Every year when I turn the calendar to March, there are different emotions going through our house. Since I started blogging back in 2009, March is usually a month that I can slow down a bit and take a breather. Usually I am just coming off of a Christmas Gift Guide, followed directly after with my Valentine's Day Gift Guide. While March includes my Easter Gift Guide, I feel more at ease, as I take on less products to review, so that I can enjoy the warmer weather that spring brings. But, for my husband, March means NCAA March Madness, brackets and tuning in to catch multiple games at once, while checking scores during commercial breaks for others. All you can hear when my husband gets home from work and on the weekends is sports commentaries coming from the television, one of our iPads and now my husband's cell phone.
I can't complain when it comes to his need to stay connected and "Catch it All," as I find myself doing the same thing when it comes to blogging. Usually I wait until the girls are sleeping at night time before I pull out my Dell laptop and start turning out posts.
I have found that if I pull my laptop out during the day while the girls are awake, it is an instant sign to bother mommy, and I can never get anything done. Even if the girls are content playing a game, watching a movie or reading books, as soon as they see my laptop, they need to ask me for a drink, diaper change, toy, or a question. Because of this and how frustrating is to try want to get work done, but knowing you can't with little ones around, I try and make a point to keep the laptop out of site until they go to bed.
While I don't have the laptop powered up during the day, that doesn't mean I am still not connected to the Internet, checking my emails or social media pages, etc. Quite the contrary...from the time I get up in the AM to the time I go to bed, I have my cell phone turned on and in my hand or back pocket. My iPad is close by, so that I can quickly make changes to a post, draw giveaway winners, post to Twitter or Facebook, or veg out for a few minutes playing word games with family and friends.
Back in the day when cell phones became popular, I would tell my family and friends that they wouldn't catch me with a phone attached to my ear. But, when I realized that it is important to have a phone in case of emergencies on the road, or to call for directions (before map apps became popular), I ended up picking up a pre-paid phone. Just knowing I had a phone made a world of difference -- even though I rarely turned it on or had it fully charged. :-)
It wasn't until I started blogging in 2009, and saw how vital it was to have a cell phone, to take photos and upload to my blog and social media pages, make business phone calls on the go, or keep a calendar and to do list. My cell phone became my best friend, sort of speak, as it was always with me. I had turned into the person I always said I wouldn't -- someone who needed to be connected at all times and have a cell phone or other tech device on them at all times. Do you find yourself in the same boat?
In today's society, you need to stay connected --- but, you also have to know when to disconnect and enjoy time with family and friends. Like so many people, this has been a New Year's resolution of mine for a few years now, and one I struggle with, as I can't go a day without checking emails, logging in to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. If I don't do this, I feel like I am not only missing out on something, but falling behind with my work. What are we to do?
Guess what I am doing right now? I have the television going in the background, so that I can catch the evening news and weather for tomorrow, music is playing from my cell phone, while it continues to beep, vibrate and make crazy sounds as new messages and alerts come in -- all, while I am typing up this post. In addition to typing this post, I have a handful of tabs open at the top of my screen, which I continue to click on periodically to check my social media pages, report game scores to my husband, or play a quick word game. While it may look like I am good multi-tasking, this is just a sign that technology has taken over our lives, and we have grown accustomed to making sure we "catch it all now."
My husband is sitting next to me on the couch, with six mini screens going on the new flat screen television we purchased from Best Buy. He said it was for the girls to be able to watch their movies better...but, I know he also wanted to get it in time for March Madness...but, we will not tell him this. :-) In addition to watch television, he is also catching up on games played earlier, checking his brackets, listening to commentary on his cell phone, and at times chatting with friends about the games and how they are doing with their brackets. I would not consider my husband a multi-tasker, but if you looked at him and all the devices he has going at once, you would think he was. And, I the same.
How do you stay connected? Do you turn to your laptop, tablet, cell phone or HDTV to stay connected? How do you make sure you are catching it all and not missing a beat? Multiple tabs open on your laptop or tablet? Alerts constantly going off on your phone while you swipe from app to app? Or, are you like my husband and like to watch 6 things at once thanks to picture in picture on televisions today?
I don't know how we do it, without going crazy. But, we someone manage to make sure we catch it all. And, I have to thank Best Buy as they have been our go-to store for all our devices and televisions, to help us stay connected and not missing a beat. From cell phones to laptops to tablets and even multiple flat screen televisions in our house there is a sort of Multi-Screen Madness that goes on daily...but, we have grown accustomed to it, and this is how we live and operate -- thus, making sure we catch it all -- including all 68 teams playing in March Madness and me staying up-to-date on all things blogging. It is crazy if you really think about it...but, it is also the way of life for us and the newer generations.
Best Buy helps keep you connected to the excitement with the devices and connectivity that make it possible: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/global-promotions/multi-screen-entertainment/pcmcat325900050014.c?id=pcmcat325900050014&type=category&autoplay=true&id=pcmcat325900050014. Brought to life by the brand promise of the latest devices and services, all in one place.
Disclosure: The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. However, all views shared are mine and mine alone.
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