IZON View Your World In A Whole New Way- At Any Distance, Giveaway 5/18

***The following product was provided in hopes we would share our honest experiences here on the blog. Regardless, all opinions are genuine and all photos are original, copyright, Momma Told Me Blog 2015.

Momma Told Me: I have eyes in the back of my head!

Momma was one of the first helicopter moms; before it was even a thing, and long before it was cool. She never wanted children and agreed to my conception solely out of love for my father; it kinda gives you the warm fuzzies as we approach Mother's Day, right? Regardless, she did become a mother, and she was a wonderful one, though the way she tended to hover over me at times often made me feel considerably less independent than I desired. Today's modern Momma is juggling more than ever, and as my sister, the mother of a 9 month old AND 12 year-old, knows, it's not easy to have your eyes everywhere they're needed, at once.

When Sabrina, 12, became a big sister to her mother's first, (and she adds, last,) child in 12 years she was ready to step into her new role and boldly towards the responsibilities of being a teen. Her mother, however, was at first determined to keep her baby, Sabrina, just as much her baby as the newborn, Nathan. Good intentions aside, it's hard for any mom with an infant to balance job hunting, doctor's check ups, midnight diaper runs, and a tween's band practice, let alone just having moved to a strange state where you know nobody. It was time to begin letting Sabrina take on more responsibilities, and this meant walking herself home from the bus stop.

Thankfully we live in a magnificent digital world where the technology of home camera systems is more advanced, and readily affordable than ever. For Mother's Day Savannah got a new IZON View WiFi Connected camera for the home. Not only did it connect to her and her hubby's phone's out of the box in less than 10 minutes, but she was able to set up an account and pass-code she could provide any concerned caregiver, or nosy Aunt *cough, cough,* to keep an eye on the kids or home during extended periods away. Heck, with the live stream of sound and video we could even video chat in a sense!

The IZON View is a discreet, narrow, camera available in black or white finishes which runs on your home's WiFi network to transmit live or recorded signal streams to any Apple or Android device with the companion application. It even has an enhanced night vision mode for complete piece of mind and 24/7 monitoring! But let's talk a little more about how the IZON View works beyond your typical 'baby monitor' to prove itself as a full house security aid and pet/child safety monitor.

Available at a fraction of the cost of most high end baby monitor systems, the IZON View feed is entirely portable to any device with the installed app, whether you are sitting in your home or in line at the pharmacy. The IZON's feed is in full color, with sound, and features a companion night vision function for low light or late night monitoring. You can watch the feed live, as it occurs with a less than second delay, or set the app up to alert you whenever there is a noise or movement alert of a certain magnitude, within the camera's range. The IZON View will them ping your mobile device with a clip of the recorded event!

We love not only how stylish the IZON View is, but how intuitive it was to set up and how simple it is to use.  While there are a number of settings and personalizations you can set up, for your own monitoring needs and use, the camera functions quite impressively out of the box with a clarity of image I've rarely seen on similar camera and monitor systems under $300 (and the retail of the IZON View is $99 right now!) Our home, when it's not being offered as a daycare center, only has pets, and I'm still investing in a unit for us to keep an eye on the animals when we are away, or simply monitor the security of our home while we are on vacation.

For Savannah, her new IZON View has been crucial to her reclaiming her independence as a new mother, and her daughter's responsibility as a middle school student. Whenever she can't make it home in time to greet her daughter she can be alerted of her arrival the second the key hits the lock and the IZON View begins recording. Its as simple as that! To learn more about this amazing, affordable, home video system, check out izoncam.com and our simple demo video, below. Now, tell me, what situations would an IZON View be most handy for, in your life?

What Daughter Says: You don't have to be watching all the time to have piece of mind, simple modern home security solutions allow you to let your eyes face forward again.

One Momma Told Me reader will win an IZON View.

A Not So Traditional Mother's Day Post

I usually do not acknowledge holidays on this site, let alone ones that are entirely commercial created, such as Mother's Day. However, since many of my readers feel Momma Told Me is an homage to, well, my mother, it seemed fitting that I should offer a candid take on this role in my life. It's cliche, but I agree that one is not a mother simply because she bore children; it is a title that is earned through care and bonding. And the absurdity of acknowledging this gift, of having a mother, or being a mother, simply because greeting card manufacturer's designate this particular Sunday, is, well, absurd! In life, so many things are fleeting. One may spend their entire childhood not knowing the woman who gave birth to them, only to reconnect and build a relationship as an adult. Others may only have memories from childhood to hold onto. Essentially, this applies to all relationships; grab them while you can, and appreciate them every day.

As a child I was always hungry for attention, even with the luxury of having a, disabled, stay at home mother. You may recall Momma was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma when I was nearly 4; and though she has enjoyed over 20 years of remission, the battle took a toll on her years of youthful health. Because of this, my parents were two entirely different magical creatures, in my child's mind. Momma was like a best friend; a snarky, easily irritable, quite sarcastic, best friend. Pop was more like Santa Claus; he would lay down the law when I was naughty, but the time I got to spend with him was especially magical because it was considerably less. But this is about Momma, right? Well the woman behind the blog, behind me, was known for her declaration that I, her only child, was a 'contractual obligation' to her marriage. That's probably the last thing you'd expect to read in a Mother's Day post, right? Well, our relationship is anything but ordinary.

The number of photos I have of us together, or even her alone, likely can be counted on my combined digits. All her photos always seemed to conveniently disappear if she didn't care for them (a skill I've almost mastered myself). The photos I do manage to hang onto are from my adult years, where I've since learned to be much more systematic of chronicling these memories. You see, I only get to see Momma but once a year lately. The point? I don't have photos of Momma and I frolicking through fields when I was a babe, and giving Momma a hug as a kid was more like trying to wrangle a squealing pig (she's not big on physical affection), but my Momma was the perfect Momma for me. I have memories of Summers spent with fun filled schedules of crafts and exploring, afternoons of Young and the Restless and brownie batter bowl licking, and a Gilmore Girls rapport to challenge the wittiest of screenwriters. I love my mom (but don't let her hear that kind of mush).

So, while I have been asked countless times what I would, and will, do for Mother's Day this year, the answer is as simple as; I sent a Greeting Card full of FREE product coupons, and a simple text message at midnight. Me: "Happy mom's day and sh!t" Momma: "Thanks" You may look at this and think I'm crazy, or perhaps this lazy digital generation has gone to my head. No. Momma and I have one of the most open communication channels I know. I can tell her anything, and expect a gritty, honest, soundboard back. I don't always hear what I want, but I always know it is real. There are few people in this world I can say that about with certainty, which makes what 'Momma Told Me' worth it's weight in gold. Do I worry she doesn't know how much I love her? No. Just like I am certain she knows I understand how much she loves me. The words don't need to be said; they're just words. It's memories like Momma buying me a Pig Cupcake at the Roger Water's The Wall concert last year, walking the fire exit down to the community mailboxes every summer for 10 years, or building that infamous homemade lava lamp; that's how I know my Momma loves me. No greeting card/flowers/words needed.