Plugged in Wirelessly

Day 2
Prompt from Think Kit by SmallBox: "Get Unplugged" Unplug for an hour, a half day, or a whole day.  Choose a time that feels a little uncomfortable.  How did you feel?  What did you do?  Reflect on your experience.  How much did you unplug this year?  How does this experience make you feel about unplugging this coming year?

Before Ramona was born in 2011, I was seriously plugged in!  I spent all day, every day working at a desk, on a computer.  I was a wiz when it came to Excel spreadsheets, event timelines, marketing pieces, and meeting agendas.  In fact, I was so plugged in that when I went into labor with Ramona, I was timing contractions at my desk and sending out emails to wrap up all the loose ends of projects at Scecina.  I liked the adrenaline that comes with being busy.  But on March 1, 2011 that all changed, because that day I went into labor was the last day that I have worked a formal "job" since.

So, you might think that a stay at home mom would also be a person who is not tethered to technology at all times of the day, and you would right...except for one thing.  When Ramona was about three months old, my husband and I got iPhones.

This little handheld device makes it possible for me to be monitoring my daughter at the sand table in the Children's Museum, carrying my son in a pouch, drinking a coffee, AND checking my Facebook page all at the same time.  I love that I take way more pictures and videos of my kids and that I can share them very easily, but I have to constantly remind myself to be PRESENT and not ONLINE.

In the evenings is when it really gets bad.  When Ramona goes to bed and Miles dozes off on the couch and the house is quiet, Andy and I do not seize the opportunity to have a conversation...we check our email, I go on Pinterest, we read twitter.  Our brains are usually a bit fried by this point, and it is hard work to communicate with spoken words!  Mindless TV and Facebook distractions are lovely to people who are worn out by 8PM.

And so, as I embark on this new experience of blogging, I am also going to challenge myself to "unplug" from my wireless device this December.  I am not going to use my phone for anything but picture taking during our morning adventures and I am going to try to not use my phone or computer after 8:30PM from now until the new year...we will see how this goes...I'll keep you posted.