The Power of Apps

I forgot to eat breakfast before heading out to the gym this morning and maybe that's what contributed to my little moment of craziness. After Zumba class, I felt like I still had lots of energy so I hopped on a treadmill and ran a couple of miles. I was so proud of myself.

When I picked up Grace from the children's area and she loudly asked why I was so wet, I wasn't embarrassed in the slightest. I took great pride in all that sweat.

It wasn't until a couple of hours later when I started to regret my impromptu decision to overachieve in the cardio department. When Grace goes down for her nap, I normally do a mid-day clean up. But I had absolutely no energy. There were toys that needed picking up, furniture that needed dusting, floors that needed sweeping, laundry that needed washing, and dinner that needed prepping. I couldn't do any of it.

Instead, I curled up on my comfy reading chair and searched for apps to download onto my iPhone.

Maybe I wasn't quite as productive as I hoped to be, but I can't wait until the next time I need to entertain Grace in a hurry when we're out in public and I desperately need her to be good. I've got a few cool things in my bag of tricks now, thanks to some kid-friendly apps. If she starts to get antsy when we're out to dinner? I can bust out some Dr. Seuss interactive books. If I sense the appearance of my little monkey while we're out running errands? I can calm her down with an episode of "Little Bear."

Is it wrong of me to use my phone as a way to entertain my child to make my life a little easier? Or is it just a smart use of technology? I told myself I will only use the apps on Grace when it's an emergency, and that makes me feel a little bit better about it.

Having a picnic and story time while I finished making dinner.