Tag, You Should've Been "It"

I'm a sucker for anything with points. If by buying 800,000 packages of frozen peas I could earn a "free" pot holder or a scented candle or something, well, I'd probably be rolling through the store with a pea-filled cart. I don't know why these schemes suck me in, but they do. And because I'm just that gullible loyal to certain brands, I recently found myself with an impressive collection of like 3,655 Pampers Gifts-to-Grow points.

Through five years and three kids, I've changed hundreds, thousands of excrement-filled Pampers. I earned those points, oh yes I did. And so I figured it was high time to spend them. But on what?

I spent forever on the Pampers website narrowing down my options, and finally I whittled them down to two. This, the Cuisinart Mini-Prep, for me (or you know, whoever else decides to cook  ... *coughCurtiscough*):

... or this, the Leapfrog Junior Tag Reader, for Cameron (and, eventually, Coby):

Decisions, decisions.

I once had one of those Cuisinart Mini-Preps and loved the thing. I literally used it to death, because one night it just wouldn't start and I was banging my head against the kitchen counters shouting, "Why? Whyyyyyyyy?!" and then I hurled it across the kitchen and crumpled into a heap on the floor and sobbed until there were no tears left.

Or maybe I was more like, "Aw, man!" and then threw it away. I really don't remember.

As far as the Tag reader, Colin has one - a regular Tag reader, I mean, not a Junior one - and it's his prized possession. He seriously sleeps with it. Cameron is always wanting to use it, but he'd have to pry it out of Colin's cold, dead fingers. So I thought, how perfect! An age-appropriate little Tag reader for Cameron to use, and then pass down to Coby.

So you see? It was a tough call.

It doesn't help that I have this thing about spending money on myself. You hand me $100 for clothes, and I'll come out of the store with outfits for my kids. I can't help it. It's why I'm always rockin' Walmart couture. (Last season's. Bought on clearance.) I will literally carry an item I want around a store for an hour before finally talking myself out of buying it.

But this morning, as I was staring at the Pampers site, my eyes flitting between the Cuisinart and the Junior Tag Reader, I came up with enough rationalizations to tip the scales in favor of the food processor.

I used my old one all the time and it was so handy.
Cleanup is so easy.
I won't cry chopping onions any more.
It will save me enough prep time to check Facebook at least twice more.
My hands won't be all messy from chopping, so I can actually pick up the child clinging to my leg.

And so on.

So it was with much gleeful anticipation that I placed my order, spending aaaaallllll my hard-earned points on the cute little Cuisinart. And I had literally just clicked the final button to complete the order when I heard Cameron calling from the living room.

"Mommy! Mommy! Look!" he was shouting, his little voice giddy and excited. "Tag Reader!" And sure enough, a commercial for one was on the damn TV, and he was dancing around like he'd just seen Jesus. "Oh Mommy, will you please get me my own Tag Reader, please please?"

Seriously? I asked the cosmos.

I guess we know what Cameron will be getting for Christmas.