PortaPocket Notebook

When my daughter & I were at the GORGEOUS Casa Loma in Toronto at the end of last month, I visited the restroom and went into a random stall and found.... a cell phone balanced atop the toilet paper dispenser. Gah!! Now, you can imagine what that means. 
Some woman is (likely) in a foreign country without her cell phone & having a complete meltdown. This is where the phone was: 

  (I should've taken a pic of it on there), but due to the situation, I rushed through my business and bolted out to shout to anyone there..."Anyone lose your cell?!"

   It was with luck the gal who had done so rushed over and was profusely thankful I had found it & returned it to her, but OMG, why does this have to happen all the time? It's 100% preventable.

  Travelers, I beg of you...  PLEASE don't wait for a really bad moment or circumstance to "get it.

Just GET IT before you go and you will have way more fun with less worry. Seriously.

  Love, PortaPocket Gal

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Not sure if you heard about this, but the latest apple iWatch and iPhone 14 have a new feature. It's a feature that seems useful, but it's actually creating a new problem unintentionally. While 'smart' electronics often enhance our lives, it seems that in this case it's having an opposite effect.

The issue stems from the new 'crash detection' feature. So when you're on a high speed ride, the sharp movements and drops are seemingly like those one might experience in a car accident. So your apple tech is now summoning the ambulances on your behalf. Oh my! 

This is a fail on multiple fronts as any misguided efforts to assist people who don't need emergency services results in a waste of resources. Dispatching people and equipment to unnecessary missions disallows them to be available for more urgent situations where people actually need help.

Some parks that are now aware of this situation have started installing signage to tell patrons to please turn off their cell phones &/or watches, or leave them off the ride altogether.  The first step in fixing the problem is always awareness.

It's a start. 

Mother's Day is next Sunday, but I'm celebrating EVERY day as Mother's Day. There are no words to describe how grateful I am for my mom to be a guiding force and a presence in my life... to this day. On her 84th birthday in March she said (bless her spirit) "Every day is a bonus!" 

Love her to pieces.

Just the other day a friend of mine lost his mom. She was 83 and died in his arms. ;((
Never take your mom for granted, and revel in every minute you can get.

Life is short. We need to value and appreciate those we love and tell them how much they mean to us.

Often.

xox

Last weekend it was time for our annual trek up to Wisconsin and the Bristol Renaissance Faire. Always a treat! We've been going for years now, and this time we took some friends with us so it was double the fun :)

I always have a good time watching how the women in costume get "true to the age" by stuffing their money in their cleavage, which inevitably leads to "the conversation!"

This year Angelina wore her belly dancer outfit she got when we went there last year, and had her dragonfly PortaPocket on her leg underneath so she could have money handy when she wanted to add to her fairy collection :)  Sweet!  Such a proud moment when your kid finally "gets" why you do what you do... 

XO!

Of course, what do cell phones have in common with medieval times? Not much but you know we all need our cameras (and out lifelines) with us, right?  So, inevitably, you'll also see a little bit of things like this: 

    and       and   

Where the pockets aren't big enough, but phones get shoved in them anyway (whether they work or not...) really can't be all that comfortable, and what about when you sit down? hmmm.....maybe next time for those moms...

Anywho...what about you? have you ever been to a Renaissance faire?

What do you wear when you go?

Working downstairs, late at night, and all of a sudden I hear a ruckus from the 2nd floor that sounds like my husband is going crazy. omg. what is going ON? I rush up there to figure out how I can help. And discover the reason...it's my loyal Sasha. on the floor. going through spasms. :((

Our trusted friend has been with our family for almost 14 years. We've been blessed with her presence ever since bringing her cuteness home from the shelter back in the summer of 2000. Oh what a joy she's been! A fabulous addition and now pseudo sibling to our 9 year old daughter. And now a video queen!

Last weekend Sasha rocked the GoPro and worked to make a fun little demo to show how PortaPocket can help people (and animals) carry their own crap. She was perfect and did it all right on cue, thank YOU! Will post soon as you can see...in the meantime, we have to be....ever mindful of her health. because as you know, health is wealth.

The good news is... she seems fine now. This had happened years before and prompted us to get her on a dose of daily phenobarb. Hope her dosage is not too low and is creating the problem...

truly hope we can have her with us for at least a couple more years. She brightens our days and makes every moment a little easier. Makes my heart smile when I walk in that door and hear her.... 

It's almost that time again!  Even though snow's still on the ground here in Chicagoland, it's only a few weeks before co-eds are out of school and heading off to beaches or bars...(or sometimes both)!  We don't have a college age child quite yet, so not in that mode, but are looking forward to spending some time together doing some fun things in the city.

My 9 yr old enjoys seeing Sue, the famous resident T-rex over at the Field Museum, so this may be our chance for a repeat visit. Of course, you know what will be "riding shot gun" with us! ... ;)  PortaPocket always helps. Keeps my iPhone, ID and essentials safe, and lets me enjoy a hands-free day out with my daughter.

Ahh...freedom! 

So... where are going for spring break this year?  We'd love to hear (...and live vicariously)!