A few months ago, many mom bloggers were chosen by  PR firm to test out the new Leap Pad. Sadly, I was not one of the bloggers chosen. That was when I first heard about the Leap Pad. My friend Joey even did a video about the Leap Pad and the other products they were asked to test out. It sure looks like fun, doesn’t it?

I decided I wanted one. Many of you know, I have a son with special needs, and for special needs kids, iPads are the hottest thing right now. I know that an iPad is neither appropriate for him nor for my holiday budget, so I thought this would be a good way for us to test the waters. Plus, my co-blogger on my special needs parenting blog, she has an iPad. And she let my other son play with it, and he LOVED it. So, like I said, this $99 Leap Pad seemed like a good way to test out how they would do with an iPad in the future.

I had no idea that this whole Leap Pad hysteria would become what it is. I went to Walmart on Thanksgiving night, and actually I was purchasing a Leapster. But there was a sign up, where the Leap Pads should have been, stating that there would be supply issues all season long. Hmph.

I feel like I’ve allowed myself to become a part of the Cabbage Patch hysteria of the 80s. (I might be dating myself with that phrase, if you don’t know what it is, look it up.) Over the past few weeks, I have made several attempts to purchase a Leap Pad and never was able to get one.  I would check the various websites online every few days, and when I found one, I would post it. By the time I posted it and went back to get one myself, they were always gone!

Last night I was finally able to get one from the Leap website. I ended up purchasing the bundle for $160. I had just spoken to my dad earlier, and he stated that they were really interested in shopping and wouldn’t know what to buy–so could I just buy something and he’d reimburse me. That helps take away some of the sting………..but if I’m being completely honest………….right after I purchased it, I regretted it. I find myself wondering if I really wanted it, or if I was just caught up in the frenzy of the challenge of not being able to get one. My kids never asked for one, they don’t even know what one is. I’m even debating selling it on Ebay once it gets here. If we do end up keeping it, I just hope that my kids really, really like it and play with it often.

And that I don’t see them at Walmart for $75 on January 5.