3 Fun Apps That Will Make You Feel Epic

Looking around the app stores for your iPhone or Android can feel a little like taking a drink out of a firehose. With so much variety, it can be overwhelming to decide which apps are really worth your time and money.

Sure, there are reviews, but will that app work for your life? Some apps feel like one more thing to keep track of in your already over-tapped schedule. However, the right app in the right hands can streamline your day and make you uber effective. So to help, here are three fun apps that will actually help you be epic in the year ahead:

Related: This App Made $200,000 Right After It Premiered On 'Shark Tank'

Lift: This self-proclaimed life-coach app really is all that. Lift helps you set any kind of goal, track and monitor it and even inspires you along the way. Its tagline is “succeed at everything,” and it certainly feels like that’s possible. The other cool thing about Lift is that it acts like its own mini social media platform, allowing you to get community support from other Lift users as you go for your goals.

When you meet your own pre-set goals, the folks at Lift send out encouraging emails to keep you motivated and going. It’s a cool concept for staying on track with your New Year resolutions (remember those?) in 2014. And while you can’t necessarily put a price on success, this free app to get you there is one to try.

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WorkFlowy: Need a way to organize that’s easy and convenient? WorkFlowy is a lifesaver. The setup is straightforward and helps you track your overflowing to-do list in a simple, all-in-one spot on your phone. No more post-it notes lying around the office. The app design is clean and simple, organized the same way your brain thinks with lots of lists and sub-bullets that feed into bigger overall tasks or jobs.

There’s no learning curve. If you can read and write, the app is already fully functional for you. With some big name fans already using this “stress less, do more” app such as Evan Williams, the founder of Blogger and Twitter, there are plenty of reasons to download it now. It’s free! Save time and be epic with WorkFlowy.  

Oyster: It was only a matter of time before someone thought of an app such as Oyster. This epic app allows you unlimited access to more than 100,000 books from your mobile device for less than $10 a month.

Reading is a huge part of success. It trains your brain to focus, inspires you with ideas, jumpstarts creativity and allows you to learn from others' mistakes. For the same cost as a Netflix membership or a Spotify premium account, you could be cramming some great information into your brain. The selection is vast and representative of all kinds of titles and genres and there’s no limit to the amount of books you can read a month with your app membership. So download Oyster and get reading!

 

Laptops in the Kitchen

What Do You Think?

 

This came up during our discussion on the pros and cons of electronic delivery for food magazines, and we thought it would be interesting to put the question out there. Do you display recipes on a laptop while cooking, or is that just begging for trouble?

Personally, we've started bringing our laptop into the kitchen more frequently in the past few months. We're finding the majority of our recipes online these days and displaying the recipe our laptop often beats jotting it down or using up paper to print it off.

We set the laptop on a table across the room from where we're actually cooking, so there's (hopefully!) no danger of accidentally spilling ingredients onto the keyboard. Having sticky fingers is sometimes an issue, but we can usually reduce the page size of the recipe so that it fits on one screen, thus reducing the need to scroll.

We also think we'll take a suggestion from Kitchn reader Tiamat_the_Red and start covering the keyboard with plastic wrap. If we had a Kindle or an iPhone, we would probably do the same thing but put the device in a sealed plastic bag.

The only downside to this high-tech move is not having an good system for taking notes or marking changes. We try to keep a spiral notebook for these things, but this can still be confusing when want to make the recipe again and need to figure out how our notes correspond with the online recipe.

Do you ever bring your laptop into the kitchen?

Sun’s Effect on Baby Skin

A baby skin is very thin and sensitive to sun. Within, ten – fifteen minute, exposure direct sunlight, causes sunburn. When a baby is placed, inside baby car seat, unaware seat and buckles, been exposed direct sunlight, will burn baby’s skin. Sunburns can be very painful and serious health problems, including dehydration and fever. Estimates, one in every 100 children, may eventually develop melanoma, most deadly type, of skin cancer.

Treating mild or less severe, baby sunburns, applying onto the area, a washcloth been soaked, in cool water. Applying wash cloth, onto skin for fifteen minutes, a few times a day or more, but cautiously, observing for any chills. Alternatively, bath baby in cool water and baking soda, cools the skin, and reduces redness. Applying, moisturizer containing aloe vera, vitamin ‘E’ oil or Noxema, cools down skin temperature, reduce redness, and discomfort. Provide, plenty of fluids, preventing dehydration. Severe sunburns or blistering of the skin, associated second degree burns, needs attentions of a physician or pediatrician, immediately. Prescribed treatment includes, applying ointments, creams, dressing of blisters, and relieving pain, taking infant non-aspirin.

Certainly, prevention is best method, from sunburn, any age. According, Dr. Paul J. Honing, chief of Dermatology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, severe sunburn or continued exposure to the sun early in life, may be correlated, with skin cancer, later in life. Furthermore, a child has two severe sunburns, before the age of 18, generally, greater risk of skin cancer. Dr. Honig warns, protecting the skin with baby oil, enhances damaging effect, of the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Importantly, Children have greater risk of skin cancer: Fair to light skin complexion, family history of skin cancer, history of sunburn early in life, typical moles or larger number of moles, freckles, and long duration sunlight exposure. Living, closer to the equator, during peak summer months or between 10 AM – 4 PM, sun provides, strongest rays. Living in high altitudes, greater exposure to the sun. Every 1,000 feet of altitude, increases sun’s rays by five percent, especially, living in Denver, exposure is 25 percent stronger. Baby should wear, long-sleeved shirt, tight woven clothing (prevents sunlight), light colored clothing, and loosely woven fabrics. Fabric labeled, Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) value, provides a level of protection, from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Ultraviolet Protection rating of twenty, allows 1/20 of the sun’s UV radiation, pass through or reduces, skin’s UV radiation exposure, by twenty times. Higher Ultraviolet Protection Factor, provide greater UV protection. Preferable, a baby should wear, sunglasses with UV-protection, and have big lenses, exposure to the sun. A child vision can worsen, after years of exposure to the sun, without any protection. Outside, attach an umbrella or canopy, when using a stroller. Otherwise, sun-protective tent, provides sun-protection, baby is playing or resting. Directly exposure to the sun, apply sunscreen or lotion, exposed areas. Contact your pediatrician, recommended sunscreens or lotions. Babies over six months old, applying waterproof sunscreen, designed for children, and labeled ‘broad spectrum,’ protecting against, both ultraviolet B (UVB), and ultraviolet A (UVA) rays. Additional protection, by apply zinc oxide, upon areas of the skin, more perceptible to sunburn, such as nose and lips. Same for adult skin protection.

Sunscreen protects the skin, by absorbing or blocking, and scattering UV radiation. Degree of protection rated by Sun Protection Factor (SPF) system. The higher SPF rating, adult or baby exposure sun longer, before getting sunburn. Applying, an SPF ’15,’ exposure to the sun, for 150 minutes, prevents sunburn. Recommend, applying new sunscreen, onto a small area of a baby skin, and observing, for allergic reaction, of rash or redness. Applying, sunscreen 20 minutes, before exposure to sun, enough time for skin absorption. Reapplying sunscreen, recommended, after a baby or adult, played in water or has been sweating. Otherwise, reapplying every thirty minutes, during sun exposure. If eyes are exposed to sunscreen, cause irritation, apply plenty of water to the eye, reduces discomfort, and contacting a physician, if irritation continues. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends sunscreen, protective sun hats, sunglasses, and clothing.

Sun light absorbs and provides Vitamin ‘D’ or ‘sunshine vitamin,’ essential for developing strong bones, and calcium absorption. Sufficient, amount of time, baby exposed to sunlight per day is five to thirty minutes, depending how sensitive, a baby skin reacts. Avoid, strongest sun light, between hours 10 AM, and 2 PM. During winter months, absorption of vitamin ‘D,’ is limited, because sunlight contains, a limited amount of ultraviolet rays, produce vitamin ‘D.’