With every new Apple product that comes out, I pretty much sit and drool over my computer screen. iPhone 4 is no exception. I still have the ol’ iPhone 3G… not the 3Gs… I wish… As I watched the Gizmodo Live Blog during WWDC ’10, I knew that at some point, I will have to get iPhone 4.. Well, This time, I’m sitting tight. I’m learning from everyone else, just how long I need to wait till Apple works out the bugs..

Here’s just a couple of examples..

Reception issues:

If you buy iPhone 4, get a case with it… One customer bought the iPhone 4 and noticed that when you grip the phone around the sides (which are now the antenna) the reception drops dramatically.

Check out his video here

Another customer found that if you put a case around the iPhone 4 (he used otterbox) it helped out a lot! I’m going to fathom a guess and say that just about any case around the phone will help.. I still plan on buying a battery case when I finally get my iPhone 4…

Some people are guessing it’s a software issue, others blame it on the faulty hardware… Have you noticed this issue? Let me know!

Screen Discoloration:

Some people are experiencing a strange yellowing on the screen. Part of the new Retina Display? Perhaps. They had a similar issue with the iMac 27″…

Do you have an iPhone 4? Are you experiencing any issues? Let me know!

If I hear of any more issues or fixes, I’ll update here!

If you’ve been watching the news at all, you’ve probably seen the crazy flooding in Oklahoma City & Edmond, OK… Well, a very dear friend of mine lives there… and if she knew I was doing this, she’d probably kick me… but… She lost everything in this storm.

You may know her as Consumer Queen.. I also know her as Melissa Garcia… a fellow Walmart Mom … and a truly hard-working, selfless, giving mom, wife and daughter. She has a pretty nifty blog, and uses her coupon and money saving powers to stock up on some awesome products that she donates to people in need. Well this time, she’s the one in need. She is a working mom, her husband works from home due to his disability. She recently sold her home in order to buy a new home with more room so she could take in her mom who has been very ill… They moved in about two months ago, and were finally settling in…

Well, today, while she was at work, her children called her screaming and crying. Water had come in and flooded her house….. Her boss took her home in her vehicle since it would get through the flooded streets. Melissa came home to Firefighters rescuing her pets and family.

I just got off the phone with her, and her family is safe at another family member’s house, but she’s lost everything in her home. Over 2 feet of water came in (red mud and all) and covered all of her new furniture, and electronics. Her appliances are yet to be determined. They are waiting for the water to recede so they can go back and pick through what’s left. They didn’t have flood insurance… They don’t live on a flood plain. Their only hope now, for relief is if they get government aid from disaster relief.

If you can, please help. She gives so much and asks for so little… Please use the chipin widget in my sidebar to donate directly to her…

Thanks so much!

If you blog about this, feel free to link to this post. Please retweet this.

• Update (6:30pm): I spoke with Melissa earlier, and it is pretty bad. Everything under 3 feet was under water.. and it’s not just water, it’s red muddy water. Her entire house is going to have to be gutted, floors replaced, sheetrock replaced, everything. The beds are going to need to be replaced as well as just about all of the furniture and clothing. Her kids lost their Wii and XBox360, hubby lost his new lawnmower and weed eater. Their electronics are gone, including their family room TV, and BluRay Player. The donations you’ve made today (and any further donations) are going directly to her, and you don’t even know how much they are going to help. Thank you so much for your continued generosity!

I was recently chosen to be an Aquafina Mom Ambassador at Mom Central, and have been getting a chance to try out all of the flavored waters in the Aquafina Flavor Splash line of products. So far, we’ve had Lemon, Mixed Berry, Kiwi-Strawberry and Grape…

I know that many times, I look for something flavored rather than just plain water… but that’s not always the best option. I have found a good alternative that just may help you (and your kids) drink more water! Aquafina has the Flavor Splash series of waters that we’ve been able to try out as part of the Aquafina FlavorSplash Ambassador program. I was selected to try out some of the flavors they have available and let you know what I think about them!

So far, we’ve been able to try out 3 flavors, and I have to say, they are very tasty. My favorite so far is the Kiwi-Strawberry. The only thing I have to say I’m concerned about is the fact that they contain artificial sweeteners. I asked about why they add sweeteners, and their response was this:

The sweetener does change the profile of the product. Essence waters are primarily water with just a hint of flavor. FlavorSplash is for someone who likes a little more sweetness.

It’s a great way to get more water if you’re looking for an alternative to sodas, juices and other drinks that aren’t so good for you…

What do you think? Do you drink enough water? Have you tried FlavorSplash products?  Let me know!

** I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for Aquafina FlavorSplash and have received various FlavorSplash samples to facilitate my participation. Mom Central will send me a gift card at the end of the program.

Everyone can help change the world for the better, one step at a time. American Express has joined with TakePart.com to bring you opportunities to make a difference and provide a platform to express your passion – in small manageable steps. Whether it’s voting for your favorite charity to receive funding from American Express, Volunteering time, donating, or just telling your friends, everyone can take a small step on Members Project and start making a difference.

I joined Members Project, and had a chance to look around the site.

Your Vote: A step closer to a big difference.

Vote every week for your favorite charity. Why? Because every three months, the charity with the most votes in each of the five categories (Arts & Culture, Community Development, Education, Environment & Wildlife and Health & Wellness) will receive $200,000 in funding from American Express.

Voting is open to everyone… All you have to do is register for Members Project and log in to cast your vote. Voting for the first round ends on May 24, 2010.

Volunteer: When an hour is more than just an hour.

Any amount of time is worth so much more than you know. Members Project can help you find the right volunteer opportunity for you. If you are an American Express cardholder, you can earn Membership Rewards Points by volunteering through Members Project. You can use those Rewards Points towards things you need, or you can donate them right back to the charity of your choice. To find some amazing volunteer opportunities in your area, go to the Members Project Volunteer Page.

Donate: Made simple

If you’d like to just give monetarily, Members Project  has made it easy to do that as well! You can search for your favorite charity by name, or narrow it down to certain areas. If you are an American Express cardholder and would like to donate Membership Rewards Points, you can do that through the Members Project Donation Page.

I highly encourage you to join and do you part.

** This is a post supporting Members Project from American Express. I have not been compensated for this post, however, by posting about Members Project, I am eligible to win a gift card provided by One2One Network.

So, hubby and I were doing some spring cleaning this weekend… I came across one of my old utility bills from November ’09. I mentioned how I was really surprised about how our water bill recently went from $100+ per month to around $30 per month. I thought.. “Wow.. really? did we cut back that much?? ” I didn’t see how we could have, considering we were already pretty frugal and hadn’t really changed our habits too much. Anyway.. after finding this bill, I thought I understood… I saw a charge that really shouldn’t have been there…

The area we live in has our own little sewer system so we don’t have to pay the city for it. We do still pay the city for our water though.. Well, this old bill showed a charge of around $30 for water and around $70 for sewer! Well, I pay our community system $38 per month for sewer already… I thought, it had to be a long shot, but I called the city today. I explained to them about finding the bill, and how I was concerned about the large difference in charges. Whether I was supposed to be paying it, and I wasn’t now, or if I wasn’t supposed to be paying it, and was owed a credit. They agent that took my call was a little confused, so I gave her my account number, and told her my November bill was over $100, and my most recent bill was just over $30. I told her what community I lived in and explained how we had our own system that the residents paid for. She started looking through everything and realized that something wasn’t right. She told me that she’d go through our billing history and give me a call later with the results, but it definitely looked like we were due a credit. Later on yesterday, she called me back and told me that she was still going through the bills, and would call me back in the morning.

Well, I just got that call. She went through the last year of bills, since we moved in… and get this… I now have a credit of $448.51. No kidding… That’s just about a year’s worth of water for us. Holy Cow!

I know situations like this can be rare… but you never know! I find it a little frustrating that the city would basically find a mistake, fix it in their system, but not notify me, or just credit my account. Why did I have to call them to get this little interest free loan of theirs paid back to me? Did they hope I’d never find it? I’m sure. But it’s taught me a lesson…

I use e-bills through my bank. I don’t get paper bills (Go Earth!)… so I tend to log into the system, see the amount due and just pay it. I don’t usually go through the bills line by line, trusting that the company knows what they’re doing.. Not anymore. I’m going to make sure I check them out from now on, especially if I notice a huge discrepancy like I did on this one. If I would’ve looked earlier, I would’ve noticed I was being charged sewer when I shouldn’t have been, and would’ve saved $450-ish over the last year… and that’s a lot!

Has this ever happened to you? How did you get it fixed? Was the company willing to work with you? or did they give you a hard time?

This post is going to be written in blue.. Yes.. Blue… Today, April 2nd, and Mommy Brain Reports is turning the posts blue in honor of Autism Awareness Day.. I encourage you to do the same!

The campaign has given me the opportunity to give away 5 Autism Awareness bracelets! Leave a comment to enter one! Follow me on Twitter to win, and Facebook! Sorry, but you must be a resident of the USA! Giveaway is today only!!! Enter until midnight EST!

Autism affects one in every 110 children and many parents are still uninformed about the prevalence and early warning signs of autism. I must admit, I’m not very educated on Autism either, so I’m going to defer to the Press Release  for stats and more information so I get it right… Read the rest of this entry »