Best iPhone 6 Apps for 2014 for Moms & Work At Home Moms

A month ago I decided to take the plunge and get the coveted iPhone 6.  It took a lot of thinking and re-working my budget but since AT&T Next really makes it easy to get a new phone within your budget, I decided it would work for me.  I decided upon the iPhone 6 instead of the iPhone 6 Plus. Why?  I really don't know.  Occasionally I do regret getting the iPhone 6 and wish I had gotten the 6 Plus, but I think there are times when we all want what we don't have! :)  Long story short, I love my phone and am extremely happy that I got it! 

I realized that the last Favorite Apps post I did was a very long time ago and my favorites have changed and morphed into new ones since then.  That being said, I figured that I would write up a new post with my favorite iPhone 6 apps of 2014. 

TweetBot - I've actually written about tweet bot in two other favorite apps posts back in 2013 and 2012 and I actually still do use the app.  Currently, I have the app in my Social Media folder because I do yo-yo between the native Twitter app and TweetBot, but I really do prefer TweetBot because of how great it looks, how quick it is and how you can easily switch between Twitter accounts.  The native Twitter app is a little roundabout in terms of switching between accounts.  It does cost $2.99, but I feel the minimal cost is completely worth the product you get!

Evernote - I also wrote about Evernote in the previous two posts I did as well.  This app is always going to be a favorite of mine because it literally stores your entire life.  I call this my life in an app and use it to store the novel that I am writing, coupons that I want to use, documents that I scan in and want to keep safe, work documents (business plans, contracts, media kit, etc...), I scan and keep my kids artwork in there from school, I do project and event planning and so much more.  This app keeps everything safe that I need and want.  The best part is that I can easily go into the app and search for anything that I'm looking for since everything you post is searchable.  You can keep voice notes, video notes, picture notes, text notes and even e-mail anything you need to save directly into the app to categorize at a later time.

Cal - In the past I have used Cozi and Agenda as my calendar replacements but I grew tired of those and found flaws that I couldn't let go of in time.  I found Cal which is a great calendar app.  It has a great interface, is very aesthetically pleasing, and you can sync  your Cal app with Any.Do so you can see your to-do list within your calendar app and plan your day to get more done! It also lets you know, in between tasks & events, how much time you have free.  I think this is just a terrific app for planning and a great calendar replacement. 

Timehop - Still one of my favorite apps.  I open it first thing every morning to see what I was up to every year prior on that exact day.  It's so interesting to see how far I've come from 5 years ago and to reminisce on what happened on that day in the past.  Since I've lost a tremendous amount of weight, I also enjoy looking back on the app when I have old pictures that I posted on that exact day to see how far I've come with my weight loss.  This app is a must-have in my opinion!

Misfit - NOTE: You cannot use Misfit unless you have one of their neat little wearable activity trackers.  I currently have a Misfit Flash so that's why I use this app!  I love Misfit because it gives you an accurate interpretation of how active you were during the day, how many calories you burnt with exercise, how many everyday steps you took and how much & how well you slept that night.  I purchased a Misfit Flash on Black Friday and never take this thing off.  I'm obsessed with checking my sleep patterns, how many steps I took, etc...  If you are considering getting an inexpensive activity tracker, I suggest checking out Misfit and if you get a Misfit, go ahead and download their app! :)

My Fitness Pal - Ever since I set out on my journey to lose weight in January, My Fitness Pal has been the biggest help to me.  It's a place where you can track your weight, exercise, goals and also a community where you can lean on others for support, ask questions, etc...  I don't think I could have lost 80 pounds without the help of My Fitness Pal!  If you are thinking about losing weight or need some help losing weight, I definitely suggest downloading this app.  

Things - In the past 7 years that I have had an iPhone, I've been through a large number of different To Do List apps.  I may have used the majority of the ones in the app store but I just recently downloaded Things and really like it.  You can create projects to categorize tasks under, you can schedule tasks for certain days, you can see what's overdue, current and what is a priority and the "app flag" shows you how many tasks you have to do for that day.  Now most people don't care about the app flag but I mention that because I hate app flags and want every single one of them gone so I work harder to complete the tasks for that specific day so I don't have to look at that ugly red flag. 

Spotify - There are so many apps just like this but I love Spotify the most.  I used to use Rdio but I got tired of it and didn't like how it was laid out.  Spotify has a great dark background with bright text, you can follow your friends and listen to their play lists, discover new music, search and listen to almost any song that you want to hear and you can listen offline with their premium subscription.  Sure it costs $9.99 a month but students only pay $5.99 a month and it is very much worth the cost.  This app has almost taken over the need for the native Music app on my phone.

Inrix Traffic - Since I work (almost) an hour away I need to know the traffic every single morning.  Something I loved about my Android was that I would get notifications every morning, 20 minutes before I would leave, telling me the traffic on my way to work.  I was upset that the iPhone didn't offer that until I found this app!  This app shows you the traffic, suggests alternate routes, shows you the local traffic cameras on your route and NOTIFIES YOU EVERY MORNING!  So now I know when to leave, if I should leave earlier, if I could wait a little longer to leave, etc...  And I do have to say, this is the most accurate traffic app that I have ever used.

Polyvore - I just recently downloaded this app and I've been obsessed with putting together outfits with this app.  They give you a white background and tons of clothing item options to create your own "look".  This is my favorite thing to do when I have nothing else to do! :)

VSCO Cam - This is really the only photo editing app that I use even though I have a million and one apps downloaded.  I love the filters on this app and the ability to download even more apps from their in-app purchases!  You can edit almost anything with this app including contrast, brightness, warmth, filters, etc...  This app is the only app you really need for photo editing and the only one that I currently use! 

What are your favorite apps?

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My Current iPhone Homescreen - Version #1

Phones are an important part of our life in this day and age because they basically store our lives and businesses.  That's why I think it's important to share & find new apps that may improve our productivity, organization or lives.  Every so often I am going to write about new apps that I love or share my current iPhone home screen.  Why am I going to do that?  Because I love apps and download quite a few to test out.  

Above is my current iPhone home screen -- I'm OCD about this screen.  I want to make sure that everything on my home screen I need or use and definitely want it to look organized and neat.  Why do I have only three rows of apps when my iPhone holds 5 rows?  Basically because I want it to look clean and streamlined.  I only want what I use every single day on my home screen and that's what's there.

Sparrow Mail - I never liked the look or feel of iPhone's native mail app so I went searching for a new app.  Sparrow may cost $2.99 but it's an amazing app for mail.  You can add multiple e-mail accounts and it looks clean and is extremely easy to organize your mail.  I'm actually obsessed with this app right now.

Chrome - I'm a loyal Chrome user on my PC & Mac so it's only fair that I use Chrome on my iPhone & iPad as well!  I absolutely love how fast chrome loads versus Safari and love how bookmarks & recently viewed pages stay on the home screen of the app as well.  It's great!

Camera + - I use my phone as a camera multiple times a day, it's one of my favorite things to do with my phone.  Camera + actually takes than the native app and I love the zoom & grid features. 

Google - Anyone who knows me knows that Google is one of my favorite things.  I am constantly Googling random facts or things I need to know about.  Instead of constantly opening Google up in my browser, it's only fair that I have the app for easy access. 

TD Bank - Easy access to my checking and savings account & account balance. 

Week Cal - I just like this app better than the native Calendar app.  I think it has a better interface and easily switches between work, personal and other calendars I may have.  It just has a more clean interface to the app and calendar. 

Pocket - Pocket is one of those apps that I can't live without.  I can easily send websites and blogs directly to Pocket to read later on.  It's similar to Instapaper and was formerly called Read it Later.  This is an app I definitely recommend to everyone.  

Reeder - BEST RSS reader.  I love it!  (I don't love the way my unread count continuously goes up though! LOL I subscribe to too many blogs!)  It's feature heavy and allows you to mark all read/unread, keep favorites and edit your subscriptions right from the app.

AnyList - I have to be honest, I use other "list" apps too but AnyList is one that I can't seem to part with.  I'm not 100% in love with it but I don't hate it either.  I love the fact that the "banner" tells you how many tasks you still have to get done.  It's helpful because the annoying number of undone tasks continuously has me looking at it to see what I can get done to make that number go down or away. lol

Evernote - I just recently fell in love with Evernote but seem to use it quite a bit.  I use it in conjunction with Pocket and Reeder.  If there's something I want to save to use later I will use Evernote to index it so it is easier to pull back up later.  This app is so feature packed and has so many advantages...

SongPop - Love Love Love this game. Enough said. 

Dialvetica - Has definitely replaced my native "phone" app.  Firstly, I don't use my phone too much for actual calls and talking so I don't need to constantly use the "phone/contacts".  However when I do need to make a call Dialvetica knows who I call the most and lists them first with all of their contact information.  This way it is extremely easy and quick for me to pull up one of those contacts to call, e-mail or text.

TweetBot - I used to use the regular Twitter app just until a few days ago.  I'm currently testing this app out because I wanted a change of pace.  I'll probably know within a week or so if this app is a keeper for Twitter...I use it quite a bit so I need something that I actually like!

The other pages have:  

2nd Page:

• IM+ for cross platform instant messaging.  
• AT&T Navigator for GPS -- I love this app even though it costs me monthly.
• Calculator because I'm # challenged.
• Farenheit since I always want to know the temp and love how it shows it in a flag on the front of the icon.
• App Store just because I'm such an app addict.
• Optimum is my cable provider and I love that I can watch TV from the app, manage my DVR and use my phone as a remote via WiFi.
• Capture as a video recording program.
• Settings since I use settings quite a bit.

The third page has all of my folders which I name with verbs instead of other titles.  I use titles such as "work", "photograph", "listen", "watch", "shop", "organize", etc...  I feel it makes me more productive for some reason!  I also have a folder for apps that I am currently testing and a folder for the native iPhone apps that I barely ever use. :)  

I love that my phone is organized, it makes me feel like I have at least one thing under control in my life.  

How do you organize your phone? What are some of your favorite apps?

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An Open Letter to AT&T Wireless

Dear AT&T Wireless,

I used to brag about your customer support and how great you guys were when I had an issue with paying my monthly bill; that just changed.  When you shut my service off today because I was one day late I went to the store with the money that I had saved up for the bill and paid it...All $340 of it. (Which NO one can explain to me why my bill is that high for 3 lines and two smart phones.  They all keep telling me that they will "get back to me" with ways to lower my bill -- NEVER HAPPENED.)  I was told by the retail store in Jersey City, NJ that my service would be back on in 5 minutes... I waited...

It takes me 15 minutes to get home and my service still wasn't on.  I walked to my grandmother's house to use her phone to find out what the hell was going on and why my service still wasn't on... "Oh, it shows your services are active." I was told... I had to fight with the agent to tell them my services were in fact NOT active because I couldn't use my phone.  I was put on hold for an absurd amount of time before she told me that she had to manually start the initializing of my services being restored... She told me within an hour they would work.

I gave you guys two hours, actually...

Still nothing.  I walked to my grandmother's (once again) to use her phone and I got a little more angry with your agents this time.  Two hours had passed and no services were restored.  I was told, once again, that my services were all connected.  I had to argue (for the second time) that my services were not restored.  I was put on another long absurd hold only for them to tell me it was still initializing.  Seriously?  Two hours and 15 minutes?  She told me that unfortunately there were so many new iPhone activations that they were all lagged for now and some were put on hiatus.  I'm a long time AT&T wireless and iPhone customer but unfortunately I guess that doesn't matter with AT&T.  I was told that some of these people waited hours for a new iPhone and they have to activate those first.  Is this how you care about your long time customers? She told me there was no guarantee when the service would be active again and I think that's complete bullshit.  I want my phone working the way it should be.  You're so quick to take my money every month and I have to wait hours and hours to use my own service?  Complete and utter bullshit.

Thankfully, I'm not the only one complaining about this.  I searched on Twitter to find many other customers who were one day late dealing with disconnection and activation lags as well.  I'm really ready to throw in the towel with AT&T and go to Verizon Wireless or Sprint.  Maybe there I wouldn't have to deal with the type of customer service and attitudes that I received today from the AT&T Wireless Customer care.

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Looking for low cost phone service? Tracphone is your go-to Pay As You Go plan!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TracFone. All opinions are 100% mine.

In the summer, there is also a need for young teens to have a cell phone.  Most parents are worried about getting contract phones because of the high bills and high rate of text messages sent.  These bills can skyrocket with young teens who don't understand the relationship between texting and overages.  This can be prevented by using a prepaid Tracphone.  Tracphone offers the least expensive way to own a cell phone in the United States.  There are no monthly fees, no credit checks and no cancelation fees.  There are no surprises with a prepaid phone service at all! The coverage is absolutely great and the coverage area is very widespread throughout the entire US. You can even purchase a smartphone with Tracphone service! The best part is, the service is Pay As You Go.  This means you can purchase the Tracphone cards at any retailer wherever you are!

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10 Tips to Make Your Life Easier on the Go!

Life on the go is very difficult sometimes, rather you are a busy mom always in your car or on the go on a vacation. There are so many ways to make your life and your trip easier for yourself and your family. Here are some tips that may ease the stress of being on the go or away from home.  Whether you're a business woman, a blogger, a work from home mom or just a very busy mom, there are important apps for your phone that can definitely help you out!  Every mom would love their lives to be easier, and that's what these apps do!

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AWESOME iPhone App: Mercury Browser

I love searching for apps for my iPhone and absolutely love to search for apps that make my life and business easier.  While browsing through the app store, I found something called Mercury Browser.  

The icon looked eerily the same as FireFox, but I thought to try it anyway.  I've tried numerous browsers for my iPhone and Droid and found nothing that really worked as well as I hoped it would work.  When I am doing something for my blog or for work, I need the data fast and a lot of browsers don't load as fast as I would like.  

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