How to convert your favorite headphones to bluetooth

I have a favorite pair of headphones. They fit my ears perfectly, they don’t hurt, they don’t fall out, and they have great sound. They have a mic and sound controls. There’s a button to pause my music. They are wired so it’s one less thing to charge. And because they are wired, people can immediately see when I have them on and are less likely to interrupt me. The only con is that sometimes, I just need to be further than 2ft from my phone – which is about the limit on wired headphones.

I have tried multiple low-end, low-cost and high-end, high-cost bluetooth headphones but none of them fit me well. I also realized while traveling, that if I only had my bluetooth headphones I would have run out of battery and the portable DVD player I was using did not have bluetooth support.

Enter the bluetooth audio adapter. A google search returned more than 230 Million results. So I did my research, and decided to try out the Apexx Audio Adapter.

This tiny device is slightly larger than a quarter but works fantastic! All you have to do is plug in your wired 3.5mm headphone and step away from your phone.

It charges via micro USB and lasts for about 7-9 hours. I was able to pair it quickly with my Samsung Note 8. The controls allow me to pause my media, skip or reverse and control the volume. I can answer and end calls with a push of the middle button. It has a clip on the back if you want to clip it to your shirt or jeans pocket, or just drop it into your pocket.

I can now leave my phone on the counter and move around the kitchen while still listening to my music or audiobooks. No more accidentally dropping the phone when I have to rush to save a glass from tipping over the table. The phone can also stay safely in my purse vs falling out of my pocket when I’m out and about. I can leave the phone plugged into the charger and still be able to step away from it listening to my tunes.

Finally, I like having this option vs bluetooth only, so that I still have the option to use a wired headphone which doesn’t require batteries to charge before I can use them. The best part is I don’t need to try out another hundreds of pairs of bluetooth headphones and pay more to find ones I like. I already have them!

Leftovers fried rice

The kids and I enjoyed a super easy, quick and delicious lunch before we left to go swimming. This fried rice recipe used up our leftovers from dinner and breakfast consisting of white rice, soy sauce, garlic salt, peas, spam and scrambled eggs.

The trick is to use leftover rice, not fresh rice. Refrigerated rice is best so it’s dry.

Try our recipe! 
1. Heat olive oil in nonstick pan. I used enough to cover half of bottom of the pan and spread it around once it was warm.
2. Add about a tablespoon of minced garlic from a jar.
3. Crumble refrigerated rice into the pan. We had about 2.5 cups of cooked rice.
4. Pour about 1/4 cup of soy sauce on top of the rice.
5. Add garlic salt and pepper to taste. Stir until rice is heated through. 
6. Set rice aside in a bowl or serving dish
7. Reheat previously cooked spam, eggs and peas in the pan. Remove from pan and spread over rice in serving dish. 

Enjoy!

About Us – We have five children including 2 sets of twins. Currently ages 10,10,9,5,5. That’s 2 fraternal twin girls, a single boy, followed by 2 identical twin girls.

Come on summer!

The kids and I couldn’t wait. As soon as the weather hit 70 we hit the pool. Fridays in summer are way better at the pool!

We don’t have one by the way. We are lucky to have found a members only pool. For the price of monthly pool service, we get to use this pool every day, even in winters when it gets to 90. Starting on Memorial Day to Labor day they have a lifeguard so this mom can actually swim with the kids too and not just be a mommy lifeguard.

Tips for large families: See those towels? They’re color coded, of course. There’s no confusion as to whose towel it is so there’s less fighting over them. In summer they are great since microfiber dries fast. No matter how many times they’re in and out, they always get a dry towel. Bonus points for the built in loops and snaps to keep them from flying away.

Looking forward to more pool days once school is out.

About Us – We have five children including 2 sets of twins. Currently ages 10,10,9,5,5. That’s 2 fraternal twin girls, a single boy, followed by 2 identical twin girls.

A new puppy!

Well they broke me down. For years the kiddos wanted a dog. We’re surrounded by robot dogs and doggie stuffed animals. This little guy melted my heart and I couldn’t say no. Meet Chip, the Maltipoo. The newest member of our family!

MaltipooPuppy

About Us – We have five children including 2 sets of twins. Currently ages 10,10,9,5,5. That’s 2 fraternal twin girls, a single boy, followed by 2 identical twin girls.

Water Bottles

Feeling annoyed about washing the water bottles again, but my weird brain justified it by calculating how many water bottles I did NOT buy my kids and take to school everyday.

Since 2013 we’ve sent the kids with stainless steel bottles, adding up to 3200 plastic water bottles we did not have to throw away! This school year between the 5 of them it’s 900 plastic water bottles we did not contribute to the landfill (I’m so anti-plastic these days).

Here’s my “back of the napkin” math I did using the Evernote App handwriting note.

Family Calendar – take 3

Well, we’re back to paper. Nothing can beat it’s simpleness, not even multiple linked, color coded electronic calendars. The #1 reason for going back to paper is – everyone in the house can see the calendar! The kids don’t get to use electronics during the week, the little ones don’t even have calendars and electronic calendars were out of sight, out of mind. My husband and I literally forgot about a lot of things even though they were in our phones. Reminders are harder to ignore when it’s on the wall.

If you remember, the whiteboard mentioned in this post lasted a mere 4 months. It was messy, the inks ran dry, and a pain to clean.

The calendar we’ve been using is a paper one. It’s larger to allow more space for annual events like birthdays, school schedules and individual kid schedules.

To save space and time writing each kid’s name, I use their designated number. A number 1 with a circle means it’s for the oldest kid, and number 2 is the next born and so on. My kids know their numbers and when written with their designated color, even the kindergardeners know which calendar item is for them.

About Us – We have five children including 2 sets of twins. Currently ages 10,10,8,5,5. That’s 2 fraternal twin girls, a single boy, followed by 2 identical twin girls.

Jackets and backpacks

When 3 of the kids started grade school, I thought I’d repurpose toy bins for their school catch all.

It worked a little too well, and those bins filled up fast.

So I went to Pinterest for ideas and fell in love with the idea of hooks by the door. My kids and hubby loved it too. It was meant to be the one jacket you use ALL the time but sooner or later most coats left the coat closet and became a giant mash of jackets on 6 little hooks and backpacks on the floor.

I wish I lived in an area where mud rooms are the norm but I do not so it doesn’t exist. My dream was for the mudroom to be the ultimate drop off zone for shoes backpacks and jackets.

So I’m happy to say inspiration hit again when I was staring at my semi empty coat closet that was just filled with stuff we didn’t use. It is a perfect space for all this gear plus behind closed doors to prevent visual clutter.

It took me 2 weekends. One to empty the closet and sort / purge. As standard under-the-stairs coat  closets go, there was a bar up front and you had to wade through it to get to the back. That was the first to go.

The next weekend I installed hooks and set up shoe racks.

I was able to create a more usable coat closet with 12 hooks this time, a shoe rack, and even a tiny step stool ottoman for the little ones to hang up their coats. I was lucky to find a 6 hook rack with the hooks spaced far enough apart and the whole width just wide enough to fit the length of my walls.

I moved shoe racks that were being used to stack more useless stuff into the closet so there were 7 levels to.hold everyday shoes – one for each of us!

I found battery operated motion detection lights that only came in when it was dark and stuck it on the ceiling.

Now the kids enjoy walking in the closet to out away their shoes and backpacks without fear of being stuck in the dark.

I think it turned out pretty well!

After

If you want to give this a try just follow these 5 steps.

  1. Empty the closet and find homes for everything but jackets and shoes going back in.
  2. Measure walls and plan where hooks and shoe racks will go.
  3. Remove clothes bar.
  4. Install hooks.
  5. Set up shoe rack.

Done!

Purse or Diaper Bag?

Almost 9 years later, I am still in search of the perfect solution to this question. I actually wrote this headline almost 2 years ago. Today as I started to share my latest pursuit for a solution, I found a draft of this post with just the headline. I guess I had no answer until now. Skip on to the end if you can’t wait to know how I solved this problem.

For moms out there that are struggling to juggle a diaper bag and a purse, or have moved on from packing everything but the kitchen sink for your little one to a mommy purse or mommy tote – here are a few suggestions that has worked for me. At the time I write this, the kids are ages 3,3, 7, 8 1/2, 8 1/2.

  • If you still need a diaper bag, consider a clutch or wristlet big enough to hold your essentials like credit cards, ID, cash, lipstick, hand sanitizer, and tissues but small enough to tuck into your diaper bag.  Move the rest to a tote or bag you can access in emergency like in the trunk of your car, or a carryon suitcase if you’re traveling.
  • If you’ve graduated to toddlers, consider carrying only the number of diapers and wipes you need for your outing, only one set of extra clothes, and a smaller portion of snacks. Use another tote or bag with the “extras” you think you’ll need. You can still keep it close by to replenish your diaper bag but at least you won’t be carrying around another 20 pounds of gear you “might” need. A cooler in the car can store additional juice or water. Use this in conjunction with a clutch or wristlet or an “insert” bag described below for your essentials.
  • A larger purse or tote can replace your diaper bag when you’ve graduated from diapers and moved on to potty training. My diapers were replaced with a pack of toilet seat covers just in case we needed it while traveling.  A clutch or wristlet with your essentials can easily be used by itself when you run into a store so you can leave the larger purse or tote in the car.

So what about all the other things you need to carry around with you but won’t fit in your clutch or wristlet? For me these are eyeglasses, a portable phone charger and cable, and feminine products at that time of the month. I keep this in a separate pouch – you can use a make up bag, pencil pouch, travel organizer or whatever you have on hand. I find the less structured ones are easier to squeeze in to my tote or purse. This pouch can be left in the car or kept in your purse or tote if you have room.

The final grievance I have as a mom is that I also need to carry my laptop back and forth to work or when I travel. I occasionally also bring my lunch or walking shoes to work. This is yet another bag to carry around when it’s time to go to work.

Another problem? Purses and totes are not that convenient when you need your hands free to hold your child.

I’m sure I’m not the only one that hates moving my wallet, phone, glasses, makeup etc from purse to diaper bag to work bag. There are a number of purse organizers that I have tried but none lasted.

At last – what has worked for me is the bag-in-bag approach. I really wish I thought of this before. Here’s how it works

  • The first bag I will call the “insert” is a canvas backpack I found for $20 online. It’s plain, black, but durable and most importantly washable. In this bag I have my wallet, eyeglass case, electronics pouch and on occasion the pouch for feminine essentials. I do not carry my makeup with me – it stays home or goes in the car if I need to touch up.
  • The 2nd bag I will call the “shell” is what the first bag or “insert” goes into. Depending on the occasion, this is a more stylish purse, a structured tote for work, a tote for shopping or running errands.  I can throw my insert into the shell and still have my essentials with me, but change the style of my shell as I like. I usually will carry my water bottle in this bag too.
  • On the weekends, I will usually carry my purse and place the insert bag inside. If I need to look more ‘acceptable’ , I carry the purse, but if I’m just taking the kids to the park, I ditch the purse in the trunk and use the insert which is a backpack. From time to time, I bring a larger tote as the “shell” vs a purse when I know I’ll need a shopping bag or library book bag instead.
  • On workdays, my purse doubles as a work tote for my laptop. I have a laptop sleeve to protect it, then in goes my backpack “insert” with everything else. This makes it easy for me to  leave the laptop at home on the weekends and just toss it back in on Monday. An “insert” makes it easier to switch from weekend purse to workday tote if you keep them separate.

I wish I could say I am a genius for thinking of this bag-in-bag approach but there is actually a start-up company that has designed a (rather large and expensive) tote with interchangeable shells and standard insert. I’m happy enough to have someone validate my idea 🙂

Here are some tips if you want to try this approach

  • Choose a bag  you use for your insert that is flexible vs structured, and has enough style that you’ll be happy to carry on its own. Mine is canvas and a backpack.
  • Choose purses that can pull dual duty as a work tote, laptop bag, or diaper bag. I tend to choose larger purses, so yes you can be stylish and not carry a diaper bag.
  • Minimize what is in your insert. If you’re not sure you can survive an outing without everything you have packed in your diaper bag or tote or gym bag now, separate them into pouches or whatever bags you already have, then try leaving them in the trunk. Eventually you’ll know what you always have to go back for vs what you can leave behind and retrieve only in emergencies.
  • As you switch to this new “system” resist the temptation to buy the “perfect” organizer. I found an unused luxury brand name coin purse I was not using that I now use as my electronics pouch, a fashionable pencil case for my other essentials, and an unused luxury brand name wristlet that I was able to use as my wallet. These all go in my insert bag. The reason I chose them is they don’t add much bulk or weight but helps organize what goes into the insert.

Moms – go forth and rejoice! The purse vs diaper bag dillemma is solved!

 

A Mom’s Evernote Tips

If you know me well then you know I’m a big advocate of Evernote. Over the years I went from checking it out, to sort of using it to can’t live without it. 

Here are some tips for moms on how to use Evernote and stop using your wallet as a file cabinet 🙂 Yeah you know who you are.

  • Download an overactive brain…obviously happening now as I write this post. Create a note for anything you don’t want to forget, a checklist for a project, shopping lists, ideas for birthday parties, packing list, 
  • Scan school papers. Stop feeling guilty about not saving them for a scrapbook they’ll never want. You know these are for you, not them. Use the Evernote app on your phone to take a picture or scan the item, tag it with the kid’s name and toss it into recycling. You can also file it into an Evernote notebook named after your child, so you can browse through it later with them. Bonus – share the notebook with family so it’s easier to brag about your kid’s latest art drawing.
  • Scan coupons, receipts – I used to clip coupons, then dump them in my purse or my wallet or the coupon file that I always forget when I’m actually at the store. Take a picture with the Evernote app camera and tag it as a coupon or file in a coupon notebook. The coupon will be there whenever you’re ready to use it. Be like an Evernote expert and set a reminder for the date/time you’ll use the coupon so it pops up right when you need it (like when you’re at Bed Bath and Beyond).
  • Share folders. I share a folder named “Kids” with hubby . There’s also a sub-folder or Evernote notebook named after each kid. File notes here to share things like school schedules, extracurricular class schedules, clothing sizes, wish lists, immunization records, notes from doctor visits, prescriptions, etc. 
  • Send out links – I use Evernote to save web clippings. On my desktop, the Evernote browser extension lets me clip a web page to Evernote. On my phone, I use the Dolphin Browser app which lets me share a web page to Evernote. This is saved in my “clips” notebook. Whenever I find myself waiting in line or for my lunch order, I can read the articles offline. If it’s worthy to send/share, I can send share the link to my Evernote note to anyone via text, email, etc…
  • Wish lists  + Amazon. My family is remote so Amazon is a must when it comes to gift giving. To make it easier on our family, we help the kids create wish lists for their birthday or Christmas.  The Evernote app makes this easy -at Target for example,  I start a new note, click the camera icon and click away at items they want to add to the list. I can also share items from Amazon. I can then merge the notes together or save them to a new notebook that I can share to anyone that asks. I also try to remember to add their current clothing and shoe sizes just in case someone is thinking of those items. The reason I use Evernote vs Amazon is that it’s easier to share the Evernote link and keeps everything in one place
  • Buy a scanner. With all the papers coming home from school, it was easier to use a scanner. I use the ScanSnap scanner since it’s programmed to send scanned items directly to Evernote and is blazingly fast. The school papers end up in a weekly pile that I try to scan at least once a week, then toss in recycling knowing they’re safely in Evernote. 
  • Tag those notes  – in case multiple kids share the note. The benefit of Evernote is that you don’t really need to file anything in a notebook or tag a note. You could just leave it in the default folder. Evernote’s optical recognition (OCR) can scan through all those notes and find matching documents. The only drawback is when you get too many results. Sometimes searching by a tag is more efficient. The second reason you should use tags is when a note applies to more than one notebook or topic. For example – something in the folder “kids” applies to two kids. If you file it under one notebook named under kid #1, then you won’t find it in the notebook named kid #2. If you file it under kids, then tag with with kid #1’s name and kid #2’s name, then you’ll find it with either name.

Suggested Notebooks

  • Home and Family – Where you family’s reference documents go like house projects, home inventory, pet info, etc.
  • Kids – to share with hubby and family. Notes that apply to more than one kid go in here. Be sure to tag!
  • A notebook per kid – to share in the future. Includes current measurements, Wish Lists, Drawings, accomplishments, rewards, medical records, etc
  • Statements – If you get eStatements or eBills use a service like IFTTT or use automated filtering and email rules to forward to Evernote and delete from your email automatically. Stop pretending you’ll eventually read and file them from your email inbox!
  • Receipts – this is especially great for online ordering receipts. Like statements, use automated email filters to forward to Evernote. Expert tip – add @Notebook name to the subject line to automatically move it to the Receipts notebook in Evernote. Mom tip – stop losing receipts and forgetting them when you need to return an item. Snap a pic when you clean out your purse. Receipts that rub off the ink from the paper are better saved this way too. Use the Evernote app camera to take a picture of the receipt plus any extended warranty policy so you can keep them together.
  • ID Cards – use common sense on this. Obviously do not scan your Driver’s license. This is useful though to carry back up copies of insurance cards, library cards, rewards cards, etc. 
  • School Papers for YYYY –  scan here to reference during the school year, delete at end of year. See above for more about handling school papers.

    And finally my favorite Evernote tip – get rid of those post it notes you stick on top of your phone!  Use Evernote to make quick notes. Better yet get a phone that lets you handwrite notes. I am using the Samsung Galaxy Note to create new SNotes that automatically synch with Evernote. It lets me handwrite a note like on paper, but saves a digital copy in Evernote so I never have to dump out my purse looking for the lost receipt I wrote a phone number on the back of. 

    Officially no longer babies

    Oh my goodness. The younger twins are turning 3 this month. I’m so happy and proud of them.

    A part of me is sad each time they get better at saying a word, or speaking in a full sentence with no words missing in between.

    The older kids are sad too. They want them to stay babies forever. I think only hubby is happy to get past this stage. The boy has said he wished we could have more babies because “these ones are getting big”. Ha ha.

    Me and the kids have an agreement to NOT correct the baby talk. They say thanken instead of thank you, but slowly they correct themselves and slowly but surely the little bit of babyness left is gone.

    I still go to their beds at night. All grown up now in the bottom bunk beds of their sister’s room. Sleeping all night, on their own, instead of next to me. Sigh. I take a whiff of their hair, kiss their little hands, sniff their little growing baby feet. And thank God they are healthy. All of them. My five little miracles.

    Oh shoot. I need to plan their birthday party! Here we go again.

    About Us

    We have five children including 2 sets of twins. Currently ages 7,7,6,2,2. That’s 2 fraternal twin girls, a single boy, followed by 2 identical twin girls. Life After 5 – kids that is, has definitely changed.