Product Review: FitBit Surge

Click Here to Buy FitBit Surge 

I was SO excited when I received my Surge. I've been a loyal FitBit customer for a few years and was jazzed about upgrading to their best model. Here are my thoughts:

*Right out of the box it was easy to set up and sync with my existing account as well as my iPhone through Blu-Tooth. I like that FitBit now allows two trackers on one account because I've found my One model is slightly more accurate when it comes to counting steps so I've continued to carry it in a pocket but I love having a heart rate tracker on my wrist with no chest strap, too. (Fitbit reconciles the two trackers info to give the most accurate count I feel is possible.)

*I have nothing to directly compare the heart rate monitor to for accuracy but it matches the app I have on my iPhone so since I'm not a serious athlete, I feel it is accurate enough for me.

*The GPS tracker seems accurate, though it sometimes takes a few seconds to find my position.

*The sleep tracker exactly matched my One but I love not having to remember to activate it on the Surge.

*The Surge is a bit big on my small wrist but because it has a very clean design I don't feel it's ugly. It's entirely appropriate for most activities, but I probably won't wear it anywhere fancy. That's okay since I can still discretely use my One.

*I like that the Surge can notify me about texts and calls, and that I can change songs on my iPhone with it. Those are two features I didn't give much thought to before, but they (especially the notifications) have become some of my favorite things.

** THIS IS THE BUMPY START ** My only complaint is that when my Surge arrived the heart rate monitor was not working at all. Fitbit has a great help section and a customer community so I went there first for troubleshooting. I tried everything suggested to fix the monitor to no avail. I've had great success with Fitbit's customer support over email in the past so I wrote an email and waited. For three days. They then suggested I tried fixes I had already told them I'd tried in my initial email. Long story short it took me just over a week of communicating this way before Fitbit agreed to send me a replacement. (Apparently the faulty heart rate monitor is not uncommon.) Once my replacement arrived I was a happy camper though. The replacement has been perfect. The heart rate monitor works flawlessly with all my activities so far without having to adjust it's position on my arm.

*SUMMARY* As a fitness tracker I'm very pleased with it, and I feel like this is a good starter smart watch while I wait for Apple to get the iWatch just right. I plug it in to charge while I shower and otherwise wear it comfortably all day and night.

National Dog Day episode 4: My Favorite "Dog" Author - Jon Katz

In honor of National Dog Day, I'd like to share my favorite "dog" author. Jon Katz has actually written for decades about many non-dog topics, but I discovered him through his book The Dogs of Bedlam Farm. As a border collie lover, I instantly loved his tales of border collies and sheep and a city dweller learning to live on a farm. I've read most of his books by now, and I visit his blog several times a day. He often writes about his current dogs, Red and Fate, but just as often he writes about philosophy, humanity, animal rights and art. He is definitely an author worth reading, whether you are crazy about dogs or not.
Buy his books on Amazon here:  http://amzn.to/1JyW1SD
Visit his blog here: http://www.bedlamfarm.com
Follow him on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/authorjonkatz?fref=ts

Books for National Dog Day episode 3: A Book to Make You Laugh

Buy Dear Mrs. LaRue Here

My little boy loves to be read to.  He's a decent little reader now himself, but he still loves to grab a picture book and curl up for me to read to him.  One of his favorites features a silly dog named Ike, who is prone to exaggeration but is really a good dog at heart.  With funny illustrations showing both Ike's point of view and reality, I'll bet you AND your kids will laugh and the discrepancies.

The Dog Book I Refused to Read with My Daughter: Books for National Dog Day episode 2

Buy Love That Dog Here

When my oldest daughter was in third grade she brought this book to me.  I'd put it on her book shelf because I'd read it and loved it and thought she would, too, but I didn't guess she'd want me to read it to her.  When she handed it to me, I looked at the cover.  I flipped a few pages.  I thought about when I'd tried to read it to a class full of fourth graders and cried ugly tears through a good part of it.  I decided it would be better if I didn't read it aloud with her.  That's right, a book exists that I refused to read with my child.  (You can read a post I wrote at that time here.)

I really do love Love That Dog.  In fact, I'd put it in my top 25 animal books of all time.  (That's saying more than it might seem because I read and love a lot of animal books.)  But, it's weep inducing for a softie like me.  So, I recommend this book but it comes with a warning.  It's written in simple and sometimes lovely prose, but it will make you cry.  Not that there's anything wrong with crying, but you know...  You have been warned.

Books for National Dog Day episode 1

Today is National Dog Day so I thought I'd share some of my favorite dog books. First up is one I recently reread after we said goodbye to one of our border collies. This is a real tear jerker if your heart is already in a tender place, but it comforts me. I love the idea of a guardian angel taking care of my sweet dogs.

Click Here to Buy the Book

A few editorial reviews: 

"If you've never had a dog companion, this book will give you a picture of what it's like. It's like magic." -- The Oregonian, January 20, 1998

"The perfect way to remember the timeless connection children (and adults) forge with their special four-legged friends. Highly recommended." -- The Midwest Book Review

"This book is a must for everyone who has ever loved a dog. I can't recommend it highly enough." -- Susan Chernak McElroy, author of Animals as Teachers and Healers

"When the author lost her forever dog, Martha, the impact was devastating. This captures the poignant magic between the pair." -- The Seattle Times, November 22, 1998

"Whimsical language and pastel watercolors will mesmerize children of all ages." -- Dog Fancy Magazine, May 1999

Adults and children who have lost a dog will appreciate Davis' book for what it says: Although a dog passes away, it "can never really be separated from its forever person." The loving relationship between a person and a dog is forever. If you've never had a dog companion, this book will give you a picture of what it's like. It's like magic. Dog lovers will understand once they read this celebration of the special relationship between a person and a dog. It's a quick read, with less than 30 pages, but it's a book that can be read over and over. It evokes fond memories of those happy moments between a person and a dog. That alone will make the reader smile --Portland Oregonian, January 20, 1998