There are not many times in my parenting/adult life where I have treated myself to a gift.  However, in December 2010 I did.  There was this new-fangled gadget on the market called an iPad, and I just wanted one.  So, with my Christmas bonus from work I cautiously spent the money on my own iPad.  This purchase took quite a bit of convincing from Travel Man to complete. “You deserve it honey” and “You never do anything for yourself”, are the words from my husband that ring in my head.

When the iPad was new, I used it a lot at work and not so much at home. When I walked away from my job last year, and my status changed to Domestic Goddess I thought I would have used it more than I was.  So, the iPad was sitting on my desk collecting some dust, and I had this fleeting thought that maybe I should just sell it.  And then logic and reason set it in, along with some teasing from my family.

After spending a few months debating with myself and really paying attention to the use on my iPad I came up with this list:

10. Evan, my grandson, and I like to play checkers and tic-tac-toe on the iPad.  Where would we play our games on the go?

9.  When someone in the house says, “Google it”, where would we go to become informed?  The iPad is usually sitting right on the coffee table or kitchen counter for anyone to grab and look something up on the web.

8.   The DJ capabilities with iTunes, the iPad and the Remote app are amazing.  How would we play all that fine music at the Party House during family parties?   How would the assigned DJ skip to a new song right in the middle of one that’s already playing?

7. I love to play word games on the iPad.  How could I possibly keep up on all my games of Words with Friends, and Scrabble in a timely manner?

6. Amazon shopping is my favorite form of shopping, along with a Prime membership of course.  How could I check on my Gift Lists?  How would I get my Christmas shopping done?

5.  There is always some movie that I want to watch on Netflix, and I find using the iPad is the best way to dump movies into the  Netflix Instant Que.  How would I search for movies on Netflix, or reserve a movie on Redbox?

4.  The iPad has become a phenomenal tool for cooking.   The ability to view the recipes on-screen while preparing a meal, etc. is awesome.  How would I view all of the Pioneer Woman recipes that my family has grown to love?  Check out this cool iPad holder I got for Christmas from my hubby for using it while I cook.

3. I have learned to use WordPress to write posts to my blog in the last few months.  How would my blog posts get shared with the world at a moment’s notice? I can take it with me wherever I go.

2. I can essentially have a mini computer with me wherever I go.  When I am with Travel man on a mini-vacation I don’t have to wait to use his laptop.  I have my iPad.

1. The number one reason I couldn’t sell my iPad is that it is  the first time in my working career that I used a bonus to buy something just for me.

Thanks to my family members, particularly Travel Man, who have encouraged and teased me through this decision.  I will forever love my iPad.