by Lori Cunningham

Have you ever lied in bed, knowing you have to get up and get going, but dreading the cold walk to the shower and waiting for the hot water to come on?  Believe it or not, this no longer has to be a problem for you.  Moen has come out with their Moen’s ioDIGITAL Shower System which works on remote control, yes, you heard it right, remote control!  Now, from the comfort of your own bed, you can click on the remote of your preset remote to ensure it is just the temperature and water pressure you’d like before you even step foot into the shower.  How cool is that?

Does it work?  Yes!  How do I know?  Because I have one!  I found the Moen ioDIGITAL Shower system during one of the home builder shows I attended.  I’m always on the prowl for helpful home technologies and I have to say, a remote control shower has got to be on of the best uses of technologies I have found for the home!  :)  The Moen ioDIGITAL Shower can do a lot more than just remote control operation, you can actually pre-program presets for each shower user as well.

We cover the Moen ioDIGITAL Shower system in more detail over at TheWellConnectedHome.com, check out our article, Remote Control Shower? to learn more about it’s features and pricing.

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 by Lori Cunningham

As many of you know, the WellConnectedMom is an ambassador for the PlayStation Family.  We have enjoyed this relationship now for nearly 1 1/2 years.  Before the ambassadorship,  I hadn’t had much exposure to the PlayStation system.  I knew that it was the ultimate gaming console for teens and hardcore gamers, but that was about it.

During our first PlayStation Family trip to the PlayStation Headquarters in Foster City, CA, we learned more about how the PlayStation 3 was way ahead of their time in not only incorporating a built-in Blue-ray player in their console, but in providing realistic graphics, online gameplay, and eventually access to online media entertainment such as music and movies.  I learned Why A PlayStation 3 is a good investment and how Sony is committed to creating more family-based games.

On this trip, I also learned about the new handheld gaming console, the PS Vita.  The graphics are amazing and the amount of control you have in maneuvering your player is so precise.  Though the PS Vita tends to lean towards an older audience, my kids and I have played a number of games geared towards kids that are quite captivating.  Our favorite one being Sound Shapes, a game where you create beautiful music as your ball rolls through various obstacles.

Well, now in 2013, the Sony PlayStation is trailblazing a new path again for gaming consoles.  The rumors on the Internet are true, PlayStation is coming out with the PlayStation 4 or PS4 this Christmas season!  Although there is not a lot known yet about the PS4, I do know that it will incorporate:

• powerful graphics
• incredible speed
• intelligent personalization
• fun exciting ways to share your gameplay with friends through social integration
• unique second screen opportunities

The PS4 is promised to be an exciting new highly integrated way of playing video games with  rich immersive interaction.  You’ll be able to instantly share images and video of your favorite gaming moments on Facebook, even real-time streaming through Ustream, encouraging feedback or even the option for friends to play along with you.  For today’s social media interactive society, this is the console that brings it all together.

I am happy to report that they PS Vita is a strategic partner with the PS4 allowing you to continue your PS4 game on your PS Vita on the go using Wi-Fi.  It is Sony’s plan to ensure that all PS4 games are playable on the PS Vita over time.  Interestingly enough, Sony will extend the capabilities of a game via the “PlayStation App,” for the iPhone, iPad, and Android, that offers a “second screen,” to give a player viewing maps or even playing friends in a battle, right from their smartphone or tablet!

Unfortunately, that’s about all I can tell you at this point.  There were a number of  new video games Sony demo’d during their PS4 initial media announcement and in addition to giving some of the details of the PS4.  Be sure to check out the 2 hour PS4 Announcement if you or one of your kids are dying to know more about the future of gaming.

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by Lori Cunningham

Mom and I.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful mothers out there!  In the day in and out of daily mothering,sometimes seems like we’ll make it through the day, let alone your children’s childhood.  Hardly a thought is given to “leaving a legacy” for our children.  Yet it’s the simple things we do and show our love that leaves a lasting impression in the hearts and minds of our children.  So “leaving a legacy” is not something we moms do intentionally, but it’s a natural progression as a result of the love, discipline, and care we show our children on a daily basis.

With my children being fairly young, it’s had to foresee the impact I am having with them.  But I can look to my own mother and see how her love for me…and my love for her…has shaped me.  My Mom recently passed away just three months ago, so it is to her I dedicate my Mother’s Day Testimony to.

My Mom

About 4 years ago, my Mom was hospitalized for a minor infection.  One thing led to another and her stay in the hospital extended to 5 weeks, including a life-saving injection to calm her racing heart and a respirator in ICU to keep her going.  I can remember all too clearly the day the doctor informed us that it was Mom’s time with us was extremely limited.  We were devastated.  I could not imagine life without my Mom and was in no way ready to say goodbye.

Much to my surprise, the next day we went to visit her at the hospital she was sitting up, talking, and so happy to see us.  It was truly miraculous.  It was at this time we learned that Mom’s body and mind have an amazing way of coping with serious illness through a temporary state of mind called delirium.  So she knew us but didn’t know our names.  It would take three months for her mind to clear, but God was good and once again she knew us.  Her near death experience had taken a toll on her body and mind, but we were so thankful to still have her in our lives.  I realized that life is a gift and we have no idea how long we or those close to us have to live.  I was so grateful to have her back.

Mom was indeed very strict and she held high standards for my brother and I.  We often didn’t do or have what the other kids had or did in our grade levels.  But we were loved.  Mom’s strict discipline taught us manners, self-discipline, and self-control (except for when eating ice cream, I never mastered self-control there).

As I reflect back on the many memories of Mom, I am reminded of her fun for life, her thriftiness, and her love for her family.

Mom was one of the thriftiest people I know and she loved the thrill of a good deal.  For some unknown reason, paper goods seemed to be a particular delight for her.  I cannot tell you the amount of toilet paper, paper towels, and Kleenex’s she stocked up on.  Growing up, our bathroom cupboards were chock full, she had a full storage rack of them gathering dust in our garage.  It’s no joke; the first thing you would see when you drove into our garage is an entire wall full of a variety of dusty white packages.  Picking one out to use was always difficult – you had to find the softest toilet paper with the least thick pile of dust!

After my Dad died, I remember when it came time to move Mom from our family home to an apartment   We moved her to a 2-bedroom apartment retirement home closer to us.  There certainly was not room for all of that toilet paper.  It was time to donate, undercover of course!)  Mom also had a way of accumulating clothes.  Every closet in her 4-bedroom house had filled with her bargain shopping apparel finds.  It took me months to go over there each week to gather up the clothes she really didn’t need.  Each time I would lay a rather large pile nicely in the garage, proud of my accomplishment to help her minimize, though still leaving her many clothes left.  In fact, knowing we were having a garage sale soon, I begin bringing over some of my own clothes to add to the pile.

Moving her to her new apartment was rough, there was just so much furniture, toilet paper, and clothes and so little space.  Much to my surprise, as I was hanging up her many clothes in her new walk-in closet (one of the reasons we chose this retirement home!) there were far more clothes than I had remembered.  As I began hanging up some of my own discarded shirts, I realized that each time after I finished my cleaning stint at her house and left, she was going back out to the garage, shopping for her clothes and mine and had snuck a good amount back into her closets!  My Mom liked her clothes.

My Mom loved the Lord and ensured that her children grew up knowing Jesus and learning about God by attending church.  I like so many children knew many of the Bible stories.  But it wasn’t until I grew older that I began to understand that these bible “stories”  provided so much insight.  For example, Joseph was nearly killed by his brothers out of jealousy but instead they decided to sell him into slavery.  But what they intended for evil God turned into good.  Through Joseph thousands of people were saved from starvation.  Joseph did not give into bitterness and resentment, but kept his focus on the Lord.

Mom had an amazing talent for being close to death one day and bouncing back the next.  She always said she was ready to be with her Maker but would seem to change her mind at the last-minute.  Unfortunately, when Mom began her latest and final decline, I was away on a vacation.  By the time I came back she was already in a deep sleep and didn’t really open her eyes.  By God’s grace, my brother happened to be in town for a business trip.   We visited Mom together and were so sad to see her in her sleeping state.  Though we sensed what was about to happen, it was still unfathomable that Mom was passing.  Mom was well-loved by the staff at her skilled nursing home that served her and was known throughout the complex for her infectious smile, happy attitude, and complimentary style (she was always giving people compliments). Mom continued in her deep sleep state for several more days and yet it wasn’t until some of the staff at her home came to pay their last respects that it really sunk in that Mom wouldn’t be making her famous comeback this time.  We did our best to prepare for her departure, but one cannot fully understand how hard to lose a parent until they are gone.

But I do my best to see her death is less of a departure as it is a new start, as I think back to a speech Mom told me about that she gave to her graduating high school class, “This is it – this is the Day of a New Beginning ,” so it is today, as Mom has begun a new eternal  beginning with her Lord, which gives us much comfort and happiness.  Mom’s Christian legacy continues in her children and all of her grandchildren.

Happy Mother’s Day to you and your mom!

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