Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Another bout with technology

Today was not a very good day at the Ryan household. Mommy is overwhelmed. As much as technology benefits us...today it has exasperated (spelling? no spell check here) me!
Because of technology we are capable of so much more. People expect more cuz you can do it faster and buy it quicker. Three clicks and your bills are paid. Four searches and the carseat is found for less. Google maps and you have directions. Shoot out an e-mail and twenty people are contacted for a pot luck. Buy the Christmas cards, make the scrapbook, read the news and get the diapers, all in one sitting. Well, frankly, I wish it weren't all so "possible" because then people wouldn't expect me to do it!
In order to pay the bills, I have to have kids occupied and not hanging on me...or I may just pay the phone bill twice. I have to track a sheet from my old computer to my online account to know when the bill went through. I have no check registery anymore.
My benefit people want me to do it all online too. They can't help me over the phone anymore and want me to find a pediatric eye doctor through their website...well, I can't. It's not working and no one can help me.
The medical benefit people want me to create an account, scan in birth certificates and upload them to verify my kids are my kids. I have copies I offered to mail (because, actually this would be much quickwer and far more possible to do with three little people around). No thanks...they siad they really prefer we do not mail them in. Sweet! Another 20 minutes on the laptop...fending off the kids.
Scrapbooks and Christmas cards are not just five clicks and done. It takes time, it means decisions, it means many more options than just picking a box that looks good and signing your name to a card with a small note.
Sure it's awesome to contact 20 people at a time to see what they want to bring to something, but if they don't "reply all" suddenly you have 20 salads and no one is bringin a main dish. So we start all over and the inbox fills with reply after reply "RE: potluck".
Don't even start me on the research options of a good carseat and always feeling like you may have missed "the best" deal.
Overwhelming.
And so as I type on this wonderful blog that technology has helped me to create...I can't help but wish I weren't so available to people and able to do so many things at the click of a mouse. Today, a rotary phone and a checkbook sounded mighty good to this mom who spent most her day angry with her kids, so she could "conviently" use the compter to live life. I am not sure this is how it's supposed to go down.
God and I have had a chat. Tomorrow kids win and computer takes the backseat (that is if I manage to not hurl it out the door....). I am going to live life tomorrow the old fashion way...with people!

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