diff --git a/example/example.js b/example/example.js
index 8764e49..3e3f6a0 100644
--- a/example/example.js
+++ b/example/example.js
@@ -7,23 +7,24 @@ class LogTest {
       // pretty: {translateTime:true, colorize:true, levelFirst:true } // options for pino pretty printer
       // env:'', // 'dev' or 'pro' -- can be use to set/override UCI_ENV environment variable
       // enForce: false, // only used with .evn.  if true will override UCI_ENV if it is set, otherwise no
-      // level:'info', // info is default level, set level to lowest visible
+      // level:'debug', // info is default level, set level to lowest visible
       // clear: false, // true for log files will clear the current log file on restart
       // logFileName:'test', // if not supplied log filename will be generated from timestamp
-      // below properties are optional and are passed to child logger instance and will be part of json log entry
+      // below are BASE properties which are optional and are passed to child logger instance and will be part of json log entry
       // libraryName: 'UCI', // will be logged as name:  can be used to identify logs of related packages,  can be set via UCI_LOG_NAME env variable
       appName:'uci-example-logger', //will be used for logging directory name if supplied and will be logged as well
-      package: '@uci/logger', // name of package with scope per package.json
+      package: '@uci/test', // name of package with scope per package.json
       // repo: // will use scope-name from package prop if not supplied
       id: opts.id, // can pass a unique if for easy later search/filtering
       // file: 'example/example.js', // path (to repo root) of actual file running this logger, default is ./src/<package without scope>.js
-      class: 'LogTest', // The class that created this logger if any
-      // one can pass through additional props to log for every log
-      // should not use any keys above or
-      //  level,time,msg,pid,hostname
-      // logPath,instanceCreatedHR,instanceCreated as keys will be merged
-      // NOTE: more props can be added at run time by passing an object of props
-      additional: {anotherprop:'test'} // should do not use any keys above or 'level,logPath,package,instanceCreatedHR,instanceCreated' as keys will be merged
+      // class: 'LogTest', // The class that created this logger if any
+
+      /*----------------
+        Can pass through additional props for every log by including this `additional` property object
+        should not use any keys above or level,time,msg,pid,hostname,
+        logPath,instanceCreatedHR,instanceCreated as keys in this object will be merged
+      ------------------*/
+      // additional: {anotherprop:'test'}
     })
   }
 
@@ -34,11 +35,17 @@ class LogTest {
     log.warn('this is a warn level logged message')
     log.error('this is a error level logged message')
     log.fatal('this is a fatal level logged message')
-    log.clear('This would clear the log')
   }
-
 }
 
 let test = new LogTest({id:'logtest-via-new'})
 
+log.div(`the default log level based on option or UCI_LOG_LEVEL ${log.default}`)
 test.logit()
+log.lvlset('fatal')
+log.div(`now changing log level manually in code to ${log.level}`)
+test.logit()
+log.div(`reset level back current default ${log.default}`)
+log.lvlset()
+test.logit()
+log.clear('This call to log.clear could clear the file log when implemented')
diff --git a/readme.md b/readme.md
index cc94c29..426edae 100644
--- a/readme.md
+++ b/readme.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-`# uCOMmandIt JSON Logger
+# uCOMmandIt JSON Logger
 
-### json logger based on pino.
+### json logger based on [pino](getpino.io).
 
 ## How to by Example
 
diff --git a/src/logger.js b/src/logger.js
index 1bdc05d..8d748b1 100644
--- a/src/logger.js
+++ b/src/logger.js
@@ -5,32 +5,31 @@ import { dirname, basename } from 'path'
 
 function child  (opts) {
 
-  if (opts.env) (opts.envForce) ? (process.env.UCI_ENV = opts.env) : (process.env.UCI_ENV = process.env.UCI_ENV || opts.env)
+  const enabled = !!process.env.UCI_ENV
 
-  if (process.env.UCI_ENV === 'node') process.env.UCI_ENV = process.env.NODE_ENV
+  let pretty = false; let LOG_PATH; let DATE_TIME
 
-  let pretty = false
-  if(process.env.UCI_ENV === 'dev' || process.env.UCI_ENV === 'development') {
-    if (process.env.UCI_LOG_JSON !=='true') {
-      pretty = process.env.UCI_LOG_PRETTY || opts.pretty || {translateTime:true, colorize:true, levelFirst:true }
-      pretty.search = process.env.UCI_LOG_SEARCH
+  if (enabled) {
+    if (opts.env) (opts.envForce) ? (process.env.UCI_ENV = opts.env) : (process.env.UCI_ENV = process.env.UCI_ENV || opts.env)
+    if (process.env.UCI_ENV === 'node') process.env.UCI_ENV = process.env.NODE_ENV
+    if(process.env.UCI_ENV.indexOf('dev')>-1) {
+      if (process.env.UCI_LOG_JSON !=='true') {
+        pretty = process.env.UCI_LOG_PRETTY || opts.pretty || {translateTime:true, colorize:true, levelFirst:true }
+        pretty.search = process.env.UCI_LOG_SEARCH
+      }
+    }
+    DATE_TIME = new Date(Date.now()).toISOString().replace( /[:.]+/g, '-' )
+    LOG_PATH = ( process.env.UCI_ENV.indexOf('pro') > -1 || process.env.UCI_ENV === 'logfile' )
+      ? ( process.env.UCI_LOG_PATH || `${envPaths(opts.appName || opts.name || 'default').log}/${opts.logFileName || DATE_TIME}.log`) : undefined
+    if (LOG_PATH) {
+      try { mkdir(dirname(LOG_PATH)) }
+      catch(err) { throw err }
     }
   }
-
-  const DATE_TIME = new Date(Date.now()).toISOString().replace( /[:.]+/g, '-' )
-
-  const LOG_PATH = (process.env.UCI_ENV=== 'production' || process.env.UCI_ENV=== 'pro' || process.env.UCI_ENV=== 'logfile' )
-    ? ( process.env.UCI_LOG_PATH || `${envPaths(opts.appName || opts.name || 'default').log}/${opts.logFileName || DATE_TIME}.log`) : null
-
-  if (LOG_PATH) {
-    try { mkdir(dirname(LOG_PATH)) }
-    catch(err) { throw err }
-  }
-
   // console.log('making logger (env,json,pretty,pretty-search,path)',process.env.UCI_ENV,process.env.UCI_LOG_JSON,pretty,process.env.UCI_LOG_SEARCH,LOG_PATH)
   const logger = pino({
     name: opts.libraryName || process.env.UCI_LOG_NAME || 'UCI',
-    enabled: !!process.env.UCI_ENV,
+    enabled: enabled,
     safe: true,
     serializers: {
       req: pino.stdSerializers.req,
@@ -42,16 +41,14 @@ function child  (opts) {
   LOG_PATH
   )
 
-  logger.clear = value => {console.log(value)}
-
   let logOpts = {
-    level:opts.level,
+    level:opts.level || process.env.UCI_LOG_LEVEL,
     logPath: LOG_PATH, // if logging to file
     appName: opts.appName,
-    repo: opts.repo || (opts.package) ? opts.package.replace( /[@]+/g, '' ).replace( /[/]+/g, '-' ) : null,
+    repo: opts.repo || (opts.package) ? opts.package.replace( /[@]+/g, '' ).replace( /[/]+/g, '-' ) : undefined,
     package: opts.package,
-    file: opts.file || `src/${basename(opts.package)}.js`,
-    class: opts.class || (opts.name.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + opts.name.slice(1)),
+    file: opts.file || (opts.package) ? `src/${basename(opts.package)}.js` : undefined,
+    class: opts.class || (opts.package) ? (basename(opts.package).charAt(0).toUpperCase() + opts.package.slice(1)) : undefined,
     id: opts.id || opts.name || 'none',
     instanceCreatedHR:DATE_TIME,
     instanceCreated:new Date().getTime()
@@ -59,7 +56,20 @@ function child  (opts) {
 
   logOpts = Object.assign(logOpts,opts.additional)
 
-  return logger.child(logOpts)
+  let child = logger.child(logOpts)
+
+  child.default = opts.level || process.env.UCI_LOG_LEVEL
+  child.clear = () => {
+    if (enabled) {
+      if (process.env.UCI_ENV.indexOf('pro') > -1) return null } // enable feature here
+  }
+  child.div = value => {
+    if (enabled) {
+      if (process.env.UCI_ENV.indexOf('dev') > -1) console.log(`===== ${value} ========`)}
+  }
+  child.lvlset = (level) => { if (enabled) child.level = level || child.default || 'info' }
+
+  return child
 }
 
 export default child