only hurt more.

At 4pm I decided to take Caitlyn to her TaeKwonDo class. Waves of pain getting worse and worse but it helped take my mind off by watching her truly excel at a sport. We made it back home and I was afraid to eat... Knew it was just going to come right back up. Conor was being exceptionally clingy; I think he sensed the pain I was in but holding him was killing me.

I finally gave in after the kids ate dinner and was brought into the ER. The ride here was horrendous. Every bump was exaggerated by the pain I was in.

The ER is new since having Conor at this hospital 2 years ago and very nice. They did my triage and immediately brought me back -- thank you for not making me wait!!

Once in my little room they hooked me up with an IV and took a crap load of blood. Within being here for 30 min they had ultrasound waiting to take me down. They gave me some pain meds before sending and anti-nausea stuff so I'd stop vomiting.

--the pain meds did not touch the pain--
During the U/S I did my best to try to keep it together but had a hard time. She was gentle and understanding. I was sent back to my room in the ER and they gave me even more pain meds... This truly messed me up. I was a wreck, couldn't walk or move much. The pain was minimized though so I guess worth it in the long run.

The U/S results came back and the 4cm cyst on my right ovary had burst. That explains all the pain. They also told me the lab results -- low blood count near transfusion level, potassium was so low that they gave me pills right then (of course I puked them up) and low iron.

The doctor admitted me and brought me upstairs to my room. I would sleep for 20 min and wake again. Not much sleep last night but it really is a comfortable bed.

Time for my washcloth bath... I'll try ordering my breakfast after that and if I can keep the food down I'll request to go home.

Oh I am scheduled for a hysteroscopy on Monday and I asked if they could do it while I am here now and they pretty much said no. That has been the only disappointing factor.

Sent from my iPhone

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-03T19:32:00.000-04:00

Stupid driver hit me on my way home.

Dragon Law TKD July Test

2011-08-01T22:01:00.001-04:00

A few pictures from the July test at Dragon Law TKD. Caitlyn was so happy and I am beyond proud of her. She has shown exceptional discipline and grown as a person since she started this journey. It is never something that I have to force her to do, if anything I have a hard time getting her to all the classes she wants to attend. Thank you Master Walsh!!

Love my baby girl!

Charlotte & Caitlyn

Caitlyn & Master Walsh