Tag: iPhone

Categories
Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites #81

Hello all!

Happy Friday! I hope you have had a smooth and successful week and were able to celebrate Valentine’s Day or Galentine’s Day. We made it to Friday which means the weekend is just hours away! I don’t know about you, but I am ready for the weekend.

Some sweet treats from Valentine’s day!

As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea for some of my favorite things this week for this week’s edition of Friday Favorites. This is a mix of some books, music, food and some recent refreshes.

Let’s dive right in!

New Chair Cover- I’ve had the same desk and chair in my room since the second grade (yes, I still live at home and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made). The desk and chair are in great condition, however, they have endured wear and tear over the years, so I’ve had to get the chair re-upholstered a few times. This chair covering has gone from pink, to checkered, and now patterned. After more rips and tears, I decided to get it cleaned up again, rather than buy new. I found some of this patterned Paris fabric from a local remanent store and brought it to an upholstery store to get it fixed up. I’ve had it on my to-do list to get fixed for months and I finally got accomplished it. I’m so happy I was able to keep what I had and spruce it up rather than buy new. If you are looking to update something in your home, here’s your sign to do it.

New Lock Screen- Speaking of refreshes, this may sound silly, but I updated my lock screen for my cell phone and it was such a good reminder that the little things truly make the biggest difference when it comes to bringing joy in my life. I found this picture on Pinterest and swapped out the colors for my clock. I had a winter/Christmas background and now this one of Paris reminds me of the month of love. It’s a small change, but it makes me smile especially as we make our way through a new month. 

Little Italian Hotel– I finished “The Little Italian Hotel” on Libby this past week. I listened to it as an audiobook and loved my experience with it. I don’t often listen to audiobooks, but I decided to give it a try and was so happy I did. The story follows a talk show host who ends up taking her anniversary trip alone. Rather than go with her husband, she invites four strangers to accompany her. The five people bond over heartbreak and become friends as they create memories during their three-week trip abroad. I listened to the book in the car, while I was jogging, and while I was cleaning and doing things around the house. I like the narrator’s voice and she had me hooked the entire time.

Stir Fry- I have been enjoying easy meals this winter. I love easy soup and sandwich nights, a soup and salad for lunch or a stir fry. A hearty stir fry has been a go-to for lunches and dinners. I love this meal because it’s a great way to use what you have in your fridge and not waste food, it combines a lot of food groups, and it’s fast. This past week, I used leftover ground beef, rice and some frozen veggies to put together this meal in under 20 minutes. Major win! I also have made chicken stir frys, veggie frys and shrimp stir frys too….the possibilities are truly endless. 

Billy Joel’s New Song– I know this is a few weeks old, but I have been listening to Billy Joel’s new song “Turn the Lights Back On”, non-stop. This is the first song he has released in 30 years and it’s so good. I love the message and the melody. I really appreciated his performance during the Grammy’s too. If you haven’t listened to it, give it a listen.

That’s a look at some of the things I have been loving this week.

Tell me, what are some of your favorite things from this past week?

Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great weekend!

Categories
Fabulous living

Apple Watch Review

Hey guys!

Happy Wednesday! I’ve held off on this post for a while but I’m excited to share it with you today. 

I always love reading people’s different reviews of products. Whenever, I’m on the fence about buying a product reading someone’s review always gives me the push or pull into getting a product. I’ve always been a HUGE fan of fitness trackers, especially Fit Bit. You can read my past Fit Bit reviews here and here.

For Christmas I got an Apple Watch and while it took a little bit of getting used and trying it out, I’m excited to share my review with you today!

My new Apple Watch SE.

A few notes, this post is not sponsored at all, this is just my own thoughts and opinions on Apple Watch.

For starters, I got the Apple Watch SE. 

It took a little bit of getting used to compared to my Fit Bit Versa Lite (the set-up, the notifications and the look) but once I did , I automatically fell in love with it.

For my job, I’m always on my phone, so having my calls, texts, emails, and social media all synced to my watch is huge!

I love that I can see who’s calling or texting me from my watch without picking up my phone.  The Fit Bit Versa Lite had these features too, but I like how on the Apple Watch you can read the full text message and not just the preview compared to the Fit Bit Versa Lite. You can also respond to texts through Siri or microphone or by writing a message out. I typically don’t respond to too many texts unless it’s a one-word or short response that I can quickly type or speak using Siri.

With the Fit Bit Versa Lite you can see when someone is calling you, but on the Apple Watch SE you can answer calls from it as well. I also like how you can get way more notifications from different apps. I can see when I get notifications from social media, to emails, calendars and emails.

I am always using my Apple Watch to set timers or alarms. I also use Siri a lot more on my Apple Watch compared to my phone. I also can get a quick check of the weather without going on my phone. Major wins for me!

Besides work, I really enjoy working out. I try to workout at least five days a week if not more. I use my Apple Watch to track my work out sessions, track how many calories I’ve burned, see how many steps I’ve gotten and see how long I’ve stood. There’s different programs you can start tracking when you workout from yoga to walking, running or lifting weights. Closing my rings is always a highlight of my day. 

If you have been following for a while, you know how I have started to incorporate mindfulness and meditation in my daily routines. One of the apps on my Apple Watch tracks Mindfulness, another favorite! I practice Mindfulness at the start and end of every day.

Now that I have raved about the Apple Watch, here’s a few things that I have noticed that I don’t love about it. 

The battery goes faster on the Apple Watch compared to the Fit Bit Versa Lite. If I start the day with 80 percent by the end of a 12 hour day, it’s around 30 percent. It makes sense since I’m using it constantly and since I sleep with It on at night, but it still go faster than the Fit Bit. I typically charge it when I’m showering at night or when I’m sitting down or doing my hair in the morning.

You also need a specific charger and charger block for the Apple Watch, so that’s something else you should be aware of.

The other thing that makes it questionable is the price, or more accurately is it worth it? In my opinion …yes! Since I use it for multiple reasons, all day every day. It’s definitely worth it. But if you are on the fence about investing, I would suggest maybe starting with a Fit Bit and working you way up to an Apple Watch, just a suggestion. 

The pros outweigh the cons but A LOT! Overall, I am thrilled with my Apple Watch and I use it all day, every day! In next week’s post, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite accessories. Until then, if you have an Apple Watch, what are your thoughts on it? Let me know!

Categories
Fabulous living

Screen Time Feature: YAY or NAY?

Hi All!

Happy Tuesday!

I hope your weeks are off to a great start. February is flying by, it’s crazy to think we are more than half way to the end of the month. I hope you all had a relaxing weekend and were able to celebrate Valentine’s day with your loved ones. 

Today, I wanted to share my thoughts and get your thoughts on the new update on iPhones with the screen time feature. Essentially, your iphone monitors how long you spend on your phone from social media, to productivity, entertainment and more. 

The screen time feature is found under your settings

You can check your screen report by going under settings and then half way down you will see screen time. From there it shows you how long you have been on it for the day, how many times you pick up your phone per hour, and how many notifications you receive per day. For more of an overview you can see how long you have been on it for the week. Every week, your phone will give you a screen time report of how much time you spent on your phone for the week compared to past weeks. 

It shows you how much time you spent on your phone per day (Note: I wrote this post in the afternoon so it’s not a full day, but you get the idea)

If your amount of time on your phone alarms you, you can schedule time away from your phone or app limits, so you can control how much time you spend on your phone. 

This breaks down screen time hour by hour and you can see your notifications and how much time you spend on each app

When I first heard about screen time, I was intrigued. The first day I checked my screen time at the end of the day, I spent over five hours on my phone, I couldn’t believe I wasted so much time on my phone when I could be doing other things. Now, granted some of the time was listening to music, talking on the phone, replying to emails and social media but I wasn’t scrolling through Instagram for 5 hours straight. HAHA. Now, thanks to screen time I can monitor how much time I’m on my phone through the day and I can see when I need to put it down and away. After using screen time for a few months, I average being on my phone for about 3.5 hours a day, I wish it was lower but I’m glad it’s gone down since I’ve been aware of screen time. I have liked using the screen time app to be aware of how much time I’m spending on my phone. This is not an advertisement nor a sponsored post, I just wanted to share my thoughts on screen time and get your input from about it too!

Look at the full week-this week it was higher due to a number of interviews I was doing over the phone

What are your thoughts on screen time? Have you tried it? Did you love it? Hate it? Let me know in the comments below! 

See you Thursday for a new look of the day!

Categories
Fun Ways to Organize

What’s on My Phone?

Hi Guys!

Happy Tuesday! I hope you all had restful weekends! My weekend was pretty busy between homework, work, and the semester full underway, it was hectic to say the least. I am looking forward to this coming weekend as it will be filled with activities, family, and some R&R!

On today’s agenda, I wanted to share how I organize my phone and some of my favorite apps on my phone that make my life easier and more efficient. Now, as 20 year old, I do use social media a lot on my phone both for my blog and for my own personal use. However, I am just going to focus on apps, that make my life easier and more organized. This post is not sponsored or an advertisement, I’m just sharing what apps work best in my life and how I keep my phone organized.

What’s on my iPhone?

On the first screen, I keep most of my apps in their original place. I don’t like to move my apps around too much because I like to keep it simple and not complicated. My phone, safari, mail, music, messages, and notes are all near each other so I can access them easily.

First screen

On my second screen are the more speciality apps.

Second Screen

My first row are my apps for social media which include Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and the E News app where I get all the scoop from Hollywood. I use these every day even multiple times a day.

The second row are apps that I use that are clustered based on use. (minus pinterest- another form of social media but I ran out of room on the first row). My first cluster is for school. Outlook is great for collecting my school emails, GroupMe is so helpful for group messages, Schoology keeps all my assignments in one place, Cam Scanner is great for copying notes, and Remind is a great Reminder app.

School Apps

My second cluster is for work which include Linkedin, Facebook, and Messenger all used for work purposes not fun.

Work Apps

The last cluster is all the other apps that I don’t use all the time including Contacts, Stocks, Files, Compass, any other apps that I don’t use all the time.

Extra Apps

The third row includes my personal apps which include my online banking app, my Fitbit that tracks everything on my Fitbit, my Countdown app for important days, and Sprinkle of Jesus, a great app full of inspiration.

My last row includes three clusters.

The first for entertainment; which include Amazon Music and Video, Netflix, Pandora, and Podcasts, they are tucked away so I’m not distracted.

Entertainment Apps

My second cluster  has my favorite shopping and food apps which include Apple Wallet, Amazon Prime, and Panera Bread and Chipotle, my favorite eateries.

Food and Shopping Apps

Lastly, photos and videos which includes Layout, VSCO, Followers, and Repost all important for blogging.

Photos and Video Apps

Now onto my favorite apps.

–       Notes

Everyone with a smart phone has some kind of notes app and it is so helpful. I use my notes every day. I keep To-Do lists, Reminders, Movies that I want to watch, and Books I want to read, Passwords, and anything else I need to be accessible at all times. I use my notes all the time and it is so helpful to have it be synced with laptop and ipad to I have all my notes with me on any device. Notes keeps me on top of anything that gets thrown my way through the day.

–       GroupMe

This is one of my most used apps. It is an app just for group messages. It is so helpful to keep all my group messages in one area and not mixed in with all my other personal messages. For my job at school, we use GroupMe to communicate fast and efficiently. GroupMe is also super helpful when it comes to group projects, work meetings, or just friends making plans.  This app is free and can be found in the app store. Overall, GroupMe has made my life at school much more organized

–       Sprinkle of Jesus

Not an organizational tool but this app sends you positive reminders and mantras throughout the day. Whenever, I need a pick me up, Sprinkle of Jesus is always there. Some of the quotes hit close to home. They also have great content too. This is free and found in the app store.

Whew, that’s a look into my phone and what apps Im totally hooked on. Also, I keep my background fairly simple so I’m not distracted with a busy background. What apps are you hooked on and what tips do you have when it comes to organizing your phone?