Together on Tuesday: Technology Dependency

How dependent are you on technology (i.e. cellphone, Internet, cable)? Do you think you need to have more or less technology in your life ? Why? These are the questions Danielle and I are asking ourselves today for our "Together on Tuesday" post. I thought this was an interesting topic because I'm always joking that I'm still in the "flip phone era", and have not yet advanced to the "smart phone age" with the majority of my friends.  I almost added family at the end of that last sentence, but the truth is, most of my family just acquired cellphones with in the last two to three years.  Guess it's genetic for me to still be in the "flip phone era."   Being a stay at home mom, I would say my need or dependency on technology is less than what it was when I was working.  I do find there are some things that I could probably live with less of, but I just don't want to. 

Television/Cable: Oh how I love my DVR.  The ability to pause live television is a wonderful thing as well.  As a mother of two small children I love to be able to flip on the TV to a cartoon at any given moment when I just need a shower for goodness sakes!! I think my 5 year old son is so confused when it comes to being able to watch a recorded show or an on demand show versus live television.  He is always asking me if live television is going to "pause" which means stop because the recorded show he is watching has ended.  We are working on it.  I think my kids are a bit spoiled with the fact that we have three televisions, so they can each watch a show of their preference in a different room at the same time.  I've decided to cut that down a bit, and now make them "share" their TV time.  Let me be clear here though, my kids don't get to watch TV all of the time.  They have a pretty strict TV schedule-but I do have a husband that travels a lot, and sometimes Mommy just needs a minute to shower, go to the bathroom, or just be alone with a book for a few minutes.  I have finally let go of the guilt of letting them get a little TV time in order for Mommy to get what she needs.  Also, I do not just let my kids watch any old TV program.  I try to stick to the educational stuff, too. 

Do I want more or less TV/Cable in my life?  Definitely less I would say.  I have always been a movie/TV buff, and I do enjoy watching shows and movies.  I must confess though, at night when my kids are in bed sleeping, and I finally have a minute to myself, I find myself on the couch in front of the TV instead of doing something productive.  I love doing crafty/artsy things, but I feel like my brain just becomes jello at night, and I just want to escape from my own stresses into the fictional world of the TV shows I enjoy.  I am not a huge reality TV person, hence the fictional part there.  There are nights when I use my will power to keep the TV off and elect to read or crochet instead. On those rare occasions, I feel so proud of myself for actually having accomplished something using my brain.  We all have goals and guilty pleasures though, right?

Video Games: I know this was not on our original topics list, but I had to mention a little bit about video games.  My son loves them.  He mostly plays Wii video games, and I have some that I loathe and some that I really like.  What I like most about video games is that they are something we can enjoy together.  I especially like the Wii games that make us get up and get active like Wii Fit and Wii Sports games.  The ones that I loathe are ones that are too challenging for him (and honestly for the rest of the family) that leave everyone feeling frustrated and grumpy.  We try to limit the time on all video game sessions.  I also love the Leapster Explorer game that my son has, and he does, too.  It's a hand held video game for preschoolers.  By using this video game, he really has learned a lot of math skills, and it has helped him recognize letters.  Just like other video games though, I do limit his amount of playing time, especially when he starts to get angry and impatient with the game.

Internet: The Internet-what can I say? As a stay at home mom I get very little computer time.  I love using the Internet to share my pictures and thoughts with family and friends. I enjoy reading every one's updates on facebook, reading blogs, and checking out every one's photographs.  I rarely purchase anything online.  I only use email to keep in touch with certain friends and family or to get coupons from my favorite retailers. It's a handy tool for finding an answer to nagging questions that just won't go away, like, "hey how does that song go?" or "Who played so and so in that movie...?" See what I mean.  Kind of boring really.  I guess I'm happy with the amount of time I spend on the Internet or computer. I don't really want any more, and I don't really think I need any less.

Cellphone: Oh my goodness.  This is a can of worms.  I could go on and on about cellphones.  Smart phones. Flip phones.  Blackberry's.  What have you.  I have a flip phone that I use for texting and phone calls.  That is it.  That is all I really need.  I think back to the days before cell phones and wonder how we ever got around. Seriously.  I know we did it.  Remember the wonderful world of pagers? I remember my first cellphone. I got it when I was in college, and it was for emergency purposes only...well that's how it started off anyway.  I mostly use my phone for texting these days.  I actually kind of miss actually talking to my friends every once in a while, but I have to admit for an introvert like me that doesn't like confrontation (I don't mean negative confrontation, I just mean confrontation period), texting is awesome.  It's also a great way for me to get in touch with my husband when he's on the road, and doesn't necessarily have time for a conversation, but just wants a quick check in.  Since I'm never at a computer, but always have my phone it's a win-win for both of us. I'm going to leave it at that for the cellphone segment.  Like I said, I could go on and on, but I just don't have the time.  It was hard enough getting this post in for the day. Remember what I said about no computer time?

So what about you? What technology vices or pleasures do you have? Do you want more or less in your life?