Happy pinning!

So, I received an iPad for Christmas this year. Or, rather, my husband had 2 and he, after 6 months of me asking for one of them, reconfigured one of his to me. Thanks honey!

To be honest, I didn’t really want the iPad, so I didn’t care if I ever got it. I have an iPhone and a Mac (yes, we are an Apple Family), so I didn’t really need it.

That is, until I got it.

Man, this thing is fun! My sister has had her iPad for a few months now, and gave me a bunch of apps to download. Flipboard (I still can’t figure out the purpose of this one, but whatever), Whiteboard (this is a really good one for the kids) and Pinterest (this one has become an obsession of mine).

Pinterest is a site used to organize and share images you find interesting. You “pin” these images to themed boards (decorating ideas, party ideas, etc.) to your home page. You can repin other people’s pins and follow fellow pinners (how many variations of the word pin can I use in one sentence?). You can’t just join the site, though. You have to be invited (which I was – thanks, Mar!). So, now I have my own boards and can pin anything I want to them. It has become addicting to see what ideas I can steal borrow from others, what foods look good, what exercise routines seem fun doable not horrible.

…

Okay, let’s be real. This site actually holds no value for me. While I have pinned good ideas to my boards, I have yet to use. A. Single. One. Also, I can’t figure out why my one cousin continues to pin pictures of wedding dresses and bouquets. She’s been married for over 20 years. And, I swear, she’s on this thing 24 hours a day. No way can you pin that much and have a life.

But, I do enjoy seeing what’s out there. And, the ideas are good. We have a long winter ahead of us (ugh), so any crafts I find I can do easily with the boys will be a hit (if I ever use them). My sister has made some recipes from the healthy recipes pin on my board. And, I’ve looked at a 28-day food detox challenge on my cousin’s board, took the quiz, and learned that I don’t need a detox. Whew! Woo!

And then there’s Polyvore. It’s another website I’d never heard of, but easily fell in love with. On this site, you can browse fashion trends other people in the community have put together. They match tops with bottoms, add shoes and accessories. It’s really fun (if you’re into that.)  (Which I am.). Not that I can afford any of these items, but it’s still fun. It’s like playing dress up with your Barbie when you were a kid. (Of course, not the Barbie of today. This year, my niece received Streetwalker Barbie [from my mother!]. Sigh.) And once you put together an outfit, you can pin that to your board on Pinterest (or, if you’re like me, skim through what others have put together and pin things I like. “Did you put this together?” “Yes. Yes, I did.”).

I now know how my sister (and, apparently, my cousin) can be on the iPad all day long.